Evaluation of Strengths And Weaknesses Essay Example

Evaluation of Strengths And Weaknesses Essay Example Evaluation of Strengths And Weaknesses Essay Evaluation of Strengths And Weaknesses Essay I am evaluating the strengths of my performance, in swimming. Front crawl is the fastest stroke and gives you the feeling of being powerful in the water. I know that the skill of freestyle in swimming is one of the strengths of my performance because I have had video analysis of my strokes. It shows I have good arm action when entering the water, and my breathing is efficient because I breathe bilaterally. I can see that my leg action in this stoke is very strong, this is because I practise training my legs regularly with a kick-board. The overall efficiency of the stoke is fluent because it is smooth and well practised. My body position is at water level, this is the correct technical model. Breaststroke is the slowest of the four strokes, but that does not mean it cannot be swum powerfully and at speed. I also know that breaststroke is another strength in my performance because my coach tells me I have a wide leg action this is because I have good flexibility in my hips. My body position is flat and stationary in the water, the technical model states that you must keep your body level at the surface. The overall efficiency of the stroke is smooth and fluent, I know this because my coach informs me that I dont make any rapid splashes. My arm action entering the water is fully stretched, and during the arm pull through my elbows are high at a right angle. Butterfly is a difficult stroke to swim as it needs both stamina and style, but because I train more on this stroke I find it easier. I know that butterfly is one of the best strengths in my performance because I have had feedback from my video analysis. It shows I have a good arm action and pull through the water in a keyhole shape, because I bend my elbows at the start of the pull and keep them close to the surface. I swim butterfly well because I breathe every two strokes as this will keep my body more streamlined, and the streamline position is the more effective body position, and a more efficient way to move through the water. The video also displays that I have good hard leg action, which is the dolphin-like motion of the body through the water is known as undulation. This is because I am able to keep a fluent regular kick action, going throughout the stoke all of the time, so the overall efficiency is better. A Racing start is an really important aspect to swimming because it can determine 1st and 2nd place so you need to move off the blocks quickly as possible and into the water smoothly. I use a track start dive. I feel this is an important strength of mine because my coach has gave feedback telling me, I push off the blocks with a lot of power and it looks a fluent. I am able to consistently perform this skill correctly. Also my coach shows me I have a excellent streamlined body position when entering the water, my arms are up, squeezed by my ears with one hand on top the other. Another strength of my performance are my freestyle tumble turns, I know this because I have had video analysis. It shows that I carryout a fast somersault and a twist, this is because I have a strong leg action which flips me around, also I always practise tumble turns every training session and never miss any out. My overall efficiency is good showing that this skill has been learnt well and it is a fluent. After every tumble turn I glide and streamline off the wall. The video footage shows my body position is tight and straight, every muscle is pulling in towards the centre, trying to make my body longer and thinner. This is a different strength to my performance. Also it indicates that my legs are adducted with my toes are pointed. My arms are extended, pointing to the direction of travel, my bicep muscles are behind my ears. My fingertips are stretching and reaching as far forward as possible, this follows a technical model. A) Strategies/Tactics Strengths:  Starts and turns  I know this tactic is a strength in my performance because, when I dive into the water I can determine how long I spend gliding in a streamline position under water. I know this is a good strategy because my coach informs me I have a good streamlined position. The same technique can be used for turns you can gain a lot more length streamlining under water when pushing off the wall than swimming. Also I have a fast approach (acceleration) into wall, the speed into wall effect the speed out of the wall. This is an important tactic in a race. I know this is a strength of mine because I have had video analysis of my starts and turns and I see that my turns are consistent and fluent. Negative split through middle distance swims  A negative split is when you swim a race e.g. 400m and you swim the second 200m faster than the first 200m so your building up. This is an important tactic to have in a race because your body will know when to increase the pace and then go on to win. I know that this is a strength in my performance because I have had myself timed in a 400m race doing a negative split, so I have swum the second 200m faster than the first. This shows it is a good tactic of mine. Sprint finish  When you are swimming a middle distance race e.g. 200m and you are able to have some power left to sprint the last length or 1/2 length. This is a good tactic to have because you are able to keep your last bit of energy left at the end of the race, this can promote you to win. I know that this tactic is a strength in my performance because I have had video footage showing that in various races, I have used a sprint finish and gone on to win the race.

