Analysis of Paradise Now Essays

Analysis of Paradise Now Essays Analysis of Paradise Now Paper Analysis of Paradise Now Paper Essay Topic: Paradise â€Å"Paradise Now† is a movie concerning the struggles of two young men as they live in Palestine under Israeli occupation. Though this movie deals much with some of the common trends in the media concerning the Palestinian – Israeli conflict, the story is told through a much different perspective: through the eyes of the suicide bomber recruits. The media commonly portrays the acts of suicide bombers and terrorism in Israel and Palestine as religious in origins, â€Å"Paradise Now† shows another source of motivation for suicide bombers: previous acts of Israel. The film starts off and begins developing with little to no mention of religion. When God is mentioned, it is almost always in a conversational fashion which is very common in Arabic culture. This is true, even when Jamal, one of the figureheads of the terrorist organization, approaches Sayyed to tell him that he was chosen for the operation, there was not an excessive amount of religion that was brought up. In fact, Jamal, though he was mentioned to be involved with the terrorist organization through his involvement with teaching the children (instant thoughts to Muslim Brotherhood like organization, Hamas) and little relation to religion. The first real instance of was brought up during Khaled’s ‘Martyr’s Declaration’. In his declaration, Khaled cited a number of verses from the Qur’an giving justification for the mentioned suicide operation. However, past that, the references to religion are again few and conversational at best. The majority of his speech deals with the Israeli injustices against the Palestinian people. The mention of Israeli injustices is actually the meat of the entire film. Both Khaled and Sayyed find most of their reasoning on why they choose to go through this operation through the above mentioned source. One of the most relevant lines in his declaration mentioned the choice to either accept Palestinian inferiority or be killed by the Israelis. He later mentions that his father was seriously injured by the Israelis during the first Intifada. Sayyed has similar sources of why he was involved; his father was recruited as a collaborator by the Israelis which resulted in a loss of dignity of his family which resulted in their mistreatment by other Palestinians. Though much of the reasoning behind their willingness to become involved with the operation was political in nature, it is clear that there were religious undertones linking the organization and the operation together. The leader of the organization, Abu-Kareem, told the two young men as they were about to leave that they would be seen as heroes in God’s eyes, as well as in heaven. However, the religious references again were grounded when Khaled makes earthly requests that his family would be kept safe afterwards and to make sure that the two would be made heroes through postering throughout Nablus. As a result, â€Å"Paradise Now† gives a significant amount of background for the more secular based suicide bombers. Though the religious themes aren’t completely removed from the movie, it is clear the writer made an attempt to make the reasoning and justification of the suicide bombers as secular as possible.

Social Greetings in English For ESL Students

Social Greetings in English For ESL Students Greetings are used to say hello in English. Its common to use different greetings depending on whether you greet a friend, family or a business associate. When you meet friends, use informal greetings. If its really important, use formal greetings. Formal greetings are also used with people you do not know very well. Greetings also depend on whether you are saying hello, or you are saying goodbye. Learn the correct phrases using the notes below, and then practice using greetings with the practice dialogues.   Formal Greetings: Arriving Good morning / afternoon / evening.Hello (name), how are you?Good day Sir / Madam (very formal) Respond to a formal greeting with another formal greeting. Good morning Mr. Smith.Hello Ms. Anderson. How are you today? Informal Greetings: Arriving Hi / HelloHow are you?How are you doing?Whats up? (very informal) Its important to note that the question How are you? or Whats up? doesnt necessarily need a response. If you do respond, these phrases are generally expected: How are you? / How are you doing? Very well, thank you. And you? (formal)Fine / Great (informal) Whats up?   Not much.Im just (watching TV, hanging out, cooking dinner, etc.) Informal Greetings After a Long Time If you havent seen a friend or family member for a long time, use one these informal greetings to mark the occasion. Its great to see you!How have you been?  Long time, no see.  How are you doing these days? Formal Greetings: Departing Use these greetings when you say goodbye at the end of the day. These greetings are appropriate for work and other formal situations.   Good morning / afternoon / evening.It was a pleasure seeing you.Goodbye.Goodnight. (Note: Use after 8 p.m.) Informal Greetings: Departing Use these greetings when saying goodbye in an informal situation.   Nice seeing you!Goodbye / ByeSee you laterLater (very informal) Here are some short example conversations for you to practice greetings in English. Find a partner to practice and take a role. Next, switch roles. Finally, make up your own conversations. Greetings in Informal Conversations: Practice Dialogue Anna:  Tom, whats up?Tom:  Hi Anna. Nothing much. Im just hanging out. Whats up with you?Anna:  Its a good day. Im feeling fine.Tom:  How is your sister?Anna:  Oh, fine. Not much has changed.Tom:  Well, I have to go. Nice seeing you!Anna:  Later! *** Maria:  Oh, hello Chris. How are you doing?Chris:  Im well. Thanks for asking. How are you?Maria:  I cant complain. Life is treating me well.Chris:  Thats good to hear.Maria:  Good to see you again. I need to go to my doctors appointment.Chris:  Nice seeing you.Maria:  See you later.   Greetings in Formal Conversations: Practice Dialogue John:  Good morning.Alan:  Good morning. How are you?John:  Im very well thank you. And you?Alan:  Im fine. Thank you for asking.John:  Do you have a meeting this morning?Alan:  Yes, I do. Do you have a meeting as well?John:  Yes. Well. It was a pleasure seeing you.Alan:  Goodbye.   Notes Greeting someone when you are introduced.   Once you have been  introduced  to someone, the next time you see that person it is important to greet them. We also greet people as we leave people. In English (as in all languages), there are different ways to greet people in formal and informal situations. Introduction (first) Greeting:  How do you do? The question How do you do is only a formality. In other words, the question does not need to be answered. Rather, it is a standard phrase used when meeting some for the first time. Tom: Peter, Id like to introduce you to Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith this is Peter Thompson.  Peter: How do you do?Mr. Smith: How do you do? Use these phrases to say that you are happy to meet someone when introduced for the first time.   Its a pleasure to meet you.Its nice to meet you. Greetings after an  Introduction:  How are you?   Once you have met someone, its common to use standard greetings such as Good Morning, How are you? and Hello. Jackson: Hi Tom. How are you?Peter: Fine, and you?  Jackson: Im great.

