Life Philosophy. What is My Philosophy How Do I Live My Life Essay

Life Philosophy. What is My Philosophy How Do I Live My Life - Essay Example In that sense, our life will continue even after our death; but where and how? Socrates is believed to be the first philosopher who tried to find the meaning of life. He tried to explain the life in terms of a person’s commitment towards the state. Even though he had not written anything; he transferred all his knowledge and opinions about life to his disciples or students. Plato, one of the prominent students of Socrates, was responsible for spreading the thoughts of Socrates to the external world. Each and every person has a life philosophy. It will start from the birth and will end with death. Life philosophy of a person can change periodically based on his/ her life experiences and the knowledge he acquires from the world. In this paper I briefly explain my life philosophy until now with respect to the arguments of Socrates. I have started to think something about life when I was around eight years old. From that period onwards, I started to listen, the opinions of my pare nts, priests and other people about the meaning of life. I had lot of doubts at that period since all these people talked about good and evil. They taught me that only good people will get salvation whereas bad people will go to hell. I was very much afraid of my life at that period. My parents told me that the life in hell is a miserable one whereas the life in heaven is an eternal one and also enjoyable. I never liked the idea of going to hell because of the miseries waiting for me there and decided to make a conscious effort to go to heaven. But, it was difficult for me to strictly adhere with the norms for getting salvation. I found it extremely difficult to handle the pressure going in the routes to heaven. My worries about life continued till I became around 15 years of age. From that period onwards I started to enjoy my life and had given less importance to the norms of a moral life. I think both my physical and psychological needs started to change drastically during this pe riod which prevented me from opting for a moral life. I started to neglect the moral views about life and looked only at the materialistic aspects of life. I thought life is for enjoyment and there is no pint in worrying about the future life. I thought the present life is the important one and the creator will manage our future life. I thought we came to this world unknowingly and the creator is responsible for sending us here and it is his responsibility to make necessary arrangements for our future as we have no control over our life. But, from 18 years onwards, my life philosophies again started to change mainly because of my learning about Socrates and his teachings through Plato. I was very much attracted by the way in which Socrates met his death. Even when his life was in jeopardy, he never tried anything to rescue it. He never gave up his views and philosophies about life. He has given less importance to his personal life and gave more importance to the wellbeing of the nat ion. He never considered what other people said about life and argued that what other people will say clearly doesn't matter and only the opinion that counts is not that of the majority of people generally, but rather that of the one individual who truly knows (Socrates: Philosophical Life). The above teaching of Socrates has influenced me a lot. I have realized that life is precious to all and it should be lived as per our own ideas and knowledge rather than the ideas of others. Moreover, I have realized that truth has a significant role in life and it is impossible for a society or nation to progress using false means. The argument of Socrates that the truth alone deserves to be the basis for decisions about human action has influenced me

Men and Women are Made Not Born Essay Example for Free

Men and Women are Made Not Born Essay In this essay I will write about how women and men are made not born. I will beintroducing different cultures and their views on men and women, how women at onestage in time did not have any rights to become what they wanted, I will give my ideas onthe subject and I will also research other authors work to get a different variety about whywomen and men are made not born. Firstly I will start by researching different cultures and their ways of life. This reallyinterests me because it is good to see how different people and their countries really andfrom each other. In Australia men and women are equal,they both can work in any job they desire, they both have the right to vote and go to war. It was not always like this though in Australia, it was a long time until women got equalright to men. It was the nineteenth century when women were given the right to vote andto stand for election into parliament. Although it was not until the 1960s to the 1970swhen women gained equality with men with work, the law and general social standing. Ifwe take a look into a totally different country like Afghanistan, women are made bytheir fathers and husbands. Marriage for women is chosen by their families, women mustbe completely covered by a long veil and accompanied by a male relative when theyleave the house and women must do what they are told by their fathers and husbands. Soas we can see, it is hard for women in Afghanistan to become what they want and be whothey want to be. Another culture I want to look at is how women became men in the mountains ofNorthern Albania. A girl or her parents could decide to make them a male, circumstanceswhich would arise