American influence to world war Free Essays

The First World War or the Great War was primarily a global conflict that was fought in Europe from 1914 to 1918. Some nations were actively involved in this war and among them were Britain and France. All this long America had not being involved in this war . We will write a custom essay sample on American influence to world war or any similar topic only for you Order Now They sought to remain neutral. They had the intentions of being silent both in deeds and thoughts . As a matter of fact, in December 1916 the then president of America Woodrow Wilson had offered himself as a mediator in this European conflict. This idea of being neutral did not go for long following a series of events that were going on between 1915 and 1917. The Americans lost their lives when German submarine warfare declared the â€Å"sinking of ships tradition†. The most hurting was the attack on May 7, 1915 against Lusitanian ship when 128 Americans perished. This broke the relationship between the Americans and Germans. One of the factors that led to joining in this war was President Wilson’s idealism. He persuaded the congress to declare war on Germany . He argued that western civilization could be destroyed or hampered thus his announcement â€Å"war to end wars† This was taken to mean that his intention was to create a ground for peace building and prevention of catastrophic future wars. According to Wilson, the way out to resolving these disputes could only be attributed to issues like ,general association by nations that would form international associations of nations to preach peace for example the league of nations, The Turkish People of Ottoman empire were to become a sovereign. He also looked forward to seeing integrity being granted to Romania, Montenegro, Serbia and Balkan states at the same time Serbia to be given the freedom to use the Adriatic Sea. He wanted the freedom to the seas and free trade. The Italian borders were to be redrawn on lines of nationality. Wilson wanted the abolishment of secret treaties . Another key factor for joining the war was the economic interests. As these conflicts went on, the Americans were eying on it. It was becoming clear that the British-French alliance was at the verge of loosing the war to the Germans. Their anxiety was attributed to the fact that the Americans were fully involved in financing them. As observed earlier, the turning point for waging war on the Germans was when they declared the â€Å"unrestricted warfare on submarines† in January 1917. The trading business ties between the Americans and other central powers had a negative impact. It was at this point that Americans declared war but there was nothing to do with naval policy as perceived to be. It was about the safe guarding of their economic investment and trade rather than protecting the poor Americans. In another perspective, due to Americans neutral stand, their businessmen were in a position to trade with both sides and got large profits. They were trading with both the Germans and other super powers like the British and French. (Vincent Joseph 2003) As the war went on and continued the private European business and the British government and its allies bought more and more American weapons and non-military goods. To pay for them, they had to borrow money from American financiers since they had exhausted their resources. This made them earn lots of wealth. Before the World War 1, majority of the American exports went overseas in foreign ships. Unfortunatery when British entered into war, the British navy blocked German ships from conducting and engaging in international trade. The German Navy also halted the British and allied from shipping. This resulted to decrease in the number of ships available for freight and consequently increase in cost of shipping goods. This made American exporters find it difficult to conduct their business as usual . They reiterated by joining the war with an aim of ending this stalemate. (Allan R Millet2001) America was also influenced to join the war against the Germans by pressure from domestic propaganda campaigns. This was executed by a committee on public information. These propagandas were being conducted by many government committee community leaders who were giving pro-war speeches in many public gatherings. There were private and government vigilante groups that were involved like; the American Protective League. There was a general harassment and repression on those opposed to Americans joining the war. There were also other forms and means of propagating propaganda and among them were; large print posters, photos, newsreels, magazines and newspapers among other methods. Americans were also influenced to join in the war due to the issue of German Naval policy. In 1917 Germany returned to the policy of unrestricted warfare on submarine. This policy was first introduced in 1915. This naval policy declared the area in the British Isles a war zone. This meant that the ships trading along these waters and those of neutral states would be attacked by the naval. There were chains of attacks on ships that led to the sinking of the British ship,Lusitania by a German U_boat. Despite the fact that this ship was carrying military equipment and was rather meant for passengers only did not hider the then president of America Woodrow Wilson to declare war on Germany in 1917(Allan R Millet ,2001) In conclusion, the German Naval policy stipulated that, whenever an American ship was found on the Atlantic Ocean and be suspected to be providing military equipment to the British would be destroyed. The economic interest of the American was to open the trade-links especially in Europe. However, this could not happen because the German U-boats were destroying ships including the Lusitanian which made America join the war. Work cited Allan R Millet, Military effectiveness in First World War, Oxford University Press. (2001) Albert Edward, McKinley World War I McKinley Publishers, London (2002) Vincent Joseph, A concise History of World War I, Oxford University Press, London, (2003). How to cite American influence to world war, Papers

Essay about The Tragedy Of Hurricane Katrina Essay Example For Students

