Thursday, November 7, 2019
The 13 Best College Essay Tips to Craft a Stellar Application
The 13 Best College Essay Tips to Craft a Stellar Application SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In many ways, the most labor-intensive part of your college application process is the essay. Itââ¬â¢s not just about forwarding transcripts or entering a list of extracurricular activities- you have to craft something personal and compelling to show the admissions committee who you are beyond your resume. In this article, weââ¬â¢ll go over our 13 best tips for writing college essays. Weââ¬â¢ll give tips for every step of the process including planning, writing, and editing your essay, as well as some quick and easy tips to boost any essays you already have written! With these college essay tips, youââ¬â¢ll be that much closer to the best admissionsessay ever! 5Tips for College Essay Planning Doing a good job planning makes the college essay process that much easier. These five college essay tips will help you get started and pave the way for a great final product. #1: Make a Plan of Attack for Your Essays The first thing youââ¬â¢ll need to do is identify all the essays youââ¬â¢ll need to write and their deadlines. It may help you to make a spreadsheet with the essay guidelines for each school, the word count, the prompts, the due date, and any special instructions. This will help you figure out: How many essays youââ¬â¢ll need to write, and how long those essays need to be. Whetheryou can reuse any essays: In general, you can reuse essays for prompts that are about your life, broadly similar in theme, and have a similar word count. You probably canââ¬â¢t reuse essays that are very specific to the college, like ââ¬Å"Why This Collegeâ⬠essays. Which essay you should write first: Youââ¬â¢ll probably want to start first on the essay with the earliest application deadline. Alternatively, if you have plenty of time or the deadlines are close together, you could start with the longest essay (which will take the most time) or the essay that will be used for the most schools (like a Common Application essay). Do what you feel most comfortable with. With all this information gathered, youââ¬â¢ll be able to make a plan of attack for your essays and make sure nothing gets lost in the application shuffle. (In fact, I actually advise keeping track of all necessary components of your application in a spreadsheet for the same reason). #2: Start Early You want to start writing way before the deadline. If possible, give yourself at least two months, and maybe even more time if you can. This will make sure that you have enough time to adequately plan your essay, draft it, and edit it. And, of course, the more essays you have to write, the earlier you should start! Don't worry, you don't need to start this early. #3: Choose the Right Topic Choosing the right topic has two facets: first, choosing the right prompt (if thereââ¬â¢s a choice) and second, choosing the right topic to write about for that prompt. The Right Prompt If thereââ¬â¢s a choice of prompts, you may want to actually start by brainstorming the specific topic or thing in your life that you want to write about, and then reverse-engineer back to the most appropriate prompt. Most college essay prompts are pretty vague, so a broad range of topics and issues can be applied. You can also use prompts to help you brainstorm if youââ¬â¢re having a hard time figuring out what to write about. Think about the prompt that seems most appealing to you at first. What intrigues you about it? What do you think you could communicate about yourself through that question? Hereââ¬â¢s some tailored guidance on some of the most common college essay prompt types. And if youââ¬â¢re writing a Common Application essay, hereââ¬â¢s advice on how to choose the right Common App prompt for you. The Right Topic When youââ¬â¢re trying to choose something about your life to write about, consider the following: What are you excited to write about? A good college essay can be about a wide variety of topics, but it should show that youââ¬â¢re passionate about something. This could be anything from a hobby you have to your favorite book or even your most beloved stuffed animal, just so long as you can make it memorable and positive. Also, your writing will be a lot better if you are writing about something you care about and are interested in! Whatever you write about should be primarily about you. You should be the focal point. Even if youââ¬â¢re writing about someone who has influenced you, for example, you need to relate it back to yourself. What does this tell admission officers about you? What makes you stand out? This should be something that goes beyond whatââ¬â¢s in the rest of your application. Your test scores and GPA are already there. What really shows something unique about you? Choose a topic you can be honest about. If youââ¬â¢re not being genuine, it will end up coming through in your writing. So donââ¬â¢t write about how much your membership in Youth Group meant to you if you only went to make your mom happy and you actually didnââ¬â¢t care that much. In general, you should avoid topics that are overly controversial, like things that are politically charged, doing things that are illegal, or anything involving graphic descriptions of any bodily function. So if youââ¬â¢re going to write about recovering from hip surgery, probably leave out the gory details of you being constipated and your oozy scars. Check out our 35 brainstorming techniques for college essays for even more help coming up with a topic! If youââ¬â¢re really stumped, consider asking your friends and family what they think could be good topics. They may help you figure out something memorable and interesting. But also, donââ¬â¢t feel like you have to write about a topic just because someone else thinks it would be great. You need to be genuinely interested in what youââ¬â¢re writing about to write an engaging essay! Be as passionate about your topic as this man is about table tennis. #4: Decide on Your Approach In general, there are two main approaches you might take to write your essay. It might primarily take a narrative format, or it might take a thematic format. In a narrative format, youââ¬â¢ll be relating a particular anecdote or experience and what it means to you. In a thematic format, youââ¬â¢ll present a particular theme- say, your love of parakeets or your secret talent for balancing books on your head- and expound on that theme in a descriptive way to reveal more about you and your personality. Sometimes