Rough Style and Acclaimed Fame essays

Rough Style and Acclaimed Fame essays John Steinbeck, one of the most influential writers of modern literature. A man with unparalleled thoughts, and unbridled emotions. But who was John Steinbeck? He was born in Salinas, California to parents John and Olivia. In sunny California he grew into a fine, well educated young man. Attending Stanford University to further his education, he dropped out before to pursue a writing career in New York. Once there, he tried to establish himself as a freelance writer. Unfortunately, he failed in his attempts. Not comfortable with his failure, but knowing he always had the support of his family Steinbeck returned to California. Back in the comfortable surroundings of home, he published many short stories and poems. These short stories and poems did not reach the popularity Steinbeck had hoped. Eventually his hard work was rewarded with the success of Tortilla Flats, a series of short stories. While writing Tortilla Flats, and after its completion, Steinbeck took on a series of odd jobs . These jobs, ironically, were also attempted by the main characters of his literature (cited in bio.com/johnstienbeck). Now why would an author do this? John did it simply to portray an accurate sense of the task to his readers. John Steinbecks other works often took on a simple and perplexed attitude towards the world. An example of this hypothesis can be found in Dubious Battle. The book deals with migrant California fruit pickers, striking because of their pay and work conditions during the "Great Depression". That term given to such a dark period in history is a prime example of an oxymoron. The Great Depression was far from great. Poverty was at an all time high. Families were destroyed by financial ruin, and foreclosure on everything they owned. Suicide was seen as the only solution to many problems, because no one was hiring. No one person or group in these days of desolation could argue because if you were employed, you ...

The SF Writers Grotto Collective †Interviewing Julia Scheeres

The SF Writers Grotto Collective - Interviewing Julia Scheeres The San Francisco Writers' Grotto - An Interview with Julia Scheeres Last updated: 07/31/2017In the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring different subjects around the writing craft on the Reedsy blog, giving a place for our exceptional editors’ experience and knowledge to be shared with writers. Today, we want to delve deeper into the subjects of creativity and craft, and interview Julia Scheeres. On top of being a bestselling author and a Reedsy editor, she teaches writing at a fantastic storytellers’ collective in San Francisco.This collective, The Grotto, is actually what we focus on most during our chat. Its founding story is an inspiring one. But we also discuss the narrative non-fiction genre (and in particular memoir), approaching agents, and the benefits of traditional publishing. We hope you enjoy the interview! As usual, the transcript is provided below. I’m really pleased to welcome Julia Scheeres to the Reedsy podcast. So, Julia, you’re an NYT bestselling memoir author, as well as an editor on Reedsy and a teacher at the San Francisco Grotto. Why don’t you give us a bit of background on that?Sure! My first book is a memoir called Jesus Land, that was published in 2005 by a very small independent publisher here in the US. And for whatever reason, it became an NYT bestseller and also a London Times bestseller. My second book, published in 2012, was about the Jonestown massacre. So they’re both narrative non-fiction. The first one is of course very personal because it’s a memoir - it’s my story - and the other one is more a work of literary journalism.And you’re also an editor specializing in narrative non-fiction, right?That’s right. I teach memoir and narrative non-fiction, locally here in San Francisco at the writers’ collective I belong to. I also teach through Stanf ord University and I’ve been a visiting writer at different other universities, but I also work with private clients, more and more.Sometimes someone will give me their entire manuscript, and I will do an entire in-depth structural edit; and other times I work as a writing coach, helping the writer develop the story that they’re trying to tell,   and meet with them on a regular basis to go over the work.So tell us a bit about this writing collective that you belong to: The SF Writers Grotto. How did it get started?I joined the Grotto in 2004 when I was writing my first book. It’s a collective of writers that was started by 3 friends, who were kind of lonely writing alone in their apartments, and decided to start a â€Å"collective†. So they rented an apartment in San Francisco, and they worked there together, and had a lot of fun - they were young and unmarried at the time. They would go out for drinks after work - it was kind of a little boys club!Bu t today, after many iterations - we just celebrated our 20th anniversary  - , we’re a collective of over 100 people, who are either members (who have an office at The SF Writers' Grotto), or freelance there, or are fellows. And it’s just a great space! It’s a great space to be with other writers and network. I have my little office there that I share with a fiction writer and it’s wonderful to have a place that you can go into where there’s no messy house, no dishes piled up, no baby clothes strewn about; it’s just purely professional writing. And we all eat lunch together and talk about writing, about agents, we run pitch ideas by each other: it’s a fantastically supportive environment.Yes, I can definitely relate to that. It’s a bit like us startups and our co-working spaces, where we get to work alongside other startups and founders and exchange introductions, talk about our challenges, etc. So when I came across the Grot to, I thought â€Å"that’s a fantastic initiative for writers†! Do you find that being alongside other creative people (not necessarily all authors) also fosters creativity?We’re all writers, or rather storytellers of some sort at The San Francisco Writers' Grotto. And â€Å"telling stories† is what really matters in the end, so often at lunch we’ll discuss the best way to approach a story, possible sources for a story, and more creative points like that. It’s a very rewarding and kind of high-minded place to belong to because these people are obsessed with telling great stories just as much as I am.And the networking is amazing as well. I can write an essay or an op-ed piece and I’ll send out an email to the mailing list: â€Å"who’s got a contact at the NYT op-ed pages?