Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Spa – Cr. to the Rightful Owner

This chapter presents the discussion of reviewed related writing of authors that the researchers collected during the course of the study. Material reviewed came from different books, studies and other professional writings from both foreign and local books. Conceptual Literature The worldwide spa industry is worth in the region of US $40 billion and has grown at a phenomenal rate in the past ten years (Haden, 2007). The growth of health food, gyms and the investment in leisure facilities proves that consumers are looking for more than relaxation during a break or holiday; this is unsurprising given time is so precious to contemporary consumers (Lynch, 2002). Harmsworth (2004: p. 173) claims that â€Å"the spa market is one of the fastest growing leisure sectors, where societal trends and aspirations find instant reflection in the developments on both the demand and supply sides. The market is very fragmented, each segment catering for different customer needs, which continuously change in line with social and lifestyle changes. † According to Libosada Jr. C. and Bosangit C. (2007) stated that spa is a resort with mineral or thermal water used for drinking and bathing. The term is derived from the name of a town in Belgium and has been applied to similar resort worldwide. The Kentucky-based International Spa Association (ISPA), an organization which claims to set the standards for the spa industry makes no mention of water in its definition, arguing that â€Å"a spa serves as an educational and cultural institution that promotes and integrates individual wellness, health and fitness as well as social well-being, harmony and balance through wellness, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation of body, mind and soul† (Loverseed, 1998: p. 48). Later, the ISPA offered an all-encompassing, holistic definition, claiming that spas are entities â€Å"devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit† (Mintel, 2005). It is claimed by Jenner and Smith (2000) that visiting spas is one of the earliest forms of tourism. Spas found their beginnings thousands of years ago, when ancient civilisations used them for their healing properties and as an important part of their social structure (Vierville, 2003; Spaa, 2002). The therapeutic use of baths was remarkably long-lived; such popularity was no doubt partly due to the fact that baths were both pleasant and, by the Roman imperial period at least, comparatively freely available (Jackson, 1990). It was after this time that public interest in baths began to peak (Spaa, 2002). Spa tourism has many varied definitions; there is no â€Å"officially† agreed upon definition of what a spa should or should not be – what makes it such? Many believe that the word ‘spa' is an acronym based on the Latin phrase â€Å"sanitas per aquas† – meaning ‘health through water', in fact the Oxford English dictionary’s definition of a spa is from the Latin â€Å"solus per aqua† or â€Å"health by water† defined as â€Å"a place with mineral springs considered to have health-giving properties† (Loverseed, 1998). Thornton and Brutscher (2003) maintain that the word and the concept of spa actually originated from the time of the Roman Empire when battle weary legionnaires tried to find a way to recover from their military wounds and ailments. Therefore suggesting that traditionally, water is not only inexplicably linked to the definition of spas, but that it is the water which defines it. The European Spas Association’s (ESPA) definition of a spa is also dependent upon the water element; they define a spa as „a mineral spring or a place or resort where such a spring is found? (Jenner and Smith, 2000). Unlike the ESPA, the British Spas Federation (BSF) reviewed its definition with regard to widening its membership, which at that time consisted only of the municipal authorities of spa towns. However, the BSF was later replaced by the Spa Business Association (SpaBa) who in turn redefined the spa, returning the centrality of the role of water by defining a spa as â€Å"an establishment providing a minimum of one approved water based treatment using water of known composition. The spa should be staffed by appropriately trained therapists and have minimum standards of furnishings. The water should be enhanced with minerals, either naturally or with an additive† (Mintel, 2005). Others, especially in the USA, hold a far less rigid view of what constitutes a spa. The Kentucky-based International Spa Association (ISPA), an organization which claims to set the standards for the spa industry makes no mention of water in its definition, arguing that â€Å"a spa serves as an educational and cultural institution that promotes and integrates individual wellness, health and fitness as well as social well-being, harmony and balance through wellness, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation of body, mind and soul (Loverseed, 1998: p. 8). Later, the ISPA offered an all-encompassing, holistic definition, claiming that spas are â€Å"devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit† (Mintel, 2005). It is claimed by Jenner and Smith (2000) that visiting spas is one of the earliest forms of tourism. Spas found their beginnings thousands of years ago, when ancient civilisations used them for their healing properties and as an important part of their social structure (Vierville, 2003; Spaa, 2002). The therapeutic use of baths was remarkably long-lived; such popularity was no doubt partly due to the fact that baths were both pleasant and, by the Roman imperial period at least, comparatively freely available (Jackson, 1990). It was after this time that public interest in baths began to peak (Spaa, 2002). By the medieval period, the idea that thermal springs could have medicinal properties was firmly established. But in the 18th and 19th centuries, taking the waters? began being a fashionable pastime for Europe?s upper classes. In fact, the popularity of this habit is what established places in the UK, such as Bath, Brighton and Harrogate, as early tourism destinations (Jenner and Smith, 2000). Today’s spa is an interesting combination of ancient traditions and modern facilities; in recent years, the value of prevention, healthy lifestyles, and relaxation has been embraced by many and the spa is again finding its place in modern society as a place uniquely geared to address these needs (Register, 2005). In one of the major formative tradition for current pattern of health and well-ness spa tourism worldwide, the Roman Empire left behind a long list of spas all over Europe, which they built while they were occupying new territories. With the demise of the Western Roman Empire in 450 AD, so too came the demise of the Roman bath tradition in Europe, although Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East maintained a highly developed bathing culture. This was a result of the influence of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire and the subsequent Arab conquests and maintained the influence of Roman bathing tradition in those countries (The Spa Association, 2005). The City of bath in England provides an example of the fusion of Roman history with later trends in spa and wellness demand and supply in Europe (White, 2000). After the springs had been abandoned as a bathing resource in 1978 (although not touristically or respect of their mineral waters), the Bath spa project was launched by the City Council in 1997 in order to restore bath to the leading spa town of England, with the expectation that the project would stimulate the revival of spa culture in the UK. The hew spa facilities in Bath are just a short distance from the original Roman bath site and they used natural hot spring water drawn from the same springs that have served visitors for at least the last two thousand years. The new facilities are designed to offer relaxing and extended therapeutic treatments. Although they will not act as a cure for serious illness they will act as a cure for the human spirit, as outline in reference to the conservation statement for the adjacent Roman Baths (Clews, 2000). In countries such as Hungary the change from centuries of thermal bathing culture to modern wellness facilities has been slower than in countries without a history of hot or mineral hot springs. In Budapest the increase use of day spas builds on the ancient way of relieving stress and physical ailments through hot water treatment, and day spas and wellness facilities are now being established in a society that is becoming more conscious of the importance of healthy lifestyle (LaForest, 2004). In Budapest the locals congregate in public thermal baths such as the Szechenvi to relax, swim and take many of the cures and treatment on offer. They are also known for taking the national pastime of playing chess into thermal pools (The age, 2005). And further to the east in Russia the Soviet era thermal baths were an integral part of the national health system. In Europe Austria was one of the first countries to adopt the more recent concept of wellness and to act upon quickly. The country affectively appeals to key tourist target groups by positioning itself to offer wellness treatments that unite the body, spirit, personal desire, culture, and natural resources embodied by the spring (Nahrstedt, 2002). Australia has an unmatched infrastructure when it comes to wellness holidays and health-related tourism, and was ranked number one in the world for quality of life and its healthcare services in the early 2000s (Garalli, 2002). According to Nahrsetedt (2002) Austria boasts an intact natural environment in conjunction with its wellness spas, an association that is also very popular in the Japanese tourist market. In Japan itself though, with literally thousands of geothermal springs and the Japanese preference for authentic and unadulterated hot spring water, wellness centres are not yet developed to quite the same extent, leaving the European style wellness facility as a potential favorite for the Japanese while on holiday. In Japan, in tradition hot springs have been developed into days spas known as kuahausu derived from the German word kurhaus, providing separates bathing areas for men and women with thermal mineral pools at different temperatures, a cold pool area with fountains and waterslides, bowling alleys, gyms, saunas and steam rooms, massage services, restaurants and bars, relaxation rooms, music rooms, and video games (Altman, 2000: 07). But the main bathing attractions are the traditional hot springs called Onsen. Often used by groups of people who enjoy sharing a bath after leaving the world of corporate work behind? As well as families and couples, a trip to an Onsen is classed as the ultimate bonding experience because all are equal once they shed their designer clothes and other status symbols. The captain of Iceland, Reykjavik, has been designated on official spa city by the European Spa Association (Iceland Express, 2006). This seems well deserved a quite logical, because the Icelanders have many facilities where they can take care of their health, well-being and leisure. Several active Volcanoes and high temperature geothermal field provide natural hot springs all over Iceland and most towns have at least one public geothermal swimming pool. The Health and Wellness Spa Industry Having said that, rising customer expectations concerning health and wellness are the foundation in which the modern health and wellness spa industry is building an ever-increasing supply of facilities for the medical and general (wellness) visitor, to the extent that this form of tourism is now worth in excess of 250 billion US dollars per year and attract some 150 billion active spa-goers world-wide (ISPA, 2007). Caution is needed here though, because for example these figures are said to include 19. 