Immigrants and Public Benefits

A public charge is someone who is dependent on the government for long-term care, cash assistance or income maintenance. As an immigrant, you want to avoid becoming a public charge because it is grounds for inadmissibility and deportation. An immigrant who is likely to become a public charge is inadmissible  and ineligible to become a permanent resident of the United States. An immigrant may be deported if he or she becomes a public charge within 5 years of entering the U.S. It is extremely rare for an immigrant to be deported as a public charge. To keep new immigrants from becoming public charges, the U.S. requires that sponsoring relatives or employers sign a contract (the Affidavit of Support) stating that the sponsored immigrant is not likely to become a public charge. The sponsor also acknowledges that an agency that provides any means-tested benefit to the immigrant may require the immigrants sponsor to reimburse the agency for the amount of the provided benefit. How Someone Becomes a Public Charge If an immigrant receives cash assistance for income maintenance from Social Security Income (SSI), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program or any state or local cash assistance programs for income maintenance--commonly referred to as means-tested benefits--these could make a non-citizen a public charge. However, in addition to this, you must also meet additional criteria before a public charge can be determined. USCIS says before an alien can be denied admission to the United States or denied adjustment of status to legal permanent resident based on public charge grounds, a number of factors must be considered...including the alien’s age, health, family status, assets, resources, financial status, education, and skills. No single factor--other than the lack of an Affidavit of Support, if required--will determine whether an alien is a public charge, including past or current receipt of public cash benefits for income maintenance. An immigrant can be deported if he or she becomes a public charge within 5 years of entering the U.S. and has refused an agencys request for reimbursement of a cash benefit for income maintenance or costs of institutionalization for long-term care. However, removal proceedings will not be initiated if the immigrant can show that the benefit received was for an issue that did not exist prior to entry into the U.S. Public charge determination is made on a case-by-case basis and is not an automatic ticket out of the U.S. How to Avoid Becoming a Public Charge The key here is to be careful with cash assistance and any long-term care. Some assistance programs may provide cash benefits, and this is okay as long as the purpose of the cash assistance is not for income maintenance. For example, if you are given cash as a food stamp benefit instead of the normal paper coupons or e-cards, this would not be considered for public charge purposes because the benefit is not intended for income maintenance. In contrast, Medicaid is not subject to public charge consideration, but if it is used for long-term care such as a nursing home or mental health institution, then it would be used as part of the public charge analysis. Safe Public Benefits and Ones to Avoid To avoid becoming a public charge, immigrants should avoid benefits that provide cash assistance for income maintenance or institutionalization for long-term care. The type of benefit you may use without becoming a public charge is dependent on your immigration status. Each program will have its own eligibility qualifications that must be met in order to participate in the program or receive benefits. Eligibility may also differ from state to state. It is important to check your eligibility with each agency. Public Benefits for New Immigrants Applying forPermanent Residence USCIS states that the following benefits may be used without a public charge penalty by  legal immigrants  who have not yet received their  green card: Health Care Benefits  such as emergency Medicaid, the  Children’s Health Insurance Program  (CHIP), prenatal care, or other free or low-cost medical care at clinics, health centers, or other settings (other than long-term care in a nursing home or similar institution)Food Programs  such as WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), school meals, or other food assistanceNon-Cash Programs  such as public housing, child care, energy assistance, disaster relief, Head Start, or job training or counseling New immigrants should stay away from the following benefits to avoid a public charge determination. USCIS will consider your participation in the following when deciding whether or not to issue a green card: Cash Welfare  such as  Supplemental Security Income  (SSI), cash Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and state and local cash assistance programs for income maintenance (often called state General Assistance)Institutionalization  for long-term care, such as residing in a nursing home or mental health facility at government expense Public Benefits for Green Card Holders Legal permanent residents--green card holders--will not lose their status through public charge by using the following provided by USCIS: Health Care Benefits  such as emergency Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), prenatal care, or other free or low-cost medical care at clinics, health centers, or other settings (other than long-term care in a nursing home or similar institution)Food Programs  such as Food Stamps, WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), school meals, or other food assistanceNon-Cash Programs  such as public housing, child care, energy assistance, disaster relief, Head Start, or job training or counseling*Cash Welfare  such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), cash Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and state and local cash assistance programs for income maintenance (often called state General Assistance)*Institutionalization  for long-term care, such as residing in a nursing home or mental health facility at government expense Take note:  A green card holder who leaves the U.S. for more than 6 months at one time may be asked questions upon re-entry to determine if they are a public charge. At this point, use of cash welfare or long-term care will be carefully considered in deciding admissibility.

My Personal Experience With Heavenly Mother - 1170 Words

Heavenly Mother, the New Jerusalem is the female image of God that gives eternal life in the Last Days. For thousands of years people have known we have a Father in Heaven. What many still do not know is that there is a prophecy being fulfilled right now, this very moment. This states that wo not only have a Father in Heaven, but we also have a Heavenly Mother who is being revealed in the Last Days to give us eternal life. I can truly believe in The New Jerusalem because I have personal experience with her, the Bible clearly testifies about her as the spiritual life giver, and anyone can see evidence of this fact even in nature.Through my personal experience with Heavenly Mother, I can say truly she is God almighty,†¦show more content†¦I came for the nest Sabbath day and that day I was baptized. That hole was filled, my heart was full, and it knew that Heavenly Mother had saved my soul.Among the many prophecies in the Bible, one of the most important is that concerning Heavenly Mother who gives life. Jesus came to this Earth about two-thousand years ago and he taught his disciples the way through which they could receive salvation, that is, the Passover (Jn 6:53.) Even at that time hecould have given eternal life and taken them to Heaven, but instead he told them to wait until the Last Days (Jn 6:54.) This is because that is the time Heavenly Mother appears. In Matthew 22:1-10 Jesus told a parable, in which he compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding banquet. Being invited to thewedding banquet is the same as being invited to the Kingdom of Heaven. To have a wedding there must be a groom, a bride, and guests. In the parable there is a groom, and guests, but no bride-even thoughthe bride is the most important piece of a wedding. This is because she was not ready at Jesus’s firstcoming, but at his second coming. That’s why Revelations 19:7 NIV says â€Å"Let us rejoice and be glad an d give him Glory! For the wedding of the Lamb(Christ) has come, and his bride has made herself ready!† The bride is ready in the Last Days. Rev 21:9-10 say that this bride is the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven. Just as Jesus is not a physical lamb, this Jerusalem is notShow MoreRelatedMy Experience With The Theistic Worldview814 Words   |  4 PagesI have given plenty of thought to what my particular worldview and values are and it has been a challenging exercise. I do not think in the same manner as I did when I was younger. As a child and even as a young adult my beliefs stemmed from selfish views. My beliefs have changed and evolved over the years and I have not been here long. There are many factors that have accompanied these changes, my life experiences. I suppose several people have launched their views similar to me. 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Self Managed Learning