† and I’ll usually get an introduction. It’s that type of thing, personal introductions to career-changing contacts.Now, since the Writers ’ Grotto began in 1994 it’s grown up a lot, where do you see the working space going in the next few years?Right now, it’s a little precarious for us in San Francisco, because where we are, in the south of Market District, there’s a lot of startups and technology companies. So our rent keeps going up, it went up by a third last year.So we’re trying to find ways to support ourselves, and to support the fiction writers, who maybe don’t make as much as, say, the magazine writers or the big name writers. So one way that we help support each other is that we offer classes through The Grotto. All classes are taught by working writers who specialize in the area that they’re teaching, who are actually published in the area that they’re teaching.So yes, we’re currently feeling the squeeze of being creative types in a city like San Francisco that’s going through a huge metamorphosis right now. But we’re going to make it work, we’re really determined, because it’s too good a community to let it die.Now let’s talk a little bit about what you teach: memoir and narrative non-fiction. We recently had a blog post on our blog by one of our editors about memoirs, and how it is a very competitive genre where it is hard for first-time authors with a small following to rise. Would you agree with that?No. I think that in the United States it’s easier to be published in memoir. Publishers love memoir because there is a true story behind it. You are a product that they can then get on television or radio interviews: there’s something there, it’s not just made up. That is the appeal of memoir. Of course, it is a crowded market and it’s not easy to get published but if you have an amazing story to tell, or if you are a born storyteller with something insightful to say in memoir, by all means, that would be the route to getting published. It’d be much easi er than fictionalizing your first story into a novel.That makes sense. And it’s the difference of opinions I love to see among professional editors, because, of course, if you specialize in fiction you’re going to think differently and see the market differently from someone who specializes in memoir. Now my last question would be about self-publishing: is it a path you recommend to the memoir authors you work with?I would always try a traditional publisher first. I still see self-publishing as a little bit of a second-class vehicle, because you don’t have the support of a traditional publisher, you don’t have the marketing department, the contacts, the distribution channels, etc.In the US there’s all kinds of independent publishers - not vanity publishers or self-publishing companies - which are great! They do a fantastic job editing and packaging your book. I also tell my students and clients to make sure they’re getting some kind of fee dback. You don’t just write your book and submit it, you first need to get feedback from beta readers and from a professional.That’s an excellent point. A lot of the requests that we receive are from authors looking to go the traditional route, but wanting to strengthen their manuscript before querying agents. Do you think that makes sense?Of course. I mean, you want to submit your best book to an agent, otherwise they’ll turn you down. You really want someone who can critique you and give you constructive criticism. This is what I do with my clients: I read through the manuscript and I see what the narrative arc is, what the character arc is. If it’s memoir, I look at what the larger theme is, and how to best start the book. The first 10 pages I usually spend a lot of time working on, because they’re crucial on grabbing a reader’s attention.Thank you so much for this advice, Julia, and for the presentation of The Grotto!Have you tried writi ng in a writers' collective space? What do you think about the SF Grotto? Let us know your thoughts, or any questions for Julia, in the comments below!

Women Roles Throughout History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women Roles Throughout History - Research Paper Example It is here that historians and scientists first encounter the role of women in society. In addition to Biblical teachings, the roles of women have evolved differently all over the world from Europe to Middle East, Africa to South Asia and America to Australia (Brown and McBride (2005). The differences in roles are mainly attributed to different cultural and religious beliefs that determine the role of women in society. For example, the role of Muslim women living in Middle East may be quite dissimilar from those of women in European countries dominated by Christians. The same applies to South Asia and Africa. This implies that culture and religion is a major determinant of the women’s position in society. Despite the differences, it is also true that certain roles are the same irrespective of the geographical region. For instance, at the beginning, in the backward society, women dominated the society and family due to the important roles they played. This is due to the fact that finding food like vegetables and fruits which were the major food during this period was left for women. In most cases, women were inferior to their men and were denied several rights in male dominated societies according to Brown and McBride (2005). ... The paper will also explore how the lives, roles and status of women in the society has changed and varied over different cultural areas and early world history eras. Throughout history books and the Bible, several events are documented pertaining to the different roles played by women in the society that has helped transform the society. In the Bible, for example, Esther is depicted as playing her role as Queen, and helped save the Hebrews at the verge of being exterminated. It can, therefore, be argued that the Jewish community could not have been in existence were it that Esther could not have played this important role. In Europe, the role of women throughout history has been centered on equality and injustice. Nevertheless, one thing that is acknowledged among historians is that the role of women has changed greatly in Europe since prehistory to the end of 1500. It is reported that, during the Middle Ages that lasted from 5th century to about the fifteenth century, women played an important role in helping family produce enough food supplies. As such, they participated in planting, wedding and harvesting, as well as storing the food harvested from the farms. In addition, female gender, wives and daughters were also responsible for cooking meals for the family; attend to home chores such as maintaining general cleanliness of the house and home compound. They were also responsible for rising of children (Bardsley, 2007). It is also reported that women during the middle ages in Europe were supposed to be submissive to their male counterparts in the family. In this regard, they were expected not only to obey their father, and other family members such as brothers. As such, any woman who is rule was to be forced into submission and disrespect was perceived as a

Financial and Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial and Management Accounting - Essay Example It helms in planning and decision making and is governed by strict international standards. Financial accounting plays crucial role in the business world today. It is through financial accounting that flow of money and resources in a business organization is monitored. This includes wages and salaries among others. Since financial accounting involves preparation of key documents like profit and loss account and balance sheet, it shows how transactions are done over a period of time. It also helps stakeholders and would be investors to make the right decision on investments. Financial accounting is governed by a number of legal requirements and principles. According to Collins and Collins (2009), the business entity principle must be observed. It states that each business establishment must be accounted separately and that personal issues should not be accounted together with the business issues. Cost principle should also be in place. It states that only costs as a result of business dealings should be included in the financial account. Objective principle, which stipulates that all information in the financial accounts should not be subjected to personal opinion, should also be observed. Finally, the going-concerned principle should also be observed. This is a legal requirement that states that business operation will go on as long as the business gains assets and discharges liabilities during its normal operations. Financial accounting has a lot of advantages. According to Daniel (2007), financial accounting helps many business establishments to comply with legal requirements which include tax returns among others. Financial statements, such as balance sheets, help the institution in communication in the organization. Financial accounting also helps in protecting business assets, since flow of money and assets is recorded periodically. Finally, it helps in appropriate decision making,

