Friday, November 29, 2019

How to Fix 404 Errors in WordPress Using 301 Redirects

Looking to fix 404 errors in WordPress? Then read on, as todays beginner-friendly tutorial shows you how.When faced with the 404 error page, many visitors are quick to assume that the website they are visiting is broken. After all, they arent seeing the web page they were expecting to. Instead, they get something like this:However, this assumption is incorrect. A 404 error does not necessarily mean that something is wrong with your website at all.A 404 error simply means that the requested URL cannot be found. This could be the result of a broken link, or something as simple as a typo. In other words, 404s are classified as a client-side error – something the visitor has done wrong, whether directly or indirectly.Even so, 404 errors will inevitably reflect badly on your website – especially to visitors who fail to understand their cause. They can create problems, too, as lots of errors will undoubtedly hurt the visitor experience. And, if the missing webpage is a sales page, well, that pretty much destroys any possibility of scoring a conversion from that visitor.Hopefully, now you understand that, while 404 errors might not be your fault (although some are), they need to be fixed. And fortunately, theres a plugin for the job perhaps your best solution to fix 404 errors in WordPress its called Redirection, available for free from the official repository: Redirection Author(s): John GodleyCurrent Version: 4.4.2Last Updated: September 29, 2019redirection.4.4.2.zip 86%Ratings 19,796,876Downloads WP 4.8+Requires Today, we are going to look at three common causes of 404 errors, and how to use the Redirection plugin to fix them using 301 redirects. While you can create these 301 redirects without using a plugin by editing the .htaccess file manually, the Redirection plugin is the quickest and easiest solution to fix 404 errors in WordPress.How to fix 404 errors in WordPress: the possible scenariosThe three scenarios we are going to be looking at are:Changing URLs yourself.Problems with inbound links pointed at known destinations.Problems with inbound links pointed at unknown destinations.Scenario one: changing URLs yourselfThis is the one scenario we have full control over.If, for whatever reason, we decide to change our URLs – most likely a result of changing permalinks – then all of our existing URLs become redundant, effective immediately.For example, when we switch from example.com/2016/old-link to example.com/new-link, the original URL no longer exists. Requesting that URL will return an error.Of course, we still want our existing posts and pages to work. Therefore, we need to configure 301 redirects to resolve the problem.A 301 redirect is the best redirect in most situations – it tells the search engines that the web page has permanently moved. As a result, the search engines wont penalize you for the changes, and your SEO ranking is preserved – read more about the redirect types here. Fortunately, the Redirection plugin specializes in 301 redirects.Lets break scenario one down into two further possibilities:a) Existing URL changesIf youve already changed your URLs, youre probably experiencing lots of 404s, right? Thats bad news for everybody, so its time for a quick firefighting job – or a long one, depending on how big your website is.In this situation, youre going to have to create the 301 redirects manually.Start by making a note of all your old URLs and the corresponding new URLs. Now navigate to Tools / Redirection.Under the Add new redirection heading, add one of your redundant URLs in the Source URL field. Although there are numerous options for the Match field, URL only works best here, so leave it as is.Similarly, because we know the target location for our web page, we can leave the Action field set to Redirect to URL. Leave the Regular expression field blank.Finally, input the correct URL in the Target URL field. Finish by clicking the Add Redir ection button.Now we need to test the redirect. Visit the old URL and, if youve configured the redirect correctly, youll immediately be relocated to the correct URL.Great, your first attempt to fix 404 errors in WordPress is a success!This is quite a laborious process weve discussed, as it involves creating a manual redirect for every single page. If its not too late, there is a better way, thoughb) Future URL changesIf youre considering changing your URLs, do yourself a favor and install the Redirection plugin now. This will save you a lot of time and frustration down the line.This is because Redirection will track all changes to existing URLs and automatically create a 301 redirect when it detects any changes.Before you start, click through to Tools / Redirection, then click on the Groups tab. Name your group, set it to WordPress Posts, then click Add.Now go to the Options tab, find the Monitor changes to posts field, and select the group you just created. Hit Update.Go into a pos t, then click to edit the URL extension. When youve made your changes, hit OK and then Update.Now, when you navigate back to Tools / Redirection, you will see the plugin has already done the hard work. It has already created a 301 redirect, pointing the old URL at the new one:Scenario two: incorrect inbound links pointed at known destinationsFor most 404 errors, youre completely blameless, though. For example, we all want lots of inbound links from high authority websites, right? But what if those websites make a mistake and point their link at the wrong place?In this situation, anyone who clicks that link will arrive at a URL that doesnt exist, producing a 404 error. As you have no control over the external website, how do you go about fixing this problem?One option is to reach out to the webmaster regarding any known broken links. Failing that, you can turn to the trusty Redirection plugin again.Navigate to Tools / Redirection. Next, click on the 404s tab. This screen will list al l of the 404 errors generated on your website. Go ahead and try it out by attempting to visit a URL on your site that doesnt exist – the Redirection plugin will flag the 404 error in real-time.Now, not all 404s are worth fixing, but if you see one URL appearing multiple times, you might want to point it at the right place. If the right place is obvious, that is.When youve determined where the link should be pointed, click the Add redirect button.Add the correct URL in the Target URL field. Again, leave the Match and Action options on the defaults, and hit Add Redirection.Easy, huh? Now try to visit the broken link, to confirm that your redirect is active.Scenario three: incorrect inbound links pointed at unknown destinationsIn scenario two, we fixed links pointed at the wrong place when the correct destination could be determined.This wont always be the case, however, or perhaps some links simply arent worth the bother of fixing as theyre so infrequently used.Remember: you ca n never prevent or fix 404 errors in WordPress entirely. They are just a part of running a website. The question is: how do you keep the impact of a 404 error to a minimum?This is the default error message produced by the Twenty Sixteen theme. Lets be honest: a page like this one is no use to anyone, right?Even if the correct destination cannot be determined, you can still serve the customer something more useful than this. For example, you might refer visitors to your most useful resources to get them up and running. Or you might simply redirect them to another existing page, such as the homepage.Every WordPress theme ships with a default 404 error page, but they arent always the most helpful or creative, as weve just demonstrated. If you want to customize your 404 page, you can do so by editing your themes 404.php file or by installing a plugin.If you go the plugin route – and its by far the more user-friendly option of the two – I recommend the 404 Page by SeedProd plugin: 404 Page by SeedProd Author(s): SeedProdCurrent Version: 1.0.0Last Updated: July 16, 2018404-page.1.0.1.zip 100%Ratings 11,134Downloads WP 3+Requires This option wont fix 404 errors in WordPress per se. However, by presenting visitors with a useful alternative to the content they were looking for, they are far more likely to remain on your website. And maybe you can still score that conversion after all.How do you fix 404 errors in WordPress? Share your thoughts, and feel free to ask any questions in the comments below!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Marijuana Prohibition Is A Violation Of First Amendment Rights Essays

