Monday, March 9, 2020
Sustainable Tourism Essays
Sustainable Tourism Essays Sustainable Tourism Essay Sustainable Tourism Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Sustainable Tourism Sustainable tourism is defined as tourism initiated to provide tourism with the lowest environmental impact and cultural alterations of a location. This ensures that there is the presence of sustainable development while ensuring the development of future employment of local populations. There are numerous aspects of sustainable tourism, which could be actualized, in the contemporary society (Swarbrooke, 5). They include eco-tourism, green tourism or travel, environmentally and culturally sensitive tourism fair trades and ethically sensitive traveling for the tourists as well as for the tour operators. Other definition of sustainable tourism include the use of tourism as a means for management of resources for the overall economical, societal and aesthetical fulfillment of the needs of the populace of an area engaged in tourism as an income generating action. The tourism industry is considered as one of the largest industries in the world given the high incomes generated from the industry. However, as an income generating industry and size it is considered as one of the most demanding industries due to the need for quality infrastructure for access by the tourists. Hence, countries with inadequate resources for establishing high end or adequate infrastructure are unable to tape sufficiently into the tourism industry (Swarbrooke, 13). Establishment of infrastructure is considered as one of the main prerequisites by authorities into tapping into the tourism industry adequately. However, establishment of infrastructure plays a significant role in the degradation of the natural surroundings of an area as well as disruption of economic and cultural aspects in a given community. On the other hand, tourism plays a great role in improving the economic conditions of areas or countries, which are involved in sale of tourism products to the international, as well as the local markets. Tourism according to the World Travel council (WTTC) accounts for the provision of more than 255 million jobs around the world, which translates, to 10.7% of the total global labor force. This is an impressive figure in that numerous numbers of people rely on tourism as a sole source of livelihoods to support themselves as well as their families (Stakeholder Forumââ¬â¢s Towards Earth Summit 2002, pp. 3). Aspects of tourism such as ecotourism in the past were not considered adequately by tourism authorities around the world. There have been negative perceptions about the effects of ecotourism and other conservative forms of tourism around the world. This is because authorities need to use the channels, which they consider as appropriate for generating the most revenue without consideration for their surroundings, as well as the diminishing cultures of the various communities in the touristsââ¬â¢ sites or areas. There is a dire need for sensitization of communities as well as governmental agencies involved in promotion of the various tourism products. However, aspects such as ecotourism could not fully discover the ability of transforming the tourism industry into a conservative medium for both culture and environment. Tourism in developing countries constitutes more than half of the GDP accrued from such entities. In addition, this is also the same for lower middle-income countries around the world. This is evidenced by the presence of the top tourists destinations around the world situated in low incomes countries where majority of their populace live under the minimum wage. Between the years 1990 and 1997, the economic growth of many countries identified as tourist destinations accounted for more than 50% of the total revenues of the countries identified as key destinations (Stakeholder Forumââ¬â¢s Towards Earth Summit 2002, pp. 7). It is evident that tourism could be used as a platform for propagating conservationism. However, it is also a means for damage of the environment because of the numerous developments needed to ensure that the tourists have adventure in the course of heir visits. Environmental damage usually takes place in the form of new infrastructure developments as well as the burden placed on a location due to the increase in the populace. Higher populations necessitate the need for development of new social amenities as well as other infrastructure. The consequences of such investments in infrastructure have a great negative impact on the society, as well as the environment. Tourism has a strong disruption especially on the culture and societal structures of a certain community (Swarbrooke, 25). Such negative impacts include the financial leakages associated with the increased income and inflows of funds in a community resulting in an increase, in the costs of living in an area engaged in tourism and related activities. In addition, it also results in other negative societal impacts such as gender bias in terms of access to the various resources such as societal amenities. Other impacts include sexual exploitation resulting in commercial sex industry growth, imbalances in the formal ad informal sectors, imbalances