Definition of business: an organization or economic system where goods and services are exchanged for one another or for money every business requires some form of investment and enough customers to whom its output can be . Business: finance, marketing, personnel, the definition is not problem- solving and decision-making activities, business research generates and provides the necessary information upon which to base decisions. Business research looks at the market viability, product need, consumer desire and operations costs it weights business strengths and weaknesses against competitors and evaluates ways to save . Introduction to business research 1 dr william wallace bsc (hons), msc, phd dba programme director and senior teaching fellow, edinburgh business school (ebs), the graduate school of.
Business research is an important management activity that helps companies determine which products will be most profitable for companies to produce several steps are necessary when conducting business research each step must be thoroughly reviewed to ensure that the best decision is made for the company. Business definition, an occupation, profession, or trade: his business is poultry farming see more. Business research publishes high-quality articles covering both traditional fields of business administration and cross-functional, multidisciplinary research that reflects the complex character of business problems. What is reliability and validity in business research the definition appears to include factors such as repeatability and internal consistency of the instrument .
What are the objectives of research mbalectures march 6, 2011 march 6, 2011 6 comments objective of research is one the important elements for conducting any research because it helps in determining the possibility of conducting the study. Market research is the process of assessing the viability of a new good or service through research conducted directly with the consumer this practice allows a company to discover the target . Business research helps business managers find new markets and make the most of their resources they are important for start-ups and investors established businesses often use it to find new areas for growth launching a business requires having a good idea, but it is also important to know if . At present, there are at least five journals devoted to the field (business ethics quarterly, business ethics: a european review, business & society, business & society review, journal of business ethics), and work in business ethics appears in mainstream philosophy and social science journals as well. Business research methods can be defined as “a systematic ad scientific procedure of data collection, compilation, analysis, interpretation, and implication pertaining to any business problem” types of research methods can be classified into several categories according to the nature and .
Research quotes from brainyquote, an extensive collection of quotations by famous authors, celebrities, and newsmakers. Research by business school faculty helps develop curricula and course content, contributes to the intellectual climate of the institution, and elevates the academic reputation of the business school on campus. Introduction 1 research methodology 11 the concept of the research which experts from the academic community, from different government and business . Definition of research 1 : careful or diligent search 2 : studious inquiry or examination especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws. This lesson provides a definition of a business and reviews the key characteristics needed to have a business career research what is a business - definition, characteristics & examples .
Business research is a systematic and objective process of gathering,recording and analyzing data for aid in making business decisions. Applied research is a methodology used to solve a specific, practical problem of an individual or group the study and research is used in business, medicine and education in order to find solutions that may cure diseases, solve scientific problems or develop technology . Definition of research: systematic investigative process employed to increase or revise current knowledge by discovering new facts it is divided into two general categories: (1) basic research is inquiry aimed at increasing .
Definition of research definition of the scientific method often, we will talk about conducting internet research or say that we are researching in the library. Definition of research - the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information--information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions monitor marketing performance and improve understanding of marketing as a process. See the definition of “business associate” at 45 cfr 160103 examples of business associates health information to a researcher for research purposes .


Henri Matisse made two closely related paintings between 1909 and 1910 and named them Dance. The 1909 (initial) version acted as a guide to 1910 (second) version. The 1910 version of the Dance was pale and used less color and details and Matisse liked the painting that he named it "the overpowering climax of luminosity,” and featured it in Matisse's La Danse with Nasturtiums of 1912. Nelson Rockefeller later donated the painting to New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The 1910 version of Dance is large and included with a musical companion piece for Matisse’s friend Sergei Shchukin, a Russian art collector. This version, decorated and full of red color, hangs on Shchukin's staircase in Moscow until the 1917 October Revolution. The second dance painting depicts five people dancing nude in front of a green landscape, and blue sky and one of the dancers appear to be pregnant.
Henri Matisse’s Background
Henri-Émile-Benoît Matisse (1869-1954), was an incredibly talented French draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor famous for his originality, fluidity, and use of colors. As an artist whose role in the revolution of visual arts during the early years of the 20th century was great, he often ranks with the likes of Pablo Picasso. Matisse was one of the radical artists who were not afraid of going against the norms of the society. This attribute together with his creativity, expressiveness, and imagination led him to be nicknamed the Fauve (wild beast) like cubic artists. Matisse studied law in Paris and worked as Le Cateau-Cambrésis’ court administrator. His painting journey officially kicked off in 1889 when he was recovering from an appendix condition, describing his new-found love for painting as "a kind of paradise," he abandoned law and became an artist to the disappointment of his father. After this discovery, he went back to school and studied art initially concentrating on painting landscapes and still life. What followed was further study of painting and traveling as he met and talked to various artists.