in order to do so would be that their husbands or fathers died at war orhad died from other reasons, so the wives or daughters would take on the lead role for thehousehold. They would become men if they wanted to work and build their communitiesinto something better, for example, working in the Communist Party Action Group, youcould only be a male to be a member. In order to get out of an arranged marriage orprotection against the kidnapping and trafficking of young women, it was easier for girlsto become men. What I am trying to say with researching different cultures is that in some countries menand women can choose how they want their lives to turn out and make a future forthemselves unlike other countries where peoples lives are made up for them. Another way we could look at the topic Men and Women are Made Not Born is thatmen and women have to earn what they want to achieve, they are not just born with theirtalents. For example, if a person does a good job for someone then they are going torecommend them to other people, thus achieving a good reputation. As ( Mead, G 2007,p. 29) quotes the self is something which has a development: it is not initially there abirth, but arises in the process of social experience and activity. This means that whenchildren are born they do not immediately have the social skills they require in life to dowell for themselves. The child has to go through a development which slowly teachesthem their life skills. It is up to the individual to decide what they want to achieve in life,they have the choice to carry on their education in what ever field they choose to bettertheir chances in the work force. The same in the work force, people have to betterthemselves to do better than others, to compete with the competition in order to get thejob. With an individual improving themselves in all kind of aspects, they are likely to geta good reputation and make something of themselves. This proves the heading Men andWomen are Made Not Born. In Australia it is a free country, everybody has the right to do or become what they wantto become. I believe the term men and women are made not born, to mean that it is up toboth men and women to make their lives and achieve what they want in life. Everybodyis their own unique person. Whether they are Australian, Chinese, Asian, American andso on, with their own personal beliefs. I guess the main reason I have focused on culturesis because I believe that an individuals culture has a massive effect on the lifestyles theylive which develops an individual into their own unique, special person. References: Factors that brought about the womens movement, www.skwirk.com.auAlessandro Monsutti, Culture of AFGHANISTAN, www.everyculture.comBessant, J. Watts, R. (2007) Sociology Australia, Allen Unwin. NSW. Gardner, J. (1987) Atlas of the World, Australia: Readers Digest. McWhirter, N. (1999) Book of Millennium Records, Virgin Publishings: Great Britain. Young, A. 2007, Once Were Women, Good Weekend, 20st October, 47-48. Mead, G 2007, The Self in Classic Readings in Sociology, Mind, Self and Society, pp25-32

The Second World War Sociology Essay

The Second World War Sociology Essay The traditional family, also known as a nuclear family, dominates the society before the World War II. It is a social unit consisting of a pair of married couple in opposite gender and the children they born living together in a single place (Hughes and Fergusson, 2004, p.47). However, a modern family is difficult to be defined because there are diverse forms of family consisting, for example, single parent family and divorced family, they may consisting a pair of couple in same gender or a single parent who had divorced with their partners. Conservatives can be defined as an ideology of that the structure or the form of family should be remain unchanged and conserved (Hughes and Fergusson, 2004, p60); while feminism is a thinking started from the 1960s of equality which against the traditional UK family and the conservatives. Firstly, the gender roles had been change in the recent decades because of the war and had been affect the UK family structure. Before the World War II, men were recognized as the breadwinner and the women should responsible for the house and the children (Hughes and Fergusson, 2004, p.44). The statement shows that the general role of men were to work and were to connect with the external world for supporting the finance of the house and their partners, also they owned the authority for deciding and controlling; while women should stay indoor for serving the needs of husband and the elderly parents, also taking care and rising up children. The turning point is, during the war, men needed to fight in the frontline and left out from their work. Consequently, women needed to bear the workload not only in the military industry for the weapons used in the war but also the general posts in the society, even in the government. This show the gender roles started to be change and an ideology of women can also work and gender equality had been raise up due to this situation, which is an example of feminism. Women started to fight for economic independent and work outside by setting up organizations, for example Government Equalities Offices (2007) which responsible for leading and giving advice for forms of equality including gender equality, and demonstrating, the structure of the UK family had been change, women not only stay indoors but also go to work, not depending on men. Also, the responsibility of taking care children and elderly parents of women can interfere with paid employment and giving