Question: Describe these following terms 1. Self-managed Learning and Benefits 2. Evaluation of Competencies and Skills 3. Activities as per Development Plan 4. Critical Learning on Development Plan 5. Work based Problems and Life-long Learning Answer: Introduction The paper will be aimed at examining self-managed learning in a broader perspective, which would be useful for the well-being of one-self. I am a part of the sales and finance team atNike, where I have experienced self-managed learning. 1. Self-managed Learning and Benefits Formerly, training and others teaching were implemented in organizations to make the individuals learn about new things and work. Therefore, today, in this fast moving era, organizations are inclined towards self-managed learning in order to maintain efficiency within them. Self-managed learning is basically a lifelong learning process and approach which benefits the organization as well as the individuals. Through this approach, individuals are able to carry their career development growth in an efficient manner. It also relates to the learning of behavior as well as cultural understanding and that too with self-understanding (Allen Adair, 2003). The different approaches to self-managed learning are as follows; Seminars Conferences Social networks Internet Interpersonal networks and communication These approaches enable an individual to learn on continuous basis, which helps them in personal as well as professional understanding. Figure 1: Self-managed Learning Through these approaches an individual is able to interact with different people and organizations, which assist them in learning new ways to accomplish tasks. Moreover, meeting different personalities and interacting with various cultures would eventually enable in individual to get facilitated in an effective manner. In fact today, self-managed learning would enable an individual to get facilitated in various ways. Through these approaches they will be able to provide benefit to their organization too. However, individuals should highly focus on the idea of self-managed learning approach in order to deal with the combination of working environments. Moreover, a good self-learned approach is where an individual remains active and proactive to seek learning and implementing that learning, effectively to accomplish various tasks. In this case, the mentioned approaches are considered to be highly essential. Organizations are subjected to facilitate the overall purpose and mission of the company (Allen Adair, 2003). In this regard employees are required to contribute explicitly, in order to enable the organization to accomplish their tasks. In this case it is highly essential to develop oneself in order to complement the organization on a better pace. Learning from experience is how an individual gain new knowledge, skills or experience and reflect on it to apply in future practice. Doubtlessly, I have obtained many valuable experiences and reflected on the lessons I have learnt throughout this unit, hoping to carry it with me in my future undertakings. Through this I and other employees will be able to deal with better contributions to the organization. I have been developing myself on regular basis, on personal and professional level, so that I am able to deal with organizational goals effectively. Figure 2: Self-managed Learning New and modified environmental regulations will continue to impact the organization I work in and its products and business. Organizations often are approached by several other states with attractive incentives to change locations for which it is essential to learn a plenty of things in order to gain mutual benefits through that learning. Through the involvement of social media and internet access self-learning becomes pretty much convenient comparatively to inbound learning or training. Self-managed learning actually helps the individuals to learn with willingness and without taking out separate time (Megginson Whitaker, 2007). However, it requires a determination and level of acceptance to help themselves to cope up with the changing trends in the industry, self-learning not only, helps individuals professionally but personally too. Hence, self-learning should be taken seriously being at any level in the organization. This will help them in being a part of active learners, helping them in various unique ways. My job description and work responsibilities at the organization I work in. At Nike I have to look after a lot of front end and back end activities, impacting the overall sales of the organization. Therefore, it is essential to mention these responsibilities in order to express the activities and responsibilities through which I learned Product Sales have flattened or decreased. Significant infrastructure development in other countries such as Asia and India brings great growth opportunities for Nike Organization. Establish and grow business in countries heavily immersed in infrastructure development. Focus on growth of rental business will offset lost sales. 1. A stifled economy and lost revenue limits enablement for Nike Organization to invest in research and development. Economic crisis with limited government spending on infrastructure in many countries. Higher interest rates causing Nike Organization to lower company investment in capital. Socio-Cultural in relevance to Nike organization is a world-wide organization; therefore the availability and cost labor is always a key factor in business strategy. Development of infrastructure can bring prosperity to inaccessible regions. Growing world population requires infrastructure changes and sustainability. Having a strong global footprint allows Nike to analyze labor and cost more effectively and utilize existing assets for strategic planning. Nike can establish strong relationships with partnering businesses in development of other countries, leading to strong partnerships and new business adventures. 1. In already established regions with infrastructure in place, completion is stronger and could threaten growth and revenue for Nike. Nike is focused on sustainability and green technologies. There are large pushes for automated machinery to reduce operating costs and increase productivity. In relevance to these responsibilities I have learned to deal with different people and different situations, which has complemented and valued my self-managed learning. This learning have eventually benefited my organization too, in an instance of adding more value and differentiation within the internal operations. 2. Evaluation of Competencies and Skills I have many development opportunities that should help me personally, professionally and academically. However, the SWOT Analysis and PEST Analysis were vital in prioritizing the top three goals used for this personal development plan. My priorities are based on current circumstances, threats, and areas of development that may result in the most significant positive impacts in my life. Moreover, when considering action steps, potential obstacles and plans to overcome them, I gave careful thought to my learning style, personality traits, internal locus of control and other factors that may aid or impede accomplishing the goals. Self-improvement is important to me, but more than that, this plan is valuable because it can transform every aspect of my life. Managing stress is important for my physical and emotional health and will also improve relationships, focus and stamina. Figure 3: Self-learning and Competencies Development of Needs and Opportunities Taking steps to improve networking skills is an immediate need given my current circumstances. In light of a major reorganization eliminating my entire department, networking with managers, other business units and recruiters is crucial in order to identify opportunities to stay within the organization long before positions are posted on job boards. Finally, improving self-confidence is going to be the most challenging goal of all. I was reluctant to add this goal because of the very reason for its existence; lack of self-confidence. After all, it is documented as one of the most difficult goals to achieve. However, gaining self-confidence is fundamental in improving in many other areas I have identified when preparing for developing this plan. Self-confidence will help me manage stress better and improve essential workplace skills such as problem-solving, conflict resolution, decision making, and networking, leadership and management skills. Stress management and networking skills a re goals I can achieve because they are ones I can prepare for more and realize immediate results. Figure 4: Self-learning Opportunities With immediate results, comes motivation and confidence to master and maintain those skills. I am not as sure about making big strides improving self-confidence. Perhaps this is because no precise step by step plan exists; it is a journey with many winding paths and no clear direction. However, many tools and resources are available to help stay focused on goals, realize achievements and keep me motivated with each confident step. Completing the swot analysis exercise helped me see a realistic picture of myself. The swot analysis has been very helpful for creating a personal development plan because it is based on self-actualization and brings focus to strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. I find it interesting to realize that performing a swot analysis for a career role of interest can help me identify if it is a good fit and how my strengths align with key strengths needed for a role. Further, pinpointing areas of development I would need to accomplish to be successful in roles of interest can help me design a career path to get where I desire to go within an organization. Another interesting observation from my SWOT analysis is that in some situations strength could be perceived as a weakness or a weakness as strength. For example, I listed I am altruistic, traditional and supportive in my strengths. This may be perceived as a weakness in some situational leadership roles, yet significant strengths in other roles, for example, counseling or education. Personal and Professional Development Plan In regard to the entire discussion it will not be inappropriate to say that, effective self-learned management enables an individual to learn and be a part of active professional and personal development planning. In this regard, I was able to learn and implement my learning in my personal as well as professional situations. Through my job I have learned to manage stress and time with improved alignment. In this way I was able to deal with different situations based on complexities. It is essential to improve employee welfare because this approach will create ease for the managers to retain their employees in a longer run. One has to be considerate that technology and machinery can be replaced, however human mind and skills cannot be (Allen Adair, 2003). The managers are required to value their people in a longer run. I being the manager at sales and finance department ensure to do this while allocating resources through best practices. This has been a greater attempt to deal with e mployee satisfaction and welfare, supporting them exponentially. I ensured to maximize sales along with better resource allocation, managing the well-being of each employee working under my supervision. My workforce is active and determined to learn new eras of working through which they can accomplish the given targets as pert he established standards. Effective Implementation of Development Plan Once the idea of self-managed learning is comprehended, it remains essential to implement the plan accordingly. It will enable the entire workforce to actively practice this approach moreover, the management is required to encourage their workforce regarding adapting the approach of self-managed learning. In this regard various points will be emphasized which willenable an effective implementation of development plan. It is important to mention various points in this regard so that, the implementation gets convenient for the entire organization with a unanimous approach and action plan effectively and efficiently. Figure 5: Self-learning Development Better management of stress and be diligent in conveying my feelings. I can learn and implement networking strategies. I can be a positive influence and good role model for others. I can educate on job, employees at any level. I can use my strength of relationship building to create or lead groups/teams. I can positively influence others, promote ideas and establish visions that can positively impact individuals, teams and work environment. I can mediate conflict resolution, helping others work through problem situations. I can model organizational values and coach others by leading by example. I am more limited in many career developmental opportunities because I have not completed my college degree. I am at higher risk for stress because I repress feelings and do not manage stress well. I am higher risk for burnout and productivity lulls because I overload myself by taking on the burden of other peoples work or problems. I socialize well, but I do not network extensively to help me achieve my goals or advance my career. 3. Activities as per Development Plan Various activities are aligned together in order implement as the development plan. This would be self-managed learning for myself as well as the welfare of the workforce working under my supervision. Goals Action Steps Potential Obstacles Plan to Overcome Implement actions to reduce stress Join the exercise 4 times a week. Join Yoga classes one time a week. At home, delegate tasks to others. Implement schedules to keep organized and manage time better. Review with family for ongoing support. Negative self-talk. Surfacing doubts. Giving up. Seems too difficult or unattainable. Worries about ability to accomplish educational goals. Practice rational positive thinking, imagery and meditations to redirect negative self-talk. Analyze if they due to genuine threats. If so, set or modify goals to manage. In not, redirect with positive thinking techniques. Use the Life Plan Workbook and other tools. Focus on small goals and achievements. Practice positive thinking and remind self this goal is a journey and takes significant time and commitment. Be cognizant of learning style and practice techniques proven to enhance learning. Figure 6: Self-Learning Development Plan Through these activities it will get easier for the management to seek significance in this regard and implement this plan accordingly. Through this approach an environment of self-managed learning will be created facilitating in a mutual manner. The learning style will be kept easy and convenient for each of the employee, based on their capacities and potential to grasp. In such cases enforced training and teaching does not inculcate, what actually, self-managed learning instills within a person (Megginson Whitaker, 2007). 4. Critical Learning on Development Plan It is essential to learn regarding the criticality of the development plan in order to learn significantly. The plan is regarding on job self-learning which would facilitate the entire organizational environment. Therefore, the company should focus to endowing their employees with self-learning plans so that they are able to adapt this practice on regular basis. Learning through development plan is highly essential in order to focus on the balance between my professional and personal life (Owen,2009). In this regard a few points are as follows which needs to be considered while creating a learning development plan, complementing personal as well as professional life. Making sure I allocate time to manage my stress will be difficult with long hours at work as well as school and family obligations. Limited time with my toddler twins creates burden and regrets and can also contribute to stress and burnout. Say no more often to family requests to do things for them. Often times these requests can be done themselves or by someone else. Develop and maintain an exercise schedule and stick to it. Ensure than family also knows this routine and supports my plan. Routinely allocate time with parents each evening. Plan weekend activities with them. Moreover, the time and responsibilities of the subordinates are distributed and allocated in a manner that, they are able to support their families and maintain a better work life balance. Through this approach a good learning of time management will be done. Figure 7: Evaluating Learning Development Plan Effective Time Management Activities Time management is equally important for employees in order to manage their personal and professional life accordingly. This would eventually complement their productivity with better outcomes, adding value to organizational goals. In this way the employees are capable of maintaining a balance between their personal and professional life, relating to work life balance. Quality is the basic factor for which every organization strives, hence to achieve quality it is essential to boost the motivation levels of their employees. Through this their employees will be able to deal with their job descriptions in a far better manner (Leigh Maynard, 2002). Employers should be considerate in relevance to endow their people with an environment of work life balance. Employers and the managers should be vigilant enough to endow their employees with better time management systems so that they are able to manage their work and other activities in alignment to effective time management. Effective tim e management eventually, creates quality of work, beneficial for both employee and employer. This can be clearly comprehended through integration theory which states that a healthy work and life style can be marinated when balance is created amongst them. This relates to the intervention of work life balance in organizations. Time management is a vast dimension which is required to be comprehended effectively dealing with the idea of enhancing employee morale and determination to work. It is important to seek and assemble the work accurately so that no extra time has to be given to the office ad work place. In case of wrong time management, the employees are made to compromise their family lives, which eventually hinders their overall work performances. Schedule informational interviews with managers and recruiters within my organization. Schedule information interviews with resources outside my organization, with focus on areas of interest, such as education. Join and participate in at least one social club available through work. Bashful tendencies and personality traits that make it difficult to network for personal gain. Lack of time to participate in social activities. Identify the information I would like to gain from sessions. Develop a conversation guide with talking points and questions. Preparation may ease anxieties. Join a social club with people of similar interests and participate in lunch time activities more than the activities that occur outside of work. 5. Work based Problems and Life-long Learning In the course of self-managed learning it is highly important to effectively manage time for life-long learning based on various activities. This will help the individuals to manage time in their professional as well as personal lives. In this regard a few things are required to be done which are as follows enabling me to manage time and activities with proper alignment. Enhancing the social and public network would enable the employees to remain active and enthusiastic in facilitating the overall organizational goals (Owen, 2009). Being the manager I would be able to allocate and maintain better networking for employees, endowing them with a greater approach and understanding of creating positive allies. Figure 8: Life-long Learning Incorporate useful tools. Purchase the Life Plan Workbook from Mind tools, a proven method to gain self-confidence. It is essential to enhance self-confidence along with self-learning so that the plan can be documented and implemented in a planned and systematic manner. With proper time management, workforce will be able to give themselves enough time for self-learning (Megginson Whitaker, 2007). Therefore, it is essential to behold appropriate time management so that each activity and task can be accomplished in an efficient manner. In this regard a better learning environment can be built effectively. Document achievements. Set and achieve small goals, followed by more challenging ones Through this approach it enables an individual to carry with lifelong learning in order to facilitate their personal as well as professional goal accomplishments. In this regard it remains essential to be self-motivated too. This will enable them to learn with willingness and determination. Moreover, a good working life and personal life would be achieved through active and effective self-learning. This enables an individual to solve a lot of work based problems. I considering myself, has learned a lot due to which I was able to encounter various problems at my workplace and personal life too. Many of the work based problems solved are as follows; Accomplishing sales targets Learning technical skills from my seniors Allocating resources in an adequate manner I learned to deal with different personalities and cultures with my own effort Therefore, self-learning has helped me in encountering a lot many problems along with endowing me with a determination to learn through put the life. Hence, self-managed learning should be made a part of life and activities, which would eventually benefit an individual as well as its organization in a broader perspective. References Allen.M Adair. J, (2003). The Concise Time Management and Personal Development. CIPD Leigh.A, Maynard .M, (2002), Leading Your Team: How to Involve and Inspire Teams. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Megginson. D Whitaker.V, (2007). Counting Professional Development. CIPD. Mullins. JL, (2007). Management and Organizational Behavior, 8th Edition. Financial; Times Prentice Hall. Owen.J, (2009). How to Lead. 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall. McGraw-Hill Professional Robert .G, (2005). Recruitment and Selection (Developing Practise). 2nd Edition.