your approach will be determined by the prompt or topic that you choose. For example, if a prompt says to relate a particular event or anecdote, youââ¬â¢ll probably use a narrative approach. By contrast, if you want to write about how your favorite book changed your life, that will probably be a thematic essay. #5: Write an Outline Doing a little bit of outlining before you put fingertips to keyboard to write your essay is always a good idea. You donââ¬â¢t necessarily need to make a super-detailed plan before you starting writing, but a general idea of where you are going and the points you want to make will be very helpful when you start drafting. Otherwise, you may find yourself spending a lot of time staring at a blank Word document. Yes, good, very detailed essay plan. 4 Top College Essay Writing Tips Here are four tips for writing college essays and making sure your workstands out in a good way: #6: Use Specific Details The more details you use, the more your writing will come alive. Try to use words that are vivid and specific, instead of ones that are vague like ââ¬Å"nice,â⬠ââ¬Å"good,â⬠and so on. This will really flesh out the scene and help the reader picture whatââ¬â¢s going on. So take something like this: One of my biggest accomplishments in life was teaching my little brother to ride a bicycle. I encouraged him to keep going when he fell down. Now heââ¬â¢s a great cyclist! To something more like this: One of my biggest accomplishments in life was teaching my eight-year-old brother to ride the racy red bicycle he got for his birthday. He wanted to give up when he took a tumble and skidded across the sidewalk. But while I bandaged up his knees with Batman band-aids, I convinced him to give it another try. I told him to think about how he would be able to bike all around the neighborhood exploring. Now I smile whenever I see him zooming down our street- wearing his helmet, of course! See the difference? Wouldnââ¬â¢t you rather read the second one? Think how boring this angel statue would be if it was just kind of vaguely chiseled out of the rock. #7: Be Genuine Itââ¬â¢s important to get beyond the superficial in your personal statement. You should be writing about something thatââ¬â¢s genuinely important or significant to you, so try to get beyond the surface. Instead of writing vague platitudes about how you really like the violin but itââ¬â¢s hard, really get at the meat: did you ever think about quitting? Whatââ¬â¢s frustrated you the most? What really keeps you going? This means you shouldnââ¬â¢t try to write about things where itââ¬â¢s too painful to be honest. So if your parents got a divorce last year, it may be too raw to write about, which is perfectly fine. If, however, they got divorced when you were 5 and you can honestly reflect on how it changed your life, go for it. Of course, you want to be honest in a reasonable and appropriate way. If you overshare, it will make it seem like you have bad judgment or donââ¬â¢t understand social norms- not good impressions to give the admissions committee. So probably donââ¬â¢t write about how much you despise your mother and think she is evil since she had an affair with your school librarian. Itââ¬â¢s fine to feel how you feel, but there are some things that are a little too charged to write in your college essay. #8: Be Unique, but Not Bizarre You definitely want your writing to set you apart- but you want it to set you apart in a good way. This means you want high-quality writing about unique experiences and qualities you bring to the table that arenââ¬â¢t covered elsewhere in your application. This does not mean you should get really avant-garde with your essay formatting. Donââ¬â¢t send in a piece of art instead of an essay, or make a video, or write a poem instead of an essay, unless those things are explicitly allowed. Similarly, while your essay doesnââ¬â¢t have to be 100% deadly serious in tone, you should be careful with humor. This doesnââ¬â¢t mean absolutely no jokes or tongue-in-cheek moments or that your essay should read like an 18th-century book of sermons. But if your essay relies too much on humor, youââ¬â¢ve got a lot riding on whether or not the person reading your essay ââ¬Å"getsâ⬠it. They may well be annoyed. So deploy humor carefully and selectively. Sermons not necessary. #9: Avoid Cliches and Platitudes The more cliches you use in your writing, the more boring and less insightful your essay will be. Cliches are phrases that are so overused that they are essentially meaningless, and they are likely to make any reader roll their eyes. Phrases like ââ¬Å"a dime a dozen,â⬠ââ¬Å"outside the box,â⬠ââ¬Å"cold as ice,â⬠ââ¬Å"dirt cheap,â⬠ââ¬Å"flash in the pan,â⬠and so on are frequently deployed in conversation because they convey a common idea quickly. But you donââ¬â¢t want your essay to be common, so avoid cliches. Try to think about how you can communicate the same idea in a more specific and interesting way. Hereââ¬â¢s a list of over 600 cliches. But for the most part, you wonââ¬â¢t need a list; youââ¬â¢ll know something is a cliche because you will have heard it a million times already. You should also avoid platitudes or sweeping generalizations about life. These are statements that are so broad and far-reaching as to be both obvious and completely uninsightful. So avoid making statements like ââ¬Å"And thatââ¬â¢s how I learned that hard work pays off,â⬠or ââ¬Å"Thereââ¬â¢s no ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ in team.â⬠You may think you sound sage or wise, but the truth is, platitudes are going to sound immature and poorly-formed to the reader. Similarly, donââ¬â¢t say things that sound like they could come from an inspirational quote account on Instagram. (See, ahem, ââ¬Å"You miss 100% of the shots you never take,â⬠ââ¬Å"Shoot for the moon,â⬠and so on.) How do you avoid the platitude problem? Try to keep what youââ¬â¢re saying specific to you. So instead of saying ââ¬Å"And thatââ¬â¢s how I learned that hard work pays off,â⬠try, ââ¬Å"This experience helped me to realize that when I put concentrated effort into something thatââ¬â¢s important to me, I can accomplish it even when there are roadblocks.â⬠Keep the focus on what you can and will do in your own life. Avoid saying anything like this at all costs. 