Essay about The Tragedy Of Hurricane Katrina Essay Homeland crises do no happen often in the United States, but when they do, they are typically devastating. Two particular attacks that happened during the millennial lifetime were September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina. A lot of people can remember where they were, what they were doing, and the feelings they felt after the crisis of September 11. Hurricane Katrina was another event that reflected on crisis management and government reactions to a devastating storm. Both events warrant a discussion on their respective crisis events. Every year, my high school gives students off for student day at the State Fair. Like most of my friends, I spent this day sleeping in and vegging out in front of a television. I had gotten up around 8:30 and made myself breakfast. I was generally just bumming around the house. Suddenly the house phone rang, that wasn’t typical of any day I stayed home from school. I checked the caller identification and found that my mom’s work number was calling on the other end, so I answered the call. My mom asked me if I had turned on the television yet, and I told her no, that I had just gotten up and made breakfast. She told me not to watch television, she said she didn’t want me to get upset. Of course, like any fourteen year old, I was curious about what she was talking about. Naturally, my curiosity got the best of me. I turned on the television and really had no idea what I was looking at. I knew something tragic was happening, but the magnitude hadn’t really hit me. As a fourteen year old, I was like most things who are not impressed easily, but this event one was different, especially since my mom called me. The guy I was hoping to date at the time called the house as well, and we chatt. . manage those who were long-term residents, students, businessmen, government officials, or tourists. Additionally, there were many countries, 151 to be exact, who tried to send financial support for the United States government. Those countries ultimately became frustrated because we were unable to properly accept and allocate those funds. Coping with crisis and retaining relations with other countries was an embarrassment, and one issue we should solve immediately (Faraznand, 2007). Reflection on crises in our homeland is important for preparation and crisis management. In order to be a stronger, more prepared nation, we must learn from our past experiences and implement positive change. September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina are two prime examples of crises that can inflict change in the way our government handles before, during, and aftermath of terror.

Planning and manage effective communication - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: 1. Identify the publics in the BP and Queensland floods case studies? 2. Identify the publics in the BP and Queensland floods case studies? 3. Segment and Prioritise identify the Publics? 4. What different approaches were adopted by the leaders in the two cases? 5. Define corporate image. How does it differ from corporate reputation? Answer: Answer 1 The two different events, that is, BP and Queensland flood were both noteworthy. Both the events have led to huge destruction to the resources and lives of the people. In the year 2012, British Petroleum deepwater horizon oil rig tremendously exploded and killed around eleven people. In between December 2010 and January 2011, about three quarters of the state was being declared as a disaster prone area due to devastating floods. More than thirty five people were lost and the BP explosion and oil spill was the accountability of corporation as well as its contractors. On the other hand, the Queensland flood was being regarded as an act of God. Therefore, nobody was held responsible for the disaster. This whole incident brought into notice the higher management of BP as well as the government officials. However, the public in the BP disaster were the contractors, customers, stakeholders of British Petroleum, employees, dead employees and their family, USA government, congressmen, shipping lines, insurance companies, fisher folk, equity markets, oil industry, marine ecosystem and others who got affected by the tragic incident. The public of the Queensland disaster were the Theodore town, transport system, telecommunication, Brisbane city, mining industry, livestock, insurance and the banking industry, emergency response teams, government machinery, fishing communities and others who got affected by flood (Grunig 2013). Answer 2 The publics of the disaster can be segmented and prioritized by keeping into consideration the extent of the damages as well as the responsibilities and initiatives taken by the company. Management team has taken into consideration the discharge of the methane gas and has utilized this particular technique of clearing the menace with toxic dispersant. Moreover, the publics were being linked with the harmful effects of dispersed toxic, which caused harmful effects to the locals as well as in the nearby population. People of those areas suffered from chest pain, headaches, vomiting, damage in the internal organs and more. The department of health released various reports on severe issues which can be considered as the top priority. Queensland floods causing huge damage did not have the same level concern as it was considered to be the act of God. The whole strategy was being employed and it diverted the population, even the regulatory and the oversight approvals of the leadership were in control (Guth and Marsh 2016). Both the tragic incidents cause huge inconvenience to the external as well as internal publics. To prioritize each of the segments, which were being affected by the British Petroleum incident, were considered to be the internal part of the company and the external periphery included the deceased employees, their family members who were dependent on them, frontline employees, the fishing community, financial institutes, administration officials, ecosystem at which the incident took place, media, top project management teams, business associates, local as well as federal government, stakeholders, action groups, customers, general public and the coastline which was affected (Dozier, Grunig and Grunig 2013). The Queensland flood was regarded as an act of God or nature. The government officials could have ensured timely operations and executed some plans in order to combat with the disaster. The inhabitants were affected, infrastructures got damaged, farming community and local markets go t destroyed. The top priority was to provide the impacted citizens with accommodation, medical assistance and foods (Newsom, Turk and Kruckeberg 2012). Answer 3 A transformational leader is known for the qualities that he/she possesses and the way he/she motivates and encourages his/her team members to work better. This is considered to be one of the most important things as this helps the leader to move forward. Furthermore, the team members trust also helps the leader to proceed with his responsibilities. If any adverse situation occurs, be it natural disaster or a man made one, a leader must always know how to deal with it and compose a strategic management. A leader must know how to deal with a crisis moment (Hendrix, Hayes and Kumar 2012). The British Petroleums leader Hayward used this specific approach. The inappropriate behavioral approach at the crisis time. He commented in front of the media