Hiroshima Essays (1050 words) - , Term Papers

Hiroshima OUTLINE Thesis: Nuclear proliferation should be banned in order to prevent other countries from death and destruction like that of Hiroshima. I. Mankind argues for and against Hershey's message to ban the bomb. (QUOTE) A. History leading to Hiroshima 1. Why was book written 2. When was book written B. Author and name of book 1. Hershey's message 2. Other information C. Thesis II. By giving governments the power to use bombs, many innocent civilians are killed. A. Proponents of nuclear armament argued that one massive show of force would result in fewer casualties of civilians compared to ground war, but use of the bomb is still inhumane. B. Number of persons killed, injured, and missing due to bomb C. Radiation over widespread area 1. 20% died from direct exposure to radiation 2. 50% died from other injuries, 25% died from direct burns D. Although bombs set an example for rest of world...... 1. Opposing evidence 2. Opposing evidence III. Governments have a right to protect their citizens. However, survivors of bombs are permanently affected. A. Affects physical health and emotions Hanson ii 1. example 2. example B. Affects housing 1. example 2. example C. Affects food and water supplies IV. Although nuclear proliferation helps restore peace, it also causes destruction of many regional economies. A. People unable to afford medical care B. Businesses destroyed 1. Japanese building regulations 2. Statistics on destroyed buildings C. Employers wouldn't hire bomb victims 1. Quote from novel 2. Constant physical problems V. In the novel Hiroshima, author John Hershey presents a clear message. A. Nuclear proliferation should be stopped B. Bomb does more harm than good 1. Kills innocent civilians 2. Survivors permanently affected a. mentally/ emotionally b. physically 3. Economic destruction C. Bartlett's quote D. Sentence comparing quote to nuclear weapons today HIROSHIMA ?As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil they set out to destroy.? --Christopher Dawson In the novel Hiroshima, author John Hershey presents a clear message to ban the use of nuclear proliferation. This true account was written in 1946 and portrays the lives of six survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Hershey's intentions were to show everyone what kind of destruction can be caused by the atomic bomb. The bombing of Hiroshima by the United States was retaliation to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The U.S. wanted to make an example of Japan, so they dropped the most powerful bomb they had, not fully knowing what kind of devastation it would cause. Many people lost their lives and an entire city was economically devastated. Nuclear proliferation should be banned in order to prevent other countries from suffering the death and destruction like that of Hiroshima. Governments around the world have the power to regulate what kind of warfare is used during battle. However, by permitting the use of the atomic bomb, many innocent civilians are killed. Proponents of nuclear armament argue that one massive show of force results in fewer casualties overall compared to prolonged ground war, but the use of the bomb is still inhumane. In the case of Hiroshima, staticians said that ?at least 100,000 thousand people had lost their lives? and 37,245 had been injured(81). The bombing of Hiroshima also produced radiation over a widespread area. Twenty percent of the victims killed died from radiation exposure. It was reported that 25% died from direct burns caused by the bomb and 50% died from other bomb related injuries. Although the use of nuclear proliferation is often used to set an example for the rest of the world, it causes intense suffering and death to many innocent civilians. Although many governments use atomic warheads to protect their own citizens from harm, the survivors of these atomic bombs are permanently affected. The effects of the bomb cause damage to physical health as well as emotions. Thousands of people suffered from severe burns which left terrible koloid scars, others had broken bones, and many thousands more suffered from nausea and fatigue due to extreme radiation exposure. Many became very bitter as a result of seeing such death and destruction(72). In addition, thousands of homes located near the hypocenter were destroyed. Many citizens of Hiroshima were left homeless or living in shelters due to the bomb. Food and water supplies were also greatly affected. Most people lost everything they owned and were unable to afford food. The water was also affected by the radiation and, therefore, was undrinkable. The use of nuclear proliferation most often cause serious permanent pain and suffering. Despite the fact that nuclear

Gettysburg Essays - Gettysburg Battlefield, Battle Of Gettysburg

Gettysburg Essays - Gettysburg Battlefield, Battle Of Gettysburg Gettysburg This most famous and most important Civil War Battle occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a skirmish but by the time it ended, it involved 160,00 Americans. Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and even Washington itself, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee?s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the Potomac River and marched into Pennsylvania. the Union Army of the Potomac under its new and untried commander, General George G. Meade, marched to intercept Lee. On Tuesday morning, June 30, an infantry brigade of Confederate soldiers searching for shoes headed toward Gettysburg (population about 2,400). The Confederate commander looked through his field glasses and spotted a long column of Federal cavalry heading toward the town. He withdrew his brigade and informed his superior, Hen. Henry Heth, who in turn told his superior, A.P. Hill, he would go back the following morning and ?get those shoes?. This kinda of tells you how much of an advantage the North had over the South. Desperate bare-footed men risked their lives for shoes. Wednesday, July 1, two divisions of Confederates headed back to Gettysburg. They ran into Federal cavalry west of the town at Willoughby Run (I have Willoughby Run on my model here) and the skirmish began. Events quickly escalated. Lee rushed 25,000 men to the scene while the Union had less than 20,000. After much fierce fighting and heavy casualties on both sides, the Federals were pushed back through the town of Gettysburg and regrouped south of the town along the high ground near the cemetery (which is here on my map). Lee ordered Confederate General R.S. Ewell to seize the high ground from the battle tired Federals . Gen. Ewell hesitated to attack thereby giving the Union troops a chance to dig in along Cemetery Ridge and bring in reinforcements with artillery. By the time Lee realized Ewell had not attacked, it was too late to attempt the attack. Meade arrived at the area and thought it was an ideal place to do battle with the Rebel army. He expected a massive number of Union soldiers totaling up to 100,000to arrive and strengthen his defensive position. Confederate General James Lonstreet saw the Union position as nearly impenetrable and told Lee it should be left alone. He argued that the Confederate Army should instead move east between the Union Army and Washington and build a defensive position thus forcing the Federals to attack them instead. But Lee believed his army was invincible and he also didn?t have his cavalry which served as his eyes and ears. With his cavalry he could track the Unions troop movements. Cavalry leader Jev Stuart had gone off with his troops to harass the Federals leaving Lee with a disadvantage. Lee decided to attack the Union Army?s defensive position at the southern end of Cemetery Ridge which he thought was less defended. Around 10 a.m. the next morning, Thursday, July 2, Gen. Lonstreet was ordered by Lee to attack. but Lonstreet was quite slow in getting his troops into position and didn?t even attack them until 4 p.m. that afternoon. This gave the Union Army more time to strengthen their position. When Longstreet attacked, some of the most bitter fighting of the Civil War erupted at places now part of American military folklore such as Little Round Top, Devil?s Den, the Wheat Field and the Peach Orchard (which can all be seen on my model). Longstreet took the Peach Orchard but was driven back at Little Round Top. About 6:30 p.m. Gen. Ewell attacked the Union Line from the north and east at Cemetery Hill and Culp?s Hill (which can be seen on my model also). The attack lasted into darkness but was finally decided unsuccessful at Cemetery Hill, although Rebels seized some trenches on Culp?s Hill. By about 10:30 p.m., the day?s fighting came to and end. The Federals had lost some ground during the Rebel onslaught but still held the strong defensive position along Cemetery Ridge. Both sides regrouped and counted their causalities. Generals from each side gathered in war councils to plan for the coming day. Union commander Meade decided his army would remain in place and wait for Lee to attack. On the Confederate side, Longstreet once again tried to talk Lee out of attacking such a strong