Marijuana Prohibition Is A Violation Of First Amendment Rights Essays Marijuana Prohibition is a Violation of First Amendment Rights "Let me ask you something? if you had a choice, what would it be: Marijuana or Martinis?" This question appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday, May 12th, 1998. Due to the "Marijuana Tax Act" of 1937 the only legal choice that you and the 18 million other adults who used marijuana last year can make is the martini ("Against Drug Prohibition" ix). The legal acceptance of alcohol, however, does not exclude it from the category of a "drug," even in the eyes of the Food and Drug Administration. The prohibition of marijuana is historically counteractive and a direct defiance of First Amendment rights. This prohibition has denied thousands of critically ill patients a drug that would effectively treat their illness and relieve their pain. The basis upon which marijuana is prohibited has been proven by the very government which has banned the drug to be false. Since 1914, our nation has outwardly protested against the use of any "drug," contrary to our past acceptance of the market. Before and during the Civil War, morphine (a derivative of opium) was implemented for it's anesthetic qualities and was used as a main ingredient in many medicines. Marijuana was also implemented by the medical community in the treatment of migraine headaches, insomnia and rheumatism and cocaine to treat sinusitis, hay fever, and chronic fatigue. These drugs were not only medicinal, however, and they became popular for recreation, and cocaine, specifically became an ingredient in wines and soft drinks, namely Coca Cola (Encarta, "Cocaine"). Just following the turn of the century, a new climate of temperance swept the nation and in 1914 Congress passed the Harrison Act, banning opiates and cocaine, and the prohibition of alcohol soon followed in 1918, making the U.S. officially a "dry" nation. This prohibition led to a rise in a black market trade of narcotics and alcohol. In 1933, the prohibition on alcohol was lifted due to an overwhelming public concern with widespread organized crime, police corruption and violence (Encarta, "Prohibition"). Much like the money spent on maintaining the prohibition of alcohol, since 1981, $150 million tax dollars have been spent in the attempt to prevent Colombian cocaine, Burmese heroine and Jamaican marijuana from entering U.S. borders. In light of this, evidence shows that for every ton of narcotics seized, hundreds more prevail. Also in relation to alcohol prohibition, those profiting most from America's "War on Drugs" are the organized crime barons, who make an estimated $10 to $50 billion dollars a year from drug trade alone (More Reefer Madness, 15-25). Again, in concurrence with the prohibition of alcohol, during the 1920s, bootleggers marketed small bottles of 100+ proof liquors due to their ability to more easily conceal them (Encarta, "Prohibition"). Drug smugglers tend to carry and sell hard drugs in extremely potent form (i.e. cocaine) for the same reason. The federal government also controls the amount of nicotine and other additives in cigarette and cigar manufacturing, in an effort to lessen their risk to public health. The same tactic could be used on marijuana. The "harmful" effects of marijuana usage are the number one reason for it's restriction. These effects, however, are disputable. As early as 1972, President Nixon's "National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse" concluded that, "There is little proven danger of physical or psychological harm from the experimental or intermittent use of natural preparation of cannabis," and recommended then that the personal and medical use of marijuana be decriminalized. Since that time, the NAS (National Academy of Sciences) Institute of Medicine, the Federation of American Sciences, the Australian Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, the American Public Health Association, the British Medical Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine have produced studies showing that marijuana use is not only harmless, but that it is also therapeutic in the treatment of many serious ailments. Moreover, marijuana has been proven to be less toxic and less expensive than conventional me dication and in many cases more effective than commercially available drugs ("Against Drug Prohibition" 13). It is in this that the prohibition of marijuana is most harmful to the American public. Graham Boyd, an attorney representing a group of plaintiffs including eleven prominent

