My Own Personal And Theoretical Understanding Education Essay

The biggest development so far has to be my apprehension of English as an extra linguistic communication, non merely did I use to believe EAL pupils were portion of the Particular Educational Needs and Disabilities standards, I ever use to see pupils with EAL as a barrier, inquiring myself inquiries like, How would I get the better of the linguistic communication barrier? Making myself believe that EAL pupils are lower ability within all topics, but this is non the instance. Some instructors have small or no apprehension of a kid ‘s demands that does non hold English as their first linguistic communication. Sometimes this deficiency of apprehension and communicating between pupil and instructor can decelerate down the pupils ‘ advancement. Whether the kid is considered to be one of the followers: an Asylum-Seeker, Refugee, Isolated Learner, Sojourner, Bilingual or merely new to English, every kid affairs. EAL teaching method is designed to assist run into the linguistic communication and larning demands of pupils who have English as an extra linguistic communication. Successful EAL scholars will normally hold a good apprehension and a appreciation of their ain first linguistic communication, so while larning English they are able to develop their vocabulary in their first linguistic communication. In order for a pupil to develop cognitively and linguistically, they need to hold the chance to talk and compose within the English linguistic communication from an early phase of a lesson, assisting them to go more witting of their new linguistic communication, this is besides a good manner to measure the pupil ‘s demands, being able to see where they need more development. Student ‘s larning EAL need contextual support in order to do sense of new information and the new linguistic communication ; this can be developed through ocular cues, assisting the EAL pupil to acquire to footings with the undertakings presented to them though their cognition of English is limited. Standard five ‘Adapt learning to react to the strengths and demands of all students ‘ from the Teachers ‘ Standards provinces ; ‘Have a clear apprehension of the demands of all students, including those with particular educational demands ; those of high ability ; those with English as extra linguistic communication ; those with disablements ; and be able to utilize and measure typical instruction attacks to prosecute and back up them. ‘ ( DfE, 2012:8 ) After reading and re-reading the Teachers ‘ Standards and taking this subdivision of Standard five on board I have come to gain, that in order to learn EAL pupils you have got to be willing to larn to learn. No affair where you are within your learning calling you have to larn from the kids within you category. Jim Cummins developed a model, which shows how basic interpersonal communicating accomplishments ( BIC ) and cognitive academic linguistic communication proficiency ( CALP ) can be developed through planning and instruction. The model is helpful to place and develop appropriate undertakings for different pupils within different categories. Though it its believe that pupils need to be working from the high cognitive demand and high contextual support quarter-circle, Conteh explained the quarter-circles in Cummins ‘ diagram as the followers ; ‘Beginning with context-embedded activities and bit by bit traveling, with talk and action, towards less embedded activities means that kids are ne'er left without support, and at the same clip are being encouraged to travel to the new cognition which is the object of the activity. ‘ ( J.Conteh 2006:11 ) After reflecting on the point that Conteh made about how the model fundamentally helps to construct upon the pupil ‘s English cognition, through practical activities and a assortments of experiences within the schoolroom. The best manner to assist with a pupils ‘ cognition is through verbal communicating. Bringing me to submergences versus bilingualism, BIC and CALP are both needed to assist back up a pupils larning and understanding. Though bilingualism is good to pass on between the same linguistic communication and you can happen out more about this pupil within their ain apprehension of their first linguistic communication, submergence will assist a pupil develop quicker. By literately throwing a pupil into the deep terminal with a group of pupils who merely have English as their first linguistic communication the kid is so forced to pass on with these pupils assisting come oning with verbal communicating, this can besides assist with linguistic communication accompli shments through written pieces of work as the pupil is larning from equals who are the best instructors to pupils who are EAL. ‘Have high outlooks of behavior, and set up a model for subject with a scope of schemes, utilizing congratulations, countenances and wages systematically and reasonably ‘ ( DfE, 2012:8 ) Concentrating on standard seven of the Teachers ‘ Standards, behavior is all the clip non merely disputing. When inquiring myself what behavior was all I had in my head were the pupils who are disputing. Coming to gain