Monday, December 30, 2019

Pollution Is A Serious Problem - 1320 Words

Xiangyu Li Professor Kei Lutalo English 1106 6 March 2016 pollution in china In the paper, I argue that what types of pollution in china by introducing the situation and problems in china. Following the development of economic and scientific, China is playing a very important role in the international arena. Increasing the number of people become rich. they can buy the new car, big house, and expensive clothes. In many people s opinions that China is becoming strong and rich. But they do not know China is also facing a serious problem, it is pollution. Pollution is a serious problem because it will affect our health. Pollution can shorten our life and make us sick. Why pollution in China is a serious problem? because there are air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution, those pollution has begun to seriously affect people s lives. How serious pollution in china? pollution will have what effects in China? How can we solve those problems? While critics argue air pollution is not serious in china, I argue air pollution is serious in china. because smog, an excess of harmful gasses. Now, air pollution is a serious problem in china. According to BBC news, Beijing government on Friday released four smog alert . Beijing s smog problem is mainly due to fuel power plants , industrial pollution and car exhaust(n.p.). recently, Beijing faces severe smog, government explain the main reason why there is smog is factories and automobile exhaust. Factory make air pollutionShow MoreRelatedAir Pollution Is A Serious Problem1571 Words   |  7 PagesAir pollution is a very serious problem throughout the world. Exposure to air pollution is easy and it can affect your health. Air pollution is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or other harmful materials into Earth’s atmosphere, causing diseases, death to humans, and damage to other living organisms such as animals and food crops, or the natural or built en vironment (Air Pollution, 2016, June 27). This definition proves that exposure to air pollution can harm the main thingsRead MoreAir Pollution Is A Serious Problem1507 Words   |  7 PagesAir pollution is a serious problem in our society that damages many things such as crops, trees, plants, and natural resources. Air pollution can be indoor or outdoors, when people smoke or vehicles exhaust pollutes the air. It is an additional harmful substance that damages environment, human health, and quality of life. The state of Minnesota has taken this into consideration and decided to protect its residence and visitor’s well-being and health. As stated in the Minnesota Department of HealthRead MorePollution Pollution is the contamination of the environment which is a serious problem that1700 Words   |  7 Pages Pollution Pollution is the contamination of the environment which is a serious problem that causes instability, disorder, harm and discomfort to the ecosystem and those who live in it. There are many types of pollution such as water pollution, air pollution, sound pollution, soil pollution etc. Pollution happens every single day and it has now become the way of living. Among the many types of water pollutants such as chemical, microbiological, ground, and surface water pollutants; Oil spillsRead MorePollution in the oceans, though not commonly known to humans, creates serious problems in our1000 Words   |  4 PagesPollution in the oceans, though not commonly known to humans, creates serious problems in our environment. Oil spills, plastic, garbage, and sewage combine together to form the major problem known as pollution. Coral reefs begin to disappear as a result of ocean pollution and many other factors. Carbon dioxide levels increase as greenhouses release gases into the air. As pollution continues to grow and become much worse, organizations create new laws to help reduce or end some of the major problemsRead MoreEnviromental Pollution785 Words   |  4 PagesEnvironmental pollution  is a term that refers to all  the ways  by which people pollute their surroundings. People dirty the air with gases and smoke, poison the water  with ch emicals  and other substances, and damage  the soil  with too many fertilizers and pesticides:  People also  pollute their surroundings in various other ways. For example, they ruin  natural beauty  by scattering junk and litter on the land and in the water. They operate machines  and motor  vehicles that fill the air with disturbing noiseRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On The Environment Essay1198 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelopment. Environmental pollution will cause direct damage to the ecosystem and impact, such as desertification, forest destruction, water eutrophication, will also give ecological systems and human society caused by indirect harm, and sometimes this indirect environmental effects than the harm caused Of the direct harm is greater, more difficult to eliminate. For example, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and ozone depletion are the environmental effects of air pollution. This environmental effectRead MoreInadequate Sanitary Facilities At Dhaka Water And Sewerage Authority ( Dwasa ) Essay1596 Words   |  7 Pagespose a serious environmental threat in Bangladesh. Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) can serve only for 15 to 20% of city population. In absence of the sanitation and infrastructural services, 40% having septic tank and soak pit, 15% using pit latrines and 30% using open latrines. The sewage is mostly released into low-lying areas and river water in untreated manner causi ng great environmental hazards. 4. Arsenic Contamination of Ground Water Arsenic in ground water poses a serious environmentalRead MoreAir Pollution As A Growing Problem1530 Words   |  7 PagesSince last century, air pollution has become one of the most popular topics related to people’s healthy life. After the Second World War, the consumption of fossil energy increase sharply due to the rapid development of industry and transportation, however, there almost no relevant environmental regulations to control the negative effects caused by industrial emissions. Therefore, air pollution became a growing problem. This paper will compare the conditions of air pollution between Los Angeles andRead MoreTo humans, having a healthy immune system is essential. Our immune system is important because it900 Words   |  4 Pagesimmune system is important because it helps the body fight any foreign bacteria, viruses, and diseases by attacking it, which is why we must take care of it as much as possible by strengthening it. But this so called defense system c an also cause problems such as attacking donated organs or blood from another individual, unless the organs or blood are carefully matched. It may also overreact to harmless invaders such as pollen grains, which can cause hayfever, and even in certain cases, the immuneRead MoreImportance Of Water Pollution Essay1176 Words   |  5 PagesTwo-Thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. As the Earth’s population continually increases, we are putting too much stress on our water sources. The environmental campaign organization WWF states,  Pollution from toxic chemicals threatens life on this planet. Every ocean and every continent, from the tropics to the once-pristine polar regions, is contaminated. In Indonesia, the Citarum River is the most polluted river in the world. 5 million people live in the river’s basin and many

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Research Proposal - 5078 Words

