10 Helpful WordPress Zapier Recipes and Tips to Automate Your Site

Want to automate key tasks at your WordPress site to save time and simplify your workflows? With the WordPress Zapier recipes and tips that Ill share in this post, youll be able to connect your WordPress site to a ton of different websites, tools, and apps, to automate WordPress in some neat ways.Ill start with a very brief introduction to what Zapier is, in case youve never heard of this wonderful tool. Then, Ill get into some of the most helpful WordPress Zapier recipes you can start using today. If youre not familiar with Zapier, its a tool that lets you connect two different apps together.For this example, one of those apps is your WordPress site. As for the other app thats what this post is about!Zapier supports thousands of apps, so youll be able to connect your WordPress site to:Social media networksEmail marketing servicesCRMsGoogle Docs/Sheetsplus a whole lot more!Each connection is called a recipe. So a WordPress Zapier recipe is just one specific connection between your W ordPress site and another tool.Ten helpful WordPress Zapier recipes and ideas to automate your siteReady for the fun part? Here are some of the best WordPress Zapier recipes (or ideas for recipes) that you can start applying today.When possible, Ill share a link to the Zapier recipe page so that you can use the premade template, rather than setting up each WordPress Zapier recipe from scratch. And for each recipe, Ill also share the relevant actions and triggers.If youre not sure how to use these actions and triggers in WordPress Zapier recipes, Ill give you a quick tutorial for that at the end of the post.1. Automatically share WordPress posts to social mediaOne of the simplest uses for Zapier is to automatically share your new WordPress posts on social media.You can set it up so that whenever you publish a new WordPress post, Zapier automatically shares that post on:FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedInEtc.Each social network is technically a separate recipe, but Im lumping them all to gether for simplicitys sake.Alternatively, you can also automatically add posts to Buffer, from which you can push them out to any of your social channels.Trigger: New Post (WordPress)Action: Choose your preferred social network (or click the links above)2. Post Instagram or YouTube content straight to WordPressZapier can also help you go in the other direction.For example, maybe you want to automatically share your Instagram content or YouTube videos on your WordPress site as blog posts.Rather than doing this manually, you can use Zapier to automatically create a new WordPress post whenever you share a new image on Instagram or publish a new YouTube video.Another option would be to grab an RSS feed for those sources and import RSS feed items as blog posts.Trigger: New content on Instagram or YouTubeAction: Create Post (WordPress)3. Get notifications for WordPress comments or WooCommerce ordersZapier includes a WordPress trigger that lets you kick off a recipe when theres a new comm ent at your site.You can use this to automatically get comment notifications in a few different ways. For example, you could receive:Slack notificationsText messagesEmailsEtc.Similarly, you can also use Zapiers WooCommerce actions to trigger notifications for new WooCommerce orders. Again, you can receive these notifications via any app/method that Zapier supports.Trigger: New Comment (WordPress) or New Order (WooCommerce)Action: Choose your preferred notification channel4. Automatically add new WordPress users to your CRMIf you allow public registration like a membership site or an online course you can use Zapier to automatically add new users to your CRM of choice.With Zapiers New User WordPress trigger, you can pass information from new users to any of the CRM tools that Zapier supports.Trigger: New User (WordPress)Action: Choose your preferred CRM and the relevant action5. Create new Trello cards from WordPress postsHere at ThemeIsle, we use Trello to organize all of our edit orial efforts. If you do the same, there are a number of ways that you can use Zapier to connect your Trello boards with WordPress.Here are some ideas. You can create a cardIn a Promoting board after you publish a post (heres an example recipe)To have your designer make a featured image when you save a post as PendingWhenever you save a new draft (e.g. as you start to create a new post)Trigger: New Post (WordPress)Action: Create Card (Trello)**Zapier has other helpful Trello actions, too. For example Add Members to Card, Update Card, Move Card, etc.6. Make a front-end post submission form with Google FormsWant visitors to your site to be able to submit new WordPress posts or custom post types? Normally, youd need a pricey premium form plugin for that.But with Zapier, you can set it up for free so that whenever a user submits something via Google Forms (or some other form tools), you can automatically turn that information into a WordPress post (or custom post type).Youll also be ab le to choose whether or not to automatically publish the content, or hold it for moderation.Trigger: New Response in Spreadsheet (Google Forms)Action: Create Post (WordPress)7. Back up WordPress posts or media to cloud storageWhile you should certainly have a separate backup process in place for your entire site, Zapier includes some neat features to back up the text of your blog posts or the media that you upload, which might come in handy in the future.Trigger: New Post (WordPress) or New Media (WordPress)Action: Choose your preferred cloud storage service (e.g. Dropbox or Google Drive)8. Add new WooCommerce orders to a Google SheetIf youre running a WooCommerce store, you might want to get your order data into Google Sheets for further analysis. With Zapier, you can automatically add new orders straight to your chosen spreadsheet.Theres a premade recipe for that here. Or, you can also do something similar with Trello.Trigger: New Order (WooCommerce)Action: Create Spreadsheet Row (Google Sheets)9. Connect WordPress forms to ZapierMany WordPress form plugins include dedicated Zapier integrations that let you connect form submissions to any of the apps on Zapier.Unfortunately, these integrations are often not free, but they do let you get creative with custom WordPress Zapier recipes based on your WordPress forms.Examples of form plugins with Zapier integrations are:WPFormsGravity FormsNinja Forms10. Get creative with your own WordPress Zapier recipesThe really great thing about Zapier is that its so flexible. That is, the ideas in this post are just scratching the surface. So once you get the hang of things, I encourage you to consider creating your own recipes.In total, Zapier gives you the following triggers and actions for WordPress†¦Triggers:You can start recipes based on any of the following conditions.New†¦CommentPostTaxonomyPost typeUserComment StatusCategoryPost FormatAuthorPost StatusMediaActions:Based on a trigger from another tool, you ca n perform the following actions at your WordPress site:Create PostUpload MediaBeyond that, WooCommerce also has its own set of triggers and actions. And if you want even more triggers and actions, the Uncanny Automator plugin adds triggers and actions for tools like bbPress, LearnDash, The Events Calendar, and a lot more.Sobrowse the full collection of Zapier apps. Then, come up with some unique ways to apply those triggers and actions to your own workflows!How to create your first WordPress Zapier recipeIf youre not sure how to implement all those recipes I showed you above, heres a quick tutorial on how to set things up.If you go to create a new recipe from scratch, youll first choose the Trigger for your recipe (AKA what starts the recipe):Then, youll need to connect Zapier to the account for whatever service youre using as your trigger.For example, if you choose a WordPress trigger, youll need to enter your admin username/password:Then, youll set up more specific details about t he trigger, like which post statuses should count as a trigger:After that, youll basically repeat the same idea but for the Action (AKA what happens once a trigger condition is met):And thats it! Once you finish up your action, your recipe will be ready to start saving you time.Have any other questions about how to use WordPress Zapier recipes to automate your workflows? Ask away in the comments section! Save time by automating your #WordPress site with @Zapier 🠤â€". 10 recipes and tips to get started

