Friday, January 24, 2020

Story about Intangible Things Essay -- Autobiography Essay, Personal Na

Intangibility used to be a focus of mine. I lived for the things that were fleeting and impossible to categorize. I was free of the constraints of anything and everything, from language to thought. I found beauty in the things you could not touch and could not even grasp your mind around fully. Now I feel so far removed, I need something to grab on to. I need something I can touch and know is real, solid, and there--something permanent. It is like being stuck in an Impressionist painting. Nothing is solid because everything is momentary and instantaneous. That was the sort of thing I once reveled in. However, things are too muddled now for enjoying intangibility. I simply want comfort and firmness. I need a rock to hold on to or I am afraid I cannot come back. The air was particularly sticky that day. That sticky air was also accompanied by a sticky feeling--a type of feeling that was foreign to me until that moment. I sauntered up the brick steps and doubtfully opened the front door to my house. â€Å"Sweetie... Come upstairs,† said my mom in a voice that was all too familiar. The word sweetie, when used by my mother, never meant good news. I walked up the stairs. There were fourteen of them, and I walked slow, taking in each and every small step. Eventually, I reached the top. I sat down on my bed indian-style and waited for the news I expected but did not want to hear. â€Å"Kacie, your father and I are getting a divorce.† When those words finally came out of her mouth, it was as if I could have read the dictionary one hundred times and still be at a loss for words. All I felt was gaping holes where consciousness should be. It was like when you go to see a movie and you come out a few hours later blinking, lost, and wondering to you... ... is constantly radiating with happiness. The rain cloud that was lurking over my dad’s head for the past year has now been replaced with rainbow. And me, well, strange memories and waves of nostalgia tainted with deja vu have been hitting me frequently. Sometimes, I long for the days that my dad, mom, sister, and I would spend together--all four us, one happy family. I could try to blame it on the lack of sleep or nourishment, but I actually think I’ve developed the â€Å"Peter Pan Syndrome,† or rather the â€Å"Peter Pan Syndrome† already encoded within me has simply grown and developed, like a small tumor of now epic proportions. When am I going to let go and truly grow up? Nevertheless, every now and then I look back at my life and come across a blank spot where I lost myself, like skips on a scratched CD. Even though I’m happy, that blank spot never fails to hurt like hell.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Economic value Essay

There are two economic concepts integrated in the industry of ecotourism: economic impact and economic value (Lindberg, Kreg, 1996). Economic impact, according to Lindberg, refers to the changes in the figures of sales, income and jobs that are generated or directly derived from the practice of ecotourism. Economic value on the other hand refers to the general effect of ecotourism in the economy of the area as a whole. Lindberg also explained that the impact of ecotourism is more evident and more positive in remote regions where more jobs and income are enjoyed by residents especially in areas where there is limited access to lesser alternatives for income generation. The industry of ecotourism has accumulated millions of dollars for different local governments and as such has been one of the healthiest industries worldwide. In fact the International Ecotourism Society reported that that it has been growing at a 300 percent rate compared to the whole industry of tourism (Mellgren, Doug 2007). Like any other industry, ecotourism entails costs and benefits that practitioners have to carefully weigh. What is distinct with this industry is that its costs heavily depend on natural resources and the management of them. With such feature, the resources of the industry are very limited and is hardly impossible if not completely impossible to manually or even with technology to proliferate. For example, we cannot make another forest once a forest area has already been damaged. We cannot dig another beach or ocean once the other has already been severely exploited. The industry therefore requires extra careful management. â€Å"Ecotourism is an enlightening nature travel experience that contributes to conservation of the ecosystem, while respecting the integrity of host communities† (Canadian Environmental Advisory Council 1992). This definition of ecotourism suggests several principles that should be involved in the industry (Wight, Pamela 1993): 1. There should be environmentally sound development which requires that there be no degradation of the natural resources by all means; 2. There should be proper education availed by the participants in the industry which include the government, the NGOs, the tourists and the community; 3. There should be a respect of the environment and its intrinsic value which extends to the recognition of its limits; 4. The industry should encourage the partnership of all the players; 5. The partnership of the players should promote ethical, cultural and social responsibilities of each; 6. There should be a serious consideration of the long-term benefits and impacts, both economic and non-economic, in the industry and the community and; 7. There must be a responsible conservation practices to the internal and external operations of the industry. The industry of ecotourism can be the operation of nature sports like skiing, surfing, and recreational boating. It may also involve the exploration of the highlands like hiking and trekking. The industry may also involve the operation of maintaining or developing ecoparks in the forests, in the ocean and the highlands. In any of these, the industry involves a great deal of economic, environmental, cultural and social responsibilities. ECOTOURISM AND SUSTAINABILITY The general issue that is faced by the industry of ecotourism is sustainability. Because a great deal of natural resources is directly involved in the operation, experts in the industry, operators