Employee of the Month Essay Example for Free

Employee of the Month Essay Zack Bradley, a box boy at Super Club, a Price Club/Costco/Sam’s Club type store. He’s more than content with his life as a box boy. He lives with his grandmother, hangs out with his buddies in their homemade lounge in the center of the store’s shopping racks, trades away dented goods, and gets along with just about everyone. In fact, there’s only one person Zack can’t seem to get along with: lead cashier Vince Downey (Dax Shepard), the epitome of retail world brown nosing. Vince has been employee of the month at Super Club for seventeen months straight and winning the eighteenth time means big prizes (including a â€Å"newish† Chevy Malibu) and a promotion. Usually that title wouldn’t mean anything to a slacker like Zack, but when the new hot cashier Amy (Jessica Simpson) appears on the scene with rumors that she goes for employee of the month, Zack decides to give Vince some competition. This is, at its heart, an underdog film, which I almost always enjoy to some degree. Zack is constantly trod upon by Vince’s overwhelmingly good luck. Even when Zack and his friends try to get the best of the big suck up, something good happens for the egotistical wonder that allows him to come out ahead. It’s a real testament to the power of positive thinking once you learn that Vince sees his job as a big success (â€Å"why climb a mountain when you can win the land race? † he asks) while Zack knows his job sucks but took it as a way not to hurt anyone after a business failure cost his grandmother her retirement savings; Vince thinks well so he does well, Zack doesn’t. But really it’s a way of making the audience really want Vince to get his comeuppance, and feel a great sense of satisfaction once he begins to. With a cast comprised of stand-up comedians, singer turned actors, and former Ashton Kutcher â€Å"Punk’d† assistants one doesn’t exactly expect Oscar caliber acting from Employee of the Month, however the performances aren’t terrible either. Dane Cook acts as a subdued Ryan Reynolds which is exactly what this role needs. Reynolds’ normal antics would be too much for the tempo of this movie. Jessica Simpson only has the demand of being attractive and an object of desire; a role she fills perfectly, although a few of her lines are still wince-worthy. Dax Shepherd is a bit over the top in the villain role, but it works. The true standout performances come from the supporting comedic roles, filled with actors like Andy Dick, Harland Williams, Brian George, Tim Bagley, and Napoleon Dynamite’s Pedro, Efren Ramirez. With a cast able to capture laughs in just about every direction, the film keeps the audience snickering, if not making them laugh a little louder. Indeed, Employee accomplishes more chuckles with a little subtlety than with its attempts at the big laughs, although there are more than a few of those. Observant audience members will notice just how much the employees of Super Club abuse the store’s merchandise, from using broken products as bargaining chips to having gallon buckets of ice cream and massive bags of chips in their homes. People willing to consider the movie even further will find hilarity in the way the employees of Super Club treat their retail jobs so seriously, as if cleaning up that spill or the speed of a cashier’s pass-through rate really matters. Dane Cook and Dax Shepard may not offer the best underdog comedy this year, and the movie certainly doesn’t stand up to Wedding Crashers (which shared the same producers as the advertisements are more than happy to remind everyone) but it’s still an enjoyable, silly little comedy. Consider it along the same guilty pleasure lines as Jingle All the Way or Dodgeball or a more viewer friendly version of that Steve Carell comedy. It’s good for lighthearted fun, just don’t expect any life changing experience watching two store clerks competing for the grand title of Employee of the Month.