2 Tips for Editing Your College Essay You may think that once youââ¬â¢ve gotten a draft done that youââ¬â¢re good to go. Not so! Editing is one of the most important parts of writing the best college essay possible, and here are two essential college essay tips for editing. Tip #10: Ask for Help Itââ¬â¢s always wise to get another set of eyes on your college essays. In fact, several sets of eyes is even better! Other people can help you make sure your essay flows, you have enough detail, that everything is relevant, and that you sound as engaging and interesting as you really are! They can also help you catch typos and other minor errors- although youââ¬â¢ll want to double and triple-check for that yourself before submitting. Hereââ¬â¢s advice on how to ask for help with all parts of the college essay process, including editing. Tip #11: Be Prepared to Cut a Lot Brace yourself for cutting up your initial draft into tiny little ribbons and rearranging the remaining pieces Frankenstein-style. A first draft is really just a starting place to get your ideas down before you revamp the entire thing into a more streamlined, better organized, highly polished version. So you have to be ready to let go of pieces of your essay, no matter how much you love a particular turn of phrase or analogy. The ultimate goal is to turn the rough stone of your first draft into a polished and clear piece of writing- and thatââ¬â¢s going to take a lot of chipping and sanding! Your finished essay is like this duck: many pieces arranged into an amazing whole. 2 Final Tips for College Essay Success Here are two quick but essential college essay tips you can implement easily. Tip #12: Have a Standout First Sentence One thing you can do to give any essay a boost is to make sure that your first sentence is attention-grabbing. If you can pique the interest of the admissions counselor right away, youââ¬â¢ll help keep their attention throughout your essay. Hereââ¬â¢s our guide to getting that perfect first sentence! Tip #13: Triple-check for Typos and Errors The most important quick thing you can do for your essay is to make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors. It will make your essay look sloppy and unfinished, and thatââ¬â¢s the last thing you want! College admissions officers expect a polished product, and thereââ¬â¢s nothing less polished than misspelled words and comma splices. Looking all polished up and mighty fine. 13 College Essay Tips: Key Takeaways for a Great College Essay To recap, hereââ¬â¢s our 13 tips for the best college essay ever: College Essay Planning Tips: Create a plan of attack for all of your essays so you can keep track of everything. Start early- at least two months before the due date, if not more. Choose the right prompt and topic for you. Decide between a narrative or a thematic approach to the topic. Outline before you start writing! College Essay Writing Tips: Use vivid, specific details. Be genuine- get beyond the superficial. Be unique, but not bizarre. Avoid cliches and platitudes; they are boring and unimaginative. College Essay Editing Tips: Get other people to look at your essay. Be prepared to change, cut, and rearrange a lot! Final Tips for College Essays: Make sure your first sentence is stellar. Triple check for typos and grammatical errors! Imagine the essay you could write about the time you painted Mr. Lurker's claws. Whatââ¬â¢s Next? Youââ¬â¢ve read our tips for success- now see 10 college essay mistakes to avoid. Looking for some college essay examples? See 133 essay examples and expert analysis here, along with 11 more places to find great college essay examples. Check out our complete guides to ApplyTexas essays, UC Personal Insight questions, and the Common Application essay! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Definition of Copulative Verb in Spanish
Definition of Copulative Verb in Spanish Copulative verbs are among the most useful verbs in Spanish. Unlike verbs that are used to express an action, copulative verbs are used to indicate that a noun coming before the verb is equal to or has characteristics of the word or words following the verb. Definition of Copulative Verb A copulative verb is one that connects the subject of a sentence with a noun (or noun phrase) that is the equivalent of the subject or an adjective that describes the subject. Copulative verbs denote a state of being and, with the exception of verbs such as to become that express a change in state of being, usually dont express action. You can think of a copulative verb as something like an equals sign: What comes before the verb refers to the same person or thing that comes after it. Note that in Spanish, the subject of a verb doesnt have to be explicitly stated. In the sentence, the subject in Nosotros estamos felices (We are happy) can be deleted without any change in meaning, making Estamos felices. The copulative verb for both sentences is estamos. A copulative verb is also known as a linking verb, copular verb, or copula. The equivalent terms in Spanish are verbo copulativo or verbo de unià ³n. The Three Main Copular Verb of Spanish In Spanish, traditionally the three main copulative verbs are ser, estar and parecer. Ser and estar are usually translated as to be, while parecer usually means to seem. Both be and seem often are copulative in English as well. These verbs are copulative verbs only when they performing a linking purpose. All three, especially estar, have other uses as well. Copulative verbs can be used in all tenses and moods. Examples of the three verbs being used as copulas: Mi hermana es estudiante. (My sister is a student.)No somos una repà ºblica bananera. (Were not a banana republic. In this example, the subject nosotros isnt explicitly stated.)Los mexicanos fueron superiores a nosotros. (The Mexicans were superior to us.)Espero que la comida està © sabrosa. (I hope the food will be tasty.)Mi madre estuvo casada. (My mother was married.)Estamos muy agradecidas. (Were very grateful.)La casa parece triste y vacà a sin ella. (The house seems sad and empty without her.)Me parece muy difà cil. (It seems very difficult to me. The subject is not explicitly stated.)Pablo me parecà a muy guapo. (Pablo seemed very handsome to me.) Other Copulative Verbs Other verbs, such as those that express feelings, appearances, or the action of becoming, can also act as copulas: Sus ojos semejan los de un perro. (Its eyes resemble those of a dog.)Los pobres permanecen pobres y los ricos permanecen ricos. (The poor stay poor and the rich stay rich.)Me siento enojado cuando no me hablas. (I feel angry when you dont speak to me.)El senador se mostraba complaciente. (The senator seemed complacent.)A los 40 aà ±os, Elena se volvià ³ doctora. (At the age of 40, Elena became a doctor.)La oruga se convirtià ³ en mariposa. (The caterpillar became a butterfly.)
