Copywriter QA RFP Survival, Success, and Lessons Learned with Shelly Spencer - The Writers For Hire

COPYWRITER QA: RFP SURVIVAL, SUCCESS, AND LESSONS LEARNED WITH SHELLY SPENCER TWFH team member Shelly Spencer has more than two decades of experience in RFP writing and has worked with up-and-coming organizations and non-profits with budgets of $30 million per year. One thing she’s learned? Although RFPs can vary greatly in terms of subject matter, industry, length, and format, the process of preparing a response is essentially the same across the board — and your chances of success really come down to a few key elements. Shelly sat down with us recently and was gracious enough to answer some of our burning questions about surviving — and thriving — as you navigate the complicated process of crafting a killer proposal.  Ã‚   TWFH: How long have you been writing RFPs? SS: I started out grant writing, and that morphed into RFPs as well. I got started mid-2000s; I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. My RFP clients were pretty much all nonprofit, although I did some for-profit as well. I liked the idea of working with nonprofits. They’re in the business of helping people, helping the community, and doing good for the greater good. TWFH: Is there a difference between writing RFPs for nonprofits, versus other types of businesses and organizations? SS: They’re pretty much the same. All you have to do is follow the instructions. They are usually very specific in their instructions: They require one-inch margins, 12-point font. You have to put in this format in this order, you have to title it this way. TWFH: What is the most challenging part of an RFP response? SS: Some RFPs have a tendency to ask the same thing in different sections, so you find yourself trying to answer all of the questions, but not in a way that sounds like you’re repeating yourself. Getting creative with that can be a challenge. Another challenge is that some RFPs ask for very specific, quantifiable results. They want to know your outcomes and outputs, and they want a very clear understanding of what you’re going to produce. Some organizations don’t always track those things; their programs can be hard to quantify. I have one RFP client who runs a food bank, and they started a community garden where women veterans volunteer and grow crops. It’s a great program, but we had to provide numbers; the pounds of crops produced, how many people are served, how many veterans work there. They want to do good, which is great — but you also have to focus on the numbers and details. TWFH: What are some of the most common mistakes people make when responding to RFPs? SS: Probably one of the biggest mistakes in responding to RFPs is bidding on a project that doesn’t fit. If you’re stretching beyond what is reasonable, it’s not worth it. RFPs take a lot of time, and it can be disappointing if you get to a place where you have to say, â€Å"We just don’t fit.† But you have to be realistic. I’ve seen some clients who try to â€Å"throw a program at money† and put something together willy-nilly to fit what the RFP is looking for. Rather than, â€Å"this is what we do,† it becomes, â€Å"let’s create a program because there’s money out there.† TWFH: What is the most misunderstood part of the RFP process? SS: The terminology can be challenging. The instructions are there — but if you don’t understand RFP terminology, it’ll be harder to follow those instructions. Also, some people don’t realize the extensive nature of RFPs. There’s the written part, but there are also attachments, budgets, collaboration letters — all of the extra stuff that’s not part of the actual writing process. It’s easy to just peruse the RFP and say, â€Å"This is a fit for us.† But then when you get into detail and read it, you realize that there are things involved beyond writing.   Ã‚   TWFH: RFP responses are a ton of work, with lots of people involved, multiple moving parts, etc. What advice do you have for staying organized during the process? SS: In the beginning, make sure to figure out who is involved: Get everyone’s contact information and find out what role they play in the process. I usually start with a kickoff meeting to discuss the project scope. Then, I do a draft based on my research, and we build on that. I have the client review it and give their input: Am I on target? What do I need to change? What am I missing? I work through it from there. TWFH: Do you have a standard â€Å"plan of attack† for RFPs? SS: To me, the easiest way to start is by reading the RFP. Figure out what they need. Then, I start formatting. A lot of times, they want the RFP in this order, and they want you to use these specific headings, and so on. That becomes my outline, and I can start plugging in info. Also, when a client provides information, I copy and paste it into the appropriate section, and then I highlight it so I know that it’s their wording and needs to be rewritten. TWFH: Do you typically use a template or have â€Å"boilerplate† copy that you can use from one RFP to another? SS: I don’t see the point in reinventing the wheel. If you have a successful proposal already done, it can be to your benefit to re-use copy. I don’t mean that you have to use everything, and you don’t have to use it verbatim, but it can be more efficient to have those standard boilerplates. Using boilerplates in RFPS helps ensure that you're always getting the same message out. It's like branding: You always want your RFP to have the same messaging, especially if you use more than one writer.Tweet this TWFH: What do you think is the most important part of an RFP? Is there a â€Å"make or break† section? SS: That depends on the RFP. Many RFPs will tell you exactly what to focus on. For example, if they have a 100-point scoring system, they might weight the â€Å"background† section at 10 points, but they might give 50 points to your â€Å"scope of work† section. They’re telling you what’s important to them, which sections carry the most bearing. Make those larger-pointed sections your main focus. Make those sections sparkle. TWFH: Are there any RFPs you have won that you know for sure what about your response made the difference between winning or losing? SS: In so many cases, it’s the whole proposal overall. Although I did once receive feedback that that my client’s proposal was one of the best because it didn’t have a lot of extra fluff. We looked at the questions, and we answered the questions. All it takes is being concise, clear and filled with a bunch of unnecessary stuff. TWFH: In your opinion, what do successful RFPs have in common? SS: They fit within what it is the RFP is trying to accomplish. They follow directions. They look as professional as possible. They pay attention to the little stuff that can be overlooked: Having documents that are clear and scanned nicely. Having original signatures, if you can. If you’re going to take the time and money to do an RFP, you obviously want to put your best foot forward as much as possible.

