Wednesday, October 30, 2019

An economic analysis of the causes of serfdomslavery Essay

An economic analysis of the causes of serfdomslavery - Essay Example Serfdom on the other hand, is also a social economic system whose conditions of bondage are bound but not limited to the fields of landowners. This is in return for protection and the right to work in their leased fields. Basing on these definitions, serfs are also slaves, only that serfs are entitled to property rights, therefore, free, in a way, to do what he thinks is fit for his land. In an analysis paper on the causes of slavery or serfdom in relation to agrarian capitalism, the author distinguishes the two systems by the following context. This is with the assumption that: "A slave can be forced to supply unskilled labor when supervised by a farm operator but he cannot be forced to surrender his non traded skills. This captures the idea that you cannot make a slave a residual claimant without also giving them a substantial degree of independent control over how they allocate labor between their tenancy and labor services to the landlord. A slave owes labor service in return for nothing other than a subsistence wage, whereas serfs were typically peasant farmers who maintained access to land in exchange for payment to a landlord which may or not have included significant labor-service obligation." (Jonathan Conning, p.10) It was during the medieval times, with the rise of feudalism in Europe, that the era of serfdom and slavery became rampant. In the feudal system, the society was divided into three social classes, namely the religious, the nobles and the laborers. The serfs and the slaves were under the third class, whose tasks mainly consist of household duties. The nature of slavery and serfdom prior to the colonization of America was described in an online article at the following context: "Most slaves in Africa, in the Islamic world, and in the New World prior to European colonization worked as farmers or household servants, or served as concubines or eunuchs. They were symbols of prestige, luxury, and power rather than a source of labor." (Digital History online textbook) The Rise of Capitalism This social economic system developed further in Medieval Europe. Though it declined in Western Europe, in the later middle ages, it spread out on Eastern Europe. With the Europeans desire for colonization, it expanded to Africa and shortly thereafter, to Americas. An online article also pointed out that "It was only in the New World that slavery provided labor force for a high-pressure profit-making capitalist system of plantation agriculture producing cotton, sugar, coffee, and cocoa for distant markets." (Mintz, S.) This is when the nature of serfdom and slavery transformed and evolved. During this process of exploration and colonization, emerged the "triangular trade" between the colonies. The triangular trade is derived from the three ports or regions that participated in the trade namely West Africa, West Indies and Europe. The trade evolved where commodities that are not needed in one region are shipped (export) to other regions that needs and receives it (import). In this trading system, the products of slave labor like sugar, molasses, tobacco and rice were brought to England where an exchange of goods took place. The goods were also shipped to Africa in

Monday, October 28, 2019

Kristens Cookies Essay Example for Free

Kristens Cookies Essay The bottleneck in the process, which is the time required to bake the cookies, will need to change (decrease) in order to fulfill a demand of 25 dozen cookies per night. Currently, Kristen and her roommate have one oven which can bake one dozen (one tray) cookies in 10 minutes. If Kristen and her roommate were to purchase a second oven, this 10 minute bottleneck in the process could potentially be reduced to a 5 minute process task. This would make the mixing of ingredients the bottleneck, which is a 6 minute task. Due to the bottleneck shifting to another shorter task due to the original bottleneck’s task time decreasing, the max rate of production will also increase as shown below: d) 30 dozen per night? The answer is the same as part c. e) 35 dozen per night? The answer is the same as part c. iv) It is midway through the first night of business with a setup as described in the case. A rush order comes in that wants the cookies in 30 minutes. Do you accept the order? Yes or no. Explain how you decided. Assuming Kristen and her roommate are working on a previous order when the rush order is received, the rush order would only be accepted if it had been received at 11 minutes into the order prior to the rush order and 24 minutes into the order prior to the rush order. This is shown visually below: Figure 3: Resource Utilization For Rush Order Received 11 Minutes Into Prior Order Figure 4: Resource Utilization For Rush Order Received 24 Minutes Into Prior Order These diagrams show that as long as the rush order is received between these times in the prior orders workflow, there will be no resource conflicts and the rush order can be successfully completed. If the rush-order was received prior to that stretch of time, there will be resource conflicts or extended wait-times as shown in the figures below: Figure 5: Resource Conflict For Rush Order Received Earlier Than 11 Minutes Into Prior Order Figure 6: Resource Conflict For Rush Order Received Later Than 24 Minutes Into Prior Order In order to mitigate the resource conflicts caused by accepting an order earlier than 11 minutes or later than 24 minutes into the previous order, wait times would need to be introduced in order to allow the resource to complete a task for one order and then perform the task for the rush order. This would introduce inefficiency into the process and most likely impact receipt of future orders. v) We need to consider business strategy: will the process capacity be higher if Kristen offers only non-customized cookies of one type? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this alternative strategy compared to what Kristen now plans? The process capacity will not change in the short term if Kristen offers only non-customized cookies. The case study makes it clear that the process that Kristen follows requires specific amounts of time to be spent at each step. However, in the long term, Kristen’s capacity will increase as she becomes more adept at making the one type of cookie she has elected to make. This will reduce the time required at some of the process steps (but not necessarily all) and ultimately increase the output capacity her and her roommate are able to achieve. Pros of non-customized cookies: Time spent shopping will be reduced, as will overall variability in price of ingredients. Kristen and her roommate will become more efficient due to standardization They will become much better at making one type of cookie rather than many; total flow time will ultimately decrease from 27 minutes. Bottleneck will not decrease due to increased efficiency because cooking time is set. However, time spent mixing may increase as might the time spent receiving the order, packaging the cookies, etc. As cookie quality increases due to standardization, demand will increase. Assuming more resources are not brought in, supply will likely stay the same. This will allow Kristen to increase the price for her cookies. Cons of non-customized cookies: Less variety will cause Kristen to set herself into a niche market. Some customers may not like the cookies Kristen bakes; others may have allergies, etc. Initial profits may not be as high as they would be if Kristen were to sell multiple types of cookies.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Son :: essays research papers