Case Study of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet project (NMCI) project Essay

Case Study of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet project (NMCI) project Management - Essay Example The case study analysis of the NMCI project shows that if the above measures are not put in place, there are likely chances of the project failing to meet its set goals and objectives. Introduction The term project is used to describe a set of linked activities or it can be precisely defined as a onetime activity with a well defined set of desired results (Hellriegel 2001). Some of the major features of a project include a definite start and finish, a time frame for completion, uniqueness as well as involvement of people on a temporary basis. Thus, for any project to be a success, project management plays a pivotal role in the implementation of the whole project. Against this background, this case study based essay seeks to critically analyse the project management practices and outcomes in the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) project being executed by Electronic Data Systems (EDS). The essay is divided into three phases and it will be structured as follows: Phase one deals with a p reliminary scope statement, phase two deals with presentation of an analysis, critique and recommendations regarding the project management areas of estimating, quality and communication as they apply to NMCI’s performance and the third phase will deal with presentation of an analysis, critique and recommendations regarding the project management areas of risk management, scheduling and budgeting and project execution as they apply to the case of NMCI. An assessment of whether the project was a success from the stakeholders’ perspective will be given at the end of the essay. Phase 1 The Preliminary Project Scope Statement is a framework or guideline that spells the main ideas and decisions to be made in the project and can be constantly reviewed to ensure compliance with the project goals set (Yeates & Cadle 1996). It documents all the requirements of the project as well as the boundaries within which the project will be implemented whereby there is a common understand ing between the project management team and the stakeholders involved. Thus, â€Å"the preliminary Project Scope Statement defines the project and establishes what must be accomplished at a high level,† (Elyse, PMP & CPHIMS 2006). The project objective in this case of NMCI is to build a single and seamless network. Against this background, EDS has managed to get a contract worth up to $9 billion to supply the US Navy and Marine Corps with a single, seamless network. Indeed, this is seen as the biggest government contract in the US. The other objective is that The Navy contract is being regarded as a pilot project for the way the military as a whole will run its IT in the future. In other words, this project seeks to create a situation whereby the Navy will be given the autonomy to manage its affairs with regards to its information and technology (IT) needs in the future. The project requirements include IT infrastructure in the form of computers, hardware as well as software that is required in executing this project. The project boundary is limited to EDS, the contractors, NMCI and the government of the US which is also a sponsor of the project. The project also assumes that EDS systems are intended to be fully operational by June 2003 which entails that the Navy will be ruled by the PC business in the years to come. Within the scope of this project, the major constraint likely to be encountered is related to cultural factors in the

The Growth of Google Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Growth of Google - Research Paper Example Google’s mission is to shape the global information and make it comprehensively available and relevant. According to Google’s strategy and objectives, it believes that the most operational and profitable means to achieve its mission is to prioritize the interests of its customers. The company according to a well-undertaken research, have made conclusions that offering reasonably high-quality services results in enhanced traffic and stable promotion through word of mouth amongst the consumers. With regards to products and service delivery, Google seeks to work tirelessly in order to produce the most relevant, as well as valuable search results possible. On the other hand, Google aims to try its best to deliver the most relevant and useful marketing. If under any circumstances whereby an element on an outcome page attracts payment, the company will declare it to its users. Under their publication plan, advertisements should not interrupt at all. Google, like any other cor porate body or a private entity, envies a bright future; therefore, one of its principles is to work relentlessly in order to improve the user experience.In 1999, an announcement was made by Brin and Page to establish Google, from a couple of exclusive venture principal companies: Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins. By 2000, Google’s directory of more than one billion websites exceeded those of its competitors, therefore replacing Inktomi as Yahoo!’s search instrument. During this time, Google’s focus was primarily on algorithmic search.

