Essay Sample on Russian Revolution

Essay Sample on Russian Revolution In 1900 Russia was the last remaining absolute autocracy out of the great powers of Europe. Approximately eighty four per cent of Russians were peasants, lead by an over privileged upper class who had enslaved them for centuries. There existed a total lack of understanding or sympathy between the workers/peasants and their ruling class, who cared little about their responsibility and obligation to care for the welfare of their people. By the turn of the century many voices emerged in hope to see reforms of their backward nation. For many years there had been desire for reform, but not until the layer upon layer of revolutionary pressure in the precondition phase did it blatantly warn of change, which Tsar Nicholas 2nd attempted to ignore and oppress. However, his oppression only fueled the fire of revolutionary minds and hearts, who despite superficial concessions by the Tsar in 1905 strived to see a permanent transformation of their great yet backward nation. From the period 1900-19 17 the events such as Bloody Sunday, the great strikes, famines and war would confront and enchant the Russian people and eventually leaders to revolution and an end to a 300 year dynasty. The Tsar Nicholas the 2nd was a man who’s ignorance of his people’s hardships combined with his resistance to any political reform tragically led to his abdication and eventual assassination. He and all those loyal to him believed that he had a divine right from God to be the absolute ruler of Russia, therefore any attempt to undermine his power such as the formation of a constitutional monarchy was believed to be against the will of God. Nicholas 2nd was greatly out of touch with his people, and only received censored reports from the ministers he personally appointed. The many strikes from 1899 to 1903 were crushed with the force of his army, forbidding the population to have any alternate political voice. The peaceful protest of January 1905 lead by father Giorgi Gapon, was responded to with the brutal forces which had oppressed the majority of the Russian people for centuries. Any alternate political voice was outlawed, resulting in the execution, imprisonment or ex ile of identified revolutionaries. Core to the Tsar’s belief was absolute power, or none, and it was this resilience which would lead to his abdication, his inability to accept and compromise power over the Russian people whom he had little in common. The upper class of Russian society had little to complain about in the beginning of the century, the many parties, picnics and concerts gave them little to complain about. Controlling most of the wealth of Russia, the upper-class nobles had no desire for change to their luxurious and decadent lifestyle. They had little will to help the starving and toiling masses, and chose to merely accept that it was God’s intention for those to be poor. The wealthy were so out of touch with the majority of Russian society that they did not at first take seriously the signs of revolution around them; the many emerging political parties, the growing amount of strikes and assassinations, and the increasing incidences of violence in the countryside. This ruling class supported the autocracy and had no intention to change Russia in the preconditions to the revolution. Russia’s middle class had varying views upon the leadership of their country. The rich middle class had a healthy and relatively easy lifestyle and therefore little desire for change. However it was the middle class which fostered the intelligentsia who were the minds that fueled the revolution. As the working and peasant classes were without education, it was the well educated yet not overtly wealthy section of the middle class who developed revolutionary ideas, writings and underground political discussions. The Liberal party was supported by the educated and middle classes, which believed that Russia should become a constitutional monarchy with free democratic elections and that people should be granted civil liberties such as freedom of speech, association and worship. This group of people would in 1905 form the party named the Cadets. In addition the â€Å"father† of the revolution, Lenin, was raised in a middle class family with an excellent education at primary, secondary and tertiary level. The middle class who supported change provided the educated few who would provide leadership to the dissatisfied masses. The Russian Orthodox Church created and supported the core belief that the Tsar was the only fit ruler of Russia. The power of the church, like it had been for centuries in many other countries, taught its followers to accept hardship, and believe that it was always God’s intention. It encouraged the people to believe that the Tsar was chosen by God to rule and protect them, and mislead them to believe that he had their best interests at mind. However, the people eventually realized that their â€Å"little father† had no interest in their welfare, and hence revolutionary groups condemned religion and the Orthodox Church which made people accept their unjustifiable hardships. There also existed supporters outside of Russia who had an opinion of the ruling of Russia, especially during the Second World War. Allies of Russia, France and Britain, believed that any revolution in Russia during the First World War would lead to their retreat from the war and henceforth allow Germany and its allies to concentrate its army on the western front. Without Russia in the war its Allies would be in great vulnerability to the forces of Germany and Austria Hungary, giving them every reason to resist change until revolution inevitably broke out. It was Russia’s enemy Germany who provided a sealed train through the battlefields in 1917, containing approximately 30 revolutionaries. One of these was Lenin. It was in Germany’s best interests that they send people to Russia who would hopefully stir it up, as a revolution at the time would almost grant them victors. The peasantry of Russia from 1860 had seen little real change in their living and working conditions, allowing continuous discontent due to their economic hardships and a harsh unsympathizing leader. Despite freedom from serfdom and the availability of government loans to buy land in 1861, they were in reality still enslaved by the wealthy landowners to whom they were indebted. In addition to this crushing debt, the peasantry would still use backward, inefficient agricultural methods using small strips of land. There was hardly enough land in comparison to the amount of peasants and mouths to feed, resulting in widespread famine. The government charged incredibly heavy taxes on grain and other produce, as well as every day items such as wheat and alcohol. There were poor harvests in 1900 and 1902 creating great famines and mass starvation in the country side. Such poor conditions and a series of harsh seasons led to outbreaks of violence against local landlords, burning their houses and seizing land for themselves. In reality, the uneducated masses of peasants would most probably have support a revolution which would allow them to own their own land without debts and fair taxes. The complaints of the peasants remained unheard by the leaders until certain political parties would rally to them in order to gain mass support for their causes. The assassinations of landlords and taking over of land did little in the long run other than to show signs of discontent; it was not until they could be organized and united by a strong leader would their complaints be listened to. The Stolypin reforms resulted in more discontent as the most efficient peasants, which consisted of only around 15%, were allowed to buy land of those who were less enterprising, however this resulted in many losing their land without anything to feed their families on. Some would go to the cities and join the working class; others would roam the country side for work. Nevertheless, only a small percentage of peasantry would see an improvement in their living conditions upon the outbreak of the First World War, resulting in the increased pressure for revolution. The working class of the relatively new industrial centers went through waves of discontent from 1900 to the offset of the revolution. Terribly poor working, sanitary and living conditions caused the workers to itch for reform, firstly by means of peaceful protest, then repeated strikes and acts of violence. After 1900, workers wages rose little, especially in comparison to inflation. In 1902 an industrial slump caused thousands of workers to lose their jobs. This created conditions for an outbreak of strikes, acts of violence and assassinations. The low wages, increasing food prices and declining working conditions only fuelled the industrial unrest which was crushed by the Tsar’s forces, killing thousands of protesting workers. By 1917 there had been formed many parties which initially developed in the underground. The beliefs of Populism had influenced the socialist revolutionaries whose primary motivation for reform was the program of the â€Å"communization of the land†, where peasant life would be centered on the village, freed from the oppression of rural master, civil and personal liberties would be granted and everybody would have a right to education. Like most other revolutionary parties, they believed in the overthrow of the Tsarist regime and its replacement with a democratic, representative government. The socialist revolutionaries were mostly supported by the peasants, hence the occasional referral to them as the â€Å"Peasant’s Party†. The Social Democratic Workers Party closely followed Marxist principles, believing that the road to a communist revolution was through different phases, including a intermediate capitalist stage. They believed that the working class would eventually rise up against their oppressive capitalist employers (the dictatorship of the proletariat), and create a system where there would be no rankings and all citizens would be treated equally no matter what their occupation would be. At the congress of this party in 1903 there were recognized two different groups which would split the party. The Bolsheviks, or majority, headed by Lenin, believed that the masses should be led by and elite party to which membership should be exclusive. In contrast, the Mensheviks, or minority led by Martov, believed that all people should be able to become members of the party. This main ideological difference separated the party at the only time when Lenin’s fraction would actually be in majority. Even when sent to prison and exiled to Siberia for being a revolutionary, this vivacious leader would still write about the collapse of the regime which killed his older brother and which was still oppressing him. Lenin’s beliefs became too extreme for many, as he specifically believed in the violent and bloody overthrow of the autocracy, and even challenged Marxism by preferring to rush through the supposedly lengthily capitalist phase of a country’s development into a communist state. He stressed the importance of the correct time to ignite revolution, and it was upon his return to Russia in 1917 that he knew the starved, war-torn and disillusioned country would be at boiling point in readiness to change. Until 1917 the Russian armed forces had suffered a series of humiliating military defeats leading to outbreaks of mutiny and abandonment. The Russo-Japanese war saw the sound defeat of Russia’s aspirations to establish a naval base in Korea and Port Arthur. The sailors of the battleship Potemkin mutinied in 1905 and the losses of Russia’s Baltic Fleet and Far Eastern Army were demoralizing and deplorable. In 1914 the initial enthusiasm for Russia’s participation in the First World War quickly waned. The decisive defeats of the poorly organized Russian army against the Germans at Tannenberh and the Masurian lakes killed, wounded or took prisoner 8 million soldiers by 1917. Desertions began to be commonplace, the incompetent and ineffective officers allowed men to perish without ammunition or weapons, in the freezing cold without adequate weather protection. Upon return to their home towns or cities, the key force to change or its resistance was willing to support those revolutionaries who would end the war and slaughter of their comrades. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on Russian Revolution topics at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.

