Discover The Cuban Swimmer, a Play by Milcha Sanchez-Scott

Discover The Cuban Swimmer, a Play by Milcha Sanchez-Scott The Cuban Swimmer is a one-act family drama with spiritual and surrealistic overtones by the American playwright  Milcha  Sanchez-Scott. This experimental play can be a creative challenge to stage because of its unusual setting and bilingual script. But it also presents actors and directors with an opportunity to explore identity and relationships in modern California culture. Synopsis As the play begins, 19-year-old Margarita Suarez is swimming from Long Beach to Catalina Island. Her Cuban-American family follows along in a boat. Throughout the competition (the Wrigley Invitational Women’s Swim), her father coaches, her brother cracks jokes to hide his jealousy, her mother frets, and her grandmother yells at the news helicopters. All the while, Margarita pushes herself onward. She battles the currents, the oil slicks, the exhaustion, and the family’s constant distractions. Most of all, she battles herself. Theme Most of the dialogue within â€Å"The Cuban Swimmer† is written in English. Some of the lines, however, are delivered in Spanish. The grandmother, in particular, speaks mostly in her native tongue. The switching back and forth between the two languages exemplifies the two worlds which Margarita belongs to, the Latino and the American. As she struggles to win the competition, Margarita tries to fulfill the expectations of her father as well as the crass American media (the news anchormen and the television viewers). However, by the play’s end, when she drifts beneath the surface when her family and the newscasters believe that she has drowned, Margarita separates herself from all outside influences. She discovers who she is, and she saves her life (and wins the race) independently. By almost losing herself in the ocean, she discovers who she truly is. The themes of cultural identity, especially Latino culture in Southern California, are common in all of Sanchez-Scotts works. As she told an interviewer in 1989: My parents came to California to settle, and the Chicano culture there was so different to me, very, very different from Mexico or where I came from [in Colombia]. Yet there were similarities: we spoke the same language; we had the same skin color; we had the same interaction with culture. Staging  Challenges As mentioned in the overview, there are many complicated, almost cinematic elements within  Sanchez-Scott’s The Cuban Swimmer. The main character is â€Å"swimming† the entire time. How would you, as a director, portray this action on stage?Margarita’s family puts along on a boat. How would you convey this? With a set? Pantomime?Helicopters and news commentators â€Å"interfere† with the characters. In what ways could sound effects enhance or sully the play? The Playwright Milcha  Sanchez-Scott was born in Bali, Indonesia, in 1953, to a Colombian-Mexican father and an Indonesian-Chinese mother. Her father, a botanist, later took the family to Mexico and Great Britain before settling in San Diego when  Sanchez-Scott was 14. After attending the University of California-San Diego, where she majored in drama, Sanchez-Scott moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Frustrated by a dearth of roles for Hispanic and Chicano actors, she turned to playwriting, and in 1980 she published her first play, Latina. Sanchez-Scott followed the success of Latina with several other plays in the 1980s. The Cuban Swimmer was first performed in 1984 with another one-act play of hers, Dog Lady. Roosters followed in 1987 and Stone Wedding in 1988. In the 1990s,  Milcha  Sanchez-Scott largely withdrew from the public eye, and little is known of her in recent years. Sources Bouknight, Jon. Language as a Cure: An Interview with Milcha Sanchez-Scott. Latin American Theatre Review, Spring 1990.Mitgang, Herbert. Theater: Dog Lady and Swimmer. The New York Times, 10 May 1984.

Learn About Wine Legs or Tears

Learn About Wine Legs or Tears What does it mean when a wine is said to have legs or someone refers to tears of wine? Wine legs or tears of wine are the droplets that form in a ring on the glass above the surface of a glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage. The drops continuously form and fall in rivulets back into the liquid. You can see the effect in the shadow of this glass of wine. Cause of Wine Legs While some people think wine legs are related to the quality, sweetness or viscosity of wine, they are really indicative of the alcoholic content of the wine and are caused by the interplay between adhesion, evaporation and surface tension of water and alcohol. How Wine Legs Work Capillary action draws a small amount of wine up the surface of the wine glass above the liquid. Both alcohol and water evaporate, but the alcohol has a higher vapor pressure and evaporates faster, producing a region of liquid that has a lower concentration of alcohol than the rest of the wine.  Alcohol has a lower surface tension than water, so lowering the concentration of alcohol raises the surface tension of the liquid. The water molecules are cohesive and stick together, forming droplets that eventually become heavy enough to fall back down the glass in streams into the wine. History of the Explanation of Wine Legs The effect is called the Marangoni or Gibbs-Marangoni Effect, in reference to Carlo Marangonis investigations into the effect in the 1870s. However, James Thomson explained the phenomenon in his 1855 paper, On certain curious Motions observable at the Surfaces of Wine and other Alcoholic Liquors. Test It Yourself The Marangoni effect more generally refers to the flow of liquid caused by surface tension gradients. You can see this effect if you spread a thin film of water over a smooth surface and add a drop of alcohol to the center of the film. The liquid will move away from the alcohol drop. Swirl a glass of wine or liquor and observe the wine legs or tears of wine on the glass. If you cover the glass and swirl it, wine legs eventually will stop forming because the alcohol will be unable to evaporate.