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL NAME: GREGORY EYORU REG NO: 10/U/16094/EVE COURSE UNIT: BUSINESS RESEARCH SKILLS COURSE: BBA 2 GROUP C REMUNERATION AND MOTIVATION OF LECTURERS IN MAKERERE UNIVERSITY A PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL AS PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MARCH, 2012 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my family, friends and course mates who have offered me support through different situations in my life. ACKNOWLEDGMENT I thank God for his mercy and graceful blessings he has given me in my course so far and hope for†¦show more content†¦If lecturers are not paid their basic salary and if basic salary is not progressive, received in time, based on position and in line with the market demands then motivation of lecturers and the performance of the university is likely to be low. Salaries have been a contentious issue at Makerere University and the reason behind numerous strikes by lecturers.Lecturers who possess more academic qualifications than most politicians earn peanuts in comparison with the latter. Permanent lecturers earn between sh900, 000 and sh2.2m. Professors earn a gross monthly salary of sh2.2m, associate professors get sh1.8m, senior lecturers sh1.5m, while lecturers receive sh1.3m. The university pays assistant lecturers sh1.1m and sh980, 000 to teaching assistants. To make matters worse, these salaries are often not paid in time and sometimes not paid at all. In some faculties lecturers spend over six months without receiving a penny for their services, a situation that has forced a number of talented citizens to quit in such of better working conditions. Out of frustration, some lecturers have been forced to take extreme measures such as withholding student’s results in an attempt to recover their monies from the university. It usually takes over one year to get one’s name on the payroll. The status of basic salary and its effect on the motivation of lecturers at MakerereShow MoreRelatedResearch Proposal661 Words   |  3 PagesTO: Professor Sara Cutting FROM: Kiersten McCaffrey DATE: February 18, 2014 SUBJECT: Begin Business Plan for Potential Future Investment Background In the beginning of the semester you requested that I research a topic related to a personal decision such as a future goal. I am currently employed at a yoga studio and have a general understanding of the hard work that goes into running a small business. At the same time, I also directly see the benefits of owning a successful business.Read MoreProposal For A Research Proposal814 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is it? A typical research proposal is used by scholars and students who have an interest in your field. This usually happens as part of a grant application, postgraduate application (PhD), or for a final year dissertation. It usually ranges from 1,000-3,000 words and is a summary of what is being proposed to study. It is usually judged by content and proposal format. A Research proposal should†¦ Clearly set out what the research is going to be about. This includes a provisional/working titleRead MoreResearch Proposal1267 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Proposal: It addresses a particular project: academic or scientific research.  It also contains extensive literature reviews and must offer convincing support of need for the research study being proposed.   Doctoral dissertations begin with research proposal; the proposal must be accepted by a panel of experts (usually professors) before the actual research can begin.   In addition to providing rationale for the proposed research, the proposal must describe a detailed methodology for conductingRead MoreResearch Proposal1447 Words   |  6 PagesCohort January 2013 Module Title Business Research Issue and Anylysis (Module code BAMG 2104 ) Assignment Topic/ Title Research Proposal Name of Instructor Dr Michael Ng Name of Student 1) AU Kwan Tai, 2) Chan Yan Ki, 3) Choi Chak Pan, 4) Chong Ka Chun DMU Student No. 1) P13014477 , 2) P13014523 3) P13014614, 4) P13014628 Group No. Date of Submission 25 Feb, 2014 DMU Business Research Methods Research P roposal 1. Research Project Title The relationship betweenRead MoreResearch Proposal1706 Words   |  7 PagesMOI UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS. Course: RESEARCH METHODS Course code: ECO 217 Task: GROUP ASSIGNMENT NAMES REG. NO. SIGN 1. HUSSEIN IBRAHIM ABDIRAHMAN ECO/201/O9 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. THIONG AGUTORead MoreResearch Proposal2386 Words   |  10 PagesResearch Proposal Tony Franco, Anita Badejo, Annie Petroian Malhami, Brenda Baillargeon, Christina Hyett, Kenneth Haynes RES/351 June 11, 2012 Dr. James Gartside University of Phoenix Research Proposal In recent years, the amount of media coverage surrounding assisted suicide, or euthanasia, has increased. The term evokes a multitude of emotive responses. The Royal College of Nursing completed research on the issue of euthanasia initiating change in their policy of opposition to euthanasiaRead MoreParts of a Research Proposal2853 Words   |  12 PagesPARTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL Typical parts of a research proposal are: Title (or Cover) Page Abstract Table of Contents Introduction (including Statement of Problem, Purpose of Research, and Significance of Research) Background (including Literature Survey) Description of Proposed Research (including Method or Approach) Description of Relevant Institutional Resources List of References Personnel Budget The Title (or Cover) Page. Most sponsoring agencies specify the format for the title page,Read MoreDifferences Between Formal Research and Business Proposals1403 Words   |  6 PagesDifferences between â€Å"Formal Research† and â€Å"Business Proposals† There is a great difference between a formal research proposal and a business proposal. In fact these two types of proposals seem to be very similar but there are critical differences in the overall purpose, uses and goals. With such distinct differences for a writer it helps in understanding for writing the formal research proposal or business proposal more effectively. The general purpose of a proposal is the identify a particularRead MoreDesign Research Proposal1022 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Design The research question for this research proposal is: is participation in a Housing First program effective in preventing reoccurrences of child maltreatment with families who have a history of housing instability? This research proposal will examine the hypothesis: Families with a history of instability will be less likely to commit child maltreatment when they are enrolled in a Housing First program as compared to those who are not enrolled. A longitudinal design study will be usedRead MoreGuidelines on Writing a Research Proposal2565 Words   |  11 PagesGuidelines on writing a research proposal Introduction This is a guide to writing M.A. research proposals. The same principles apply to dissertation proposals and to proposals to most funding agencies. It includes a model outline, but advisor, committee and funding agency expectations vary and your proposal will be a variation on this basic theme. Use these guidelines as a point of departure for discussions with your advisor. They may serve as a straw-man against which to build your understanding

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Messages of Strength and Pride in Three Poems Free Essays