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more Essay - 1

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more sociable or is it creating an introverted generation - Essay Example Despite these benefits of social networking, it has also resulted in undesirable effects such as widespread feeling of loneliness, loss of identity, and social alienation from the society. Thus, it is increasingly creating reserved individuals who are so much inclined to their thoughts and feelings with minimal societal interactions. The anonymity and lack of face-to-face interaction associated with most social sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide an opportunity for dissimulation of feelings and personal traits during communication. People feel freer to express their thoughts, which are not sincere on many occasions, on social media than in real life situations because nobody sees them. This kind of anonymity is a crucial factor that triggers human feeling of freedom from social responsibility, which often leads to negative consequences (Zimbardo 255). Furthermore, social media allows people to create false personalities and identify themselves with individuals different from who they are. As a result, they start detaching themselves from the rest of the community and later, this may cause certain communicational disability, social anxiety, and even asceticism (Zimbardo 225). There is a likelihood that exposure of these individuals who have masked their personalities through social media communication woul d be a social catastrophe. For example, the case of Facebook privacy breaches that has become a nightmare for its users. In addition, the fear of losing social media privacy has led to the appearance of cyberbullying, which is a huge problem nowadays. Social media bullies play on people’s dependency on social media images, so they often manipulate people by creating breaches in their social networking profiles’ security. It is also imperative to note that the cyberbullying contributes to the development of introspective tendencies of modern social media generation. Researchers in this area revealed that cyberbullying