The Son Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate. The widowed elder man looked on with satisfaction, as his only child became an expienced art collector. The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as the dealt with art collectors around the world. As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His beloved son was missing in action. The art collector anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would neer see his beloved son again. Within days, his fears were confirmed. The young man had died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Easter holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season, a season that he and his son had so looked forward to, would visit his house no longer. On Easter morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand. He introduced himself to the man by saying, "I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you." As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man's son had told everyone of his father's love of fine art. "I'm an artist," said the soldier, "and I want to give you this." As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man's face in striking detail. Overcome with emothion, the man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the picture above the fireplace. A few hours later, after the soldier had departed, the old man set about his task. True to his word, the painting went above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of dollars of paintings.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Islamophobia Description Essay

Racism occurs all over the world. To believe that there would be a point where racism wouldn’t exist is too idealistic. Racism has occurred in the past and racism continues to occur today. When people say that racism doesn’t exist as much as it used to or when they used the words â€Å"improved† or â€Å"better† to describe it, they are either speaking from their opinion or they are to an extent true. Yes, it is true that there is no more slavery; it is true that people aren’t as discriminatory to African Americans as they used to be, but as a matter of fact, something doesn’t end when it shifts. Racism and discrimination have shifted towards a Muslims. Racism towards Islam increased after 9/11. Society understands that being prejudice is wrong, however, they still have negative opinions about Muslims. For example, we are all humans, and just because some of us are criminals, that doesn’t make all of us criminals. Because some are insa ne doesn’t mean all are. Because some are extremists doesn’t mean all of us are. If a person agrees, that one man’s actions shouldn’t define the personality of another man, then why do people tend to discriminate? Racism’s effects are really harmful; they keep the society from progressing and cause corruption within. Security has increased at the airport; a person has to go through multiple bag checks and metal detectors, in order exit or enter this country. What ceases to amaze me is that the Declaration of Independence, states that â€Å"all men are created equal† but people can still have intolerance towards others. What really aggravated me was when I had to travel this summer to the Middle East with my family, my brothers, who are only 9 and 13 years old, were thoroughly checked: they stood in a glass cubicle, they had to take off their shoes, and they had to go through further metal detection all because of their names. My question is what did these children know? How to play football or video games? They didn’t even watch the news, they rather yelled at my Dad to change the channel, every once in a while he decided to watch TV because they wanted to watch cartoons. I felt like yelling at the security guard, but I chose not to, because that would’ve been either used aga inst me, or because of the glare that my mother was giving me. Also, there have been many terms that I found  derogatory. Terms like â€Å"Islamophobia† or â€Å"xenophobia† are used to describe an irrational fear or dislike of outsiders and â€Å"Muslims† or rather Terrorists. What people fail to realize is that there will always be extremes. Another thing that aggravates me, are false and misleading websites that teach other people to hate Muslims. These websites say quotes like, â€Å"Are you burning with the peace of Islam† in a sarcastic way, while showing pictures of violence. The sad thing is that people have come to trust these websites, with false and misleading statistics and information. I don’t see extremists and murderers as people of faith, I see these people for who they are: murderers, murderers of human life, of equality, of freedom and of faith. In my opinion, Extremists use faith as a way to rationalize their actions and that’s exactly what these websites deny. The websites falsely accuse all Muslims to be violent and barbaric. This causes peo ple to become hostile towards all of my kind. Once, I went to a program at a Precinct in Manhattan. The program was â€Å"trying† to promote peace and â€Å"helping† Muslims feel comfortable with Cops or other authoritative officials. A woman Muslim/ Cop made a speech at the podium about, how she was treated as an equal among her fellow workers. She was from Yemen, but even if she was Muslim, she didn’t wear the head scarf which separated her from her audiences. A woman that I can never forget stood up during her speech, she was wearing a head scarf, she had most of her face covered and she said loudly, â€Å"You don’t wear the head scarf, How would you feel, If a Cop came to your doorstep, and started yelling at you to remove your scarf when you did nothing? I am a Black Muslim woman and I am proud of it, and No one has the right to tell me to take off my scarf!† The speaker didn’t have a proper response towards the woman. It is indecent, inappropriate, immoral, and unjust to use author ity in a wrong way that would violate another human being’s boundaries. What happened to her freedom and equality when she was forced to do so? How can we trust our officials? How can we trust society if we know that nothing has changed? In conclusion, the effects of racism diminish the chances of an equal, free and prosperous life. Things have only escalated over the course of these years, I don’t know when things will change, I don’t know how they  will change. But what I do know is that I hope and I try to make a difference to change things and so do other people, maybe change is right around the corner or maybe we have to fall before we can stand back up again. Change will come, Discrimination will end and when it does it will hopefully be everlasting.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Influence of culture on health care practices Essay

