Reflections on the Black Race Essay

That the issue of Obama’s racial background is much talked about in terms of his fitness for the US presidency only proves this: that we Americans have a long way to go in our pursuit of adherence to the ideals of our declaration of independence. After all the document held the fundamental equality of people, and everyman’s inalienable rights, to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The declaration did not favor any race in the universality of its coverage. So how come some people have raised the specter of doom for America once the black mestizo Obama wins the US presidency? How come a Democrat lawyer is doggedly pursuing, ostensibly as a matter of principle—that Barack Obma is not a â€Å"natural born American† and is therefore unqualified to run for the presidency of the United States. The Democrat lawyer claimed his motivation was his loyalty to the US constitution. (Refer to the You Tube citation in the reference below for this item). But Surname 2 one can sense a certain ferocity in his campaign that didn’t seem to jibe with his claimed adherence. The dramatic performance of this Democrat lawyer complete with reciting his monologue with the Philadelphia edifice in his background is obviously a public relations stunt of a deeply rooted racist. This theatrics however considerably lost its mantle after a considered US statesman and former Secretary of State—the full-blooded Republican Mr. Powell— endorsed Mr. Obama, making sure he stood for principle in supporting Mr. Obama. Mr. Powell was also bothered by the way his own Republican camp was hitting the dirt in their campaign of hatred against the black American Democratic candidate. (Refer again to the You Tube citation in the reference. ) Mr. Powell finally called for â€Å"a generational change†, and coming as it did from a senior Republican – for a long time, an unprecedented bipartisanship– Mr Powell raised a very important gesture of statesmanship and concern for American welfare. (You Tube). . In his book Dreams from my Father, Obama in the first 20 pages described a life that started as a young mind, clueless on the lifetime struggle that was to be on his shoulders as a black mestizo. He described Kansas, as â€Å"the dab-smack, landlocked center of the country, a place where decency and endurance and the pioneer spirit were joined at the hip with conformity and suspicion and the potential for unblinking cruelty. † (p. 13). Take note of his analogy of the metaphorical duality of his environment when he described Kansas as a place of decency, endurance, and (pioneering) spirit on the upper side, joined in the hip with such negative traits as conformity, suspicion, and the potential for Surname 3 unblinking cruelty†¦ This fairly balanced assessment of his origins recognized the fundamental decency of the American people , but also noted the attitudinal duality to racial origins in his country of birth. In this book Obama explored the pervasive racial issues that he encountered in life, from childhood, to college, — and by now he must have realized—to the present, when as the Democrat candidates, he stood on the threshold of American presidency. Despite this stature, he was still grappling with the race issue. As a young man, Obama was unmindful of the thought â€Å"(that )my father looked nothing like the people around me — that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk. † (p. 16) It was an infinitely harder life for the common blacks. In Obama’s case he only started to become aware of the weight of his racial identity as he grew up. Obama as a black did not come from the underprivileged, but from a relatively middle class environment. Compared to what Obama went through, Brent Staples now tells us that ordinary blacks suffered even harsher environments. Consoling blacks, he reminded them of the historical movement toward their freedom. They came from a country that barely a few decades ago was absolutely racist, a virtual apartheid which situation started to collapse only after World War II. Staples said that only after the collapse did blacks start to move out of their sequestered world and into colleges, jobs, and walks of life that had been closed to them until then. Surname 4 Still, black Americans who came from successful, suburban and upwardly mobile families were regularly dismissed as white or inauthentic . In other words, Brent Staples also blamed blacks for wanting to further marginalize themselves and to inflict on themselves a marginalized status. â€Å"The authentic black experience, it was said at the time, was limited to the hard-core, impoverished upbringing that black people often chose to brag about, even when they had actually grown up with private prep schools in the lap of luxury,† was Brent’s assessment of the black mentality of the 60s. In other words, even Obama was unacceptable to these blacks because he was not authentically â€Å"black† in the poverty side of the issue. But another Republican Alan Keyes dished out another execrable crap when he opposed Mr. Obama in the Illinois Senate race back in 2004 saying Mr. Obama was not black because â€Å"he was not descended from slaves. † Clearly both black and whites think of blacks as having to be miserable in order to qualify for this racial group. The self-image of this group seems to be one that perpetually deprecates itself as always coming from the bottom. Mr. Obama himself, a would-be president of the United States has experienced the existential problem of how it is to be black in the world’s most prosperous country. In his book Obama disclosed how he coped with life as a black in a society dominated by whites. As Staples explains it: â€Å"He stumbled onto the mysteries of race in his own good time and pursued them in his own way. His quest took him to an impoverished community on the South Surname 5 Side of Chicago, where he worked as an organizer in an infamous public housing project before discovering his vocation as a politician. † And Staples sees hope that this division would soon be resolved with a greater understanding of the multiplicity of experiences among marginalized peoples in any society. Said he: â€Å"†¦ The hue and cry over Barack Obama’s identity stems from a failure by black traditionalists to recognize multiracial versions of themselves. Soon enough, perhaps by year’s end, however, the Obama story, which seems so exotic to so many people now, will have found its place among all the other stories of the sprawling black diaspora. † Surname 6 Works Cited Obama, Barack. Dreams of My Father. US: Three River Press, 1995,pp. 1-20. Staples, Brent. Decoding the Debate Over the Blackness of Barack Obama. (2007) The Editorial Observer. Retrieved October 19. 2008 from: http://files. meetup. com/427541/Blackness%20of%20Barack%20Obama%20. doc You Tube campaign against Obama . Retrieved Oct. 21, 2008. http://sayanythingblog. com/entry/a_video_that_could_change_the_election/

Mockingjay Reflection Essay

Brainwashing, or hijacking, is the biggest scientific ethical issue in Suzanne Collin’s Mockingjay. The main character, Peeta, is brainwashed by the Capitol after he is abducted from a mishap in the 75 hunger games. The Rebellion rescued him sometime after that and when he saw and attempted to strangle Katniss they knew something was wrong. The Rebels discovered that the Capitol had been using genetically engineered animals, tracker jackers, to poison Peeta and control his mind to make him hate and try to kill Katniss. The Capitol used the poison to alter Peeta’s memories involving Katniss and turn him against the girl he has been in love with his whole life. The Rebellion took action and started trying to hijack him back using a similar method. Peeta never returned to the way he used to be exactly for a long time, the brainwashing had lasting effects on him. In the end both sides of the war used a form of brainwashing to get Peeta to act the way they wanted. Brainwashing has been tried many times in experiments by many agencies including the CIA based on different drugs and methods. The tests were never very successful but as science progresses there is a possibility that brainwashing could become a reality. Mockingjay portrays that the brainwashing was done by altering the memories of the affected. It was based with a genetically engineered poison that acted as a hallucinogen which allowed the capitol to tamper with the memories that the patient was recalling. This method made the brainwashed person act exactly as intended because their memory was altered. Using a similar method governments could use this is a multitude of ways, good and bad. The ethics involved with the practice of brainwashing would be very hard to justify, completely changing the way a person thinks and acts isn’t ethical. The main idea behind brainwashing is harmless enough, it can be as simple as getting everyone to agree with you all the time. Maybe even making everyone think you accomplished a feat no one thought was possible. More seriously, it could even make people completely turn their back on a lifelong friend. Brainwashing is harmless until it gets taken out of control ith a bad motive behind it. For example, controlling a president to run their country into the ground and create civil war could be considered unethical. I think that because of how uncontrollable the human race is, working on a way to brainwash people is undoubtedly unethical. There is some usefulness to the practice of brainwashing but it would be almost impossible to not let it get into the wrong hands. It could be used to get information out of spies and would force security to be tighter. It would also be useful to rehabilitate convicted felons to help them get their life back on track. Also, it could help addicts to help get over their addiction and move on in life. I think the topic of weather to use it or not would be a big debate in countries. Brainwashing can be helpful but also harmful to those involved and the question of the ethics of it is up for debate, but personally I think it is an unethical practice because of how uncontrollable humans can be.

Portfolio Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Portfolio Analysis - Essay Example Logically, then, the risk and return of an individual security should be analysed in terms of how that security affects the risk and return of a portfolio in which it is held. As mentioned in Finance for Non-Financial Managers by Lawrence W Tuller, Diversifiable risk is also known as company-specific, or unsystematic, risk. Market risk is also known as non diversifiable, or systematic, or beta, risk; it is that risk remains after diversification. Diversifiable risk is caused by such random events as lawsuits, strikes, successful and unsuccessful marketing programs, winning or losing a major contract, and other events that are unique to a particular firm. Since these events are random, their effects on portfolio can be eliminated by diversification- bad events in one firm will be offset by good events in another. The riskiness of a portfolios declines as the number of stocks in the portfolio increases. The smaller the correlation coefficient (the movements of two variables with respect to each other), the lower the risk in a large portfolio. If we could find a set of stocks whose correlation were negative or zero, all risk could be eliminated. Consider Stock M with the beta coefficient of 2 i.e. ... This is due to the diversification of risk in a portfolio. (2) Explain carefully how diversification leads to the construction of the Markowitz efficient frontier. Answer: As explained by Eugene Brigham and Gapenski, the computational procedure for determining the efficient set of portfolios was developed by Harry Markowitz and first reported in his article "Portfolio Selection", Journal of Finance, March 1952. Markowitz developed the basic concepts of portfolio theory. With only two assets, the feasible set of portfolios is a point within the curve. However if we increase the number of assets, we would obtain an area under the curve. The points A,B,C and D represent single securities. All other points with in the curve, including its boundaries, represent attainable set. The above Curve boundary from A to D however defines the efficient set of portfolios, which is also called efficient frontier. Portfolios to the left of the efficient set are not possible because they lie outside the attainable set. Portfolios to the right of the boundary line (interior portfolios) are inefficient because some other portfolio would provide either a higher return with the same degree of risk or a lower risk for the same rate of return. Markowitz efficient frontier model. The optimal portfolio for each investor is found at the tangency point between the efficient set of portfolio and one of the investor's indifference curves. This tangency point marks the highest level of satisfaction the investor can attain. The investor's risk/return trade off function is based on the standard economic concepts of utility theory and the indifference curves. Here we have 2 Stock holders. Mr Y and Mr Z. Mr Y is more risk