The Amhara of Ethiopia essays

The Amhara of Ethiopia essays The Amhara are the most politically and culturally dominant group in the Ethiopia. They are the most populous group, representing a fourth of the population of the ethic group Ethiopia. They are located in the central highland plateau of Ethiopia. The Amhara have wondered this land for more than two thousand years and have been isolated from influences of the rest The Amhara haven't changed their way of life much over the past hundreds years, they continue to practice a form of agriculture that involves ox drown plows, simples irrigations systems and simples tools for harvesting crops. Some crops that they harvest are barley, hops beans, wheat, and a grain called teff. The Ahamara were able to grow such crops on these cool temperature highland plateaus because the fertile was blessed with volcanic soil and ample rainfall to make three full harvests per year. Amharic is the language of this culture. It shows its Semitic origin both in its alphabet and words shared with Hebrew and Arabic. The origins derive from a Sabean language spoken by merchants and traders who migrated in Ethiopia from Yemen region of South Arabia about 3000 thousand years ago. Amharic is the language of culture and education, spoken by millions of other Ethiopians and Eritreans as a second language. The Amhara people are Coptic Monophysite Christians. Ancient Amhara culture had a writing system that preserved the ancient teachings of Christianity in a language that is not spoken by people today but remains the language of the church. The language is Geez. Geez is used only in the context of Amhara Christianity; its function is similar to Latin in the Roman Catholic Church. Amhara Christianity is very different than our Christianity; Ethiopian Christianity is loaded with Old Testament religion and folklore as well as elements of a so called "pagan" religion. The Amhara consists of four separate religious belie...

The Microsoft Case Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Microsoft Case - Article Example Microsoft is trying to become a cut above the other. Its ability to create various ranges of product offerings strengthens its potential to cover the world market. For many years, Microsoft is said to be well known for its anti-competitive and predatory practices. This is the reason why it has remarkably investigated for antitrust behavior. Microsoft defended that it has definitely done what the other competitors would do in its place. Each key player is trying to be a cut above the other and wanting to take control of the market. The bottom line is money. This is how Microsoft and its competitors are motivated to stay in the competition and even want to be on top of the rest. Gaining monopoly.I personally agree that Microsoft is trying to gain monopoly in the computer software industry because of the remarkable market area it has to cover. It is in this reason that imperfect competition is most likely to exist. The other proof is the ongoing investigation it has to face due to its a lleged antitrust behavior. One specific case is the Microsoft’s ability to offer products or services at remarkably lower price compared to its competitors. As a result, more consumers would try its service or product offerings. This can be illustrated by the demand curve. Downward sloping demand curve simply states the nature of human behavior and which simply showcases the principle that as the price decreases, the consumers are assumed to buy or acquire more. Microsoft at the same time holds the economies of scale which is one of its utmost competitive advantages. In the economies of scale more production would mean lower cost per unit of produced product. The marginal cost and marginal revenue are maximized for the advantage of the firm. Thus, this means efficiency of production and at some point Microsoft may be able to pursue or maximize its bundling strategy for its maximum advantage. As a result and under monopoly pricing, prices are controlled by the firm and the con sumers have no strong market power. The people are not the price maker in this case, but the firm instead. However, Microsoft can hardly obtain pure monopolistic power for as long as there is a continuing presence of the Silicon Valley giants such as Sun Microsystems, Intel, Apple Compute and others. Ideally, in a monopoly market structure, there is only a single seller; there is presence of unique product; and impossible entry into the market (Tucker, 2010). Thus, a pure monopoly’s characteristics include single seller, no close substitutes, price maker and there are barriers to entry and exit (Vallabhaneni, 2009). However, what is present today is showing us the fact that Microsoft can har

