MBA Week 5 Essay

If you were awarded an expense-paid trip to any one place in the world, where would you go? Why?

If I could go anywhere in the world, and have the trip completely paid for by someone else, I would go to Antarctica. I know most people probably respond to this question with places like Hawaii, the Bahamas, or South Africa, and those are all very nice places (I’ve been to all of them), however, one of my goals is to travel every continent in the world. This is something I have been determined to do for a very long time, longer than I’ve wanted to be a doctor. I have already been to Both Americas, Africa, LIVED in Europe and Asia (those were both very interesting situations). That means I just have Australia and Antarctica to visit. I am determined to visit both of these continents, and when I set my mind to something, I never stray from the path that leads to achieving what I decided to do. However, Australia is much easier to travel to and is also cheaper. Also not many people can say that they have been to the coldest continent on the planet. I believe that by going there, I could set myself further away from everyone else achievement wise. I believe it would be harder and more expensive to travel to Antarctica so that why if I had an expense-paid trip, I would go there. 

MBA Week 5 Article

Black Friday Sales Hit Record
By: Nicole Ridgway


Summary:

This year, Black Friday, or the kick-off to the holiday shopping season, hit a new record for the most sales. Compared to last year, sales on just about everything stores like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy have to offer, rose 6.6%. That percentage means the total sale figures were $14.4 billion. Last year, the Black Friday sales totaled $10.7 billion, which was the previous record. This is the biggest increase of total sales on Black Friday since the difference between 2006 and 2007. This year, companies opened their doors to start selling late Thursday night, before it was actually Friday. Many companies also plan to extend their sales well into this week. Online sales are also up 44% this year. It was noted that consumers actually spent more this year then they did last year, mainly spending that money for their own personal benefit.

Response:
I don’t know if you have ever been to a Walmart or Best Buy on Black Friday, but those places are complete mad houses. I made the mistake of going to Walmart on Black Friday last year. Literally everyone will go to a store fight to get the best deals. Where I am from, we had multiple arrests, and even a death on Black Friday. This year, the sales are probably up because the stores opened their doors around 11p.m. instead of Midnight. I know one hour doesn’t seem like it would make much of a difference, but when you have millions of people waiting to shop, it doesn’t matter what time you open. If stores open early, they are more likely to sell EVERYTHING! I’m surprised to see how much online sales jumped this year. I thought they were quite high last year (the number escapes me). Anyways, Black Friday probably just boosted the American Economy a little bit.

Vocab:

1) Preliminary

Preliminary reports for Black Friday indicate that retailers may have seen their strongest sales ever during the all-important kick-off to the holiday shopping season. 

Definition:

Denoting an action or event preceding or done in preparation for something fuller or more important.

Origin:

From modern Latin praeliminaris or French préliminaire, from Latin prae ‘before’ + limen, limin- ‘threshold.’

Sentence:

The preliminary results showed that the Democratic candidate was ahead of the Republican one.

2) Enticing

Retailers continue to stretch out Black Friday weekend by enticing shoppers with doorbuster deals weeks in advance.

Definition:

Attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage.

Origin:

Middle English (also in the sense [incite, provoke] ; formerly also as intice): from Old French enticier, probably from a base meaning ‘set on fire,’ based on an alteration of Latin titio ‘firebrand.’

Sentence:

The man enticed the kids to come to his van with lollipops.

3) Apparel

Coremetrics, which tracks real-time data from 500 retailers in the apparel, department store, health and beauty and home goods categories.

Definition:

Embroidered ornamentation on ecclesiastical vestments.

Origin:

Middle English (as a verb in the sense [make ready or fit] ; as a noun [furnishings, equipment] ): from Old French apareillier, based on Latin ad- ‘to’ (expressing change) + par ‘equal.’

Sentence:

That store over there, J.C. Penny, is a big apparel outlet.

MBA Week 4 Essay

Jogging has become extremely popular. Explain why you jog or why you don't.

Many people describe jogging as a love hate relationship. You either jog because you love it, or you are forced to run and hate it. I absolutely love to jog. Sure I like to feel the crisp air when I jog in the morning, and I absolutely love keeping my body in peak physical shape, but I really LOVE jogging for another reason. When I go jogging, I usually run through my local park, Parr Park. The tall oak trees, the rushing stream and the falling leaves all create a peaceful, relaxing place to jog. When you are jogging through so much natural beauty, your mind tends to wander. The main reason I love jogging, the main reason I do it almost every day, is because of the thoughts you conjure up in your head when you have nothing distracting you. This is where my best ideas get thought up. My decision to pursue a career in medicine happened while crossing Little Bear Creek on the old log bridge. My desire to go bungee jumping and skydiving first kindled while chasing my dog through the freshly fallen oak leaves. These ideas shape who I am as a person. Without them, there would be no Andrew Christian Lehman. Without jogging, there would be no crazy ideas. To some people, the ideal morning is a big breakfast while watching TV. To me, an ideal morning involves me doing the thing I love, jogging, with my dogs through Parr Park, thinking up crazy ideas. 

