Shrek and Lord Farquaad Essay Example

Shrek and Lord Farquaad Paper In this essay I am going to analyse the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad and write how filmmakers use different presentational devices to create an unusual fairy tale. Traditional Fairytales consist of basic concepts and themes. Good always seems to defeat evil. One of the characters we have all come across in fairytales is the Ogre. When we first think of the Ogre, the thoughts and attitudes towards the character would be, firstly, the related words ugly and strength. These are important characteristics of the Ogre. He uses these to scare away other people. There is a sense of fear in the Ogre. To sum up the Ogre, he is large, unfriendly, terrible looking and a lonely creature that can be considered as a bad guy in fairytales. We will write a custom essay sample on Shrek and Lord Farquaad specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Shrek and Lord Farquaad specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Shrek and Lord Farquaad specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another fairytale character who is common in many stories is The Prince. He is literally the opposite of the Ogre. He is usually a handsome brave man who in fairytales rescues a beautiful woman who he truly loves. The prince is a hero in many tales. These two characters are very important and their values contribute deeply into the meaning of the story in which they are found. Characters, which make up a fairytale world, are stereotypes of those characters in a ideal world. For example we transfer the image of someone brave and who is a hero into someone like the prince. Language is an important device. It can create the impression of good and evil in both characters. The main character of the film and the centre of the story is Shrek himself. The film is set up and laid out like a normal fairytale. The beginning starts off like a typical fairytale, starting Once apon a time At the very start of the film it is different, unconventional and new ideas are added, like when Shreks big hand shuts the book at the beginning. We are introduced to him straight away. The setting at the beginning of the film is not tradition because it is set in a swamp where you expect and Ogre to live. The camera shots are mostly close-ups at the beginning. They are focusing on the character. When the village people arrive at Shreks swamp, he sees them, so he gets cross, therefore he tries to intimidate them by saying forcefully, I will grind your bones for my bread and shave your liver and make jelly from your eyes. He tries to daunt them by saying, Ogres are worse than giants. The characters run away in fear. Shrek comes across as a conventional ogre because he scares the characters like you would expect them to do. He uses quick phrases to create a sense of fear so the characters will deliberately become horrified. During this scene there is a camera shot which is very effective. A close up is taken of Shreks mouth to make them think he is going to eat them. Afterwards, Shrek meets donkey. Due to Shreks nature, he immediately tries to scare Donkey away. He follows Shrek to his swamp. One of the surprising characteristics about Donkey is that he can talk. Shrek roars at him to try and terrify him. Donkey does not seem intimidated and is not scared. He just says, You need some tictacs because your breath stinks. Later on in the scene, Shrek is sat at his table when three blind mice come out looking for food. He tries to catch them but fails. When he eventually catches them he reminds them, I am a terrifying Ogre, what do I have to do to get a little privacy around here? The behaviour of donkey and the mice tell us that Shrek is not a traditional ogre because he does not really want the mice and donkey to go as he likes their company. From the attitudes towards these characters we can conclude that Shrek is very lonely and doesnt like to be close to others. Shrek isnt capable of doing horrible things to others even if he really wanted to. He feels sad and feels others hate him and do not want to get to know him. Shrek and Donkey take a visit to Dulok to try and get Shreks Swamp back. They are going to see Lord Farquaad and tell him that the swamp is his and no one elses. Shrek is not even vaguely frightened about going to him. As the film progresses, we learn that Shrek is really not all that frightening. Lord Farquaad orders Shrek to go and rescue Princess Fiona from the tower. Whilst in the Lords court the makers use lighting to make it seem like a tense atmosphere by dimming the lights, which makes it darker. Shrek does as he is told and goes to rescue the princess. The presentational device used is not traditional. The setting is where Shrek goes to get the princess from the tower. A dragon stops them going to awaken the princess. This scene is opposite of stereotypes of traditional fairytale scenes. Everything is opposite to what it should be. In a traditional fairytale, a handsome prince slays the dragon, rescues the princess and they share first love. But in Shrek, the ogre comes into the castle, does not slay the dragon and leaves. When Shrek gets to the top of the tower he awakens Fiona vigorously. There is no romantic moment in this part, again another untraditional device is used. Fiona is another character who is not frightened of Shrek and can communicate normally. So not everyone thinks badly of him. When they are escaping a quick tune is played in the background. This creates an effect that they are eager to escape. During the film we learn that Lord Farquaad is not a traditional prince as he has an evil side to him. You can tell hes bad by the way he talks and treats others, like the gingerbread man. He laughs at him and throws him in the bin. A presentational device is used here. Lord Farquaad tortures the gingerbread man and this is not normally the case in fairytales. A high angle camera shot is used to make Lord Farquaad look big compared to the gingerbread man. He is short, mean, not handsome and greedy. This shows his character is unconventional of that a fairytale prince. Greed is shown when he wants to marry a princess for the sake of being king. A traditional prince would want to marry a princess to share love. Lord Farquaad is not a stereotypical character. Many different camera shots are used in Shrek. A high angle camera shot is used when the camera moves from ground level upwards to reveal his tower. It is useful because it makes Lord Farquaad seem higher and more honoured and Shrek and Donkey appear small land less important. High camera angles are useful and help the viewers to get a better feeling of whats going on. Middle angle camera shots are also used like when Princess Fiona is cooking breakfast. Lighting, music and sound effects are a big part in the film. Music reflects the characters emotions, for example when Shrek is unhappy the music is slow. Lighting often portrays minor events like the ending of Princesss song. Brighter lighting adds the feeling of a warmer and a happier event.

A comparison between Karl Marx essays

A comparison between Karl Marx essays Karl Marx and Max Weber are two of the most important figures in the science of sociology. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in the city of Trier, Germany and was the forefather to the great communist revolution that swept across a large part of the world at the beginning of the 20th Century. Marx is regarded as an economic and political philosopher. However, when compared to one of the founders of sociology Max Weber, Marxs theories still have a clear resonance within this related field. Max Weber was born on April 21st, 1864, in the town of Erfurt, Germany into a wealthy and educated family. Like Marx, Weber was a political economist. However, although there were similarities in some of their theories, there were far more distinct differences. The purpose of this paper is to compare both Marxs Class society and Webers Rational society theories and then to evaluate their relevance in contemporary society. At the core of Karl Marxs socio-economic theory was the theory of class and conflict and it ultimately became very much a capitalist critique. Marx claimed that an individuals class position is determined by his or her relationship to the Forces (means) of production. If a person was in the position of owning the means of production, then they would be categorised as being part of the ruling class or the Bourgeoisie. However, if you did not own the means then you would be in one of the subject classes or the Proletariat. Marx was most concerned with the dominant position of the Bourgeoisie due to them own the means of production. He also stated that with their economic power came political power, and hence the ruling class influenced all spheres of society. In addition, the ideology of the ruling class also subjugated the proletariat into believing that their life was natural and normal. Marx represented this theory by using a Superstructure model of soc...

