Minimum Wage in California Research Paper

Minimum wage is the minimum hourly, daily or monthly wage that must be paid to employees or workers. Each country sets its own minimum wage laws and regulations, and more than 90 percent of all countries have some kind of minimum wage legislation. In the United States, statutory minimum wages were first introduced nationally in 1938 (Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia). The minimum wage was enacted in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The first minimum wage was .25 an hour. This has increased over the years and the current federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour (Minimum Wage from http://jobsearch.about.com/od/minimumwage/a/minimumwage.htm) California minimum wages is based on their law to be implemented and imposed for the employer to follow for the protection of both the employee and the employer. Body of the Paper The California State Senate and Assembly have approved legislation that would give 1.4 million minimum-wage earners a $1-an-hour raise and boost annual pay to keep up with inflation. The Federal Minimum Wage Labor Law for California stated that employees under 20 years of age may be paid $4.25 per hour during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment with an employer. Certain full-time students, student learners, apprentices, and workers with disabilities may be paid less than the minimum wage under special certificates issued by the Department of Labor. California law is strict and pitiless to employers who have improperly paid the workers less than $6.75 per hour. Not only that an employers entitled to pay the unpaid minimum wage pay, but also the interest and penalties as well. But, the right to collect unpaid minimum wage pay does not last forever. In fact, if u delays in claiming the unpaid wages, you risk of losing unpaid minimum wage for work occurring more than three years prior to your filing of a lawsuit. Although there are some exceptions, because almost all employees in California must be paid the minimum wage as required by state law. Effective January 1, 2002, the minimum wage in California is $6.75 per hour. There are some employees who are exempt from the minimum wage law, such as outside salespersons, individuals who are the parent, spouse, or child of the employer, and apprentices regularly indentured under the State Division of Apprenticeship Standards. (Minimum Wage Order, MW-2001). California Wage Law has an exception for learners, regardless of age, who may be paid not less than 85 percent of the minimum wage rounded to the nearest nickel during their first 160 hours of employment in occupations in which they have no previous similar or related experience. There are also exceptions for employees who are mentally or physically disabled, or both, and for nonprofit organizations such as sheltered workshops or rehabilitation facilities that employ disabled workers. Such individuals and organizations may be issued a special license by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement authorizing employment at a wage less than the legal minimum wage (Minimum Wage Labor Code Sections 1191 and 1191.5). Minimum wage legislation may be interpreted as making it either unlawful for employers to pay workers less than the minimum wage, or unlawful for workers to provide labor or services for less than the minimum. White trade unions lobbied for the introduction of minimum wage laws to exclude black workers from the labor market. This minimum wage law prevents black workers from selling their labor for less than white workers, the black workers were prevented from competing for jobs held by whites although it is the employer who is fined and/or imprisoned for violations, and the workers also loses their freedom to do what they want for themselves. The minimum wage offers substantial benefits to low-wage workers without negative effect. The best recent research shown that the job loss reported in earlier analyses does not; occur when the minimum wage is increased. If the minimum wage were increased nationally to $7.25: almost 14.9 million workers would receive a raise, and 80 percent of those affected are adults age 20 or over, and 7.3 million children would see their parent’s income rise that can make the family’s income stable. Families with affected workers rely on those workers for over half of their earnings.46 percent of all families with affected workers rely solely on the earnings from those workers. Some minimum wage workers remain in low-wage jobs for substantial periods. The best recent research on the economic impact of the minimum wage shows positive effects without job loss. Even the research that suggests a negative labor market effect shows only a minimal impact that is more than offset by the higher wage levels. The states that have adopted higher-than-federal minimum wages have seen low-wage workers incomes rise with no negative side-effects. Over 650 economists, including five Nobel Prize winners and six past presidents of the American Economics Association, recently signed a statement stating that federal and state minimum wage increases â€Å"can significantly improve the lives of low-income workers and their families, without the adverse effects that critics have claimed† (EPI 2006). Conclusion Starting   January 1, 2002, the minimum wage in California is $6.75 per hour it is strictly imposed and implemented by Law to be follow by all the businesses both public and private sectors. In this Minimum Wage law there is the difference between the state and federal minimum wage? It stated that most employers in California are subject to both the federal and state minimum wage laws. The effect of this dual coverage is that when there are conflicting requirements in the laws, the employer must follow the strict standard; the one that is the most beneficial to the employee. Since California's current law requires a higher minimum wage rate than does the federal law, all employers in California who are subject to both laws must pay the state minimum wage rate unless their employees are exempt under California law. The minimum wage is an obligation of the employer and cannot be waived by any agreement, including collective bargaining. And in this law any remedial legislation written for The protection of employees may not be violated by agreement between the employer and employee (Minimum Wage, Civil Code Sections 1668 and 3513). California law of minimum wage stated that there is no distinction made between adults and minors when it comes to payment. And an employer may not use employee’s tips as a credit towards its obligation to pay the minimum wages If the employer doesn’t pay the employee it is also stated in the law that an employee can file a lawsuit in court against the employer to recover the lost wages and it is the duty of the court to order the employer to pay the attorney’s fees, and if your not working for this employer, you can make a claim for the waiting time penalty pursuant to Minimum Wage Labor Code section Today, the earnings of a full-time minimum wage worker with a family of three would earn $10,712 a year, thus falling below the official 2006 federal poverty level of $16,600. Although the federal poverty line is an inadequate measure of the income needed to support a family, this comparison highlights the severe insufficiency of the current minimum wage (Fisher 1999). Finally, the earnings of minimum wage workers are essential to their families’ total income. While not all minimum wage workers are poor or are the sole breadwinner for their families, it is striking how important low-wage workers’ income is to their economic well-being. On average, families with affected workers rely on those workers for over half (59%) of the  Families’ total earnings. Nearly half (46%) of all families with an affected worker rely solely on the earnings of those workers. References: Laws of Minimum Wage in California, Retrieved November 18, 2006 from http://www.mcmillanlaw.us/California_Overtime_Law/California_minimum_wage.htm Minimum Wage, Retrieved November 18, 2006 from http://jobsearch.about.com/od/minimumwage/a/minimumwage.htm Minimum Wage, Retrieved November 18 from Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia Minimum Wage in California, Retrieved November 18, 2006 from http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm ;

Worst Decision of My Life

My senior year of high school was coming to a close. Everyone was in anticipation for Graduation and the school year to come to an end. My parents had been planning a trip to Florida for quite some time now and I couldn't Walt for them to leave. I decided to plan a party for Friday night even though my parents had specifically told me not to have a bunch of people over. I could hardly sleep Thursday night because I was so excited for what the following night might have in store. Up until Friday, I had only told my closest friends about the party o that the whole school doesn't show up at my house.As Friday went on I continued to tell more people and word spread like a wild fire on a dry, hot day. I was almost tempted to throw off the party because by the end of the school day it seemed like everyone had heard about it. I decided to throw the party anyway because it was nearing the end of the school year and we had to go out with a bash. People started showing up at my house around 8: 00. Everything was going smoothly until about 10:00, when what seemed to be fifty kids showed up from my high school within a ten minute span.I knew It was going to be a problem but since I was already a little buzzed, I let them all come In. My street was full of cars parked all the way up and down the road. In the basement the music was blaring and everyone was dancing having a good time. There were beer cans littered everywhere with the trash can overflowing with cans, bottles, and red solo cups. There was a distinct strong smell of sweat mixed with the spilt beer all over the ping pong table and floor. As you would walk across the basement floor, you could feel the soles of your shoes sticking to the round from all the spillage.As you walk out into the garage, there are cigarette butts scattered throughout, with a dense cloud of smoke that filled the air. I had to keep the garage closed so that the neighbors couldn't see what was going on. Atone point around midnight, things too k a turn for the worse. People started getting out of control. All of us where underage, and could barely handle our liquor. It all started when someone began projectile vomiting all over the basement couch. All I could think at that point was that my parents are going to kill me. Just moments after that, omen tripped down the stairs and put a massive hole In the wall.The hole was so big that I you could fit a fridge through it. At that point I was fed up and started directing people out. When I thought it was all finally over, as I was telling people to leave, a fight broke out. To this day, I still have no idea what started the fight. The fight moved outside to the front yard to my dismay. The neighbors heard the commotion and came outside and immediately called the cops. When the cops showed up, pretty much everyone was gone except a few of my friends who were taming the night and the kid who got beat up.After the cop talked to the boy who got in the fight, he came up to my house and knocked on the door. My heart was racing as I answered the door, knowing that there were consequences to come. Luckily, I didn't get Into any trouble with the law, but In no way could I avoid having to make that call to my parents who were trying to have a good time on vacation. It was almost two In the morning when called and as soon as my dad answered he knew something was wrong.

