Stage Fright free essay sample

Standing in the center of the gym, listening to the crowd cheering and clapping, I was terrified. I could see my parents, anxiously waiting in the crowd, wondering how this would turn out. The judges stared expectantly, waiting for me to start my routine. My breathing started to come faster and faster and I fidgeted nervously, trying to take my mind off what I was about to do. Right before I was about to begin my routine, my coach gave me a few last words of encouragement, â€Å"Just think about how many times you have practiced this, just relax. You can do it.† When I started gymnastics, I had already made up my mind that I never wanted to compete. I was frightened of performing in front of an audience and judges. I was a perfectionist, and did not want to mess up in front of a crowd. Even outside the gym, I never volunteered to give presentations, and rushed through my speeches when I was forced to give one. We will write a custom essay sample on Stage Fright or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When I finally reached a competitive level at the age of ten, my coaches gave me an option: compete a few meets during the year or wait until the next season to start competitions. I immediately chose to wait until the next year because I wanted to put off having to go to a meet and be the center of attention as long as possible. When the first competition of the season came, I hoped all week that it would be canceled. At the meet, instead of focusing on the routines I had practiced, I stared at the number of people watching from the bleachers, but as I began my routine, I forgot about the crowd and judges. I fell in to the familiar repetition of what I did in practice. I realized that competing was not as bad as I thought it would be and that I actually enjoyed showing off everything I had worked on all year at the gym. After that meet, gymnastics made me realize that I needed to confront my fears. The rest of the season I was still nervous at every competition, but I began to enjo y performing. Slowly I began to smile during my floor routine, or remember the little corrections on uneven bars. I became more comfortable trying to do everything as best I could, instead of just going through the motions just to get it over with. Getting over my fear of being the center of attention helped me with my gymnastics, but also it helped me with what I did outside of the gym. At school, while giving an English speech, I waited my turn nervous, but confident that I would do well. The more presentations I had to do, the less anxious I became. Because I overcame my fear of performing in front of an audience, I learned that if I confront my fears, they would eventually go away.