1 million Japanese spa-goers. Japanese data (Beppu International Tourism Office, 2007) suggest that there are over 150 million Onsen users alone in that country (Chapter 9). This discrepancy would appear to relate to the varying definitions of wellness and spa use that were discussed earlier, where the Japanese tradition is more about simply bathing in hot water than about the American tradition of beauty spa that underlies the research undertaken by the International Spa Association. As a result of this, many Japanese users may not be counted if the data are concentrating on analyzing the spa experience rather than the totality of health and wellness tourism based on the use of hot and mineral springs. The trend toward indulgence in a relaxing environment, which began after World War II (Foster & Keller, 2008), has thus turned into a global movement but one that is a significant departure from the original concept of health spa that mainly specialized in rehabilitation of recovering from illness and injury. The new emphasis lies in prevention of disease and maintenance of good health more that cure, with high expectations regarding health improvement even if there are no particular health problems. Along with the body, mind and soul are also catered for in many spas in a holistic approach of creating harmony for those in need. This often includes new-age treatments as well as the more traditional water-based therapy. The key element in all such facilities is water. Be it apart of the natural landscape surrounding a facility (ocean, rivers, lake and waterfalls), decoration in the background (pools, fountains) or an active treatment component, water is a very important element in the world of spas and wellness. More and more spas without a natural hot springs are investigating the possibility if tapping into mineral geothermal water resources to enhance their business. The trend towards natural looking environments or setting is also evident in many spa hotels and resorts where swimming pools and thermal bathing facilities are designed and built to looks are natural as possible, with rock pools the most typical and widespread design. The development of these spa and wellness water resources can be divided into two broad types: Hot spring: These are usually well known and general appreciated for their curative value and their therapeutic benefits based on both water temperature and mineral content; Mineral springs: These can be cold or warm water from a nature spring, with curative value based on the type and concentration of minerals in the water. Often, the water can be taken internally too and is bottled and distributed (Cooper, P. nd Cooper, M. , 2009). Current International Trends in Spa and Wellness Tourism The trends of indulging in a relaxing environment has turned into a global movement but one with a significant difference from the original concept of health and natural hot and mineral spring spas, which mainly specialized in rehabilitation. The new emphasis lies in the prevention of disease and in the maintenance of good health instead of cures, with high expectation regarding health improvements even i f there are no specific problems. Mind and soul are usually catered for long with the body in many spas using holistic approach of creating harmony for those in need, including new-age treatments as well as the more traditional rehabilitative therapies. The main center of attention at present appears to be a natural healing method incorporating Asian treatments accompanied by the esthetic appeal of Eastern lifestyles and culture, which are in great demand. Therapies of Asia origin are often combined with European balneotherapy and hydrotherapy as well as sport and fitness facilities to offer diversity of options in order to attract as many customers and client as possible. Nearly all spas cater for aspects with special signature treatments to ensure that there are no missed opportunities (Cooper, P. and Cooper, M. , 2009). Characteristics of Spa Tourists Traditionally it has been women who have primarily used spas. However, a consumer research conducted by ISPA in 2003 determined that 29% of spa tourists around the world are men; this figure rose to 30% in 2004. As men continue to represent a significant proportion of the spa market, more spas are offering special treatments for them and men-only spas continue to open in cities around the world (Grihault, 2007; Mintel, 2005; Messerli and Oyama, 2004). The Baby Boomer generation (45-60 years old) continues to be the core consumer base for the global spa tourism industry. According to Haden (2007) industry analysts have long known that health conscious Baby Boomers have been the main driving force behind the worldwide boom in the spa industry. However, some argue the appeal of the industry reaches a larger age-range; Swarbrooke (2000: p 78-79) claims that most visitors to spa sites are in the social classes A, B and C1 and are between 30 and 65 years of age. Mintel (2005) have a similar view, claiming it is the 25-64 year old market who dominate the customer base for spas; this group tends not to be at the family life stage, and their members are as likely to be male as female. The average age of visitors to spas is currently 49 years (ETC, 2002). Yet Hudson (2003) argues that by 2050, 20 percent of the world’s population will be sixty years or older; and by 2150, this figure will increase to over 30percent. These claims seem dramatic; however it is clear from all the statistics available that the population is aging and that this trend is set to continue. Latest research by International Database, US Census in 2007 confirms these figures and shows the number of people aged over 55 years is projected to reach 2. 6 billion or approximately 27. 7% of the world?s population by 2050. Thus, the number of individuals aged 55 and over is forecast to grow at a rate of about 4% per year over the next 43 years (Haden, 2007). According to a survey carried out by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB), 70. 8% of those aged over 45 years had been on holiday in 2006, compared to 64. 9% of the general UK population. A Mintel study of US travellers in 2005 revealed that those over 55 years are more inclined to take holidays lasting five days or longer. Maintaining health in retirement has become a top priority. In a 2006 study of US health and fitness clubs in May 2006, Mintel found that those aged over 55 years were far more likely to participate in some form of strenuous exercise five or more times a week than other segments of the population (Haden, 2007). If such predictions are dealt with wisely, the outlook for the industry appears to be positive; it will help to drive tourism’s growth in general and health-related travel in particular. Taking this into consideration, such a shift will clearly have substantial implications for the international health and spa tourism industry. Research Literature Health spas had their origin in Europe and many resorts had name that were associated with spas. The popularity of mineral springs carried over to Northern America and the springs were the location of some of the earlier resort. It is important to differentiate between spa hotels and resort spas. Spas hotels cater only to spa clientele and all guests must participate in the meals, treatment and exercises. On the other hand, resorts spas are amenities that are available to the guest, and charges are made for the various usage of spa (Liguori, S. and Gray, W. ). Administration of spa hotels heavily involves people with a medical background, whereas resort spas are merely operating departments of the resorts. Exercises-oriented facilities are swimming pools, tennis court, handball and racquetball courts, jogging trails, hiking and weight and aerobic training. Spa program include dietary program, massage, herbal wraps, exfoliation, that also therapy, facial and hydrotherapy. Under both scenarios, staffing involves people experienced in the program and administrative personnel. Ways for boosting revenue The method presented in the previous section illustrated the overall contribution of resort spas to resort revenue, in order to offer more insight into how spa managers can increase their spa revenue, the author of this study conducted to an interview with a spa director of one of the leading resorts spa in Southwest Florida. The director state that resorts should first focus on guest experience to increase their sales. In that director’s case, she mentioned that her resort was able to increase the incremental spending from $658 to $985 per night by packaging spa and other activities together. The director also stated that pre-arrival process is a critical component for revenue maximization. She offered a case as an example where she use a system called â€Å"power booking† in which a spa front desk agent was calling guest two to three days to prior to the spa reservation date and providing the opportunity for upgrades and additional bookings base on availability (Rutherford, D. and O’Fallon, M. 2011). According to O’Fallon M. and Rutherford D. (2011) stated that spas are booming such a significant component of the service menu for resorts and full service hotels that their absence, especially in amenity- rich resort environment, is glaring obvious. Within the leisure industries in 2003, revenues related to spas ranked number four behind golf fees and dues ($19. 7 million0, cruise lines revenues ($14. 7 million), and health club revenues ($14. 1 million). At $11. 2 million, spa revenues outpaced amusement park revenues ($10. 3 million), box office receipts ($9. million), and vacation ownership sales ($5. 