Read Emma Watsons 2016 U.N. Speech on Gender Equality

Actress Emma Watson, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, has used her fame and activism to shine a spotlight on gender inequality and sexual assault at universities and colleges around the world. In September 2016, the Harry Potter star delivered a speech about the gender double standards that many women encounter when they study and work at universities.   This address was a followup to a speech she made two years earlier after launching a gender equality initiative called HeForShe at the U.N. headquarters in New York. Then, she focused on global gender inequality and the role that  men and boys must play to fight for justice for girls and women. Her 2016 speech echoed these concerns while specifically focusing on sexism in academia. Speaking Out for Women A feminist, Emma Watson used her September 20, 2016, appearance at the U.N. to announce the publication of the first  HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 University Parity Report. It documents the pervasiveness of gender inequality across the globe and the commitment 10 university presidents made to fight this problem. During her speech, Watson linked the gender disparities on college campuses to the widespread problem of sexual violence that many women experience while pursuing higher education. She said: Thank you all for being here for this important moment.  These men from all over the world have decided to make gender equality a priority in their lives and in  their universities. Thank you for making this commitment. I graduated from university four years ago. I had always dreamed of going and I know how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to do so. Brown [University] became my home, my community, and I took the ideas and the experiences I had there into all of my social interactions, into my workplace, into my politics, into all aspects of my life. I know that my university experience shaped who I am, and of course, it does for many people. But what if our experience at university shows us that women dont belong in leadership? What if it shows us that, yes, women can study, but they shouldnt lead a seminar? What if, as still in many places around the world, it tells us that women dont belong there at all? What if, as is the case in far too many universities, we are given the message that sexual violence isnt actually a form of violence? But we know that if you change students experiences so they have different expectations of the world around them, expectations of equality, society will change. As we leave home for the first time to study at the places that we have worked so hard to get, we must not see or experience double standards. We need to see equal respect, leadership, and pay. The university experience must tell women that their brain power is valued, and not just that, but that they belong among the leadership of the university itself. And so importantly, right now, the experience must make it clear that the safety of women, minorities, and anyone who may be vulnerable is a right and not a privilege. A right that will be respected by a community that believes and supports survivors. And that recognizes that when one persons safety is violated, everyone feels that their own safety is violated. A university should be a place of refuge that takes action against all forms of violence. Thats why we believe that students should leave university believing in, striving for, and expecting societies of true equality. Societies of true equality in every sense, and that universities have the power to be a vital catalyst for that change. Our ten impact champions have made this commitment and with their work we know they will inspire students and other universities and schools across the world to do better. Im delighted to introduce this report and our progress, and Im eager to hear whats next. Thank you so much. Reaction to Watsons Speech Emma Watsons 2016 U.N. speech on gender equality on college campuses has netted more than 600,000 YouTube views. In addition, her words garnered headlines from publications such as Fortune, Vogue, and Elle. Since the actress, a Brown University graduate, gave her speech, new challenges have emerged. In 2016, Watson was hopeful that the United States would elect its first female president. Instead, voters elected Donald Trump, who appointed Betsy DeVos as his education secretary. DeVos has overhauled how colleges respond to sexual assault claims, making procedures more difficult for victims, her critics argue. They say the proposed changes to Obama-era educational policies will make women more vulnerable on college campuses.

