My Favorite Memory Essay Example for Free

My Favorite Memory Essay It all began in the summer of 1988 when my parents packed up our car. We began our countless hour journeys from Youngstown, Ohio to FaHoLo Deaf Family Camp in Grass Lake, Michigan. The excitement and thrill that would rush through my veins when going to FAHOLO sent visions to my head about who I would see first, where I would be staying, what I would be doing, and to what fun places I would go. You are never too old to go to FAHOLO, there is always something to do no matter what age you are. Although the cost of camp was somewhat on the pricey side, every dime we spent getting there was well worth it. You cannot place a cost on memories and the people you meet while you are at camp. My memories of camp began when my parents and I arrived at FAHOLO each year. We would unload the car as fast as we could so we could go to the loud sanctuary. As we walked up to the sanctuary we could hear very loud music coming from it, the vibrations shaking the building and the buildings around it. When you walk into the sanctuary all you see is hearing, hard of hearing, deaf, and special needs, all coming together to learn and worship the Lord. It is such an incredible site to see. After the evening service had ended, we would all go to the dining hall. I can remember hearing the doors creak open and the smell of the oak wood inside the lobby. When you walked into the dining hall you could smell whatever was cooking. The first night of camp was always pizza. The pizza that night was delicious; the crust was thick, the sauce very light, the cheese was extra thick, and the toppings piled on high. I remember sitting down to eat pizza, seeing hands signing, and recognizing faces I hadnt seen in years. I remember eating pizza every year with my best friends Jaclyn, Amanda, Amber, Amy, and BJ. Wed sit and talk about all the fun we had over the past year, sports, the things we were going to do during the week, and how much fun we were going to have. We would then start to plan out wh at activities we wanted to do first. As the night came to an end, we said our goodbyes and headed to our different dorms. Jaclyn, Amanda, Amber, Amy, and I always stayed in the Girls Dorm. I can vividly remember the smell of the old dorm room as I opened the door mold and bleach. I can remember hearing giggling, seeing the deaf girls signing, and my friends Amanda, Amber, Amy, and Jaclyn all unpacking their things into dressers as I walked down the hall to my room.. By the time I got done unpacking I was tired and ready for bed and the next day as well. I was ready to learn whos class I was going to be in for the week and I was excited and ready to learn,but most of all I was looking forward to my free time during the afternoon because we were able to do whatever activities we wanted. After our morning classes and lunch came free time in which we could choose from many activities during the afternoon. We had the choices of going swimming in the pool, swimming at the lake, paddle boating, kayaking, canoeing, jumping off the blob, jumping on the water trampoline, playing softball or volleyball, go-karts, riding horses, climbing the rock wall, or going on group trips. For days on end my best friends and I would swim carefree in the glimmering waters of the pool and lake. The outside pool is where I learned how to swim in the deep end and float on my back. I even saved a little girl from drowning because her parents were not paying attention to her. Grass Lake, is the lake where I learned how to row a canoe, kayake, and how to properly skip rocks. I will never forget the crisp, clean air, seeing the ripples of the water on the lake from skipping rocks, and the sound of oars going in and coming out of the water. As the sun slowly began to set, the lake would slowly grow cold. The night sky filled with bright, twinkling stars. It looked as if someone spilled a container of glitter in the sky. I loved those nights, wouldnt you? My absolute favorite memory of camp was the bonfire and hayrides every year. I loved the smell of bonfires, the sound of the wood as it crackled and popped, and of logs collapsing as they disintegrated into nothing but ash while amber ashes floated into the night sky. The best part about a bonfire was roasting marshmallows. Id sit and watch the marshmallow turn from white to a light amber color and thats how I knew my marshmallow was perfect. I remember making a smore one night and giving it to my friend Amanda. She sat and bragged about how good the smore was and told people to have me make their smores. One by one people started coming up to me and asking me to make a smore for them. It was fun for meto compete with other people to see who could make a better smore, but Id always win. While the bonfire was still going, the grounds keeper came to the campgrounds with his red horse drawn wagon and would take turns loading groups of people into the wagon. I loved getting to ride in the wagon with all my friends, talking, laughing, signing, of course, and just being goofy. I remember looking at the night sky thinking â€Å"could this get any better?† and it usually did by my friends burying me or someone else in the hay. I can remember laying down in the wagon and having hay thrown on top of me, stuffed down my sweatshirt, and even into my socks and shoes. I was so warm buried under all the hay. When the hayride came to an end, I had to get out from under all the hay that was thrown on top of me. It was not fun trying to get all the hay off of me. I had to go take a shower to get it all off. I seriously did not know that hay could hide in the tiniest of places. As the night came to a close, I was reminded of how camp was coming to an end. The end of camp was the best but yet the saddest time. Even though everyone was sad that camp was coming to an end, it was still a time of joy and happiness. We made our last day the best. On the last day of camp there would always be a Talent Show. I was in the talent show one year. Since it was a deaf camp and not many people saw me sign I decided to sign a song. I was so nervous when I got on stage, but my nerves subsided when I saw my parents in the audience cheering me on. As I began to sign I saw the looks on peoples faces and their expressions were priceless. They looked stunned like they couldnt believe that I knew how to sign as well as I did. After the talent show, people came up to me and told me that I was astounding, amazing, and that I needed to pursue a career in interpreting. The people also congratulated me on winning the talent show. After the talent show was finished we had a formal banquet to celebrate. It was incredible to see how men could go from wearing basketball shorts and tank tops to suits, the women from shorts and t shirts to dresses and skirts. Before the banquet we would always take a picture of everyone who came to camp. We then proceeded to the dining hall which was decorated each year with a theme. We would be seated at tables and treated like guests at a fancy fest or a royal ball. We used proper manners, ate very well cooked meals, had dessert, talked, and just had fun. After the banquet was over it was time to leave. At the end of the banquet we said our goodbyes, hugged our friends, packed the car, and started our countless hour journey back to Ohio, keeping the memories of the dazzling lake, the nice cool pool, the crisp Michigan summer air, the twinkling stars, the sweet smells of the bonfire, and the fun memories with friends in our minds. Even though I was sad to leave, I knew Id be back next year seeing the same people and creating more memories.