Population Control Essays - Population, Human Overpopulation

Population Control In early years human population and population growth has not been an issue. This is because of the variety of different environmental factors. Sickness and disease has played a large role in keeping human population under control since the beginning of time. It seemed that when a population would get over crowded an epidemic such as, the influenza or small pox would break out. This would drastically decrease the population enough that it would be under control again. Famine is another great controller of population. When a famine strikes an area only the few with enough food will be able to reproduce or even survive. An examination of world population control would not be complete with out including war. War also performs wonders at controlling population by murdering most men of child rearing age. In today's day and age, with our current technology increases disease outbreak and famine (except in some 3rd world countries) is not much of a factor any more. War is not considered a va lid population control method due to today's ?new? wars. Without the three largest population controllers much of a factor anymore population is free to run out of control. This provides us with an ever-increasing controversy; this is whether government or society should dictate family size. I believe that society can infringe indirect controls over family size, but these are considered more community norms as opposed to hard fast rules such as governments can set. Two examples will follow. First, we will look at our society. Yes, the USA's turn to no child and one child families. This was caused by society. Society pushes Americans to have successful careers both male and female. There has been a switch from families to careers. This not providing Americans with the time or means for multiple children, but cutting the number down to one or none. Another example of society's control, is the push in some Asian/Middle Eastern countries for a family's first child to be male. Even when there is no government regulation many cultures push for your first child to be male. This forces families to abort females and even murder them once they have been born. Once again this is a society/cultural push not a mandated rule. These instances are what different societies have created f or themselves, when included in one of these societies it is hard to say whether it is right or wrong. I will first address the aspect that government should not control family size. First of all, it is a natural and religious right to produce offspring. Breed, multiply and populate has been the belief since the beginning of time. The idea is to grow population so that our beliefs and way of life may be spread and passed on. Who is government to take these right away? Governmental control over family size goes against everything that the USA stands for. This would be an age-old idea called freedom. When a government starts dictating the kind and size of family a person can have. Almost all freedom is lost. Another topic briefly addressed above is the aborting and murdering of babies that aren't male. A first hand example of this is China. China regulates or gives incentives to families that only produce one child. This is where the problem begins because most families want this child to be male. Male children are providers and will go out and join the working world. They will be ?succ essful?. Many female babies are aborted once sex is determined. If sex is not determined before birth, once born many female babies are abandoned or destroyed. This showing the cruelty that government controlled family size will push people to. Government should control family size because in most instances the general population can not handle this for themselves. A prime example of this is our already over crowded inner cities. People with chemical addictions and no financial means are cranking out babies right and left. They have no means of providing for all of these children. Government currently provides for these under privileged children, that as cruel as it sounds, should not have been born. I have had a first hand example of this problem. A family friend in

SWOT Analysis for HMI

SWOT Analysis for HMI HMI is operating in a highly competitive market. The market has various forces that influence the performance of a firm. The music industry has a lot of potential as well as threats. For a clear understanding of the operations of HMI, a SWOT analysis would be of great importance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis for HMI specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The strength of this firm lies in various factors. One of the major strengths of the project is its brand name. Although this brand has not managed to make a huge impact outside the home country, it is quickly gaining acceptance in the industry. The name is expected to attract the youth, who make the majority of the market share in the industry. This firm also has considerable financial strength due to the growth in its sales. As such, this project is in a position to implement its strategies, including those of research and extension. The firm is also exp ected to operate in various cities outside Spain and the United States. As such, it would be able to balance its production in such a way that when one section of its market would be experiencing recession, the other one would be experiencing an economic growth. Despite the above strengths, the firm has some weaknesses consisting in the fact that some of its competitors in this industry eat up a section of the market share. It is evident that one of the weaknesses that many environmentalists have repeatedly talked about is environmental degradation. The plastic materials that this firm uses in making the CDs and the cassettes are causing havoc to the environment. It is disappointing that this firm is yet to develop a solution to this problem because according to a simple market research, it is yet to replace completely the CDs with better alternatives. The firm operates in an environment with some opportunities, which can make it experience a massive growth in its market share. HMI has exploited a vacuum that existed in many countries in the world, especially in the developed countries. It is apparent that there was no competition for this firm in the overseas markets and this company was able to make enough profits; HMI was providing the market with a completely new product that was not comparable with any other in the market. HMI would find it easy to embrace change, which came about because of the changing technologies.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was accelerated by its size, unlike other organizations which would not adopt change due to their large sizes. Technological advancements will also enable the firm to conduct trade easily due to improved means of communication and transport. The economic boom that the US government and various countries in Europe experienced following the end of the recession is another opportunity that can help this firm in expanding its market. The threats that this product is forced to deal with include competition and piracy. The market is very competitive, which calls for the stakeholders to come up with new strategies to counter the effects of competition. It is apparent that many firms are likely to come up with products, which are close substitutes of the products offered by this firm. The firm will have to fight for the available market share with competitors. Piracy is also eating up the profits of this firm. Security concern in some of the cities where this firm operates is another threat that the management must take into account. When there is an internal strife, such as the one experienced in Egypt and Libya in the recent past, the firm would lose millions of dollars due to destruction of its assets. During such periods, the firm would also lose profits it gets, while it will have to pay employees. This would cause a lot of financial damage to the firm.

Story of the Comfort Women of World War II

Story of the Comfort Women of World War II During World War II, the Japanese established military brothels in the countries they occupied. The women in these comfort stations were forced into sexual slavery and moved around the region as Japanese aggression increased. Known as comfort women, their  story is an often understated tragedy of the war that continues to strike debate. The Story of the "Comfort Women" According to reports, the Japanese military began with volunteer prostitutes in occupied parts of China around 1931. The comfort stations were set up near military camps as a way to keep the troops occupied. As the military expanded its territory, they turned to enslaving women of the occupied areas. Many of the women were from countries like Korea, China, and the Philippines. Survivors have reported that they were originally promised jobs like cooking, laundry, and nursing for the  Japanese Imperial Army. Instead, many were forced to provide sexual services. The women were detained next to military barracks, sometimes in walled camps. Soldiers would repeatedly rape, beat, and torture the sex slaves, often multiple times a day. As the military moved throughout the region during the war, women were taken along, often moved far from their homeland. Reports go further to say that as the Japanese war efforts began to fail, the comfort women were left behind with no regard. The claims of how many were sexual slaves and how many were simply recruited as prostitutes are disputed. Estimates of the number of comfort women range from 80,000 to 200,000.   Continuing Tensions Over "Comfort Women" The operation of the comfort stations during World War II has been one that the Japanese government has been reluctant to admit. The accounts are not well detailed and it has only been since the late 20th century that the women themselves have told their stories. The personal consequences on the women are clear. Some never made it back to their home country and others returned as late as the 1990s. Those that made it home either kept their secret or lived a life marked by the shame of what theyd endured. Many of the women could not have children or suffered greatly from health problems.   A number of former comfort women filed lawsuits against the Japanese government. The issue has also been raised with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The Japanese government initially claimed no military responsibility for the centers. It was not until papers were discovered in 1992 showing direct links that the larger issue came to light. Yet, the military still maintained that recruitment tactics by middlemen were not the responsibility of the military. They long refused to offer official apologies. In 1993, the Kono Statement was written by then-chief cabinet secretary of Japan, Yohei Kono. In it, he said that the military was â€Å"directly or indirectly, involved in the establishment and management of the comfort stations and the transfer of comfort women.† Still, many in the Japanese government continued to dispute the claims as over exaggerated. It was not until 2015 that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a formal apology. It was in accord with an agreement with the South Korean government. Along with the much-awaited official apology, Japan contributed 1 billion yen to a foundation formed to help the surviving women. Some people believe that these reparations are still not enough. The "Peace Monument" In the 2010s, a number of Peace Monument statues have appeared in strategic locations to commemorate Koreas comfort women. The statue is often a young girl dressed in traditional Korean clothing sitting serenely in a chair next to an empty chair to signify the women who did not survive. Comfort Woman Statue in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images In 2011, one Peace Monument appeared in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. Several others have been installed in equally poignant locations, often with the intent of getting the Japanese government to acknowledge the suffering caused. Comfort Women Statue In San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images One of the most recent appeared in January 2017 in front of the Japanese consulate in Busan, South Korea. This locations significance cannot be understated. Every Wednesday since 1992, it has seen a rally of supporters for the comfort women. Comfort Woman statue on Seoul public transit bus. Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images