Systematic and Universal Screenings for Children with Emotional and Research Paper

Systematic and Universal Screenings for Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders - Research Paper Example Screeners, for this matter, are the tools that lie beside this premise. Kalberg et al. (2010) through a multi-scholar inquiry ventured in testing a triad of special education interventions and examined its applicability. Their research that involved an elementary school in central Tennessee, USA implemented an academic screener called Curriculum-based Measurement, a behavioral assessment named Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders and a personality evaluation tagged as Student Risk Screening Scale (Kalberg et al., 2010). The interventions they studied proved a positive outcome for the group’s endeavor. The three-tiered examination participated by 129 participants confirmed its effectiveness in determining students who were non-responsive to the initial prevention steps undertaken by the school (Kalberg et al., 2010). The investigation further noted that the â€Å"multifaceted sources of information about these students’ behavior can assist in improving their read ing skills and over-all personality† (Kalberg et al., 2010). A product of several trial-and-error processes, the models that these researchers offered passed the question of theory and practice and considerably reached a respectable standard. The importance of involving reliable criteria for making intelligent decisions based on screening tools should be executed in all educational settings. As a protocol-oriented endeavor, the proposal of Kahlberg’s team reached a certain level of acceptability in terms of these criteria. The standards were conceived upon methodical undertakings that focused on validity and reliability. The study also concluded that the said approach can â€Å"provide academic institutions with an organized process in meeting the various ever-changing academic, psychological and social needs of the students as they develop over time† (Kalberg et al., 2010). The authors strongly advocated for a cohesive and complete strategy based on the tri-leve l models of intervention that should be implemented in all special education schools (Kalberg et al., 2010, p. 577). This concluding statement contradicted the time-honored Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD), considered as the most cost-effective systematic screening tool; so that is before. More recent findings hold the merit in this case. II. Three-tiered Models of Support in Systematic Screening Another researched-based intervention undertaken by a team of scholars from Vanderbilt University sought to provide an illustrative triad of models of support to gauge the total risks that surface in a certain period of time and to determine who among the students need preventive interventions from the significant other. Lane et al. (2011) further examined several techniques in analyzing data obtained from the systematic screening to fully understand the children’s situations and eventually formulate an empiric course of action. The study found out that the â€Å"S tudent Risk Screening Scale (SRSS) is a cost-efficient, time-bounded and systematically effective tool in assessing risk for antisocial behavior in elementary-age pupils† (Lane et al., 2011). This screening instrument is particularly designed for detecting whether or not a child has the tendency to be passive or otherwise aggressive. Meanwhile, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), which is still a gauge on the child’

The oppression of women in KINDREDand Identity crises Essay

The oppression of women in KINDREDand Identity crises - Essay Example Although Dana is wise, independent and young, yet she is only recognized by her race by other characters in the novel. That is the fundamental reason why her fate leads her to servitude in the plantation. There, she happens to meet Carrie who makes her realize that she can not change her skin’s color by rubbing Dana’s cheek. Dana has to live with it. Kindred is one of the most bloodiest novels in that there are frequent events of rape, whippings, dog attacks, hangings and similar acts of brutalities. It is noteworthy that most of these forms of brutality are offered to the women in the novel. The novel perfectly conveys how the African American women were threatened and oppressed in the 19th century. Decisions of the women characters in the novel and their personalities are fundamentally influenced by the oppression there are offered by the white men. Quite often, there are events of rape. The white males feel that they own a right as well as a duty to inflict physical abuse upon the women. On the other hand, the black women are quite well aware of the fact that their attempts to escape the plantation would be rewarded with whipping on the least.

Profile of Adolf Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Profile of Adolf Hitler - Essay Example Most people believe that Hitler was the prime instigator of the Second World War and links him with the popular German’s Holocaust that led to loss of millions of people considered inferior to Aryan beliefs (Davidson 23). Due to this historical background, the profile of Hitler is of great meaning to the generations. This essay hence provides the profile of Hitler unveiling important concerns about this controversial and popular leadership. Hitler’s Childhood Hitler was born in the year 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Australia. He was an unlawful son to Alois Hitler family. Hitler was an ever-hostile child who frequently clashed with his father, particularly after he had retired and shifted to Linz; however, he closely related with his mother. He lost his father when he was 14 and his mother at 18 (Davidson 78). Academically, he was a performer in his elementary course, but he later developed a rebellious habit that affected his performance. Notably, his aggressive behavior ma de him conflict with school managements hence he frequently shifted schools and finally left formal training at the age of 16 (Weber, 5). Indeed, he failed to accord values advocated by the formal system and opted to engage in liberal system. As such, he had inspirations of becoming a popular artist. He therefore, shifted to Vienna where he tried to enroll to Viennese Academy of Fine arts (VAFA), but failed (Nicholls 19). Dismissal of his applications gave him bad experience. He disbursed the idea of enrolling to the college and walked around the streets of Vienna selling his artistic pieces. He hence survived on orphan’s allowances and the little amount earned from his sales (Weber, 123). During her homeless period, he accumulated knowledge about the world’s politics noting the concern about Jews and socialism. Military experience By 1913, Hitler shifted to Munich to join military. However, initially he failed to secure the position in the Austrian military academy si nce he was unfit for the course. Nevertheless, emergence of the WWI offered him a chance of joining the service. Therefore, by 1914 he enrolled to the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment (BIR) and worked in force for the entire war period (Davidson 45). His tactics in the force asserted his potentials and bravery as a solder; indeed, he won â€Å"First Class† award twice. On war course, he was gravely injured twice, and towards the end, he faced a gas attack, which earned him a temporary blindness. This experience taught him of Germany’s surrender that he considered disloyal. Particularly, he passionately reprimanded Versailles Treaty and fought against it (Weber, 78). Hitler and the Idea of politics The WWI experience developed him a feeling that he was fated to save Germany. Later, while serving in the army unit, he secured a duty of monitoring a political party of idealists referred as the German Workers Party (GWP). Interestingly, instead of observing his spy duty, he enrolled to the group tactically and later rose to an influential position. In the year 1921, he secured the chair post in the party and changed its name to Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) (Weber, 130). He then developed the Swastika, which was to be the party’s symbol. Importantly, he established his private army the ‘storm troopers’ and a bodyguard to offer him security while attacking rebellious entities. Besides using his force, he tactically used his influential public speech power to lure the masses into embracing his ideologies (Weber, 12). These approaches were very successful hence enhanced his popularity considerably. By this time, many Germans granted the name Hitler attention (Nicholls 17). In 1923, he coordinated Bavarian nationalist under a

Describe one social work method and how you could use it in practice Essay

Describe one social work method and how you could use it in practice - Essay Example Social case work is identified as a form of ‘one to one relationship’ based on which social workers make efforts in terms of understanding the factors resulting to complications within human lives (Sajid, 2012; Schwartz & et. al., 1975; Richmond, 1922). In this context, to adopt social case work in practice, I would perform social case work with the assistance of social workers in the community. The practice of social case work would be based on certain procedure that include assessment, study, evaluation and application of appropriate procedures based on which social case work activities are to be conducted. Additionally, the practice of social case work should be conducted in accordance with guiding principles and standards that include ethical values and knowledge among others (National Association of Social Workers, 2013; Perlman, 1957; NCBI, n.d.). It can be comprehended that social case work acts as a comprehensive tool in terms of developing the overall situation of individuals having difficulties in aligning with surrounding environment both in terms of physical and social perspective. In this regard, the practice of social case work is required to be conducted on the basis of certain procedure, so that care and treatment is offered appropriately. LinkedIn Corporation, 2014. Social Case Work. Celebrating the Dignity & Worth of Every Individual. [Online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/srengasamy/social-case-work-main [Accessed September 22, 2014]. Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2014. End of Life - Ideas for Practice: Case Study the Importance of Social Work Support. Home. [Online] Available at: http://www.scie.org.uk/adults/endoflifecare/ideasforpractice/socialworksupport.asp [Accessed September 22,

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

Hypertension - Assignment Example The DASH eating plan tends to also regulate the amount of saturated fat, unsaturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, magnesium, fiber and other essential nutrients in food. It has helped me realize the numerous benefits of less sodium consumption and higher potassium intake. The advantages are varied that range from fast reduction of blood pressure, it helps in reducing cholesterol in a phased manner, the reduction of insulin resistance, the prevention of heart diseases and strokes, the prevention of any types of chronic liver aliments, it delays and even fights against osteoporosis, it reduces the risk of certain types of cancers, it mitigates obesity and also leads to an overall feeling of wellness (Coben 95). There is also an increased effort on maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle that involves eating food in the right proportions. This assignment about hypertension has inculcated the values of healthy living in me, other than the food intake aspect of this plan. It espouses eating food in right portions and in moderation. The food should be comprised of higher levels of grains, fiber, potassium, green vegetables, low quantities of red meat and alcohol (Karppanen and Mervaala 126). Healthy lifestyle and exercising is also a part of this plan. This hypertension plan emphasizes the need for exercising five to six times a week. It also allots a lot of importance on keeping a brisk lifestyle. Overall, this assignment has helped me to learn about the importance of lower sodium intake, higher potassium intake, the importance of DASH diet, weight loss and a healthy