Poems from the Harlem Renaissance provide vibrance and energy for the reader as they enliven a culture and tradition never before seen in the United States.   The poems â€Å"Chicago,’ by Carl Sandburg, â€Å"The Harlem Dancer,† by Claude McKay, and â€Å"Mother to Son,† by Langston Hughes, all embody this strong culture through vivid images an lingering metaphors.   While they show the pride and substance of their subjects, the poems also hint at a bit of vulnerability as well. We will write a custom essay sample on Messages of Strength and Pride in Three Poems or any similar topic only for you Order Now    Therefore, these three poems metaphorically illicit outward shows of strength and pride which hide pain, toil and even resentment underneath. Strength is an attribute of a person who has toiled and prevailed despite the overwhelming odds against him.   In the first half of the poem, â€Å"Chicago,† the first person speaker is addressing the city through a series of metaphors.   First, he addresses him as a serious of occupations which all require great physical strength but which do not have an association with upper class wealth or power: HOG Butcher for the World,  Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,  Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler (Sandburg, lines. 1-3).  These images create a masculine, hulking mood for the reader.   It is evident that life in this city requires brawn and even a cunning mind. The speaker notes the physical attributes of the city, which can be compared to a man:   Stormy, husky, brawling,  City of the Big Shoulders† (Sandburg, lines. 4-5). The city is personified as a hard-working and proud blue collar worker who may have to resort to underhanded dealings in order to survive. However, as the poem progresses, the metaphors change.   The speaker begins with a parallel series of descriptions – â€Å"wicked,† â€Å"crooked,† and â€Å"brutal,† to characterize the city along with a justification for each.   He notes the city is â€Å"sneering† but with  lifted head singing  so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning† (Sandburg, lines. 18-19). The suggestion is that the city demands more than hard work; it sometimes takes pain and trickery from its inhabitants.   However, the messages notes that sometimes this behavior is necessary for survival, and that the city has no moral problem with crime, corruption and manipulation. Finally, the poem shifts to the metaphor not of a man at all, but a beast.   This creature is Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning  as a savage pitted against the wilderness† (Sandburg lines. 23-24). Now the city is not human, but savage and untamed, reflecting the problems it presents for the survival of its dwellers.   They must endure, the smoke, the dust, the teeth and the burden of the city and somehow manage to laugh,  even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has  never lost a battle† (Sandburg, lns. 34-35). The bottom line for this poem is pride. Sometimes the people had to be dishonest and brutal, but they have an immense pride in getting to where they are.   The personified images of the city portray all of these emotions for the reader. â€Å"The Harlem Dancer,† by Claude McKay, focuses on the single image and experience of a boy watching a girl dance.   While the image is softer, it can correlate with the message from â€Å"Chicago.†Ã‚   Of course, the undertone is that these dancing girls are prostitutes, tempting the boys to wrongdoing, but that is part of the magic of the experience for these Harlem youth.   Despite her degrading occupation, the dancer of note is elevated to idealistic proportions in the eyes of the speaker. First, she is half-clothed, and swaying, which reminds the young man, oddly, of a palm tree.   He notes,  To me she seemed a proudly-swaying palm  Grown lovelier for passing through a storm   (McKay, lines. 7-8). With this description, the reader understands that even the boy recognizes that this girl does not belong in Harlem.   After all, no palm trees grow anywhere near Harlem; they are products of more tropical, exotic climates, as is the dancer.   He also insinuates that she has endured hardships herself, the storm he notes, and finds her more attractive for having survived those hardships. Next, the speaker notes the melodic, otherworldly quality of her voice.   He says,  Her voice was like the sound of blended flutes  Blown by black players upon a picnic day (McKay, lines, 3-4).  he airiness of her voice and their comparison to prayers places the girl in an almost angelic realm, oddly juxtaposed to her actual position as a prostitute. This angelic nature is further emphasized by her â€Å"gauzy† dress, her graceful body, and her â€Å"shiny curls.†Ã‚   To the speaker, she is perfection, something he has never before experienced. However, underneath the beautiful figure of the dancing girl is something else, something that the boy eventually notices.   She is not the strong and serene figure he initially perceives.   She is, in his words, not there.   He notes But, looking at her falsely-smiling face I knew her self was not in that strange place (McKay, lines 13-14). The speaker comes to realize that she is not truly the confident and strong person that he initially perceived her to be.   In order to get through her day, she has to somehow transport herself elsewhere, and he has bought into it for a while.   She is not ideal or perfect but has had her own shares of struggles and deceptions. The poem â€Å"Mother to Son,† by Langston Hughes, also illuminates the theme that life is a struggle, but one that should make a person proud.   The speaker is an African-American mother who is attempting to relate a life lesson to her son.   She uses a metaphor of a crystal staircase to try to emphasize the hardships she has endured in getting to the place she is now.   The clever analogy notes that a crystal staircase would be smooth and easy to climb, unlike the experience the mother relays: Well, son, I’ll tell you:  Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.  It’s had tacks in it,  And splinters,  And boards torn up,  And places with no carpet on the floor —  Bare. (Hugues, lines 1-7) Her life journey was painful and filled with obstacles, and she wants her son to realize this so that he will be ready for his own obstacles and hardships in life.   Ã‚  She does not want him to grow up expecting to have things handed to him, but to expect to have to work hard for the things he wants. Another message that she wants to convey to her son is that he should never give up despite these hardships.   She wants to encourage him: So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard (Hughes, lines 14-16). In addition to warning him about the condition of the stairs and the difficulty of traversing them, the mother is also warning her son of the dangers.   She notes that sometimes the stairs are dark, and she warns him against falling.   Of course, the grand metaphor for life is apparent.   Life is sometimes dark, full of pitfalls, and daunting, but she has continued the journey and is endeavoring to make her son do the same. She is not making the journey sound easy; clearly, they were not the privileged individuals, but she is attempting to instill endurance through her message.   After all, she is still climbing the stairs, and if she can do it, so can he. All three of these poems address issues of life and perseverance.   None of the lives described seem easy.   Life in â€Å"Chicago† is compared ultimately to a beast that laughs and sneers.   Life as   Ã¢â‚¬Å"TheHarlem Dancer† is empty for her, as she continually desires to be somewhere else.   Life on the broken staircase is uncertain and treacherous.   However, all three scenarios represent the continual toil of life, and the pride that these individuals have.   They may not have riches, easy jobs, or crystals stairs, but they have their work ethic and their sense of self-worth, and that is all that matters. WORKS CITED McKay, Claude.   â€Å"The Harlem Dancer.† Retrieved 9 April 2007 from http://www.poetry-archive.com/m/the_harlem_dancer.html Sandburg, Carl.   â€Å"Chicago.† Retrieved 9 April 2007 from http://carl-sandburg.com/chicago.htm How to cite Messages of Strength and Pride in Three Poems, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Supernatural Drama Media free essay sample

Werewolves and vampires, and ordinary setting, a trigger/event that leads to the creation of supernatural beings. Ordinary people becoming supernatural or finding out about supernatural beings, and the running theme which is good vs bad. On the front of the Vampire Diaries cover, the title is written in bold white writing. The red ribbon wrapped around the white writing could connote the red strangling the white, or rather the bad strangling the good. There is also a drop of blood that can be seen under the V. Blood is conventional of the vampire story. There is a girl in a red dress which could connote lust, blood, love and danger and she is lying in the middle of two men which could connote a love triangle. The bodies look lifeless but they are looking directly at the camera which could connote that they are the living dead. This contrasts to the drooping tree which looks like it has been drained of life which links to blood being drained. We will write a custom essay sample on Supernatural Drama Media or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The logo on the Misfits cover is separated, and is tinged pink. The Being Human title is written in a plain, simple font. The Misfits title is the only one that uses an unconventional colour scheme. The Vampire Diaries follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) who falls for a century old vampire Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Their lives grow more complicated as Stefans vicious brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) returns to town with a vendetta against his brother. The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, a town charged with supernatural history. This cover is the only one that uses conventional colours and gothic themes and the other covers, especially Misfits subvert the genre conventions. The narrative of the Vampire Diaries is very conventional of a supernatural and a teen drama. The elements are there, especially when a love triangle is introduced into the plot. Misfits is a British science-fiction drama television series based on a group of young offenders who obtain supernatural powers after a strange electric storm. The plots of Misfits and Being Human ollow a majority of the genre conventions, but some parts of the narrative completely subvert them. For instance, there is a lightning storm that leads the characters gaining supernatural powers, but they are a group of young offenders and they wouldnt usually be the kind of people to gain powers. On the back cover, there are profile images of each character which are comic-book like, which links with the idea of superheroes which is iconic, but the characters subvert t he conventions of superheroes. There is a different colour behind each character which again suggest they are a team of superheroes. In Being Human all three supernatural characters share a flat together in Bristol. The darkness surrounding the characters with some light suggest they are fighting against something evil that is almost taking them in. The messy house suggests chaos and along with the simple font and location suggest the simple they want is not possible. Both programmes would be very ordinary if there was no supernatural element to it. The Vampire Diaires appeals to teenagers, as the characters in it are attractive and are supposed to be around the ages of 17 and onwards. The drama part of the series also deals with some of the social problems and worries teenagers face today. Misfits subverts genre conventions and appeals to its target audience as it contains things like sex, drugs, mystery and action which are endearing to people in this age range and uses the kind of language they would also use which makes the characters seem more realistic. All three programmes have a website where views can interact with each other and can be more involved and learn and watch more about what happens behind the scenes of the shows. The Vampire Diaries is the programme that fully follows the conventions of supernatural drama. The running theme of good vs bad, the colours used and gothic themes. There are lots of different types of supernatural beings involved. The convention of a small historic town is also used. Misfits and Being Human also subvert some of the conventions of supernatural genre. They have ordinary settings but although the narrative revolves around supernatural beings the background of it is quite normal.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Sign of Four Essay Example