Aid, Policy And Growth - 1601 Words

Larry L. Day Aid, Policy and Growth: The Case of St. Lucia Abstract This paper takes a look at aid, policy and growth literature using data from St. Lucia, a country that received $24,000,000 US dollars in 2014. Our findings suggest that aid, in the presence of sound economic policy, does not contribute to growth in St. Lucia. However, this study does find statistical evidence to suggest that democratic governance and openness and monetary policy does impact the effectiveness of aid in St. Lucia. Politics, Governance and institutions in St. Lucia Saint Lucia is a Commonwealth realm; Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State, represented on the island by a Governor-General. Executive power, however, is in the hands†¦show more content†¦Today, there is a tremendous amount of literature on the relationship between aid and growth (Hudson, 2004). McGilivray provides a recent comprehensive survey of the theoretical and empirical literature on foreign aid and growth. (McGillivray, 2006) A study conducted by McGillivray demonstrates how aid to African countries not only increases growth but also reduces poverty. Furthermore, the author points out the important fact that continuously growing poverty, mainly in sub-Saharan African countries, compromises the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) main target of dropping the percentage of people living in extreme poverty to half the 1990 level by 2015. His research econometrically analyzes empirical, time series data for 1968-1999. The paper concludes that the policy regimes of each country, such as inflation and trade openness, influence the amounts of aid received. (McGillivray, 2006). Ouattara (Ouattara, 2006) analyzes the effects of aid flows on key fiscal aggregates in Senegal. The paper utilizes data over the period of 1970 – 2000 and primarily focuses on the interaction between aid and debt. The author determined three main outcomes of his study. First, that a large portion of aid flows, approximately 41%, are used to finance Senegal’s debt and 20% of the government’s resources are

Comparing Ways Poets Have Written About Love English Literature Essay free essay sample

The verse form I will discourse in this essay are: My Last Duchess and Porphyria s Lover as my primary comparings and The Passionate Shepherd and The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd as my secondary verse form. Both of my primary verse forms have been written by Robert Browning. Robert Browning lived from 1812-1889 and he was married to Elizabeth Barrett, another good known poet. Browning s manner of composing reflects the epoch he lived in. Browning s dramatic soliloquies are verse forms in which the words non merely convey puting and action but besides reveal the talker s character. The Passionate Shepherd to his Love was written by Christopher Marlowe who lived from 1564-1593. Marlowe was from Canterbury and he went to analyze in Cambridge and he may hold even been involved in espionage. Marlowe had an interesting but unhappily really short life as a consequence of a suspected bash in a tap house. Some people think that he did non decease in the tap house but he went to populate in Europe, some people besides think that he may hold written some of Shakespeare s work as Marlowe was besides a good known dramatist at the clip. The Nymph s Reply to the Shepherd was written by Sir Walter Raleigh in response to Marlowe s The Passionate Shepherd to His Love . Sir Walter Raleigh was a close intimate of Queen Elizabeth I and his answer to Marlowe s verse form was demoing him being realistic about love and outlooks of love. In both poems a cardinal character refers to the slaying of their married woman or lover. In the verse form it is through their descriptions of this action that the characters are conveyed. In Porphyria s lover the adult males character and presence appears concealed in a province of oblivion until Porphyria arrives I listened with bosom tantrum to interrupt this gives an feeling that he is obsessional about Porphyria and has no control over his life and that the storyteller has strong emotions towards his love. It is Porphyria s presence that lights up his life. It is she who murmurs how she loved me in other words Porphyria appears to be the active spouse. It is Porphyria who is doing the picks. He sees himself when run intoing with Porphyria as silent and passive. When no voice replied she put my arm about her waist , which suggests that she is commanding his actions. It is besides relevant that we know this supporter as Porphyria s Lover he does non even hold his ain name. W hen he is certain that Porphyria worshipped him my bosom swelled and this makes him determined to take control and do her mine it is merely at this point he is able to be active, and this is when he strangles her. It is as if by making so he retrieves himself to experience like a adult male. It is merely after her decease that he can experience content. It is as if he is a character in a fairy narrative and has rescued Porphyria from an evil enchantment. By killing her he has saved her. He is certain that she would be glad it has its uttermost will he still sees this slaying as an action done for her her darling one want would be heard the reader is still unsure as to the talker s ain want, to kill his love or pin down her forever. In a sense he does non look to understand that he has murdered Porphyria. But sees that she has killed herself and he is passively accepting the state of affairs. The supporter s logical thinking makes sense to him, he appears at times exulting. He i s certain that he has power over this adult female as her lover to make up ones mind whether she lives or dies, as so does the duke in My last Duchess , nevertheless, whereas the lover in Porphyria s lover appears weak and wants to recover power the duke is in absolute control. It becomes clear merely in line 45 that the duke gave bids and killed his first married woman. The duke is talking to the minister plenipotentiary of the count who has come to set up the duke s following matrimony