Reproduction Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reproduction Issue - Essay Example This essay focuses on the ethical implication of third trimester abortion with reference to its medical effect on the fetus and the mother. In particular, this essay argues against third trimester abortion. Numerous claims against abortion argue that both the mother and the fetus have particular rights. It was emphasized by Annas (1998 as cited in Orshan, 2008, 310) that the fetus is not an individual within the context of the Constitution and declares that states cannot criminalize abortion prior to the determination of the viability of the fetus. States can prohibit abortion after determination of the viability of the fetus only if there is an anomaly that allows abortion to defend the health or life of the mother. States can enforce limits on abortion prior to the determination of viability only if such limits do not generate major barriers to a woman’s acquiring an abortion (Wikipedia, 2013b). Roe v. Wade made sure that women have the legal privacy right, and that such right is basic and general to cover her choice to obtain an abortion. Third term abortion is the most disputed topic of reproductive rights. There is no involuntary right to obtain abortion after the first trimester. In later trimester, the fetus is already viable. A six-month fetus can possibly stay alive with a delivery even though it would have higher susceptibility to complications. The Supreme Court has always considered exceptions for the likelihood of third trimester abortion if the woman’s life is in danger (Hall, Bobinski, & Orentlicher, 2007). It is not possible to ethically abort a possibly viable fetus except if there is a major justifying condition like danger to the life of the fetus or the mother. With regard to court directive, the court cannot oblige a doctor to carry out an operation that is professionally or ethically unjustifiable (Wikipedia, 2013a). For instance, if legislation ratified today making it legally permissible to carry out ‘mercy killing’, or

Explains some of the effects of stress and how police organization may Essay

Explains some of the effects of stress and how police organization may reduce stress for its officers - Essay Example His wife will agree that he has become egotistical, noisy, and short-tempered; he demands continuous attention as well as care. He acts like a small, self-centered kid. In majority of the cases, individuals regress in persistent anxiety. Secondly, stress numbs the compassion of individuals. Since they cannot tolerate seeing persistent human despair, they stop feeling because otherwise they will not be able to survive. The mind has this resistance method so people can carry on functioning during hideous circumstances. If they maintained their regular sympathy, they would collapse. As they become tactless towards their personal agony, they also become tactless to the agony of others. Police officers meet stressors in â€Å"call after call, which sap their strength† (Stevens, 2007). Debilitation from this every day stress adds up in making officials additionally susceptible to distressing happenings as well as common demands of life. The deteriorating procedure is usually very slow to notice; neither an individual nor his acquaintances are aware of the harm being done. If persistent stressors are known, then police representatives can take positive steps. Departments should discontinue making false differences amid job-linked and personal difficulties. The two are interlinked and go with one another. The outcome is a bunch of individuals facing the maximum stress within any profession in US. Police department cannot end stress in police occupation, however, they can identify it and assist officers in three phases: (1) offering assistance to individual officers, (2) offering help in family life, and (3) lessening the stress caused by the police department itself. Direct assistance to individual officers can be provided in a number of forms. Every big unit should have a psychologist for the police officers and ensure that indemnity policies have good terms for outpatient therapy

Grammatical aspect Essay Example for Free

Grammatical aspect Essay Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind. Examples: †¢ I saw a movie yesterday. †¢ I didnt see a play yesterday. †¢ Last year, I traveled to Japan. †¢ Last year, I didnt travel to Korea. †¢ Did you have dinner last night? †¢ She washed her car. †¢ He didnt wash his car. USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions [pic] We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. Examples: †¢ I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. †¢ He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. †¢ Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs? USE 3 Duration in Past [pic] The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc. Examples: †¢ I lived in Brazil for two years. †¢ Shauna studied Japanese for five years. †¢ They sat at the beach all day. †¢ They did not stay at the party the entire time. †¢ We talked on the phone for thirty minutes. †¢ A: How long did you wait for them? B: We waited for one hour. USE 4 Habits in the Past [pic] The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as used to. To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc. Examples: †¢ I studied French when I was a child. †¢ He played the violin. †¢ He didnt play the piano. †¢ Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid? †¢ She worked at the movie theater after school. †¢ They never went to school, they always skipped class. USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations [pic] The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression used to. Examples: †¢ She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing. †¢ He didnt like tomatoes before. †¢ Did you live in Texas when you were a kid? †¢ People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past. IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First. Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word when such as when I dropped my pen or when class began These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses. Examples: †¢ When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question. †¢ She answered my question when I paid her one dollar. When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether when I paid her one dollar is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar. Example: †¢ I paid her one dollar when she answered my question. ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: †¢ You just called Debbie. †¢ Did you just call Debbie? Past Continuous FORM [was/were + present participle] Examples: †¢ You were studying when she called. †¢ Were you studying when she called? †¢ You were not studying when she called. Complete List of Past Continuous Forms USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past [pic] Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time. Examples: †¢ I was watching TV when she called. †¢ When the phone rang, she was writing a letter. †¢ While we were having the picnic, it started to rain. †¢ What were you doing when the earthquake started? †¢ I was listening to my iPod, so I didnt hear the fire alarm. †¢ You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off. †¢ While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car. †¢ Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane. †¢ While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off. †¢ A: What were you doing when you broke your leg? B: I was snowboarding. USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption [pic] In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption. Examples: †¢ Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. †¢ At midnight, we were still driving through the desert. †¢ Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work. IMPORTANT In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action. Examples: †¢ Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. I started eating at 6 PM. †¢ Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner. USE 3 Parallel Actions [pic] When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel. Examples: †¢ I was studying while he was making dinner. †¢ While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television. †¢ Were you listening while he was talking? †¢ I wasnt paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes. †¢ What were you doing while you were waiting? †¢ Thomas wasnt working, and I wasnt working either. †¢ They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time. USE 4 Atmosphere In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past. Example: †¢ When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service. USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with Always [pic] The Past Continuous with words such as always or constantly expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression used to but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words always or constantly between be and verb+ing. Examples: †¢ She was always coming to class late. †¢ He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone. †¢ I didnt like them because they were always complaining. While vs. When Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word when such as when she called or when it bit me. Other clauses begin with while such as while she was sleeping and while he was surfing. When you talk about things in the past, when is most often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas while is usually followed by Past Continuous. While expresses the idea of during that time. Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence. Examples: †¢ I was studying when she called. †¢ While I was studying, she called. REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Past. Examples: †¢ Jane was being at my house when you arrived. Not Correct †¢ Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: †¢ You were just studying when she called. †¢ Were you just studying when she called? ACTIVE / PASSIVE Examples: †¢ The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. Active †¢ The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. Passive Past Perfect FORM [had + past participle] Examples: †¢ You had studied English before you moved to New York. †¢ Had you studied English before you moved to New York? †¢ You had not studied English before you moved to New York. Complete List of Past Perfect Forms USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past [pic] The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past. Examples: †¢ I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai. †¢ I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet. †¢ Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times. †¢ Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand? †¢ She only understood the movie because she had read the book. †¢ Kristine had never been to an opera before last night. †¢ We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance. †¢ A: Had you ever visited the U. S. before your trip in 2006? B: Yes, I had been to the U. S. once before. USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs) [pic] With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past. Examples: †¢ We had had that car for ten years before it broke down. †¢ By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years. †¢ They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years. Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words live, work, teach, and study are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs. IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect [pic]. Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary. Example: †¢ She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996. MOREOVER If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when before or after is used in the sentence. The words before and after actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct. Examples: †¢ She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996. †¢ She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996. HOWEVER [pic] If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used. Examples: †¢ She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct †¢ She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: †¢ You had previously studied English before you moved to New York. †¢ Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York? ACTIVE / PASSIVE Examples: †¢ George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanics license. Active †¢ Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanics license. Passive Past Perfect Continuous FORM [had been + present participle] Examples: †¢ You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived. †¢ Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived? †¢ You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived. Complete List of Past Perfect Continuous Forms USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past [pic] We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. For five minutes and for two weeks are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past. Examples: †¢ They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived. †¢ She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business. †¢ How long had you been waiting to get on the bus? †¢ Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work. †¢ James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia. †¢ A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara? B: I had not been studying Turkish very long. USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past [pic] Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect. Examples: †¢ Jason was tired because he had been jogging. †¢ Sam gained weight because he had been overeating. †¢ Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class. Past Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous If you do not include a duration such as for five minutes, for two weeks or since Friday, many English speakers choose to use the Past Continuous rather than the Past Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past. Study the examples below to understand the difference. Examples: †¢ He was tired because he was exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he was exercising at that exact moment. †¢ He was tired because he had been exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he had been exercising over a period of time. It is possible that he was still exercising at that moment OR that he had just finished. REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Past Perfect. Examples: †¢ The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct †¢ The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct ADVERB PLACEMENT. The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: †¢ You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived. †¢ Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived? ACTIVE / PASSIVE Examples: †¢ Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurants fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. Active †¢ The restaurants fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris. Passive NOTE: Passive forms of the Past Perfect Continuous are not common.