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Innocent LTD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Innocent LTD - Essay Example According to Triandis (1990), individualistic cultures emphasise independence, achievement, freedom, high levels of competition, and pleasure; whereas collectivist cultures tend to embrace interdependence, family security, social hierarchies, co-operation; and low levels of competition. UK has an individualistic culture, which constitute the main factors of independence, achievement, freedom, high levels of competition, and pleasure. That's why the Innocent drinks give very much importance to taste. With the increasing awareness among the target population regarding the problems of obesity and other health diseases Innocent drink emphasises on the purity and the neutrality of the ingredients. These qualities correctly aiming at the demands of the customers make Innocent drinks the largest player of smoothies market in UK capturing 65% of the total market share. Advertising, as a form of social communication, is particularly reflective, and indicative of culture and its norms. To the extent that advertising does reflect cultural differences, and there exist clear differences between distinct cultural patterns, advertising appeals, which are specific approaches advertisers use to communicate how their products will satisfy customer needs (Arens & Bovee, 1994), should manifest such differences across these countries. "Taste remains the company's number one priority. ... ste test awards than its competitors, scooping Best UK Soft Drink in the Q Awards, the UK's principal food industry competition, every year since 2002." (Farr, 2006) "The Company sells 70,000 fresh, healthy drinks each day everywhere from Boots to Sainsbury's to a local deli. The company has the only range of 100% pure fruit smoothies that uses fresh, rather than concentrated juice." (Innocent drinks, 2004) SWOT Analysis of the Coca-Cola Company STRENGTHS Strong Brand name. Extended customer in more than 200 countries. Use of SAP R/3 Enterprise Resource planning software Low threat of new entrants. Continuous training programs for employees. High budgets of advertising and promotion. Good relations with media. Web based presence. WEAKNESSES Low ROE Subsidiaries create legal and territorial problems. Lack of funds for regional bottlers to continue expansion Old image still exists. Inconsistent marketing message. OPPORTUNITIES Expansion in shape of introduction of new and innovative products. Expanding market due to globalisation. THREATS Current economic climate. Over reliance on the bottlers. Results to be achieved in future can be less than projected "The Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strengths (TOWS) Matrix is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: So Strategies, WO strategies, ST Strategies, and WT Strategies. SO strategies use a firm's internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities. WO Strategies aim at improving internal weaknesses by taking advantage of external opportunities. ST Strategies use a firm's strengths to avoid or reduce the impact of external threats. WT Strategies are defensive tactics directed at reducing internal weaknesses and avoiding environmental threats." (David,

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Law(freedom of religion) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law(freedom of religion) - Essay Example But unfortunately, the Forest Service decided not to adopt this recommendation, and it prepared a final environmental impact statement for construction of the road. Therefore a trial was set up and finally the District Court issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the Forest Service from constructing the Chimney Rock section of the G-O road or putting the timber harvesting management plan into effect. But after a long discussion about the case, the court concluded that both projects would breach the Governments trust responsibilities to protect water and fishing rights reserved for Native Americans of Hoopa Valley. The Forest Service appealed the decision. All of the hard decisions made by the judge were mostly based on two important terms namely establishment and free exercise The term establishment means united states congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Because they need to be fair to all religions and cannot provide support for any religion. Free exercise on the other hand means congress does not have the right to prohibit the free exercise hence People can freely exercise their religions and the government doesn’t have the right to control it. These terms play a significant role in helping the judges to conclude this case. There is an interesting case which came to my attention and the case was about whether a government school in France had the right to dismiss a Muslim girl because she refuse to remove her veil in class. The girl at the center of this highly sensitive controversy was sacked when she refused to remove her veil in class because it was against her religious believes and also violates her right as a French citizen to practice her choice of religion with no interference from any authorities as the European human rights law say. Reacting to her dismissal the girl’s father took the school authorities to a European human rights court to

Monday, November 18, 2019

Legalizing Prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legalizing Prostitution - Essay Example Adults who are not able to consent as we as children who are forced or coerced into sexuality for commercial or other reasons deserve to be fully protected by the law while those criminals perpetrating the same qualify for legal condemnation & punishment. Just like other workers, prostitutes working in the sex industry have a constitutional right to be protected from criminal activities such as being harassed sexually, rape and many others. The bottom line is that everyone has to right of choice in terms what they engage in order to earn a living. Sherry F.Colb: A female law professor and judge argues that prostitution as a profession should not be discriminated against. Those people who chose to engage in prostitution should not be abused, arrested or prevented from soliciting. Our society today has both male and female persons engaging in prostitution but legislations against prostitution refer to women in most cases. It has been tradition to punish and stigmatize women for prostitution while the same laws do not touch men purchase sex from these women. This is discrimination and it is directed straight at women. The laws also actively violate the individuals’ rights to privacy by imposing penal measures on private consensual sexual activity between adults. Whether a person chooses to have sex with another one for leisure, monetary gain or any other reason is a personal matter that should not be meddled by the government. Tony Nassif: He is founder and president of the Cedars Cultural and Educational foundation. Legalizing prostitution for him is by all means violating the right to physical and moral integrity; it reduces sexuality into a commodity. It is against peoples’ constitutional right to liberty & security and in fact promotes human trafficking, modern slavery and forced labor. By legalizing prostitution we violate the victims’ rights to enjoying high standards of health since prostitution is associated with increased

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Language in Political Speeches