5 million (Thacker, 2004; Audi and Wright, 2004). In this section, we first examine trends that support a sea change in North Americans’ attitude toward spa demand demographics; we discuss the type of spas currently popular in the industry, development and operational considerations, the components of a spa experience, compensation issues, and trends in the spa industry. Spa demand According to the International SPA Associations research, between 2002 and 2003, 11% of the national population over the age of 16 made one or more spa visits. This statistics shows that in xten Americans visited a spa during that period. Additionally, of these, 41% were visiting spas for the first time, indicating a larger population embracing spa usage. Age demographics show that 145% of clients are between the ages of 16 and 24, and over 50% are in the 24 to 44 age bracket. An emerging national statistics is the number of male visits to spas. 23% of spa visits and 29% of spa goers were men in 2003, trending toward special gender oriented treatments and male- only spas being opened worldwide. Spa selection criteria are determined by a number of factors. An established and known environment for instance, as part of an established resort, club or destination spa often influences the decision, and does atmosphere, quality of treatment, and friendliness of staff. Additionally, among spa goers nine out of ten respondents report they would return for a similar experience. Most spa customers believe they receive good value for their spa dollar. On a 10 point scale, services were given an average of 8 for value; with massage generating 8. 8 on the value such as Canyon Ranch are opening in the day spa market, adding new competitive pressure on the independents. Non-traditional players are also adding product supply. For example, corporations are creating in house spa environments, hospitals are adding wellness as part of their repertoire, and medi-spas, with a primary focus on cosmetic surgery, are adding spa business as an additional profit center. Health club are also trying to capture a piece of the pie by adding spa practices. The rationale in this market is that time-crunched patrons can benefit from the one-stop-shopping approached to fitness and wellness but the health club operator also uses the spa as an enticement to join the fitness centre. As the day and destination spa markets become saturated, it will become imperative for survival that each operator differentiate itself from the competition. The necessity for market segmentation to ensure clear communication with consumers will be a key to success in the maturing spa market. Another component of success will be a branding strategy that the consumer can immediately identify with respect to spa performance and the consumers personal comfort travel (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Health Issues and Spa Demand. Increasingly, spa goers are looking to create prolonged wellness that integrates and renews body, mind and spirit. To that end, Eastern and Western lifestyle issues related to medicine, philosophy, and spiritual are becoming a mainstay of many spa/wellness experiences. To best deliver this, the wellness spa (located at day, destination, or resort environment) supports guest’ needs by creating an experience, not just a series of treatments. All the guest amenities, treatments, and programs must be seamlessly integrated into a personally tailored guest experience. This experience should be targeted toward couples, parents with children, and teenagers. In the early 1990, spa were considered a natural outgrowth of fitness facilities and focused primarily on treatments related to body wellness. As market sophistication evolved, the body mind connection attracted consumer focus. In the beginning of the twenty- first century, spas and marketers are overtly addressing body, mind, and spirit connections in order to respond to emerging market sensibilities (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Spas as an Operating Department. Historically, spa operations were treated by management similarly to other revenue departments, like catering and restaurants. These departments were simply perceived as an amenity needed to attract guest to the hotel. As long as the department broke even, or didn’t lose too much money, their ability to increase occupancy was deemed sufficient justification for their existence. However, in the late 1990’s, hotel spa followed the path of other operating departments and were transformed from support to profit centres. This trend is strong and continues today (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Spa Trends: On site industry trends Anti-aging treatments and products are driving much of spa menu and retail development. This calls for devoting a treatments room to outpatient medical procedures. Programming and spa menu items include sun damage treatments, chemical skin for renewals, and other rejuvenation techniques that build on repeat procedures. Commensurately, spas are developing retail product lines so that clients can take the spa experience home and continue the wellness regime. Global Industry trends Trends in day, destinations and amenity spas influence each other. According to Susan Ellis (2004), president of Spa Finder, a spa marketing company, after the rise of the medical spa and broadening spa participations by men and teens, spa use is expected to become more popular in the future. Spa Finder’s trends to watch for are: those personal elements that make the spa experience special will find their way into the design of personal living spaces in private homes; private, gated living communities will develop around central spa facilities, much like golf and sly-in communities. Managing visitor’s expectation and experience. Visitor’s expectation of a wellness centre or spa will differ greatly according to which country they come from, their language and their experience of wellness facilities generally. For example, the British or Americans would have a very different understanding of what they would expect to find in spa (i. e. luxury, pampering, and beauty) from a Central or Eastern European (i. e. healing waters, physical health checks, and medical treatments). Information provision and marketing is therefore extremely important in managing visitor expectation. In some cultures, nudity in spa is the norm or even a requirement in some areas (e. g. suanas and steam rooms). This is true of Austria, Germany and some spas in CEE and Scandinavia. However, for some visitors (e. g. American, British, Asians, and Southern Europeans) this can be unexpected and even embarrassing. In some cultures (e. g. Finland and Japan) men are separate from women when using sauna or spa facilities. In other cultures, mixed nudity is accepted. Some nationalities are used to doing activities in groups and are not used to enforced silence (e. . Southern European). This can create a certain amount of tension in countries, where spas and wellness centers are seen as quiet, restful, sometimes even spiritual spaces (especially in sauna and steam rooms) Help may also be needed to guide visitors around spas, as it could be their first visit or rituals and traditions may differ from those in their home country. Language may be a barrier where there is little or no translatio n, especially in countries where language can seem completely unfamiliar (e. g. Finland, Japan, and China). Visitors sometimes have problems knowing which entrance to use if there is more than one, which ticket to buy when there are many options, and might not understand the cloakroom system (e. g. in Hungary, where a cloakroom attendant usually has to be approached for a locker and key) or the new technology (e. g. in Austria when the locker system can be operate using a wristband). Knowing just how long to stay in medical, mineral or thermal waters is not clear to the inexperienced. Even if 20min is the recommended time, bathers need to know how long to rest or whether they should go to a cool shower after. Just a small information panel outside a bath, sauna or steam room can be enough to inform visitors, what the recommended length of time should be. (Smith & Puczko 2009). Atmosphere Creating a relaxing, clean, and pleasant environment is a paramount importance for all wellness facilities, but most especially for spas and spa or wellness hotels, which may also need a touch of luxury (spiritual or holistic tourist may accept more basic facilities). The use of design, colour, lightning, and location of furniture, degree of natural light, greenery, views, music or scents can all contribute to creating a harmonious atmosphere. Certainly, most of these qualities are determined during the planning process. The management may face difficulties when the services and/ or the surrounding environment do not support or accompany each other. These mismatches certainly result in sub-optimal satisfaction and consequently lower the optimal revenue level 9 (Puczko & Smith 2009). Spa Tourism Spa tourism is arguably the best known form of wellness tourism and is sometimes treated as being synonymous with wellness tourism. ISPA (2007) defines spa as ‘places devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit’. ISPA also defines the key elements of the spa experience: relax; reflect; revitalize; and rejoice. It is difficult to distinguish between spas and more general forms of wellness (e. g. holistic retreats); however, it also shows clearly the diversity of the spa sector. There are now numerous sub-sectors within spa tourism and it is no longer enough simply to use the label ‘spa’ and assume that tourist will know what to expect. Perceptions differ greatly, for example, tourist in Central and Eastern Europe are very similar with the concept of historic medical spas, whereas other visitors (e. g. from the United States or United Kingdom) with expect something similar to a beauty salon. Spa are now of a highly complex and diverse nature. This diverse nature starts with the name and its likely meanings. Bath, bano, bad, therme/ terme, grotto, spa, kupele, furdo – all mean a thermal water-based spa, in various languages. The translation of the name from the original language often uses the term ‘spa’, but these establishments are not really always spa. Spas may differ widely in terms of what they offer, that is their services or treatment supply, and however, they have one thing in common, which is the aspiration to improve health and well-being. Most spas have some form of water-based treatments; however there is a difference between mineral, thermal, and healing waters: mineral waters; it has at least the set amount of dissolved mineral content which is minimum 500mg/1 or 1000mg/1; thermal waters: natural waters that are at least 30 C or 32 C at source (this can vary country by country); healing waters; the healing affects have to be proven, that is evidence-based. The International Spa Association (ISPA, 2007) has defined the ‘ten domains of SPA’ or segments of the industry as: the waters; food, nourishment, diet, and nutrition; movement, exercise, and fitness; touch, massage, and body work; mind/body/spirit; aesthetics, skin care, natural beauty agents; physical space, climatology, global ecology; social/cultural arts and values, spa culture; management, marketing and operations; time, rhythm, and cycles. Not every spa contains every domain. The rejuvenation of the spa concept has generated several attempts to categorize spas. Since the modern concept of spas were established in the United States, one of the most comprehensive categorizations comes from the International Spa Associations (ISPA, 2007 and the Spafinder Magazine, 2007): club spa; day spa; spa hotel; holistic spa; medical spa; bath; resort spa; sport spa and structured spa.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Farewell: Friendship and Various School Activities Essay