Dynamic Nature Of Tourism And Hospitality Industry

Dynamic Nature Of Tourism And Hospitality Industry Tourism is a combination of services, activities and companies that provides you traveling experience with transportation, accommodation, food, entertainment, activity facilities and other hospitality services (Mathieson and Wall, 1982). Hospitality is how well the community accepts you and their attitude towards you which make you feel safe and welcome. It is the interaction between the host and the guest associated with protection, etiquettes and respect. The extent to which the community shows hospitality varies with the culture and subculture of different societies (Lankford S.V, 1994). Tourism and hospitality is claimed to be the worlds largest industry by World Tourism Organization (WTO) with turnover of $3 trillion dollars. Sri Lanka is famous for its tourism, mainly because of its beautiful islands beaches, old heritage and worlds best resorts in mountains. Tourist comes from all over the world for facilitating themselves and for this purpose the main tourism organization working is Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority. This Organization is working in developing Sri Lanka to be the Asias most preferable tourist destination. It uses its products creatively while promising effective and efficient use of resources. They are working hard to identify unique services, formulating as well as implementing new strategies for tourism development. Structure This assignment is divided into five different sections from section A to section E. Section A would discuss the brief introduction about tourism/hospitality and the tourism organization selected, section B would define the different services and product offering offered by tourism organizations in order to promote growth, section C would discuss about the global demand issues that drive the constant need for updating tourism services. Whereas section D will focus on innovative strategies and activities followed by tourism organization to satisfy these changes in demand. Section E would discuss the services provided by SLTDA. B) Different Product/Services by Tourism Organizations: The basic services that the every tourist expects to receive are: Accommodation: Varies according to your packages from motels, private small hotels, 5 stars hotels and resorts. Food Facilities: Tourist experience depends a lot on the food quality he is available to as most often people travel for exploring the beautiful locations and for enjoying the different kind of food of that country. Time and Money: Tourism Development depends a lot on the access and ease the tourist gets after enjoying his vacations and for that it is important that he does not faces such issues relating to time and money specially. Accommodation, Tours, Sight-seeing, Cruises, Car rentals, Best Air fare rates, Transportation, Tour Guides, Entertainment are some of the basic facilities provided to you by tourism organizations depending about your package. Whether you want to have a luxurious vacation with all the facilities at its best or a simple economical holiday, this tourism organization has packages according to your budgets and demands (David Weaver, 2005). Tourism organization has to work on constant basis for developing there product portfolio in order to maintain their demand and to stimulate growth because once you have plan to go on a vacation, at first you select the best possible place depending on your affordability and after you have shortlisted two to three places you start listing them according to their product/services offering. The best tourism package offered with all the preferable facilities and the one which is within your range as well (David Weaver, 2005) B.1) Different Value Added Facilities Provided By Tourism Organization: Bucket shop: Bucket shops are retail outlets which offer discount rates in airfares in commission with tourism organizations. Charter airlines: These airlines facilitate the movement of tourists on packages tours or seat-only package. They offer low cost transportation services to holiday destinations, for this the customer however has to make compromises by traveling at inconvenient hours or by providing just elementary services. Computerized Reservation System (CRS): Access to airfares, schedules, packages, availability of seats and reservation beforehand become possible by this system. C) Global Demand Issues in Tourism C.1) Background Diversification is important in tourism. It refers the addition of new product to the already developed products portfolio; it is a process by which new products are added to the product portfolio of a tourism business or destination in order to avoid over-dependence on a few, often highly competitive, products. Tourism has changed in the last 30 years with the rise of the jet aircraft; it has now emerged as a global phenomenon. It is today one of the most important global industry. 593 million tourist travelled abroad in the year 1996 while in 2003, 694 million tourists travelled worldwide (Long, P. T, 2000) Before it was difficult to analyze the accurate data but after the development of Tourism Satellite Account(TSAs) it became easier as TSAs informs you about the accurate, reliable and comparable data which is collected by individual nation. However it was also came in notice that economic crisis like Gulf War, effect of 9/11, oil crisis in 1970s effect tourism and tourism organization economically as it is a global risk for tourists to travel in such conditions (Stephen J Page, 2005). C.2) Consumer and the changing world The economical as well as geo-political situation demands for new strategies day by day. Variation in technology, demographics, political and world scenario changes the outlook of world as well as of customer. There are two perspectives in this new demand factor. Demand is influenced by factors such as traveling motivation and the ability to travel and on the other hand we have behavioral changes like destination preferences, ease at traveling, quality of experience but all these demands vary upon the intention of traveling. The person who has been traveling a lot and is experienced will adjust to the surrounding even if it is not according to his demands (Martin Lohman, 2004) The other influencing factors in the tourism demand are divided into different categories for better understanding that is economy, politics, crisis and threats, demographic change and technology and all these factors are inter linked with each other. These factors have impact as holiday demand is driven by the need, motivation and realization depending on the economical situation of the individual and freedom to travel. External factor has an impact by effecting the ability to travel that is freedom, money, time, physical ability) while consumer behavior does not depend on any single factor but is actually the reaction caused by the external factors and is also backed by the internal factors such as motivation, strong desire (Martin Lohman, 2004). Moreover there are several emerging factors having its impact on the demand and creating this dynamic nature of tourism which is known to all however bringing an overnight change is not possible, similarly these trends will also not change the world tourism. C.3) Demographic Changes: Although it was a constant process but in recent years it is showing changes more often now and is considered to be the most important in the European countries. These demographic trends have an impact on tourism plan of countries. Previous researches has shown that people in European countries doesnt change their traveling pattern due to their increasing age or retirement but it is now observed that the generation when will reach the age of 60s would not follow the same pattern. The senior citizen today are more active and enjoy all these tourism activities but the senior lot in next 15 years will be dull and less active comparatively. Similarly the declining rate in number of children is also showing some changes but this rate is really slow to bring in notice therefore one does not expect tourism organizations to change or re-orient their strategies (Lohmann and Denielsson, 2001). C.4) Standardization vs. Unique Offering: Technology is changing, with this new era of changing trend it is expected that the customers will demand for high quality product offering and will thrive for change but it is also stated that a little bit of standardization is a must for tourism product portfolio. But too much standardization will be a bigger risk for organizations because there will be no variety offering matching to the rapid demand of exclusivity. The customer today wants both quality and uniqueness. This means that the industry has a new challenge because it has to maintain a balance between standardization and exclusivity (Lohman, 2004) Moreover considering the ongoing demand it is not necessary that the tourism product offered is good or not similarly whether the product is considered good by the consumer is also not important, the important thing is that it should be considerably in the list of priority high lightened by the tourist and should be considered the best in the specific list. Same goes for the tourism organization which include travel agencies, operators, hotel management and transportation in-charge by offering convinces and guidelines to help the consumers (Lohman, 2004). Currently there is no major changes to be predicted but that doesnt mean that we take it as a smooth path because one cannot predict future and it is always expected to show unexpected event for example any political change, any natural disaster, epidemic disease, war) therefore it is necessary and also possible that the tourism organizations prepare for the changing trend which can be identified by keeping a close eye on current situation. Demand is high but that will not make you able to sell anything to experienced tourists (Taylor, 2001). All these above global issues make it necessary for the tourism and hospitality organization to constantly develop their products to meet the constant demand. D) Strategies and Different Activities Employed By Tourism Organizations: Strategic planning consists of several steps. The first step is to formalize a proper organization which controls all the necessary details. Then a vision must be developed about how you actually want to shape out everything followed by other details including infrastructure and investment issues. D.1) Competition: As time is changing