Language in Political Speeches Essay investigating the language used in speeches to motivate and persuade people including speeches of Tony Blair, George Bush, John Major and Winston Churchill, for example. The language required to motivate and persuade in political speeches is a prepared mode of linguistic usage very different from others in that its imperative is inherently connected with its construction and delivery. Although recognised and frequently employed linguistic devices, such as rhetoric, are necessarily an intrinsic part of this kind of syntax, the overall purpose governs the style far more directly and bears the weighty implication of both negative and positive influence: in other words, when do ‘motivation’ and ‘persuasion’ become ‘propaganda’? In order to demonstrate the power of speech to motivate and persuade, it is therefore necessary to look closely at some speeches which have attempted to accomplish this with varying degrees of success in relation to the circumstances in which they were made. Though ‘it is often said that events, not speeches, determine the outcome of elections’ it is equally true that the language used to persuade the people addressed as to how they should view events is a determining factor in a positive or negative response. In terms of historical resonance, one might consider how Shakespeare presents the difference between Brutus’ appeal to reason and Mark Antony’s appeal to emotion when each addresses the easily manipulated mob in turn following the assassination of Julius Caesar in his play of that name written in a time of contemporary political tension, 1599. It has also been seen to be true in more recent times when, following the assassination of Ghandi in 1948, Nehru spoke to the people of India in terms designed specifically to calm what was a potentially inflammatory situation by using words of address remarkably similar to Shakespeare’s ‘Friend’s Romans, Countrymen’, Nehru chose to speak to the multitude as ‘Friends and comrades’. Both usages of familial terms encouraged feelings of empathy and solidarity, persuading those present that a feeling expressed by one man could at once unite, reflect and pacify those of a nation. Tony Blair’s famous epithet ‘the People’s Princess’ did much the same following the death of Princess Diana in 1995. In all of these cases, the right words at the right time persuaded people to believe in the speaker’s ethos and motivated them to react as the orator wished. The moving, motivational and persuasive rhetoric of Winston Churchill’s wartime speeches remains profoundly powerful and is an extremely good way of demonstrating the effectiveness of language. During the darkest days of the war, in 1940, Churchill’s ‘we will never surrender’ caused the British people to perceive hope where really there was none. His syntax, both personal and generic, like that of the emotive language earlier discussed, relies heavily upon the pronoun ‘we’ as a connective with those he is addressing: We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender [†¦] What is often forgotten is that this speech begins with a summation of the catastrophic progress of the war up to this point. Churchill’s brilliance, here, is in saying nothing of factual substance but concentrating instead on the emphasis of the nation’s unity. The personal pronoun ‘we’, which is repeated at the beginning of each sentence and echoed in ‘our’, produces the desired effect of proclaiming the collective consciousness of resistance, whilst simultaneously stressing, inferentially and by inversion, the possible negative results of disunity. That is, only by the behaviour Churchill declares to be prevalent can the Nation hope to survive. As well as repetition and rhetoric, the persuasive technique here employs alliteration, in ‘flag nor fail’, the language of the poetically picturesque in ‘seas and oceans’ and references to home in ‘fields’, ‘streets’ and ‘hills’: in oth er words, encompassing the whole country in the semantic field. The variation in structure, especially sentence length, indicates a momentum which rises and falls musically, beginning with short declarative statements, expanding with the introduction of both compound and complex sentences, until a crescendo is reached with ‘never surrender’. The speech does not end here (it ends with a broad hint to the ‘New World’ to join the war and ‘rescue [†¦] the old’) but this is its rhetorical peak, emphasised, if such is necessary, by the fact that some fifty years later it is still remembered and quoted, even in that most necessarily persuasive of media, advertising. (However, it is necessary to remember that such persuasive language and technique was equally powerful in motivating Hitler’s Nazi Party, and indeed the German people, to go to war in the first place, albeit with an offensive rather than defensive motive.) The language of political speeches made in time of war must have, then, as a prime objective, the desire both to motivate and persuade. It has been said that, ‘a [President is a] persuader by definition’ and this can be seen in the speech of US President George W. Bush at the time of the decision to go to war with Iraq in 1991: Just two hours ago, Allied air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. These attacks continue as I speak. Ground forces are not engaged. This conflict started Aug. 2, when the dictator of Iraq invaded a small and helpless neighbour. Kuwait, a member of the Arab League and a member of the United Nations, was crushed, its people brutalized. Five months ago, Saddam Hussein started this cruel war against Kuwait; tonight, the battle has been joined.    Bush begins by emphasising the fact that the attack has already begun and that it is continuing; a fait accompli, in fact. The syntax is strikingly declarative and informative whilst the language, in the semantic field of attack and defence, relies heavily on the notion that there was no choice here and that America did not begin the conflict: it is not the aggressor. Indeed, Bush stresses the idea of the ‘dictator of Iraq’, Saddam Hussein, having ‘invaded a small and helpless neighbor’. Emotive language is heaped upon this by the use of ‘crushed’ and ‘brutalized’ in order that the goal of the orator to persuade the American people and indeed the world, that the invasion was a humanitarian act. The ‘cruel war’, Bush invites us to judge, was begun by Iraq and ‘battle has been joined’ to ‘protect and defend’ as the American ‘Oath of Allegiance’ clearly demands. The language used thro ughout is designed to persuade the listener of the validity and necessity of war. However, the notion that, ‘Presidents [and politicians] are special beings. When they talk, we listen’, has to be qualified by the listeners’ growing political awareness. This is evident when one turns to look at the language used in political speeches aimed at either the electorate or to instigate legislation where different criteria are applied which can be perceived in the structural linguistic mode. An increasingly sophisticated electorate has become more aware of ‘political spin’, however, and is less easily swayed by political rhetoric: Distrust of policy making and policy makers has become more common as politics has become positioned as more concerned with the spin of media presentation than with substance. There is, then, with this innate ‘distrust’ in mind, a discernable difference between what is presented in speeches to party members and what is intended to be persuasive and motivational to the general public. As has been observed, ‘the babble of voices has increased massively and governments have to work very hard indeed to keep anything hidden from the public gaze’. Speeches do not, of course, seek obviously to ‘hide’ being necessarily declarative and intended for public consumption. Nevertheless, political speeches are often made in the wake of political scandal where the motivation of the speaker is to persuade the listeners that despite appearances all is well. In cases such as these, the speaker has a more difficult role than usual, since the audience is likely to be hostile, especially during a Commons Debate; in circumstances such as these, combative language will be employed by both sides, rather than either passivity or ‘attack and defence’. However, the later to be impeached President Nixon, when running for the office of Vice-Presidency in 1952, used the specific dynamics of ‘honesty and integrity’ to refute claims made against him and pledge, somewhat ironically in hindsight, ‘to drive the crooks and the Communists and those that defend them out of Washington’. By connecting the criminal fraternity with a contemporary political obsession of ‘the McCarthy Era’, Nixon diverts the issue from his own challenged integrity and instead attempts to persuade the listeners that those who speak against him are the dishonest ones and: the motivation is entirely personal in its attempt to achieve an individual goal. Motivational speech can, however, be far more selfless and, indeed, more potentially powerful, if delivered in the desire to drive forward a socio-political cause. The finest example of this in the latter half of the twentieth century might well be said to be that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr. to the assembled masses in Washington D.C. on August 28 1963 which proved to be a seminal moment in the Civil Rights Movement: I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. Dr. King’s intention both to present a persuasive argument and motivate a damaged and blighted country to heal itself is evident in both the structure and the lexis, as he interweaves past, present and future to create a livid picture of American racial prejudice: ‘expression and persuasion were the goals, confirmation of shared values the method’.   The speech uses repetition almost as melodic punctuation to enable the essence of the speaker’s directive to appear both personal and communal. Focusing on a future built from a mutual healing of the past and presenting the image of children as the distillation of this, Martin Luther King involves the listener in a persuasive generic rhetoric. Elsewhere, the speech uses biblical imagery and references to love of country to demonstrate the inherent right of mankind to freedom and equality enshrined in the Declaration of Independence (July 4th 1776). By enforcing this in relation to the Civil Rights Movement, K ing underpins his ‘dream’ with a historical resonance to which the ‘American Dream’ is inextricably linked. Thus the structure and content combine to persuade and motivate those who are not actually present to engage with the movement to which he is truly dedicated. The speech was a ‘media event’ and remains one of the most powerful and emotionally charged speeches in history. It had tremendous success, both contemporaneously and over future decades, in persuading the American people to act positively to abolish racism, though prejudice is, unhappily, still prevalent. John Major, also speaking on the right to ‘freedom’, this time in relation to fox hunting, acknowledged by the speaker as ‘ludicrous’ in its introduction as a Government Bill before the House, attempts to persuade almost by inversion: I have never hunted a fox or a deer, nor have I attended a hunt or seen one, except at a distance, yet I oppose the Bill every bit as strongly as any one of the country dwellers who are likely to lose their livelihood should a ban be imposed by Parliament. By declaring his disinterest, Major begins to persuade by suggesting that his is the action of any right-thinking man, not just ‘the minority’ of ‘countrymen who hunt’. Major’s entire speech attempts to persuade by derision and negation, implying that the Labour Government is sacrificing the rights of the few, ‘a breath-taking illustration of political self-interest overriding natural justice’. Major’s persuasive tactic, faced with an overriding popular opposition to fox-hunting, is to cast doubt on this as a fact and also to stress the importance of hunting as part of the rural economy. He refers to ‘farmers’ and ‘country dwellers’ as well as loss of ‘livelihood’ whilst avoiding reference to ‘the image of huntsmen as red-faced toffs’, a disparaging reference to the view of the Left, until after he has delivered an argument based on opinion rather than fact and concluding with the fox-hunting term of ‘gone to earth’ and even reference to the Christmas season, when the speech was delivered, to aid its persuasiveness. Moreover, Major states that one needs an ‘open mind’ to see the truth of his argument implying that those who do not agree with him have a restricted view based on the desire to appeal to the populace rather than common sense or justice. Speaking to the ‘Fabian Society’ in 2003, Tony Blair employed a similar methodology when speaking of Public Services where he alluded to such ideologically emotive ideas as ‘the creation of the National Health Service’ to further his argument that his government was ‘deliver[ing] the progressive rights that other countries took for granted’. The speech is argued coherently, acknowledging the historical knowledge of the Socialist Party his audience possesses. In this sense, he tailors the structure very differently from a speech to a more general audience. Language is the principal tool of the politician and as such offers much in the way of linguistic analysis for the study of the power of lexis and syntax to persuade and motivate. From the specific words required for wartime, to the promotion of a political agenda or the need to expose injustice, speeches employ the many and various linguistic devices within their textual structure to argue and persuade effectively. Language is a powerful and emotive stimulant, dangerous in the hands of a skilled orator with an ambivalent or perilous personal agenda. Certainly, the way a speech is constructed and delivered has been shown over the centuries to have tremendous influence, both negative and positive, and knowledge of method and intent are important in the ability of an audience to differentiate astutely between the two and avoid being either persuaded or motivated against their better interests or those of the public at large. Thus, understanding the nature of persuasive and motivational argument is essential in order for the listener to make informed, rather than merely linguistically manipulated, choices based upon skilful speech. Bibliography: Tony Blair, ‘Speech to the Fabian Society on Public Services’, 18 June 2003, TotalPolitics, 2008, retrieved 21 October, 2008. George W. Bush, ‘Announcing the Attack on Iraq, 16 January 1991’, TotalPolitics, 2008, retrieved   21 October, 2008. Winston Churchill, ‘Speech to the House of Commons, 4 June 1940’, TotalPolitics, 2008, retrieved 21 October, 2008. Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776, retrieved 21 October 2008, Robert E. Denton Jr., Dan F. Hahn, Presidential Communication: Description and Analysis, (Praeger, New York, 1986). Richard Edwards, Katherine Nicoll, Nicky Soloman, Robin Usher, Rhetoric and Educational Discourse: Persuasive Texts, (Routledge Falmer, New York, 2004). Robert V. Friedenberg, Notable Speeches in Contemporary Presidential Campaigns, (Praeger, Westport, CT, 2002). Martin Luther King, ‘I Have a Dream’ delivered 23 August, 1963, retrieved 21 October, 2008 John Major, ‘Speech on Fox Hunting’, December 2000, TotalPolitics, 2008, retrieved 21 October, 2008.   Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘Eulogy on the Death of Ghandi’ (delivered 1948) retrieved 22 October 2008 David R. Russell, Elaine P. Maimon, Writing in the Academic Disciplines, 1870 -1990: A Curricular History, (Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL, 1991). James Thomas, Dianas Mourning: A Peoples History, (University of Wales Press, Cardiff, Wales, 2002). Carl Tighe, Writing and Responsibility, (Routledge, New York, 2005).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The House on Mango Street :: essays research papers