Political and economic developments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political and economic developments - Essay Example The American political scene has for a long time been dominated by two major political parties despite the constitution allowing the existence of as many parties as the citizens would deem fit. These two parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties differ in policies and fundamental political ideologies. However, having only two political parties is a show of political maturity. This has contributed to the country’s economic prosperity. With the attainment of independence of most countries, the notion of self rule brought with it the possibilities of the countries liberating their citizenry from poverty and even bad governance. This new system of self governance took a myriad of forms with most of the colonies taking after their colonial masters (Michael & John, 2000). This made early European civilization receive much acknowledgement. Most of these types of governance were based on democracy which is a system that allows the populace the author ity to elect their leaders. According to varying preferences, some countries opted for the presidential system in which the president would be directly elected by the populace. The United States is a classical example of this kind of governance. Others opted for a parliamentarian system in which the elected legislatures elect the president. ... Factors that lead to the creations of these nations differ; these are such basic factors as the size of the country, the population size, the religious beliefs of the populace, and multiple others. These are responsible for the formulation of the laws that the legislators deem relevant. What is of relevance in one region is never relevant tin another. The relativity in legal relevance thus explains the difference in regional legislations. The economic growth of a country is determined by a number of factors. Most of these factors are politically instigated. A country that is politically stable like the United States attracts investors. With investors coming to such demography’s, the implication would imminent economic progress (Hill, 2010). The American currency The dollar is the most traded currency globally. This is a clear show of how strong the country’s economy is. The strong economy is sustained by fundamental economic concepts which suit its economy as well as po pulace. There are deliberate moves made by the American government to sustain its economy and safeguards its interests in the world market. These are highlighted in the proceeding part. The American economy has over the years projected manageable rates of inflation due to sound financial policies. This implies a strong economic prospect for the country. Furthermore, this also ensures that the currency retains a strong presence in the financial markets globally. The second factor that has led to the strong currency is the high interest rates that characterize the country’s banking and lending sector. When interest rates are high, the market becomes attractive to investors who would in turn take part in the investments in the securities such as bonds (Stefan, Christopher & Jochen, 2008). This

Biblical Exegetical paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Biblical Exegetical paper - Essay Example Admittedly, Israel in this context is accused of disobedience to God. Before probing further, I would like to shed light on two commentaries on Micah 6:8 to know how this verse is understood widely. To begin with, Barnes on his commentary on Micah says that the prophet through the 6:8 versus tells the people ‘what thing is good; the inward man of the heart righteousness, love, humility’. This is a question from them â€Å"with what outward thing shall I come before the lord†. What the lord requires is an earnest search within. God seeks you, your heart and your spirit rather than yours, your substances and ram or goat. To seek mercy and love there requires righteous judgment. It is not right if you praise yourself and accuse god for evil in you. It refers to the duty of the man too. As god himself humbled in flesh we need to humble ourselves with God, walk on with him. Matthew 5:48 says be ye perfect as your father which is in heaven is perfect. Be merciful as you r father also is merciful. God is not pleased when they offer creatures ‘blood that cannot take away their sin; and instead they themselves become sinful. In the sight of the lord no man living in this world are righteous. No human can wipe away sins that there is nothing that can wash away the stains of offences. It reveals the helplessness of people that they are not at all able to please god by their own abilities except with the help of god. As we are ignorant about what to do to get our sins forgiven, being hesitated we ask, where and how shall I come before the lord. The obedience to god by the people, especially the Pharisees went single dimensional. They lacked the true meaning of it. It was evidential in their Sabbath practices, their offerings and their interpretation of the law and so on. The blood of the animal cannot compensate our sin but that of us. And Barnes continues that even though we dedicate ourselves with all we have, they are not a repayment for our sin s; only the blood of Christ can cleanse our hearts. Micah adds nothing new to the law but only repeating what is in the law. Micah reveals to the people about their half service to God and that is contrary to the law of God. Micah changes the way people looked at and observed the words of Moses to expose unforgivable sins of Israel. According to Barnes, Micah includes nothing more to the law when he prophesies. He just reminds the people who are doing countless rituals and meaningless practices to please God. God being kind towards his people again asks them to pay attention to the same thing that he had been telling through his prophets before. But on the other hand, Matthew Henry in his commentary looks at the verses of Micah with a different perspective. According to him, the people had been trying hard to please God whenever they were warned by God about their ingratitude towards Him. ‘Where with shall I come’ signifies the inner cry of everyone. People still believ e that there is a God who saved them from slavery and who guided them. First of all they seek to come before God and they also want pay homage to him. Further they inquire what the Lord will be pleased with. Like Barnes Matthew Henry also focuses further on the three requirements that God expects from us. Firstly we must do things justly in our daily life and we must be righteous. Secondly, as God does, love to be merciful. Thirdly, the most important is to walk humbly