Analyst article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyst article - Assignment Example Nuclear energy contributes 20% of the energy produced in the US. However, the nuclear industry is struggling following delayed construction of nuclear plants and ballooning costs of setting up new modern plants. Additionally, the industry faces intense competition from cheaper alternative energy sources. However, these sources emit carbon thus environmentally unfriendly (Kelly-Detwiler, 2014). Thus, politicians, energy companies and engineering outfits campaign for revamping of the industry until the country has energy alternatives that would not harm the environment. In this article, Kelly-Detwiler (2014) appreciates the need for cheaper alternative energy sources but at the same time the need to protect the environment. Whereas new cheaper energy generating technologies are emerging, they emit carbon. Thus, while nuclear energy fails to be cost-competitive, its use should be promoted due to associated environmental benefits. This is an interesting article as it appreciates the reality of nuclear energy being overtaken by emergent energy sources as a low-cost energy source. Even so, the need to protect and preserve the environment creates the need to foster the nuclear energy industry until environmental friendly alternatives are fronted. Thus, cost and environment are both important considerations when making energy source

Performance Management Through Benchmarking Simulation Essay

Performance Management Through Benchmarking Simulation - Essay Example The Nursing Administrator reasoned out that there is unavailability of equipment at the floor where the patients are being treated. She said that nurses spend most of their time looking for equipment on other floors that's why patient care is affected. Because work was getting delayed, nurses are not able to check anymore if the equipments are sanitized. Sometimes improperly cleaned equipment was used. The Materials Manager suggested purchasing enough equipment to be made available for each floor. But according to the Chief Financial Officer, Lenity annually spends much to ensure sufficient equipment and he guaranteed that there is enough for hospital requirements. He advised that nurses should instead be more careful about equipment handling. I favored the assessment of Chief Financial Officer Eric Danemar concerning proper handling of equipment. That will certainly diminish the risk of nosocomial infection. I didn't think that there is a staff or equipment shortage. The dillema of the heightening nosocomial infection rate can be resolved by efficient equipment management. I also took note of the fact that the simulation concentrates on the management of medical equipment. Although I correctly identified the root cause behind the rising nosocomial infection, upon fully understanding the... ied the root cause behind the rising nosocomial infection, upon fully understanding the details from Ian Watt's explanation, I noted that I must meticulously look on the reports to guarantee decision accuracy. ESTABLISH AIRWAY 1. Which two recommendations did you make to improve the equipment management process at LHAC Why Basing my decision on available information and advice of the staff, I decided that Nurses to Return Equipment and Equipment to be Terminal Cleaned as the best mix of processes to improve the medical management system. The combination of these two options earned the highest percentage in the JCAHO Compliance Index. With a budget constraint of $300,000, I instantly rejected the use of disposable equipment from the improvement options. Although disposable equipment is cheaper and more hygienic than reusable ones, its implementation cost is the most expensive among the process improvement options. On the other hand, concerning appropriate metrics to measure the new processes, the three metrics I selected are Total Cost of Managing Equipment, Utilization versus Cleaning Log Ratio, and Equipment Incidents Resolved. This decision was based on my understanding on the Evaluating Metrics. 2. What was the outcome Mr. Watts said that I have done well by recommending the best strategy. Re-designating some of the existing hospital personnel as Inventory Clerk was definitely a great way to ensure effective equipment management at LHAC. Suggesting terminal cleaning of equipment was also a good option. I have recommended the optimal mix of process improvement options. The Chief Operating Officer was happy with my performance in this area. The new equipment management process at LHAC has been a success. Centralized inventory has solved the problem of