and practitioners are being challenged to weigh the cost and benefits of getting into the business of sports and recreation involving nature. Sustainability dictates that the benefits should outweigh the cost of using natural resources. Sustainability therefore entails the consideration of the short-term and long-term effects of exploring the environment. In the industry of ecotourism, the alteration or use and even the disturbance of the ecosystem and biodiversity are a necessity. Any slight or serious effect of any of these means a sacrifice on the part of the living organisms in a certain ecosystem. Sustainability requires the industry professionals to carefully calculate and if possible to have an assurance that the costs of sacrificing the natural resources will be exceeded by the benefits that can be derived from it. It is to be stressed that the calculation should include the long-term effects of doing the business. Therefore profitability does not ensure sustainability nor does economic development entail sustainable development. ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH ECOTOURISM A. The business of Ecotourism has placed profit motivation of higher importance than environmental conservation We cannot deny the fact that the promotion and development of ecotourism have been products of profit motivation for Ecopark developers and investors. The business of establishing and maintaining tourist spots require a considerable sum of money, knowledge and skills and therefore it is but fair for investors to claim the economic benefits of such investment. The market of ecotourism has been undoubtedly growing and gaining popularity like the United State, Australia and Thailand. In fact the World Tourism Organization estimates that there have been 500 million annual tourist trips conducted worldwide (World Tourism Organization, 1994). In the United States, the industry of ecotourism is dominated by private owners although are also government owned and managed tourist spots (U. S. Department of State, 2003). The economic benefits of the healthy market of ecotourism is overwhelming that tourism and recreation have actually contributed to 3. 3% to 4. 1% of the United States Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1997 according to the US Department of State report. The leisure of nature traveling since 195 was reported to have been growing at an annual rate of 15% to 30% according to World Resources Institute. The attractive economic benefits of ecotourism industry can plainly explain the sudden proliferation of such privately owned parks and recreation centers. What is however alarming is the fact that there seem to have been outweigh of economic benefits over the cost of environmental degradation not to mention the negative cultural impacts. In Thailand for example, the government has been blinded by the 53 million baht yield of the trekking in Northern Thailand from about 100 thousand trekkers per year. The over-visitation and commercialization of the hill tribe villages have considerably damaged nature through the construction of permanent huts to accommodate trekkers and littering due to the availability of foodstuffs. The worse scenario is the transfer of such businesses to other mountain areas thereby destroying more of the natural habitat in the mountains of Thailand (Tourism Authority of Thailand 1996). In response to this issue, the government and non-government bodies have been organized to serve as guardians and monitoring eyes of the environment while maintaining the business of ecotourism. It is held important for recreation professionals, especially those engaged in ecotourism to coordinate or work in partnership with these environmental groups and authorities. In Thailand for example, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has regulated the tourism visits in the area for study, to enjoy the scenery and for cultural studies. In California, the local government assigned the California Trade and Commerce Agency’s Division of Tourism in the responsibility of taking over the business of looking into the sustainability of ecotourism in the area. Partnership with these agencies, especially when professionals are into private business, will help in the drafting of programs for business development. For example, if recreation professionals are well informed with the affairs and regulations of the local government agencies, future or possible conflict of interest will be avoided. Even if professionals are faced with the impression that they are reaping the economic benefits of ecotourism, partnership with the local environmental agencies will help ease the issue. This of course entails that professionals has to really account and seriously consider the environmental impacts of every activity in order for the business to last long rather than exploring another area when the former has already been damaged. Primarily, environmental and social responsibilities are major considerations in the practice of any profession. B. There has been observations that larger companies tend to be environmentally conscious than smaller counterparts. Watercraft, recreational boating, shark chumming, wind and water surfing are the sports and recreational activities that are active in California. Whether these activities are engaged for fun or for serious water sports, the facilities involved in the said activities necessitates considerable amount of dollars. It is therefore but logical that those who can afford to spend much for the proper maintenance of their own facilities are bigger companies. However, this is not the case in Malaysia as golf course development has been one of the major environmental issues faced by the concerned professionals. Golf course development or golf course tourism, being a sport enjoyed by the wealthy people is a multi-billion dollar industry. Forest degradation, water and land pollution issues are embraced by the tourism industry. An analysis made by an economist revealed that an 18-hole golf course consumes 5,000 cubic meters of water everyday costing Malaysian government $7. 