The English Renaissance :: essays research papers

The English Renaissance The term renaissance is a French word meaning â€Å" rebirth† The English renaissance marked changes in people’s values, beliefs, and behavior. The English Renaissance changed the way people think about life and culture. There were five reasons why it changed the way people think is â€Å"humanism, trade and exploration, scientific developments, the printing press, and the Reformation. I’ll briefly go over one by one how these five reasons changed and created a rebirth of culture and learning in England. Humanism: the humanists studied Latin and Greek classics to discover new answers such as â€Å" what is a human being?† â€Å"What is good life† and â€Å"how do I lead a good life† Humanist aim was to use the classics to strengthen, not discredit, Christianity. Humanist also believe that Christian teach people how to live and how to rule. Printing press: The invention of printing press transformed the way information was exchanged during the renaissance. Before this only imfortmation was exchanged thorough books written by hand. The Hand written books was expensive and very rare. Than to inventor Johannes Gutenburg the books were printed easily and cheaply though the press and wrote his first book the Latin bible, at Mainz, Germany around 1455. The books were more available and more people read than ever before. Trade and Exploration: People started to wonder out to the known world with their ships. John Abot explored the northeast coast of North America, 1497. Vasco Da Gama explored the India and the cape of Good Hope, 1498. Balboa crosses Isthmus of Panama and sights the Pacific Ocean. Magellan leads a first expedition to circum-navigate the globe. Hernando Cortes conquers Mexico, destroying Aztec Empire, 1521. British East India company founded for trade with Asia, 1600. First permanent English settlement in North America established at Jamestown, Virginia, 1607, and the Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, 1620. Scientific Developments: Renaissance was a time when people argued facts with the bible. An astronomer name Nicolaus Copernicus published a theory that planets orbit the sun, 1543. This true fact out raged the Church, because they told all the people that earth is the center of the universe and everything else went around. Galileo in 1609, first study the sky with a telescope. He invented a telescope and studied the moon and also argued to the church that sun is the center of the universe. Everyone thought that he is lunatic.