in domestic and international tourism leading to bias among the various communities due to the need to fight for resources. Tourism usually depends on the natural environment to accrue revenues from tourist visits. Increase in urbanization in the various tourist destinations around the world, results in the destruction of the natural flora and fauna of a destination because of the need to create space for new settlements and the processes of industrialization. Sceneries, cultural heritage, natural features and biodiversity usually constitute the main attractions to tourists. It is essential for tourist authorities to ensure that the various touristsââ¬â¢ sites are protected from pollution in terms of both the environment, as well as the cultures of their respective communities or countries. Efforts for safeguarding the environment should be placed as a high priority for governments as this would ensure that the countries are able to sustain and uphold their heritages. This is essential, as it would accrue long-term societal and economic benefits to the governments as well as their respective populations. Areas or locations where there is minimal human interference are usually considered as fragile and susceptible to degradation by little or any other level of human interference. Areas such as small islands, coastal locations, wetlands, mountainous regions, as well as deserts usually are among the main attractions for tourists in the numerous venues around the world. However, the identified natural areas are usually fragile areas, which are susceptible to changes in the surroundings because of interference by any form of human activity. Hence, any form of degradation by human activity is usually considered as a start to the reduction of allure of a tourist attraction. Marketers and tour operators usually use the term ââ¬Å"ecotourismâ⬠as merely a ââ¬Å"greenwashâ⬠marketing tool for attracting environmentally sensitive tourists. Tour operators usually use unsustainable forms of tourism, which materially affect the environmental conditions of tourist locations. Fragile areas usually appeal to tourists who want to witness nature at its best, which has not been polluted by human activities (World Tourism Organization, 26). High wastage traits of the foreigners or tourists into a natural habitat usually pose a threat to the environment irrespective of the guise of conduct of ecotourism or sustainable tourism. Such could also happen in areas where there are inadequate social amenities such as waste management resources to accommodate the unprecedented influx in the number of individuals. Unsustainable tourism usually incorporates various possibilities of degradation of the environment, cultures within a given tourist attraction. The gradual degradation of areas, which are considered prime attractions of the tourists could result in negative impacts on the society, provided if the communities rely on the areas for sustenance. The resultant effects could include new means of accrual of income for the community, if the areas become unattractive for the tourists if the areas are degraded by the influx of visitors and other human activities. Such could be an increase in crime, adoption of prostitution as a means of accrual of incomes, child labor and sexual exploitation of children as well as adults. Hence, it is essential to ensure that such areas are sustained and accrue long-term benefits to the respective communities (Miller, Twining-Ward, 33) Ecotourism is one of the main approaches, which could be assumed for the achievement of sustainable tourism and accrual of both societal and economic benefits. Another assumable and common approach that is gaining popularity around the world is responsible and pro-poor tourism. Poverty alleviation through tourism is a new approach as that assumed by the World Tourism Organization, which aims at reduction of poverty among communities around the world situated in the major tourist locations. The adoption of sustainable tourism could enable the attainment of the goals of sustainable development coupled by the presence of other benefits such as revitalization of economies, support to local communities in tourist locations. Others include protection of the environment as well as protection of the environment and generation of savings in terms of the costs and efficient tourism for the tour operators as well as their respective companies (Herremans, 29). Attainment of sustainable tourism could be achieved through the development of policy tools, awareness programs, and local participation of the communities in sustainable tourism and the implementation of plans for attainment of sustainable tourism goals. Main strategies for achievement of sustainable tourism in the contemporary society should be an incorporation of the various goals and needs of the community, the environment and the tourism industry. The governmental tourist agencies could ensure that the host communities within the various tourist locations are able to manage the visitation of their respective tourist locations (Ioannides, Apostolopoulos, Sevil, 17). Such would ensure that they are able to accrue maximum financial benefits are accrued to the communities. In addition, this would ensure that such