Month: October 2025

A political campaign is a coordinated effort to elect candidates to public office or pass ballot initiatives. Campaigns are fueled by volunteers and staffed with paid staffers who work to identify, persuade, organize, and mobilize support for a candidate or cause. They also oversee strategic decision-making and daily operations.

A campaign can last months or even two years. The length and scale of a campaign vary by the type of election and the office up for grabs. Every two years (a political cycle) thousands of campaigns take place nationwide, from local and state offices to presidential races and ballot initiatives.

Getting involved with a political campaign often begins with volunteering, but it is possible to be hired full-time as well. Whether this is a good idea depends on your personal fit, career goals, and other professional experience. A strong network can help with finding a job on a political campaign. Recruiters at colleges, law schools, and advocacy organizations with connections to partisan groups may be able to refer you to opportunities.

The most common positions on a political campaign include field workers, advance workers, and fundraising specialists. These roles tend to have the most demanding workloads and jack-of-all-trade requirements. Depending on your connections, it is also possible to begin in a different position in the campaign hierarchy.

Working on a political campaign can provide valuable insight into the mechanics of building and maintaining support for specific policy ideas and advancing them to government office. For this reason, it can be a great way to determine your fit for political work, and to prepare for a transition into politics-adjacent careers such as lobbying or consulting.

Investor updates are a key part of maintaining transparency and trust with investors. The goal is to give them a holistic view of your business, including highlights, lowlights, and core metrics. These are typically emailed once or twice per month but can also be sent via PDF, deck, or link.

The best way to create your investor update is to use a template that focuses on a clear structure with consistent sections, visuals, and personalization. It is a good idea to start by reviewing the previous month and gathering all of your key performance indicators (KPIs). Make sure that you have access to these from your sources of truth like accounting, marketing, CRM, and project management systems. It is important to share these metrics with context in order to help your investors understand any shifts in metric trends.

You should focus on sharing highlights that include everything from a new customer onboarded or partnership formed, to the number of product releases completed, and any notable wins in marketing, sales, or engineering. It is helpful to use bullet points and short sentences to keep your update navigable and easy for investors to skim.

It is also important to share the lowlights and challenges in your business. It is a normal part of the startup process to have rough patches and it is important that your investors know about these issues in order to better support you when needed. Ultimately, it is in the best interest of your investors to see your startup succeed, and consistent insights into your company can put them in a more helpful position when they are asked to make an introduction, recommend a new employee, or even invest further capital.

Unless Congress passes and President Trump signs budget legislation that covers all of the discretionary spending for the next fiscal year (typically 12 appropriations bills) or a stopgap bill, the federal government will be forced to shut down. During shutdowns, agencies are required to cease all non-essential operations, but those considered “essential” continue operating as usual, including border protection, law enforcement, in-hospital medical care, air traffic control and many other services. Mandatory programs, such as Social Security checks and Medicare card issuance, also continue.

Many federal workers have been impacted by the shutdown, with employees deemed “non-essential” temporarily placed on unpaid leave. This has impacted the Smithsonian museums, the National Park Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention among others. While some museums and other cultural institutions have tapped their reserves to remain open, the longer this goes on the more strain it will put on those reserves and the more reliance there will be on future congressional funding appropriations.

In addition, families are facing a real financial impact from missed paychecks. This is particularly true for vulnerable families, such as those with disabilities or who are on fixed incomes, who have limited resources to cope with the disruption in their lives. Beyond that, the political brinksmanship around a government shutdown hurts morale for those working in the federal workforce. These are people who have devoted their lives to the missions of the agencies they work for, and they feel like their hard work is being devalued by the partisan squabbling that leads to a government shutdown.

An editorial is an opinion piece that is published in newspapers, magazines and online. It can be written by the editorial staff of a newspaper or magazine, or it can be written by a non-staff writer, such as an expert in a field who is invited to write an editorial on a topic. An editorial is usually accompanied by one or more graphics. It is often a shorter length than a news story.