and the duke is anticipating a dowery. The fact that the duke is ready to acknowledge that he killed his first married woman because she was excessively nice confirms that the duke is confident that he is above the jurisprudence. It is chilling that the minister plenipotentiary is prepared to sell this immature miss to a liquidator. The duke says .the counts munificence/ is ample warrant that no merely pretension of mine for dowery will be disallowed . This barely disguises his greed and material istic grounds for get marrieding. He is unconvincing when he says that it is his just girl s ego that is his object . Worryingly this future married woman sounds as if she will fall in the other objects in his art gallery as an object . The duke wants for entire control and is happier uncovering a picture of his last married woman than her world. He makes the point that no 1 can open the drape but him and so he has power over the image. The emotion he feels seldom breaks through. He appears wholly cold. In contrast to Porphyria s lover who is unprompted, the duke appears to move intentionally and carefully. His choler surfaces as he describes his last duchess s reaction to an officious sap who dared to offer her a clump of cherries. The duke is outraged by his married woman and expects his hearer to hold. He is most pained that she smiled at retainers as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred twelvemonth old name with anyone s gift . From this comment we see that he sees his p osition as most of import. He has a really fixed thought of how he and his married woman should act ; he will non stoop and believes merely inquiring his married woman non to smile would be stooping . The duke is so pretentious that he feels uncomfortable in inquiring person to halt stooping He would prefer her dead. Both these verse forms manage to give a really strong sense of the characters of the adult females they have killed. Both adult females appear faultless. The trigger for Porphyria s lover to strangle Porphyria is when he realises that she loves him. Porphyria enters her lover s bungalow and makes it warm ; she attempts to do him comfy. She acts more like the adult male in the relationship, her hair is moist and she has been outside enduring the cold and wet, whereas he has been indoors waiting for her. The functions are reversed, it is she who murmurs how she loves him. In contrast the duchess appears feminine. As the duke criticizes this adult female, the reader is convinced of her comeliness, to easy impressed . It is as if the duke is falsifying linguistic communication as honest and good words earnest a bosom excessively shortly made sword lily are turned into bad. She is non a prig and does non value herself harmonizing to her name. Whilst Porphyria s lover believes his sla ying to be Porphyria s dearest want , the duke has no involvement in his duchess s want. The thought procedures of the duke and the lover are suggested in the verse form through punctuation. Punctuation creates interruptions and run on lines. In My Last Duchess the punctuation seldom agrees with the beat or rime. This makes the rime and beat less obvious. It sounds more like a address than verse though in fact he speaks in riming pairs and utilizing iambic pentameter. In line 25 for illustration sir, twas all one! My favor at her chests, / the dropping of the twenty-four hours light in the West, / the bow of cherries some interfering fool/ broke in the orchid for her. Here the punctuation varies and the interruptions are non predictable. So they interrupt the formal beat of the verse form. This makes it clear the emotion he seeking to mask through his formal address. The beat and rime in Porphyria s Lover is much more evident and the interruptions less frequent. As we read we are lulled by the beat which is besides iambic. It is as if we are sing the music construct up in a horror film and all of a sudden he says and strangled her the knock of the horror hits you, the rime is broken and the interruption in the line interrupts the beat. This confirms the talker s agitated province. Having killed her, the beat returns to its hypnotic iambic round, which contrasts with his hideous action. The horror of the actions of both supporters is made more convincing by the strong feelings given of the topographic point. In Porphyria s Lover the outside tears the elm tops down for malice . The conditions is cruelly destructive which reflects the lover s ain temper. The bungalow that he sits in rapidly warms up when Porphyria enters. Again the house reflects his ain temper. The Duke and the envoy sit in the Duke s gallery and expression at the art. He points in the beginning to a picture of his married woman and the terminal of the verse form in the same tone points at a sculpture of Neptune. This shows that he looks at his married woman as holding the same importance as his art. Though both the duke and the lover kill their lovers they do so for different grounds. The duke because he does non wish his married woman plenty, as he is Obs and has paranoia over his married woman, and the lover because he loves her excessively much. However both the duke and the lover appear mad. He loved her so much that he go haunted she s mine, mine mine which led him to go brainsick and from going loony he convinced himself that by killing her he was assisting her. Contrastingly, the duke had trouble in get bying with the attitude and personality of his married woman. The duke is really cold he gave commands he did nt even care about killing her he does non see her as homo. He says then all smilings stopped together and so he was satisfied. In The Passionate Shepherd to his Love , Christopher Marlowe instantly shows his stance on his place with his love, Come live with me . This shows merely how eager the shepherd is and so there is a intermission where he goes on to state, aˆÂ ¦and be my love . This is more of a soft tone and softens what has merely been said. In the following line there are two utilizations of initial rhyme, And we will all the pleasances proveaˆÂ ¦ , and the w s and p s add a persuasive