The House on Mango Street The affects of an unreliable narrator in The House on Mango Street is it affects the tone, characterization, and style. There are a lot of examples of those three affects. Some of those examples are on different chapters of The House on Mango Street.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Characterization explained in the chapter called â€Å" Earl of Tennessee.† It is explained in the way that people say that Earl’s wife looks different ways when she asks different people. Esperanza says in the chapter† We never agree on what she looks like†(pg.71). Another example of characterization can be found in the chapter called†Sally.† In the chapter Esperanza says†The boys at school think she’s beautiful...†(pg.81) Characterization is explained in this chapter in the way that Sally wears make-up to school and skirts that she pulls up, but when she goes home she washes off the make-up and pulls down her skirt so her father won’t notice anything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tone is explained in the chapter called† Darius and the Clouds† because a lot of people in Esperanza’s school think of him as a fool. Then when one day he says something wise, something smart, people don’t think of him as such a fool. In the chapter Darius says,†You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad.†(pg.33) He also says,†Here there is too much sadness and not enough sky.†(pg.33) Tone is also explained in the chapter called†Red Clowns.†Esperanza becomes very mad with Sally because Sally left her alone and some guys come and have their way with her. Esperanza says†Sally, you lied. It wasn’t what you said at all. What he did. Where he touched me. I didn’t want it, Sally.†(pg.99) Esperanza get very emotional about what happens to her. She becomes very mad and changes her tone in the way that she isn’t the cheerful happy girl.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Style is explained in the chapter called â€Å" The Monkey Garden† in the way that â€Å"the Monkey Garden† stands for the Edenic Bower. Esperanza and her friends love to play in the garden. Esperanza says,†This was a garden, a wonderful thing to look at in the spring.†(pg.94) The â€Å"The Monkey Garden† stands for the Garden of Eden.Another example of Style can be found in the chapter called†Chanclas.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Benefits of Procedural Justice Essay