that he wants his life back. The stakeholders were also not addressed. This caused severe damage to the companys reputation. The public relation theory and practice stresses on the need for communication at emergency situations. Some kinds of unplanned approaches were used like blame game, avoiding questions and apology. The leader did not even take up the whole responsibility which led to such a crisis and instead tried to detach him-self from the entire situation. The Queensland Premier Anna Bligh utilized a specific approach for the crisis situation. The government officials showed low risk-taking behaviors. The whole alleviation work was being executed with an ineffective approach. In addition to this, the climate conditions were not supportive. Improper infrastructure. Unstructured methods were being adopted, which worsened the situation. In both the cases, such inappropriate approaches were adopted, which led to further destruction of reputation. Answer 4 The corporate image is considered to be a mental picture, which is created about a company. It is dependent on the overall insight an individual is having regarding the organization. Corporate reputation is regarded as the public picture, which defines the companys abilities, qualities and disabilities. However, the corporate image of a particular organization may be good but the overall reputation can be bad within its publics. As far as the public relations management is concerned, the companies can use conscious methods of utilizing the mass media as well as social media, in order to maintain their corporate image. However, with the inception of digital media, any company can use the platform for maintaining or creating a good corporate image as these initiatives helps in building a corporate reputation (Smith 2013). Companies build a corporate image and manage it, in order to create a good impression in the minds of the consumers. This helps in maintaining and creating an association between those particular companies as well its customers. The customers expectation and satisfaction is directly proportional to the companys goodwill. A positive image and corporate sales may take some time to be produced. However, the corporate reputation can get easily affected as it is very fragile in nature. Some examples are; any act which is not in compliance with the reputation and image are the health hazardous chemicals being used in the eatable products or items like the magi rumors (Cutlip 2013). However, the corporate reputation can be regarded as the collective ideas which the public hold regarding that particular company. Corporate image, on the other hand are collective visuals, emotional as well as cognitive associations, which the public hold regarding a particular company. The corporate reputation is considered as an idea which covers the views of the employees, customers, partners, regulators and communities regarding the business. This extends far beyond to how the customers are going to take the brand and choose it from the shelf. For instance; the reputation of the company can impact the financial stability and the capital costs. It also impacts the ability of attracting the partners. Corporate image, on the other hand, is more focused on the marketing factors like; brand recognition, feelings associated with the customers experiences and others (Kunczik 2016). Answer 5 The explosion at the deep water was considered as a segregation of all the mistakes that has been done before the occurrence of the fatal incident. However, the Public Relations personnel could have easily handled the entire situation. It could be handled in much better way and everyone should have been more cautious about the particular information which was made available in the media and others. The warnings which were been given to them was overheard by the people. The blame game was shamelessly being played and the management did not take the issue seriously. The main motive of the company was to make profits and cut excessive costs. The management team completely overlooked and overheard the prediction of the explosion (Stacks 2016). They did not even take necessary precautionary measures beforehand. Being the Chief Executive Officer of the British Petroleum, I would have taken several proactive measures in order to combat a crisis situation like this. I would have been more attentive as well as vigilant regarding the information that was flowing out of the organization. I would have taken proper care of the companys internal as well as external publics, rather than hiding and concealing facts. It is my responsibility to inform the companys employees, administration and stakeholders regarding the issues. I would have also informed the rescue team and the media in order to save the companys reputation. In addition to this, I would have made sure that the media announcements were compassionate as well as apologizing, instead of being arrogant or misleading. Moreover, the cultural nuances could have been easily taken care in a more responsible way. I would have taken care of the whole management team in a sensible way, in order to deal with the sensitive issue. It is my responsible to be more cautious in such a situation, so that it does not mar the companys image further. If more initiatives were taken earlier, then such an incident would not have taken place. In such crisis situations, it is immensely necessary to have a trustworthy and a vigilant team, in order to be more prepared and equipped for dealing with such emergencies (Culbertson and Chen 2013). Companies should never try to hide or conceal any information from the media and rather they should open up and bring out the reality. It is important to come up as warriors instead of running away from crisis moments (Olasky 2013 ). Case study There is hardly any important difference between the corporate image and the corporate reputation. The corporate image is more like a cognitive image which an individual draws about a particular company or say, organization. It is done on the basis of the available information, which he/she has managed to gather from the public. On the other hand, the corporate reputation is more about a companys qualities as well as abilities. As far as the public relations personnel of a company is concerned, the conscious efforts of using the mass media as well as social media is highly regarded as an important step of maintaining a good corporate image. The overall summation of these built images can be referred to as the corporate reputation (Hinson 2012). Therefore, there is a very thin line of difference between both the terms. In modern days, social media acts as a powerful tool for presenting a positive image of the company. With the help of these images, the organization can form a healthy perception of the public. Non paid exercises are more utilized for publicizing