The relationship between work and life has become a key feature of Essay

The relationship between work and life has become a key feature of much current government, practitioner and academic debate - Essay Example However, issues revolving around the work – life phenomenon have recently achieved a wider social implication since the unconstructive consequences that culminate on account of the augmented incapacity on the part of the employees, which restrict their quest of striking a perfect balance between work and life, are becoming more and more palpable within the highly industrialized Western societies. In order to achieve a work life balance it is mandatory for organizations and individuals concerned to affirm that strategies and policies concerning organizational working needs of the employees be more comprehensive and must include the need to assimilate diverse perspectives such as principles, approaches and values held within and by organizations, individuals and societies and of the manner in which their interaction envisages the capability to accomplish a personal work - life balance. The pursuit for an idyllic means of combining the habitually contradictory spheres of work and private life has engaged scholars and practitioners for decades. However, the debate has deepened and gained momentum over the years to become a "hot topic" under the banner of work - life balance. The concepts of work life balance and work life boundary have gained wide spread popularity in the recent times and have been widely defined by a range of authors, researchers and theorists. Some of the key definitions of the two terms are mentioned below. Clutterbuck, (20031) defines work life balance as: "A state where an individual manages real or potential conflict between different demands on his or her time and energy in a way that satisfies his or her needs for well - being and self - fulfillment" It also refers to the state of being aware of the different demands on an individuals time and energy, the ability to make appropriate choices in terms of the manner in which one choose to allocate his or her time and energy, knowledge of the values

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Globalization - Essay Example The youth society exhibit the likelihood of being affected more by globalization because of the dynamic thinking that governs youth. Globalization has resulted to the formation of new youth cultures that were not perceived in the traditional setting. This paper will describe the effects of globalization on the emerging new cultures. Globalization serves to transform a society from a traditional setting to the level of a modern society. Culture determined the identity of many people in the traditional setting, as well as the kind of relationships developed by those people. However, globalization introduces new systems such as modern education, transport, and communication systems that have the potential of imparting change on the traditional communities. Evidently, the focus on the youth and the ways in which globalization transforms their lives reveal interesting patterns that can are of critical value in anthropological analysis. This paper will consider the emerging ideologies of i dentity exhibited by the by the youth, and how the marketing systems have focused on the youth as a target market for different products because of the modern consumerism patterns (Kjeldgaard and Askegaard, 2006). Globalization and globalization have altered the youth’s perception of the self. ... Globalization has presented the youth with an opportunity to experience this phase of life amidst a surging increase of media content. Many of these youths face the challenge of role models in from the older generations, and the increasing dynamics in the current trends serve to increase the uncertainty with which they approach life. The youth culture has plunged into a crisis of identity as globalization takes toll on societies. The cultural setting has affected the reception of the emerging trends, defining unique youth identities in each cultural unit (Kjeldgaard and Askegaard, 2006) Over time, the change in identity perception seems to be adopting an individualized manner, while in other cases; the change affects a certain cultural setting. Evidently, some youths have exhibited the capacity to define individual identity. In other cases, globalization motivates the youth of a certain culture to exhibit certain attributes in a collective manner. Globalization has given rise to incr eased media forms and a diverse range of media content targeting different people in any society (Alim, 2011). The media has been keen to supply the youth cultures with content that captures their attention. The media has altered the perception of identity among youth cultures because of its ever increasing influence. From different media forms, the youth become consumers of the new ideologies defining aspects such as dressing, and fun activities, factors that have affected self –perception and hence their identity (Kjeldgaard and Askegaard , 2006). There is evidence that the identity of youth cultures depends on the stage of post-colonial period that defines each society. The rate of modernization determines the extent of change of the ideologies that define