Folger and Konovsky (1989) explain that procedural justice refers to the perceived fairness of the means used to determine the amounts of compensation employees receive. Coetzee (2004) further describes it as the extent to which fair procedures and processes are in place and adhered to in an organization, and to which individuals see their leaders being fair and sincere in all they do. This essay will explore the benefits of procedural justice and in particular present an argument that supports the statement that the perception of procedural justice by employees results into positive work outcomes. Skarlicki and Folger (1997) identify the following positive consequences of procedural justice: organization commitment, intent to stay with the organization, organizational citizenship behavior, trust in supervisors and workmates, satisfaction with decisions made as well as increased work effort, job satisfaction and performance. It is these positive outcomes that are expounded on in support of the statement that positive work outcomes arise from the perception of procedural justice by employees. McFarlin and Sweeney (1992) point out that procedures define the organizations capacity to treat employees fairly and therefore if they see the procedures as fair, employees may view the organization positively. This positivity results into high commitment and supervisor evaluations. Findings in the study by Folger and Konovsky (1989) also reveal that procedural justice has been shown to be positively related to organizational commitment. Furthermore, Moorman, Niehoff and Organ (1993) show that procedural justice influences affective commitment in particular. Affective commitment refers to one’s psychological attachment to the organization as well as their identification with it (Muchinsky, 2006). Procedural justice influences affective commitment in a way that the fair procedures of allocating resources and resolving disputes in organizations represent the view that employees are valued and it is this value that results in the employee being more attached to and identifying more with the organization. In addition, Organ (1988) suggests that perceptions of fairness may also promote effectiveness in organizations through influencing an employee’s decision to perform organizational citizenship behaviors because in exchange for being treated fairly, employees would engage in discretionary gestures of such behavior. Organizational citizenship behaviors are â€Å"those contributions that employees make to the overall welfare of the organization that go beyond the required duties of their job† (Muchinsky, 2006, p. 326). This behavior may include avoiding complaints, attendance better than the group norm and courtesy. Moorman et al. (1993) further explains that employees go above and beyond their prescribed roles by demonstrating conscientiousness toward their work, trying to prevent problems with other employees, informing others before taking important actions, and refraining from excessively complaining about work, because they feel the necessity to reciprocate the fair treatment they have received from the organization. This is therefore yet another positive work outcome of procedural fairness. Furthermore, trust, which according to McShane and Von Glinow (2009) refers to positive expectations one person has toward another in situations involving risk, is yet another outcome that arises from procedural justice. Pearce, Bigley and Branyczki (1998) show that perceptions of procedural justice were associated not only with a greater trust in supervisors but also with a greater trust in peers as employees perceive their rights to have been honoured and can therefore reciprocate in any situation, since this trust is based on expectations that are held in common and can be reciprocated. In terms of job satisfaction and morale, those who perceive justice in their organizations are more likely to feel satisfied with their job and less likely to leave their job (Bakhshi, 2009). Moorman et al. , (2009) further explains that procedural justice may be a basis for an employee’s level of work satisfaction when that employee has developed a positive view of the organization due to its existing fair procedures. This then boosts the level of performance on the job. On the contrary however, perception of procedural injustice therefore in an organization will lead to a range of negative outcomes including low levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction, reduced task performance and employee withholding of organizational citizenship behaviour (Pearce et al. , 1998). These are negative work outcomes that may therefore hinder the progress of n organization in the long run. In conclusion, this essay has defined procedural justice, and supported the statement that that the perception of procedural justice by employees results in positive work outcomes. This has been done by presenting in detail using a range of social science literature and empirical research the various outcomes namely trust, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship and identifying the negative outcomes of procedural injustice.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Poland essays