regarding a company. This includes press releases, video clips which are uploaded at the free portals like Facebook, YouTube and others. Adoption of such methods help in increasing the publicity of a companys events and the returns are huge. The corporate reputation is being considered as a congregation of the images which are being created by the organization (Wilcox et al. 2013). The corporate reputation is generally a play of those corporate images. If the images are being put together in more interesting manner, it will appear attractive and if anything goes wrong, the entire thing will spoil the business. The interpersonal relationships, corporate identity as well as business communications must be taken care in a proper manner. Any wrong step can damage the whole companys reputation. This is also referred as the pragmatic operational model. Taking the British Petroleums case into consideration, the publicity run made them lose their image and reputation, which was built after years of consistent services. The British Petroleum, BP had a good image, which was recreated in the minds of the public. It may take some years for the company to bring back its age old reputation. It is true that a company may have to struggle for years in order to build brand recognition among the consumers, but one simple mistake can ruin everything (Kent 2013). The Odwalla Foods Company of Washington State had the worst nightmare when the state was being linked with an e-coli outbreak to the companys unpasteurized apple juice. The whole incident caught immediate media attention and the overall outcome was bad. The companys Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Williamson promised to pay the compensation and medical costs for the affected ones. The company spent the next few months by building a good reputation and image. It focused on several methods like advertising, organizing press conferences, giving advertisements and others. However, all the initiatives went in vein, due to less effective public relations management (Rice and Atkin 2012). The Odwalla Foods Company lost the battle against the claims, which resulted in huge losses. Eventually, the company was overtaken by the Coca Cola Food Company, which bought Odwalla for 186 million dollars in the year 2001. The corporate image has depleted to such an extent that it was difficult for the company to restore their reputation even after decades. However, it is evident from the above fact that the due to the stupidity of the company, it lost its brand image. It could have easily taken some steps in order to regain the consumers trust. No matter what the situation is, the companies should keep their public relations resources at place (Austin and Pinkleton 2015). The Odwalla Foods Company lost the battle due to its ineffective public relations personnel. It is important for any company, big or small, to have a public relations manager in order to deal with the crisis moments. The public relations manager needs to apologize publicly in front of the media, without hiding or concealing any facts. Hiding facts from the media can lead to more trouble for any company. Therefore, in order to gain trust, the public relations managers need to be truthful and honest. However, the Odwalla Foods Company could have taken a major step of presenting original reports in front of the media (Spicer 2013). The company could have worked with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and presented the reports, which were in favor of the company. This could have helped the company to a huge extent. The company could have easily conveyed that the entire matter was not real and fabricated. This would have helped the company to regain its trust back from the people and the media as well. The companys CEO could have been more sympathetic towards the deceased families. Sales did fall at that moment, but good and effective crisis management initiatives could have benefitted the company on the long run (Coombs and Holladay 2013). Conclusion A company builds its reputation and image after providing years of consistent services to its consumers. The public relations, corporate branding, corporate communications and others are considered to be the most important branches for any companys betterment or success. The concept is very fragile in nature and one blunder can ruin it anytime (Heath 2013). It takes years to build a companys reputation, but few wrong decisions can ruin it in less than a minute. The four Ps of production can easily get affected by the organizational, visual or corporate identity. Therefore, it is very important to handle these issues in order to keep the reputation and image of the company intact. Companies need to appoint public relations managers in order to deal with such tough situations and stand apart from others (Cutlip 2013). References Austin, E.W. and Pinkleton, B.E., 2015.Strategic public relations management: Planning and managing effective communication campaigns(Vol. 10). Routledge. Coombs, W.T. and Holladay, S.J., 2013.It's not just PR: Public relations in society. John Wiley Sons. Culbertson, H.M. and Chen, N., 2013.International public relations: A comparative analysis. Routledge. Cutlip, S.M., 2013.Public relations history: From the 17th to the 20th century: The antecedents. Routledge. Cutlip, S.M., 2013.The unseen power: Public relations: A history. Routledge. Dozier, D.M., Grunig, L.A. and Grunig, J.E., 2013.Manager's guide to excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge. Grunig, J.E. ed., 2013.Excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge. Guth, D.W. and Marsh, C., 2016.Public relations: A values-driven approach. Pearson. Heath, R.L. ed., 2013.Encyclopedia of public relations. Sage Publications. Hendrix, J.A., Hayes, D.C. and Kumar, P.D., 2012.Public relations cases. Cengage Learning. Hinson, M.D., 2012. Examining how social and emerging media have been used in public relations between 2006 and 2012: A longitudinal analysis.Public Relations Review. Kent, M.L., 2013. Using social media dialogically: Public relations role in reviving democracy.Public Relations Review,39(4), pp.337-345. Kunczik, M., 2016.Images of nations and international public relations. Routledge. Newsom, D., Turk, J. and Kruckeberg, D., 2012.Cengage Advantage Books: This is PR: The Realities of Public Relations. Cengage Learning. Olasky, M.N., 2013.Corporate public relations: A new historical perspective. Routledge. Rice, R.E. and Atkin, C.K. eds., 2012.Public communication campaigns. Sage. Smith, R.D., 2013.Strategic planning for public relations. Routledge. Spicer, C., 2013.Organizational public relations: A political perspective. Routledge. Stacks, D.W., 2016.Primer of public relations research. Guilford Publications. Wilcox, D.L., Cameron, G.T., Reber, B.H. and Shin, J.H., 2013.Think public relations. Pearson Higher Ed.