Introduction Of Tourism Industry In Mauritius

Introduction Of Tourism Industry In Mauritius My Management Research Report is aimed at analysing the tourism sector of Mauritius and how it has been evolved over the years to attract foreign expatriates. As tourism is one of the fastest growing industry in the world, people are willing to travel to different parts of the world to experience the different culture and events which they find interesting. Thus tourism nowadays have been evolved to cater all the different masses of the public. The research report also shows the various development procedures implemented by the government to attract more tourists to the island as tourism is one the main pillar of the Mauritius economy. The report discusses the discovery of the island, its evolution process whereby Mauritius was occupied by Portuguese, Dutch, French, British and finally gained independence. The Report also discusses the transport facilities, promotional activities, cultural cuisine and festivities, Primary landmarks and attractions. It also discuses different type of tour packages available for beach holiday makers to adventurous holidays makers. It shows how the Mauritian social, economy, political, technological field has benefited by the tourism sector. Improvements that are made to convert the low-income tourist destination to one the worlds best tourist brands. Mauritius is emerging as world class business and banking sector. It is now considered as the hub for the financial transaction and known as Singapore of the West. The research shows how the tourism Industry has affected the social, technological, economics, ecology and political aspect of Mauritius. The 7Ps marketing strategies like Product, Price, Place, People, Process, Promotion, and Physical Evidence applied to improve the tourism sector. The research also analyses the factors like international competition, Recession, climatic change, perception of luxury, middle class population, demographic change, technological change, security, health aspects, that affects the tourism industry. Keywords: Maslows theory of Motivation, Marketing strategy, Infrastructure, Communication Introduction of tourism industry in Mauritius My Management Research Report is based on how Tourism Industry has supported Mauritius by elevating the progression into infrastructure and the development (economy) of the whole island. Also which should be improved more so that to give the island more potential values and worthy for the population as well as the tourists. Mauritius is known as Paradise Island by tourists and is found in the South West of Indian Ocean. Mauritius is dependent on sugar production since its independence in 1968. Mauritius economy is dependent on crucial pillars of financial services, business process outsourcing (e.g- textiles), tourism Information Technology. Mauritius is one of the best Africas massive sugar exporters to Europe, and most of its refined sugar is exported to the EU. Mauritius is a parliamentary Republic and a member of the United Nations, Southern African development Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the African union, La Francophonie and the commonwealth. The island ranked as an upper-middle income economy, it has been ranked as the best governed country in all of Africa. It is the only African country with full democracy. The archipelago is ranked the 7th best destination in Africa. Discovery of the Island Mauritius is surrounded by beautiful blue or turquoise crystal seas and white sandy beaches. The word Paradise Island described its beauty in nature (Eco tourism parks, volcanoes, etc). The islands populace is composed of several ethnicities, including Indian, African, Chinese and French. The main spoken languages are Mauritian Creol, French and English. Asian languages also form part of the linguistic mosaic of the island. Many hotel staffs are fluent in German, Italian and Spanish. Due to others countries, Mauritius too has its own history which marked the island and also the population, with history of sailors who visited the island in the early past by Portuguese in 1507. Then continue furthermore with European.. In 1598 by Dutch who landed in Grand Port and named the island Mauritius. In 1735 arrived the French governor Mahà © de La Bourdonnais constructed some of the famous buildings which are still standing till today and are site touristic for tourists. After French came th e British. The famous bird the dodo which was extinct but still live in our memories till now. The evolution that had taken place throughout the years In the early 1970, it was an exclusive destination with only a few air carriers servicing it. To attract tourists, the government created a national airline, for increasing capacity to and from traditional markets (UK, Franceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) extending progressively its network so as to reach new tourist markets. In 1971, The hotel School was created to sustain growth of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry by providing skilled labour for the different functional parts of hotels, tour operators. Then, in the 1980s, the government attracted foreign hotel groups such as South African Sun International and well renowned labels such as Meridien etc to position Mauritius as an upmarket destination focusing on sea and sand. The marketing focused on opinion leaders and cinema stars who were invited to stay in Mauritius, road shows were organised by the then Mauritius Government Tourist Organisation. The liberalisation of air access in the years 2000, attracted a number of carriers so as to match increasing number of hotels and rooms. The rise in bungalows and small hotels coupled with the venue of new air carriers such as Virgin or French Corsair attracted new waves of tourists, more downmarket and with lower disposable income. In the years 2000, several green concepts such as Casela, La Vanille Crocodile Park etc. were launched for environment conscious market segment. As from 2009, with the economic recession in Europe, the traditional market, Mauritius tried to explore new emerging markets such as China. As China is a massive rich country, it can maintain Mauritius beneficial by rising its economic. On the other hand, Chinese compensate with finance erection and infrastructure proposition has been a grateful relief, even when it has been attached to the use of Chinese Labour and inputs. In 2010, even with a critical budgeting Mauritius has faced to overcome and with its big surprised the tourists have been increasing. It is a nice performance for the island even if recession has popped up. Whereas in 2011, Mauritius wishes to lift Tourism markets outside Europe. In 2012, Mauritius Tourism Sector is targeting on emerging markets and found India as a first class source market. The strategy is to penetrating the Indian market and to focus on the exploit of MICE and Wedding Segments. The Indian Travel trade to advertise and to sell Mauritius as a MICE destination. According to the Minister of Tourism Leisure Mr Michael Yeung Sik Yuen, their requirements are to set Mauritius as a high level standard of luxury and accommodation, travel, meetings and conference arrangements, host team building activities, etc. As well as promoting Mauritius as a Golf and Wellness Tourism destination. India is ranked the 6th