Details of the Final Version of Dance
The final version of the dance is rich in expression of emotions. After the picture’s completion, many people described it as a ritualistic, demonic, tribal, forbidding, or menacing art. The picture consists of five naked women dancing while holding hands in a circle. Breasts of three of the women are exposed while the other two only show their backsides, and seemingly, one of the women is pregnant. All the women have their heads bowed and their eyes are closed. Equally, the pregnant woman is physically well-built and looks tense. The green landscape seems compressed under the dancers’ weight, and the feet of three of the women touch the ground.
Interpretation of the Details of the Final Version of Dance
Matisse draws his inspiration from pagan folk dances that were ritualistic. The red, green, and blue represent the uniting of man’s heart, earth, and the heavens while expressing a person’s subliminal wisdom of involvement in the rhythms of nature and the heavens. The five figures show firm outlines with areas of deformation thus showing their inner stimulation of the all-consuming rhythm. The dancers’ energy sinks the earth as per Matisse’s thoughts.
Current Location of the Dance
The Dance is among the paintings, drawings, and sculptures in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. However, the painting is usually available in the main exhibitions relating to contrasts between artistic movements around the world, after which, it is taken back to Russia. Everywhere the painting goes, it attracts a huge audience.


Easter Egg hunts are a tradition during the Easter season. Many organizations host Easter Egg hunts. However, many families host their own hunts at their homes. While this classic Easter activity can be a wonderful way to spend an afternoon making family memories, it can also turn tragic if parents do not consider safety measures to prevent accidents and injuries.
Easter Egg Hunt Safety Tips
Some of the ways you can reduce the risk of injuries if you are hosting an Easter Egg hunt include:
- Practicing Safe Coloring Methods — Creating dozens of colored Easter Eggs is a fun way to begin an Easter Egg hunt. However, you need to practice safe methods of coloring those eggs. Everyone needs to wash their hands before and after handling the eggs. Any eggs that are cracked should be thrown When using dyes, you need to make sure that all dyes are food-grade quality. You can avoid the issue by using plastic eggs and stickers for decorating.
- Avoid Food Allergies — Ask parents of children attending the hunt for a list of any food allergies. Just to be on the safe side, you should avoid common allergens like dairy, gluten, and nuts. Alternatives include marshmallows, gummy candies, and crackers. You can also use small toys to fill Easter Eggs, but be careful of choking hazards for young children.
- Use Prizes Instead of Filled Eggs — If you want to avoid candy in the eggs because of allergies, choking hazards, or contamination, fill the eggs with tickets or other items that can be “redeemed” for larger prizes after the hunt.
- Secure Pets and Other Animals — Pets may want to join in the fun, but candy and plastic toys can pose hazards for pets. In addition, pets can become tripping hazards for children as they run to hunt eggs.
- Avoid Dangers During the Hunt — Before the Easter Egg hunt, you should walk through the entire area to remove items that could pose a potential danger to the hunters. Garden tools, outdoor furniture, hoses, and other items should be removed and stored in a safe place. Limit the hunt area to discourage children from wandering too far.
- Make a Map — If you are using real eggs for your Easter Egg hunt, make a map of the location of the eggs so that you can retrieve any eggs that are not found during the hunt. Also, inspect eggs after the hunt to throw away any eggs that were cracked or damaged during the hunt. It is usually safer to use plastic eggs to avoid any potential risks associated with using real eggs for an Easter Egg hunt.
- No Running — It may be difficult for excited children to follow this rule; however, you need to try to enforce it. By having several adults stationed throughout the area, you can try to monitor children and remind them not to run during the hunt.
If you do not want to host an Easter Egg hunt, you can take your children to one of the several Erie Easter Egg hunts for 2018. The Erie Zoo Egg Hunt is scheduled for Saturday, March 31. You can find more information on the zoo’s website.
Erie Personal Injury Law Firm
If you are injured in an accident, contact The Travis Law Firm at (800) 401-2066 to request a free legal consultation with an experienced Erie accident attorney.


Glossary of Terms
Crop - A short whip used in horseback riding, used only as an aid to re-enforce the rider's leg.