We have gathered here today to bid farewell to the students of standard 10th. I am indeed honored to be given this opportunity to represent the students of standard 9th. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, something comes to alter the recipe. In this context, I would like to mention that for the past few months, the students of standards 9th and 10th have indeed worked very closely together to organize various school activities which have helped us forge close ties of friendship. And now, before we know, its time to say ‘Adieu’. The Bible says â€Å"To everything there is a reason and a time to every purpose under heaven† You all have waited for this moment all your lives, the moment when you leave your childhood behind and step into the real competitive world to forge your own paths in life. We have counted down the years, the months, the hours, minutes and seconds, and finally, that moment has arrived. Most of you all will miss the very heart of your experience as a student; your friends and your teachers. Although all may be separated by time and distance in the interim, nothing will diminish the important role that you have and always will play in our lives. We wish you happy adventures, fantastic new friendships, amazing experiences and the journey of a lifetime. Richard Bach says, â€Å"Can miles truly separate you from friends and loved ones? If you want to be with someone†¦ aren’t you already there?† May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Social Structures of Han China and Ancient Rome

During the classical era, Han China and Ancient Rome were the pioneers for the change and the plethora of improvements that took place in civilized societies. The Han Dynasty consisted of persistent regional riots and rebellions against harsh state demands, and Ancient Rome expanded through the Mediterranean and areas of Hellenistic civilization.Together, these two civilizations introduced many essential changes in human life and provided an arena for the spread of organized civilizations. Although both Han China and Ancient Rome acquired powerful religious systems, Ancient Rome’s social structure was far more structured than Han China’s in regards to treatment of women and social status.Han China and Ancient Rome both demonstrated prosperous, influential religious systems that influenced other religious systems. In Han China, many followed Confucianism as a religion. Confucian teachings emphasized strong rulers and the consolidation of political power. Confucianism was not a religion, but a philosophy.It advocated rule by the highly educated, male elite, and it was primarily an ethical system. Respect for elders, art, music, and elegant calligraphy in the cultivation of scholar-bureaucrats were all important. Other Confucian teachings were Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Confucianism has exerted a pervasive influence on other societies throughout Asia.Confucianism has affected and been incorporated in nearly every aspect of life. Education, government, behavior, and how the people should live their lives are all connected and Confucianism provided a code and a guide to have effective government and education, and lead a happy, successful life.China’s Confucian ideals, technological advancements, and prosperous agrarian state captivated major thinkers in Europe and the United States. The Roman Empire provided an arena for the spread of Christianity and the interaction of numerous diverse cultures. Christianity emerged during the first years of the Roman Empire under Augustus. Originally an offshoot of Judaism, early Christianity had little to do with Roman culture.In the centuries after Jesus' execution, many outside of Judaism converted to the new religion. Perhaps as many as 10 percent of the Roman population were Christian by the fourth century C.E. Christianity spread most rapidly among the poor and disadvantaged classes of the empire. Christianity also won converts from among those seeking a more emotionally satisfying form of religion. Roman stability and communications aided in the spread of the religion.The early political form of Christianity was drawn from the imperial constitution. In Christianity, bishops were governors of local communities and supervised activities from cities in which they resided. Bishops in the most powerful cities gained greater authority.The apostle Paul, who brought Christian beliefs to a wider public, was a critical figure in the dissemination of the new religion. Gradually Christi an theologians began to define religious beliefs in terms of Greco-Roman philosophy. Christianity became the most creative intellectual area of later imperial culture.In this sense, Christianity was an important conservator of earlier intellectual traditions. Refusal of Christian communities to participate in state rituals caused some early emperors to persecute individuals and groups. Persecution was only episodic, and eventually the state was able to allot to the Church a legitimate, if subordinate, place in the world.Women enjoyed more freedom and status in Han China than in Ancient Rome, which was a much more structured society for women. Because marriages were arranged with family alliances in Han China, young men had as little say in the choice of their spouses as women. Young brides usually could rely on their powerful relatives to ensure that they were well treated in the new home.Widowed women were permitted to remarry, and all women participated in family ceremonies. Women of upper class families were often tutored in writing, the arts, and music. Although political positions were reserved for men, women could sometimes exert powerful influence from behind the throne.In Ancient Rome, on the other hand, the Roman law stipulated that the husband is the judge of his wife. If she commits a fault, he punishes her; if she has drunk wine, he condemns her; if she has been guilty of adultery, he kills her. If divorced because of adultery, a Roman woman would lose one-third of her property and had to wear a special garment that set her apart like a prostitute.As wives and mothers, many aristocratic Roman women wielded political power, but only through their husbands. Inequality between men and women increased in the empire’s final stages. Roman family structure was very patriarchal.There was much less lenience in the class structure of Han China than Ancient Rome. In Ancient Rome, there was class conflict between the growing  ranks of the poor and the Roman aristocracy. Some political leaders attempted to aggrandize their careers on the basis of this conflict.Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, two tribunes, attempted to introduce land reform and other social legislation in favor of the poor between 133 B.C.E. and 123 B.C.E. Both were killed by aristocratic mandate. After 107 B.C.E., the Roman consul Marius began to use paid volunteers to staff his armies in place of conscripted Roman citizens.The creation of a permanent military force dedicated to its commander threatened the position of the Senate. A second commander, Sulla, drove out Marius and his political allies. A succession of military commanders dominated Roman politics thereafter. A civil war between two of them, Pompey and Julius Caesar, brought the republic to an end. After Caesar took over the government in 49 B.C.E., he introduced various reforms. The result was to destroy the political monopoly of the Roman aristocracy.Traditionalist senators plotted against Caesar and h ad him assassinated in 44 B.C.E. Caesar's death precipitated a civil war from which Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, emerged the victor. While maintaining the external appearance of the republic, Octavian created an imperial state. For his success, he was granted the name Augustus.The Han class systems were much different. In Han China, rebellion was almost nonexistent. Ordinary farmers held varying amounts of land, and those who worked on the land of others as tenants or did landless labor were even more miserable. Many peasants joined secret societies with colorful names. Merchant classes became wealthier and more numerous, but they found it incredibly difficult to translate their profits into political power or social status.However, even when people were unhappy, they did not complain. Status was often unchangeable, so unlike Ancient Rome, people did not and could not revolt. These great classical civilizations lend themselves to a variety of comparisons to other civilizations du ring the time.In particular, Confucianism of the Han Dynasty and Christianity of Ancient Roman have spread throughout the world. Because of the Roman Empire, Christianity has spread throughout Europe from Jerusalem to Mesopotamia. Today, it is most influential in North and South America and Europe.Because of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism and Confucian ideas have had an impact on Eastern Asia, especially Japan, Egypt, and Vietnam, and it has even influenced Taoism. Even though both Han China and Ancient Rome acquired  incredible religious systems, Ancient Rome’s social structure was far more controlling than Han China’s in regards to treatment of women and social status.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Emily Bront's novel Wuthering Heights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Emily Bront's novel Wuthering Heights - Essay Example As such, this paper will analyze the relationship between the wild and the civilized in Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights. The novel Wuthering Heights uses symbols, themes, imagery, flashbacks, and allegory to portray the different aspects of civilization and wilderness as manifested by the characters and the story setting. Notably, passionate and unrestricted actions characterize wildness while order and modernity characterizes civilization (Rathje, n.y). The most significant element that brings out the aspects of wildness and civilization is the differences between the Thrushcross Grange and the Wuthering Heights farmhouses. We can see cold, muddy, and desolate moors separating the two farmhouses, which stands alone. Indeed, the separation by the moors can only mean that there is an aspect of isolation in the characteristics and meaning of the two houses (Rathje, n.y). This isolation reveals the aspects of wildness and civilization in the setting as the entire novel set ting takes place in Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Actually, the appearance and atmosphere of Wuthering Heights differ from that of Thrushcross Grange where Wuthering Heights sits and manifests on a stormy hilltop while Thrushcross Grange sits on calm and protected valley. ... Indeed, violent acts like Heathcliff’s abuse by Hindley and Heathcliff’s mistreatment of Hareton take place in Wuthering Heights. This depicts Wuthering Heights as an aggressive, violent, and wild environment. More so, the weather surrounding Wuthering Heights and its inhabitants is also violent (Bronte, 1858). Indeed, the novel opens with a description that, "Wuthering" is "a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather (Bronte, 1858)." On the other hand, the novel describes the life at Thrushcross Grange as one that manifests luxury, cultivation, and propriety. Indeed, the novel quotes that Thrushcross Grange is the house that Catherine aspires to socially, the house that will make her a "lady (Bronte, 1858)." These distinctions portray Thrushcross Grange as a representation of civilization and Wuthering Heights as a representation of wildness. More so, we can also see Catherine boxing Edgar Linton on the ear when Edgar seeks to leave Wuthering Heights (Bronte, 1858). Additionally, there are haunting figures in  Wuthering Heights, which depict wildness. Most assuredly, Thrushcross Grange is more luxurious than Wuthering Heights. The luxury in Thrushcross Grange reflects civilization. On the other hand, order and societal expectations defines life at Thrushcross Grange while nature drives life at Wuthering Heights. For example, we can see a snowstorm forcing Lockwood to stay at Wuthering Heights (Rathje, n.y) where he equally experiencers a hostile dream of a ghost child at the window. Indeed, the ghost child was crying, "let me in! Let me in!"â€Å"; I’ m come home: I'd lost my

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Critique on Movie The Last King of Scotland Review

Critique on The Last King of Scotland - Movie Review Example For most, the journey is hopeless; there is no where to hide or destination to run to in Uganda. It is through characterization, plot, and themes that viewers are lead and eventually dragged violently into the deprived paranoid world of General Idi Amin. There are three profound characters: General Idi Amin, Nicholas Garrigan, and Kay Amin. Forest Whitaker's betrayal of Idi Amin starts to build the psychological drama with the introduction of General Idi Amin. Whitaker the actor is a presence at 6 feet, and, in his portrayal of the dictator, closely resembled him. He has a film history of playing powerful big men. As an actor Whitaker has charisma on screen. The film viewers want to trust and feel safe with him. This adds to the believability of the character, because General Idi Amin is also very charismatic. The magnetic connection that Nicholas Garrigan has to General Idi Amin is compelling. The actor James McAvoy is a compliment to Whitaker's character. He has the power to evoke curiosity, frailty, strength, and manliness in his characters. He showed this same talent when portraying Mr. Tumnus in the screen version of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The combination of the larger than life Whitake r and the frail but manly McAvoy opens the movie with undeniable and effective chemistry.The young Scottish doctor although accomplished academically is very idealist and care free. He shows little forward knowledge of the consequences of his actions. This is a sharp contrast to General Idi Amin who examines, judges, and harshly punishes the action of everyone around him. Nicholas Garrigan came to Uganda to escape from what he views as a boring life. He has the same outlook as young men joining the Army with the promise of adventures and the opportunity to seek a new land vastly different from their home. Like General Idi Amin, he insensitively toys with others. He is womanizer. Nicholas Garrison is enthralled and seductively enticed by the benefits of being in General Idi Amin's inner circle. He has no idea of the consequences or power being a personal physician to a dictator brings. The relationship in the beginning is one of infatuation between General Idi Amin and Nicholas Garrison. General Idi Amin admires the young doctor, because he is Scottish and decisive. He is bold enough without permission to use General Idi Amin's gun to shoot a cow. Again Nicholas Garrigan shows his blindness from consequences of his actions. It is through the plot of the movie that both characters of General Idi Amin and Nicholas Garrigan evolve to where the General's character is fully revealed to Garrigan. He wakes up one day to realize that he loves a monster and has been part of his ghoulish dealings. Garrigan finally realizes that consequences can be deadly. Kay Amin's role is the anchor in the plot. She forces Garrigan to acknowledge the horror that he has created in Uganda, and his role in it. Her relationship, death, and wrongly stitched together body put on public display shocks Garrison. It forces him to conspire with the British. Kay Amin, portrayed by Kerry Washington, catalyst Nicholas Garrigan's epiphany. Without her death, Nicholas could not have understood and felt the full horror or General Idi Amin. Although General

