Al Araf, Harbor Beach

verso: "Al Araf", Harbor Beach (from the Koran meaning that region between heaven and hell, abode of the half-good). About 1910-changed a number of times from original 1896 cabin

Les amusemens de Spa, or The gallantries of the Spaw in Germany : containing the virtues of every spring, their nature and several uses, the reasons why frequented by persons of the first distinctions, besides drinking the waters, the various diversions and amusements of the place, many entertaining histories of the principal persons resorting to the Spaw : intermix'd with several others of wit, humour, gaiety, &c. /

Translator's dedication signed: Hans De Veil.

Vermont, designed by the Creator for the playground of the continent.

Mode of access: Internet.

BELEZA, SEDUÇÃO E MORTE: Uma leitura exegética de Judite 16,1-12

O cântico de Judite 16,1-12, síntese da parte em prosa do livro, faz memória da ação do Deus de Israel em favor dos oprimidos, libertando-os do poder dos impérios opressores. No centro do poema (v. 5), situa-se a ação do Todo-poderoso por mão de fêmea. A vitória de Judite é uma ironia não só à guerra, mas também às mulheres. Por um lado, as armas utilizadas pela mulher, para matar o comandante-em-chefe beleza do rosto, perfumes, veste festiva, sandália, diadema nos cabelos , são aparentemente insignificantes diante do poderio do exército inimigo, o que representa a vitória dos fracos sobre os fortes. Por outro, numa sociedade patriarcal e androcêntrica, beleza e sedução são consideradas como armas essencialmente femininas. Assim, enquanto a narrativa diverte a audiência, ela adverte aos homens que a mulher bela é perigosa, e, por sua causa, até o general mais poderoso pode perder a cabeça. Entre os séculos 4 a.C. e 2 d.C., há muitas narrativas judaicas que ressaltam o perigo de se olhar para uma mulher bela. No contexto dos movimentos sociais de resistência do período helenista, a literatura historiográfica acentua o protagonismo dos homens, enquanto a ação da mulher como protagonista só aparece no campo da ficção, e ainda para reforçar a atuação masculina. Ler Judite 16,1-12 a partir da ótica de gênero nos desafia a compreender os mecanismos que continuam expropriando o corpo e o desejo de mulheres e homens. É um convite para entoarmos novos cânticos, pautados por relações entre iguais, numa vivência solidária e de reciprocidade.(AU)

EXISTÊNCIA E RELIGIÃO EM ALBERT CAMUS: Relações entre o absurdo e a revolta

A presente pesquisa busca, a partir dos dois pólos fundamentais ao pensamento de Albert Camus, a saber, o absurdo e a revolta, discutir a relação do pensamento camusiano com a religião, no que tange fundamentalmente à sua recusa frente a um pensamento ou atitude que recorra a um sentido além da existência humana. Camus escritor franco-argelino e Prêmio Nobel de Literatura em 1959 concebeu o absurdo como a experiência resultante da consciência de assimetria vigente na existência humana. Esta assimetria se estabelece na polarização entre o anseio humano por felicidade, união e plenitude e a evidência expressa pela existência de dor, fragmentação e limite. A revolta subsiste neste cenário como resposta camusina: esta é concomitantemente reivindicação de justiça e insurreição contra a morte. No que concerne à religião, Camus compreende uma fuga fundamentada na esperança. Esta fuga negligencia e impede a consideração radical da condição humana. A esperança religiosa, em suma, anula a revolta como resposta legitima a condição existencial: pretende justificar o injusto com base em um mistério. Realizada a descrição do absurdo e da revolta, recorre-se ao pensamento do teólogo e filósofo alemão Paul Tillich, como referencial teórico para a análise específica da relação entre religião e pensamento camusiano. O conceito de religião e fé em Paul Tillich apresenta-se como elemento importante para a consideração desta relação ao salientar a vigência da ambigüidade na experiência religiosa, interpretada em Paul Tillich a partir da experiência dialógica entre o finito e o infinito, ou, em outros termos, entre o ser e o não-ser. A partir de Paul Tillich pergunta-se sobre a possibilidade da religião, mesmo em meio à afirmação da impossibilidade do eterno. Caminha-se, assim, para a consideração da efetividade da experiência religiosa em Camus como expressão de uma transcendência profana , onde a recusa a Deus comunga com uma perene reivindicação da perfeição e do eterno.

Best practices in exemplary service delivery: A multiple case study of service quality

The purpose of this study was to explain how exemplary service providers in luxury hotels provide consistently excellent service. Using a case study framework, the study investigated the service provider's strategies and concepts of service delivery, the importance and implementation of organizational and individual controls, and the role of training and learning. The study identified barriers to service provision and characteristics of the exemplary individuals that affect their ability to deliver luxury service. This study sought to better understand how exemplary service providers learn, think about, and do their work. The sample population of three Five-Diamond-Award winning resorts was selected for their potential for learning about the phenomenon of interest. The results demonstrate that exemplary service providers possess individual characteristics that are enhanced by the organizations for which they work. Exemplary service providers are often exemplary communicators who are emotionally generous and genuinely enjoy helping and serving others. Exemplary service organizations treat their employees as they treat their customers, as suggested by the Service-Profit Chain (Heskett, Sasser & Schlesinger, 1997). Further, they have systems and standards to guarantee satisfactory service experiences for every guest. They also encourage their service providers to personalize their service delivery and to seek opportunities to delight their guests, using a combination of controls, traditions and cultural values. Several customer service theories are discussed in relationship to whether they were or were not supported by the data. The study concluded that the delivery of exemplary service is a complex phenomenon that requires successful interactions between guests, service providers and the organization. A Model of Exemplary Service Delivery is presented and discussed that demonstrates the components of service quality as shown in the data. The model can be used by practitioners seeking to create, enhance, or evaluate their service quality, and by researchers seeking insights into the complex concepts in service quality research. Implications for future research are discussed.