Oppression and liberty

Oppression and liberty Introduction Ruth Almog is an Israelite woman, who loved literature as she grew up. She wrote mostly on women and justice. In one of her books, ‘Invisible mending’ she based her focus on a girl, Hefzibah who grew in an exploitive society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oppression and liberty specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This essay will discuss oppression and liberation as covered in the story by Ruth Almog. In Hebrew, the words â€Å"I delight in her† are â€Å"Hefzibah† (Glazer 34); the pain enacted in Almog’s story has been â€Å"invisibly mended† by the healing power of the Bible. She is strong all through when she read God’s word which comforts her in her problems. The essay will also discuss the remedy to this oppression based on leadership, gender and religion. Oppression The story of a young girl growing up in the midst of problems is a good platform for Rut h Almog’s explanation and emphasis on the many ways of oppression. The rules and laws are a heavy burden in her life. The exercise of religious laws is unjust and she is depicted as a victim of circumstances; she is suffering physically and psychologically. The loss of her father at a young age is one form of psychological torture she has to bear with. Hefzibah Ruth Almog’s ‘ Invisible Mending’ , growing up in Palestine and faced at once with her father’s death and her own dawning sexuality, is an intermeshing of ancient texts, as well as social political, economic, sexual, Psychological, familial, artistic and religious tension. (Glazer 33) The murder of Hefzibah’s father by Hitler subjects the family to further exploitation. Hefzibah’s grandmother has to engage in the cleaning other people’s houses to earn a living. The girl and her family suffer severely from the death of her father in a foreign country. Being a woman subject s all of them, grandmother, the mother and daughter Hefzibah, to exploitation. Though these children distinguish between themselves and the ultra orthodox whose young men attend Yeshivot in Jerusalem, they nevertheless use the fine points of religious law as a way to torment her, while her harassed mother argues, But you have nothing to wearand winter clothes are awfully expensive. (Glazer 34) Her grandmother is over worked at an old age; they also became very poor to the extent that her mother gave her jumper for an invisible mending which is double edged. This invisible mending was not acceptable in the Jewish culture as it was a sign of mourning.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is misuse of religious law in this society which makes this girl to suffer in vain because the punishments does not help her and neither does it help the punishers. Instead the girl is just subjected to pain: In school, Hefzibah is also oppressed by her teacher who, blind to her love of drawing, relentlessly carps at her for inattentiveness. He demands that she copy out psalm 82 ‘a hundred times’ as punishment. Particularly because his name, â€Å"Mr. Lev,† identifies him as a â€Å"Levite† that is as a descendant of the priestly tribe singled out by the TorahHefzibah serve as bitterly ironic narrative comment on the misuse of authority in the name of religion’. This passage demonstrates clearer exploitation on basis of her origin. Why did this teacher choose to give such punishment to a pupil? (Glazer 34) Almog argued that people should go beyond gender and all forms of divisions so as to be free and bring about growth. New ideas and art were the ones that could set humanity free and nothing else. Hefzibah experienced oppression in school where she is punished for no reason. Her religion practices subject her to thorough beating s that are inhuman. This caused her to be always alert and afraid in suspicion of some dangers around her as captured from this text: And while she was still absorbed in the Bible, memorizing the passage, she was suffused by the fear that a dangerous presence was approaching, throbbing in the air, spinning towards her and crying, â€Å"Ho! Ya! Ho! Ya! † She tried to feel off the feeling of oppression and went back to the text:’ Just after a short time, ‘She felt a full force of an open hand strike her cheek’. â€Å"She has to be punished!’’Cried Bracha Shvili, but Esther Strauss insisted, â€Å"That’s enough† (Glazer 46). This girl was punished for mending a tear. Even when Leah Katz tries to stop Bracha Shvili from striking her cheeks because of sympathy Shula Reisser got hold of her and supported that Hefzibah deserved a beating. This shows a character that has taken its roots in the society. Leah Katz complains that this man could even punish her to death. Women are subjected to sexual harassment, for example, Hefzibah was harassed by a man who forcefully kissed her;Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oppression and liberty specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He grabbed hold of her with his course, heavy hands, murmuring,†Hefzi, my beauty, the joy of my life. I’ve caught you!† â€Å"Mother mother!† Hefzibah screamed but his moist lips were already on her face, his hands red hot tongs piercing the flesh of her arms.’(Glazer 45) Liberty Despite all the exploitive experiences this girl goes through, her innermost being is strong and she finds her hope in the Bible, God’s word. She is hopeful and her mind is at Liberty. She has trusted in God’s word regardless of the circumstances around her. She believed that God was on her side and was watching over her even when every other person was against her . In the midst of despair she read, â€Å"O Lord, will dispute with Thee, for thou art just; Yes, I will plead my case before thee. Why do the wicked prosper and traitors live at ease? Thou hast planted them and their roots strike deep† (Glazer 46). She believed that these people who were doing wrong were very prosperous without problems and that God was not being fair to her. She had one conviction that God soon will work things out for her and she kept on reading the Bible. She tried to ward off the feeling of oppression and went back to the text: â€Å"Thou art ever on their lips, yet far from their hearts. But thou know me, O Lord, thou hast seen me; though has tried my heart toward thee to thyself’ (Glazer 46) Liberty was associated with men; in this sense the married women were shielded from heavy exploitation. Thus a father plays an important role in the family. He is seen as the provider of family needs. She argues it in this excerpt: that if it hadn’t been for Hitler, her grandmother would have servants of her own and wouldn’t have to clean house for other people and may be her father would still be alive. It is this country that killed him, she thought and maybe it is true that mother shouldn’t have given my jumper to invisible mending. (Glazer 33) The role of men as protectors also came out clearly in an incidence when Hefzibah was almost raped and her mother told her, â€Å"Your father would have broken all his bones† (Glazer 45). Liberty is brought by creativity. It must look beyond one’s gender, class and national divisions.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Creativity is the only true freedom, Ruth Almog has said, ‘One that transcends gender, class, and national divisions† (Glazer 34). This shows that freedom should not be denied to any person on basis of their gender, economic status or nationality. Hefzibah wishes that these other people could change and stop discrimination and exploitation. Liberty was in her heart. Though she looked oppressed, she was free in her heart and this gave her strength to go on with life. The peace in her heart was invisible and probably the use of the title, Invisible Mending since not many could see her heart. Liberty is a hunger in every society especially for women. The misuse of authority or religion to exploit women is destructive and calls for people who can fight to promote justice for women. Conclusion Oppression brings suffering as it is clear from the life of the young girl in the above story. All forms of oppression occur in society. This is mostly brought especially by unjust lead ers. The unjust leaders preach what they do not do to exploit the poor. This calls for strategies to free women in the society. It should treat all people equally and apply biblical principles to govern and lead the society. Almog, Ruth. Jewish Women’s Archive. JWA, 2011. Web. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/almog-ruth Glazer, Miriyam. Dreaming the actual: contemporary fiction and poetry by Israeli women writers. New York: Suny Press. Print.