financial transfer respectively, (Harper, 2004) this allows more time and less housing burden to women for work, women are not necessary for staying in the house, the value of women responsibility also changed. Secondly, the attitude of marriage had been change, the ideology of marriage is for life changed to late-marrying and divorcing. Office for National Statistic (2010) reported that, the number of marriage in the UK keep decreasing from 1950s, while the number of divorce and lone parents with dependent children in the UK keep increasing (ibid, 2012). In addition, number of co-habitation in UK was increase rapidly from the 1980s. (ibid, 2011) Furthermore, the sexual relation changed in the society, sex outside was now become more acceptable than in the golden age. For example, Births outside marriage become a third of all births by the early 1990s (Halsey, 1995). This illustrates that the attitude to marriage in the UK is not as important and necessary, compared to the golden age. Couples can easily divorce or remarriage and can keep not marrying by co-habitation which all these are affecting the fertility, childcare and child development, also the structure of the family (Harper, 2004) . The thinking of the human right had been raise up: both men and women can divorce if they want and say out their wants, the example of feminism. It is not a must that a family should consist of married couples and children, but the form they want to have. Finally, same-sex couples are recognised from the last decade but it is not a case in the golden age. In 2004 (BBC News), a law about civil partnership had been legislated, it opened the way of same-sex marriage and civil partnership no matter gay or lesbian marriage. Also, there is a first history of two men can be named as parents on a childs birth certificate in April 2010. These politic activities changed the form and the structure of the UK family: it is not a must that parents in a family should be in opposite gender but in a same sex, same-sex couples had been given a chance to get the same right with married couples under the bill. According the report from the Office for National Statistics (2011), although majority of the British think same-sex relationship is always wrong in the 1990s, it totally changed after the bill had been legislated. This shows the ideology of feminism had changed the attitude of marriage: people have the right to choose who they loved with no gender barriers. Furthermore, the welfare, for example education, was provided to both men and women. Before the war, the role of housewife was taken by women because they could not receive education, this limited the chance of women for working outside due to they had no knowledge. According to the report from Office for National Statistics (2008), more men received education in the age of sixteenth to eighteenth than women in 1985. But there was a change, there was the same number of the gender receiving education in 1997 and there are more women enjoy education welfare than men in the recent decades. This shows the change of value and the example of feminism: both men and women can enjoy the welfare provided by the government, and widened the chance of women work outside, which is a cause of changing in the family. However, there is still continuity in the family. Firstly, although women had the independence of their own economy and the right to go for work, men is still the head and has the main authority in the house; women are still responsible to the house works. A national survey done by Harris in 1984 (cited in Halsey, 1995) shows that, half of the adult proportion agreed that The man in the house should be the main breadwinner, and the woman should be mainly responsible for looking after the home and children, even she works. In addition, according to survey done by Office for National Statistic (2011), the proportions of part-time employees of women were significantly higher than the number of the men. These supported that although there is seems a change in the gender role, men are still dominating the house and the main responsibility of women did not change significantly in the UK family, they still emphasis on the house, and the shows the concept of conservatives. Secondly, although there are diverse forms of family consisting in the UK, families are an important institution in society. No matter there are nuclear family; single parent family; or divorced family, and the existence of the family is still important and it is conserved due to the thinking of conservatives. Furthermore, although same-sex couple had been introducing in the family, the role of them are still being not change: maintain the stability in the house and support their life. These have not been change and being conserved. To conclude this essay, the conservatives and feminism are the reason of bringing continuity and changes respectively, these ideology have brought the continuity and changes to the UK family. Families are necessary for ordering the stability of the society no matter the time after the war or as peace as now. Although the nuclear family had been weakened, it still dominates the structure of the family and plays an important role in the society. Changes are necessary and important, but it must change in a natural and slowly way, otherwise it will bring chaos to the society and cannot reach the aim of stabling to UK. The society, on the second hand, should conserve the important thinking and cultural, but could not have absolutely no changes in the society, or the society may not get any improvement. More sentences about this is because of the thinking of feminism (Explanation)