communities are able to reduce the negative cultural implications, which could be resultant from the new forms of tourism, which are developing, in the modern society. It is also essential for governmental agencies responsible for tourism as well as other stakeholders to ensure the presence of productivity and diversity of the various tourist habitats through the implementation of the various conventions and agreements adopted for the achievement of sustainable tourism goals (Middleton, Hawkins, 37). Cooperation and coordination between the various agencies involved in tourism is needed. Enhanced coordination and cooperation would ensure the presence of foreign direct investments and partnerships with interested parties in either public or private sectors for investments in new means of sustainable tourism. Investment support is usually essential for the establishment of programs as well as infrastructure for sustainable tourism. This is aimed at promotion of new plans for the development of new strategies by defining the responsibilities to be assumed by the various agencies and stakeholders. Such ensures that all the involved parties have defined responsibilities in the attainment of sustainable development and tourism practices. In addition, there is also need for the ratification of the international as well as national agreements for the implementation of legal mechanisms, which would ensure that the tourism communities accrue maximum benefits as well as the achievement of sustainable development and adoption of better and naturally sensitive forms of tourism. This involves the evaluation of the current legal frameworks, regulatory frameworks, for development of new strategies for the needed changes to ensure transition from the existing frameworks to new frameworks for the achievement of sustainable tourism (Font, Ralf, 33). The participation of the citizens and respective communities in their respective tourist locations is paramount to ensure that the communities share ideas, which they would want, factored in the new forms of tourism. The community would be able to ensure that the new policies are in line with their needs and wants as well as their best interests are factored in the proposals. They would also become part of stakeholders in the assessment of the environmental impacts posed by the various tourism activities (Eagles et al, 41). Such assessment is essential as it ensures that the community is able to understand the necessity of the conservation efforts to ensure long-term benefits for the community. In addition, it is also essential for the establishment of initiatives and programs, which promote the interaction between the host communities and the tourists (Budruk, Rhonda, 32). This is essential as it creates a better understanding of the needs of the other party; the tourists understand the needs of the host community whereas the community understands the needs of the tourists. Such an understanding enables cooperation in terms of the developmental and tourism initiatives for achievement of sustainable forms of tourism. The main strategy for the establishment and identification of a path to be assumed in the establishment of sustainable forms of tourism is based on designing and planning of a plan for achievement of sustainable development and tourism. This involves set up of countrywide policies, which would ensure the achievement of development. It also involves in the examination of various factors such as the potency of influence on the economical, political, societal and cultural implications associated with the introduction of new tourism products, which are essentially sustainable. Work Cited Budruk, Megha, Rhonda Phillips. Quality-of-life Community Indicators for Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Dordrecht: Springer, 2011. Print. Eagles, Paul F. J, Stephen F. McCool, Christopher D. Haynes. Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management. Gland, Switzerland: IUCNââ¬âthe World Conservation Union, 2002. Print. Font, Xavier, Ralf Buckley. Tourism Ecolabelling: Certification and Promotion of Sustainable Management. Wallingford, Oxon: CABI Pub, 2001. Print. Herremans, Irene M. Cases in Sustainable Tourism: An Experiential Approach to Making Decisions. New York: Haworth Hospitality Press, 2006. Print. Ioannides, Dimitri, Yiorgos Apostolopoulos, Sevil F. So?nmez. Mediterranean Islands and Sustainable Tourism Development: Practices, Management and Policies. London: Continuum, 2001. Print. Middleton, Victor T. C, Rebecca Hawkins. Sustainable Tourism: A Marketing Perspective. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998. Print. Miller, Graham, Louise Twining-Ward. Monitoring for a Sustainable Tourism Transition: The Challenge of Developing and Using Indicators. Wallingford, UK: CABI Pub, 2005. Print. Stakeholder Forumââ¬â¢s Towards Earth Summit 2002. ââ¬Å"Sustainable Tourism-Turning the Tideâ⬠Economic Briefing, No. 4, 2002. Print. Swarbrooke, John. Sustainable Tourism Management. Wallingford, Oxon, UK: CABI Pub, 1999. Print. World Tourism Organization. Sustainable Tourism Management at World Heritage Sites: Enhancing Inter-Agency and Stakeholder Coordination for Joint Action. Madrid: World Tourism Organization, 2009. Print.