5 million for the pipelines that feed water to the golf course resort in Redand Island (Chatterjee, Pratap 1993). Agrochemicals averaging to 1,500 every year are being used annually in such gold courses, 90 percent of which contribute to air pollution. Pesticides and fertilizers account for the massive destruction of marine life aside from the deforestation and soil erosion caused by the establishment of such recreational and tourism sites. The challenge therefore is not the accumulation of much economic resources in order to support proper maintenance of their facilities but the challenge of taking social and environmental responsibility. The burden of immediate action against these environmental problems is placed primarily in the hands of the government who has always the supreme power to draft and pass laws that will regulate such activities. The involvement of the government in ecotourism will ensure that everything and everybody will work together for a well balanced ecosystem. This writer believes that banning environmental recreation and tourism will help solve the existing environmental degradation. Ecotourism, whether owned and managed by the government, small and large companies, professionals are faced with the challenge of ensuring that every business endeavor is environment friendly regardless of the economic benefits it contributes to the locality. Rules and regulations must be implemented and everyone is compelled to obey.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Twelfth Night Analysis - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 795 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/07/02 Category Literature Essay Type Analytical essay Level High school Tags: Twelfth Night Essay William Shakespeare Essay Did you like this example? The Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare during the year 1623. This romantic comedy focuses on the story of a woman that goes by the name Viola. She ends up alone in a country called Illyria because of a shipwreck and loses her brother, Sebastian. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Twelfth Night Analysis" essay for you Create order Because of this predicament, she decides to disguise herself as a male and serve the count, Orsino, for shelter in return. Throughout this play, conflicts arise between love interests, friends, and family. For instance, there is this entire conflict with Viola, Orsino, and Olivia where Viola falls in love with Orsino, however, Orsino is in love with Olivia. To make matters even more dramatic, Olivia falls in love with Violas male disguise, Cesario. This conflict contributes to one of the themes present in Twelfth Night, deception within love. In act 2 scene 2 of Twelfth Night, Viola realizes the predicament she is in and speaks in a soliloquy. In this soliloquy, Viola talks about how Olivia falls in love with her and how she views herself as wicked for deceiving Olivia. Viola also states that she sees herself as a monster for falling in love with Orsino, even though she is supposed to be a man. With all this, Viola analyzes that both her and Olivias love is hopeless as Viola cannot reveal herself as a woman. All of this is evident from Shakespeares usage of dictation, tone, and mood In the passage, Violas use of vocabulary and diction depict her emotions with all that is happening to her and the people around her. She feels a sense of guilt for causing all this revolving love, even though she knows that it is all a lie. For instance, she says, Poor Lady, she were better love a dream./Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness(lines 26-27). It is clear with this that Viola feels remorseful towards Olivia, as she says that Olivia falling in love with Viola is the same as her falling in love with a dream. Viola feels this way because Cesario was never a real person, to begin with, much like a dream that is nonexistent in the real world. Another instance where dictation is present to emit Violas thoughts and emotions is when she says, How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly,/And I, poor monster, fond as much on him/And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me./What will become of this?(lines 33-36). It appears that, even though Viola is explaining the situation, she uses phrases like I, poor monster because she sees herself as the one responsible for this misunderstanding. Another element that contributes to the overall theme of deception within love is imagery. One example of imagery is when Viola says, In womens waxen hearts to set their forms!/Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we,/For such as we are made of, such we be.(lines 30-32). In this quotation, Viola refers to both herself and Olivia. She talks about how womens hearts are much like wax in the way how wax is easily manipulated with heat or fire. In this case, womens hearts are easily manipulated with love. This prompts the audience to understand Viola better as they can comprehend her analogy with the description of both wax and a womans heart as delicate. Another example of imagery is when Viola says, O Time, thou must untangle this, not I./It is too hard a knot for me t untie.(lines40-41). Imagery is applied as Viola describes this entire mess as a knot that is too difficult to untie. This leaves the audience to fully understand the situation and its complexity with finding a solution. Both diction and imagery contribute to the last element applied in this passage, tone. In this passage, Violas tone is recognizable as confusion and desperation. The audience can see that in this scene, Viola is confused because of how the situation got out of control with everyones feelings. She also feels desperate because she cant come up with a solution as she is unable to reveal her true gender. With the previous quote, she states that time will eventually correct this situation, but when the time comes, she knows that Viola, Olivia, and Orsino will become pained by the truth of their love. One of the major themes present in Twelfth Night is deception within love. With the particular passage of Violas soliloquy, it is seen that diction, imagery, and tone all contribute to this theme. All three of these elements endorse one another as they all relate to each other in addressing the theme Shakespear was trying to portray in the play. They all helped the audience interpret the how Viola feels with this turn of events.