Work place project

Using Press Releases . . . to Find Work

Using Press Releases . . . to Find Work Ever wonder where some authors get their ideas to pitch to magazines, blogs, and online sites? I rarely hear of this trick being used anymore, but I consider it a tried and true habit that will land you article after article in your freelance career. Read press releases. We hear about creating press releases, but we never hear about reading other press releases. But each and every morning, when you sit down to your computer and report to work, all you have to do is open your email to the press release services youve signed up for, and the ideas come bubbling out.   How do you sign up for press releases? You go to the same places youd post a press release: www.prnewswire.com   www.prweb.com www.pr.com www.ereleases.com www.24-7pressrelease.com   www.newswire.com You can also find press releases at: Tourism sites (state, city, regions) Government sites (FBI, USDA, IRS, State Dept) International sites (European Union, the UN, NATO) Corporate sites (Microsoft, Apple) University sites I pulled a random one off a site to set an example: Ylang Ylang Beach Resort Joins Home Country of Costa Rica in Participating in International Day of Yoga pr.com/press-release/676097 From that one press release, in seconds, I thought of five story ideas for publications. Topics about International Yoga Day, practicing yoga on vacation, Costa Rica holidays, a profile of the resorts owner and her affiliation with yoga, retreats that specialize in yoga. I once met a freelance writer who opened her day reading press releases then pitching magazines . . . and that was her full-time living. Sounds so uncomplicated, doesnt it?

An Unforgettable Accidental Lesson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

An Unforgettable Accidental Lesson - Essay Example The sun was shining brightly during the first week of May 2012. Lazily, I got up from my bed, not intending to go anywhere after the grueling two days of various activities with my friends. Unhurriedly, I prepared my breakfast and ate quietly in front of the TV. Having no commitments during the day, I stayed in my room the rest of the day reading some interesting books. Late in the afternoon, my eyes felt tired and my body ached for the outside world. I thought of calling my friends but I supposed they might be busy with other appointments or they might be tired from our recent meetings. Therefore, I hopped into my car and started heading to Verrazano Bridge to get some fresh air. While I was nearing the end of the said bridge, a friend called, informing that another of our close friends invited us for a gathering which is to happen in an hour. Excitedly, I started back home. My thoughts were on my friends and the enjoyment we were going to have together. Thoughtlessly, I accelerated my car while I planned in my head what I was going to do. Suddenly, I lost control of the car. I panicked and tried to stop the car but it was already too late. I bumped on the side of the car in front of me as I tried to maneuver my car. The impact on the other car was probably what caused my car to turn over and skid a few meters, upside down. I do not remember much of the accident. I lost consciousness for some time and I really cannot see what was happening outside the car when I tried to get out of the car. I tried to move but I cannot quite stand the pain all over my body. I felt like I have been hit by a huge stone. It was only later that I found out my car turned over and the doctor thought that in my panic, I might have tried to get out of the car.  Ã‚  

Philosophy of leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Philosophy of leadership - Essay Example Leadership emanates from situations, person’s learning and knowledge, beliefs, passion and pragmatism. In the organizational context, although leaders are formed by virtue of their role and position, leadership capacity in other people cannot be ignored. This again becomes the role of the formal leader to identify leadership and nurture it for the organization’s benefit. Leadership is also situational, in the sense, leaders emerge based on situation. Identification of this quality requires high connectedness with people in order to know them well in terms of skills, attitude, behavior, talent and qualities. For example, a silent person may be very good at specific skills and can help other members of the team to develop these skills that can benefit the team as well as the organization. For this, most importantly, the leader must possess humility. Humility refers to adoption of an un-assuming nature with respect to assessing individuals or situations. Believing that individuals and situations are a product of historical moments helps in obtaining a better understanding of the current historical moment. This specifically is important for leaders to take on an unbiased approach to deal with situations and people. Arnett (1999) identifies this openness as humility, with the perspective of gaining knowledge, and not merely with the associated people and/or situations. Arnett and Arnesen (1999) define routine cynicism as the non-thoughtful attitude of people demonstrated through mistrust, non confidence, despair, suspicion, judgment, manipulation of thoughts and words meant to achieve either selfish motives, superiority, individual goals, wealth and power, or even mislead the other party. Leaders have to believe that people are their strengths who can accomplish anything. For this the leader needs to be connected with his people, and should be at individual as well