The Sign of Four Essay Example The Sign of Four Paper The Sign of Four Paper The opening lines suggest that Holmes is a drug addict, alternating between morphine and cocaine, displayed when Watson asks:What is it today? I asked, morphine or cocaine? The drugs have physically taken their toll on Holmes, his white fingers take the needle before injecting the drug in to his sinewy forearm. Watson clearly objects to Holmes use of drugs, but is reluctant to protest, despite his knowledge of the dangers of drugs. Holmes accepts Watsons medical opinion, possibly because he is an army surgeon, however this is one of the rare times where Holmes acknowledges what Watson has to say. Watson is in awe of Holmes, he admires his great powers and repeatedly describes Holmes in an admirable fashion. Holmes can not stand being without work, and he takes drugs to pass the time, because he is restless. His mind rebels at stagnation. Holmes has an inflated opinion of himself, as he describes himself as superior over the police force, and that when Gregson, or Lestrade, or Athelney Jones are out of their depths which is their normal state, the matter is laid before me.  Holmes tends to show no emotion throughout the novel, the first time he shows this is in his critiscism of Watsons work you have attempted to tinge it with romantiscism. He says detection ought to be treated in an unemotional manner. Watson however, displays emotion frequently and it often hampers him in his work, but the romance was there he replies to Holmes critiscism. Watson looks up to Holmes almost like an older brother, and writes A Study in Scarlet specifically to please (him). Watson is irritated by (Holmes) egotism. His egotism surfaces again when he speaks of his French detective colleague. Watson describes the way the Frenchman speaks as a pupil to his master. Holmes is very knowledgable. He has several monographs, and he uses his knowledge to help him in his detection. Holmes takes the smallest details in to account or has Watson puts it an extraordinary genius for minutiae. Holmes uses his observations to deduce his answer, often assuming the most logical explanation, but not expecting an entirely accurate answer. Morstan seems confident from the way Watson describes her, she has a firm step. She possibly had a wealthy upbringing, but has recently come in to financial trouble. She is dressed in perfect taste but her clothes suggested they were created with limited means. Her lip (trembles) as she meets with Holmes, showing she is nervous.  Holmes delights at the prospect of a challenge, he rubbed his hands and his eyes glistened, for it means he has something to tax his mind with. He takes note of everything, opening his notebook. Marston must have been deeply saddened choking sob, and she can recall every detail, such as the exact day of the disappearance third of December 1878. It appears that many people seek guidance from Homles, examples include the Frenchman, Watson, Marston and later Athelney Jones. Watson must feel affection for her, as he gives her a admirable description in the opening paragraph, and that he replied ferverently to her question. He confirms this by calling her an attractive woman after her departure. Holmes is indifferent to this, prompting Watson to call him inhuman sometimes, rearding his lack of emotion. Holmes tells Watson not to allow your judgement to be biased by personal qualities. Holmes appears to be more upbeat when his mind his taxed. Holmes speaks to Watson as a pupil. He asks him questions that he already knows the answer to. Holmes is almost a mentor to Watson. At the end of the paragraph, Watson tries to convert to Holmes pattern of thinking by calling Marston a unit.  Holmes suffers from severe mood swings, a mood which alternated with fits of the blackest depression this is probably caused by his drugs. Watson seems to do a lot for Holmes, he poured out (tea) for him, but Holmes does not seem to do much in reply, concerning house keeping. When it comes to detective matters, Watson never disagrees with Holmes, ever. Holmes is very confident in his ability, which links in with his egotism. However, he takes no chances, and took his revolver with him.  Marston must have been close to Papa as she has a pet name for him. Watson describes a very gloomy scene outside, the mud coloured clouds drooped sadly. While Marston and Watson are slightly affected by emotion, Holmes rises superior over something as petty as emotion. Watson and Marston seem like excited children compared to the unflappable Homles.  Watson has clearly been used to a wealthy lifestyle, he shows this in the scornful way he describes the third rate house. Holmes shows this same first classness about him when he describes the area as not very fashionable. Watson is very distrustful towards the bald headed man as he gives a very negative description of him and his home. The home is described as sordid and common. Thaddeus lives with quite luxurious and Oriental furnishings such as a hookah. Watson has become very defensive for Marstons sake, which could be taken as sign of his affection for her. Thaddeus seems to be a trusting man towards his close companions, but he opposes the police or rough crowds. He describes Bartholomew as more superior to him. He must also have had a very wealthy upbring as he speaks of having to pay a large sum to hush it up. Major Sholto seems to have been greedy and more concerned of damaging his reputation than anything else, even at the expense of his friend. While Thaddeus seems very apologetic, and in giving the pearls to Marston he attempts to apologise, Bartholomew appears to have inherited his fathers greediness, and was reluctant to give over the pearls. Thaddeus seems to be in awe of his brother, who used Holmes-like methods to find the treasure. Thaddeus seems to be able to rise above the temptation of the treasure, whilst the others, apart from Holmes, seem entranced by the thought.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Discuss the internet in terms of the concept of the public sphere Research Paper

Discuss the internet in terms of the concept of the public sphere - Research Paper Example Specifically the theory of Habermas with regards to public sphere is no longer applicable in online public sphere. For this reason, this study highly recommends the need to modify Habermas’ theory on online public sphere. Table of Contents Executive Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 Table of Contents †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 1. Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 2. Literature Review †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 2.1 General Information about Public Sphere †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦ 5 2.2 Herbamas Theory in Public Sphere †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦... 6 2.3 Differences between the Use of the Internet and Traditional Mass Media †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.... 9 2.4 Significance of the Internet within the Context of Public Sphere †¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 2.4.1 Main Actors in Online Public Sphere †¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ... 18 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 20 - 25 1. Introduction In relation to globalization, the use of the Internet together with a widerange of different social networking tools and other digital gadgets plays a significant role in today’s communication (Khan et al., 2011). In line with this, a lot of private and state-owned companies today are using their own websites, e-mail, and chat rooms to facilitate communication between and amongst the group of business people, customers, and employees (James, 2008). Likewise, the same communication platform is currently being used by the government sector for political communication and persuasion as well as online campaign purposes (Hepburn, 2012; Ameripour, Nicholson and Newman, 2010; Robertson, Vatrapu and Medina, 2010; Wattal et al., 2010) , public libraries which aim to promote community learning purposes (Jaeger et al., 2011; Nawaz et al., 2011), educational institutions for online academic teaching and learning purposes (Greenhow, Robelia and Hughes, 2009), and religious sectors that aim to educate people about the importance of renewing their religious faith (Dinham and Jones, 2012). The main purpose of this study is to explore and analyse the significance of the Internet within the concept of public sphere. In general, the public sphere is referring to a medium where people can freely observe and communicate a wide-range of social issues as well as political and economic concerns (Gerhards and Schafer, 2009). Because of the role of the Internet in today’s modern mode of communication, it is necessary to closely examine how the use of the Internet has significantly affects the traditional context of public sphere. The target readers of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Monitoring U.S. citizens' phone conversations to detect potential Essay