Case Analysis - Political Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Analysis - Political Interaction - Essay Example nstitution; however, there are multiple restrictions, in form of regulations limiting how lobbyists can appeal national administration for the reparation of criticisms(Ramanna et. al, 2015). Breaking the set rules, even for the corporations guarantees serious consequences including prison sentences. Nonetheless, corporate management is among the core facilitators of financing and lobbying the government; playing roles that have positive and negative influences. Among the core roles of corporate management, lies in campaign finance that entails distribution of available financial resources as contributions and expenditures throughout the campaigning period. Typically, most of the candidates agree that tackling this successfully depends on prominent determinants such as an understanding of the geography and having excellent strategies(Ramanna et. al, 2015). However, without corporate management, most of the executed approaches eventually fail. Corporate management, even outside financing and lobbying the government has most of the practices based on implementation and execution of the best strategies. Resultantly, it enhances the effectiveness of strategies and also comes ups with approaches on handling the expenses relative to campaign finance i.e. salary for the staff and consultants, rented properties, advertisement and purchasing of the utilities. Moreover, in most cases, corporate management applies in reduction of these expenses throug h review and development of better campaigning strategies(Ramanna et. al, 2015). Typically, corporate management enables a significant percentage of campaign efficiency through the inclusion of protocols, policies, approaches and other practices that are mostly prevalent in the corporate world. On the other hand, corporate management has a negative influence through relative practices in financing and lobbying for the government. In fact, most of the critics and negative perceptions of campaign finance and lobbying have the

Soft power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Soft power - Essay Example The first problem is that a country has diverse individuals who can either choose to like the attraction or not. In addition, whether the appeal will result to the capacity to influence the country’s policy depends on the groups in the country who deem it attractive and not forgetting. In addition, the level of authority in policymaking is equally important. Secondly, policy making at national level proves to be more intricate compared to the personal level. It has diverse dynamics that emphasize mainly on coherent deliberations (Fan 150). The situation gives little space for emotional elements and consequently minimizes the soft power effect. Fan (150) affirms that since soft power proves to be both uncontrollable and impulsive, it would be difficult to exercise it in an organized and synchronized manner. Soft power implies the ability to shape the inclination of others. Whether power can operate effectively at state level will remain questionable. This is true because soft power exercised by a certain country may have a positive impact on the partisan elite and have undesirable influence on the public in another country (Szczudlik 46). Several complicating factors are responsible for shaping the association amid countries. The situation leaves soft power playing a minimal role towards such a relationship. Ultimately, strategic interests determine the relationship amid countries as opposed to soft power. In addition, one cannot envision a country having enormous soft power without the back up of hard power. It is not strange that the United States is a superpower that possesses immense hard and soft power. The situation implies that countries may share a common agenda or cultural affiliations and still create some form of distance regarding matters of national relationships. The association amid China and Japan proves to be a good example to attest this occurrence. Szczudlik (46) argues that regardless of the historical cultural affiliations and

Eye Witness Essay Example for Free

Eye Witness Essay This essay is based on â€Å"The Story of an Eyewitness† by Jack London and â€Å"Leaving Desire† by Jon Lee Anderson. â€Å"The Story of an Eyewitness† talks about how the San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed the city in 1906. â€Å"Leaving Desire† talks about a victim of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. London and Anderson’s coverage of these disasters are different in several ways. Some examples of their differences are portrayed in the author’s purpose, the achievement of their purpose, and the authors focus. Purpose for Writing London’s purpose for writing is to describe the destruction of San Francisco from the earthquake and fire. London describes the effects the disasters had on the city. For example, â€Å"The earthquake shook down in San Francisco hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of walls and chimneys†¦ I passed through Union Square. It was packed with refugees. Thousands of them had gone to bed on the grass. Government tents had been set up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this describes how the disasters had an effect on the living conditions in the city. London describes the attitude of the people in San Francisco, which is sort of a hopeless feeling because they knew that their valuables and their own selves couldn’t be rescued. In the text, â€Å" ‘yesterday morning’ he said, â€Å"I was worth six hundred thousands dollars. This morning this house is all I have left. It will all go in fifteen minutes. † The victim of the earthquake has an attitude of ‘there is nothing I can do’ (hopeless), and London doesn’t really state it but its apparent by what the victim says. London Also describes the remains of San Francisco, which is barely anything. In the article he writes, â€Å"San Francisco is gone. Nothing remains of it but memories and a fringe of dwelling houses on its outskirts. † This plainly states that everything is gone, but further into the article (page 413) he builds it up in description. Anderson’s purpose for writing is to create the mood of empathy in the reader from the victim’s experience. Anderson has also witnessed heartbreaking things in New Orleans, for example, â€Å"As the water rose, they took refuge in the choir loft. They stayed there for eight days, drinking the water the storm washed in. We were down to our last two crackers. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  That created an empathetic mood because the old married couple barely made it through these eight days and only had little to eat and unsanitary drinking water. Anderson learns how the disaster effected the main victim in this article, Lionel Petrie. For example â€Å"Petrie took a step back on his porch†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Can I take my dog with me? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"I hate this. † Then she said to him, â€Å"I am so sorry Mr. Petrie, but, no, they won’t allow us to take animals. You will have to leave him here. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  This creates a mood of empathy because thinking he probably loved his dog very much it would be hard to leave him there to perish in the storm. Anderson gives details about what Petrie had to witness in his town. For example â€Å"As we made our way down Desire, Petrie looked around him at the devastation, his neighbors houses submerged in water. He said â€Å"Oh my God. I had no idea. † Petrie’s shocked and disturbed feeling really advances the mood of empathy in the article because he is so overwhelmed and hurt by what he saw, thinking it wasn’t going to be as bad as it was. How Purpose is Achieved London achieves his purpose by using descriptive language and words/terms. He describes his surrounding and the destruction of the city, like he says, â€Å"The streets were humped into ridges and depressions, and piled with the debris of fallen walls†¦The steel rails were twisted into perpendicular and horizontal angles. † London describes what the city looks like by using descriptive words such as depressions, horizontal, perpendicular, steel, and twisted. He also discusses the people of San Francisco and their reactions about what happened or what was to come. For example â€Å"Try that piano. Listen to its tone. There are a few like it. There are no horses. The flames will be here in fifteen minutes. † This victim doesn’t state that he has given up on trying to be saved but the words he says expresses that he has lost all hope. London tells how everything is destroyed in the city by repeating the same descriptive phrase. He says, â€Å"Its industrial section is wiped put. Its business section is wiped out. Its social and residential section is wiped out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  London describes sentence by sentence how all together San Francisco s gone. Anderson’s purpose is achieved by getting a primary source and being a primary source of the aftermath of the hurricane. He was able to get information about Petrie’s sad experience. For example â€Å"Petrie explained that his wife and son and daughter had left the city†¦ He didn’t know where his family was now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The author creates an empathetic mood by getting the reader to think about losing our family members or not knowing where they were and wondering if you would ever see them again. Anderson tells about Petrie’s worries and fears of the unknown. For example â€Å"Petrie told me that he was worried about his aunt Willa Mae Butler: â€Å"She’s about eighty-two and lives on†¦ I’m worried she’s dead, because this time she said she wasn’t going. † Petrie is unsure about his families’ safety and that actually creates a mood of sympathy. People have experiences this in natural disasters like the earthquake in the fall of 2011. Anderson uses the surroundings to create a mood of empathy in the reader. For example â€Å"A boat came up and deposited an elderly black couple†¦ They took refuge in the choir loft. They stayed there for eight days, drinking the water the storm washed in. † This creates a mood of empathy through the surroundings because he saw the couple and heard what they went through and its heartbreaking they had to go through it. Focus of the Author London focuses on San Francisco as a whole. He focuses on how the earthquake had an impact on the entire city. For example â€Å"San Francisco is gone. † He doesn’t say one specific area of the city is gone, but the entire San Francisco. London also tells about where the fire hit and where it was heading. He writes, â€Å"I sat on the steps of a small residence on Nob Hill†¦ To the east and south at right angles, were advancing two mighty walls of flame†¦ I went inside with the owner of the house on the steps of which I sat†¦ â€Å"The flames will be here in fifteen minutes. † London tells where the flames were a citizen of San Francisco tells when the flames will be in fifteen minutes. London gives information about how the victims, or soon to be victims, reacted to the danger (fire), for example â€Å"He was an old man and he was on crutches. Said he: â€Å"Today is my birthday. Last night I was worth thirty thousand dollars. I bought some delicate fish and other things for my birthday dinner. I have had no dinner, and all I own are these crutches. † The old man seems to be very disappointed that the fire has destroyed everything he owned. His reaction to the disaster is disappointment. Anderson’s main focus is on Lionel Petrie and Ninth Ward of New Orleans. He only covers one part of New Orleans in the story. For example â€Å"Alladio was out on a search for trapped survivors†¦ in one of the poorest and worst-hit parts of the city, the Ninth Ward, in eastern New Orleans. That basically tells what area the article mainly focuses on. Anderson’s article is based on the experience of Lionel Petrie and barely anyone else’s. For example â€Å"Petrie explained that his wife and son and daughter had left the city by car, heading for Baton Rouge†¦ he didn’t know where his family was now, and if he left, they wouldn’t know where he was. † This tells about Petrie’s experience in not knowing whether he would see his family again. Anderson is writhing about Lionel Petrie who lived in Ninth Ward of New Orleans so that would most likely be the place Anderson would cover and focus on. In the story it says, â€Å"When I first saw Lionel Petrie, he was standing on the second story porch of his house, at the junction of Desire Street and North Bunny Friend, in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. † This is the first sentence of the entire article so apparently it is about Lionel Petrie who lived in Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Conclusion In conclusion London’s purpose, achievement of purpose, and focus, differ from Anderson’s. They both use their differences to cover the disasters in their articles. Though the author’s methods of reportage were different, both were very effective in achieving their purposes. (Jon Lee Anderson)