Cyber Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cyber Ethics - Essay Example The topics under discussion are the downloading of songs (copyrighted and patented music content) and online published books or e-books. The idea of downloading these materials is considered illegal in the technological environment. On the other hand ethics in the society would argue that downloading of these materials is legitimate to some level and is considered right since it serves the society in an advantageous way through offering education. The revolution of the internet has seen the need for the multiple millions of online users to gain access to information (Palfrey, 2009). Cyber ethics are divided and different in different countries around the world. The involvement of the worldwide governments in the internet age is important in bridging the gap to information access. Do not think an interested, talented and passionate music artist, or a bright, intelligent genius individual should be denied access to information or material that would help them better their talents or im prove on their research skills (Palfrey, 2009). One instance of this is exemplified by the Google’s YouTube website which restricts the viewing of Videos to certain locations around the globe. This is a perfect example of denial of access to information. ... The decisions made by every single user (students) regarding the use of copyrighted material are dependent on the ownership of the particular service or good (material). Let us say, for example, one user legally purchases an artist’s album form ITunes or for the accredited stores. Well, after purchase ownership changes (Palfrey, 2009). One would argue form the above example that after the transfer of ownership after purchase of the good, the owner has all the right to do anything they want with the material they bought or purchased. The social norms and laws give the understanding for this notion. Is it questionably wrong or illegitimate to lend a friend an e-book or an album I purchased with my own funds? I do not think so. This is one of the debatable facts regarding the morals of downloading material form the internet and copy updating through pasting from one user PC to the other PC. Downloading songs over the internet has been revolutionized to the extent there is a negli gible number of artist who sell tangible albums for their audio songs on sale. Sales and marketing of commodities is being carried out on the internet in major abundance. The demand on the other hand is high, bringing the idea of online piracy to supplement the high demand for the needed material. The advantage of gaining access to information is that one derives the satisfaction of getting something thy want at a particular time and the preferred way they need it. It is majority human nature not to buy a song if they know where they can get one for free. The need for access to information, knowledge, and culture are central to human freedom and human development towards future access to technology and accurate