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Zara IT for Fast fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Zara IT for Fast fashion - Essay Example Zaraââ¬â¢s business model sells fashion more than it does apparels. To this end, speed, agility, and flexibility in responding to changing consumer demands is essential and even more important is Zaraââ¬â¢s need to maintain its core capability so that it cannot be imitated by other competitor in the industry (Walters, 2006; Lu and Ramamurthy, 2011:937). Failing to upgrade its POS terminals could potentially make the company lose its edge in terms of speed in delivery of fast fashion to its competitors, due to obsolete ancient technology. Although the DOS system is stable, it is increasingly facing challenges and problems. First and foremost, there too many people involved in information transfer and analysis of the ordering, fulfilment and manufacturing processes which increases the probability of errors. Though Salgado does not mind a small margin in error, a more integrated system would allow easier data transfer and also ensure accuracy in such data which would enable a bala nce between supply and demand. Secondly, using PDAs with small screens to enter data is strenuous and time consuming. Getting to do this every day does not help in enhancing data accuracy. Thirdly, since the POS terminals are not connected to Zaraââ¬â¢s headquarters or stores, the sales data transmitted at the end of the day, may not fully reflect changing fashion trend sales (McFee, Dessain, and Sjoman, 2007). Within the fast fashion industry, what is fashionable today may be obsolete and unfashionable tomorrow (Tesseras, 2009). Fashion changes fast, and Zara needs a system that can wholly and efficiently reflect this based on clothââ¬â¢s designs, colour, and even the sizes. And finally, the very fact that Zaraââ¬â¢s hardware vendor for POS terminals refuses to enter into a contractual agreement regarding their assurance not to change the DOS operating system, does not fully assure Zara that it would not in the future (McFee, Dessain, and Sjoman, 2007). This presents a ris k to Zaraââ¬â¢s operations. Where the costs of maintaining the ancient system surpasses or equals the benefits that the vendors gain from maintaining the system for Zara, the vendors may decide to change the machines. Upgrading the POS terminals into a modern operating system would enable development of newer capabilities into the software which would potentially enable the company to build in store networks as well as give the employee the ability to look up inventory balances in their own stores and in other stores. This would enable the store managers to understand which cloths are selling fast, and which ones they are left in inventory without having to go through the store to physically count them. Therefore it would enhance decision making with regard to what kind of clothes, in what design, colour and size are required. Furthermore, connectivity among stores which are nearer would enhance sharing of data on which products are in one store yet is in shortage in another (Car o and Gallien, 2010:261-265; Caro, et al, 2010:74-79). This would enhance fast movement of merchandise from one store to another, thus enhancing sales. Such information technology capabilities would not only streamline information flow along the supply chain in real time but also enable the headquarters to be connected to a storeââ¬â¢s real time data sales which would be essential in making any decisions with regard to design, size and colours, as well as using actual real time data in planning and shortening cycle times for each of the stores (Walters, 2006). The real time data also would enable the headqu
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Not Finishing Well Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Not Finishing Well - Essay Example We accept warfare or conflict as a normal part of life. The Divine Teachers want us to free ourselves from this condition by not looking backward but instead, by looking ahead. In Christian spirit, one sees that the most essential discipline is the nearness with Christ. Nearness implies the fidelity in carrying the teachings of Christ and applying them to one's daily life. This gives a person some plans or purpose in life. It is incumbent upon the followers of Christ to promote amity or harmony among the believers. They should enlighten and educate children to instill a growing hope. Ignoring this call is like a journey back, a failure. In his article Longevity with Distinction and Dignity-Finishing Well, Pastor Eugene Harder echoes that "Jesus died to remove the curse that prevented people from finishing well." We are reaching a new era in the history of mankind. And springtime is knocking at the door. For our brief sojourn on this life-giving planet, we could say that even though we did not start well, we could indeed find time to finish well.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Slow Food Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Slow Food Movement - Research Paper Example The movement has 850 chapters, also known as local convivias, and they serve as the expressions for the movementââ¬â¢s ideology. Convivias nurture the relationship between the producers, appoint other convivia to attend to international events and organize events to try foods. The movement started in Bra, Italy the hometown of the founder, and then merged with another group in America that liked the ideas. The organization aimed at ensuring that the food does not cause harm to consumers but brings joy. The snail is the symbol of the movement as it moves slowly and eats during the journeys. The group undertakings aim at conservation of biodiversity in the food supply, train on taste and consolidate the producers and co-producers by conducting various events (Malatesta et al 5). The conservation of diversity comes amidst a period in which the world faces with the issues of convenience foods as well as agribusiness. Biodiversity reduces the spread of diseases between different plants as well as preserve soil fertility. It insists on the awareness of the general population on the safety of the food taken that is food should be free from contamination. The movement has about 80,000 members, which profoundly