Apollo 13

On April 11th 1970 the Apollo 13 Lunar Mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard Apollo 13, 3 astronauts—Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise—were seeking to be the third mission to land on the moon. 56 hours into the flight the members of the ground crew of Mission Control in Houston, Texas listened as the 5 words NASA never wants to hear resonated through the speakers: â€Å"Houston we have a problem. † These words were immortalized during the apprehensive days of the Apollo 13 lunar mission crisis. Additionally, it can be said that Apollo 13 was one of the greatest success stories of human achievement and triumph.Director Ron Howard recreated these epic and historical events in the 1995 movie Apollo 13. The Apollo 13 theatrical movie trailer provides insight condensing the events of Apollo 13. Furthermore, it illustrates the true, real life narrative that depicts the prevailing nature of human will and the spirit to overcome such adv ersity. Furthermore the comradely of the flight crew and the ground crew in Houston, along with the support, thought and prayer from the entire world as they watched the subsequent events of the disaster unfold, illuminates the miracle that was Apollo 13, and proves one thing. Failure in not an option.The binary scenes between the flights crew in space and the ground crew in Houston depict the collective action of both parties and the importance of teamwork in accomplishing a goal. Apollo 13 was not seen merely as one disaster but a series of â€Å"cause and effect† disasters, each one building on the previous. In the face of this action the flight crew remained remarkably calm, analyzed the situation, communicated with the ground crew and took action. Similarly in Houston the ground team worked together as a team, analyzing the series of problems and working together to arrive at a assuredness of purpose and plan.The switching between the scenes in space and those on the gro und were fast, sporadic and at times overlapping, especially during the climax of the disaster. This exemplified the coinciding responsibilities and symbiotic relationship of both teams. As well, a major difficulty with the entire Apollo 13 disaster was that at that time nobody—flight or ground crew—knew exactly what happened and how to fix it. This is illustrated by the disjointing of each team through separation of the scenes (and scenery). The flight team was shown in outer space, floating in air (due to the absence of gravity), clad in full-fledged space suits.While the ground team was on earth working in a mission control room, and clothed in typical work-attire. The flight crew, being at the event, could not see the results of the initial explosion; while in Houston the ground crew was not in a much better position, however having some vital information from instruments in the spacecraft. All the while not understanding of the cause of the problem, as well as how dire the situation was, and only knowing it was deteriorating quickly. These binaries construct an understanding that one could not survive without the other; working together, teamwork, was their only option.Human will, and the spirit to overcome such adversity can be seen in the hard-work, dedication, sacrifice and trust demonstrated by the astronauts and the members of the ground team alike, especially with so much at stake—human life. In the end, â€Å"what† broke on the Apollo 13 service module was never fixed. Instead, the ground crew came together and developed a plan of action with only one purpose: To safely return Apollo 13 to earth, and the flight crew only considered one ultimate outcome: returning to earth safely.Furthermore while focused on one united cause there was only one outcome, and it proved to be a miracle. As well, the true leadership and true vision of those involved in Apollo 13 serves as a reminder anything is possible. Gene Krantz, Apollo 13 ’s flight director exhibited true leadership. Gene is known for two quotes, both of which can be seen in the trailer: â€Å"Failure is not an option. † and â€Å"We’ve never lost an American in space; we sure as hell aren’t going to lose one on my watch. His refusal to even consider failure as a possibility was a significant factor resulting in the return of Apollo 13 to earth.Although addressing the multitude of complex, compounding issues and problems facing the safe rescue of the flight crew, his perfect vision—seeing things not as they were, but as they will be—was important because it refused members of the team to engage in negative thinking. As well Lovell’s wife when asked by news reported about the events voiced her positive thinking and determined attitude, â€Å"Take it up with my husband, he will be here on Friday. † The background music of the trailer crescendos along with the heightened intensity of the events.Th e statement by Lovell at the beginning of the trailer, â€Å"There is nothing routing about flying to the moon,† through irony foreshadows such an epic, out-of-the ordinary event. Ultimately, the Apollo 13 crew under these facts and circumstances and knowing that these astronauts barely survived the closest encounter with death in space; was nothing short of a real, true life miracle. The story is nonetheless true, and incredibly inspiring. The final scene of the trailer is a picture of earth in space with Apollo 13 across the screen.The simplicity of this final scene in contrast to the epic and immense event is somewhat overpowering and truly exemplifies Apollo 13 as one of the greatest success stories. The world stood still, watched and prayed for the safe return of the astronauts, and by overcoming all odds, they did return and in the most remarkable fashion. The success story of Apollo 13 should serve as a reminder that anything is possible. One thing that is stressed in the trailer is the greatness and epic circumstances that encompass the Apollo 13 mission.There is significant focus on intensity and disaster showcased in the trailer, including climatic and expressive music, musical crescendos, extreme emotion, intense explosions, and fire blazed action. The content producers, however, chose to stress the scene in which the shuttle takes-off and when the tank of the command module explodes in space. The viewer can then relate and infer the relationship between the two events, and assume that the unthinkable happens, disasters strikes thus leaving the astronauts paramount mission—survival. Apollo 13 On April 11th 1970 the Apollo 13 Lunar Mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard Apollo 13, 3 astronauts—Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise—were seeking to be the third mission to land on the moon. 56 hours into the flight the members of the ground crew of Mission Control in Houston, Texas listened as the 5 words NASA never wants to hear resonated through the speakers: â€Å"Houston we have a problem. † These words were immortalized during the apprehensive days of the Apollo 13 lunar mission crisis. Additionally, it can be said that Apollo 13 was one of the greatest success stories of human achievement and triumph.Director Ron Howard recreated these epic and historical events in the 1995 movie Apollo 13. The Apollo 13 theatrical movie trailer provides insight condensing the events of Apollo 13. Furthermore, it illustrates the true, real life narrative that depicts the prevailing nature of human will and the spirit to overcome such adv ersity. Furthermore the comradely of the flight crew and the ground crew in Houston, along with the support, thought and prayer from the entire world as they watched the subsequent events of the disaster unfold, illuminates the miracle that was Apollo 13, and proves one thing. Failure in not an option.The binary scenes between the flights crew in space and the ground crew in Houston depict the collective action of both parties and the importance of teamwork in accomplishing a goal. Apollo 13 was not seen merely as one disaster but a series of â€Å"cause and effect† disasters, each one building on the previous. In the face of this action the flight crew remained remarkably calm, analyzed the situation, communicated with the ground crew and took action. Similarly in Houston the ground team worked together as a team, analyzing the series of problems and working together to arrive at a assuredness of purpose and plan.The switching between the scenes in space and those on the gro und were fast, sporadic and at times overlapping, especially during the climax of the disaster. This exemplified the coinciding responsibilities and symbiotic relationship of both teams. As well, a major difficulty with the entire Apollo 13 disaster was that at that time nobody—flight or ground crew—knew exactly what happened and how to fix it. This is illustrated by the disjointing of each team through separation of the scenes (and scenery). The flight team was shown in outer space, floating in air (due to the absence of gravity), clad in full-fledged space suits.While the ground team was on earth working in a mission control room, and clothed in typical work-attire. The flight crew, being at the event, could not see the results of the initial explosion; while in Houston the ground crew was not in a much better position, however having some vital information from instruments in the spacecraft. All the while not understanding of the cause of the problem, as well as how dire the situation was, and only knowing it was deteriorating quickly. These binaries construct an understanding that one could not survive without the other; working together, teamwork, was their only option.Human will, and the spirit to overcome such adversity can be seen in the hard-work, dedication, sacrifice and trust demonstrated by the astronauts and the members of the ground team alike, especially with so much at stake—human life. In the end, â€Å"what† broke on the Apollo 13 service module was never fixed. Instead, the ground crew came together and developed a plan of action with only one purpose: To safely return Apollo 13 to earth, and the flight crew only considered one ultimate outcome: returning to earth safely.Furthermore while focused on one united cause there was only one outcome, and it proved to be a miracle. As well, the true leadership and true vision of those involved in Apollo 13 serves as a reminder anything is possible. Gene Krantz, Apollo 13 ’s flight director exhibited true leadership. Gene is known for two quotes, both of which can be seen in the trailer: â€Å"Failure is not an option. † and â€Å"We’ve never lost an American in space; we sure as hell aren’t going to lose one on my watch. His refusal to even consider failure as a possibility was a significant factor resulting in the return of Apollo 13 to earth.Although addressing the multitude of complex, compounding issues and problems facing the safe rescue of the flight crew, his perfect vision—seeing things not as they were, but as they will be—was important because it refused members of the team to engage in negative thinking. As well Lovell’s wife when asked by news reported about the events voiced her positive thinking and determined attitude, â€Å"Take it up with my husband, he will be here on Friday. † The background music of the trailer crescendos along with the heightened intensity of the events.Th e statement by Lovell at the beginning of the trailer, â€Å"There is nothing routing about flying to the moon,† through irony foreshadows such an epic, out-of-the ordinary event. Ultimately, the Apollo 13 crew under these facts and circumstances and knowing that these astronauts barely survived the closest encounter with death in space; was nothing short of a real, true life miracle. The story is nonetheless true, and incredibly inspiring. The final scene of the trailer is a picture of earth in space with Apollo 13 across the screen.The simplicity of this final scene in contrast to the epic and immense event is somewhat overpowering and truly exemplifies Apollo 13 as one of the greatest success stories. The world stood still, watched and prayed for the safe return of the astronauts, and by overcoming all odds, they did return and in the most remarkable fashion. The success story of Apollo 13 should serve as a reminder that anything is possible. One thing that is stressed in the trailer is the greatness and epic circumstances that encompass the Apollo 13 mission.There is significant focus on intensity and disaster showcased in the trailer, including climatic and expressive music, musical crescendos, extreme emotion, intense explosions, and fire blazed action. The content producers, however, chose to stress the scene in which the shuttle takes-off and when the tank of the command module explodes in space. The viewer can then relate and infer the relationship between the two events, and assume that the unthinkable happens, disasters strikes thus leaving the astronauts paramount mission—survival.

Jindal Moves to Strip Food Stamps from Abusers - 612 Words

Jindal Moves to Strip Food Stamps from Abusers: This article provides the argument that the Governor of Louisiana, Governor Jindhal, plans to charge the recipients of food stamp benefits in his county with fraud is justified if they abused the system during a mechanical shut down. Apparently when the food stamp system shut down, it no longer recognized the available balance on benefit cards. As a result, active participants were not only allowed to use their cards for an unrestricted amount well beyond their available limit, but those who were no longer active participants were allowed to use their cards for an unrestricted amount as well. The governor’s administration is suggesting that the minimum penalty would be 12 months off the program to a maximum penalty of permanently removed from the program. Apparently, there is an emergency protocol for stores to set an emergency spending limit of $50 to food stamp card holders should the system shut down. Many of the larger merchants such as Wal-Mart chose not to honor the emergency limit and instead of rejecting use of the cards, they allowed unlimited use. Millholon (2013) stated, â€Å"More than 12,000 transactions generated insufficient funds notice once the electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, system came back online Oct. 12, 2013 and retailers could process stored transactions† (para. 2). However the State of Louisiana will not have to pay out all that money. Apparently because the stores did not honor the $50