Why Should You invest in Apple Stock Term Paper

Why Should You invest in Apple Stock - Term Paper Example According to Chronicle Staff Writer, Kim (2010), Apple, the innovative challenger to dominant Microsoft and second most valuable company in the United States after Exxon Mobil, has passed its rival in market capitalization, becoming the most valued technology company in the world (Kim). Apple Company needs no introduction to the industrial world now. Surpassing of Microsoft in market capitalization is not an easy task and it reflects the capabilities of Apple Company in the international market. Even though earlier Apple concentrated more on the computer and operating system market, they have already started to enter the consumer electronics market world by diversifying their portfolios with the help of iPods, iPhones, mobile phones and different kinds of portable electronic devices. In share market also the growth of Apple is more visible and evident. Even when some of the major companies struggled to survive because of recession, Apple stood out among them and escaped without much damage because of their superior range of products. Investments are stock is one of the most popular ways of making money. But the recent recession resulted in many people losing their money because of the destruction of the share value. Now people are approaching the stock market with hesitancy. The scope of this report is limited to a discussion on Apple Company, its stock value, present and future growth prospects, a comparison of Apple with some of the competitors etc. Moreover, many of the people may not notice that Apple has already crossed even Microsoft in its market capitalization.

Engineering Career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Engineering Career - Essay Example In order to get an entry-level job in any engineering field, one must hold at least a bachelor’s degree in that specific engineering field. The bachelor degree is usually a four-year program nowadays, but many students extend it to five or six years depending upon the duration of their final degree projects. The four-year program is also referred to as honors in engineering that is recognized as equivalent to the masters degree. In the first two years, the courses taught are mainly on the basics of engineering, like mathematics, circuitry and introduction to engineering. The next two years focus on the engineering primarily with courses on any chosen area of specialization. There are course projects, semester projects and a final degree project which enable the would-be-engineers to have a better, deeper and practical knowledge of the field. There are also two-year and four-year degree programs called diplomas in engineering technology which include more practical work based o n engineering principles and laboratory classes rather than theoretical knowledge. But these technical graduates are not considered as professional engineers. Moreover, to get admission in an engineering college or university, it is important for the student to have a strong pre-engineering background with sufficient knowledge about mathematics, physics and chemistry. Mathematics knowledge should include algebra, geometry, calculus, theorems and trigonometry. After their bachelors degree is complete, the engineers need to get licensed in order to start their engineering career, which makes them licensed engineers or professional engineers. After becoming licensed, the engineers are offered a wide variety of jobs with higher salaries as compared to any other graduation. According to an estimate, â€Å"engineers held 1.5 million jobs in 2006†¦civil engineering (256,000), mechanical engineering

Global health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global health - Assignment Example Secondly, the most vulnerable population should be protected and prioritized than the invulnerable ones. This includes the poor who have less access to medical facilities and have a difficulty in affording these services. Making these facilities available and affordable for them can be a huge step towards effective health care. Statement: The WHO report (2012) shows that over 6.6 million children under 5 years died in Africa, especially in third world countries. Increasing the medical care facilities for children can help reduce the death of the future generation. Statement: In 2008, CDC declared that the statistics of mortality at birth in Africa has gone high in developing countries and that there is need to reduce the risk of both the mother and the child of dying. The Pregnancy risk assessment program (PRAP) is an initiative that would see less annual mortality at birth. Statement: Mubi (2013) notes that Malaria claims about 0.66 million people among them children along the coastal regions of the world. This high rate of death costs the economy and should be avoided at all cost. Providing adequate medical supply within these areas would help improve the situation. Statement: Mudur (2003) notes that over 85% of India is covered by water and that this has resulted in the prevalence of waterborne diseases within this country. Hence, it is crucial to control the impact of diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid by increasing medical care in this environment. Statement: Research by Mabey and Mayaud (2004) indicates that developing countries spend over 13% of their economy budget on STD. As the number of reported cases increases every year, it would be vital to launch awareness campaigns to reduce the infection rate. Statement: In the near dry regions of the world, most communities cannot afford medical care and the death rate in these regions is very high. Providing free medical insurance will make health services free for them. Statement:

The monstrous in photography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The monstrous in photography - Essay Example Many products of painting have documentary and informational value. Our epoch is distinguished by the tendency of showing the reality. However our reality is not always pleasant to look at, that is why critics and psychologists, painters and photographers argue about the representation of monstrous and the taboo in respect of this representation. The body in modern American art is shown as defenseless, injured, sexual, disjointed, dreadful and supernatural. There are a lot of unquotable elements. This concerns the artists like Mike Kelley, John Miller, Kiki Smith, Robert Gober, Cindy Sherman, Andres Serrano, Barbara Nortfleet and others.It is really impossible to forget the shocking gesture of Andres Serrano. In 1991 in the Austrian gallery he exposed a composition "'Piss Christ'" The crucifixion written by urine (yellow on red) was showed in gallery no more than for three days - they were afraid of pogroms. On the first day the 51-years Catholic tried to break a frame, but he was dragged back by the guards. On the second day two teenagers managed to do that. The next fascinating sight can be found in the book of Barbara Nortfleet "Looking at Death". Nobody would dare to remain indifferent looking at this astonishing book, a collection of over a hundred fascinating and often scandalous photographs. After looking through at l east several of them one will never be able to look at death as he did before. Here you will find different kinds of death: on the stage and in war, by violence and in medicine. There is absurdity and tragedy, knack and pretense. This book makes us look at our life differently and inspires to appreciate every moment of living. The creativity of the abovementioned authors is actively discussed by many critics; different opinion was formed about their work. However what does the person feels looking at such images Are they criminal and must be forbidden or can they just serve as a cause for thinking What do they really represent The concept of representation is a key concept both for a paradigm of "cultural researches" and for feministic criticism. At the same time it is one of the most problematic concepts in terms of definition. Stewart Hall says that the representation has two main meanings: 1)"speaking for somebody" representation or somebody's interest; 2) representation in art or philosophy (as a representation of something existing by other means). Stewart Hall considers it to be possible to reduce all the variety of cultural approaches in the decision of this problem to three basic models of interpretation: reflective (mimetic), intentional and constructional (including semiotic and discursive approaches). Hall defines the representation as a process by means of which subjects of culture use the language (any system of marks) for values manufacture. Objects of representation have no sense: it appears during the interpretation and the communications, coding and decoding of texts and depends on the cul tural context. Photography is philosophical observations and reflections. The photographer is not an operator, he is a producer, he creates and organizes a situation, he is a stage manager, the thin psychologist penetrating into the depths of human soul. From this point of view a completely necessary condition of perception is a certain preliminary cogitative gesture, some kind of "hidden manner". It is important not to refuse the experience of our inherent photography

Technological change in organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Technological change in organizations - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the development of technology has changed the entire world of business. This change has encompassed activities from very basic level of idea generation such as through CAD (Computer Aided Design) to product or service production by CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) and post business activities.   From the computer revolution to the Internet and most recently and constantly growing Internet based applications such as trading on the Internet, social media, etc., have all forced businesses to harness their adaption to high-paced change by anticipating it rather than following the change merely for survival. Fast pace of technological change has also proved to be proportional to the benefits it brings to business. Immense literature has been developed based on studying various aspects of the technological change to business. ISACA, global nonprofit IT association, has predicted that the entire year 2012, IT departments of business will be collecting huge data from various sources. Growingly conducting a complex procedure to manage the bulk of zeros and ones in a way that benefits the firm with growing return on investment will remain a challenge for IT departments of businesses. This big handling of data constantly grows on the horizontal as well the vertical bases with more of 40 percent projected growth in global data generated in year 2010 while spending on IT has increased by only 5 percent. The rise in demand for people handling big data is so steep that availability of big data analytical talent in US in year 2018 is expected to override the supply (Manyika et al., 2011). (Manyika et al., 2011) Data sources range from consumer behavior at physical outlets to a large number of internet subsections. The emergence of a ubiquitous phenomenon in 2000 has changed the entire business model, constantly challenging IT department to increase capacity to manage (Kenney, and Marshall, 2000). (Kenney, and Marshall, 2000) For instance, technique in retail industry such as bar code, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and vendor-managed inventory (VMI),  etc. (Smaros, and Holmstrom, 2000), and similar techniques multiply pressure as retrieving and constantly updating data remains with the IT section. Similarly, Self Service Technologies (SST’s), mainly adopted in the financial sector with the Internet banking and ATM, etc., has already put extensive pressure on the IT section. Though these techniques have been developed in the past, constant efforts from the marketing side of business to offer various promotions and extracting information based on consumer activity require increased efforts from the IT section in respect of the program development, i.e. the way information can be retrieved or updated. Applications of social media such as Facebook, twitter, blogs; heavy video content such as Multimedia content, which already accounts for more than half of the Internet traffic, is expected to grow by 70 percent in year 2013, with

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS TO COURSE WORK ENVIRNOMENTAL SCIENCE Coursework