How To Calculate the Variance and Standard Deviation

How To Calculate the Variance and Standard Deviation Variance and standard deviation are two closely related measures of variation that you will hear about a lot in studies, journals, or statistics class. They are two basic and fundamental concepts in statistics that must be understood in order to understand most other statistical concepts or procedures. Below, we’ll review what they are and how to find the variance and standard deviation. Key Takeaways: Variance and Standard Deviation The variance and standard deviation show us how much the scores in a distribution vary from the average.The standard deviation is the square root of the variance.For small data sets, the variance can be calculated by hand, but statistical programs can be used for larger data sets. Definition By definition, variance and standard deviation are both measures of variation for interval-ratio variables. They describe how much variation or diversity there is in a distribution. Both the variance and standard deviation increase or decrease based on how closely the scores cluster around the mean. Variance is defined as the average of the squared deviations from the mean. To calculate the variance, you first subtract the mean from each number and then square the results to find the squared differences. You then find the average of those squared differences. The result is the variance. The standard deviation is a measure of how spread out the numbers in a distribution are. It indicates how much, on average, each of the values in the distribution deviates from the mean, or center, of the distribution. It is calculated by taking the square root of the variance. A Conceptual Example The variance and standard deviation are important because they tell us things about the data set that we can’t learn just by looking at the mean, or average. As an example, imagine that you have three younger siblings: one sibling who is 13, and twins who are 10. In this case, the average age of your siblings would be 11. Now imagine that you have three siblings, ages 17, 12, and 4. In this case, the average age of your siblings would still be 11, but the variance and standard deviation would be larger. A Quantitative Example Let’s say we want to find the variance and standard deviation of the age among your group of 5 close friends. The ages of you and your friends are 25, 26, 27, 30, and 32. First, we must find the mean age: (25 26 27 30 32) / 5 28. Then, we need to calculate the differences from the mean for each of the 5 friends. 25 – 28 -326 – 28 -227 – 28 -130 – 28 232 – 28 4 Next, to calculate the variance, we take each difference from the mean, square it, then average the result. Variance ( (-3)2 (-2)2 (-1)2 22 42)/ 5 (9 4 1 4 16 ) / 5 6.8 So, the variance is 6.8. And the standard deviation is the square root of the variance, which is 2.61. What this means is that, on average, you and your friends are 2.61 years apart in age. Although it’s possible to calculate the variance by hand for smaller data sets such as this one, statistical software programs can also be used to calculate the variance and standard deviation. Sample Versus Population When conducting statistical tests, it’s important to be aware of the difference between a population and a sample. To calculate the standard deviation (or variance) of a population, you would need to collect measurements for everyone in the group you’re studying; for a sample, you would only collect measurements from a subset of the population. In the example above, we assumed that the group of five friends was a population; if we had treated it as a sample instead, calculating the sample standard deviation and sample variance would be slightly different (instead of dividing by the sample size to find the variance, we would have first subtracted one from the sample size and then divided by this smaller number). Importance of the Variance and Standard Deviation The variance and standard deviation are important in statistics, because they serve as the basis for other types of statistical calculations. For example, the standard deviation is necessary for converting test scores into Z-scores. The variance and standard deviation also play an important role when conducting statistical tests such as t-tests. References Frankfort-Nachmias, C. Leon-Guerrero, A. (2006). Social Statistics for a Diverse Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Discussion and problem solving questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion and problem solving questions - Essay Example It is also great storage of large digital files like digital music and digital photos/movies (http://www.iwebtool.com/what_is_dvd-rw.html). 3. With the capability to store digital music, the audio CD has revolutionized the way we play and listen to recorded music. Now music can be downloaded over the Internet and played on PCs, solid-state MP3 players, and other electronic devices. Does this signal the beginning of the end of the audio CD? Explain. Now that music can be easily down loaded from the Internet, it seems that audio CDs are actually in danger of extinction just like those vinyl LPs of old times. Young people today are incapable of listening to one whole album due to the short attention span they have. The consumers of the world today cannot be forced to buy one whole album when what they want is just that one song or music they can download from the Internet so easily (Meagher, 2009). 4. Today’s continuous speech-recognition systems are able to interpret spoken words more accurately when the user talks in phrases. Why would this approach be more accurate than discrete speech where the user speaks one word at a time with a slight separation between words? There are two types of speech recognition software; the discreet and continuous. The latter is the latest technology that is capable of reading the speech which is spoken continuously. Speech recognition is definitely helpful tool for professionals and students who are doing a lot of typing, but it is also a helpful tool for people with disability. Continuous speech recognition is better and more accurate than discreet, because it allows the user to talk in a more natural and comfortable manner, but it requires higher specified PCs. It requires higher RAM and faster processor (Davis, 1999). 5. Describe the benefits of using a notebook PC, in conjunction with an LCD projector during a formal business presentation as opposed to the traditional alternative (transparency acetates and an

Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

Response - Assignment Example Photographers capture the relationship of humans and nature. For instance, it is easy to explain and provide compelling evidence such as the effects of climate change through a photograph. Photography presents new and uncharted environments, and for that reason, a photographer needs adequate preparation for any environment. Evidently, photography goes beyond the concept of a business or a profit-making endeavor. It involves a passion of capturing the moment at the right time and identifying the audience. Through a photograph, humans can predict the next course of action (National Geographic 1). Several photographs have changed human perception towards their activities in the world. A perfect example is the picture that captured vulture standing next to a starving child in Ethiopia started a worldwide campaign on famine that ravaged the country in the 1980s. While other forms of capturing a moment, such as videos, may exaggerate an issue, photography presents an honest representation of the experience. Clearly, photography is life changing and makes people care. It is a powerful means of representation that changes human emotions. Through great photography, one can understand other communities and their time, and create an open-minded society. Happiness and tragedy all define human existence, and it is beneficial if photographers capture such events in an honest manner. Undoubtedly, the National Geographic photographers present an important point on the nature of interrelations in the present society. While the society largely believes that humans do not care about others or the environment, the video confirms that they do actually care. Photographs have a connection to human emotions in a powerful manner that can change the perception of humans to the society. They connect people through a universal language that forces one to care about their

Our Church Choir :: Personal Narrative Essays

Our Church Choir Last year our church choir was preparing for its twenty-seventh spring concert, and I was in charge. No, I was not president of the church choir, I was the "musician's representative!" I had not an inkling what that meant, but, sure enough, my ignorance would not linger. I was to be in charge of organizing all things musical, from equipment to musicians. The musicians seemed almost ready. The choir still had three songs to learn, but with rehearsals every night and impromptu performances in the dining halls, on the shuttle buses I felt generally confident. As a rule, when you are putting on a performance and feel "generally confident" one week before show time, begin panicking. The first disaster struck close to home: our drummer's grandmother passed away. Apart from the tremendous blow this tragedy dealt both him and the choir, we needed to find another drummer. Then, like an ominous slinky, the rest of my carefully laid plans fell one on top of the other. Our directors took ill. The music was taking too long to teach. Our pianist, gone. Our strongest soprano's voice, history. And I broke a bass string. I could do nothing but laugh . . . and cry. I managed to do that quite a bit. But just when Murphy's Law seemed martially imposed, things got miraculous. The night before the concert, an old church choir drummer stopped by to learn all two hours of the music. The choir learned the rest of the music that same evening and, when we finished, the room glowed with harmony. We were rough, but overall, the evening returned my general sense of confidence. (See above rule.) When I arrived the next evening, a troubling sight greeted me: a cart with none of the sound equipment I had ordered. We had no microphones. We had no speakers. I had already lost my wits by this point, and now I was inches from losing hope. A group assembled to see what could be salvaged from the situation and was mildly successful. But with all these distractions, the choir could not possibly be . . . Brilliant! The choir was brilliant. I have never been part of such a beautiful musical experience. But what is the point of this story? This story explains how our church choir operates: by grace of God and family.

