The graduate examines concepts and modes of expression in human imagination, values, and emotions

Introduction: Works of art vary greatly across genres and time periods. Some works of the humanities seem to have originated from the minds of specific individuals or from social and cultural influences, while other works of art were influenced by the styles and characteristics of earlier periods and are often a continuation of or reaction to those artistic styles. For example, classical art from ancient Greece and Rome was revived during the neoclassical era. Cubism was a reaction to the style and characteristics of the earlier European tradition of realistic painting. The purpose of this task is to analyze, critique, and understand where creativity and inspiration originate.Your goal for this task is to discuss and analyze creativity as the continuation of, or as a reaction to, an earlier historical art period. You will choose two historical periods from the list below and discuss the relationships between the periods. You should discuss how one period revived or continued the styl e and characteristics of the other period or how one period originated in reaction to the other period.The following is a list of historical art periods you can choose from: †¢ Classical †¢ Middle ages †¢ Renaissance †¢ Mannerism †¢ Baroque †¢ Rococo †¢ Neoclassical †¢ Romanticism †¢ Realism †¢ Impressionism †¢ Post impressionism †¢ Cubism †¢ Dadaism †¢ Geometric abstraction †¢ Pop art †¢ Surrealism †¢ Harlem Renaissance Task: A. Choose two art periods from the list above and write an essay (suggested length of 3–5 pages) in which you do the following: 1. Describe the earlier historical art period, characteristics of the style, and social conditions that may have contributed to the advent of this style.2. Describe the later historical art period, characteristics of the style, and social conditions that may have contributed to the advent of this style. 3. Analyze the relationship between the historical art periods. a. Explain similarities or differences between the historical art periods. b. Explain the purpose for continuing the tradition of the earlier historical art period or deviating from it. 1. Reference at least one specific work of art from each period in your discussion. 2. Explain how the later work relates to the earlier work. c. Explain the influence the later historical art period had on the art world (i.e., its historical significance).Note: You should assume that your audience has a ba sic knowledge of the art periods. You will want to identify both periods in your essay and describe the art periods (time periods, characteristics, and social conditions that may have contributed to the advent of the styles of the period), but you will want to do so in a way that will allow your readers see how the descriptions support your thesis concerning the relationship between the two art periods.B. If you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format. Note: Please save word-processing documents as *.rtf (Rich Text Format) or *.pdf (Portable Document Format) files. Note: When bulleted points are present in the task prompt, the level of detail or support called for in the rubric refers to those bulleted points.Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in a paper or project, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the paper or project.Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the APA Guidelines section. Evaluation MethodA rubric is used in this Evaluation. Name of rubric: RIWT Task 1 [View rubric] Final scoring method: Evaluator marks as â€Å"Meets Requirement/Does not Meet Requirement†

Wal-Mart Sex Discrimination

RUNNIG HEADER: WAL-MART SEX DICRIMINATION â€Å"Always low prices,† is the clever motto used by Wal-Mart to lure its customers into the supermarket. Wal-Mart serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week. They operate under 69 different banners in 27 countries (Frank, 2006). With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Wal-Mart employs 2. 2 million associates worldwide. Wal-Mart has created a facade declaring that their low prices have benefited all Americans.However, under its disguise of generosity, Wal-Mart has become an unethical workplace from which the workers, the society, and Americans are suffering. Wal-Mart Sex Discrimination: Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Inc. History of Walmart In the late 1940’s, Sam Walton had a simple but momentous idea. Walton was always looking for deals from suppliers. He realized he could do better than other retailers by passing on the savings to his customers and earning his profits through volume (Frank, 2006 ). This formed a cornerstone of Walton’s business strategy when he launched Wal-Mart in 1962.The decade that began from the 1970s was period of substantial economic growth, in the history of Wal-Mart. In 1971, it started off a huge expansion by opening a gigantic center and also a home office in Bentonville, Arkansas (â€Å"Sam Walton†). The 70s decade saw a substantial rise in the number of employees which amounted to about 1500 associates. 1975 the company had expanded to 7500 associated and had 125 operational stores. In 1977, in a massive takeover, Wal-Mart acquired the Hutcheson Shoe Company and also introduced a branch for pharmaceuticals by the name Wal-Mart pharmacy.By the end of the decade, Wal-Mart had become a giant in the American retail industry with a turnover of more than 1. 248 billion dollars in sales and 276 stores managed massive yet efficient staff of 21, 000 associates. When Walton died in 1992, the adjustment to a post-Sam environment proved diffi cult (â€Å"Sam Walton†). Although Wal-Mart executives had emphasized for years that their company depended on a set of principles and habits more than it did on any one person, Walton's death wound up marking a fateful shift in how the company was perceived.Before his death, Walton witnessed the rise of Wal-Mart becoming the biggest corporation of this nation and the world. However, he was unable to see the steady path of its destruction. Throughout its path to success, Wal-Mart has turned into a selfish vendor who has forgotten morals, ethics, and mainly America (Frank, 2006). However, the dependency of customers on Wal-Mart is so high that it is impossible to challenge their ways. Walton’s Wal-Mart has turned into dominating supermarket by crushing the rights of their employees, by destroying the jobs of many Americans, and by changing of the quality of life in the American societies.Sex Discrimination According to our book, surface-level diversity is the observable demographic and other overt differences in people, such as their race, ethnicity, gender, age, and physical capabilities (McShane ; Von Glinow, 2011, p. 21). Sex discrimination is part of surface- level diversity. Discrimination usually occurs when actions of an employer, supervisor or coworkers â€Å"deny to individuals or groups of people equality of treatment which they may wish. â€Å"( Stainback, Ratliff, ; Roscigno, 2011) Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Inc.In 1986, Walton was sensing some pressure to appoint a woman to Wal-Mart's all-male board (Frank, 2006). So he offered the job to Arkansas' first lady, one Hillary Clinton, who accepted. She would later quote Walton's pitch: â€Å"I think I need a woman; would you like to be her? † Today, Wal-Mart's challenges in the field of gender equality are not so easily addressed. The company keeps its payroll costs down by paying women less than their male counterparts for performing the same work. Evidence also exists that it fails to promote women at the same rate as men.In 1995, Betty Dukes took a job at a Wal-Mart near San Francisco, working as a cashier and greeter for $5 an hour (Frank, 2006). A â€Å"greeter† represents the face of the company as consumers walk through the door. Little did Dukes and Wal-Mart know that Dukes would ultimately become a face of Wal-Mart nationally, under much different circumstances. In 2000, Dukes found herself denied promotions filed a sex-discrimination suit. â€Å"The suit alleges that Wal-Mart violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), is the biggest employment discrimination case in the history of the United States.Furthermore, the suit hastens an eventual trial for women, who are seeking billions of dollars from Wal-Mart† (Hagen, 2011). The case now involves nearly two million women, and, in 2004, it was certified by Judge Martin J. Jenkins, of the United States District Court in San Francisco as a class action. Title VII prohibits empl oyment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. When the victim suffers a tangible economic detriment, such as termination or demotion, the employer is strictly liable under Title VII. (Lavin ; DiMichele, 2012).Discrimination is a difficult thing to prove. According to numbers compiled in 2003 by the plaintiffs, female store managers average slightly under $90,000 in annual income, while their male counterparts average slightly over $100,000. And while women make up 79 percent of the store's department heads (an hourly position), only 15. 5 percent are store managers. When the Supreme Court dismissed Dukes vs. Wal-Mart due to the complexity of proving such a large number of claims to be true, Wal-Mart likely believed that it could close the door on that decade-long (Levine, 2008) .However, Dukes and her peers haven’t given up, almost 2,000 current and former female employees across the country have filed gender discrimination complaints w ith the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Of the 1,975 EEOC complaints, the largest number of complaints came from Florida, with 284 filings, followed by Alabama with 142 filings and Georgia with 119 filings. The EEOC complaints preserve the women’s right to sue Wal-Mart for gender discrimination in pay and promotions, despite the dismissal of the Dukes class.Till this day, the women are still fighting this long battle and hoping it gets settled soon. Wal-Mart is Labeled as â€Å"Cheap† Wal-Mart is legendary for its cheapness across its operations. Wal-Mart forces its executives to share hotel rooms when they travel at their expense. The allegations do seem to whole some kind of truth to it. Wal-Mart single-minded devotion to lower prices, one might predict that they would only engage in employment discrimination to the extent that it serves efficiency goals. â€Å"A company that prioritizes low prices might lawfully provide limited benefits and pay low wages across the board.Such a company might also commit widespread, nondiscriminatory labor violations if it thought that the benefits of such violations would outweigh the probability and costs of detection. Thus, the charges of overtime violations that led to Wal-Mart's federal and state settlements are fairly unsurprising† (Wexler, 2011) A company desiring low labor costs might also engage in so-called rational discrimination by excluding or disfavoring workers who are accurately forecasted to raise costs for the company (Wexler, 2011). Some evidence suggests that Wal-Mart does in fact engage in such practices.In particular, Wal-Mart settled several disability discrimination cases in which it was charged with using pre-employment questionnaires to screen out employees with medical or other disability-related issues. Even after the entry of a 2004 consent decree in a class action disability discrimination case, over one-hundred plaintiffs have filed new charges contending th at Wal-Mart fails to provide reasonable accommodations, fires disabled employees, and uses a â€Å"leave of absence† bait-and-switch to force disabled employees out. ConclusionEthics plays a huge role in this decade long battle. One ethical principle that stands out to me is Distributive Justice. It’s a principle which suggests that people who are similar to each other should receive similar benefits and burdens; those who are dissimilar should receive different benefits and burdens in proportion to their dissimilarity (McShane ; Von Glinow, 2011, p. 53). The case, deals with distributive justice. I believe that everyone should be paid the same if doing the exact same job, regardless of gender.Women works just as hard a man if not harder in the corporate world. References. Awards. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://corporate. walmart. com/our-story/awards Hagen, W. (2011). Dissection and Analysis of the Recent Cases on Employment Discrimination Under Title VII of the Civi l Rights Act of 1964. Employee Responsibilities ; Rights Journal, 23(3), 171-186. doi:10. 1007/s10672-010-9163-x Frank, T. A. (2006, April). Everyday low vices. Retrieved from http://www. washingtonmonthly. com/features/2006/0604. frank. html McShane, S.L. , and Von Glinow, M. A. (2010) Organizational Behavior, 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York. Lavin, H. S. , ; DiMichele, E. E. (2012). Are You My Supervisor? : The Scope of Supervisory Authority Under Title VII. Employee Relations Law Journal, 38(3), 89-94. Levine, D. (2008, September 21). Walmart gender discrimination lawsuit allowed to proceed, judge says. Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2012/09/22/walmart-gender-discrimination_n_1905204. html Sam walton. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://corporate. almart. com/our-story/heritage/sam-walton Stainback, K. , Ratliff, T. N. , ; Roscigno, V. J. (2011). The Context of Workplace Sex Discrimination: Sex Composition, Workplace Culture and Relative Power. Social Forces, 89(4), 1165-1188 Wexler, L. (2011). WAL-MART MATTERS. Wake Forest Law Review, 46(1), 95-121. Appendix * In the past 5 years at Walmart stores in the U. S. : * Female co-managers have increased by 143% * Female store managers have increased by 46% * Female market managers have increased by 49%