biggest market for Mauritius and the country registered 53,955 Indian arrivals last year. Travel trade is crucial to grow up tourism to Mauritius. As the island was struggling to Economic progress and it saw improvement of the means of communication and a gradual upgrading of infrastructure. Telecommunication in Mauritius are easy to access with internet facilities to one country or to another. Nowadays, the world has been changing and the island too has been thrived for a better future for the population with the incoming of tourism. Tourist Industry has brought lot of reinforcement to the environment of the island. This help in maintenance and renovation of new infrastructure and construction of new buildings. With Tourist Industry, the island has a lot of potential activities such as construction lot of hotels around. Government has given them lot of opportunities, so with new erection of new hotels tourists can enjoy themselves with luxury spas, excursions. Mauritius has been developed due to the arrivals of tourists to the island. Towards a quality tourism in Mauritius, AHRIM (Association des Hà ´teliers et Restaurateurs de là ®le Maurice) launched in 1973 and it is a non-profitable organisation and their members have 85% hotels sector which are ready to welcome tourists every day. Perfect quality deals with good customer service, it is prior in any organisation. On the other hand, Segmentation is vital and support the selling of the destination. Segmentation is divided into 4 groups of market which are:- Demographic By selling the destination, Mauritius need to target different types of customers to their age, types of family leisure by positioning its own products on the market. Geographic Tourists will discover the beautiful green paradise by staying in harmony with nature. Psychographic Mauritius is a paradise island and with its multicultural people, tourists will have the opportunities to discover the lifestyle, cultures, different types of delicious food and as well as their values. Behavioural Tourists will have the chance to learn the typical Sà ©ga dance and also the knowledge and attitudes of the local people. Even that they can organise some special occasion such as wedding with different cultural types of wedding. Due to the splendid climate in Mauritius, tourists can enjoy their break times and honeymoon. Transports in Mauritius Tourism sector in Mauritius, Air Mauritius is a good company that aims to acquire expected demand of its customers. With Air Mauritius Fleet, travelling is more easier for the tourists. The company is the fourth largest carrier in Sub-Saharan Africa. Tourism is one of the main elements for the foreign currency, with expected revenue to rise up. Mauritius planned to expand its airport and its target is to accommodate 4 million passengers a year. Transport in Mauritius has increased and some buses have air con where can feel very comfortable. The problems that they acquired are traffics, to solve out with it can be by examples cable car or train like in the past. With too much transport around its not good for the population and the tourists because of the air pollution. The difficulties that Mauritius will face if Air Mauritius do not find a way to provide more routes it will be critical for the tourism industry. By comparing Mauritius to its other competitors, it has risen up since 2 007. Otherwise it must be on its guard as according to the rate of percentage Sri Lanka is on the path to overtake Mauritius. How to promote Mauritius? The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) plays a crucial role in the island by finding solutions to advertise the island overseas as tourist destination. The objectives of (MTPA) is to acquired the goal by advising to the minister how to promote the island to the tourists by build up campaigns and participating in tourism fairs. This action will initiate the necessary to the other tourism agencies to collaborate by providing more information on the facilities, infrastructures and services available to them in Mauritius. Their duties are to do market tourism research on the trends and opportunities, so that to relevant statistical data on Mauritius. In 2010, Mauritius was awarded as Best Stand FITUR, Indian Oceans Leading Destination World Travel Award, Indian Oceans Leading Beach Destination World Travel Award and finally in 2011 was granted Worlds Leading Island Destination World Travel Award. MICE touches the heart of Mauritius Brand and marketing are two aspects of armour for Mauritius. They entertain the key of success of the tourism industry. According for (MICE) Mauritius is the Indian Oceans Leading Light. Mauritius accommodation has a great aspirational destination by offering a diverse mix of hotels with strong luxury target. In 2008, the Four Seasons Resort and Spa at Anahita and The Grand Mauritian were launched and which formed part of Starwoods Luxury Collection. In 2009, the International Mauritius Resort Balaclava fort has been established. This introduces of high portrait of luxury hotel brands. Mauritius is appealing as a high-end destination and offering genuine value for money. When comparing with the other Indian Ocean destinations, Mauritius has a tremendously superior conference offering. The islands capital which is Port Louis, boasts the extensive purpose built convention centre in the Indian Ocean the Swami Vivekanada International Convention Centre, which has hosted a number of blu e-chip companies and can accommodate 20 to 5,000 delegates. Other venues include the International Conference Centre in Grand Baie (up to 600) and the Freeport Exhibition Centre in Mer Rouge (up to 1,000). Many of Mauritius hotels also have the competence to procure for up to 800 delegates. The archipelago do not consist only of mountains, forests, beautiful sandy beaches, culture, history and hospitality but also has a vast potential due to MICE segmentation. Mauritius acquires all the secret key ingredients that are referred for the successful meetings, incentives, conferences and events. Mauritius offers a large excellent of accommodation with best-known quality and luxury hotel brands. Through the Cultural Cuisine Mauritius food is of exceptional quality with varieties of flavours and aromas inherited from different settlers through the islands history. The cuisine of Mauritius is mostly influenced by Creole, Chinese, European and Indian population. Mauritius is greatly influenced and has strong ties with the French culture, the cuisine like tuna salad, la daube, coq au vin, bouillion and the dessert are mostly popular. During the 19th century the Indian workers who had settled in Mauritius brought their own unique flavours. Mostly the cuisine from north and south India like curry, chutneys, rougaille, pickles are more popular. With the arrival of the Chinese migrants by the end of the 19th century, brought the Chinese cuisine like noodles, spring roll etc. Mostly all the hotels and restaurants throughout the island offers different cuisine like Creole, Chinese, Indian, European etc to give one of the finest exceptional platter to the tourist. Motivation of the Island The Motivation to develop the island into major strategic tourism sector was probably achieved due to the fact that there are no major industrial revolution taking place. Mauritius is primarily an agriculture based country where the migrant from different parts of the world came to settled down there. The development and successful implementation of the Tourism sector in Mauritius can be accredited with the motivational theory of Abraham H. Maslow. According to Maslow, Only the unsatisfied needs are prime source of motivations. (Maslow, 1954) Maslow suggested that there are 5 needs