Diagonals - The correct posting, up/down motion, of the rider in sequence with diagonal movement of the horse's legs at the trot.
Equitation - Refers to a class of English riding in which the rider is judged on maintaining correct riding position and controlling the horse.
Equitation / Horsemanship - In competitions, this indicates that the riders are being judged on their ability to control and show the horse while maintaining the correct riding position.
Figure Eight - Two circles connected by a change of direction, most often seen in reining patterns.
Gait - Thee ways, canter/lope, trot/jog, or walk, by which a horse can move by lifting the feet in different order or rhythm
Halt - The command for stop.
Horsemanship - Refers to a class of Western riding in which the rider is judged on maintaining correct position and controlling the horse in a pattern.
Hunt Seat - The category of equitation English riders compete in, whose foundation lies in jumping and riding across country, such as foxhunting.
Irons - The English stirrups used in riding.
Leads - They are determined at the canter/lope by which front foot is leading. Correct leads have the inside foreleg reaching furthest.
Lead Change - Done at the canter/lope to change which front foot is leading.
Natural Aids - Subtle or imperceptible body signals from the seat, legs, hands, and voice are allowed to communicate commands to the horse and in addition exaggerated shifting of the rider's weight is not desirable. The resulting performance shown by the horse is not to be considered more important then the methods used by the rider in obtaining them.
On the Rail - Both riding disciplines compete in this manner, in which the riders enter the show arena and show collectively at all required gaits on command form the judge.
Reining - For these classes, the most advanced Western riders perform an individual, pre-assigned pattern from memory, demonstrating a variety of stops, turns and figures in various speeds. The emphasis is on the technical application of natural aids and the rider's ability to show unfamiliar horses.
Roll back - A turn performed in equitation over fences class to show control of the horse and rider's ability to maintain a position throughout a turn. A tight turn performed between two fences. In Western reining, a rollback is a 180 degree pivot with speed after a halt.
Schooling - Practice time before the classes, is not allowed for intercollegiate competitors.
Sliding Stop- A smooth stop from the lope, in which the horse is supposed to balance on its back feet while the front feet continue to move.
Stock Seat - The common Western division, where the goal of the rider is to maneuver the horse through a herd of livestock she wishes to rope, move or control.
Striding - A single coordinated movement of the four legs of a horse or other animal, completed when the legs return to their initial relative position. In the hunt seat fence classes, proper striding between two jumps in a line is required. Ex: If you need to have six strides down the diagonal line and five strides on the outside line.
Tack - The equipment worn by the horse (saddle, briddle, etc.)
Two - Point Position - Performed in practice to learn the proper leg position, balance, strength. The position is done on the flat and requires the body to be positioned forward just out of the saddle. This is the forward position used over fence.


Combat climate change with less gassy diet for cows: study
Nairobi (AFP) Sept 9, 2010
Climate change can be curbed by changing the diet of livestock, whose feed crops, farting, belching and manure contribute a fifth of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions, a new study said Friday.
The study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) said livestock risk growing as global demand for meat and milk surges and recommended simple steps to curb livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions.
It recommended using more nutritious pasture grasses, supplementing diets with crop residues, restoring degraded grazing lands and adopting more productive breeds, among other simple measures for tropical countries.
ILRI noted that in Latin America, switching cows from natural grasslands to pastures sown with a more nutritious grass called Brachiaria can increase daily milk production and weight gain by up to three fold.
"Even if only about 30 percent of livestock owners in the region switch from natural grass to Brachiaria... that alone could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 30 million tons per year," said ILRI's Philip Thornton.
"Livestock enterprises contribute about 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, largely through deforestation to make room for livestock grazing and feed crops, the methane ruminant animals give off, and the nitrous oxide emitted by manure," the study pointed out.
The scientists said the burden of changing livestock production practices would largely be on half a billion of the poorer farmers in tropical countries.
"It would be a useful incentive if these farmers were allowed to sell the reductions they achieve as credits on global carbon markets," Thornton said.
He estimated that at 20 dollars per ton -- the current rate of carbon on the European Climate Exchange -- poor livestock keepers in tropical countries could generate about 1.3 billion dollars each year in carbon revenues.