strengthens the movement, as it is accessible to all through its grassroots associates. The philosophy of the movement is the study of the quality of the food and taking the time to enjoy the food in a simple way to impart the daily life with joy (Malatesta et al 3). The movement considers consumers as co-producers because consumers they support the producers in preparation of food and usually get informed on food preparation. The movement obtains funds from various events, books and journal sales as well as the membership payments. The other sources of fund ing are the contributors or well-wishers, and institutions such as universities. The movement has an enormous budget distribution although it receives some subsides from the government book sales, membership payments (Malatesta et al 37). The philosophy of slow food is that food is more than just cooking and eating and that food should taste delicious, produced in a clean environment, and the producers should receive compliments for the good work (Malatesta et al 3). According to Julia Middleton, slow food is a concept, an approach of life and an approach of eating (Weir 10). Slow food educates the public on the production of healthy and wholesome food that is food prepared from the full raw materials. The major concerns within the movement circulate around good, clean and decent food to the co-producers. According to the book, the word good stands for delicious and nourishing food. The movement makes emphasis on the culture and the general population. The fair bit applies when the rich and the poor continue to enjoy healthy cooking and the farmers receive fair wages for their products (Weir 10). Clean indicates that the food sources for slow movement are safe and grown under proper agricultural practices (Weir 10). Most people within the community prefer local grown foods, as they are fresher than exported foods. Purchasing local food improves the local economy, protects green space, protect natural resources (Palmer 6). The movement carries out various projects in defense of biodiversity and members manage these projects around the globe (Malatesta, et al 10). Slow food utilizes the innovations and research projects from the food manufacturers and the traditional farmers (Malatesta, et al 11). Slow Food Movement has significant contributions to individuals and the community in general. Individually, the movement contributes to the good health and ensures that people eat food that contains the essential nutrients. The nutrients originate from the use
Sunday, October 27, 2019
The Inherently Unsustainable Of Mass Tourism Tourism Essay
The Inherently Unsustainable Of Mass Tourism Tourism Essay Tourism Industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Tourism has long been a central component of the economic, social and cultural shift that has left its imprint on the world system of cities in the past two decades (Dumond; 2005 cited in Beben; 2006;1). According to the statistics of World Trade Organization, there was 693 million tourist arrivals across the globe in 2002 (Beben; 2006). Moreover, WTO and the World Tourism and Travel Council announced a possible increase in the number of tourists to close to 1 billion by the end of 2010 (Massound; 2010). Mass tourism is seen as a large number of people participating in tourism as well as inflexible and packaged standardized holidays (Poon; 1993). Starting from the 50s a new tourist demand leaded to a new stage in this evolutionary process. Tourism industry just like other Fordist industries has been supplying mass products, mostly considered under the label of mass tourism (Conti; Perelli; 2004). According to Conti and Perelli (2004;3), Thomas Cook created the tourism packages in the 19th century as the pioneering forms of mass tourism and the opportunity for the definitive shift from the aristocratic forms of vacation to the mass mobility of workers spending their paid holidays travelling. The concept of Cookism was used in a place of Fordism to express the era of mass tourism. Others seen mass tourism as consuming places by the large number of visitors (Urry; 1995). More recently mass tourism consumption experience has been linked to the ideas of a McDonaldization, Disneyfication o r McDisneyfication of societies (Ritzer and Liska; 1997 cited in Conti and Perelli; 2004;3). The impact of those consumption patterns has been considered as the typical Fordist leading to a reduction of the cultural diversity by mean of the demand of a tourist experience that will be more and more reproducing the everyday life patterns of consumption (Contti and Perelli; 2004). Mass tourism is strongly linked to seasonality. The impact of schools closure for the holiday periods as well as companiesà ´ work programmes and the destination specific weather conditions, all that aspects are gathering great number of tourists at the same time (Shaw and Williams; 1995). Before tourism was a luxury, available mostly for higher class but after the introduction of packaged holidays and development of mobility and technology, travelling became more accessible for everyone. Tourism has aroused on the market as a forceful industry making changes which have both positive and negative economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts. The development of tourism industry is very important for economy of the country especially for less developed countries as it increase foreign exchange earnings and generates employment. According to UNWTO, tourism stands for 8% of employment and 9% of global GDP and by the year 2019 will provide 296 million jobs (UNWTO cited in MercoPress, 2010). Tourism can have a powerful and beneficial direction for both economic and sociio-cultural change but at the same time it can be destroying. Do actual benefits from tourism go to the host community? Is governmentà ´s priority in development are to provide the needs of the tourists instead of local community? The government blinded by the opportunity of the country to generate the money from the development tourism is forgetting about the negative aspects that the industry can bri ng. Most of the attention has been made to economic aspects of the tourism growth and environmental and socio-cultural issues have been swept out to the second plan. Although to make tourism