systems that account for most of our behaviour. They are: Survival Safety or Security Sense of Belonging Ego-status Self-actualization (Courtesy : http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm) Improvements made in Tourism Sector As Tourism is an important contributor to economic growth of the Mauritian Island, Internal and External factors greatly influence the success of the Tourism industry. Infrastructure Significant improvements has been made in developing the infrastructure for the Mauritian Tourism Industry. Improvements in the following sectors has been made to attract tourist from different parts of the world. Airports : The infrastructure at the airports have been upgraded to provide the tourist with hassle free and quick services. The frequency of the flights has been increased by allowing national and international airline carriers to provide the flight service from Mauritius to different parts of the world. The main Airline carrier providing the flight services to the tourist are EpyptAir, Air Mauritius, Lufthansa, South African Airways, Emirates etc The following graph shows that the arrival of the tourist has increased in the last decade. (Courtesy: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/mauritius/international-tourism-number-of-arrivals-wb-data.html) Hotels: Excellent world class Hotel experience has been provided to the tourist to experience the island paradise. Mainly all the hotels in Mauritius provide different level of luxury to cater the budget of tourist. Wide range of hotel from world class villas, six/five star hotels to cheap accommodation is being offered to the tourist depending on their budget experience. The hotels also offers different packages like honeymoon offers, targeted destination offers, early booking offers, long stay offers to attract the tourist to stay for longer period of time. According to Brown Increased length of stay in Mauritius between 1983 and 1997 coincided with an increased in visitor satisfaction levels (Brown, 1987) The occupational rates of the hotel is between 70-80% throughout the year. From the graph we can see the peak periods are from Mid December to Mid January. (Courtesy : http://www.tropicscope.com/mauritius_information/mauritius_hotels.php) According to Lockhard and Chandra, Long-haul and short-haul tourist generating markets have different length of stay. (Lockhard/Chandra, 1997) Attractions :Mauritius is primarily a holiday destination for beach-resort tourist. It possesses a wide range of natural and man-made attractions. Mauritius enjoys a sub-tropical climate with crystal clear blue beaches, tropical fauna and flora complemented by multi-ethnic population. The people of Mauritius are friendly and welcoming. The Main Landmarks are: Le Morne Cultural Landscape: UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE Aapravasi Ghat: UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE The Second Oldest Racing Club in the World The Third Country in the World to Introduce Golf to its Shores Since Mauritius is an island it provides excellent water sports for the adventurous tourists. As the island is famous for its idyllic blue sea water sports such as dolphin-watching, sea kayaking, deep-sea fishing, kite surfing, blue safari submarine are very popular among the tourists. Marketing Strategy Based on the demographic information provided by the Ministry of Mauritius, different marketing strategies are planned to attract the tourist to the island nation. Marketing strategies are created for the national and international tourist. For the national tourist day-trippers in the local newspapers or on radio are provided by providing special and festivities discounts to keep the national tourists interested. For tourists from outside tourism brochures, online information are provided by different web sites. Technology has been a tremendous boon to create awareness among the international tourist by providing information online. There are many sites like http://www.tourism-mauritius.mu that allow the international tourist to plan their vacation and their whole itinerary from the luxury of their homes. There are many sites that allow the tourists to customize their destination Marketing is done through conventions, promotions, experience. Effective marketing strategies play an imp ortant part to provide the repeat value for the tourist. Marketing strategy is devised based on : Product : Here the product is the island itself. Different places of interest, sports and festivities can be highlighted to attract the tourist. It is found in the survey conducted by the Mauritian Government that tourist flock to the island nation during the month of December and January as the island enjoys excellent climate during these period as well as festivities also help the tourists to flock to the place. Price : Finance plays an important role. Different package tours are devised to promote the tourism industry. According to the survey, it is known fact there is growing number of middle class tourist that come to visit the island nation. Tours that caters to tourist of all the pocket size from world class international travellers to adventurous back-packers travel to the island nation to enjoy the climatic ambience of Mauritius. Place : Mauritius is full of landmark places. Different parts has its own significance. Northern coast of island is the most developed part in the recent years. It provides good restaurants and discotheques. It contains some of charming sights like the red-roofed church that overlooks the lagoons at Cap Malheurex. The south coast of the island provides different landscape than the rest part of the island. It contains high cliffs that are battered by waves of the sea. These are created where the protective coral reefs falls away on the seabed. The east coast of the island is known as the jewel in the Mauritius crown. It is comprised of exquisite coves and emerald lagoons. It contains some of the best beaches like Belle Mare. It is an idyllic place for the holidaymaker. The west coast of the island is known for the dolphins that come to these waters to rest and breed. It is ideal place for dolphin-watching. The inlands also known as highlands consists of four major town like Quatre Bor nes, Curepipe, Rose Hill, Vacoas. Promotion : Mauritius has an excellent promotional activities devised by the private and public sector. According to the survey, the promotional budget has increased in the recent years. According to the demographic survey the main promotional activities are carried out by brochures, mails, emails, online promotions, print media advertisement, local radio announcements. For the international tourists the email and web marketing is more effective and generate a lot of interest. Recently more revenue is generated through online promotional activities as people find it easier to use technology to get connected around the world. Also, Promotional activities like special discounts, religious festivities discounts, honeymoon discounts are planned to counter the off-peak seasons to attract more inland tourist. According to the survey, internet is the main source to obtain the travel information as well as to promote the tourism sector. People : People are main pillars in the tourism sector. Tourist are like Gods, who keep the finance flow in the tourist industry. People are main source from providing the service to acknowledging the services. People form the team that provides the services involved in hotels, recreations, transportation etc, without whom the tourist industry will be crippled. People make it possible to achieve the goals set by the tourist sector. Process : Though Place, People, Price and Promotion are four main part of the