Gullivers Travels Essay Example for Free

Gullivers Travels Essay The saga of Lilliput is more fun and entertaining than that of Brobdingnag. Discuss. Gullivers Travels is a classic example of eighteenth century satire, one of Swifts greatest works in an outcry against the values and practices of his time. While his words ruthlessly attack numerous aspects of human society and human character, by the nature of satire his weapon is humour. So there is plenty of amusement to be had through the course of the book, most notably in the first two adventures, in Lilliput and Brobdingnag. On Gullivers first adventure to Lilliput, he awakes on the island to find himself bound and tied to the ground by the six-inch tall Lilliputians. After being stung with arrows and stabbed with spears, he decides to obey, and then help the Most Mighty Emperor of Lilliput and his country. So we see the foremost target of Swifts humour and satire, that surrounding Gulliver himself, as Richard Rodino said, Gulliver is a satirical device enabling Swift to score satirical points. In Lilliput he subjects to the Emperors imprisonment and his wishes, some strange, such as when he desired I would stand like a Colossus, draw up the troops in close order, and march them under me. Some others were simply humiliating, however, such as when, upon receiving his decree of liberty, he swears to it with great cheerfulness and content, despite the fact that he does not agree fully with all of the articles within, and proceeds to be grateful for the honour of the Emperors presence, to whom he prostrates himself. This acquiescence on the part of Gulliver to a people who, to him, are little more than dolls that walk and talk, is degrading on Gullivers part, yet also funny, since his lack of humour and perspective leaves him open to ridicule. He, who can tow whole fleets and span an entire blustrug with a single step, is reduced to begging a miniature monarch for his freedom. Later on, he receives the ingratitude of the Lilliputians for the desecration of the royal palace, when he put out the fire by urinating on it. The result, due to his enmity with Skyresh Bolgolam, was that he was sentenced to have his eyes cut out. While most others in such a position would have laughed at being threatened by a people a twelfth their size, he is worried and scared by the decree to have his eyes put out. Despite the fact that the sentence expects him to gratefully and humbly submit, depending on him not resisting as very sharp-pointed arrows are discharged into his eyes, he decides to run anyway, to the court of Blefuscu. This cowardice amplifies the humour in his behaviour, the image of a giant being scared and running away from midgets is one that is contrary to the one we would expect. Compare this behaviour to the way that Gulliver presents himself in Brobdingnag. At almost every turn his diminutive size is ridiculed, he becomes the plaything of a nine-year old girl, the rival of a thirty-foot dwarf, and is forced to perform a debasing show till I was half-dead with weariness and vexation. While he is as subservient, indeed, perhaps even more than before, he is no longer doing so to a people far smaller than him. This image of Gulliver being overworked by people far bigger, more important than him, is only funny from the big peoples point of view. As we read it, there are, instead, distinct undertones of slavery and torture. Another example is when the Maids of Honour would sometimes set me astride upon one of her nipples, as well as various other appalling things, leaving Gulliver far from giving me any other emotions other than those of horror and disgust. While one could find comedy in this passage, it is much cruder and less funny than similar passages in Lilliput, a typical example of the type of humour found in this second adventure. Although Swift is satirising our fascination with beauty and appearances, the power of this extract stems not from underlying implications but from the shock of having the human body so cruelly assaulted. Thus, instead of subtly hinting his satire as he does in Lilliput, Swift takes a far harsher line in Brobdingnag, using Gulliver to demonstrate the shortcomings and failings of the human race, through the medium of his various adventures there. Its always entertaining when youre dealing with those smaller and weaker than you are, but a great deal less funny when its someone more powerful dealing with you. The affairs and events which occur in the two adventures also contribute a great deal to the humour. When Gulliver is in Lilliput, one of the first curious things he relates to us is the practice of choosing ministers for governmental and court positions by the nominees skill at dancing on a tightrope or leaping under or over the Emperors stick. This idea seems ridiculous to us, it probably elicited a few smirks when you first read it, but Swift is alluding to the way that in his day and age, many government officials achieved their positions from skill with words or putting money in the right places. Politics becomes a mad ballet, says Philip Pinkus. When we learn that Flimnap would have infallibly broken his neck, if one of the Kings cushions had not weakened the force of the fall, Swift is protesting against the way the favour of a powerful minister could easily protect a man from the loss of his position if they strain so far as to overreach themselves and make a fatal mistake. In Brobdingnag, much of the humour revolves around the way that Gulliver must make his way in a world where everything is too big, John F. Ross says that he retains a pride and self-esteem which would be perfectly normal for him among his physical equals, but which is ridiculous under the circumstances. One time, above twenty wasps, allured by the smell, came flying into the room These insects were as large as partridges. The image of Gulliver surrounded by bird-sized wasps is immediately funny, but aside from the comedy value, there is little satirical content in this passage. There are many other comical stories in both adventures, which can entertain, but also have other layers of meaning. In Lilliput, one of the most amusing anecdotes is that of the war between Lilliput and Blefuscu, largely because of its origins: It is allowed on all hands, that the primitive way of breaking eggs before we eat them, was upon the larger end: but his present Majestys grandfather, while he was a boy, and going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers. Whereupon the Emperor his father published an edict, commanding all his subjects, upon great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The result is that the inhabitants of the two islands go to international war over so minor an event as breaking an egg. We find this hilariously funny, thinking the Lilliputians and Blefuscudians stupid and petty to allow this incident to escalate so to such an extent. However, when the Blefuscudian king listens to Gullivers praise of my own dear native country in a style equal to its merits and felicity, he sees through the pompousness and self-importance of Gullivers account of Europe, seeing the corruption in government, the prejudice in law, the inefficiency in politics, the mismanagement of the economy. Swift is hinting that the two situations are not so different, since little people tend to place great significance upon little things, and when we are the little ones, it is brought home to us that the vast majority of our affairs are of little consequence in the long run. While the story found in Gullivers Travels is highly entertaining, it is, primarily, a work of satire, and this adventure is designed as a message to the people and government of Swifts 18th century Britain, to change, or even just to reflect upon, the way in which they go about their lives. Upon reading both Lilliput and Brobdingnag, there is an evident trend in how Swift has written his book. In Lilliput, Swift uses engaging, fine humour to disguise his satire, whereas in Brobdingnag he moves onto rougher, coarser humour, with a far more obvious attack on European society, a trend which is continued through to the end of the book, culminating in a scathing assault on our perceptions of human nature itself, in the fourth adventure. Therefore, due to the ways in which we respond to the portrayal of Gulliver, and the events and humour found in the two passages, I conclude that the saga of Lilliput is funnier and more entertaining than that of Brobdingnag. Bibliography Jonathan Swift, Gullivers Travels, 1726 Richard Rodino, The Study Of Gullivers Travels, Past and Present, 1992 Philip Pinkus, Sin and Satire in Swift (1965)

Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels Essay -- Jonathan Swift Gullivers

Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels In Gulliver’s travels I think that Jonathan Swift is trying to show people what human society is really like. He does this through 4 voyages each to a different imaginary place, where the people are a satire of a different aspect of human society, and in each voyage Swift is telling us what he thinks of human society through what Gulliver says, and what he sees. Many people have described the book negatively for example William Thackeray, an 1850’s novelist described it as, â€Å"Filthy in word, filthy in thought, furious, raging, obscene,† and indeed over the two and a half centuries since it was first published it has caused a lot of controversy and has divided opinions. Gulliver’s first voyage is to a place called Lilliput. The Lilliputians are small people, about 6 inches high, and this is a metaphor for their small-mindedness. Gulliver criticises the way the Lilliputians elect their ministers- by doing circus tricks, â€Å"†¦with a dance on the rope and whoever jumps the highest succeeds in office.† This quote is showing that Swift is annoyed that people have to ‘jump through hoops’ to get into office. This is one of the stupid laws in Lilliput. This is like politics in the 18th century and even now, in that the rich were the only ones in parliament in the 18th century, and now it is mostly the rich in parliament because they are the only ones who can finance a campaign. Another law is no urinating in the palace. When a fire breaks out in the palace Gulliver does not want it to burn down, â€Å"This magnificent palace would have infallibly been burned to the ground,† so he urinates on it to put it out. Then the king of lilliput makes several articles against Gulliver. This... ...like the ‘quack’ doctors, and the drunks who use all their family’s money on alcohol. Also, swift shows the flaws of mankind and wants to improve it. I know this because he wrote about good people like the Brobdignagians and the Houyhnhnms, as I said before. Swift also only tells us about what has happened to him, so if he has only had bad experiences with, for example politicians, then he can only make bad comments about them. However, Gulliver doesn’t tell us about any good people in England at the time, or any good experiences he had had with people, he focuses on the bad. In conclusion, I think that Jonathan Swift is not misanthropic in his presentation of human society because he only comments on what he knows, and his main aim is to make the world better, and the best way to do this it to tell people in simple terms, in a story of a popular genre.

Lost and Found Essay

It was a regular day for my family. My parents had gone to work; my brother and I had walked to school. The excitement inside me was about to burst. That day was my first year to attend the Benton County Fair. I was six years old at the time. There were over a few acres filled with different rides, activities, games, and all the junk food someone could ever imagine. We entered the gate having our admission paid; the journey began as we imagined what would be the best night ever. We hit up the ticket booth to buy tickets, to adventure through all the kinds of rides. My mom had decided to buy enough for my brother and me to have a sufficient taste of the fair. As we embarked on the first ride, my brother and I begged our parents to join us and came the expected response of, â€Å"You guys go and enjoy, and we will watch you from the side.† We expected them to say that for they were exhausted after a long week of work. We passed the remark and handed the ride attendant our admission tickets for the ride. We took seats right by each other, not daring to think about another kid riding by us. The ride took off, and the screaming began, even if this had been the 15mph little caterpillar â€Å"roller coaster.† My daringness from the beginning turned right away into fear and motion sickness. As I reached in the air just like all the other kids to try to blend in, I tried to laugh and scream in a sense of enjoyment and pretend to be excited, but really this was the biggest event of terror in my life. Listening to noise of the wheels of the little cart against the metal rails was the most frightening. As I looked into my brother’s face, there were my emotions mirrored. The ride swayed and carried to an end, and we met my parents at the rendezvous point of the exit gate. Abdelsayed 2 They asked, â€Å"How was the ride†¦?† and came out the response of, â€Å"It was fun† trying to hide our pathetic, scared expressions. My brother and I shortly forgot the experience and gazed off to see less-motion-involving rides. As our tickets began to fade, we explored the park to see the cool things there. We came to see the huge slide you ride down with a carpet, and saw the kids laughing. I showed no interest, being tired, and thought to myself, â€Å"I can do that next year.† We simply admired the sliders. My parents had called my name and said it was time to go. As I had been slowly hypnotized by the amusement, I was separated from the rest of my family. I tried to fight the legs of grown-ups, to follow my sense of instinct of where they were. But no try connected me back with them. The fair that year had a lot of attendees and was very busy. I, being six years old at the time, was small in size. So everything that was in my sight of vision was the tall legs of grown-ups. I hit the knees of a tall man dressed in brown as a sheriff. He asked me where my parents were. I confessed to him that I was lost. He asked me, â€Å"What do your parents look like?† As I began to explain what my dad had been wearing that day, he picked me upon his shoulders to give me a better look. We went through people and around corners for about what seemed to be hours. And when I was about to give up hope, I spotted and recognized my dad’s semi-bald head. I pointed in relief and he guided the way for both us. I was reunited with my family at last. My mom’s sigh of relief was nice to see. My parents thanked the officer as he greeted them. Abdelsayed 3 We ended our trip of the fair, for we were too tense to enjoy the rest. And as our journey home consisted of repeated criticism for not listening to my parents, I accepted it knowing that I had done wrong. Shortly after, I drifted asleep to go about the next day like the one before never happened.