Points of Sale Essay Example for Free

Points of Sale Essay 2.1 INTRODUCTION The data collection used as references to gain information during the research conducted. This literature reviews discuss about the information gathered by reading journals and websites. It explains several important terms being used in developing a Student Information Management System. While, project methodology is methods or technique used to complete this project. This chapter covers the related literature and brief analogy of the proposed study which was used as a basis of reference. The theory, concepts, and principles used in analyzing the research were also tackled in the later part of this chapter of the study. The Review of related literature and studies are highly important in appreciating the difference between the past research and the proposed research. Making it useful in formulating more rational explanation in conducting the study and separating concepts that are closely related with both studies. 2.2 LOCAL LITERATURE The proponents included local literatures that would sustain the development of the proposed system. The proponents added reviews, write-ups, readings and studies related to the present study to the related to system determine the similarities and differences of the findings between the past and present studies. The Philippine Science High School Student Information Management System. These Student Information Management Systems are efficient in handling student data, any of which can be utilized by the school registrar of Philippine Science High School. A local variant of a student information system, the Student Record System (SRS) for Philippine Science High School – Central Mindanao Campus (PSHS-CMC), was developed by Taddie Fel L. Dagaerag and company (2002). SRS was designed to assist the registrar of PSHS-CMC but proper attention for the smooth transition from the previous system to the SRS was not given so the system encountered problems, which require major revisions. According to the school former registrar, Ms. Shiela M. Preagido (Registrar PSHS-CMC, year 2005), â€Å"†¦report on grade is not that usable, unless another program will be made that can copy grades from the summary grades sheets,† therefore, rendering the SRS unusable for the present. There are still insufficient services offered by any software solutions company in the Philippines that can provide the same kinds of functionality on a system with lower cost compared to foreign products. Such student information system would cost in the range from 75,000 pesos to 150,000 pesos. Although the Centre is Open Source software, maintenance and system upgrade will cost the school expensively than creating its own system. It is because of the limited capabilities of the schools own system administrators in handling the Centre and the absence of the services offered by the Miller Group in our country. Purchasing or maintaining an expensive student information system is extremely exorbitant. The Bulacan State University Student Information System Technology innovations had influenced mans work, from data processing, student transactions, research, planning, monitoring and even in medical operation of man’s body is now entrusted to computer technology. Bulacan State University (BSU) as one of the University in San Jose Delmonte Bulacan aims to be the center of excellence in education had recently made changes to some of its existing systems. The student information system of the university is now computerized, and other systems are on its way. This only show that they are coping with the latest technology. The Student Information System of Bulacan State University aims for an accurate, user friendly, efficient system that can help both the student and personnel for fast data processing of enrollment. Engr. Hediki Hashimoto, a Japanese volunteer headed the creation and conceptualization of the system. The information technology faculty from the College of Engineering and Arts and Sciences assisted him. The system that is web based uses PHP programming language with data stored in MySQL is run through the intranet of SSU. A dry-run for this automated student information was done last summer and the first semester of this school year. Offices affected with the automation were the registrar, cashier, accounting, and the Colleges of Education, Engineering, Arts and Sciences, Industrial Technology, Nursing and Graduate Studies. Feedbacks from the students were formulated when the first semester started. Over 75 % of them say that the automation process of enrollment was better compared with the old system. With the good result of the dry run the student information system will be finally implemented this 2nd semester. The Virgen de Guadalupe de Novaliches School Computerized Enrollment, Grading and Sectioning System. This is broader but at the same time more convenient compare to general objective of the current system. As for the specific objectives, the proposed system has the same objectives as the present system but will me using a server that will serve as the storage of the records the registered students, the student’s personal information and the student’s balance if any. This will be more secured and with ease of use as compare to the present system’s logbook and cabinet. Getting, updating and deleting information would also be easier for the proposed system and it will not consume a large amount of space as used by the current system. As for the advantages of the proposed system, the system will make the job of the Registrar easier and more accurate as for the recording of the student’s balance. Instead of making use of a logbook the proposed system will be using an automated storage that will provide proofs such as the previous transactions of the enrollees. With particular to the storage, the proposed system will be less space consuming and more secured for the storage will be automated and will be accessible only by authorized personnel. In the part of the enrollee, the registration process will be faster especially if the enrollee is an old student for the student doesn’t need to fill-up the form anymore instead the Registrar will only require the student’s student number. Moreover teachers will be able to generate reports such as list of students easily. The Ace Adrian Sandoval Registration System can trace what is the standing of the students. It is extremely useful in the school in the way of working processes of enrolling become much easy. The main goal of this type of research is to track student data within the database the data and characteristics about what is being studied. The idea behind this type of research is to study frequencies, validation update of a student’s is highly accurate, and it does not gather the causes behind a situation. An inquiry of the student allows the admin weather the student is on track regarding to the school premises. The Morning Star Academy Foundation Scheduling System relies on their automatic creation of scheduling or timetable of the student; the school is able to update the queries of subject, time room and the availability of the teacher because of the user friendly of the system the admin can automatically understands the environment of the system. 2.3 Foreign Literature The proponents included literatures that would help in the development of the proposed system. The proponents added reviews, write-ups, readings and studies related to the present study to determine the similarities and differences of the findings between the past and present studies. The Ramapo Indian Hills High School which they call it The Studywiz Learning Environment, it is a secure online learning platform designed to work the way your school works. Teachers can spend more time teaching and less time on repetitive tasks, students are given the tools they need to succeed and parents too can take an active role in their child’s education. Studywiz connects teachers, students, parents and other members of the school community together whilst automating workflows within a personalized learning environment. Using rich media creation tools or off-the-shelf content, teachers can quickly build or tailor online learning activities, content and resources through a web browser to enable teaching and learning to continue anywhere, anytime. Teachers can engage students using the latest online tools and trends, including Podcasts, Blogs, eLockers, Learning Plans and personalized Learning Spaces. Parents too, can take an active role in their child’s education through the internet, and Studywiz. The Early College High school Student Information System provides schools with information to better understand how well their design and organization are serving students’ needs and resulting in reaching short- and long-term goals, including the earning of two years of college credit by high school graduation. The SIS continues to follow students after they leave early college high school and provides follow-up information to the school on the number of students who continue on to earn a four-year college degree. Schools use the system to monitor the progress of individual or groups of students or classes and to manage information on services and supports provided to students, including tutoring, mentoring, and counseling. The analyses provided by the system support professional development, program planning, and continuous school improvement. The SIS provides solid evidence that helps to sustain and expand funding, policy, and public support for early college high school. In order to obtain access to data on students, Policy Studies Associates contacts schools districts to secure agreement to participate in the SIS. Jobs for the Future works with postsecondary institution and district officials to gain approval for data transfer based on existing policies and requirements. EDSmart works with each institution’s or district’s research and evaluation unit to determine procedures for extracting, transforming, and transmitting district data to the SIS. Personal identity is protected by assigning each student a unique Student Information System number, which is assigned by EDSmart. Only this identifier, not student names or social security numbers, are visible and accessible to users of the SIS. Early college high schools and school districts supplying data on their students are the only ones that have access to individually identifiable student data. Districts are asked to update the data on students, preferably after each term. Information is collected on students enrolled in early college high school (beginning in fall 2002 through the 2008-2009 school year). Aggregated, district data is collected on non-early college counterparts for comparison purposes. Districts report data until the 2008-2009 school year. Postsecondary data collection will continue until 2013, at which point the SIS will be disposed of safely. Data records will be made available to districts for their students. The Early College High School Initiative’s SIS was developed in 2004 to capture and analyze early college high school data. SIS data provide evidence and documentation of student progress and include student demographics, high school and college courses, persistence and grade progression, state assessment results and post-early college enrollment in higher education. The data in the system offer a means for tracking student progress, improving instruction and student support, and helping students obtain a postsecondary degree. Edith Cowan University (ECU) is currently enrolling more than 5, 000 new students, which has been made easier with its Oracle-based online enrolment system. This has allowed ECU to substantially re-design its business processes. The system is known as the Edith Cowan University Web Enrolment System (ECUWES),and replaces traditional hard copy enrolment. According to the coordinator of Admission Support, Kerian Greenaway, the system offers immediacy and convenience of course enrolment via the Internet the technology in use was set up by Oracle in 1998, when ECU moved towards creating an innovative web-based enrolment and administrative system using Oracle database products. New enrolments using ECUWES are managed differently to re-enrolment on ECUWES. New enrolments are processed while the student is with an enrolment assistant, because there is a need to collect HECS and enrolment papers, as well as to familiarize students with the system. In terms of re-enrolment, the student has full control of enrolling in a six-week period, which allows for any small glitches in the system, such as not being able to get online.ECU also previously faced difficulties with managing student enrolment administration, as staffs were distributed across several locations, so there was a desire for improved access and management of student information. Similarly, re-enrolment required students to travel to the University and queue for service from administration staff. Faculties also requested that students enroll by porting enrolment sheets on computer bulletin boards. With ECUWES, students from remote areas and international students enjoy easy enrolment with improved time effectiveness. There have been no major problems, apart from a few power failures, but ECU has back-up plans, such as enrolment assistants taking up all the paperwork and processing the information once back online. Illinois Virtual High School Inquiry This online inquiry gives detailed information on persons that can be contacted with regard to specific field; example is a general program Issues, Technical Problems, Faculty Information and course development. It also gives information about their regional coordinators for participating schools. The website has a login feature where the students can login using their login ID. The online inquiry system of Illinois High School helps the authors to picture out and develop an ideal database structure for the system that will be proposed. The proponents system is similar and is based on some capabilities of the system in this study like the inquiry of courses and login feature for the students. A web-based enrollment system is developed to help both the old and new students, to enroll in a more efficient way without the hassles of waiting long hours just to fill up forms, which sometimes become redundant, or to stand in line and pay at the cashier. It is with the Web-based Enrollment System for VPS that this new style of enrollment may be achieved. This new type of system offers the student with new options for enrolling at VPS. Just by logging on to their website the student may create his new account for the current year he is to be enrolled in. With this, all the student has to do is to fill up certain forms that do not take more than a few minutes to accomplish. Then the records will be stored in the school database for future references. After that the student will be given confirmation that the transaction has been verified and all that the student has to do is visit the school and pay appropriate amount for the current school year. The student may also browse the web site of VPS and he can check his current account. He can also see the list of the school current tuition fee rates. For further enhancement of the site, an on-line payment or e-commerce is highly recommended. This feature for the system could be achieved by collaboration of the school with banks to provide easier payment and a more secure transaction. Posting of grades can also be a great addition to the site. Especially the breakdown of each grade can be seen by the students but with utmost security. Compared to the web-based enrollment system for VPS, the proposed system for CMI would only cover the current students; the student would also be asked to log into his or her account in the website where he/she would be asked to fill up some forms to update the school’s database. A confirmation would then be sent to the student that would inform him/her that the transaction is valid and had been verified. But unlike the system, there would be another option for the mode of payment that the student could choose from namely, on-line payment. AIMS enhances enrollment system of UNO-R Bacolod