Technology in Helping the Problem of Resource Scarcity

Technology in Helping the Problem of Resource Scarcity Nimra Hussain (11U0141) and Saeeda Malik Introduction A recurring theme in economics has been the economic growth fueled by an increasing consumption of finite resources that ultimately results in those very same resources unable to cope with its greater productive use. Resources here are any essential inputs to the economic process and are restricted to energy carriers, products of photosynthesis and other industrial raw material extracted from the natural environment. Such a practice is unsustainable and instigates the need for resource innovation so as to figure out how to generate growth with fewer resources. Much of economics runs around this one basic problem of resource scarcity and the aim of this paper is to emphasize on how human beings have created technologies or developed innovative methods to meet the challenges of limited resources available. More specifically this paper will review how technological innovation has made the problem of resource scarcity less onerous. The notion of scarcity as a constraint on economic growth goes all the way back to Malthus.(Malthus 1798, 1946).Only in recent decades has scarcity been seen as a driver of innovation and thus a driver of economic growth. There have been actual instances of resource scarcity and even exhaustion usually limited to a particular resource or country. However technological innovation in these instances have allowed for the resulting issues of scarcity to be rectified. For example natural fertilizer, guano and nitrate deposits from the West coast of South America were largely exhausted by the end of the 19th century. However superphosphate from bones and mineral apatites were a replacement for natural guano. Similarly, synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizers from coke-oven gas, calcium cyanamid and finally synthetic ammonia provided an alternative source of fixed nitrogen for agriculture (and military explosives). The search for alternatives to natural nitrates was deliberate and well-organiz ed. Germany led this scientific search, with the objective of breaking the British monopoly control over the Chilean sources of nitrates (Smil, 2001). Scarcities have not proven to be obstacles to economic growth. Far more often they have been stimulants to innovation that, in case after case, has led to new applications, new markets and accelerated growth rather than inhibiting it. An emerging scarcity is environmental assimilative capacity for wastes and pollutants. As it happens, most of the pollutants of concern, regionally and globally, are direct consequences of the use of fossil hydrocarbon fuels, especially coal. There is now a worldwide search for technological `fixes’ for the various environmental problems, from smog, acidification to global climate warming. But the most promising solutions involve reduced emissions, either by capture, treatment or storage of pollutants or by more efficient use of energy. Technical change is a dynamic process which includes the creation of new knowledge and technology, and the adoption of new technology by firms (Chavas et al, 1997). This technological change allows for increased production of outputs with the same amount of resources, or the use of fewer resources to produce the same amounts as before. In this way technological progress plays a vital role in the reduction of resource scarcity. It must be kept in mind that the improvements in technology do not augment the reserves of these resources, but rather augments the efficiency with which these resources are being used. A focal point in resource scarcity concerns the incentives for the discovery of reproducible technologies to substitute for finite natural resources that are being exhausted. According to Robson (1980) the date of innovation is random but can be brought forward through expenditures on research. However, according to Harris and Vickers (1995) the urgency to innovate increases as the stock of these already scarce resources dwindles. Looking at both statements intuitively it makes sense to think of technological innovation as being driven by the severity of its need as well as the expenditures needed to fuel its progress. Market responses to natural-resource scarcity automatically induce endogenous technological change that leads to resource conservation and substitution, and in turn, to the amelioration of scarcity (Barbier Homer-Dixon, 1999). Regardless of its source of provocation technological innovation plans cannot be set by countries in advance but will have to be done as they evolve with resource extraction. The idea of technical progress resolving the scarcity issue may seem simple but in reality the cost of acquiring any new knowledge and adapting it to local conditions, the adoption process of new technology may be slow. These lags between RD investment and its payoff can vary with each technology and each industry (Chavas et al, 1997) The most motivated to discover technologies are the importers of these scarce resources. Not only do they desire to overcome the problem of finite stocks but also according to Harris and Vickers (1995), to reduce their dependence upon resource producers, who often enjoy a considerable degree of monopoly power over them. The scarcer their stocks of natural resource the greater will be their RD efforts. It must also be kept in mind that innovation is exogenous and costly which explains why the possessors of large resource endowments are apprehensive towards its pursue*.Robson mentions that innovation and depletion should have opposing effects on growth as more efficient innovation leads to a slower rate of exploitation of the resource. Similarly, a larger output share for the depletable resource can lead to less innovation and a faster rate of exploitation. As mentioned earlier technological innovation is endogenous, and is determined by private and public sector decisions, rather than exogenously brought about into the economic system. If investment by these sectors is optimal then a constant growth rate of output and consumption can be maintained in the economy. Despite there being exponential population growth and scarce natural resources that are essential to production, technological innovations can allow for sustained growth and a long-run steady-state level of positive per capita consumption subject to certain conditions. These conditions as stated by Barbier and Homer-Dixon (1999) are that stable economic policies and social institutions should exist to facilitate endogenous innovations. There is a growing realization that solutions to ongoing and emerging threats to freshwater ecosystems and water resources require collaborative approaches that engage scientists, policy makers, the private sector, and other stakeholders (Chavas , 1997). Contributions by both sectors to technology have had a large and positive effect on productivity. For Chavas more specifically private RD has a strong short-term effect on productivity (after 5 to 10 years) and basically little longer term effect. In contrast, public RD has a small short-term impact on productivity, but a larger positive impact in the longer term (after 15to 22 years). Technology and research based knowledge trickles down or is transferred to and translated by policy makers and natural resource managers (Stelzer Kashian, 2014). models of knowledge transfer have been mentioned as participation, integration, learning, and negotiation. Such partnerships are essential to obtain sustainable outcomes. Once again looking at the link that overdependence on resource exploitation results in the economy remaining structurally tied to less innovative resource-based sectors, such as agriculture, minerals, oil, and other primary product sectors, and is unable to develop manufacturing and other value-added sectors that can produce learning-induced growth. In poor countries heavy resource dependent sectors have higher incidences of scarcity and conflicts over resource use. The severity of allocations can be enough to create social unrest and even violent conflict. In this way the little amount of stable institutional and policy environment needed to attract investments in innovation is disrupted coupled with the disruption of efficient and sustainable management that would have created the rents