The term op-ed is short for “opposite the editorial page.” It used to be called an editorial but that changed when the term was expanded to mean a piece that appears on any page of a newspaper and is not in the main body of the paper.

A good editorial should be well argued and contain a call to action. In the past, the editors of a newspaper would often invite experts to write an editorial, but today many online journals no longer publish them.

If your aim is to persuade readers, your op-ed should include at least one controversial argument and be clear and concise. You should also consider how your reader will respond to your article, which is important if you want to influence public debate and change opinion.

It is important to track the news and jump on the chance to discuss an issue that is dominating headlines, because that is what readers are interested in. If a celebrity has died or there is a new crisis in a war, you should talk about it in an op-ed. But it is not necessary to write an entire op-ed on something that is already dominating the news, especially if it has been covered recently by other op-ed writers or even in the main body of the newspaper.

The word “diplomacy” is associated with embassies, international relations and high politics. But diplomacy is more than a career; it’s a set of skills we all use. It involves understanding the many facets of human nature that undermine agreement and stoke conflict, and an ability to unpick them with grace and foresight. It involves an appreciation that small lies can serve as guardians of bigger truths, allowing us to get by in a radically imperfect world.

The term comes from the ancient Greek diplomas (a paper folded twice, a license or chart conferring privileges), but grew to refer to any solemn document in which princes granted such favours. Later, as the word came to be conflated with foreign policy, it was identified with the diplomatic channel, the system through which states negotiate and manage their interactions with one another.

Today’s diplomats are not all nobles, but a wide range of individuals, from university students to corporate executives and retirees. They operate out of headquarters called embassies, which are usually located in large cities and have a staff of specialists. Larger missions may also have other places of representation, which are known as consulates. Diplomatic relations are governed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and a broader corpus of treaty and customary law.

Henry Wotton remarked around 1604 that an ambassador was “an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.” That caricature has lived on, but in our more pragmatic age we recognize that the aims of diplomacy are more complex than that: to compel, deter or shape behavior without full-scale war. Diplomats do this by using the power of conversation in ways that keep escalation under control.

Almost no small business owner builds their company with the goal of merging with another, but when it’s a good fit, this type of transaction can boost growth. Mergers are distinct from sales and acquisitions, though the terms are often used interchangeably.

A merger is when two companies form a new entity with one combined stock. Typically, both original companies retain some percentage of ownership in the new company. The exact share exchange ratio can vary based on the merger terms.

When a business merges, the two companies can gain access to each other’s customer base and production facilities, reducing costs and increasing profits. Mergers can also be a lifeline for struggling businesses, allowing them to stay open and avoid bankruptcy.

While many people associate business mergers with a hostile takeover, this type of transaction can be very friendly and is a way for companies to grow together in an organic manner. In fact, most mergers are completed with the blessing of the target company’s management team.

If the two companies’ shareholders agree to a merge, professional advisors from each firm will analyze each other’s financial data and perform due diligence. The consultants will look at each other’s income statements, balance sheets, cash flow, intellectual property, pending lawsuits and more. They will use a variety of valuation methodologies, including comparable company analysis and discounted cash flow (DCF), to determine each company’s value. Once the companies have agreed to a merger, they will work on integrating their operations, IT systems and human resources.

When a country puts tariffs or other trade barriers in place to protect domestic industries, it’s known as a trade war. This can cause economic conflict between nations and reduce international cooperation.

The Trump administration has used the term trade war to describe the escalating trade conflict with China and other trading partners. While Donald Trump campaigned on bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, he has continued to impose tariffs and other protectionist measures since taking office. These actions are intended to address what the White House has described as unfair trade practices by China.

A trade war can be expensive for all parties. The costs of a trade war are not just the higher prices that consumers pay for imported goods. Manufacturers also face rising input costs, which can lead to price increases for manufactured products and services. This can lead to consumer inflation, which is a significant economic problem for both the economy and households.