Seeing Poverty from Sociological View Essays

Seeing Poverty from Sociological View Essays Seeing Poverty from Sociological View Essay Seeing Poverty from Sociological View Essay Poverty seems to be recognized by many people nowadays from various kinds of mass media. However, do we really understand what poverty is, why it appears and how it affects one’s life? There are much bigger problems than we could imagine from just seeing the surface of poverty on daily news. Eli Khamarov, a social theorist, says, â€Å"Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t commit† (Raphael 7). People in poverty are not always poor because of themselves. The reasons are more likely to be in society we live in and political policy we accept. Poverty is not only a matter of finance. Financial problem is the direct cause of poverty, but the effects come from that are unfortunately much more problematic. It is one of the biggest problems that the modern society has to deal with, because it is strongly related with social exclusion, poor bashing and blaming victims, and social determinants of health. Those are sometimes seen as more obvious, problematic phenomena than poverty itself. First of all, it is known that poverty causes social exclusion to the poor. Percy-Smith says, â€Å"This analysis of social exclusion is primarily concerned with the societal processes that lead to groups systematically being denied the opportunity to participate in commonly accepted activities of societal membership† (Raphael 90) Social exclusion in employment situations against the poor, who are eager to work, often comes from language problems, lack of knowledge and skills, health problems, domestic problems, disabilities, being aboriginal, being women, being colored, and being recent immigrants. Many of them are not changeable, nor optional. People with those factors tend to have problems of being employed much more than those who are not with any of them. It seems very unfair and wrong that bourgeoisies, who have power, take advantages of proletariats, who do not have. However, in modern capitalism society, even if it is unfair and wrong, as Karl Marx claims, â€Å"capitalism exists because it creates patterns of unequal relations between these two classes,† (Raphael 92) it is how capitalism is supposed to be. It could be said that it is only natural that there is inequality, because both capitalism and inequality are always designed to be together. People are made to struggle with something that they should not worry. What we need is a new, solid policy that will give a well-considered, positive impact on this capitalism society. Second of all, poor bashing and blaming victims are often on people’s minds when they think about poverty and it is also problematic in order to solve poverty problem, because it is necessary for the poor to be widely understood what factors make them poor by others in order to solve poverty. In addition, there is no need of attacking the poor more when they have been in very harsh situations and struggling to get out of there. According to Jean Swanson, who is anti-poverty activist, poor bashing is â€Å"when people who are poor are stereotyped, ignored, blamed, patronized, pitied, falsely accused of being drunk and having large families and not looking for work† (Raphael 319). It might be true that even those poor themselves start accepting to be poor-bashed and blame themselves as they stay in poverty and bashing, blaming situations too long. It sadly symbolizes that they submit to unfair treatment they receive. It could come from liberalism society that gives us options and allows us to choose in many occasions, but not necessarily fully for everyone. Those poor bashing and blaming victims ideas are very dangerous, because these ideas have never solved and also will never solve poverty. People, both wealthy and poor, need to unite in order to change the way it is. The one which really need to be bashed, or blamed are the society and political policy that creating poverty. Third of all, social determinants of health caused by poverty are very serious, physical issues of being poor. Poverty and Health are sometimes sorted two very unrelated phenomena, but actually it is strongly connected. Many of the poor barely manage their daily lives, in other words, they cannot take care of their health such as exercise and weight. They also try to deal with stress and depression that come from poverty by smoking and drinking. These factors can cause death from diseases. In addition, health is not only considered as nutrition matters, it is also the environment they live in such as daily necessities, working environment and housing situation. As long as their next day is not promised, they cannot fully pay attention to their health. However, it is still extremely important for them, especially children and pregnant women living in poverty. It is a cycle of poverty that poverty produced sickly children, then they cannot get out of poverty easily because of their health conditions and they create the ame situation to their children because they are still poor. There is nothing really they could control. What they need is good health care that allows them to recover from diseases and poverty eventually. In the end, there is absolutely no rationality in poverty from the social point of view. We never create anything from social exclusion, so we need to find a reliable policy that protects the poor and is adapted to modern society. We also have get rid of the ideas, poor bashing and blaming victims, which will not lead us to better way nor create single good solution. We have to cooperate and help each other to lead ourselves to a better society. It is needless to say that for creating a better society, we do not want avoidable death of children who are full of possibilities and adults who have a lot of life experience. Better health care can make this happen. We have to face the truth that many causes of poverty are not people’s fault. Those causes are actually visible problems of our modern society. It is just not right that some people have to deal with them while others take advantages of them in the same society.

Stratigy mangement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stratigy mangement - Essay Example The quality of the human resource management in any company greatly influences its activity and competitiveness. Generally, human resource management changes the way the company operates and supervises its people. The main task of HR department is to supervise, employ and instruct workers in the way that helps the company meet its goals. Human resource officials are challenged with developing new incentive plans capable of attracting and retaining highly qualified individuals with fewer financial resources than in times past. Many human resource managers are meeting this challenge by developing internal reward systems that are based on intrinsic needs. The ability to monitor and measure performance has the greatest impact on organizational performance. Global and national competition has forced many healthcare organizations to look for new ways to enhance organizational performance without significantly increasing costs. Performance management enables human resource management by regulating employee motivation and ability. When used correctly, performance management aids human resource managers in the areas of formal performance evaluations, objective setting, and developing a linkage between performance and rewards. Well-developed performance management systems utilize input and feedback from a variety of sources, including employees, organizational management, and outside stakeholders. Performance management systems allow human resource managers to quickly identify those behaviors that help the organization achieve its goals and those behaviors that are detrimental to productivity. These systems regulate employee performance by focusing on employee behavior, skills and outputs. In order for these systems to be beneficial to the human resource department, they must be flexible and capable of rapid change in response to changes in the internal or external environment. Tawam Hospital,