Barack Obamas Political Marketing Strategy

Barack Obamas Political Marketing Strategy Using a country of your choice as an example, critically evaluate if or how political marketing has been applied in political campaigning or governmental communication Hilary Clinton began her campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2008 in pole position; she was by far the most recognizable name, already had a core block of support at the grass-roots level and from the outset she had access to the greatest funds. Yet it was the young and inexperienced African-American senator for Illinois who began his campaign as a relative unknown who secured the nomination. This essay intends to examine how the Barack Obama team utilised political marketing in order to win the contest. Specifically, we will analyse three crucial factors of Barack Obama’s political marketing strategy. Firstly it will be shown that by embracing the concept of online social networking the Obama campaign vastly increased its ability to reach out to and connect with his supporters. This produced a wide range of positive results, from increased grass-roots mobilization to greater levels of financial support. Next we will demonstrate that the data mining methods used by the O bama team to profile supporters gave the campaign greater efficiency, both in identifying potential voters and maximizing fundraising opportunities. The third decisive element of Barack Obama’s political marketing will be shown to be the way in which he was branded; his was the most professional, consistent and aesthetically cohesive branding effort, with a distinctive message that gave him a clear demarcation from his rivals. In short this essay will argue that these three strategies – the concept of social networking, the extensive data mining and the professional branding of Obama – all served to play a decisive role in his victory and provide important, even seminal, lessons for future political marketing strategies. Marc Ambinder (2008) argues that â€Å"America’s politics have regularly been transformed by sudden changes in the way we communicate† and he goes onto to show how past Presidents have embraced previous communication revolutions; Lincoln exploited the boom in the newspaper industry, Roosevelt’s radio-broadcast fireside chats enabled him to speak directly to the American people, whilst Kennedy’s assured performance against a less than comfortable Nixon in the first televised Presidential debate in American political history helped win the White House. They all understood and exploited these new media better than their opponents. Today’s newest media is of course the internet and Barack Obama’s campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination has attempted to fully utilise the internet for political marketing purposes. Whilst using the web to reach out to the electorate, raise campaign money and other such activities is nothing new – witness the success of Howard Dean during the 2004 Democratic campaign – what made this campaign unique was the ‘joining up’ of disparate new-media strands into a comprehensive array of services. The Obama team embraced the concept of internet social networking, as exemplified by sites such as MySpace and Facebook, to a degree that was unsurpassed by any other candidate. So keen were they to incorporate the social networking phenomenon they hired Chris Hughes, one of the original founders of Facebook (Stelter, 2008). The big idea to come from this was that Barack Obama’s internet presence should go further than merely having a website which detailed policies, provided news, allowed donations and so on; rather there should be a network of inter-linked services and tools that enabled supporters to interact with one another and form a virtual community. At the heart of this was the site My.BarackObama.com which acted as a hub for Obama supporters, allowing them to ne twork at a local level with other supporters. In practical terms this meant the establishment of fund-raising events, the mobilization of activists at the micro-level in order to recruit people to do the groundwork of distributing leaflets and knocking on doors. Although the site was established by Obama’s campaign team, once set up it became self-perpetuating; fundraisers were being organized at the ground level, with little or no interaction or involvement from upon high. My.BarackObama.com went further than a standard campaign website, which usually allows the politician to connect with their own supporters. Whilst such an approach can be termed as a sort of vertical, or top down communication, My.BarackObama.com facilitated horizontal communication, that is to say that it allowed Barack Obama’s supports to communicate with each other, as well as being able to participate in the campaign.. For a candidate such as Obama this new method of engaging with the public via new media presented him as part of the zeitgeist, as ‘next generation’; just as John F. Kennedy was seen as the first President to be of the 20th Century so Obama is seen as the candidate that best reflects the 21st Century. Aside from all the inherent practical benefits, the adoption of internet social networking methods also dovetailed neatly with Obama’s wider political message of self-empowerment. Indeed, the man himself has made this connection, declaring that the qualities that best described his campaign â€Å"openness and transparency and participation† — were ones that â€Å"merged perfectly† with the Internet (cited in Cohen, 2008). In fact we could go as far as to say that, in terms of Obama’s use of internet-based social networking, the medium is the message; My.BarackObama.com is significant not because it details radical policy proposals but rather because of the way in which it facilitates communication and allows for greater interaction and collaborative decentralized participation. In other words, its actual message is not what significant but rather the way in which information is conveyed and the symbiotic relationship that is formed as a result. For example, just the very fact the Barack Obama was au fait with ‘Web 2.0’ ideas and trends such as social networking distinguished him from his rivals. The aforementioned Chris Hughes, one of the founders of Facebook who joined the Obama team, ensured that My.BarackObama.com stuck to the founding principles that has made Facebook so popular and effective; despite being a large national-based service, it was organized on a local level so users would interact with those in their real-life communities (Stelter, 2008). An Obama supporter in, say, a suburb of Rhode Island, could interact with other in his/her real-life community, events could be organized, they could meet up if they so wished. Indeed many such social events were arranged; in one example Obama supporters gathered together at each other’s house to watch a live webcast of their candidate’s speech (Kantor, 2007). However the online strategy was designed not merely to facilitate the social lives of Obama supporters but rather to improve grass-roots organisation, as Joe Rospars, Obama’s online director explains; â€Å"Weve tried to orient the tools less a s a social network and more as a mobilization network. Were creating opportunities for people to get out there and do things, the campaign is election-outcome oriented† (cited in Stelter, 2008). The practical benefits of adopting the concept of social networking soon became apparent. The New York Times reported that â€Å"in some primary and caucus states, volunteers used the Internet to start organizing themselves months before the campaign staff arrived†(Stelter, 2008). The real gains of Obama’s new media strategy however can be counted in dollars and cents; in April 2008, as the campaign entered a crucial stage, Obama’s teams raised $31m, whilst Hilary Clinton managed $20m (Sullivan, 2008). This gave Obama $38m for the remainder of his campaign, whilst Hilary $6m for hers (Sullivan, 2008). Such figures should not fool the reader into thinking that Hilary Clinton’s fundraising efforts were in some way ineffective – far from it, as Peter Ley den of the think-tank New Politics Institute explains: â€Å"What’s amazing is that Hillary built the best campaign that has ever been done in Democratic politics on the old model – she raised more money than anyone before her, she locked down all the party stalwarts, she assembled an all-star team of consultants and she really mastered this top-down, command-and-control type of outfit. And yet she’s getting beaten by this political start-up that is essentially a totally different model of the new politics† (cited in Sullivan, 2008) This new model was partly influenced by recent changes in the U.S. in laws pertaining to campaign funding. Due to concerns that massive donations by big business to campaign coffers could potentially cause a conflict of interest once a candidate was in office, the maximum amount allow for an individual donation was limited to $2,000 ($2,300 for the 2008 election). This shifted the emphasis away from the courting of wealthy donors towards attempts to encourage individuals to get their friends, family members and so on to also contribute the maximum donation. This strategy was the one which enable George W. Bush