Saturday, February 22, 2020
How Amazon Became One of Todays Major Online Retail Players Essay
How Amazon Became One of Todays Major Online Retail Players - Essay Example Amazon.com is a multinational electronic commerce company and is the worldââ¬â¢s largest online retailer. It was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994. As Fisk (2009, p. 102) states, the company started its business operations as on online bookstore and rapidly grew as a retailer of DVDs, CDs, MP3 downloads, video games, apparel, computer software, food and toys. The firm provides international shipping services to several countries in order to market some of its products. In 2010, the company earned US$34.304 billion as revenues on the strength of its 33,700 employees. The companyââ¬â¢s remarkable achievements during a short period of time can be directly attributed to its strategic changes in the E-commerce practice. The retail E-commerce can be classified into two broad categories such as traditional forms and modern forms. The traditional forms of E-commerce mainly constituted online shopping which is a process that enables customers to purchase required products from any part of t he globe as and when needed. The idea of a ââ¬Å"virtual bookstoreâ⬠assisted the Amazon to dominate the market since its very initial stages of business once this concept was new to consumers. In addition, the company offered special features related to selection, convenience, price, and service. The companyââ¬â¢s huge database of 1.1 million titles aided its customers to get a wide range of book selection (University of Washington). Amazonââ¬â¢s patented ââ¬Ë1-Clickââ¬â¢ express shooting technology provided greater convenience to customers as this feature made the ordering process easy. Amazon also allowed high discounts on best sellers. ââ¬Å"The e-mail and telephone customer support, automated order confirmation, and tracking and shipping informationâ⬠were the innovative service features of the company (Introduction to E-commerce). Since the internet has imposed little selling regulation on the firm, it could rapidly grow using its real-time optimization strategy.à à Ã
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Take home final exam Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Take home final exam - Term Paper Example The advent of ââ¬ËEmailââ¬â¢ as a form of social media was made in the year 1966. This form of social media has been of great help to the society. In keeping with the advantage, apart from normal sending and receiving of messages through mail, one can also send greeting cards among others. Another form of social media that has facilitated to ease the lifestyle of the masses worldwide is ââ¬ËLinkedInââ¬â¢. This form of social media has been of great assistance to the working people or for businesses. By executing this social media within the organizations, it becomes convenient to get connected with professionals and executives. YouTube became functional in the year 2005. This was considered to be the first major website for hosting along with sharing of the videos worldwide. This has helped the usersââ¬â¢ in viewing the videos of their interest. In the year 2006, social media emerged with a new innovation for common users i.e. ââ¬ËFacebookââ¬â¢. With this social media, communication amidst the society has become more effective. This assists the society to maintain connection with their closed ones worldwide. ââ¬ËGoogle Buzzââ¬â¢ is the form of social media that acts as a messaging tool. By applying this form of social media, the users can send messages, photos and links among others (Ritholtz Barry, ââ¬Å"History of Social Mediaâ⬠). 2. ... Social media ensures the connection of individuals with friends, along with facilitating to share information and contents among others which contribute to the popularity of social media. In the modern day scenario, communication within the organizations has greatly changed. The traditional form of media is quite different as compared to the new form. Traditional social media comprises newspapers, films and magazines among others. The new form of social media entails inherent properties that have made it more successful rather than the traditional form. With regard to the dimension of accessibility, social media is very easily available at minimum or no cost at all. In order to use social media, there is no requirement of specialized knowledge or skills. In keeping with speed as a property of social media, it is readily available everywhere. Furthermore, it is being used by everyone within the community. Moreover, an individual can communicate with a larger base of audiences without any interruption. New social media is being highly applied by the marketing departments in organizations in order to reach the larger client base at a shorter tenure. Interactivity as another property of social media basically fosters two or multiple way communication. In accordance with longevity as a property of social media, it is generally volatile by nature. Reach of social media is unlimited in terms of contents. Application of social media in modern day context enables the users to search unlimited contents of their interest. Comparatively, in case of traditional media, it is not that volatile, speedy and accessible as the new form of media i.e. social media (Taprial and Kanwar 6-39; Blazevic,
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Use Of Intelligent Agents In E Commerce Information Technology Essay
