The French Revolution - 2967 Words

The setting alternates between various locations in France and England, taking place primarily in the cities of Paris and London respectively. Within each geographic location are specific recurring locations. In France, these include places such as the Defarge’s wine shop, the estate of the Marquis, and the Bastille. In England, these include places such as the courthouse, the Manette home, and Tellson’s Bank. The story spans several decades, from 1775 to 1793. This time period covers critical points in European history, encompassing the American Revolution as well as the beginning of the French Revolution. 6. Importance of the setting (consider ideas/beliefs indicative of the time and possible symbolism) The setting is an integral part of†¦show more content†¦The recurring motifs of death and darkness are given an extra dimension due to the actions of the heartless aristocracy and bloodthirsty masses, and the story’s setting provides further context for these key moments. 7. Plot (key conflicts and resolution, approximately 250 words) The story of A Tale of Two Cities begins with the immortal lines of literature – â€Å"it was the best of times, it was the worst of times†. The very introduction of the novel captures the unease and contrast of the time period, as well as the conflicting extremes in ideology that were present on both sides of the English Channel. The first few chapters are rather ambiguous, filled with metaphors and three powerful words – â€Å"Recalled to Life†. As Mr. Jarvis Lorry, an employee of Tellson’s Bank, soon finds out, these words refer to the reappearance of Dr. Manette, a man who turns out to have been imprisoned in the Bastille for the past eighteen years. Accompanied by Manette’s daughter, Lucie, Lorry sets out to France to reclaim Manette. Upon meeting the doctor, it is easily apparent that his time in prison has been detrimental to his mental health. The doctor sits in the cellar of a wine shop, making shoes and repeating the number of his p rison cell. However, the sight and touch of his daughter, Lucie, reinvigorates him, and slowly, Dr. Manette begins to return to normal. He accompanies his daughter and Lorry back to London. The story flashes forward a couple years to a trial. A handsome man by

The Origin Of Culture And The False Perception - 958 Words

Introduction In the realm of Christianity there are several denominations where their doctrinal beliefs and traditions are followed religiously. Through the story of the â€Å"Traditions of the Elders† in Mark 7, this paper focuses on the origin of culture and the false perception it gives that is was created by God. Although culture religious traditions can have association with God, culture and religious traditions are not are not from God and can prevent people from doing what God wants Context Mark 7:1-8 begins with the Pharisees and the scribes coming from Jerusalem and meeting with Jesus. As they were gathered around Jesus, the pharisees and the scribes observed his disciples and questioned Jesus why they were eating food with hands that were unclean? Jesus responds to their question by speaking the words of Isiah from the book of Isiah 29:13 saying, â€Å"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vein do they worship me, teaching human precepts as tradition.† Jesus’ tension with the pharisees and the scribes is that they abandoned with word of God and choose to follow human tradition instead. In the second division of Mark 7:9-13, Jesus gives a current example in his time of how the pharisees and the scribes have abandoned God’s commandments and followed the human traditions instead. Jesus’ mentions the commandment â€Å"Honor your father and mother† in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. The law that God has already established requiresShow MoreRelatedSummary Response to Platos Allegory of the Cave630 Words   |  3 Pagesidea presented by Plato in his infamous Allegory of the Cave is that the average persons perceptions are severely limited by personal perspective. Plato uses the metaphorical situation of prisoners chained together in a way that limited their visual perception to the shadows projected from behind them onto a wall in front of them. He uses that metaphor to illustrate that perspective determines perceptions and also that once an individual achieves a wider or more accurate perspective, it becomesRead MoreKarl Marx And The German Ideology1437 Words   |  6 Pagesthey perform, they will perform a said task to the highest of abilities and thus deserve equal accommodations. The Friedrich Nietzsche argues against this. He states, â€Å"Every idea originates through equating the unequal,† (263) therefore the origin and culture of an object add an additional layer of meaning to it. The fact remains that not everything is equal. It is through inequality that objects are given meaning and thus gives a sense of livelihood within each word. For example, the word â€Å"bad†Read MoreJean Baudrillard : An Influential Thinker1379 Words   |  6 Pagesimplemented the hyper reality, by which objects are to be false and hidden from the truth. Baudrillard, an early admirer of McLuhan, expands his research and analysis on McLuhan’s idea that the ‘the medium is the message’ - distancing and separating from the Marxism. By â€Å" the medium is the message†, McLuhans describes that the ‘real message that the radio and television deliver†¦is not in the images that it transmits but rather the new mode of perception that it imposes on traditional group and family structure’Read MorePerception Of Authority796 Words   |  4 PagesNil Patel Perception of Authority An instance of travel on the most elementary level is a journey to another location. In Home and Harem, Inderpal Grewal identifies travel as an institution of England. 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This topic of debate is crucial to advance our understandi ng of human morality, as well as finally answer whether morals are inherited by hereditaryRead MoreEssay on Crime Against True Beauty1058 Words   |  5 Pagesthe matter is, these two girls are wounded by the immense weight of our cultures requirements for beauty. Requirements that can potentially be explained by science, but neither the way in which our society allows itself to be controlled by such mundane fancies nor the effect on the people it oppresses is by any means justified. Though there are countless explanations by which we might decipher the origin of our cultures general idea of outward beauty, science currently stands foremost as a highlyRead MoreThe Synoptic Gospels Lies A Brief Passage Of A Man Carrying The Cross For Jesus1717 Words   |  7 PagesWithin the synoptic gospels lies a brief passage of a man carrying the cross for Jesus. Matthew’s account is the only one that gives this man a name and place of origin—Simon of Cyrene. The passage states, â€Å"As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his [Jesus’s] cross.† Though his mentioning in the gospel narrative is brief, he serves as a pivotal symbol for those suffering under oppression and those whom are marginalized. Cyrene being aRead MoreEssay about ece353 final-Synthesis of Learning1361 Words   |  6 Pagesvalues about other people, the self, specific aspects of people and about social groups (Mi ller, 2010). Social cognition also has to do with what the children learn from the culture that they live in and the way they learn is through interacting with children that are older than them and adults who are more experienced in the culture. Therefore social cognition can be defined as the study of the mental process involved in perceiving, attending to, remembering, thinking about and making sense of the peopleRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Are An Outstanding Example Of A Dysfunction1233 Words   |  5 Pagesthe simplicity of a complex shaped idea. Notwithstanding that Tituba is considered irrelevant during the Salem trials, nevertheless Tituba exposes European perceptions of Native Americans as a basis for cultural superiority and oppression, since Tituba is an indisputable symbol of injustice, slavery, racism, as well as the defamation of her culture. The decisions that Tituba made throughout her trial, contributed in a substantial magnitude to the American history that’s known nowadays. 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Douglas free essay sample

# 8217 ; Reading On Slavery Essay, Research Paper The first thing came to my head after reading Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave was how lucky and blessed I am to hold the freedom without holding to contend for it. As a alien, I merely had a small cognition on African American captivity. However, Douglass good explained non merely his, but besides other slaves sorrow and sadness in a short length autobiography. I was shouting and shouting with the joy of vocalization, even though what he has described in the book can non about depict everything he went through. I genuinely admire his bravery, finding, and wisdom. When he was moved to Baltimore, he strongly pursued his instruction, which becomes the strongest tool for him ; he explains, Baltimore laid the foundation, and opened the gateway, to al my subsequent prosperity ( p.39 ) . Even though he encounters many adversities ( want of most Masterss to maintain their slaves therefore ignorant ) in educating himself, he sagely learns to compose and read from kids and his work ( p. We will write a custom essay sample on Douglas or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 15 ) . He was courageous and strongly determined to go on his perusal because he knew that cognition could assist him acquire his freedom, which he neer had. For case, he was able to compose his ain base on balls when he foremost tried to get away with his fellow slaves while he was working under Mr. Freeland. Douglass was wise plenty to profit from both up and down times during his slave old ages. He took the opportunity and got educated while he was in Baltimore. Then whe n he was sent to cruel superintendent Mr. Covey, he stood strong and recalled the bygone assurance, and inspired himself once more with a finding to be free ( p.72 ) . Douglass reminded me of the value of freedom when he fought against Mr. Covey, cognizing that he could acquire killed making so. Because he was wise and brave, he was able to liberate himself on September 3, 1838. I was really aroused ; nevertheless, thought of other legion slaves in South made me sad. Douglass and many other emancipationists like him, fought hard against captivity, which ended in consequence of their attempts. Even though I am thankful that captivity does non be any longer, the fact that the people who went under bondage had to endure enormously from it irritates me. The manner they were handled as Douglass described in the book saddens me because they were treated inhumane in everyway. For case, the rating of slaves good depicts how they were treated ; there were Equus caballuss and work forces, cowss and adult females, hogs and kids, all keeping the same narrow scrutiny ( p.52 ) . Because I believe and know that everyone was created equal, one group of people commanding another can non be justified. Even though the bondage does non be in this century, this book reminded me that I must non bury the yesteryear ; the clip when people had to contend for what they were entitled to: freedom. Furthermore, I must esteem and handle other people the manner I want them to handle me. Finally, I must larn from the yesteryear and neer make the same error.

The Raven Essays - Poetry By Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven,

The Raven The Raven Once upon a midnite dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary. Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven, This poem is mainly about his wife dying and her being sick and his depression and anger. Nameless here forevermore, Only this and nothing more, Darkness there and nothing more, Tis the wind and nothing more. While I nodded nearly napping suddenly there came a tapping as pf sp,epme gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door, some visitor, he muttered tapping at my chamber door. Wondering , fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before, the silence was unbroken and the only word spoken was the whispered word ?Lenore? and that he whispered back and then echo came back ?Lenore? merely that and nothing more. Open then came the shutter, with a flutter, and there stood a Raven of the saintly days of yore, and there it stood perched above my chamber door, Raven wondering from the Nightly shore tell me what the lordly name is on the night's Plutonian shore, his response, ? quote the raven nevermore? Then the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censor swung by ?seraphim? whose foot falls tinkled on the hard floor. Wretch he cried, respite the memories of Lenore this kind nepenthe and forget his lost Lenore. Thing of evil, bird of devil, tell his soul with sorrow laden if within the distant Aidenn it shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore. And the raven never flitting still is sitting just above my chamber door, and his eyes have all the seeming of demon's that is dreaming and the lamp light over him streaming throws his shadow on the floor, and my soul from out of that shadow that lies floating on the floor, ?shall be lifted-nevermore?.