Lack of Trust in the Media during the Swine Flu Pandemic of 2009 Research Paper

Lack of Trust in the Media during the Swine Flu Pandemic of 2009 - Research Paper Example If one doesn’t hear of any news in the media today, then it probably didn’t happen anywhere since the media are today as close to the society as every person is close to one another. While the media has acted as a great eye opener in various regions concerning various issues happening in the society, in some cases, it has acted as a center for deceptions leading people away from what the real fact is. This is when the process of information gathering and communications coupled with a lot of biases based on the real content of the matter. Gelders, Bouckaert, & van Ruler, (2007) define communication simply as the passage of information from one person to another and from place to place usually through a medium. The main content of the whole process is the message borne and the way it is delivered to the persons targeted. The entire process is a closed cycle comprising of basically four components; the sender, the recipient, the message itself and the channel used in trans ferring the message from one person or region to another. The content, urgency and the privacy of the information being passed across is highly dependent on the type of information/ message being transmitted. Mostly, information passed to the public has no privacy issues and is relevant to the time and the event of the time The media personnel have the freedom to reach and access information on any issue in any region of the earth making them the closest neighbor to any person everywhere on the earth’s surface. There has been a rising trend in the number of media houses in the world today as the number of consumes of their information increases over time and space. This has led to rapid competition of the various media houses represented everywhere on earth in terms of the greatest and most interesting news aired by them based on different topics. While some media houses have the capability to reach the international community with their news on a daily basis, some have conce ntrated on local news which they disseminate to the society around them. International news houses have a larger area of coverage and the information they pass has a wide array of audience and sources. Due to this, it is therefore very important that the most accurate information on various issues of life is passed to the right people at the right time. Hathi, (2009) asserts that his level of trust that the people nest on the media today is far much greater than it was before as public awareness and the rise in demand for knowledge increases over time and space. The rise in the level of public awareness on various matters of the society has increased due to the advances in technological development in various societies. Technology has as well played a very integral role in determining who gets what information at what time and in which region. Without technology, the work of passing information on a wide array of events and issues would not be easy as the information may be slow on transit or reach the intended persons when too late to generate any necessary immediate response. According to Congressional Management Foundation, (2008), the accuracy of the media is judged based on the content of the information, the timeliness and its regional access measured by the number of people listening to and receiving the news being passed across. H1N1, commonly referred to as ‘swine flu’ is a viral disease which spreads very fast over time and spac

Fast food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Fast food - Essay Example He has some reasons for not accepting the food as art. His reasons tell about its short life time of food, its temporary taste, less audience, its lack of complexity, less creativity, the profit motive of its creators, its objective to nourish people, its recurring needs etc. In contrary to this, he has illustrated some experiences in elBulli restaurant for its chances of being an art. Compare and Contrast with other Related Articles: There are some common features to be compared between the article of Blake Gopnik and the post in â€Å"From Still Life to Real Life: Food Art and Its Place in the Art World† by Kate Olsen. These include the life time of food, and its simplicity. As per the television program â€Å"The Rachel Ray Show† done by Artist Jason Baalman, it is clear that the history and custom of food is an acceptable opinion as per the article of Blake Gopnik. I find some lack of information in the article â€Å"The Big Debate: Can Food Be Serious Art?† by Blake Gopnik when compared to others. It is not mentioned about the traceability of origin of art form of food. But it is clearly mentioned in â€Å"Still life† article by Kate Olsen with some common instances around us. Also, the former lacks the information about the statues formed out of carving the food materials. But, the latter points out the same. This reminds the statues formed out of butter by Jim Victor. Most of his creativity depicts animal life. According to Blake Gopnik, the food was not at all critical to be an art. This proves that the raw material is also important in forming the art of food. But in â€Å"Still life† article, it is mentioned clearly through the experience of Janine Antoni, an artist. In the case of Janine Antoni, she stunned museum goers with her 1992 conceptual piece titled â€Å"Gnaw,† a 3-part installation piece consisting of both a 600lb cube of chocolate and a 600lb cube of lard that have been literally â€Å"gnawed† on every corner so that teeth marks are evident and large chunks on the corners are missing. Is it art? As Antoni explains, â€Å"I titled this ‘Gnaw’ because I am interested in the bite as a kind of primal urge. I love to look at a little baby when they put everything in their mouth in order to know it, and through that process, they destroy it. I was interested in the bite because it was both intimate and destructive† (Kaufman, 2010). You can see the food arts in different forms in museums. Some of them make us feel and involve into the story or ethnicity on passing by or having it. This is explained with an example from a piece â€Å"Untitled (Portrait of Ross)† written by relational aesthetics artist Felix Gonzales-Torres in 1991. (Kaufman, 2010). Conclusion: In my view, it is clear that the food can be considered as an art to an extent on the ground of the above mentioned articles. When you see an art work made out of food materials, it is special for your eyes as it has happened in your life time and cannot expect again in future. The food can be artistically formed by some creative artists. So it takes its forms in accordance with the thoughts and ideas of different persons. For instance, in the article â€Å"What is Fine Art?† by artist and author Dolores G.Kaufman, she explains: â€Å"when we call something fine art we are signifying a context into which the object has already been placed,