Nonsmokers can be cancer victims, too :: essays research papers

Like Reeve, widow of "Superman" star Christopher Reeve, 1 in 5 women diagnosed with the disease never lit a cigarette, doctors say. Yet they share an unfortunate stigma with cancer patients who smoked. "The underlying assumption is, you were a smoker and you caused this, therefore you're not going to get my sympathy," said Tom Labrecque Jr., who started a foundation to raise awareness after his nonsmoker father died several years ago of the disease. No one "deserves" lung cancer, doctors say. But nonsmokers do have one silver lining: They respond better to the newest targeted cancer drugs like Iressa and Tarceva. That's because people who get lung cancer early in life, like the 44-year-old Reeve, are more likely to have genetic factors fueling their disease, doctors say. Only 3 percent of lung cancers occur in people under 45, regardless of smoking status. Reeve, an actress who leads a paralysis research foundation named for her husband who died last year, disclosed Tuesday that she was being treated for lung cancer but gave no details on how or where. Her announcement came two days after ABC News anchor Peter Jennings, a smoker, died of lung cancer at age 67. Despite their different smoking histories, they share the most common cancer in the world, and the deadliest. This year in the United States, an estimated 93,010 men and 79,560 women will be diagnosed with lung cancer and almost an equal number -- 90,490 men and 73,020 women -- will die of it. About 10 percent of men and 20 percent of women with lung cancer never smoked, and the number of nonsmokers with the disease doesn't seem to be rising significantly, said Dr. Michael Thun, chief epidemiologist for the American Cancer Society. But awareness may be on the rise because of the aggressive anti-smoking campaigns in recent years. And stigma may be rising, too. "When people get breast cancer, people say, 'What can I do to help you?' When people get lung cancer, people say, 'Did you smoke?"' said Susan Mantel, executive director of Joan's Legacy, a fund-raising group named for Joan Scarangello, a nonsmoker and former head writer for newsman Tom Brokaw. Scarangello died in 2001 of lung cancer, as did her nonsmoking mother before her. "There is a definite stigma," said Labrecque, recalling comments after the funeral for his father, a former chairman of Chase Manhattan Corp. "People would say, 'I didn't know he smoked,"' he said. His foundation's Web site even acknowledges this trend, by stating that more than half of people newly diagnosed with lung cancer each year have either never smoked or quit smoking.