The Pain of the Okies Exposed in The Grapes of Wrath Essay -- Grapes W

The Pain of the Okies Exposed in The Grapes of Wrath      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Dust bowl was an ecological and human disaster in the Southwestern Great Plains regions of the United States in the 1930's. The areas affected were Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. The poor handling of the land and years of drought caused this great disaster (Jones "History"). During this time the "Okies"--a name given to the migrants that traveled from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, or anywhere in the Southwest or the northern plains to California--encountered many hardships. These hardships are brilliantly shown in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Scholars agree, "The most important fact about the dust storms was not scientific but human: their tragic effect upon people seeking livelihood on the stricken Midwestern farms" (French 4). Steinbeck believed society was inhumane to the Okies and through his novel we can account for how the Okies were treated. By looking at Steinbeck's own personal background and information from historical commentaries we are be tter able to grasp his reasoning for writing the novel because he understood what it was like to grow up as a farmer, and an outsider. More importantly, however, we are able to share in his compassion for the Okies.   Ã‚  Ã‚   To fully understand Steinbeck's reasoning for writing the novel it is important to look at his family and where he grew up. John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas California. His parents were middle-class people who played many roles in the community and cultural life. His father worked as a manager of a flourmill, and his mother taught in a one-room rural school (Swisher 13).   Ã‚  Ã‚   As a child John Steinbeck was shy, and kids often teased him ... ...tions. Reading this book can help us comprehend how close their present is to our past.       Work Cited French, Warren, ed. A Companion to The Grapes of Wrath. New Jersy: Augustus M. Kelley, 1972. Hinton, Rebecca. "Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath." Explicator 56 (1990). 11 Sept. 2000<http://ehostvgw1.ep...20%22%Grapes%20of%220Wrath%22%20&fuzzyTerm=> Jones, Andrew. "Charity of the Poor." Analysis of The Grapes of Wrath. N.D. Accessed: 7 Sept. 2000 <http://www.ultranet.com/~gregjonz/grapes/irony.htm> Jones, Andrew. "History of the Dust Bowl." Background History for The Grapes of Wrath. N.D. Accessed: 7 Sept. 2000<http:///www.ultranet.com/~gregjonz/Dust/dustbowl.html> Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking, 1967. Swisher, Clarice,ed. Readings on John Steinbeck. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996.    The Pain of the Okies Exposed in The Grapes of Wrath Essay -- Grapes W The Pain of the Okies Exposed in The Grapes of Wrath      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Dust bowl was an ecological and human disaster in the Southwestern Great Plains regions of the United States in the 1930's. The areas affected were Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. The poor handling of the land and years of drought caused this great disaster (Jones "History"). During this time the "Okies"--a name given to the migrants that traveled from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, or anywhere in the Southwest or the northern plains to California--encountered many hardships. These hardships are brilliantly shown in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Scholars agree, "The most important fact about the dust storms was not scientific but human: their tragic effect upon people seeking livelihood on the stricken Midwestern farms" (French 4). Steinbeck believed society was inhumane to the Okies and through his novel we can account for how the Okies were treated. By looking at Steinbeck's own personal background and information from historical commentaries we are be tter able to grasp his reasoning for writing the novel because he understood what it was like to grow up as a farmer, and an outsider. More importantly, however, we are able to share in his compassion for the Okies.   Ã‚  Ã‚   To fully understand Steinbeck's reasoning for writing the novel it is important to look at his family and where he grew up. John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas California. His parents were middle-class people who played many roles in the community and cultural life. His father worked as a manager of a flourmill, and his mother taught in a one-room rural school (Swisher 13).   Ã‚  Ã‚   As a child John Steinbeck was shy, and kids often teased him ... ...tions. Reading this book can help us comprehend how close their present is to our past.       Work Cited French, Warren, ed. A Companion to The Grapes of Wrath. New Jersy: Augustus M. Kelley, 1972. Hinton, Rebecca. "Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath." Explicator 56 (1990). 11 Sept. 2000<http://ehostvgw1.ep...20%22%Grapes%20of%220Wrath%22%20&fuzzyTerm=> Jones, Andrew. "Charity of the Poor." Analysis of The Grapes of Wrath. N.D. Accessed: 7 Sept. 2000 <http://www.ultranet.com/~gregjonz/grapes/irony.htm> Jones, Andrew. "History of the Dust Bowl." Background History for The Grapes of Wrath. N.D. Accessed: 7 Sept. 2000<http:///www.ultranet.com/~gregjonz/Dust/dustbowl.html> Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking, 1967. Swisher, Clarice,ed. Readings on John Steinbeck. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996.   