The lottery winner Essay Example For Students

The lottery winner Essay The book starts out in Manhattan, New York in modern times. The book mostly takes place in New York city but throughout the book they also travel to London, England, cypress point spa, and several other places. The book ends back in Manhattan, New York. Alvirah Meehan is a former maid that is near her sixties and has quit her job after her and her husband struck it rich in the winning of the lottery. Alvirah started taking interest in helping people with murders and other problems that she ran across while traveling across the world. After she had won the lottery the New York Globe news paper had asked her to write about all of her different adventures. We will write a custom essay on The lottery winner specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Willy Meehan is around his sixties, he has blue eyes with white hair. Willy is a former plumber who quit his job after wining the lottery with his wife Alvirah. Willy enjoys traveling with Alvirah to all the different places. He is very supportive and help full to Alvirah in her interest of helping others with there crimes. He also enjoys helping the poor or just those people that cant afford to hire a plumber so he dose the job for free. Brian who is somewhere around his twenties, he is an up and coming famous play writer. Brian is the nephew of Willy. Brian is first introduced in the first story called The body in the closet.He was staying at the apartment of Willy and Alvirah were a body was found in there closet at there return from there trip to England. He becomes the main suspespect in the murder because he was the last be in the apartment. This was not a good thing for Brian because his career was just taking off with all the great plays he was writing. Brian becomes very lucky with the help of Alvirah as they prove his innocence. Brian then was able to go back on with is writings of the plays. Cynthia Lathem was found guilty for the murder of her father in the second story.It all happened when she was in her junior year of the Rhode Island School of Design when her step father Stuart Richards was found shot to death in the study of his mansion. Cynthia spent 12 years in prison for the murder. She spent the time thinking and asking herself who could have set me up. Cynthia knew that she was innocent and thats when she meet Alvirah who was the answer to all her problems because she was about to help prove her innocence. Cynthia proved her innocence and then went on to marry and enjoy her life. Rhonda Alvirez the winner of six million dollars. She was latter cheated out of the money by her husband when he swapped the ticket with a ticket bought by the lady he had thought he fell in love with. A lady that he had been having an affair with. His intentions where to run off with her, but things got out of hand and he was killed. Rhonda then became the main suspect in the murder only to make things worse in her life. But once again Alvirah was to the rescue she meet her and Alvirah began to take over by going through her crime solving technics. With the help of Alvirah Rhonda was found not guilty and received the six million dollars that was so rightfully hers. The book starts out with Alvirah and willy returning from their trip from England just after they struck it rich in the lottery. Alvirah takes interest in solving crimes and murders so at each trip she ends up in getting herself into something or another dealing with crime. She helps many people throughout the book where it ends back in New York where she solves her last crime. .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f , .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .postImageUrl , .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f , .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f:hover , .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f:visited , .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f:active { border:0!important; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f:active , .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u84a982eb358ff5f91c03714847ff250f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Application Stuff: EssayThe theme of the book was that Alvirah in how she won the lottery and found herself to be very good at crime solving as she travels the world helping people as well as in her home town Manhattan, New York. She wanted to be apart of everything no matter how much harm it would bring to herself. There was at least one time in the book where she almost had her own life taken by another person while trying to help solve a crime. I think that Alvirah learns in this book that she could have been a lot better detective than just a cleaning lady. The book was very interesting. It was always hard to find a place to quit reading. The book was very suspenseful always leaving you to guess what could possible happen next. I was always on the edge of my chair waiting and wondering what could possibly happen next. I would recommend the book to anyone that enjoys reading suspenseful books. Bibliography:Authors Biography:Mary was born and raised in New York. She is of Irish descent who considers her Irish heritage an important influence on her writing. Marys father died when she was just Ten years old leaving her mom to raise her and her and her two brothers. After she graduated she went on to secretarial school so that she could get a job to help her mother with family fiances. She went on to marry a neighbor who she had known since she was 16 years old. Then later her husband died leaving her to raise there five children. Shortly after she became more known before she became the writer she is today.Who we refer to as the AMERICAS QUEEN OF SUSPENSE. Authors Biography:Mary was born and raised in New York. She is of Irish descent who considers her Irish heritage an important influence on her writing. Marys father died when she was just Ten years old leaving her mom to raise her and her and her two brothers. After she graduated she went on to secretarial school so that sh e could get a job to help her mother with family fiances. She went on to marry a neighbor who she had known since she was 16 years old. Then later her husband died leaving her to raise there five children. Shortly after she became more known before she became the writer she is today.Who we refer to as the AMERICAS QUEEN OF SUSPENSE.

Free Essays on Climbing A Mountain During Fall

Climbing a mountain during fall Laura My head tilted upward toward the sky as I scanned the distant horizon in front of me. High above me stands a creation unfinished by god; clouds cover the top of the mountain so only half remains, and the other half is forgotten. Tree’s that like a fire, ablaze a trail to the top, but instead I follow the man-made trail. Crushed leaves cover the worn down path, and rocks outline the trail. Instead of listening to the sounds of a busy street or a crowded hallway, I listen to the sounds of nature. The song of many different birds, and the pitter patter of many leaves that collide with the branches on there descent to the ground, are the sounds I hear. Moving closer to the mountain, a slight incline appears. My legs are not used to this and in an instant they become tired, although this feeling soon submerges after you gradually get used to the inclines. The mountain therefore has become one with your body. Every mountain always has a different surprise waiting for you at the top, and the thrill of seeing what it has to offer makes me want to climb faster. The cold air tingles the end of my nose, but I can hardly tell its cold outside. My heart is beating harder than usual, making me more weak and hot than I had imagined. I tell my feet to keep walking, because I know I can’t let the mountain beat me. Every stump and every rock that I encounter is almost like a rally between me and the mountain. It sends out different obstacles to make me want to give up, but I won’t let myself give in. I always tell myself just to keep following the blue markers. Exhilaration guides me as the trail begins to worsen, but even through the pain, I love the mountain. The clouds that were covering the top of the mountain are now below me, and the top is revealed. Bare as it is, I cannot wait to see what it has to show me. Grabbing onto the limbs of numerous trees helped carry me up the mountain. Each tree had a... Free Essays on Climbing A Mountain During Fall Free Essays on Climbing A Mountain During Fall Climbing a mountain during fall Laura My head tilted upward toward the sky as I scanned the distant horizon in front of me. High above me stands a creation unfinished by god; clouds cover the top of the mountain so only half remains, and the other half is forgotten. Tree’s that like a fire, ablaze a trail to the top, but instead I follow the man-made trail. Crushed leaves cover the worn down path, and rocks outline the trail. Instead of listening to the sounds of a busy street or a crowded hallway, I listen to the sounds of nature. The song of many different birds, and the pitter patter of many leaves that collide with the branches on there descent to the ground, are the sounds I hear. Moving closer to the mountain, a slight incline appears. My legs are not used to this and in an instant they become tired, although this feeling soon submerges after you gradually get used to the inclines. The mountain therefore has become one with your body. Every mountain always has a different surprise waiting for you at the top, and the thrill of seeing what it has to offer makes me want to climb faster. The cold air tingles the end of my nose, but I can hardly tell its cold outside. My heart is beating harder than usual, making me more weak and hot than I had imagined. I tell my feet to keep walking, because I know I can’t let the mountain beat me. Every stump and every rock that I encounter is almost like a rally between me and the mountain. It sends out different obstacles to make me want to give up, but I won’t let myself give in. I always tell myself just to keep following the blue markers. Exhilaration guides me as the trail begins to worsen, but even through the pain, I love the mountain. The clouds that were covering the top of the mountain are now below me, and the top is revealed. Bare as it is, I cannot wait to see what it has to show me. Grabbing onto the limbs of numerous trees helped carry me up the mountain. Each tree had a...

Virgils Aeneid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Virgils Aeneid - Essay Example Believed to have been written circa 20 BC, this rhapsody illustrates the virtues of piety and duty on part of the hero. The grand scale and difficulty of the adventure of Aeneas provides several moments of examination of his virtuous qualities. In his mission to find the prophesied place where he is to build a new Troy, he is accompanied by his father, his baby son Iulus and a group of loyal companions. One could liken the sense of duty of Aeneus to that of Augustus. This is particularly true with respect to the filial piety shown by Aeneas, as illustrated by â€Å"his care for and deference towards his aged father Anchises.† (Whitehorne, 2005, p.1) The epitome of Aeneas’ sense of duty is the scene where he leaves the destroyed city of Troy by carrying his father on his back. After his father’s death, Aeneas will pray to the Gods to invoke divine honors for the deceased soul – an act reminiscent of Octavia appeasing the departed soul of his father Julius C aesar after the completion of the civil war. Aeneas’ sense of duty is also witnesses in his relationship toward his son Julus. For example, during the funeral games for Anchises, Aeneas leads the boys’ equestrian event in the first celebration of the Lusus Troiae, the Game of Troy. The death of his father is a crucial event in the moral development of Aeneas, whose sense of responsibility and resoluteness in accomplishing his objectives increases after the event. His sense of piety and duty thus undergoes a transformation for the good. For example, during the later half of the poem, we witness how Aeneas is brave and willing â€Å"to put duty before his own feelings, however great the cost personally as when he obeys the gods and leaves Dido† (Whitehorne, 2005, p.1). The view that Aeneid is a political poem is given credence by the details of his life and adventure. For example, Aeneid illustrates Aeneas’ ability as a politician and â€Å"a maker of alli ances as well as his personal valor (and vengeful ruthlessness) which we see come to the fore in the second half of the Aeneid. There is his foundation of cities and his scrupulous observance of religious rituals.† (Whitehorne, 2005, p1) Since in Ancient Rome, the message and moral content of classic literary works were respected by the ruling elite, the subject was used as a vehicle for politics and propaganda. For example, â€Å"The subject furnished political advantages. The legend unfolded in the Aeneid provided justification for Rome’s complex relationship with the Hellenic world, which involved military and political domination coupled with a certain cultural dependency. Representing Rome as a resurgence of a Troy destroyed by the Greeks gave the Roman conquest of Greece the coloring of legitimate revenge. Virgil did not miss the opportunity to put into the mouth of Jupiter, in a lengthy prophecy addressed to Venus, a proclamation that Rome would destroy the most renowned cities of Greece, which were responsible for the fall of Troy† (Brisson, 1989, p.22) Moreover, the view that the Aeneid has propagandist elements in it is learnt from how its author, Virgil, panders and praises Augustus, the then emperor of Rome. In his book Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos, author Robert Kaplan criticizes Virgil for his assumed role as an Augustan panegyrist. But this characterization of the author and his work is contested as it overlooks centuries of critical comment on Virgil’s works, questioning his â€Å"role as a state-sponsored propagandist†. (Harper, 2008, p.117) To narrow down Virgil to a mere propagandist and to equate his work to hyperbole