Often Imitated Never Duplicated free essay sample

Never Duplicated Michael Jackson brought a new style to the music scene, changing everything from fashion, videos and dance, which started around the making of the Thriller album and several of it’s music video’s. Men, women, boys, girls, black, or white it did not matter; everyone wanted to be a little like Michael Jackson, he crossed over all races and genres of music. It could have been the red military type jacket, the black pants, patent leather shoes, or the white sequin glove that he wore in the Thriller video. Everyone tried to copy Michael Jackson in some shape, form, or fashion, especially trying to do the moonwalk or robot that Michael Jackson perfected. Everyone stood in front of a mirror to see if they could do the Robot or told someone to watch me as they did the moonwalk. Michael Jackson and the Thriller album have influenced many of the pop artists today in their dance and showmanship. We will write a custom essay sample on Often Imitated Never Duplicated or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Record executive, producer, and singer Antonio Reid stated this in Rolling Stone Magazine. Michael has influenced so many artists, some of whom are picking up on the grandeur and showmanship of his live performances. You can see his influence in his sister Janet, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Britney Spears, and in Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey. You can see his influence in the dance moves—the syncopated choreography—that a lot of young artists use. And a lot of them have picked up his work ethic. When you look at Britney Spears production or a Justin Timberlake production, or it you look at an Usher production, you really see that they took a page out of Michael’s book; they went to rehearsal, and they must have worked eight hours a day, because their shows are flawless, as Michael’s shows were flawless (A. Reid). So many artists are motivated and influence by Michael Jackson that a lot of them even imitate him 25 years after the Thriller album. The imitation runs deeper than just song and dance. His vision and perfection set the example for so many more to follow. Michael Jackson still has musicians in the 21ST century aspiring to be a modern version of him. Not everyone will pick up on how much he influences artist today unless they follow Michael Jackson closely or grew up with him and watched the evolution of Michael; he was the Elvis of his generation [early to mid 80’s]. Of all Michael Jackson’s great qualities, dancing is probably the most imitated or at least it’s the most visible imitation of all, unless you just have a good ear for Michael Jackson’s music and remixes. Michael Jackson perfected the Moonwalk that he learned by watching kids and break-dancers perform in the streets. Once Michael Jackson had it perfected it, he debuted the Moonwalk on the Motown 25th Anniversary special, which was on National TV. This made the Moonwalk tremendously popular and notorious worldwide along with the robot that he was famous for. There’s way to many pop artists inspired and influenced my Michael Jackson to cover them all, a few of them are Ginuwine, Justine Timberlake, Sisco, Usher, NSYNC, and Janet Jackson. Justin Timberlake, Usher, Chris Brown and Ginuwine are a few of the many that will be used to show how much influence Michael Jackson has had on the pop music of the 21st Century. In an interview with VH1 the VH1 staffer asked Justin Timberlake â€Å"How have your changing musical tastes influenced your solo work? † and Justin answered with â€Å"My inspirations have been the same since I was 12. I love Stevie Wonder†¦Al Green. And of course, Michael Jackson and Prince and Earth Wind Fire, too† (Lerner). Justin Timberlake has been known to dance like Michael Jackson in his concerts and videos, even wearing a fedora like Michael Jackson. Susan Horsburgh of People magazine did an article on Justin Timberlake covering Justin’s solo debut. â€Å"emerging from a gigantic boom box to sing â€Å"like I Love You,† which, with his fedora and moonwalk moves, he performed in the style of his idol, Michael Jackson† (Horsburgh). Just another example of how Michael Jackson has pop artist today trying to be the new King of Pop. Justin Timberlake is not the only artist that is influenced by Michael Jackson. Chris Brown is another popular pop artist that has been influenced by Michael Jackson when it come to his performances and dancing. Chris Brown took Michael Jackson’s style of dancing and added his on spin or flare to it to make it his own. In the Washington Post journalist Allison Stewart says this about Chris Brown, he’s, â€Å"Fond of modified moonwalking and benign, poppy club jams†¦Michael Jackson without the ick† (Stewart). Which tells the reader that Brown is just like Jackson but with out the ick, can’t get any better than that. Chris Brown has taken Michael Jackson’s moves, practiced them, perfected them, and added his own twist to them making it his own. Chris Brown is another pop artist that is known for his dance as much as his music. As we make comparisons you will be surprised by some of the artist and what they’ve done. One that you might not know that was influenced by