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Art - Essay Example This â€Å"something that can be conceived but not seen nor made visible† is often referred to as the sublime, a quality of transcendent greatness â€Å"with which nothing else can be compared and which is beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation† (Wikipedia, 2006). The presence of this sublime element, then, inspires the imagination in a specific direction based on which elements remain visible or understandable. Its significance is in the way in which it brings attention to the uncertainty of meaning inherent in the work, such that no resolution makes itself apparent. To understand how emotions or the sublime can be communicated through visual art, the work of modern artists Marcel Duchamp, with his â€Å"Nude Descending a Staircase #2†, and Amedeo Modigliani, with â€Å"Head of a Woman†, will be compared in terms of their materials, subject matter, content, composition, color and impacts of context or the time period in which they were produced. In terms of materials, both works of art are oil paintings placed on stretched canvas. Thus, they each represent a two-dimensional surface with little room for actual depth or movement. Although numerous means had been devised to create the illusion of depth in flat surfaces such as this, neither artist makes much use of these devices, instead allowing their backgrounds to remain relatively dark and formless. There are hints, however, at some form of space created in each. In Duchamp’s painting, for example, there is a hint of the stairway mentioned in the title in the bottom left corner offset by a somewhat smoother, flatter surface in the upper right corner. Because of the juxtaposition with the figure in the center, this latter surface seems to fall back, providing a shallow space within the painting. Modigliani also provides some sense of depth in his painting with unidentifiable dark-colored spaces to the right of the

Civil Disobedience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Civil Disobedience - Essay Example Mack, like Rosa Parks, takes the smallest of moves and starts a chain reaction that results in freedom for all regardless of class/race distinctions. Rosa Parks and Mack are further connected by virtue of the fact that they both expose social injustice and oppression from the bottom down. Like, Rosa Parks, Mack is positioned at the lowest stratum of society and yet, they both dare to challenge an established regime. Where Rosa Parks is arrested for her challenge, Mack is reprimanded and reminded of his rightful place in the social order. In other words, both Mack and Parks are reminded by established authority of their rightful place in society. However, both emerge heroic. Mack emerges as the real king of the pond whereas, Parks becomes an historical icon symbolizing the civil rights movement. Thus Parks is associated with freedom and equality and Mack is likewise associated with freedom and equality. Parks and Mack are further united by their observance of and displeasure of the di sparity and oppression forced upon their peers. Both observe the reluctance and fear that accompanies obedience and both determined that something needed to be done to break the cycle. Therefore both Mack and Parks spoke out in different ways, but with the same outcome: freedom for all although Mack’s freedom came at lot easier and faster than Parks. Naturalize Me Naturalization is defined by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (2011) as the qualification process that non-US citizens must successfully complete before becoming US citizens. The qualifications are set forth by the US Congress and are reflected in the Immigration and Nationality Act (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2011). In other words, naturalization is a process by which foreigners obtain the right to be citizens of another country. In order to become naturalized under the US Immigration and Nationality Act, there are a number of qualifying factors. If the applicant has been permanently living in the US for a minimum period of five years and is eligible for citizenship, naturalization will occur. An individual is eligible for citizenship if the individual has had a green card for a minimum of five years prior to applying for naturalization. Other eligibility requirements are: resided in a state for a minimum of 3 months before applying for naturalization; is in the US for no less than 30 months of the five years prior to applying for naturalization; lives in the US between the time of applying and the time of naturalization; is literate in English and knows US government and history; and is of good character and adheres to the US Constitutions (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2011). An individual may also qualify for naturalization if that individual is qualified as a the spouse of a US citizen and has been permanently living in the US for at least 3 years. A spouse of a US citizen is qualified for naturalization if the foreign spouse had been married to and liv ing with their US spouse for at least three years as a green card holder; is at least 18 years old; the US spouse was a US citizen for the three years that the applicant lived with him or her; has resided in a US state for a minimum of 3 months before applying for naturalization and all other qualifications applicable to the acquisition of US citizenship (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2011). In addition, members of the US armed forces, their family and dependants are also

Discuss the case in favour of and against immigration control Essay

Discuss the case in favour of and against immigration control - Essay Example For example, after the Europeans discovered America, many of the people from the continent came to settle in the new land. The reasons for the immigration were to explore economic opportunities and to spread the religion of Christianity. (Smith, June, 2006). In the modern world, the subject of immigration has asserted itself as a grave problem as a result of the cross border infiltration. Immigration has many consequences for the immigrants and the immigrating country. This results in the increase of population in the country, which pressurize the economic condition of the country. Most of the immigrants are left jobless which pressurizes them to take the path of crime. For example, in the USA, due to the immigration of the Mexicans, the percentage of crime has increased manifold in the society. The immigrants are considered as outsiders in the country and there have been instances where they were ill treated. The immigrants can take away jobs in the country, which would have been th e domain of the citizens. The example of USA can be taken in this regard where The Chinese and the Indian immigrants occupy important positions in the corporate world. Therefore, it can be said that there are various ill effects of immigration. (Perkowski, 12th July, 1903). Therefore, countries who are most affected by the problem of immigration have devised various control measures to eradicate the problem. Immigration is the movement of the people of a country to another country where he does not belong by nationality or origin. The control measures put in by the Government and the statutory bodies in the countries look to limit the volume of the immigrants in the country. Laws have passed in various countries for limiting the volume of immigration. The control of immigration means functions performed under this Act to limit the flow of the immigrants in these countries. (Immigration, 2003) The immigration control has become one of the main functions of the

Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Linguistics - Essay Example rivate English speaking kindergartens where they are tutored by native speakers of the language, or go to English-speaking countries and learn the language effectively. In extreme cases some parents have also made their children undergo a tongue operation in order to improve their pronunciation of the English language. This is enough proof to show the crazy attitude of the Korean people towards the English language. However, despite the consistent efforts taken by the parents to make their children learn the language some children tend to become depressed, abusive and suffer from insomnia when they are forced to learn a foreign language. For instance, the MBC News broadcast in Korea reported a story about an eleven year-old Korean boy whose parents forced him to learn English in an international school. Unable to cope with the pressure the boy began to show symptoms of a mental disorder as at one point he refused to go to school, suffered from insomnia and depression and did not pref er to talk to anybody. Though parents are aware about the importance of learning foreign languages like English for their child’s future successes, they do not know when it is best to teach the language and the correct way of helping the child learn the language. Ever since the issue of early English education was raised, there have been strong arguments, both for and against it. Some experts have warned about the negative effects associated with learning a foreign language at an early age based on several reported cases. These reports have revealed that when children are made to learn under stress right from an early age, it becomes impossible for them to learn effectively as is expected from their parents. Exerts also believe that children should only be allowed to learn the language levels which are appropriate for their age and knowledge levels. It is only when they try to learn more than what is ideal for their age all the negative effects associate with such learning will occur

Postmodernism and Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Postmodernism and Theory - Essay Example The essay "Postmodernism and Theory" explores the movement of Postmodernism. To a large degree, postmodernism is focused on an examination of reality versus unreality, discovering in the process that there is more blurred areas between the two than there are clear distinctions. These ideas are discussed through several works including Baudrillard, Mulvey and Nochlin.Introducing the idea of the simulation, Baudrillard says that we have come to a place where the false precedes the real. In addition to discovering that the simulation no longer matches the real, Baudrillard says it has gone farther, reducing everything down to miniature and making it hyperreal, something that exists in and of itself, with little to connect it to the original. The real, in this system, has become little more than a series of signs that stand in its place. The danger with simulacra as opposed to representation is that representation starts with the idea of the real within the representation while simulatio n wraps around the representation and calls everything false. Disneyland is used as an example of how the imaginary happy social world contained within its gates as opposed to the isolation of the parking lot masks how the world we believe to be America is just as falsely envisioned. "It is always a question of proving the real by the imaginary; proving truth by scandal; proving the law by transgression; proving work by the strike; proving the system by crisis and capital by revolution†. This same concept is traced.