Business Management.MANAGEMENT REPORT TO THE BOARD OF CAIFU Coursework

Business Management.MANAGEMENT REPORT TO THE BOARD OF CAIFU INVESTMENTS LTD. 2500 words - Coursework Example The critical analysis has been done to weigh the alternatives of investments in Zara and H & M. Contents Contents 3 Introduction 4 Company Profile: Zara 4 Company Profile: H & M 5 Secondary Research on the Management Theories and their applications 6 Management and Leadership Style of Zara 6 Management and Leadership Style of H & M 7 Primary Research on the Organisations 9 Analysis of the Questionnaire 10 Justification 12 Recommendation 12 Conclusion 12 References 13 Bibliography 14 Appendix 1: Interview Questionnaire 15 Introduction The strategic business alliances are the essential aspects of every business to survive in the long run. Investment companies are often willing to fund the expansion of the companies in various other international locations in order to make a profit out of such investments. Caifu Investment Ltd is looking for the opportunities in Zara and H & M and plans to invest in one particular company in order to make sure that the company is able to reap profits fo r Caifu in the long run. This report is presented to the management for a proper understanding of the business processes of the two companies both internally and externally through a primary as well as a secondary research. ... The company specialises in its fast changing fashion products and the company is famous for updating the line of clothing as per the latest fashion trends that are in vogue. Most of the other brands in the fashion clothing retail industry generally update their product every three to six months. On the other hand Zara updates their product portfolio every two weeks which has made a record of having the shortest period of time for up gradation. The company makes record designs of more than ten thousand per year. Zara has not only remained confined to the Spanish markets or the markets of the developed countries but has also moved beyond that to the developing countries where it has offered a portfolio of low cost product to the local price sensitive customers. The company therefore has a brand presence throughout the world and earns revenue of almost 8 billion euro. The company has never invested in the marketing communications like advertising or the other methods of promotion of the brand. However, the company thinks that it is important to reach out to most of the customers of the world and therefore Zara has increased the reach of the customers through the opening up of more and more stores in various locations as well as expansion to the cities across the world where the clothes might have a considerable demand from the customers. Company Profile: H & M H & M or Hennes & Mauritz is also a fashion clothing retailer based in Sweden and has been serving the industry since 1947. The brand targets almost all the markets like men, women as well as children and teenagers. H & M has a brand presence in almost 43 nations and has human resources strength of ninety four thousand. This brand also aims at reaching out to its customers

Advanced Strategic Management- International Airline Industry Essay

Advanced Strategic Management- International Airline Industry - Essay Example This is to prevent the loss of current business and attract new customers ones at a minimal cost.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This study explores the relationship between customer service, customer satisfaction and the factors that encourage customers to choose and remain with specific airlines. In particular, this study evaluates the customer satisfaction among North American airline passengers and the quality of customer service of corresponding airlines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A survey was used to gather the feedback of XYZ airline passengers at NYC airport. The survey items focused on the eight factors designated as independent variables. The independent variables considered were X1 – Delays (external forces such as weather), X2 – Culture (company), X3 – Prices/Frequent Flyer Programs, X4– Flexibility, X5 – Schedule, X6 – Employees, X7 – Quality of Product/Services (comfort), and X8 – Security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The importance of customer service and the corresponding customer satisfaction cannot be undermined. Ventures can succeed only if there are customers. Since they are the ones who keep businesses running by bringing in profit and supplying feedbacks, it is essential to keep them satisfied. Customer satisfaction, also called user satisfaction, is defined simply as â€Å"a qualitative measure of performance as defined by customers, which meet their basic requirements and standards† (TechTarget, 2007). This definition has two main implications. First, customer satisfaction is dependent on the performance of the product or service. Second, measuring customer satisfaction involves knowledge of the basic requirements and standards of the customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In relation to customer satisfaction, customer service is a term that characterizes what happens when the customer encounters the business (The Times Newspapers Ltd, 2008). Good customer service is significant because gaining a new customer can cost as much as five