Factors Influencing Comprehension

Factors influencing Comprehension The article under the sub- heading Understanding Comprehension stated that â€Å"comprehension is complex†. It is my belief that teachers whether in the primary or secondary system should see it as such and not just a situation where a passage is just read and the questions answered at the end of it. It has been brought to my attention that comprehension is affected by a variety of factors some of which may be considered internal as well as external. Some of the internal factors may include stressful situations and the external factors would include the reading text assigned and the pages with dense text with few paragraph breaks or illustrations. It is then my belief that if the pre-service and inservice teachers saw this as a critical issue then for those of us who have not been taking it as seriously then we need to. The students who we teach may have been affected by these factors but because of teachers ignorance comprehension lessons where not adequately prepared. Secondly, the fact that background knowledge was so important on the side of the pupil just did not occur to me. I thought that what I gave initially at the beginning of the lesson if they had no experience it would be enough. Students being taught the comprehension lesson should have some experiential background to the text being used or the teacher could run into problems. â€Å"Schema theory tells us that readers must have adequate back-ground knowledge to understand what they read; it also tells us that readers must activate their prior knowledge† (Langer, 1984). Preparations for students doing comprehension lessons must therefore be more in-depth not only on the teachers part but in light of the students as well as one needs to investigate if the students has any prior knowledge. Thirdly and quite interestingly the Transactional theory brought home the fact that different students read for different reasons, the efferent stance or the aesthetic stance. The fact is a student’s stance can influence his or her comprehension. In teaching we need to know just how important the material is to our students or rather how important we make it for them. The fact that they may be quizzed at the end of a reading may generate more interest. The students who read just for sheer experience may just not comprehend as well as the one who does it for a purpose that could be considered more important. Fourthly, comprehension as a process is very stimulating to a student or students for that matter. The fact that this process begins before actual reading and end long after the reading is finished emphasises the activities that are used to grab and keep the students involved in the whole teaching and learning experience. Dividing instruction into prereading, during reading and post reading helps teachers design activities for each stage that will improve students’ comprehension (Carlton, 1982) and provides opportunities for teachers to demonstrate strategies that readers can use at this stage†. The actual process of comprehension and the strategies used has truly been an experience and will be a welcomed difference in my approach to the teaching of comprehension.

life expectancy essays

life expectancy essays The environmentalist view of the energy intensity is based on the legacy of the I = PÃâ€"AÃâ€"T equation in which environmental Impact equals Population, multiplied by Affluence, and further multiplied by Technology (Earth Report 2000: Revisiting the True State of the Planet. 1999). The further desegregation of this formula implies that energy intensity can be looked upon as an integrative variable describing the impact of both technology and affluence. Bruce et al. (1996) argue that intensity is inversely related to efficiency. Improving efficiency reduces the amount of energy required to provide a given output, i.e. an output of the same quality and quantity. In real life, though, the precise nature of the output is unknown, hence intensity is a proxy for efficiency. The Kaya Identity is an expression that is introduced by Bruce et al. (1996) to describe the relationship among the factors that influence trends in energy-related carbon emissions: C = (C E) Ãâ€" (E GDP) Ãâ€" (GDP POP) Ãâ€" POP. The formula links total energy-related carbon emissions (C) to energy (E), the level of economic activity as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and population size (POP). The first two components on the right-hand side represent the carbon intensity of energy supply (C/E) and the energy intensity of economic activity (E/GDP). Economic growth is viewed from the perspective of changes in output per capita (GDP/POP). At any point in time, the level of energy-related carbon emissions can be seen as the product of the four Kaya Identity components - energy intensity, carbon intensity, output per capita, and population size. In fact, growth in energy intensity in industrialized countries has historically lagged behind economic growth, whereas the two are more closely correlated in developing countries. As a country's energy intensity changes, so does the influence of a given level of economic activity on carbon emissions. Increased energy use and ...