Imperialism :: essays research papers

‘Examine the Causes of European Imperialism After 1870’ European control and power over other nations was not a new ideal prior to 1870; in fact the process was in place as early as the 14th century. Disease and geography are only two of the factors that prevented European colonisation until the 19th century. Many factors led to the massive rise in imperialism after 1870, both internal and external. European imperialism stems from the capitalistic greed for cheap raw materials, advantageous markets, and good investments. These ideas motivated the search for new markets because Imperialists would rather invest in new markets rather than raise wages of domestic workers. Not only was the cheap production of goods a motivating factor, but the quest for markets to sell manufactured goods contributed as well. Going along with this greed was the drive to expand authority by land acquisition or economic and political control over other nations. The quest for economic domination and advantage Europeans often denied the capitalistic greed as a factor in the cause of imperialism and had other ways of defining the motivation. Many stated that Imperialism was the natural effect of the idea of ‘survival of the fittest.’ This is best represented by Rudyard Kipling in the book ‘White Man’s Burden,’ which describes the notion that European Imperialism was simply the natural way that stronger nations gained power and those unable to keep up would be taken over. The Industrial Revolution also played a huge role in European imperialism. European nations had ease dominating non-Europeans due, in part, to the power retained from industrialisation. The Industrial Revolution provided tools such as guns, railway systems, steamships, and others, making it easier to overcome nations with less technology.