Analysis of the Effect of the Recession on Hypermarket Retailing Essay

Analysis of the Effect of the Recession on Hypermarket Retailing Industry in Brazil - Essay Example The economic reviews of Brazil’s retail industry out that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rates are cumulatively increasing year by year. The practice of consolidation of the hypermarket retail industry has been continuing but in general, the hypermarket remains comparatively fragmented, representing substantial span for the big players to develop their market strength in future. The leading 3 market players are controlling the hypermarket retail industry in Brazil; they are Pao de Acucar, Carrefour, and Wal-Mart. Other players are leading through acquisition. The recession affects the revenue of sales and the decline of the profit in the retail industry, Recession is defined as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real gross domestic product (GDP), real income, employment, industrial production and wholesale-retail sales" (What causes a recession? 2012). In this study, the recession affects the business of hypermarket retailing industry. Recession affects various aspects of business such as the purchasing power of consumers, buying behavior, and the income disposable level of people has increased significantly. There are many other factors that contribute to the fall in economy's into a recession, but inflation is the major reason for recession. â€Å"Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services† (All about Inflation 2012). Inflation indicates the general increase in the price of products and services over time period. The rate of inflation is higher; the consumers purchase lower percentage goods and services with the same price. The time of recession affects the hypermarket industry in Brazil; the major players of hypermarket industry in Brazil are Pao de Acucar, Carrefour and Wal-Mart. Recession mainly affects these companies because they are retail stores. â€Å"The ec onomic crisis makes low-price concepts particularly adapted, and all three international retailers can potentially benefit from this trend. Expansion in Brazil is still ongoing and a strategic focus for all three groups† (Carrefour, Casino and Wal-Mart’s Expansion Strategies in Latin America 2012). Hypermarkets provide durable and non-durable goods. The retail industry of Brazil is segmented in three parts, they are Grocery Retail Non-Grocery Retail Non-Store retail These three categories are the main drivers of Brazil’s retail industry. The retailing of grocery is at a constant growth, and has gained its sustainability to the growing people who belong to low income group. The hypermarkets and large retailers are focusing on grocery, and also investing on the non-grocery items such as foot wears, fashion clothing, and sundries. The retailer’s Wallmart and Carrefour focus on developing personal labels for their own clothing brands and footwear. The Recessio n Impact of Retail Industry: â€Å"A recession normally takes place when consumers lose confidence in the growth of the economy and spend less, this leads to a decreased demand for goods and services, which in turn leads to a decrease in production, lay-offs and a sharp rise in unemployment† (Malik & Pandit 2012). The impact of recession in retail industry will decrease the proper demand and also enforces stress on the prices, and leads to the absence of price-war in the retail market. To keep the consumers, the

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supply chain management - Essay Example The practice is used in rating the sustainable practices of retail stores and super markets. Reports shows that food sold in UK is made to travel for 65% more than the distance travelled in the last two decades. Since imports are cheaper and more bountiful when brought in from third world countries, local nearby farms are being forced out of business (Stancu, 2006). A critical reading of Stancu (2006) shows that the supermarket can become more environmentally friendly if it developed the system of procuring as many items as possible from nearby farms. By sourcing from nearby farms, a lot of carbon emission is avoided in the form of fuel consumption, packaging, pollution from vehicles, wastage on the road, etc. It is an accepted fact that organisation can do more to save the environment by buying local products than anything else. Items such as fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products and other such items can be procured locally. It may not be possible to procure all items from loca l markets. However, efforts can be taken to procure then from the same district or even from within the country. Not only will the supermarket help to reduce the carbon emission but it will also take concrete steps to achieve corporate social responsibility. This is the best way to achieve sustainability. References Stancu, C., 2006. Food Miles – the international debate and implications for New Zealand exporters.