How To Rock At Relationship Marketing

How To Rock At Relationship Marketing At least 32% of business-to-business (B2B) marketers create more company-centric content than customer-centric. Yikes. Thats not good. Dont get me wrong- its important to have great content that explains exactly how your product or service can help your customers. But that sort of content will have its greatest impact long after your prospects know, like, and trust you. Another 27% of B2B marketers write more customer-focused content. Thats great. But there is something to be said for including company-focused content that helps your readers understand why they should buy your product or service after their first few experiences with your awesome content. Thats why the 41% of B2B marketers who combine company- and customer-focused content will win the sale at the end of the day. Heres why, and exactly how you can do it, too, with a little thing we call relationship marketing.How To Rock At Relationship #Marketing Like The Best Sales ProsYour Prospects Don't Care About You, Your Product, Or Your Service (At Least Not Yet) In January, my wife and I spent some time in New Orleans. It's great, by the way- a city full of music. While walking around town, musicians would spot us, walk over, and ask us to buy one of their CDs for only $10. But we didn't buy a single CD. On the other hand, we saw a ton of street performers actually playing their music. They were out, showing visitors like us their awesome talents, and simply had a guitar case open with a sign that read $10 a CD. Anytime we stopped to listen, we gave those guys a few bucks. Give your prospects a preview of what you're capable of with awesome #content.Think about those two scenarios applied to your marketing: You can write content that talks about your product and nothing else, then hard sell someone on purchasing it. Or you could show your readers a preview of what you're capable of first, show them you're a company full of talented folks, and let your content sell for you. I bet you can tell which sales technique  is more effective. The street performers who showed us a preview of what we would get by buying their albums gave us the chance to get to know and like their music enough to trust that their whole album would be great. Why Content Marketing Is Your New Salesperson While it'd be great if you could go out and meet every one of your prospects like the musicians (or salespeople) in New Orleans, it's just not going to happen. Especially not anymore- because people want to find your solution on their own without your help. In fact,  84% of folks prefer to  research  on their own instead of having someone do it for them. Their first experience with your brand is through  your content.  Your content needs to build that relationship. And that relationship cannot begin with a hard sell. And while some even argue that relationship selling is dead, their arguments even further the importance of experiences and relationship marketing.  Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson take to  the Harvard Business Review to explain why "Selling Is Not About Relationships", but rather about being a challenger. The best  salespeople: 1. Teach their prospects. They focus the sales conversation not on features and benefits but on insight, bringing a unique (and typically provocative) perspective on the customer’s business. They come to the table with new ideas for their customers that can make money or save money - often opportunities the customer hadn’t realized even existed. Apply This To Your Marketing: Publish helpful content (the kind that doesn't just scratch the surface).  Participate in the ensuing conversation with blog  comments and social media. And create experiences people will remember long after first meeting you through content. 2. Tailor their sales messages. They have a finely tuned sense of individual customer objectives and value drivers and use this knowledge to effectively position their sales pitch to different types of customer stakeholders within the organization. Apply This To Your Marketing: Understand your audience and their challenges super well. Never be afraid to go super niche or narrowcast your prospects with your content. 3. Take control of the sale. While not aggressive, they are certainly assertive. They are comfortable with tension and are unlikely to acquiesce to every customer demand. When necessary, they can press customers a bit - not just in terms of their thinking but around things like price. Apply This To Your Marketing: The best salespeople "win by pushing customers to think differently, using insight to create constructive tension in the sale." Help your readers understand that they can improve the way they're currently doing something- even if they didn't know they could. Focus on customer value while pushing your readers outside their comfort zone to understand there is a better way. And I would argue that doing all of that builds positive experiences with your content. And that, in turn, serves as the foundation for a relationship. So, if the best salespeople build relationships to  sell, how can you apply those same practices  to build your relationship marketing? So, What About â€Å"New Age† Sales And Marketing Then? Pitches and cold calls are out. At least, that’s what some sales  pros  have been saying. Prospects are more informed than ever before when they make buying decisions- 84% of them, in fact. So, what is the solution? When Entrepreneur asked Tony Parinello that question, this is what he had to say: Let's face it: Buyers are more educated than ever before. What we sales and marketing types need to focus more on is understanding our prospect's world- and the best way I know of to do just that is to ask intelligent questions. Parinello  goes on to explain that those questions should be open-ended and prompt longer responses than just yes or no. And that we should ask and listen a lot more than adding to the noise. Hm. This new age stuff actually sounds a lot like what Dale Carnegie wrote about way back in 1936 in his book, â€Å"How To Win Friends And Influence People.† So, once again, it's about building relationships. And you can do that with your content. Here's how: Ask your readers what they'd like to hear from you. Ask your customers why they use your product or service. Listen to their big challenges on social media. Look at  the questions they ask you in your blog comments. Listen to the questions they ask presenters at events. Review your most successful content to  learn why your audience loved it. Recommended Reading:  How To Find The Best Blog Ideas That Will Have People Craving Your Content Give Away Your Secret Recipes Just like those street performers in New Orleans, you can give away the recipe for your secret sauce, and people will still buy what you’re selling. In fact, some companies give away their most successful recipes- very literally. Living in Minnesota, there is an awesome brewery I love: Surly. Those guys partnered with Northern Brewer Homebrew Store to share tons of their recipes so homebrewers could replicate their  beers. It takes a super loyal fan to want to clone a beer.  And guess what? When you brew your own version, won't you probably also buy that brewery's beer to taste how close you made it? From experience, the answer is yes. You would. And that, in a nutshell, is how giving away your secret recipe in the form of content will actually help you sell more. Giving away your secret recipe will actually help you sell more. #contentmarketingBy sharing exactly how you do things successfully, you build thought leadership in your industry. Relationships are built on trust, and when smart people see how smart you are, they'll want to work with you. If you give away how to do something without your help at all, your audience could do it... but they still might not have the time, knowledge, or experience to do it as well as they could when they have your help. Will Old School Sales Models Work In Your Content Marketing? There are a couple old school sales models that people still talk about. And they get  pretty interesting when you combine them with content marketing. Break and fix. This is when a salesperson shares something jarring, then something rational. Psychologists were able to convert 80% of study participants by disrupting their trains of thought with something out of the ordinary, then following up with something agreeable. Apply this to your content marketing: Show your readers a problem they’re experiencing now but may not even know about it, then provide the solution in your content. 