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Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology
New York NY (SPX) Sep 10, 2010
Expanded irrigation has made it possible to feed the world's growing billions-and it may also temporarily be counteracting the effects of climate change in some regions, say scientists in a new study. But some major groundwater aquifers, a source of irrigation water, are projected to dry up in coming decades from continuing overuse, and when they do, people may face the double whammy of food sho ... read more
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Many people get scared when they see all those weird circuits with those symbols on it. Having no clue what they mean.
That's why I made a instructable friendly circuit image :) See photo 1. 1. Make sure you have all the materials to make the circuit. And enough electrical wires to connect all the components.
2. Before we build the circuit, we first need to put the audio cable through the whole in the back.
3. Build your circuit, and test it out. The best way to test it is through your audio output from your computer. Make sure the audio on your computer is set to 100% and then test it.
The positive pole from the adapter goes to the positive leg of the first LED. Next the other 5 LED's follow. Hook the negative leg from the first LED to the positive leg of the second LED. Hook the negative leg from the second LED to the positive leg of the third LED, and so on. The negative LED from the last LED goes to the center pin of the TIP31.
Then hook the right pin of the TIP31 to the negative pole of the adapter.
All there's left now is to hook up the audio cable. Hook the red or the white wire from the audio cable on the left pin of the TIP31. And connect the ground wire from the audio cable to the right pin of the TIP31.
For better details please see photo 1, the circuit.
4. If your circuit works, solder all components together so the circuit stays together nice and strong and wont fall apart.
When done with these steps it's time to finish up!
If you have trouble getting the circuit to work, you can try to set it up first on a circuit board.
Carlosserious was so kind to make a how-to video on making the circuit, click here for the video


The FCC will take a number of significant actions in the final months of 2018 to facilitate the development of 5G, the fifth generation of wireless cellular technology. First, at its October meeting tomorrow, it will vote on making a portion of mid-band spectrum (2.5 to 4.2 GHz) available for 5G use. Second, it will launch in November the first of two high-band 5G spectrum auctions scheduled for 2018. Now is therefore a good time to take a look at what 5G is, and what impact it promises to have.
Looking back, the primary benefit of the transition from 3G to 4G was a significant speed boost, which allowed users to, among other things, stream YouTube and upload videos to social media platforms like Instagram without much waiting. Once implemented, 5G is expected to deliver download speeds anywhere from 10-100 times faster than 4G, with speeds of up to 20 gigabits per second. 5G users will also experience significantly less latency, i.e., the time between when you click on a link and when the network responds. While 4G latency is about 9 milliseconds, mature 5G systems will reduce latency to around 1 millisecond.
Mature 5G networks will use high-band spectrum (24 GHz and above), which is capable of transmitting significantly more data than 4G, but is limited to much shorter distances. 4G towers currently deliver service for up to 10 miles, while high-band 5G towers will only deliver service for up to 1,000 feet (about 3 football fields).
In addition, high-band 5G spectrum has a shorter wavelength than spectrum used for 4G, making it more difficult for these signals to penetrate solid objects such as walls and windows. To overcome the distance and signal penetration challenges, 5G will require vast networks of small-cell sites located on a diverse array of real estate platforms, with the small-cells anchored by larger cell towers. To streamline the deployment of small-cells, the FCC in March adopted new rules to reduce regulatory impediments to building out small-cell infrastructure, and in September adopted rules requiring state and local governments to approve or deny small-cell applications within prescribed time periods. Not surprisingly, the new rules are unpopular with local governments, who object to any federal interference with their local site review processes.
There are numerous potential innovations and business models that can utilize 5G’s faster speeds, lower latency, and increased connection capacity. Most agree that 5G will deliver seamless 4K video streaming and instant downloads of large files, but it could also dramatically change how users, including machines, access the Internet. Currently, the primary option for residential and enterprise broadband customers is cable or fiber. With speeds of up to 20 gigabits per second (and no need for wire infrastructure), 5G could disrupt the delivery of fixed Internet access as we know it.
5G will also allow the Internet of Things to flourish. Specifically, it will allow vastly more “things” to connect to cell sites and remain connected to the Internet without the need to connect through smartphones or Wi-Fi. 4G can connect about 2,000 devices per square kilometer, while 5G will connect about one million over the same area. For example, 5G could facilitate thousands of driverless cars in the same city talking to each other to coordinate efficient traffic flow without the need for passengers to open an app on their phone, or even to have a phone.
Another potentially transformative use of 5G is remote medicine. For example, given the high speed and low latency of 5G, medical procedures could be performed using robot arms controlled by doctors in a different part of the country or world, harnessing almost instantaneous data transmission and lowering geographic barriers to treatment. Similarly, augmented and virtual reality gaming, shopping, and other experiences should blossom under 5G.