Impact of Air Pollution to the Environment in Malaysia

Impact of Air Pollution to the Environment in Malaysia 1.0  Introduction Health impact assessment (HIA) is the process of evaluating the possible impact of a biological, chemical, physical or social factor on specific human population system under a fixed environment and for certain duration. (HIA) is an important element of the environmental impact assessment process, which has been considered compulsory for all approved activities under the Environmental Impact Assessment Order, 1987, which comes under the umbrella of the Environmental Quality Act, 1974. Although all involved HIA consultants are registered under the EIA Consultant Registration Scheme, their HIA conduct in Malaysia is not consistent with the requirement. Therefore, introduction of a guidance document is a needed to make all HIA practice is more consistent with the enforcement. The aim of the Guidance Document on HIA is to provide information to all stakeholders such as consultants, industries, government agencies and the public on the assessment of health impacts from a project developme nt. Prof. Dr. Jamal Hisham Hashim, DOE,( 2009) Health Impact Assessment also a planning tool and a process that systematically recognizes and inspects both the potential positive and negative health impacts of an activity or a project development. In this planning structure, the outcome of an assessment provides the perfect way to implement the plan to maximize positive health controls and minimize negative health impacts to the environment. Open burning is a major source of air pollution in the urban area in Malaysia. Burning rubbish openly, burning the forest for replantation or development, burning rice straw on paddy fields which releases harmful chemicals and gases should be totally avoided altogether to avoid the air pollution in Malaysia. Many citizens of Malaysia are still unaware of the impact of their action which their action lead environmental and health effect in Malaysia. In this assignment, the reader should be able to understand the assessment process of Health and Impact Assessment and the effects of air pollutio n from open burning in the urban area of Malaysia and the strategies that can be applied to reduce or eliminate them. Prof. Dr. Jamal Hisham Hashim, DOE, 2009) 2.0  Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Process According to Department of Environment (DOE)Malaysia, environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a study to explore, predict, evaluate and convey the consequences of the open burning to the environment and the mitigating measures prior to a project approval and implementation (DOE, 2009). Minister of Natural Resources and Environment was empowers under section 34A of the Environmental Quality Act, 1974 to perform prescribe any activity which may have substantial environmental impact in Malaysia. 2.1  The purpose of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Process The purpose of HIA process is to evaluate the potential development need to conduct an HIA for the project. HIA may not require for all development projects in Malaysia. As detailed in EIA, HIA is not required unless it can be objectively debated that an HIA is not give significant effect to the particular project. Referring to the previous project history and the known outcome of the prescribed activities of the projects record will describe the requirement of HIA for a particular project. However, the project not listed in HIA database listing are must be screened for the need to undergo an HIA. A screening checklist is has been developed to assist the Project Initiators and the Department of Environment in screening potential projects or prescribed activities that would require an HIA. 2.2  The scope of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Process Health impact assessment (HIA) is becoming an important tool for assessing the health impacts of policies, programmes and projects. There are several guidelines on HIA, both general and specific procedure that has been published to describe the requirements. The aim of this â€Å"Guidance Document† is to specifically address requirement of the assessment. The application of HIA has been mainly in the framework of an EIA study in Malaysia. However, due to lack of official guideline on its implementation, many methodologies and formats have been engaged by HIA consultants resulting in inconsistency in the HIA. Therefore, the scope of HIA is to prevent the health impacts that may arise from a project development. HIA not only developed to help avoiding unnecessary difficulties of negative health impacts but also preventing a health effect in which certainly less cost effective than treating them. 2.3  The assessment of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Process Risk reduction is a process of risk management and it required to be assessed before an initiative to minimize the risk can be taken. The goal of health risk assessment process is to identify, define the risk and subsequently is to assess the risk exposure to the surrounding. The risk can be adequately assessed and categorised from the information obtained from hazard and exposure and Health Impact Assessment and it can also be defined as an organisational approach. Health risk assessment is applied for the assessment of health hazards from the environment. There are two methods to assess the health risk exposure, namely the quantitative and qualitative health risk assessment. A numerical measure of the risk or safety of a chemical exposure is derived from the quantitative risk assessment. The generated numerical measure value of the risk is than compared with the guideline or a defined acceptable risk level. There are two categories of risks being assessed when performing a quantitative risk assessment, namely non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk and it is the preferred assessment for HIA in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) whenever this is applicable. DOE (2009) A qualitative risk assessment simply characterises or compares the hazard of a chemical relation to each other’s or describes the hazard in only qualitative terms, such as mutagen or carcinogen, which predicts certain risk or safety procedures measures may not require a numerical assessment or quantitative risk assessment. Some health risk related with contagious diseases may not fit well to quantitative risk assessment due to the nature of the risk. Therefore, a qualitative risk assessment may only be the assessment method whenever it is possible to execute based on the requirement. As quoted in National Academy of Sciences (1996), â€Å"quantitative risk assessment can be defined as the classification of the potential adverse health effects of human exposures to environmental hazards†. The risk assessment contains four steps, which consist of hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment and risk classification. The use of quantitative health ri sk assessment is mostly limited to the assessment of chemical hazards. Biological and physical hazards do not fit well to quantitative assessment where in such cases, qualitative assessment should be applied for the purpose. DOE, (2009) 3.0  Open burning activity According to Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127) any burning conducted in such a manner that combustion air is not efficiently controlled and that combustion products are not vented through a stack or chimney, including but not limited to burning conducted in open outdoor fires, common burn barrels and backyard incinerators is define as open burning. The burning is typically conducted using burn barrels, separated pits, backyard burners, and pilling up of refuse, trash, yard trimmings or leaves also considered into this category. Datuk Law Hieng Ding, DOE (2000) 3.1 Causes of open burning i)  Jungle fire Jungle fire fires and the resultant smoke-haze are somewhat new experiences to Malaysia. The problems are seemed to be intensely increasing and repeated occasionally. Under normal circumstances, the unexplored jungles of Malaysia will not catch fire easily and even if it catches fire, the fire will not be spreading extensively due to the humidity that exceeds 75% and the rate of litter decomposition on the forest ground is reasonably fast. There is very little chance of the forest to catch fire unless these conditions are changed due climate changes. However, when water in these areas is drained during development projects, the ground becomes completely dry and is has high possibility to catch fire. Under these conditions the fire spreads underground and can keep burning for a long time. Wan Mohd Shukri Wan Ahmad ( 2001) ii)  Human causes The other sources that can contribute to one of the causes of the fire are mostly by the actions of humans. Some of the major reasons are caused by individuals who want to eliminate things like garbage from their backyard. There are some farmers who burn rice straws to clean their fields before replantation and preparation of agricultural plantations. These are activities that are very commonly can be seen in Malaysia. DES,(2013) 3.2 The effect of open burning The fire gives extensive damage to plants, animals, environment and the health of people surrounding the affected areas. The haze and air pollution are at a dangerous level in most of these areas and at times it reaches to intolerable and hazardous levels. Although there’s an increase in respiratory related sicknesses in the neighbourhood caused by the forest fire, the long term effects of open burning will affect mainly the health of people and is difficult to solve and is now an issue of concern in Malaysia. Besides the effect as mentioned above, open burning also disrupts the Malaysian economy and other measurable effects including reasons as quoted below. i)  Production losses. In year 1997, Malaysia reached a new urgency causing by the haze when the Air Pollution Index (API) readings reached 500ÃŽ ¼g/m3. Sarawak declared 10 days emergency state due prolongation of the haze which resulted in various production losses of economic activities. Firstly, the production losses inclusive of a reduction in growth of crops subsequent caused by reduction of sunlight. Secondly, the fishing activities reduced due to poor visibility for the fishing boats. These effects indirectly have reduced the expected profit per day of the business. Finally, the industrial and commercial activity delays in logistics and an increase the effort in cleaning and maintenance of equipment due to dust and corrosion occurrence. During this production downtime, the profits fall far away from the estimated value. Wan Mohd Shukri Wan Ahmad ( 2001) ii)  Tourism losses Tourism industry will tremendously hit by a drastic impact due to reduction of tourist arrivals from various countries to Malaysia caused by the haze. The government is forced to declare a state of emergency in certain areas where the air pollution indices reached dangerous levels which may lead to serious health concerns. This action is taken in order to regulate the effect of economic crisis which in itself is expected to affect the incoming of tourists into this land. Wan Mohd Shukri Wan Ahmad ( 2001) iii)  Health effect Open trash burning can release hexchlorobenzene (HCB) to the environment. This chemical contains high toxin that miscible slowly in the air. Theoretically, it can travel long distances in the air. It bio- accumulates in marine lives, birds and animals that feed on fish and sea plants. HCB is a probable human carcinogen, and based on studies, long-term and low-level exposures to HCB can damage growth of a developing baby or animal, kidney and liver damage and cause exhaustion and skin disease. Environmental service, (2013) iv) Global worming Open burning can also be the cause for global warming on earth. Numerous open burning is done by individuals who are not responsible. These activities can result in the release of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere and in will trap heat that originates from the earth. 3.3  Legal requirement for open burning. Government has launched an initiative to prevent and control the deterioration of air quality when the Department of Environment enforced the Environmental Quality Act (EQA 1974) Section 29A that discusses the prevention of open burning and Section 22 of the EQA 1974, section 29AA which prohibits individuals, companies or the premise of the release of pollutants air into atmosphere above the limit prescribed under the Environmental Quality Regulations EQA 1974. Datuk Law Hieng Ding, DOE (2000) a) Three main rules are enforced under Section 22 is as follows; i. Regulations Environmental Quality (Clean Air) ii. Regulations Environmental Quality (Control of Emission from Diesel engines) iii. Regulations Environmental Quality (Control of Emission from Petrol engines) b)  Exclusion from open burning â€Å"section, 29AA† The minister may declare the stop order relates to any fire, combustion or smouldering for the purpose of any activity specified in that order is not open burning as defined in and for the purpose of section 29A whenever conditions as may be specified in section 22A which exceed the specified in the order. DOE, (2014) c)  Offenses and penalties To prevent the open burning in Malaysia, the Department of Environment will take firm action against those who are involved in open burning as specified as an offense including compound of RM 2000 for each offense and court action in which the convicted will be penalised of the offense under Section 22 (3) Act and can be fined up to One Hundred Thousand Dollars (RM100,000) or imprisonment up to 5 years and under Section 29A of the EQA 1974 may which bring to a fine of up to Five Hundred Thousand Dollars (RM 500,000) or 5 years imprisonment if the charges are proven in the court. DOE,(2014) d)  Strategies to reduce open burning There are several ways to tackle the air pollution caused by open burning. i) The first step is that we need to change the mind set and attitude of our own. Most air pollution is due to the attitudes of people who are concerned with their own interests. Factory owners release toxic gases into the air because they want to make more profit and do not want to waste the money to filter gases. Therefore, we need to change the mind set and attitude of our own knowing air pollution will bring a lot of negative effects of environmental damage. ii) The second step is that the government should hold campaigns on air pollution awareness to the public. The aim is educate society about the importance of maintaining and protecting the environment. In addition, the public will be exposed to the effects, causes and measures to cope with the environment. This campaign should be held throughout so that the community will not forget the effort to protect the environment. This campaign can be provided at the school, council housing or public library and posters can also be placed in places that can be seen by the public. iii) The third step is to enforce laws and regulations. Intention to enforce the laws and regulations are parties to air pollution will be share out with in terms of the law. Factories, agricultural field that release fumes that pollute the air will be charged will be summoned. If they continue to perform these activities, the business license should be revoked. The objective is to minimize air pollution levels are lower. iv) Responsibility of community. Last but not least to the actions taken by the government and the authorities, the public must be responsible and equally protect the environment to ensure the earth is sustainable. Among the actions that can be made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹is that to use public transport instead of private vehicles or car. On the other hand, the owner of the vehicle must ensure their vehicles do not release black smoke by taking steps to perform regular inspection and maintenance especially for the engine carburettor and fuel pump to be in good condition. The farmers are also should responsible take initiative to recycle the residual wood to transform into fertilizer or other mean of disposing waste creatively. The public can also make a complaint to the Royal Malaysian Police, Fire and Rescue Department and Local Authorities What if there is combustion of solid waste and reports can also be made to the DOE of any open burning carried out by industry and plantations. 4.0  Conclusion Health impact assessment (HIA) is the process of evaluating the possible impact of a biological, chemical, physical or social factor on specific human population system under a fixed environment and for certain duration. The activities approved under the Environmental Impact Assessment Order 1987, which comes under the umbrella of the Environmental Quality Act, 1974. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a study is conducted to explore, predict, evaluate and convey the outcome of the consequences of the environment pollution and the mitigating measures prior to project approval and implementation of EQA 1974 and the purpose of HIA process is to evaluate the potential development need to conduct an HIA for the project. There are two methods to assess the health risk exposure, namely the quantitative and qualitative health risk assessment. A numerical measure of the risk or safety of a chemical exposure is derived from the quantitative risk assessment whereby the qualitative risk as sessment may only be the assessment the nature of the risk. Open burning becomes the contribution factor for air pollution in this country. Several cause which being identified such as Forest fire and Human causes and the effects which contributing to production losses, tourism losses, health effect and global warming. Rules and regulation are established by the government to prevent and control the deterioration of air quality under EQA 1974 and the action taken who found to be breaking the law. Strategies taken inclusive of changing people mind set and attitude, campaigns for public awareness, enforcing laws and regulations and encouraging using public transport which may reduce the environmental impact to air pollution. In conclusion, the people and the government must work together to solve the problem of air pollution. Although it cannot be eliminated overnight, but with the cooperation of various parties air pollution problems can be solved. We must think of the generations that will require environmental gives a beautiful and comfortab le for them to live in this world and just treat the environment that has been created by God. 2973 Words 5.0  References Datuk Law Hieng Ding/DOE. (2000). Environmental Quality Act 1974 [ACT 127]. Retrieved Oct 2,2014, from http://cp.doe.gov.my/pdf/Environmental%20 Quality %20(Prescribed%20Activities)%20(Open%20Burning).pdf Department of Environmental Services , New Hamspire. (2013). Open Burning of Residential Trash. Retrieved Oct 2,2014, from http://des.nh.gov/organization/ commissioner/pip/factsheets/ard/documents/ard-33.pdf Department for Environment. (2014). Enforcement on Air Pollution . Retrieved Oct 3,2014, from http://www.doe.gov.my/portalv1/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Kenyataan-Akhbar-Mengenai-Penguatkuasaan-Pencemaran-Udara-24-Julai-2014.pdf Prof. Dr. Jamal Hisham Hashim/DOE. (2009). Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Retrieved Oct 2,2014, from http://www.doe.gov.my/eia/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/HIA-Guidance-Document.pdf Wan Mohd Shukri Wan Ahmad/ Natural Forest Division. (2001). Forest Fire Situation in Malaysia. Retrieved Oct 2,2014, from http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/ iffn/country/ my/ my_2.htm

Breakfast of Champions Essay -- essays research papers

Breakfast of Champions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever read a book and enjoyed it, but once you were finished you wondered what it was really about? You wondered if the book had a deep meaning that you had to sit and think about or if the book was just for entertainment purposes only and had no meaning whatsoever. For me, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was this type of book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breakfast of Champions is a story about two men who are going to eventually meet each other at a festival for the arts. The story tells about their journey in detail and explains how each man perceives and reacts to society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dwayne Hoover, a Pontiac salesman, is on the brink of insanity. Dwayne is a very â€Å"well-to-do† man and owns many businesses in Midland City where he resides. In the blink of an eye Dwayne’s life changes forever. One day Dwayne’s wife drinks Drano and is killed. After this incident Dwayne’s body starts producing â€Å"bad chemicals† which causes him to become insane.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The other main character of this book is a man by the name of Kilgore Trout. Kilgore is an interesting character. â€Å"Trout,† as he is referred to in the book, is a lonely person who thinks everyone in the world is against him. Trout lives by himself and sells screening and siding for houses. Trout’s best and only friend is his bird named Billy. Trout is a struggling writer whose work is mainly published in pornog...

