International Affairs, Research

Armenian Genocide Resurrected, Blamed on Ottomans, Turkey's Government is Upset

The details of the brutal and tragic mass genocide of Armenians in 1915 are discussed in exhaustive detail on the Armenian Genocide wiki page.

Armenia’s president, Robert Kocharian, is adamant at proving his point – whatever it is! He’s looking to bring accountability to Turkey’s government for facilitating the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians…and he wants these evil acts ‘acknowledged fully in U.S. policy toward Turkey’. So on Wednesday, October 11, the bill to condemn the massacres was voted on by the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the majority supported the measure.

Turkey feels insulted. They sent a U.S. envoy home and forced him to leave the country, insisting that the action was not to indicate a deterioration in relations between the two nations. And many people, including president George Bush disapproved of this action – perhaps not for the same reasons but the disapproval was there. Continue reading …

Current Events

Chrysler’s Employees Threaten Strike Again – But can they afford it?

What’s the strike about?
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union that represents about 45,000 employees at Chrysler has once again threatened to strike, this time they mean business. The strike is set to occur at 11:00am EST today if the UAW and Chrysler do not come to an agreement on health care issues. The central issue: the proposed union-run retiree health care trust. The UAW’s confidence is high after sealing a contract with GM last month that addressed the same issues.

Employees will hurt before Chrysler’s financial burden begins.
The employees at GM “are angry and they’re scared,” in the words of Paul Thayer, a welder repairman at Chrysler’s stamping plant. Anyone would be weary of striking if they lived in Michigan – it ranks 51st with the worst unemployment rate in the nation at 7.4%. Perhaps they can afford to strike for a week…but what about two weeks…or worse, what about a month? Chrysler can use some down time anyway, they’ve already shut down half of their plants because they have too much inventory – they have three months worth of inventory and their number one selling ‘Jeep Wrangler’ is assembled at a non-UAW plant in Ohio.

Michigan: The Worst state for a strike
The UAW will pay striking employees $200 per week. I can’t speak for every employee…but a lot of people I know have ZERO saved up for a rainy day. If the UAW forces its workers to strike for a long time – we can expect to see some of those workers go back to work…being a ‘scab‘ is better than being broke and homeless. Michigan’s economy is in horrible shape. It was the only state whose GDP actually fell, its poverty level is higher than the national average, its the worst state for foreclosures, and the list goes on.

Literary Analysis, Research

The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower | by Dylan Thomas

The Force of Time

The poem “The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower,” by Dylan Thomas, has to be read attentively at least twice to begin to grasp its meaning. In the poem Thomas handles all of the literary elements with dexterity, which is why there are so many possible interpretations. But the general theme of the cycle of life is evident through his skillful use of imagery, symbolism, and connotation.

In the first line of the first stanza Thomas introduces “The Force,” the omnipotent element that is ever-present in the poem.

The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees
Is my destroyer.
And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose
My youth is bent by the same wintry fever. (1-5)

The “green fuse” represents the stem of the flower, but through connotation “fuse” is thought of as something explosive, contrary to a gentle flower. The word “green” implies youth, exuberance, and growth as he describes his age. In the second and third lines the force that produced life in the flower and himself is described as the same force that destroys life. The fourth line shatters the beautiful image of a rose, a symbol of healthiness and vigor, when it is described as crooked, inviting negative connotations. Just as the rose is feeble, he is also weakened and the seasons of his life change from springtime liveliness to “wintry fever.” The image of a frail, hunched over old man comes to mind.

The second stanza resembles the first stanza in set-up and message.

The force that drives the water through the rocks
Drives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streams
Turns mine to wax.
And I am dumb to mouth unto my veins
How at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks. (6-10)

Once again “the force” is brought up. The “force” here extends the flow of the stream as it drives it along, similar to the first stanza in which the force extended the growth of the flower. “Red blood” is homogenous to “green age” from the first stanza – they both represent life and vivacity. In lines seven and eight “the force” becomes destructive again as in the first stanza. The force that pushed life along becomes the very force that takes away life as it “dries” the stream and turns the speaker’s blood to “wax,” which represents the speaker’s stiff corpse after embalming. As in the first stanza he is unable to communicate his feelings. An attempt to explain the situation to his body would be futile, since it is already lifeless.

In the third stanza the force is replaced by “the hand,” and like the “force” in the previous two stanzas it has the power to control and alter nature.