The Republic Of The Philippines History Essay

The Republic Of The Philippines History Essay The Republic of the Philippines has a long and colorful history with influences from numerous countries. It is primarily comprised of Roman Catholics in the north and Muslims, which are the minority, in the south. The Muslims desire an independent Islamic state because they feel the government of the Philippines treats them as inferior. As their core grievances are ignored, the Muslims resort to terrorist activities. The U.S. has identified them as threats to the Republic of the Philippines as well as U.S. interests. This paper identifies the internal threats, analyzes the situation and discusses recommended solutions to counter these terrorist organizations. Breeding Ground in the Philippines The southern Philippines have long been a breeding ground for terrorist activity (Bhattacharji, 2009). This is due to poverty, a lack of education as well as a lack of support from their local government. The Philippine government gained their independence in 1946 and has experienced numerous armed confrontations since. The United States (U.S.) has identified two internal threats within the Philippines. They are the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is the foundation from which both of the groups started. Both organizations are predominantly located in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) covering Sulu, Mindanao, and Palawan located in the southern Philippines. It is important to understand what the problem is and where it began in order to be able to defeat it. The original settlers in Mindanao were Muslim and tribal residents. In the 1950s, the Philippine government gave away land to migrants and poor farmers from other regions of the country. Christian settlers began populating Mindanao in large numbers which soon caused problems with the original inhabitants. The Muslim and tribal residents felt as though their way of life, land, and economic opportunities were being deprived. This grievance led to intense distrust between the Philippine government and the indigenous Muslim population. This eventually led to the birth of the MNLF within their region. The MNLF was founded in 1972 by Nur Misuari who was a professor at the University of the Philippines. This political organization was established in order to secede from the Philippines and establish an Islam state which would cover Sulu, Mindanao, and Palawan. The MNLF stated that represented the Philippine Muslim liberation movement which proceeded to start the Islam Insurgency in Mindanao. They intended to achieve independence, or at a minimum local autonomy for the southern Philippines. The movement would later cost both sides great amounts in personal sacrifice. There were many lives lost during this insurgency with estimates ranging from 80,000 to 200,000 in total. Eventually the Philippine government would hold peace talks in 1976 with the MNLF which led to the Tripoli Agreement being negotiated. The Tripoli Agreement basically set up a cease fire as well as autonomy with a broad understanding that Mindanao would remain part of the Philippines. This agreement would allow Muslims their own legislative assembly, economic and financial systems, schools, administrative system, executive council, courts, and special regional security forces (Muslim Mindanao for journalists and other communicators, 2008). The cease fire eventually hurt the MNLF more than it helped due to the internal factionalism which led to the group fragmenting into separate elements. There were disagreements within the organization on how to deal with the government. The more conservative members wanted to hold a violent insurgency while the liberal side favored non-violent opposition which led to a separation. The conservatives eventually left and organized into the MILF. The MILF is the largest Islamic liberation organization in the Philippines with an estimated 15,000 active members, out of which 2,900 are troops. Salamat Hashim formed the MILF in 1977 and was backed by the ethnic Maguindanaos. Hashim received support from Egypt after the split and officially established the MILF on March 1984. Hashim didnt want to accept treaties with the government and he wanted an Islamic education system in a more traditional manner. The MILF would experience the same issues later with the more extremist members leaving and forming the ASG (Economic expert.com 2010). The ASG is a more radical organization which splintered from the MILF because they too didnt agree with the way their mother organization dealt with the government. The ASG was founded by Abdurajak Janjalani in 1991 on the island of Basilan. Janjalani fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union with the mujahedeen. The Abu Sayyaf task force was created in 1986 by an Afghan professor named Abu Sayyaf who operated his own guerrilla training school in the mountains near Peshawar, Pakistan (Barreveld, 2001). After returning to the Philippines, Janjalani formed the ASG to fight for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Janjalani named his group after his professor in Peshawar: Abu Sayyaf-the Father of the Sword (Barreveld, 2001). In 1998 Abdurajak Janjalani was killed by the local police in Lamatan, Basilan during a shoot out. This caused a power struggle within the organization which led to his younger brother Khadafi Janjalani eventually taking over. The government refers to them as bandits primarily because of their thug like activities. This organization is famous for kidnap for ransom operations, piracy, operating with Al Qaeda (AQ), attacking the Catholic community by conducting abductions of teachers, nuns as well as priests. They have extorted from wealthy businessmen and companies and have terrorized their community through bombings and massacres. Militant organizations like the ASG and the MILF operate in the Sulu archipelago and easternmost island of Mindanao, where a rugged terrain, weak rule of law, sense of grievance among the countrys Muslim minority, and poverty make it difficult for the government to root them out (Bhattacharji, 2009). Both groups are considered threats against the Republic of the Philippines. The United States considers them a threat because of their ties with AQ and global terrorist organizations. The United States and the Philippine government signed a treaty of general relations between the two governments on July 4, 1946. This treaty identified the independence of the Philippines as of July 4, 1946 as well as recognizing the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippines. In February 1987, the Philippines adopted a new constitution that instituted the presidential-style republican form of democracy, which resembles the U.S. model much more than the European parliamentary system (Library of Congress, 2006). The Philippines has a centralized form of government and federal rule of law which is supreme to the states or provinces. There are other organizations in the Philippines government that mirror the U.S. such as their military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is made up with four branches of service consisting of Army, Navy Air Force and Marines. In total the AFP has approximately 150,000 military personnel forces and about half of which are reserves (Global security.org 2010). The AFP Army has a Light Reaction Battalion (LRB) trained in counter terrorist operations and is used often in combat today. The LRB was developed, equipped, and trained by U.S. Army Special Forces. The Philippine governments gross domestic product exceeds $160 billion; however they spend less than 1% of their GDP on military expenditures. Aside from the LRB most of the AFP is under equipped and poorly funded. The United States and the Philippines have a mutual defense treaty that has been in effect since 1952. Total U.S. military assistance to the Philippines rose from $38 million in 2001 to $164 million in 2005, which would make the Philippines the fourth largest recipient of U.S. foreign military assistance (Library of Congress, 2006). The U.S. is supporting the Philippines government by providing for their military. This coincides with how we are conducting Irregular Warfare (IW) when considering the Trinity model. There are other areas that need to be addressed in the Philippines as well. Economic growth in the Philippines has averaged 4.5% per year since 2001. Despite this growth, poverty worsened during the term of Macapagal-Arroyo, because of a high population growth rate and inequitable distribution of income (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). Thirty three percent of the Philippine population lives below the poverty line. This leads to corruption and crime which drains resources available to further develope the government. It will also undermines confidence in the government from the population. The Republic of the Philippines has an extreme problem with crime and corruption at all levels because of poverty and lack of education across the country. This effects the governments ability to take care of the relevent populations critical needs. The Muslims in the Philippines consist of thirteen ethno-linguistics groups. The Muslims who traditionally inhabited Mindanao, the islands of Basilan and Palawan, and the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi archipelago in the south of the Philippines identify themselves as Bangsamoro (Lingga, 2004). Christian Malays make up over ninety percent of the total population, Muslim only make up about four percent, Chinese 1.5 percent, and others 3 percent (Library of Congress, 2006). Muslims are often treated like second class citizens because of their minority status. This is part of the reason why they want independence in the ARMM. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state, but Christianity predominates, and Muslims historically have been marginalized (Library of Congress, 2006). The Philippine population communicates in many languages; however English and Filipino (based on Tagalog) are the official languages spoken with eight other major dialects. There are additional barriers or obstacles the country has to deal with because of this. This leads into how they communicate across the Philippines. Cell phones are the primary method of communications in their country. The Philippines is known to be the text messaging capital of the world. Digital phones currently outnumber the landlines based telephones. It is very common for the military to use their cell phones as a means of communication during operations. This has the potential for compromise during missions, which causes their commanders to collect phones from the soldiers before theyre briefed on the details of the operation. The lack of education in the southern Philippines reduces the necessity for newspapers or magazines to be sold. The Philippines government will use billboards, posters, and the radio to communicate their message to the local population in Mindanao. Additionally, they also use the mayors and village leaders by word of mouth system through the military. As an archipelago, the Philippines have more than 1,000 ports, of which 117 are regarded as international ports. About 12 of the 117 international ports have major cargo and passenger terminals (Library of Congress 2006). The ports in the southern Philippines need upgraded to support the fishing industry. Sixty percent of the roads are unpaved and the rest are in need of repair to some degree. The infrastructure needs upgraded in order to support and build on the local economy. It is critical to address the political, military, economic, social, information, and infrastructure (PMESII) issues listed above. The Muslims will support the government and work against the insurgency when their basic needs are being taking care of. This will in turn bolster the countries internal stability and will ensure that they have legitimacy and influence over the relevant population. The U.S. realized how serious and evolving the global terrorist threat was after 9/11. The Philippines is an ideal location for AQ to establish training camps, safe havens as well as recruitment base. Conditions for recruitment are perfect when there is a lack of education; bad economy, and there is a lack of support from the government. The U.S. goal is to eliminate or contain extremist Muslim terrorists organizations across the globe. The U.S. will do this in order to preserve our four enduring national interests which are security, values, prosperity, and international order. The following paragraphs will explain the recommended way to defeat the terrorist threats. In order to do this in Mindanao both the U.S. and Philippines government will need to look at the whole of government (WOG) concept and use the four elements of national power which are diplomatic, informational, military, and economic (D.I.M.E). Irregular Warfare (IW) is predominantly the U.S. way ahead when looking at combating the insurgency. To be successful, IW will need to be applied at all three levels of war. At the Strategic Level both countries will need to develop and fund plans to eventually gain control and influence over the relevant population. This is done at the national level and with ideally SOF elements used as the primary tool to get initial ground truth information to the decision makers. The U.S. deployed SOF forces into Mindanao in 2002 and are still conducting FID operations in the area today. The U.S. government will need to continue to monitor the status and make changes as necessary. The more indirect approach will be the focus when looking at the Operational Level. There is a Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) established in Zambowonga which takes the guidance and end state from the Strategic Level and applies it to tactical operations. The JSOTF is responsible for planning and conducting operations and campaigns. The enlisted staff positions needs to be filled with operators that have experience and ideally graduates of the Joint Special Operations Force Senior Enlisted Academy (JSOFSEA). The next level that IW would be applied is the Tactical Level. First Special Forces Group currently has a Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) on the island of Jolo. The SOTF is currently being run by a company rather than a battalion. This is due to the other requirements that need to be met in other countries. The Tactical Level is the most critical for numerous reasons. This is where the plans come to life in order to meet the National Strategic Strategy (NSS). Whatever the operator does on the ground will either support the NSS or possibly hurt it. The U.S. military are conducting Foreign Internal Defense (FID) operations in the southern Philippines as part of the Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (OEF-P). They will need to continue to provide military assistance by training through, by, and with the AFP. As part of Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines, U.S. military forces are strengthening the Philippines military and using civic action to drive a wedge between rebels and the Muslim populace (Crisis Group, 2008). Philippine military and law enforcement agencies conducted intensive Civil-Military and internal security operations to eliminate terrorist safe havens in the Sulu Archipelago and central Mindanao (U.S. Department of State, 2009). Many of the programs that have been put in place are currently working. The economic development programs need more support from other countries. The Japanese government has been the largest provider of financial aid for Mindanao, having financed 166 different projects valued at a total of 363 million dollars since 2002 (Carames, et. al., 2008). The U.S. needs to work with other countries in order to get more participation in this area. The enticement or need to join the terrorists organizations will decrease if the jobs are available and the infrastructure is built up on the island of Mindanao and the ARMM. The State Departments USAID will need to continue to retrain combatants from the MNLF, MILF, and ASG as well as providing micro-grants in order to bolster the economy. USAID as well as civilian non-government organizations (NGOs) will need to continue to work on infrastructure development. This is critical to the success of the campaign. When schools, roads, wells, and mosques are repaired the quality of life is dramatically improved. In conclusion eradicating the insurgency means an end to the silent discrimination, respect for the Muslim religion in all its aspects. In order to minimize or stop the threat and terrorist activities we must attack ideological and financial angles as well. Developing the economy, infrastructure and improving education in Mindanao will win over the local populace faster than using military force. This must be done in order to protect the Philippines national interests. The U.S. will continue to have an invested interest in the Philippines so that we can prevent Mindanao from becoming a safe haven and training ground for Muslim extremists across the globe.