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 8

Gillian stood perfectly still and watched David disappear around a corner. (It's not time for the plan yet, kid. Now buck up. A cheery face is worth diamonds.) Gillian tried to put on a cheery face. The strange day continued. In each class, Gillian appealed to the teacher for a new book. In each class, she was bombarded with offers of notes and other help. And through it all Angel whispered in her ear, always suggesting just the right thing to say to each person. He was witty, irreverent, occasionally cutting-and so was Gillian. She had an advantage, she realized. Since nobody had ever noticed her before, it was almost like being a new girl. She could be anything she wanted to be, present herself as anyone, and be believed. (Like Cinderella at the ball. The mystery princess.) Angel's voice was amused but tender. In journalism class, Gillian found herself beside Daryl Novak, a languid girl with sloe eyes and drooping contemptuous lashes. Daryl the Rich Girl, Daryl the World-weary World Traveler. She talked to Gillian as if Gillian knew all about Paris and Rome and California. At lunch, Gillian hesitated as she walked into the cafeteria. Usually she sat with Amy in an obscure corner at the back. But recently Eugene had been sitting with Amy, and up front she could see a group that included Amanda the Cheerleader, Kim the Gymnast, and others from The Clique. David and Tanya were at the edge. (Do I sit with them? Nobody asked me.) (Not with them, my little rutabaga. But near them. Sit at the end of that table just beside them. Don't look at them as you walk by. Look at your lunch. Start eating it.) Gillian had never eaten her lunch alone before-or at least not in a public place. On days Amy was absent, if she couldn't find one of the few other juniors she felt comfortable with, she snuck into the library and ate there. In the old days she would have felt horribly exposed, but now she wasn't really alone; she had Angel cracking jokes in her ear. And she had a new confidence. She could almost see herself eating, calm and indifferent to stares, thoughtful to the point of being dreamy. She tried to make her movements a little languid, like Daryl the Rich Girl's. (And I hope Amy doesn't think I'm snubbing her. I mean, it's not as if she's back there alone. She's got Eugene.) (Yeah. We're gonna have to talk about Amy sometime, kid. But right now you're being paged. Smile and be gracious.) â€Å"Jill! Earth to Jill!† â€Å"Hey, Jill, c'mon over.† They wanted her. She was moving her lunch over to their table, and she wasn't spilling anything and she wasn't falling as she slid in. She was little and graceful, thistledown light in her movements, and they were surging around her to form a warm and friendly bulwark. And she wasn't afraid of them. That was the most wonderful thing of all. These kids who'd seemed to her like stars in some TV show about teenagers, were real people who got crumbs on themselves and made jokes she could understand. Gillian had always wondered what they found so funny when they were laughing together. But now she knew it was just the heady atmosphere, the knowledge that they were special. It made it easy to laugh at everything. She knew David, sitting quietly there with Tanya, could see her laughing. She could hear other voices occasionally, from people on the fringes of her group, people on the outside looking in. Mostly bright chatter and murmurs of admiration. She thought she heard her name mentioned. †¦ And then she focused on the words. â€Å"I heard her mom's a drunk.† They sounded horribly loud and dear to Gillian, standing out against the background noise. She could feel her whole skin tingling with shock and she lost track of the story Kim the Gymnast was telling. (Angel-who said that? Was it about me-my mom?) She didn't dare look behind her. â€Å"-started drinking a few years ago and having these hallucinations-â€Å" This time the voice was so loud that it cut through the banter of Gillian's group. Kim stopped in mid-sentence. Bruce the Athlete's smile faltered. An awkward silence fell. Gillian felt a wave of anger that made her dizzy. (Who said that? I'll kill them-) (Calm down! Calm down. That's not the way to handle it at all.) (But-) (I said, calm down. Look at your lunch. No, at your lunch. Now say-and make your voice absolutely cool-â€Å"I really hate rumors, don't you? I don't know what kind of people start them.†) Gillian breathed twice and obeyed, although her voice wasn't absolutely cool. It had a little tremor. â€Å"I don't know either,† a new voice said. Gillian glanced up to see that David was on his feet, his face hard as he surveyed the table behind her as if looking for the person who'd spoken. â€Å"But I think they're pretty sick and they should get a life.† There was the cold glint in his eyes that had given him his reputation as a tough guy. Gillian felt as if a hand had steadied her. Gratitude rushed through her-and a longing that made her bite down on her lip. â€Å"I hate rumors, too,† J.Z. Oberlin said in her absent voice. J. Z. the Model was the one who looked like a Calvin Klein ad, breathlessly sexy and rather blank, but right now she seemed oddly focused. â€Å"Somebody was putting around the rumor last year that I tried to kill myself. I never did find out who started it.† Her hazy blue-green eyes were narrowed. And then everyone was talking about rumors, and people who spread rumors, and what scum they were. The group was rallying around Gillian. But it was David who stood up for me first, she thought. She had just looked over at him, trying to catch his eye, when she heard the tinkling noise. It was almost musical, but the kind of sound that draws attention immediately in a cafeteria. Somebody had broken a glass. Gillian, along with everyone else, glanced around to see who'd done it. She couldn't see anybody. No one had the right expression of dismay, no one was focused on anything definite. Everybody was looking around in search mode. Then she heard it again, and two people standing near the cafeteria doors looked down and then up. Above the doors, far above, was a semi-circular window in the red brick. As Gillian stared at the window she realized that light was reflecting off it oddly, almost prismatically. There seemed to be crazy rainbows in the glass†¦ And something was sparkling down, falling like a few specks of snow. It hit the ground and tinkled, and the people by the door stared at it on the cafeteria floor. They looked puzzled. Realization flashed on Gillian. She was on her feet, but the only words that she could find were, â€Å"Oh, my God!† â€Å"Get out! It's all going to go! Get out of there!† It was David, waving at the people under the window. He was running toward them, which was stupid, Gillian thought numbly, her heart seeming to stop. Other people were shouting. Cory and Amanda and Bruce-and Tanya. Kim the Gymnast was shrieking. And then the window was going, chunks of it falling almost poetically, raining and crumbling, shining and crashing. It fell and fell and fell. Gillian felt as if she were watching an avalanche in slow motion. At last it was over, and the window was just an arch-shaped hole with jagged teeth clinging to the edges. Glass had flown and bounced and skittered all over the cafeteria, where it lay like hailstones. And people from tables amazingly distant were examining cuts from ricocheting bits. But nobody had been directly underneath, and nobody seemed seriously hurt. (Thanks to David.) Gillian was still numb, but now with relief. (He got them all out of the way in time. Oh, God, he isn't hurt, is he?) (He's fine. And what makes you think he did it all alone? Maybe I had some part. I can do that, you know-put it into people's heads to do things. And they never even know I'm doing it.) Angel's voice sounded almost-well-piqued. (Huh? You did that? Well, that was really nice of you.) Gillian was watching David across the room, watching Tanya examine his arm, nod, shrug, look around. He's not hurt. Thank heaven. Gillian felt so relieved it was almost painful. It was then that it occurred to her to wonder what had happened. That window-before the glass fell it had looked just like the mirror in her bathroom. Evenly shattered from side to side, spidery cracks over every inch of the surface. The bathroom mirror had cracked while Tanya was being catty about Gillian's room. Now Gillian remembered the last thing she'd wanted to ask Angel last night. It had been about how the mirror came to do that. This window †¦ it had started falling a few minutes after someone insulted Gillian's mother. Nobody had heard it actually break, but it couldn't have happened too long ago. The small hairs on the back of Gillian's neck stirred and she felt a fluttering inside. It couldn't be. Angel hadn't even appeared to her yet†¦ But he'd said he was always with her†¦ An angel wouldn't destroy things†¦ But Angel was a different kind of angel. (Ah, excuse me. Hello? Do you want to share some thoughts with me?) (Angel!) For the first time since his soft voice had sounded in her ear, Gillian felt a sense ofover- crowdedness. Of her own lack of privacy. The uneasy fluttering inside her increased. (Angel, I was just-just wondering†¦) And then the silent words burst out. (Angel, you wouldn't-would you? You didn't do those things for my sake- â€Å"break the mirror and that window-?) A pause. And then, in her head, riotous laughter. Genuine laughter. Angel was whooping. Finally, the sounds died to mental hiccups. (Me?) Gillian was embarrassed. (I shouldn't have asked. It was just so weird†¦) (Yeah, wasn't it.) This time Angel sounded grimly amused. (Well, never mind; you're already late for class. The bell rang five minutes ago.) Gillian coasted through her last two classes in a daze. So much had happened today-she felt as if she'd led a full life between waking up and now. But the day wasn't over yet. In her last class, studio art, she once again found herself talking to Daryl the Rich Girl. Daryl was the only one of that crowd that took art or journalism. And in the last minutes before school ended, she regarded Gillian from under drooping eyelashes. â€Å"You know, there are other rumors going around about you. That you and Davey-boy have something going behind Tanya's back. That you meet secretly in the mornings and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Daryl shrugged, pushing back frosted hair with a hand dripping with rings. Gillian felt jolted awake. â€Å"So?† â€Å"So you really should do something about it. Rumors spread fast, and they grow. I know. You want to either deny them, or†-Daryl's lips .quirked in a smile-â€Å"disarm them.† (Oh, yeah? And just how do I do that?) (Shut up and listen to her, kid. This is one smart cookie.) â€Å"If there're parts that are true, it's usually best to admit those in public. That takes some of the punch out. And it's always helpful to track down the person starting the rumors-if you can.† (Tell her you know that. And that you're going to see Tanya after school.) (Tanya? You mean-?) (Just tell her.) Somehow Gillian gathered herself enough to repeat Angel's words. Daryl the Rich Girl looked at her with a new expression of respect. â€Å"You're sharper than I thought. Maybe you didn't need my help after all.† â€Å"No,† Gillian said without Angel's prompting. â€Å"I'm always glad for help. It's-it's a rough world.† â€Å"Isn't it, though?† Daryl said and raised already arched eyebrows. (So it was Tanya who spread that stuff about my mom.) Gillian almost stumbled as she trudged out of art class. She was tired and bewildered. Somehow, she'd have thought Tanya was above that. (She had help. It takes a really efficient system to get a rumor to peak circulation that fast. But she was the instigator. Turn left here.) (Where am I going?) (You're gonna catch her coming out of marketing education. She's alone in there right now. The teacher asked to see her after class, then unexpectedly had to run to the bathroom.) Gillian felt distantly amused. She sensed Angel's hand in these arrangements. And when she poked her head inside the marketing ed room, she saw that Tanya was indeed alone. The tall girl was standing by a cloudy green blackboard. â€Å"Tanya, we need to talk.† Tanya's shoulders stiffened. Then she ran a hand across her already perfect dark hair and turned. She looked more like a future executive than ever, with her face set in cool lines and her exotic gray eyes running over Gillian in appraisal. Without Angel, Gillian would have dried up and withered away under that scrutiny. Tanya said one word. â€Å"Talk.† What followed was more like a play than a conversation for Gillian. She repeated what Angel whispered to her, but she never had any idea what was coming. The only way to survive was to give herself up completely to his direction. â€Å"Look, I know you're upset with me, Tanya. But I'd like to deal with this with a little maturity, okay?† She followed Angel's instructions over to a desk and brushed absent fingers over its imitation-wood top. â€Å"I don't think there's any need for us to act like children.† â€Å"And I don't think I know what you're talking about.† â€Å"Oh, really?† Gillian turned and looked Tanya in the face. â€Å"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about.† (Angel, I feel just like one of those people in a soap opera-) â€Å"Well, you're wrong. And, as a matter of fact, I happen to be busy-â€Å" â€Å"I'm talking about the rumors, Tanya. I'm talking about the stories about my mom. And I'm talking about David.† Tanya stood perfectly still. For a moment she seemed surprised that Gillian was taking such a direct approach. Then her gray eyes hardened with the clear light of battle. â€Å"All right, let's talk about David,† she said in a pleasant voice, moving tigerishly toward Gillian, â€Å"I don't know about any rumors, but I'd like to hear what you and David were doing this morning. Care to tell me?† (Angel, she's actually enjoying this. Look at her! And she's bigger than me.) (Trust me, kid.) â€Å"We weren't doing anything,† Gillian said. She had to tip her chin up to look Tanya in the face. Then she looked aside and shook her head. â€Å"All right. I'll be honest about that. I like David, Tanya. I have ever since he moved in. He's good and he's noble and he's honest and he's sweet. But that doesn't mean I want to take him away from you. In fact, it's just the opposite.† She turned and walked away, looking into the distance. â€Å"I think David deserves the best. And I know he really cares about you. And that's what happened this morning-he told me you guys had made a promise to each other. So you see, you've got no reason to be suspicious.† Tanya's eyes were glittering. â€Å"Don't try to pull that. All this †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She waved a hand to indicate Gillian's dress and hair. â€Å"In one day you turn from Little Miss Invisible to this. And you start prancing around the school like you own it. You can't pretend you're not trying to get him.† â€Å"Tanya, the way I dress has nothing at all to do with David.† Gillian told the lie calmly, facing the chalk-misted blackboard again. â€Å"It's just-something I needed to do. I was-tired of being invisible.† She turned her head slightly, not enough to see Tanya. â€Å"But that's beside the point. The real issue here is what's best for David. And I think you're best for him-as long as you treat him fairly.† â€Å"And what is that supposed to mean?† Tanya was losing her legendary cool. She sounded venomous, almost shrill. â€Å"It means no more fooling around with Bruce Faber.† (Oh, my God, Angel! Bruce Faber? Bruce the Athlete? She's been fooling around with Bruce Faber?) Tanya's voice cracked like a whip. â€Å"What are you talking about? What do you know?† â€Å"I'm talking about those nights at the pool parties last summer in Macon's cabana. While David was up north at his grandma's. I'm talking about what happened in Bruce's car after the Halloween dance.† (In a cabana?) There was a silence. When Tanya spoke again, her voice was a sort of icy explosion. â€Å"How did you find out?† Gillian shrugged. â€Å"People who're good at spreading rumors can be a two-edged sword.† â€Å"I thought so. That brat Kim! Her and her mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then Tanya's voice changed. It became a voice with claws and Gillian could tell she was moving closer. â€Å"I suppose you're planning to tell David about this?† â€Å"Huh?† For a moment Gillian was too confused to follow Angel's directions. Then she got hold of herself. â€Å"Oh, of course I'm not going to tell David. That's why I'm telling you. I just want you to promise that you're not going to do anything like that anymore. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop telling people things about my mom-â€Å" â€Å"I'll do worse than that!† Suddenly Tanya was standing right behind Gillian. Her voice was a yelling hiss. â€Å"You have no idea what I'll do if you try to mess with me, you snotty little midget. You are going to be so sorry-â€Å" â€Å"No, I think you've done plenty already.† The voice came from the door. Gillian heard it, and in that instant she understood everything.