1. Write content  that promises utility. Think of headlines that look like this: How To ___ That Will Help You ___ Or even this: 23 Ways To Get Even More From ___ To ___ The thing in common with this method, is that it connects the main idea of the content to a promise of what your reader will learn. There’s a reason our headline analyzer ranks power words like how to and that will so high: It's a promise of extremely useful content. And we know 34% of people share content simply because it's super helpful. Headlines like that indicate a desired state, too. If you do ___ you will become ___. We want to become better at what we do; it's human nature. When your content promises that and follows through- you've created a magical experience your readers will remember. Recommended Reading And Resources: How To Write Headlines That Drive Traffic, Shares, and Search Results Proof That Emotional Headlines Get Shared More On Social Media Blog Post Headline Analyzer Write Better Headlines With A  Free Headline Analyzer The headline analyzer  will help you: Use headline types that get the most traction for social shares, traffic, and search engine ranking. Make sure you have the right word balance to write readable headlines that command attention. See the best  word and character length for search engines like Google and email subject lines, while also seeing  how your readers will scan your headlines. Try The Free Headline Analyzer Now 2. Help your readers do something better- even if they don’t know they’re doing it wrong. Sometimes, it's easy to believe that just because you're doing something, it's as good as it gets. Take, for example, a blog planning process. If you have one, that's great, right? But what if there were a ton of ways to optimize that process to save even more time for every single person involved in the process? You'd be interested. While it might seem like every topic has been covered before, you can focus on creating content for those topics better than anyone else. Efficiency is doing the thing right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing. - Peter Drucker Like that blog planning process example, doing the right things is being effective. Doing those things even better is being efficient. If you focus your content on a common problem your readers experience, then focus on a unique angle, you are providing something no one else is doing. That's how you can help your readers do something better- even when they don't know that what they're doing is wrong in the first place. This is why every piece of content from the Content Marketing Blog is long-form: We don't just scratch the surface, but provide helpful, actionable content to help our readers become better bloggers and content marketers. Example Reading: How to Hack Your Efficiency with an Agile Blog Planning Process 10 Reasons Your Editorial Calendar Sucks (and How to Make It the Best) Why the break and fix method still works. It's the classic problem + solution = outcome model. If you introduce a problem, then provide a solution in your content, that's exactly what your readers are looking for. The outcome is how they'll do something better than they've ever done it before. And that outcome is made even better when they use your product or service. Foot in the door. This is when a salesperson asks their prospect to buy something that's relatively cheap, then asks them to buy something more expensive. But it sucks to ask someone to buy from you the minute you meet them.  Remember those folks in New Orleans who point blank asked me to buy their CDs? It's pretty abrasive. Use your content to build a relationship first, then ask for the sale. Use your content to build a relationship first, then ask for the sale.Apply This To Your Marketing: Ask your readers to do something simple first, then build up to something bigger. 1. Ask for a social media share first. 34% of people like to share helpful content, and 73% share content to remember it. It's easy to share useful content, and creating an experience your readers will remember is super important to help them get to know you. I definitely fall into both of those sharing categories, and it's really likely your readers will, too. Recommended Reading: Why People Share: The Psychology of Social Sharing How To Increase Blog Traffic: 5 Ways To Make Contagious Content The Best Place To Put Social Media Buttons On Your Blog 2. Trade awesome free content for an email address. Speaking from experience at , there is no better way to gather email addresses than this. Plus, there are dozens of tools to help you do this (OptinMonster, Leadin, and SumoMe List Builder  just to name a few), and they’re super easy to set up. This is just a little more effort for your reader than asking for a social share, because they are giving you permission to send them relevant content. This is an example of an OptinMonster lead conversion cookie. Read all about content distribution and get your free e-book. We call these cookies at . We give our readers something sweet for a bit in return. Various formats of these have  helped us increase our email subscribers by 90% in just 6 months. Imagine what it could do for your blog. Recommended Reading: 5 Easy Lead Conversion Tips For Your Email Marketing Program Why You Should Give Free Content To Your Readers 3. Provide a free trial signup (if you can). Just like great content hints at how great your product will be, a free trial is a preview of how much better your customers lives will be after they purchase your product. This takes a bit more dedication from your prospects. Think of time to learn something new, knowing an end date to â€Å"free† is coming, and making a purchase decision in a set timeframe. However, â€Å"free† is a super easy way to experience your product for the first time. And you can make that offer through your content marketing. 'Free' is a super easy way to experience a product for the first time.4.  Make it an easy purchase. Do you see the pattern of how you've  helped your prospect build up from a super easy decision (a social share) to slightly more advanced (trial of your product)? That gives your readers time to build a relationship with you through content. And as all salespeople know, relationships help sell. Now that they trust you, it's time to ask for the purchase. Really, this is an art of compliance based on social psychology. And psychology works for content marketing. Recommended Reading:  4 Lessons From Psychology That Will Help You Grow Your Blog Why the foot in the door method works for content marketing. You never know when someone is experiencing your content for the very first time or has seen your stuff a bajillion times. Giving your readers the ability to choose their own adventure with your content will help them create valuable experiences the way they want them to be. How To Get People To Care About You, Your Product, And Your Service I mentioned trust about a million times in this post so far: It's one of the most important parts of making a purchase decision. In fact, Mark Schaefer wrote an entire book on it. And Robert Rose and Carla Johnson  also published a book recently about experiences being the next game changer in content marketing. I dove deep into research to understand how to grow our blog with some core elements of psychology. One of the most interesting parts of that research was about the Psychological Foundations Of Trust. And trust only comes from building a relationship. Good relationships are based on great experiences. This isn't really new. But it is super fun to tie this into content marketing: Find commonalities between your prospects’ challenges and the solutions your product or service provides. Provide those solutions through helpful content for free. Help your reader have a positive experience with your content (tone, usefulness, not too salesy, etc.). Publish and share that content consistently to build expectations of awesomeness. Include useful calls to action in your content so when your prospects feel secure, they have the opportunity to convert. And that is how you can use your content to build a relationship with the 84% of people who research before ever calling you: Understand your audience, teach them, and provide a unique perspective with your content. Ask questions, always learn, and never be afraid to iterate. Give away your secret recipes to position yourself as a thought leader. Promise a solution to your readers' challenges- beyond what anyone has ever told them before. Provide multiple calls to action ranging from little commitment to purchase. Publish that awesome content consistently. If you'd like to create content that sells, get your copy of  the relationship marketing template to get started. It'll walk you through how to create educational content and product-focused stuff, too, all while helping you remember all the actionable steps throughout this post. Recommended Reading:  4 Lessons From Psychology That Will Help You Grow Your Blog