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Advantages and Disadvantages of Utilizing a Project Labor Agreement Essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of Utilizing a Project Labor Agreement - Essay Example So, they can opt to join or not to do so. First, PLA can help in promoting uniformity in the construction sector. Since it requires the constructors to be members of labor unions, it means that it advocates for equality in salaries, wages, overtime, allowances, working hours, benefits, working rules and conditions adhered to while working on the government-sponsored construction projects. This demonstrates how the agreement can be beneficial to all the parties starting from the main constructor, sub-contractor up to the laborers. Besides, it helps in providing assurance to all the involved contractors that the project would be completed within the shortest time possible. It is possible to attain this because the agreement guarantees a steady and reliable of well trained and highly qualified laborers. At the same time, PLA makes the management of such projects much easier because they are properly coordinated and operated under predictable budgets. In addition, PLA helps in making the work to be smoothly carried out without experiencing challenges like conflict, strikes and go slows which are common in non-unionized firms. Since all the contractors have to be members of trade unions, they are obliged to comply with rules and regulations governing their operations (Tuerck, 2010). Because of this, it can be much easier to resolve conflicts and eradicate the cases of strike that might slow down the construction process. Moreover, PLA can e a good thing for the laborers because it ensures that they are properly empowered. It requires the contractors to provide adequate trainings an apprentice programs for certain classes of employees including the minorities, disabled, women, veterans and all the other underprivileged people in the society. By giving such workers an opportunity to acquire training, they can be able to have personal growth and become more useful and valuable employees in the years to

Friday, July 26, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 96

Assignment Example The wind gust will be in the excess of 140 mph. The forecast also predicts an average snowfall probability forecast of 8 inches. There is also a probability 0f freezing rain reaching a minimum of .25 inch. The National Weather Service uses satellites to forecast the weather by analyzing cloud cover and heat waves to predict the weather. They also use radar to forecast the weather. The use of satellites is an extremely accurate method of analyzing the weather. The weather forecast carried out by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s claims that there will be a colder and wetter than average winter season. Currently a storm is bringing hurricane force winds is being felt in Michigan. These strong winds carry the snow and spread this precipitation all over Plains of Michigan. This is due to La Nina, which is accompanied by water temperatures below normal in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. This plays a major role in the winter weather of this area. A type of forecasting methodology used is Forensic & Historical Meteorology that requires specific weather information to forecast the weather. So far, the accuracy of the 2011 winter season has been quite accurate from all sectors. Past forecasts carried out especially for the year 2010-2011 has been very accurate. This forecast was carried out by the Climate Prediction Center, which is a sub-division of the National Weather Service. My own winter season forecast I predict high precipitation of snow and very cold weather. The snow will be at least 8 inches and the temperature about

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Social Therapeutic Work Practices Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Therapeutic Work Practices - Article Example The therapist will have to extend his assessment to describe the client’s inherent reaction to environmental and social conditions that frequently spark violent responses. Therapists dealing with African American youths should transform some of the symbols and rites used in clandestine and corrupt ways into Microsystems that instill therapeutic change. Urban adolescents that engage in illegal behaviors value the symbols and ceremonies since they induce a sense of security and support (Toldson & Toldson, 1999, p. 77). The symbols and rites can thus be helpful in showing clients that they will still benefit when they change. It is also important to use the African-centered instructional material. The therapists should thus establish secret codes, phrases, symbols, and rites of passage that closely resemble those of West Africa. The incorporation of these elements will help the clients to appreciate greatly and understand group processes and improve the compatibility of the processes with African ethos. Dealing with Africa American clients requires prompting of initiative behaviors within the group. As such, therapists should interweave typical therapeutic factors (such as the installation of universality, hope, imparting information, and altruism) with esoteric group therapy. The process of attaining the factors within some cultural groups should involve cultural awareness. When working with clients from an individual culture, group therapy alone will not be enough. It is important to incorporate the traditional group therapy with conceptions and perspectives from that particular culture.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Discussion Board Post Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Discussion Board Post Response - Essay Example It is also important to note that volunteering and putting yourself out there can help in the development and advancement of skills and knowledge that is imperative in leadership. For instance, health professionals deal with patients with different understanding capabilities and hence advanced communication skills are needed in order to identify and make sure these patients understand you. Allison Polinski, your strategies to incorporate your strengths in leadership are also spot-on. Training or providing learning opportunities for staff can help align their practices with our strengths. For instance, one of your strengths is learner. In other words, you are always open to new ideas and therefore, providing learning opportunities for the staff will give you an chance to also absorb new ideas. Creating a performance improvement team would also be important for you as a leader in an effort to improve safety and quality of services. An effective team can help you align your strengths with the needs of the organization. In this regard, the team can focus on your strengths and formulate strategies that ensure that the strengths will be effectively utilized. In so doing, employees will follow through and also utilize their best qualities in an effort to achieve organizational objectives (Buckingham,

Techniques of Selling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Techniques of Selling - Essay Example Blades & Razors is Gillette's leading business division, accounting for around 41% of sales. Division growth for the year, at 11.9%, was slightly down on 2003 (12.6%); however, performance should still be considered strong given the increase in competition, in particular from Energizer's Schick Quattro 4-blade razor product. Driving growth was the company's continued investment in product innovation, its ongoing focus "trading up" to premium, higher margin products and growth in emerging markets. A notable increase in advertising also contributed. Major product launches during the year were the M3 Power razor and the Venus Vibrance razor for women. Blades & Razors accounts for by far the largest proportion of operating profit, at 63% in 2004, at US$1.6 billion, due largely to higher sales and margins. Performance in 2004 represented an increase of 14% over 2003. Operating profit fell slightly in 2003 chiefly due to a US$50 million charge relating to the realignment of the European manufacturing and distribution operations. Focusing on Gillette's core sectors, its primary interest lies in men's razors and blades in which it was ranked number one in the world in 2004 with an increased market share of 65.5%. Gillette competes with Energizer Holdings, which was ranked second in 2004, with a market share of 15.3%, and Bic, in third place with 4.8%. Although its strong performance in 2004 meant that lower placed rivals had little chance of making up ground, razors and blades witnessed intensification in competition which while not causing Gillette to lose ground stopped its ascendancy. In late 2003, Energizer launched its Schick Quattro 4-blade razor product despite an attempt by Gillette to halt the market entry through the law courts. As a result, following three years of market share gain, Gillette recorded stagnation in 2004. Gillette responded to this launch in 2004 with a new introduction of its own, presenting the M3 Power product, a battery powered wet shaving system, in North America in May 2004. The product has since been given a wider global roll-out. Gillette have launched their new product, it's a partially new product called the Mach 3, it has had minor changes from their existing product the Sensor Excel, and they have invested heavily in the development and launch. Although this is really just a product improvement on their old razor through continuous development, Gillette has also incorporated room for product additions. This could be seen as repositioning their old product. Gillette gives continuous innovation to their products, whether it's a new product line or a new product all together. Why launch a new product I hear you say, consumer needs haven't really changed, and nothing has created new consumer needs, Gillette must have accessed competitor activity and realized a decline in the market of there existing products. There existing razor had gone through the product life cycle, it had been introduced, experienced growth, reached maturity and then entered a decline. Description of the launch strategy Gillette has identified the potential of the new product. They have analyzed the competition and technology, and taken into account the consumer problems, behavior

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Langford, Galileo, Science and the Church Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Langford, Galileo, Science and the Church - Essay Example The Catholic Church faced another threat from the scientist's arguments- one of the demystification of Christ. This was "The man Jesus as the personal, visibleonly way to the actuality of redemption [p.201], not realizing that knowledge was a precursor to salvation simply and succinctly through the Holy Scriptures. The knowledge of Christ was what followers sought. And this was coveted by Churchmen- that the knowledge of Christ = salvation. St.Thomas Aquinas would have earlier stated that one need not have been smart to come to understanding of this. What is needed for an introduction but a name. It would have gone something like: "Jesus meet follower A." It doesn't take much to make an acquaintance. What proves valuable is what kind of relationship ensues. For example, such as Master to Teacher, Parent to Child, Creator to the Created and ideally of Friend to Friend. Galileo's groundbreaking views of the universe were demystified with science and religion working together. Whereas the author of this book deemed the church cautious, this reluctance to accept the fated duo (Science and the church) delegated the Catholic Church to play the role, in a sense, of a magician who vowed never to divulge his tricks. Galileo's ment