Understanding the Nazi Idea of Volksgemeinschaft

Understanding the Nazi Idea of Volksgemeinschaft The Volksgemeinschaft was a central element in Nazi thinking, although it has proved difficult for historians to determine whether this was an ideology or just a nebulous concept built from propaganda displays. Essentially the Volksgemeinschaft was a new German society which rejected old religions, ideologies, and class divisions, instead forming a united German identity based around ideas of race, struggle, and state leadership. The Racist State The aim was the creation of the Volk, a nation or people made up of the most superior of the human races. This concept was derived from a simplistic corruption of Darwinian and relied on Social Darwinism, the idea that humanity was composed of different races, and these competed with one another for dominance: only the best race would lead after a survival of the fittest. Naturally the Nazis thought they were the Herrenvolk- Master Race- and they considered themselves to be pure Aryans; every other race was inferior, with some like Slavs, Romany, and Jews at the bottom of the ladder, and while the Aryans had to be kept pure, the bottom could be exploited, hated and eventually liquidated. The Volksgemeinschaft was thus inherently racist and contributed greatly to the Nazi’s attempts at mass extermination. The Nazi State The Volksgemeinschaft didn’t just exclude different races, as competing ideologies were also rejected. The Volk was to be a one party state where the leader- currently Hitler- was accorded unquestioning obedience from his citizens, who handed over their freedoms in exchange for- in theory- their part in a smoothly functioning machine. ‘Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer’: one people, one empire, one leader. Rival ideas like democracy, liberalism or- especially repugnant to the Nazis- communism was rejected, and many of their leaders arrested and imprisoned. Christianity, despite being promised protection from Hitler, also had no place in the Volk, as it was a rival to the central state and a successful Nazi government would have brought it to an end. Blood and Soil Once the Volksgemeinschaft had pure members of its master race, it needed things for them to do, and the solution was to be found in an idealistic interpretation of German history. Everyone in the Volk was to work together for the common good but to do it in accordance with mythical German values which portrayed the classic noble German as a land working peasant giving the state their blood and their toil. Blut und Boden, Blood and Soil, was a classic summary of this view. Obviously, the Volk had a large urban population, with many industrial workers, but their tasks were compared to and portrayed as part of this grand tradition. Of course traditional German values went hand in hand with the subjugation of women’s interests, widely restricting them to being mothers. The Volksgemeinschaft was never written about or explained in the same way as rival ideas like communism, and may simply have been a highly successful propaganda tool rather than anything the Nazi leaders genuinely believed in. Equally, members of German society did, in places, show a commitment to the creation of the Volk. Consequently, we arent really sure to what extent the Volk was a practical reality rather than a theory, but Volksgemeinschaft does show quite clearly that Hitler wasnt a socialist or a communist, and instead pushed a race-based ideology. To what extent would it have been enacted if the Nazi state had been successful? The removal of races the Nazis considered lesser had begun, as had the march into living space to be turned into the pastoral ideal. Its possible it would have been put entirely in place, but would almost certainly have varied by region as the power games of the Nazi leaders reached a head.