Blackpool: the Las Vegas of Lancashire?

Blackpool is the original seaside destination and a model for other hotspots like Coney Island and Atlantic City (Jerde Partnership, 2003). Blackpool still remains the largest seaside resort in the UK but since the 1990s Blackpool has experienced a 30% drop in tourism (Jerde Partnership, 2003). Blackpool Borough Council commissioned EDAW together with experienced architects The Jerde Partnership to prepare a masterplan for central Blackpool. The need for the masterplan was clear, to transform the seaside resort from slow and steady decline to a future of achievable and sustained growth (EDAW, 2003). This report looks at where Blackpool has come from, where it is now and where it hopes to be. It will evaluate the effectiveness of Blackpool's strategy, examining the expectations and demands of the stakeholders. If will also examine the support of the proposed actions plans by the stakeholders and the local community. History Blackpool takes its name from ‘le pull', a stream which drains Marton Mere and Marton Moss into the sea. The stream runs through peat lands which discolour the water hence the name Black Poole (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). In the late 1700s Blackpool was frequented by the landed gentry following a national craze for sea bathing and the drinking of seawater (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). The building of the Preston and Wyre railway in 1840 provided cheap excursion trains to Blackpool from industrial Lancashire, making Blackpool a destination for thousands of visitors from Lancashire and Yorkshire. By the late 1800s Blackpool's visitors were predominately the working classes from Lancashire and Yorkshire rather than the gentry. Blackpool was seen as ‘the Playground of the Industrial Revolution': a town that grew rich on traditional Wakes Weeks (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). The development of the resort's entertainment attractions began in the 1890s to provide facilities for the 35,000 resident population together with approximately 250,000 annual visitors (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). Illuminated trams were first seen in Blackpool in 1897 as part of the Jubilee celebrations but static illuminations did not appear until 1912 (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). BASELINE DATA Blackpool has high levels of social and economic deprivation. Blackpool was ranked 32nd on the index of multiple deprivation out of 354 districts in England in 2000 (ODPM, 2003). Seven of Blackpool's wards are in the 10% most deprived in England, this equates to 32% of Blackpool's population (approximately 40,000 people). Tourism continues to be the major employer in the region, 88% of employment is in the service sector, linked to tourism and leisure. Blackpool has a lower gross domestic product (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½7,383 per head) than Liverpool (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½9,352 per head), which has European Objective 1 status. Blackpool's small manufacturing sector, accounts for 10% of jobs, has suffered a decline in recent years. Local specialisms are in vehicles, food and drink and plastics, with nationally known firms including TVR Sports Cars, Horizon Biscuits and Glasdon UK Ltd. Blackpool is also an important administrative centre, accommodating large national and regional office headquarters such as the National Savings (‘Ernie') and the Department of Social Security (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). Despite this Blackpool has lacked major investment and is very run down with a large number of houses, hotels and guesthouses in multiple occupation (HMO), particularly for benefit claimants. It also has very poor sea water quality and polluted beaches. Blackpool's population has risen from 473 in 1801 to 3,707 in 1861, by 1901 it had reached 47,348 and 101,553 by 1931. The population of Blackpool has now steadied at around 150,000. With a population of 4,366 per kmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, Blackpool is more densely populated than Liverpool or Manchester. Outside of London, only Portsmouth is more densely populated (Blackpool Challenge Partnership, 2002). Blackpool has a high proportion of economically inactive people with 27.8% of the population retired compared with 18.9% nationally and 5.3% unemployment compared to a UK average of 3.3% (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). There are also between 2,000 and 3,000 homeless people in Blackpool (Blackpool Challenge Partnership, 2002). In 1989 a national survey found that 4,190,000 holidaymakers stayed in the resort and 12,590,000 people came on day or evening trips (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). Over the years there has been a significant shift in holiday patterns with more people using self-catering accommodation and many more people visiting the resort