need to encourage long-term investment in innovation. Any resource crisis that does occur, its impact will be felt à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst and foremost by the poorest sectors of the population, for instance should a water crisis occur its impact would fall upon those that are dependent for their livelihoods on rain-fed or irrigated water in arid and semi-arid regions, where 52% of the world’s population lives (UNESCO-WWAP, 2006). Simply put poor countries such as our own will fail to achieve higher rates of growth because they fail to generate or use new technological ideas to reap greater economic opportunities. The possibility of technological innovation based solutions might not even be considered as increased scarcity often gives birth to competitive action by powerful elite groups and narrow social coalitions to defend their interests or to profit from the scarcity through rent-seeking behavior (Barbier Homer-Dixon, 1999). Robson on the other hand believes that if all the rent from the depletable resource is invested efficiently in innovation and capital, while no investment should occur, then consumption is constant. Truly technological innovation has played an important role. From Lopez-Gun and Llamas point of view thanks to virtual water, many water scarce countries have avoided a water crisis, particularly in politically unstable regions like North Africa and the Middle East. These revolutions of virtual water, groundwater and geographic information systems (GIS) are all created through scientific and technological innovation not in a vacuum but rather with the responsibility of states and other actors to carefully assess their full potential and limitations. Another instance is that of advances in technology, policy and management, such as improvements in pollution control measures (Dolan 1993) and fisheries regulations (Bruch 1999), that have benefited freshwater ecosystems. In China Hybrid corn is an example to demonstrate how innovation can help us overcome scarcity. Fish farming is another example. Intensive fish farming has increased China’s aquatic products supply by 10 times, fr eshwater aquatic products by 20 times over the last quarter of a century. This has greatly improved the food structure of Chinese people. Technological innovation is not without its flaws, as there is a cost of adjustment associated with such technologies such as those borne by workers that are displaced as a result (Stier, 1980). In conclusion innovation can indeed overcome resource scarcity as long as it is joined with government’s support for research, especially for those that of certain nature of public goods. There is also a requirement for qualified scientists and engineers, especially those who understand local needs. There needs to be team work by scientists and engineers coupled with an effective mechanism for knowledge diffusion so that invention and innovation can be used to increase productivity and create wealth. Recommendations Pakistan is another developing country where food in security and energy shortages are key indicators of resource scarcity and problems that are associated with it. In order to overcome this problem, technological innovations should be made use of which would help manage and consume these resources much more efficiently. Firstly, Pakistan should move towards more renewable sources of energy to reduce its dependence on other nations. Solar thermal energy is a cost effective resource in Pakistan (Mirza et al., 2003) and it’s consumption by the household sector can be encouraged by subsidizing solar panels. This would greatly reduce the demand for electricity from the government. The government should install small hydro power plants in areas where there is a natural flow of water to provide electricity to communities/villages that have no access to it or where it is not cost effect to install power lines. Secondly, the government needs to take large scale initiatives to not only develop but also promote the use of technology in large-scale sectors such as agriculture to ensure that producers are made aware of the scarcity of their product and also equip them with the information and ability to use technology to enhance their production capabilities and slow down the rampant process of scarcity, even if it is to a small extent. If such initiatives are streamlined by the government, it will go a long way in ensuring that resources are managed more efficiently and will also pave the way for a technological revolution in rural areas as people become accustomed to it. Thirdly, Allwood and Cullen (2012) argued that emphasis should be put on vehicles and buildings. According to them, vehicles consume a worryingly large amount of natural resources is gas and petroleum. Therefore, if manufacturers start producing lighter cars, that will significantly reduce energy use by almost 75 percent. The production of lighter cars entails not only the physical aspect but also other vehicular aspects such as a smaller engine and less horse power to ensure that the car burns less petrol. Toyota’s production and distribution of hybrid cars in Japan is a perfect example of such an initiative where hybrid cars can be seen just as frequently as normal cars, subsequently saving energy on a large scale. Furthermore, it is essential for governments all over the world to ensure that buildings are built using lesser amounts of steel and cement. Fourthly, industrial waste is a major contributor to scarcity of resources as a large amount of non-renewable resources is wasted during production. Allwood (2012) stated that one-quarter of steel produced goes to waste each year as it is not even used in the production of the final product. Ensuring that such high amounts of industrial waste are cut down will save already existing resources and make production more efficient and eco-friendly. Lastly, it is essential to improve water management and make sure that wat er is not wasted. This issue exists all over the world but is most apparent in countries like Pakistan where due to lack of water management systems, a lot of water is lost in transit and there are major issues of over-irrigation in some areas. This essentially means that some areas receive unnecessarily large amounts of water whereas some receive none at all. Ensuring a balances water management system will lead to better management of resources. This can be done by setting up a central regulatory framework that keeps a check on water distribution. Furthermore, this regulatory body should conduct research to evaluate which areas need what amount of water and subsequently make sure that the right amount reaches the right areas, in turn eliminating the concerns with water supply through proper management. References Harris, C. Vickers, J. (1995, Autumn). Innovation and Natural Resources: A Dynamic Game with Uncertainty. The RAND Journal of Economics, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 418-430. Lopez-Gunn, E. and Ramà ³n Llamas, M. (2008), Re-thinking water scarcity: Can science and technology solve the global water crisis?. Natural Resources Forum, 32: 228–238. UNESCO-WWAP. (2006). Water — a shared responsibility. UN World Water Development Report 2, New York: UN. Robson, A. J. (1980, February). Costly Innovation and Natural Resources. International Economic Review, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 17-30. Stier J. C. (1980, December). Technological Adaptation to Resource Scarcity in the U.S. Lumber Industry. Western Journal of Agricultural Economics Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 165-175. Chavas, J. P. Aliber, M. Cox T. L.(1997, August). An Analysis of the Source and Nature of Technical Change: The Case of U.S. Agriculture. The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 79, No. 3, pp. 482-492. Barbier, E. B. Homer-Dixon, T. F. (1999, March).Resource Scarcity and Innovation: Can Poor Countries Attain Endogenous Growth?.Ambio, Vol. 28, No. 2 pp. 144-147. Mirza, U.K. Maroto-Valer, M.M. Ahmad, N. (2003, December). Status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 7, Issue 6, pp. 501-514. Stelzer, R. S. Kashian, D. R. (2014, June).The role of conservation partnerships between scientists and nonprofit agencies in freshwater science and management. Freshwater Science, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 670-673.