The Ultimate Program for Gifted Learners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Ultimate Program for Gifted Learners - Essay Example It gives them a place and an identity in the world. They help him carve for himself a good standard of living and a decent status in society, depending on the upbringing he gets. Nevertheless, these are not good enough for a child gifted with special learning abilities and talents. Funds and resource material are important and necessary to discover and hone the skills of the pupil with special learning abilities. However, these are just some of the tools to be put in place for such students. Unlimited funds and resource do not necessarily guarantee success for an aspiring pupil seeking to discover his special talents and abilities. Equally important is confidence building measures and emotional factors that play a vital role in shaping the future and lives of these students. Nothing can replicate their worth and value. They comprise the bond of relationship between the tutor and the taught. A very large premium is placed on the intelligence and integrity of the tutor, for these are the standards the student will seek to emulate. It is customary in schools to allow brilliant students, especially in the lower classes, to skip a grade, in order to accelerate their education and put them up at a grade which will be a match for their level of intelligence. We so often come across students too young for the grade they are in. However, their performance is brilliant. They are promoted in a double measure. This is done in order to introduce them to a curriculum which will prove to be a match to their special learning skills which is superior to their peers. A fourth-grade student who shows extraordinary skills in mathematics, science and English, qualify for grade-skipping and is promoted to the sixth grade, even if the rest of the students in the new class are senior to him by a couple of years. Education acceleration helps accommodate him at a level where he could enthusiastically prove himself and gain confidence. These students automatically qualify for the program. (http://www.projectappleseed.org/gifted.html) 2. The next group of students who may qualify are those who consistently remain among the first five rankers in a class of 40-45 students. These are the ones who possess extraordinary learning skills and leadership qualities. It is necessary to consider this group of students even if they do not necessarily qualify for grade skipping, in order to ensure that no deserving student is left out of the program. Also, gifted children with Learning Disabilities (LD) must be given the opportunity to seek admission in the program. Until recently, students with the LD tag were written off as below average students. Ultimately, most of them ended up as dropouts. However, times have changed. Students with learning disabilities are no longer treated as misfits. It may be difficult to identify their

Marketing Management Project wk4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Management Project wk4 - Essay Example This target market saves business owners from wasting time and money, among other resources, while trying to sell their products to people who do not require them. All businesses need a marketing strategy so as to concentrate their efforts to the right channels of generating income. A good marketing strategy is important in ensuring that the target market is fully captured and purchases the presented product or service. To understand a market and the impact of a product or service on it, several methods can be applied in studying a business. These methods create a situation analysis. The situation analysis is a key component of a marketing plan and should be carefully thought on and done. For the service in question, which involves the supply of textbook-like content to students online, a large portion of the target market is made up of school children, and specifically those who have access to a computer with an internet connection. This market constitutes children and young adults who have the desire to read textbooks but have little or no access the hard copies. This site will be open to anyone, meaning that the market will not be limited to a specific geographical region. The strengths of the service are that it can serve a large population regardless of geographical location and contains relevant academic content that would only be available in academic textbooks. Its weakness lies in the fact that anyone can copy this idea and create their own version of it, probably even an improved one. The opportunities that lie within this service include the addition of professional academic materials that can be supplied to universities and colleges at a fee. Finally, threats such as already existing knowledge sites, among them Wikipedia, are known to many students who heavily rely on them. Threats of new entrants into the business sector are also to be considered (Wood, 2005). The main competitors of such an online

Evocative Object Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evocative Object - Essay Example ICT refers to technologies that guarantee passage of information through telecommunications. The effects of information and communication technologies reflect on how humans do things in present day life as compared to how they used to in the agrarian economy. The information and communication technologies affect various human fields including health, education, modes of transport, communication, agriculture, governance, security, entertainment, sports, industrialization, and others (Seyler 1). The advancement of information and communication technologies is a continuous process that becomes complex and more effective every day. Nevertheless, these advancements equally have negative effects on the environment where they lead to pollution and security where they promote terrorism. Moreover, they come at a price. However, in most cases the inherent benefits of information and communication technologies are more than the costs accrued. Actually, the benefits of information and communicat ion technologies depend on the mode of application, the gadget itself, government policies, and other external factors. Some of the most common and advanced information and communication technologies include cell phones and computers (Seyler 21). Indeed, there are different versions of computers and cell phones with variant applications that continue to flood the global market. Personally, I have had experiences with technology in many cases in my course of life. However, this paper will illustrate my experience with a cell phone as a form of information and communication technologies. It will equally relate my experience to the society in the context of its technological application. The use of cell phones is growing in the modern world due to the friendly, effective, and advanced applications they contain. Its use varies from different personalities including students, business personalities, doctors, service men, pilots, engineers, and the general society (Seyler 26). As a studen t, I have various uses of my cell phone both inn school and outside school. Indeed, in my very first day in college, I was new in town had a vague idea on where my school is. As such, it was physically impossible to access my school on the registration day. However, iPhone had a GPRS and could thus access Google maps application forming a trusted source of direction. There with just a click on my phones keyboard the goggle maps directed me on the shortest direction from the airport to the school free of charge. This application was so beneficial that my mother actually had to buy an iPhone on her way from work. Again, while at school I have used my cell phone in various significant roles. Indeed, I still remember the day that my friend had an accident along the highway far from town. I used my cell phone again to take pictures of the accident using the video recorder and call the police and the ambulance at the scene of the accident. This saved the life of my friend, reduced traffic snarl at the highway, and ensured timely notification to the authorities. Indeed, I equally used the cell phone to inform my friend’s parents of the accident. Back in school, I use my cell phone in different studies and research. Since my cell phone can access the internet and has a capacity to download and store online information, I frequently use it to further my education. Actually, I use my phone to access emails from my tutors, download assignments, find research materials, and forward my assignments. I do this by connecting my phone to my computer at home using a cable and subsequently use my phone as a modem through tethering. This makes my studying more effective and convenient. In addition, my phone has a calculator that is very relevant in doing calculations at school. Indeed, I use my