marketing strategy, they are tied together to form a process. It is used to provide consistency to the strategy. The effectiveness of the process is measured by how well the marketing strategy is received by the customers. It provides an organized way on how to deal with the customers when they come in, how they are welcomed and how well they are taken care of by providing proper communication channel. Steps are taken to provide quick and effective service to the customers. It defines how the steps to be taken so the customers come again and again thus generating the goodwill for the tourism sector. Physical Evidence : It provides a way to interact with the customers directly through the means of feedback form, surveys to discuss about the requirement and the satisfactory level. It is a means to collect the information from the customers, so necessary changes or amendments can be made to suit the customers. It adds value to the tourism industry as it is entirely people centric industry, so the satisfaction of the tourist is of outmost importance. Factors affecting the Tourism As in any industry there are certain factors that keeps on changing and the organization has to make effective changes to the industry. According to marketing research Tourism industry in Mauritius will be affected by the following factors in future. Climatic change : Due to Climatic changes, the tourism sector of Mauritius can be adversly affected. Tourism is one of the major industry that brings foreign currency income to the country. Due to rising in the sea levels the coastal areas of Mauritius, where majority of hotels are located where the tourists can enjoy the aquatic entertainment can be adversely affected. To counter these problems, inland tourism entertainment should be made. International competition : Intense international competition has become a major problem for the policy makers and investors in the tourism industries. Tourism industry has developed to become a pillar of the Mauritian economy. But other countries like Seychelles, Maldives, Srilanka are catching up with the competition. As Mauritius is known as the Culture Nation, new marketing strategy and policy should be developed to promote culture as the major role in Mauritius Tourism Industry. According to Porter, The existence of competition is a necessary precondition for business strategy (Porter, 1979) Perception of Luxury : Currently Mauritius is internationally known as the world best luxury holiday destinations. With many of worlds finest hotels and luxury brands, it enjoys highest rates of returning visitors in the world. It has become established business and banking centre for the last 20 years. It is currently known as the Singapore of the West. But the perception of luxury keeps on changing with the passage of time. World is switching to ethnic and organic brand of luxury. Hence respective changes should be made in implementing and promoting it. Middle Class population : Tourism in future will be dominated by the large influx of travellers belonging to the middle class strata of the society. Hence, the infrastructure and marketing strategy should be developed to cater to the needs of these class travellers. Demographic change : Mauritius has a population of 1,250,882 (estimated July 2007). The main ethnics groups are Hindu 68%, Christian 27%, Chinese 3%, and French 2%. The languages spoken in the island nation is English and French as the official language and other languages include Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Hakka and Creole. Currently the tourists travelling to Mauritius are European, Indian and Asians. To attract more tourists, the demography of the tourist travelling to Mauritius may change due to its popularity and international competitiveness. Technological Change : Technological change can affect the tourism industry very effectively. The infrastructure changes, adding of the new communication modes, Introducing new transportation techniques; all these can effectively boost the tourism industry. Security : concerns a major impact on the tourism industry. Since Mauritius is a peaceful country, I dont think that security will be a problem. But Maybe, terror attacks, war in African regions may affect the travelling to that part of the continent. If it happens that Tourism industry will be greatly affected by it. It may lead to increase in business failures, demise of certain destinations and loss of expected growth in other destinations. Health aspects : New Epidemics have power to severely affect the travel and tourism industry. For example, SARS in South Asia and Australia, Foot and Mouth disease in UK. Since people are travelling a lot nowadays, the epidemic is not restricted to one part of the world/country, it can spread quickly and easily to different part thus affecting the tourism industry of the specific country. Recession : It plays an important role in the tourism industry. Recession or economic slow-down affects adversely to the any tourism industry and Mauritius is no exception. But in 2010, India emerged as the most dynamic source country with arrival of 50,700 tourists. The increase in arrivals was driven by strong economic growth even during global recession. Thus, Mauritius felt little impact on the tourist growth during recession period. But it is predicted that recession may affect adversely in future if proper precautions and marketing strategies are not implemented. Conclusion Tourism Industry has evolved a lot in the last two decades. It has made tremendous impact on the different levels which are:- Social : Tourism has boosted social-cultural life of people of Mauritius. It has provided employment to people. Infrastructure has been improved by building roads and providing medical facilities on the coastal regions where tourists come in large numbers. Tourism has made tremendous impact on the social life of Mauritius like Increase cost of living, Loss authenticity, Acculturation where different culture are adopted according to the changing needs. Technological : Technology has provided a provided a major boost to the tourism industry. Tourist are nowadays always connected to their home base due to technological advancement like internet, Wi-Fi, mobile communication. It has helped the industry to gain recognition world-wide, thereby improving the communication across the world. Technology has made Mauritius one of top Brands in the Tourism Industry. Economic : The Mauritian economy rests on four main pillars : tourism, sugar, textiles and the services sector. It has boosted the GDP growth which is essential for the community development and poverty reduction, employments for the locals, investment opportunities, business opportunities. According to BBC World New Mauritius is declared as the top 21st country Brands. Ecological : Tourism and environment are interrelate as tourism is dependent on the natural resources to survive. Tourism has provided both the positive and negative impact on the ecology of the island nation. The areas affected by the tourism are Biodiversity, Erosion and Physical damage, Pollution (Water Pollution, Air Pollution, Visual Pollution, Climatic Change), Resource base that consists of local building-material sources, Visual and structural change. Political : The tourism sector is supervised by the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure. The Government has formed the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) which is responsible for promoting Mauritius by conducting advertising campaign and tourism fairs in Mauritius and abroad. With the help of MTL and MTPA, Mauritius has gained world recognition as the most attractive holiday destinations. The Government of Mauritius form innovative ideas to promote the island to the world stage. According to R. L. Stevenson , For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travels sake. The great affair is to move. (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1879)