Michael Jackson is Ginuwine. Popular RB singer Elgin Baylor Lumpkin or better known as Ginuwine was also influenced by Michael Jackson and took emulating Michael Jackson to a whole new level at an early age. â€Å"Lumpkins interest in music was ignited by Prince and Michael Jackson, especially the latter’s legendary moonwalking performance†¦at the mere age of 12, began performing parties†¦later worked as Michael Jackson impressionist†(biography). Ginuwine went on to further his music career using the influence and experiences of Michael Jackson to become a successful RB artist. Of the many, many artist influenced by Michael Jackson, Usher Raymond, has been influenced by Michael Jackson in so many ways, but mostly in his dancing. During the remaking of the 25th anniversary of the â€Å"Thriller Album† Usher said â€Å"That great choreograph and great energy that Michael puts behind it, try to re-create that feeling. I try to take different kinds of dance and apply it in the same way Michael did in â€Å"Thriller’, ‘Beat It’ and ‘Off the Wall. ’† (Reid, Hiatt, and Yago). Which has brought us to where were at today, even with rap artist like Snoop D O double G. That’s the king right there,† Snopp Dogg said about the love Michael still gets. â€Å"Michael Jackson has always been an inspiration to me as far as his music is concerned. You can’t take nothing from Him† (Reid, Hiatt, and Yago). Not that it’s a bad thing; there are worse people to imitate, emulate or just be influenced by. His dance moves have been imitated in just about everyway from music videos to TV ads. The most recent was the commercial during the Super Bowl with the SoBe drink, which had the lizards doing the thriller dance with one of the singers from Destiny’s child. Shaheem Reid a well known MTV and Hollywood writer points how Michael Jackson’s dance has influenced other artist to include female groups, â€Å"There is Michael Jackson’s dance moves from â€Å"Thriller† in Destiny’s Child’s â€Å"Bootylicious video† (Reid, Hiatt, and Yago). Just another example of how Michael Jackson has influenced pop artist both male and female. Why would any artist imitate, emulate or even use Michael Jackson as an Inspiration? Here’s a few statistics that would explain why the Justin Timberlakes, the Ushers, the Chris Brown’s and the Ginuwines would use Michael’s work ethic, music and dance to guide them. Thriller originally spent 37 weeks at No. 1, a total of 80 consecutive weeks in the Top 10. Its also the only album in American history to be the bestselling album for two years. Seven of the albums nine songs hit the Billboard Top 10 with Billie Jean and Beat It both reaching No. 1† (Gamboa). â€Å"The â€Å"Thriller Album has earned 47 million dollars to date, making it the 2nd best album of all times only after the Eagles Greatest Hits album† (RIAA). If you were to imitate an artist why not Michael Jackson, he has been accepted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame twice, as solo artist and for the work in the Jackson Five. He has the largest selling record of all times; selling more than 40 million copies, double diamond in the United States, not platinum, but diamond. His Thriller album was accepted by the United States as a National treasure, not many music artists can say that. Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of the all time greats, putting him with the likes of Jimi Hendrix’s, the Eagles, the Beatles, Elvis and Bob Dylan. It’s now been 25 years since the release of â€Å"Thriller† one of the greatest albums ever. Various pop artists of today like Fergie, Akon, Will I Am, and more will redo the original songs on the 25th anniversary album. After 25 years the spirit of the â€Å"Thriller album† is still alive and artists all want to be a part of such a historical event. The 25th anniversary of the album was released on 11 Feb 2008, with never recorded songs, behind the scene’s look and the remix songs. Most of the artist doing the remixes admit they can’t live up to the standard that Michael Jackson set years ago and continues to do. It’s hard to believe one album could influence the music industry so much, much less 25 years after it’s debut, but â€Å"Thriller† has done just that. If you don’t think Michael Jackson is often imitated and used as a source of influence in the music world you’re in a real case of denial. These examples have shown that many artists since the album â€Å"Thriller† were influenced by Michael Jackson’s performance and dance. Music and dance has been influenced through years and years of artist and will continue to influence the artist of the future. Many people have formed unbiased opinions of Michael Jackson, but if they take his personal life and separate it from his work they would realize the impact on today’s music and dance. He has influenced so many artists to become the successes they are today and will continue to influence the music of tomorrow. His style of dance has been recreated in so many ways from other music artist actually imitating him to taking his style and trying to make it their own. His dancing from the â€Å"Thriller video has been used in other music videos, commercials and in various other media’s. Some have tried, but none have succeeded on a Michael Jackson level.