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS TO COURSE WORK ENVIRNOMENTAL SCIENCE - Coursework Example An example is the melting if the sea ice in the Arctic and glaciers as a result of global warming. Atom is delineated as a building block of any matter. It joins together the molecules which forms most of the objects around us. They are composed of protons, electrons and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are at the centre of the atoms called nucleus while the electrons orbit the nucleus. Protons have a positive charge; electrons have a negative charge while the neutrons don’t have any charge. Isotopes refer to the atoms with different numbers of neutrons. They are mainly denoted by different elementary symbols that are preceded by the mass number or the numbers of neutrons and protons in the atoms. For instance 2H (deuterium) is an isotope of the element hydrogen with a single neutron within the nucleus as opposed to the common 1H. Ions are atoms with extra electrons or missing electrons. When there is one or two electrons missing, there will be a positive charge while when there is an extra electron there will be a negative charge. (Wright, & Broose, 2011) The movement of electrons happens in the single covalent bonds. Two atoms of hydrogen for instance share their electrons when they bind together in order to form the hydrogen gas. An example is the formation of human blood, the ocean water and various metal alloys. (Wright, & Broose, 2011) Proteins- Made up of long chains of different organic molecules referred to as amino acids. The organisms combine up to 20 different amino acids into long chains. Proteins forms the largest part of organisms matter and perform different functions of the living changes. Animals for instance use proteins in the generation of hair, skin, tendons and muscles. Some proteins helps in storage energy, others facilitate transportation of substance, defends the organism against foreign attackers while others act as hormone, serve as enzymes. Nucleic acids – It facilitates directing of production of proteins. The

The Influence of Words During Times of War Essay

The Influence of Words During Times of War - Essay Example The Power of Words in Wartime by Robin Lakoff (2005) is an article describing just how powerful words can be a weapon. The article centers around the history of words used in wartime, focusing on the descriptive words that are typically used to describe 'the enemy'; barbarians, infidels, Japs, Yankees, Frogs. The article suggests that these words help to bring one side closer together by grouping the enemy as something negative, something outside of themselves. It gives a sense of supremacy to one side, often focusing on physical or cultural differences between the enemy and the home side. Killing another person is murder, but killing a 'target' or a 'Hun' in the event of war is something different, and just shows how powerful words can be in changing the normal morals of an individual. Churchill's Powerful Words. As previously mentioned, Churchill and his powerful speeches have been considered one of the most important elements in the Allied win of the Second World War (Brekle, 1989 ). "Give us the tools and we will finish the job† (Churchill, 2003) are the famous words of Churchill to Franklin D. Roosevelt, allowing the nation to see the confidence of Churchill, bringing faith, courage and hope to the nation. It suggests that Churchill himself had a great amount of faith in the Allied forces, and it is sometimes this type of faith that is needed to give confidence to an army, confidence being something that is perhaps more important than technology in winning a war (Oliver, 1987).... Churchill's Powerful Words As previously mentioned, Churchill and his powerful speeches have been considered one of the most important elements in the Allied win of the Second World War (Brekle, 1989). "Give us the tools and we will finish the job† (Churchill, 2003) are the famous words of Churchill to Franklin D. Roosevelt, allowing the nation to see the confidence of Churchill, bringing faith, courage and hope to the nation. It suggests that Churchill himself had a great amount of faith in the Allied forces, and it is sometimes this type of faith that is needed to give confidence to an army, confidence being something that is perhaps more important than technology in winning a war (Oliver, 1987). Churcill is also famous for saying "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning† (Churchill, 2003). This again was a powerful quote at the time, stirring the forces and the nation into believing that there is so me hope that the tragedies of war would begin to end. In this quote, Churchill acknowledges the past, present and future struggles of the war, but does so in such a confident manner. There are numerous more quotes that can be used to show Churchill's rhetoric and how instrumental it was in instilling hope, but these serve to give evidence of his skill and its power during wartime. The Rhetoric of Roosevelt Roosevelt was also known for his skill in rhetoric. Whilst Churchill seemed more focused on giving the forces confidence on the battlefield, Roosevelt is possibly more associated with letting the nation know that the cause they were fighting for was the right cause. This is an important tool in persuading soldiers to sign up to fight; no-one wants to fight for

Transcendentalism Quotes Essay Example for Free

Transcendentalism Quotes Essay It looks poorest when you are richest. I: People who have enthusiasm in material possession usually can not suppress their endless desire of chasing wealth and fame, however, it shows the extreme poor inside of their spirit. They only pay attention on external possessions but never realize that the depth of thoughts and independence of lives reflect the real rich. The suitable simplicity is spirituality. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old; return to them. I: Complexity bleeds only dissatisfaction. When people want more than they get, their desire will never be fulfilled and develop into greed. Get back to the original of the nature and life, have the simplicity of everything whatever friendship or possession, always remember the best is the original. Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide. I: Individual is unique in the world, everyone has his own way to go and can’t be duplicated. Envy only brings hatred and ignorance of inherent talent through comparison. Others’ ways are broad road to them but thorny path to different person. Blind imitation likes putting a lotus into the desert; it never works and leads to death. Wise people trust themselves, choose their way and walk carefully step by step and realize their dreams. Whose would be a man must be nonconformist. I: Society is a framework that limits individual’s ability. To discover the inner capacity we should trust ourselves, jump out of the conformity and express the real thoughts. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried. I:You will never know the result unless you try it. Everything begins with trying so trust yourself and just do it. Where there is a desire you should get up and try. If you have the courage to try that undoubtfully you can continue finishing it. Man is born to try, a step, a drink and a touch. The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed, If you  try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of believing yourself.

