Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Popular Culture - Essay Example The novel Twilight, with its central romance between a vampire and an ordinary teenage girl, also brings these emotions and feelings to the fore, as the lovers feel desperation, torture, the burn of forbidden love, as well as the pain of immortality and the loss of reason. Through it all, the vampires in vampire lore, and Edward in Twilight reflect societal consciousness, while assisting society in accepting that sometimes that which might seem evil is not really. Discussion The French Revolution was a period of despair, tortured beings, and forbidden loves. The desperation was felt by the peasants on the eve of the French Revolution, in 1789, as the peasants in the French countryside was increasingly subjected to undue taxation and social polarisation became a rising problem. At some point, the French peasants were faced with the choices of moving off their land or rebelling, due to a tax system that had lost all semblance of rhyme and reason.1 Meanwhile, they suffered a harvest def icit, and some farmers saw their livelihood wiped out during the harsh winters. The food deficit, the long winter, the social polarisation and increased taxation of the peasants led to an increase in vagrancy and vagabondage, as â€Å"desperate hordes besieged monastic storehouses.†2 Moreover, this sense of desperation was not limited to the peasants, as the laborers and managers also felt the financial pinch, â€Å"having to juggle their resources in order to make ends meet.†3 Meanwhile, the tortured beings were represented most effectively in the French Revolution by the prisoners in the Bastille, the storming of which was one of the cataclysms for the Revolution. Of these is the infamous â€Å"man in the iron mask,† who lived in the Bastille from 1698 to 1703. Also, there was the case of Denyse Regne, who â€Å"was spared nothing, from endless interrogations and torments of hunger to injuries inflicted by doctors to torturous treatment at the hands of a nun lodged with her and her enchainment in an underground dungeon.†4 The cells of the Bastille were places where toad, newts and rats and spiders resided with the unfortunate prisoner, and the prisoner lay on straw for their bed in six by eight foot cages.5 During the French Revolution, as during all times, there was also forbidden love. Such as example is Honore Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, who was a moderate French Revolutionary. He won the heart of a lady who was the consort of a colonel, which caused him to be imprisoned. Released from prison, he went to Corsica, where he engaged in yet another scandalous love affair.6 While this was one individual who engaged in forbidden love affairs during the time of the French Revolution, there undoubtedly were many more. Therefore, the French Revolution was a time of desperation, torture and forbidden love. The vampire is emblematic of all of these feelings, as well as being a symbol of destructive power and abstract horror, that invades our imaginations and sensibilities. As a symbol of desperation, however, the vampire perhaps has more in common with the desperate French nobility during the time of the French Revolution, such as the Princesse de Monaco, a noblewoman of the house of Choiseul-Stainville who died at the guillotine in 1794.7 This is because the vampire is often the

Positive effects on future U.S. national security based on global Assignment

Positive effects on future U.S. national security based on global trends 2030 - Assignment Example Although there are several elements of global trends, this policy paper will only analyze three of the trends which may have very huge positive effects in future. (Carpenter & Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). NIC should be able to provide framework regarding global trajectories by thinking about probable future and their consequences because it is not possible to predict the future. Explanation There is likeliness that the world of 2030 will be a different world ushering a new era of democratization both at the local and international level. There will be possibility of numerous changes concerning diffusion of power, individual empowerment, demographic changes and growth of food, water and energy nexus (Field & Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2012). Looking at the demographic patterns, there is needed to check on the aging, youthfulness, migration and urbanization because they will have a considerable influence on international relations. Perhaps, by 2030 the popula tion may have gone much higher than expected hence leading to serious constraint on resources that are already very limited. Possibly, there will be a shrinking number of youthful societies hence creating uphill battle of sustaining the living standards because of the large number of aged individuals who may not be able to work and feed the world sufficiently. In addition, there may be increased number of urbanization prompting increase in housing facilities and other amenities in the urban centers and lower food production globally (National Intelligence Council, 2012). Food, water and energy will have their demand going high due to population increase as well as worsening state of climate. Global warming may have serious effects on these critical resources owing to serious crisis. Water levels will go down accompanied by increase in precipitation that would largely increase scarcity in the world. It is undeniable also that the energy consumption shall have gone very high (Carpente r & Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). There is also likeliness of increase in individual empowerment in the coming years which may have a major impact by 2030. Individual empowerment may have very significant effect on poverty reduction being that the middle class will go high due to improved education standards as well as improved healthcare. Middle class will be regarded as the most vital class in the society especially being that they are both cause and effect of other trends such as improved communication and production technologies. Individual initiative will play an important role in taking personal initiatives in solving increasing global challenges. Most people will have access to disruptive technologies by 2030 which may enable them to initiate violence or any other form of information most likely through the social media (National Intelligence Council, 2012). Analysis Looking at demographic patterns, there are issues that should be carefully analyzed such as aging, y outhful Societies and states, migration and urbanization which may impose serious threat on the National intelligence Council. It is undeniable that the age structure is rapidly changing and will therefore have significant influence on the demographic pattern. Particularly, there would be an increase in aged and median age groups may impose health challenges. Youthful minority may have very huge effect when it comes to instability in many countries around the world. It is