Sr Research Experiment Builder

Sr Research Experiment Builder The SR Research Experiment Builder SREB is a visual experiment creation tool for use by Psychologists and Neuroscientists. The SREB is designed to be easy to use while maintaining a high degree of flexibility. This unique design combination allows for a wide range of experimental paradigms to be created by someone with little or no programming or scripting expertise. When used in combination with the SR Research EyeLink ® eye tracking system, the SREB provides seamless integration into the EyeLink hardware and software platform. Experiments are created in the Experiment Builder by dragging and dropping experiment components into a workspace and configuring the properties of the added components. There are two main classes of experiment components in the Experiment Builder: Actions and Triggers. Actions tell the computer to do something, like displaying a set of graphics on the screen or playing a sound. Triggers define the conditions that must be met before an action can be performed. The flow of the experiment is achieved by connecting sequentially related components in the workspace in a flow diagram like fashion. One of the important concepts in SR Research Experiment Builder is hierarchical organization of events in an experiment. A typical experiment can be dissected into several levels along a hierarchy of Experiment à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Blocks à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Trials à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Trial Runtime / Recording. All of the events within each level of this hierarchy can be conveniently wrapped in a loop (called sequence or sub-graph in Experiment Builder). This allows the whole sequence to be connected to other objects as a unit and be repeated several times in a row. Creating EyeLink Experiments To create an Experiment with SR Research Experiment Builder, the user needs to take the following the following steps: Experiment Design Building and Test-running Experiment Deploying Experiment Participant Data Set Randomization Data Collection Data Analysis Following these, a set of files are generated so that the experiment can be run for data collection without relying on the Experiment Builder application. To illustrate the use of Experiment Builder, a very simple eye-tracking experiment can be shown which runs three blocks of four trials. In each trial, a single word is displayed in the centre of the screen. Creating a New Experiment Session Click on the Experiment Builder to start a new session. When the application starts: Click on File à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ New on the application menu bar. In the following New Project dialog box, enter Simple in the Project Name edit box. Click on the button on the right end of the Project Location to browse to the directory where the experiment project should be saved. If you are manually entering the Project Location field, please make sure that the intended directory already exists. Make sure that EyeLink Experiment box is checked for an EyeLink experiment. Note: The user shouldnt manually add or remove files in the experiment directory. Configuring Experiment Preference Settings After a new experiment session is created, the user needs to check whether the default display and screen preference settings are fine for the experiment to be created. Select Edit à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ Preferences from the application menu bar or press the F4 key. Click on Preferences à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ Experiment à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ Devices à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ Display to check display settings. Make sure that the settings (Width, Height, Bits per Pixel, and Refresh Rate) used are supported by your video card and monitor. Click on Preferences à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ Screen to check Screen Builder settings. Set the Location Type as Center Position. If any of the above settings have been changed and if you want to keep the new settings as defaults for all of your future experiments, click on the button save properties as default. Creating Experiment Block Sequence The first step is to add a block sequence for repeating blocks: Click on the Experiment Tab in the Project Explorer Window to start. Click on the Action Tab of component toolbox. Select the Sequence node, hold down the left mouse button and drag it into the work area. Place the mouse cursor on top of the START node; hold down the left mouse button while moving the mouse cursor on top of the SEQUENCE node. This makes the connection from the START node to SEQUENCE node. (Note: dont make a single or double click on the START node as this will select the node instead. If you have done so, place the mouse cursor on a blank area in the work space and make a single click there. Redo the current step again.) Click on any blank area in the work window. Click the right mouse button and select Arrange Layout in the popup menu. This will re-arrange the nodes in a hierarchical fashion. Click on the SEQUENCE node in the structure list to continue. Editing Block Sequence Next, one will need to edit the properties of the Block Sequence. This involves changing the Label of the sequence to make it more meaningful and changing the iteration count (total number of times a sequence must be executed) to the actual number of blocks to be tested. Click on the value field of the Label property of the Sequence created. Write BLOCK in the text editor and press the ENTER key to finish. Click on the Iteration Count value field and enter 3 as the total number of sequence loops. In the experiment Work Space, double click on the Sequence object to continue. In each block, one has to first give an instruction, perform a camera setup, calibration, and then run the trials (an example has been given below) Click on the Action Tab of the component toolbox, select the Display screen action, hold down the left mouse button and drag the action into the work area. Click on the Trigger Tab of the component toolbox, select the Keyboard trigger, hold down the left mouse button and drag the action into the work area. Add an EyeLink © Button trigger to the work space. Add a Timer trigger to the work space. Click on the Timer trigger and set the duration to 20000 msec. Click on the Action Tab of the component toolbox and add a Camera Setup action to the work space. Click on the action and set the Background Color to white (255, 255, 255). Click on the Action Tab of toolbox and add a Sequence node to the work space. This will be our trial sequence. Place the mouse cursor on top of the START node. Hold down the left mouse button while moving the mouse on top of the DISPLAY_SCREEN node. This makes the connection from the start node to the DISPLAY_SCREEN node. Similarly, connect from DISPLAY_SCREEN to KEYBOARD, EL_BUTTON, TIMER triggers. Note that a number is added to these connections, indicating the evaluation order among the three trigger types. Make the connection from the latter three triggers to the EL_CAMERA_SETUP node and from EL_CAMERA_SETUP to the SEQUENCE node. Click at any blank area in the work window. Click the right mouse button and select Arrange Layout in the popup menu. This will re-arrange the nodes in an orderly fashion. Double click on the DISPLAY_SCREEN object in the work space (not from the structure list) until the Screen Builder interfaces displayed in the Graph Editor Window. Creating Instruction Screen The user may want to provide instruction to the participants at the beginning of the experiment. This can be done by creating an image file containing the experiment instructions and then using DISPLAY_SCREEN action to show the image. The instruction text can also be created with the multiline text resource. In the current example, multiline text resource text source is used. Click on the multiline text resource button on the screen builder toolbar to select the type of resource to be added. Click anywhere on the screen. In the following Multiline Text Resource Editor: Enter the instruction text. Press CTRL + A to select all text entered. Click the Margins button box to set the text margins. Enter 100 (or desired value) in all fields. Click the OK button on the dialog box. Make sure that the text is still selected. Now click the buttons on the toolbar to set the desired text appearance (font name, font size, font style, alignment style, line spacing, and text colour). Click on the Close button at the top right corner of the dialog to finish. To work with images instead of texts: The image resource is flexible enough to accommodate various modes of displaying (e.g., original image size vs. stretched, top-left aligned or centred). The following discusses the option of displaying images in original size or stretching it to a specific dimension. To display the image in original size, after the image is added to the display, the user should have Use Original Size field of the image checked. Please note that, enabling that field will also make several attributes read-only (Width, Height, Clipping Location, Clipping Width, Clipping Height, and Clipping Area is Gaze Contingent). To stretch all images to a fixed width and height (1024 ÃÆ'- 768 for example), after the image is added to the display, the user should first make sure that the Use Original Size field is unchecked. Check the values of Width and Height fields of sample image added and adjust them if necessary. In addition, the user may need to check the values of Clipping Location, Clipping Width and Clipping Height attributes, which are used to control the part of the image to be shown. By default, the clipping width and height are the same as the image width and height. Please note that the clipping location is always top-left based and the location is relative to the top-left corner of the image. If images are stretched to different dimensions, the user should add two columns in the experiment data source to specify the desired image width and height. After the sample image is added to the display, the user should refer the width, height, clip width, and clip height of the image to the two columns created in the data source. Editing Trial Sequence: Data Source Next, one will have to work on the sequence, which will contain all necessary triggers and actions in each trial. One would also have to create a data source to be used for setting parameters in individual trials. Click on the last SEQUENCE node on the structure list to start. In the property table, click on the value field of LABEL. Set it to TRIAL. Click on the Data Source property to bring up Data Source Editor. Click on the Add Column button. In the following dialog box, type Trial (without quotation marks) in the Column Name editor box and set Column type as Number. Click OK button to finish. Click on the Add Column button again. Set the Column Name as Word and Column type as String. Click OK button to finish. Click on the Add Row button. Enter the desired number (here 12) in the Number of Rows edit box to generate the number of rows of empty cells (here 12). Click on the empty cells of the table just generated. For this example, the values of the Trial column are set as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. For the word column, the following strings have been used: One, Two, Three, Four, till Twelve. Click on the Split by value field. Enter a value (here [4]. This makes sure that only 4 trials are run in each block.) Double click on the TRIAL sequence node in the structure list. Click on Start node under it to continue. Editing Trial Sequence: Preparing Sequence and Drift Correction Each recording trial should begin with a prepare sequence action, followed by a drift correction action, and then by the actual trial recording. The prepare sequence action allows the user to preload the image files or audio clips for real-time image drawing or sound playing, to draw feedback graphics on the Host PC to evaluate participants performance, and to reinitialize trigger settings. The user should typically call this action before performing a drift correction. Click on the Action Tab of the component toolbox, select the Prepare Sequence action, hold down the left mouse button and drag the action into the work space. Click on the added PREPARE SEQUENCE action and review the settings in the