Kingdoms of medieval civilization

The fall of Rome and the rise of Germanic kingdoms marked the end of ancient times and the beginning of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the center of European culture shifted from the lands around the Mediterranean Sea to regions that had barely been touched by Greco-Roman civilization. A new civilization, medieval civilization, took shape during the early Middle ages (A.D. 500-1050). There were few strong rulers or governments in this period, and a political system grew up in which power was divided among many local lords (Perry, 1988,). By the fifth century, Germanic peoples had established kingdoms in Italy, Spain, Gaul, and England. These lands formerly belong to Rome (Crofton, 1994, 254).   At its height, the Roman Empire had been a world of cities with a rich culture. By the end of the Empire, many towns were abandoned as people fled to country estates. The center of political, social, and economic life shifted from city to countryside. Since the Germanic invaders were rural people, they did not try to revive the old cultural centers or build new ones of their own.   The decline of Roman rule left the western and central Europe disorganized. A new medieval style of government appeared in the kingdom of the Franks. A Germanic people, the Franks had migrated westward from their homeland in the valley of the Rhine River. As Rome’s border defenses weakened in the fourth and fifth centuries, Frankish tribes settled in Roman territory. About 481 a Frankish ruler named Clovis united the various Frankish tribes and conquered the Romans and other Germans in northern Gaul. In 768, Charlemagne became king of the Franks. Charlemagne was an extraordinary figure in medieval history. Charlemagne expanded his kingdom by conquering the Lombard kingdom in Italy and taking part of northern Spain from the Muslims. He added Bavaria (in what is now Germany) to his kingdom and after terrible wars forced the Germanic Saxons to submit to his rule and convert to Christianity. Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of Rome in 800 which indicated that the Roman idea of strong centralized government had not died. Charlemagne’s empire did not, however, have Roman law or political organization. Moreover, it had no great cities that could serve as centers of trade and learning. What Charlemagne did however, was to blend Germanic, Christian and Roman elements that came to characterize the civilization of the Middle Ages (Perry, 1988, 141-143). The kingdom of Charlemagne break apart after his death and divided Europe which was then   threatened with invasions from the Viking raiders ( Vikings are the ancestors of the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes of today) from the north ,   the Magyars from Central Asia , and the Muslims. The terrible invasions went on until early in the tenth century and had terrible consequences for Western Europe. Like the earlier Germanic invasions, they weakened central authority, disrupted trade, hurt agriculture, and left settlements and monasteries in ruins. Few kingdoms had the capacity to protect its own people so that people no longer look to a central ruler for security. They turned instead to local lords who had their own armies. As a result, western Europe had entered an age in which lords, not kings, held political power. In fact, kings at that that time were regarded only as chief feudal lord. Living in age of warfare and disorder, lords sought allies among their fellow nobles. The basis for these alliances was the lords’ land. In exchange for military assistance and other services, one lord granted land called a fief to another noble. The system of relationships that grew out of this granting of fiefs was called feudalism. It became the main political arrangement in Europe after the breakup of Charlemagne’s empire in the ninth century. In some ways, feudalism grew out of the traditions of the Germanic tribes. Feudal law included many elements of Germanic law and feudal attitudes reflected Germanic respect for the warrior (Perry, 1988,144-145 ). Because they lived in violent times feudal lords built homes designed to serve as fortresses .The first castle was built in the ninth century at the time of the Viking raids.   These castles were encircled by massive walls and strong guard towers.   Sometimes, feudal lords would fight against each other for supremacy (Crofton, 1994, 265). It is obvious therefore, that because of the disorder of territories brought about by the fall of Roman Empire, the Germanic kingdoms flourished,   which combined the Germanic, Roman and Christian elements that characterized the western kingdoms of the medieval civilization. And as invasions plaqued the west from all quarters, small self-protecting feudal kingdoms governed by nobles or lords was established. References Crofton, Ian (e d). (1994). The Guinness Compact Encyclopedia. London: Guinness Publishing Limited Perry, Marvin. (1988). A World in History. New York: Houghton-Mifflin, Inc.         