Responsibility for Eddies Death Essay -- A View from the Bridge Arthu

Responsibility for Eddie's Death In a 'View from the bridge,' Beatrice illustrates her views clearly on recent events by saying on page 61. 'Whatever happened, we all done it, and don't you forget it Catherine.' She is stating that everyone contributed significantly to what has happened in one way or another. On page 4, Alfieri's view of 'settling for half', is different to the way he says it on page 64. On page 64 he says, 'Most of the time we settle for half.' He has differentiated the two words 'now' and 'most'. This is because he has seen Eddie become a victim of his own culture and seen the way he respects the Code of Conduct. Alfieri has concluded from that, that the best way is not to settle for half all the time. But 'Most of the time we settle for half and I like it better.' Both Beatrice and Alfieri have illustrated their views however, their views on recent events contrast to each other significantly. We are introduced to the first key scene where we find Eddie's reaction to Catherine's job offer, 'You can't take no job, why didn't you ask me before taking on a job?' This is clearly showing Eddie's insecurity and doesn't want her to gain any independence; another reason for this reaction is he doesn't want her to get a boyfriend via her new job. This scene has created a sense of tension due to high levels of jealousy surrounding the conversation. Also, Eddie believes that the man should be the provider and the woman does the housework. This prepares the audience for many more scenes similar to this as Eddie's reaction is huge compared to the situation. Therefore, there may be chances of his jealousy taking over and spiralling out of control. When Marco and Rodolpho arrive from Ital... ..., this could have helped diffuse the situation in a way so then at least everyone's true feelings would have been out in the open. Marco was at fault for what happened at the end of the play was he provoked the situation at eh end of the play by saying that he wouldn't give Eddie back his name, and causing a great deal of tension in the household in the boxing scene. Catherine was remotely responsible for Eddie's death at the end of the play by getting involved with Rodolpho too early and against Eddie's will and so it lead to Eddie snitching on Rodolpho and Marco. Rodolpho was responsible as he got involved with Catherine and didn't ask Eddie for permission in the first place, that is regarded as a sensible thing for a gentleman to do. Out of both quotations made by Beatrice and Alfieri I think that Beatrice's quote summed up the truth of the play.

Egypt’s Culture and Political System Essay

The Egyptian culture is considered one of the oldest cultures in human history. Surprisingly, it almost has some of gender equality except that it needs more to consider, in order achieving the third Millennium Development Goal, which talks of achieving gender equity/equality and women empowerment by 2015. I would recommend that the Egyptian constitution considers enacting and/or passing several legislations in favor of women and as well give recognition to the informal market sector, where bulks of the women are making meaningful contribution to the economy. I would also recommend that this ancient nation and culture acknowledges the home, where the men considerably have all the major decision making powers. I am of the conviction that women make sound and major decisions as well and can provide better and transformation ideas, realizing the remarkably undeniable work of the women of Liberia during the civil war. I believe that if our generation begins to identify the errors of past generations, relative to gender-related issues, and if we address those issues in more formal ways by beginning to give women their rightful places in society; ensuring that opportunities and privileges are equally and equitably distributed, our world can be the most enjoyable place even for generations unborn. In an effort to do this, we must begin with an identification of the problems as stated above, discuss them thoroughly as a way of enabling us to craft or design ideas that would amicably resolve them for the better of our general world, beginning with the Egyptian society. In Egypt the political system of policies and regulations of its political structure is based on its fundamental laws and practices. Most of which shows how the Egyptian government positions its power on the state and the society it governs. Egypt started out being a Republic adopting a democratic system. This system  defines the way i n which it uses its public authority. There are basically six parts to this system. The first is the constitutional system. There was a constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt in 1971 that was used but then had a written amendment to it in 1980. The actual amendment had commonality in the English Common Law which came from the Napoleonic Code. It simply explains that Egypt declares it’s self as an Arab Republic with a democratic system. The second part is called the Executive Branch. The president is called the Head of State. The head of state is selected by a minimum one-third majority of the Majlis ash-Sha’ab, which is the â€Å"People’s Assembly. The People’s Assembly must approve by a minimum of two-thirds and have to be elected by a majority referendum. The election term is for six years with the possibility for re-election with conditional reasons for return. Putting into to play the general state policy is made up and supervised by the Head of State. He also rules the Armed Force. The last elected president of the republic was Mohammed Hosni Mubarak. The supreme executive and administrative organ of the State is the government; they are comprised of the Council of Ministers. This is ruled by the Prime Minister and he is the overseer of the work of the government. The highest part of the government is the Executive and administrative part of the Egyptian Republic is the Council of Ministers. The Ministers are together responsible for the policy and procedure of the State before the People’s Assembly, every Minister is responsible for the performance of his Ministry and is held to accountability to do so. The Parliament has great power as well. They have the power to withdraw confidence from the Cabinet or from any Cabinet member and leave them powerless. The fourth part of this system is the Legislative Branch. This branch of the Egyptian Parliament is a reflection in character and consists of the People’s Assembly, or Majlis El-Shaab and the Advisory Council or Majlis El-Shourah. â€Å"The People’s Assembly is the legislative branch of the State consisting of 444 directly elected members and 10 members appointed by the President, who serve for a term of five years. It has the power to approve the general policy, new laws, the budget and the development plans of the government. It also has the authority to undertake investigations and to levy taxes, besides appointing the Presidential candidate and passing a vote of no-confidence in the cabinet. The Advisory Council with 140 members, out of which 70 members  are nominated by the President, is Egypt’s consultative council. It offers advices and consultation and proposes to the Assembly new laws and regulations† (Haas, F. 2008). The fifth part of the system is the Judicial Branch. The Judicial branch System was brought into the country introduced into the country in 1854 and predicated on the English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes system to go through for four categories of courts of justice. Almost like the United States the highest judicial body is the Supreme Constitutional Court, the Court of Cessation. There are seven courts of Appeal in the various systems, and the Summary Tribunals in the districts are the principal court system in Egypt. It guarantees the independence of the judicial system. The fifth system is the Party of Power. This system is ruled on a multi-party system. â€Å"The Law 40 of 1977 regulates the development of political parties in Egypt. Though there is currently 17 active political parties representing various stands across the political spectrum, the law prohibits the creation of religious-based political parties in the state. Presently the National Democratic Party holds the majority of seats in the People’s Assembly† (History. 2012). The sixth system is the local government. This is headed by a Governor who is appointed by the President which is very different as to how they are selected in the US. â€Å"Egypt is administratively divided into 26 Governorates. Within their districts, local government units establish and run all public utiliti es, provide services and designate industrial areas. Working closely at various levels with local government is the Local Popular Councils. The basics: Egypt is a large, mostly Arab, mostly Muslim country. At around 80 million people, it has the largest population in the Middle East and the third-largest in Africa. Most of Egypt is in North Africa, although the part of the country that borders Israel, the Sinai Peninsula, is in Asia. Its other neighbors are Sudan to the South, Libya to the West, and Saudi Arabia across the Gulf of Aqaba to the East. It has been was ruled by Hosni Mubarak since from 1981 until February 11th†( Pew Research Center 2011, November 17). As to what is going on today in Egypt. There has been fierce protest in Egypt that has been promoted by the recent protests in which led to the fall of the Tunisian government as well as getting rid of longtime Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The Egyptians have gathered momentum to get support of other protesters across the Arab world in Algeria, notably in  protesting their autocratic governments, high levels of corruption, and grinding pove rty. This is a big reason Why Egyptians unhappy and disturbed about the government. They feel they have no basic freedom than Tunisians. â€Å"Egypt is ranked 138th of 167 countries on The Economist’s Democracy index, a widely accepted measure of political freedom. That ranking puts Egypt just seven spots ahead of Tunisia. And Egyptians are significantly poorer than their cousins to the west† (Mislan, D. 2012). How did this all start? These protests started with the protests in Tunisia. Just like their Tunisian counterparts, â€Å"Egyptian protesters have pointed to a specific incident as inspiration for the unrest. Many have cited the June 2010 beating death of Khaled Said, allegedly at the hands of police, as motivation for their rage. But it’s also clear that the issues here are larger† (Prager, D. 2012). This seems to be complicated for the US more than Tunisia was. The â€Å"Tunisian regime was a key ally for the US in the fight against Al Qaeda. But the US government’s ties to Tunisia’s Ben Ali pale in comparison to American ties to Egypt. Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution, a centrist think tank, explains: Predictions that a Tunisia-like uprising will soon topple Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are premature the Egyptian regime, with its well-paid military, is likely to be more unified and more ruthless than its Tunisian counterparts were. The U.S. is the primary benefactor of the Egyptian regime, which, in turn, has reliably supported American regional priorities. After Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel, Egypt is the largest recipient of U.S. assistance, including $1.3 billion in annual military aid. In other words, if the army ever decides to shoot into a crowd of unarmed protestors, it will be shooting with hardware provided by the United States. As Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations points out, the Egyptian military is â€Å"not there to project power, but to protect the regime (History. 2012)†. There was a movement started in Egypt called the Egyptian Movement for Change (EMC). It also has another name called, Kefaya which in English means â€Å"Enough†. This came about in 2004. Almost immediately its importance to Egyptian political life was recognized, though not understood. Both Egyptian and Western analysts have mischaracterized the movement. Interpretations have been too narrow, focusing on specific details and ignoring the movement’s broad vision, or too broad, mistaking Kefaya for a generic social movement in the Western mode. All such approaches fail to  appreciate Kefaya’s real contribution. This essay argues that Kefaya’s significance lies in its transformative potential as a broad political force that is uniquely suited to the needs of the moment in Egypt. It is at once a cross-ideological force that has the potential, in the long run, of creating a new mainstream and a movement of a new kind that is creating a distinctive and promis ing form of politics for Egypt. Egypt’s political system has reached a dead end in the early twenty-first century. The opposition political parties are locked in their headquarters, unable to communicate with the public. Virtually acquiescing to the siege of an arsenal of restrictive laws, these political parties have for years suffered from an increasingly diminishing membership, a lack of operational funds, and internecine internal feuds. The â€Å"illegality† of the Muslim Brothers (MB) has paradoxically liberated that organization from restrictions that come with governmental licensing. However, the ideology, posture, secrecy, and political tactics of the grassroots-based MB engender the mistrust of many political forces, including some Islamists. At the same time, the secularist-Islamist polarization hinders the possibility of reaching any meaningful consensus on critical issues. This blockage is not lost on the regime, the clear beneficiary of such divisions among its adversaries, and it does not augur well for the future of the brothers in a lead role in shaping Egyptian political life. Amid this political disarray, a new generation of Egyptians holds the promise for transforming politics in Egypt. They have found a home and an instrument in Kefaya and in the process have invented a new form of politics. Their innovations are historically grounded on the specifics of Egypt’s political life in recent decades. Unique Egyptian circumstances have shaped their experiences, aspirations, and vision for the future. With the seething political discontent on the one hand and the ideologically based mistrust and mutual exclusion among the political forces on the other, Egypt needs today, more than ever, a new form of politics that pulls together diverse ideas from across the political spectrum to forge a new national project. For more than a decade, a group of activists and intellectuals have interacted across ideological lines to reach a common ground. Kefaya emerged as one manifestation of these efforts and as an important illustration of the possibilities of this new politics.  While such collaborative work across ideological lines is not unique in democratic experiences around the world, Kefaya represents the first successful effort of that sort in modern Egyptian politics. This essay, based on primary sources, including open-ended interviews, statements, newspaper articles, and reports, as well as unpublished documents, is composed of three main parts. The first part explains in more detail the reasons why Kefaya has been widely mischaracterized; the second illustrates why and how Kefaya represents a new force with the potential of creating a new mainstream; and the third explores the new politics invented by Kefaya. There has been Misunderstanding Kefaya Since its early days, there have been various critical interpretations of Kefaya by politicians and intellectuals alike, at times citing deficiencies in the movement’s profile, actions, and approach, while at other times dismissing the movement outright as being a â€Å"foreign puppet† or the pastime of â€Å"a bunch of kids.† The most serious and widely noted critique of Kefaya is that it has been essentially a mere protest movement, targeting President Mubarak personally, without putting forward an alternative candidate or articulating a constructive vision for political transformation. The critique along these lines has gained more momentum since the 2005 presidential election. Because Kefaya’s main slogan expressed the rejection of a fifth term for Mubarak as well as the succession of his son, the argument goes that Kefaya lost its raison d’etre with the end of the election. â€Å"Except for rejecting the election results, symbolized by the slogan of ‘Batel’, nothing new was produced.† When Kefaya played a leading role in the formation of the National Front for Change on the eve of the subsequent parliamentary elections, it was criticized as passing the torch to the old opposition parties, the very same entities whose inaction it has been formed to face. (Haas, F. 2008)†.The EMC had been â€Å"dragged into sitting together with the leaders of the tamed opposition, instead of putting forward a demand for changing the electoral system.† While critics clearly question Kefaya’s contribution to Egyptian politics, even the more positive assessments of the EMC mischaracterize it. For example, the American Left sees Kefaya as the beginning of â€Å"the process of rebuilding an Egyptian Left crushed by decades of police oppression† and a reverse of its â€Å"political marginalization caused by the rise of political Islam (Haas, F. 2008)†. Some Egyptian analysts as well characterize Kefaya  as a â€Å"secular† protest movement and thereby implicitly expect its role to be the containment of the Islamists. Kefaya has been so widely misunderstood in the West as well as among the Western-educated elite in Egypt because of the reliance on Western social scientific classifications, notably the social movement literature, to make sense of a phenomenon emerging from the very different Egyptian context. This shortcoming is compounded by looking at Kefaya with an ideologically selective eye. While Kefaya has indeed demonstrated several of the characteristics highlighted in the literature on new social movements, it is neither single issue oriented nor concerned with identity two of the most important features of new social movements. Shoehorning Kefaya into a category derived from the experience of postindustrial societies obscures more than it illuminates. Nevertheless, the concept of the new social movement comes closest to capturing certain features of Kefaya. The movement is one of dissent, aiming in a constant and persistent endeavor toward the transformation of Egypt.4 It is a loose network of small groupings around the country. Like social movements, it aims at generating public attention and has emerged from a realization of the perils involved in conventional party politics in Egypt, marked by debilitating restrictions and dilemmas. In other words, Kefaya emerges out of realization that the institutional channels are neither neutral nor amenable to the demands for change. However, unlike conventional social movements and because of the specific necessities of the Egyptian context, Kefaya is not focused on a single issue. The same, incidentally, is true of the Islamic movement whose platform also embraces a range of issues. In addition to the breadth of the issues addressed by Kefaya, the movement is ideologically diverse. In this way, it differs from the Islamic movement. While the latter has a concrete ideology shaping its project, Kefaya goes beyond any single ideology to be the only movement in contemporary Egypt that emerged out of serious political interactions across ideological lines. Approaching Kefaya through the prism of the social movement literature, with its American scholarship emphasis on resource mobilization and political processes, blinds analysis to this distinctive feature, which is in fact one of the most important contributions of Kefaya to Egypt’s political life. There is concern about the momentum behind Egypt’s emergency law, and what it means for progress both the incredible progress that has already been  made and the equally incredible progress that has yet to be made. There is concern about the treatment and status of the Copts and other members of the Christian Egyptian minority. There is concern about the security of the Egyptian–Israeli border and about relations between the two countries in general. There is concern that the progress that has been made thus far could actually lead to a reversal of Egypt’s progress, should the freedom to elect lead to a government that constricts the freedom of the Egyptian people even more than we have seen over the past 30 years And the list could go on. Indeed, there is no shortage of things about which to worry. There is a fine line between worrying and believing. Similarly, there is a fine line between two, seemingly contradictory, truths: Some degree of discontent with our present circumstances is healthy and necessary, because discontent fuels progress; at the same time, being happy requires that we make a point of being happy wherever we are. There is a fine and difficult line between making the best of our current reality and not giving up. It is necessary to think through all possible outcomes, including the undesirable and even the remote ones. Both worrying and believing are the result of thinking. Worry and anxiety result from focusing on undesirable outcomes no matter how probable or improbable. Belief, on the other hand, is the result of focusing on the best possible outcomes again, no matter how probable or improbable. Whereas worrying fuels panic and skepticism, believing fuels faith and hope. Positive action rarely results from the chaos, fear, or feelings of scarcity that often accompany worry. Faith and hope lead to trust and courage; and trust and courage lead to positive, prosaically action. So, yes, there does seem to be a great deal to worry about right now. Even still, if there’s even the remotest possibility that believing instead of worrying will lead to continued progress, and then it seems to me that believing is what we have to do. Positive Psychology has been described by Martin Seligman and others as the science of what makes life worth living; of what is working for individuals, families, communities, and society more broadly. The Positive Psychology experiment with which we are now charged is to, together, choose belief over worry. At least between now and Egypt’s presidential election, let us together make a conscious, deliberate decision to focus on what is working and how it can lead to the best possible future for Egypt and for the world as a whole. References Mislan, D. (2012). Cross Cultural Perspectives. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Haas, F. (2008). German Science and Black Racism–Roots of the Nazi Holocaust. FASEB Journal, 22(2), 332-337. History. (2012). Germany Country Review, 7-14. Ninkovich, F. (2001). The United States and Imperialism. Wiley-Blackwell. Pew Research Center. (2011, November 17). The American-Western European Values Gap. Retrieved fromhttp://www.pewglobal.org/2011/11/17/the-american-western-european-values-gap/ Prager, D. (2012). Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph. HarperCollins.