The History Of Reflection Theory

The History Of Reflection Theory In scientific terms reflection is seen as light, heat or sound striking a surface to give off a reflection. Reflection is also seen as philosophical understanding of how one can gain knowledge through experience and use different approaches to the same scenario (Johns and Freshwater 2009 and Chambers et al 2012). The novel idea of reflection rose from a theorist John Dewey (1859-1952); his proposed view on reflection is described as persistent, active thinking and taking into consideration the supporting evidence that forms knowledge to the given situation. This theorist suggests that the person uses their mind and emotions to facilitate reflection (Bulman and Schutz 2008). This suggests that Dewey describes reflective individuals has being open-minded, responsible and wholehearted (Vachon and Leblanc 2011). Deweys perception of reflection was a platform for many authors to elaborate on in terms of understanding reflective practice. Johns and Freshwater (2005) propose that health professionals should find the meaning of reflection through description rather than definition because to define reflection is to suggest the author has authority over its meaning. This in turn allows reflections models and frameworks to be used intuitively giving a more holistic approach, it can be subjective and purpose driven (Johns and Freshwater 2005). Mann et al (2007) describes Schons (1983) view that reflection can happen in two ways: reflecting upon activities whilst they are happening called reflection in action (present reflection) and reflecting upon activities once they have happened (reflecting on the past). Rolfe et al assert that reflection is the engine that facilitates superficial learning into finding a deeper understanding that enables the practitioner to transform what is known to knowledge in action. Reflection Model and frameworks The reflection framework developed by Schon and Argyris (1992) involves three elements: (1) knowing-in-action (2) reflection-in-action and (3) reflection-on-practice (Ghaye and Lillyman 2010). Ghaye and Lillyman (2010) have extrapolated Schons work to include knowing-in-action; they propose that practitioners customise and tailor their own knowledge or theories to the situation presented. Knowing in action is described further by Carper (1978) who identifies five approaches to knowing in action; empirical, personal, ethical and aesthetic knowing ( Newton and McKenna 2009). Reflection-in-action by Schon and Argyris (1992) has been adapted from Schon (1983) it is to do with reflecting in the moment without disturbing care. It involves thinking on your feet Ghaye and Lillyman (2010) propose that whilst this may be a complex process it is by far the most effective when clarifying that needs of patients are being met. It is the way in which practitioners compose themselves to handle and resolve difficult situations when being faced with them (Schon 1992). This could entail thinking of what needs to be said to patients whilst talking to them already. Gustafsson and Fagerberg (2004) state that Schon (1983) believes reflection-in-action allows nurses to display a combined range of skills abstract knowledge and clinical experience. This type of reflection is difficult to master as is challenge our knowing-in-action and is used by professional practitioners that have acquired technical skills over a number of years Rolfe et al (2011) and Ghaye and Lillyman (201 0). Mann et al (2007) state that professional practitioners are able to reflect-in-action because they have the knowledge to do interpretive orientation monitoring, assessing and changing patient care on a continual basis. Mann et al (2007) also state that student nurses are limited to reflection in action because their experiences are not authentic and the role is supervised throughout thus students actions are questioned and changed if necessary to suit patient care. This is why critical reflection is important learning tool for students and can be facilitated by mentors, clinical supervisors. Schon (1992) reflection-on-action is reflecting back on events taken place. The reflector can examine and analyse the events step by step either within self, discussion with another practitioner or within groups (Ghaye and Lillyman 2010). Greenwood (1998) take on reflection on action as cognitive post-mortem this is where the practitioner goes back to review actions that were made during the events. Greenwood (1998) argues that reflection before action is not deemed important for this type of reflection and to be unable to reflect before action is considered erroneous as patient care and outcomes become influenced by these factors. It is already known that Dewey was the first advocate of learning by reflection, Rolfe et al (2011) summarise Deweys (1938) model of reflective learning as experiencing through observing and reflecting on current or past events which leads to gaining new or enhancing knowledge. In modern healthcare however Gibbs (1988) model of reflection see appendix 1 is widely used which is an adaptation of Deweys (1938) original model. Gibbs (1988) model asks the practitioner to paint a picture of the event describe what happened and attach emotions and thoughts to the event. Gibbs then prompts the practitioner to weight what was good or bad about the experience. The third aspect of the model is technical this part asks the practitioner to analyse the situation in the hope to uncover either new findings or confirm the current situation. The fourth aspect is about understanding and finding out what else could the practitioner have done to change the previous outcome of the situation being started and lastly the practitioner is prompted to write an action plan in case the same or similar scenario can take it our (McKinnon 2004). Although Gibbs model appears cyclical it is not clear as to how the action plan which concludes the reflection process is linked back to description (Rolfe et al 2011). Gibbs model of reflection give the practitioner simple and general cue questions which allows the practitioner room to expand their thoughts on also it the most widely used reflection model for student nurses (Bulman and Schutz 2009) in contrast Rolfe et al 2011 state that Gibbs model has a generic and unspecific feel therefore some reflective practitioners find Gibbs model to vague. Holms and Stephenson (1994 see also Rolfe et al 2011) see appendix 2 shared similar assertions to Gibbs model and therefore they proposed another reflection framework consisting of better designed cue questions. Stephenson framework is aimed towards more on action rather than theorising outcomes. Rolfe et al (2011) suggest that Stephenson and Holms framework mirrors Deweys initial interpretation of learning by thinking. However neither Gibbs model or Stephenson framework encompass a clear guideline to how knowledge can be linked to practice apart from asking the practitioners to think about what they would if they encountered a similar situation again. The framework set out by Johns (2004) is an adaptation of many frameworks and models by many authors (Johns and Freshwater 2005). John and Freshwater (2005) encompassed not only the different aspects of reflection such in-action and on-action but also mindful practice. Benner et al (1996) explains that mindful practice is seen as clinical judgement which is practitioners possessing the ability to see what is happening as it happening in a clinical environment that allows the practitioner to engage ethically with the situation. Johns (1995) framework also included reflexivity which asks the practitioner to revisit the situation and asks interpersonal questions that allow the practitioner to link previous experiences to the current situation. Johns and Freshwater (2005) see appendix 3 have managed to articulate a model of reflection which is structured and concise this model also impacts clinical supervision and can be used for mentoring purposes. Taylor (2006) see appendix 4 illustrates its model of reflection by using the words REFLECT as mnemonic device where each letter is represents a process of how reflection can take place. Tacit knowledge is displayed in this type of reflection, it is knowledge that practitioners are unaware of possessing and only comes to light when reflecting about the decisions they have made either during or after the event Schon (1987). There is a sense of liberation attached to Taylors reflection as it also caused the practitioner to be accepting of news ideas and not to be confined to constraints Taylor (2006) uses a critical friend to encourage reflection. Taylor (2006) understands that changes in awareness is a sure possibility because new insights can arise through reflection this occurs by linking emotions and feelings furthermore it requests the practitioner to ask themselves what have they learnt from their experience. Taylor model of reflection is laid out in manner that demands structure d critical reflection and requires a facilitator or critical friend to see the process through this could be a disadvantage because it can be a demanding procedure, not very empowering to challenge top ranking staff and a facilitator may not be available (Rolfe et al 2011). Kolb (1984) see appendix 5 see also Rolfe et al (2011) model of reflection is directed towards experimental learning, Kolb model is set out such that it asks the practitioner to look beyond describing and observing past events but also to theorise on the reflective events to determine if new approaches can be addressed or implemented. Kolbs classic model of experimental learning consists of four components; experience, observation/reflection, generalization and conceptualisation and active experimentation (Stonehouse 2011). When compared to Gibbs model this model is truly cyclical and reflexive because Kolb sets out to generate a hypothesis to test the clinical setting hence the practitioner is allowed to renew reflecting on the newly modified experience (Rolfe et al 2011). Reflective Practice Reflective practice is seen has using reflective techniques to improve, maintain changes in clinical procedures and influence guidelines to encourage greater safety of patients in all areas of health organisations (Bulman and Schutz 2008). Duffy (2007) states reflective practice must clearly be demonstrated by the practitioner for personal and professional development in nursing and other allied health professions. Price (2004) states that nursing practices can be transformed by facilitating insight and reason by practitioners, Price (2004) also understands that workforces may also be doubtful of the wisdom behind changes to particular strategies for example changes to multidisciplinary team meetings held usually midweek could be changed to a day closer to the weekend and therefore the workforce may be doubtful of referrals being received on time to their relevant partners. Burns and Bulman (2000) and Johns (2000) assert that reflective practice whilst it is patient centred all addresses the untidiness and confusion of the clinical environment. Benner et al (1996) adds functioning of the practice environment is not as clear cut as a science textbook. Johns (2005) states that learning though reflection leads to enlightenment finding out who we are, empowerment having courage to redefine who we are and emancipation given freedom to make changes to achieve desirable effects. It is the role of clinical supervisors, preceptors and mentors to encourage and implement reflection and critical thinking within their practice environment (Price 2004). Reed (2008) state that mentors are able to support less experienced or new employees by sharing their experience with them and providing a higher level of knowledge and understanding of different work practices. Duffy (2007) uses Williams (2001) to suggest problem based learning provides stimulus for student nurses to develop their critical reflection skills. Continuing Professional Development Health care organisations in the United Kingdom have undergone and still continue to undergo changes to how it is regulated (Rolfe et al 2011). The emphasis is largely associated with increasing patient safety and risk reduction (Rolfe et al 2011, Mantzoukas 2008). Evidence-based studies have taught the NHS and regulatory bodies how to change practices and procedures to create better outcomes for patients, they have also encompassed further development for staff to promote a better use of resources through clinical professional development (CPD) (Bulman and Schutz 2009). The Healthcare Professionals Council (2012) and The Nursing Midwifery Council (2006) state that nurses and midwives must provide evidence and maintain competency levels to remain in employment as nurses and midwives every three years after registering. The NMC does not determine the nature or types of continuing professional development programs to undertake, it is the responsibility of the practitioner and organisation to do this (Gould et al 2006, Munro 2008). Munro (2008) claims self regulation is vital to professional development and is achieved by maintaining a portfolio constructed of professional and personal achievements and certificates of attendance to mandatory competency trainings. Leblanc and Vachon (2011) agree that continuing education programmes such as diabetic training, pressure sore management training and infection control training as well as MSc postgraduate courses such as tissue viability or nursing prescribing courses add to a professional competency portfolio . Critical Incident Analysis Reflective practice is deployed when undertaking critical incident analysis (CIA). Critical incidents can be either a surprise event (ref) or series of events that could trigger reflection (Hanning 2001). The analysis process enables the practitioner to pause and contemplate on the situation and to establish meaning to the situation. Critical thinking can be viewed as either negative or positive experiences (Price 2004) and therefore some practitioners have exhibited discomfort associated with critical incident analysis because the process can challenge what they thought they knew as best practice can have undesirable effects and evoke anger, grief, frustration and sadness (Rich and Parker 1995 see also Vachon and LeBlanc 2011). Critical incident events could be viewed as drug errors, nosocomial cross-infection or helping a patient achieve a comfortable, dignified death, closing of wards. However not all incidents have to be as grave as these. CIA can also be viewed as a significant incident where it does not pose immediate threat, however it causes the practitioner to reflect upon the situation in systematic manner (Ghaye and Lillyman 2010). Communication skills Non-verbal and verbal skills are used to demonstrate communication which is the sending and received of messages (McCabe 2004). In nursing communication is not only about transmitting information, nurse-patient relationship involves in the transmitting feelings and nurses need to be able to display the appropriate behaviour or manner to demonstrate that their feelings have been recognised (Sheppard 1993 cited in McCabe 2004). Attending behaviour is described by Stein-Parbury (2009) as being ready to listen, maintain good positioning, open body language, eye contact and facial expression these are all are signs of an outward physical manifestation which when a nurse displays is demonstrative of their genuine interest to know and understand their patient. Department of Health (2000) states that good communication between health providers and patients is essential for establishing high quality care. The most important attribute deemed by patients practitioner should have is the willingn ess to listen to and explain patients concerns (Moore 2009). According to the NMC (2010) the role of nurses is to use their clinical judgment in the provision of care which would enable patients to improve, maintain or recover their health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death. This is where reflection and critical incident plays a role in good communication and evolving our interpersonal skills. Discussing a patients condition and advising them on the therapy available ot giving medication are example of reflection-in-action. Reflection in action causes the practitioner to slow down and think of how to approach the patient, they may assess the situation and decided to leave out medical jargon, and use simplified speech, (Kraszewski and McEwen 2010). There are no specific models to use for these examples it is more about how the practitioner relates to the patient to convey their message is important. An example of reflection-on-action that enables practitioners to reflect on their communication skills is breaking-bad news. Bad-news has a variety of meanings attached to it ultimately it may leave the patient with fewer life choices (DHSSPS 2003). Guidelines are available to facilitate breaking of bad news. Guidelines are set out to help the practitioner conduct themselves in an empathetic manner it enables them to ensure the privacy and dignity of the patient have been maintained (DoH 2003). Unable to convey the message appropriately to patients and their families it leaves an indelible mark on the nurse-patient relationship (DHSSPS 2003). Breaking bad news is exhausting, emotionally draining and difficult task for practitioners (OLeary 2010). Because of this it is best for staff to able to reflect upon the situation soon after the event with clinical supervisors, mentor or education facilitators (DHSSPS 2003). Conclusion From this study it can be confirmed that reflection has been widely sourced since John Deweys initial introduction. The models and frameworks of reflection all ask the practitioner to paint the picture of what happened in the clinical setting and asks the practitioner cue questions to make them relate their feeling and emotions experienced during, or after reflecting. Reflective models that end with action plans do not appear truly cyclical and models that form new hypothesis and allow experimentation to test the hypotheses are reflexive and cyclical. Some of the frameworks ask the practitioner to challenge social conflict within their organisations. Becoming proficient in reflection helps practitioners nurse gain a greater edge for understanding patient care they can use this asset to becoming mentors and clinical supervisors. Reflective practice can be challenging and some may find it difficult if all we do is analyse what went wrong this is why it is also important to reflect on what was good in practice. Nurses need to provide evidence of continuing professional development they need to be able to withstand rigours checks to make sure the sustain their registration by the NMC using reflective practice within their clinical environment sets them up for achieving this. Reflective practice using either critical incident analysis or emancipatory reflection aids in learning about communication. Reflective practice can open doors to gaining new knowledge and does not only identify problems encountered but helps nurses to share good experiences. It can positively affect job satisfaction and achievement. Reflection does not have to be a lengthy or exhaustive process allowing room for student nurses or allied health to attempt reflection whilst studying as it this reflective experience that would enrich their knowledge of personal knowing and helps them to link this with patient care. There are different strategies students and practitioner can use to facilitate reflective practice these include keeping journal log, seeking feedback from mentors and clinical supervisors, having a critical friend, making anecdotal notes having group discussion. Attending MDT meetings and going on ward rounds may also facilitate reflection as the patients are discussed at length from when they first came to the health setting and to what has happened to them since.