Unseen Forces That Pushed A Couple To Trouble Essay Example for Free

Unseen Forces That Pushed A Couple To Trouble Essay A person’s fate is not only said to have been the result of one’s decisions in life; but on a larger perspective, resulted from the influences of societal forces. â€Å"Social forces are shaped by human interaction and have a direct effect on life chances and life experiences. † (Conyers, J. L. ) Such is the case of a couple, named Ted and Zelda. There are several societal forces I’ve seen in this case and among them are: social structure, employment opportunity, education, the healthcare, and the criminal justice system. The first social problem is Ted and Zelda’s place in society, which is their social structure. They both belong to the working class, which is the middle class, neither rich nor poor. I viewed this as a social problem, because it influenced Ted and Zelda’s decision to become doctors one day. It is, indeed, very expensive to pursue medicine yet it became the dream of the couple. Since it is a standard for a middle class couple to pursue medicine, it will be a shame if they can’t pursue that course. They have to pursue it no matter what. The next social problem I’ve seen is the education system. This social problem has been the most prominent all throughout because it greatly affected them in many ways. First, due to the medical course’s very expensive tuition fee, they were compelled to use up their savings after using up the maximum amount for student loans. Probably the reason why their student loans were used up was due to the fact that their present tuition fees kept increasing and they have to pay for it. They are very fortunate, though, that they have the privilege to get student loans to help them with their tuition fees, because other countries don’t have that option. Ted was accepted in three medical schools, while Zelda didn’t. The education standard was forcing Zelda to take up nursing instead. Being a female she is, the education system convinced her that she would be better off as a nurse because since she will be a wife and a mother some day. The next social problem is the employment opportunity. When Ted lost his job, it became a huge obstacle for him to pursue medicine. This forced Zelda to seek a job in order to help Ted. Remember that Zelda is not a college graduate, so that means that her chances of getting a higher wage are poor. Whatever she’s earning from her job wasn’t enough to help Ted. This lack of greater employment opportunity due to outsourcing led the couple to despair. Isn’t it true that when you feel like the world is crushing you, you will tend to seek comfort somewhere? Well, where do you think Ted and Zelda will gather their strength to move on? Of course, they get the comfort from each other. Since both of them are unemployed, they don’t have anything to focus on except themselves. They got more time for each other, thus, more time to have sex. Zelda, of course, eventually got pregnant. This led to another social problem. There was a great stigma to society for her to become pregnant out of wedlock. Instead of getting more help or support from her family, she was disowned. This probably had emotionally tormented Zelda a lot when she was pregnant, which could explain complications in childbirth. Healthcare played a vital role to Ted and Zelda’s life. The complications of birth led them to get huge bills from the hospital. Since Ted and Zelda’s employment doesn’t cover health insurance, this forced Zelda to look for a second job, and eventually led the couple to seek somebody who could take care of their baby. Their baby mysteriously died. Finally, the last social problem they encountered was the criminal justice system. Ted was incarcerated for the assault which led him to become unemployed again. The stigma of this event had greatly affected both their opportunities to get jobs, therefore, in great despair; Zelda chose to commit suicide instead. Things will be different if these social problems weren’t present. If Zelda was accepted into medical school, she would’ve had higher hopes and would’ve pursued it well. On employment opportunity, if Ted’s employer didn’t outsource, then Ted will still have a job enough to pursue his studies and will eventually prevent Zelda from becoming pregnant. Zelda won’t have to be disowned, and the couple would’ve been doctors one day. Conclusively, social factors indeed affect anybody’s decisions. It should not be blamed alone on the individual on whatever happens to his life. Family support and great understanding plays a good role in order to prevent social problems occurring from one stage to another. Works Cited Conyers, J. L. 2003. â€Å"Afrocentricity and the Economy. † Jefferson: North Carolina. McFarland Company, Inc. p. 28. October 11, 2008 [http://books. google. com/books? id=pDE4LXoIcP8Cpg=PA28lpg=PA28dq=social+forces+and+life+chancessource=webots=954jbjCFPAsig=-UlWUATNeIcpp55RjFCHb4oWlW0hl=ensa=Xoi=book_resultresnum=6ct=resulthttp://www. youtube. com/watch? v=139NEANvig4feature=related].