Politics in the Arab world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Politics in the Arab world - Essay Example According to Bennis, the Israel-Palestinian crisis started in 2000 after the collapse of Camp David summit. However, Ariel Sharon’s decision to match with Israeli troops sparked an uprising. The Israelis stepping-up of their weapons has increased the intensity of the crisis while Palestinians have also escalated the weapons they used from during the first intifada. Although Israel has every right to arrest anyone who threatened citizens, there is no justification for military occupation. On the other hand, while most Palestinians do not participate in the attacks, the few who attack civilians meets the definitional criteria for terrorists (Bennis). Nevertheless, can we justify that Palestinians are just fighting for their freedom from Israels occupation, which is akin to colonialism? As descendants of native Palestine, some Palestinian Arabs remained in Israel while some fled during the creation of Israel. However, their rights in the country are not at par with the Jews though some serve in the Knesset (Bennis). On the other hand, Israelis constitute the Jewish community, which is about 80% of Israeli population, while the rest of Israelis are descendants of Palestine Arabs. It is crucial to point out that, the Jewish led to the creation of the state of Israel, which Bennis noted defines â€Å"itself as a state of the entire Jewish people.† Therefore, a Jew is a very different person from an Israeli. The Jewish people came from various parts of Europe after running away from persecution, which resulted to Zionism. Using military occupation, which is a â€Å"complete Israeli control over every facet of Palestinian civil and economic life† the Israelis occupy some territories meant for Palestinians (Bennis). In this case, these territories are 22% of the land formerly under the British Palestine Mandate (Bennis). It is crucial to point out that,

Local Lawsuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Local Lawsuit - Essay Example And secondly the cup in which the coffee was served did not indicate â€Å"caution†. Even though McDonalds knew about this situation as they had 700 claims filed on the same issue as Stella Liebeck they did not take any action. On August 18th 1994, jury reached its verdict, by applying the concept of comparative and punitive damages. Ms Liebeck was awarded 160.000$ as compensatory damages which included her medical expense and the loss of salary while she was away from her job, while 480,000$ were awarded as punitive damages by the trial court. McDonalds and Stella Liebeck later settled out of court for a confidential amount less than 600,000$. BUSINESS LAWSUITS McDonald’s is a cooperation that is in business since 1955. It has more than 33,000 restaurants worldwide, 1.7 million employees and is located in 119 countries. It has received several awards over the course of 56 years. Being the leading franchise they hold themselves and conduct of their business to high stan dards of fairness, honesty and integrity. But even though there top priority is customer satisfaction, sometimes unavoidable situations do arise, as happened in Liebeck v McDonald’s. This case is more commonly referred to as â€Å"McDonald’s coffee case†. ... As Stella Liebeck was wearing cotton sweatpants the coffee got absorbed instantly. She remained drenched in the hot coffee for about 90 seconds before she was rushed to the hospital. Ms.Liebecks injuries were grave. She suffered third degree burns which affected her thighs and buttocks she remained hospitalized for eight days, where she underwent dreadful medical procedure to remove dead skin and skin grafting. It took total of two years for Ms Liebeck to recover completely from McDonalds coffee accident. The case was tried in The Second Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The presiding Judge was Honorable Roberts Hayes Scott. During the trial it was found out that the coffee served at McDonalds was 180-190 Fahrenheit which was capable of causing third degree burn in just fraction of seconds, Reed Morgan the prosecution lawyer argued before the court that the coffee should be served not hotter than 140 Fahrenheit in order to avoid accidents which is normally the temperature at which coffee is brewed at home. The total amount of Ms Liebeck medical expenses was 10,000$ for which she claimed 20,000$ as compensation. Big business and multinational firms can do many things to avoid unpleasant situations like these from arising. On trial it was found that McDonalds had 700 other claims by people burned by coffee over the past ten years, in which some of the cases were similar to Ms.Liebeck on third degree burn. This shows the company’s attitude towards their business, as they very well knew of the danger and hazard but didn’t bother to protect the customers against that risk. The quality assurance manager admitted that burns would occur, but testified

Love Cycle Essay Example for Free

Love Cycle Essay The rain starts pouring that particular early evening. Other students run towards buildings for shelter, but I do not notice the cold. How I feel is more overpowering than the disgust I would have felt for me getting soaked at any other time. My feet automatically stop right next to the bench where I have first seen her. That was what, more than a year ago, and I have not seen her for six months now. My beautiful, sweet Angie. Nothing could have prepared me for that one, fateful night when I passed by the same spot on my way home and, against the darkness of the park, I noticed a girl with her head bowed, her arms propped against the bench, and her hair covering her face. It was raining then, too, and that forlorn figure got me worried in spite of myself. So I had approached where she sat, and carefully asked, â€Å"Uhm, miss? † She did not look up. Maybe she was a stone sculpture, until I heard a hiccup. â€Å"Miss, are you OK? It’s raining and, uh, it’s kind of dark here. † The girl slowly sat upright until she was looking at me directly. I swear I heard angels singing when she trained those eyes on me. But they were sad, tear-stained eyes. I could not help thinking what possibly made such beautiful girl cry. Yes, she was beautiful even with the dark stains in her cheeks. Despite the situation, the guy in me just could not stop checking her out. She looked tall and slender. Her hair was long, almost reaching her elbow. She had these thin eyebrows, the kind I usually looked at in women. They made her eyes look bigger and God, didn’t she have the longest eyelashes. What guy wouldn’t fall for a woman who looks like her? My scrutiny halted when she muttered, almost inaudibly, â€Å"I’m OK. † Her voice sounded sweet to my ears. I have never been a picky person, except when it comes to women. I can eat anything, anyone can be my friend, but I can never just pick out one woman from the crowd and pursue her ‘til she say that sweet ‘Yes. ’ I guess maybe that’s the reason why I fell hopelessly in love with Angie. She just appeared into my life without warning, and she never sent any signal to my direction that she likes me, too. A week after that incident, I was forced to do some researching at the main library. By any choice, I would have chosen to play hoops with the guys, but my grade was on the line. Little did I know that I’d see her for the second time, in the library. The funny thing was we were obviously looking for the same thing because we reached for an old book at the same time. When we looked at each other, I found out it was her. She must have recognized me because she tentatively smiled. â€Å"Uh, go ahead,† I said, ever the gentleman. She took the book and said, â€Å"I guess there’s only this copy here. By the way, I’m Angie. You were that guy. † It made me smile because she did remember. â€Å"Yeah! I’m Skip. † When she looked puzzled, I added, â€Å"Actually it’s Steven, but I’m usually called Skip. † It was a year ago now, but I can still remember the way she smiled when we studied that book, or the way her face lit up whenever she talked. Eventually we became friends as we found out we had the same teacher but a different schedule on a subject. That friendship entitled me to see her everyday and talk with her. As days and months passed, I became more attached to Angie. Sometimes I would decline my mates’ invitation for one basketball game just so I could accompany Angie to wherever she wanted to go. I found out that I immensely enjoyed her company because we have so many things in common. We both grew up in a broken family; she lived with her father, while I grew up with my mother. The comfort we found in each other after talking about a similar experience drew us ever closer. It dawned on me one day that I have fallen in love with Angie. Every time she’s away, it creates a hollow feeling that only she can fill. Even my friends noticed the change in me. I was too afraid to let her know. The last time I pursued a girl, she turned me down even before I could ask her. I felt that it might happen the second time around with Angie. That would surely crush my heart, or any chances of her and me ending up together. More days passed. I got the shock of my life when one night, while I was at the apartment studying with my friends, she came barging into the room wearing the biggest, most beautiful smile. I was imagining her telling me, â€Å"Skip, I just found out that I could not live without you! † Instead, she told me and everyone else, â€Å"Skip! My goodness, you wouldn’t believe this! Will finally asked me! † I frowned upon hearing that name. I only met Will once or twice, and it didn’t dawn on me that he was pursuing my Angie, too. I didn’t even know if the two dated. After Angie told me about him, I felt like the world was crushing me. Would she have worn the same, big, beautiful smile if I asked her? Probably not. I died when she next announced, â€Å"Skip, he asked me. How could I not say yes? We dated a few times but we always see each other during Math II and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I no longer heard the rest of it because I stood up and, without saying anything, locked myself in my room. I didn’t hear her knocking, nor her voice pleading me to come out and tell her what’s wrong. The erratic beating of my barely functioning heart was too loud for me to hear anything. What Angie said, it was like a dagger. After all this time, I’ve been building my courage to finally tell her how I feel. But she beat me to it, with a very cruel message. Anger, regret, and resentment rolled up until I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to shout, to hurt myself. But how could I rewind the time, back to the days when I was on the verge of professing to her? I never felt so bad in my life, not even the way I feel about my last unfortunate episode with a girl can compare. I have loved Angie, so much in fact that I can give up anything. I nurtured this feeling until it blossomed into full-blown love that is far from what any man can comprehend. I wanted her back. I wanted back my Angie. It was so unfair. I know I haven’t indicated that I feel something special for her, but how could she not notice? It was like telling me, in my face, that she doesn’t think I’m good enough for her. It was too much that I found myself crying into the night like I never did before. The tears just wouldn’t stop even if I reminded myself it was not a macho thing. But who cares? The woman I’ve secretly loved for so long, just fluttered away. I found out it was hard. Since that night I avoided her, ignored her calls, her messages. I was hurting so much that I didn’t want to see her. Eventually the calls and messages stopped. I barely saw her in the months that followed. If I did, she was in the company of that guy who could have been me had I dared to tell her. I tried to move on because I can see that she’s happy. I was just unsure if it would be a great idea right now to be friends with her again. So the days and months that followed, I immersed myself into studying, hanging out with my friends and signing up for other activities to help me forget. I knew there was no other way but to forget, and forget I did. So in that early evening, I sit where she sat more than one year ago. The rain was accommodating, falling endlessly and washing the tears from my eyes. I was not crying because of regret, but because of the fact that I really did move on after all. I prop my hands over the edge of the cold bench and watch as droplets of rain create ripples in the puddle of water on my feet. Suddenly, rain stops falling in the puddle but it does not stop entirely. A pair of shoes appeared just next to the bench, and I noticed that a shadow stretches over the lawn in front of me. A female voice carefully asked, â€Å"Excuse me. Are you alright? † Yeah, it’s time for me to let go. Time can heal all wounds, and rain can wash away tears. I couldn’t help smiling at the turn of two similar events: one more than a year ago, and the other, right now. With a smile I looked up into the worried face of a girl holding an umbrella towards me and I said, â€Å"Yes, I’m OK. †