Rollout of 5G will be gradual. Following pilot programs in 2018 in select cities, wireless carriers are expected to launch the first iterations of widespread 5G networks in the United States in 2019. 5G-enabled smartphones are also expected to be released in 2019. The first 5G networks will likely use low (600 to 900 MHz) and mid-band (2.5 to 4.2 GHz) spectrum already possessed by wireless carriers, rather than the high-band spectrum that will make up the majority of spectrum auctioned by the FCC for 5G use. As a result, initial 5G networks will only scratch the surface of 5G’s potential, delivering speeds ranging from 10% faster than 4G to three times as fast. Mature iterations of 5G networks that use high-band spectrum are expected to arrive in 2-4 years.


On his radio show last week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that rising unemployment and poverty in the United States are a ticking time bomb that could explode in a wave of riots.
"You have a lot of kids graduating college can't find jobs," Bloomberg said. "That's what happened in Cairo. That's what happened in Madrid." He reminded listeners about the uprising that overthrew Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and the recent protests against the Spanish government's austerity measures. "You don't want those kinds of riots here."
Bloomberg is right. We don't want riots. But we could certainly use more protest -- the kind of non-violent civil disobedience that propelled the women's suffrage, labor, civil rights, and environmental movements throughout the 20th century.
Riots are expressions of hot anger -- outrage about social conditions -- but they are not truly political protests. They do not have a clear objective, a policy agenda, or a strategy for bringing about change. They only bring more hardship. The Los Angeles riots in April 1992 left 55 people dead and caused more than $1 billion in property damage in inner city neighborhoods. Almost twenty years later, many of the stores and other buildings in the riot-torn area have still not been rebuilt.
Civil disobedience, in contrast, is cold anger. It is intentional, organized, and strategic. Protestors carefully select the target to raise public awareness about an issue. They accept the consequences of their actions, which could include fines and prison. They understand that their protest may be met with violence by thugs or police, but they refuse to retaliate with violence of their own.
Riots occur when people are hopeless. Civil disobedience takes place when people are hopeful -- when people believe not only that things should be different but also that they can be different.
The women's suffragists who chained themselves to the fence outside the White House in the early 1900s, the farmers who showed up at their neighbors' homes during the Depression and stopped banks from carrying out foreclosures, the auto workers who occupied the Flint, Michigan GM plant in 1937 to protest wage cuts and lay-offs, the college students who waged sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the early 1960s, the anti-war activists who protested the Vietnam war by disrupting military induction centers and defense contractors, and the environmentalists who blocked the construction of nuclear power plants helped bring about much-needed change.
They escalated to civil disobedience after frustration with the pace of more traditional forms of political involvement, like voting and lobbying.
We need another massive wave of similar protests today. We are three years into the worst recession since the 1930s. More than 25 million Americans are either unemployed or underemployed. The average duration of joblessness now stands at a record high. A new Census Bureau report revealed that more than 46 million Americans -- over 15% of the population -- are now living in poverty, while many more are teetering on the edge of destitution. Millions of Americans have lost their homes to foreclosure and millions more are expected to face foreclosure in the next few years as a result of a combination of predatory lending, unemployment, and exorbitant health care bills. Wages have stagnated for the bottom 80 percent of the workforce. American consumers are in deep debt. They don't have enough discretionary income to consume essential goods and services. At the same time, the super-rich have seen their incomes grow. The concentration of wealth and income today is greater than at any time since 1928. Corporations are making record profits. But they are not hiring new workers and slashing the pay and benefits of existing workers.
Americans are frustrated and angry. But so far, these economic hardships have not triggered large-scale protest. Instead, people take out their frustrations in other ways -- alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, suicide, and mental illness, among them. Progressives deserve some of the blame for the current predicament. When it comes to protest, most unions, community organizing groups, environmental groups, and others seem to have hit the "pause" button since Obama took office. Instead, it is the Tea Party that has captured and focused that anger in the minds of the public and politicians.
What's needed now is to focus and organize frustration and anger about an economy that isn't working for middle class and working class people into a new civil disobedience movement, led by unions, community organizations, churches, and other groups, that the media and politicians can't ignore. Only then will Congress feel the pressure and enact legislation to put Americans back to work and back in their homes.