Use Of Intelligent Agents In E Commerce Information Technology Essay Software agents can be defined as semi-autonomous software entities which support individuals cope with the complexities when working in a distributed information environment. This paper describes how these intelligent agents involved in e-commerce transactions. 1. Introduction In recent years the World Wide Web has become largest market place due to its exponential growth enabled extensive progress in new information society functions such as electronic commerce. Electronic commerce, known as e-commerce, is a type of industry where buying and selling of product or service over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks.[1] Simply e-commerce is buying and selling over the internet medium. Electronic commerce involves business to business (B2B), business to customer (B2C) and customer to customer (C2C) transactions. It covers a wide variety of issues including security, trust, reputation, law, payment mechanisms, advertising, ontologies, electronic product catalogs, intermediaries, multimedia shopping experiences, and back office management. Agent technologies can be applied to any of these areas in e- commerce.[2] 2. Intelligent Agents According to IDMs definition intelligent agents are software programs that carry out some set of tasks on behalf of a user or another program with some degree of independence. So doing, gain some knowledge or representation of the users desires. According to Meas definition software agents are computer programs that run in the background and perform tasks autonomously. Software agents are becoming an important part of these Modern information systems because they diminish the complexity, and they achieve this technically and psychologically. Technically, each agent provides a locus of intelligence for managing a subset of the information in the system, either on its own initiative or under the direction of a user. Each intelligent agent can be readily replicated and then distributed as needed. This agent-based approach to information management is both scalable and cost-effective. Psychologically, people need abstractions by which they can understand, manage, and use complex systems effectively. A natural and convenient abstraction appears to be one based on humanizing the information system components that is, treating the components as animate. In this abstraction, software components are like human agents. The abstraction is effective, because people have a lot of experience in dealing with other people, and they can apply their experience to understanding and dealing with complex software. [3] Software agents were first used few years ago to filter information, match individuals with similar interests, and automate repetitive activities. More lately, agents have been applied to e-commerce, encouraging a revolution in the way people conduct transactions in e-commerce. Intelligent agents in e-commerce web sites can carry out many decision making and problem-solving tasks that usually require human intelligence, such as diagnosis, data sorting, planning, or negotiation. They can answer email messages, search the Internet for valuable information, carry out comparisons, or even become electronic pets. O. Etzioni and D.S. Weld [5] defined a software agent as a software entity which functions continuously and independently in a specific environment often occupied by other agents and processes. The requirement for endurance and independence derives from human desire that an agent should be able to do activities in a flexible and intelligent manner reactive to changes in the environment without constant human observation. An agent that functions over a long period of time should be able to implement from its experience. Also, an agent should be able to occupy an environment with other agents and processes, and to be able to communicate and collaborate with them. 2.1 Types of Software Agents Hendler [4] distinguishes four types of agents by function. Problem-solving agents -They do many traditional planning expert systems did, namely collect data, analyze a situation, and make a conforming decision for how to act on the users behalf. Purchasing agents is an example for this category. User-centric agents- These type of agents enable interaction with the user. Also they provide a better user interface by getting knowledge about the users system use preferences and tailoring the interface to the user preferences. Control agents They control the operation of some agents in a multi agent environment. In this context one needs to remember that agents are not only mobile, but also small in size, each with a very specialized capability. Hence, the interaction of several agents might be required to provide sufficient intelligence and capability. These are very progressive agents used in research experimentations. Transaction agents- These agents translate information between different data standards within a unrelated database or file environment. Between these four types, the ones that create contention are problem solving agents specializing in data gathering. They may be aided by transaction agents to access data from numerous data sources and may be controlled by control agents. However, the most important functionality is the ability to collect and analyze information from remote sites. 2.1.1 Characteristics of Software Agents Dependable with the requirements of a specific problem, each intelligent agent might possess to a greater or lesser degree the attributes stating below [5, 6, and 7] Reactivity: the capability of selectively sense and act. Autonomy: goal-directedness, and self-starting behavior. Collaborative behavior: can work in collaboration with other agent to attain a mutual goal. Knowledge-level communication ability: their ability to communicate with human and other agents with language more approaching human-like speech than symbol-level protocols. Inferential capability: can perform on abstract task specification using previous knowledge of general goals and chosen methods to achieve flexibility. Temporal continuity: persistence of uniqueness and state over long time periods. Personality: the ability of exhibiting the attributes of a believable character such as emotion. Adaptively: being able to learn and progress with experience. Mobility: ability to transfer in a self-directed way from one host platform to another. 