MBA Week 4 Article

Is Pizza a Vegetable?
By: Sarah LeTrent
Summary:

In the midst of trying to cut back on spending, Congress is considering counting pizza as a vegetable in school lunches. Congress reveled its latest $182 billion spending bill on Monday, November 14^th, which, if passed, would deny spending any money on new and improved school lunch standards proposed by the Department of Agriculture. The new standards that the Department of Agriculture suggested would cut down on sodium, saturated fat, and potatoes and increase the availability of fruits, veggies, low-fat milk and whole-grains in order to combat childhood obesity.  If Congress gets their new spending bill passed, French fries would remain on the menu and pizza (yes pizza) would be considered as a serving of a vegetable as long as it has 2 tablespoons of tomato paste on it. Congress is expected to vote on the bill later this week before sending it to President Obama.  

Response:

This has got to be a joke. Pizza as a vegetable? Come on. Pizza should be served alongside a veggie. With childhood obesity clearly rising in the states (you can use the younger siblings of my family as an example), I think Congress should let the Department of Agriculture do their thing. What they (Department of Agriculture) proposed, seems like it would benefit the children of America quite well. If schools were to stop giving chocolate and strawberry milk and only offer low-fat white milk, people would instantly be eating (or drinking) healthier! Why should the future of America suffer because the government of today can't seem to spend less money? If President Obama actually allows the passage of this bill, he will lose popularity for sure. I think Congress should worry about cutting money from the unnecessary things this country finances, like maybe WAR! But let the kids have their fruits and veggies, because it will benefit them in the long run.

Vocab:

1) Unveiled 

Congress unveiled its latest short-term $182 billion spending bill late Monday.

Definition:

To remove a veil or covering from, esp. uncover (a new monument or work of art) as part of a public ceremony.

Origin:

1600–10; ( def. 1 ) un-¹  + veiled; ( def. 2 ) unveil  + -ed²

Sentence:

I unveiled the stature of Homer Simpson to the town of Springfield.

2) Saturated

The new USDA standards included increasing the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk while decreasing the amount of sodium, saturated fat and starchy potatoes.

Definition: 

Denoting fats containing a high proportion of fatty acid molecules without double bonds, considered to be less healthy in the diet than unsaturated fats.

Origin:

late Middle English (as an adjective in the sense [satisfied] ): from Latin saturat- ‘filled, glutted,’ from the verb saturare, from satur ‘full.’

Sentence:

That Hostess Twinkie sure had a lot of saturated fat in it.

3) Legislation

If finalized, this legislation may go down in nutritional history as a bigger blunder than when the Reagan Administration tried (but failed) to credit ketchup as a vegetable in the school lunch program.

Definition:

Laws, considered collectively

Origin:

Mid 17th cent. (denoting the enactment of laws): from late Latin legis latio(n-), literally ‘proposing of a law,’ from lex ‘law’ and latus ‘raised’ (past participle of tollere).

Sentence:

These legislations are a bunch of bologna, we need to protest this right now!

MBA Week 3 Essay

Describe a personal habit that helps to define you as a person.

Each morning, like clockwork, I wake up at 6:30 and have breakfast. Not just any breakfast mind you. Every single day I have, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. It’s been like this ever since I was a small boy. What an odd habit right? Well yes, it is odd, but it also represents consistency. Consistency is one of my feature characteristics. I am constantly positive. Whenever someone needs it, I am always there to help cheer them up, give him or her a good laugh, or even calm him or her down. With a consistent person like me, people know what they will be getting even before they turn to me for anything. That may irritate some, but the people who don’t, the people who enjoy that I am always positive, are my closest friends. Not only am I consistent with social issue, I am consistent in school. Never in my life have I received anything below an A- on a report card.  As the years go by and the classes increase in difficulty, my grades stay the same (if they don’t increase).  As well as being constantly positive and constantly receiving strong grades, the consistency rubs off on my volunteer work. Each year, without fail, you can find me helping with Christmas festivities at Compass Christian Church. So as it is plainly clear to see, the basis’ on which I live my life closely mimic my annoying little habit of having the same exact breakfast at the same exact time, everyday.