Singapore Flyer

Introduction Our group’s choice of attraction is the Singapore Flyer (FIG. 1). Endorsed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and opened on 25th April 2008, the Flyer stands at 165m in height and was built at a cost of S$240 million. It is ranked #19 out of 276 attractions in Singapore on TripAdvisor and is one of the attractions that make up the â€Å"See Singapore Pass†. A General Assessment of the Singapore FlyerWith reference to Butler’s Tourism Area Cycle of Evolution theory (1980), the Flyer is likely to be at the development stage (third stage) as it has established itself as a well-known paid tourist attraction with sharp planning and strategies designed to attract tourists. Visitor arrivals in 2010 were 30% higher than in 2009, largely due to the Flyer’s $10 million master plan that included the launch of the Singapore Food Trail and the Journey of Dreams interactive gallery[1]. However, it has also faced much criticism for its perceived lack of au thenticity and dilution of local culture.For example, the Singapore Food Trail (FIG. 2) can be considered a form of constructed authenticity[2] – it has a themed interior design and setting from the past as well as makeshift stalls along the roadside, all of which brings back the nostalgic feel and charm of Singapore in the 1960s. This shows how the Flyer has sought to keep up with â€Å"The Tourist† who demands authenticity and associated feelings of nostalgia for the â€Å"natural past† (GE2218 Lecture 5, 2013) There are multiple reasons to explain why this attraction was opened.Firstly, the Flyer is one of a few vantage points that offer both locals and tourists a 360o panoramic view of the cityscape. Secondly, it was to be a revenue-generating attraction for the government as 50% of visitors were expected to be tourists with S$94 million in tourism receipts generated in its opening year. Third, as the Flyer is similarly styled to the London Eye (London being an Alpha++ city[3]), opening it could be viewed as a political and economic gesture to the rest of the world that not only is Singapore a leading world city, it is also an attractive place for foreign investment.According to Ms Patsy Ong[4], â€Å"the opening of Singapore Flyer herald[s] a new age for tourism in Singapore†¦ the unique and exhilarating top-of-the-world experience makes Singapore Flyer a must-see and compelling visitor destination in Asia. † Fourth, the Flyer provides Singapore with an iconic landmark that can be recognized internationally, more so when set amidst a necklace of attractions such as the iconic Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort next door.The Flyer serves those who wish to take in Singapore’s cityscape from an aerial view as well as those who want to eat and shop before or after taking the attraction. It tries to cater to a range of age groups, socio-economic back grounds and nationalities. Examples include having student discounts on certain days, family packages, infrastructure that support wheelchair users, multiple restaurants and shops as well as a recreated Rainforest garden (FIG. 3) that provides visitors with a lush tropical feel.However, despite trying to stay inclusive by catering to the mainstream crowd, many still feel the Flyer tickets are too expensive[5] – it is therefore highly likely that people from lower-income groups are priced out and excluded[6]. The Flyer attracts a range of visitors although the majority of people there were tourists[7]. According to one of the staff at XD Experiential Ride, visitors to the Flyer comprise largely of tourist families and couples. Couples normally visit at night while the weekends see mostly families.Generally, the complex was observed to be largely empty on a weekday afternoon (FIG. 4). Times of day as well as weather has a great influence on when people visit – most visitors prefer to view the cityscape at night while bad weather limits maxi mum enjoyment of the ride. Numerous people such as retail and F&B staff, maintenance staff and security staff work at the Flyer with majority of them involved in the security department. SWOT Analysis Chart The SWOT analysis chart (FIG. 5) will be used to evaluate the  Strengths,  Weaknesses,  Opportunities and  Threats involved in the Singapore Flyer.Identification of the Flyer’s SWOTs are essential as they inform later steps in achieving its ultimate objective – to attract more tourists and to increase tourist revenues. Strengths The Singapore Flyer claims the title as the world’s largest observation wheel – it is a landscape of spectacle[8] by virtue of its sheer size and distinction and is also visually effective and stimulating. Its air-conditioned capsules make it suitable for tourists who are unaccustomed to Singapore’s tropical heat.Through branding, the Flyer sets itself apart as a world-class lifestyle destination of choice for vi sitors, offering the best views and fabulous dining[9] all within the same complex (FIG. 6). Joint promotions with retail shops located within the complex are also carried out (FIG. 7). The Flyer is highly accessible by public transport, a necessity as it is likely to be the main mode of transport for tourists. The attraction is directly linked to Promenade MRT station while free shuttle buses operate every half hour to and from City Hall MRT station.Coach bays for tour buses are also available (FIG. 8). The Flyer also capitalizes on its good Chi or fengshui with its Signature Auspicious Trail that â€Å"promises to harness the right Chi or the cohesive flow of position energy that guarantees prosperity, good fortune and longevity. †[10] This makes it more attractive to the Asian tourist market where many remain auspicious and who believe in collecting good fengshui. In addition, the Flyer actively markets itself to a global audience through link-ups with tour agencies, Singa pore Airlines, and schools. WeaknessesThe Flyer lacks originality with some viewing it as a â€Å"copycat version† of the London Eye. â€Å"Staged authenticity† (Edensor, 2009) is evident in the Flyer’s offerings of bite-sized and packaged â€Å"Singaporean† facets – an appropriated artificial â€Å"Food Trail† and â€Å"Rainforest Discovery† – that reduce and dilute the authenticity of Singapore’s culture and identity to an engineered landscape[11] that may not go down well with locals. Locally however, there has been little or no national awareness about the attraction as little publicity and hype is generated apart from special occasions.Many locals also have the mindset that the Flyer is a â€Å"tourist attraction†, hence they subconsciously exclude themselves from participating in this activity. Opportunities With reference to the consumer/social factor, the Flyer should capitalize on Singapore’s growi ng popularity as a tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. This growing popularity could very well be a result of our perceived Orientalism/exoticism[12] (Morgan et al, 2012:245) where tourists view Singapore as the â€Å"Exotic East†[13] (Jandt, 2004:404).Moreover, we appeal directly to the tourist who wish to explore South-East Asia but are turned off by many of the other less-developed S. E. A countries – in this way, Singapore could act as the â€Å"gateway† to these other countries. Through their transit here, it is highly probable that tourists would want to explore Singapore as well, and hence the Flyer could capitalize on this aspect by marketing itself vigorously as a â€Å"must-see destination† for these global tourists.Economically, opportunities for the Flyer will increase as there is currently huge potential for our MICE sector to grow even more, particularly with the opening of the MBS Convention Centre located right beside the Singapore Flyer. As Chandran Nair, general manager of Singex puts it, â€Å"MICE has a strong multiplier effect for the economy. You see major trade shows coming into the countries, and you see hotels, stand contractors, freight forwarders and shops benefit. â€Å"[14] This is directly linked to tourism because as the number of MICE conventions held increase, visitor arrivals numbers will definitely grow together in tandem.As visitors to Singapore increase, they are likely to go sight-seeing and with the Flyer in such close proximity to the MBS Convention Centre, it is hence extremely convenient for visitors to make their way there, thereby boosting visitor arrivals and revenue for the Flyer. Opportunities further arise as the everyday tourist experiences a rise in income and quality of life due to strong domestic growth in their home countries. The Flyer could provide associated services that appeal to these people, thereby capturing a portion of the wealth they are prepared to spend[15].As reported by ICAEW[16], Singapore’s tourism industry is predicted to benefit from strong domestic growth in countries in the region like Indonesia, where newly rich Indonesians are more able to travel abroad and who are prepared to spend top dollar in their destination countries. Threats A threat could be the increasing number of similar attractions around the world. As countries compete for the tourist dollar, it is vital to note if the Flyer has a competitive edge over any of these other attractions.Not only does the Flyer have to fight with similar existing attractions (e. g. Ferris Wheel in Taipei[17] and the Menara Tower in Kuala Lumpur[18]), many similar new attractions have also been planned such as the proposed Dubai Eye, The New York Wheel and the Eye on Malaysia. Another threat is the possibility of being overshadowed by newer buildings that offer the same panoramic view of Singapore such as the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark, Sky on 57 and 1-Altitude. Ano ther related point is that as tourists spend an average of just 3. days in Singapore[19], they might choose to visit the more popular and well-known attractions like Sentosa, Singapore Zoo and the Orchard Road shopping district while giving the Flyer a miss. Additionally, the Flyer is extremely vulnerable to adverse weather conditions (e. g. thunderstorms) in which it has no control over. In 2010, lightning struck the Flyer and caused a malfunction in the air-conditioning system; the attraction had to be closed for two days before it was certified safe to re-open.This shows how attractions that capitalize on offering spectacular scenic views are extremely vulnerable to weather conditions, and further illustrates how tourist attractions are constantly evolving as they seek to adapt to different circumstances every day. Conclusion As the aforementioned analysis has demonstrated, the Singapore Flyer is a tourist site that has ample strengths and opportunities that can be tapped on and further enhanced for the generation of revenue. These however, have to be carefully negotiated with the opportunity costs that may be incurred.One should be cautious therefore that capital maximisation through the presentation of bite-sized touristy images is in fact an inauthentic re-appropriation of the â€Å"Singapore culture†. Such a phenomena, in the name of profit maximisation, threatens authenticity, where models of a real are without origin or reality: a hyperreal that sees the precession of simulacra(http://www. stanford. edu/class/history34q/readings/Baudrillard/Baudrillard_Simulacra. html), and an eventual threat to our identity as Singaporeans as we know it.As consultants for the Singaporean tourism company in pursuit for profits, we therefore identify the strengths and opportunities of the Singapore Flyer. However, we also seek to highlight the weaknesses and threats that may impinge on the very authenticity and character of the Singaporean culture and identity. Appendix FIG. 1 – Singapore Flyer signage [pic] FIG. 2 – Recreated tropical rainforest [pic] FIG. 3 – Singapore Food Trail [pic] (Obtained from: http://www. singaporeflyer. com/wp-content/header-images/food-trail. jpg) FIG. 4 – Flyer on a weekday afternoon [pic] FIG. 5 – SWOT Chart LOCATION |TYPE OF FACTOR | |OF FACTOR | | | |Favourable |Unfavourable | |Internal |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Offerings |Offers spectacular view of cityscape |Lacks originality | | |Air-conditioned capsules |Reduces and dilutes Singapore’s cultural authenticity | | |Easily accessible | | | |Combines F&B, shopping and sightseeing all in one | | | |complex | | |Marketing |Excellent branding strategies |Little/no local awareness of promotional activities | |External |Opportunities |Threats | |Consumer/social |Gateway to rest of Southeast Asia |Tourists bypass Flyer for more popular attractions | | | Vulnerable to weather conditions | |Economic |Rise of the well-heel ed global tourist |Increasing number of similar existing/new attractions | | |Huge growth potential in the MICE sector |globally | | | |Overshadowed by other buildings that offer the same | | | |view | FIG. 6 – â€Å"Play, Shop & Dine† all in one complex [pic] FIG. 7 – Joint promotion held with Nankai, a retail shop located within the Flyer complex [pic] FIG. 8 – Coach bays [pic][pic] ———————– [1] http://www. asiaone. com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110407-272181. html 2] An authenticity projected onto toured objects by tourists or tourist producers in terms of their imagery, expectations, preferences, beliefs and powers (Wang, 1999:352) [3] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Global_city [4] Managing director of Adval Brand Group Pte Ltd, the exclusive sales, marketing and ticket distribution agent of the Flyer [5] S$21 for a child; S$33 for an adult (Singapore Flyer, 2013) [6] Supporte d by our survey results where majority of survey respondents regarded themselves as belonging to the middle and upper-middle income strata. [7] Our survey results showed that visitors to the Flyer were mostly overseas tourists who hailed from places like India, England, New Zealand, China and Korea. [8]