In the short run, higher prices can lead to decreased production, which can lower employment and incomes. In the long run, higher prices can depress demand, leading to a recession.

During the first two years of the trade war, the increased tariffs have generated over $264 billion in higher customs duties collected for the US government from importers. This is the equivalent of about $625 per year, on average, for each US household before accounting for behavioral effects like lower incomes and reduced output.

In the era of globalization, the world is full of news that can spark discussion and excitement. Tutors often ask students to write on current events for the purpose of testing their grasp of affairs. Such an essay is dictated by facts, and the author must be knowledgeable about the topic to make a proper judgment. Hence, it is important to research the topic in question to establish its authenticity.

Identify and cite the source of information. Acknowledgement of sources is a display of knowledge and avoids cases of plagiarism. It is also essential to verify data, especially numbers, from multiple sources and establish any inconsistencies that may be present in the story. This will ensure that the essay is based on sound facts and will help to support your argument.

Explain the significance of the event and why it is important to your audience. Consider how the event relates to your community, nation, or the world. Choose the most important aspects of the event and write them down in a list. You can also consider the five Ws and H: Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

In the essay, you should also explain the consequences of the event and what the future holds for those involved. Moreover, you should include what other media outlets have covered the story and when. By including this information, your essay will be more credible and attractive to readers. Besides, you will be able to establish your authority as an expert in the subject matter.

Political unrest is a situation where dissatisfaction with the government or government policies leads to protests, strikes, or even revolution. This can have severe consequences for society and the economy.

The six root causes of civil unrest are climate change, economic inequality, globalisation, political oppression, identity politics, and violence. These all interact with one another to create a fertile ground for instability and conflict. Climate change affects livelihoods by disrupting water supplies, displacing populations, and increasing competition for scarce resources. Economic inequality fuels civil unrest as a small percentage of the population continues to accumulate vast wealth while the rest struggle to get by. Globalisation has eroded traditional cultures and economies, triggering anger at cultural homogenisation and a sense of loss of national identity. Political oppression, such as corruption and censorship, can undermine people’s faith in democratic institutions like free elections and peaceful transfers of power. Movements for racial and social justice typically have peaceful aims but can turn violent when they feel the state is failing to respond.

When political unrest erupts, it can impact your safety, academic progress, and ability to travel, work, or shop. Be aware of local events, read the International SOS destination guides (available in the Assistance App and Member Portal) and Amnesty International’s country reports on human rights, and check Harvard GSS risk ratings frequently. If prolonged civil unrest deteriorates security or the ability to access essential services, consider relocating. You can also stay safe by planning ahead and making contingency plans, such as arranging alternative transportation and keeping a “go bag” with emergency supplies.

A resolution is an action-oriented document that is adopted by the UN Security Council, a body tasked with global peace and security. The council’s authority comes from the UN Charter, and its most powerful tool is the veto, which grants permanent member nations (the “P5”: the United States, China, France, Russia and the UK) the right to block any resolution on which they disagree.

Resolutions can take many forms, including declarations and press statements. The process of drafting and adopting a resolution takes time, particularly when it involves the complex issue of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. UN Watch monitors and opposes one-sided resolutions in the UN, and we have launched a campaign asking all member states to end their biased votes against Israel.

This resolution was a follow-up to Resolution 2712 of 15 November 2023, which demanded that “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors” be established throughout Gaza in order to facilitate the delivery of essential goods and services. It also demanded the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza.

This resolution condemned Palestinian incitement to violence, but utterly ignored Hezbollah’s use of rockets and terror attacks against Israeli men, women and children and Lebanon’s ongoing defiance of Security Council Resolutions on dismantling Hezbollah. It is a prime example of how one-sided UN anti-Israel resolutions hurt peace prospects in the region. Resources devoted to these anti-Israel propaganda efforts divert attention and resources from the more pressing issues that require resolutions such as countering Iran’s nuclear ambitions, addressing Syria’s destabilising activities, tackling terrorism across the region and so on.