Sep
29
The notion of civil society is one that comes around cyclically, entering into the public discourse at key times, and then leaving once it has established itself in terms of definitions and frameworks. Interestingly, it is one of those notions whose definitions shift considerably each time, suggesting that it is rather fluid, almost like the notion of society shifts over time. For most definitions, there is a sense that it is a sense of public obligation, and a certain commitment to public and social institutions, and particularly those that lie outside of the realms of business or government.
In fact, it is usually quite explicit in most definitions that civil society must necessarily lie beyond the scope of government and business. This suggests that it is something whose definition is better produced through negative relief, from what it is certainly not rather than what it certainly is. It’s rather difficult to find definitions that do encompass what it certainly is, because the notion of civil is something that changes perhaps more than society. Or better, it is entirely dependent on the social structures that decide what civil actually means for a particular time and place. Generally, it refers to those behaviors that make public life possible without limiting anyone’s liberties. Its particular definitions are often drawn into question when there are significant cultural shifts underway, and when the public is questioning what it means to be a citizen.
This means, then, that a decision to transform a row of buildings on a busy public street by decorating their windowsills with vinyl vertical blinds can be an issue for civil society. This is particularly true if the window dressings are chosen in order to present the town to itself in a positive and pleasing light, adding touches of charm in order to make the public atmosphere more endearing to its citizenry. By the same token, a decision to transform public buildings with window blinds in order to cut down on heating costs is a matter that lies outside of the interests of civil society.
In that sense, it becomes a little clearer that these definitions are largely circumstantial. Although that may be a little surprising, it is entirely consistent with the nature of public life in general. Notions and definitions are never comfortable living in absolute realms for very long, especially when it comes to public discourse, and they necessarily depend on instances and examples in order to reach a deeper level of the collective consciousness. In this respect, then, civil society is a notion that is always on the verge of becoming, like a view through a window blind on a particularly sunny morning.
Sep
24
Almost every adult can attest to being bullied as a child. It can be a very traumatic experience that damages a child  leaving them with no self-confidence and mentally unable to concentrate in their school work. Bullying involves being picked on by another child or children. It may involve pushing, kicking around, threatening them, making nasty remarks, sidelining them and so on. Victims of bullying are ashamed to admit they are suffering and may go through the act for years before finally confessing to being a victim. While many try to forget the bullying, it stays with them in their subliminal minds for the rest of their lives.
In the past three years, cases of bullying in North America have increased and the latest is by Jamey Rodemeyer, a fourteen year old who killed himself after being bullied for years. He had joined an anti-website and posted a video advising others his age to love themselves and all will be well.
Bullying happens in all schools all the time. Different states are passing laws that criminalize parents whose children engage in bullying. This move forces parents to talk to their children about bullying and that it is an unacceptable behavior in schools and society.
Bullying affects children even into adulthood. The victims of bullying end up being very depressed, antisocial and having poor self-esteem. They may find it difficult to form friendships and even dating may become hard for them. The bullies who get a kick out of hurting other children may go into adulthood as criminals who commit theft, vandalism and even picking fights with other people. These same individuals are likely to become workplace bullies. Victims of bullying are sensitive about any altercations with other people. They may miss work and college if they feel a current situation to be similar to what they went through as a child.
Most schools in the United States are adopting anti bullying initiatives. These involve training teachers and parents to look out for bullying behavior and to report it immediately. Most schools know that victims of bullying are unable to concentrate in school and may join adulthood as drug abusers. If children feel that nothing is being done to alleviate the bullying they go through, they may commit suicide. It is the responsibility of the school and state governments to pass legislation that prohibits bullying of children. A school should provide a safe environment where children will not be bullied based on their sexuality, race, national origin, religion and ethnic background.
Sep
21
Most people associated major software needs with large companies, corporations or other major organizations, such as health care systems or government offices. And while it is certainly true that all of the above mentioned fields have standard software and database needs, and are likely to have some IT personnel on staff, almost any type of business can benefit from a quality software program. In addition, the technological needs of various industries is stronger and more diverse than what most people would imagine. For instance, if you’re planning to start a non-profit theatre company, you will have both software and technology needs that will be essential for your success. Marlabs, Inc is an excellent resource not only for assisting with theatrical databases, but also the software needs of diverse businesses and various fields. This is an extremely competitive world we’re all trying to succeed in, and it’s just as important to remain competent in various technological aspects as it is to have the best product or service available.
One of the obvious ways in which a theatre company uses technology is on the stage itself. In an large and elaborate production, the recent Broadway fiasco that is Spiderman comes to mind, there is a tremendous amount of sophisticated technology in play with the performers. And at a vary basic level, you will want to have the most advanced lighting and sound system that you can afford, both of which are always changing due to advances in technology. Regardless of the size of your theatre or the types of productions you’ll want to stage, there are certain technological demands that will be incorporated into your budget.