the world is also in constant demand of change which is resulting in competition among different countries thriving for economic growth, development better than the other country. Similarly the world tourism is also emerging day by day and countries are trying to benefit themselves by developing their country into a proper tourist spot in return generating huge revenue (Fainstein Gladstone, 1999). This will also benefit the country in prospering as developing the country will make the government work on infrastructure and surrounding quality along with that it will help making the relation stronger of the host country with the other countries whose tourists are welcomed with immense hospitality. Moreover for handling tourism more employment is needed which is good for the localities and it is also noticed that those countries which are not developing themselves for betterment and tourism may left behind in such a competitive environment where every other nation i s fighting for a standalone position in the planet (Fainstein Gladstone, 1999). Not just internationally it is expected among the cities as well within the same countries to work for their own betterment competing with the other city of the same nation. Every city mayor should work for the development of its own city which may eventually result making the city a place for tourism destination (Holcomb, 1999) D.2) Strategies Development: Countries that strive to be competitive must develop a long term strategy and start working on it because without a plan you cannot achieve your goal. Its a long term process because developing a country in a preferable tourism destination and above all developing the sense of hospitality among the local community is not an easy job. Therefore for achieving this difficult task you need to first develop a strategy which is a set of policies intended to achieve your goal and mission (Getz, 1997). D.3) Innovation: Further more once the mission is achieved one must not take it for granted and should work to improve it day by day as tourism industry can never settle on one standardize procedure, it must keep brining innovation depending on the current trend and demands on its consumer (Van den Berg et al, 1995). D.4) 3 As of Tourism: There are 3 As of tourism which must be kept in mind all the time because it has the core importance Access: Transportation must be provided to the tourist easily so that they can easily access their desirable tourist spots. Attraction: Tourists must find variety of attractive places to visit and explore. They must have different choices to make so that they can enjoy their trip completely instead of sitting at home even on vacations. Amenities: The facilities available to the tourist on the particular location or destination they plan to visit. However the most important A in this category is the second one Attraction as tourism is all about exploring and visiting different locations (Dieke and Karamustafa, 2000). D.5) Events: People are getting involved into different kinds of events and therefore chose holiday destination considering the upcoming possible event, so that they can enjoy their holiday break completely. Therefore the event business is also a profitable business these days. It is also noticed that sometime events make the tourist visit a specific location for example Dubai festivals or fashion shows make people visit Dubai, which often doesnt hold a desire for exploring Dubai but those events (Getz, 2004). This helps a lot in off seasons when tourism is at a low level encouraging the tourists to visit helping the tourism organization in maintain their profits. Besides that it also help in developing an image of the host country in a favorable position making the country as a favorite holiday destination for people from all over the world. (Mossberg, 2000) As events are important part of tourism, one should work for its marketing in a proper way. Promotions through blogs, brochures, press release are some common way for marketing the events. Different marketing channels should be adopted for promoting the events so that everyone comes to know about it and it should be done giving enough time to the travelers so that they can plan a trip conveniently. D.6) Culture and Roots: The host country should emphasize on its culture greatly because the tourist find it attractive as it gives them something different to explore. Ancient heritage, monuments is of keen interest for the tourists and in this way one can make its own culture known to the people worldwide as well (Mossberg, 2000). E) Sri Lankan Tourist Development Authority: E.1) Tourism In Sri Lanka: Sri Lankas main business comes from its tourism. It has ancient heritage, beaches, beautiful mountains, lush green resorts making it a perfect spot for holidays. Tourists comes from every part of the world to visit Sri Lanka as it has a really good tourism development organizations working for the betterment of industry and bringing diversification in there product offering. Visa policy for Sri Lanka is comparatively easy to get. Usually they give a tourist visa for 30 days but it can also get extended. Your visa can extend up to three months by paying some amount and it can further increase for three months giving extension fees along with additional Rs.10,000 however extension more than this depends upon the concerned authority ((Sri Lanka Development Tourist Authority Online) E.2) Different Exclusive Offering By SLTDA: Sri Lankan Tourist Development Authority offers different exclusive services in order to satisfy their customers and confirming a great experience depending on their affordability Heritage: Sri Lanka is rich in ancient heritage. It has preserved Asian monuments which are an attraction for people all around from the world especially for tourists who are fond of ancient culture and tradition specially visits Sri Lanka for enjoying these cultural, belief and traditional way of living that is held in reserve in the roots of Sri Lanka. UNESCO world heritage, Adams Peak are some of the must visit in Sri Lanka.(Sri Lanka Tourism Guide) SPA and Ayuerveda Treatment: They just not revive your mind and body but also try to sooth your soul by providing you with the most popular method AYUERVEDA for relaxing your body and mind and healing spiritual and physical problems by herbal treatments, various relaxing bath and body massages along with physical exercises such as yoga, aerobics and particular diets which help one feel relaxing and completely enjoying this lavishness of life which you usually do not cherish in your daily routine (Sri Lanka Tourism Guide). Shopping Destinations: Apart from beautiful and lavish shopping malls in Colombo and other larger cities, one can also enjoy traditional villager shopping in small villages and handcraft material from local vendor on a very cheap price, while brass work of Sri Lanka is also very famous due to its finesse. Another purchase f Sri Lanka are its silverware that is also given as a souvenir at times but the most famous of all are the widest variety of stone found in Sri Lanka because of which Sri Lanka is considered among the largest gem producer country therefore you can also facilitate yourself by getting yourself these stones on your visit (Sri Lanka Tourism Guide). Adventures Sports: Sri Lanka offers the chances of indulging in all kinds of sports specially adventures involving waters as it has more than 100 beaches which facilitate you to go for water skiing, water surfing, scuba diving, boating, Speed boating. Moreover these sports are run under the supervision of professionals and when you are thorough professionals you can also try killer fall, head chopper and drop. Apart from water adventure one can also enjoy wildlife, forest exploration, mountain climbing for being able to witness the worlds most beautiful scenery ahead. Beautiful waterfalls are also one of the desirable scenes to watch in Sri Lanka. Safari which happens to be the national park of Sri Lanka has variety of animals including different kinds of mammals, elephant, hog, porcupine, ant eater and variety of monkeys as well. Islands have different kinds of reptile (snakes, crocodiles as well) making it dangerous to wander carelessly as it is said that out of all these hundreds of reptile kinds 5 of snake found are deadly.(Sri Lanka Tourism Guide) Festivals: Sri Lanka is a city of on going entertainment and therefore every season you will witness some kind of celebration going on. Cultural festivals, Harvest festivals or some regional ceremonies are always taking place. All these are the exclusive offering which is given by the Sri Lankan tourism organization to its tourists depending on their affordability level. Apart from those basic facilities like accommodation, transport, breakfast benefits are usually included in the tourism package. CONCLUSION: In the end it is concluded that tourism organization faces extreme global issues and if they want to be ahead of others they must constantly bring innovation intro their product portfolio. Strategies should be made and tourism organizations must follow them step by step. REFRENCES: David Weaver. 2005. The Ecotourism concept and tourism conservation symbiosis. Journal of sustainable tourism 13 (4): 376-389. Fainstein, S.S. and Gladstone, D. (1999) Evaluating urban tourism, in D.R. Judd and S.S. Fainstein (eds) The Tourist City, New Haven: Yale University Press. Getz, D. (1997). Event Management Event Tourism. Cognizant Communication Corporation Lankford, S. V. (1994). Attitudes and perceptions toward tourism andrural regional development. Journal of Travel Research, 31(3), 35-43. Lohmann, Martin (2004): The 31st Reiseanalyse RA 2001. Tourism; Vol. 49, NÂ ° 1 / 2001; pp 65 67, Zagreb. Lohmann, M. Danielsson, J. (2001): Predicting Travel Patterns of Senior Citizens: How the Past May Provide a Key to the Future. Journ.of vacation marketing, Vol. 7, NÂ ° 4, pp. 357 366 Long, P. T (1990). Rural resident tourismperceptions and attitudes by community level of tourism. Journal of TravelResearch, 28(3), 3-9. Mathieson and Wall, 1982, Tourism; economic, physical and social impacts, Longman House groups in tourism centers. Journal of Travel Research, 21 (3), 8-12. Morrison(1998). Convention and visitor bureaus in the USA: a profile of bureaus: bureau executives and budgets. Journal of Travel and Tourism marketing, 7, 1-19. Mossberg, L. (Ed) (2000). Evaluation of Events: Scandinavian Experiences. The United States of America: Cognizant Communication Corporation.

