The Matron Saint free essay sample

There is a fat lady between the slicing machines and meat grinders on display in the store window. Cotton droops out of her overstuffed neck and arms, but still she sits on an antique dentist chair with dignity, confusing passersby. Shining against her lacy, dust-stained blouse is a HUVPAC Washington conference nametag, and fastened to her skirt are colorful pins made by me and my brothers when we were young. Few understand why she sits in the grit, grease and grime of my father’s restaurant equipment store, but I know she is its matron saint. Learning and beauty flourish alongside sweat and filth throughout the lady’s domain. Stainless steel machines clutter the chipped mahogany shelves and half the rubber-carpeted cement floor, but nestled between Hobart 12-quart mixers, two horsepower Fleetwood grinders, OMCAN scales and Globe slicers are an African mask, gourds left over from fall, several maps, and programs from all the school functions my brothers and I ever had. We will write a custom essay sample on The Matron Saint or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Above some deluxe model General slicers, antique bronze registers teach history with wider slots for old bills and extra compartments for two and three-cent coins. Exotic birds perch in calendar pictures next to the hand cleaner bucket overflowing with grease, and an electrical cord hangs from the ornate art-deco tiled ceiling. Bright Spanish music floats through from the hazardous back-room workshop, where screws and welders, rags and even more grease and machine parts litter the floor and shelves and Japanese art decorates the walls. The focal point of the store, however, is not the machines or the birds or the maps or the boxes that have invaded the back half of the room, but the desk. A relic of the computerless age a time still in existence here it is covered with index and business cards, notes and sample register labels stapled atop each other in a half-inch thick layer. Three newspapers cover this ancient database each morning, providing the day’s news from every standpoint. Buried under a perilously tall tower of receipts, unattached notes, catalogs and calculators, the most recent edition of Foreign Affairs awaits a fabled â€Å"spare minute.† Above the desk, at least a hundred foreign bills paper the walls: conversation starters to transport the customer from the chaotic world of the Bowery to the sunny place of his childhood, while providing a quick geography lesson. Everyone and everything is a teacher here, and my job (when I am not busy answering the phone, writing labels on machines or bargaining with clients) is simply to watch, learn and experience the fat lady’s dichotomous world, knowing that an hour spent in this collapsing little store can teach me more than a year in school and that the quest for knowledge thrives wherever it is planted.

Free Essays on William Blakes Songs Of Experience

William Blake’s Song of Experience The songs of William Blake are probably the most easily understood and the most important of his writing. They are a necessity in order to understand Blake. It has been said that the songs are too short, but they make up what they like in length with quality (Gillham VIII-IX). Out of its context, each song means a great deal less than Blake expected of his total invention. Occasionally, a song may be taken to mean something quite different from what he intended. The songs were not written for our enjoyment or edification alone, but instead for our salvation (Gleckner 37). When read together the Songs of Experience are a reflection of Blake’s view on life (Gillham I). The state of the Songs of Experience is expressed through selfishness, anxiety, insensitivity, and meddlesomeness. They all militate against a generous appreciation of life’s events. We assert our own interest in a way that doesn’t allow us to appreciate worldly happenings and then we are left with interests which are directed toward insignificant things. Nearly all of the Songs of Experience depict people who have defended themselves from life’s experiences without knowing it. They are assertive people who are supposed to be wise, but their assertive wisdom prevents them from being able to see. Blake often depicts experienced man as a greybeard who has lost the use of his senses. His is often lame as well. We deny ourselves a full life in many ways and reading Blake’s poems often brings home the knowledge of our ways of crippling ourselves (15-16). To some degree, we live â€Å"in disguise† because we adopt set attitudes and responses. Our world lies hidden from us because we see only what habit and convenience prepare us to find. The Songs of Experience display our minds working this way (45), and this knowledge is unfortunately accompanied by the realization that there is little we can do to change ou... Free Essays on William Blake's Songs Of Experience Free Essays on William Blake's Songs Of Experience William Blake’s Song of Experience The songs of William Blake are probably the most easily understood and the most important of his writing. They are a necessity in order to understand Blake. It has been said that the songs are too short, but they make up what they like in length with quality (Gillham VIII-IX). Out of its context, each song means a great deal less than Blake expected of his total invention. Occasionally, a song may be taken to mean something quite different from what he intended. The songs were not written for our enjoyment or edification alone, but instead for our salvation (Gleckner 37). When read together the Songs of Experience are a reflection of Blake’s view on life (Gillham I). The state of the Songs of Experience is expressed through selfishness, anxiety, insensitivity, and meddlesomeness. They all militate against a generous appreciation of life’s events. We assert our own interest in a way that doesn’t allow us to appreciate worldly happenings and then we are left with interests which are directed toward insignificant things. Nearly all of the Songs of Experience depict people who have defended themselves from life’s experiences without knowing it. They are assertive people who are supposed to be wise, but their assertive wisdom prevents them from being able to see. Blake often depicts experienced man as a greybeard who has lost the use of his senses. His is often lame as well. We deny ourselves a full life in many ways and reading Blake’s poems often brings home the knowledge of our ways of crippling ourselves (15-16). To some degree, we live â€Å"in disguise† because we adopt set attitudes and responses. Our world lies hidden from us because we see only what habit and convenience prepare us to find. The Songs of Experience display our minds working this way (45), and this knowledge is unfortunately accompanied by the realization that there is little we can do to change ou...