Free Essays on Challenges Of Spanish Colonization

Challenges of Spanish Colonization The Challenges of Spanish Colonization can be found in chapter three of â€Å"Major Problems in Texas History† the immense Distances, contemptible communication, and aggressive Indians tribes were only a few of the problems Spain faced during the mid-eighteen century. The religious society and civil settlements set up by Spain remained little more than remote islands in a massive region very much conquered by its native people. This perspective gave specific attention to structures of Spain’s empire, a design forced on the borderlands by Spanish officials in which colonist, member of the clergy, and Indians were all obedient participants. An understanding of the problems which these communities faced can be found in the documents and essays. The start of the chapter echo’s the power struggle and conflict that at first characterized relations among the missionaries and the settlers of the borderland communities. Fifteen families from the Canary Islands arrived in San Antonio in 1731 and quickly found themselves in contest with the local missionaries and soldiers for the areas resources. The Canary Islanders protest to the governor of Mexico City of the suffering and complexity which the Islander have stumble upon in San Antonio. First, the people experience the need of a church in which mass could be carried out; the settlers had to conduct mass in unconditional presidio. The islander had no method in maintaining themselves; the Islanders would farm their own land because the province had no means of trade or anything that would provide work. The settler cultivated their own farmland and found a disadvantage of not being able to obtain permission for the missionaries to have the Indians to work in Spaniards fields which lead to the missionaries to put a stop to all communication between the Spaniards and the Indians. Both parties suffered the damage in their fields from cattle of the mission... Free Essays on Challenges Of Spanish Colonization Free Essays on Challenges Of Spanish Colonization Challenges of Spanish Colonization The Challenges of Spanish Colonization can be found in chapter three of â€Å"Major Problems in Texas History† the immense Distances, contemptible communication, and aggressive Indians tribes were only a few of the problems Spain faced during the mid-eighteen century. The religious society and civil settlements set up by Spain remained little more than remote islands in a massive region very much conquered by its native people. This perspective gave specific attention to structures of Spain’s empire, a design forced on the borderlands by Spanish officials in which colonist, member of the clergy, and Indians were all obedient participants. An understanding of the problems which these communities faced can be found in the documents and essays. The start of the chapter echo’s the power struggle and conflict that at first characterized relations among the missionaries and the settlers of the borderland communities. Fifteen families from the Canary Islands arrived in San Antonio in 1731 and quickly found themselves in contest with the local missionaries and soldiers for the areas resources. The Canary Islanders protest to the governor of Mexico City of the suffering and complexity which the Islander have stumble upon in San Antonio. First, the people experience the need of a church in which mass could be carried out; the settlers had to conduct mass in unconditional presidio. The islander had no method in maintaining themselves; the Islanders would farm their own land because the province had no means of trade or anything that would provide work. The settler cultivated their own farmland and found a disadvantage of not being able to obtain permission for the missionaries to have the Indians to work in Spaniards fields which lead to the missionaries to put a stop to all communication between the Spaniards and the Indians. Both parties suffered the damage in their fields from cattle of the mission...