Best Time to Send Email Backed By 14 Data-Driven Studies

Best Time to Send Email Backed By 14 Data-Driven Studies You probably  found this post  after looking through several others searching for a real answer to the question, When is the best time to send email? I say it that way because lots of sources out  there provide the same answer: It depends. And that answer isnt especially  helpful. So  read assured, youre going to find the information you need in this post. And youll also get a lot more. You see, the reason why you want to know the best times to send email- or the best days- is that you ultimately want more opens and more clickthroughs to get more traffic to your blog. And you want all of that because your email list is your most loyal audience wholl share your content once they read it, which creates the snowball effect of more traffic, more subscribers, and more customer conversions. Can you get  all of that by  sending your emails at the best time? Its a good place to start, so read this post to learn: The best day to send email. The best time to send email. How to  really know when your best time to send email is. How to get more opens with super compelling subject lines. How to get more clicks with even better messages and calls to action. Lets commence with the learnin. What 14 Studies Say About The Best Time To Send #EmailSnag Your Free Guide to Finding Email Sending Times + Email Calendar Bundle So, this post is packed with research findings on the best times. But, as with most things, what works best may vary between businesses and industries. With that in mind, how do you set the best schedule for your own newsletters? Start with the curated research in this post. Then, determine your own best times with this guide. When its time to start scheduling emails, use the bonus calendar template included, too. Download it now and youll be on your way to success. Schedule Every Email at the Best Time With The best way to schedule email is with a marketing platform built to get your team organized. Equipped with all-new email integrations, that platform is . With Email Marketing from , you can: Seamlessly integrate with your *favorite* email marketing platform. You already have a kick-a$$ email platform you know and love, so why give it up? With Email Marketing, you can easily connect your preferred email platform to with just a couple clicks. Write click-worthy email subject lines...every time.  With Email Marketing, you can use ’s *exclusive* Email Subject Line Tester to optimize and perfect every subject line to drive more  opens, more  clicks, and more conversions. Get full visibility into your ENTIRE  marketing strategy. Say â€Å"buh-bye† to disjointed marketing content (and constantly jumping from screen to screen). With Email Marketing, it’s easy to see how your email campaigns relate to the rest of your marketing strategy and quickly make adjustments if necessary. With Email Marketing, you can easily connect your preferred email platform (MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, Constant Contact, and ActiveCampaign) to with just a couple clicks. See how it works here. Or, if you're ready to try it yourself, snag a free trial. The Email Marketing Studies What's super cool about this sample of articles is that the research varies from studying billions (yes, seriously) of emails to more than 20 million, from case studies to  roundups. The data is diverse, but there are dots to connect that'll help you send emails  on the best days and at the best times. Here are the studies: MailChimp's insights for send time optimization. Customer.io's research on best day to send emails. GetResponse's research on the best day to send email. WordStream's research on the very best time to send email newsletters. GetResponse's research on the best days to send email newsletters. Experian's  email marketing benchmark. CampaignMonitor's research on the best time to send email campaigns. GetResponse's roundup of the best time and day to send email. HubSpot's best time to send a business email report. MailerMailer's report  on email marketing metrics. CNBC's findings from an interview with MailChimp's own John Foreman. SendInBlue's industry-specific research. General tips and advice from Constant Contact. Original findings from curated data by Propeller. And here's the analysis: 1. What Is The Best Day To Send Email? According to these studies, prioritize your send days in this order: Tuesday:  This is hands down the #1 best day to send emails  according to the majority of the data from these studies. Thursday: If you send two emails a week, choose Thursday for your second day. Wednesday: While no single study showed that Wednesday was the most popular, it came in second place several times. I'll note: Some of the studies mentioned high opens and clickthrough rates on Saturdays and Sundays. Well, those are also the days when the fewest emails are sent. So while the open rates may be higher in general, the actual number of emails opened is way lower. Not every study had visual representations of the data  in them, but you'll find it interesting to see the similarity among the graphs that were present. It's noteworthy  that most activity happens during the middle of the week with  only minor outliers. Here's that data: GetResponse found  the peak inbox activity happens on Thursdays. The second highest peak was on Wednesdays. MailChimp also found high open rates on Thursdays, with a second peak on Tuesdays. Further data from MailChimp and Wordstream suggests that  Thursday and Tuesday are the best days to send emails. Tuesdays get the most emails opened compared to any other day of the week though Saturdays may also be a good day to send email for its high open rate, according to data from Experian and analyzed by Customer.io. HubSpot found that Tuesday is the best day to send email, followed with a tie for Monday and Wednesday. MailerMailer found Tuesdays  win for opens, with Wednesday coming in at a close second. For clicks, Sundays win, with Tuesday coming in second place. Note that since Sunday has  lower  opens, it's likely easier to get that high of a clickthrough rate. Data from Dan Zarella and provided through GetResponse suggests sending emails on Saturday and Sunday and that it's best for both clicks and opens. 2. When Is The Best Time To Send Email? While many of the studies found varying results, here is how you can prioritize your send times based on data: 10 a.m.: While late-morning  send times were the most popular in general, several concluded that  the best time to send emails is at 10 a.m. Another  notable time  is  11 a.m. 8 p.m.-midnight: I bet you didn't expect that one. It looks like emails generally receive more opens and clicks later in the evening. As Campaign Monitor notes, this is likely  due to people checking their email before going to bed. 2 p.m.:  It looks like you might be successful by sending your emails later in the day as people are checking out of work mode or looking for distractions. 6 a.m.: I guess this makes sense since 50% of you begin your day by emailing in bed. Before you even stand up, you're opening emails. Good morning. Note: A lot of these articles mentioned time zones. The big takeaway is to choose the time zone for  the majority of your audience. If you're in the U.S., that's likely Eastern Time since  that time zone covers 50% of the population. If you're a local company,  send at these times in your own time zone. Take a look at the similarities in these graphs for a lot more detail on the analysis. Morning between 9–11 a.m. is definitely the best time to send email according to Campaign Monitor's research. It looks like there is a peak at 10 a.m. Campaign Monitor  sums it up by saying that 53% of emails are opened during the workday between 9 a.m.–5 p.m. MailChimp confirms with Campaign Monitor that sending emails  later in the morning between 10 a.m.–noon will get you the most opens.  It looks like the best time to send email is at 10 a.m. Surprisingly, different research from MailChimp and analyzed by Wordstream suggests there may also be a peak for opens in the afternoon. Wordstream says  2 p.m. is also a peak time to send email. Data from Experian and cited through Customer.io suggests  a similar approach to Wordstream's analysis to send emails later in the day. Customer.io found that email opens are highest from 8 p.m.–midnight, with a second peak between 4–8 p.m. Customer.io suggests that while it's a common practice to check  email in the mornings, most people are just beginning their day and may likely avoid email marketing in favor of productivity. HubSpot researched open times to find late morning tends to get the most opens. Send emails at 11 a.m. for the best results. Data from MailerMailer also suggests that sending emails in the late morning during work hours gets the best percentage of opens. Send your emails at 10 a.m. Dan Zarella's research, as analyzed by GetResponse, suggests 6 a.m. is a peak time to send emails, followed by late in the evening from 8 p.m.–midnight. 3. The Controversy Behind  What You Just Read Every one of the studies this post analyzes mentioned in some way that the best times  to send emails depends on  your own audience. Here's a memorable quote from Megan at Wordstream: That's the advice. Now ignore it. If that's true, then why do so many studies offer similar  information that suggests  sending emails on Tuesdays at 10 a.m.  will be the most successful? Furthermore, there may be differences between different businesses with different audiences. Here's a comparison chart of four different verticals from SendInBlue: Still, it does make sense to use these days and times to start a test for your own audience. As John from MailChimp notes: But keep in mind, the primary driver of engagement for your list is you: your content, your industry, the list you’ve uploaded. Both Megan and John  are right, though. And that's why you can use your own data and Google Analytics to help you send  email more effectively. Use these times as a starting point for sending #emails and then change where you need to. #blog4. Turn 'It Depends' Into A Real Answer Based On  Your Audience There are two phases to understand the best times to send email to your audience: Send emails at the best times as you just learned from this post. Analyze the data from your tests to see when you received the most traffic. It's really simple if you plan your work, then work your plan. Plan To Test The Best Days And Times With Your Audience Follow this outline to test  your days and times to send email. Regardless of how many emails you send during a week, you can walk through this process from first email to last email over the time frame that works best for you. It's like a checklist for the days and times you'll send your next 12 emails: Tuesday at 10 a.m. Thursday at 8 p.m. Wednesday at 2 p.m. Tuesday at 6 a.m. Thursday at 10 a.m. Wednesday  at 8 p.m. Tuesday at 2 p.m. Thursday at 6 a.m. Wednesday at 10 a.m. Tuesday at 8 p.m. Thursday at 2 p.m. Wednesday 6 a.m. That is now your plan for the next 12 emails you'll send to your subscribers. Keep in mind, research also shows that  23% of your subscribers will open emails within 60 minutes  after you send them. So It's fine to schedule your emails to send 30 minutes prior to the  peak time. Measure Your Email  Test's Success What you're really after is understanding how much traffic your emails are  contributing to your blog. After all, these are your most loyal readers who  read, share, and bring additional traffic to your site. So while you could go into your email service provider's dashboard to look at your open and clickthrough rates, an easier way to gauge the performance of your test is by using Google Analytics and reviewing your referral traffic from email. First, grab this free Google Analytics custom report to understand your  best days to send email available in your kit  that complements this blog post) When you first open this report, you'll simply set the start date and end date to the times when you ran the test. Then select Email. Once you click through to filter your data to show only referral traffic from email, you'll see the best days that are giving you the most traffic listed in order according to page views.  From there, you can click through again to see the best times by hour when you receive that traffic. This is probably the best place to start with your research. Something that has stuck with me from this analysis was a comment  from Mark Brownlow all the way back from 2009: Another trap is to think of "best day" and "best time of day" as two separate issues. The best time to send depends on the day you send it. And vice versa. That seems like good advice. But let's say you just want to know the general best time to send email by hour- without the day. Grab this  second Google Analytics custom report to measure your best time by hour only available in your kit that complements this blog post). Just like the first report, enter in the date range when you did your email test, then filter to see only referral traffic from Email. From there, you'll  see your best times to send email based on data from your own audience. It's that easy to set up your email test. But you  want even more traffic than you're already getting... so a good next step would be to get more opens. And the best  way to improve that is by writing even better email subject lines. Test your #email for the best times to send with free #GoogleAnalytics reports.5. How To Get More Opens From Your Email Subject Lines It's no secret that one of the primary drivers of opens is your email subject line. It's the part that usually stands out the most in your subscribers' inboxes right from the get-go, making your first impression for the content you're sending. So if opens lead to clickthroughs, and opens come from awesome email subject lines, let's explore a few data-driven ways to write those subject lines so they help you reach your goal to get more traffic. There is a lot of advice out there  to help you write better subject lines. Upon review, a lot of that advice has a lot in common. This analysis breaks down the best information I could find and compares it to some of 's open rates, too: HubSpot Digital Marketer Mequoda Constant Contact Let's get started. Use Your Headlines For Inspiration A while back, Garrett analyzed more than 1 million headlines and found that how to, list, and question headlines get more social shares than any other type of blog title. How to, list, and question headlines get more social shares than any other blog type. #bloggingNot surprisingly, the research for email subject lines suggests that these same three types of messaging tend to perform really well for getting opens. Examples: How To Make {Subject}  That Will  {Benefit} 21+ Ways To Grow Your  {Subject} Do You Think You Can {Benefit}? Recommended Reading:  Here Are The 101 Catchy Blog Title Formulas That Will Boost Traffic By 438% Your Subscribers Want To Know What's In It For Them There's an old adage  that helps marketers get into the heads of their audience: What's in it for me?  