The hand that whirls the water in the pool
Stirs the quicksand; that ropes the blowing wind
Hauls my shroud sail.
And I am dumb to tell the hanging man
How of my clay is made the hangman’s lime.

The “hand” agitates the normally calm waters of the pool and the generally motionless quicksand, and it is so powerful that it also controls the wind. The third line of this stanza is a double entendre. The speaker can be referring to a ship where the “shroud” is one of the ropes that support a ship’s mast; in this case the “hand’s” power is demonstrated as it controls the ship’s course. Another interpretation of the third line is similar to the third lines in the previous stanzas in which he states his demise; in this case the “shroud” would be the sheet used to wrap a dead body for burial. In the fourth and fifth lines the speaker find it senseless to communicate his feelings with the “hanging man” since they both share the same fate. The speaker’s body, his “clay,” will be in the hangman’s pit, which is doused in “lime” to nullify the smell of rotting corpses.

While the first three stanzas illustrated the abilities of “the force,” the fourth stanza identifies the force as being “time.”

The lips of time leech to the fountain head;
Love drips and gathers, but the fallen blood
Shall calm her sores.
And I am dumb to tell a weather’s wind
How time has ticked a heaven round the stars.

The denotation of “fountainhead” is an original source, therefore, where life begins, time leeches the fountain head just as age exhausts life. The line can also interpret as the “lips of time” symbolizing the genitals of a female and the “fountain head” as the phallus of a man. The latter interpretation ties in well with the rest of the poem because of its significance in the cycle of life; the speaker is playing his role in reproduction. The next line also leads on to sexual connotations but leans more towards the reoccurring theme of death where “fallen blood” represents a dead person. The speaker brings another life into being through reproduction in line one and in lines two and three he explains that the burden on society will be offset by his death, “fallen blood.” Time is referred to as “her” and the burden on society is represented by “sores.” He is incapable of explaining to the wind how time works because the wind already knows the nature of time. The “weather’s wind” has been to the heavens and the stars and has seen all possible weathers.

And I am dumb to tell the lover’s tomb
How at my sheet goes the same crooked worm.

We’ll post an interpretation for the final lines of this poem with a quote from commenter James Stephen: “This is a tricky refrain and I’m sure it’s interpreted differently. The words “lover’s tomb” could have many implications. In essence though, again, worms act differently to someone alive as they do someone dead (regardless of love – would be my interpretation of the explicit reference to love).” (Read the rest of James’ analysis in the comments below)

Marketing

Wal-Mart: Mind Control Advertising

I was driving to the office this morning, listening to funny morning shows on the radio as usual, and forgot to switch stations when the commercials came on. Before I knew it I got hit by a blatantly forward (and shameless) punchline: “Spend your paycheck at Wal-Mart.” For the remainder of the day I couldn’t get this out of my head – There is just something awkwardly eerie about this no-nonsense demand – my mother doesn’t talk to me like that! Continue reading …

Current Events, Public Policy

Desperate Times – Desperate Measures? Loudoun County Passes Initiatives to Curb Illegal Immigration

As expected, Loudoun County’s board of supervisors has passed measures aimed at clamping down on illegal immigration. Following suit with neighbor Prince William County, each jurisdiction’s new laws bear much similarity, and it’s only a matter of time before additional neighboring counties follow suit. Read today’s Washington Post article on the topic.

The county’s decision to pursue appear impulsive and have created a sort of sugar-coated state of emergency in the entire Northern Virginia area that surrounds the D.C. Metro area. Whether the desperate measures are as superfluous as they seem is subjective, at least at this early stage. Continue reading …

Current Events, Public Policy

Prince William County Passes Tough Immigration Law

As an eight year resident of Prince William county in Virginia I have witnessed the huge influx of Hispanic residents, estimated to have increased from 9.7% of the population in 2000 to 18% in 2005 – it has to be higher this year (WTOP News, July 2007).

This influx of Latino people, mainly from Central American countries, has created a sort of hysteria amongst Prince William’s largely conservative voting base. The ‘migrant workers’ gathered at 7-11 convenience stores (waiting for work), the boom of Hispanic shopping centers (food & ‘back-home’ goods), and not to mention the neighbors next door – since Hispanic homeownership has risen 2.2% from 2000 to 2005 in the United States.