sustainable it is very important to look at those aspects. As mentioned before tourism enables the development of the destination although, the lack of own capital and a weak economy of some underdeveloped destinations makes foreign investors to build a new hotels that makes tourism being beneficial mostly for the developed countries. The same is with employment. It seems like tourism would give jobs to the local community but in the meantime the investors from developed countries employed the workers with a better education and abilities so the developing country stays with almost nothing. When the development is lower than the position of a country is worse. Leakage is an amount of money that escapes from the local economy (France; 1997). According to Kripperdorf(1982;136), tourism planning is usually in the hands of outside promoters the local population are regarded merely as landowners or as a reserve of labour, not as people entitled to participate in decision making. For example, tour operators owning resorts and sending the customers to the destination which mean that local community wont benefit much from those tourists. They export food for the tourist and employ British stuff. How tourism can be sustainable if ità ´s breaking the basic rules of it. The tourism control and planning strategy is crucial in developing sustainable tourism but how can it be done if even government is closing their eyes on the unfair practices in the Tourism sector of that region. The uncontrolled tourism in Goa has a strong impact on host community who has to face the food and water shortage (Almeida; 1996). Moreover, Goan has to face with electricity problems, there is a severe water shortage. The water pipeline that was originally meant for the villagers is now being utilised by the hotels. The transport too is insufficient to transport both locals and tourists (Misquita, 1996a cited in Noronha;1999;101). Very fast process of urbanisation has changed Goa into the concrete jungle. Police is closing their eyes on the drug fulfilled parties. Barely 10 % of Goans have benefited from tourism development, moreover, the foreign investors are buying large amounts of lands in the regi on (Almeida; 1996).All those examples illustrate how unsustainable tourism it is. Moreover, as suggested by Wall and Wright (1977); physical impacts to the tourist destination include alterations to the natural environment, including air, water, soils, vegetation and wildlife as well as changes to the build environment (Mathiesen and Wall; 1999; 38). Mass tourism affects strongly beaches, cliff-side, environment and degraded landscape. In some mass destinations ground water is in an alarmingly low level which is largely consumed by agricultural sector, by the irritation of a great number of gardens constructed due to the development of new summer houses and second homes and golf courses (Molz; 2004;5). Also the beaches have been extended in order to meet tourist demand. The unlimited constructions and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources will lead to the serious environmental problems. Recreational activities organized for tourists have also strong impact. Tourists by touching reefs when diving and snorkeling are damaging them. Also by the great number of boat trips tourist are disturbing marine animals. According to Kripperdorf (1982;135), the mass phenomena of modern tourism have initiated the paradoxial process Tourism destroys tourism. The landscape loses its tourist value through its use, or rather over-use, by th e tourist. Mass tourism is not only a problem of coastal regions but also the winter season is strongly connected to mass tourism. In Alps the number of tourists doubles every 7 years (Dziedzic; 1998). In Tyrol the ski slope is going through the endangered forests. Every year more than 500 hectares of agricultural land is used to make new skiing resorts and slopes (Dziedzic; 1998). Environmental degradation destroys the meaning of existence of tourism itself. The number of tourists is growing every year. According to the World Travel report (cited in Hickman; 2006) by 2020 the natural features of some of the wonders of the world will be damaged by global warming, while other resorts will become seriously overcrowded. The carrying capacity has been described as greatest number of people who can use the place without any damage to the natural resources and without degradation of the environment (Wall and Mathiasen; 1999). The attrition of historical buildings and the saturation of the coasts are one of the problems were carrying capacity has been overtaken. Changes in tourist destinations are inevitable but the concept of carrying capacity has the chance to indicate the amount and the way of change and to assess to which point those changes are acceptable (Mathiesen and Wall; 1999). The socio-cultural impacts are the other aspect of a great importance when looking at the changes in tourism as it strongly changes the way of life of the local communities. Mass tourism is causing displacement of indigenous population by tourists. For example in Hawaii there are about 1 million of indigenous inhabitants, which is a quarter of the whole population (Dziedzic; 1998). In human relationships, the disappearing traditional hospitality is a very important aspect. Especially in the big tourist resorts, these relations were long ago converted into a commodity for sale. Kuhn (2007; cited in Hanna; 2010 HHhhKKKK) argues that sustainable tourism attempts to preserve traditional cultures in a way that the western tourist deems as authentic. If sustainable tourism will lead into that direction it will not be very successful. Tourist resorts also offer its guests a more refined, but a fake version of its folklore and traditions, adapted to the stereotypical images of the visited country. According to Mathieson and Wall (1992; 4) the commercialization of culture, through the marketing and sale of artefacts, may revive traditional art forms or modify them so that they are scarcely recognizable. Which in a long term might create a phony folk culture but at the same moment it can lessen existing unemployment problems and create more jobs. The Tourism authorities are pleased of the fact that tourism is developing in the country but some of the local communities