definite feel to the poetry. In the last two lines of this stanza, Marlowe lists all the things the Nymph and the shepherd will make together, and by naming them, he is doing it look as though there is an astonishing assortment of landscape to bask. These countries he is naming are all dramatic, natural pleasances and have non been changed by adult male, nil is unreal. When it says, aˆÂ ¦or steepy mountain outputs . The shepherd is demoing that there is an excess sense of freedom and that to gether, the Nymph and himself will bask the natural beauties. The pastoral nature of this verse form shows the tradition of love and shepherd s. The verse form was really successful at the clip because many people related love and the countryside. The Nymph s Reply to Marlowe s verse form is instead flooring. She starts by altering what the shepherd has merely said to what she thinks is world. In the first line, If all the worldaˆÂ ¦ , the Nymph uses the word if as this shows her interior negative dubious feelings about what the shepherd has merely offered. The following line starting, And truth in every shepherd s lingua , shows that the Nymph is connoting that work forces lie and the shepherd is lying to her. She thinks that everything that the shepherd is stating is unreal and bogus and she is seeking to do him see sense. The immature lady speaks sardonically about pretty pleasances , which are words, which she has taken from the shepherd s verse form, but has twis ted them. This is meant to be sarcastic, but without being excessively acrimonious, nevertheless, she is stating it with a sense of sorrow that it is non true. I think that the immature lady would truly wish to populate like that. Besides in pretty pleasances there is an initial rhyme of the p as this emphasises her negative temper by reiterating the initial rhyme that Marlowe used. Raleigh so uses, might me travel , and this is once more based on what the shepherd said. May move and may thee moveaˆÂ ¦ , here there is besides a instance of initial rhyme but with a negative feel from the Nymph, underscoring her uncertainty and sorrow. At the terminal of this line there is an enjambement, as the poet wants there to be a streamlined consequence, to underscore the procedure of traveling in with the shepherd. This highlights the irony and the fact that she will non be populating with him. Raleigh so finishes with, aˆÂ ¦and be my love , as this mimics the beginning of t he shepherd s verse form and underscores that the Nymph is stating she will non be his love. These verse forms are about love but deviant or pervert the thought that love is good. Porphyria s lover s obsessional love where he wants to sublimate his love by taking her life gives a sense that love is destructive instead than good. The duke does non look capable of love and does non anticipate love but because his married woman is capable of loving him and the remainder of the universe he feels bitterness. The Passionate Shepherd to his Love shows true but idealistic love nevertheless the Nymph s Reply quashes the love by being a realist and by stating that the love the shepherd wants is non possible.

NAVIGATING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL PROCESS PART 1 OF 3 - The Writers For Hire

NAVIGATING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL PROCESS: PART 1 OF 3 To Bid or Not to Bid You’ve just received a Request for Proposal (RFP). You’re elated. It’s a sizable contract; capturing the contract and the customer’s repeat business would be an enormous leap forward for your company. Then you begin to look at the RFP. It’s a 100-page document full of jargon, legalese, and pages upon pages of requirements you may never have fulfilled — at least on this scale — and the elation fades to doubt. When you see the proposal deadline, a mild panic sets in. Where do I begin? Should we even try to tackle this? How should I put the best team together? How can we pull this off with the least stress and the most efficiency? These are the questions we’ll address during this three-part blog series. Take a deep breath, and follow these first steps toward a thorough, well-managed proposal process.   First Things First Remember, a Request for Proposal is just that: a request. You are not obligated to respond, and, depending on the requirements outlined in the RFP, you may not want to respond. The first question to ask is whether this contract will truly benefit your company. Daniel Hewitt, a Process Safety Specialist with a Houston-area engineering firm, emphasizes, â€Å"This is a question you should take very seriously. Not all contracts are worth pursuing. No matter how big the contract, no project is worth pursuing when it is doomed from the start or is likely to damage your reputation.† Answering this question requires a thorough analysis of the RFP and some legwork on your part.   Analyzing the RFP Before making a decision about submitting a proposal, you must begin gathering information. Calmly read the RFP from cover to cover. Use a highlighter, write questions in the margins, take notes, and study it. Be thoroughly familiar with it before taking it to other people in your organization to avoid misinforming anyone involved. Watch for buried requirements. Requirements may be lurking in a footnote, a table, or in very small print beneath a drawing; missing them can cost money or hold up the project. Paul Munger, 30-year employee and project estimator for Dallas-based T W Design, illustrates this point. â€Å"For example, your company may ordinarily paint the machinery for its contracts. An asterisked note in 6-point type says something is to be powder coated. If you were to paint it and then be told by the client it was to have been powder coated, it could be very costly. And your company would have to absorb the costs.† Look for information that is not there. â€Å"Often there is information missing from the RFP that may be critical to project delivery,† Hewitt said. â€Å"Make a list of any questions you have concerning what seems to have been left out. Bring up any concerns you have about missing information with those who may be affected: the estimator, the procurement manager, the person who will head up the project if the contract is won, and the person in charge of company or contract finances.