A History of Flag-Burning and Flag Desecration Laws in the U.S.

A History of Flag-Burning and Flag Desecration Laws in the U.S. Flag-burning or desecration isnt unique to the 21st century. It first became an issue in the U.S. after the Civil War. Many felt that the trademark value of the American flag was threatened on at least two fronts in the years immediately following the Civil War: once by the preference of white Southerners for the Confederate flag, and again by the tendency of businesses to use the American flag as a standard advertising logo. Forty-eight states passed laws banning flag desecration to respond to this perceived threat.  Heres a timeline of events. The First U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Flag Desecration (1907) Most early flag desecration statutes prohibited marking or otherwise defacing a flag design, as well as by using the flag in commercial advertising or showing contempt for the flag in any way. Contempt was taken to mean publicly burning it, trampling on it, spitting on it or otherwise showing a lack of respect for it. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld these statutes as constitutional in  Halter v. Nebraska  in 1907.   The Federal Flag Desecration Law (1968) Congress passed the Federal Flag Desecration Law in  1968 in response to a Central Park event in which peace activists burned American flags in protest against the Vietnam War. The law banned any display of contempt  directed against the flag, but it didnt address the other issues dealt with by the state flag desecration laws. Verbal Disparagement of Flag Is Protected Speech (1969) Civil rights activist Sydney Street burned a flag at a New York intersection in protest against the shooting of civil rights activist James Meredith  in 1968. Street was prosecuted under New Yorks desecration law for defy(ing) the flag. The Court overturned Streets conviction by ruling that verbal disparagement of the flag - one of the reasons for Streets arrest - is protected by the First Amendment, but it didnt directly address the issue of flag-burning. The Supreme Court Rules Against Laws Banning Contempt of the Flag (1972) After a Massachusetts teenager was arrested for wearing a flag patch on the seat of his pants, the Supreme Court ruled that laws that ban contempt of the flag are unconstitutionally vague and that they violate the First Amendments free speech protections. The Peace Sticker Case (1974) The Supreme Court ruled in  Spence v. Washington  that affixing peace sign stickers to a flag is a form of constitutionally-protected speech. Most states revised their flag desecration laws in the late 1970s and early 1980s to meet the standards set in Street, Smith, and Spence. The Supreme Court Strikes Down All Laws Banning Flag Desecration (1984) Gregory Lee Johnson burned a flag in protest against President Ronald Reagans policies outside the Republican National Convention in Dallas in 1984. He was arrested under Texas flag desecration statute. The Supreme Court struck down flag desecration laws in 48 states in its 5-4 Texas v. Johnson  ruling, stating that flag desecration is a constitutionally protected form of free speech. The Flag Protection Act (1989-1990) The U.S. Congress protested the Johnson decision by passing the Flag Protection Act in 1989, a federal version of the already-struck state flag desecration statutes. Thousands of citizens burned flags in protest of the new law, and the Supreme Court affirmed its previous ruling and struck down the federal statute when two protesters were arrested.   The Flag Desecration Amendment (1990 through 2005) Congress made seven attempts to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court from 1990 through 2005 by passing a constitutional amendment  that would make an exception to the First Amendment. This would have allowed the government to ban flag desecration.  When the amendment was first brought up in 1990, it failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in the House. It has consistently passed the House but failed in the Senate since the Republican congressional takeover of 1994.   Quotes Flag Desecration and Laws Justice Robert Jackson  from his  majority opinion  in  West Virginia v. Barnette  (1943), which struck down a law requiring schoolchildren to salute the flag:   The case is made difficult not because the principles of its decision are obscure but because the flag involved is our own ... But freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order.If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. Justice William J. Brennans  from his 1989  majority opinion in  Texas v. Johnson:   We can imagine no more appropriate response to burning a flag than waving ones own, no better way to counter a flag burners message than by saluting the flag that burns, no surer means of preserving the dignity even of the flag that burned than by - as one witness here did - according its remains a respectful burial. We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents. Justice John Paul Stevens from his dissent in  Texas v. Johnson  (1989):   The ideas of liberty and equality have been an irresistible force in motivating leaders like Patrick Henry,   Susan B. Anthony, and   Abraham Lincoln, schoolteachers like Nathan Hale and Booker T. Washington, the Philippine Scouts who fought at Bataan, and the soldiers who scaled the bluff at Omaha Beach. If those ideas are worth fighting for - and our history demonstrates that they are - it cannot be true that the flag that uniquely symbolizes their power is not itself worthy of protection from unnecessary desecration.