Online Guide for Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

Online Guide for Compare and Contrast Essay Topics 100 Ideas for Writing Your Best Compare and Contrast Essay Not always a topic of an essay is given by a teacher or academic program. Sometimes, you have to decide on it independently. That may sound a bit confusing! However, we offer to think about it as about a great opportunity to express your creativity and to improve your writing and thinking skills! Sometimes, choosing a topic may look easy. However, it’s almost as important as the rest of the work. Banal or boring topic can’t let you write an excellent essay. Imagine that the topic is a base of the whole essay and the rest of your work will depend on how good, easy and exciting the theme is. No need to be worried, we have some good news for you! Just like anything else in your academic life, choosing a topic can be a great skill and valuable experience that you can train and develop. For this purpose, we’ve created a short, easy but a very helpful guide that includes some general recommendations and ideas for inspiration! Main Principles of Writing Your Essay Are you confused about your new assignment? Don’t worry, most students feel embarrassed when they have to deal with a new type of work! Little knowledge is exactly what can help in your situation! So, what is a compare and contrast essay? This type of writing work is aimed at comparing two different subjects, people or phenomena. You have to analyze both of them and point on the most logical differences and similarities between them. Sometimes, you speak more about common features, other times about the difference between the two discussed objects. You can also write about both common things and differences and then balance these features. Just like any other essay, compare and contrast essay consists of three major parts: Introduction (including thesis); Body paragraph (with subparagraphs); Final Conclusion. Sources to Choose a Topic for Your Essay Choosing a topic starts with careful thinking and searching for some great sources of information. Remember, for a great topic it’s not enough to coincide with the main point of your studied discipline only, it also shall be: Interesting for you This is never the main rule, however, experience shows that students feel more motivated to work with the topics that appear interesting to them. More motivation and interest mean faster and better result and more fun while writing. Isn’t it a perfect formula? Popular and understandable for others Choosing a topic, you shall be sure that your target auditory is able to understand what you talk about. Moreover, it’s better to choose a topic that is interesting to others, not only to yourself. Studied enough If you choose a very innovative or very controversial topic, you may face a lack of information that is needed for your essay. Be sure you are about to work on a theme that is well studied, and there are a lot of free and accessible information sources that can be useful. Now, when you know ‘what’ to look for, it’s time to think ‘where’ to look for it. Don’t concentrate on academic books only, think about different sources to get inspired: Newspapers Many progressive students may think that the paper press is an old fashioned and even outdated way to get information. However, this time you may have an extra reason for buying a fresh newspaper: it’s a great source of getting some ideas for your compare and contrast essay. Moreover, many journalists like writing articles where they compare different realities, cultures, presidents, celebrities, etc. News Channel Who told you that watching TV is a bad idea when you have to write your essay? Put your pen aside and switch your TV on. News channels are great sources of ideas for your future essay! Magazines Not always there’s a mood for reading a newspaper or watching a news channel! Have you got your favorite magazine with you? Entertaining articles and bright pictures can also bring some great ideas. Maybe your topic will be less serious and funnier than those that are often chosen for the political newspaper. Why not? Internet The Internet is the biggest source of ideas for any type of essay. Moreover, it can bring you some alternative solutions: forums with millions of tips and advice from the students, lists of samples of the topics, professional writing teams that are ready to write your essay for you. The only disadvantage is the amount of junk information you can probably find. It can take some extra time and make your choice more difficult. Things Outside Can’t find a topic for your essay? Get out of your house! Nowadays there are so many scientific exhibitions, galleries, art-cafes and open seminars that can give you some joy, knowledge, and interesting ideas for writing an essay. Moreover, some fresh air and little activity will stimulate your brain for more effective work! Some Professional Wisdom The feeling when you choose a topic, start to work with it, and then get disappointed about your choice is familiar to many students. But you can easily avoid it, thinking in a more organized way about a topic you are about to choose: Don’t be in a hurry to start writing as soon as you find a topic. It’s better to give your brain some time to relax and then to think about your assignment again. Perhaps, in an hour or in a day your topic won’t appear same interesting to you. Choose several topics, before picking one up. It’s good if you decided on a topic easily. Now, try to think about two or three topics more. Your topics can have lots in common, there’s no problem with it. Write your topics down and analyze each one. Make a short plan of your future essay. Making a short plan is a great test for your chosen topic. If you can see the structure and the main concept of your future essay easily your topic is chosen correctly. List of Topics for Your Compare and Contrast Essay Topics on Famous People There are interesting characters in every field and each profession. You can easily choose two famous people to compare and to speak about. Moreover, celebrities and outstanding people always cause great interest of society. Choosing a topic about two famous characters you have a great chance to attract the attention of your target audience. Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla. Compare the two great scientists and their investigation in the development of sciences. Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Find out the similarities and differences between the two artists. Celine Dion and Madonna. Speak how different the popular pop singers are and how important both of them are for the development of the modern pop culture. Batman and Spiderman. Compare two popular characters of comic books and how successful creation of their images was. Obama and Tramp. Compare the ruling strategies of two leaders of the country, their images, and positions. Mister Bin and Charlie Chaplin. Compare the characters and their personalities. Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Show the similarities of the two leaders who represent opposite camps. Plato and Socrates. Check how important these two philosophers are and what is their place in modern science. Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin. The two popular characters of the American TV shows have a lot of common features, try to find out how similar the characters are. Othello and Hamlet. Compare two of the most popular characters created by Shakespeare. Topics on Religion, History and Culture Topics that are connected with religion, culture, and history can be very interesting and controversial. However, choosing a topic, you shall be sure it’s not banned for discussion. Often it’s not tolerant to discuss some religious issues or cultural differences. First World War Vs Second World War. This is quite a common topic for essays and discussion, however, if you are creative you can make it very interesting and informative. There are many aspects to speak about. Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These two countries and civilizations are often compared or even mixed. However, if you study the theme deeper, you can easily prove that the countries and cultures were very different and unique. Catholics and Orthodox. Christianity has several branches that differ from each other. Find out how the two main branches of the religion differ, while still having the same basis. American Revolution and French Revolution. These two great revolutions took place almost at the same time, they have resembling causes, however, still stay very different. President Kennedy and President Tramp. How the two presidents of the same country can be compared. Greek and Roman Mythology. The mythologies are so similar that they have even been mixed and combined. However, if you investigate the topic, you may see and prove that they are different in many aspects. Communism and Capitalism. Many people believe that there is nothing common about communism and capitalism. However, you can find out a lot of similarities between the two aspects. Fascism and Nazism. Find out the difference between these two concepts and discover why they are so often used to express the same things. Life in the 18th century and modern life. What are the main cultural differences between the modern life and life of society in the 18th century? Role of the religion in modern life and in the life of people 200 years ago. Some of the aspects of religion stay unchanged for many centuries, however, the sphere and level of its influence often change. Compare which role the religion played in the life of people who lived before and those who live in modern times. Topics on Policy The policy is an endless source of inspiration when it is about writing an essay and looking for a topic. There are many aspects that can be discussed. Political regime in China Vs political regime in Korea. Oriental countries often have a lot of common features in their culture, cuisine, mentality of people, and their way of life. However, it’s not necessary that their political regimes are similar too. Compare the policy of China with a political regime in Korea. Syrian revolution Vs Libyan revolution. A number of great revolutions started in Arabic word approximately at the same time. However, each country had very different consequences of the revolution. Official reasons of the revolutions that happened in Libya and in Syria are quite similar, however, their results are absolutely different. Compare these two revolutions. The immigrant policy of the USA Vs the immigration policy in the UK. These two countries are often compared. They are also called two of the most popular countries for immigration. However, the immigrant policies of the countries differ greatly. Speak about these differences and their effectiveness. Al Qaeda Vs ISIS. There are two terroristic organizations that have many common features. Compare them in order to find out which group of terrorists is more dangerous to global peace. Modern political regime in your country Vs policy of the 50’s. Compare how different the policy was a decade ago. Civil unions Vs registered marriages. Compare the two possible ways of partnership and its possible influence on the political image of a country. Credit Cards Vs debit cards. Bank cards often have similar functions and can be used for the same purposes. However, the popularity of credit or debit cards among citizens can influence the banking system and economy of the country greatly. President of the USA Vs Prime Minister of the UK. Many people tend to think that the meaning of the president in the USA is almost equal to the role of Prime Minister in Britain. Show the difference that only a few people realize. Canadian Legal System Vs Legal System in The USA. Canada and the USA are often compared in different articles and reports. While having a lot in common, their legal systems have some different core moments that are interesting to discuss. Life Sentence Vs death penalty. Legal punishment is aimed not only at punishing a criminal but also at preventing other potential criminals from committing crimes. A risk of being punished stops some people from hurting others. What can work better for that? Topics for Students of the 6th Grade Students of the 6th grade are often advised to choose simpler topics. In this case, teachers give the task to practice some critical thinking, writing skills and to prepare for more complicated themes in the future. Being an only child or having siblings: what is better. Cats Vs dogs: which animal makes a better pet. Pure water Vs juice: which drinks are healthier. Christmas Vs birthday: which holiday is better. Traveling by plane Vs traveling by car: which way of traveling is eco-friendlier. Living in the city Vs living in a village: what gives more chances to feel happy. Tennis Vs ping-pong: how the types of sport differ. Watching a movie or reading a book: what brings more fun. Cats and lions: similarities and differences. Summer Vs winter: which season is better and brings more fun. Topics for Middle School Students Watching films at cinema Vs watching films at home: what is the best way to realize the message of a movie. Role models of 90’s Vs modern role models: are there significant changes? Parents Vs teachers: whose influence on teenagers is more important. Hurricanes Vs tsunami: what is more dangerous. Bicycle Vs car: what is more difficult to deal with? British cuisine Vs American cuisine: which food is healthier. Office work Vs freelance: what is the best way to earn money. Having rest in mountains or near to the sea. Shopping online Vs shopping in malls: what is more comfortable. Traveling inside your country Vs traveling around the world: what gives more valuable experience. Topics for High School Students Novels Vs poetry: what is a better way of sending a message to other people. Exams at high schools Vs exams in college: what is more difficult and more important. Traditional education Vs online education: what can be more effective. Modern beauty standards Vs beauty standards of the previous century. Educational system in the USA Vs educational system in China: what is better and more effective. Modern home design Vs home design of 50’s. Working Vs unemployed students: who chose the correct strategy. American English and British English: how the two languages differ. SAT or TOEFL: which test is better for evaluating knowledge of the language. Human Vs animal: how different we are. Topics for College Students Living with parents or living alone. Think about the most comfortable way of living for a young student. High school Vs college: which educational stage plays the greatest role for young people. Conventional classes Vs remote study: what is better and more comfortable. Beginning Vs end of an academic year: what is more stressful for students. Part-time job Vs a job for a season: what is better to choose for a student. Learning with books or audio lessons: what is better and more practical. Living alone Vs living with friends: what is better for a student. School friendship Vs college friendship: which types of friends are more loyal. Eating habits of college students Vs eating habits of high school pupils: whose food is healthier. Choosing the most popular profession Vs choosing a profession that you enjoy: what is the right path to success. Easy and Popular Topics Complex topics can give you some extra points and chances to intrigue your readers. However, sometimes there’s simply no mood or no serious reason to spend too much time on working with a difficult theme. Some simple topics can become a universal solution in a case you are in search of a topic for your essay. Daytime Vs nighttime: what is the best time for traveling. Fruit Vs vegetables: what brings more benefit to one’s health. Madrid or Barcelona: which Spanish city is better to choose. Taxi Vs bus: what is the best transport mean for travelers. Healthy sleep vs healthy food: what is more critical for staying healthy. Female policeman Vs male policeman: is there a difference who works in the police? Yoga or swimming: what is a better way of staying fit. Building a career or making a family: what is more important in life. iPhone or Android: which OS is better. Textbook Vs electronic devices: what is better for study. Objects to Compare Before choosing a topic for your essay, think about simple objects that you’d like to compare. This can inspire you and help you to come up with some additional ideas about your writing work. Mythology Vs religion. Business Vs freelance. Sports Vs dancing. Classic music Vs pop music. Europe Vs America. Communism Vs capitalism. Books Vs films. Canada Vs the USA. Schools Vs colleges. Poetry Vs prose. Why Seeing Some Examples of Essays Is a Good Idea Some students think that seeing some essay samples and borrowing interesting ideas from them is equal to plagiarism. In fact, looking through some samples is a great way to improve your writing skills and to learn how to evaluate your own essay, comparing it to others. It has no relation to copying or plagiarism. You can easily find some essay samples on the internet or ask your teacher to show you some essays that can inspire you. When Academic Assistance Is Needed Sometimes little knowledge helps you to cope with your writing assignment easily. However, there are also cases when you feel that you can’t cope with a task on your own. If you feel difficulties, choosing a topic for your essay or writing the essay itself, no need to panic. You still have a great chance to get an excellent mark for your writing paper. Our essay writing service can help you to deal with a difficult writing assignment anytime you need!