Cause and Effect Essay Essay

The United States has the 26th highest rate of gun violence in the world (Washington Post, 2012). It accounted for 70 percent of all homicides and less than 10 percent of all nonfatal violent crimes from 1993 to 2011 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013). So how will the United States overcome the battle to end gun violence? The United States Government, worried parents and various anti-gun groups have always scrutinized how to fix the problem. What causes violent acts to be committed with a gun? In order to find out the basics of why these crimes happen, criminal justice experts must understand the indicators that may lead up to these wretched acts of violence. A decline in parenting and family values, poverty, drugs and mental illness may be a few of the causes of gun violence. Families are splitting up at an exceptional rate leaving one-parent households. Kids rely on their parents to be there for them as they grow, teach them right from wrong, and show them the importance of nucle ar family values. Two parent homes are not the norm as they once used to be. Divorce also plays a role in the lack of parental support. The mom may teach the child one thing and the father teaches another. They may even make the child feel at fault for the divorce. Families also split for the simple reason that both parents have to work to make ends meet. Similar to the examples of divorce, parents are not home at the same time to give kids the direction that they need to stay out of trouble; even worse, the child may resort to living on the streets to get the attention he/she needs. If he relies on the â€Å"streets†, there is a high probability that he may become affiliated with the wrong people or gangs. Having a two-parent household impacts on the child’s life so that he can refrain from having gangs as a support channel. The second major cause of gun violence is poverty. Poverty is always one of the key factors in violent acts of crime. Consider Detroit. Once a thriving city from the automotive industry, it now holds one of the nationâ€⠄¢s highest crime rates (Forbes, 2013). Poverty brings drug dealing and gangs. People use guns in impecunious areas, for protection from other gang members, and/or drug dealers. Drug dealers see the poverty-stricken towns or cities as a favorable place to sell their drugs because they prey upon those they may view as being unprotected. In turn, those who live in these areas may feel the need to be armed. As mentioned above, both parents are  not always able to stay together, resulting in one of them possibly moving to a lower income neighborhood where gangs are prevalent. One expert believes that there is a fix to end gun violence in theses underdeveloped areas, stating, â€Å"If America’s leaders would invest in proven pathways out of poverty, we could radically diminish violence in America. If America spent as much money offering opportunities to every 16 to 26 year old as we spending locking them up for minor offenses that further cut them off from a positive future, we could end poverty in a generation or two† (Dorothy Stoneman 2012). Poverty is and always has been one of the leading causes of gun violence, but ultimately it is the drive of the parents to make sure that their kids have what they need in life rather than a gang member or drug dealer providing it for them. Drugs in America are one of the battles incessantly fought and will always seem like a losing battle for many law enforcement agencies. Drugs are one of the problems that come with the territory of living in a poverty covered city or neighborhood. Drug dealers often use guns to protect themselves and their drugs to prevent another drug dealer from taking their business should one of their deals go wrong. Along the Texas/Mexico border in the war on illegal immigration, border patrol agents are also fighting the war on drugs that are being smuggled into the United States. The drug smugglers bringing these drugs into the U.S. are heavily armed and extremely dangerous. Every day thousands of pounds of illegal drugs pass through the border. One staggering statistic shows that horrific violence from the Mexican drug war claimed as many as 50,000 lives each year (The Daily Nightly 2012). This is a serious security concern for U.S. Currently, many Americans are resorting to drug running or s elling as a way to make a living. An unstable economy, high rates of unemployment and the lack of job security have led many adults making money in all the wrong ways. There is no real fix to keep drug dealers out of the country in order to keep gun violence at a minimum. Despite all the programs, schooling, and mentorships that are available to make an honest living, many make poor decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Not only does it hurt them, but their families as well. Drugs lead to gun violence, which go hand in hand with each other in causing many problems. Mental illness is a serious condition that is not taken as seriously as it should be. Not only does mental illness apply to soldiers return home from war, but also to  kids and adults who may have suffered some type of traumatic even during their lives. On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza went into a Newtown, Connecticut school and killed twenty children and six adults (NY Daily News, 2013). The motive for his actions was unknown, but one thing is certain, he suffered from a mental illness (CNN, 2013). The high cost of the tragic events caused by mental illness make many Americans feel unsecure along with other reasons for gun violence. Many are being undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other illnesses rather than mental illness as they should be. Moreover, it is the responsibility of those that interact with the mentally to get them to a doctor for the medical attention they need to get better. Factors that contribute to gun violence are a lack of good parental support channel, drugs, poverty and mental illness. Policymakers must seek a solution to resolve problems of gun violence in America. While making laws to protect the citizens of the United States, they must be sure not to infringe on the right to keep and bear arms. Chicago doesn’t have a gun problem; it has a father problem. When young men don’t have fathers, they don’t learn to control their masculine impulses. They don’t have fathers to teach them how to channel their masculine impulses in productive ways. When young men don’t have fathers, those men will seek out masculine love — masculine acceptance — where they can find it. Often, they find it in gangs (Lee Habeeb 2006). This proves that the reasons for gun violence are valid and should be focused on. Furthermore, gun violence will continue until the indicators and symptoms start being recognized. References Ferrara, P. Habeeb, L. (February 2013). The root cause of gun violence. Retrieved from http://spectator.org/articles/33965/root-cause-gun-violence Ferguson, C.J. (November 2013). Adam Lanza’s motive a mystery in Sandy Hook killings. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/27/opinion/ferguson-sandy-hook/ Sandoval, E. Otis, G.A. (December 2013). Warning graphic content: audio tapes of 911 calls made from Sandy Hook school as Adam Lanza went on gun rampage killing 20 children and six adults. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/911-recordings-sandy-hook-shootings-released-article-1.1536629#commentpostform Potter, M. (March 2012).