Business Model For Ebay Marketing Essay

Business Model For Ebay Marketing Essay Innovation is not a single but a total process of interrelated sub processes. It is not just the conception of a new idea, nor the invention of a new device, nor the development of a new market but all of these things acting in an integrated fashion (Myers and Marquis, 1969). Innovation can as well be explained with the following equation: Innovation = theoretical conception + technical invention + commercial exploitation. EBay is the online trading community between person-to-person and is one of the few profitable internet companies. EBay effectively created a new business model never before possible with efficient one-to-one trading in an auction format. Individuals use 4,300 categories in eBay to buy and sell items of wide range, from collectibles and antiques to electronics and toys. Sellers pay a nominal fee for placing an item up for sale, and eBay receives a transaction fee ranging from 1.25% to 5% of the final sale price on any item sold. The buyer and the seller work out the logistics of the transport (e.g. shipping, payment) between themselves, and eBay never takes possession of the item being sold, or the payment for the item removing the need for inventory, transportation and other overhead costs. Business Model Business model defines how a firm will define and promote its brand (plans to operate), produce and distribute its product (generate revenue) and build or attract its market (compete). The success of business depends on selecting the appropriate business model. Business models convert new technologies to economic value. For some start-ups, familiar business models are not always applicable so a new model must be devised. In some cases, the importance of business model far exceeds the innovation of the product or service itself. Role of the Business Model Technical Inputs Business Model Economic Outputs A business model bases on a multitude of business subjects including economics, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, operations, and strategy. The business model itself is an important determinant of profits to be made from an innovation. A mediocre innovation with a great business model may be more profitable than a great innovation with a mediocre business model. EBays business model was based on creating and maintaining a person-to-person trading community, providing millions of auctions, and hundreds of thousands of new items every day from which bidders may choose. After implementing their model, EBay has been able to build strategic partnerships, continue making innovative changes and progressions, and supervise its internal and external environments for possible future opportunities which have made them the worlds largest online auction company. Since the site provides plenty of reasons to stay for longer period of time and revisit on a regular basis, eBay has become hugely successful. The longer they stay on eBay, there is more chance to complete a transaction and generate revenue for eBay. The other reason for eBays success is their highest bidder wins style auction mechanism as a means of earning profit from charging a premium for mediating between buyers and sellers as a third party. In using this mechanism, a history of prices exist s (price points), creating increased inter-play between competitors in the marketplace. EBays business model recognizes these specific elements as a key to its success. They are (as given in the case study): It is the largest online trading forum with a huge mass of buyers and sellers, and varied range of items listed for sale Its compelling and entertaining environment with strong values and established rules hence facilitating communication between buyers and sellers. It has programs such as Safe harbor to aid in disputes and to punish users who violate eBay Cost effective and convenient trading Strong community affinity An intuitive user interface that was easy to understand, arranged by topics, and fully automated The founder of eBays vision was to create the environment and provide users ways to interact. Rather than finding various ways of making money, eBay has focused on creating a community of users by which they ended up making lots of money. According to a survey, the average eBay user spends an average of one hour, 26 minutes and eight seconds on eBay (http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/ebay-aol-benefit-from-increased-us-web-usage-12765/). In contrast, visitors to catalogue stores and other commercial websites might spend only ten or twenty minutes there. EBay is maintaining their position since they are continuously improving to become better. When compared to amazon.com and other sites, eBay turned out to be far better since their expenses are low and doesnt hold any stocks like the others do. Creating New Markets Through Service Innovation For decades, since the evolution of internet, the importance of services has grown steadily to the global economy whereas the importance of goods has declined. Naturally, companies are constantly seeking to provide better services, regardless of whether they are in a pure service business or in a manufacturing industry that must increasingly rely on its service operations for continued profitability. However, most improvements to service activities are incremental. Stores stay open longer; producers establish websites with e-commerce functions; airlines, casinos and supermarket chains introduce loyalty card programs. These improvements are useful and indeed necessary, but their returns are somewhat limited. Only rarely does a company develop a service that creates an entirely new market reshaping the market providing company with unforeseen profits for a longer period of time. EBay is one of these rare companies. It has created new markets through its unique model of innovation. For example, in the online auction concept, eBay was not the first but it gradually became the dominant player. In the early 1980s, CompuServe (nee MicroNET) and The Source were sponsoring auctions. Specifically, Comp-U-Card Online/Comp-U-Store held weekly auctions for consumer goods like the brand-new Sony Walkman in 1983, and CompuServes first eBay-style automated online auctions were held in 1982. Due to limited use of the internet technologies and lack of awareness, these companies were not much success. Later when the trend changed, new technologies developed, and online business grew, eBay introduced its business totally focussed on service which led them to create successful new markets domestically and globally. Ansoffs growth matrix identifying opportunities for growth for eBay Current Products/ servicesNewProducts/ servicesCurrentMarketsNewMarkets 1. Market penetration strategy Attempt to get existing users to spend more 3. Product development strategy Wireless Develop sectors such as introduce car sales, boat, sales etc. Fixed-price shops Paypal: payment system Providing commission on sales 2. Market development strategy Attract new vendors such as large corporations Develop international sites in significant markets such as Germany, Japan 4. Diversification strategy Skype: VOIP Enabling communication among community EBay is one of the most successful e-commerce website in the World Wide Web. The strategic direction of the company is market penetration. The main aim of a market penetration strategy is to increase the market share by using the current products within the existing markets. This involved the actions and programs to be done in order to enhance the current core competencies or build a new one. In the case of e-Bay, the company focuses on improving the quality of their service in order to improve the reputation of the company compared to its direct and indirect competitors. EBay is focusing on the improvement of its service by using updated and high-tech Information System, which will help to improve the visitor log, improve the quality of service and the security and safety of its online users. Beside that EBay has continued to innovate and connect people. The most important points in their innovation are acquisitions of PayPal in 2002 an online financial service, and Skype in 2005 an internet communication company. With these acquisitions, EBay provides customers with the most convenient methods so that buyers can make low cost contact with sellers easily and make all transaction swiftly. Although there are several disputes that EBay is doing a real value chain, its characterization proofs that EBay performs a virtual value chain. It provides platform for trading on the internet in virtual market where it operates and the value of goods sold in this site is determined by auctioning of buyers. It performs as a self-regulating global economy. Lesson to a new internet business from eBay Figure from www.ebay.com On a normal e-commerce site, customer does some shopping, picks out one or more items, and heads to the checkout area as quickly as possible. But in eBay, members can do other thing than just buy or sell. They can Post feedback: In business, feedbacks are crucial and help the company to improve their mistakes. Here, both consumers and sellers can post their feedbacks in the forum describing their deal of the product. Communicate with others in message boards: Consumers such as Antique hunters, collectors, and bargain hunters like talking about their common interests. This leads them to meet and greet each other in the same spots on eBay, either in a weekly or prearranged chat, just to say hello and share opinions. Post secondary information: eBay sellers and buyers can create About Me pages to inform people about themselves. Sellers can open eBay Stores. This gets them personally involved with the sales they open this site not only for business but it has become part of their daily lives. In other words, loyalty, the desire of finding a bargain, and the love of making some extra money are what keep eBay users returning on a regular basis, which makes eBay a lovely and a successful venue. Its the human touch that means so much on the auction site. By implementing their business model, eBay employed three main tactics. First, they looked to build strategic partnerships. Second, they looked for customer feedback to constantly make changes and improvements. Finally, they monitored its internal and external environments for possible opportunities. By doing all of these sorts of things, eBay is being able to adapt to the changing ways and keeping their customers satisfied. To be successful eBay continue to mould and change their business model to satisfy its customers and keep the level of quality they employ to the highest degree as possible. eBay has created a one-stop-shopping experience that is appealing to large corporations, independent entrepreneurs, and individual buyers and sellers. They have created value through many facets of their business that appeal to their customers and differentiate them from the competition. The main ways that eBay differentiates themselves is through: Variety of products offered When customers visit eBay they can search for virtually any product. EBay boasts a category variety not matched by any competitor with over 27,000. The eBay Community EBay wants their customers to feel like they are a part of a community. This community feel gives customers the sense that they are branch of something and cared about. By showing the customers that their feedback, opinions, and feelings are important eBay has gained tremendous ground with their customers. The eBay Website EBay has created an auction and retail website that is unique and interesting. This creative site sets them apart from their competitors. The site is set up with many facets that reach a broad span of visiting buyers and sellers. The site is also entertaining and easy to use making it very appealing for online shopping and trading. The eBay Brand Name EBay was the creator of the online auction industry. When customers think of online buying the immediately think of eBay. This has given them a competitive advantage that sets them apart from other online auctions. eBays Global Reach The global reach of eBay is not achieved by any other online auction site. For large corporations international selling and buying is done everyday. Even for an individual buyer or seller, having the option of searching throughout 150 countries with a span of 94.9 million users is very appealing. Conclusion eBays compelling value proposition, their ability to create a new market using Internet technology, and their first-mover advantage, have been key factors that have contributed to the success of the brand, however, their ability to cultivate a distinct sense of community has been the defining characteristic which differentiates them from other online auctions. As a result, eBay attracts a broader selection of buyers, which in turn attracts more sellers the ultimate network effect contributing to its strong lead and competitive advantage. Their focus on heavy users and targeted promotions, have been instrumental in building a quality customer base, which has established eBay above other online auction communities. eBay has also faced difficult challenges in scaling the organisation fast enough, as they could not opt for a go slow strategy.