Judging from the data,  answering that question in your email subject line is an awesome way to increase your open rate. You could call  this a benefit, appealing to self-interest, or sharing your value proposition. The point is this: Make it clear what your audience will get if they just open your email to experience something they really desire. Examples: 5 Reasons Why You Should  {Subject} {Benefit}  While You Sleep [TEMPLATE] 10 Best  {Subject} Show Who They Could Be Like  After They Open Your Email Social proof helps your subscribers see themselves being successful- which works especially well  when they see others rocking your solution. So use your email subject line to appeal to the benefits of stories, case studies, examples, and testimonials scattered throughout your blog post. Examples: How {Name/Company}  does  {Subject} {Name/Company}  can afford any {Subject}, he uses  {Solution} How {Name/Company} Got {Number/Desirable Outcome} In {Number Of Days} Make It Unique To Stand Out In A Cluttered Inbox A lot of  successful email subject line examples suggest that uniqueness gets opens. Think of including jokes, humor, or something unexpected in your subject line- anything that arouses curiosity beyond the same-old, same-old. Examples: real {audience}  use  {solution} Discover the {solution} {Subject}, {subject}, and {unrelated subject}? Recommended Reading:  How To Build Your Brand With Humor So You’ll Feel Like A Human Make Them Move Fast The fear of missing out is a powerful motivator because it gets your subscribers thinking, "What do they know that I don't?" Showing a deadline, appealing to a sense of urgency, or even suggesting scarcity in your email subject line can help you increase your opens. Examples: Stop {Undesirable Current State} Now Copy and paste these {subject} [Last Chance] Discover the {solution} that will change your life today Make What You're Sending Sound Fresh It's true that blog posts that feel fresh or essentially reporting on the news in your niche get some of the most social shares of any type of content. In fact, news posts get the most social shares of any type of content (yes, seriously). When you write content that appeals to recent events in your industry, use those facts, subjects, and teasers in your email subject lines to spread the word quickly. Examples: {new subject}  (your first 3 steps) 5 Answers To The {New Subject} New {Subject}: What It Means For {Audience} Finally! {Company} releases {subject} Know The Mechanics Behind Successful  Email Subject Lines Length There is an old-school rule that email subject lines should be about 50 characters long. Since 54% of emails are opened on mobile devices, that seems like it's still a pretty good idea: The shorter your email subject line, the better. Case HubSpot calls it the "e.e. cummings subject line" and it's something copywriting master Joanna Wiebe  of CopyHackers does consistently: Write your email subject line in all lowercase. Joanna says this approach is more like how a friend or family member would email you, and she offers this advice for email subject line writing: So do yourself a favor and repeat after me: Nobody actually wants to hear from me. They only want to hear from their friends. Your task, then, is to sound as much like their trusted friends, colleagues and/or clients as you can†¦ without being tricky†¦ or gimmicky†¦ or lame. Follow that exercise for every subject line you write, and you'll get the opens you're shooting for. A Glimpse At Some Of 's Recent A/B Test For Email Subject Line Opens Nearly every email service provider lets you send A/B tests for your subject lines. You can do this same exercise for  your own subject lines to help you understand why your audience opens and improve all of your future subject lines. Simply write down your  winner and loser from the test, the difference in the results, and scrutinize the reason why your winner performed the best:Winner :D Loser :( Percent Difference Reason 8 Social Media Best Practices That Will Save You 25.5 Hours In A 2-Week Sprint You Can Save 25.5 Hours With These Social Media Best Practices 8% More specific, focused on the promise 101 Marketing Time Management Strategies That'll Help You Work Faster 101 Marketing Time Management Strategies That'll Boost Your Efficiency 6.6% Work faster is a term our actual audience uses to define their personal productivity goal 150+ Blog Ideas That Will Absolutely Kill Writers' Block 150+ Blog Ideas To Kill The Nightmare Of The Blinking Cursor 18% Writers' block is an undesirable state, while the winning subject line promises a solution How To Promote Your Blog With 105 Content Promotion Tactics 105 Ways To Promote Your Blog To Get More Traffic 17.6% Winner led with the subject How To Get More Followers With 21 Ways That Will Boost Your Social Media Traffic How To Get More Followers With 21 Unique Ways That Will Boost Your Reach 15.7% Traffic is a key word our audience uses to define success, not reachYou can see from these examples that we've been trying to strongly appeal to the benefits behind opening the email. Nearly all of these subject lines reuse the blog titles to test for the best-performing headlines. There is still room for improvement! Try Using the Email Subject Line Tester This free tool analyzes email subject lines and offers suggestions on how they can be improved. Try it here. Recommended Reading:  We A/B Tested Our Email Subject Lines For Months. Here’s What We Learned. 6. How To Get More Clickthroughs With Improved Email Writing Tips Once you get that email open, how can you get the most click-throughs from your subscribers to read your blog post? It's a good question that deserves a simple and data-driven answer. Plain Text Versus Visual Emails While your email subject line is one of the primary ways to get email opens, the design of your email can also impact your success. You might think that a designed email- or HTML-enhanced with a theme of some kind- would increase your opens and clickthroughs. But when HubSpot researched the idea of HTML versus plain text emails, they found that HTML emails actually decreased both their open and clickthrough rates. They  summarized their findings with a very bold statement: Aside from proper list segmentation, nothing boosts opens and clicks as well as an old school, plain-text email. Super surprising, right? Plain text emails perform better than an #email with a designed theme. #bloggingBut HubSpot  wasn't the only one to come to that conclusion. DIYthemes also testing a plain text version  of their e-newsletter which their subscribers absolutely loved. And when we at tested several HTML-enhanced  emails for the ones we use to announce new blog posts, we found that our plain text versions increased the amount of  opens by 3.5% while decreasing our clickthroughs by 2.12%. At first, you might think that data is a bit misleading, but that 3.5% increase in opens means that more overall subscribers are clicking through to read our content, despite the slight percentage drop in clickthroughs. So why is that? To bring up Joanna Wiebe's awesome point  from writing subject lines, it's because  plain text emails look more authentic and less spammy than HTML-enhanced emails. HubSpot came to the same conclusion in their research, hinting that email filters may be strong enough to weed out over-enhanced emails. If  Joanna  and HubSpot are right on those assumptions, then data backs it up. More of your subscribers see email as a 1-to-1  communication tool  that plain text messages seem to reflect while HTML-enhanced emails scream mass marketing. Takeaway: Send plain text emails rather than HTML-enhanced emails. Keep It Informal Another reason HTML-enhanced emails may perform slightly worse than plain text emails could be due to the fact that the message in the email itself often begins with gibberish. Let me explain. This is what HTML-enhanced emails look like before you open them: And this is what informal plain text emails look like before you open them: No one wants to feel like you're marketing to them, but rather, that they've opted in to receiving information that will help them. Email is a way for you to build trust with the audience that is the most likely to convert into real customers. So, how can you build that trust? Just write like you would to a friend.  It's just fine to start an email with Hey there. Let people into your lives a bit like this example of many from Noah Kagan: Now, I'm not saying you have to be super whimsical like Noah, but I know that he's built lists that have added up to seven figures of email subscribers (yes, that means more than  a million subscribers). So how does he  retain those email subscribers? By treating email as an avenue for a relationship. You read his emails and feel like you know the guy even if you've never met him. Takeaway: Write to your subscribers as if you were talking to your best friend.  Opt for you instead of one, forget yourself and focus entirely on your audience, and use contractions because that's probably just how you  talk anyway. Share The Reasons Why  Your Subscribers Should Click Through Focus your message  on explaining the value your subscribers will get when  they visit your blog post. Now, the value isn't the same as what your post covers, but answers the question,  what's in it for me? There are a few ways to do this: Appeal to your subscribers' biggest challenges: People avoid confronting their challenges because they're hard to deal with. Address the problem with an immediate solution (*ah hem* reading your post is the solution) to get more clickthroughs. Know how they measure success: Your subscribers have goals. When you share "How To Do  {Subject} To {Reach The Goal}" you'll immediately hook your subscribers. Use their own words to tell them what they wanna hear: Joanna Wiebe from Copyhackers  suggests that using the words your audience uses to define their problems and goals helps increase conversions. When we took that advice in building a landing page, we experienced a conversion rate of 27%. Yeah, that works. Now, if you don't know those things, chances are... you probably don't know your audience very well and that may reflect in your content. Here are three simple ways to get the information you need to write more effective emails: Survey:  This is hands down the #1 best way to understand your audience's goals, challenges, and the words they use to describe them. Use a free survey tool like Polldaddy to send your existing email subscribers  a survey with this one question: What is your biggest challenge as a {insert their role}? Blog comments: Monitor blog post comments to find common problems. You can continue the conversation by  probing with more questions to find out why those things are problems and what they're looking for as a solution. Social media: Listen to your followers when they participate in Facebook groups, Twitter chats, and LinkedIn groups. Spark up a conversation to dig deeper when necessary. Another  email writing tip involves a bit of simple psychology: Write your email in a way that helps your subscribers feel like they've already made the decision to click through to read your blog post. Write emails in a way that will make your readers feel like they decided to read your blog post.What does that mean? It means using  proven phrases like these... When you read this post... You'll learn... You will discover... ...because those phrases assume the subscriber will act on the advice you provide or they will feel the cognitive dissonance of knowing  they should have done something but they chose not to. That technique leads directly into a call to action your subscribers can envision themselves doing. For example, here's what that could look like for this post specifically: When you read this post, you'll grow your traffic by getting more email opens and more clickthroughs to your awesome content. When you read this post, you'll discover the best times and days to send your emails to grow your traffic. When you read this post, you'll also learn how to write better subject lines and messages that will get more clickthroughs. You see how each of those examples suggests that you will do the action, and that when you do, you'll solve a problem and get the benefits. And a final email writing tip: Keep 'em short. Some of our highest clickthrough rates come  from emails that are  three sentences long. Recommended Reading How To Write Cold Emails The Right Way The Ultimate Guide To Creating An Email Autoresponder Course Now You Know How To Get More Traffic From Email You just learned a ton of information that will help you get more traffic from email marketing. Here's a recap of the process: Send your emails on Tuesdays. Send them at 10 a.m. Test the best days and times to find out when your audience is most active with these two Google Analytics reports. Write compelling email subject lines that stand out. Use plain text emails and write messages that assume your subscribers have already clicked through to read your blog post. Where will you start?