for day or evening trips or short breaks (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). The bulk of visitors come from social groups C & D (manual skilled and non-skilled) with limited disposable income with the majority still coming from Lancashire, Yorkshire and Scotland. THE WAY FORWARD: BLACKPOOL'S OPTIONS * Do nothing (product continues to decline) * Upgrade existing facilities (prolong product life cycle but remain in same market area) * Radical change (move into new market area with new product) BLACKPOOL'S VISION AND MASTERPLAN Blackpool will be recognised as a vibrant, inclusive, healthy, safe and prosperous town where visitors and residents share the common goal of Blackpool being the number one visitor destination in the UK (BCP, 2003) ‘If Blackpool is to survive and prosper, it must find ways in which it can once again become internationally competitive as a destination resort.' (Marc W. Etches, Managing Director, Leisure Parcs Ltd) Stakeholder Expectations. The key stakeholder groups for the renaissance of Blackpool are public bodies, private sector organisations and members of the public & community groups. The following identifies some of the principal members of the stakeholder groups: Public Bodies * Blackpool Borough Council * The Blackpool Challenge Partnership (also the Borough L.S.P) * North-West Development Agency/Lancashire West Partnership * The European Union * The Government (SRB) and Government Office for the North-West * North-West Tourist Board & English Tourism Council * Blackpool & Fylde College * The Gaming Review Board * Lancashire Constabulary Private Sector * Banking industry * Blackpool Airport * Blackpool Chamber of Trade * Blackpool Pleasure Beach * Blackpool Seasonal Traders Association * Blackpool Town Centre Forum * Casino Resort Operators * Conference organisers * Construction companies * Consultants (to develop & deliver proposals) * Entertainment industry * Holiday operators & travel agents * ICT industry * Leisure Parcs (owners of Blackpool Tower, the Sea Life Centre, the Three Piers and the Wintergardens) * Local & national press * Service industry (hotels, catering) * Transport industry Community Groups/Members Of The Public * Blackpool Coalition against Gaming Expansion * Blackpool Diocese * Existing visitors to Blackpool * Future new visitors to Blackpool * Population of Blackpool These groups will comprise mainly those with an interest in developing the new Blackpool ‘product' (supply side) and those which will constitute the demand for the Blackpool product. However, market competitors will also be less direct stakeholders in Blackpool – these could include competitor resort casino operators (Las Vegas, Australia's Gold Coast, Sun City) and other ‘mini-break' destinations (Center Parcs, Euro Disney, Amsterdam, Dublin etc.) and UK weekend-break destinations (Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, London etc.) Since achieving the new Blackpool product will require huge and comprehensive changes to the physical and economic make-up of the borough, the process will require both a clear vision and a robust business plan, supported by the many stakeholders. Moreover, it will require a credible leader with the necessary skills, experience drive and determination to realise the vision. There are likely to be significant obstacles to achieving the new Blackpool, therefore a strong leader will essential in order to retain the support and enthusiasm of all the projects varied stakeholders. In order to gain extensive stakeholder support for the new Blackpool, their (probably) disparate expectations must be recognised and subsequently acted upon. Once stakeholders have been identified, a process of consultation should take place to discover what they want Blackpool to be. This will inform the visioning exercise and if stakeholder views are acted on, assist in building consensus. With a large range of stakeholders, it would be appropriate to adopt a flexible and multi-faceted approach to consultation; different methods (exhibitions, ‘listening' events, newspaper articles, focus groups, public meetings, questionnaires) would be geared to the natures of the various stakeholders. In reality, this is what Blackpool has done. The lead organisation for the project, The Blackpool Masterplan, is the Blackpool Challenge Partnership (since 2002 also the Local Strategic Partnership LSP for the Borough). The key funding for driving the Masterplan forward through development and on to delivery is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½20,000,000 of SRB6, secured in late 2000 and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½X million in EDZ money from the European Union, secured in 2001. As part of the bid process, the partnership undertook a significant amount of consultation via the Let's Talk Campaign. This included: * A 2-page questionnaire prepared by the Blackpool Town Centre Forum and sent out to more than 500 shops, pubs, clubs, banks and