Monday, July 22, 2019

Prejudice and Stereotype Essay Example for Free

Prejudice and Stereotype Essay Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: Race Ethnicity Religion Gender Sexual orientation Age Disability Category Stereotype 1 Stereotype 2 Stereotype 3 Race Chinese people are good in math All Koreans own a dry cleaning place or a laundry mat African Americans likes chicken Gender Metrosexual men are gay Women with men’s haircut are lesbians Men are better drivers than women Religion All Christian Catholics go to church every Sunday Mormons have more than one spouse. All Christians are Republicans Part II 1. In my opinion, I think that the one positive aspects of stereotypes is getting the knowledge from it, we are all raised differently and some of us are not exposed to different types of races, not knowing nothing else, but what a person knows. An example of this would be a person that is raised in a farm and the only people that this person is exposed to is their own race, and the only way of learning of what is outside of the farm is people telling stories of their experiences meeting other types of races. 2. There are many negative aspects of stereotypes, whether if it is race, religion, gender preference, ethnicity, age or disability, there is nothing good that can come from it. Most of the stereotypes are very hurtful to some that it can lead to depression and health issues or even in some cases suicide. An example of this is Seung-Hui Cho, a Korean American who killed himself after shooting and killing 32 people in Virginia Tech back in 2007. As a young child he was made fun of with his races by other kids until he was in college. Part III The definition of stereotypes is to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same. An example of a stereotypes are: men that wear pink shirts are gay, women that ride motorcycles are dikes. The definition of prejudice is an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics. An example of prejudice are: Black people are ghetto, Chinese people have small eyes. The relationship between stereotyping and prejudice is that they go hand in hand, one can start with stereotypes and it ends up to being prejudice. The wording or phrases can be interpreted one way or another, the way that it can be differentiated is by the tone or the way that it is said. To prevent prejudice from occurring, we must do our best educate others about the negative effects of it. It is hard to teach everyone around us the impact on how not to be prejudice, but the ones we can reach out to like the one out of ignorance can be taught. It is all about educating really, and being exposed to other races can play a big roll from prejudice from occurring. REFERENCES: -http://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/ulterior-motives/201302/the-pain-positive-stereotypes -http://www. cnn. com/2013/10/31/us/virginia-tech-shootings-fast-facts/ http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/prejudice.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

International Student Accommodation Services When Studying Overseas Education Essay

International Student Accommodation Services When Studying Overseas Education Essay The increasing a number of those students whose are studying abroad to gain a better education. Basically, the students are unfamiliar with their new environment. Students are used to be more rely with the overseas education agent service centre that are managing those international students in form of school placements and accommodations services while they are studying overseas so they can gain the information in detail regarding to that country they are going to. In form of the accommodation, those international students are tending to find the accommodation according to their accessibility, comfortable regarding their individual needs. The informations that the students most likely to find out are regarding to the facilities, environment of the resident, and the guardian attitudes. The purpose of this research is to investigate an understanding of the overseas accommodation services standard and the quality on managing the students. Through this research paper, the researcher can gain more information in depth on overseas accommodation services to improve the quality of the services to provide the students good home stay. In the other hand, those overseas agents are expected to taking a good care of those students who are under take by their accommodation sector. The accommodation/ hostel are granted a guardianship services to those students to control and monitoring them. The guardians have a responsibility to concern into those students well being and academic progress to lead them and to encourage them on those students studies. Literature Review As the increase the number of international students, some of the major changes in the program that impacted on the standard and quality services of the accommodation for students. According to Richardson,K. (2003), the language of the communication may cause some effect and the difficulties of the student to communicate to each other due the cultural differentiations. The accommodation provider has to concern more in depth about the quality of the accommodation and care services that provided to their students. Furthermore, overall the level of the accommodation satisfaction is decreases as it increases their cost (Sauer, S., CreationWorks Director and Brian Robb., and AFS NZ National Director., 2006) and offering wide-ranging of living standards for students accommodation. Moreover, the accommodation provider lowers their standard requirements to gain adequate homes to provide the essential accommodation needs of the home stay. A number of the young students are requiring the adult / guardian to taking care of them (Richardson,K., 2004) while they are studying abroad. The students are most likely to choose to live close to their institution for their own convenience and safety due they are unfamiliar with the information regarding the surrounding suburbs and transportation options (Smith, S., 2007). Furthermore, according to Smith, S. (2007), the management of the accommodation facilities regarding the distance between the accommodation and their institute are not monitored well by the agent. Most likely the problems that those students are facing currently is regarding to the cultural problems, cuisine, and the suitability and the sufficient living environment. Moreover, the accommodation provider are insufficient provide the services which are expected by those students (Richardson, K., 2004) so it may cause the decreases of the satisfaction level. The less communication between the providers and the students cause the problems within the home stay services as well. The communication between the providers and the students is the most important key to improve the satisfaction level of the services on the accommodation. Brown, G. and Lin, Tzu-Ching. (2010) stated that gaining income was not as important as a desire to offer the student and to assist the student with their educational development. The study increases understanding of the complex relationship that emerges during extended service encounters. Most important in the context of educational home stay although the way they are operationalized reflected the distinctive characteristics of the service setting. The findings are of direct relevance to a service centred approach to marketing in which relationships. The process for students begins in their home country, usually by referral from an education agent. It is also becoming increasingly common for students to request a home stay as compared to hostels. Communication between the home stay provider and the student is perceived as one of the most important aspects of the home stay experience. The major concern expressed by accommodation providers was communication difficulties because of lan guage barriers between the students and the hosts. Research Design According to Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., (1998), Research design is the plan and structure that investigate and to obtain the result to research questions and it also express the issues of the research and basically it can be used to obtain the evidence of the problem in the research paper. The researcher has conducted a schedule of the research proposal. The effectiveness of this approach is to assist the researcher to control and manage the finding progress to complete the research report punctually. Schedules of the research proposal. The table has shown below is the planning of the researcher by conducting the time table to manage the researchers research paper in order to show the sequences of the efficiency of the finding progress. Date Detail 20th December 2010 Registration and discussion of the research report topic with the instructor. 21st December 2010 22nd December 2010 Researching information regarding the research proposal topic. 23rd December 2010 Designing and investigate the questions of the survey. 30th December 2010 1st draft check with the instructor regarding the questionnaire survey. 31st December 2010 2nd January 2011 Preparing the research proposal and modifying the questionnaire survey paper. 3rd January 2011 2nd draft check and confirmation with the instructor regarding the format of the questionnaire survey 4th January 2011 Sending out the survey papers to the respondent. 5th January 2011 Collecting back the survey papers from the respondents. 6th January 2011 Analyzing the survey papers. 7th January 2011 9th January 2011 Preparing and modifying the research report. 10th January 2011 Final draft check with the instructor regarding the entire research proposal. 11st January 2011- 13rd January 2011 Modifying the entire research proposal. 14th January 2011 Submission date of the research proposal. Figure 1: Schedule of the research proposal. Research Method The researcher is using the quantitative research method to conduct this research paper which is conducting a questionnaire survey it always involves the numerical on the analysis data section (Johnson, P. and Harries, D., 2002). The questionnaire survey was used to investigate the quality and the standard of the services. The focus group was conducted to gain information into the issues which are concerned about the accommodation services. The researcher is doing the survey to improve the quality and the standard of the international students accommodation services by conducting the literature review section which is to study in more detail regarding this topic issues. The researcher conducting the questioning section it is because by using the questioning section is much more efficient but there are a weakness on the questioning section regarding the quality and quantity of the information are depends on the respondents ability and the willingness to participate the questioning survey (Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., 1998). The researcher conducting the questioning survey in the network home stays of the international to get all the outcomes. Those information have been collected can be carried out the trusted outcome in the end of the research. Sampling Sampling has define as the population that can draw a conclusion of the entire research paper topic focus area by using measurement through selecting some of the elements outcomes (Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., 1998). The researcher is using the single stage procedure of the sampling which by the researcher has access to the population and able to sample the respondents directly (Creswell, John W., 1994). The researcher is using the rating scale to measure the outcome of the survey and it provide an opportunity on extraction variance in the measurement (Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., 1998). The researcher conducted a survey and the target network is those students who are staying in the hostel to gain the information in furthermore and provide a valid and reliable outcomes. The sampling of this research paper is concern about the international students accommodation and definitely the researcher more target those students who studying overseas and staying in th e hostel to participate on the survey to result the valid and reliable outcomes. Limitation of data The researcher has a good understanding regarding to this topic focus area and conducting a survey to gain the best results of the questions that has been asked by the researcher to write a research proposal and more focus on the main issue of the topic. The researcher facing some problem while conducting the research paper because of the limitation of the time to do the finding more in depth. Obviously, in this limitation of time it may cause the researcher may not be able to get good responses from the respondents regarding the questionnaire paper so probably the researcher is facing the difficulties to conduct the researcher because of the limitation of the data. Therefore, the researcher has to more concern about the understanding of the respondents regarding the survey questions and makes it easier for the researcher to get a better result on researchers finding. Design of Questionnaire According to Johnson, P. and Harries, D. (2002), the researcher conducting the questionnaire survey paper have consider the respondents abilities and information level to answers of the questions which are conducted by the researcher so the respondents able to answer the questionnaire adequately and participate the survey and able to give such a helpful answers to help the researcher to conduct the research paper. In the other hand, the questionnaire that conducted by the researcher are more concern about the students accommodation accessibility, accommodation facilities and the guardianship of the students. The purposes of the questions which are conducted by the researcher in term of the accessibility to measure how good and important are the accommodation location according to those students who are staying in the hostel. In term of accommodations facilities, the purpose of the researcher is focus on this area is to measure how good the quality of the facilities of the accommodation is. To gain the feedback from the respondents so that the agents could able provide a better facilities and to improve the usability of the facilities that the agent should provide for the students. To satisfy the students individual needs and make the students feel more comfortable of the accommodations facilities that have provided. In term of the guardianship, the purpose of the researcher finding is to investigate how well is the guardian attitude while they are responsible on taking care of those students who are staying on the accommodations. The researcher conduct the questions focus on the communication between the students and the guardian, how well the guardian concern and monitoring their students personal well being and their academic progress and able to clarify any doubt that the students facing on. After all the questionnaire survey has been done by the researcher, the researcher has conducted the rating scale to evaluate the outcome of the survey so that the researcher could able to measure the quality and standard of the services in furthermore. Moreover, through this research paper the researcher could able to give a recommendation to improve the level of the satisfaction of the students regarding to the homes stay quality and makes the accommodation more comfortable for those who are staying. Data Analysis Based on the research survey, numbers of volunteer totally 20 people. Among the 20 people 8 of them are male and the rest 12 of the people are female. The level of accommodation comforts to those international students is basically involved how accessible is the place and as well as security level. Accessible level of the accommodation is often considered by those students when they are finding the accommodation which is involved them convenient on their transportation, easy for getting daily stuff, and easy access facility around the area. The level of comfort and accessibility Figure 2 Measurement the level of the accommodation consideration From the data gathered, it seems that most students prefer comfort over accessibility. Statistics show that 60% would rather have comfort within their accommodation location, rather than it being accessible. Age Figure 3 Comparison of age between female and male students The above chart depicts the age group of my respondents. The chart shows that most of my respondents are females between the age of 15 to 25 years old. The quality of guardianship Figure 4 Measurement of the level of services and communication Most students feel that the language barrier is not as difficult to overcome as compared to having a guardian who does not fulfil his or her responsibilities well. The students would appreciate if the guardian would constantly check in on their well-being and academic progress. Conclusion and Recommendations As a conclusion of this research report, the standard and the quality of accommodation services that provided by the agents are often unreliable. Nowadays, the agents tend to lower the quality and standard of the home stay and thus provide a low quality home stay service without much consideration towards international students. The outcome of the researchers finding based on the students age, shows that 90 % of the students who are staying in hostel are in between 15 25 years old. These students who reside in hostel would much prefer home stay accommodation as compared to staying in a hostel, as they feel that home stay provides a more comfortable atmosphere for them and they are willing to forgo convenience in terms of accessibility of location, just for comforts sake. To provide the comfortable accommodation for students, the provider has to consider the four main points which contributes directly to the comfort level in order to fulfil the students individual needs. The accessibility level of the accommodation is also considered important to the students but as mentioned, comfort is more important. Moreover, the level of the guardianship in form of the guardians responsibility on monitoring, encourage, concern about their students needs and communicate well to understand those students needs is to improve their quality on providing the services and the standard of accommodation living.