Crow Lake :: Character Analysis, Kate Morrison

Crow Lake Essay In Crow Lake, Mary Lawson portrays a family who experience a great tragedy when Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are killed in a car accident. This tragedy changes the lifestyles of the seven years old protagonist Kate Morrison and her siblings Matt, Luke and Bo. The settings are very important in this novel. Though there are limited numbers of settings, the settings used are highly effective. Without effective use of themes in this novel, the reader would not have been able to connect with the characters and be sympathetic. Lawson uses an exceptionally high degree of literary devices to develop each character in this novel. The element of setting is used to create a definite atmosphere, and therefore, helping to create a desired mood .In Kate’s childhood, she and Matt visited the ponds regularly. They used to go â€Å"through the woods with their luxuriant growth of poison ivy, along the tracks, past the dusty boxcars lines up receive their loads of sugar beets, down the steep sandy path to the ponds themselves† (Lawson 4). Lawson has used powerful imagery to further describe the ponds. The settings of the ponds are a central part of the story. The ponds are a symbol of the tight relationship between Matt and Kate. They had spent â€Å"hundreds of hours there† (Lawson 15). Ponds were like a home to her. In the prologue, Kate stated that â€Å"there is no image of my childhood that I carry with me more clearly than that† (Lawson 4). The ponds also symbolizes Kate’s childhood. Matt and Kate were able to overcome the tragedy of their parent’s death by visiting t he ponds, but however, they did not survive Matt’s â€Å"disloyalty†. The ponds later developed into the scene of the crime. Kate mentions in the book â€Å"By the following September the ponds themselves would have been desecrated twice over, as far as I was concerned, and for some years after that I did not visit them at all† (Lawson 218). Therefore, the ponds are of great significance in Crow Lake. The setting has developed from a warm, sweet, memorable place to a scene of crime in crow Lake. The theme of isolation is established and developed through the setting of Crow Lake. Located against the deserted territory of Northern Ontario, Crow Lake is a diffident farming settlement that is â€Å"... linked to the outside world by one dusty road and the railroad tracks† (Lawson 9).

Ole Mac :: essays research papers

I live close to a town called, Hot Coffee, down by the Mississippi River with my family on a small farm. I have two brothers and one sister. When we come home from school we have chores waiting for us. My errand is to feed chickens and collect the eggs for Mama. My older brother Bobby, chops wood for our heat and cooking. Mike, the youngest brother is ten and the smartest of us kids. Well at least we thought he was. His job is feeding the mule Ole Mac.Ole Mac is nine years old and the best mule Daddy ever had. Daddy talked well of Mac, about how strong he is, and how easy he is to plow. Daddy is always saying best dang mule in the county. Mac stands 14 hands tall and 4 feet across the back. He is the biggest mule I've ever seen, and according to Daddy he is also the smartest.One day Mike came by the chicken coop coming from the barn with a big smile."Why you smiling Mike?" I asked opening the coop gate heading for the house too."Oh nothin, nothin at all." He said with that big grin."Oh come on what is it?""Nothin I said and leave me alone." He said running ahead of me toward the house. "Here you are Mama." I said handing her the ten eggs I'd collected."Not bad Jimbo." I loved my Mama more than anything, but I wished she would stop calling me Jimbo. If she kept it up everybody would start doing it. She stirred my hair seeing my frown, she beamed and said, "Sorry I mean James." I smiled at her, "Thanks Mama." "You go wash up for supper now. Your daddy will be in from the fields soon.""Ok." I said going down the hallway to the bathroom.I could hear her talking to Mike."Boy, what in the world are you so happy about." "Nothin Ma, I'm just smilen. Can't I smile?" "Boy, when you smile, I get worried.""Oh Ma, I ain't done nothin for you to worry about." I could hear the smile in his voice. I don't know what Mike did, but I knew it wasn't good. Mike was a smart kid, but sometimes he was too smart for his own good.Bobby was the oldest, at 14 an a half as he called himself. He wasn't the brightest boy you'd want to meet, but at 14 and standing 5'10" all muscle, and let me say this nobody at school said a cross word to him.

Communication in Distributed Agile Development: A Case Study :: Technology, Software Development

Distributed software development (DSD)1 is becoming a common practice in modern software industry [e.g. 1], where the level of distribution can range from team members being located in the same city to those on different continents [2]. The significance of DSD has accelerated because of factors such as improving timetomarket through constant development across different timezones, quick formation of virtual teams and the benefits of business market advantages. These needs have driven the software development efforts further towards a multisite globally distributed environment. [1] Simultaneously, several studies have concluded that distributed enterprises are risky [e.g. 35]. For example, communication and coordination, software quality, schedule overruns and exceeded costs are some of the problems troubling both singlesite and distributed software projects. However, the extent of the problem in the case of DSD seems to be so complex that a thorough understanding of it has not yet been defined. [3, 4] Several studies agree that communication is a particularly important issue in distributed agile development, [e.g. 57]. Agile methods rely on volatile requirements that are managed through efficient verbal communication [8] and thus agile software development methods pose their own challenges to the field of DSD. In order to tackle the problems of DSD, several different techniques have been proposed. These techniques range from using different tools, such as instant messaging [9], videoconferencing [10] and whiteboard software [5] to a set of more general recommendations [5]. We conducted two different case studies with different levels of distribution ranging from the customer being in the same city, to one with a geographical distribution of 600 kilometers within the same country. Therefore, cultural differences were not an issue in these cases. We compared our findings against the recommendations of Layman et al. [5] and provide more insight on their application based on our empirical findings and the existing literature. Even though we were able to evaluate only three recommendations out of the existing four, our contribution provides valuable insight into conducting distributed agile projects. Our results further emphasize the critical role of effective communication, indicating that inefficient and irregular communication in conjunction with volatile requirements can cause severe problems even in very smallscale agile projects. However, it seems that effective communication is not the key. Our cases suggest that having a welldefined customer2 is the key recommendation affecting to recommendations about having a Development Manager [5] and using asynchronous communication channels. As ineffective customer collaboration may render the other recommendations redundant, effective customer collaboration seems to be a key factor for successful distributed agile development. In addition, we complement the existing recommendations by introducing an additional recommendation: i.e. enable and support direct communication between the developers. Unexpectedly, the teams in the second case were not allowed to communicate directly with each other. To compensate, a managementled communication channel was established to balance the communication flow,