Political and Migration Issues Affecting Puerto Ricans in the United St

Political and Migration Issues Affecting Puerto Ricans in the United States Puerto Ricans have a very distinct and complicated history. Their history is unlike any other immigrants who migrated at the United States at any time. Their island became a focus of the United States in 1898, when they won the island as booty in the Spanish-American war. Puerto Ricans residing in the United States have always had the dilemma of having to straddle both the American and Puerto Rican cultures and Spanish and English languages. In my opinion, Puerto Ricans have never had it easy living in the United States. So when I ask my grandparents, and other older generation Puerto Ricans why they decided to migrate from what I thought was "paradise" to the United States, they all give me the same answer. They wanted a better future for their families. They all felt that once they lived in the United States, opportunity would be knocking at the door. As exemplified in the novel, Memoirs of Bernando Vega: A Contribution to the History of the Puerto Rican Community in New York, Puerto Ricans struggled just as much in the mainland as they did on the island. Because of the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico, one would think that Puerto Ricans would have had many advantages over other immigrants, especially after passing of the Jones Act of 1917, which granted Puerto Ricans a partial citizenship status. However, that was not the case either. Puerto Ricans still dealt with discrimination, a great deal of setbacks and downfalls, as well as issues of forced assimilation. Their high hopes of becoming successful in the United States usually came to an end after about a month or so of living in the United States when they realized it w... ...sly and were more involved politically. The difference is also due to the times in which these political groups were active, and the level of compliance Puerto Ricans had with the American political system, and improvements to individual organizations. Still there were many improvements made, and the same could not have been accomplished without Vega’s older generation of politicians. Still the efforts continue. It is now up the future generation of young Puerto Ricans to help unite their people, and their community advance. The politics of the Puerto Rican people has evolved from class politics, to ethnic politics, to what is now identity politics. In the beginning they struggled to be heard and represented in their small communities, and now we must continue to fight to have a voice and representation, not just in our community, but in the government as well.

The way it goes :: essays research papers

In 1940, George Santayana looked back on his forty years in America, and remarked morbidly: "If I had been free to choose, I should not have lived there, or been educated there, or taught philosophy there or anywhere else."1 He had come to Harvard in 1882 when it was in the middle of its most dynamic transformation; he succeeded both academically and socially as an undergraduate, and, in the company of William James and Josiah Royce, he became one of the most prominent and well-recognized participants in perhaps the greatest department of philosophy that ever existed. Yet Santayana found something horribly wrong with the changing University. He worried that the mass movement towards practicality and specialization, which he equated with President Charles William Eliot's attempts to make Harvard a nationally-recognized institution, was draining the university of the aestheticism and humanism that had made higher education worth pursuing. He saw in Harvard's atmosphere of excessive materialism and utilitarianism an ailment of American society as a whole, an ugly new trend that had separated the national "will" from imagination, and rendered the intellect irrelevant. Unlike most other critics of the new university, the academic and cultural environment was so intolerable to Santayana that he decided to escape it altogether. He left for Europe in 1912, and although he would continue to write about America until his death in 1952, not once did he return. Academia is still not at rest. The public's widespread admiration for higher education once prevalent in the postwar era has begun to reverse itself, and between harsh budget cuts on the one hand and Alan Bloom's vicious denunciation of the university on the other, the future of higher learning in America may look as bleak to the prospective graduate student as it ever has in recent history. Crisis, however, is nothing new to the American university, and Bloom is not the first to warn of the "collapse of the entire American educational structure,"2 which, at last observation, was still standing. The very revolution in education that gave the university its modern, recognizable form found itself confronting similar forecasts of gloom and doom at the turn of the century. Along with the adoption of the free elective system and specialization of knowledge that came to be the staples of higher learning there emerged a small but vocal force determined to curtail the excesses of utilitarianism and abstract research. Known as the "advocates of liberal culture," these men reacted to an institution they believed had lost its sense of purpose, and their opposition, like today's, was testament to the growing and deeply felt fragmentation of the university. The way it goes :: essays research papers In 1940, George Santayana looked back on his forty years in America, and remarked morbidly: "If I had been free to choose, I should not have lived there, or been educated there, or taught philosophy there or anywhere else."1 He had come to Harvard in 1882 when it was in the middle of its most dynamic transformation; he succeeded both academically and socially as an undergraduate, and, in the company of William James and Josiah Royce, he became one of the most prominent and well-recognized participants in perhaps the greatest department of philosophy that ever existed. Yet Santayana found something horribly wrong with the changing University. He worried that the mass movement towards practicality and specialization, which he equated with President Charles William Eliot's attempts to make Harvard a nationally-recognized institution, was draining the university of the aestheticism and humanism that had made higher education worth pursuing. He saw in Harvard's atmosphere of excessive materialism and utilitarianism an ailment of American society as a whole, an ugly new trend that had separated the national "will" from imagination, and rendered the intellect irrelevant. Unlike most other critics of the new university, the academic and cultural environment was so intolerable to Santayana that he decided to escape it altogether. He left for Europe in 1912, and although he would continue to write about America until his death in 1952, not once did he return. Academia is still not at rest. The public's widespread admiration for higher education once prevalent in the postwar era has begun to reverse itself, and between harsh budget cuts on the one hand and Alan Bloom's vicious denunciation of the university on the other, the future of higher learning in America may look as bleak to the prospective graduate student as it ever has in recent history. Crisis, however, is nothing new to the American university, and Bloom is not the first to warn of the "collapse of the entire American educational structure,"2 which, at last observation, was still standing. The very revolution in education that gave the university its modern, recognizable form found itself confronting similar forecasts of gloom and doom at the turn of the century. Along with the adoption of the free elective system and specialization of knowledge that came to be the staples of higher learning there emerged a small but vocal force determined to curtail the excesses of utilitarianism and abstract research. Known as the "advocates of liberal culture," these men reacted to an institution they believed had lost its sense of purpose, and their opposition, like today's, was testament to the growing and deeply felt fragmentation of the university.

Disneyland: Now and then

I remember being a child and enjoying the smallest bit of happenings here and there. I remember watching cartoons and laughing till my stomach ached. I remember being innocent and lively. I remember going to Disneyland. My memories from back then are very clear and crisp in my mind even today. Disneyland is the dream world for kids and a place for perfect retreat. I can still think of the day when I was eleven and I was about to see Disneyland for the first time. I couldn’t restrain my enthusiasm and excitement as we entered the main gates of the land filled with magic and amazement.That’s how I perceived Disneyland when I was eleven; a land of wonders. I couldn’t wait to see Mickey and Donald smiling back at me. All the fun and frolic came alive to me, as I stepped in to the magical land of fairy tale. Today when I think about Disneyland, I do not contemplate it as a magic land or a land of wonders. For me, it is just any other amusement park or theme park, noth ing added. But what surprises me is the way my perception has changed towards the same thing in due course.Disneyland is the same; in fact it is believed to have grown for better in these years. But for me, it no longer remains a place of magic or enchantment. It only tells me one thing, I have moved far ahead and my childhood is still behind, lost in the memories of Disneyland. Disneyland meant to me, making the world of animation and cartoon come alive. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Bugs Bunny were one of my favorite cartoon characters ever and watching them alive was like a dream come true.I remember being excited by the thought of seeing those characters in front of me. Like, when I was eleven, I ran with exhilaration to shake hands with the legendary Mickey Mouse. I couldn’t let his hand go; moreover, I hugged him and curled into his arms like he was my teddy bear. I asked my dad to take bundle of pictures with Mickey and Donald. Later, I framed those photographs and hung them up on the wall of my room. Moreover, for a long time, I thought of the moment I met Mickey, when I watched cartoon back at home.However, today, when I think of it, I feel a tinge of embarrassment. I would never hug Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck for that matter. Although, sometimes, I watch Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons on television, I do not think of those characters as real cartoons. I understand the fact that they are real people under the disguise of these famous cartoons trying to woo kids and entertain them to their best. I feel taking pictures with them as a laughable act and something only kids would want to do.My excitement level is as normal as it would be when I am at home, watching those cartoons. Additionally, when I first went to Disneyland Park, I had enjoyed and jumped in high spirits even for the all the small rides. The miniature circus train with cars designed as wild animal cages, the crazy tea cup ride, the chip and dale tree house, exploring Goofy’s house, the flight to fantasyland with jumbo, the merry go round, all made me roar out in laughter and eventually, I enjoyed every bit of my ride.The rides were long, simple but very enchanting. The joy found in those simple things was incomprehensible and ceaseless. The moments seemed to be so prized and exceptional, that even a camera couldn’t bind it in its flashlights and tape. When compared to the latest trip, the experiences, however, beg to differ. The rides seem to be ordinary, just like any other ride, in another amusement park. Every ride tries to test the patience by making us fall from huge heights, in dangerously simulated situations and backgrounds.All thrill rides seem to endow with higher risks, higher heights, more velocity and more twists. Even after finishing a single ride of few minutes of length, there is no sense of delight or bliss. The feeling of joy in the small things seems to have lost. It’s just not about having fun anymore. I t is only about moving from one ride to another, trying to finish as many rides as possible. Furthermore, when I was young, I remember being excited about the main street parade. I was so keyed up to watch the parade that I blocked seats an hour before the parade actually began.I was overwhelmed with the stunts and performances of all the characters. Consequently, I struck my eyes all along, without moving an inch. I waited till the end of the parade and not for a moment, thought about leaving early. Each character performing in the parade was special in its own way and I admired them all equally. Nonetheless, now when I think of it, it doesn’t seem to be as astonishing as before. Even though the performance of the artists remains of high caliber and incredible excellence, I do not seem to be attracted towards it.I remember the last time I visited Disneyland, my concerns were more towards driving back home. I didn’t want to block seats an hour before; neither did I wan t to stick till the end. I was getting late and I was more worried about the traffic. As a Conclusion, I believe that things change with times. Also, the way we perceive things, changes with changing times. When we are young, innocent children, we are ignorant to worries and responsibilities. Also, life seems much dreamier and everything looks like a play area.As we grow older, we seem to intertwine in the complications of life and start losing the small joys we can experience in moments of life that may seem insignificant and diminutive. The moments that are filled with immense joy and blissful entertainment are no longer observed. Life becomes fast with growing age and even a beautiful thing passes by, without being noticed. A place like Disneyland, that meant so much to me at one time in my life, no longer holds the meaning it used to. I seem to have lost my innocent childhood in the fast life, in the race to achieve something more.