property table. Make sure to check Draw To EyeLink Host field is set to IMAGE or PRIMITIVE. This will draw image or simple graphics on the host screen for the purpose of evaluating gaze accuracy. Add a Drift Correction action from the action tab of the component toolbox. Click on the Action Tab of toolbox, select the Sequence node, hold down the left mouse button and drag it into the work space. Make a connection from the START node to PREPARE_SEQUENCE, from PREPARE_SEQUENCE to DRIFT_CORRECTION, and from DRIFT_CORRECT to the SEQUENCE node. Click on any blank area in the Work Space. Click the right mouse button and select Arrange Layout in the popup menu to re-arrange the nodes in an orderly fashion. Double click on the newly created sequence to fill in the actual events in the recording. Editing Recording Sequence In a simple recording sequence, one has to display a screen and then wait for a button press response from the participant. The trial times out automatically if no response is made within a user specified time interval in seconds. The display screen is then cleared. Select the newly added Sequence node. Rename the label as RECORDING. Make sure that the Record and Is Real time checkboxes are checked. Double click on the RECORDING node in the structure list until seeing a START node under it. As we double click on the START node, the content of the work area window is also updated. Click on the Action Tab of the component toolbox, select the display screen action, hold down the left mouse button and drag the action into the work area. Click on the Triggers Tab of toolbox, select the TIMER node, hold down the left mouse button and drag the trigger into the work space. Double click on the Timer object. Enter Time out (without quote) in the Message value field and 10000 (time in ms) in the duration field. Add an EyeLink © Button trigger. Add another display screen action. Double click on the action and modify its label as DISPLAY_BLANK. Also uncheck the Send EyeLink DV Message box. Make a connection from the START node to DISPLAY_SCREEN, from DISPLAY_SCREEN to TIMER, from DISPLAY_SCREEN to EL_BUTTON, from TIMER to DISPLAY_BLANK and from EL_BUTTON to DISPLAY_BLANK. Click at any blank area in the work space, then click the right mouse button and select Layout à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in the popup menu. Click ok in the following dialog box. This will re-arrange the nodes in an orderly fashion. Modifying Properties of Display Screen One must first need to check the property settings of the display screen actions. For better Data Viewer integration and for reaction time calculation, a message should be written to the EDF file to indicate the time when the stimulus was visible to the participants. In addition, one may need to draw simple graphics onto the host screen so that the participants gaze accuracy during recording can be evaluated. Click on the DISPLAY_SCREEN node. In the property window of the action, double click on the value field of Message property. Type in SYNCTIME and then press ENTER key to register the change. Make sure that the Send EyeLink © DV Messages and Use for Host Display properties are checked. Select the DISPLAY_BLANK action. Double click on the value field of Message property. Type in blank_screen and then press ENTER key to register the change. Make sure that both Send EyeLink © DV Messages and Use for Host Display checkboxes for the DISPLAY_BLANK action is unchecked. Creating Display Screen In here, one has to add a text resource to the display screen and modify the properties of the text resource, such as font name, size, text to be displayed, and alignment style. One also must have to create an interest area for the text. To do this, first double click on the DISPLAY_SCREEN object in the work space, until the screen builder interface is displayed in the Graph Editor Window. Click on the Insert Text Resource button on the Screen Builder tool bar, and click at any position in the work area. Double click on the current value of Font Name (New Times Roman). This will bring up a dropdown list. Set the new font name as Arial (or any other). Double click on the current value of Font Size (20). Enter the desired text size (40) in the text editor. Double click on the far right end of the value field of the Text property. This will bring up an attribute editor dialog. Click on DataSource node under TRIAL sequence on the node selection list. Double click on the word node in the node attributes window. This will update the contents of Attribute editor dialog as @[emailprotected]. Click on the OK button to finish. Check the Use Runtime Word Segment box. This will create interest area automatically for the text used. Select the newly added text resource, click on both Horizontal Center Alignment and Vertical Center Alignment buttons to place the text in the center of the screen. Select the text resource on the work area, click the right mouse button, and select the Lock Selection option so that the resource will not be moved accidentally. Writing Trial ID to EDF file A TRIALID message should be written to the EDF file so that the actual experiment condition under which the trial was conducted can be identified during analysis. Click on the Experiment (the topmost) node in the structure list to start. In the property table, click on the value field of the EyeLink © DV Variables property. In the following dialog box, for each of the variables to be added to the trial ID message, select the variable and click the ADD button. The order of the selected variables can be modified with the Move up and Move down buttons. Click on OK to finish. Showing Experiment Progress Message on Tracker Screen During trial recording, a text message can be displayed at the bottom of the tracker screen so that the experimenter can be informed of the experiment progress. For example, in this experiment, a text message like Trial 1/12 One on the tracker screen was shown. Click on the Recording sequence node in the structure list to start. In the property panel, click on the far right end of the value field of the EyeLink © Record Status Message property. In the attribute editor, enter an equation as: =Trial + str(@[emailprotected]) + /12 +str(@[emailprotected]) Click on the OK button to finish. Building the Experiment Click on Experiment à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ Build menu to build the experiment. The Editor Selection Tab in the Graph Editor Window will be set to the Output tab and build information will be displayed. Watch out for error (displayed in red) and warning (in brown) messages during building. The following is a list of common errors during experiment building: Image file not found No positions are added to the custom pattern Use of runtime value with pre-build to image option on No value is set at row for the column The node could not be used in the sequence Reference to not found in the graph. No link from node. Infinite loop found Invalid Reference. No recording sequence found in an EyeLink © experiment. The following is a list of common warnings during experiment building: The keyboard trigger and mouse trigger is used in a real-time sequence. If this is the case, check whether these two triggers are indispensable for the experiment design. If so, uncheck the Is Real-time box in the recording sequence. Default value use in attribute The user may also test the experiment by clicking on Experiment à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ Run from the application menu-bar. This will try to connect to the tracker PC and execute the experiment code. It should be noted that this should only be used for the purpose of testing and debugging experiment code. To collect experiment data, the user should use the deployed version of the experiment as it does not have to rely on the Experiment Builder application and can be run on a different computer. Deploying the Experiment After the experiment is built, the user must deploy the experiment to a new. This will generate a set of files so that the experiment can be run on a different computer without relying on the Experiment Builder application. If a data source is used, this will create a datasets subdirectory with a copy of data set file in it. The user can create several copies of data set files with the randomizer application Running the Experiment To run the experiment, open the directory where the experiment is deployed to and click on .exe. If the EyeLink © host application is already running on the Host PC and the Ethernet connection and settings between the host and Display PCs are ok, the experiment should now start. This will first popup a dialog box asking for the data source file. Go to the datasets directory and select the target data source file. Following this, enter the desired EDF file name (must be in DOS 8.3 format) and click on the OK button to continue. Following the initial welcome message, the participant will be shown the camera setup and calibration screen and the recording can be started following calibration, validation, and drift correction. After the experiment has ended; an EDF file will be transferred to the Display PC. It may take some time to complete the file transfer. Possible Errors Error in Initializing Graphics: When you start the experiment and see an Error Initializing Graphics error, please check whether the display settings (screen resolution, colour bits, and refresh rate) specified for the experiment are supported by your video card. If not, please change the Preferences à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Experiment à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Devices à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Display settings. Error in Tracker Version: SR Research Experiment Builder works well with both EyeLink and EyeLink II eye trackers. The default tracker version is set to EyeLink II (see Preferences à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Experiment à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Devices à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ EyeLink). Therefore, EyeLink I users may see such an error message with the default tracker setting. If this is the case, please set the tracker-version in the device settings to EyeLink I. Participant Data Set Randomization In most experiments, the user will need to randomize trial order so that the experiment materials are not presented in the same sequence across participants. Randomization of data source can be done with either an internal randomizer or an external randomizer. These two randomization methods are almost identical and therefore the user may use the internal randomizer to perform randomization unless counterbalancing or Latin-square designs are needed. The configuration of the internal randomization settings should be done before deploying the experiment project whereas the external randomization can be done after deploying the experiment project. Data Collection Data can now be collected from the deployed version of the experiment. Double click on the executable file in the deployed experiment directory or type in the .exe file name from the command-line prompt. If the experiment uses a data source, a dialog will be displayed, allowing the user to choose the appropriate data source file. In an EyeLink © Experiment, the user will also be asked to enter the experiment session name. At the End of experiment, an EDF file will be generated for EyeLink © recording session and saved in the experiment directory. Optional result file(s) will be created if the user has specified them in EyeLink © and non-EyeLink © experiments. Data Analysis EyeLink © recording file can be conveniently analyzed with EyeLink © Data Viewer as the experiments created with Experiment Builder are fully integrated with this analysis tool. Experiment Builder sends messages to the data file so that images or simple drawing can be added as overlay background. The user can also specify trial variables, create interest areas, and send messages for the ease of data analysis. The result file(s) from a non-EyeLink © recording session contains columnar outputs for selected variables in the experiment. This file can be easily loaded by common statistics packages. Lists of Application Menu Bar and Toolbar File Menu and Tool Buttons Edit Menu and Tool Buttons Experiment Menu and Tool Buttons Help Menu Lists of Actions, Triggers and Other Node Types Actions Triggers Other Node Types