Why Did Communism in Europe Fail?

Why Did Communism in Europe Fail? The year 1989 saw a surprising and swift transformation of Central and Eastern Europe. Where only a few years before the ouster of communism would have been unimaginable, now country after country removed its communist government and embraced some form of democracy. Never in human history has there been such a sweeping governmental change apart from the result of some military engagement (Schopflin 1990, 5). Examining the reasons behind the fall of communism presents†¦ First, the theoretical model of communism itself is flawed. It makes incorrect assumptions about human nature and supports an unsustainable economic matrix. Economic and political pressures in Central and Eastern European economies during the 1980s exposed these inadequacies. Thereafter, an overextension of Soviet resources due to military spending combined with global pressures in regards to human rights initiatives led to one country after another freeing itself from Soviet control. Communism is a political and social system based on a concept of equal distribution of resources. Ideally, goods and services are owned communally amongst all citizens of a communist state, and distributed equally so as to meet each person’s need (Stokes 1993, 5). The problem comes in the actual application of communism, as it works counter to human nature. First, the system assumes that each worker will work to his or her capacity for the good of all. In reality, workers soon realized they would be paid the same no matter how hard they worked, and without the incentive of personal gain, began producing at the lowest possible level. Famous Russian economist Boris Brutzkus noted that the idea of equal compensation for skilled and unskilled labour undermined productivity and created an economically unsolvable problem (Wilhelm 1993, 346). In addition, any risk related to innovation is transferred wholly to the state, so the worker â€Å"loses little in the event of failure and g ains nothing in the event of success,† making it impossible to motivate him or her to full productive potential (Wilhelm 1993, 349). â€Å"If profits must be handed over to the public treasury, and losses are made up with subsidies, there is no incentive to be innovative and efficient† (Fischer 1991, 12). The communist model similarly assumes that political leaders will act in the best interests of all the citizens of the state, rather than simply in their own. Fischer notes that power is an extremely corrupting force, and rarely if ever do those with significant power avoid its corrupting influence (Fischer 1991, 12). This was made particularly clear in countries such as Romania, where the communism state became in essence a totalitarian dictatorship under Ceausescu (Hall 2000, 1070). Central and Eastern European countries were by and large governed by a handful of leaders who had enormous control over their fellow citizens, and were often both personally and politically corrupt in their administrations (Fischer 1991, 12). Because of these misunderstandings of human nature, communism is not designed with the checks and balances common to a democratic government (Fischer 1991, 12). For example, democracies have both secret elections and a free press. Regular elections provide a voice to the citizens of a country in determining its leadership. This forces leaders to listen and be responsive to the citizenry, less they be removed from power. A free press both informs citizens of what is happening in the country and government and exposes corruption. (Wilhelm 1993, 352). Uncensored media similarly forces leaders to act ethically and not mistreat the citizenry. Communist regimes in Europe lacked such systems of accountability, and as such, their leaders did not always act in the best interests of the average citizen. Economically, there are also serious flaws in the communist model. Production results from the cooperation of labour, capital, and nature (Wilhelm 1993, 347). Communism based its economic model on â€Å"directed economic activity according to a unitary state plan based upon statistics, under which categories such as interest, rent and profit lost their significance† (Wilhelm 1993, 346). Markets and the forces that shape them were replaced by a planned system based on labour costs (Wilhelm 1993, 346). This led to further problems, as it oversimplified the economic factors at play in the counties’ industries, which led to incorrect production planning. According to Brutzkus, â€Å"the socialist state is not in a position, even with the help of all its scientific theory and immense statistical apparatus, to measure the needs of its citizens or to reduce needs to one level; for this reason it is unable to provide production with the guidance it needs† (Wilhelm 1993, 347). In short, Brutzkus anticipated what the literature on communist economies calls the success indicator problem. The government was not able to successfully plan for the complexity of the market. â€Å"This process is infinitely more complicated than that which takes place under capitalism, where at worst the entrepreneur will have to increase his price to cover this or that means of production† (Wilhelm 1993, 348). The results were Central and Eastern European nations with overly-specialized industry that had no market except the Soviet bloc, fewer than needed consumer products, and an uneven proportion of manufactured products to the demand of the populace (Karatnycky 2002, 57). In contrast, while price liberalization in post-communist Poland â€Å"brought an immediate end to the pervasive shortages and queues that had plagued Poland’s centrally-planned economy† (Kramer 2004, 60). A centrally-planned â€Å"command economy† is â€Å"an engine for the dissipation of social energy and resources,† that is only effective in mobilizing resources for a short period of time (Wilhelm 1993, 353). After this the communist economic model leads to rapid deterioration and becomes increasingly ineffective as time goes on (Wilhelm 1993, 353). The communist bloc was able to live off the resources it possessed prior to communization, such as surplus rural labour and certain capital resources, through the 1950s (Schopflin 1990, 4). This reinforced the idea to some that the communist economic plan was workable. However, as these resources dwindled and economic indicators declined, the standard of living in communist Europe became noticeably lower than her capitalist counterpart. Wilhelm contends that when statistics are adjusted for their propagandistic distortions, â€Å"East Germany was poorer than Mexico†¦ West Germans received a rather nasty shock when the y were able to enter East Germany and see the actual state of the East German economy for themselves (Wilhelm 1993, 352). This led to growing unrest amongst the citizens of Central and Eastern Europe, who saw themselves falling farther and farther behind the West. At this time the Soviet Union, the main customer for Central and Eastern European countries’ exports, was also facing economic difficulties. Some of this was due to the slowing of its own communist economic system and the global pressures also faced by the European communist countries (Stokes 1993, 56). In addition, a heightened arms race with the United States and its long and disastrous engagement in Afghanistan caused the USSR to commit more to its military spending than it could afford (Stokes 1993, 58). This both left less to spend in its satellite countries and fewer military troops to commit to suppressing uprisings in Europe. As the postwar status-quo depended in part on the threat of Soviet military intervention, this added to the growing instability in Central and Eastern Europe (Kramer 2005, 11). The communist European nations were historically not independently supportive of communism, but had communism imposed upon them unwillingly after World War II (Kramer 2005, 10). From the beginning, Eastern European countries were subjected to and directed in communism â€Å"firmly against the wishes of the majority† (Schopflin 1990, 4). One Baltic leader described the events of 1989 by saying â€Å"we could finally end the illegal occupation of our country and rejoin the community of free nations† (Kramer 2004, 21). Because the populations of these countries were not ideologically supportive of communism, their governmental leaders had to utilize both force and the threat of force to keep the countries functioning (Kramer 2004, 21). By the 1980s, the Soviet Union did not have the resources to do so, nor did many of the European countries in the Soviet bloc (Stokes 1993, 58). In addition, then leader of the USSR Gorbachev was less quick to turn to a military solution. â €Å"Unlike in 1956, when Khrushchev ultimately relied on military force to preserve the Communist bloc, Gorbachev†¦ actively encouraged drastic political changes in Eastern Europe that would defuse the potential for another violent uprising like the one that engulfed Hungary in October-November 1956 (Kramer 2005, 69). The resulting combination of Gorbachev’s reforms, his reluctance towards military force, and his â€Å"reorientation of Soviet foreign policy had a profound impact on the politics of Eastern Europe† (Kramer 2005, 69). Finally, there was a growing emphasis on human rights. This also caused the communist regimes to pause and consider use of military force against civilian uprisings. â€Å"The insistence on the introduction of human rights into the Helsinki process resulted in the slow but inexorable diffusion of the principle into Soviet-type politics and contributed qualitatively to weakening the legitimating force of Marxism-Leninism (Schopflin 1990, 16). This provided intellectuals in the Central and Eastern European opposition movements with â€Å"an intellectual basis from which to attack and thus erode the official systems† (Schopflin 1990, 16). It also gave workers reasons to organize collectively. When faced with a government that seems fundamentally unchangeable, people will only organize to resist if given some idea or goal of value which they can support (Benda et al. 1988, 228-29). All the major democratic oppositions in Central Europe had as leaders activists that had at one tim e or another been human rights dissidents (Isaac 1996, 303). The system was untenable, the citizens were unhappy, and those interested in political reform had a reason to begin organizing. At this point, the next ingredient necessary for communism’s demise was technology. Where in the past a particular government could cover-up or minimize an uprising in one place, preserving the threat of force and fear in its citizens, increased use of technology exposed these attempts and the sometimes blatant lies told by government officials(Kramer 2005, 82) For example, because of technological advances in broadcasting, â€Å"West German television broadcasts reached the large majority of households in the GDR, almost all East German citizens were able to watch uncensored coverage of Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost (Kramer 2005, 82). As Stokes concludes, the response of Central and Eastern European countries in 1989 was not a revolution of total innovation, but rather the shucking off of a failed experiment in favor of an already exis ting model, pluralist democracy (Stokes 1993, 260). The collapse of communism in Hungary began in 1986, when the country’s intellectuals began to abandon Kadar, who refused to recognize or act upon the country’s economic crisis situation (Schopflin 1990, 7). Similar processes occurred in Poland, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia (Schopflin 1990, 7). Because they were increasingly exposed to the existence of a better system, they were empowered to push for it in their own countries. In the end, communism failed from a combination of factors, not the least of which was its own internal flaws. It may be that the twentieth century’s experiment in communist Europe was misguided from the start. â€Å"According to Marx’s materialistic conception of history, societies pass through four formative stages on their way to becoming communist: asiatic, ancient, feudal, and bourgeois capitalist† (Koranda 1990, 19). However, this was not true for any of the Eastern European countries with communist governments in the twentieth century. Russia forced communism on these countries, rather than it evolving in some natural pattern. â€Å"Disregarding Russia, many of the European countries that went through Communism had belonged, in the past, in whole or in part to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire† and had governments closer to a feudal system than any other. (Kovac 2002, 178). Marx might well argue, therefore, that these countries were not ready for commun ism when it was imposed upon them. Koranda would contend, however, that in reality Marx got the order wrong. Communism is, in his argument, the guild stage which many Western European countries passed through on the way to capitalism. Since many Eastern European countries were closer to feudal than free-market prior to World War II, from Koranda’s theoretical standpoint, formerly Communist Europe is now progressing â€Å"naturally† from communism to capitalism (Koranda 1990, 20). This would explain communism’s initial success, and the need for it to be eventually supplanted by capitalism. BIBLIOGRAPHY Benda, V, et al. 1988. Parallel Polis, or an Independent Society in Central and Eastern Europe: An Inquiry. Social Research, Spring-Summer1988, 55:1-2. Fischer, D. 1991. Why did Communism fail? Social Alternatives, Dec1991, 10:4, 12. Hall, R.A. 2000. Theories of collective action and revolution: evidence from the Romanian transition of December 1989. Europe-Asia Studies, Sep2000, 52:6, 1069-93. Isaac, J.C. 1996. The meanings of 1989. Social Research, Summer1996, 63, 291-344. Karatnycky, A. 2000. Memory Lapse. American Spectator, Feb2000, 33:1, 57-58. Koranda, Tim. 1990. The God That Failed History. Vital Speeches of the Day, 10/15/90, 57:1, 19-21. Kovà ¡Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ , L. 2002. The Failure of Communism: A Case for Evolutionary Rationalism and Evolutionary Humanism. Dialogue Universalism, 12:8/10, 177-197. Kramer, M. 2003. The Collapse of East European Communism and the Repercussions within the Soviet Union (Part 1). Journal of Cold War Studies, Fall2003, 5:4, 178-256. Kramer, M. 2004. The Collapse of East European Communism and the Repercussions within the Soviet Union (Part 2). Journal of Cold War Studies, Fall2004, 6:4, 3-64. Kramer, M. 2005. The Collapse of East European Communism and the Repercussions within the Soviet Union (Part 3). Journal of Cold War Studies, Winter2005, 7:1, 3-96. Schopflin, G. 1990. The end of communism in Eastern Europe. International Affairs, Jan1990, 66:1, 3-16. Stokes, G. 1993. The Walls Came Tumbling Down: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wilhelm, J.H. 1993. The Soviet economic failure: Brutzkus revisited. Europe-Asia Studies, 45:2, 343-57.