American Retirement Corporation Essay

American Retirement Corporation (ARC) is an operator of senior living communities. The company is a senior living and health care services provider offering a broad range of care and services to seniors, including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and therapy services. The company operates around 65 senior living communities in 14 states, with an aggregate unit capacity of approximately 12,900 units and resident capacity of approximately 14,500. Across the United States, the company owns 19 communities, leases 41 communities, and manages five communities pursuant to management agreements. The company operates in three distinct business segments: retirement centers, free standing assisted living communities (ALCs), and management services. The company operates large continuing care and retirement communities (CCRCs) and independent living communities (retirement centers) that provide an array of services, including independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s and skilled nursing care. The company’s retirement centers are the largest segment of the company’s business and comprise around 27 of the 65 communities that the company operates, with unit capacity of approximately 8,100, representing approximately 63% of the total unit capacity of the company’s communities. The company’s free standing ALCs provide specialized assisted living care to residents in a comfortable residential atmosphere. Most of the free standing ALs provide specialized care such as Alzheimer’s, memory enhancement and other dementia programs. These communities are designed to provide care in a home-like setting. At each of its free standing ALCs, the company provide personalized care plans for each resident, extensive activity programs, and access to therapy or other services as needed. Jack C. Massey, Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr. , and a small group of prominent local businessmen founded American Retirement Corp. in February 1978. Historically, the company operated large CCRCs and independent living communities that provided an array of services, including independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care in large, often campus style settings. The company formed American Retirement Communities in February 1995, through a combination of certain entities that owned, operated, or managed various senior living communities. American Retirement became a wholly owned subsidiary of American Retirement Communities in February 1997 (Datamonitor, December 2005). ARC began to develop and acquire a number of free-standing assisted living communities in 1999, most of which began operations during 1999 and 2000. In 2001, the company purchased assisted living residences in partnership with CNL Retirement, namely the Broadway Plaza at Pecan Park in Arlington, Texas and the Homewood Residence in Boca Raton, Florida. In Boca Raton, ARC could be availed through the Homewood Residence, a senior community designed to help those who need assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing and administering needed medication. According to the Homewood Residence Website, the service they provide is â€Å"just like family†, the extra assistance their clients may need with their daily activities, while helping them maintain the privacy, dignity and independence (Homewood Residence Website). Boca Raton, located in the Palm Beach County, has a healthy economy and wealthy retirees. Its primary growth is relying mainly on the tourism industry. Palm Beach County’s growth, on the other hand, is concentrated in biotechnology, electronics, and computer industries. The largest employers are in the public sector, federal and state government, public schools, and Florida Atlantic University. In Boca Raton, there is also an increased number of older populace. Businesses must deal with the shifts in demands for goods and services brought on by the desires and needs of older consumers (Howell, 1997). The issues facing the delivery of goods and services in general are magnified in the health care arena. Efforts to reach older consumers often are hampered by failure to understand the requirements and preferences of this population. According to the Boca Raton Comprehensive Annual Report (September 2005), the Milken Institute Index listed the Boca Raton market as the fourth in the â€Å"2004 Best Performing Cities Index† in the country for economic strength and job and wage growth. With a shortage of affordable housing, Boca Raton has introduced a workforce housing ordinance and is in the process of developing mixed use options as tools for providing additional housing in areas previously reserved for non residential uses. The Report also proudly states that Boca Raton is the location of several Fortune 500 companies and nearly 3,000 businesses, employing over 38,000 people because of its low taxes, strong employment base, and quality of life, Boca Raton’s business community is thriving (See Table 1). Table 1. Boca Raton’s Top Employers Among the three counties in Florida, Palm Beach has experienced the greatest population growth – in absolute numbers and in population density. It also has the oldest population. According to the 2000 US Census, Palm Beach County has 1,131,184 residents (See Table 2). Residents of Palm Beach County also have a higher per-capita income than in the other two counties. Miami-Dade County is clearly the largest of the three, in geographic size and population. Palm Beach and Broward Counties have similar proportions of their population that are uninsured, approximately 15 percent, and Miami Dade has the highest at 25 percent (Jackson & Beatty, 2003, p. 7). In the issue of income, Boca Raton has a high income per capita. Table 3 provides the data of income distribution by age group and by ethnicity in the year 1999. Table 2. Palm Beach Demographics PALM BEACH COUNTY FL US POPULATION Number Number Number Total population 1,131,184 Square miles (land) 1,974. 11 Population per square mile 573. 01 296. 37 79. 56 GENDER Number Pct Pct Pct Male 546,739 48. 3 48. 8 49. 1 Female 584,445 51. 7 51. 2 50. 