Essay --

Isabel Archer: Her Quest For Freedom And Downfall The Portrait of a Lady is the most stunning achievement of Henry James's early period--in the 1860s and '70s when he was transforming himself from a talented young American into a resident of Europe, a citizen of the world, and one of the greatest novelists of modern times. Quest of freedom â€Å"The Portrait of a Lady† is a story about protagonist Isabel Archer, a penniless orphan. Many rich suitors come to her with a proposal of marriage but she declines, as she wanted to make an art of her life that is to follow her dreams, as she was a spirited and intelligent young woman. She was strong minded and stubbornly independent with an intensely sensual nature and a powerful desire to explore and engage with the world on her own and sees marriage as a prison that would limit her ability to experience her life. Isabel unexpectedly inherits a fortune, freeing her particularly from the need to marry. Now she could do whatever she wanted. She wanted to confidently pursue her dream and didn’t want anyone hold her back. Her cool independence is not a very "feminine" ideal, she seems to show no need but to fly. During her childhood she spends her time reading romantic philosophy, cultivating an idealistic view of the world of art, philosophy and learning, that of Europe but couldn’t have a practical taste of things. So when she inherits a fortune whole world spreads out in front of her giving her the opportunity to fulfil her dreams and to make an art of her life. She wanted to enjoy and break free. Now she could see and feel things in real terms. She didn’t want to get married and put an end to her freedom. She was a proud woman and was not shy to express what she felt. When someone asks her ... ...is that she has not been educated. None of her friends or relatives contributes to her education. Her father had assumed that the free, unfettered life with no real guidance was sufficient. Her Aunt thought that a visit to Gardencourt, to Paris to purchase clothes, and to Florence was sufficient. Ralph thought that providing Isabel with a fortune would be sufficient. They were all wrong. An education requires other more important components. An education requires others who care for and contribute to one's development. Isabel Archer did not have any of these others. It was no wonder that her education misfired. References Arnold Kettle, â€Å"Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady,† in The Portrait of a Lady, ed. Robert D. Bamberg (New York: W.W. Norton), 679. http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/maf/Project1-02/Portrait.htm http://www.online-literature.com/henry_james/

Literature and Ideals Essay

Definition: Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, â€Å"literature† is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Why do we read literature? Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn about books and literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey with books. Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author’s message. In academic circles, this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory, using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approach. Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and analyze literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works. Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful. Importance of Literature. It is a curious and prevalent opinion that literature, like all art, is a mere play of imagination, pleasing enough, like a new novel, but without any serious or practical importance. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Literature preserves the ideals of a people; and ideals–love, faith, duty, friendship, freedom, reverence–are the part of human life most worthy of preservation. The Greeks were a marvelous people; yet of all their mighty works we cherish only a few ideals,–ideals of beauty in perishable stone, and ideals of truth in imperishable prose and poetry. It was simply the ideals of the Greeks and Hebrews and Romans, preserved in their literature, which made them what they were, and which determined their value to future generations. Our democracy, the boast of all English-speaking nations, is a dream; not the doubtful and sometimes disheartening spectacle presented in our legislative halls, but the lovely and immortal ideal of a free and equal manhood, preserved as a most precious heritage in every great literature from the Greeks to the Anglo-Saxons. All our arts, our sciences, even our inventions are founded squarely upon ideals; for under every invention is still the dream of Beowulf, that man may overcome the forces of nature; and the foundation of all our sciences and discoveries is the immortal dream that men â€Å"shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. † In a word, our whole civilization, our freedom, our progress, our homes, our religion, rest solidly upon ideals for their foundation. Nothing but an ideal ever endures upon earth. It is therefore impossible to overestimate the practical importance of literature, which preserves these ideals from fathers to sons, while men, cities, governments, civilizations, vanish from the face of the earth. It is only when we remember this that we appreciate the action of the devout Mussulman, who picks up and carefully preserves every scrap of paper on which words are written, because the scrap may perchance contain the name of Allah, and the ideal is too enormously important to be neglected or lost.