Body Image Essay -- essays research papers

Body Image   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this study is to further explore and examine the influences of mass media on male’s and female’s personal body image satisfaction and the awareness and internalization of societal pressures regarding appearance. For a number years evidence surrounding the insecurities that women have towards their own bodies has been widely published. More recently, it has been suggested that men are falling victim to media and societal pressure, and are developing insecurities traditionally associated with women. Much of the body dissatisfaction that we see today can be attributed to the enormous disparity between our current cultural beauty ideals and our actual bodies. Although most of the research surrounding the influences of media on body image has taken the form of analyzing exposure through the examination of such things as magazine content, recent research has begun to focus on an individual’s awareness of societal pressures, as well as one’s acceptance, or internalization, of these societal standards (Cusumano & Thompson,1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every culture has standards of beauty. Through the ages and around the world,people have evaluated the appearance of themselves and others. A person’s body image is his or her concept of their physical appearance. The mental representation which may be realistic or unrealistic, is constructed from self-observation, the reactions of others, and a complex interaction of attitudes, emotions, memories, fantasies, and experiences, both conscious and unconscious. A pleasing appearance has often been associated with higher status, better opportunities to attract a mate and other positive qualities. We live in a society that thrives on first impressions. Many people interact with large numbers of new people everyday, especially in their work lives, and we often have little information about who these people are, but we do know how they look. We try to size them up based on how they are dressed, how they talk, how they move and their overall physical appearance. People tend to judge a fat person as lazy and self-indulgent and a thin person as organized and disciplined and these stereotypes are reinforced by the media. A study done by Franzoi and Herzog (1987) examined what body parts and functions young adults... ...ents magazines. This ratio closely reflected the ratio of the incidence of eating disorders in women to the incidence of eating disorders in men (Cusumano & Thompson, 1997). According to Botta the available reports suggest that media do have an impact on body image disturbance, both directly through body image processing and indirectly by encouraging males and females to endorse their respective ideals and by establishing what they see as realistic ideals (Botta, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The present study seeks to examine the influence of exposure to media ideal body images and the awareness and internalization of those ideals on males and females. The results of previous studies indicate that the media plays a role in not just reflecting societal perceptions of male and female body image, but in shaping those perceptions. Media stereotypes, advertising ploys, and the fashion industry have all lead to the introduction of the unrealistic ideal body shape that we compare ourselves to. How we feel about our bodies and how our bodies look to us in the mirror is an important aspect of our self esteem and for many Americans the media tells us how we should feel and look.

Assessment of Product: The Refrigerator Essay -- Consumer Issues

Customer Expectation for a product changes from one customer to another and so does the definition of quality. In case of a refrigerator there isn’t a product that could satisfy every customers need therefore manufactures have to target their products in different segments. Even if the product caters for a certain customers need, it wouldn’t stop a rival company from bringing new features that customers never imagined and now customers have changed their quality definition. When assessing the quality of a product it is important to understand the thought process of a customer as sales are generated through them. A customer generally has a preconceived idea about the product or service, after consuming they would have perception on how the product or service performed; if the product or service does perform to expectation or even beyond, it would be perceived as a quality product. Evaluation of the LG Refrigerator (GL-M252VM) using the Garvin’s eight product dimensions framework. Dimensions of LG Refrigerator - GL-M252VM It is important to understand that quality varies when product evolves through time. Consider this, when refrigerators were introduced newly it contests on the level of performance and when all competitors are close enough to a certain level customers expect all products to perform (maintain a necessary temperature to keep bacteria away).then competition goes to the reliability stage where they compete on reliability, Durability, Conformance and Perceived Quality once these aspects are meet or even close to judge the completion moves on to convenience stage Features, Serviceability and Aesthetics will be their success factors and product is considered to be a commodity that is contested on price. G... ... Vogue type handle. Works Cited 1) Miner (2010) Re: 8 Dimensions of Product Quality according to Garvin. [online]. Last accessed 3 April 2012 at: http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=45292 2) Press Releases (2011) LG’s Linear Compressor Refrigerators: Technology that Preserves. [online]. Last accessed 3 April 2012 at: http://www.lg.com/za/press-release/article/lgs-linear-compressor-refrigerators-technology-that-preserves.jsp 3) Module 11: Quality Management (2010). [online]. From YouTube last accessed 4 April 2012 at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJNVrY_Z2NM&feature=related 4) Product Support for GL-M252VM.AMDQABN. [online]. Last accessed 3 April 2012 at: http://goo.gl/ziWk1 5) James R. Hood (1998) Consumer Complaints & Reviews [online]. Last accessed 3 April 2012 at: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/lg_refrigerator.html

Reinforcing Fears: Space Race and Sci Fi in the Cold War Essay

Throughout history, science and technology has been relied on to advance humanity. In the Cold War period, this was no different. In fact, the Cold War period was characterized as much by scientific and technological innovation as it was the clash of East and West. From missiles to the space race, science and technology reassured both superiority and mutual destruction throughout the era. The space race, in particular, was a longstanding battle for domination between American and Soviet minds. No longer was space travel confined to science fiction, but a reality that needed to be explored in order to maintain the grasp on victory in the Cold War. This paper will argue that although the domination for space acted as a metaphor for Cold War superiority, ultimately space colonization was the catalyst to American exploration in science fiction and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) propaganda. As a result, when the Americans landed their astronauts first on the moon, it was a victory for America’s policy, imagination, and people. First, an exploration of the history and politics of space travel in the United States and Soviet Union will be discussed. From there, both political cartoons and the development of science fiction will be developed alongside the events that lead up to Sputnik’s launch and Apollo 11’s moonwalk in order to draw the parallel that interest in space fuelled science fiction phenomena. Although this paper focuses on the events leading up to Apollo 11, a discussion of the declining role of science fiction and interest in space as a means to win the Cold War will be put into focus. Lastly, the climatic events of the 1950s and 1960s space age will be compared and contrasted with contemporary events in order to determi... ...o a new level. Moreover, a subtle war was emerging between the Soviet Union and the United States. Both nations had power, people, and prosperity, and a drive for success. As early as 1948, Soviets expressed discontent towards the United States in science fiction. For example, a publication called â€Å"The Incredible Slingshot Bombs†, written by an American, was critiqued by the Soviets (Major 77). In the story, a boy gains possession of miniscule bombs and uses them to wreak havoc using a slingshot (Major 77). The Soviets jabbed at both the story and the United States, claiming a â€Å"hooligan with an atomic slingshot, isn’t this the true symbol of modern imperialism?† (Major 77). After the atomic bomb, the world was under the United States’ ruling hand – dwelling on both Huxley’s predictions and suggesting the future of Soviet-American interactions for years to come.

As We Acquire More Knowledge Essay

As we tend to know more about something we tend to take things to another level. This could be challenging for some and for some it may be the thing they were looking for. I agree to an extent that as we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and mysterious. However, it highly depends from person to person, the type of knowledge we acquire and lastly the way in which we acquire that knowledge. Going the extra mile for some may be challenging and for some it may be their start of interest. It depends on the type of person you are, whether you are someone who likes challenges or whether you are someone who is afraid to go an extra step into exploring more and more knowledge. For most people acquiring more knowledge may be mysterious because in the end of the day you are putting your shoes in a different zone. This zone might be a zone where you are not comfortable in or a zone where you have not been in there before. For example, studying about a different element that you may have heard of but have not yet gone deep into. Knowledge for some may start to get complex but this is because you end up in a zone you were not in before. However, for some they would not see this as a challenge or complex, but more of the fun they were looking for. Secondly, this depends on the type of knowledge you try and acquire. Some knowledge might require more effort to be put into it and some may require less. For example, if we were to acquire knowledge about something we have been acquiring for a long time, then our sources for this type of knowledge would be easily gathered. However, if the knowledge we try and acquire is new, then it is likely that we will find challenges in finding more information or collecting about it. It also depends on what the knowledge is about. For some, obtaining a certain type of knowledge is an easy task to get a hold of and this may be because the person has experience in this field. Lastly, it highly depends on how we acquire information or the process of acquiring knowledge. How we acquire knowledge depends on several factors such as: knowing a reliable source to get information from, the way this knowledge is been delivered and how interpret it. Having a reliable source to acquire knowledge may be the start of how we can overcome complexity. This is because our source leads us to many materials that we can use to secure more knowledge. The way we are given this source or taught this knowledge also plays a big roll in complexity. For example, if we were taught bad habits in gathering knowledge or the way this knowledge is been taught to us to be dull then we will struggle with acquiring more knowledge. It also depends on how we interpret this knowledge. If we interpret this knowledge with a lot of excitement and concern then it is most likely that we are not going to find problems along the way. In conclusion, as we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and mysterious to some extent. This is because this it depends on the type of person you are, the form of knowledge you are obtaining and lastly the process of gathering knowledge.