9 Myths That Can Sabotage Your Career in Your 20s -TheJobNetwork

9 Myths That Can Sabotage Your Career in Your 20s -TheJobNetwork You’re in your 20s and hoping to set yourself up for a lifetime of success. Trouble is, the media portrays you as a useless wanderer, unable to move past adolescence, and not able to get it done as older generations have. But none of this is true. Here are 9 of the most common myths you hear about changing careers in your 20s, and how you can start working against them to get yourself on track. 1. Your twenties don’t matterStop thinking of your twenties as a practice ground for your real work life, which will begin at 30. The choices you make now can have an impact, positive and negative, on your professional future. Don’t delay starting your life and career by someone else’s arbitrary calendar of when you can and cannot be serious about things. Start being the person you want to be when you grow up now and get a head start.2. You need to find your perfect career firstYou don’t actually have to hold out for your absolute dream job. It’s okay- crucial even- to take jobs that are less than ideal but which have the benefit of being a good stepping stone for you. Can a job lead to a better opportunity down the road? Can it build a valuable skill relevant to your dream career? Can it give you necessary, if unorthodox, experience that will help you in your path? Consider taking some of these, rather than waiting indefinitely for the golden ring.3. You can do anything you want to doNope, not if you don’t have the right skills or experience. Make sure to be honest with yourself about your particular strengths and weaknesses before setting your goals. That way you won’t spend the next few years of your life laboring over the impossible. You can do anything you want, provided it’s also something you are capable of doing.4. Work isn’t supposed to feel like workYeah, yeah, you’re supposed to do what you love and love what you do. But the fact remains that even one’s dream job is still, at t he end of the day, a job. If you follow your passion and find work that is really meaningful to you, that’s fantastic. Most people don’t get that in a lifetime. But that doesn’t mean it won’t sometimes feel like work, because it is. The sooner you prepare yourself for this, the better off you’ll be.5. You can pursue your dream job laterWhile this is true, and going after what you really want is always an option, it never hurts to start making the moves and taking the risks now, when you don’t have mortgages or family to hinder you.6. If you don’t like your job, you should quitContrary to popular opinion, it is time to start being responsible with your decisions. Before you make any rash decisions because you just don’t like something, think first about whether you can financially handle such a leap. And second, examine why you don’t like your job. Figure out why you wanted that job originally, what you do like about it, what could change to make it better for you, and only after answering those questions should you think about where else you should look.7. Run from all bad bossesBad bosses can be toxic and make your work life unbearable. But they can also be an extremely valuable learning experience. If this is a really good position for you, consider sticking it out. Get what you can from your current job, and mine it for everything you can to use in your next job, with your next employer.8. Job hopping is badMore and more, the stigma around job hopping has disappeared. This is the time in your life when it is okay to try new things and new positions and new fields. Just remember to try to keep some coherent factors similar across the different jobs you take. And always keep in mind how you will answer the question, â€Å"How have you spent the last five years?† Keep a close hold on your narrative arc, and you’ll be fine.9. Twentysomethings are entitledYou’re not necessarily n arcissistic or entitled, you’re just inexperienced. As long as you keep moving forward, trying to develop yourself and your career, you can just ignore these voices- in your head or in the media- and go after the life and work you want.