9 AGE Number Pct Pct Pct 15 or younger 201,715 17. 8 19. 0 21. 4 16-24 113,057 10. 0 12. 2 13. 9 25-44 305,041 27. 0 28. 6 30. 2 45-64 249,295 22. 0 22. 7 22. 0 65+ 262,076 23. 2 17. 6 12. 4 Number Number Number Average age (years) 42. 55 39. 53 36. 22 RACE AND ETHNICITY Number Pct Pct Pct White 894,207 79. 1 78. 0 75. 1 Black or African American 156,055 13. 8 14. 6 12. 3 American Indian and Alaska native 2,466 0. 2 0. 3 0. 9 Asian 17,127 1. 5 1. 7 3. 6 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 692 0. 1 0. 1 0. 1 Some other race 33,709 3. 0 3. 0 5. 5 Two or more races 26,928 2. 4 2. 4 2. 4 Hispanic or Latino 140,675 12. 4 16. 8 12. 5 Sources: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census; ePodunk Note: Hispanic ethnicity is a separate data category from race. This number should not be added to race totals. Table 3. Incomes in 1999 Boca Raton, Florida BOCA RATON FL US MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY AGE ($ IN 1999) Number Number Number Median household income 60,248 38,819 41,994 Householder under 25 24,080 22,861 22,679 Householder 25-34 49,871 39,021 41,414 Householder 35-44 73,110 46,291 50,654 Householder 45-54 82,033 50,347 56,300 Householder 55-64 71,315 42,971 47,447 Householder 65-74 52,321 32,398 31,368 Householder 75 and older 43,971 25,085 22,259 PER CAPITA INCOME BY RACE OR ETHNICITY ($) Number Number Number Per capita income 45,628 21,557 21,587 White 48,463 23,919 23,918 Black or African American 16,275 12,585 14,437 Native American 31,123 16,598 12,893 Asian 22,469 20,429 21,823 Native Hawaiian and Pacific islander 13,569 15,251 15,054 Some other race 14,023 11,431 10,813 Two or more races 20,589 13,514 13,405 Hispanic or Latino 25,476 15,198 12,111 Sources: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census; ePodunk Moreover, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County provides a source of funding for low-income residents to gain access to health care coverage and maintains a comprehensive trauma system in Palm Beach County, Florida. Other services include: rehabilitation/long-term care, nurses in public schools, behavioral health professionals in public schools, senior services and children’s health insurance programs (HCDPBC Website). HCD’s mission is to â€Å"maximize the health and well being of Palm Beach County residents by addressing their health care needs and planning for the access and delivery of services. † Health care has become one of the most vibrant sectors of the American economy, frequently a leader in economic growth, and the largest employer. Its research-based medicine focused on the use of pharmaceuticals, mechanical devices, and surgery, intervention strategies that reflect an earlier view of the body as a machine, paying relatively little attention to internal processes of problem-solving that occur normally (Heirich, 1998, p. 343). According to Andersen, Rice and Kominski (2001), improving access to health care can be greatly facilitated by a new generation of access models and indicators. These should stress the importance of contextual as well as individual characteristics to promote policies to improve access for defined populations. Also, these should focus on the extent to which medical care contributes to people’s health. Access measures should be developed specifically for particular vulnerable population groups. These measures are especially important because of the cross-cutting needs of many of the vulnerable groups: persons with HIV/AIDS, substance abusers, migrants, homeless people, people with disabilities, and those suffering from family violence. Improving equity, effectiveness, and efficiency should be the guiding norms for research on access. Among the most important areas for research are: †¢ Promoting successful birth outcomes—research on the relationships among medical risk factors, the content of prenatal care and birth outcomes †¢ Reducing the incidence of vaccine-preventable childhood diseases—research on the relationships among race, barriers to access, and infectious disease †¢ Reducing the effects of chronic diseases and prolonging life—research concerning the differences in use of high-cost discretionary care according to gender, ethnicity, income, and insurance status and whether these differences represent overuse or underuse of these services. †¢ Reducing morbidity and pain through timely and appropriate treatment— research exploring methods to better define what constitutes timely and appropriate use of physician services References American Retirement Corp. (2005, November 5). Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Datamonitor Database at http://dbic. datamonitor. com/companies/company/? pid=BAC9B41D-2415-44CF-8228-1C8B736DCBA8 American Retirement Corporation Website. http://www. arclp. com/index. html Andersen, R. M. , Rice, T. H. , & Kominski, G. F. (2001). Changing the U. S. Health Care System. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Boca Raton Income Overview. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Epodunk Website at http://www. epodunk. com/cgi-bin/incomeOverview. php? locIndex=8367 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of Boca Raton, Florida. (2005, Spetember 30). Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Boca Raton Government Website at http://www. ci. boca-raton. fl. us/city/Council3. cfm Heirich, M. (1998). Rethinking Health Care: Innovation and Change in America. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Homewood Residence Website. http://www. seniorhousingnet. com/seniors/search/brochure/pr_brochure. jhtml? pid=552999&name=hrbocaraton&trigger=shn&source=a1shzr2t070 Howell, W. C. (1997). Forward, perspectives, and prospectives. In A. D. Fisk & W. A. Rogers (Eds. ), Handbook of human factors and the older adult (pp. 1–6). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Jackson, C. A. , & Beatty, A. (2003). Organization and Financing of Indigent Hospital Care in South Florida. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. Palm Beach Population Overview. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Epodunk Website at http://www. epodunk. com/cgi-bin/popInfo. php? locIndex=8814