turning women into leaders :: essays research papers

The evident under-representation of women in physics has broad implications, particularly for industries and government agencies that need technically educated staff. Quite simply, the global scientific workforce is failing to use a large fraction of its talent pool. The shortage of female physicists in academia exacerbates the situation, in that female students lack role models in the field. Of course, the nature and magnitude of the problem varies from country to country. But what is remarkably consistent is that the percentage of women in physics in all countries decreases markedly with each step up the academic ladder and with each level of promotion in industrial and national laboratories. The result is a dearth of women among physicists in leadership positions worldwide. Women are also poorly represented among physicists in decision-making roles in top research institutes, funding agencies, professional societies and government. Yet women who do reach these top positions seem to command as much respect as their male peers - and sometimes even more. So how has this situation arisen? In her book Why So Slow?: The Advancement of Women (1998 MIT Press), the psychologist Virginia Valian discusses the roles of what she calls "gender schemas" and "the accumulation of advantage and disadvantage". As she writes: "A set of implicit, or nonconscious, hypotheses about sex differences plays a central role in shaping men and women's professional lives. These hypotheses, which I call gender schemas, affect our expectations of men and women, our evaluations of their work, and their performance as professionals." Valian argues that small differences in the evaluation and treatment of men and women hold up the glass ceiling. "A useful concept in sociology is the accumulation of advantage and disadvantage. It suggests that, like interest on capital, advantages accrue, and that, like interest on debt, disadvantages also accumulate. Very small differences in treatment can, as they pile up, result in large disparities in salary, promotion and prestige." It may sound like a tautology, but the way to encourage women in physics is to have more women. More women means more female peers, more female role models, more mentors and more networks. In my own career of more than 40 years in academia and government, I have observed that the greater the number of women in a department or laboratory, the better they tend to fare - because, as Valian points out, "they are less likely to be perceived in terms of their gender and more in terms of their qualifications".

TV or no TV

Bess TV Is an Important issue for us, because over three quarters of British teenagers have a TV In their bedroom (pretty antisocial If you ask me! ), and they watch TV for an average of 14 hours a week. In the USA, It's over 20 hours a week. In my research for this debate, Eve discovered some amazing facts. For example, 57% of programmer contain what Is called ‘psychologically harmful' violence. That means, according to the experts, that teenagers learn to behave leniently and they accept violence as normal.In addition, they become more afraid of being attacked. Not surprising, when you learn that the average child in the US has seen up to 8,000 murders on the TV by the age of Ill Furthermore, there's the couch-potato problem. Nobody does enough exercise any more or spends enough time with friends. As a result, television is turning us all into lonely fatties – also because there's an advert for high-sugar snacks and drinks every five minutes. Think English Intermediate ; Unit 10 p. 88O oxford university press PHOTOCOPIES And finally, I believe that talent shows and shows such as Big Brother give people false expectations. They make you think that anyone can become famous – and then rich, for doing practically nothing! We did a survey in my year group and found that 63% of people want to be rich and famous, and In show business. So although I like TV, I think that we should cut down the amount we watch before our brains turn to mush. Damon I don't agree that TV Is a completely negative Influence on people.In my opinion, lovelorn Is a window on the world and therefore, It's Invaluable. I get a lot of information from the TV, and so do my friends and family. My kid brother, wads five, loves wildlife programmer, so TV is often educational. Yesterday, for example, I saw a fantastic documentary about space travel, which I learnt loads from. Without the computer-generated graphics. Remember, you can choose what you watch! What's more, many progra mmer are shown all over the world, so you could say they unite the world community.For instance, my French Nepal, Bastion, really liked The CO when it was on, so we were able to talk about that together. But TV is also fun and entertaining: it helps you relax – what's wrong with that? However, there is one aspect of TV that I don't like – the adverts, especially during a film. They ruin it for me and waste time. To sum up, TV is here and it's part of our lives. Over 96% of us have one. I'm not saying it's good to watch too much, but there's an amazing choice of programmer now with satellite, digital and broadband, so why not enjoy the positive things it offers?