Legalization of Prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legalization of Prostitution - Essay Example It is because they cannot control their impulses. The case with prostitution is the same. The general opinion is against it but yet for some strange reason we all know that it exists in our society. In this paper I will argue why it is necessary to legalize prostitution. Why Prostitution must be legalized? Legalizing prostitution will do one great benefit and that too will be to the lives of a prostitute. We cannot ignore the fact that prostitution is a global phenomenon. Even though it is illegal in many countries it continues to exist and because it is not legal the people involved with it are exploited. Illicit activities are taken over by mafias and gangs, and this actually adds to the problems of the society. Criminal syndicates earn money and use that money to finance more illicit activities that may actually be more harmful to the society than prostitution. Due to the fact that prostitution usually happens under the umbrella of criminals prostitutes are exploited and they are taken advantage of. Girls are forced to work as a prostitute and they are made slaves. Foreign girls usually fall prey to criminal organizations who force them into sex slavery (Sarup, K. 2008). Prostitutes who are working on their will are not paid well. Prostitutes are also treated badly and many of them have to face abuse on a regular basis (Sarup, K. 2008). All this happens because the activity is not legalized. People don’t understand but human beings will continue to go to prostitutes in one form or another therefore we should legalize the thing. Prostitutes are a common sight even in countries in which prostitution is banned. This shows that making it illegal will not stop it therefore we should have a pragmatic solution about it. And it is not something out of the blue. Philosophers like Noam Chomsky also argue for the legalization of prostitution for the very same reason (Spector, J. 2006). Prostitution is ubiquitous in the world we live in and there are many people who are earning through this activity. All the money that they are earning is not reaching the government as they are not paying taxes. This means that government is missing upon a great opportunity to earn money. By legalization o f prostitution governments can earn money and they can also register the number of brothels just to ensure that no wrongdoings are happening. Netherland has taken the initiative of legalizing prostitution and they are getting revenue from this industry (Simmons, M. 2008). We have such examples in front of us and therefore prostitution should be legalized. In times of tough financial situations governments can rely on the money they will get through prostitution. Higher taxes can be imposed on prostitution in order to generate revenue. Registration of prostitution related activates will also allow the law enforcement agencies to push out the criminal syndicates from prostitution. Because owners of brothels and other sex selling services company will have t o file tax returns criminals will not try to enter this business. This will actually help reduce crimes like human trafficking that are related to prostitution. Sex slavery is a huge problem for the world today and that can be solved if prostitution is made legal all over the world. People who argue against prostitution do so because they think that it will damage and destroy the family life of the society. They also argue that it is not wise to promote

Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook Term Paper

Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook - Term Paper Example Theory dictates a set of universal needs from employees which are rather homogenous in many different cultures and nations. These needs include social belonging needs and receipt of esteem from others. Without establishing these motivational drivers for employees, it is likely they will not achieve the pinnacle of their talents and motivations to achieve business or strategic goals. Establishment of regular communications that offer esteem will also build a sense of social belonging that is necessary to achieve performance targets, as this lays the foundation for effective motivation. If the employee has a means of understanding, in real-time, what their actual performance is, then there is no ambiguity within the organizational model. Employees like to have clarity and a sense of purpose or they are more apt to resist change. Regular conversations, such as those provided by social networking software, would remove ambiguity. In most organizations that are dynamic and change is const antly present, it could alleviate some of the managerial responsibilities of having to perform annual or bi-annual reviews, giving them more time to establish the social systems needed to build human capital advantages against competition. Effectiveness of Social Network Performance to Different Demographics For Generation Y, the social network performance would be ideal. Shaver (2010) identifies that most Generation Y workers demand to receive instant feedback about their performance in order to provide maximum value to the organization. Gen Y workers like to maintain business positions in which leaders actively promote the social environment (Shaver, 2010). This would seem to be an ideal medium for this group. Generation X workers tend to learn new technologies faster than other groups. At the same time, they appreciate group flexibility and are adaptable in this fashion (United Nations, 2009). Group affiliation is something that provides this group with more motivation, therefore social networking as a tool to promote the social condition would seem to have benefits for motivation and human capital development. Baby Boomers, when it comes to marketing and consumption theories, tend to be more attracted to products and services that fit their own ethical and moral values. They are considered to be socially-conscious. Therefore, if this older generation of workers can successfully engage with social media, it would seem that the ethical and moral constructs of providing social networking opportunities would make them feel valuable as aligned with corporate social responsibility theory. Veterans are generally not comfortable with change practices. There is more chance that this group would reject social media especially if they are not engaged with it in their own personal lives. Veterans would not be ideal groups by which to establish this unless there was preliminary training to ensure they understood these new technological systems. The Payoff of Social Net work Tools That would be highly dependent on the level of motivation and dedication maintained by the individual to determine if there would be better performance through social networking opportunities. However, the process of establishing annual reviews often overwhelms the manager and involves multiple stakeholders in the process that can conflict time management or even reduce managerial effectiveness in other areas throughout the organization. Social networking software is not expensive, especially when