to amass the enormous sums spent on his Presidential bid, through the means of fundraising events and dinners, in which attendees paid considerable sums to rub shoulders with the candidate themselves (Sullivan, 2008). However, Obama’s team use of social networking led to two significant consequences in relation to campaign finance. Firstly, social networking created fund raising events by the grass roots supporters themselves, with no input from the candidate necessary. Secondly, rather than seek the maximum $2,300 from each individual, Obama’s team realized that a greater number of smaller donations meant a higher overall contribution. Of the $31m raised by Obama in April 2008, almost all of it came from online donors (Sullivan, 2008) and 94% came in donations of $200 or less (Sullivan, 2008). In comparison, 26% of Hilary Clinton’s donations and 13% of John McCain’s were under $200 (Green, 2008). Let us be clear; the amount that Barack Obama has raised online is unprecedented. Howard Dean was feted for raising $27 million online in 2004. So far, Obama has raised nearly $200 million (Green, 2008). A great example of how the ‘snowballing effect’ of social networking worked to create donations for Barack Obama is given by Joe Erwin (2008: â€Å"A friend I know, whos an Independent voter and who had never made an online campaign contribution, recently went online and donated $50 to the Obama campaign. Within two minutes she received a thank-you for the contribution and an acknowledgement that someone in Ohio had matched her contribution as a way of also saying thank you. Two minutes after that, she received another e-mail from the campaign asking if she, too, would be willing to match the $50 contribution of a new donor, and whether her e-mail address could be shared so that the new donor could thank her for her match. You get the picture.† The tactic of asking supporters just to give a little was inspired. Not only did it deliver a vast number of donors – over two million (Stelter, 2008).– but as the vast majority did not contribute the maximum amount, Obama was able to continue to ask them for another ‘little’ donation time and time again as his campaign went on. Furthermore, such a request is one that he can make again once the Presidential race against McCain begins in earnest. As The Times declares, â€Å"This is a money machine unlike any other† (Sullivan, 2008). Obama’s method of online fundraising meant that it minimized the amount of time he actually had to be present at events and dinners. In February 2008 the Obama campaign raised $55m ($45m from the internet) without Barack Obama personally hosting a single fundraiser (Sullivan, 2008). There are always multiple demands on a candidates’ time during a campaign, so the opportunity to spend less time trying to sweet talk people into emptying their wallets and purses and more on working on policy, speeches and suchlike is invaluable. Not only were the demands on the candidates time lessened but the campaign team soon found that fundraising events were springing up spontaneously, independent of any official involvement, as Andrew Sullivan (2008) explains: â€Å"This spring, many friends who had never previously been interested in politics suddenly told me about their Obama fundraisers. I was stunned by their activism. No one had asked them. They were arranging the parties or performances or gatherings through Facebook and MySpace, without any formal leadership from Obama headquarters. Just as Obama’s most famous web videos were never commissioned by the candidate – they were created and disseminated spontaneously online – so his fundraising began to take on a life of its own†¦There is no question in my mind that this is the future of political organisation and fundraising† Joshua Green (2008) witnessed first hand how Obama supporters became empowered to get involved in a meaningful way. Upon visiting the local Obama headquarters in Silicone Valley, Green found it to be â€Å"jammed with volunteers† who were listening to a Obama speech asking volunteers to phone wavering delegates in Iowa in order to try to get them to back him. Soon these volunteers did exactly that. The next day, Obama had gained nine delegates. What struck Green most about this episode was that: â€Å"that the headquarters is entirely self-sufficient—not a dime has come from the Obama campaign. Instead, everything from the computers to the telephones to the doughnuts and coffee—even the building’s rent and utilities—is user-generated, arranged and paid for by local volunteers. It is one of several such examples across the country, and no other campaign has put together anything that can match this level of self-sufficiency† As Obama’s online director Joe Rospars states, â€Å"the idea is to give them the tools and have them go out and do all this on their own† (cited in Green, 2008) Another distinct advantage to the social networking system was that it allowed the campaign team to amass a wide array of personal information regarding Obama’s support. This data went far beyond the usual demographic indicators usually utilized in elections. The subsequent data mining of the information allowed Obama’s team to yet again maximize campaign contributions, as well as giving them a stronger, more organized presence at the grass-roots level. Upon visiting My.BarackObama.com you are prompted to either log-in to your account or sign up if you are not already an existing user. This means that, unlike with traditional candidate websites, to access the full range of services you must provide your email address as well as your zip code. Other personal information can also be volunteered. As a result of his internet presence Barack Obama has over five million people signed up to his email list (Madden, 2008). What is significant however is not how much data was ava ilable to Obama’s people, but rather how it was used. After all, too much information can be overwhelming; how this information was utilized, the way in which it was broken down and ‘sliced up’ meant that the campaign could achieve greater efficiency and function in a much more streamlined manner. Targeting the right demographic is crucial, there is little point in pouring in money and time attempting to recruit voters who are by inclination Clintonites (or in the forthcoming Presidential campaign, right-wing Republicans). By knowing a voter’s age, gender, race, household income, academic qualifications and suchlike, predicting who they are planning to vote for (or indeed if they are likely to vote at all) is made all the more easier. Not only did Obama’s people collect data from their own supporters, they also used information that was already in the public domain, such as census records and voter registration records (Madden, 2008). Statistical software and market research tools used in the corporate domain were then used to isolate trends or common factors that indicated whether someone would be likely to vote Republican or Democrat, for Hilary or Obama. Whilst such research cannot guarantee to predict an individual’s voting behaviour it does allow for more educated guesses. For example, Obama’s campaign team would know that members of the American Civil Liberties Union would be more likely to vote for their candidate than members of the National Rifle Association. This data mining process meant that time and money could be more efficiently targeted and channeled. In the Iowa caucus the Obama team used sophisticated tracking mechanisms to firstly identify supporters, then hold their support . Internet sources were used to build mailing lists based on political, professional and personal interests. To gather information o voters his team trawled social networking sites, and not just MySpace and Facebook but also more niche sites that catered for white collar professionals, baby boomers, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and the homosexual community (Slevin, P. Vargas, J.A., 2007) Data mining for political ends is nothing new. During the 2004 Election George W. Bush used consumer data to target potential new supporters (Madden, 2008). The Democrats used similar information to target wealthy donors (Madden, 2008). The difference with the Obama campaign is that his team used far more detailed information in pursuit of far wider reaching aims. For Obama’s people even information that may at first seem to have little or no relevance was utilized in order to accrue an advantage. The time at which people on the mailing list read the emails sent to them was monitored and if a consistent pattern emerged, they would always send them at that time of day. As Michael Bassik, a Democratic consultant with online advertising company MSHC Partners explains, â€Å"the marginal benefit of sending some people an email at 2 oclock vs. 3 oclock vs. 4 oclock might not make sense [at first] but once you start getting an e-mail list thats 3 million, 4 million, or 10 million p eople, increasing the returns for a fundraising e-mail by 5 or 10 percent means additional returns of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars (cited in Madden, 2008). A user of My.BarackObama.com would have their usage tracked so it would be known how often they visited and when and thus their commitment to the campaign