How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value Essay

How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value through Personalization and Mass Customization - Essay Example When it comes to narrowing down the scope and role of e-marketing and related technologies to a mere aspect of creating value or enhancing customer value, it seems that words are diminishing and the whole aspect can never be explained in its true sense and that it might take years to elucidate such a broad topic. The contributions of e-marketing strategies and organizations in developing and stabilizing many businesses is obvious with the development in the marketing concepts as well as recent researches which are not proving that co-branding, co-creation and third-party inventions have set up new milestones for all the companies; be it some multinational giant or some small entrepreneurial venture. The concepts that have been introduced with an â€Å"e† as a prefix, like; e-commerce, e-trade, e-business, e-marketing, and e-strategy, explain the literal terms of carrying out business via the electronic channel, apparently. However, these terms explain some very broad concepts of internet cram which have proved to be revolutionary, immensely, after the internet boom of the ’90s. Collaborative Networked Organizations (CNOs), those which are also known as â€Å"third-party vendors† and â€Å"fourth party logistics/vendors† and Virtual Customer Communities (VCCs) i.e. the company which exists online only, confirm a soaring prospective as drivers of value co-creation and open innovation. They have also been playing role in driving value specifically in collaborative innovation.  This joint venture has proven that it can amplify malleability and suppleness of the companies’ VCS (Value creation systems) to support responding to an external situation like co-creation or collaborative opportunities (external driver).  

The Future of Facebook Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Future of Facebook - Research Paper Example The future of Facebook ultimately relies on what has happened in the past, and what is happening now. That is why, here, it will be examined: what has been the track record or history of Facebook; what the current state of Facebook is; and finally, perhaps most importantly to everyone, what is the future of Facebook. According to Carson (2010), Facebook was started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, who was a student at Harvard (pgh. 1). He first made the social networking site as a sort of on-campus, online student look-book in which some of the students in Harvard’s student body were analyzed. Basically, the site was a success. With some of his associates, Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to develop his site. There was some internal haggling over who had developed what. Initially, some lawsuits were filed on behalf of other Harvard students who claimed that basically the idea for Facebook was theirs. However, such lawsuits were thrown out of court or dismissed.... One of the largest problems with Facebook is that it does not have Admins (or administration) who are the regulators of the site. For example, there should be at least one Admin for every 100 people. This way, any behavior that would be considered in poor taste or offensive would be regulated by the Administration, who would approve of posts. This might be considered a Communist tactic, but in reality it would solve a lot of problems of pictures and comments being posted that were inappropriate or unbecoming. This would then put 8 million people to work. They could work online from home, as long as they underwent many of the usual requirements required of job seekers—for example, submitting a resume. Anyone with an Internet connection could be employed. These are merely ideas, but they could fuel a nation struggling from unemployment beyond belief. According to national statistics, 14 million people in the United States are unemployed right now. Creating Admins for Facebook is a genius idea because it would allow people to: a) work from home; and b) transition seamlessly into the work force. Part of looking ahead to the future means looking at the past. Facebook has a long history and is almost going to be going on its eighth birthday in February of 2012. So, it makes much sense that Facebook be seen as a major employer in the United States. The cream of the crop—only the best workers—should be hired for these new jobs. Of course, this has the added danger of making a digital divide between the haves and the have-nots. Much of social networking has reached great heights, but Facebook has been at the helm of the majority of that success. Facebook is going to be a great force to be reckoned with in the future, but

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation Essay Example for Free

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation Essay Since the beginning of time, people with disabilities were shunned, killed, considered an embarrassment, lock away, hidden away, and sometimes even worse. This attitude slowly started changing in the past 60 years. With these changes, came groups and acts to help inform the public and support the disabled and their families. The writer is going to describe how perception has changed, how legislation and litigation have influenced the education of special needs students, a prediction of what changes may occur in special education in the future, the writer’s initial response to an individual with disability, and how the writer’s response is different now. Perception Changes Over Time With only the basic understanding of human biology, historically people with disabilities and their families were generally treated horribly. People with disabilities in the western world were considered to inferior or weak. However, some of this perception was also dependent on the type of disability. There was a time when Autism was thought to be the fault of the Mom, often referred to as refrigerator Moms. These Moms were believed to be cold and unloving to their children, causing the children to become reserved and introspective. Although the reason for Autism is not fully known at this moment, it is known that it is not due to â€Å"refrigerator Moms. As society has grown, it has gained a better understanding of human biology, and with the help of advocates, the thinking and perception towards in the disabled the western world, is changing. These changes were also occurring in the education of students with disabilities as well, starting with schools for solely the blind and deaf, moving to special education becoming a privilege and not a right, and where only separate buildings or areas of a school were dedicated to students with disabilities, now inclusion is becoming a standard for all students with disabilities (Hardman, Drew, Egan, 2011). Legislation and Litigation’s Influence Legislation and litigation took a back seat for special education, for a long while. In the early and mid 1800’s, some grants for the schooling of the blind and deaf were created. After this grant the Federal government did not get involved again until 1958. With the signing of the National Defense Education Act of 1958, the Federal government had an opening to get involved in education. In 1966, the Bureau for the Education of the Handicapped (BEH) was enacted, creating grants for the education of students with disabilities. The Federal government created an act led the way for special education becoming accepted. States then started to train teachers in special education and researched education programs. Brown v. Board of Education led the way for special education advocates to create changes for students with disabilities, such as the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Mills v. Board of Education. Mills v. Board of Education. When students with disabilities were turned away from schools, the response led to the Rehabilitation Act 1973 and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, later called the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is the basis of the entire educational system for students with disabilities today and its biggest influence today. It ensures that all students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment and that it gives all students an individual education plan (Martin, Martin, Terman, 1996). The Writer’s Prediction With what the writer currently knows about special education, as both a special needs mom and as a special needs para-professional, the writer predicts and hopes, in some cases, that first and foremost more funding become available for assistive technologies, programs, and training, because right now the writer sees a shortage of assistive technologies in the classroom. The writer has personally witnessed teachers purchasing necessary items for their students, and considering how little teachers’ incomes are, this is a sacrifice that teachers should not have to make. Education in general is increasing expectations from teachers, so the writer predicts that there will be more programs and training offered to support those expectations. This also means that the evaluation for teachers and other staff is going to be more strenuous as well as. The expectations on students’ standardized assessments are going to count more towards the teachers. The writer is aware that there is a movement towards standardizing special education standards. The writer feels that this will occur, some of the positive things will be that any state a family moves to, will know what to expect and what special needs assessment will be standardized, which is truly needed at this point. The writer hopes assessments get standardized to a portfolio. While it is not easy to standardize or grade assessements, it works really well for moderately to severely disable students, who cannot take sit down assessments. The writer feels that although there is a movement to emphasize inclusion, this emphasis is going to become greater in the future, eliminating nearly all need for special needs classrooms. This also will make important, that most general education teachers have a background in special needs, to a certain extent. Initial Response The writer grew up in a family with an aunt who was deaf and had intellectual disabilities and two uncles with intellectual disabilities, so disabilities were really nothing new. However, when the writer got a job as a one-on-one para-professional with a student who had moderate disabilities and moderate behavior issues, the writer did have some concerns about the ability to have the patience, caring, strength, and creativity required to do that job. When the writer met the student and the other students that were in the classroom, the writer knew pretty quick that the writer would be able to meet the needs of the students and the classroom. The writer had similar trepidation when moving to a severely disabled classroom and when starting to work with elementary students. The writer feels that the response it always going to be the same, knowing what the writer knows. The response is always trepidation in the writer’s ability to meet the students needs, not the student themselves, and it usually goes away quickly. Conclusion  By looking at how societal thinking and perception has changed, the ways legislation and litigation have influence special needs education, the writers predictions, the writer’s initial responses and current responses, it can be seen how in many ways that attitude, litigation, and legislation have changed toward students with disabilities. With the help of advocates and education acts for students with disabilities, positive progress has come a long way. With continued help, it will go much farther. While these changes will not eliminate the past, it will make a better and more enlighten future for all children.