Far From The Maddening Crowd :: essays research papers

c â€Å"Far from the Maddening Crowd† â€Å"Far from the Maddening Crowd† is a story of three men with nothing in common except the conquest for the same woman. It takes place in the 19th century in a country town of West England, where the sound of the wind along with the singing of the birds is a melodic rhythm, the field is green, and the flocks of sheep graze peacefully like cotton balls. On top of the hill lived Bathsheba, a beautiful and independent young woman. After the death of her father, she confronted with the role of managing the farm she inherited from her father. Batsheba faces her duties and responsibilities with control and authority. This is in contrast to her personal life; she is confused because she does not know which one of her three pretenders she wants as a prospective husband. One of Batsheba’s pretenders was Gabriel Oak, a shepherd of flocks and a man who was loved and respected by everyone. Gabriel was a kind man whose eyes implied tenderness. He wanted Batsheba’s love, but she told him that she was independence and needed a husband that would tame her. He lost all of his wealth when his flock of sheep had strayed off a cliff and had to become Batsheba’s Foreman. Bathsheba arouses an unrestrained passion in Mr. Boldwood, a middle-aged, wealthy man who had never bothered with the feelings of a woman, until, he receives an anonymous letter where he was teased with a marriage proposal. When he found out that Batsheba had written the letter, he proposed to her. Batsheba felt guilty for what she had done to Mr. Boldwood and was willing to marry him even without feeling any love for him. Batsheba meets the third pretender; Sgt. Troy, a good looking, daring, young man, depressed by being left at the altar by the woman he loves. Bathsheba felt jealousy and distraction toward him, which she thought was love. He desires only Bathsheba’s wealth. Bathsheba and Sgt. Troy were married even though Mr. Boldwood offered Sgt. Troy a fortune in exchange for not marrying Batsheba. Gabriel and Mr. Boldwood were left broken hearted; Mr. Boldwood sworn vengeance to Sgt. Troy. As soon as they were married, Sgt. Troy started ill treating Bathsheba, and he does not help her with the farm duties; instead, he demands money to support his gambling. But there was Gabriel Oak always by her side and working arduously on the maintenance of the farm.

Field of Social Work in Child Practice

Field of Social Work Practice in Child Welfare Definition of the Field The Encyclopedia Britannica defines child welfare as services and institutions concerned with the physical, social and psychological well-being of children, particularly children suffering from the effects of poverty or lacking normal parental care and supervision (Child Welfare, 2010). Working with children and families is the second largest area of practice for social workers, and it is most popular with those who have a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Degree (Berg-Weger, 2010).National Organizations Addressing Child Welfare Practice A brief description of The Child Welfare System helps to better understand the role of social workers in this field. Under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), The Child Welfare system emerged. Primarily state and local regulated, this system encompasses the primary responsibility of implementing, overseeing and enforcing laws and policies aligned to protect the welfa re of children.Services provided under the child welfare system include the following: †¢ Support or coordinate service to prevent child abuse and neglect †¢ Provide services to families that need help protecting and caring for their children †¢ Oversee the investigation of reports of possible child abuse and neglect †¢ Oversee temporary and foster care of children when safety cannot be assured at home †¢ Support the well-being of children living with relatives or foster families, including ensuring their educational needs are addressed †¢ Oversee family reunification, adoption or other permanent family connections for children and youth leaving foster care Although each state has a public child welfare agency, the child welfare system is not a single entity. Public child welfare agencies often collaborate with private child welfare agencies, community-based organizations and other public agencies to ensure that abused or neglected children receive the services they need. The Children’s Bureau (CB), another national organization, is the first federal agency within the United States (U. S. ) overnment to focus exclusively on the improving the lives of children and families. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is a professional organization created specifically for the social work profession and serves to provide information and education to the profession and advocate on behalf of social work professionals (Berg-Weger, 2010). The Social Work Policy Institution (SWPI) is a unit within the NASW whose primary responsibility is to examine issues that relate to social workers and perform research to gather empirical data and statistics that directly and indirectly impact how public agencies and other structures deliver health and human services.The mission of SWPI is to strengthen the voice of social workers in public policy deliberations, inform policymakers through collection and dissemination of information on so cial work effectiveness, and to create a forum to examine current and future issues in health care and social service delivery (Social Work Policy Institute,2012 ). The Role of Child Welfare Social Workers The role of the social worker in the field of child welfare involves a wide variety of settings within the child welfare system which includes direct involvement with an array of external professions and agencies (e. g. courts, law enforcement, psychiatrists, psychologists and other health care delivery team professionals). This collaboration is necessary to better ensure a holistic and efficient resolution approach for clients such that the safety and best interest of the child is always first and foremost; while working toward the goal of family reunification when feasible.The role of the child welfare social worker entails: †¢ On-going follow-ups and investigation of reports of possible child abuse and/or neglect †¢ Meticulous assessments / detailed reports, and recom mendations to courts and other services within the child welfare system †¢ Coordination of supportive child care, parenting classes, and in-home family preservation services †¢ On-going follow-ups, monitoring child and family progress and evaluations of planned outcomes †¢ When applicable, coordination and follow-up of mental health services, counseling and substance abuse treatment †¢ A liaison between client(s)and other multi-collaborative team members In addition, one of the most significant roles of the child welfare social worker is the mandated reporting of child abuse. Social workers have a legal responsibility to report suspicion of any form of child abuse and/or exploitation regardless to whether the information is based on direct or indirect knowledge of incidents.The social worker works closely with local law enforcement agencies and family court systems that rely heavily on the high quality assessments as well as other recommendations from the social worker in order to implement immediate safeguards and/or take immediate action when necessary to remove a child from a harmful or potentially harmful environment. Family preservation and implementing measures that safeguard the child, and acting in the best interest of the child is always the overall goal collectively within the child welfare system and individually for the social worker when making decisions, recommendations and referrals on behalf of a child. Social Problems in the Field Although the field of child welfare encompasses a variety of issues within the practice settings of family services, adoption programs and elementary and secondary school settings, child abuse is one of the most serious issues facing social workers in this field (Berg-Weger, 2010).This issue alone, reported by the SWPI, has created an emotional toll on social workers in the field of child welfare along with a steady increase in caseloads ranging from ten to one hundred and ten cases per social wor ker (The Social Work Career Center, 2012). This makes recruitment and retention in this field an on-going challenge. As front-line workers in the protection of children, social workers in this field are at high risk of becoming victims of violence as they are not usually accompanied by law enforcement during the initial follow-up on reports of abuse. Another area within the child welfare system that creates a social dilemma is the costs associated with child abuse and neglect mainly including hospital care and foster care.The social and economic consequences and costs of child abuse and neglect impact our society both directly and indirectly. The greatest cost being the displacement and offense against children. Professions that Compete with the Field of Child Welfare Political conservations and government cut backs on social reform, media and societal oppositions continue to be a constant challenge to the field of social work in general. Particularly in the field of child welfare, and despite the fortitude of those who remain committed to the client goal of finding families more quickly through safe reunification, adoption, and legal guardianship, the difficult and challenging daily tasks of child welfare social workers are seldom publicly acknowledged unless under scrutiny.Moreover, due to the complexities of the child welfare system, one hundred percent safety for all children is a goal to be achieved, but is rarely attained. Child welfare is a field of practice that is identified by the public as being primarily a social work domain. However, less than thirty percent of child welfare workers have a professional social work degree (BSW or Master of Social Work (MSW)). In some states the number of professional social workers in public child welfare is as low as three percent, with fewer than fifteen percent of states requiring a BSW or MSW degree for any child welfare position (Social Work Policy Institute,2012).In addition, there is a high turnover with the highest turnover rates from those who are hired with the least educational background and training (Social Work Policy Institute,2012). This dilemma creates a higher caseload and workload on those who hold the longest record of remaining in the field. That is, the degreed professionals (Social Work Policy Institute,2012). Job Opportunities According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of children under the age of 18 in the U. S. has grown from forty-seven million since 1950 to seventy-three point five million. By the year 2030, this number is expected to grow to eighty-five point seven million.The BLS also estimates the need for 595,000 social workers, with an expected growth of twenty percent employment of child welfare social workers. The average growth rate for all occupations is fourteen percent. The demand for child and family social workers should continue to grow because they will be needed to investigate child abuse cases and to place children in foste r care and with adoptive families. However, growth in this occupation is subject to limited budget constraints at all levels of government which will have impact on closing the gap on the shortage of social workers in this field and overall job opportunities. Salaries vary depending on location, experience and benefits offered.However, the median annual wage as reported by BLS is $40,210 annually (Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 2012). Important Trends The CB reported that in any given year an estimation of one million children come to the attention of the child welfare system. In 2010 an estimated 701,158 children were determined to be victims of abuse and neglect and an estimated 1,537 children died related to child abuse or neglect. As the NASW Center for Workforce Studies states, child abuse and neglect occur in all segments of society, within families from all walks of life, at all income levels, all religious denominations and all racial and cultural backgrounds.These facts in dicate that child welfare requires knowledge and skills in assessment, active engagement, intervention, the use of authority, and an expert ability to negotiate and manage appropriate community resources for an immeasurable client base. This further indicates a need for more comprehensive strategies that target both the recruitment and education of the next generation of professional social workers, and the training of current practitioners. The NASW reports that currently, hiring requirements for social workers in child welfare vary. Targets for action as reported by the SWPI include influencing social work education as a requirement to practice in the field, expanding use of data and research, influencing service delivery, and strengthening policy and practice linkages.The NASW continues to advocate for measures to decrease the shortage of social workers in the field of child welfare social work and to ensure consumers have access to qualified professionals. One such measure to re cruit more degreed child welfare social workers is promoting student loan forgiveness for social work college graduates. For example, while The Higher Education Act has been authorized by Congress to offer loan forgiveness, they have yet to allocate the funds toward this program to pay-off student loans (The Social Work Career Center, 2012). However, the NASW remains vocal on behalf of social workers to get funds appropriated for this program. These are just a few examples of the on-going work to improve working conditions, salaries and other benefits for members of the profession.Other sources include the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 that also offers a loan forgiveness program that will discharge any remaining educational debt after ten years of full-time employment in public service. These shifts mark significant trends toward improved support of social workers particularly in the field of child welfare, and even more promising employment opportunities for social work gradua tes who are interested in child welfare. Summary A unique aspect in the area of child welfare is working closely and diligently to combat one of the most sensitive issues of our society, that is, the abuse and/or neglect of children. This aspect alone makes the decision to pursue a career in child welfare a most rewarding one but challenging at the same time.The field of child welfare is professionally, emotionally, and personally taxing, and often misunderstood and under-supported. With the reported rates of child population growth and the alarming rates of reported child abuse, the need for well trained and educated social workers is critical to this field of social work in particular. In order to provide adequate and improved support for social workers and the children and families who encompass this field, supportive efforts on the part of state and federal levels, and other organizations like NASW and SWPI helps to offer a more promising outlook and outcomes for all who remain committed to achieve a most difficult task of one hundred percent safety of all children.