Learning from Exemplary Service Providers

Twelve exemplary service providers from the most highly-acclaimed resorts discussed and demonstrated how they deliver award-winning service. Three emergent themes offer insights to improve service quality: emotional generosity, exemplary communication, and effective interactions of culture, tradition and control. These themes support current literature on human resource development and service quality.

Changing Guest Preferences and Marketing Challenges In the Resort Industry

Resorts in the future will be feeling the effect of a number of changes in the industry. Changing demographics, economic conditions and the changing priorities of resort guests will play major roles in the future success of resort properties. The authors stress that future resort marketing should emphasize the expansion of current market segments, the creation of new market segments, and hte expansion of qualirty services.

Current Status of Collectibility of Gaming-Related Credit Dollars

In her piece entitled - Current Status Of Collectability Of Gaming-Related Credit Dollars - Ruth Lisa Wenof, Graduate Student at Florida International University initially states: “Credit is an important part of incentives used to lure gamblers to gaming establishments. However, a collection problem exists in casinos retrieving gaming-related credit losses of individuals living in states where gambling is illegal. The author discusses the history of this question, citing recent cases related to Atlantic City.” This author’s article is substantially laden with legal cases associated with casinos in New Jersey; Atlantic City to be exact. The piece is specific to the segment of the gaming industry that the title suggests, and as such is written in a decidedly technical style. “Legalized casino gaming, which was approved by the citizens of New Jersey on November 8, 1976, has been used as a unique tool of urban redevelopment for Atlantic City,” Wenof says in providing some background on this ‘Jersey shore municipality. “Since Resorts International opened its casino…revenues from gambling have increased rapidly. Resorts' gross win in 1978 was $134 million,” Wenof says. “Since then, the combined gross win of the city's 11 casinos has been just shy of $7.5 billion.” The author points out that the competition for casino business is fierce and that credit dollars play an integral role in soliciting such business. “Credit plays a most important part in every casino hotel. This type of gambler is given every incentive to come to a particular hotel,” says the author. “Airplanes, limousines, suites, free meals, and beverages all become a package for the person who can sign a marker. The credit department of a casino is similar to that of a bank. A banker who loans money knows that it must be paid back or his bank will fail. This is indeed true of a casino,” Wenof warns in outlining the potential problem that this article is fundamentally designed around. In providing further background on credit essentials and possible pitfalls, Wenof affords: “…on the Casino Control Act the State Commission of Investigation recommended to the legislature that casinos should not be allowed to extend credit at all, by reason of a concern for illicit diversion of revenues, which is popularly called skimming within the industry…” Although skimming is an after-the-fact problem, and is parenthetic to loan returns, it is an important element of the collective [sic] credit scheme. “A collection problem of prime importance is if a casino can get back gaming-related credit dollars advanced by the casino to a gambler who lives in a state where gambling is illegal,” is a central factor to consider, Wenof reveals. This is a primary focus of this article. Wenof touches on the social/societal implications of gambling, and then continues the discussion by citing a host of legal cases pertaining to debt collection.

Ética da alimentação: porque devemos, segundo Kant, escolher uma alimentação adequada e saudável

This thesis proposes the adoption of a practical and philosophic approach to the discussion about what should be a healthy food, in view of the actual problems concerning this subject (from famine to obesity), which affect food and nutritional security and constitute target of many official policies. In order to handle this task, this work resorts to ethic, pedagogical and anthropological concepts inherent to Immanuel Kant’s philosophy, as valuable contributions to the practice of the professional nutritionist committed to the support and accomplishment of the human right to adequate nutrition (DHAA). Under this assumption, it intends to surpass the prevailing idea inside the social programs and policies favoring the utilitarian argument. It considers rather that a healthy food is also a duty of virtue, according to the Kantian duties to one-self. The liberation of transgenic seeds in Brazil comes up as an example of the violation of the right to food security and affects it negatively, resulting from the conflict between politics and moral faced by the Brazilian government. This paper concludes that DHAA realization requires not only a committed state, but also committed citizens and suggests that Kant’s philosophy should offer important contributions to supporting the practice of the professional nutritionist, awarding him the necessary information about this matter.

Ética da alimentação: porque devemos, segundo Kant, escolher uma alimentação adequada e saudável

This thesis proposes the adoption of a practical and philosophic approach to the discussion about what should be a healthy food, in view of the actual problems concerning this subject (from famine to obesity), which affect food and nutritional security and constitute target of many official policies. In order to handle this task, this work resorts to ethic, pedagogical and anthropological concepts inherent to Immanuel Kant’s philosophy, as valuable contributions to the practice of the professional nutritionist committed to the support and accomplishment of the human right to adequate nutrition (DHAA). Under this assumption, it intends to surpass the prevailing idea inside the social programs and policies favoring the utilitarian argument. It considers rather that a healthy food is also a duty of virtue, according to the Kantian duties to one-self. The liberation of transgenic seeds in Brazil comes up as an example of the violation of the right to food security and affects it negatively, resulting from the conflict between politics and moral faced by the Brazilian government. This paper concludes that DHAA realization requires not only a committed state, but also committed citizens and suggests that Kant’s philosophy should offer important contributions to supporting the practice of the professional nutritionist, awarding him the necessary information about this matter.