Pseudoscience and Astrology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pseudoscience and Astrology - Essay Example The scientists are willing to admit that only a part of traditional astrological doctrine is scientifically based: among them the astronomic knowledge about the planets movements; classification of people’s psychological states, character and behaviours; professional psychological terminology, etc. Trying to prove that astrology is pseudoscience, the scientists in their critical works often rely upon the results of various statistical research. There have been statistical research that traced the lives of people who were born on the same day and time, and the results of this research have shown that there is no connection or coincidence between them. Especially well known are the works of Michel Gauquelin basing on the biographies of famous people that have shown that there is no correlation between a person’s character and profession, on the one hand, and their astrological parameters, on the other. There have been other experiments conducted by M. Gauquelin: Other tests show that it hardly matters what a horoscope says, as long as the subject feels the interpretations were done for him or her personally. A few years ago French statistician Michel Gauquelin sent the horoscope for one of the worst mass murderers in French history to 150 people and asked how well it fit them. Ninety-four percent of the subjects said they recognized themselves in the description. (The Universe At Your Fingertips, 2001-2009)

Radio program about 'Conservative Muslims in Liberal Britain' Essay

Radio program about 'Conservative Muslims in Liberal Britain' - Essay Example They believe that a woman should not expose her body to the public. The conservative Muslims are keen are keen on increasing the cultural gap between them and other communities integrated in the British liberal society. They take their children specifically to Muslim schools in an effort to segregate themselves and protect their culture. The conservative Muslims don’t expect their children to mix with other children claiming that they may be brainwashed and persuaded to forget about their culture. The parents go to an extent of warning their children from having English or black friends. They only want the children to attend the schools where they are restricted to other humanity subjects (BBC Radio4). The Pakistani in Britain are more conservative than the ones in their home country. This is especially evident among the Muslim leaders in Britain who think they can easily be assimilated and forget about their culture. The Palestine in their home country are more liberal and outgoing. The Muslims tend to think that their children can easily adopt the Britain culture that is illegal in their religion such as gay marriages. Some of the conservative Muslims also want to maintain their cultures t hat are illegal in Britain such as polygamy. The conservative British Pakistani are so insecure around people from other races and religions. They cluster and stay in same residences away from other people. They are also less likely to marry from a different race or tribe. They believe that intermarriage will dilute their culture and customs (BBC Radio4). They also believe in confining their women in the houses or when they move out, they completely cover themselves up with the clothing. The women are not allowed to go to the mosque or work. Even those who are lucky to work they have to find jobs near home. This has deepened the differences and in the process inhibiting integration with the other people in the