Friendship Essay: The Qualities of a Best Friend -- friendship essay, m

Surely, everyone is fond of the idea of friendship. In fact, to most people living on this earth believe that friends are the most important part of their lives. There have been lots of sayings, quotes, movies and music about the theme, friendship; and this also impacted many people in the way they see the idea of having friends and that it is worthwhile to have someone to rely on. The importance of friendship cannot just be forgotten like a snap of one’s fingers. It has stuck on to the minds of people through movies, such as ‘Harry Potter’ and TV series, like ‘Friends’. Indeed, throughout the centuries, these shows and movies has really proven that friends are not someone one wants, but they are someone one needs. However, other adults strongly disagree with the idea of friendship being an important matter. It is even possible to say that adults do not have as many friends and consider the concept of friendship as such an important part because of the way their lives are structured. To begin with, most of the adults’ jobs are related to their jobs. It is the office or the workplace, they spend most of their time, and it is the colleagues, they spend most of their time interacting with. In other words, they do not have much time to socialize with other friends of their own. In contrast, not everyone can be a friend of others. Although people can be friends just by introducing themselves and greeting each other, that kind of friendship will not last for long. In fact, when looking at the concept of friendship in depth, the theme can be separated into two parts. One can basically have two kinds of friends, ‘good friends’ and ‘best friends’. Obviously, they are ‘friends’ for same purposes, but the difference lie underneath the ... ...best to give possible solutions to get over with the problem. Thus, everyone from these types can certainly be a good friend. However, only ‘life partners’ can be best friends. The people from the work place will probably have lives and families of their own; and the classmates will not do any good. Once a student graduates from a college, it is likely that they will not be in contact with the people they will to university with. Plus, it is hard to find them because they have separated to different parts of the world seeking for jobs. In addition, how close can people be friends with people from the street? And how much will they know about each other? So, there is really one person who is there for people if they are in need of company. Once married, it is their duty to care for one another and help them in any way they can and that is also the role of friends.