Big Problems with Massive Open Online Courses

Big Problems with Massive Open Online Courses Massive  Open Online Courses (commonly known as MOOCs) are free, publicly-available classes with high enrollment. With MOOCs, you can enroll in a course at no cost, do as much work as you please, and learn just about anything from computer science to transcendental poetry. Platforms like EdX, Coursera, and Udacity bring together colleges and professors that want to contribute to the field of open education. The Atlantic called MOOCs the single most important experiment in higher education and theres no doubt that they are changing the way we learn. However, not everything in the world of open education is going well. As MOOCs have become more popular, their problems have become more pronounced. Hello†¦Is Anybody Out There? One of the biggest problems with MOOCs is their impersonal nature. In many cases, thousands of students enroll in a single section with a single instructor. Sometimes the instructor is only a facilitator rather than the course creator, and other times the instructor is absent altogether. Assignments designed to be interactive such as group discussions can reinforce the impersonal nature of these large courses. Its hard enough for a class of 30 to get to know each other, forget learning the names of your 500 peers. For some subjects, particularly those that are math and science heavy, this isnt a major problem. But, arts and humanities course traditionally rely on in-depth discussion and debate. Learners often feel that they are missing something when they study in isolation. A Student Without Feedback In traditional classrooms, the point of instructor feedback isnt just to rank students. Ideally, students are able to learn from feedback and catch future mistakes. Unfortunately, in-depth feedback simply isnt possible in most MOOCs. Many instructors teach unpaid and even the most generous simply arent capable of correcting hundreds or thousands of papers a week. In some cases, MOOCs provide automatic feedback in the form of quizzes or interactives. However, without a mentor, some students find themselves repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Few Make it to the Finish Line MOOCS: Many will try but few will pass. Those high enrollment numbers may be deceiving. When enrollment is nothing more than a few mouse clicks, getting a class of 1000 can be simple. People find out through social media, blog posts, or internet surfing and enroll in just a couple minutes. But, they soon fall behind or forget to log in to the course from the beginning. In many cases, this isnt a negative. It gives the student the chance to try out a subject without risk and allows access to materials for those that may not be willing to make a larger time commitment. However, for some students, the low completion rate means that they just werent able to stay on top of the work. The self-motivated, work-as-you-please atmosphere doesnt work for everyone. Some students thrive in a more structured environment with set deadlines and in-person motivation. Forget About the Fancy Paper Currently, theres no way to earn a degree by taking MOOCs. There has been a lot of talk about awarding credit for MOOC completion, but little action has been taken. Although there are a few ways to earn college credit, its best to think about MOOCs as a way to enrich your life or further your education without receiving formal recognition. Academia is About the Money - At Least a Little Open education has offered many benefits to students. But, some worry about the negative repercussions to teachers. In many cases, professors are developing and teaching MOOCs (as well as providing e-textbooks) for free. While professorial pay has never been particularly high, instructors used to be able to count on making a supplemental income from research, textbook writing, and additional teaching assignments. When professors become expected to do more for free, one of two things will happen: colleges will need to adjust salaries accordingly or many of the most talented academics will find work elsewhere. Students benefit when they learn from the best and brightest, so this is a concern that will increasingly affect everyone in the academic sphere.

M2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

M2 - Essay Example Firstly, it will try to understand if the Eric Jensen brain-based program is effective at what it is designed to do, and secondly, it will seek to identify if the brain-based teaching/learning significantly improves the reading of standardized test scores. The data the is associated with this research will be collected using three different methods which include a survey, focus group discussions as well as an interview of the teachers. A questionnaire will be constructed to serve the purpose of collecting data in the classroom and will be filled by the students in the class. On the other hand, the focus group will target various teachers who use the Eric Jensen brain-based program as well as those who do not. Finally, the interview will be designed to collect data from teachers concerning whether the brain-based teaching/learning significantly improves the reading of standardized test scores. Since the questionnaire will be measuring the opinions of the teachers on whether the Eric Jensen brain-based program is effective at what it is designed to do, it will be constructed as an attitude scale that will contain a minimum of ten items. A pilot test will be conducted to establish if the people who are targeted for the survey have adequate knowledge and an understanding of that will enable them to provide significant opinions to the study (Morra & Rist, 2009). The questionnaire will include choices that will allow the respondents who have no options to express their perspective as well as a number of questions to gather information at the beginning that will screen out the ones who have limited or no knowledge of the prevailing subject. The questionnaires that will be used will employ open questions that will allow the respondents to provide answers that best describe the opinion they have on specific issues beings studied. The questionnaire will avoid giving the respondents the option of ticking their choices based on a provides scale as in

Special Educational Needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Special Educational Needs - Essay Example To tackle the growth of autism the society has developed Special Educational Needs (SEN) for the children, which will help them to be back in the mainstream society. Children suffering from autism behave distinguishably from other children. It is tough for children with autism to communicate with others and express their feeling by using words. They usually stay away from normal people and they create individual worlds for themselves. Without taking proper help, they cannot communicate with others. This kind of children needs special attention and care from our society. According to the scientists and doctors, autism results from the damage of brain cells that are responsible for the senses and emotions of the humans. The biological theory of autism states there are some abnormalities in the brain of the child due to some reasons, which may cause autism. In some cases, medical treatment of the child can cause autism. Medical treatment has a negative effect on the health of the childr en. This affects the nervous system of the children, which can cause autism. (Autism, n.d.; Cohen & Bolton, 2004: Pp 26- 32). Special educational needs schools have analyzed autism spectrum disorder in the students. The study has found that there are some critical behaviors among them like behavior barriers, emotional barriers, social barriers and communication barriers. Most of the Special educational needs schools have an approach, which consists of individual behavior management with development in social abilities towards autism children. The schools help to develop some special self-help skills among the students, which is necessary for the growth of the person. They have also introduced speech and verbalization in their curriculum to fill the gap in communication. Every child is special and unique in his or her structure and mental set up. Therefore, they need different learning style. (Autism, n.d.). The paper investigates the intervention strategies used to manage