3. Intelligent Agents in e-Commerce Artificial intelligence (AI) started to play a important role in many leading information systems. In the past, its use of AI has been limited due to its complexity, huge designs and lack of expertise in system developers. AI involvement is now essential in nondeterministic systems such as workflow, data mining, production planning, supply chain logistics, and most lately, e-commerce. Intelligent agent technology is the next logical step in overcoming some shortcomings in e-commerce. Namely, successful computer systems underlying e-commerce require judgment and the knowledge of experts such as buyers, contract negotiators and marketing specialists [8] Also e-commerce covers a broad range of issues; some of them are away from the scope of consumer buying behavior model. There are a variation of theories and models that describes buying behavior, such as the Nicosia model, the Howard- Sheth model, the Engel-Blackwell model, the Bettman information-processing model, and the Andreasen model [9].Acoording to Aleksander Pivk and MatjaÃâ¦Ã ¾ Gams these models all have a comparable list of six fundamental stages of the buying process, which also relevent where agent technologies apply to the shopping experience[8] Identification: In that stage characterizes the buyer becoming aware of particular unmet need by inspiring through product information. Agents can play an significant role for those purchases that are repetitive (supplies) or predictable (habits). One of the oldest and simplest There are many examples in abundant use, one very aware of is a notification agent called Eyes by Amazon.com, which observers the catalog of books for sale and notifies the customer when certain events occur that may be of interest to the customer Brokering: There are two types of brokering namely product brokering and merchant brokering. In product brokering once a buyer has recognized a requirement to make a purchase the buyer has to determine what to buy through a critical evaluation of retrieved product information. There are several agents systems that lower consumers search cost when deciding which products best meets their needs. The result of this stage is a get attention to set of goods. In merchant brokering stage combines the consideration set from the previous stage with merchant-specific alternatives to help determine who to buy from. Negotiation: in this stage of buying behavior, price and other terms of the transaction are settled between merchants and buyers. Real-world scenarios negotiation increases transaction costs that may be too high for either consumers or merchants.. The most of business-to-business(B2B) transactions contain negotiation. Payment and Delivery: this stage can either indicate the end of the negotiation stage or cause to place another order. In some cases, the presented payment or delivery options can affect product and merchant brokering. â⠬à Product Service and Evaluation: this post- purchase stage contains of product service, customer service, and an â⠬à evaluation of the satisfaction of theâ⠬à â⠬à total buying experience and decision. Considering above five stages, It can be recognized the roles of agents as mediators in e-commerce. The nature of agents makes them suitable for mediating those consumer behaviors involving information filtering and retrieval, personalized evaluations, complex coordination, and time-based interactions. Those roles correspond most especially to the need identification, product and merchant brokering, and negotiation stages of the buying behavior model. 4. Benefits of intelligent agents in e commerce 5. Limitations of Intelligent Agents A major limitation intelligent agent technology using most e-commerce activities is that agents can pose a security risk to remote hosts as well as their original host). A broad discussion of these risks and possible countermeasures is provided to International Journal of Electronic Commerce by T. Mandry ,G.Pernul and A. Rà ¶hm the following possible risks were identified.[9] Stealing data and Illegal access Web agents may try to get access to databases they are not permitted to access or for which there is an access charge. Free use of resources Agents always tries to steal resources from remote hosts. As long as this is in line with accepted protocols, it is an acceptable practice. However, if agents cover-up as alternate processes, they may use insupportable levels of resource. Unauthorized program execution This also known as Trojan horse. Agents can be masquerade and then execute programs that are eventually harmful to the remote hosts. Such Trojan horses attacks have now been used frequently on the Internet.. Data stripping or alteration (by server). Technically it is possible to strip Web agents of their data. This is mostly a concern for a site that sends out agents to remote hosts, but also it could potentially affect other sites. For instance, suppose Buyer has a trusted relationship with both Seller 1 and Seller 2. However, there exists a competitive relationship between the two sellers. An intelligent agent that originates from Buyer and travels to Seller 1 and then to Seller 2 could be stripped by Seller 2 to obtain competitive data about Seller 1. Resource exhaustion resulting in denial-of service -. Web agents can exhaust remote host properties to the point where the remote host can no longer function correctly. Deceitful agent behavior. Agents can mislead other agents or hosts about their intent and can lie about transactions. 5. Discussion This paper describes how intelligent software agent can automate and add value to e-commerce transactions and negotiations. By using intelligent agent based e-commerce techniques, businesses can more effectively and efficiently make decisions since they have more accurate and reliable information and recognize consumers perceptions and behaviors. Benefits and limitations of using intelligent agents in e-commerce are also discussed through this paper.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Growing Up in Apple Valley :: essays papers