Topshop Strategy

Top shop marketing plan essay Executive SummaryTop Shop is one of the leading retail brands known globally for its most up-to-date styles in clothing and other fashion accessories. Earlier only a low price clothing outlet primarily for the teenagers, Top Shop is now the hottest fashion clothing brand with its stores keeping the latest fashions and the exclusive and extraordinary designs that appeal to all age and socio-economic groups.The management has very carefully followed a perfect blend of cutting edge, highly fashionable styles with affordability by introducing new products and services in various countries worldwide under the new company called ‘TOPSHOP plus'.Realizing the importance of doing so, after repositioning itself, Top Shop will embark upon a carefully planned journey of simultaneous product and market development strategy as ‘TOPSHOP plus' Be it Kate Moss's exclusively introduced designer range, in-store ambiance, Style Advisor service or its sponsorship s for the young and aspiring fashion gurus, Top Shop stands out today amongst many other competing brands. The management must, however, bear in mind that while expanding into so many countries with its every increasing range of products, it would have to keep a very strict check on its supply chain.Furthermore, regular innovations are a key to success for this mighty brand. For as this growing company approaches maturity, it would run a greater risk of the competitors catching up until it commits to innovations that are hard to imitate or are at least time and resource consuming. Terms of ReferenceAim of the ReportThe report covers discusses ‘TopShop plus' an extension of the Arcadia chains conception and launch as an expansion to strategic measures taken since the time that transformed itself from being an ordinary low price clothing retailer for the teenagers to a hot fashion clothing hub for all age groups.It also brings forth various marketing promotions being undertaken by the company to maintain its current position and to gain on the market share. The in depth analysis helps understanding how each of its activities have been attempting to attract customers through provision of maximum value to them and not to the company only. The later part also suggests that despite being and extraordinary fashion retailer, there are a few areas where Top Shop would need to pay special attention in order to ensure long term growth and a sustainable bottom line.Scope of the ReportAs one of the businesses of the Arcadia Group, ‘TopShop plus' strategic marketing analysis has been provided in this report keeping in view all of its products and services. The services that make the shopping experience more of an entertainment are just as important a factor in Top Shop's success as are products that directly produce revenue for it. In a nutshell, the report analyzes Top Shop as a whole through its separate products and services which also act as tools for market ing for the company. 1.The CompanyWith an initial reputation of being a tacky low price clothing outlet, Top shop ‘plus' has now earned the fame of a leading store when it comes to fashion clothing. The success, however, came only with a change in its strategy; by going ‘upscale'. Top Shop ‘plus' will be one clothing retailer that stocks the most up-to-date fashion clothes and accessories before any of its competitors does in the market. Whereby the major focus earlier on was on price competitiveness, Top Shop ‘plus' products will arrive first in the market and will be of high quality and very low comparative price.Over time, Top Shop ‘plus' will come to be known not only as just the fashion accessory provider but much rather a trend setter especially with its in-house designer brands and those exclusively introduced and introduced by fashion industry leaders. Due to its various marketing efforts, innovations in the business and exclusive services for i ts customers, it is now the biggest and the most differentiated name in the fashion industry especially when it comes to retailers in the field. 2.The Fashion Retail Market at a GlanceA study showed that even while cutting down on other areas, the European consumers hardly cut down on their expenditure on clothes (Mintel, August 2003). Even when the year on year sales in the fashion industry slowed down in 2000 and 2001, the change was not as drastic as had been predicted by certain observers. During that period, Top Shop and some of its competitors caught up on the opportunity to provide fashion clothing at an affordable price.Few of the major players that have dominated the fashion retail industry with a reputation to preempt the latest catwalk designs include Top Shop, H;M. and Zara. Now, Top Shop is amongst the very few names that account for more than 60% of the total consumer expenditure on fashion clothing and accessories. 3. Current Marketing Activities:Arcadia group plc und er Top Shop has been engaged various marketing and promotional activities. The most major ones and their analysis with reference to the company's corporate & marketing strategy follow this section. . 1 New ImageLong ago, when Top Shop was only known as a low price clothing outlet, the increasing focus of the buyers on trendiness and the readiest availability of the new fashion accessories forced the managed to rethink its strategic position. Right at that time, the management decided to reposition Top Shop from being a discount seller to a hot trend setter brand. Initially, Top shop relied on copying the latest catwalk designs and releasing them in the market before any other competitor like H& M and Zara.Gradually however, while the other fashion brands focused following the same copying the strategy, Top Shop entered into the arena of introducing new self made designs initially under a brand named Unique. Since that time, Top Shop has been living the repute of being the high style up-to-date fashion god of the high street. Consider the following perceptual map taking bullet 1 as its initial and 2 as its later positioning with respect to certain other competing brands such as Marks & Spencer, H&M etc. Refer to 1c and 2c as the composite competitor positioning before and after Top Shop's transformation. . 2 High Price-High Quality Fashion ClothingPreviously, for quite some years, Top Shop had to experience low revenues and even lower profits primarily because of its excessive focus on price competitiveness. Later a shift its strategy helped the bottom line to sore up. The major factor contributing to such a result was the chain's new focus on female fashion clothing and accessories that it brought into the market before its competitors even if it had to pay more to the suppliers. Such a strategy assisted it in becoming a market leader where it came to the latest trends and fashion in the women-ware.It is also important to note that Top Shop offers products at usually a very low price even as low as three times comparative to the competitors. But because the customers get access to the latest fashion only here, the revenues at Top Shop are only positively affected. More so, with its discount offers such as those especially designed for the students, it can rest assured that even the young age groups can afford the trendy ware that it has to offer to its customers. Additionally, because ‘fashion' is this chain's selling point, the customers are often ready to pay a premium price for certain designs.In this manner, it is able to maintain an upscale image as well as smooth revenues. 3. 3 Celebrity EndorsementsKate Moss Collection by Top Shop has been another feather in the retailer's cap. This endorsement by the British super model would act to strengthen Top Shop's image as being first class in fashion clothing (Appendix 1). Furthermore, the hype and publicity that the mere fact of the supermodel introducing her own designer collectio n through Top Shop created would certainly reap long term benefits for the company. We intend to use same model for the brand awareness and project topshop‘plus' as a high end business.Primarily, it would further Top Shop's liking amongst the other celebrities who might have otherwise preferred some other retail brand. But with Kate Moss endorsing it, there is greater likelihood of the brand gaining on its recognition in the general public as well as the celebrity masses. Also, such endorsements are essentially important after the management's concern for maintaining Top Shop's fashion-focused upscale image. 3. 4 Discount offersOne of the most surprising consumer promotions offered by Top Shop is the student discount (Appendix 2).This proved to be a great success but with topshop ‘plus' because of Top Shop plus is an upscale fashion oriented global retail chain. However, such a discount can serve for Top Shop, two important purposes. Firstly, it would attract the young f ashion oriented members of the target market who have lower purchasing power comparative to any of its other targeted customers. Along side this, promotions of this nature would allow the management to explore opportunities related to the younger segment of the market in the long run by giving it first hand knowledge of the segment's preferences.Additionally, their preference for shopping at Top Shop today may continue to their later age thereby ensuring a smooth flow of revenues for the company. Secondly, and very importantly, such a discount offer is especially fruitful in times of recession. Where the sales of other upscale retail outlets may be going down due to high prices, keeping the young souls dressed in up-to-date trendy outfits obtainable at a special discounted price would prevent the sales going down beyond a certain acceptable level. 