Health Inequalities and Human Rights in New Zealand

Health Inequalities and Human Rights in New Zealand Health inequalities preventable by reasonable ways are not fair, and in health are indicators of distributional imbalance. Worldwide people experience different social conditions that result in manageable differences in health, well-being, quality and length of life. The health system can help in establishing a fairer society and ensuring a fairer distribution of health resources. However, this needs a universal commitment of all people within the health system, including those responsible for policy, resource distribution, service provision and evaluation, hence; attempts to address health and social equity are evident in legislations formulated and implemented by the government. Like other countries, New Zealand legislations safeguard the right to health of its people. Of these legislations, the most significant is New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, which establishes a framework for the delivery of personal and public health and disability support services. PHDA sets strategic objective and goals for health and disability services to improve health and disability outcomes for New Zealanders, to minimise inequities by improving the health ofMaoriand other population groups, to facilitate community participation in personal health, public health, and disability support services and to facilitate access, and the distribution of information for the delivery of health and disability services. Health Act 1956 embodies provisions for environmental health, infectious diseases, health emergencies, and the national cervical screening programme. It gives the Ministry of Health the function of improving, promoting and protecting public health.[1] Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 ensures that health practitioners are fit and competent to practice their profession to ensure the public’s safety. As stated by the Ministry of Health, â€Å"The right to health is further protected by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BoRA) (which applies to discrimination in the public sector); and the Human Rights Act 1993 (HRA) (which applies to the private sector); the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994 (HDC) (which provides a complaints system to deal with issues of informed consent, the rights of consumers and the duties and obligations of health care providers identified in aCode of Health and Disability Services Consumers Rights); and the Privacy Act 1993 (which, together with the Health Information Privacy Code 1994, protects individuals privacy).†[2] New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 It is commonly called as â€Å"The Bill of Rights†. It protects people from violations of their civil and political rights by the government, other public bodies and officials. Moreover, it reflects New Zealand’s commitment to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on which the rights and freedom it covers are based. The Act protects a wide range of rights grouped into the following categories: Life and security rights Democratic and civil right Non-discrimination and minority rights Search, arrest and detention rights Criminal procedure rights Justice rights Non-discrimination rights refers to the freedom from discrimination on any of the prohibited grounds of discrimination included in the Human Rights Act 1993 Human Rights Act 1993 The Act aims to protect an individual’s human rights and seeks to do this in line with various United Nations conventions and covenants on human rights. It states that it is unlawful to discriminate against an individual because of personal characteristics. The act also provides a number of exemptions that allow discrimination when it would otherwise be unlawful under the Act. The rules in the Human Rights Act apply to discrimination by private organizations and individuals. On the other hand, New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 covers the discrimination by the government and other public bodies. Consumers of any health or disability services are protected by rights contained in the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights. Codes of Rights are as follows: Right 1: Respect- the right to be treated with respect (privacy, needs, values and beliefs. Right 2: Fair treatment – the right to be free from discrimination, coercion, harassment and sexual, financial or other exploitation at all times. Right 3: Dignity and Independence- the right to services rendered in such a way that respects their dignity and promotes independence. Right 4: Service of proper standard- consumers have the right to have services with reasonable care and skill, meet legal professional, ethical and other relevant standards, in correspondence to their needs and ensure minimization of potential harm and maximizes quality of life Right 5: Effective communication- the right to be given information on their health in a way the consumer comprehends, if needed, he must be provided with an interpreter Right 6: To be fully informed- to be fully aware of their situation or condition, to be given with sufficient information to make an informed choice Right 7: Informed choices and informed consent- consumers can only be given services if they have made an informed choice and informed consent unless there are reasonable grounds to believe they are not competent, also includes the right to withdraw at any time Right 8: Right to support- consumers have the right to have a support person or people with them when they are receiving services provided it is safe and will not unreasonably affect another consumer’s rights Right 9: Teaching and research- consumers are to be informed and have the right to refuse when subjected to research or studies Right 10: Right to complain- consumers have the right to complain, may it be about the healthcare provider or organization. Health Information Privacy Code 1994 The code sets down specific policies that health professionals must follow when collecting information from consumers and when they can release information to other people. It also specifically enables consumers to have access to their own health information. Health professionals must collect health information directly from the consumer, not from other people, unless the consumer is deemed not to be competent to provide information. Furthermore, information must be gathered in a manner that is fair and does not unreasonably intrude to their personal affairs. Generally, heath professionals cannot divulge a consumer’s health information to others unless doing so puts the consumer or another person’s safety and wellbeing at imminent danger.[3] REFERENCES: (2013).Community Law Manual: A practical guide to everyday New Zealand law. Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley New Zealand Ministry of Health. Retrieved 15 June 2014 http://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/overview-health-system/statutory-framework Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 15 June 2014 http://www.hrc.co.nz/report/chapters/chapter14/health01.html [1] New Zealand Ministry of Health. Retrieved 15 June 2014 http://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/overview-health-system/statutory-framework [2] Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 15 June 2014 http://www.hrc.co.nz/report/chapters/chapter14/health01.html [3] (2013).Community Law Manual: A practical guide to everyday New Zealand law. Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley

Essay --

The Creeds of the church were key parts of the origins of the church. They lay the foundation for the first years of the church in order to accomplish the mission given to the Apostles by Jesus. Two of these creeds were the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. Culture during that time period was key to the layout of these creeds and the messages they set. A creed was an early statement of Christian beliefs, and a symbol for others to follow by. There were numerous cultures and needs that led to the ultimate development and writing of the creeds, which are still used for their original purpose today. One of these needs was for the church to have a basic statement of beliefs, which was accomplished by the Apostles creed. Early Christians knew that people needed to have an understanding of what they believed in that wasn’t requiring a lot of research. Cultures of the people and the time period also had a great influence on the creation of these creeds. They needed a way to sprea d the word of Christ to all people, in a time period where we didn’t have the technology and communication options that we have today. A combination of the churches basic needs for success and the fact that the word needed to be spread were two of the leading causes in the creations of these creeds. One of the most important reasons that led to the creation of the church was the essential need of the early church to have a document which listed the basic beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church. This was created by the authority of the church, the apostles appointed by Christ to lead the church. They had to find a way to spread the church of God, and these creeds provided a method to complete this task. None of the churches at the time had all books tha... ...hrist, along with making sure everyone in the Church understood the basic beliefs of the Catholic Church. The creeds provided both of these, as they clearly stated what things the Catholic Church supported and instructions for its followers. These were vitally important to the success of the Church. Now, there was a set list of things that every catholic person could look to if they began to lose sight of their faith in the Catholic beliefs. They also served as an effective method of communicating the ideas of God to all cultures, allowing the word of God to be communicated to people of many different cultures and beliefs. The languages they were written in were widely spoken in that time period; therefore many could understand it without needing a translator. This allowed the Creeds to spread the word to the entire world, just as Jesus instructed the apostles to.

Critical Film Review on Blood Diamond Essay

A movie filled with shark and unforgettable moments truly gels the substance. It portrays different motives and goals and how each character changes his methodology and ways but the dream remains the same. Each follows his dream and then realizes it. It portrays the various reasons that make a person into a killer. Some do it for survival, some to protect their family, some to escape their life, some for greed, some to win freedom and some because they have been brainwashed. The movie begins with Soloman Vandy played by Djimon Hounson being captured by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels when they invade the small Sierra Leonian village of Shenge. He is separated from his family while his son Dia is brainwashed that turns him into a killer. The movie revolves around two African men, Archer and Vandy with two completely different histories and then their fates become joined in a combined quest to recover a pink diamond. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an Anglo ex-mercenary from Rhodesia gets caught while smuggling diamonds and an American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) who helps Soloman find his family and covers her entire journey and publishes the truth behind the diamond industry. The movie shot in South Africa and Mozambique is an adventurous, thriller movie with strong violence and social conscience, disturbing political and sociological insights. It shows a lot of bloodbath, atrocities, innocence of the farmers and the villagers and political unrest. It gives clear images of human cruelty and sufferings. I as an audience felt waves of different emotions, hope, pride, fear, mistrust, desperation and determination. I felt that each of the characters grew as the film progressed without being overly manipulative. The whole time it builds this tension if either of the two men will betray each other. The film is intended to be watched by all adults as it is an eye opener and gives us an opportunity to see the side of history we were not aware of. It covers the different social levels ranging from the big diamond tycoons to the poor farmers and villagers with journalist and diamond dealers in the middle. The movie brought an explosive impact on the diamond industry. Background knowledge The film puts a new spin to the diamond industry and the expensive, pricey stone that we wear around our neck and on our fingers. Set in the West African country of Sierra Leone during the 1990s, this movie is a historical-adventure-drama that covers a time when the country was in turmoil. Warlords, smugglers and the diamond association all play roles in killing and enslaving men to work on the diamond fields. The title ‘Blood Diamond’ refers to diamonds which are harvested, smuggled and traded to fund the purchase of weapons used in Civil War. Blood diamonds are stones that are increased the death toll and the violence in the region. The movie carefully conveys the message without really lecturing the audience. A right balance is maintained between a historical event and an action-drama entertainment. The movie shows Maddy Bowen publishing in her magazine the complete story of her journey which later led to a conference on blood diamonds that actually took place in 2000 in Kimberly, South Africa. The conference led to the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme that seeks to certify the origin of diamonds in order to curb the trade and smuggling of conflict diamonds. Conclusion A captivating plotline and an outstanding cast performance are few words that describe the movie. The movie captures the reality to a remarkable degree. I think it comes at par with other movies I have seen like Hotel Rwanda. There is a great deal of violence which is realistic and very fitting to what happened. Sierra Leone, one of the safest countries in the world gets involved in a civil war. I feel that the movie very accurately tells about the diamond conflict. I feel that Di Caprio did justice to his role, Connelly’s role was short but she was able to make the most of it and Housou truly deserves the Oscar. The ending was simply superb when Di Caprio dies in the mountains. It adds a realistic touch and is very sad as we see that he finally gets what he had dreamt of but he could not cherish it for long. The positive aspects of the movie far outweigh the negative bits. I felt the movie was a little outstretched and the length bogged it down a little instead of strengthening it. The conflict of diamonds, the conflict of Africa keeps you wondering if peace and harmony can ever be attained world wide. It left me with a thought of how violence can be put to an end and how these giant corporations be made to serve the third world, under developed countries and not vice versa. Reference http://www. moviehabit. com/reviews/blo_lg06. shtml http://review-online. blogspot. com/2007/03/blood-diamond. html