The Main Causes Of Juvenile Delinquency

The Main Causes Of Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile justice is a system of state bodies that execute justice in cases of crimes and offenses committed by juveniles, as well as state and private structures conducting monitoring of correction and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and the prevention of juvenile delinquency, family welfare and child rights. In 1824 in New York the first reformatory for children was created to protect them from sharing in prison with adult criminals. In 1831 the Illinois Law foresaw that the punishment of juveniles for certain types of crimes should be distinguished from punishment for adults. In 1869 in Boston (Massachusetts) the court hearing to deal specifically with cases of inconsistencies juveniles was first organized and it was implemented the first experience of the Terms of Probation (educational supervision), becoming later one of the most common and, according to Americans the most effective methods of treatment of juvenile offenders. U.S. Federal Law already contained a requirement of consideration of cases involving minors under the age of 16 years, apart from cases of adult offenders. Later, in July 1899, in Chicago under Illinois Law About abandoned children, street and crime children and about how they are treated the first Childrens Court was established. Adoption of the Law and the creation of juvenile court was initiated by Lucy Flower, the member of the Chicago Womens Club, Julia Latrop, themember of public organization Hull House, the society of patronage  «Visitation and Aid Society ». To deal with cases of juveniles new issues were introduced: a new concept of law offender as delinquent, which differs from the concept of criminal. This concept has found the consolidation of the status of a juvenile offender, who became the subject of juvenile justice. The first juvenile court was established in Australia (1890), then these courts were established in Canada (1894) and in 1899 in the United States. In connection with the acute need of the society the League of Nations established in 1919 Child welfare Committee, which considered the rights of children mainly in the context of the measures that need to be taken against street children, slavery, child labor, child trafficking and prostitution of minors. Important role in the development of social standards for the protection of children in this period played a non-governmental organizations, in particular the International Save the Children Alliance, founded by an Englishwoman Eglantayn Jebb in 1923 by the Council that was set up shortly before the non-governmental organization the International Save the Children Alliance, Children Rights Declaration. This Declaration, that was named Geneva Declaration, was approved the next year the fifth Assembly of the League of Nations. In 1924 League of Nations in Geneva, at its 5-th session adopted as proposed by the International Children Care Union the Declaration of the Rights of the Chi ld. This was the first document in international law for the protection of the rights and interests of children. In the framework of international protection of human rights of United Nation Organizations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in 1966 the International Covenants on Human Rights. The Declaration and the covenants made a number of provisions specifically relating to the rights and interests of children: the principle of equality of children, the norms of protection of motherhood and childhood, to protect children from exploitation, the right of children to get education. Analyses of the causal factors of criminal behavior of juveniles are complex forms of social behavior, deterministic system of interrelated issues. These issues can be divided into biological and social. Ancestor of biological trends in criminology was the Italian doctor a psychiatrist and criminologist Cesare Lombroso (1836 1909), who linked the criminal conduct of a man with his anatomy. The hypothesis of the existence of such a relationship had an impact on scientists to find the second half of the 20 century. They are, in particular, the theory of Y-chromosome. In accordance with the norm for women is characterized by a set of chromosome-type XX, for men XY. But sometimes there is a pathology associated with the appearance of an extra X or Y-chromosome. Some researchers (Price, Witkin) suggest that the presence of extra » Y-chromosome in males causes a tendency to wrongful conduct. The phenomenon of crime can be more fully explained in addressing the social issues influencing its formation. Social factors can be divided into two groups: macro-and micro social. Macro-factors: 1. Low living standards of the most of population, a strong contrast to the distribution of income in society. 2. Deficiencies in the development of leisure-time system: poor organization of a network of clubs, clubs, sports clubs, the lack of concern for the integration and consolidation in the minors in difficult living conditions and upbringing. 3. Disadvantages of the educational activities of schools and vocational-technical schools. 4. Weaknesses in the employment of minors, as well as training them in the labor collectives. 5. Penetration in youth behavior inconsistent with societal values. An important role is played by the media: movies, series, television, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as the Internet. Micro social issues: 1.Negative influence of the family. Family is the most important social institutions. It is in the family where the formation of the individual adolescent starts. But not all families can be considered to be the favorable background for the development of the child. Contribution of adverse families in juvenile crime by some estimates is 30-35%. 2. Hypo Custody is the lack of proper control over the child, often turning into neglect. 3. Negative influence of informal peer groups. 4. Instigation causeà Ã‚ ² by adult offenders, which, according to the randomized studies, are not less than 30% of cases. As one can easily see from the above mentioned the formation of criminal motivation is affected by a complex of factors. Without knowledge of these factors it is inappropriate to talk about crime prevention, which will be discussed further. United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency The Riyadh Guidelines proclaims the prevention of juvenile delinquency as the permissibility of the prevention of crime in society. The Riyadh Guidelines provides several levels of implementation of measures to prevent juvenile delinquency: The first level of prevention, as general measures, is to promote social justice and equality of opportunity, which, in turn, contributes to eliminate the root causes of crime such as poverty and other forms of marginalization; The second level of prevention, admeasures to help children belonging to high-risk groups, such as those whose parents are experiencing particular difficulties or neglect their parental responsibilities; The third level of prevention, including measures to avoid unnecessary contact with the formal justice system, as well as measures to prevent repeat offenses. In fact, in Riyadh Guiding Principles as an essential component of the first and second levels of prevention, as well as, perhaps, to a lesser extent, prevention, third level, reflected many of the rights set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. For example, the normal standard of living and access to the educational system, the positive values instilled in children, are both the rights of the child (in the Convention), and elements of the first level of prevention (in the Guidelines). As to the second level of prevention, in this regard, both documents are based on the concept of the primary responsibilities of the family to ensure the welfare, protection and upbringing of the child, that reinforced the obligations of signatories to Convention countries to assist families in fulfilling this role and at the same time to intervene in cases when parents clearly are not willing or able to assume these responsibilities. And by encouraging the adoption of retaliatory measur es against the offender, to avoid recourse to legal proceedings, and setting as the primary purpose of any such measures the social reintegration of a child, the Convention thus reflects a problem in the third level of prevention, as outlined in the Guidelines. The consequence of such a uniform approach, of course, should be the maximum development of initiatives supported by the community and to the family. This is not a task only for specialists in the field of juvenile justice, and for a wide range of state and public organizations with competence in this area. There is no doubt partly because of the extent of the tasks, responsibilities of the organizations have not yet been identified, and actions unsystematic. So prevention and reintegration in the full sense of the word still remain the weakest links in the chain of activities to improve the system of juvenile justice. In practice, efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency are in matter-of-fact identical to the observance and protection of child rights, that are proclaimed by The Convention. This is not surprising, but it is rarely mentioned. Besides, there are still many specialist debating often in spite of the documentary evidences on terms that although are not in every sense of the cause of crime, but at least increase their likelihood. For example, the poverty the absolute and relative in some circles is still considered to be motivation for crime, despite the fact that the Riyadh Guidelines has officially recognized as a factor at the international level. In accordance with one of the classifications, two types of prevention are distinguished: primary prevention and rehabilitation (secondary) prevention. The main prevention is the object of its impact on young people who have not committed any illegal acts, and has a preventive nature. Rehabilitation prevention applies to adolescents who have been in contact with the formal system of public justice and is designed to prevent future, perhaps more serious wrongful acts. However, not always possible to track the effectiveness of preventive measures as the percentage of imperfect crime is nowhere recorded. Another classification reflects the prevention of various types of social action and reaction to the growing crime rate. According to this classification, prevention is divided into a punitive, remedial and mechanical. Punitive prevention lies in the threat of punishment, which is intended to intimidate and prevent the commission of criminal acts. Remedial prevention lies in the influence of the causes and factors, which could be a potential trigger for the wrongful conduct. Mechanical prevention is most often used in so-called crime areas, to prevent crime and is enhanced security measures and increased police control. Program of punitive prevention, is widely spread in many countries around the world are trying to curb juvenile delinquency, the emergence of gangs and their involvement in criminal behavior through oversight, including ongoing monitoring by the police, and targeted prosecution. Suppression means active intervention, fully legitimized by the State, it was originally declared as a correct and therefore does not require special justification and absolutely no evaluation of results. The approach from the standpoint of suppression is characterized by the fact that all completely ignores the propaganda of the desired behavior, only suppressing undesirable. External aggression can in many cases only strengthen the cohesion of delinquent adolescent groups, so this kind of prevention makes sense to use when all other measures. In recent years a growing number of opportunities and the relevance of the participation were caused by local communities in the fight against teenagers and young delinquency. There are programs aimed at education and training groups and representatives of local communities that are experiencing growth in a juvenile delinquency to implement informal control over young people and involving young people in the positive activities. Program of individual and group social and psychological assistance include camps, group homes, alternative schools, shelters. Particular attention should be given to homeless teenagers, and teenagers who have lost family or relation to it, left without family education, as they are by virtue of adverse events most at risk of involvement in delinquent activity. Implementing preventive programs they should take into account the linkages teenage delinquent groups with adult organized crime. In addition, delinquent groups may exist with members of local communities. Recent studies have shown that the differentiation of offenders and victims are usually not by sex and age, but by differences within each gender. That is, the perpetrators and victims of the same sex present different types of masculinity or femininity. Thus, when developing prevention programs should be gender noted. At the same time, many preventive measures have not given to the effect that they were expected to give. Especially ineffective is the struggle with membership in teenagers and youth groups (gang). Juvenile delinquency often mistakenly is considered to be an individual phenomenon, and the group aspect is almost ignored. However, delinquent acts are committed mostly by teens in the group, so the preventive work must not take into account the psychology of the individual, and group dynamics. It is also important to pay attention to the specifics of subcultural groups, which will be directed by preventive measures. Recent studies have shown that the differentiation of offenders and victims are usually not by sex and age, and gender differences. At the same time, whilst development of the programs to combat juvenile delinquency, gender police in practice is not considered. Also noteworthy development of the displacement problem of prevention programs from one socio-cultural environment to another. Thus, together with mentioned traditional methods of preventive work, now there are new promising strategies for prevention. Until they become part of a general practice, careful theoretical and practical testing of their capabilities and limitations. Ideas of social reform and work with the person as a priority has the impact on crime prevention and criminal behavior, including recidivism should not move to the background. Historical lessons have clearly demonstrated the lack of direct correlation between lower crime rates and the rate of punishment, as a fundamental means of coercion. In this context, the most acute issues differ from reorientation of criminal policy on the prevention of juvenile delinquency. A special place in this system will hold individual level to prevent delinquency behavior of juveniles. The society now is the witness of the policy of valueless policy. During the next twenty years the program of State Fund should be implemented to promote general social and common specially-criminological prevention ultimately realized by working with each individual juvenile.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Orbits with Gravity Lab Software :: physics science space