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 15

Hurrying behind Damon, Elena tried not to look either to the left or the right. She could see too much of what to Meredith and Bonnie must have appeared to be featureless darkness. There were depots on either side, places where slaves were obviously brought to be bought or sold or transported later. Elena could hear the whimpers of children in the darkness and if she hadn't been so frightened herself, she would have rushed off looking for the crying kids. But I can't do that, because I'm a slave now, she thought, with a sense of shock that ran up from her fingertips. I'm not a real human being anymore. I'm a piece of property. She found herself once again staring at the back of Damon's head and wondering how on earth she had talked herself into this. She understood what being a slave meant – in fact she seemed to have an intuitive understanding of it that surprised her – and it was Not a Good Thing to Be. It meant that she could be†¦well, that anything could be done to her and it was no one's business but that of her owner. And her owner (how had he talked her into this again?) was Damon, of all people. He could sell all three girls – Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie – and be out of here in an hour with the profits. They hurried through this area of the docks, the girls with their eyes on their feet to prevent themselves from stumbling. And then they crested a hill. Below them, in a sort of crater-shaped formation, was a city. The slums were on the edges, and crowded almost up to where they were standing. But there was a chicken-wire fence in front of them, which kept them isolated even while allowing them a bird's-eye view of the city. If they had still been in the cave they had entered, this would have been the greatest underground cavern imaginable – but they weren't underground anymore. â€Å"It happened sometime during the ferry ride,† Damon said. â€Å"We made – well – a twist in space, say.† He tried to explain and Elena tried to understand. â€Å"You went in through the Demon Gate, and when you came out you were no longer in Earth's Dimension, but in another one entirely.† Elena only had to look up at the sky to believe him. The constellations were different; there was no Little or Big Dipper, no North Star. Then there was the sun. It was much larger, but much dimmer than Earth's, and it never left the horizon. At any moment about half of it showed, day and night – terms which, as Meredith pointed out, had lost their rational meaning here. As they approached a gate made of chicken wire that would finally let them out of the slave-holding area, they were stopped by what Elena would later learn was a Guardian. She would learn that in a way, the Guardians were the rulers of the Dark Dimension, although they themselves came from another place far away and it was almost as if they had permanently occupied this little slice of Hell, trying to impose order on the slum king and feudal lords who divided the city among themselves. This Guardian was a tall woman with hair the color of Elena's own – true gold – cut square at shoulder length, and she paid no attention at all to Damon but immediately asked Elena, who was first in line behind him, â€Å"Why are you here?† Elena was glad, very glad, that Damon had taught her to control her aura. She concentrated on that while her brain hummed at supersonic speed, wondering what the right response to this question was. The response that would leave them free and not get them sent home. Damon didn't train us for this, was her first thought. And her second was, no, because he's never been here before. He doesn't know how everything works here, only some things. And if it looked as if this woman was going to try to interfere with him, he might just go crazy and attack her, a helpful little voice added from somewhere in Elena's subconscious. Elena doubled the speed of her scheming. Creative lying had once been a sort of specialty of hers, and now she said the first thing that popped into her head and got a thumbs-up: â€Å"I gambled with him and lost.† Well, it sounded good. People lost all sorts of things when they gambled: plantations, talismans, horses, castles, bottles of genii. And if it turned out not to be enough of a reason, she could always say that that was just the start of her sad story. Best of all, it was in a way, true. Long ago she'd given her life for Damon as well as for Stefan, and Damon had not exactly turned over a new leaf as she'd requested. Half a leaf, maybe. A leaflet. The Guardian was staring at her with a puzzled look in her true blue eyes. People had stared at Elena all her life – being young and very beautiful meant that you fretted only when people didn't stare. But the puzzlement was a bit of a worry. Was the tall woman reading her mind? Elena tried to add another layer of white noise at the top. What came out was a few lines of a Britney Spears song. She turned the psychic volume up. The tall woman put two fingers to her head like someone with a sudden headache. Then she looked at Meredith. â€Å"Why†¦are you here?† Usually Meredith didn't lie at all, but when she did she treated it as an intellectual art. Fortunately, she also never tried to fix something that wasn't broken. â€Å"The same for me,† she said sadly. â€Å"And you?† The woman was looking at Bonnie, who was looking as if she were going to be sick again. Meredith gave Bonnie a little nudge. Then she stared at her hard. Elena stared at her harder, knowing that all Bonnie had to do was mumble â€Å"Me, too.† And Bonnie was a good â€Å"me, too-er† after Meredith had staked out a position. The problem was that Bonnie was also either in trance, or so close to it that it didn't matter. â€Å"Shadow Souls,† Bonnie said. The woman blinked, but not the way you blink when someone says something totally unresponsive. She blinked in astonishment. Oh, God, Elena thought. Bonnie's got their password or something. She's making predictions or prophesying or whatever. â€Å"Shadow†¦souls?† the Guardian said, watching Bonnie closely. â€Å"The city is full of them,† Bonnie said miserably. The Guardian's fingers danced over what looked like a palmtop computer. â€Å"We know that. This is the place they come.† â€Å"Then you should stop it.† â€Å"We have only limited jurisdiction. The Dark Dimension is ruled by a dozen factions of overlords, who have slumlords to carry out their orders.† Bonnie, Elena thought, trying to cut through Bonnie's mental haze even at the cost of the Guardian hearing her. These are the police. At the same moment, Damon took over. â€Å"She's the same as the others,† he said. â€Å"Except that she's psychic.† â€Å"No one asked your opinion,† the Guardian snapped at him, without even glancing in Damon's direction. â€Å"I don't care what kind of bigwig you are down there† – she jerked her head contemptuously at the city of lights – â€Å"you're on my turf behind this fence. And I'm asking the little red-haired girl: is what he is saying the truth?† Elena had a moment of panic. After all they'd been through, if Bonnie blew it now†¦ This time Bonnie blinked. Whatever else she was trying to communicate, it was true that she was the same as Meredith and Elena. And it was true that she was psychic. Bonnie was a terrible liar when she had too much time to think about things, but to this she could say without hesitation, â€Å"Yes, that's true.† The Guardian stared at Damon. Damon stared back as if he could do it all night. He was a champion out-starer. And the Guardian waved them away. â€Å"I suppose even a psychic can have a bad day,† she said, then added to Damon, â€Å"Take care of them. You realize that all psychics have to be licensed?† Damon, with his best grand seigneur manner, said, â€Å"Madam, these are not professional psychics. They are my private assistants.† â€Å"And I'm not a ‘Madam' I'm addressed as ‘Your Judgment.' By the way, people addicted to gambling usually come to horrible ends here.† Ha, ha, Elena thought. If she only knew what kind of gamble we all are taking†¦well, we'd probably be worse off than Stefan is right now. Outside the fence was a courtyard. There were litters here, as well as rickshaws and small goatcarts. No carriages, no horses. Damon got two litters, one for himself and Elena and one for Meredith and Bonnie. Bonnie, still looking confused, was staring at the sun. â€Å"You mean it never finishes rising?† â€Å"No,† Damon said patiently. â€Å"And it's setting here, not rising. Perpetual twilight in the City of Darkness itself. You'll see more as we move along. Don't touch that,† he added, as Meredith moved to untie the rope around Bonnie's wrists before either of them got on the litter. â€Å"You two can take the ropes off in the litter if you draw the curtains, but don't lose them. You're still slaves, and you have to wear something symbolic around your arms to show it – even if it's just matching bracelets. Otherwise I get in trouble. Oh, and you'll have to go veiled in the city.† â€Å"We – what?† Elena flashed a look of disbelief at him. Damon just flashed back a 250-kilowatt smile and before Elena could say another word, he was drawing gauzy sheer fabrics from his black bag and handing them out. The veils were of a size to cover an entire body. â€Å"But you only have to put it on your head or tie it on your hair or something,† Damon said dismissively. â€Å"What's it made of?† Meredith asked, feeling the light silky material, which was transparent and so thin that the wind threatened to whip it from her fingers. â€Å"How should I know?† â€Å"It's different colors on the other side!† Bonnie discovered, letting the wind transform her pale green veil into a shimmering silver. Meredith was shaking out a dramatic deep violet silk into a mysterious dark blue dotted with a myriad of stars. Elena, who had been expecting her own veil to be blue, found herself looking up at Damon. He was holding a tiny square of cloth in a clenched fist. â€Å"Let's see how good you've gotten,† he murmured, nodding her closer to him. â€Å"Guess what color.† Another girl might only have noticed the sloe black eyes and the pure, carven lines of Damon's face, or maybe the wild, wicked smile – somehow wilder and sweeter than ever here, like a rainbow in the middle of a hurricane. But Elena also made note of the stiffness in his neck and shoulders – places where tension built up. The Dark Dimension was already taking its toll on him, psychically, even as he mocked it. She wondered how many soundings of Power by the merely curious he was having to block each second. She was about to offer to help by opening herself up to the eldritch world, when he snapped, â€Å"Guess!† in a tone that didn't make it a suggestion. â€Å"Gold,† Elena said instantly, surprising herself. When she reached to take the golden square from his hand a powerful, pleasurable feeling of electric current shot from her palm up her arm and seemed to skewer her straight through the heart. Damon clung to her fingers briefly as she took the square and Elena found she could still feel electricity pulsing from his fingertips. The underside of her veil blew out white and sparkling as if set with diamonds. God, maybe they were diamonds, she thought. How could you tell with Damon? â€Å"Your wedding veil, perhaps?† Damon murmured, lips close to her ear. The rope around Elena's wrists had come very loose and she stroked the diaphanous fabric helplessly, feeling the tiny jewels on the white side cool to the touch of her fingers. â€Å"How did you know you'd need all this stuff?† Elena asked, with bruising practicality. â€Å"You didn't know everything, but you seemed to know enough.† â€Å"Oh, I did research in bars and other places. I found a few people who'd been here and had managed to get out again – or who had gotten kicked out.