have different opinions on that. According to Ignacio Cembrero in View from Fez (2006), the countrys Islamist party frequently rails against hotel casinos, restaurants that serve alcohol and the growing gay club scene (Ranger; 2006). The tourist must accept the cultural differences of other countries. The most of Moroccans are very religious and tourist has to respect it. Even more tolerate Moroccans can become tired of tourists when seeing nudity on the beaches or tourists wearing t-shirts or short trousers in the churches. It insults their believes and rules. A lack of consideration by tourists for local norms, culture, people or the environment of tourist receiving destinations is leading to unsustainable tourism practices (Poon; 1993 in Wahab and Pigram; 2004;51). This point was also commented by Obrador et al (2009;3) who suggest that local cultures are see n as eroded by a homogenous inauthentic, consumer culture. Moreover, overcrowding and growth of the bad reputation of the destination by breaking ethical rules can be destructive for the destination. There are many places in the world which have been spoiled by mass tourism and after the development of low cost airlines many cities has lost their shine. As most of the products also destinations have a lifecycle. It was clearly presented by Butler (1980) in his model of lifecycle of a tourist destination. He evaluated six stages a destination goes through when tourism development takes place: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation, concluding with either rejuvenation or decline. At this stage the destination is visited by small number of tourists who are keen to explore cultural and natural beauty of the place but the number of visitors is limited due to accessibility difficulties and lack of facilities. Here the attraction of the place yet remains unmodified by tourism. In the next stage of involvement advertising and local initiatives are seen as the element of promotion of the destination which results in increase of the tourist number with the pressure on the public sector to develop infrastructure. Next step in the cycle is development in which further initiatives for development of facilities are made by national and multinational companies. In this stage the control of the public sector is necessary as the popularity of the destination and increasing number of visitors may not only be the reason of success but also cause failure and the destination may suffer a change in quality through problems of over-use and deterioration of facilities (Butler; 198 0;92). The consolidation is the next level of tourism life cycle when tourism becomes a great part of the local community. Next step of stagnation occurs when after reaching peak numbers of visitors the destination is no longer popular and only conservative visitors are still coming back. In this stage the environmental, economical as well as socio-cultural problems can be seen as the reason. The last stage is decline where effort is need to maintain the tourist arrivals by introducing new types of facilities like for example casinos. Prague is only one of the examples of the life cycle destination. The city has become one of the most visited cities in Europe after Czech Republic became a member of EU and after the growth of mobility (Global Travel Industry News; 2010). This beautiful, full of historical monuments city was rejuvenated in the last two decades. The commercialization of the city took place and the old town became surrounded by souvenir vendors, Irish pubs and beer gardens losing its authenticity. Also the prices have gone up and all locals who couldnà ´t afford been forced to move out of town. Its one of the examples when the way of making quick cash has prevailed over the unspoiled charm of the historic Prague. Mass tourism has led to the development of sustainable tourism in order to reduce negative impacts of tourism growth. Later in time the concept of Post Fordism was seen as the customers seem to acquire more power in determining market tendencies. According to Contti and Perelli (2004;9), this change also tend to meet the new demand for environmental friendly tourism products, being new tourists generally perceived as more educated, interested in local communities culture and in a real interaction with the surrounding environment. Since 1980 the sustainable tourism has began to be an important issue in the tourism industry (Swarbrooke; 1999). By creating a new infrastructure, hotels and businesses the employment is increasing. By travelling people have a chance to experience new cultures and traditions, although not every tourist is keen to do that and some visitors are not interested in it and ignore host communities. Sustainable tourism development is directed especially to create a better understanding of tourism, of how to achieve balance between economic, cultural and environmental aspects of tourism development. It is necessary to encourage people to take responsibility for the environment. Moreover, fair distribution of tourism benefits is necessary and the bigger involvement of local community in the tourism development decisions of their region has to be improved. The sustainable tourism directs to reduce negative impact on environment by introduction of quieter, more fuel efficient aircraft to start from to maximizing economic benefits for the host community rather than the visitors countries. Mass tourism is strongly connected to the high seasonal tourism caused by the great demand of 3s tourism tourists all over the world (Bramwell; 2004). That is why diversification of tourism like development of rural tourism has been developed to minimize saturation of the beaches in the high seasons and to avoid mass tourism. The development of sustainable touris m in very important for the countries where tourism industry is a main element of the local economy because the traditional beach holidays will decline caused by the saturation if the mass tourism will be increasing with that speed (Swarbrooke; 1999). According to Perry (2001), the climate change caused by humans will result in future modification of the climate conditions for example in the Mediterranean area, whereas the northern and western Europe climate will be improved. In 1992 on the conference