Free Essays on The Californians

Becoming Californian One of Gertrude Atherton’s many novels, â€Å"The Californians†, captured much about the lives of the privileged class of San Francisco during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. In chapter six of her novel, Atherton tells the story of two young women named Magdalena Yorba and Helena Belmont who reside in a very nice part of northern San Francisco. They are the daughters of very wealthy and powerful men known as Don Roberto Yorba and Colonel Jack Belmont. The two daughters decide one evening to rebel against their parents and sneak off to get a closer look at a fire in a bad part of town. During these times upper-class females were not suppose to be alone in public and therefore Magdalena and Helena head towards South of Market Street dressed as a boy accompanied by a muchacha from Spanish town. Magdalena is of New England Spanish decent while Helena is half New England and half Southerner. However, before the night was over, these two young explorers felt simply as Californians. For the first time in their lives Magdalena and Helena were able to catch a glimpse of the life of poverty that many endure in downtown San Francisco. The two girls even began to feel sorrow for the people who were watching their businesses and homes burn to the ground. The two friends seem to put themselves on the same social level as the less well-off victims of the fire when Helena says, â€Å"Oh, the poor things! They’ve been burnt out. Let’s talk to them.† While their previous upbringing had taught them to stay away from peoples lower than them, Magdalena and Helena had developed a new spirit to gain a better understanding about the people who lived so near to them, but who were also much different. This sense of closeness to the people helped them to feel more a part of California. As the story continues, Magdalena and Helena end up being brought in by a police officer for dressing as a boy and being vagrants.... Free Essays on The Californians Free Essays on The Californians Becoming Californian One of Gertrude Atherton’s many novels, â€Å"The Californians†, captured much about the lives of the privileged class of San Francisco during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. In chapter six of her novel, Atherton tells the story of two young women named Magdalena Yorba and Helena Belmont who reside in a very nice part of northern San Francisco. They are the daughters of very wealthy and powerful men known as Don Roberto Yorba and Colonel Jack Belmont. The two daughters decide one evening to rebel against their parents and sneak off to get a closer look at a fire in a bad part of town. During these times upper-class females were not suppose to be alone in public and therefore Magdalena and Helena head towards South of Market Street dressed as a boy accompanied by a muchacha from Spanish town. Magdalena is of New England Spanish decent while Helena is half New England and half Southerner. However, before the night was over, these two young explorers felt simply as Californians. For the first time in their lives Magdalena and Helena were able to catch a glimpse of the life of poverty that many endure in downtown San Francisco. The two girls even began to feel sorrow for the people who were watching their businesses and homes burn to the ground. The two friends seem to put themselves on the same social level as the less well-off victims of the fire when Helena says, â€Å"Oh, the poor things! They’ve been burnt out. Let’s talk to them.† While their previous upbringing had taught them to stay away from peoples lower than them, Magdalena and Helena had developed a new spirit to gain a better understanding about the people who lived so near to them, but who were also much different. This sense of closeness to the people helped them to feel more a part of California. As the story continues, Magdalena and Helena end up being brought in by a police officer for dressing as a boy and being vagrants....