† Damon's wild grin grew even wilder. â€Å"At night while you were asleep. At a little hidden store, I got those.† He nodded at her veil, and added, â€Å"You don't have to wear that over your face or anything. Press it to your hair and it will cling to it.† Elena did so, wearing the gold side out. It fell to her heels. She fingered her veil, already able to see the flirtatious possibilities in it, as well as the dismissive ones. If only she could get this damned rope off her wrists†¦ After a moment, Damon retreated back into the persona of the imperturbable master and said, â€Å"For all our sakes, we ought to be strict about these things. The slum lords and nobility who run this abominable mess they call the Dark Dimension know that it's only two days away from revolution at any time, and if we add anything to the balance they're going to Make a Public Example of Us.† â€Å"All right,† Elena said. â€Å"Here, hold my string and I'll get on the litter.† But there wasn't much point in the rope, not once they were both sitting in the same litter. It was carried by four men – not big men, but wiry ones, and all of the same height, which made for a smooth ride. If Elena had been a free citizen, she would never have allowed herself to be carried by four people whom (she assumed) were slaves. In fact, she would have made a big noisy fuss over it. But that talk she'd had with herself at the docks had sunk in. She was a slave, even if Damon hadn't paid anyone to buy her. She didn't have the right to make a big noisy fuss about anything. In this crimson, evil-smelling place she could imagine that her fuss might even make problems for the litter bearers themselves – make their owner or whoever ran the litter-bearing business punish them, as if it were their fault. Best Plan A for now: Keep Mouth Shut. There was plenty to see anyway, now that they had passed on a bridge over bad-smelling slums and alleys full of tumbledown houses. Shops began to appear, at first heavily barred and made of unpainted stone, then more respectable buildings, and then suddenly they were winding their way through a bazaar. But even here the stamp of poverty and weariness appeared on too many faces. Elena had expected, if anything, a cold, black, antiseptic city with emotionless vampires and fire-eyed demons walking the streets. Instead, everyone she saw looked human, and they were selling things – from medicines to food and drink – that vampires didn't need. Well, maybe the kitsune and the demons need them, Elena reasoned, shuddering at the idea of what a demon might want to eat. On the street corners were hard-faced, scantily clad girls and boys, and tattered, haggard people holding pathetic signs: A MEMORY FOR A MEAL. â€Å"What do they mean?† Elena asked Damon, but he didn't answer her immediately. â€Å"This is how the free humans of the city spend most of their time,† he said. â€Å"So remember that, before you start going on one of your crusades – â€Å" Elena wasn't listening. She was staring at one of the holders of such a sign. The man was horribly thin, with a straggly beard and bad teeth, but worse was his look of vacant despair. Every so often he would hold out a trembling hand on which there was a small, clear ball, which he balanced on his palm, muttering, â€Å"A summer's day when I was young. A summer's day for a ten-geld piece.† As often as not there was no one near when he said this. Elena slipped off a lapis ring Stefan had given her and held it toward him. She didn't want to annoy Damon by getting out of the litter, and she had to say, â€Å"Come here, please,† while holding the ring toward the bearded man. He heard, and came to the litter quickly enough. Elena saw something move in his beard – lice, perhaps – and she forced herself to stare at the ring as she said, â€Å"Take it. Quickly, please.† The old man stared at the ring as if it were a banquet. â€Å"I don't have change,† he moaned, bringing up his hand and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. He seemed about to drop to the ground unconscious. â€Å"I don't have change!† â€Å"I don't want change!† Elena said through the huge swelling that had formed in her throat. â€Å"Take the ring. Hurry or I'll drop it.† He snatched it from her fingers as the litter bearers started forward again. â€Å"May the Guardians bless you, lady,† he said, trying to keep up with the litter bearer's trot. â€Å"Hear me who may! May They bless you!† â€Å"You really shouldn't,† Damon said to Elena when the voice had died away behind them. â€Å"He's not going to get a meal with that, you know.† â€Å"He was hungry,† Elena said softly. She couldn't explain that he reminded her of Stefan, not just now. â€Å"It was my ring,† she added defensively. â€Å"I suppose you're going to say he'll spend it on alcohol or drugs.† â€Å"No, but he won't get a meal with it, either. He'll get a banquet.† â€Å"Well, so much the – â€Å" â€Å"In his imagination. He'll get a dusty orb with some old vampire's memory of a Roman feast, or someone from the city's memory of a modern one. Then he'll play it over and over as he slowly starves to death.† Elena was appalled. â€Å"Damon! Quick! I have to go back and find him – â€Å" â€Å"You can't, I'm afraid.† Lazily, Damon held up a hand. He had a firm grip on her rope. â€Å"Besides, he's long gone.† â€Å"How can he do that? How could anyone do that?† â€Å"How can a lung cancer patient refuse to quit smoking? But I agree that those orbs can be the most addictive substances of all. Blame the kitsune for bringing their star balls here and making them the most popular form of obsession.† â€Å"Star balls? Hoshi no tama?† Elena gasped. Damon stared at her, looking equally surprised. â€Å"You know about them?† â€Å"All I know is what Meredith researched. She said that kitsune were often portrayed with either keys† – she raised her eyebrows at him – â€Å"or with star balls. And that myths say they can put some or all of their power in the ball, so that if you find it, you can control the kitsune. She and Bonnie want to find Misao's or Shinichi's star balls and have control over them.† â€Å"Be still, my unbeating heart,† Damon said dramatically, but the next second he was all business. â€Å"Remember what that old guy said? A summer's day for a meal? He was talking about this.† Damon picked up the little marble that the old man had dropped on the litter and held it to Elena's temple. The world disappeared. Damon was gone. The sights and sounds – yes, and the smells – of the bazaar were gone. She was sitting on green grass which rippled in a slight breeze and she was looking at a weeping willow that bent down to a stream that was copper and deep, deep green at once. There was some sweet scent in the air – honeysuckle, freesia? Something delicious that stirred Elena as she leaned back to gaze at picture-perfect white clouds rolling in a cerulean sky. She felt – she didn't know how to say it. She felt young, but somewhere in her mind she knew that she was actually younger than this alien personality that had taken hold of her. Still, she felt excited that it was springtime and every golden-green leaf, every springy little reed, every weightless white cloud seemed to be rejoicing with her. Then suddenly her heart was pounding. She had just caught the sound of a footfall behind her. In one, springing joyous moment she was on her feet, arms held out in the extremity of her love, the wild devotion she felt for this†¦ †¦this young girl? Something inside the sphere user's brain seemed to fall back in bewilderment. Most of it, though, was taken up with cataloguing the perfections of the girl who had crept up so lightly in the waving grass: the clustering dark curls at her neck, the flashing green eyes below arching brows, the smooth glowing skin of her cheeks as she laughed with her lover, pretending to run away on feet as light as any elf's†¦! Pursued and pursuer both fell down together on the soft carpet of long grass†¦and then things quickly got so steamy that Elena, the distant mind in the background, began wondering how on earth you made one of these things stop. Every time she put her hand to her temple, groping, she was caught and kissed breathless by†¦Allegra†¦that was the girl, Allegra. And Allegra was certainly beautiful, especially through this particular viewer's eyes. The creamy soft skin of her†¦ And then, with a shock just as great as she'd felt when the bazaar disappeared, it appeared again. She was Elena; she was riding on the litter with Damon; there was a cacophony of sounds around her – and a thousand different smells, too. But she was breathing hard and part of her was still resounding with John – that had been his name – with John's love for Allegra. â€Å"But I still don't understand,† she almost keened. â€Å"It's simple,† Damon said. â€Å"You put a blank star ball of the size you like to your temple and you think back to the time you want to record. The star ball does the rest.† He waved off her attempted interruption and leaned forward with mischief in those fathomless black eyes of his. â€Å"Perhaps you got an especially warm summer day?† he said, adding suggestively, â€Å"These litters do have curtains you can draw closed.† â€Å"Don't be silly, Damon,† Elena said, but John's feelings had sparked her own, like flint and tinder. She didn't want to kiss Damon, she told herself sternly. She wanted to kiss Stefan. But since a moment ago she had been kissing Allegra, it didn't seem as strong an argument as it could be. â€Å"I don't think,† she began, still breathless, as Damon reached for her, â€Å"that this is a very good†¦Ã¢â‚¬  With a smooth flick of the rope, Damon untied her hands completely. He would have pulled it off both wrists, but Elena immediately half-turned, supporting herself with that hand. She needed the support. In the circumstances, though, there was nothing more meaningful – or more†¦exciting†¦than what Damon had done. He hadn't drawn the curtains, but Bonnie and Meredith were behind them on their own litter, out of sight. Certainly out of Elena's mind. She felt warm arms around her, and instinctively nestled into them. She felt a surge of pure love and appreciation for Damon, for his understanding that she could never do this as a slave with a master. We're both of us unmastered, she heard in her head, and she remembered that when cooling down most of her psychic abilities she had forgotten to set the volume on low for this one. Oh, well, it might just come in handy†¦. But we both enjoy worship, she replied telepathically, and felt his laughter on her lips as he admitted the truth of it. There was nothing sweeter in her life these days than Damon's kisses. She could drift like this forever, forgetting the outside world. And that was a good thing, because she had the feeling that there was much depression in the outside and not too much happiness. But if she could always come back to this, this welcome, this sweetness, this ecstasy†¦ Elena jerked in the litter, throwing her weight back so fast that the men carrying it almost fell in a heap. â€Å"You bastard,† she whispered venomously. They were still psychically entangled, and she was glad to see that through Damon's eyes she was like a vengeful Aphrodite: her golden hair lifting and whipping behind her like a thunderstorm, her eyes shining violet in her elemental fury. And now, worst of all, this goddess turned her face away from him. â€Å"Not one day,† she said. â€Å"You couldn't even keep your promise for a single day!† â€Å"I didn't! I didn't Influence you, Elena!† â€Å"Don't call me that. We have a professional relationship now. I call you ‘Master.' You can call me ‘Slave' or ‘Dog' or whatever you want.† â€Å"If we have the professional relationship of master and slave,† Damon said, his eyes dangerous, â€Å"then I can just order you to – â€Å" â€Å"Try it!† Elena lifted her lips in what really wasn't a smile. â€Å"Why don't you do that, and see just what happens?†