Challenging Behaviour Essay

In this assignment my aim is to choose 3 ideas from chapters 1-3 of the textbook ‘Understanding Management’ (Cameron and Bridge, 2012), discuss why these ideas are important and finally describe how I have started to use them in everyday life this includes aspects of my work, leisure and home life. My 3 chosen ideas are SMART objectives, time management skills, and stress management. My first topic is the ‘SMART objectives’. ‘SMART’ is an acronym so each of the 5 letters have a specific meaning. Sometimes in the workplace it is easy to try and impose targets that seem out of reach. If targets are not clear it can sometimes be hard to measure whether a target has been met. In order to make it easier to manage the workforce’s performance clear and concise objectives must be set out. By using the SMART checklist employers can ensure that they have set relevant objectives. The letters ‘SMART’ stand for; ‘S’ – Specific – an employee/team member needs to be clear on his/her goal. ‘M’ – Measureable – means of measuring = means of control. ‘A’ – Achievable – the goal needs to be in reach otherwise a team will not try very hard. ‘R’ – Relevant – the objectives need to add up to the overall goal of which the manager is responsible. ‘T’ – Time defined. – In order to check progress time needs to be specified. (Cameron and Bridge, 2012) I have started to use this checklist in my work especially, as it gives a clear view on day to day goals. As a self-employed construction worker I need to be ‘Specific’ of what needs doing on a particular task. For example, before starting a job I need to specify the height, width of a wall with the client before work commences. Without these preferences the work that I carried out would be pointless as the client would most likely be disappointed. ‘Measure’ the overall progress of a task to be more efficient next time. For example, note down in a ‘works diary’ how long a particular job has taken to finish and use it as a bench mark for next time. Without a way of measuring progress a team would be insufficient. Liaise with my workforce and set ‘Achievable’ goals for the day’s work. Set targets that are in reach so as not to dishearten them. A disheartened workforce would shortfall the progression. ‘Relevance’ of the tools needed to carry out the work. At the end of each working day I like to plan ahead and make sure that I have all the relevant tools ready for the next day. Without these the work cannot be carried out therefore delaying our commitments with the client and generally causing stress and turmoil within the workforce. ‘Time defined’, the time I have to complete a job as I am often working to a tight schedule. For example some customers need certain work carried out/finished by a certain time due to their commitments. For example, recently a client wanted his garden feature completed in time before he was admitted to hospital for an operation. Time was of importance due to the clients commitments. My second idea is ‘Time management’ (Cameron and Bridge 2012). Time management is when you make a conscious decision on how to manage your time efficiently to ensure that you are able to complete each task you undergo with maximum effectiveness and efficiency. One way of improving your time management is to implement the ‘3 Es’ when you’re planning a task or an activity. The ‘3 Es’ have definitely been used in my own leisure/ hobby of taking on a course. The first ‘E’ (economy) has helped me in my essay work of firstly writing a plan. This has evidently helped in the time it will take in the actual essay writing because I have a guide. ‘Efficiently’ – I have kept my course work on a ‘PDF’ on my computer for me to access them more efficiently, this will save time when I need to access them quickly. I will use ‘Effectiveness’ to use my time wisely, for example not to start an essay 12a.m when my concentration is at its lowest. Stress Management (Cameron and Bridge, 2012) is my last idea. Stress can come from a number of different places. Stress is what occurs when someone is under a lot of pressure and their health is affected due to not being able to cope with certain pressures. Life is never simple therefore we will all feel a certain amount of stress at times this is normal however if there is a lot of stress for a prolonged amount of time this is when problems may arise. Prolonged stress can affect how well you are able to concentrate; it may impair your judgement and could also affect the standards of work. One of the first and simplest ways to manage your stress is to be aware of it. In the text ‘Understanding Management’ (Cameron and Bridges, 2012) there is a checklist that allows you to assess your own stress levels. This made me aware of certain things that may have been causing me undue stress in the workplace. After assessing my situation and considering what could be done to help relieve this I have started to do a few things differently when I am at work. A number of these things involve good planning. A day/workforce that has a plan will have no problems which will feedback no stress on the boss/manager (me). My last thoughts are on the importance of what I have learned from ‘Understanding Management’ (Cameron and Bridge, 2012). I feel that using the above strategies has evolved my way of thinking for the better in my work, leisure and home life therefore producing a more effective and professional approach to management. ********************************** Word count – 973 Reference list Cameron S. and Bridge K. (2012) Understanding Management, Milton Keynes, the Open University. TMA01 Task 2 On experiencing essay writing for the first time since secondary school, I felt the task a bit stressful and daunting. The most enjoyable and easiest task was reading chapters 1-3 ‘Understanding management’ in assignment booklet and note taking. I enjoyed it in school and enjoyed it now. The most difficult task was remembering to reference and where to reference. I often wondered if I was doing it enough or too much. This was down to no practice and lost touch with academic life. Another problem area was conclusion writing. 2. In the future I could research more on conclusion writing and reference writing to make this area a little easier. Also question my tutor. Word Count – 115