† Note the deadline for asking questions. The company issuing the RFP will typically answer questions and clarify items in the RFP — up to the designated cutoff point. Companies handle these requests for clarification differently. Some answer an individual company’s question(s) independently. Some route the response via email to everyone on the bid list. Others hold a meeting to which all bidders are invited, and questions are answered at the meeting. â€Å"Just be sure to submit your questions prior to the deadline,† Munger said. â€Å"Only rarely will you be able to ask anything afterward.† Scrutinize contract terms and up-front costs. For example, Marion Winsett, a career sales manager in oilfield equipment, said, â€Å"Does the contract require that you or any subcontractor post a performance bond?† Winsett recalls a contract his company bid on and lost. The RFP stipulated that a particular subcontractor be included on the project. It further required that the subcontractor post a $1 million performance bond. The subcontractor refused to agree to the performance bond, and the workaround Winsett’s company offered in its proposal was rejected. â€Å"Our failure to come to an agreement on that single issue cost us a huge contract.† Munger recommends paying attention to any other type of mandated insurance and specifications requiring a longer warranty period than is normally offered. â€Å"Check with the procurement manager regarding the cost of additional warranty coverage,† he advised. â€Å"When you find a company willing to offer an extended warranty, it is likely to cost more or require extra lead time.† Addressing contract terms up front is extremely important, Hewitt said. â€Å"A lump sum or turnkey contract must be examined with a fine-toothed comb. If the RFP is not well thought out, and your questions related to missing information are not resolved early on, that is a huge red flag.† Perhaps you shouldn’t respond, as committing to a poorly defined project could seriously affect project success. Assess the resources required and the contract schedule. Make note of the number of resources and the sequence in which resources will be required. You may want to involve subcontractors rather than increase your workforce or try to expand your services. How many employees and/or subcontractors will be needed at project startup? When will the resource curve be at its height, and how many resources will be needed? What about closeout? â€Å"Ask the contract manager to estimate resource requirements and immediately apprise you of potential roadblocks,† Munger advised.   If subcontractors are required, a team must be assembled to source and select the subcontractors immediately after the determination to bid the contract has been made. This team is often independent of the team writing the proposal team. The subcontractor selection team may be members of your sales force, as they likely have existing relationships with subcontractors. Winsett stresses the importance of working closely with the subcontractor(s). â€Å"The selection team and the subcontractor must agree to the terms in the RFP. Terms stipulated in the RFP that the subcontractor sees as roadblocks must be addressed immediately.†   Understand what it will take to do the job. If the RFP calls for designing, building, repairing, or otherwise providing something that is not an item you normally provide, make sure that your estimate accounts for those things. â€Å"Consult a representative of the labor force to determine how the task might be accomplished,† Munger suggested. Make a list of the materials required and the associated specifications. If your company has an estimator and a purchasing agent, now is the time to seek their input. Give the RFP, the list of standard materials, and the projected labor requirements to the estimator. Ask the estimator to read the RFP and let you know if he or she thinks you’ve underestimated your ballpark resource hours or failed to note some critical materials or equipment. If the RFP calls for any nonstandard items, take your list of nonstandard items to the purchasing agent. Ask the purchasing agent to read the RFP to double-check your list and to let you know immediately if there are issues related to product availability, backorders, and long lead times. If your company doesn’t have a designated estimator or purchasing agent, enlist whatever help you can get so that issues regarding the cost of materials and any nonstandard items can be addressed immediately. It’s Time to Decide As soon as you have read the RFP and received some key players’ assistance, head straight to the person with the purse strings. Discuss the terms of the RFP regarding up-front costs, terms of payment, and additional staffing. After your discussions with the financial officer, the estimator, and the project manager, Hewitt emphasizes that you should have a â€Å"Go/No-Go meeting.† This meeting should include the persons just mentioned and any others you’ve involved who may have foreseen a red flag on the RFP, as well as the top decision-maker for your company or division. Brainstorm how issues in financing, staffing, and materials acquisition might be resolved. â€Å"Set aside your belief in how important this client’s business might be,† Hewitt said. â€Å"Consider whether the roadblocks you’ve identified could actually result in project failure, a damaged reputation, or financial loss.† You must resolve the issues or agree to pass on this one. Next in this series: We’re Going Forward. What Next?   If you’ve struggled with previous proposals — possibly in the form of all-nighters, frustrated teams, and a mess of email miscommunication — then you know just how wrong proposal preparation can go.   Setting up the right team from the start can mean the difference between smooth writing and proposal hell. From sales reps to SMEs, learn who should be on your proposal team to keep the writing on track and help secure a winning bid.