Figurative Language In Erik Larsons Devil In The White City

A Tale of Two Cities Serbian poet, Dejan Stojanovic, once stated, â€Å"Devil and God – two sides of the same face.† When looking at Chicago during the Columbian Exposition, there were two sides of Chicago known as the white city and the black city. The white city was the fairgrounds where the World Fair occurred. The black city, however, is the rest of Chicago where the crime, poverty, disease, and filth was represented. Erik Larson constructs the black and white city in Devil in the White City by incorporating figurative language, imagery, and juxtaposition. One of Erik Larson’s main ways of building the black and white cities is through figurative language. Larson expresses that Chicago is â€Å"likened...to a human being with his skin removed†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Using descriptive diction such as â€Å"eerie† and â€Å"swamp† readers can imagine an unpleasant city rustling with filth and crime. Larson exposes that Chicago had â€Å"auras of mosquitoes† in its midst. Readers automatically see Chicago as a filthy and troublesome town when they associate it with mosquitoes. This view of Chicago created by Larson further achieves his purpose to show the downside of Chicago during the time the World Fair was being constructed and attended. When the World Fair was finished, Larson described the nights, â€Å"the lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted† (254). Larson says the lamps â€Å"laced† the w alkways in the white city which allows readers to picture the city in a whimsical way. The feeling of the word â€Å"laced† sits with readers in a positive way. Thus, Larson can achieve the purpose of forcing readers to see the white city in a luxurious fashion. Also, Larson mentions that the lighting was â€Å"elaborate.† Readers see the white city as a sophisticated and lavish place rather than how they see the black city. Larson again is able to persuade readers into believing the magic of the white city. Larson calls upon imagery to construct the two sides of Chicago. Larson deploys juxtaposition to build the two views of Chicago. LarsonShow MoreRelatedA Of The White City By Erik Larson1426 Words   |  6 PagesA Devil in the White City, written by Erik Larson, is a novel to remember. Not only does this book entice the ideas and a theme of â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil†, but Erik Larson, a former staff writer in the Wall Street Journal, also tied in his torical events that occurred during the Chicago World Fair of 1893. The purpose of the book, that entices a combination of historical events and other fictional opinions, is to inform the audience of the historical content that occurred in the past and to â€Å"fill in the