3. Membership cardsOne of the most distinguished promotions of this cutting edge fashion retailer is its exclusive membership for its cus tomers. The membership allows access to its superior fashion advice service, ‘Style Advisor' whereby its most loyal customers can reach to thousands of Style Advisors round the globe while seeking a hassle free shopping experience (Appendix 3). The membership can be rightly thought of as a promotion to ensure customer loyalty by inculcating in them a sense of pride being associated with Top Shop.Additionally, with preferred treatment in all the stores worldwide, such an initiative can ensure that the customers would help keeping the revenue flow smooth for this mighty fashion trend setter. 3. 7 Online PresenceIt is widely thought that a website primarily serves as a source of advertising and promotion for a brand. Additionally however, it also works effectively well in generating sales especially for an organization that has customers spread globally. Such a purpose is only served if the website allows the visitors to make order based purchases. Top Shop's online presence fits the aforementioned purposes.It not only contains information on the upcoming fashion accessories but also some very useful tips and fashion advice. This can actually be an attraction for Top Shop's target audience who seek such services to be available such that they can access it any time and with the least time spending. Along with its tailored -size ordering available online, the company can ensure least possible hassle caused to the customers (Appendix 4). Furthermore, the website would continuously allow Top Shop to be an online sales point for the young students whose life styles make such buying rather convenient.Although one cannot ignore the importance of its brick and mortar existence as well, the services available through its website may certainly add a lot of value to the business. It presence on Facebook and Twitter is another step forward in promoting itself far and wide. 3. 8 Sponsorships for the Rising Fashion TalentAs a gesture of its commitment to fashion and tre ndsetting, Top Shop has been closely associated with various initiatives for supporting and promoting young and aspiring fashion gurus. It provides title sponsorship for the Graduate Fashion Week.Also, it does a lot of work in support of the London Fashion Week and for launching the careers of various young designers through the endowment of a special award. Through this award many well known names such as Hussain Chalayan, Clements Riberio and several others earned repute in the fashion industry. Such activities do two important things for Top Shop ‘plus' directly and indirectly. Firstly, it promotes the brand amongst the youth and gains their support. Secondly, such efforts ensure Top Shop‘plus' customer, of its commitment and support for fashion and so helps strengthen its position in the industry. . Understanding the Product Life Cycle Currently, Top Shop ‘plus' should grow rapidly in early stage of the PLC model whereby as an early adapter of the strategy of p roviding high rated fashion clothing at an affordable price, it has been working towards maintaining its product quality and adding more and more services to increase value for the customer. Additionally, with a high market demand and comparatively easier competition due to its current position, it is able to maintain low prices and yet enjoys profits and a positive brand image.As it matures, it would certainly have to look into defending its market share since a lot of new entrants and existing players may catch up on its strategy. The future would therefore also require a very strong distribution network meshed with a extraordinary level of innovation in its products as well as its services. 5. SWOT AnalysisStrength:Topshop has been held in the UK market for over decades, it has created strong consumer loyalty over the time through unique taste, fashion and trends through the variety level on its product.Customers are perceive Topshop as a premium brand, so the brand image is a ke y strength for the company. Extensive marketing strategy includes various dynamic advertisements which targeted male and female youth. The negotiation of better promotions through retailers strengthens demand and different sizes of product packaging suits consumer needs and buying patterns are considered to be some of its key marketing strengths. Being a high street market leader in the UK creates the feasibility of inorganic growth. Weakness:Topshop has not been able to compete against its competitors due to lack of marketing strategy in the times of growth.The competitive advantage it once used to brush away the rivals was given away. M&S and others have taken the lead since. Opportunities:There has been a growth in the fashion industry even in midst of economic downturn. For a group like Arcadia, it gives an opportunity to expand its chain of businesses. With Topshop's existing brand name, it seems to be the logical and potentially good strategy. Threats:Threat of possible new en trant in the Britain market may increase for Topshop among people's attitude of American capitalism over Britain.Some people could possibly opt to their own country brand upon perceived imitation could reflect on changing purchasing behaviour. The increasingly cheap but trendy and fashionable products manufactured under the name of retail giants such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and ASDA are a threat to substitution of Arcadia's Topshop. 6. Strategic AnalysisAn attempt by the management, and a very successful attempt too, the revamped image of this fashion brand was a step towards repositioning Top Shop and changing consumer perceptions about it.After successfully doing so, Top Shop has been constantly at work to keep up its image as The Fashion Leader in the retail industry making shopping more of an entertaining experience for its customers through various other facilities, activities and services on its stores and online. Its association with fashion industry celebrities such as Kate Mo ss herself fortifies its position with reference to its brand values that blend up-to-date styles and affordability together. The shortest possible lead time industry wide, it further gains competitive advantage over so many other brands.Additionally, when its sponsors fashion events and financially supports the careers of the upcoming talent, its gains the loyalty and support of the youth that would give it revenues on a long term basis. Its presence online as not only a promotional banner but as a proper sale point is an advance towards more success as that can certainly help it reaching to its target market in countries where it is not present at least as yet. This is also an effective way to reach out to the teenaged members of its target market whose lifestyles would rather allow them to make purchases online more conveniently.For the matter of understanding, very simply put, the Ansoff's Matrix suggests that Top Shop is currently following a product-market growth strategy by f ocusing on both product and market development at the same time. However, the management must bear in mind that to maintain the current image of a cutting-edge affordable fashion provider, it must ensure a smooth supply chain system by which it would be able to carry on bringing in the latest fashion faster than any of its competitors. Also, now with its own designs out in the market, innovation and innovation only would be the key to its success.Loyalty programs such as the membership cards and sponsorships are of course going to supplement all these efforts. 7. RecommendationsThe current popularity and success status of Top Shop does suggest that it has been upholding its image really well with its promotional activities. To ensure long term success however, it may take a few steps at this stage. For instance, now that its membership program is already in place, it may introduce a member-get-member program by which each member bringing in a new member with his reference is rewarde d and acclaimed. This would help it in building upon its present clientele and lso on the loyalty level of the existing customers. As pointed out earlier as well, it is important that Top Shop pays attention to its supply chain. Its entry into self designed brands is a beginning but if it gains some control over its suppliers through backward integration, the risk may be greatly reduced. Otherwise, if the competitors somehow gain on this respect, it may cause serious damage to Top Shop's business. Therefore it is imperative that it pays attention to the factors that are a source of advantage for it now and are necessary for ensuring its long terms success. . ConclusionAs of now, Top Shop seems to be following a strong product-market growth strategy by focusing on increasing its worldwide presence alongside an increase in its products and services. Such a strategy would certainly prove fruitful when the competition paces up and a particular market for Top Shop reaches maturity. Howev er, only if Top Shop focuses on continuous innovation and provision of maximum value to the customer, taking its position in the market would be rather difficult for the competing fashion retailers.Furthermore, the various in-store services that it provides also act as an indirect way of diversification while being a part of the company's promotional strategy as well. References Baker, M. , 2003, The Marketing Book, 5th Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   pp. 87-109 Kurtz, D. , 2009,Contemporary Marketing, 2009 Edition, USA, Neil Marquardt, pp. 363 Kotler, P. , Armstrong, G. , 2008 Principles of Marketing, 12th Edition,Pearson Education, pp. 338 Ferrel, O. , Hartline, M. , 2007, Marketing Strategy, 4th Edition, Thomson Higher Education pp. 282 David, F. 2007, Strategic Management,10th Edition, Pearson Education, pp. 196-210 Daniels, M. , May 4, 2009, Top Shop: Deconstructing the Retail Marketing Phenomenon Smith, A. , How Top Shop Changed Fashion, UK Available at http:// www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1625185,00. html [Accessed on Jan 19, 2010] Brand Republic, 2005, Super Brands Case Study: Top Shop Available at http://www. brandrepublic. com/news/474559/superbrands-case-studies-topshop/ [Accessed: Jan 23, 2010] Read more: http://www. americanessays. com/study-aids/free-essays/marketing/top-shop-marketing-plan. php#ixzz2A1VU1VWU