Current trends of an increasingly multicultural society emphasize the need for nursing education programs that effectively address cultural issues. To understand the diverse cultural backgrounds of clients, nurses must strive to be culturally competent (Marcinkiw 2003). Cultural competence requires the building of cultural awareness, knowledge, skill, encounters, and desire in the nurse. Clients will feel respected, valued, and have a greater desire to achieve mutually agreed upon health care goals if the nurse is culturally competent. The purpose of this essay is designed to show the cultural competence in the nursing profession by providing a guide that is useful for implementing cultural sensitivity in nursing education and practice. Diversity. It is a word that means something different to each and every person. Bacote, 2003 asserts that the changing demographics and economics of our growing multicultural world, and the long-standing disparities in the health status of people from culturally diverse backgrounds has challenged health care providers and organizations to consider cultural diversity as a priority. However, health care providers must realize that addressing cultural diversity goes beyond knowing the values, beliefs, practices and customs (Bacote, 2003). In addition to racial classification and national origin, there are many other faces of cultural diversity. Religious affiliation, language, physical size, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability (both physical and mental), political orientation, socio-economic status, occupational status and geographical location are but a few of the faces of diversity (Bacote, 2003). I would like to share thoughts concerning the complexities involved in caring for people from diverse cultural background; I came from different country myself. My understanding of whole Health care system in Australia was a lot different from past experience in my country of origin. As most foreigners it was just a matter of time before I could get use to the system of medical care. And skills like: listening, understanding, respect for my belief systems and ability to build trust were very important to me. Now I could tell that there is range of cultural behaviors and the need to understand people’s actions from their own cultural perspective in health and illness. Cultural values give an individual a sense of direction as well as meaning to life. These values are held on an unconscious level. There is a direct relationship between culture and health practices (Bacote, 2003). In fact, of the many factors that are known to determine health beliefs and behaviors, culture is the most influential (Bacote, 2003). Recently I heard an excellent paper where cultural supervision was discussed (Westerman 2004). There, I become more acutely aware of the importance of cultural differences vis-à  -vis Aboriginal societies. Although I had been aware of these differences before, I now came to see that there were many cultural subtleties that require specialist knowledge and approach. According to Driscoll (2007:80) there is another kind of knowledge that can only develop when one has direct and deep experience of another cultural group. Cultural groups can be ethnic groups, or groups we sometimes refer to as sub-cultures (Driscoll & Yegdich 2007). A humanistic and scientific area of formal study and practice in nursing is called transcultural nursing, it is focused upon differences and similarities among cultures with respect to human care, health, and illness based upon the people’s cultural values, beliefs, and practices, and to use this knowledge to provide cultural specific or culturally congruent nursing care to people (Leininger 1991). Leininger notes the main goal of transcultural nursing is to provide culturally specific care. But before transcultural nursing can be adequately understood, there must be a basic knowledge of key terminology such as culture, cultural values, culturally diverse nursing care, ethnocentrism, race, and ethnography. Singelis (2005:4-5) believes that to be culturally competent the nurse needs to understand his/her own world views and those of the patient, while avoiding stereotyping and misapplication of scientific knowledge. Cultural competence is obtaining cultural information and then applying that  knowledge. This cultural awareness allows you to see the entire picture and improves the quality of care and health outcomes. Adapting to different cultural beliefs and practices requires flexibility and a respect for others view points (Singelis 2005:5). Cultural competence means to really listen to the patient, to find out and learn about the patient’s beliefs of health and illness. To provide culturally appropriate care we need to know and to understand culturally influenced health behaviors (Singelis 2005:5). Also Singelis (2005) highlights that to be culturally competent the nurse needs to learn how to mix a little cultural understanding with the nursing care they offer. In some parts of the Australia culturally varied patient populations have long been the norm. But now, even in the homogeneous state of Queensland where we reside, we are seeing a dramatic increase in immigrants from all over the world. These cultural differences are affecting even the most remote settings. Since the perception of illness and disease and their causes varies by culture (Germov 2005: 155), these individual preferences affect the approaches to health care. Culture also influences how people seek health care and how they behave toward health care providers. Furthermore Germov (2005:155) asserts that how we care for patients and how patients respond to this care is greatly influenced by culture. Health care providers must possess the ability and knowledge to communicate and to understand health behaviors influenced by culture. Having this ability and knowledge can eliminate barriers to the delivery of health care (Germov 2005: 154). These issues show the need for health care organizations to develop policies, practices and procedures to deliver culturally competent care (Germov 2005). Developing culturally competent programs is an ongoing process. There seems to be no one recipe for cultural competency. It’s an ongoing evaluation, as we continually adapt and reevaluate the way things are done. For nurses, cultural diversity tests our ability to truly care for patients, to demonstrate that we are not only clinically proficient but also culturally competent, that we care. Meyer (1996) describes four major challenges for providers and cultural competency in healthcare. The first is the straightforward challenge of recognizing clinical differences among people of different ethnic and racial groups. The second, and far more complicated, challenge is communication. This deals with everything from the need for interpreters to nuances of words in various languages. Many patients, even in Western cultures, are reluctant to talk about personal matters such as sexual activity or chemical use. How do we overcome this challenge among more restricted cultures (as compared to ours)? Some patients may not have or are reluctant to use telephones. We need to plan for these types of obstacles. The third challenge is ethics (Meyer 1996). While Western medicine is among the best in the world, we do not have all the answers. Respect for the belief systems of others and the effects of those beliefs on well-being are critically important to competent care. The final challenge involves trust (Meyer 1996). For some patients, authority figures are immediately mistrusted, sometimes for good reason. Having seen or been victims of atrocities at the hands of authorities in their homelands, many people are as wary of caregivers themselves as they are of the care. Holland, Jenkins, Solomon and Whittem (2003) assert that in a multicultural society it is important for nurses to consider how to preserve the individual patient’s social, cultural, spiritual, religious and ethical needs in order to help the patient understand, agree and cooperate with any planned care. There are many traditions and beliefs associated with health and illness that can alter a person’s behavior when they become ill and the nurse must seeks to understand how this may be observed in their patients (Holland, Jenkins, Solomon and Whittem 2003). This discussion has highlighted importance of cultural diversity as a priority and that it has many other faces in life. It is clear that there is a direct relationship between culture and health practices. As individuals, nurses and health care providers, we need to learn to ask questions sensitively and to show respect for different cultural beliefs. Most important, we must listen to our patients carefully. The main source of problems in caring for patients from diverse cultural backgrounds is the  lack of understanding and tolerance. Very often, neither the nurse nor the patient understands the other’s perspective. Therefore cultural diversity tests our ability to truly care for patients, to demonstrate that we are not only clinically proficient but also culturally competent, that we care. References: Bacote, C.J. (2003) Many Faces Addressing Diversity in Health Care. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (Vol. 8:1-2). Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin [05.05.07]. Driscoll, J. & Yegdich, T. (2007). Practicing Clinical Supervision. A Reflective approach for health care professionals (2d ed.). Bailliere Tindall. Elsevier. Holland, K., Jenkins, J., Solomon, J. and Whittem, S., (2003). Applying the Ropper Logan. Tierney Model in Practice. Churchill Livingstone. Germov, J. (2005). Second Opinion. An Introduction to Health Sociology (3rd ed.). Oxford. Leininger, M. (1991). Transcultural nursing: the study and practice field. Imprint, 38(2), 55-66. Retrieved from: http://www.culturediversity.org [05.05.07]. Marcinkiw, K. L. (2003). Nurse Education Today. 23(3), 174-182. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com [05.05.07]. Meyer, C.R. (1996).Medicine’s melting pot .Journal for Primary Care Physicians (79:5-5). MinnMed. Singelis, T. M. (2005). Teaching about culture, Ethnicity and Diversity: Exercises and Planned Activities. London: Sage Publications. Westerman, T. (2004). The value of unique service provision for Aboriginal people- the benefits of starting from scratch. The Mental Health Services. (Sep.1-3) Conference Inc. of Australia and New Zealand.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