Essay on Rfks 13 Days - 619 Words

Thirteen Days is an autobiography written by Robert F. Kennedy. It is based upon the memories of RFK during the Cuban missile crisis. He vividly recalls the thirteen days between October 16 and October 28, 1962. Within these thirteen days, havoc and stress faced the White House, especially to Senator RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy. The story is about the handling of the crisis by one brother and the personal account of the other. The two worked together to keep America and the world safe. p The story focuses on the conflict between the two giant atomic nations, the United States and the Soviet Union. On October 16, 1962, the U.S. had suspicion that Russia was placing missiles and atomic weapons in Cuba. It also†¦show more content†¦A suggestion was made to make a deal with the Soviets: if they withdrew their missiles from Cuba, then we would withdraw our missiles from Turkey and Italy and give up our naval base at Guantanamo Bay. RFK and others did no t support this idea, and President Kennedy made his decision in favor of the blockade.p Immense work and painstaking planning followed JFKs approval. Missile crews were placed on maximum alert and troops were moved into Florida. Bomber forcers were ordered into the air fully loaded with atomic weapons. The President also ordered preparations to proceed for a possible blockade of Berlin, the United Nations headquarters.p The U.S. wanted to avoid a major military confrontation at all cost. President Kennedy did not want anyone to fire on any Soviet ships. He said if a vessel refused to stop, the Navy was to shoot at its rudders and propellers, disabling the ship but not to sink the ship or to wound anyone. Not only, were there Soviet ships in the Atlantic but on October 23, Russian submarines were spotted moving into the Caribbean.p That same day, RFK met with Anatoly Dobrynin, the Soviet Ambassador, to review the past events and the relations between the two countries. Dobrynin said that Russia had not placed any long-range missiles in Cuba and did not intend to do so. The Russians still did not want to admit that there were missiles in Cuba.p In response to Dobrynins lie, President Kennedy ordered that the quarantine