The polemic here is that a large amount of Hispanic immigrants to Prince William are illegal – this is putting a large socio-economic strain on the county’s infrastructure. The new county law, passed yesterday, is aimed towards getting those illegal immigrants deported. The method: demand proof of lawful presence from any individual that can be detained on probable cause of violation of federal immigration laws. (Washington Times, July 2007) Continue reading …

International Affairs, Public Policy

Exporting Democracy to Iraq

Lately there has been much talk about exporting the essence of the U.S. democratic system into other countries across the globe, in particular, the most recent commotion has had to do with Iraq.

After the removal of Saddam Hussein in December 2003, the United States’ most immediate goals in Iraq became the elimination of the pro-Hussein insurgency and the installation of a functioning democratic government.

In March 2003 the majority of Americans (72%) supported armed involvement in Iraq to achieve these goals; nevertheless, conditions have become more realistic and the Gallup poll conducted on July 8th reported that the majority of Americans (62%) believe this whole Iraq situation was a ‘mistake’ (Iraq War Gallup Poll, July 2007). Continue reading …

Marketing, Nonprofits

Ethics in Fundraising

In its everlasting quest to receive funding, a nonprofit organization may be faced with various ethical concerns. Three areas that are particularly liable to ethical issues are:

1. The Sources of Funding
2. The Socio-Political Location where funds are applied
3. The Specific Causes that receive collected funds

1. The Sources of Funding
In an attempt to increase community goodwill and gain good P.R. points, a private company may choose to donate money to a nonprofit. It is important to the stability and success of the nonprofit to screen the monies received from corporations – as opposed to accepting all incoming donations.

Example: Gold Rush Casino donates money and forms a strategic partnership with the local Counseling Center for Gambling. The deal turns sour for the Counseling Center when the casino is accused of defrauding and taking advantage of slot machine users. The local community may very well correlate the Casino’s actions with the reputation of the well-intending Counseling Center for Gambling. The Center then stands to lose it’s members’ support – then sponsorships – then operating funds – and the rest is history. Continue reading …

Marketing, Tech & Web

Introduction to: Craigslist.org, Bizrate.com, and Sneakers.com

Craigslist.org

Craigslist.org appears to be using a Classified Advertising e-business model – perhaps in the simplest form possible on the net, requiring little to no viewer information input and minimal user information input – it should be noted that Craigslist has been intended as a non-profit site, and the creator has established a non-profit programming and developing community.

The “Best of Craigslist” section of the site is a snapshot of the average Craigslist user. User is defined as the person posting a classified ad onto the site and viewer, alternatively is the person viewing that ad. The average user on Craiglist is someone that has been using the internet for over 1 year and has relied on e-mail for communication; in addition, most users are familiar with internet marketplaces and they tend to be between 30 and 45 years of age.  Continue reading …

Marketing

Consumer Behavior Observations: Back to the Future (yes, the movie)

1. Character Descriptions

The main character, Marty McFly, is a seventeen year old Caucasian male, who lives with his parents in Hill Valley, CA. His hobbies include playing the guitar and skateboarding. He dreams of being a rock star and owning a Toyota 4X4 truck. In the beginning of the Movie, his family is part of the Working class social stratum, but by the end of the movie moves up to at least the Middle class. Since Marty is not an adult, he is simply considered to part of a family household in the Full nest II stage of the household life cycle. He wears a puffy thermal vest and Nike shoes, and drinks Pepsi Free. While in 1955, Marty helped his parents meet and overcome the school bully. This shows that he is family-oriented. He is unsure that he will become a rock star, and fits into the ‘striver’ segment under the VALS System. We consider his shopping orientation to be like a predator’s, because we only see him purchase items when they are needed. Continue reading …

Marketing, Nonprofits

Marketing at Three D.C. Metro Non Profit Organizations

** If you’re looking for marketing advice for your Nonprofit – please contact me at Nova Advertising **

  • CrisisLink (Arlington, VA)
  • Coptic Orphans (Falls Church, VA)
  • Muslim Association of Virginia (Prince William County, VA)

Introduction

Nonprofit organizations play an important role in the operation of day-to-day activities in the United States; furthermore, they can be very sophisticated international entities that are operated by “well-trained MBAs and ex-businesspeople” (Strategic Marketing, 5). The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is home to a lot of nonprofit organizations including three from Virginia that will be analyzed in this report: CrisisLink, Coptic Orphans, and the Muslim Association of Virginia. Each of the aforementioned organizations is unique in their respective missions and also overlap in certain aspects of their services. Throughout this report we will analyze how they fall into the following five aspects of nonprofit marketing: Customer Orientation, Strategic Planning and Organization, Developing and Organizing Resources, Designing the Marketing Mix, and Controlling Marketing Strategies.