Cultural Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand Essay Example

Cultural Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand Essay Example Cultural Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand Paper Cultural Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand Paper Bangkok is one of the worlds major tourist destinations. Writers such as Warren (1999) reveal that Bangkok is also known as the City of Angels. Over a long period of time the attractions of this contemporary capital city of the Kingdom of Thailand have encouraged travellers to come to visit. People have been attracted to come to the Kingdom by the exotic beauty. In early times only businessmen and traders came to Bangkok. In recent times, however, it has become a mass tourism destination. A wide variety of natural and cultural attractions that suit the motivations of visitors from many countries entice people to this capital city. The tourist industry has responded to the international travel market by providing an extensive range of facilities to satisfy travellers demands. Tourism has given the Thais a reason for preserving their culture and protecting their heritage. However, since the arrival of U.S. marines, Thailand has been burden by the sex symbol which tainted the cultural rich image of the Kingdom. This essay aims to provide an analysis of Bangkok as a cultural tourism destination and to explore the efforts which the local government endeavour to change the negative image of sex tourism to cultural tourism. It identifies attractions that pull people to Bangkok and considers the motives that urge people to respond to the pull of its attractions. It also notes the ways in which the major divisions of the tourist industry supply the needs of tourists. Cultural Tourism Brokensha and Guldberg (1992 p.3) provide many descriptions of cultural tourism. The description most relevant to cultural tourism in Bangkok is mixing with and meeting local people, and learning about lifestyles and cultures. The aims of the cultural tourist can be achieved through attending cultural events, experiencing and appreciating built heritage and the natural environment, and gaining education and pleasure from these experiences. The city of Bangkok, through its natural and cultural attractions, provides many opportunities for these kinds of experiences and activities. History of Bangkok, Thailand The Thai, descendants of ancient Pamir plateau stock, are racially related to the Chinese and were one of the major peoples that migrated from southern China to mainland Southeast Asia. After entering the valley of the Chao Phraya River, they defeated and dispersed the Khmer settlers, ancestors of the Cambodians, and established the Kingdom of Thailand. People lived and traded near the Chao Phraya River. The trading and the population later expanded to other inland regions. Bangkok was established in 1782 as central city for trading. The famous story based on the diary of Anna Leonowens in Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landons. However, tourism actually began in the 1960, where U.S troops used Thailand as a base to attack Vietnam. It is likely that the soldiers told their friends about the exotic beauty of the Kingdom when they return home. Bangkok Natural Environment Bangkok is the contemporary capital city of the Kingdom of Thailand. It is located on the Gulf of Thailand coast. Bangkok has many rivers that connect the city to the sea. One of the worlds renowned rivers is the Chao Phraya River where Thailand first began. Much of Bangkoks history happened along both sides of the Chao Phraya River. Throughout history, the Thais depended on this river for their daily needs, such as cooking, laundry, swimming, fishing and as a source of drinking water. In addition, since the beginning of the Kingdom, people lived and traded along this river. This culture of trading and living by the Chao Phraya River carries on till today. The tropical climate in this region attracts tourist from Europe where the winter is extremely cold. Chon, Singh and Mikula (1993) reveal tourists generally visit Bangkok for urban life and then travel to the neighbouring suburban areas to experience the natural environment of the beach such as in Pattaya or Khor Chang. Some activities enjoyed by tourists are scuba diving, jet skiing, sun-bathing and parachuting. For tourists who want to be amid the peaceful atmosphere and observe the traditional ways of life by the water, Bangkok has much to offer. There are services which have been established to cater to tourists needs. This is in line with Smiths (1988 pp.179-190) supply-side concept. There are hotels, taxi boats, floating market, restaurants and other transportation services targeted at enabling tourist to experience the culture of the Thai. Tourists can experience the way of life that has be carried on for many generations. Tourists from other parts of the world, which are wealthier and economically advanced, can experience novelty and change as Cohen (1974 pp.527-555) suggests. Major features of Thai Society The origins of the Thai people are in the Southern part of China. The people were strongly influence by Buddhism, the central of the Thai culture, which was brought to the region by Buddhist missionaries from India. The Thais manifest their faith by building and skilfully crafting the elaborated works of arts of the temples. There are many temples in Thailand; however the glorious and magnificent ones are situated in Bangkok. Most men and women were peasants and depend their livelihood on farming rice, vegetables and fruits at minimal wages. Peieggi (1996) reveals that since the U.S troops came to Thailand, the people realised the demand for hedonistic pleasure among these soldiers. Young girls and boys were sold for money as a source of family income. After the Vietnam War, due to the influx of tourists visiting Bangkok, there have been new job opportunities opened for the Thais. The Thais perform cultural dance, sword fighting and Muai Thai (Thai boxing) for the tourists viewing pleasure. Throughout history, there have been several images of Thai society. These include images of leisure and eroticism. Gibbon and Fish (1998) compliment Thailand for its richness in culture and its hospitable people. On the contrary, Peieggi (1996) suggests that there have been high ratio of males visiting Thailand, primarily for its hedonistic appeal. Ashworth and Brian (1989) explain that such image is a challenge and the country is endeavouring to change; however, the most important image for the tourists is that Thailand is a cultural centre where everyone is kind and hospitable. The history of Tourism in Bangkok Thailand Although visitors came to Thailand many centuries ago, it was not really until the late 1960s and early 1970s that the Kingdom began its career as a major tourist destination. In the 1960s, the large US troop presence in Southeast Asia produced a surge in Thailands tourism. Since then, the boom has continued, although the large number of hotels has led to heavy competition and fairly low occupancy rates. In the 1960s, Thailand became a favoured place for the nomads from affluence (Cohen, 1973), young drifter tourists who were escaping the evils of the developed world in order to find culture and wisdom in the East. These people preferred to stay in motels or cheaper hotels to avoid the more luxurious facilities provided for the tourists. These nomadic hippies were attracted by advertisement in magazines and friends who had been to Thailand. In late 1990s, Thailand was promoted as Amazing Thailand as a paradise inhabited by a serene, harmonious people. The Hollywood movie entitled The Beach with leading actor Leonardo DeCaprio, illustrated the exotic island life. This was the period of mass tourism. Peieggi (1996) explains that Thailand emerged a popular destination due to its peaceful religion and its exotic culture. In 2001Bangkok has been named as the number one tourist city in the world by readers of the American magazine Travel and Leisure, the citys Peninsula Hotel also coming in first in their readers survey of the top hotels. It was particularly popular with Europeans and Americans. As Elliot (1983) explains the success of tourism was partly due to its natural environment, friendly people, exotic culture and a central position of the air route of the region. The Government began to focus its resources on tourism in 1982 when studies showed that tourism was the nations top foreign currency earner. In addition, during the APEC meeting in 2004, due to the fear of terrorism and the importance of the tourist industry, the government heightened the security during this period of time. The fear was greater when the President of the United States of America, George W Bush, was attending the meeting. The Impact of Tourism of the Thais Tourism has had a variety of impacts, both negative and positive, on Thai society. Hewison (1987 p9) laments that due to tourism, many of the attractions in Thailand can be manufactured for the purpose of gaining more visitors. As Peieggi (1996) suggests because of the hedonistic appeal that Bangkok offers to male tourists, Thailand has been ranked statistically the highest scoring nation for the spread of AIDS. (Leheny 1995; Ritcher 1989) explain that tourism played a major role in the expansion of sex tourism, and has transformed the nations rich culture into an embarrassing burden. (Leheny 1995; Ritcher 1989) argues that tourism has ensured the preservation of the Thai culture and has made the Thais more aware of their own culture than they might otherwise have been. Elliot (1983) points out that the money the Thais have earned through displaying their culture to the tourists has help sustain them financially. Cohen (1995 pp 225-233) explains that commodities crafted by villagers attract tourists attending due to the craftsmanship, beauty and exoticism. The villagers can sell these items to tourist for income. On the other hand, the villages much desire commodities which tourists use, such as denim jacket, T-shirt and jeans. There have been concerns reported by local media that the Thais risk loosing its unique culture by pursuing similarities with the western culture. Kontogeorgopoulos (1998) advocates that tourism increases employment opportunities for the locals. The author further explains that due to tourism, there will be construction of hotels and other facilities to service the tourists. Locals will be employed and trained in various areas. For instance, the locals can learn to speak the English language to enhance the ability to communicate with foreigners and increase their employability. Pull Factors The exotic culture of Thailand has attracted tourists from many parts of the world to experience the way of life of the Thai society. As mentioned earlier, the Thais used to live and trade along the river. Tourists can experience this way of life Ratchaburi province which is about 80 km southwest of Bangkok. There, the tourists will discover a popular floating market. There will be small boats laden with colourful fruits and vegetables which are paddled by local women wearing bamboo hats. These images are often advertised for cultural tourism of Thailand, in travel magazines and brochures. Inquisitive tourists can embark on a tour onboard these boats. Another tourist attraction relating to cultural tourism is the Songkran festival. It is an ancient festival, which is celebrated by the Thais annually and is influenced by the ancient Hindu astrological calendar. It is a common feature of the agricultural cultures of Thailand. In the old days, scented water was used mainly for blessings and paying respect to the elders. Tourists visiting Bangkok or in any parts of Thailand can join in the celebration and enjoy getting wet throughout the day. Likely Motivational Factors As tourists do not normally state their motives and wants in choosing a destination, it is difficult to know with certainty the motivation factors a tourist has in mind. Dann (1981 pp 209-211) explains that the difficulties lie partly in the inability or unwillingness of the tourists to articulate their motivations. However, tourists behaviours hint their likely motivation. Many tourists choose to visit Bangkok in order to escape from their routine to experience change and novelty as Cohen (1974 pp 527-555) or for the purpose of leisure. Tourists choose Bangkok as a destination to revitalise themselves for a period of time before feeling ready to go back to work. Tourist experience the exotic culture of the Thai society. The tourists can maximise the time they have in Bangkok, where there are many cultural activities orchestrated for tourists. Tourists can enjoy watching the Thai dance or the making of Thai handicrafts in parks and other recreation areas. Temporally, the tourists forget about the stress and pressure of work back home. The laidback or slow lifestyle of the Thai agricultural culture enables tourist to ease tension and feel more relaxing physically, emotionally and mentally. Hospitality in Thailand Esichaikul (1998 pp. 359-369) explains that tourism offers a lucrative source of income for Thailand. The author further suggests that the provision of accommodation, food and drink are important to the countrys economy. Hospitality in Thailand ranges from luxurious facilities to very affordable home-stay. Outside of Bangkok, tourists can stay in stilt hotels on the dam, resorts and hotels by the beach or huts in the forest. Tourists can relax and enjoy the tranquillity that nature offers in this tropical climate. The Thai cuisine is unique and it reflects the exotic culture of the local society. The cuisine includes affordable seafood which the Japanese particularly enjoy. During the APEC meeting, the Prime Minister of Japan, Junichiro Koizumi, indulged himself every night in various kinds of seafood. Other cuisine includes pineapple rice, papaya salad, Tom Yam soup and the Tok Tok noodles sold in the floating market. Thai cuisine is spicy and sweet in general; some adventurous tourists may be challenged to try the food, some tourists may resort to western food like McDonalds and Subway sandwiches. Nonetheless, Thai food is low in cholesterol and healthy as many dishes often incorporate fruits in the preparation stage. Transportation Due to the geographical location, tourists can travel to Bangkok by many means. The International air-port has facilities to accommodate various sizes of planes. Backpackers having visited the neighbouring Malaysia, Cambodia of Singapore can also choose to travel economically by trains and busses. Due to traffic congestion in Bangkok, other interesting modes of transport have emerged to allow people to travel efficiently. Along the Chao Phraya River, tourists can travel by express boats cross to other regions. In addition, tourists may wish to travel at a slower pace, by long-tail boats, in order to enjoy the riverside scenery. On land, tourists can travel on the elephants back, which in the past was only suited for the Kings. Travelling on elephants backs can be interesting; tourists will sway from side to side slowly high above ground level. Tourists often find this mode of transport amusing and exciting. Apart from taxis and busses, tourists can also choose to travel on a three-wheeled Tuk Tuk to zigzag between vehicles without being hampered by the traffic jam. Conclusion In conclusion, cultural tourism in Thailand provides many exotic experiences for tourists. The government of Thailand has been investing resources in advertising campaigns to change the erotic image of by emphasizing the cultural richness of the Kingdom. It is apparent that such change remains the greatest challenge to the country. Though tourism has impacted Thailand negatively; it has provided employment and other financial benefits to the Thais and the nation in many related industry.