Film Treatment

My Super SWEET 16 GRADUATION PARTY Directed By Chassity Gibson A Biography of the Film Maker: Chassity Gibson: Student, Writer, Director, Co-Producer Chassity Gibson is a Producer/Director of reality TV, commercials, music videos, and promotional films for networks and clients nationally throughout the US. Her first feature documentary, â€Å"the life of a young single mother†, an inspiration from her mother, was an award winning production. Aside from her film work, Gibson has written scripts for plays premiering at major theaters found in Las Vegas, and NYC.Born in Rochester, NY and a graduate of SUNY University at Buffalo, she currently lives in Fort Worth Dallas with her newlywed husband, Edsel. Filmmaking was never Gibson’s dream as a child or growing up. In fact, the road she was looking more towards her first year at UB was engineering. Going into her sophomore year though, she enrolled in her first film class, Basic Video (DMS 103), and apparently she had found her niche. Currently at the age of 36 Chassity Gibson has 3 award winning pieces along with a great family supporting her throughout the adventure it has been.Having two twin boys, Gibson is very devoted to her family time outside of work. This being something new to â€Å"try-out† Gibson says, â€Å"is very stressful but I’m going to make sure I make it all worth it†. Title: â€Å"Win Or Lose†. Biggest Graduation Party in NYS Log Line: Two UB graduate best friends, Candice & Jasmine, Plan for the biggest Graduation party buffalo, NY had ever seen. Synopsis: â€Å"My Super Graduation Party† is similar to the MTV reality TV show â€Å"My Super Sweet 16† minus the bratty, spoiled, teens that always seem to have their way through their pushover parents.In this series, instead, we find mature, independent, UB students preparing for life after college by setting it off with a huge celebration for all their accomplishments. Getting to know the sta rs of this show becomes quite easy through the way they move & interact throughout their episode. You see them juggling end of the semester final projects and exams, while creating time to plan & promote their party only weeks away. Watch their assertive demeanors in school as well as towards the party planners, in seek of success. Exaggerate over minor issues that may arise, somehow overcoming it.Dolling up, to insure they are the best looking females for the night. Finally, they relive the best part of it all, by recapping their big night with girlfriends over breakfast. Every episode of the series has its own individuality aspects to it, based upon the students we are dealing with, the type of party they want, and the results we receive from the guests who actually come to celebrate with the graduates. â€Å"My Super Graduation Party† closely follows the lives of the individuals of each episode for one day before the party, the day of the party, as well as one day after th e party.This provides a fascinating social matrix that draws the viewer to connect with the graduates as they face challenges and become satisfied with their final results. This specific episode of the series, â€Å"Win or Lose; the biggest graduation party in NYS†, does in fact have great success for CANDICE & JASMINE due to the work they put into it. Throughout the episode the view will see in on many aspects of the casts life away from the party planning, which normally creates a bias and foundation for that cast member that carries with them to the end of the show.For example: â€Å"Love life† – Love life is something that constantly re-appears throughout the entire show. From keeping annoying ex boyfriends out of the party, to attempting to ask the cutest boy on campus to be their date, and sometimes we witnessing a new love stir up. We follow these interactions as they add on to the shows variety of aspects of each of the cast’s lives. â€Å"Educat ion – Our casting will be graduation very soon after they party takes place. The student’s school efforts will be highlighted to show the stresses, successes, and failures that they encounter†¦and most importantly how they deal with those experiences. Friendship† – The bonding rituals and social lives will be highlighted as the over-riding context. Our cast will be a pair of close-knot best friends, who are throwing a party together. Each episode will include the two meeting for drinks or dinner to discuss latest life happenings and planning of the party. â€Å"Win Or Lose; Biggest Graduation Party in NYS† episode arc- Intro – A small montage is shown of each UB student to provide the viewer about her background, life, and current situation in the show. This is quickly done as we move on to see CANDICE & JASMINE in scenes preparing for school the day before the party.The two have separate lives, making it difficult to plan everything tog ether; therefore communication becomes an important issue when both wants need to be met. They talk amongst each other excited for the next day’s festivities, while getting dressed & putting on make-up, and agree on what still needs to be done before the day arrives. Initial Highlights of early morning talk – Some fascinating recaps from the previous nights of the week, interesting gripes about the workday and/or family, disagreements that need to be worked out, and all of these highlights are shown in about 1-2 mins of clips at the cast’s home.Candice & Jasmine live in a small apartment with their dog, Lovely. School/Work day for Candice – Her day begins around 9am the day before the party. She is running late for class because her hair is not cooperating with her today, yet has to be perfect if she is going to ask MEL GIBSON to be her date after their class together. She attempts numerous styles as it gets close to 8:50am, and none of them seem to work. Finally at 9:05am she pulls off the simplest look and heads toward the door. Leaving class, Candice struggles to find Mel, who normally sits in the same spot every day, and leave the same way every day.Disappointed she shoots a text to Jasmine for advice. They decide to meet for lunch. School/work day for Jasmine – Jasmine instead has work that Thursday morning, 8am-12pm shift. At work she constantly thinks of outcomes for the party, distracting her performance that morning. When it finally reaches 12pm, Jasmine must meet right after with the owner of the club where they plan to throw their party. Issues arrive about the amount of people the place can hold, the ability of guest to buy drinks, and how VIP and lines outside will work.Jasmine wants a huge stage where she can show off on the whole night, while Candice wants a photo booth in the same area. We see how Jasmine works around this issue while speaking with the owner. The two meet for lunch around 2pm that same day. Ca ndice reveals how upset she is about not asking Mel out after class and not knowing if she even wants to anymore. Jasmine tries to calm her down & move her energy away from that situation & gear it towards the party. The Day of the Party- This day moves pretty quickly from the moment the casts opens their eyes, to the moment they are ready to lay back in their beds.Jasmine, who ordered a dress online that week, is yet to receive her package in the mail and has no outfit for the night. A mall trip has to be squeezed in to try and fix this, yet no outfit compares to what Jasmine had in mind originally. The viewer then meets VEE, Candice & Jasmine’s close friend who has been promoting the party for them and making sure they get a great turn out. Vee makes sure everything is in line and that the party still goes on no matter what. That night is closely followed throughout the party and we see the reactions of the guests who come.The Morning after Breakfast – At this point the show will reinforce the friendship between the two students, Candice & Jasmine, and how close graduation really is. The eat breakfast and discuss all that went on that night. Candice can barely remember, she had so many drinks, and Jasmine recalls all the compliments she received all night. Clips from the previous night are shown and advice, reassurance, and support between the ladies are highlighted. Any additional outlandish or hilarious stories are played out. At the end of it all the ladies are asked to give their own separate individual comments on the overall experience.