Vietnam War Brigadier General Robin Olds

Born July 14, 1922, in Honolulu, HI, Robin Olds was the son of then-Captain Robert Olds and his wife Eloise. The oldest of four, Olds spent the majority of his childhood at Langley Field in Virginia where his father was stationed as an aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. While there he also associated with key officers in the US Army Air Service such as Major Carl Spaatz. In 1925, Olds accompanied his father to Mitchells famed court-martial. Dressed in a child-size air service uniform, he watched his father testify on Mitchells behalf. Five years later, Olds flew for the first time when his father took him aloft. Deciding on a military career at an early age, Olds attended Hampton High School where he became a standout in football. Declining a series of football scholarships, he elected to take a year of study at Millard Preparatory School in 1939 prior to applying to West Point. Learning of the outbreak of World War II while at Millard, he attempted to leave school and enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. This was blocked by his father who forced him to stay at Millard. Completing the course of study, Olds was accepted to West Point and entered the service in July 1940. A football star at West Point, he was named an All-American in 1942 and later was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Learning to Fly Selecting service in the US Army Air Forces, Olds completed his primary flight training in the summer of 1942 at the Spartan School of Aviation in Tulsa, OK. Returning north, he passed through advanced training at Stewart Field in New York. Receiving his wings from General Henry Hap Arnold, Olds graduated from West Point on June 1, 1943, after completing the academys accelerated wartime curriculum. Commissioned as a second lieutenant, he received an assignment to report to the West Coast for training on P-38 Lightnings. This done, Olds was posted to the 479th Fighter Groups 434th Fighter Squadron with orders for Britain. Fighting Over Europe Arriving in Britain in May 1944, Olds squadron quickly entered combat as part of the Allied air offensive prior to the invasion of Normandy. Dubbing his aircraft Scat II, Olds worked closely with his crew chief to learn about aircraft maintenance. Promoted to captain on July 24, he scored his first two kills the following month when he downed a pair of Focke Wulf Fw 190s during a bombing raid over Montmirail, France. On August 25, during an escort mission to Wismar, Germany, Olds shot down three Messerschmitt Bf 109s to become the squadrons first ace. In mid-September, the 434th began converting to the P-51 Mustang. This required some adjustment on Olds part as the single-engine Mustang handled differently than the twin-engine Lightning. After downing a Bf 109 over Berlin, Olds completed his initial combat tour in November and was given two months leave in the United States. Returning to Europe in January 1945, he was promoted to major the following month. On March 25, he received command of the 434th. Slowly increasing his score through the spring, Olds scored his final kill of the conflict on April 7 when he destroyed a Bf 109 during a B-24 Liberator a raid over LÃ ¼neburg. With the end of the war in Europe in May, Olds tally stood at 12 kills as well as 11.5 destroyed on the ground. Returning to the US, Olds was assigned to West Point to serve as an assistant football coach to Earl Red Blaik. Postwar Years Olds time at West Point proved brief as many older officers resented his rapid rise in rank during the war. In February 1946, Olds obtained a transfer to the 412th Fighter Group and trained on the P-80 Shooting Star. Through the remainder of the year, he flew as part of a jet demonstration team with Lieutenant Colonel John C. Pappy Herbst. Seen as a rising star, Olds was selected for a US Air Force-Royal Air Force exchange program in 1948. Traveling to Britain, he commanded No. 1 Squadron at RAF Tangmere and flew the Gloster Meteor. With the end of this assignment in late 1949, Olds became the operations officer for the F-86 Sabre-equipped 94th Fighter Squadron at March Field in California. Olds next was given command of the Air Defense Commands 71st Fighter Squadron based at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport. He remained in this role for much of the Korean War despite repeated requests for combat duty. Increasingly unhappy with the USAF, despite promotions to lieutenant colonel (1951) and colonel (1953), he debated retiring but was talked out of it by his friend Major General Frederic H. Smith, Jr. Shifting to Smiths Eastern Air Defense Command, Olds languished in several staff assignments until receiving an assignment to the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Landstuhl Air Base, Germany in 1955. Remaining abroad for three years, he later oversaw the Weapons Proficiency Center at Wheelus Air Base, Libya. Made Deputy Chief, Air Defense Division at the Pentagon in 1958, Olds produced as series of prophetic papers calling for improved air-to-air combat training and the increased production of conventional munitions. After assisting in generating the funding for the classified SR-71 Blackbird program, Olds attended the National War College in 1962-1963. Following graduation, he commanded the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Bentwaters. During this time, he brought over former Tuskegee Airman Colonel Daniel Chappie James, Jr. to Britain to serve on his staff. Olds left the 81st in 1965 after forming an aerial demonstration team without command authorization. Vietnam War After brief service in South Carolina, Olds was given command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base. As his new unit flew the F-4 Phantom II, Olds completed an accelerated training course on the aircraft before departing to take part in the Vietnam War. Appointed to instill aggressiveness into the 8th TFW, Olds immediately placed himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot upon arriving in Thailand. He encouraged his men to train him well so that he could be an effective leader for them. Later that year, James joined Olds with the 8th TFW and two became known among the men as Blackman and Robin. Increasing concerned about F-105 Thunderchief losses to North Vietnamese MiGs during bombing missions, Olds designed Operation Bolo in late 1966. This called for 8th TFW F-4s to mimic F-105 operations in an effort to draw enemy aircraft into combat. Implemented in January 1967, the operation saw American aircraft down seven MiG-21s, with Olds shooting down one. The MiG losses were the highest suffered in one day by the North Vietnamese during the war. A stunning success, Operation Bolo effectively eliminated the MiG threat for most of the spring of 1967. After bagging another MiG-21 on May 4, Olds shot down two MiG-17s on the 20th to raise his total to 16. Over the next few months, Olds continued to personally lead his men into combat. In an effort to raise morale in the 8th TFW, he began growing a famed handlebar mustache. Copied by his men, they referred to them as bulletproof mustaches. During this time, he avoided shooting down a fifth MiG as he had been alerted that should he become an ace over Vietnam, he would be relieved of command and brought home to conduct publicity events for the Air Force. On August 11, Olds conducted a strike on the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi. For his performance, he was awarded the Air Force Cross. Later Career Leaving the 8th TFW in September 1967, Olds was made Commandant of Cadets at the US Air Force Academy. Promoted to brigadier general on June 1, 1968, he worked to restore pride in the school after a large cheating scandal had blackened its reputation. In February 1971, Olds became director of aerospace safety in the Office of the Inspector General. That fall, he was sent back to Southeast Asia to report on the combat readiness of USAF units in the region. While there, he toured bases and flew several unauthorized combat missions. Returning to the US, Olds wrote a scathing report in which he offered deep concerns in regard to a lack of air-to-air combat training. The following year, his fears were proven true when the USAF incurred a 1:1 kill-loss ratio during Operation Linebacker. In an effort to aid the situation, Olds offered to take a reduction in rank to colonel so that he could return to Vietnam. When this offer was refused, he elected to leave the service on June 1, 1973. Retiring to Steamboat Springs, CO, he was active in public affairs. Enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001, Olds later died on June 14, 2007. Olds ashes were interred at the US Air Force Academy. Selected Sources Robin Olds: BiographyAce Pilots: Major Robin Olds in World War IIUS Air Force: Legendary Fighter Pilot Robin Olds Dies