Client Strategy Proposal for AngliCare Australia (Non Profit Research Paper

Client Strategy Proposal for AngliCare Australia (Non Profit Organisation) - Research Paper Example The message we are trying to spread here is â€Å"Let others reuse to the core for what you have use no more†, encouraging people to donate things that they are done with, but something that still has some sort of value so that someone else can put it to use. Introduction AngliCare is a social welfare agency based in Australia. They provide a unique range of community services including family relationship services, foster care, adoption, employment services, community housing and development, etc. Originally established in June 1976 as â€Å"Anglican Health and Welfare Services†, AngliCare now has a staff of over 400 and a network of more than 300 volunteers and counting, AngliCare is now one of Australia’s largest Christian care organizations and reaches out to over 38 thousand people every year, making an annual turnover of over 25 Million Dollars. (About Us 2011) Being a social welfare organization, AngliCare provides specialized services to all, children, th e aged, the disabled; anyone who requires help. They realize that more often than not, people are in need of an ear to listen and some moral support. Their main aim is to try to help these people through love and Jesus. Goals & Objectives AngliCare has a vision to change lives and communities by care through Jesus Christ. They believe that, â€Å"we live in a just and fair society in which all people thrive.† (Dear Applicant 2011). All they want to do is help everyone get there. They want to provide support and services to those who need it, as a push to make them reach where they want to. They also want to play a role in influencing policy makers to ensure that institutions and systems are made aware of the needs of all people in the community. AngliCare has one mission-to care: by doing good work that will help communities evolve and address any kind of needs, emotional, social or physical, that the people may have. AngliCare’s goal is to work together with people, f amilies and their communities so as to enhance their abilities and to encourage them to cope with the daily challenges that life has to offer. They do so by being compassionate, responsive, non judgmental and non discriminating in their strive to help others feel empowered. AngliCare depends on team work. It is their best strategy and has over time made them believe that cooperation and collaboration is what leads to achieving quality outcomes for both individuals and communities. Situation Analysis: SWOT Strengths: AngliCare provides a vast range of services that has turned to be a strength for them. These services include caring for the aged, youth services, family relationship services, disability and carer services, disaster recovery, etc. They do not discriminate or judge, but accept whoever comes to them with needs. Being a social welfare group, this plays a very strong role in their functioning. Their main motto is to care and they ensure that this message is communicated to all they come across. AngliCare also has strength in its organizational and services structures that are very comprehensive and well planned. Weakness: In spite of being a social welfare organization, everything is not given to AngliCare on a silver platter. They are facing issues that can be considered a weakness to their functioning, such as with some of its events, the volunteers and the bad donations to its op shops. They need to work on

Organisation Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

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