Monitoring U.S. citizens' phone conversations to detect potential terriorist threats - Essay Example Such provisions threaten the quintessential American way of life. Liberty and freedom have always been a fundamental part of the American ethos and values. The very spirit of American political life and popular expectations simply do not allow the state to extend its sway beyond a point where it not only interferes with the personal and professional lives of people and individuals, but rather tempers with the privacy of their private and professional phone conversations. National security is really very important. However, the concerns for national security cannot be allowed to irrationality expand to a level where they start hampering the normal activities of the citizens. The act of monitoring the phone conversations of citizens is also unconstitutional and violates the Fourth Amendment rights of the citizens, which constitute a part of the Bill of Rights (Dripps, 2007). Superficially speaking, the Fourth Amendment to the constitution of the United States of America intends to prot ect the citizens from illegal search and seizures. Surprisingly, the very purpose of this Amendment was to check the abuse of general search warrants in the American Revolution (Dripps, 2007). In the historical Katz v.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Short essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Short - Essay Example The third principle of realism is that interest is defined as power being an objective group that is generally legitimate, although it can change its meaning. The fourth is the knowledge of both moral principles of political action and the tension between moral commands and the requirements of successful political action. Additionally, the fifth principle of realism affirms that moral laws governing the world are different from morals of any nation. Finally, the last principle of realism asserts that there is real distinction between political realism and other realisms. The idea of power is broadly defined and there is no distinction between resources giving state power such as military, and the action of one country exercising power over another. It is something that makes someone have authority over the other due to social differences such as violence and psychological ties. Neo-realism Neo-realism ignores the classical realism concept to explain international politics, but develo ps a theory that favors structural constraints on agent’s strategies and motivation. It highlights that international disorder is the main cause of disturbance in global politics. Kant’s three â€Å"definitive articles† that define what is essential for perpetual peace are: Each state has to have a republican constitution The law of nations shall be founded on federation of free states World citizenship Liberal democracies do not go to war against one another because they feel that war is costly and there are no aggressors. However, liberal democracies go to war against non-liberal states so that the big democracies can consolidate power by invoking nationalist rhetoric and stirring up regional hatred. Marxist Theories The instrumental Marxist theory covers the economic structure due to the feeling that the economy determines everything and promotes the high class. Structural Marxism dwells on the thought that law can be changed by other means and it gives hope to the lower class families that they can improve their status regardless of their current social and economic status. The role of state in Marxist theory is maintenance of the necessary general conditions for the reproduction of the wage labor/capital relation which is the heart of bourgeois societies. Marxist theory differs with idealist and realist theory because it provides a framework of analyzing society and acts as the end goal for all thoughts. It also offers practical solution to social and political problems Theotonio Dos Santos defines dependence as a past circumstance that shapes a particular structure of the world economy, so that it favors some countries to the disadvantage of others and restricts the growth prospect of the minor economics. Bipolarity Factors that limited interstate violence, according to Waltz are, economic interdependence, democratic peace theory, rise of international institutions such as NATO, and the US unipolar moment. Waltz believes that a count ry cannot just go to war with a nation that does not pose any threat to it. The second reason why countries cannot go to war is economic interdependency when one state enjoys economic monopoly and the other state depends on it. Additionally, the rise of international institutions serves the interest of most powerful nations and the unipolar moment enjoyed by