Growing Up in Apple Valley Growing up in Apple Valley is an indelible experience not too many people go through. Every time I say Iââ¬â¢m from Apple Valley people always donââ¬â¢t know where Apple Valley is. I usually say that it is off the Interstate 15 freeway, like you are heading to Las Vegas, right next to Victorville. Then they finally realized that they have heard of Apple Valley. It is very indecipherable to say exactly where Apple Valley is. People constantly think that Apple Valley is simply a big desert and there are only poor quality people who live there. The truth is Apple Valley is a very beautiful place to live. Apple Valley has some imperfect parts of the town and there are its good parts. I feel that the good parts overcome the bad parts. I have seen a lot of other cities that are much worse and they still have a well-rounded reputation. For instance, the High Deserts biggest city, Victorville. Victorville has much more crime than Apple Valley, much more pollution, and many more troublesome citizens. Victorville also has a lot more traffic on their streets because there are so many more people. Apple Valley has about two-thirds the amount of population Victorville has and with that comes less traffic on the roads. Less traffic on the roads means less smog pollution, less traffic accidents, less paramedicââ¬â¢s the city has to hire, and less the city had to pay out towards medical response. Most cities want to save money so they might be able to spend more money on the city or even cut some taxes. The less smog pollution is a really pleasant factor that comes with living in Apple Valley. It is nice to know that you are breathing in fresh air, not air that is dirty and full of pollution. Apple Valley really doesnââ¬â¢t have much to do for kids and teenagers. That is probably one of the main complaints about Apple Valley. The way I see the situation is you can always drive somewhere and the fun really isnââ¬â¢t that long of a drive away.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
The Good, the Bad, and ‘the Daily Show’ Reading Analysis
Analysis of The Good, The Bad, and The Daily Show In Jason Zinserââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Good, the Bad, andà The Daily Showâ⬠his purpose was to formulate a response to the uncertainty regarding the legitimacy and ethics of ââ¬Ëfakeââ¬â¢ news sources. Zinser begins by discussing if it is acceptable to obtain information from a humorous and often satirical news source (in this example,à The Daily Show), he points out that ââ¬Å"the question isnââ¬â¢t whether Jon Stewart or the showââ¬â¢s producers and writers are morally corrupt people, but whether or not fake news is, on the whole, beneficial or damaging to societyâ⬠(Zinser 363-364).In other words, he begs the question, can we really be an informed public that can contribute, comprehend, and function as a democracy through the projections of a ââ¬Ëfakeââ¬â¢ news source? Zinser then makes the claim that ââ¬Ëfakeââ¬â¢ news causes two vices, the first being deception due to the lack of valuing object ivity in their reports. The second is dilution, both in the quality of media from the variance of online sources as well as adding excessive news reports attracting more viewers to what is typically a hard news source.Zinser also reminds us of the beneficial aspects in ââ¬Ëfakeââ¬â¢ news. Empirical data suggests a trend that either viewers of The Daily Showà are better informed than those watching hard news because of its effectiveness, or, on the other hand that it attracts viewers who already know about the current events being discussed, evidence of its success.The ideal solution, he concludes, would be to merge the two, retaining the power and persuasion ofà The Daily Showà as well as including ââ¬Å"depth and insightâ⬠more apparent in hard news reports, helping viewers understand different sides of the arguments present (Zinser 371). When diving into Zinserââ¬â¢s writing, some similar aspects from George Orwellââ¬â¢s, Politics in the English Language ca me to mind. Orwell states, ââ¬Å"foolish thoughts, being a result of language, language has become a result of foolish thoughts.Vagueness is the most evident characteristic of the English prose. There is a lack of imagery and the figurative language no longer gives a connection to images and concrete thoughts. â⬠When comparing this to the satirical writing and language that Zinser speaks of in The Good, The Bad, and ââ¬ËThe Daily Showââ¬â¢ it creates a perfect picture of how by exemplifying the two vices, (deception and dilution) misconceptions can easily happen, especially when your only news source is a satirical ââ¬Ëfakeââ¬â¢ ews source. When thinking about some of the other ââ¬Ëfakeââ¬â¢ news sources, one example that might be overlooked is The Onion: a very popular source from which the stories are based on fact but written in a humorous and satirical way. Being that The Onion makes fun of all different types of news events from health issues to sports, The Onion actually delves into multiple aspects of our culture in a comical way but still delivering facts and informing people about what is going on in the world.In this case it can be just as influential as real news. In fact an example of The Onions influential satirical news was captured when they published the worldââ¬â¢s sexiest man and posted Kim Jong Un (the North Korean Dictator) as the sexiest man alive. North Korea took it serious and published it in their local paper and made a big deal out of it (news. yahoo. com). It is in this same sense that is described in Zinserââ¬â¢s analysis of this so called ââ¬Ëfakeââ¬â¢ news that you can get an idea of the actual influence this has on our culture.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Printable Beginning Level Tense Review Quiz