Poland essays In this centrury it seems that Poland has come in a full circle. It started out as an average European country and eneded up as the same: a country with a healthy acconomy, stable social structure, and viable government. The most interesting part of history is not the parts that are described like that. It is the same with Poland: the most interesting historical events have thrown the country into turmoil, even into war. They have, as a country, had to recognize such problems as racism and unfair prejudice based upon faith and ethnicity. They have also had to overcome being conquered, several changes in government, and political upheaval. In the process, the people have had to change their ideological practices, if not change their beliefs. Sometimes they embraced ideas and systems thankfully and gladly. Other times they had to be forced. Such times as those could be tragic or celebratory and, on ocassion, they were both. Historically, Poland has been an area of conflict because of its flat terrain and the lack it has of natural borders on the northern European border. Indeed, the history of Poland is one of the most engrassing national histories this century. The people reflect this in their collective identity. They have recovered from genocide and war to become a very cohesive group of people, both politaically and ethnically. We should applaud them for their terrific efforts to recover and remain a strong nation. My report is about Poland, the country today. I will write about their economic successes and weaknesses and their strengths in many other areas as well. Personally, I am very proud of their effort and I think of this report as a tribute to the Polish people perseverence. Poland is a nation of many faces, with mostly Polish people, there are also a very few German, Ukranian, and Byelorussian in residence. 95 percent of the people (and about  ¾ of those people are practicing) are Roman Catholic. Small minorities of Ea...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Good Life In The Eyes Of The Beholder, Plato

The Good Life In The Eyes Of The Beholder, Plato Free Online Research Papers In the case of the Good life, what would the Good life be in the average man or woman’s function of daily life? In Platos theory on the good life, it rests on the idea that everything has one function, which we are naturally suited for. Why are we suited for this concept, is it in our nature? The beauty, virtue, happiness, and excellence of this particular thing all depend on the fulfillment of this function. In this idea, even man has one function for which he is naturally suited or his gift. This is no easy task for man and women, we are complex beings and our day-to-day way of thinking and pleasures differ from person to person. It’s worth mentioning that we are dictated by nature, that is the same for all people in all circumstances and situations. For we can’t decide for ourselves what this function is in life. That’s why we are constantly seeking out, as a hedonist and avoiding pain and anxiety. Were constantly seeking out pleasures for the flesh and hoping not to conflict them with the spirit and also not to fall into the state of emptiness. In conclusion our existence is a truth, and may be the only truth and good and we should find its certainty. What is that function? In the Republic by Plato â€Å"He argues, that the proper uses or function of man and his soul is to live justly and to achieve a state of unity and harmony. Man consists of several parts, each different and with different aims, goals and appetites. He lists the intellect, spirit/courage, and physical desires as the three parts of the soul, though he may simplify this for ease of understanding.† Plato is stating here to live rightly, honest, admirable, and responsible. But in my opinion, we as in most live and live to be satisfied by the pleasures of life. But this is state of conflict between the soul/spirit and flesh, and undesirable, we as humans want the gratification of pleasures now. THE ENJOYMENT OF LIVING, by Lin Yutang states: â€Å"The most obvious fact which philosophers refuse to see is that we have got a body. Either we have to have bodies and have all our bodily wants satisfied, or else we are pure spirits and have no satisfacti ons at all. All satisfactions imply want† Ways of Wisdom, (Smith, 59). When all of us are pursuing physical desires and natural and necessary desires we should keep them in the appropriate fashion, there can still be some conflicts. In this reason we are intent on balancing the soul, providing some satisfaction for all of our desires in natural necessary ways and, natural unnecessary functions also. When this is accomplished, when the parts of the soul are fulfilling their natural functions well and, under the guidance of reason, self control and are in harmony and balance with others, and then the soul is good, happy, and fully satisfied. And so the above description is not mans function, but merely the state of wellness or being required to properly perform his or her daily function. â€Å"For Plato, human beings live in a world of visible and intelligible things. The visible world is what surrounds us: what we see, what we hear, what we experience; this visible world is a world of change and uncertainty. The intelligible world is made up of the unchanging products of human reason: anything arising from reason alone, such as abstract definitions or mathematics, makes up this intelligible world, which is the world of reality† (wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/PLATO.HTM.) . And in the Apology we get a sense of mans proper, natural function. Man pursues knowledge, intelligence, and ultimate reality. This is the way man truly attains virtue and it is on the same path as the gods. The Republic Plato argues similarly, proposing that man is to search for the good and the other forms of good and truth. Both cases mans function is to use his mind, intelligence, and reason in search of truth, and for Plato knowledge and ultimate reality. Is the body a hindrance or an obstacle, in search of the good life? If it is, it’s a struggled against the soul at all times. Does the body harass the mind with all sorts of desires and appetites, barely giving the mind time to think? So it is the job of man to remove himself as entirely as he can from his body, to use it only in the barest, simplest fashion, only to survive. In this way he will minimize this hurdle and allow himself to pursue his true function and to the take full advantage of his ability. And this quest and life long journey is mans function and the only way to the good life. It depends on the synchronization of the soul and body. â€Å"Socrates even admits in The Republic that he himself knows not just what the good is, but he knows we should strive for it and the knowledge of it† (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/). All of this is fine and good, a noble pursuit of both desires, but it seems like just another attempt to create meaning and give arrangement to our lives. Besides any idea or thought or action we think and feel, might have the possibility that it may be wrong or proven wrong. The pursuit of knowledge is admirable and I think very worthy of, but in terms of value or meaning what is the knowledge of the good life? One is, ultimately, just as good as the next and gets you just as far, because as Sartre’s states: â€Å"Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself† (Smith, 230.) You just need to decide what is important in your life and what you want to do with it. As well, I think it is a mistake to place so much value on the mind and intellect so use the body and mind in a partnership and give to the flesh, pleasure in moderation. Your mind and mine are limited, weak, just as our senses are. They too, can mislead and misguide us, and I see no reason to suppos e they are powerful enough to solve the riddle of the universe, what would you call the ultimate good life? For that, I see no reason to believe there even is a question to be solved! Maybe we just developed a survival tool that, now that our survival is secure, is trying to occupy itself and keep itself busy, and alive all for what? If this is accurate, then one philosophy is just as good as the next, depending solely on yours and mine tastes. In conclusion what is right or wrong or if at all perfect in the way that we feel is good? This is the argument or theory I’m try to figure out, what would you call The Good Life? And if you and I are looking, feeling or enjoying one particular pleasure at the same moment, you and me will not see or feel the pleasure exactly as the other. One is, ultimately just as good as the next and gets you just as far. The Republic,By Plato Ways of Wisdom Readings on the Good Life Edited by Steve Smith wsu.edu: 8080/~dee/GREECE/PLATO.HTM Plato: Ethics and Politics in the Republic http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/ Plato: Ethics and Politics in the Republic Research Papers on The Good Life In The Eyes Of The Beholder, PlatoComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfGenetic EngineeringHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeThree Concepts of PsychodynamicBringing Democracy to Africa