Dual Coding Theory Essays

Dual Coding Theory Essays Dual Coding Theory Paper Dual Coding Theory Paper The mind can perform different kind of processes ranging from verbal up to non-verbal processing and other different processes. Performing different processes has made different studies on how our mind really works. However, since the mind is too complex to be the focus of a study, many researchers resorted to studying the processes that the human mind can perform. Theoretical Background Dual Coding Theory Dual Coding Theory (DCT) focuses on the verbal and the non-verbal processes of the human mind. DCT attempts to discuss how equal weights are given to both verbal and non-verbal mind processes. The human mind is able to deal with several processes while simultaneously dealing with another process. An instance is that when mind is dealing with language processing, it can also simultaneously deal with processing non-verbal objects and events. Dual Coding Theory gives light on how this process occur simultaneously (Paivio, 2008). Dual coding assumes that two cognitive subsystems exist. The two subsystems represent a specialized processing of non-verbal images and events and the other represents a specialized processing of language. The Dual Coding Theory is illustrated below. Coding Theory. The figure also shows the three important processes involved in Dual Coding Theory. From the figure, one can see the terms logogens and imagens. Paivio introduced logogens and imagens as two different types of representational units. Logogens is a representational unit for verbal entities. While, imagens is a representational unit for mental images (Paivio, 2008). Dual Coding Theory involves three types of processes that occur in order. First is representational. In this process, the direct verbal and non-verbal representations were activated. Second is referential. Verbal system activation by non-verbal system and vice versa occurs in this process. Last process is associative processing. This process involves activation of representations by the same verbal and non-verbal systems (Paivio, 2008).

Free Essays on Age Of Experimentation - The Twenties

The Reactions That Made the 1920’s Experiments Productive The decade of the nineteen-twenties was an â€Å"age of experimentation† in a various number of ways. The twenties were characterized by excessive changes in the numerous aspects of American life. All of the revolutionary changes undertaken during this era were, for the most part, centered on having fun. Enjoying life became everyone’s number one priority during the twenties; this can be seen with the numerous social changes that occurred during the decade. Women, in particular, played a great role in experimenting with many new socially questionable activities such as drinking. Prohibition was also important in shaping the new social, as well as cultural and economic, age of the nineteen-twenties. It helped bring about bootlegging, which led to the rise of gangsters and mobs. There were also many other new cultural pursuits brought about during the nineteen-twenties. An example would be the significant increase in the number of African Americans, as well as oth er immigrants through the twenties. As a result of an increase of blacks and immigrants, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan soon rapidly grew and became known. Another cultural pursuit throughout the nineteen-twenties was to rid immigrant Bolshevists that shed Americans with fear, from the U.S. The social and cultural aspects of the twenties mentioned, particularly prohibition, had drastic effects on the economy of the U.S. during the nineteen-twenties. The twenties was an age to experiment with new ideas and inventions, such as Henry Ford’s successful automobiles. It was also an age when an abundant amount of Americans began to look into real estate to make a significant profit. However, as a result of drastic inflation, the balanced and earning economy of the U.S. was severely dwindled; there was an immense stock market crash towards the end of the decade. Also contributing to the U.S. economy was the ... Free Essays on Age Of Experimentation - The Twenties Free Essays on Age Of Experimentation - The Twenties The Reactions That Made the 1920’s Experiments Productive The decade of the nineteen-twenties was an â€Å"age of experimentation† in a various number of ways. The twenties were characterized by excessive changes in the numerous aspects of American life. All of the revolutionary changes undertaken during this era were, for the most part, centered on having fun. Enjoying life became everyone’s number one priority during the twenties; this can be seen with the numerous social changes that occurred during the decade. Women, in particular, played a great role in experimenting with many new socially questionable activities such as drinking. Prohibition was also important in shaping the new social, as well as cultural and economic, age of the nineteen-twenties. It helped bring about bootlegging, which led to the rise of gangsters and mobs. There were also many other new cultural pursuits brought about during the nineteen-twenties. An example would be the significant increase in the number of African Americans, as well as ot her immigrants through the twenties. As a result of an increase of blacks and immigrants, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan soon rapidly grew and became known. Another cultural pursuit throughout the nineteen-twenties was to rid immigrant Bolshevists that shed Americans with fear, from the U.S. The social and cultural aspects of the twenties mentioned, particularly prohibition, had drastic effects on the economy of the U.S. during the nineteen-twenties. The twenties was an age to experiment with new ideas and inventions, such as Henry Ford’s successful automobiles. It was also an age when an abundant amount of Americans began to look into real estate to make a significant profit. However, as a result of drastic inflation, the balanced and earning economy of the U.S. was severely dwindled; there was an immense stock market crash towards the end of the decade. Also contributing to the U.S. economy was the ...