BP ENERGY CRISIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

BP ENERGY CRISIS - Essay Example The company operates in many countries internationally, however its performance is not stabilized. In fact, it seems that severe gaps exist in existing organizational strategies; reference can be made to the last year’s accident in the firm’s operational unit in the Gulf of Mexico. The above event proved the actual aspects of crisis in the energy sector: firms operating in this industry focus on the increase of their production rather than on the effects of their activities on the environment. In the case of BP it is noted that ‘total industry production from the Gulf of Mexico provided the biggest single increase in world oil supplies last year -- of nearly 400,0000 barrels per day’ (Pagnamenta, 2010). Of course, the efforts for the increase of production in this sector are related to the energy crisis – the need for continuously higher amount of energy, as a result of the increase of the relevant human needs. ... The Competing Values Framework (see Figure 1, Appendix) is based on the principle that organizational strategies need to be based on three different values – which compete each other: ‘the control versus flexibility, an internal versus the external focus and an emphasis on means versus end’ (Amos et al. 2009, 266). The concept of value on which the above framework is based is related to certain process. More specifically, Cameron (2006) notes that within modern organizations ‘value can be created whenever an organization develops competencies in Control, Compete, Create and Collaborate that collectively generate output that exceeds what individuals could do on their own’ (Cameron 2006, 29). Moreover, O’Connor et al. (2009) suggest that the use of the Competing Values Framework for the development of organizational strategies can help to the resolution of a common organizational problem: when organizational plans have to be designed and executed a series of conflicts is likely to appear mostly because within organizations there are different perceptions on priorities and ethics, i.e. there are different values (O’Connor et al. 2009, 57). In other words, O’Connor et al. (2009) note that conflicts in regard to the form and the content of organizational plans are inevitable in organizations of all sizes. However, through using appropriate strategic management tools, like the Competing Values Framework helps towards the identification of these values and their simultaneous promotion these conflicts can be minimized (O’Connor et al. 2009, 57). On the other hand, Amos et al (2009) make clear that the successful implementation of the Competing

Roof Rain Water Harvesting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Roof Rain Water Harvesting - Essay Example They are also considered as a decentralized water supply units where ground water resource is becoming very scarce and the cost of the replacement of various components in the municipal supply systems are becoming very high. The entire system of rainwater harvesting starts with a siphonic roof drainage unit which could drain the water from the roof to an onsite storage tank. This water is filtered and is used for various applications either indoor or outdoor as discussed earlier. In addition to savings in the water costs it would also help to obtain the building permits very easily due to the importance given in the renewable energy systems. The car park area is a very limited space and hence the rational method would be sufficient to compute the runoff into the storm sewers. As the carpark could be expected to be covered the area of the drainage basin shall be taken as the roof area. And the volume of the water available shall be computed as the area of the car park roof multiplied by the depth of rainfall. This quantity is emptied into the storm drains placed on the ground using conveyer pipes whose cross section is decided based on the intensity of rainfall. The intensity values would be helpful to understand how quicker the rainfall reaches the roof. Thus the discharge from the roof is computed using rational formula by substituting appropriate values for intensity of rainfall, time of concentration and coefficient of runoff. Major components of rainwater harvesting unit. Irrespective of the type of rainwater harvesting unit the important components that are attached to a typical roof top units are as follows: Figure 1 Layout of rainwater harvesting system (CRIACC, 2008) (i) Collection systems: The collection region consists of various arrangements installed to collect water from the catchments. In the case of roof top unit, the catchment is referred to the roof top available for harvesting the rain water. The systems to convey water to the storage starts from the catchments. Thus the conveyance systems consists of series of gutters and down pipes that are necessary to direct the water from the roof top catchment to the desired location of storage. (ii) Vessels for storage: The tanks or holding vessel of estimated volume shall be provided for storing the water collected during the rains. The water in the storage units would be left unused until the time of lean season. (iii) Roof wash system: A small portion of initial part of the rains is diverted using cisterns for cleaning purpose and also to remove the debris. Thus volume of water of about 20 gallons is often used for this purpose which often improves the water quality. (iv) The water delivery system: This consists of series of network of pipes and other arrangements that are installed for proper delivery of water. If the water need to be lifted to higher elevation then separate pumps need to be installed to lift the water to higher elevation. Some time, if the water is used for irrigation purpose, then suitable arrangements need to be installed to facilitate the process. (v) Filtration: The process of removing any suspended debris or fine dust from the water referred as the filtration. For most of the situations the filtration unit