building societies (results indicated that 91% of respondents supported the Masterplan); * Focus groups and telephone canvassing of a random sample of 600 local people, undertaken by a specialist market research consultancy; * Meetings with specific groups (e.g. churches, youth organisations). Since securing the SRB6 funding, a comprehensive package of projects are being developed and delivered to bring broad social and economic benefits to Blackpool, as well as the development of the Vision Masterplan. The Marketing Plan. (2 Vision Statements – which is confusing!) The Vision statement is that ‘Blackpool will be a Vibrant, Inclusive Healthy, Safe and Prosperous Town.' As with many municipal vision statements, this in my opinion, is both vague and all encompassing and therefore not particularly useful (no measurable targets, so how do you know how to get there?). However, it gives a positive message which few stakeholders are likely to disagree with. The vision aims to provide a better quality of life for people in Blackpool by revitalising the tourism industry. The key strands for realising this vision are: * Building ‘state of the art' conference facilities; * Radically improving the hotel offer (more quality 3 and 4 star hotels); * Revamping existing attractions and revitalising the entertainment offer; * Creating an internationally recognised centre for tourism and casino training; * Tackling crime, especially burglary and car crime; * Improving the health of people in Blackpool through a range of initiatives; * Improving education outcomes and community learning opportunities. Building on existing physical and social regeneration funded through SRB2, the new Blackpool would be achieved through a series of projects and thematic activities. However, at the centre of the regeneration programme is the aim to improve the quality of life for local people by increasing local economic growth through enhanced tourism activity. And the hub of this plan is the proposal to create a purpose built conference centre and resort casino in the centre of Blackpool. Marketing Objectives. The Masterplan sets out the marketing approach for Blackpool. Since this has been developed; through extensive consultation with stakeholders, it would seem fair to say it reflects the broad wishes of most stakeholders (even the Blackpool Diocese†¦). Obvious objectors would be the anti-gaming lobbyists. The Masterplan sets out how radical physical changes coupled with capital investment will transform the town, making it attractive to new market sectors (i.e. visitors who will spend more money. So although Blackpool has undergone notable economic regeneration and diversification during the past decade, by SRB2 funding, the economy is still largely dependent on tourism (Source?) . However, with the current tourism offer in decline, the Blackpool ‘product' will need to undergo change in order to prosper(Source?) . Given that the town has so much existing experience and infrastructure based around tourism, the obvious theme for economic regeneration would be to deliver an improved tourism offer that meets current market demand, therefore bringing more money into the town. This is exactly what Blackpool is doing – instigating a comprehensive, economic regeneration programme, led by tourism. This is complemented by two further themes of physical improvements and to benefit the socially excluded sector of Blackpool's population. The latter would be principally around housing, health, education, training and entry to employment. Set out in the Blackpool Masterplan, the hub of the vision for the new Blackpool product is the development of 3 (?) resort casino hotels with associated purpose built conference facilities as well as broad appeal leisure facilities. These would include shops, restaurants, cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s, bars, cinemas, theatres and a large leisure pool. Since poor weather is currently a visitor deterrent, these facilities would be covered to allow for all year round use. Moreover, covered links are proposed to key existing attractions, such as the Pleasure Beach funfair. Access issues have already been partially addressed. In 1995 the new Blackpool Airport terminal building was opened and passenger number increased from 50,000 in 2002 to a projected 250,000 in 2003. This increase is principally due to the introduction of daily Ryanair flights to London Stansted and Dublin. Part of the forward programme of improvements are safer car parks and a modernised tram system. Bit more on resort casinos†¦ Associated economic benefits in Blackpool†¦ Associated economic benefits to the region†¦ Critical analysis of the Blackpool Masterplan STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES * Blackpool product radically transformed * Broad stakeholder support * Builds on existing strengths * Comprehensive regeneration package(economic, physical and social elements) * The product would be first of its kind in UK * Proposals too radical? * Timescale issues * Funding issues * No casino operator secured * New gambling bill not enacted until 2006 at the earliest * Planning issues * Old Blackpool image might remain; will new market sectors want to come to Blackpool? What happens if the gaming laws don't change? Blackpool Council leader Roy Fisher has stated that ‘ We believe the relaxation of the gaming laws will happen, which is why we're trying to harness the positive potential of that development now. However, casinos are just one facet of the wide ranging draft masterplan that includes building a host of other new attractions and facilities. Rest assured, the council is absolutely committed to a major programme of regeneration for Blackpool. With or without casinos, we are determined that Blackpool will be transformed once again into a destination of truly national and international calibre.' (Blackpool Today, 2003). In addition to this the Jerde Partnership (2003) acknowledge that the gaming reforms are an important ingredient in Blackpool's strategy but they are not required for success COMPETITORS U.K. * Seaside resorts (e.g. Southport, Lytham, Brighton, Scarborough) * City-break destinations (e.g. Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, London) * Mini-break destinations (e.g. Centre Parcs) * Conference centres (e.g. Harrogate, Brighton, Bournemouth) * Theme Parks (e.g. Alton Towers, Lightwater Valley, Legoland, Chessington) * ‘Hen & Stag' destinations (e.g. Nottingham, Chester, York, Newcastle) Abroad. * Casino resorts (e.g. Las Vegas, Sun City, Gold Coast) * Theme Parks (Euro Disney, Disneyworld Orlando, Disneyland Los Angeles) * Package holiday destinations (e.g. Spain, Greece, Tenerife, Florida) * Conference destinations in other European cities * ‘Hen & Stag' destinations (e.g. Dublin, Amsterdam, Prague, Barcelona) CONCLUSIONS * Blackpool needs radical change since the present product , principally a tourism offer, is at the end of its lifecycle and in serious decline * New product / new market * Comprehensive marketing plan * Balance of realism and informed risk taking

Free Essays on Cultures Effect On Language

were prevalent in the languages of yesterday. multiculturalism: (specific to America) more and more Latin people entering the country, causing a rise in bilingual education and bilingual people, affecting the core language of America, their culture affecting our core language, English cultural evolving of communication which has a trickle-down effect on language: Pony Express, telegraph, telephone, email all had or have different forms of communication Pony Express (just America)- often had lengthy, draw-out letters to friends, loved ones, anyone because delivery was so slow, so an individual would have to put all the events and such that had happened in between long letter deliveries, wonderfully descriptive language painted pictures and happenings for people to imagine on the receiving end telegraph- was short and concise communication because of the construction of the network and the way language was sent an... Free Essays on Culture's Effect On Language Free Essays on Culture's Effect On Language Culture’s Effect on Language generation-specific language Different generations in cultures have common word usage, grammar, slang. Language will mold to the current culture. For example, grammar rules have changed over and over in the U.S. from 1900 up to the current date to adapt to the current cultural status of the country. Each generation in cultures has words or slang specific only to each era, words that fit the current culture which made be laid back, uptight, military, etc., and most of the slang for the era will dissolve in the given culture’s language, but it will not be forgotten. We now live in a heavily technology-based society, all of the cultures do. So now, we have new words such as email, hard disk, Microsoft, catadioptrics, laser disk, Botox, and Bill Gates in our language. All of these words are influenced by our machine-driven culture of today. None of these words were prevalent in the languages of yesterday. multiculturalism: (specific to America) more and more Latin people entering the country, causing a rise in bilingual education and bilingual people, affecting the core language of America, their culture affecting our core language, English cultural evolving of communication which has a trickle-down effect on language: Pony Express, telegraph, telephone, email all had or have different forms of communication Pony Express (just America)- often had lengthy, draw-out letters to friends, loved ones, anyone because delivery was so slow, so an individual would have to put all the events and such that had happened in between long letter deliveries, wonderfully descriptive language painted pictures and happenings for people to imagine on the receiving end telegraph- was short and concise communication because of the construction of the network and the way language was sent an...