Alcohol advertisements should be banned Essay

Alcohol is the ingredient found in beer, wine and spirits which causes drunkenness. Abuse of alcohol, or consumption of more alcohol than the body can handle, can lead to liver damage and other debilitating conditions. Alcohol abuse can also lead to alcoholism, or alcohol addiction, in which a person becomes physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol to the point that he or she cannot function without it. Alcohol advertisements can be seen virtually anywhere; they are especially known for sponsoring sporting events, concerts, magazines, and they are found anywhere on the internet. Excessive alcohol consumption is unquestionably bad for one’s health. Numerous researchers indicate that alcohol consumption on a regular basis destroys the liver and oesophagus. Thus alcohol advertisement in the print media and cinemas which encourages one to consume alcoholic drinks should be banned. In addition, alcohol advertisements are proven to have a huge influence upon teenagers. These advertisements are played a lot during TV shows watched by youngsters such as football or the ashes today. Television, cinemas and billboards are needed to stem the tide of binge drinking among teens to reduce the amount of teens affected by the deadly outcomes of alcohol. The number of alcoholics in this country has seen an exponential increase. More and more working women too are getting hooked on drinking. Instead of relegating drinking alcohol to social occasions, there’s an increasing number of both men and women drinking alcohol excessively and regularly. Alcoholic drinks give a false sense of confidence and boldness. It is quite common to see those who had too much to drink behaving inappropriately as the alcohol makes one lose their inhibition. The media should be more meticulous in terms of its advertising content. Advertisement is an important source of proceeds, particularly advertisements related to alcohol which generates huge sums of profit for the media companies. It can begin by banning alcohol advertisements and instead run advertisements that shows the public the dangerous consequences of alcohol consumption. The money spent on consuming alcohol can be diverted into better buying products such as health supplements and health food. It is clear that advertisements directly influence alcohol consumption, so the ban on alcohol advertisements should take effect immediately. Too many families and individuals have been and are still being greatly affected.

Free Essays on Wal-Mart Super Center Discount Stores Are Taking Over In Small Town, America