If you’re a new theatre company , one of the first things you’re going to want to do is develop a strong database of patrons and funding sources. This can all be part of the same program, and as many theatres rely strongly on the donations of private individuals, this information can easily overlap. A comprehensive database might include various information on the preferences, lifestyle habits and other individual information on audience members and potential patrons that relates to their specific interest in attending any given production. In addition, season subscribers can be recognized and audience members that are also private contributors can be designated. With a quality database, all of these people or those from a select population can be accessed through a simple query. A single search can separate single production attendance from seasonal subscribers and also from private donators or it can pull them all together. This is just a fraction of potential benefits a quality database built by a professional company, as is testified by Marlabs testimoniials will due for a theatre company.
Sep
8
Nobody likes to talk about bankruptcy, because it’s what happens when you’re up against a wall and have no other clear options. While filing for bankruptcy isn’t something you should do without serious thought, sometimes you’ve got no other choice. So let’s talk about how you can tell if bankruptcy is right for you, and how you can handle the situation if this is a step you need to take.
You’re a good candidate for bankruptcy if:
*You’re young enough that you’ll still be using your credit in 7 years, but you don’t expect to depend on your credit in the interim. Bankruptcy falls off your record then, and if you’ve made serious mistakes this can be a reasonable time frame to get your life back under control. Keep in mind that while a bankruptcy is on your record, it will be harder to get any kind of loan, many kinds of jobs, and even to rent an apartment.
*You can’t set aside enough money within five years to pay off your unsecured debts, particularly medical bills and credit card payments. If you can bite the bullet and set up payment plans, it will be easier and look better on your credit history.
*Your creditors are sick of talking to you. In an ideal scenario, you could negotiate with each of your creditors to set up payment plans. However, if they’re taking or threatening to take legal action to seize your home, your car, your business or any other assets you may have, bankruptcy can be your best defense.
Here are some ways you can keep things together and handle bankruptcy.
1. Pay the bills you can, such as utilities, on time. The more stability you can keep in your life, the more quickly you can rebuild your credit.
2. Don’t move money around in an attempt to hide it from the court. First, it won’t work because courts see a lot. Second, trying to shift money around is illegal. Consult an attorney before you move any money during or right before your bankruptcy.
3. Cut down to one credit card, and pay it off immediately. If you know you can’t trust yourself to use credit cards, go to all cash for awhile. That way when your money devoted to a particular purpose is gone, you literally can’t spend any more. Interest payments add up and it may be worth it to visit one of the many free compound interest calculator sites to figure out just how much you are paying in interest.
4. Work on changing your habits, and understand how you contributed to this. Sometimes it comes down to bad luck, but in most cases a bankruptcy is a result of something you’ve done for a long time.
5. Be truthful, both with yourself and others. Bankruptcy is painful for a reason — hopefully you won’t have to do it again! When a potential employer or landlord asks about your bankruptcy, be honest about why it happened and why it’ll never happen again.
If you follow these tips, you’ll never be a good candidate for bankruptcy again.
Sep
1
In the second decade of the world wide web it is expected that building a website is a necessary part of launching a new company. In many cases, the website is crucial to the company’s bottom line: online retailers are the prime example of this. Without an attractive, intuitive, and working website, they will not be able to make their sales. They are not the only ones. In 2011 it is vital that any new business have a website up and running as soon as they open their doors.
Launching a company’s web presence used to mean making sure that there was a simple webpage with an address and phone number. Today companies have to look beyond having a good web design team. They need to create and coordinate profiles across various social media and networking sites. Identifying which sites are appropriate for a given industry and company and ensuring that all the profiles are properly branded and are found by the search engines is a job for an SEO or internet marketing firm.
It is the responsibility of the business itself to oversee the work of both web designers and SEO professionals. In addition to providing direction and inspiration, the owner of the company needs to provide content, logos, images and other media for use in building both the main website and any additional web properties. They are also the final arbiters of any web strategy decisions. They control the budget and must decide where to spend both money and the valuable time of their employees.
Take for example Starlight Apartments. They are a real estate management company that operates across Canada. Their CEO, Daniel Drimmer, has been working for months to build the framework of the company, amassing a portfolio of over 5500 residential rental units and over 300,00 square feet of commercial real estate. He has also overseen a team working to establish the company’s web presence. The result is the successful launch of both the company and its website on Septemeber 1, 2011.
At the heart of the virtual launch is RentStarlight.com. This site seeks to provide Candian apartment hunters with a variety of tools to help them locate the perfect home. Visitors can take interactive property tours of available units to help them narrow their options. The site also boasts the ability to filter searches based on rooms, amenities, and location. Best of all, the site is easily accessed on mobile browsers for those using smart phones or tablets to search the web.  photo by Gary J Wood A full web presence is more than just the base website and Starlight has recognized that. The company has launched a YouTube Channel, StarlightApts which features videos of available properties. They will also make use of Flickr for sharing apartment photos and floorplans, Starlight’s Twitter account for providing live updates and announcements, and Facebook for connecting with residents and community members. All these properties are registered and branded and being populated with relevant content that will help potential tenants easily find the company across the web.
Each new company will have to make its own choices about which social sites to leverage. Depending on the nature of their industry and their projected customer base, they may consider using LinkedIn, FourSquare, or the soon to be revamped MySpace. They may decide to create and maintain a blog or create podcasts or ebooks. The point is that they must devote time during their startup phase towards planning and building their web presence, because that is the way to reach customers from day one.
|