The Management of Grief” and “and of Clay Are We Created”

Comparison and Contrast of â€Å"The Management of Grief† and â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† Introduction missing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ The main characters in â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† and of â€Å"Management of Grief† differ in many ways. In â€Å"Management of Grief†, Shaila Bhave is the main character who is a 36 year old Indian Hindu Canadian woman that lost her husband and two sons in a plane crash to India. On the other hand, the main character in â€Å"And Clay are we created† is Rolf Clarke who is a middle age TV reporter, first to arrive at the mud slide disaster caused by volcanic activities that tries to save a girl trapped in the mud.The difference of both characters separates them from one another. While one character is a reporter at the scene trying to save life the other is dealing with the grief of her lost ones and helping a social worker with the families of the crash. â€Å"This should be paragraph 2† The tone an d point of view of â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created â€Å"and â€Å"Management of grief† differs from one another. â€Å"The Management of Grief† is narrated in the third person limited by the main character Shaila.In contrast, the other is narrated in the first person in a very unique way and is told by the main character’s lover as witness miles away, through television with unedited access. The tone of â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† is melancholy throughout the story. It gives the sense of gloom â€Å"the sky is weeping† as murmured by Azucena as she begins to cry. Unlike in â€Å"The Management of Grief† the tone is more subtle through the voice of Shaila. The narrator has a more rational view of the events and delivers it with calmness. â€Å"This should be paragraph 1† †¦..A transitional sentence between the difference and similarity paragraph should be here. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ The characters in â€Å"And of Clay Are We C reated† and â€Å"The Management of Grief† are quite similar in repressed feelings towards the tragic events of their lives. In beginning of â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† the narrator describes Rolf Carle to report the news with â€Å"equanimity in the face of danger and suffering† and seemed detached from his emotions. The way he tried to comfort the girl and help her through the night by singing songs and staying with her shows his demeanor and resilience in the face of the tragedy.Midway in the story when the girl starts to remind Rolf of all the women in his life, his past opens up and the repressed memories becomes fresh in his mind. The memories – burying of prisoners died from starvation in the concentration camps as he recalls â€Å"the naked bodies piled like a mountain of firewood† and how his father would beat him and his retarded sister. Likewise in â€Å"The Management of Grief†, Shaila doesn’t lose herself in t he tragedy and remains calm while she narrates the story as a reporter much like Rolf and is described by the people as â€Å"the strongest of us all† in coping with the tragedy.Then underneath it all as she says in her mind â€Å"I wish I could scream, starve, walk into Lake Ontario, jump from a bridge† shows that she is repressing her feelings of the tragedy. Towards the end of the stories, the characters reached a point of acceptance and started on the path of healing. In â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† and â€Å"The Management of Grief† deals with the inadequacy of the government in dealing with tragedies. In the tragedy of the mud slide, millions of dollars of special television equipment, helicopters and personnel arrives at the scene but fell short of a mere water pump.The narrator calls important people from the city, senators, and commanders of the armed forces, begging for the pump, and only obtained vague promises. Likewise in the plane crash tragedy that was under investigation for a terrorist plot and how the social worker Templeton could not effectively help the families of the tragedy. Templeton who continues to endeavor to assist members of the Toronto Indian community who either refuse to accept the loss of their family members, or who have no ability to operate effectively in a Canadian culture of legal requirements, bank documents and government forms.Shaila assists her with the families but soon realizes that Templeton doesn’t understand that not all Indians are the same and they are different in religions and traditions. For instance when they visited a couple and she told Templeton â€Å"They are Sikh. They will not open up to a Hindu woman. † Templeton shows her frustration afterwards and Shaila sees that she doesn’t understand their culture and stopped helping her. Although the stories have different tragedies in different countries, the fact remains that the government was not as effec tive as they should have been in dealing with the tragedies.The two stories are of different tragedies in different places with different people. In those tragedies despite the differences the grief is the same as is their government response. To finish the title â€Å"and of clay are we created’ and to clay shall we be returned gives the sense of acceptance of death which synchronizes with the title of ‘management of grief’ in that the final stage in grief is acceptance. â€Å"generally need more quotes†

The Hunnic Empire in 434 A.D.

Atilla, leader of the Hunnic Empire in 434 A. D. , is most famous for sacking many towns in Eastern Europe, and in Rome particularly. He was a fierce fighter, and was known to be as savage as they get. He was a constant nuisance to Rome never leaving them completely alone in his thirst for money, and power. It seemed as if Attila could not be satisfied with any amount of money, and was definitely never satisfied with the state of his empire always wanting more expansion. Attila saw his first taste to power in 434 A.D. after the death of his uncle Rugila (â€Å"Heritage History†). He and his brother, Bleda, were both next in line to control the Hun tribes. Attila’s men were scattered, and a few disagreeing nobles fled to Rome to seek refuge. Attila’s first important move as a leader was the negotiation for his men back. Bargaining with the Eastern Roman Emperor Attila received his men back, 350 Roman pounds, and open trade with Roman merchants. The deal was looked at as an early success for Attila (â€Å"Heritage History†).I think that the first deal between Attila and Theodosius II was a mistake on the Roman Emperors part. I think that this gracious and kind act on the part of the Romans opens the door for Attila’s greed and hunger. Theodosius should have recognized the death of the Hunnish empires leader, been stern with Attila, and maybe even threaten to wipe him out. After all they were in disarray, were not truly unified, and would have been an easy target to take out at the time. Instead he helped the Hun’s have an opportunity to grow, and come back wanting more.Theodosius obviously did recognize the Huns to be a threat, because when the Huns did recede, as a part of the treaty, he began reinforcing his walls as if he was getting ready for an attack (â€Å"Heritage History†). The Romans did not see the Huns for about five years, and then in 440 A. D. , after being defeated in Armenia, Attila set his eyes to Rome. First he laid waste to the merchants that had been setup as a part of the treaty, and then he began attacking forts alongside the river of Danube (â€Å"Heritage History†). Attila broke the first treaty between him and Theodosius, and it actually ended up working out better for Attila.Soon after Attila began pillaging through Eastern Rome the Vandals began an attack on Carthage, the wealthiest city in Rome. Troops were called away to help stop the attack in Carthage, leaving a big void for Attila and his brother to run through in 441 A. D (Gordon). In 442 A. D. Theodosius recalled his troops from Sicily, believing that he could stop Attila and beat the Huns. Theodosius had a chance to reason with Attila before he sent all his troops to oppose him, but his pride forced him to refuse Attila’s demands (Gordon).It would have looked better for him if he would have just met the demands, because he was defeated by Attila twice just outside of Constantinople. Attila neve r actually breached the walls at Constantinople, but he did come very close. The city was well guarded with two sets of walls around it. Theodosius admitted his defeat around 443 A. D. and had to meet the harsh demands of Attila. Attila received roughly 6,000 pounds of gold from the Romans, and charged them a yearly tribute (Gordon). To say that Attila was a problem for the Romans is to say the least, he was very close to overrunning them and ending their existence.Attila, satisfied with what the treaty had brought him, withdrew himself back into the heart of his empire to plot more about how to take over the Romans. It was during this time, around 445 A. D. , that his brother Bleda is mysteriously murdered (â€Å"Heritage History†). Not much is recorded as to the actual cause of death, but it is a well-accepted notion that Attila had him killed so that he could have absolute power. Attila, having all the power to himself now, began another campaign against Rome in 447 A. D. He would face a former adversary Arnegisclus in the Battle of Utus.Even though Attila had beaten Arnegisclus in the 443 campaign, the Battle of Utus was a fierce and bloody one for both sides (â€Å"Heritage History†). Severe losses took place on both sides, however the Huns came out victorious. Arnegisclus was knocked down from his horse, and was eventually killed while on foot. Attila in 450 A. D. decides to make and alliance with Valentinian III, a Western Roman Emperor, and attack the Visgoths. Attila had be diplomatically bribed towards the alliance, and he had a good relationship with one of the emperor’s general Aetius (â€Å"Heritage History†).Things looked to finally be smoothed out between Attila and the Romans, but then Valentinian’s sister ruined it all. Honoria was the name of Valentinina’s sister, and when she was displeased with her arranged marriage, she called out for Attila to take her hand in marriage. Attila took the proposal ve ry seriously and accepted, and was angered when Valentinian told him that his sister was not being genuine (â€Å"Heritage History†). Attila began making his way through the Roman Empire sacking cities on his way. Aetius began drawing his army to make a stand against Attila, and they met sound where around Orleans for the Battle of Cataluanum.This battle is said to be one of the most important battle in the history of Europe and Christianity, because if Attila would have clearly won then he could have annihilated Roman culture, and Christianity could have been lost (Gordon). In the battle both sides suffer heavy losses, but the Huns are said to be the victors even though it wasn’t much of a victory. The damage done was enough to slow Attila and his army down from making their way to France. Attila, still wanting to claim his bride, sets for Italy (Gordon). There are a few different stories as to why Attila did not end up attacking Italy.One is that Bishop of Rome Leo I met personally with Attila asking him to withdraw his army from Italy. What I think was the most reasonable answer for the withdrawal was the fact that Attila had suffered major losses, and it was said that his armies were suffering from disease and starvation (â€Å"Heritage History†). Whichever story is true Attila withdrew either way vowing to return. On his way home from Italy, Attila marries a young girl named Iidko, and on the morning after his wedding he is found dead, in a bed of blood.The story is that Attila after a night of drinking suffered a massive nosebleed while lying down in his bed, and he drowned in his own blood. There are more theories on the actual cause of death of Attila. Some think that there was foul play, and that his newly wed wife killed him in his sleep, and some think he had a massive hemorrhage causing internal bleeding. After the death of Attila the Hunnic Empire was passed onto his sons, but there was much arguing over who had the most power . After a year or two the Huns were no longer an empire, and were blended into Germanic tribes across Europe.Attila the Hun took the Hunnic Empire farther than it ever dreamed to go, and thankfully, to us Christians, he was stopped eventually. Gordon, Richard. â€Å"STOPPING ATTILA The Battle Of Chalons. † Military History 20. 5 (2003): 34. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. â€Å"Victory Secrets Of Attila The Hun. † Success 40. 2 (1993): 42. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. â€Å"Battle of Chalons: Attila the Hun versus Flavius Aetius. † Military History. (2006): n. page. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Attile the Hun. † Heritage History. Heritage History, 2007. Web. 11 Oct 2012. .