Wal-Mart Super Center Discount Stores are Taking Over in Small Town, America Are Wal-Mart Discount Stores good for small communities, or are the so-called Wal-Mart â€Å"Super Centers† really just proverbial wolves in sheep’s clothing? Wal-Mart stores may claim to help small-town consumers by selling goods for less money because they supposedly help us save money to use for other things. Wal-Mart stocks their shelves with a high volume of goods on a continuous basis and it seems like they always have what a consumer is looking for, even groceries and food, in the case of the Super Centers, which combine a discount grocery store with a discount store to form a combination â€Å"Super Center.† Aren’t Wal-Marts really just taking away from â€Å"Mom and Pop† shops and your local grocery, hardware, and general stores by making discount stores so readily available to customers in a convenient venue, like the all-encompassing, one-stop discount store that Wal-Mart has become? There is really another side to this story. Wal-M art may not be what it seems. It may hurt us more than help us in the end: With gross annual sales of over $67 billion per year and more than 50,000 stores in America alone, Wal-Mart is one of the biggest corporations and chain of discount stores in the United Sates. Wal-Mart opens a new store once every two weeks in small communities and large urban cities across the United States, however, are these stores truly benefiting these communities or are they really wrecking havoc (Norman 63)? I decided to look at the fine print when it comes to Wal-Mart’s aggressive ad campaigns and luring tactics to attract customers from other stores, including grocery stores, hardware stores, and five and dime general stores. This is especially true in towns of under 30,000 people, like in a town called Pittsburg, Kansas in southeast Kansas, which is a college town and houses two Wal-Marts. I have been to the Wal-Mart... Free Essays on Wal-Mart Super Center Discount Stores Are Taking Over In Small Town, America Free Essays on Wal-Mart Super Center Discount Stores Are Taking Over In Small Town, America Wal-Mart Super Center Discount Stores are Taking Over in Small Town, America Are Wal-Mart Discount Stores good for small communities, or are the so-called Wal-Mart â€Å"Super Centers† really just proverbial wolves in sheep’s clothing? Wal-Mart stores may claim to help small-town consumers by selling goods for less money because they supposedly help us save money to use for other things. Wal-Mart stocks their shelves with a high volume of goods on a continuous basis and it seems like they always have what a consumer is looking for, even groceries and food, in the case of the Super Centers, which combine a discount grocery store with a discount store to form a combination â€Å"Super Center.† Aren’t Wal-Marts really just taking away from â€Å"Mom and Pop† shops and your local grocery, hardware, and general stores by making discount stores so readily available to customers in a convenient venue, like the all-encompassing, one-stop discount store that Wal-Mart has become? There is really another side to this story. Wal-M art may not be what it seems. It may hurt us more than help us in the end: With gross annual sales of over $67 billion per year and more than 50,000 stores in America alone, Wal-Mart is one of the biggest corporations and chain of discount stores in the United Sates. Wal-Mart opens a new store once every two weeks in small communities and large urban cities across the United States, however, are these stores truly benefiting these communities or are they really wrecking havoc (Norman 63)? I decided to look at the fine print when it comes to Wal-Mart’s aggressive ad campaigns and luring tactics to attract customers from other stores, including grocery stores, hardware stores, and five and dime general stores. This is especially true in towns of under 30,000 people, like in a town called Pittsburg, Kansas in southeast Kansas, which is a college town and houses two Wal-Marts. I have been to the Wal-Mart...

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Awesome Blog Posts - Freewrite Store

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Awesome Blog Posts - Freewrite Store These days, everyone seems to be blogging. It’s the ‘cool’ thing to do. Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress make starting your own blog simple. But you only have to spend a short time perusing other blogs to discover that there’s much more to it than making it look pretty. Virtually anyone can write a blog post. Writing awesome blog posts that others are eager to read takes much more effort and skill. When you’re just starting out, that can seem like looking up a huge mountain. You wonder if you can achieve those blogging dreams. I know.   I’ve been blogging for almost ten years and I’m still learning new tricks to make my posts more engaging and readable. One question I get asked most as a writing coach is if there’s an easy way to consistently write awesome blog posts. I’d never describe writing captivating content as easy - but it’s easierwhen you have the right tools. In this ultimate guide, I’ll show you how. The Key Ingredients Fine-dining chefs know that the quality of their culinary masterpieces depends on the quality of their ingredients. Likewise, the best blog writers understand that the quality of their writing depends on a set of ingredients that can’t be compromised on. As a writer, you’ll know that different types of writing need different skills. Writing a blog post isn’t like writing a novel - and if you’re used to writing long pieces of content, writing blog posts can be a sharp learning curve. To make it more complex, there are different types of blog posts, too. Listicles, articles, how-to-guides†¦ the list is endless. But, blog posts of all kinds share common key ingredients you can use as a kind of formula to create blog posts that your readers will find irresistible. 1. Hard-Working Headline Headlines are like hooks that snare your readers in and entice them to keep reading. For centuries, newspaper editors have been using headline psychology to increase readership. Yet when it comes to blogging, writers often fall into the trap of thinking the body of your posts matters more than the headline. It doesn’t. Well, technically the content matters more to give value to your readers - but without a hard-working headline, no one will read the blog post, anyway. You can see how that’s a problem. I know writers who spend more time writing their headlines than they do their content - and they’re the writers who see their blog posts go viral. Go figure. So, what makes a headline hard-working? These kinds of headlines are powerful, persuasive - and tell the reader what to expect. Smart bloggers use psychology to get into the heads of their audience and write headlines that can’t be ignored. The best way to learn how to write these kinds of headlines is to Google your topic - and see what the top ranking blog headlines are. Study them. Learn from other bloggers who’ve been where you are now and have reached that pinnacle of success you’re aiming for. Want to perfect your headline-writing technique to make creating epic blog posts easier? Spend an hour every day writing headlines - and re-writing them to make them better. Practice makes perfect - plus, you’ll be generating hundreds of blog post titles for future use. Types of headlines include: How-to... List (tip - use an odd number, e.g. 7, 13, 45) Warning! (exploit the reader’s FOMO) The ultimate guide to... Why... Headlines that tease your reader without giving too much away virtually guarantee they’ll read your post. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers - and write the kinds of headlines that would make you click and read.   2. Irresistible Intro The headline hooks your reader. The intro convinces them to keep reading. To write irresistible intros you need to understand your readers, be able to relate to their problems, know what they’re looking for - and speak to them in a language they ‘get’. My background is in Linguistics, so when I first wrote blog posts, they were dire. Not because I didn’t know how to write - but because I was used to writing academic papers. My blogs would have delighted my professors - but they didn’t speak to my readers. A powerful and irresistible intro uses empathy to convince your readers you get them. You care about them. You want to help them with some problem or give them something they’re looking for. Exploiting emotions is another trick you can use to craft enticing intros. Which emotions you exploit depends on the post you’re writing - but before you start writing, know what feelings you want to cultivate in your reader. Learn from bloggers who’ve been in your shoes. Look at how they do it. The top ranking bloggers are at the top of the search results because they’re at the top of their game. Study their techniques - and start practicing. 3. Epic, Valuable Advice Want your readers to love your blog so much they can’t wait to share it on Facebook or Twitter? Of course you do - that’s how you grow your readership and build your reputation as a kick-ass writer. But we’re a consumer-culture. You don’t get anything for nothing. You want your readers to do something at the end of the post? Give them something valuable in return. I don’t mean you have to buytheir recommendation. You want to compel them to take action, not force them. The value is in what your blog post offers them. Do you have a solution to their problem that no one else has suggested? Can you help them learn a skill they need? Figure out what your readers will value most, and give it to them. Prove that you know what you’re talking about - and get them eager to read your next blog posts, too. But don’t just stop there. Give them more than they’re expecting from a blog post. The more you give them, the more they’ll love you. It’s really that simple. If other bloggers are giving 10 tips for something, give 15, 20 or even 25 - and maybe throw in a PDF they can download (in exchange for their email address). Make your advice easy for them to read, digest, and act on. This part of your blog post is the meat - and if you don’t make it easy to digest, you risk losing your reader - no matter how valuable your advice is. Subheadings and short paragraphs are the blogger’s best friend. If a paragraph is over four lines long, it’s too long and needs breaking up. Watch the length of your sentences, too. Tons of people read blogs and more on smartphones - and long paragraphs on a desktop are even longer on a smartphone. You’re aiming to improve your reader’s life - so don’t make it hard for them to read! 4. Kick-Ass Conclusion Finishing your blog post strong is sometimes harder than starting it. How do you close your post off with a bang when you’ve already delivered so much? It takes practice to get this part right. You want to motivate your readers and get them coming back for more. But you also need to keep it short and punchy. What you must avoid in your conclusion is adding new information. Readers hate that. All the hard work you’ve done so far can be undone with a poorly thought out conclusion. The key to writing a powerful, motivating conclusion is to write it to yourself. Yes, that sounds weird, but it works. You’re an expert on the topic, so you’ve been in your reader’s shoes. So, what would you write to your former self now you’ve overcome the challenges? What did you wish someone had said to you back then? What encouragement did you long to hear? Maybe you didhear it. So give your readers a pep talk, empower them - and give them the confidence to put all your valuable advice into action. Style Matters That’s the ingredients taken care of. But you can’t throw a load of ingredients into a pot and expect a culinary masterpiece to emerge. There’s more to producing consistently awesome blog posts than the ingredients. Your style matters, too. The style of your posts will vary according to your audience. It’s easy to forget you’re writing for them, not for you. Don’t make that mistake. To write to your readers and forthem: Use the language and style they use Speak to them directly Avoid jargon they won’t understand Present information logically Readability Readability is a big thing in the blogging world. The Flesch Reading Ease scale is a great tool for bloggers to use to check how easy your writing is to read. There are tons of different tools you can use to measure it. Keeping an eye on your readability score can really improve your blog writing. It helps you focus on your reader’s comprehension, not on using big words and technical jargon. You should aim for a readability score of 60 or more. Since I’ve been using a readability tool, my score’s gone from an average of 58-60 to an average of 78-82. It works. Putting in Your Personality Allowing your personality to shine through your writing adds a personal touch to your blog posts that readers love. They’re more likely to subscribe to your blog posts - or at least bookmark your blog - when you add that human element. It creates a kind of relationship - and makes your blog posts sound different from all the other blog posts competing for your readers’ attention. Breaking Grammar Rules Writing consistently awesome blog posts means you have to break rules. Grammar rules, that is. All those things you were taught in school about split infinitives and contractions - your readers (mostly) don’t care about. Unless you’re writing a blog about grammar, of course. Blogs are much more informal. You’re speaking to your readers, not writing them an essay. Writing in a style they can relate to matters so much more than maintaining the rules of grammar. Polishing Your Posts Never hit the publish button until you’ve polished your posts. Ever. Your first draft might be perfect. It might be utterly awesome and epic. But don’t publish it yet. Please. Every writer’s different. Some leave their writing for a few days before they edit. Others leave it a few hours. It’s up to you - as long as you edit. When you come back to your blog post, you’re looking to polish till it’s perfect: Cut unnecessary words Add more emotion Break up any paragraphs that look too long Fact check Check the flow Add highlights Spark the senses Check your consistency Creating Irresistible Content, Consistently You want to write irresistible blog posts your readers will love, and you want to do it easily. The good news is that you’ve now got a formula for awesome blog posts. The bad news is that the formula makes it easier rather than easy. Writing awesome blog posts takes effort. It takes time. It takes practice. But you can do it. You’ve got all the tools you need to write blogs your readers will love. Yes, you’ll have moments of doubt. We all do. That’s just part of being a writer. You’ll look at the blog posts that the top ranking bloggers have written and wonder if you can ever compete. You can. You can’t let fear or intimidation stop you. You wouldn’t be reading this post if you didn’t believe, somewhere deep down inside, that you have it in you to write consistently awesome blogs. Learn from the writers who have gone before you - but don’t be intimidated by them. They were in your shoes not so long ago, and look where they are now. You’ll never get there if you don’t start, though. Start today. Start with hard-working headlines, and work your way up until it’s your blog that’s sitting at the top of the rankings and you that the world is turning to for advice.       About the author: Ariella is an experienced copywriter, editor, and digital marketing consultant. Driven by a passion for writing and content creation she takes pride in producing articles that deliver the latest information in an engaging manner and marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional results. Ariella has a BA (Hons) in English Language and Creative Writing (First), an MA in Theology and Ministry, and is a published author of three novels and a bestselling non-fiction book. A creative at heart, Ariella has 14 years’ industry experience and always aims to keep abreast of current trends and developments. She lives in the UK with her three beagles Zeke, Hope, and Sandy, who always make life interesting. The Ultimate Guide to Writing Awesome Blog Posts - Freewrite Store These days, everyone seems to be blogging. It’s the ‘cool’ thing to do. Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress make starting your own blog simple. But you only have to spend a short time perusing other blogs to discover that there’s much more to it than making it look pretty. Virtually anyone can write a blog post. Writing awesome blog posts that others are eager to read takes much more effort and skill. When you’re just starting out, that can seem like looking up a huge mountain. You wonder if you can achieve those blogging dreams. I know.   I’ve been blogging for almost ten years and I’m still learning new tricks to make my posts more engaging and readable. One question I get asked most as a writing coach is if there’s an easy way to consistently write awesome blog posts. I’d never describe writing captivating content as easy - but it’s easierwhen you have the right tools. In this ultimate guide, I’ll show you how. The Key Ingredients Fine-dining chefs know that the quality of their culinary masterpieces depends on the quality of their ingredients. Likewise, the best blog writers understand that the quality of their writing depends on a set of ingredients that can’t be compromised on. As a writer, you’ll know that different types of writing need different skills. Writing a blog post isn’t like writing a novel - and if you’re used to writing long pieces of content, writing blog posts can be a sharp learning curve. To make it more complex, there are different types of blog posts, too. Listicles, articles, how-to-guides†¦ the list is endless. But, blog posts of all kinds share common key ingredients you can use as a kind of formula to create blog posts that your readers will find irresistible. 1. Hard-Working Headline Headlines are like hooks that snare your readers in and entice them to keep reading. For centuries, newspaper editors have been using headline psychology to increase readership. Yet when it comes to blogging, writers often fall into the trap of thinking the body of your posts matters more than the headline. It doesn’t. Well, technically the content matters more to give value to your readers - but without a hard-working headline, no one will read the blog post, anyway. You can see how that’s a problem. I know writers who spend more time writing their headlines than they do their content - and they’re the writers who see their blog posts go viral. Go figure. So, what makes a headline hard-working? These kinds of headlines are powerful, persuasive - and tell the reader what to expect. Smart bloggers use psychology to get into the heads of their audience and write headlines that can’t be ignored. The best way to learn how to write these kinds of headlines is to Google your topic - and see what the top ranking blog headlines are. Study them. Learn from other bloggers who’ve been where you are now and have reached that pinnacle of success you’re aiming for. Want to perfect your headline-writing technique to make creating epic blog posts easier? Spend an hour every day writing headlines - and re-writing them to make them better. Practice makes perfect - plus, you’ll be generating hundreds of blog post titles for future use. Types of headlines include: How-to... List (tip - use an odd number, e.g. 7, 13, 45) Warning! (exploit the reader’s FOMO) The ultimate guide to... Why... Headlines that tease your reader without giving too much away virtually guarantee they’ll read your post. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers - and write the kinds of headlines that would make you click and read.   2. Irresistible Intro The headline hooks your reader. The intro convinces them to keep reading. To write irresistible intros you need to understand your readers, be able to relate to their problems, know what they’re looking for - and speak to them in a language they ‘get’. My background is in Linguistics, so when I first wrote blog posts, they were dire. Not because I didn’t know how to write - but because I was used to writing academic papers. My blogs would have delighted my professors - but they didn’t speak to my readers. A powerful and irresistible intro uses empathy to convince your readers you get them. You care about them. You want to help them with some problem or give them something they’re looking for. Exploiting emotions is another trick you can use to craft enticing intros. Which emotions you exploit depends on the post you’re writing - but before you start writing, know what feelings you want to cultivate in your reader. Learn from bloggers who’ve been in your shoes. Look at how they do it. The top ranking bloggers are at the top of the search results because they’re at the top of their game. Study their techniques - and start practicing. 3. Epic, Valuable Advice Want your readers to love your blog so much they can’t wait to share it on Facebook or Twitter? Of course you do - that’s how you grow your readership and build your reputation as a kick-ass writer. But we’re a consumer-culture. You don’t get anything for nothing. You want your readers to do something at the end of the post? Give them something valuable in return. I don’t mean you have to buytheir recommendation. You want to compel them to take action, not force them. The value is in what your blog post offers them. Do you have a solution to their problem that no one else has suggested? Can you help them learn a skill they need? Figure out what your readers will value most, and give it to them. Prove that you know what you’re talking about - and get them eager to read your next blog posts, too. But don’t just stop there. Give them more than they’re expecting from a blog post. The more you give them, the more they’ll love you. It’s really that simple. If other bloggers are giving 10 tips for something, give 15, 20 or even 25 - and maybe throw in a PDF they can download (in exchange for their email address). Make your advice easy for them to read, digest, and act on. This part of your blog post is the meat - and if you don’t make it easy to digest, you risk losing your reader - no matter how valuable your advice is. Subheadings and short paragraphs are the blogger’s best friend. If a paragraph is over four lines long, it’s too long and needs breaking up. Watch the length of your sentences, too. Tons of people read blogs and more on smartphones - and long paragraphs on a desktop are even longer on a smartphone. You’re aiming to improve your reader’s life - so don’t make it hard for them to read! 4. Kick-Ass Conclusion Finishing your blog post strong is sometimes harder than starting it. How do you close your post off with a bang when you’ve already delivered so much? It takes practice to get this part right. You want to motivate your readers and get them coming back for more. But you also need to keep it short and punchy. What you must avoid in your conclusion is adding new information. Readers hate that. All the hard work you’ve done so far can be undone with a poorly thought out conclusion. The key to writing a powerful, motivating conclusion is to write it to yourself. Yes, that sounds weird, but it works. You’re an expert on the topic, so you’ve been in your reader’s shoes. So, what would you write to your former self now you’ve overcome the challenges? What did you wish someone had said to you back then? What encouragement did you long to hear? Maybe you didhear it. So give your readers a pep talk, empower them - and give them the confidence to put all your valuable advice into action. Style Matters That’s the ingredients taken care of. But you can’t throw a load of ingredients into a pot and expect a culinary masterpiece to emerge. There’s more to producing consistently awesome blog posts than the ingredients. Your style matters, too. The style of your posts will vary according to your audience. It’s easy to forget you’re writing for them, not for you. Don’t make that mistake. To write to your readers and forthem: Use the language and style they use Speak to them directly Avoid jargon they won’t understand Present information logically Readability Readability is a big thing in the blogging world. The Flesch Reading Ease scale is a great tool for bloggers to use to check how easy your writing is to read. There are tons of different tools you can use to measure it. Keeping an eye on your readability score can really improve your blog writing. It helps you focus on your reader’s comprehension, not on using big words and technical jargon. You should aim for a readability score of 60 or more. Since I’ve been using a readability tool, my score’s gone from an average of 58-60 to an average of 78-82. It works. Putting in Your Personality Allowing your personality to shine through your writing adds a personal touch to your blog posts that readers love. They’re more likely to subscribe to your blog posts - or at least bookmark your blog - when you add that human element. It creates a kind of relationship - and makes your blog posts sound different from all the other blog posts competing for your readers’ attention. Breaking Grammar Rules Writing consistently awesome blog posts means you have to break rules. Grammar rules, that is. All those things you were taught in school about split infinitives and contractions - your readers (mostly) don’t care about. Unless you’re writing a blog about grammar, of course. Blogs are much more informal. You’re speaking to your readers, not writing them an essay. Writing in a style they can relate to matters so much more than maintaining the rules of grammar. Polishing Your Posts Never hit the publish button until you’ve polished your posts. Ever. Your first draft might be perfect. It might be utterly awesome and epic. But don’t publish it yet. Please. Every writer’s different. Some leave their writing for a few days before they edit. Others leave it a few hours. It’s up to you - as long as you edit. When you come back to your blog post, you’re looking to polish till it’s perfect: Cut unnecessary words Add more emotion Break up any paragraphs that look too long Fact check Check the flow Add highlights Spark the senses Check your consistency Creating Irresistible Content, Consistently You want to write irresistible blog posts your readers will love, and you want to do it easily. The good news is that you’ve now got a formula for awesome blog posts. The bad news is that the formula makes it easier rather than easy. Writing awesome blog posts takes effort. It takes time. It takes practice. But you can do it. You’ve got all the tools you need to write blogs your readers will love. Yes, you’ll have moments of doubt. We all do. That’s just part of being a writer. You’ll look at the blog posts that the top ranking bloggers have written and wonder if you can ever compete. You can. You can’t let fear or intimidation stop you. You wouldn’t be reading this post if you didn’t believe, somewhere deep down inside, that you have it in you to write consistently awesome blogs. Learn from the writers who have gone before you - but don’t be intimidated by them. They were in your shoes not so long ago, and look where they are now. You’ll never get there if you don’t start, though. Start today. Start with hard-working headlines, and work your way up until it’s your blog that’s sitting at the top of the rankings and you that the world is turning to for advice.       About the author: Ariella is an experienced copywriter, editor, and digital marketing consultant. Driven by a passion for writing and content creation she takes pride in producing articles that deliver the latest information in an engaging manner and marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional results. Ariella has a BA (Hons) in English Language and Creative Writing (First), an MA in Theology and Ministry, and is a published author of three novels and a bestselling non-fiction book. A creative at heart, Ariella has 14 years’ industry experience and always aims to keep abreast of current trends and developments. She lives in the UK with her three beagles Zeke, Hope, and Sandy, who always make life interesting.