Imagine a situation where every day, ordinary Americans show up at banks responsible for the epidemic of foreclosures, the homes of CEOs whose corporations laid off employees and slashed pensions and health care benefits while raking in huge profits, the headquarters of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its local branches who have lobbied against ending outrageous tax breaks for wealthy companies, and the district offices of members of Congress who vote against legislation to create jobs through public spending and tax cuts for working families.
Over the past few years, there have been sporadic protests led by unions, community, church and environmental groups, some of which have been effective at producing the intended results.
In September 2006, for example, more than 3,000 people marched outside a line of hotels near Los Angeles International Airport to raise awareness of the plight of immigrant hotel workers and to pressure the Los Angeles City Council to strengthen the city's "living wage" law to include 13 airport hotels. The march, organized by the hotel workers union, blocked traffic, causing gridlock and rush hour havoc at the busy airport. At 6 pm, as planned about 200 protesters - including several elected City Council members and state legislators -- sat down in the middle of the road outside the airport Hilton Hotel and were promptly arrested by the LAPD. The march, the civil disobedience, and the arrests made the evening news and the front pages of the next day's newspapers. As part of a months' long campaign by the union, the protest paid off. The City Council enacted the stronger "living wage" law, improving the lives of several thousand hotel employees.
Similarly, during the battle over health care reform in 2009 and 2010, activist groups, led by Health Care for America Now (HCAN), protested at the headquarters of the largest insurance and drug companies, and their powerful industry lobby groups, to draw public attention to their opposition to reform. Some showed up at the mansions of insurance company CEOs, pointing to their excessive multi-million dollar salaries and bonuses while their firms raised premiums and denied insurance to Americans with pre-existing health conditions. While most of the protestors rallied and demonstrated, a handful of activists engaged in civil disobedience, were arrested, and got their message on the evening news. The protests, which took place over several months, helped strengthen the resolve of the Democrats, including President Obama, not to cave in to industry pressure to abandon even modest reform.
Over the past year, a coalition of community organizing groups -- including National People's Action, PICO National Network, the Alliance for a Just Society, and the Industrial Areas Foundation -- have engaged in civil disobedience at major banks around the country. They've demanded that the lenders renegotiate the terms of mortgages for families facing foreclosure. The feisty National Nurses Union has been holding actions across the U.S. this year in support of its Main Street Contract for the American People initiate. They've used civil disobedience, rallies, and other protests on Wall Street (across from the New York Stock Exchange), in front of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Washington, and other tactics, including sit-ins, at 60 district Congressional offices in 21 states. In recent months, the most visible protests have taken place in Wisconsin to challenge the Republicans' efforts to dismantle public sector unions and slash public services.
But converting these actions into a full-blown movement will require activist groups to coordinate their efforts as well as devote more resources to educating, training and mobilizing their members so they see each action as part of a moral crusade to both improve their lives and change the country.
Unfortunately, it often requires dissenters to disrupt business-as-usual to get the media's attention, but their appetite for covering protest is not even-handed. Let a few dozen Tea Party activists show up at a Congressmember's town meeting, and the print reporters and TV cameras are there in droves. But liberal and progressive groups have a harder time getting their public actions into the news. For example, for two weeks earlier this month, environmentalists from all 50 states engaged in peaceful protest in front of the White House, urging President Obama to block the Keystone XL oil pipeline. More than a thousand protestors were arrested. But the media virtually ignored them.
Moreover, the media tend to report local Tea Party actions as part of a broader movement, but report protests by labor, community, and environmental groups as local events.
The Tea Party phenomenon underscores another key aspect of protest movements. They have cheerleaders in high places. Top Republican elected officials endorse their ideas and their actions. Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets shower the Tea Party with attention. Conservative business leaders like the Koch brothers and right-wing foundations invest in the Tea Party. This attention by high-profile public figures emboldens the Tea Party activists. They get more media attention than their numbers warrant. This makes them appear big and powerful.
But with a handful of notable exceptions, most Democratic politicians keep their distance from progressive activist groups rather than encourage them to mobilize and protest. There's no liberal newspaper or TV station that identifies with and supports unions, community organizing groups, and environmental crusaders the way their conservative counterparts champion the Tea Party. Likewise, liberal donors and foundations shy award from supporting protest groups.
When public officials support protest, it has a huge ripple effect. This dynamic unfolded a month after Obama was elected, while he was still President-elect, and his campaign message of "hope and change" and "Yes, we can" was still fresh in the air.