Gothic History and Origins

Gothic History and Origins The term Gothic was used in the Renaissance to describe certain types of art and architecture in the Middle Ages. This art was considered inferior, just as the Romans had held themselves superior to the barbarians. In the 18th century, the term Gothic morphed into a genre of literature that had elements of horror. In the late 20th century it morphed again into a style and subculture characterized by heavy eyeliner and all-black clothing. Originally, the Goths were one of the barbarian horseback riding groups that caused trouble for the Roman Empire. Ancient Source on the Goths The ancient Greeks considered the Goths to be Scythians. The name Scythian was used by the ancient historian, Herodotus (440 B.C.), to describe barbarians who lived on their horses north of the Black Sea and were likely not Goths. When the Goths came to live in the same area, they were considered Scythians because of their barbarian way of living. It is hard to know when the people we call Goths began to intrude on the Roman Empire. According to Michael Kulikowski, in Romes Gothic Wars, the first securely attested Gothic raid took place in 238 A.D. when Goths sacked Histria. In 249 they attacked Marcianople. A year later, under their king Cniva, they sacked several Balkan cities. In 251, Cniva routed Emperor Decius at Abrittus. The raids continued and moved from the Black Sea to the Aegean where the historian Dexippus successfully defended a besieged Athens against them. He later wrote about the Gothic Wars in his Scythica. Although most of Dexippus is lost, the historian Zosimus had access to his historical writing. By the end of the 260s, the Roman Empire was winning against the Goths. Medieval Source on the Goths The story of the Goths generally begins in Scandinavia, as is told by the historian, Jordanes, in his The Origin and Deeds of the Goths, chapter 4: IV (25) Now from this island of Scandza, as from a hive of races or a womb of nations, the Goths are said to have come forth long ago under their king, Berig by name. As soon as they disembarked from their ships and set foot on the land, they straightway gave their name to the place. And even to-day it is said to be called Gothiscandza. (26) Soon they moved from here to the abodes of the Ulmerugi, who then dwelt on the shores of Ocean, where they pitched camp, joined battle with them and drove them from their homes. Then they subdued their neighbors, the Vandals, and thus added to their victories. But when the number of the people increased greatly and Filimer, son of Gadaric, reigned as kingabout the fifth since Berighe decided that the army of the Goths with their families should move from that region. (27) In search of suitable homes and pleasant places they came to the land of Scythia, called Oium in that tongue. Here they were delighted with the great richness of the country, a nd it is said that when half the army had been brought over, the bridge whereby they had crossed the river fell in utter ruin, nor could anyone thereafter pass to or fro. For the place is said to be surrounded by quaking bogs and an encircling abyss, so that by this double obstacle nature has made it inaccessible. And even to-day one may hear in that neighborhood the lowing of cattle and may find traces of men, if we are to believe the stories of travellers, although we must grant that they hear these things from afar. Germans and Goths Kulikowski says the idea that the Goths were associated with the Scandinavians and therefore Germans had great appeal in the 19th century and were supported by the discovery of a linguistic relationship between the languages of the Goths and Germans. The idea that a language relationship implies an ethnic relationship was popular but doesnt bear out in practice. Kulikowski says the only evidence of a Gothic people from before the third century comes from Jordanes, whose word is suspect. Kulikowski on the Problems of Using Jordanes Jordanes wrote in the second half of the sixth century. He based his history on the no longer extant writing of a Roman nobleman named Cassiodorus whose work he had been asked to abridge. Jordanes did not have the history in front of him when he wrote, so how much was his own invention cant be ascertained. Much of Jordanes writing has been rejected as too fanciful, but the Scandinavian origin has been accepted. Kulikowski points to some of the far-fetched passages in Jordanes history to say that Jordanes is unreliable. Where some his reports are corroborated elsewhere, they can be used. Where there is no supporting evidence, we need other reasons for accepting. In the case of the so-called origins of the Goths, any supporting evidence comes from people using Jordanes as a source. Kulikowski also objects to using archaeological evidence as support because artifacts moved around and were traded. In addition, archaeologists have based their attribution of Gothic artifacts to Jordanes. If Kulikowski is right, we dont know where the Goths came from or where they were before their third-century excursions into the Roman Empire.