could be measured. All members – nearly a million people (Stelter, 2008) – were asked to complete a detailed survey of their voting habits, previous contributions to political campaigns, the political groups and issues they care most about and if and when they visited church (Madden, 2008). All of this information was then collated in order to build a profile of an Obama supporter. This information was then put to use via traditional electioneering methods. Neighbourhoods in which the data showed the highest percentage of likely Obama supporters were extensively canvassed. This integration of old and new methods is what made Obama’s data mining a success. Online information was joined up with offline data, everything became integrated, as the following example given by Andrew Sullivan (2008) shows: â€Å"Obama’s trademark mass rallies†¦aren’t just media draws. Everyone who wanted to get into the 75,000-strong rally in Portland†¦had to provide an e-mail address. By the time they came home from the event, an e-mail was waiting for them, asking them for money or for referrals to other friends, and encouraging them to form â€Å"affinity groups† to spread the network wider and wider† The information gleaned from data mining was combined with the advantages of social networking by Obama’s team when users of My.BarackObama.com were encouraged to help the campaign by canvassing in their own areas. They were supplied with information that told them which of their neighbours were most likely to vote Democrat and who in their area was registered as an independent voter (Stelter, 2008). The final key element of Barack Obama’s political marketing strategy that we will discuss is branding. In his campaign Obama applied practices used for the branding of consumer products by corporate entities. He realized that consistency was the watchword; consistency of message and consistency in the way in which that message is delivered The use of consistent and expertly designed fonts, logos, slogans and web design prompted Newsweek to declare that â€Å"Obama is the first presidential candidate to be marketed like a high-end consumer brand†¦ in a way that transcends the mere appropriation of commercial tactics to achieve the sort of seamless brand identity that the most up-to-date companies strive for† (Romano, 2008). Just as with much else of the campaign, the operation to create ‘brand Obama’ was consistent and wide ranging. The online efforts were joined-up and synchronized with offline marketing. Obama’s team again took what can be desc ribed as a holistic approach. All of the graphics were in the same typeface, the Gotham font. This is true of the website, placards, leaflets and other literature. At Obama rallies all non-homemade signs are in the same font, which, according to graphic designer and critic Michael Bierut, is a more impressive feat than one might initially imagine; â€Å"every single non-handmade sign is in that font. Every single one of them. And theyre all perfectly spaced and perfectly arranged. Trust me. Ive done graphics for events and I know what it takes to have rally after rally without someone saying, ‘Oh, we ran out of signs, lets do a batch in Arial’†¦Theres an absolute level of control that I have trouble achieving with my corporate clients†(Romano, 2008). There were even occasions at rallies when supporters were requested to trade their home-made signs and placards for official Obama material so as to maintain the aesthetic cohesion (Brady, 2008). The typography used by Obama is significant for the message that it relays to us. His use of the Gotham font is fitting, as like the man himself it is a modern American creation. It was devised in 2002 for New York’s public buildings (Romano, 2008; Heller, 2008; Brady, 2008). Experts in the field insist that it is â€Å"assured, elegant, and plain-speaking† (Brady, 2008), â€Å"conversational and pleasant† (cited in Romano, 2008) and â€Å"substantial yet friendly†¦Up-to-date yet familiar† (cited in Heller, 2008). Various experts have waxed lyrical abut their admiration for how consistent, comprehensive and professional Obama’s branding campaign has been, whilst insisting that to successfully orchestrate such a huge, nation-wide branding effort in such a short and concentrated time-frame is something that even the major players in the corporate world have not been capable of (Romano, 2008; Heller, 2008; Brady, 2008). As we have seen with the adoption of social networking, the Obama campaign was as comfortable in dealing with new media sources as well as traditional media outlets. His campaign was transmedia, he understood that many people, especially those in the younger demographic, no longer get their news and other information from solely the television, radio or printed word. Instead many diverse platforms are used; websites, email, podcasts, mobiles phones and other such devices. Obama’s branding strategy, along with the rest of his political marketing operation utilized all media forms to deliver a coherent message. Keith Reinhard of the major advertising agency DDB Worldwide sees Obama as the ideal political product; â€Å"Barack Obama is three things you want in a brand. New, different, and attractive. Thats as good as it gets (cited in McGirt, 2008). His inspirational rhetoric, his promise of change, his idealism are his unique selling points, they differentiate him from the other candidates. The ‘Yes We Can’ message appeals to the younger, perhaps more cynical and apathetic segment of the demographic, it resonates with an audience tired of negative campaigning and broken promises. His is a message in of inclusivity, of empowerment; Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other timeWe are the hope of the future (cited in McGirt, 2008). In conclusion, Barack Obama’s use of political marketing has been crucial in making him the Democrat’s choice to contest the 2008 election. The use of social networking strategies was perhaps the most impressive and important element. The Obama campaign exploited the new opportunities of social networking far better than any other. The ‘Yes We Can’ attitude of his speeches took hold so strongly with his grass-roots support because the opportunities that new media provided for them to become part of the campaign. Supporters were enabled to organise events and engage in political activism with minimal ‘top-down’ management from the campaign team. The amount of money raised online, and the number of donors is unprecedented. Instead of reaching out to the wealthy elite and big business in the hope of large donations, Obama’s fundraising methods have conclusively shown that greater funds can be gathered by receiving smaller donations in much higher amounts. The data mining used meant that targeting potential supporters was made easier and more efficient. Having better information on the political issues that voters were interested in also helped to maximise donations and build support. The Obama brand achieved a remarkable level of consistency, professionalism and aesthetic cohesion and was delivered across a whole host of media, both old and new. His campaign, particularly the way in which the internet was utilised, could well signal a seismic shift in political marketing. Regardless of whether not he becomes President it seems almost certain that Barack Obama has changed the way politicians market themselves to the electorate. Bibliography Ambinder, M., 2008. HisSpace. Atlantic Monthly, June Brady, W., 2008. Obamas media campaign branding our consciousness. The Guardian, 10 July Cohen, N., 2008. The Wiki-Way to the Nomination. The New York Times, 8 June Erwin, J., 2008. How They Grew Brand Obama. Advertising Age, 27 February  [internet]. Available from: http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=125377  [cited 29/07/2008] Green, J., 2008. The Amazing Money Machine. Atlantic Monthly, June Heller, S., 2008. To the Letter Born. The New York Times, 2 April Heller, S., 2008. To the Letter Born. The New York Times, 2 April Kator, J., 2007. Obama’s Online Strategy Seeks Big Bonus From Small Turnout. The New York Times, 1 April Madden, M., 2008. Barack Obamas super marketing machine. Salon, 16 July [internet]  Available from: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/16/obama_data/#  [cited 29/07/2008] MacAskill, E., 2008. Obama sends out army of volunteers. The Guardian, 14 June McGirt, E., 2008. The Brand Called Obama. Fast Company, April [online]. Available from: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/124/the-brand-called-obama.html  [cited 31/07/2008] Rawsthorn, A., 2008. Brand Obama, a leader in the imagewar. International Herald Tribune, 6 April Romano, A. 2008. Expertinent: Why the Obama Brand Is Working. Newsweek, 27 February Schifferes, S., 2008. Internet key to Obama victories. BBC News, 12 June [online] Available from:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7412045.stm  [cited 29/07/2008] Slevin, P. Vargas, J.A., 2007. Obama Tries New Tactics To Get Out Vote in Iowa. The Washington Post, 31 December Sifry M., 2008. President 2.0 The Guardian, 25 June Stelter, B., 2008. The Facebooker Who Friended Obama. The New York Times, 7 July Sullivan, A., 2008. Barack Obama is master of the new Facebook politics. The Times, 25 May