Compare the Ways the in Which the Writers of Flight

Compare the Ways the in which the Writers of Flight and Compass and Torch show Characters coming to terms with growing up. Growing up will always be a greatly discussed topic for writers, regardless of genre, time period or their own personal experiences. Stories about growing up have been a part of fiction throughout history, with great authors such as J. M Barrie, CS Lewis and even Stephen King adding their own contributions. The pieces discussed in this essay have very different views on growing up and are told from very different perspectives.One from an elderly man wishing his granddaughter would stay young forever and one from a young boy trying to be much older then his respective years. Flight, by Doris Lessing, is the story of an old man’s struggle to accept his granddaughters desire to get married and his own negative feelings on marriage. Lessing was raised in Zimbabwe in the 1930’s, by a mother determined to keep a strict Edwardian lifestyle, which may have been responsible for Lessing‘s opinions on marriage. Lessing is quoted saying â€Å"There is a whole generation of women and it was as if their lives came to a stop when they had children. DorisLessing. org, 2012, [online]. The protagonist, the Grandfather, has similarities in his opinions to that of Lessing’s own. Which is that marriage is for when you are ready to give up on a life of your own. Compass and Torch, by Elizabeth Baines, is the story of a camping trip between a young boy and his father. The pair have not spent time alone together since the father’s divorce from the boy’s mother, a year earlier. Their relationship has been damaged by their estrangement which they both are trying to repair, although they are not capable of it in just one night.The primary character of the story is the boy, with the majority of the story being told from his perspective. Both of the authors use characterisation as a method to portray the theme of growing up. In Flight, the grandfather is upset at his youngest granddaughter’s longing to grow up and move out, it is shown in this quote from his internal monologue ‘now the house would be empty, gone all the young girls with their laughter and their squabbling and their teasing. He would be left, uncherished and alone. He feels abandoned by her, he is the only mentioned male family member and it assumed that he is the father figure to his grandchildren. His perspective is from a person left behind by the person growing up rather than the person who is growing up, which is less common in fiction. By the end of the story the grandfather has become more accepting of the change, which is illustrated by his release of the pigeons. The boy in Compass and Torch is the focus of Baines’s story. He is eight years old and trying to act like a grown man.He is striving to convince his father and himself that he is a man and equal. ‘In which he and his father will be two menâ€℠¢ is just one example of his determination to be seen as a man. The attempt at equality is his way of adjusting to his changed relationship with his father. In contrast when he is at home with his mother he acts the most mature, especially with his stepfather Jim, ‘‘Yes’ said the boy, forcing himself to acknowledge Jim’s kindness and affirmation. ’ is a example of the boy showing a surprising amount of maturity for an eight year old.Differing from Flight, the boy does not have a epiphany at the end of the story and it is assumed he will continue his attempts at maturity when he wakes. The language style varies in the two pieces. In Compass and Torch, Baines switches the narrative between the view points of her characters, mostly from the perspective of the boy but with brief insights into what the father is thinking and occasionally the horses. In Flight, Lessing writes from the outlook of the Grandfather, with the entirety of the story filled with h is actions and thoughts.This fits with the aims of the two pieces, Flight being about the grandfathers opinions and emotional journey, in contrast, Compass and Torch is about the changed relationship between the two individuals, so the switching narrative fits with the theme of story. Both of the writers use very evocative imagery in the stories. In Compass and Torch, ‘Beyond the gate is the open moor, pale in the early evening with bleached end-of-summer grass, bruised here and there with heather and ge-old spills of purple granite’ is the first example of many suggestive descriptions that conjure images of the dark rugged terrain, it is not a coincidence that the description fits with the Snowdonia mountains in Baines’s native Wales. She uses the wilds as a metaphor for the uncharted terrain the man and boy are negotiating in their new relationship, in contrast to the stable and homely setting when the boy is at home with his mother. Similarly, Flight has very a descriptive setting but with much bolder and brighter colours than the dark greys and greens of Compass and Torch. The dark red soil’, ‘a stream of rich green grass’ and ’the pink flowers’ all set a bright and idyllic tone to the railway cottage and surrounding land where the story is set. Lessing’s metaphor is different to Baines’s, Lessing’s colourful home represents the childhood and innocence of the granddaughter. It’s isolated location adding to the image of safety against the intrusion of the outside world, its maturity and corrupting influence. Baines’s use’s her control of information in the Compass and Torch much more than Lessing.In Flight, the only glaring lack of information is the fate of the Grandfather and his daughters respective spouses. There is no mention implied or otherwise of the former‘s wife. ‘I was married at seventeen and I never regretted it (said his daughter), Liarà ¢â‚¬â„¢ he said. ‘Liar. Then you should regret it,’ implies that the daughter’s was an unhappy marriage in the eyes of the Grandfather or at least she was too young and he wishes his granddaughter could avoid her mistake.If the writer had included what had happened, we might sympathise with either the Grandfather or his daughter but it is left out, as it is not a story about fact, it is a story about the Grandfather’s feelings and that would distract from the point. Baines is much stricter with what information she gives the reader, but there is a very clear aim to her lack of detail. The only name we are given is that of Jim the step dad, the members of the family are nameless. The divorce details are left out. The reason why the dad has been absent and his current relationship status is unknown.All of this undefined detail creates the ability for the reader to relate to the story easier and attach their own experiences. In one instance, a fellow student found herself empathising with the mother, who is not the warmest of the characters, as she knows how she feels when allowing her own child to visit her father. This was Baines’s aim, the fact that the dad is the very archetype of the strong male character type and the boy, a very familiar personality to anyone with experience of eight year old boys trying to impress someone, all help the story be more accessible to the reader.There are recurring patterns running throughout both of the pieces, which the authors use to tie in their themes of growing up. The pigeons in Flight are a metaphor for the grandfather trying to control and protect his granddaughter, ‘feeling the cold coral claws tighten around his finger. Content, he rested the bird lightly on his chest,’ shows he was happiest when his granddaughter is holding on to him as tightly as he was holding her, but now the relationship has changed and he’s holding on to her alone.At the end of the story whe n he release the pigeons, it is his way of symbolising his reluctant acceptance of her leaving. All though ‘She was staring at him’ and ‘He saw the tears run shivering off her face’ indicates that now that he has let her go and she is free to pursue her adulthood, she is frightened to go on without him. Lessing turns the tables there, showing the other side that the girls desire for independence is not all she thought it was going to be. In Compass and Torch, the pattern is the recurring interference of the horses.They are totems for the mistakes the boy and the man are making. The dad is in so much pain and scared that he is losing his son that he is ignoring his son’s attempts at bonding, its shown in the line ’the horse comes up to the car,’ ‘The man bats her away,’ he repeatedly ignores the horse like he ignores his son. The boy has a different problem, he is so obsessed at being a man like his dad that he forgets to be a child, ‘(the horse) provides a close up display that could easily fascinate an eight-year-old boy’ which the boy ignores ‘eyes only for the man. The horses show that the man is the one who needs to grow up, stop wallowing in self pity and try and connect with his son, that way the son will be able to stop trying to be a man and enjoy his childhood which is surely what the dad would prefer. Growing up is explored from two very different perspectives in the stories, both deal with accepting the reality of the situation rather then what the characters would prefer. The grandfather has to accept his granddaughters growing up and the son has to accept he is not a man just yet.

Biographical Sketch: Reverend Craig J. Wright

REVEREND CRAIG J. J. WRIGHT Biographical Sketch Reverend, Craig J. Wright is the Pastor of Calvary African Methodist Episcopal Church in Glen Cove, New York, and serves as the Associate Vice President for Equity, Inclusion and Affirmative Action at Nassau Community College, Garden City, New York. He has been a college administrator and student advocate since 1988, and a preacher of the Gospel since 1992. Pastor Wright is a native of Freeport, New York. In his home town, Craig Wright was active in leadership roles from his youth at Bethel A. M. E. Church, his home church; Freeport High School; and the Nassau County Economic Opportunity Commission (EOC). Craig Wright attended Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, where he gained invaluable experience as a Resident Advisor, Sophomore and Senior Class President, and was introduced to Phi Beta Sigma, Fraternity, Inc. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Cheyney, Master of Science Degree in Human Resource Management/Labor Relations from New York Institute of Technology, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry, in Urban Ministry, from Payne Theological Seminary. Reverend Wright is a charter member of Mu Delta Sigma, Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. is a member of the Village of Freeport’s Quality of Life Committee; serves on the Nassau County Hate Crimes Task Force and has served the community as: an Auxiliary Police Officer; a Trustee on the Board of Directors of the City of Glen Cove’s Boys and Girls Club; a member of La Fuerza Unida, Board of Trustees; and Nassau County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Board of Directors. He has presented motivational workshops and speeches for colleges and universities throughout the northeastern region of the United States and has conducted religious services throughout the country and Central Ameri ca. Reverend Wright believes that there is no ceiling to human potential. Pastor Wright was inducted into the New York State Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Keepers Wall of Fame, and is the recipient of the Nassau County Executive Citation for Community Service, in addition to several awards and commendations from state and local officials, as well as student organizations. His happiest and proudest achievements are being a husband for twenty-four (24) years to his high school sweetheart, Danita, and being a father of two sons.