Friday, November 15, 2019

Russias Economy During Yeltsin Era

Russias Economy During Yeltsin Era Analyse the principle problems facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era. How have these problems been tackled? Abstract The following dissertation will analyse the principle problems facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era. In many respects these principle problems facing the Russian economy stemmed from the economic and political disintegration of the Soviet Union combined with how effectively or ineffectively the Yeltsin administration had attempted to deal with those problems. As will be discussed the principle economic problems that faced the Russian Federation in 1992 were daunting, and therefore it is not surprising that some of these problems remained unsolved and were bequeathed to the incoming Putin government after Yeltsin’s surprise resignation at the end of 1999. Yeltsin had seemed to be Russia’s political saviour in August 1991 when he led the resistance to the attempted coup of Soviet hard-liners against Gorbachev. The failure of that coup inevitably accelerated the demise of the Soviet Union. However, the Russian economy would prove much harder to tackle t han desperate Soviet generals and KGB chiefs.[1] The principle problems of the Russian economy can be arguably traced back to the inefficiencies of the Soviet Union’s command economy and its massive military expenditure during the Cold War. These economic problems accelerated the demise of the Soviet Union itself and made it difficult to make the economic transition to capitalism without major economic implications.[2] The Soviet Union for all its economic faults had at least provided a basic standard of living, which meant that none of its people starved or were in severe economic distress. This was despite a stagnant economy, although its economic stability crumbled with remarkable speed. For much of the Yeltsin era the Russian economy could not match the basic living standards of the old Soviet Union for many of its citizens.[3] It could be argued that the transition to capitalism contributed to the worsening of the principle problems outlined below, and that ill thought out economic policies since have made it more difficult for those problems to be effectively tackled during and after the Yeltsin era. Among the main themes of this dissertation is that the Yeltsin government did not have a consistent set of economic and political policies to solve the principle problems of the Russian economy, which in turn hampered the effective tackling of those problems. The so called young reformers led by Yegor Gaider and Anatoly Chubais had the most thought out strategies for the Russian economy, yet they did not have a constant control over the government’s economic policy throughout the Yeltsin era.[4] Besides not all the economic strategies advocated by the young reformers proved to be effective once the Russian government put those strategies into practice. The ways in which all the principle problems of the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era were all interconnected are arguably obvious and apparent. To a certain extent it will be argued that Boris Yeltsin himself did not help the Russian government to tackle the principle problems of the Russian economy. The link betwee n principle problems in the Russian economy and political ones plus social factors will be discussed when and where appropriate. This dissertation will seek to examine the reasons for the Russian economy taking over a decade to achieve real growth, despite following the policies that it was advised would promote stability, liberalised and privatised economy. This dissertation will attempt to analyse whether the economic transition achieved anything at all to justify an estimated 47 % decrease in living standards between 1991 and 2000. How many Russians believed that the detrimental effects of the principle problems of the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era could have been averted or tackled earlier?[5] When Boris Yeltsin assumed the presidency of the Russian Federation it was still part of the Soviet Union and not even a sovereign state in its own right also it did not have control over economic policy. Yeltsin presided over the dismantling of Communist control in Russia, yet he found it very difficult to construct capitalism from virtually non-existent foundations as any form of capitalist economic activity had been illegal for much of the previous 75 years after the Communist Revolution.[6] By the time Yeltsin left his presidential office, the Russian Federation was a fully independent state that nominally, if not completely become a liberal democracy with a capitalist market economy. However, the dual Russian transitions to liberal democracy and capitalism from an authoritarian Communist State proved difficult and many have argued that those transitions remain incomplete. The incompleteness of the transition to capitalism and the political and economic make up of the Russian fed eration had a strong influence upon the principle problems facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era. Russia had been used to authoritarian government with state controlled central planning for the economy so the process of liberalisation had been uneven and had unwelcome social and economic consequences across Russia. The legacy of misguided Soviet economic planning took much effort and a great deal of suffering for the poorest sections of the Russian society to break, it seemed to help a minority of Russians make their fortunes, whilst leaving the rest to fend for themselves. In Russia the correlation between political and economic weaknesses arguably helped to make the post-communist economic and democratic situation imperfect and even corrupt.[7] The move to bring capitalism to Russia in less than a decade was as revolutionary as Stalin’s attempts to achieve industrialisation during collectivisation, yet the opposite aims of privatising the economy. The aim of the Yeltsin government to bring capitalism was a sensible notion, yet the ways that it was implemented caused controversy as well as arguably increasing the impact of the principle problems that afflicted the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era.[8] Decline and signs of recovery 1992 1998 The initial bout of economic shock therapy administered in 1992 brought about hyperinflation, the closure of many factories and enterprises, which led inevitably to mass unemployment. Gaider and the other young reformers in the Yeltsin government had to end state subsidies to factories and intoduce the lifting of price controls at one go rather than to introduce reforms gradually. It was harsh economic medicine for a country burdened with the consequences of communism’s profound economic and political failures, although Yeltsin did not have the political strength or motivation to carry out shock therapy as extensively as Gaider and the other ‘young reformers’ had originally intended. Through much of the 1990s the young reformers and the richest entrepreneurs known as the oligarchs competed for political influence and power, whilst contending to gain control of the Russian economy or a share of its greatest spoils. Neither the young reformers nor the oligarchs were popular with the majority of the Russian people, yet none of them particularly cared. They were not involved in popularity contests, they were arguing over power and riches. Sometimes they might do things that were good for the Russian economy, yet they were mainly interested in achieving their own agendas than serving the national interests of Russia.[9] The weakness of the Russian economy further weakened the position of the Russian government at the start of the Yeltsin era. These were political as well as economic weaknesses that still existed when Yeltsin left office. Yeltsin’s first term was undermined by political disputes with the Russian Supreme Soviet, which Yeltsin eventually closed down and replaced with a new parliament, the Duma. Yeltsin had to maintain his political position whilst attempting to prevent the Communists and nationalists making sufficient electoral gains to restrict his political room to manoeuvre. Yeltsin was able to maintain his hold on power, despite a strong challenge from the Communists after his re-election in 1996. Yeltsin’s second term in office highlighted his inability to find a Prime Minister that was politically reliable, could manage, or even reduce the weakness of the Russian economy and who did not want to assume the presidency as Yeltsin’s replacement before Yeltsin was due to leave office in June 2000. Yeltsin’s second term witnessed his problems with ill health worsen, which in turn meant that the Russian economy as well as the Russian government was not as effectively managed as they needed to be. When Yeltsin appointed the virtually unheard of Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister he believed that he had found a man that could fix the Russian economy and solve its political problems. Perhaps more importantly for Yeltsin and his family, Putin was unwilling to prosecute either him or his relatives for their links to the corruption and inefficiency of the Yeltsin era.[10] The Russian economy did show signs of revival towards the end of Yeltsin’s first presidential term, yet in many respects such a revival was more apparent than real. The vast majority of Russians were economically worse off than they had been before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Declining inflation and unemployment rates did not benefit most of them, especially those that lost their jobs, their savings, and all hope with the shock therapy of 1992 which resulted in inflation rates of around 2,000%. The new Russian economy seemed to benefit former Communist party officials; bureaucrats, factory, and state farm managers that managed to gain control of former state owned enterprises. The other main beneficiaries were the handful of entrepreneurs, subsequently known as the oligarchs that had become very wealthy through their links with Yeltsin. The Russian economy for the first time also had millions of shareholders eager to show their capitalist credentials. The Russian governm ent did not however, share in the beginning of the Russian economy during the middle of the 1990s, the strength and capabilities of the Yeltsin government to deal with economic problems was undermined by falling revenues. Government revenues had been reduced through the economic contraction of the early 1990s, higher spending on social security, lower global prices for Russian oil exports, plus extensive tax evasion. Not that anybody had to deliberately evade paying their taxes given the massive size of the tax arrears owed to the Russian government. The breakdown of the Soviet Union led to other problems such as lower exports to the other former Soviet republics and the inability of countries such as the Ukraine to pay for Russian gas and oil.[11] The table below that shows the annual changes in Russia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures between 1992 to 1999 amply demonstrates the disastrous state of the Russian economy throughout much of the Yeltsin era. [12] Stock market crash and Government weakness The perilous financial position of the Yeltsin government itself proved to undermine the revival of the Russian economy as it directly contributed to the collapse of the Russian stock market in 1998. The crash of 1998 ruined millions of small-scale shareholders in Russia and reduced the scale of foreign investment in the Russian economy. Russian investors were in effect made to suffer due to the ineptness of the Russian government in raising enough taxes to run the country and avoid bankruptcy.[13] Under Yeltsin the Russian State had lost out in terms of revenue and economic independence to the oligarchs, profits that should have lined the coffers of the Kremlin lined the pockets of Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Potanin, and the other oligarchs. All of these factors combined to make the insolvency of the Russian State as principle problem of the Russian economy. Restoring the solvency of the government would increase its scope to solve the other principle problems of the Russian economy , as well as restore the political authority of the state.[14] When Vladimir Putin assumed power his government was faced not only with the task of restoring the solvency of the Russian state, he also had to restore the faith of Russians and foreigners that the government would not default on its loans. The crash of August 1998 had led to the Yeltsin government defaulting on $40 billion worth of foreign loans. The crisis in confidence also saw the rouble decline to a third of its pre-crash value.[15] The Russian economy was not helped by international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or foreign governments most notably the United States by the amounts of capital as the Russian government would have liked.[16] As Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had already shown his commitment to restoring the solvency and the power of the Russian State. Putin’s strength of character plus his determination to succeed contributed to Yeltsin’s decision to resign and maximise Putin’s chances of retaining the presidency after the 2000 presidential election. Putin was elected president in 2000 and claimed the credit for Russia’s improving economy as well as apparent victory in the war against Chechen separatists. Putin put himself forward as the man capable of curing Russia’s profound economic, social, and political problems. If confidence alone was the sole key to solving the principle problems of the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era, then Russia should have been a prosperous state the day Putin entered the Kremlin.[17] Principle Problems of the Russian Economy The first principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was the incomplete nature of the transition to a capitalist market economy. The support of Boris Yeltsin for the measures needed for a full transition to a market economy was not consistent throughout his time in office. The economic reforms introduced in 1992 hit the Russian economy harder than the similar reforms introduced in former Communist states such as Poland and Hungary. Russia had a larger economy, more state enterprises and factories plus a much longer period under communist control than any of the former communist states Central and Eastern Europe had. The Yeltsin government received plenty of advice as to whether to introduce economic liberalisation all at once or gradually, although at that point there was no hard evidence as to which approach would be the most successful in the long run. In the short run economic contraction was expected before the Russian economy would show signs of i mprovement and growth.