A Christmas Carol †Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens Free Online Research Papers Charles Dickens the writer of â€Å"A Christmas Carol† in my opinion has written the most beloved Christmas story of all time. The story is constructed with good well rounded characters. The story line is very social, with the story of a man of greed and smug, change to be charitable and thoughtful. Charles Dickens made the story have characters that each reader can easily relate too. Such as Mr. Crachit, a character that is the worker of a strict superior, he always does as he is told. Emotions are also created in Dickens characters. Tiny Tim had my sympathy thought out the novel. With the line said by ghost of Christmas present â€Å"There will be an empty seat next year† made me hope that Scrooge would help the poor boy. What I thought was interesting about each character was that, Dickens made each character appear miserable and change to happy. I really enjoyed the story line, and the writing technique. Story line worked with each one of the five staves. Each stave represented a change in Scrooge. The first stave was introductory and shows who Scrooge was. The second stave was of the Christmas past, third stave was about Christmas present, the fourth stave showed Scrooge about Christmas yet to come. The finale stave was to show the change that happened to Scrooge. From the start of the book to the end of the book Dickens make the reader do a complete 180 about Scrooge and they think of him. I highly recommend this novel for every body to read. Beyond this being the best Christmas story, each reader will have thought of themselves and thoughts of there Christmas past, present, and yet to come. Research Papers on A Christmas Carol - Charles DickensThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsMind TravelHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayLifes What IfsHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraWhere Wild and West MeetStandardized TestingAnalysis Of A Cosmetics Advertisement