Organizational commitment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational commitment - Assignment Example Mangers should build team work through sharing of ideas with employees. Engaging workers in an exchange of ideas is very important for positive feedback (Staw, 2003.p28). This also helps managers to obtain immediate solutions to any problem facing an organization. Since mangers are concerned with setting of company’s target, they should adequately inform their workers about company’s objectives to make them aware of what is expected of them (Doyle, 2003.p.35). Through effective communication, managers will be able to establish lasting relationship with the workers. They will be able to build strong working team which will be monitoring and correcting each other (Liff, 2007, p.67). This will also save the managers time and struggle to handle internal disputes within the organization. Through effective communication, managers should involve their employees in looking for solutions to challenging problems in the organizations. They should provide opportunity for each staff member to contribute their ideas and should value and respect all employees’ opinions (Staw, 2003.p.37). This will otherwise demoralize individuals hence lowering their morale. Furthermore, different people will have different ideas and therefore, managers will have an opportunity to select the best from the employees’ ideas (Doyle, 2003.p.49). The management team should support the working team by creating an enabling environment in relation to their work (Doyle, 2003.p.39). This results to overall productivity of the workers and a feeling of satisfaction in their job. The managers should review the duties and responsibilities of the workers so that they get engaged in demanding activities to inspire their minds (Staw, 2003.p.67). However, before this is implemented, they should ensure that their working terms and conditions are also improved for the workers to feel appreciated. This should also be based on individual skills and

World War I and the Economic Impact on the United States Essay

World War I and the Economic Impact on the United States - Essay Example Even though the United States was actively involved in the war for only 19 months, the economic effects of World War I started as the war broke out in Europe and extended way into the 1920s and 1930s long after the war had ended in 1918. The economic impact of World War I on the economy of United States is twofold: Economic impact during the war and impact after the war. The economic impact during the war and immediately after the war, which was short term, was a positive one which helped the American economy to recover from recession. The economic impact after the war, which was long term, was a negative one which forced the American economy into depression (The Great Depression). During The War Prior to the war, United States was in a recession. The economic situation changed dramatically during the war as United States saw the economy boom during this period. The demand for war goods increased rapidly across Europe and the United States benefited greatly from this increase in dema nd as Europeans started purchasing war goods from the United States1. The Manufacturing industry benefitted heavily from the rise in demand from Europe. All kinds of goods were now exported to Europe from America bringing in huge profits. American industries expanded rapidly during the period. Unemployment declined greatly during the war as 3 million people were recruited by the military and half a million jobs were created in the government2. This created employment opportunities for women and immigrants of African origin who were not a major part of the workforce prior to the war. Manufacturing and other industry related jobs were created and were now filled by the previously unemployed. Unemployment rate fell from 7.9% to 1.4% during the war3. Another major impact of World War I on United States was the graduation from a net debtor to net creditor. Prior to the war United States was a debtor country but by the time war had ended it had become a net creditor. In 1914 foreign inves tment is the United States was way greater than the amount invested abroad by the United States. But the equation had changed dramatically during the war and by the end of it United States had emerged as a creditor country. New York had replaced London as the world capital market and Federal Reserve had emerged as the world’s most important financial institution downplaying the bank of England4. This change made great impact on the American economy and contributed to development of America as a global economic superpower in the second half of the 20th century. Post World War Post world war production in industries slowed down and the demand for labor also reduced drastically. Adding to the already poor unemployment condition was the return of soldiers from the war. There weren’t enough jobs for all. Due to decrease in demand the prices of many farm products fell by nearly 50% and this lead to many farmers going bankrupt. Demand for many industry products had reduced an d this meant the overall production went down. Apart from decline in jobs, this also reduced the cash flow into the country. The European demand for American products after the war was not the same as it was during the war. Industry that thrived during the war was the industries that produced weapons and other war goods. All of a sudden there was no demand for the war industry goods. One of the other negative effects of World War I on United States was inflation. The cost of living by the end of the war rose to 100% above the level before the war5. The seeds of the Great Depression were planted by the rising unemployment and bleak economic situation after World War I. Impact on the Ideas about Economics Apart from