Canada’s Recreational Parks

â€Å"The capacity to use leisure rightly is the basis of a man's whole life.† This observation by Aristotle clearly proves the significance that it holds in our time. Previously, when the struggle for food and shelter took most of a man's time, the ability to use leisure rightly had less significance. Over time there has been a vast change in thinking with regards to the usefulness of leisure, especially pertaining to issues concerned with land use and outdoor recreation resources. Hence, this essay will present a case study on Algonquin Provincial Park, which will draw on aspects of the workings of leisure and/or tourism and how various theories such as Distance Decay, the ‘Ellis Curve', the theories of Valene Smith and Doxey, give an insightful meaning to the planning and management of sustainable ecosystems. In Canada, the emergence of parks, especially national and provincial parks, plays an integral role in our consideration of outdoor recreation resources. Public awareness with regards to this importance has enabled the public to â€Å"recognize more clearly a collective responsibility for the management of our environment and preservation of its values.† Also, with the technology that has become increasingly available to use, our abilities to alter the landscape have left very little lands to preserve in their natural beauty. Therefore, the conservation or preservation of resource-based parks should be implemented before all opportunities disappear permanently. As well, providing leisure opportunities enables us to fulfill our objectives of the best possible standard of living for every individual. In relation to this point there is a growing acceptance the â€Å"nature sanctuaries of solitude and repose where people can find re-creation of body and spirit are essential to provide a change from the pace and demands of modern civilization.† Thus, the provision of suitable land for outdoor living should deserve consideration in competing land uses. It is already agreed upon the notion that we must provision land for outdoor recreation as a necessary public service; but the question now remains how to maintain the demand for such services when faced with a dwindling supply (available land) and an increasing demand (rising population, rising income/quality of life = increasing discretionary income = availability of more leisure time). This leads us to the objectives of the necessity and objectives of our (Ontario) provincial park system. The basic reasons for establishing provincial parks have remained essentially fluid over time. â€Å"Protection, recreation, heritage appreciation, and tourism are the objectives of the current provincial park system.† These were the same reasons evoked in the late 1800's for setting aside the first provincial parks in Ontario. As a general description, in Ontario, the parks tend to be fragmented and multilayered. This means that at the provincial level of parks and outdoor recreation there are â€Å"at least 15 provincial departments, agencies, or commissions are actively engaged in parks and open space programs.† The parks are essentially used by many groups and individuals to satisfy a great number of recreational needs. Therefore, a given park may be multi layered(administered at several governmental levels) and multi purpose in nature. Recently, with respect to the objectives of provincial parks, the policy has taken an economic outlook towards its managements. For instance, according to the official mandate of Ontario Parks is â€Å"to protect, plan, develop, and manage Ontario's system of provincial parks while improving their self reliance.† Thus, the objective of creating and managing these parks is to â€Å"improve services to increase revenues, and, inturn, to sustain other parks.† This shows a marked difference in the nature of recreation perceived by park developers. By this we mean that the nature of the park itself has changed from one that was once for conservation and recreation to that of financial stability. For example, from excerpts from the Ontario Parks Objectives, the business objectives include the objective of â€Å"operating more like a business and improving customer service and market our products and services†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as goals. Their business plan includes, among others, objectives to create â€Å"a special purpose account for retaining and managing park revenues (fees, licences, permits, rentals) to be developed. It will improve customer service, maximize revenues and make park operations more efficient and accountable.† As this shows, the very basic existence of Ontario Parks has changed from one that provided outdoor recreation opportunities to every man, woman and child, to that of a corporate enterprise, trying to maximize profit in a monopolized marketplace. This is how recreation has changed over the time frame of the development of the parks to the present day policies and initiatives undertaken by the province which manages these parks. Algonquin Park is Ontario's first Provincial Park and is located in the region of ‘Near North' in Ontario. The essence of Algonquin is its vast Interior of maple hills, rocky ridges, spruce bogs, and thousands of lakes, ponds and streams. More than 250 bird species have been recorded in the park. Many southern and overseas birders make special trips to Algonquin just to see northern specialties such as the Gray Jay and the Spruce Grouse, not to mention the rich variety of warblers or Algonquin's most famous bird of all – the Common Loon, found nesting on just about every lake. Hence, a practical casestudy to examine, is that of Algonquin Park. Algonquin Park was established in 1893 due to the growing concerns at the time. These issues revolved around the wood supply and climate that were being threatened by massive clearing of forests. The person responsible for the parks first lands reserves was Robert Phipps, who was strongly influenced by the public and senior civil servants of Ontario. Phipps believed that it was imperative to stop settlement and land clearing activities in this part of Ontario. He stated that â€Å"when covered with extensive woods the principal heights of land forms reservoirs which supply the sources of numerous rivers, give moisture to the numerous small lakes and watercourses†¦below them, and preserve throughout the whole country a fertility, invariably much impaired when the forests are removed.† Robert Phipps enlisted the help of Alexander Kirkwood, who advised a commission that the objectives of establishing the first provincial park should be to â€Å"1)preserve the headwaters of the park river systems, 2) to preserve the native forests, 3) to protect birds, fish, game and fur bearing animals, 4) to provide an area for forest experimentation, 5) to serve as a ‘health resort and pleasure ground for the benefit, advantage and enjoyment of the people of the province.† As well, the chairman of the Royal Commission on Game and Fish, that the provincial government had been forced to set up, by the public, was convinced that Ontario's fish and wildlife were in the process of being eliminated. Therefore it was recommended the â€Å"formation of a provincial game park as the best means of restocking the province† with wildlife should be created. These powerful influences ensured that the park would be created and maintained. Therefore, by establishing the park in 1893, it not only tended to stop logging but to establish a wildlife sanctuary, and by excluding agriculture, â€Å"to protect the headwaters of the five major rivers which flow from the park.† The original name was â€Å"Algonquin National Park†, but it was in fact always under Ontario's jurisdiction. The name was officially changed to Algonquin Provincial Park in 1913. It was named to honour the Algonquin-speaking first nation people and to date covers more than 7725 square kilometres of forest, lakes, and rivers. As the park has changed and evolved since its creation, so to have the policies concerning Algonquin. The construction of the railroad across Algonquin after the park was created, was used primarily for logging purposes. It was constructed between the years 1894 and 1896. However, the completion of the railway had a great effect on the recreational use of the new park, for it was now accessible for the first time to everyone. For the next 40 years, the people using the park for purposes like lodges, youth camp, could only be accessed by train. Some predicted that the multi purpose uses for the park (logging, recreation) would soon run into complications. After the construction of Highway 60 from 1933 to 1936, an alternative to the railroad provided even greater access to the park's facilities. More than 3600 automobiles entered the park's gate during the highway's first full year of operation, and soon campgrounds had been established at popular sites. At the same time, this more convenient means of access to Algonquin made the demise of the railroad just a question of time. The increasing conflict between logging and recreation finally came true – the late 1960s were a time of great public controversy and debate about the role of logging in Algonquin. Most believed that the logging was unacceptable with the wilderness park they wanted. This lead to the Algonquin Park Committee designed to present and implement official policy guidelines with regards to the management of Algonquin provincial park. The report created was called the Algonquin Master Plan. It addressed the contemporary issues/problems that were facing the park and the solutions recommended by park planners to rectify the situation. The Algonquin Park Master Plan was released by the Ontario government in 1974. It was also decided to review the effectiveness of this plan's policy every five years and to suggest better ways to improve the park during these times. These periodic public reviews and modifications would not take away the main focus of the plan. As stated earlier, the plan was prepared by the Ontario government in an attempt to resolve the many â€Å"conflicting demands being placed on the Park, and to set out rational guidelines for Algonquin's future use and development in the face of pressures that can only become stronger in the years to come.† The Master Plan's official goal for Algonquin is to â€Å"provided continuing opportunities for a diversity of low intensity recreational experiences, within the constraint of the contribution of the Park to the economic life of the region.† What this essentially implied is that logging would continue to operate within the park's boundaries, but that it would be managed in such a way that the â€Å"feel† of wilderness is not destroyed by either logging or recreational activities. The main features from the Master Plan remain unchanged. Some of the highlights from the Master Plan include that the park is divided into zones each with different allowed uses. Logging, for example, is permitted only in the recreation-utilization, or about 57% of the park's total area. Other zones include wilderness zones, development zones, nature reserve zones, and historical zones. Another feature of the Plan was the cancellation of the existing timber licences held by some twenty logging companies, and the creation of a Crown agency called the Algonquin Forestry Authority. It now carries out all logging and forest management in the park in accordance with comprehensive regulations administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Authority sells the wood to the mills which were formerly supplied by the private companies. In another attempt to control the logging practices of the forest, the provincial government has created a planning process called Lands for Life which states that â€Å"logging companies will manage our public land and will have rights to it for up to 100 years at a time. Logging companies have openly stated that they do not want any new protected areas to come out of Lands for Life and they want to log in existing parks like Algonquin.† The third area where the Plan introduced far-reaching changes was that of recreation in the park interior. In an effort to preserve those qualitites shown by studies and questionnaires to be sought after by the vast majority of interior users, the Plan called for regulations such as banned motor boats from most lakes, limiting the number of canoeists, limiting the size of interior camping parties, and banning disposable cans and bottles in the park interior. Another area under intense scrutiny was that of the park's perimeter. The committee recommended the provision of additional intensive recreation facilities outside the boundaries of Algonquin park. Basically, the committee had in mind the establishment of additional facilities in order to takes some of the pressure off Algonquin. The park, in their terms, had reached its carrying capacity due to overuse. The natural solution is to establish satellite parks. Another issue relates to that of concessions and the committee commented on this by stating that the â€Å"proposed expansion of the park facilities to meet the anticipated demand is going to be expensive from capital cost and from operating and research expenses. It is appropriate that the park users should pay a fair share of the costs through users' fees such as entrance and camping fees. The balance of the costs could properly be borne by the general revenues of the province.† Many of these provisions continue to be refined and modified particularly in response to periodic public reviews of the Master Plan. Thus new issues that deal with human interaction through outdoor recreation and the stability of the park are continuously brought up. The decisions by the park planners with respect to the issues facing the park could not have all been foreseen. They believe that the park, though growing and facing new changes with respect to its needs for outdoor recreation, serves â€Å"its original purpose as well as many of the interests currently are being expressed by the various elements within society today.† Taking into consideration the objectives and aims of the Ontario Provincial Government to ensure the protection and future developmental process of the Algonquin Park, one can apply certain theories. A theory which applies to the Algonquin Provincial Park is the issue of Distance Decay. Distance Decay states the further away a place is from a community, there will be a significantly lower the number of visitors. With reference to the Distance Function Graph, the percentage of users of the Algonquin Provincial Park before infrastructure improvements the slope of the curve had a steady outward decrease. However, with the improvements of the infrastructure such as the establishment of Highway 60, the slope of the curve has changed. The inferred increase in the slope of the curve means that the park has become more accessible and hence an increase in the number of visitors. In 1997, more than 8.5 million people enjoyed provincial parks and as many as 2,400 people attended public wolf howling sessions in Algonquin in a day. And with the further improvements of the park, these numbers are expected to increase. The expected increase of users is a concern of Ontario Parks hence a limitation of visitors was established. The Distance Decay function, however, is tied to the theory of Valene Smith, Hosts and Guests, 1977. Smith classifies the type of tourist and their adaptations to local norms. In the past the Algonquin Park has mainly attracted the ‘Explorer' type of tourist, limited in numbers but who accepts fully the environment. However, an argument can be put forward that the type of tourist to Algonquin has shifted to the ‘Incipient Mass' type tourist. Reasoning for this classification is because there is now a steady flow of tourist to the park, but mainly because the tourists now seek Western amenities. These amenities are the presence of newly established restaurants, lodging and designated walking trails. The Algonquin Park, in some sense, is moving towards a McDonalization of Tourism, in which vacations are controlled as to the number of people allowed into the park and predictable with respect to the areas visitors are allowed to visit. The natural concept of going to Algonquin to experience nature first hand, is therefore somewhat lost by the adding of museums and the creation of a tourism bubble. There is nothing real anymore. Like Disney theme parks, fakes ( ‘simulacra') are more real than ‘the real'. The tourism experience becomes one of ‘tourism consumerism', a concept of Post-Tourism. Therefore, there is no ‘authentic' tourist experience because the post-tourist realize that they are play a game. The experience of going to Algonquin to watch the birds or to see the wolves is in a controlled atmosphere – it is not the ‘real thing' – but rather an assimilation of what the tourists expect to see when visiting Algonquin. In conclusion, the ‘Ellis Curve' helps to visually summarize the concepts and effects of tourism on Algonquin Provincial Park. Before Algonquin Provincial Park was established in 1893, the placement of Algonquin along the ‘Ellis Curve' can be arguably placed in the ‘A' quadrant. The reasoning for this placement is because, the tourism effects were more favourable to the environment – more Explorer type tourist- and to the economy, wherein there was the presence of private logging companies. After 1893, the placement of Algonquin was now closer towards the â€Å"B† quadrant. The tourism effect became less favourable towards the environment and more favourable for the economy. The improved infrastructure created an increase in users, a shift in the type of tourist – Incipient Mass – and an increase presence of logging companies, all of which placed concerns about the carrying capacity of Algonquin Park. However, through the new objectives of the Provincial Government in levying user fees of campgrounds, the consolidation of logging under Crown supervision to deal with the issue of the carrying capacity, the placement of Algonquin could be placed back in Quadrant ‘A'. Striking a balance between the recreational aspect of the park and the economic functions of logging has been the primary focus of Ontario Parks. The step towards the concept of McDonaldization of Tourism can be seen as a form of alternative tourism in which monetary concerns to fund educational programs and the preservation of the ecosystem by limiting human impact, is seen as the better of the two evils. Finally, with drawn reference to the work of Doxey, The Irritation Index of Tourism, my personal opinion is that the present environmental policies in place have established a level of apathy, wherein the attitude of tourist (the public) and host (park operators) is a moderate acceptance and support of tourism and is a positive step towards fulfilling â€Å"the capacity to use leisure rightly as the basis of man's whole life.†