Monday, October 21, 2019

Ecotourism in Hong Kong Essays

Ecotourism in Hong Kong Essays Ecotourism in Hong Kong Essay Ecotourism in Hong Kong Essay The image of Hong Kong is well known as â€Å"shopper’s paradise† and â€Å"Pearl of the Orient†. Further, according to the International Market Research Study, it shows that the lack of new appeals in Hong Kong is a significant reason for it not being considered as a vacation destination. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the appeals of Hong Kong. Why not use our existing natural resources as tourist attractions? To maintain the competitiveness, Hong Kong should build up its own unique and special character. Natural wonders of the territory provide a chance to show the uniqueness and international significance of Hong Kong ecology. Green tourism, outdoors, hiking and nature are some of the new and promising products most needed by consumers. Building ecotourism could attract special interest tourists. It was found that nature-based activities or scenery is one of the top attractions which the visitors to Hong Kong are interested in. These natural attractions include trips to outlying islands, nature reserves (Mai Po), beaches, mountain hiking, urban nature trails and dolphin-watching. Hong Kong’s remote, unpolluted outlying islands are an attraction for tourists. Many tourists are surprised that Hong Kong has dolphins in one of the world busiest harbors. In addition, a survey completed by the HKTA found that about 15% of tourists are interested in taking part in outdoor and hiking activities in Hong Kong. Since many overseas tourists are interested in seeing wildlife and beauty natural scenic, there is a potential market for ecotourism. About 70% of Hong Kong is rural area. Nature is right on the city’s doorstep. They are mostly accessible by buses and minibuses. Hiking, swimming, scubas-diving and sailing are all possible just a short journey from urban area. A total of 24 country parks have been designated for the purposes of nature conservation, countryside recreation and outdoor education. There are  22 special areas created mainly for the purpose of nature conservation. The country parks and special areas cover a total area of 44  239 hectares. The country parks comprise scenic hills, woodlands, reservoirs and coastline in all parts of Hong Kong. The country parks are very popular with all sectors of the community and spending a day in a country park is one of the best recreational choices. About 12. million visitors were recorded in 2012 and most visitors engaged in leisure walking, hiking, barbecuing and camping. Hong Kong has glory and outstanding scenic beauty, and also rich ecology. These are striking advantages for promoting ecotourism. Besides, Hong Kong is characterized by hilly topography with less low flat land areas. It consists of undeveloped and unspoiled steep hills, some 230 outlying islands and also other geographi cal and ecological features of high scenic and amenity value on Government lands with unrestricted public access and proximity to the urban areas. There is a wide variety of scenic views, landscape features and habitats including sandy beaches, rocky foreshores, mountain ranges, grasslands, valleys, shrub lands and so on. The sub-tropical climatic environment and extensive undeveloped tracts of natural landscapes provide a wide range of habitats, and supports high biodiversity of flora and fauna, both resident and migratory. There are about 500 species of birds, one-third of all species of birds in China. More than 230 species of butterflies and over 100 species of dragonflies can be found. There are more than 2600 species of vascular plants, 50 species of mammals, 80 species of reptiles and more than 20 species of amphibians in Hong Kong (AFCD 2013). A high proportion of birds in Hong Kong are winter visitors and passage migrants in spring and autumn, followed by resident birds and summer visitors. Migration is a strong instinct, and birds (particularly water birds) are often able to traverse immense natural barriers, frequently migrating and making one or more stopovers en route. In Hong Kong, we can watch butterflies in all seasons due to warm climate and the presence of a variety of habitats. There are over 230 butterfly species in Hong Kong and more than 130 species have been recorded in Hong Kong Wetland Park. The Butterfly Garden in the Hong Kong Wetland Park is planted with various larval food plants and nectar plants. It is an ideal place for learning butterflies. Dragonflies and damselflies are among the most beautiful and spectacular insects in the world. Their lives are closely intertwined with wetlands. Up to April 2009, there are 115 species of dragonfly officially recorded in Hong Kong. During the Dragonfly Festival, Hong Kong Wetland Park will organize a series of activities for public to broaden their knowledge of dragonflies. These activities also aimed to promote dragonflies watching and encourage the public to engage in the conservation works of wetlands and dragonflies. Our bustling metropolis has more than 40% of its land designated as protected green areas. Apart from providing habitats for our myriad wildlife, this verdant countryside is also home to world-class rock formations and geological features. A geopark is a unique natural area with special geological significance and natural and cultural landscapes, and can serve the three objectives of conservation, education and sustained development. The Marine Parks Ordinance protects and conserves the marine environment and a rich collection of aquatic animals and plants, such as corals, sea grasses and dolphins. In Hong Kong, there are 84 species of reef-building corals. Reef-building Corals in Hong Kong with the splendid colors and graceful growth forms and they also build homes for a wide range of marine animals. At present, there are four marine parks and one marine reserve, including Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Yan Chau Tong Marine Park, Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park, Tung Ping Chau Marine Park and Cape DAguilar Marine Reserve. They cover a total area of 2 430 hectares and comprise scenic coastal areas, seascapes and important marine habitats. Marine parks and reserve can be managed for conservation, education, recreation and scientific studies. In marine parks, visitors are encouraged to appreciate the beauty and diversity of marine life. Diving, snorkeling, swimming, canoeing, sailing, underwater photography and school visits are popular activities in marine parks. Educational activities such as guided tours, beach clean-ups, seabed clean-ups and public lectures are regularly organized. Tourists can take part in them. To conclude, there is a great potential for the further development of ecotourism in Hong Kong since the territory is rich in ecology with outstanding natural beauty. Pure Ecotourism can include as one of the attractions in the trip to experience the green side of Hong Kong and to show the compact and variety of the territory. However, it is unsuitable to promote ecotourism without any development strategy. To ensure the ecological sustainability of nature and ecotourism, conversation should be in the first priority when developing ecotourism. For the sustainable development of ecotourism, it is important to let tourism industry, government, tourists and residents know what is the meaning of ecotourism.