Management of the BLM’s Public Lands System

The government has control of over one-third of the nation's land, and 398 million acres of that is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM 6). This land holds a wide diversity of resources, from timber and grazing lands found on the surface, to a mass of oil, natural gas, and minerals lying below the earth. The history of these lands is hardly a dull story, because it is the story of the taming of the â€Å"Wild West†. Should the BLM though, still be controlling these lands under the same laws that were put in affect to establish the â€Å"Western frontier†? I feel that a radical reevaluation of these laws needs to take place, in order to adapt them to the changing demographic and technological advancements of our society. This topic is of importance to park and recreation professionals because it will directly effect how the lands that they are using for parks, are going to be used. The laws that are remaining are allowing companies to hurt the land, which is against the mission statement of the BLM. The BLM mission statement says, â€Å"the Bureau is responsible for the balanced management of the public lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in a combination that will best serve the American people. Management is based upon the principles of multiple use and sustained yield; a combination of uses that takes into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, land, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness, and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values† (BLM 7). Therefore by allowing these old laws to remain they are pulling away from their mission statement. Throughout the 80's the Bureau of Land Management developed a host of programs and emphasized a number of others – outdoor recreation, wildlife and fisheries, toxic materials management, and wetland enhancement, to name a few – but there are still many problems that must be addressed. Due to the increasing demand for outdoor recreation, there has been an overcrowding in our local, state, and national parks. There is a demand for BLM to do more in outdoor recreation. Eight of the 10 states with the highest population growth between 1970 and 1980 were states with substantial acreages of public lands administered by the BLM (BLM 12). The visitation to those lands has increased nearly three-fold in the past 20 years, and there is an expected increase of between 40 and 60 percent by the year 2000 (BLM 12). The amount of people that visit our park system each year is having a profound effect on the ecosystem of the parks. An ecosystem can only absorb the effects of a small number of man-made facilities on it. The number of large complexes that the public wants in their parks has effects that extend beyond there immediate boundaries. Yellowstone Park has to dispose of nearly 7,000 tons of garbage every year (Houston 3). The BLM needs to expand efforts to maintain facilities to protect public investments and the health and safety of the visiting public. In addition to providing additional facilities with Federal funding and private sector concessions to meet the growing outdoor recreation demands. This would allow more destinations for the public that are seeking an outdoor experience, causing the crowding to become less dense because the users would be more widely distributed. Setting more public lands aside for parks would preserve that land for the future. Seeing that a park on BLM lands would require a greater on-the-ground presence, to monitor its use. A problem that is closely related to that of outdoor recreation is providing a suitable habitat for the large diversity of animals that live on the BLM's Public Lands System. Many of these animals are available to the hunter, trapper and fisherman; some are threatened or endangered; most contribute to the pleasure of wildlife viewing; all contribute to the ecological diversity of the Public Land System (BLM 14). With so much land under the control of the BLM, the bureau manages more wildlife habitat than any other agency or group in the United States. The wide diversity of lands that is under their control supports over 3,000 species of animals and an untold number of plants and invertebrate species. Public lands, wildlife and fisheries resources are important to the American Economy. For instance, during the 1985-1986 season, over 5 million hunter use days occurred, with hunters spending an estimated $145,000,000. As for fishing, there where over 3 million days at an estimated $55,000,000 spent by fishers (BLM 14). Wildlife also contributed to enjoyment of the public lands for millions of campers, hikers, photographers and other users. These users spent over 230 million hours on the public lands ands waters during the 1985-1986 season. The money put into the system by these users was estimated at around $200,000,000. Surely the economic value of wildlife can be seen, but there is also an indescribable intrinsic value that can be given to them to. Nevertheless improving habitat for wildlife improves more than just the wildlife; it helps out the whole ecosystem. For instance, wetland habitat improvements for wildlife also improve water flow and water quality for downstream users. Vegetative manipulation projects intended to improve big game forage also improve livestock forage and watershed conditions. So it should be easily seen that habit improvements for the sake of wildlife would be not only a profitable change, but also an environmentally sound change. Another change that needs to occur on Federal Lands is a change of the General Mining Law of 1872 that was passed while the West was still being settled The 1872 mining law opens most public lands for mining if prospectors find gold, silver, copper or other valuable hard rock mineral deposits. The laws' goal was to encourage the region's development. Congress offered public lands for the taking by the enterprising homesteader, stockmen, miners and loggers (Arrandale 531). The frontier closed a century ago, but the law still remains. On May 16, 1994 Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt was forced by the mining law to sell 1,949 acres of federal lands in Nevada to a Canadian-based mining company. The land that was sold held a gold supply of an estimated $10 billion. Surely the deeply indebted United States Government would prosper from a sale of that much gold, but by law the government was forced to sell it for $5 and acre. The government received less then $10,000 for the deal (Arrandale 531). In relation to the mining law the government does not require the miners to restore the mined site once the minerals are gone. Which in turn would prevent wastes from polluting surrounding lands and nearby streams. Former Interior Secretary Stewart L. Udall says, † The hard rock mining industry has traditionally been able to ‘externalize' costs, as economist say, simply by abandoning its played-out mines rater then reclaiming them† (Arrandale 534). The fact that there is 500,000 abandoned mines, proves the last statement is true. These mines are polluting 32 states because of the use of the new â€Å"heap leaching† technology that uses cyanide solutions to extract gold from ore. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now spending $40,000 a day to control cyanide leaking from a Summitville, Colorado gold mine that a mining company abandoned (Arrandale 534). I feel that the United States Government needs to amend the mining law, so that it can address some of the previously mentioned problems. I feel that companies should be allowed to remove viable minerals but they should have regulations placed on them. The U. S. Supreme Court and state courts have upheld state regulations of oil and gas operations to prevent waste (Kusler 147). Since minerals are of a fixed supply I feel that they should be regulated for future use. The mines that do extract a predetermined amount of minerals would also be required to restore the sight back to the natural state of the land, before mining was started. Not only would they be required to return the surface of the land, but also the underlying ground, so as it is not polluted. But they would not receive this land for a mere $5 and acre, I propose that they be charged a certain percentage of the gold removed as rent for the land, for as long as they mine the land. Upon incorporation of all of these laws, which none of the current mines would be exempt from, I feel there would be a reduction of mines. With less mines mineral supplies would be preserved, and the price of minerals would go up, returning profit to the remaining mines, and supporting the government. Another area of the land managed by the BLM is rangeland. Since rangelands account for nearly 162 million acres of public land, the nation's rangelands are a vast source of renewable resources. Among many other values the range supports about 4 million head of livestock. Which is an important element in the economic well being of many rural communities and the almost 20,000 operators who depend on public land grazing to support them. The public principally sees BLM as manager of the public rangelands. The approval from the public for the BLM then is mostly related to their management of the grazing lands. Support for the BLM is based on the management and conditions of the rangelands that are under their control. So the BLM sets below-market livestock grazing fees and loose federal regulations of how ranchers manage sheep and cattle on public lands. Ranchers now pay $1. 98 per â€Å"animal unit month†(AUM)- enough forage to feed one cow and a calf, five sheep or a horse for a month. On the other hand, privately owned ranges in the West, leased for nearly five times that amount, an average of $9. 25 per AUM (Arrandale 534). Having fees this low gives an incentive for the rancher to put more animals out to graze on the deteriorating land. Why graze one cow on private land, when you can graze at least four on government land? Why should the ranchers care is they are destroying the public lands when they can move to a more productive spot when their land is destroyed? Because of this, taxpayers spend millions of dollars subsidizing the damage of public lands. Clearly, grazing does belong on public lands, because if done correctly you are simply harvesting a natural renewable resource. But when you allow money hungry cattle ranchers to graze as many cattle as they please, you begin destroying the land. So I feel that there should be an environmental assessment of the grazing lands, to determine a sustainable AUM for the land, to insure there is no further damage sustained by the land. Once this is determined, you can charge them a fair price that is competitive with the price of private land. This way the government could produce more revenue for it self, while again protecting the land. These are just a few of the changes that need to occur on the public lands. However, for an overall solution the government needs to redefine it's older laws, so that they can have better control over public lands. Included with the changing of the laws would be a price increase for the resources that the government is basically, at the present time, giving away. When this occurs, it may help with the huge debt of the country, and by different means than taxing the common people of the country. This would require the rich mining companies, to actually pay for the gold that they are removing from the ground. With all these regulations in place, and strict guidelines to the extent of extraction of natural resources, the environment, and ecosystems will improve.