My Last Duchess Cel Essay Example

My Last Duchess Cel Essay Example My Last Duchess Cel Essay My Last Duchess Cel Essay Essay Topic: The Coquette The Heart Goes Last The text I have selected to discourse is My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning. which was written in 1842. My Last Duchess is a dramatic soliloquy of one side of a conversation between a Duke and a Count’s courier who are negociating a matrimony to the Count’s girl. The Duke’s address about his Last Duchess’ reveals possibly more than he foremost intended to. The Duke shows the Count’s envoy a picture of his Last Duchess. ’ he talks lovingly of the picture and goes on to depict the Duchess. He describes her as beautiful. easy pleased and coquettish. The scene of this verse form is the sixteenth century. where adult females were considered mere ownerships. objects. kid carriers. –not people– and taught to obey orders without contradiction. which could be punishable by decease. In this essay I intend to discourse what I consider to be the poem’s intent and significance. In My Last Duchess the Duke appears to be a really proud. covetous. and good educated adult male. He complains that the Duchess treats his gift to her of a 900 twelvemonth old name as if it were of the same value as the bough of cherries and the white mule given to her by some officious’ sap. He is genitive and commanding. and it is his covetous nature that causes the duchess’s decease. It would non be just to state that the Duke ordered for the Duchess to be disposed of. merely because she flirted with other work forces. he gave her warning and she disobeyed him. In the sixteenth century this would hold been considered a great abuse. Womans were treated as slaves. and if they disobeyed their hubbies or male members of their household so they would be known as an embarrassment to their household and their hubbies. who would hold nil more to make with them. The duchess insults the duke. who is already covetous of her relationships’ with other work forces. who has given her warning. and who she has insulted and go an embarrassment to. the Duke feels he has no other pick but to dispose of her. The Duke chooses his words really carefully when discoursing the decease of the duchess with the minister plenipotentiary. dropping merely little intimations. but giving adequate grounds to take us to believe that did so get rid of her’ . Her decease would hold been quiet and discreet ; which I believe would hold been the Duke’s manner. no dither and no incommodiousness for the duke. Due to the rubric of the verse form. and how the duke describes the duchess as simply his last’ . doing it appear as though there has been many duchesses before her. She was his trophy married woman. and he prided himself on holding a beautiful. immature married woman. but was unable to command his green-eyed monster over those who besides appreciated her beauty. I think the duke has married many times to procure land. money and more significantly. power. The Duke craved power. money and wanted the perfect married woman. who was beautiful and followed his every bid. The Duke is covetous of the manner the Duchess treats other people. non because he loves her and wants all her love for himself. but because he wants her to admit his power over her. The Last Duchess’ was a immature miss when she married the Duke. she could hold been around 13 or 14 old ages old. At this age. although she is old plenty to cognize right from incorrect. and will non be every bit immature as a 10 or twelve twelvemonth old. it is dubious that she is old plenty to get by with so much duty. to be married to the duke for the remainder of her life and to avoid going an embarrassment to her household. To the reader. she may look as if she is simply smiling at other work forces. thanking them for their gifts and crimsoning at regards. Though. to the duke she is smiling at other work forces. the same manner she smiles at him. this causes him to worry that she is being unfaithful. She besides rates his gift of a nine-hundred-year old name the same as any other old gift. non genuinely understanding the value and importance that he believes his name to be. She blooms and smilings. when paid regards. naming that spot of joy into her cheek. of which the Duke is so genitive over. He besides comments that She had a heart- how shall I state? - too shortly made glad. excessively easy impressed ; she liked whate’er she looked on. and her expressions went everyplace. By stating this. he is connoting that she was excessively easy impressed. she liked anyone she seen. and she looked at everyone. The duchess. is immature and immature. she has been warned by the duke she must halt flirtation with other work forces. or face the effects. She sees the Duke’s weak topographic point. his green-eyed monster over her. and returns to tease him. possibly smiling at work forces when she knew she was being watched. this finally. is the cause of her death- her inability to halt smile. He says. Oh sir. she smiled. no uncertainty whene’er I passed her ; but who passed without much the same smiling? This grew ; I gave bids ; so all smilings stopped together. There she stands as if alive. The duchess still smiles at the duke. but besides at anyone else who passes. this annoys the Duke. who. when she disobeys him has decided that he can non take it any more. It all of a sudden dawns on the reader that the Duke has non stopped her from simply smiling. he has stopped her from take a breathing. it is a chilling disclosure. He has ordered her to be disposed of. and so he all of a sudden changes the subject back to the picture. about as if he can’t be bothered to discourse the affair any farther. I think the Duke and Duchess may hold had feelings for each other. and instead than appreciate the feelings of the Duke. she decides to ache them. to badger him. to do him covetous. demoing her immatureness and her naivete of disregarding his warnings. In the opening scene of the verse form. the Duke describes the picture. That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall. Looking as if she were alive. I call that piece a admiration. now. This could easy be mistaken for fancy of the duchess. but he is truly congratulating the picture. He casually tells us that it is his Last Duchess’ on the wall. non trouble oneselfing to call her. as if she were his ownership and refers to her as my. ’ He comments on the painter’s accomplishment and ability to paint her. doing her expression as if she were a existent individual in forepart of them. When the duchess was being painted by Fra pandolf’ . the painter pays her a compliment. which calls a spot of joy to her cheek. which the Duke feels should be reserved merely for himself. He is careful non to uncover his feelings towards the Duchess. although he does unwittingly through his green-eyed monster. He did care for the Duchess. possibly he did non love her. or possibly he thought of her as a ownership and was selfish. declining to portion her smiling with anyone else. but he did hold feelings for her. These feelings grew. and so did his green-eyed monster. the consequence of which unhappily ended in the Duchesses decease. The duke was. at first. lenient with the Duchess. leting her to chat up with other work forces. and when it becomes excessively much for him. warning her. and when she does non take attentiveness of his warning and he worries that his repute will be tarnished he has to move. and act he does. with the Duchess’s decease. Although. at the terminal of the verse form. he asks the minister plenipotentiary to lift. to run into the company that is waiting downstairs. they discuss the dowery which the Duke will have when he marries the Count’s girl. The count so moves on to discourse the statue of a walrus. which he describes the same as he did the picture . doing it look that he did so hold no particular feelings towards the Duchess. and he values the walrus. the same as the duchess. I believe that this verse form is set in the sixteenth century. in the Renaissance period. where the Italian nobility ruled Italy. the hapless had no say and the aristocracy at the clip treated adult females like slaves. In this period of clip. it was unacceptable for a adult female to demo her legs. excessively much of her weaponries. to be caught entirely with other work forces. whether they were guiltless or non. or to be unloyal to those who had taken attention of her. The verse form is set in the duke’s palatial’ house. there could be so be a party downstairs. perchance to compliment the Duke and the Count’s girls future nuptials. There will be many of import people invited. such as the Count. his girl and his tribunal every bit good as many other of import people of the clip. The minister plenipotentiary. after discoursing the dowery with the Duke. will return to the party. to speak to the Count and it will be decided the size of the dowery. and whether the nuptials will go on. This is an of import party for the Duke and he will desire to demo that he has wealths. wealth. power and influence to the Count. so that he will be acute for his girl to get married the Duke. The Duke’s house is large. and filled with art. he seems the type of individual to hold retainers who will be taking attention of the party downstairs. The chief subjects of this verse form are wealths. wealth. power. green-eyed monster and the male dominated society of the sixteenth century. Though there is no subject of love in this verse form. this is non grounds that the Duke did non love the Duchess. he may hold loved the duchess so much. that he could non bear to see the Duchess coquette with other people. The wealths. wealth and power are conveyed through the blue scene of this verse form. the people involved. such as the duke. the count. the duchess. the people who they consider to be below them. such as the minister plenipotentiary. the officious fool’ who gave the duchess a bough of cherries and a white mule that could non perchance compare with the duke’s 900 twelvemonth old name. There is a running subject of green-eyed monster throughout this verse form. and besides a sense of paranoia. the Duke sees the Duchess smiling at other work forces and the thought signifiers in his head that she is traveling to go forth him for anyone she smiles at. Therefore. in decision I have tried to demo what I consider to be the poem’s intent and significance. I have tried to demo how the duke was genitive over the duchess. how she tormented and teased him. how he eventually could non take any more. and she was disposed of. How he did hold feelings for her. but valued her every bit much as a statue of a walrus made out of bronze. How he discusses his Last Duchess’ and his hereafter duchess as if they were points. used for fiscal addition. The duke’s green-eyed monster is a running subject throughout the verse form. and he is unable to command it. or the duchess and he did non desire to lose face to the remainder of the nobility. The Renaissance was a clip when the violent death of adult females for the simplest of things was considered politically right. I have besides tried to demo that I consider this poem’s intent and significance to be about the Duke’s green-eyed monster and low ego regard to do him c onceive of that the Duchess is traveling to go forth for him for anyone and everyone.