My First Visit to Nigeria Essay -- Personal Narrative Traveling Essays

My First Visit to Nigeria In this essay I will reconstruct my first visit to Nigeria. The journey took place when I was seventeen in early 1993, during which time Nigeria was under the military rule of General Sanni Abacha. For the most part of my trip I stayed in Lagos, former capital state and still highly recognised as the commercial capital of Nigeria, although I did visit other parts of the country including Ondo State and Jos. Between this time and the time I left, in early 1994, I experienced and learnt a lot about the Nigerian culture. My main focus will be on the particular aspects of Nigerian culture that I saw as relevant to me as a teenager at the time, and also on my views before and after the journey. Up until the point of this journey I had lived most my life in the city of London and my cultural views were very much British. I was not very familiar with Nigerian culture, and the parts I was familiar with, which came mostly through my parents and other family members, were not very appealing t o me. Thinking back now I imagine that one of the reason things like that did not appeal to me was because it went so much against the British culture which I had already related to; fully accepted as my own; and deemed as ‘normal’. For example eating certain food, not including chips, with your right hand instead of with a knife and fork. Leading up to the time I left for Nigeria, I had never really identified myself with the Nigerian culture even though both of my parents where originally from Nigeria. I was the first born of my mother followed by my two younger brothers, Steven and William. We were all also given Nigerian names along with are English ones; mine was Femi and my brother’s were Ayo and Bayo. My father was still studying along with working when I was born and my mother was working also, when I was about three years old I was sent to live with a white middle class nanny in a town called Warminster in Wiltshire. It was a common phenomena in Britain in that period to see West African being bought up by Foster parents while their parents worked or studied (Groody and Groothuues, 1977). I did my first two or so years of primary school in Warminster before my parents decided it was time for me to return to live with them in London. I was one of very few blacks in Wiltshire at the time, so apart from the occasional rare visit made by my par... ... you is to experience it first hand. I found it much easier to accept traditional aspects of Nigerian culture when there where others, who like me were also infected with western popular culture, around me who appreciated also. I do not feel that this acceptance came from any sort forced group conciseness, but more from having the ability to choose aspects of the culture which I liked in an environment where my choices were more sociably accepted. While in Nigeria I also met a reasonable amount of other Nigerians who had had similar experiences while growing up as I did. Meeting with such people was one of the significant aspects of my journey as it enabled me to talk and laugh about some of the things I went through as a child which originally made me feel socially excluded. It also helped me to discover my cultural identity as a British born Nigerian. Bibliography Bammer, A, (1994), Displacements, Volume 15, Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana University Press Kureishi, H, London and Karachi, in, Patriotism: The Waking and unmaking of British National Identity, Volume 2, Minorities and Outsiders Watson, J.L,(1977), Between Two Cultures, Oxford, Basil Blackwell

Culture is learned

Which country has the richest culture? You can't quantify richness of culture. No one is better than the others, in my opinion, every culture has their own uniqueness. Culture is learned I would say any culture or sub-culture is learned. It's environmental. Every culture is learned by the people who live It. Even people born Into a culture learn the culture as they grow and mature. I think almost everything is cultured and everyone is cultured.For instance, we were born as babies, we had not learned anything yet, but we were able to cry, and express our feelings In certain ways. There was no culture Involve until we learned and observed from our parents or others how to do things to follow our custom rules, and so forth. How culture Is developed? By formulating rules, norms and beliefs. Culture Shock Culture Shock Is a term used to describe the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment. Usually, the way that we lived before is not accepted or considered nor mal in the new country.Everything is different, for example, not speaking the language, not knowing how to use simple everyday Items such as banking machines or knowing how to take a bus. Week 6 reflection How many people must to perform his/her duty In the society In order for you to sit In the classroom right now? That's too many people that I couldn't even count it out. I think every citizen is related and It's all somehow connected. It's a human society CHAIN. Parents pay tuition fee for me to study In university.But their salary comes from the revenue of their business. The revenue comes from the purchase of the consumers, etc. School gets paid in order to run the system well, and it also needs professor and administrators to take care of. So I thank every person in this society. I do believe people present themselves in different ways in different situations with different people. It's all about impression management. That's what you really should Humans have developed the abi lity to quickly decide whether a new person will hurt or enrich us.Just three seconds are sufficient to make a conclusion about fresh acquaintances, so I think impression management is really important to everyone. Social exchange models assume that rewards and costs drive relationship decisions. Both parties in a social exchange take responsibility for one another and depend on each other. Worth = Rewards – Costs If worth is a positive number, it is a positive relationship. On the contrary, a negative number indicates a negative relationship. The worth of a relationship influences its outcome, or whether people will continue with a relationship or terminate it.