Continue reading …

International Affairs

EU Plans for the Fight Against Terrorism: A Review

I. Introduction

Increasingly, the threat of terrorism and other emergencies are causing sociopolitical unrest in every community throughout the world. In response to this fact governments are taking measures to secure infrastructure and more importantly citizens. In this research paper four items will be introduced and analyzed: The Council of Europe�s Convention on Cybercrime; a European Commission press release about activities in the fight against terrorism; the European Commission�s communication regarding Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP); and, the United State�s National Infrastructure Protection Plan.

A. Council of Europe�s Convention on Cybercrime, Budapest, 11.23.2001

This convention was held to establish ground rules and procedures for dealing with cybercrime. The convention proved that computers, especially their connection through the internet is for the most part unregulated and hosts a vast gray area for legal implications; therefore, many articles introduced in this convention are vague at best to cover as much ground as possible in such an unorganized environment as the internet.

Articles include the establishment of laws for handling computer data, the prohibition of child pornography, and copyright infringement controls. More importantly it goes on to emphasize transparency and collaboration between EU member states in the form of sharing investigative responsibilities and data, organizing jurisdictions, and the forming of central authorities in each member state to expedite and aid the transfer of important information regarding criminal proceedings and data for specific cybercrime concerns.

Throughout the convention, the protection of civil and human rights of EU citizens is reflected as a concern that must be realized in all anti-cybercrime activities.

B. European Commission Activities in the Fight against Terrorism, Brussels, 09.21.2005

This press release described Europe�s standing as it relates to several anti-terrorism efforts, and their respective issues, legislation, and proposed legislation. The communication included among other issues procedures for handling anti-terrorism efforts such as prevention of terrorism, finances of terrorism, information exchange throughout European states, and handling of research.

C. European Commission communication regarding Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) in the Fight against Terrorism, Brussels, 10.20.2004

Defining Critical Infrastructure (CI) as vital components necessary for stable state operation, the Commission reinforces the concerns of the two items above as well as the introduction of regulatory agencies. This communication highlights the importance of cybercrime control since a successful cyber attack could cause severe damage and chaos to CI. The emphasis on sharing and collaboration between member states is resurrected as a crucial component in curbing terrorism and terrorist actions. Also introduced are the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) and the Critical Infrastructure Warning Information Network (CIWIN).

D. United States National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP)

As the name of the plan suggests, the NIPP, like the CIP of the European Commission, has been established to protect critical infrastructures and key resources (CI/KR). The NIPP is in place to serve as guidelines for all around control and resiliency of any national emergency, natural disaster, and/or terrorist attack. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the fairly new central agency responsible for securing and protecting the nation�s CI/KR; nevertheless, the DHS is supported by classic government agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Department of the Treasury. The outline of the NIPP bears many similarities to the CIP plans of the European Commission.

 

II. Analysis of the Aforementioned EU Plans � Opinion & Comparison with NIPP

 

A. The Positive Factors

The EU�s plans are a result of the collaborative efforts of various nations, utilizing diverse resources, differing ideologies, and regulatory agencies. The establishment of a few central agencies and networks to control plan implementation throughout the EU is a good way to establish authority across all member states. The European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) is a model example of one such central agency. The EPCIP will be successful in my opinion because several groups of interested parties will contribute to its funding, including non-governmental business such as telecom and energy companies (European).

Because the EU is composed of several nations with their own infrastructure in place to handle cybercrime and other criminal activities it can be a daunting task to draw up veritable jurisdictions and delegate authority. However, the EU�s cybercrime convention aims to eliminate confusion with the establishment of EU-wide cyber laws that protect human and civil rights. In late 2004, Germany was faced with a polemic when German officials disagreed as to when it would be permissible to demand customer data from businesses involved in cyberspace, creating civil right issues (German).

Data retention is another topic covered in the EU cybercrime convention where ambiguity is eliminated by the adoption of the Convention on Cybercrime. The convention�s Article 29 outlines an ideal methodology for requesting, utilizing, and disposing of data in an efficient way. In an article regarding data retention the author described some EU countries as wanting to require retention of data by companies involved in cyberspace; nevertheless, Commission authorities rejected the data retention proposals (The European Parliament).