Pro War Attitude Conveyed in Robert Bridges Poem Wake Up, England Essa

In the poem â€Å"Wake Up, England† by Robert Bridges, the speaker expresses his pro-war attitude and urges his English citizens to support the war by playing with our fears, duty and patriotism. In stanza one and two, the speaker asks the citizens to stand up for England because now is not a time for happiness. This is shown when, ‘Thou peace-maker, fight/Stand, England, for honor.’ (Line 2-3); meaning that the speaker is wanting the citizens of England to fight, either physically in the war or supporting it. As stated in stanza two, the enemy is dangerous and is advancing, so the English must not be idle; ‘Thy cavil’ and play; the foe is upon thee.’ The word â€Å"foe† is used to represent the opponent of England. The English need to be more alert and take initiative. To reinforce his point about the seriousness of war, the speaker alerts us about England’s enemy. As stated in stanza 3 the enemy’s are coming: ‘The monarch Ambition/Hath harnessed the slaves’. This states that the enemy is gathering an army and ready to fight England. In the following lines of stanza 3 the speaker contin...

Canon photo chains Essay

Inroduction The message behind photo chains was to inspire people by spreading from one photograph to another as the next creative experience.   The goal behind photo chains was to build accurate insight, which is the main requirement to assemble strong engagement and a strong background of supporting ideas.   The purpose of Photo chains was to encourage consumers increase their experience with canon camera lens technology.   The campaign was launched to allow people to compete and show their photo experience.   The idea behind this photo chains was to create brand awareness and market their products. This would result in attracting many customers to buy canon products. Which marketing positioning strategy Canon used in this campaign? Why? As marketing positioning strategy, Canon launched an online campaign referred to as imagination.   This campaign was a photo contest which encouraged people to participate by uploading their photos.   This campaign was to create awareness about their quality brand which they had created with purpose of inspiring its consumers. Perreault, Cannon & McCarthy (2012) states that customers tend to have more power in making purchases when they have detailed information of the product or services they are targeting to buy.   Canon used this strategy by creating photo chains of which were advertised through television and social networks.   This advert directed people to their website where they were supposed to upload their picture. Canon had established a unique brand which was different from the other competitors this was as a result of influencing creativity and innovation in its operations.   Targeting consumers though online means was a good strategy to improve their relation with customers and building their brand     awareness.   Canon strategically placed its photo chains campaign online to reach out many consumers and give them chance to upload their photos.   The strategy was able to grow largely in the social media attracting more audience.   The canon EOS was of good quality and low price as compared to other competitors. Moreover, Canon also used the strategy of offering low prices with the aim of attracting many customers to buy their quality products. Evaluate and Explain the effectiveness and benefits of â€Å"Photochains† for Canon in terms of: †¢ Target consumers †¢ Brand position in the market †¢ Profit (Short and Long-term) Canon Photo chains campaign mostly targeted individuals, companies and families.   This was an effective online campaign which involved many people who had passion for photographs.   According to Perreault, Cannon & McCarthy (2012) marketing tends to operate in various different dynamic where one of them is use of digital tools. On this perspective, online marketing ensured that Canon was able to create their brand awareness by reaching out to all global customers. Through Photo chains, Canon was able to reach out many people by mostly targeting wildlife, travel and DSLR videographers.   The quality of their brand was to inspire people with the new level of creativity as way of creating brand awareness.   The outcome results were encouraging as many global consumers opted to buy canon products. Brand position in the market Canon established EOS brand of its own having advantage of being unique and creative. This means that the company positioned its brand to be unique from those of competitors. Introduction of EOS Photo chains which inspired and attracted many customers. This brand was distinctive and quite different from competitors. The purpose of this brand positioning was to improve consumer experience. The company also used value and price positioning in the market. This means that it offered high quality prices at relatively low price. Profit (Short and Long-term) Canon photo chains attracted many consumers who resulted to buy their products.   This increased their total sales due to high demand of their products.   Building a strong brand, Canon   Ã‚  was able to dominate the market ahead of other competitors which made them to increase their growth rate. This implies that the company will remain in market for long time due to quality brand they established. References Perreault, W. D., Cannon, J. P., & McCarthy, E. J. (2012). Basic marketing: A marketing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   strategy planning approach. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS1dO8ydng      

Downfall of Education in Louisiana essays

Downfall of Education in Louisiana essays Education in Louisiana has been a major problem in recent years. Louisiana has consistently ranked near the bottom of the 50 states in education, and this trend has yet to change. This is due to a money problem, but mostly is due to the training and selection of teachers. Most teachers are underpaid, unqualified, and some leave the state for better teaching jobs and higher pay. One problem is that many of the teachers in Louisiana are not certified. To be certified teachers must complete a course which gives them state certification to teach. Many teachers are hired without certification and this is only detrimental to the students. A solution to this is to mandate that all teachers receive certification. To add to this, the state could implement assessment test for the teachers to take periodically throughout the year to monitor their progression. Also many teachers are teaching subjects they are not qualified to teach. If a math teacher is teaching an English class what good could come of this? Teacher turnover is also a major problem for state school officials. Many teachers leave the state for better jobs and higher salaries. To combat this problem the state could institute a pay by performance plan. This would give bonuses to teachers based on the performance of their students. This would be an incentive for teachers to stay in state, but it would also make them focus more on the progression of their students, which in turn helps expand the learning experience of the student. The biggest problem our state faces in terms of education is teacher pay. Many solutions have been brought up, but nothing has seemed to work. The pay by performance plan is one way, but there needs to be more. Many people have already opposed by way of vote not to raise sales tax so the teachers would receive a pay raise. But, many people do not realize how it would drastically contribute. Only a one cent sales tax raise would be en...