Business Ethics and Social Responsibilities Essay

Business Ethics and Social Responsibilities - Essay Example The decision making process for incorporating ethics then becomes one of the most important values that are associated with businesses and the changes which occur in terms of defining and keeping specific ethical values. Decision Making Processes Traditionally, business ethics have been defined by the basic values that any corporation decides to reflect to the public and to implement within the organizational environment. However, the term is one which is now beginning to expand based on dimensional changes which are occurring within the corporation and in the environment. The decision making process to implement or change ethics is one which is now defined by the institution of business ethics and the changes which are required for businesses. Pressure from management and the association with the internal environment is one of the ways in which the process has changed. The influence of stakeholders, environmental concerns, social issues and political expectations have continued to i nfluence the process more with the recent trends in decision making processes. Ethical considerations not only relate to the basic foundations of a business but now also link to the internal and external pressures that are developing new standards for corporations (Ferrell, Fraedrich, 2009). The decision making process for ethics not only incorporates the various influences but also becomes based on the strategic implementation of plans, as opposed to the value and ethics which are primary for most in the business. The concept is one which leads to initiatives such as looking at the moral and value considerations and how this will affect the investments and finances. Stakeholder investments as well as the positive and negative influences are some of the areas that become primary considerations for ethical implementation. In a recent study (Hofmann, Hoelzl, Kirchler, 2007), it was noted that the moral considerations had a direct impact on the revenue which was created within the comp any. Moral behavior, such as the treatment of employees, had a direct correlation with the overall profitability as well as the expected dividends per share. Controlling profit, specifically when noted from this study, then directly correlates with the planning and implementation of moral treatment and ethical considerations and reflects with the stakeholder value and overall profits which are developed from a corporation (Hofmann, Hoelzl, Kirchler,2007). Processes for the Internal Environment The importance of strategically implementing the morals and values within a corporation lead to changes which occur with the internal and external environment. The effects which are created strategically are able to provide not only overall profit but also change the cultural effects within the organization. The process of ethical and moral considerations then becomes strategic for the overall quality and functions of an organization. More than having a foundation for the ethics of a business is the need to incorporate this in terms of the environment and how this will affect the different functions which one has. The process for the internal environment first begins with the decision making of having specific ethics that allow the managers and employees to follow specific rules. This is followed by reflections of the corporation that are associated with corporate responsibility which is continuously taken and a part of

The feminization of love, How men and women are portrayed by society Research Paper

The feminization of love, How men and women are portrayed by society and the media - Research Paper Example On the other hand, love is a multi-faced movement, which varies based on situations, as well as one’s individual motives. There are many types of love, possibly as numerous as do several persons, who are loved and are in love. It entails a wide diversity of feelings characterized by some set behaviors (Robert 88). These components range from the one we feel for our parents, acquaintances, siblings, and kids to the ones we are feel for our wives or husbands. Currently love is connected to sexual relationships, a boy girl relationship may be termed as love, but, in most circumstances, it is infatuation or lust. However, what we are thinking, as love in the society is determined by women, and not by men (Gelsthorpe 53). Society in the past, viewed men and women from different perspectives. Their roles were well defined by the norms and taboos of a given society. Crisscrossing of duties was prohibited, and penalties were put in place to handle any uncouth behavior. However, changes occur every day with respect to the roles men and women play. In fact, today, their roles are reversed. This has seen the society change drastically within a short duration of time. With the transition of society, men and women continue to modify their lifestyles and way of living. In the field of administration, women are now heading countries, big organizations and small ones at the grass root level. Academically, women are now studying technical courses, which were only left for men. Women have now moved from kitchen and bedroom materials to the head of the families. Their duties and responsibilities have changed from caretakers to economically productive people in the society. Gender equity has now chipped in, and with the company of love, men can now share duties with their partners. Mode of life has further changed considerably. To some extra ordinary scenario, it has proved to be slightly complicated to allow women to participate actively. This is not due to discrimination, but the view of the society in some circumstances, women are viewed as vulnerable. For instance, a war situation. In the negative side, the society terms women as the weaker sex because occasionally, they feel annoyed if the other partner shows love with masculine behavior. They claim that it is invisible to them (Mark 36). How society view men and women culturally vary from place to place, ideas of appropriate behavior based on gender are varying among cultures along with the era. Although some aspects receive extra widespread attention than some others, Masculinities and Feminism claims that there are traditions where it has not been a taboo for men to contain homosexual relations, while there are others, who term as a vi ce, based on cultural beliefs and customs. In the 'Western' account age, when the modern caucus stated that men showed suppressed feelings of not relating, men were emotional about their feelings for their friends. â€Å"Companionship in the outback of Australian previous century is a situation in point" (Hutter 35). Further aspects, though, may differ noticeably with time plus place. In the then times, women were normally associated with roles correlated to medicine and even healing duties. As a result of the coming up of witch-hunts over Europe together with medicine institutionalization, these responsibilities finally ended up under the domination of men. Women turned to have no voice on whatever happened. In the last recent few decades, though, these responsibilities have become for the most part gender-neutral in Western civilization (Mark 178). The element of conference or traditions seems to play a leading role