For centuries, humankind has sought to find order in the universe. In the context of Western thought, in any case, beginning with the Egyptians, Persians, ancient Greeks; in the Americas the Mayans and Azteks, Astronomy evolved out of the necessity to discover a reliable predictor of the seasons for the purposes of agriculture. In most cases, Astronomy takes on a spiritual role in culture as well. The system of accounting that ancient peoples used to measure the seasons evolved, after a great amount of suffering and turmoil, into the physics of Gallileo and the mechanics of Newton. And Newton's remarkable system is still used today, so long as the velocities are not close to the speed of light and the mass vs. density ratio of massive objects is not too great. Linked above is a gravitational simulator upon which several models of celestial motion are explored. Written in the simple computer language of Q-Basic 4.5, the software is compilable on native systems. At the core is code that generates six n-dimensional arrays. The six arrays correspond to variable requirements in 2-d space, they are velocity vector (in polar coordinates), velocity magnitude, mass, radius, x-position, y-position. "n" corresponds to the number of total objects in the system. Once data is gathered, either entered by hand, loaded from a file, or generated randomly, the simulation can begin. There are three major divisions of the simulation, corresponding to object selection, object position change, and object velocity change, where the actual physics takes place. The simulation begins with object 1, with initial velocity vo, and calculates the next change in velocity of object 1 from the acceleration generated by all other objects. From the gravitational acceleration of object 2, for example, a new velocity vector for object 1 can be determined, and refined un til object n's effect on object 1 is considered. The sim goes down the line to object n, correcting the current velocity magnitude and vector until all acceleration effects are accounted for for all objects, then the sim erases the current position of all objects, displaces the objects dependant on their current (freshly calculated) velocities, redraws them, and returns to calculating new accelerations. The result is a fairly accurate model of gravitational motion, in which the orbital properties discussed in mechanics can be seen. Inaccuracies result with high velocities or close interactions (no collision detection is made).

Friday, July 19, 2019

Animal Farm as a Fable Essay -- Literary Analysis, George Orwell

Everyone has encountered Aesop's fables at some point in their life. Aesop is the most renowned author of fables; a fable can be any â€Å"short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters† (â€Å"Fable†). For example, Animal Farm by George Orwell can be considered a fable. In this novel, the animals on Manor Farm rebel against their oppressive dictator, Mr. Jones, forming Animal Farm. However, after the rebellion, the animals allow the pigs to take over, who become the oppressive dictators who abuse the animals; Animal Farm has come full circle. It is rather obvious that the characters and events in Animal Farm are parallels to the rise and revolution of Communism in Russia. But why would Orwell write a fable instead of a political novel? One reason is prominent among many. By writing a fable, Orwell is able to incorporate traditional morals from well-known fables into his novel, Animal Farm; The morals from â€Å"The Ass and th e Old Shepherd,† â€Å"The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons,† and â€Å"The Lion’s Share.† Orwell uses the universal moral from â€Å"The Ass and the Old Shepherd† to defend a similar moral on government. In Animal Farm, the story opens on Manor Farm, which is run by the oppressive Mr. Jones. The animals are â€Å"born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty† (Orwell 28). The animals rebel and form their own farm: Animal Farm. They drive Jones out, and allow those of a higher intellect (the pigs) to take over. One dissolute pig named Napoleon now has absolute power over the farm, an... ...â€Å"The Hawk†), and â€Å"You may share the labors of the great, but you will not share the spoils†(â€Å"The Lion's†). These morals can also be found in famous fables by authors like Aesop or La Fontaine, which proves their validity. If the same moral can be applied in two different situations, (the fables and the novel) it is more likely to impact other situations outside of literature, in the lives of the readers. This is why Orwell decided to use a fable; he wanted to be able to include the morals that could affect real people. He wanted to warn lower classes everywhere of these important points in a novel that a plebeian might actually read. By writing a fable, Orwell is able to support the morals in his novel by incorporating traditional morals; â€Å"Mr. Orwell has worked out his theme with a simplicity, a wit, and a dryness that are closer to La Fontaine and Gay† (Wilson 51).