Michele A. Paludi’s “Sexual Harassment in College” Essay

True or false? Many people believe that sexual harassment only involves physical assault. False! I don’t know where Dr. Paludi got this red herring of a definition from so that she could attack it, but sexual harassment had always meant quid pro quo, grades for sex, or, in the workplace, sexual favors to get the job or a raise. In either case, force was rarely needed. Regie T. has looked up both Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Act of 1972, and even without input from the ongoing debate, I can see that according to federal law, sexual harassment is wide open to interpretation. College policies? Same unhelpful and confusing statements. Staring at students, complimenting them, calling them â€Å"dear†, ‘uncomfortable’ witticism, having a lesson on the unclothed female figure–all these ‘harassing’ behaviors have been used to fire professors. Even fully consensual love affairs weren’t safe, once some third party found out, got offended, and found time to complain. I believe people do have a clear understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment all right. True or false? Frequently individuals are told that sexual harassment is a rare occurence or that the campus has never filed for it against an individual. True. I inquired at Valley College’s VP for Student Services and its response was that in the past five years, only two students had filed sexual harassment complaints against anybody, the last being in 2001. In my public speaking class at that institution last spring, I witnessed an incident where the instructor told a pregnant student to ‘waddle down’ to the front. The student said it wasn’t funny, broke down in tears, and the instructor apologized. Previously, this student also cried when a guy called her fat. At the end of the term, I overheard her say, after not getting an ‘A’ in the class, that she might complain to the dean. I’m sure that had she had been included in one of those surveys on verbal abuse, she would’ve reported to having been sexually harassed. True or false? There is a common myth that there is a â€Å"typical† harasser who can be identified by his blatant and obvious mistreatment of many women. Maybe before; now it’s False. One of Paludi’s sources which I’ve read, Billie Dziech and Linda Weiner’s standard harassment text, has been  brainwashing women for almost 20 years. It warns against The Lecherous Professor who could be of any imaginable type, from a stylish â€Å"public harasser,† a conservative â€Å"private harasser,† a nice â€Å"Counselor-Helper,† or even a smart â€Å"Intellectual Seducer.† As more women are exposed to this book, we can’t really blame them when they start suspecting everyone except the garden variety pathological and abnormally-behaving instructor. As UCLA Professor, cultural critic, and all-woman Cristina Nehring put it: â€Å"[G]ive a group of indifferently successful individuals of either sex a glass through which to view themselves as very important victims, limited in their success not by the modesty of their own talents but by the ubiquitous insidiousness of the â€Å"system,† and chances are good they will learn to use it. Mix in the resentment of a relationship gone awry, or a relationship desired but never obtained, and you begin to understand the source of a good number of sexual-harassment charges. Add to this a potent financial bait (women have reaped considerable rewards through harassment suits in which the burden of disproof was on the defendant and institutional sympathy entirely with the accuser), and the attraction of such charges becomes still clearer.† True or false? Women may not label their experiences as sexual harassment even though the experiences meet the legal definition of this form of victimization. False. Today, there is such a thing as too much awareness. Again, Nehring answered this best: â€Å"In our enlightened contemporary university, men walk on eggshells and women run from shadows. Every gesture is suspect: if a colleague compliments you on your dress, it smacks of sexism; if a professor is friendly, he is readying you for future sexual abuse. There is no kindness so innocent that women educated in the â€Å"patterns† of harassment cannot recognize it as an instance of the newly identified activity experts refer to as â€Å"grooming† the victim for the kill. Academic encouragement, easy jesting, an affectionate epithet–all of what used to be the currency of good fellowship as well as teaching–have become cause for vigilance, fodder for complaint, the stuff of suits.† If there was ever a woman’s issue that deserves a backlash, it is sexual harassment; unfortunately the backlash has appeared in other battlegrounds where there are real women victims, such as rape, incest and child molestation, but not this one. Feminists have already won–the occasional true harasser is easily identified and thrown out of office, But in making all college female students out to be weak and resourceless victims, and all male faculty as closet villains, the regular classrooms are now fearfully and boringly intolerable for everyone; they should be now left alone. Sexual harassment remains a major problem in high school and in the workplace, but I just don’t see it being one in college anymore. Work Cited Nehring, Cristina. â€Å"The Higher Yearning.† Harper’s Magazine 303.1816 (2001): 64-72.