A key strength of the EU�s plans for Critical Infrastructure Protection is the reliance on the owners of critical infrastructure. The NIPP of the U.S. also places responsibility on the owners, but takes on a lot of the burden as well, perhaps as a result of recent terrorist attacks. The U.S. is estimated to spend over $63 billion on CIP and the EU is proposing a mere $140 million. Magnus Ovilius, a senior administrator at the European Commission says that �Responsibility for managing risk will lie primarily with the owners and operators (Lipowicz).�

There are frequent reports that the protection of EU citizens is actively being pursued by the EPCIP, this is proof that the EU�s plans for fighting terrorism are working. In April the European Commission began plans to �identify ports across the European Union which are �critical� to the functioning of the European economy in order to provide them with extra protection from potential terrorist attacks (Brussels).�

B. The Negative Factors

The fact that terrorism is a daily fear for citizens of the world is enough to push for more stringent measures of protecting data, critical infrastructure, and borders � but there are limits as well. The regulations imposed by EU anti-terrorism plans cause many people to dissent on grounds of human/civil right violations. The civil rights issue causes a big clash between the U.S. NIPP and EU plans, though both target similar enemies. This quote from the New York Times is testimony to the controversy at hand:

The European Union’s highest court ruled Tuesday that the Union had overstepped its authority by agreeing to give the United States personal details about airline passengers on flights to America in an effort to fight terrorism (Clark).

Only five months after this court ruling:

European negotiators bowed to U.S. demands to let more American authorities see 34 pieces of information about passengers, including names, addresses, seat numbers and ticket-paying methods (U.S., European Union).

To mend ill relations regarding terrorism issues members of the EU and US President George Bush met in Vienna to pledge adherence to human rights (US to Vow at EU Summit).

The EU plans to counter terrorism and protect CI state that open communication and sharing of information between member states is crucial; However, it is as of late becoming apparent that several issues in EU plans and communications are not up to standards. The president of Romania, Traian Basescu stated that �Intelligence is traveling hard now and only under bilateral agreements between intelligence services of the member states (Romanian).� In addition the EU, in revision of old plans, is having talks of new plans to �retain data from telephone calls and e-mails for a minimum period of 12 months (New EU).�

III. Conclusion

While the EU and the US face the same fear that is an unforeseen terrorist attack, there are different issues for both. The EU is a combination of several nation states while the US is a cohesive unit with several states that respond to one single federal government; in addition, the US has more recent clashes with terrorists to fuel the fight against terrorism. This may be the reason for a very aggressive stance taken by the US Department of Homeland Security, its NIPP has bumped heads with the EU�s plans most notably on the civil rights issues surrounding data and information sharing.

 

Bibliography

“Brussels Ring of Steel for Terror Target Ports.” Lloyd’s List 10 Apr. 2006: 1. Lloyd’s List. 19 Oct. 2006.

Clark, Nicola, and Matthew L. Wald. “Hurdle for U.S. in Getting Data on Passengers.” The New York Times 31 May 2006, Late ed., sec. A: 1.

“European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection.” EU Center. 19 Oct. 2006 <http://www.eucenter.org/index.php?action=programs&process=detail&id=99>.

“German Data Officer Says Terrorism Doesn’t Justify Undermining Rights.” Washington Internet Daily 15 Dec. 2004. LexisNexis. George Mason University Library, Fairfax. 19 Oct. 2006.

Lipowicz, Alice. “EU to Spend Far Less for Infrastructure Protection.” Washington Technology 5 July 2005. LexisNexis. George Mason University Library, Fairfax. 19 Oct. 2006.

“New EU Anti-Terror Plan Calls for Retention of Data for 12 Months.” The Hindu 16 Oct. 2006. 19 Oct. 2006 <http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200410160312.htm>.

“Romanian President Urges EU to Establish Intelligence Community.” People’s Daily Online 19 Oct. 2006. 19 Oct. 2006 <http://english.people.com.cn/200610/19/eng20061019_313299.html>.

“The European Parliament (EP) Tues. Rejected a Proposal to Require Retention of Communications Data.” Communications Daily 9 June 2005. LexisNexis. George Mason University Library, Fairfax. 19 Oct. 2006.

“U.S., European Union Agree on Passenger Data.” Los Angeles Times 7 Oct. 2006. 19 Oct. 2006 <http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-briefs7.6oct07,1,5837271.story?coll=la-headlines-business>.

“US to Vow At EU Summit to Respect Rights in Anti-Terror Fight.” Agence France Presse 21 June 2006. LexisNexis. George Mason Library, Fairfax. 19 Oct. 2006.

 

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