Hate Crime Laws: Are They Constitutional? Essay -- essays research pap

Are hate crime penalty enforcement laws constitutional? â€Å"That’s Gay.† If you are around teenagers today, that is a phrase you will most likely hear very often. It is not necessarily meant as a homophobic or hate-filled remark, and most of the time it is referring to an object, an idea, or a conversation; things that obviously have no sexual orientation. But now, according to a bill passed by the senate, it could almost be considered a hate crime. Many people support the widening of hate crime laws, assuming that with stricter penalties, the crimes will lessen. In June, 2004, Senate passed a bill that received a record number of votes, passing 65-33, including 18 Republicans voting yes. The measure will add sexual orientation, gender and disability to the list of motives that provide for enhanced federal prosecution of a violent crime against a person (Lochhead). The current hate crimes law, which originated during the civil rights movement of the 1960s when many Southern states failed to prosecute assaults on African Am ericans, includes crimes motivated by hatred based on race, color, religion, and national origin. Many see this as a step forward, but there are some who think it is unconstitutional. Religious groups argue that "It advances the radical, well publicized agenda of homosexuals to gain acceptance for, and legal recognition of, homosexuality as a normal lifestyle" (Toalston). So who’s right? Should there be a separate category for crimes committed to minorities? Shouldn’t all crimes be treated just as serious as another? I believe that the categorizing of crimes into Hate Crimes is just further segregating people because of their differences, and that paying more serious attention to crimes committed on minorities is sending a bad message to those who are in the majority. First off, many people perceive hate crime perpetrators as crazed neo-Nazis or "skinheads". However, most hate crimes are carried out by otherwise law-abiding citizens who see little wrong with their actions. Alcohol and drugs sometimes help fuel these crimes, but the main determinant appears to be personal prejudice. New FBI data shows that the number of hate crimes reported in 2003 increased slightly, from 7,462 in 2002 to 7,489 in 2003. The 7,489 hate crime incidents reported to the FBI in 2003 involved 8,715 separate offense... ...will continue to believe that the widening of the classifications of hate crimes is just a way to keep certain people happy and to make them feel safe, while it really only further separates people who are viewed as different. Hopefully, sometime in the near future, we will figure out how to reach the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups of the world and prevent them from harming others. But I can tell you right now, that will not be accomplished by passing any bills that include the word â€Å"victim†, because it proves itself that its too late to help. Bibliography Lochhead, Carolyn - â€Å"Senate OKs bill including gays as hate crime victims† The San Francisco Chronicle, June 16, 2004 Toalston, Art – â€Å"Baptist agency lists '10 Reasons' to oppose hate crimes legislation† The Baptist Press, July 2 CivilRights.org - â€Å"New FBI Data Reports Increase in Hate Crimes† November 17, 2004 http://www.civilrights.org/issues/hate/details.cfm?id=26241 APA.org - Hate Crimes Today: An Age-Old Foe In Modern Dress http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/hate/ www.fbi.gov – Uniform Crime Reports http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm