How to unclasp a rolex

Model Essay

Link to article:

Bernstein, N. (2011): “Getting Tough on Immigrants To Turn a Profit.” New York Times, September 29: A1.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/world/asia/getting-tough-on-immigrants-to-turn-a-profit.html?scp=1&sq=Getting%20Tough%20on%20Immigrants&st=cse

[Note: Please do not include the link to the article on which you base the paper you will submit. It is included here only for your reference.]

His gaze leaped impatiently from his Rolex to the window and the grey London cityscape below. Nick Buckles, CEO of G4S, has a busy day ahead.

“Ah. Grahame; Debbie – please, come sit” he said to his arriving guests: Grahame Gibson, COO of new markets, and Debbie McGrath, communications director.

Nick doesn’t waste any time: “Debbie, let’s hear it.”

“Nick, it’s this Victoria contract. I can’t support it. I wouldn’t be able to look my daughter in the eye again – let alone sleep at night – if I did. We have standards, Nick, and right now we’re completely missing the mark. After our last death, the public is increasingly wary of us, as are the courts and legislatures of our largest clients, our brand image is in the toilet, and the international press is circling like a shark in the water. I think we should stop bidding our transport services altogether until we can thoroughly investigate the practice and provide sensitivity training for our guards. We’ve messed up. And now it’s our imperative to do the right thing and prevent this from ever happening again.”

Grahame interrupts: “Nick, while I appreciate the tenacity with which Miss McGrath tends to our public perception, she’s left out some key information, not the least of which is the fact that we haven’t killed anybody. We transport hundreds of thousands of people each year; sometimes people just die. In cases where we might have some culpability, we’ve complied with the authorities and we’ve paid their fines; we are operating within their rules. And let’s not forget they hire us, we don’t hold a gun to their head. I’m in agreement that we need to investigate and, sure, even provide “sensitivity training,” but there just isn’t enough time to do that before the Victoria deadline next month.”

Nick is quiet a moment, queries his Rolex again, and then exhales deeply. “Debbie, we’re going to take the contract in Victoria, and here’s why: it is true we’ve made some mistakes in the past, but at the end of the day – like Grahame said – we’ve successfully transported nearly all of our inmates. We complete that task more efficiently than can the governments we serve and we save them and their taxpayers’ money. In addition to that, this no-bid contract is easy profit. By taking it, we not only provide a much needed service to the state of Victoria, but we also make our shareholders forty-five million pounds richer. There will always be a few casualties of war – which we will try to prevent – but the net sum of this contract benefits practically everyone else.”

Link to the article:

Dinunzio, J. (2012): “Wary of Energy Drinks in Adrenaline Sport.” New York Times, January 8: SP10.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/sports/pro-water-in-snowboarding-culture-heavy-on-energy-drinks.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=drink%20water&st=cse

Sergey Titov flies to the bottom of the mountain. Snow floats around him, creating a streak of white that appears as light speed to Sergey. As Sergey arrives at the end of the slope he skids to the side of his board and slows himself. He then sits and faces his board upward, exposing his brand new decal with “DRINK WATER” in bold, and begins to unclasp his boots.

Arnold Murphy, a fellow snowboarder and friend of Sergey, slides next to him. Arnold notices the decal and quickly exclaims “Hey man, what the hell are you doing?” Sergey pulls down the part of his balaclava covering his mouth and responds “What are you talking about? I’m just bombing the mountain like always.” Arnold points at the bottom of the board “Dude you’re going to screw us of our sponsorship with that water stuff. What are we going to do if the Rockstar guys see us? Or even worse, the Red Bull reps! You got to take that off.”

Sergey finishes unclasping his boots, picks up his board and looks directly at Arnold. “If the reps don’t like it then I don’t want them to sign me. If I were to take this off I would be selling out. Those energy drinks are awful for you man. If I were to wear their signs I would be showing I support hurting my body. What kind of message would that send to the kids who might look up to me? Let alone other snowboarders?”

Arnold, a little taken back, pauses, then responds “I didn’t realize it meant that much to you. But how are you going to make a living if you don’t try to get sponsored? Just because you ride for the guys doesn’t make you need to drink their stuff. The kids don’t care what you drink. They look up to you because you can shred the mountain. The pros get sponsored by these guys also. They don’t seem to care.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Arnold” states Sergey. “Both Keegan Valaika and Scotty Wittlake are supporting this. Those guys are my idols. They believe they can make a difference by supporting what they value. I am doing this because, like them, I support what I believe in. If I don’t get a sponsorship from Red Bull or Rockstar, so be it. There are plenty of other sponsorships I can get that will allow me to still support ‘Drink Water’.”

Arnold stops to think. “Alright man. I see were your coming from. I won’t bug you about your board anymore. I may not agree with it, but it’s your decision. Let’s just get back to the top of the mountain!”