Monday, November 4, 2019

Dream vacation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dream vacation - Essay Example Whenever I would get a chance to visit Italy I won't miss a single museum. However my family is planning to visit my aunt in Italy in the next summer vacations, if so, I would plan every single hour of my vacations to enjoy the utmost. Churches and national shrines hold significance, as they are the primary concern for tourist attraction. The works of famous sculptors and painters like Leonardo Di Vinci, Michelangelo and Filippo Brunelleschi can be found in Tuscany, one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world. (VacationIdea, 2006) I have often heard about the great Tower of Pisa, which is famous for its five degrees tiltness amazing most of the tourists. My curiosity lead me to investigate the reason of being tilted and then I got to know that it was just a coincidence that the tower got tilted as one side of the ground was soft and so the tower leaned one side. That coincidence became the center of attraction for majority of the tourists around the world. The most exotic art and architecture to which I would prefer to visit Rome is the Roman Colosseum built in 80 A.D for gladiator fights. I am quite inspired by such fights and wish if I had to be among one of them, what had been the consequences. Visiting Fontana Di Trevi is my heart most desire which I would fulfill in the next summer vacations. ... The reason for this is nothing particular except for the nature and greenery that island possesses. Another greener place to explore is the Cinque Terre, a place for hiking in the Northwest of Rome, enriched with botanicals of lemon orchards; I wonder I would be lost in the beauty of Rome. Rome also possesses one of my interests, a museum renowned for keeping the latest stylish and the most antique cars, Galleria Ferrari. This museum tells us all about the Romans history, people, importance of cars in Roman history and the modern Roman approach. Ranging from the sports car to modern luxury car this museum enjoys an auditorium, ground floor and first floor for the visitors all around the world. I wonder about the prices of the cars, must be expensive enough to deem to buy. Roman Forum is also a historical place to visit, as it used to be the main center of preaching religion of ancient Romans. The Forum consists of other monumental places like the Temple of Saturn, the House of the Vestals, Arch of Septimus Severus and Faustina and the Arch of Titus. After Rome, the first place to visit in Paris in my hit list is Eiffel Tower. This antique and valuable identity of Paris, well known for being the tallest building in the world serves as the main source of tourist attraction. According to my knowledge the tower comprises of three huge floors, whenever I think of spending vacations in Paris I assume myself being on the top of the floor where to enjoy the scenic view of observing the whole Paris would be like a dream turning to reality. What knowledge I have come across, tells that Paris "The City of Lights" is renowned for its monumental buildings. After Eiffel Tower comes the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de Triomphe and its

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Issues & Controversy with Public Policy Research Paper

Issues & Controversy with Public Policy - Research Paper Example In addition, the financial fines and penalties imposed by the US government in an attempt to persuade the uninsured people to change their status also pose serious challenges to low and middle income families. This paper will discuss the public policy issue of uninsured population in US and identify three policy initiatives that can address the issue. The term uninsured is commonly used to represent a person having no insurance coverage. According to Cropf (2008, p.323), the growing uninsured population in US was one of the primary concerns raised by the advocates of health care reform. A significant proportion of uninsured population in the United States has been a headache for the US policy makers for decades, and the introduction of the recent health care reform could not improve the situation notably. Multiple surveys indicate that the number of uninsured people has dropped due to the implementation of health changes resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). According to a report published by the Commonwealth Fund in July 2014, an additional 9.5 million people aged 19-64 obtained access to health insurance, representing approximately 5 percent of the working-aged population. The United States Census Bureau reported that there were 48 million uninsured in the US (representing 15.4% of the populatio n) in 2012. Despite the falling rate of uninsured in US, one cannot say Obamacare (or PPACA) is a success in addressing the issue of uninsured in the country because of its higher costs. In spite of the claims of the Obamacare advocates that the new insurance coverage plans would cost less than the average cable bill or cell phone bill, a survey finds that roughly half the of the uninsured in the US say that Obamacare is too expensive. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study released in January 2015 (as cited in Hall, 2015), 48% of the uninsured Americans are of the opinion that they remain uninsured due to the high