Direct marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Direct marketing - Assignment Example mail marketing also has a high return on investment potential due to its extreme targeting and, as a result, businesses are able to market to those consumers that they think are more likely to make a purchase, instead of using mass marketing campaigns through digital media. Direct mail also gives the business a more personal way to reach existing and potential customers, while also enabling businesses to form relationships with consumers and measure feedback on campaigns (Thomas & Housden 35). The first case involves marketing at Guinness with the most important insight from this case being the importance of brand marketing, which has been shown to enhance brand awareness and subsequent sales. This case, however, is historical in nature as Guinness seems not to have adopted the use of interactive social media groups as a way of direct marketing. The second case is LendingTree, which uses the internet for direct marketing. One lesson from this case was that direct online marketing leads to an increase in the number of leads, while it also allows for high volume distribution and targeting. Moreover, direct online marketing was also seen to provide immediate analytics that enhance testing and optimizing performance. Finally, the case on TreadMoves provides insights into the importance of direct internet marketing, especially in the manner that using web analytics helps in making marketing more effective. Another insight involved the manner in which TreadMoves can sue their d atabase in order to directly interact with prospects and customers. Despite the increasing popularity of digital mediums in marketing, several companies continue to use direct mail marketing. The latter is an especially attractive choice for small enterprises since it allows these enterprises to communicate to the consumer complete information on a service or product, while also enabling them to reach any potential target group for relatively low costs (Bird 23). In this case, direct mail may

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Leadership - Essay Example The first and foremost way in which the Japanese nation is helping the government is by acting normally. They take disaster as a destined event, and maintain a realistic approach towards perceiving and reacting towards it. Earthquake happened, but people maintained their regular life style. They went to work, so that systems keep functioning in the routinely fashion, and the government may be facilitated in assisting the nation. Along with the whole nation, the government is displaying excellent leadership skills. Japanese government is using all resources and leadership skills to help improve the conditions that have resulted from the recent disaster. Leadership skills require rational decision making at the right time to cope with the difficulties. Government is constantly working to provide the population with safety. The government had moved disaster management teams right from the instant the incident took place. Affected people have been provided with food and shelter, and are being compensated in order to improve their

The Effect of Media Type on the Message of Pakistan and the United Essay

The Effect of Media Type on the Message of Pakistan and the United States - Essay Example The story has seen widespread coverage across both newspaper and television media. This report will examine one television presentation and two newspaper presentations of the story and analyze how these differ in the way that they portray the information, the impressions they give, their focus, and the effect of the medium itself on the content. The television report was aired on CBS news, titled Terrorist cell phones link Pakistan to attacks. The two newspaper treatments were by the New York Times and USA today titled Pakistan’s spy agency is tied to attack on U.S. Embassy, and Admiral accuses Pakistani agency of backing terrorists respectively. Neil Postman was an American critic as well as being an author and media theorist. He produced a number of books, with several concerning the idea of mass communication being used to share ideas, how this has declined and the role that television plays. Finally, the results will be compared to the claims of Neil Postman, who proposed that different media had the potential to shape the news that we see. He argues that the method in which news is communicated can substantially impact what is communicated, and that television news is not an effective method of providing information, as it does not provide a complete or informative picture of what is happening. The results from my comparison agree with this, with the television news producing a more sensationalized picture that left out some key information, while the newspaper reports went in to more detail about the causes and effects of the event. The Television Perspective The CBS broadcast of the story was titled Terrorist cell phones link Pakistan to attacks, however the cell phones were mentioned only at the start of the three minute report. The attack on the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan was carried out by a group known as Haqqani, who have ties to the Taliban. While all those involved in the attack were killed, information from their cell phones, includi ng calls made and times, was able to be recovered. This led to the determination by US intelligence that both before and during the attack the cell phones were used to call Pakistani intelligence. This discovery has lead to Mike Mullen claiming that the Haqqani network acts is a ‘veritable arm’ for Pakistani intelligence As a consequence of this link, the US claims that all activities of the Haqqani network, which includes a string of high profile attacks, has been connected to the Pakistani intelligence, with them both protecting and funding the group. They claim that the Haqqani network, which has several thousand fighters, operates from within Pakistan, and is involved in raids that cross into Afghanistan. Furthermore, Pakistan uses the network to sell violence in an effort to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a stable and strong country. The CBS story also has a large focus on a truck bombing attack that occurred a few days prior. The truck was involved in the injur y of more than 70 American soldiers, and was known about prior to entering Afghanistan through an intercepted Haqqani transmission. The commander of US troops in Afghanistan General Allen called the commander of the Pakistani Army, General Kayani, asking him to head off the attack. Kayani promised to make a call, but the truck made