[18] However, the period of economic contraction was longer than many experts had predicted, although the sheer scale of the problems facing the Russian economy throughout the Yeltsin era were enormous. A healthy Boris Yeltsin, despite his lack of knowledge concerning capitalist economics, might have given the government more urgency in tackling those economic proms it could. However, during his second term as president Yeltsin suffered from the affects of heavy drinking and a severe heart condition. Given the prominence of presidential power in the Russian political system having an incapacitated president was detrimental to the tackling of Russia’s economic problems. Not only was Yeltsin frequently ill he would intervene in the government at some inopportune moments. Yeltsin had a tendency to appoint Prime Ministers and cabinets on a whim. If a Prime Minister proved incapable of tackling the country’s many social, economic, and political problem s they would be removed. Paradoxically if a Prime Minister was too successful in resolving those problems or appeared to be more popular than Yeltsin they were also removed from office.[19] A principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was that a proper banking system similar to those operating in more established capitalist economies had not been fully developed to aid the Russian economy’s transition in to a capitalist economy. There are various reasons why the lack of a fully developed banking system became a principle problem facing the Russian economy. The lack of such a properly developed and regulated system hindered and deterred foreign businesses from investing in the Russian economy, as potential investors could not be sure of where their money was going. The lack of foreign investment slowed down economic growth in the financial sector of the Russian economy. Growth in the financial sector was needed to compensate for the contractions in the industrial and agricultural sectors of the economy.[20] The lack of a properly regulated banking system also aided the money laundering of illegal profits from the organised crime gan gs that seemed to proliferate after the Soviet Union collapsed. Organised crime gangs had been able to take advantage of the Russian government’s struggle to maintain full political and economic control of Russia. The unregulated nature of the Russian banking system did not help stem the flow of financial capital out of the Russian economy during the Yeltsin era. The Yeltsin government seemed unable or unwilling to take effective measures to stop the flow of capital that was so detrimental to the Russian economy. If the Russian government had been able to attract as much investment into the Russian economy as there was capital exported away from it then the economy would have achieved greater stability and growth. However, the IMF made economic aid and loans to the Russian government conditional upon the Russians on improving the Russian banking system to international standards of performance and regulation. The Russian government could in return claim that Russia’s e conomic problems would have decreased if the Russians had received all the international aid and investments that had been promised in the early 1990s. Whilst aid was slow in coming forward the foreign debts owed by Russia from $97 billion in 1992 to a burdensome $152 billion by 1998. During the same period the amount of GDP the Russian government had to use to service its foreign debts doubled to 60%. That was money that the Russian government could have spent in more productive ways such as increasing spending on non-military research or tackling the social and economic problems that were reducing the performance of the Russian economy.[21] A principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was organised crime. Organised crime gangs, as previously noted, took advantage of the lack of political and economic control in Russia. The way in which the transition to a capital economy in Russia had been attempted had benefited organised crime gangs. Organised crime had existed in the Soviet Union due to the people wanting consumer goods as well as drugs that were not available through state enterprises. Under the Soviet economy system all private economic activity had been illegal. Organised crime gangs find post-Communist Russia an easy place to operate with little fear of being caught, rival gangs were more of a threat to each other than the Russian police were to them. If the gangs could not bribe the police they could frequently outfight them. The financial dire straits of the Russian government meant that there were not enough police or customs officials to deter, let alone catch organised crime g angs and their members. Poorly or infrequently paid police and customs officials had little motivation in stopping criminals, including those that resisted the temptation to take bribes.[22] Another principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was the informal economy in which employers paid in cash, whilst neither they or their workers paid taxes on their earnings or profits. However, the informal economy had in many respects helped to maintain the Soviet economy, despite its in efficiencies and stagnation. The economic reforms introduced at the start of the Yeltsin era offered chances and opportunities to organised crime gangs and individual entrepreneurs to make their fortunes. Previous experience of working in the informal economy did prove advantageous to many Russians wanting to make their fortunes or faced with the more mundane task of surviving.[23] The Russians have a long tradition of people who know the right people within the bureaucracy being able to further their own position. Corruption, bribery, and the calling in of favours could make all the difference between success and failure during the Yeltsin era. The informal economy grew due to the greater economic freedom and the unregulated nature of the Russian economy once market liberalisation had occurred. For many Russians being part of the informal economy was the only way to make ends meet. The Russian government had drastically reduced the number of state owned enterprises, whilst cutting subsidies to the newly privatised enterprises. Private enterprises in Russia would frequently not pay their workers for months to try to stay in business as they found it very difficult to survive against foreign competitors. Not being paid for months or only been paid in kind prompted workers further into the informal economy. Due to the lack of money available to the Russian government public sector employees were not always paid either. Desperation forced many Russians into holding two or three jobs to make ends meet. Without the informal economy the social and economic problems facing Russia could have been worse. [24] When private and public sector workers were paid, the high inflation at the beginning of the Yeltsin era meant that most Russians had to find extra sources of income or face economic ruin. It is difficult to have an accurate idea of the informal economy within framework of the Russian economy in terms of its share of GDP and its actual size. Statistics from the Russian government were even in the 1990s domestically or internationally known for their accuracy. Given the lack of resources available to the Russian police, customs officials, and bureaucrats it is not surprising that few people were caught for their involvement within the informal economy or that Russian officials could be bribed to turn a blind eye. During the Yeltsin era, the Russian government estimated that 25% of Russia’s GDP was generated by the informal economy. Other sources such as the IMF and the Russian press put the figure as high as 80%.[25] The harsh economic realities of life in Yeltsin’s Russia meant that corruption and unregulated economic activity increased dramatically. Organised crime gangs were able to gain from people’s misery and desperation in terms of increased levels of drug taking and prostitution. The collapse of Soviet authority and the difficulty of Russia and its neighbours had in securing their mutual borders had given the organised crime gangs the opportunity to expand their activities as well as their profits.[26] These increases in gang activities lead to higher levels of crime, as people had to resort to desperate measures to feed drug habits and gangs fought each other. Although the outbreaks of gang warfare witnessed in cities such as St Petersburg can mainly be regarded as a law and order issue, such events did have an economic impact during the Yeltsin era. Economic hardship, drug taking, and prostitution have heavily contributed to declining life expectancy rates. Many of the peo ple that should be the most economically active in Russia are either working informally and therefore not paying taxes or they have died prematurely. Drug taking and prostitution have increased the spread of AIDS so that Russia has one of the highest infection rates in the world. The demographic decline in Russia, if left unchecked could have major implications for the Russian economy as well as disastrous effects on its society. Organised crime may help many Russians survive from day to day, yet it makes some gang members very wealthy whilst depriving the Russian government of much needed revenue and leaving the cost of sorting out serious law and order as well as health problems. Organised gangs were also able to take advantage of the Russian governments wars in Chechnya during the Yeltsin era by selling drugs and weapons to both Russian troops and Chechen rebel fighters.[27] Overall the effect on the population of the Russian Federation was an average annual decrease in the popul ation of around 750,000 people throughout the entire 1999s.[28] At the end of the Yeltsin era another principle problem facing the Russian economy was the uncompetitiveness of many industries and businesses. Again the legacy of the economic system of the Soviet Union plays its part in the weaknesses of the Russian economy. The Soviet system had not produced words that Russian consumers or potential foreign consumers had wanted. Instead the Soviet economic planners had determined production levels and the types of goods produced. Once state subsidies were removed all factories and enterprises and the Russian economy was open to unrestricted foreign imports. Russian enterprises were forced to close, drastically cut their workforces, or not pay their workers for long periods. Some businesses resorted to not paying their taxes as part of their efforts to stay operative.[29] One of the leading oligarchs, Mikhail Khodorkovsky estimated that upwards of a million Russian enterprises should have been declared bankrupt. In 1996 the Yeltsin government state d that around 35% of Russian factories and businesses were on the verge of bankruptcy. The Russian government estimated that 80% of Russian factories and businesses were in financial dire straits.[30] The instability of the rouble and a lack of foreign currencies and investment also made it difficult for Russian enterprises to remain competitive. De-valuations of the rouble would briefly aid competitiveness, yet did not offer a long-term solution. Lack of foreign investment and profits made it more difficult for Russian factories to replace obsolete equipment or the latest training for their workers. The standard of education in Russia tended to be high, although there was a lack of people trained in Information Technology and more advanced industrial procedures, especially outside of the military research establishment.[31] The Yeltsin government and the young reformers had hoped that large-scale foreign investment would revive even the most outdated enterprises in the Russian econ omy. Although, not all of the potential foreign investors were put of by the lack of market regulation, the less than welcoming reception received from officials, Russian businesses, and the Russian public deterred many investors from investing in Russia.[32] The young reformers had hoped that their policies would only lead to a short-term contraction of the Russian economy, with a more competitive and modernised Russia emerging from shock therapy. They and Yeltsin were caught by surprise when the affect of shock therapy lasted throughout the Yeltsin era. A sharp contraction in the production levels of Russian heavy industries was expected and indeed occurred. However, the biggest falls in production witnessed during the Yeltsin era was in the production of consumer goods rather than in the more traditional heavy industries. Whilst production in those heavy industries of coal, steel, oil and gas declined by 45% during the 1990s that was not as bad as the decline in production of consumer goods. The move to a capitalist market economy had been anticipated to provide stimulation for increases in the production of Russian made consumer goods such as colour television sets, personal computers, and video recorders. Instead production of these consumer items declined dramatically, by 80% for television sets, 60% for personal computers, and 99% for video recorders. A section of the Russian economy that the government had believed would promote economic growth and provide jobs for those that lost their jobs in other sectors of the economy ceased to exist to any meaningful extent. There are two fairly straightforward explanations for the slump in the production of consumer goods. Those Russians that could afford television sets, personal computers, and video recorders brought more reliable and fashionable imported foreign brands. Through the liberalisation of the Russian economy and the efforts of the informal economy such goods became more widely available if not affordable throughout the Yeltsin era. For the poorest sections of Russian society that had their savings wiped out by inflation and their prospects diminished by unemployment or underemployment throughout the Yeltsin era there were little prospects of them buying the essentials to live let alone Russian or non-Russian consumer goods. The poor could not even afford the low quality and cheaper Russian made goods.[33] A principle problem of the Russian economy closely related to its uncompetitiveness was the increasing shortages of workers, skilled ones in particular. At the start of the Yeltsin era the severe contraction of the Russian economy meant that unemployment had increased. It was not only capital that left the Russian economy once the country moved to a market economic system. Some of the brightest and most capable people working in the Russian economy left the country for better pay and prospects abroad. Of course, not everybody was able to take the opportunity to earn his or her future in exile. In some respects the most harm done to the Russian economy was by the calibre of academics and technicians that left the country. The Yeltsin government could not do as much to halt the brain drain as it had to cut spending on higher education, health services and most notably on defence projects and research. Cuts in defence spending could be justified, as a war with the United States and its NATO allies seemed impossible. The shortage of skilled workers was worsened by the reduction in life expectancy, especially amongst men. The effects of lower life expectancy were mult