Funk Art Movement, From Ceramics to Found Objects

Funk Art Movement, From Ceramics to Found Objects By the middle of the 1950s, abstract expressionism had held sway in the art world for a full decade, and there existed certain artists who felt the adulation had gone on for roughly nine years too long. In an uncoordinated artistic rebellion, a number of new movements began to gain traction. The one characteristic these movements had in common was shunning the abstract in favor of the tangible. From this, the delightfully-named Funk Art movement was born. Origins of the Funk Art  Name The romantic version of Funk Arts etymology says it came from jazz music, where funky was a term of approbation. Jazz is also perceived as unrefined and especially with late 50s free jazz unorthodox. This fits neatly, for Funk Art was nothing if not unrefined and unorthodox. However, it is probably closer to the truth to say that Funk Art came from the original, negative meaning of funk: a powerful stench, or an assault on ones senses. Whichever version you believe, the baptism occurred in 1967, when UC Berkeley Art History professor and Founding Director of the Berkeley Art Museum, Peter Selz, curated the Funk exhibition. Where Funk Art Was Created The movement got its start in the San Francisco Bay area, specifically at the University of California, Davis. In fact, many of the artists who participated in Funk Art were on the studio art faculty. Funk Art never outgrew being a regional movement, which is just as well. The Bay Area, the epicenter of the underground, was probably the one place in which it could have thrived, let alone survived. How Long the Movement Lasted Funk Arts heyday was in the mid- to late-1960s. Naturally, its beginnings were much earlier; the (very) late-1950s seem to be the point of origin. By the end of the 1970s, things were pretty much over as far as artistic movements go. To include all possibilities, it can be said Funk Art was produced for no more than two decades and 15 years would be more realistic. It was fun while it lasted, but Funk did not have a long life. The Key Characteristics of Funk Art Found and everyday objectsAutobiographical subjects(Frequently inappropriate) humorAudience engagementElevation of ceramics Historic Precedent Funk was preceded by another Bay Area art movement known as Beat Era Funk or Funk Assemblage. Its attitude was more surrealistic than funky, but it did add a few notes to Funk. Despite also being regional, Beat Era Funk never garnered much popularity. In terms of humor and subject matter, Funk Arts lineage goes straight back to Dada, while its aspects of collage and assemblage hearken to Pablo Picassos and Georges Braques Synthetic Cubism. Artists Associated with Funk Art Robert ArnesonWallace BermanBruce ConnerRoy De ForestJay DeFeoViola FreyDavid GilhoolyWally HedrickRobert H. HudsonJessEd KienholzManuel NeriGladys NilssonJim NuttPeter SaulRichard ShawWilliam T. Wiley Sources Albright, Thomas. Art in the San Francisco Bay Area: 1945 to 1980, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985.Nelson, A. G. You (exh. cat.),  Davis: University of California Press, 2007.See: The Early Years of the UC Davis Studio Art FacultyOral history interview with Bruce Nauman, 1980 May 27-30,  Archives of American Art, Smithsonian InstitutionOral history interview with Roy De Forest, 2004 Apr. 7-June 30,  Archives of American Art, Smithsonian InstitutionSelz, Peter. Funk (exh. cat.).  Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967.Tinti, Mary M. Funk Art,  Grove Art Online, accessed 25 Apr. 2012.

Poes The Raven With Explanations for ESL Learners

Poe's The Raven With Explanations for ESL Learners The Raven  by Edgar Allan Poe is a classic American poem. Its  quite popular to read this poem around Halloween, but its a glorious one  to read aloud at any time of year, with a compelling rhythm and fantastic story that will send shivers up your spine. This version of The Raven defines the more challenging words after each section of the poem. The  poem can be read on many levels; on your first reading you may want to try to understand the literal meaning of the poem, rather than getting bogged down in symbolism or trying to define every individual word. For more on The Raven, you may want to check out these questions for discussion. Read on if you dare!   The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore -While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door -Only this and nothing more. pondered thoughtlore storyrapping knockingmuttered said Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.Eagerly I wished the morrow; -vainly I had sought to borrowFrom my books surcease of sorrow -sorrow for the lost Lenore -For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore -Nameless here for evermore. bleak sad, black and coldember burning piece of wood glowing orangewrought presentedmorrow the next daymaiden woman, girl And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtainThrilled me -filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;This it is and nothing more. rustling movement that makes noiseentreating asking for Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,Sir, I said, or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,That I scarce was sure I heard you -here I opened wide the door; -Darkness there and nothing more. implore ask forscarce hardly Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,And the only word there spoken was the whispered word Lenore!This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word Lenore -Merely this and nothing more. peering looking intogave no token gave no sign Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,Soon again I heard a tapping something louder than before.Surely, said I, surely that is something at my window lattice;Let me see, then, what threat is, and this mystery explore -Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -Tis the wind and nothing more! window lattice frame around the window Open here I flung a shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.Not the least obeisance made he; not an minute stopped or stayed he;But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -Perched and sat and nothing more. flung threw openflutter movement of wings, noisestately magnificentobeisance gesture of deference, respectmien manner ofperched how a bird sits Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou, I said, art sure no craven,Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore -Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Nights Plutonian shore!Quoth the Raven, Nevermore! beguiling charmingcountenance bearing, mannercrest headthou old English for youart arecraven cowardly, mean-spiritedthy old English for your Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,Though its answer little meaning -little relevancy bore;For we cannot help agreeing that no living human beingEver yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door -Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,With such a name as Nevermore. marvelled was surprisedungainly uglyfowl birddiscourse speechbore contained, had But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke onlyThat one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.Nothing farther then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered -Till I scarcely more than muttered: Other friends have flown before- On the morrow he will leave me as my Hopes have flown before.Then the bird said Nevermore. placid peacefuluttered said Startled at the stilless broken by reply so aptly spoken,Doubtless, said I what it utters is its only stock and store,Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful DisasterFollowed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden boreOf Never -nevermore. aptly wellstock and store repeated phrasedirges sad songs But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust, and door;Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linkingFancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yoreMeant in croaking Nevermore. betook moved myselffancy here used as noun meaning imagined story, thoughtyore from the pastcroaking the sound a frog makes, usually a very ugly sound coming from the throat This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressingTo the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosoms core;This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease recliningOn the cushions velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated oer,But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating oerShe shall press, ah, nevermore! bosom chest, heartdivinig guessing Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censerSwung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.Wretch, I cried thy God hath lent thee -by these angels he hath sent theeRespite -respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!Quoth the Raven, Nevermore. methought old English for I thoughtcenser a container for burning incensewretch horrible personhath old English for hasthee old English for yourespite rest fromnepenthe a drug providing a way of forgetting somethingquaff drink quickly or recklesslyQuoth quoted Prophet! said I thing of evil! -prophet still, if bird or devil! -Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -On this home by horror haunted, -tell me truly, I implore -Is there -is there balm in Gilead? -tell me -tell me, I implore!Quoth the Raven, Nevermore. Tempter Satantempest stormbalm liquid that eases painGilead biblical reference Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend! I shrieked, upstarting -Get thee back into the tempest and the Nights Plutonian shore!Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!Leave my loneliness unbroken! -quit the bust above my door!Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!Quoth the Raven, Nevermore. parting separation, leavingfiend monstershrieked shouted, screamedplume type of featherquit leave And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sittingOn the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;And his eyes have all the seeming of a demons that is dreaming,And the lamp-light oer him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;And my soul from out that shadow that is floating on the floorShall be lifted -nevermore. flitting movingpallid pale

Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History Essay

Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History - Essay Example The services of the Library foundation have been active since 1872. The library is not active for respective purpose but also working in a join with other 72 libraries in Los Angeles. The Library Foundation is also involved in undertaking advocacy services as well. This shows that Library Store is involved in supporting masses within the community. Unlike other fundraising events, this was less advertised among the mainstream celebrities. It is obvious from the charity events that it could not become successful in terms of raising funds for the cause until celebrity endorsement is undertaken. But Library Store’s Cancer Fund Raiser had common people as visitors more than celebrities. This charity event was created for the first time in the Library Store with its own affiliation of organizers. The goal of this charity was backed up by its vision of supporting other libraries in Los Angeles to maintain their services to the educational institutions for spreading literacy in Los Angeles. Considering this vision, the event was a success and organized relevant activities. The intriguing fact about the fundraising was the inclusion of different standing-comedians who participated to make the event a success. These standing-comedians had successfully taken place of celebrities coming to the event. According to the organizer of f undraising, the basic goal of the fundraiser was to assess the contribution of common people in Los Angles who are more than willing to contribute to the society. It will not be incorrect to state that this fundraising was far different than other charity events. It was because of low-light charity. The Library Store is an attraction for a majority of people living Los Angeles which automatically spread awareness regarding the fundraiser.