In December 2008, more than 200 members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (UE) in Chicago illegally occupied their factory after their employer, Republic Windows and Doors, abruptly told them that it was shutting down the plant. The workers peacefully took over the plant, where some had worked for decades, and demanded that the employer and the Bank of America (which had refused to extend credit to the company) find a solution.
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This was not a spontaneous protest. The union leaders and organizers had gotten wind of the company's plans, had talked about it with the union members, and had prepared for it. When the company made its announcement, the union was ready.
Two days after the occupation began, at a news conference to announce a new cabinet appointment, a reporter asked Obama -- still the president-elect, what he thought about the protest in his home town. He could have said he didn't know enough to comment on the topic, but instead he responded:
"When it comes to the situation here in Chicago with the workers who are asking for their benefits and payments they have earned, I think they are absolutely right. What's happening to them is reflective of what's happening across this economy."
With that statement, Obama used his bully pulpit to endorse the protest and to put pressure on Republic's management and the Bank of America to forge a solution. Congressman Luis Gutierrez moderated the talks between the company, the bank, and the union. Another company agreed to purchase the factory, keep it open with current employees and honor the union contract. Obama's stimulus program helped create a growing demand for energy-saving building products, which guaranteed the company more consumers.
Obama's election had given the workers enough hope to try the impossible, and it worked. By quickly endorsing the workers' protest, Obama showed the kind of bold leadership that progressives had been hoping for.
Even though he was once a community organizer, no one expects Obama to encourage Americans to break the law. But as he travels around the country promoting his jobs plan, and urging people to contact their Congressmembers, he could remind people of the important role that protest has played throughout our history.
During his campaign for the White House, Obama explained what it would take to overcome the power of entrenched interests in order to pass historic legislation. Change comes about, candidate Obama said, by "imagining, and then fighting for, and then working for, what did not seem possible before."
Obama observed: "That is how workers won the right to organize against violence and intimidation. That's how women won the right to vote. That's how young people traveled south to march and to sit in and to be beaten, and some went to jail and some died for freedom's cause."
Obama and his progressive allies seem to have forgotten that lesson. Since taking office, but particularly since the Republicans took back the House last November, Obama has frustrated liberals and progressives by scaling back his agenda in order to accommodate business interests and Republicans. All presidents have to compromise, but Obama often seems ready to surrender before he's tested his own strength or rallied public support.
Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson were initially ambivalent about the protests that enveloped the nation during the Depression and the 1960s civil rights. But in time both recognized that their ability to push New Deal and Great Society legislation through Congress depended on the pressure generated by these protesters. As the protests escalated, FDR and LBJ became more vocal, using their bully pulpits to lash out at their opponents and encourage the activists. FDR once told a group of activists that he agreed with their demands, but that it was their responsibility to "go out and make me do it." LBJ embraced King's protest strategy and proclaimed "We shall overcome" during a major speech. Both came to understand that the more effectively people created a sense of urgency and crisis, the easier it would be for them to push for progressive legislation.
Obama is fond of quoting Rev. Martin Luther King, one of the great apostles of non-violent protest, whose famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" explained why breaking the law on behalf of a just cause is a moral act of courage and conscience.
A successful protest campaign takes place over an extended period of time in multiple locations, so that the public, politicians, and the media view these activities as part of a sustained movement, not a one-time event.
The goal of a protest movement is to widen the circle of supporters, change public opinion, and pressure the targets of protest -- politicians, corporations, banks, landlords, and others - to change their policies and practices. It makes visible problems that were below the surface. It forces people to take notice and take sides. It puts new issues on the public agenda.
Three years into this economic cataclysm, filled with enormous pain and suffering, America seems to be holding its breath, trying to decide what kind of country it wants to be. Polls show that Americans are angry at the banks, the corporations, Congress, and the President. They want the government to help create more jobs, stop the epidemic of foreclosures, and guarantee that getting sick and needing health care won't leave families bankrupt.
Crafting a policy agenda to revitalize the economy, add new jobs, help families facing foreclosure, expanding the social safety net, and protecting Americans from deadly pollution and dangerous workplaces is the easy part. What's more difficult is mobilizing the political will. Nonviolent civil disobedience is only one tool in the protest arsenal. But a protest movement that includes civil disobedience -- not riots -- taps the moral energy that can transform Americans' anger, frustrations and hopes into focused public action, creating a sense of urgency equal to the crises facing the country.