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The U.S. Contained Communism In Vietnam :: Vietnam War Essays

The U.S. Contained Communism In Vietnam In 1949, Mao Zedong led the Peoples Revolution, which established a Communist State in China. Communism has now been introduced to Asia. In this period, after World War II, Communism was a popular ideology being introduced throughout the world. Vietnam was one of the many countries under the threat of Communism. At this time, Vietnam was a French Colony. As time went on tension started to come between the French and the Vietnamese people. As tension increased so did the fighting between the French and The Vietnamese. Finally in 1954, The French decided that they could no longer withstand the revolts of the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese were now free of French rule. However, many problems still remained in Vietnam. After the war there was a conference to discuss the troubles in Vietnam and all of the other troubles in Asia. That conference was called the Geneva Conference. Vietnam sent two delegations to the conference. One of the delegations represented Viet Minh (which was Communist in their leanings) and the other represented Bao Dia's government, which was backed by the United States. Both claimed to represent all of Vietnam. At the conference there was a discussion about dividing Vietnam at the 17th parallel to solve the troubles between the two delegations. Now there were two Vietnams. One, in the north, was under Communist rule and the other, in the south, was not. While the Geneva Conference was being held, the United States was already concerned about Communism being spread. The United States then decided that the only way to solve the problems would be to contain Communism including in Vietnam. The true answer to why the United States got involved in Vietnam lies in part in the Truman Doctrine. This statement is true for two reasons. First, the Truman Doctrine set forth a policy that was applied the international spread of Communism. Second, the Truman Doctrine was brought up when the conflict in Vietnam was increasing. The first United States involvement in Vietnam began in the late 1940's, long before it escalated to include the United States Military. Because of the basic terms or the Truman Doctrine, the United States was drawn in the Vietnam conflict. The Truman Doctrine dealt with fears of Communism, the domino theory, and a feeling there was a need for containment. All of Vietnam was in danger of falling into the hands of Communism.