This quiz is for in-class use and does not have the answers provided. What ____________ you ____________ (do)? Im studying.do you doare you doingdid you do____________ you always ____________ (get up) at 7 oclock?Do you always get upAre you always getting upDo always you get up____________ John ____________ (have, got) a motorbike?Does John have gotHas John gotHave John gotAt the moment he ____________ (have) lunch.is havinghavinghasJohn doesnt like playing football, but he ____________ (love) playing tennis.is lovinglovelovesLast winter he ____________ (go) by train from Rome to Paris.goedhas gonewentMary ____________ (not, be) at work at the moment. Shes at home.isnt beingisntdoesnt beNext Tuesday my brother ____________ (go) to Rome.wentgoesis goingThey ____________ (take) their children to Spain last year.did taketooktakedWhat time ____________ he ____________ (arrive) home last Tuesday?did he arrivesdid he arrivedoes he arriveHe ____________ (work) on the computer at the moment.is workingworksdoes workWhat ____________ they ____________ (do)? They re sleeping.is they doingare they doingdo they doWhen ____________ you ____________ (go) to Rome last year?you wentdid you godid you went____________ you ____________ (have, got) any brothers or sisters?Has you gotDo you have gotHave you gotJohn doesnt like going to the beach, but he ____________ (love) going to the park.lovesdoesnt loveis lovingNext Saturday John ____________ (come) to visit his friends.comesis comingwill comePeter ____________ (be) on holiday now. He isnt at home.will beisis going to beShe ____________ (teach) her husband cooking last winter.did teachteachedtaught____________ he always ____________ (have) dinner at 7 oclock?Is he always havingDoes he always hasDoes he always haveLast winter she ____________ (drive) to Germany.drovedriveddid drive____________ you ____________ (have, got) a good job?Do you gotHave you gotHas you gotWhere ____________ she ____________ (study) English last year?did she studydid she studiedhas she studiedMary likes visiting friends, bu t she ____________ (like) talking on the telephone.doesnt likelikesisnt likingShe ____________ (watch) a video at the moment.watchedwatchesis watchingHe ____________ (take) his friend to the theater last week.tookedhas takentookMary ____________ (not, be) on holiday now. Shes at home.isntwont beisnt beingWhat ____________ you ____________ (do)? Im playing the piano.is you doingdo you doare you doingNext Thursday my sister ____________ (visit) the new museum.will visitvisitsis going to visit____________ you always ____________ (finish) work at 5 oclock?Do you always finishAre you always finishingDid you always finishedThey ____________ (ride) the train to Sweden last summer.did riderodehave riddenWhat ____________ you ____________ (do) this evening? Im doing my homework.will you dodo you doare you doing____________ she often ____________ (telephone) in the evening?Does she often telephoneIs she often telephoningWill she often telephones____________ they ____________ (have, got) a car ?Have they gotDo they have gotHas they gotAt the moment they ____________ (read) a book.are going to readreadsare readingI ____________ (teach) my students about the USA yesterday.taughtedtaughthave taughtJennifer doesnt like working in the office, but she ____________ (love) working at home.lovesdoesnt loveisnt lovingNext Wednesday my brother ____________ (have) dinner at that new restaurant.is going to havewill havehasShe ____________ (fly) to the USA last winter.fliedhas flownflewThomas ____________ (not, be) at the office tomorrow. Hes on holiday.isnt going to bewont beenisntWhat ____________ she ____________ (do) yesterday afternoon?did she dodoes she dois she doing____________ Thomas ____________ (have, got) a television?Have Thomas gotHas Thomas gotDoes Thomas has gotWhere ____________ they ____________ (go) on holiday last summer?did they wenthave they gonedid they goAlice loves walking in the countryside, and she ____________ (like) going to the gym.doesnt likelikelikesAt t he moment she ____________ (listen) to some music.listensis listeninghas listened____________ he always ____________ (play) tennis on Saturdays?Do he always playDoes he always playsDoes he always playMary isnt at work at the moment. She ____________ (be) at home.iswill behas beenWhat ____________ he ____________ (do)? Hes washing up.does he dois he doinghas she doneThey ____________ (fly) to Mexico last summer.has flownflewdid flyShe ____________ (ask) her husband to help her yesterday evening.askeddid askhas askedNext Saturday my friend ____________ (come) to have lunch with us.is comingcomeswill comes Find more printable quizzes for your class, or use the wide variety of English lesson plans available on the site to copy exercises for in-class use. Also, try the Beginner Level Grammar Quiz for another challenge or move on to the Intermediate Level Quiz.
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