Project in colombia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project in colombia - Essay Example However, since 20110, the ethnic and political violence has significantly reduced thereby developing a business environment. The United States entered the free trade agreement with Colombia in an attempt to develop the previously small economy thereby possibly creating some stability. The agreement that allows both Colombian and American nationals ease of movement between the two countries has so far benefited both countries. Colombia produces cotton and is a great exporter of the same to the United States. The free trade agreement allows for the unregulated exploitation of the resources in the two countries by nationals from either country. While the country exports such large amount of cotton, she still suffers from massive levels of unemployment with the rate estimate at ten percent. It is therefore in the spirit of the free trade agreement that the projects seeks to set up a textile company in the republic of Colombia. The project is likely to benefit Colombia in a number of ways while the investors target a substantial profit margin. With an unemployment rate of ten percent, it is more probable that Colombia has cheaper labor than the United States, the company will therefore solicit the readily available labor, coupled with lower rates of cotton in the country and the company is more likely to make great profits. The free trade agreement protects the investments of nationals from either country in case of any insecurity incident. Additionally, to obtain better protection the republic of Colombia has a number of insurance company most of which are American based offering American tariffs in the country (Pickton & Broderick, 2005). The success of the bilateral trade between the two countries relies on their efforts in upholding the terms of the agreement. The agreement benefits both the countries and they signed to it owing to its lucrative nature and the possibility of developing the countries. In the spirit of the country, the two countries have effective tax schemes to investors and goods produced in either country as though are in the mother country. This prevents exploitation of investors. Additionally, it prevents the mistreatment of foreign nationals in the countries. The Americans therefore access Colombia markets as though Colombians and vice versa. Additionally, the countries should coexist peacefully. Peace favors investments thus growth. Inter country squabbles destroy the diplomatic relations between countries thus stunts growth and creates animosity between the countries thereby eliminating any business possibilities (Bahreini, Willis & Primack, 1988). The American textile industry therefore has a number of success possibilities key among which is the effective management of the available resources in the republic of Colombia. With readily available cotton retailing at the local market value and cheaper labor, the company is more likely to make more profit. In setting up in Colombia, the company forgoes the cotton transp ortation and importation duties. Besides, the country has reliable yet cheaper electricity a fact that implies that producing the textiles in Colombia is cheaper than a similar production in the United States of America (Petrickv& Quinn, 1997). To maximize profits, the company should access both the

Strategic PR Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic PR Planning - Research Paper Example Additionally, Noah’s Ark aim at attaining a significant growth in the work force as well as in the services it offers. In its effort to create a strong positive relationship with public, the organization has established an effective public relations headed by Louise Baring. This entails introduction of a feedback system through which public can make their contributions on affairs of the organization. As the demand for its activities increase, Noah’s Ark has the opportunity of using social media to create a stronger PR plan. This paper covers the strategic PR plan that covers use of Friends of Noah’s as a face group account that will ensure better communication between the organization and the public. Despite the forces such high costs and disruption that would offer resistance to the plan, Noah’s Ark new PR plan will be implemented. The PR targets parents with disabled children as well as providers of care to the children requiring special needs. The PR pl an will be undertaken within a period of 26 months starting from November 2013 to December 2015. PR estimated budget is $2,080,000. To ensure that the Noah’s Ark PR plan attains its goals, the management will undertake interim and annual evaluations through the use of content analysis, emulate surveys, focus groups, ethnographic studies and feedback analysis. Introduction Noah’s Ark is an organization that is based in Australia with an aim of providing sustainable support for children who are disabled as well as those who require additional needs. Having been established in 1976, the organization provides quality professional services to the care providers and parents in order for them to acquire best options that ensure their children attain full potential. As the organization’s client base expands, Noah’s Ark has expanded its programs to include special training, regular workshops, Early Childhood Intervention Programs (ECIS), Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This implies that to maintain its target market that includes parents with disabled children, carers of disabled children and LACs power holders in NDIS, the organization must maintain effective public relations. Noah’s Ark values include provision of professional services, provision of expertise and extensive knowledge, maintenance of ethics and integrity, innovation and timely response to the changing needs of the society. It is in this regard that the organization has established a communication department under the leadership of Louise Baring. Holding a Bachelor of Communication in public relations, Louise has a wide experience that acts as a key strength for the organization. To meet the needs of its target market, there is need to reposition the organization as a major aspect of improving its PR. This paper will identify the public relations strategy that Noah’s Ark will emulate in order to attain its objectives and attain a competitive edge in the hospitality industry. Background Noah’s Ark should emulate a strategic PR planning in order to ensure that it builds its own capacity as well as standing up for the rights of children with disability.