10 Chemicals You Can Use to Turn Fire Green

10 Chemicals You Can Use to Turn Fire Green Green is possibly the coolest color to turn flames. Its not a color you get from the fuel, so you have to add a chemical to get the effect. The color comes from the ion emission spectra, so you can use any of the chemicals that produce green in the analytical method known as the flame test. The most readily available compounds  are: boric acid (boron compounds), sold as a disinfectant and roach killerborax (boron compounds), sold as a laundry booster and home cleanercopper sulfate (copper(II) compounds), sold as a root killer and algicide However, other chemicals will make green flames: thallium compoundsantimony compoundsbarium compoundsmanganese (II) compoundsmolybdenum compoundsammonium compoundsphosphates moistened with sulfuric acid How to Get Green Fire If you add any of these chemicals to a fire, youll get green flames. The trouble is, there might be other chemicals in your fuel that can overpower the green, making it impossible to see. You can add copper compounds to wood fire and get a range of colors, including green. Most of the other colorants wont work with a campfire or fireplace fire because sodium in the fuel emits a bright yellow light that overpowers the green color. The best way to get green fire is to heat the chemicals in a blue gas flame or to add them to an alcohol-based fuel. In addition to gel fuels, you can use methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol. Safety Information None of these chemicals is edible and a few are toxic, so dont roast marshmallows, hot dogs, or other food over a green fire. Having said that, the boron and copper compounds are relatively safe in that they arent consumed by the fire, so they dont really add to the toxicity of any smoke, plus they are household chemicals that  can be washed down the drain. If you are using colorants on a camping trip or outdoors, be aware of the effects of the chemicals on the environment. High levels of boron compounds can be toxic to some plants. High levels of copper compounds can be harmful to invertebrates. These are properties that help make these chemicals useful in the home, but not so great for wild habitats. Use care with methanol (wood alcohol) and isopropanol (rubbing alcohol), since these fuels are absorbed through the skin and are toxic.

An Epistemic Defense of the Blogosphere Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Epistemic Defense of the Blogosphere - Article Example Goldman is one of them. In the given paper we will evaluate the statement of Alvin Goldman and his opponent David Coady. In order to understand the position of Goldman, it is necessary to recollect his approach to knowledge and the truth. He states that the information people read in blogs lacks evidences. Goldman criticizes the post modernistic directions in epistemology. He defines an interesting approach to the notion of truth. According to Goldman, the truth should be verified by the evidences. He applies mathematics working out the basics for generic social practices. He uses the Bayes theorem, which states about the probability of the event A only if the event B took place. The application of the theorem by Goldman states about the probability of the event (A=X) if there is an evidence B, which testifies that X happened. Thus, everything should be verified, and before talking about something a person should possess the definite degree of knowledge about it. And blogging in its turn usually lacks this necessary degree of knowledge in comparison with traditional media. Thus, Goldman is afraid that journalism as a serious profession is disappearing due to blogging. His thoughts on the topic are clearly stated in his work The Social Epistemology of Blogging. â€Å"For the acquisition of knowledge to occur, it isn’t sufficient that there be a free press that publishes or broadcasts the relevant truths. It is equally critical that members of the public receive and believe those truths. If truths are published but not read, or published and read but not believed, the public won’t possess the information (or knowledge) that is important for making correct decisions† (Goldman, p. 3). David Coady is one of the critics of Goldman’s opinion about blogging. He states that there is no significant difference between conventional media and blogging. He considers blogging to be just electronic reflection of traditional media.

Corporate Social Responsibility and its Importance in the Retail Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility and its Importance in the Retail Sector - Essay Example As the report explores the very core purpose of any business, besides sustenance and profitability, happens to create and keep adding value for the customers. A retail chain in particular needs to take into account the changing needs and requirements of the customers, depending upon the changing environment, food habits, time management, availability of alternates in the market, increasing awareness about environmentally friendly goods and services etc. This way they can earn the loyalty of the customer while successfully attracting more customers. Customer’s reaction to the product/ services is largely based on the customer’s feelings, which are subjective in nature. This discussion declares that Retail Business requires managing a broad range of retail skills in the areas of customer sales and service, promotion & advertising, store layout, visual merchandising, economics & accounting, marketing, buying from suppliers, inventory control, and human resource management. As the marketing and industrial activities are growing around the world, imbalance in many forms is on an increase, which is threatening the very existence of the social fabric that we live in. In order to protect the social fabric, the nature and the interests of human beings, companies, organizations and individuals are supposed to take care of their social responsibilities in different measure. Companies in retail sector being in direct touch with the customers and the society often find it obligatory on their part to take care of the social needs as well.... Retail Business requires managing a broad range of retail skills in the areas of customer sales and service, promotion & advertising, store layout, visual merchandising, economics & accounting, marketing, buying from suppliers, inventory control, and human resource management. As the marketing and industrial activities are growing around the world, imbalance in many forms is on an increase, which is threatening the very existence of the social fabric that we live in. In order to protect the social fabric, the nature and the interests of human beings, companies, organizations and individuals are supposed to take care of their social responsibilities in different measure. Companies in retail sector being in direct touch with the customers and the society often find it obligatory on their part to take care of the social needs as well. Though it is not obligatory on an organization that it should come forward to help out the society, but in order to reach out to the customers, earn the g oodwill of existing as well as prospective customers, and to be seen as an organization indulging in ethical business practices, companies do come forward to help the society and fulfil their corporate social responsibilities. Research Questions and Objectives This study is primarily being undertaken to study the corporate social responsibility aspect in general and the manner in which retail sector is fulfilling its social responsibilities. During the study an effort would be made to study some of the reputed retail sector companies like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, Wal-Mart etc. While broadly analysing their business proposition and market share an effort would be made to sift through the corporate responsibility statements and activities being taken