in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil the first strategy document on sustainable tourism has been announced Agenda 21 as the basic economic model of tourism in XXI century (Hanna; 2010). Although, the Agenda 21 has meet various criticism mostly due to its non-binding treaties allowing most of the recommendations surrounding climate change and various other cultural issues to be ignored by the international community (Hanna; 2010). Nowadays, alternative forms of tourism have been emphasized but taking in account that even small group tours can be damaging the sustainable tourism is hard to accomplish. Latest debate of Tourism Concern came to a conclusion that all-inclusive holidays, arguably the epitome of mass-packaged tourism consumption should be banned (Farrington; 1999 cited in Sharpley and Telfer; 2002; 304). For example Gambias tourism authorities have banned all-inclusive holidays in 1999 (Sharpley and Telfer; 2002). It is an effective contribution to the development of destination. This could be a possible solution of applying sustainable tourism into a real life but it is doubtful if it would work for every country. Another alternative solution suggested by France (1997;89) is the development of holiday complexes which provide artificial à ´sun-warm water` environments (e.g. Center Parc villages), located at points of maximum market access which could be an exit for achieving sustainable tourism just if the great number of people would choose it instead of normal holidays. In conclusion, the growth of tourism seems to be inevitably unsustainable. Tourism is giving employment and economic benefits but for example in the Third World countries the division of money is unequal. The powerful developed countries are always going to be stronger than less developed countries if management will not be carefully planned. So even if tourism is bringing money, it is not always bringing it to the right place. Nowadays people blinded by money forgetting about more important things like passing their tradition to the next generation by conserving it. Mass tourism is termed as a neo-colonialism which can be compared to army forces where instead of their invasion we have an invasion of the tourist influx (Dziedzic; 1998). There is no solution to stop people from travelling. The great understanding of negative impacts would lead to better sustainable tourism development but this need a high number of people involved in it which is hard to accomplish as nowadays people donà ´t think much about the future risk related to the planet because not to go away is like not possessing a car or a nice house. It is a marker of status in modern societies (Urry; 1990;4). There is a lack of sustainable understanding and adequate tourism control to develop sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism will not eliminate negative impacts of tourism but it could be a way to minimize its impact. Because if the growth in mass tourism will continue as fast as it does now the global warming will be arising and some destinations will suffer unbearably high te mperatures with an increase in the risk of fire. All those changes will lead tourists to changes in their holiday destinations, which not necessarily means stop of mass tourism. Tourist will continue with transport use even if they will reduce their travels, it will be still environmental damaging. All the facts are coming into conclusion that the best way for sustainable tourism would be staying at home.
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Platonist Tradition and the Ordering of Knowledge Essay -- Educati
The Platonist Tradition and the Ordering of Knowledge ABSTRACT: I argue that the contemporary crisis in education ââ¬â that nothing appears valid as a discipline unless it has a utilitarian value ââ¬â may be challenged from the perspective of the Platonist tradition. The ascent through philosophy to the vision of Beauty in itself in Plato's Symposium affirms the perception of beauty or nobility as the ultimate end and value of all knowledge. Marsilio Ficino's adaption of Plato in the Renaissance articulates a more metaphysical ascent which broadens the objects of knowledge in order to include the cosmos and the arts as well as philosophy. Together, these two accounts provide a foundation for understanding the ordering of all knowledge toward the end of the perception of beauty or nobility. There is no dichotomy between the sciences and the humanities: there is only a hierarchy of disciplines according to a scale of metaphysical nobility. The sciences, the arts, history, and philosophy are the steps toward knowledge of Beauty in itself. They constitute a vision of liberal education that is not utilitarian, but whose value must be understood precisely through the moral concept of nobility that is the end of such an education. In embracing the concept of beauty or nobility, liberal education affirms the value of life itself. The task of education today is beset increasingly by utilitarian pressures. Mathematics and the sciences seem to be of little interest in themselves, valued only for the Cartesian goal of making humanity the "masters and possessors of nature." (1) The arts are despised, and history and literature simply dismissedââ¬âfor these require not only reading with care, but the perception of significance within the daunti... ...tary VI. 4, p. 112. (12) Ibid. V. 2, p. 86. Pulchritudo is Ficino's word for "beauty." (13) Ibid. V. 6, pp. 93-94. (14) Ibid. VII. 15, p. 172. (15) On this development, see Kristeller, "The Modern System of the Arts," in Renaissance Thought and the Arts, pp. 163-227. (16) Alberti, On Painting, trans. Cecil Grayson, ed. Martin Kemp (London: Penguin, 1991), p. 71; On the Art of Building in Ten Books, trans. Rykwert, Leach, and Tavernor (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1988), p. 303. (17) See the selections in Elizabeth G. Holt, ed., A Documentary History of Art, 2 vols. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1982), 2: 74-86, 141-46. (18) On the importance of narrative, see MacIntyre, After Virtue, pp. 215-16. (19) Aristotle, The Politics, I, 1-2, 1252 a1 - 1253 a35. (20) See G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of History, especially the Introduction.
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