that behavior is non merely those who like to dispute a instructor, but it is besides those who push to win as mentioned before behavior is all the clip. Within any school many pupils will move otherwise, within different scenes and with different instructors. Some pupils do non like alteration, so a alteration to a usual modus operandi can take to a alteration in behavior ; this besides happens when a pupil is faced with a different instructor to the 1 they are used to. Many instructors and pupils have a common consequence on one and other, when detecting a pupil ‘s behavior alongside the observation of the instructor, there was a direct nexus that you can see that it was every bit much the instructor ‘s behavior that contributed to the incident that go on within the category, whether triggered by a bad twenty-four hours or the features of that specific instructor. Though ambitious behavior is the chief obstruction to raising accomplishment, pull offing behaviour positively can travel a long manner towards cut downing emphasis degrees between staff and students, which helps to enable a safe acquisition environment. When supervising a pupil ‘s behavior I have come to gain that you have to take into history many facets that every kid is different, they all come from different backgrounds, with different degrees of societal and emotional development. Developing a relationship with all the pupils within a category is the key to a happy environment. Amy Demorest, 2005 explains Burrhus Skinner ‘s theory every bit behaviour as being a manner to avoid penalty but to win in accomplishing wages, believing that penalty was counterproductive. When taking this theory with me onto my recent pattern, it came to demo that Skinner ‘s theory was right. Student ‘s will move misconduct but one time the instructor has offered and inaugural for good behavior the pupil automatically stops, because they know at the terminal of the twenty-four hours they are being rewarded for something they would be acquiring into problem for. Though this theory does come with advantages, after a piece of the pupil being offered a wages in topographic point of misbehavior the pupil will shortly alter their ways and be cognizant they no longer have to move up in order to have congratulations and a wages. The idea of going a instructor is highly rewarding, but it is traveling to take tonss of work, clip and consideration on my portion. Planning, clip direction and administration play a critical function in pull offing a schoolroom. In order to pull off a schoolroom, I will necessitate to hold effectual outlooks, make usage of the resources available to me and hold good clip direction. Supplying a batch of work within the schoolroom is of import to supply a batch of engagement for the pupils, this will guarantee that pupils are focused and enthusiastic within the category. Having a set of schoolroom regulations and modus operandis will assist set up socialization within the schoolroom, constructing up guidelines that must be followed within the category environment. Though regulations and modus operandis are highly different, let go of the overarching rules by which your category is fun, these regulations within the category define the ethos of the schoolroom, they need to positively depict coveted behavior and properties and in the long term support the pupils developing self-regulation of their behavior and direction. Whereas modus operandis are the manner specific undertakings need to be carried out, in order to guarantee a safe and purposeful acquisition environment. Efficaciously pull offing a schoolroom is of import to hold the category laid out and arranged in a manner that makes larning easier. The layout will hold an impact on the manner you teach and the manner the pupils learn. For each lesson it is impractical to travel the schoolroom unit of ammunition, so acquiring a layout that can be used for all topics is the key. It is critical to see all the pupils ‘ faces, and you besides need to guarantee they can see you and the synergistic white board or any other resource you are utilizing within the category. There are a batch of ways in which a schoolroom can be laid out and organized but it ‘s the 1 that suits the instructor best. So for me it will be about test and mistake as this is the lone manner you learn what suits you. Whether it is: the horseshoe, a circle, rows or sitting in ability groups or friendly relationship groups, there are pro ‘s and con ‘s to all these siting agreements. The lone manner to see what will accommodate non merely myself but my category is to seek each manner until I have found the perfect manner for the pupils to acquire the best out of the ballad out and place of resource ‘s so my category will be managed to my best ability. Taking the above on board and believing about how I am traveling to win to go an outstanding instructor I need to hold a mark and program in topographic point in order to accomplish this. Reflecting on my professional pattern I can see that I need to concentrate in more on how the kids respond to behavioural techniques the instructor has in topographic point. Though I saw house points being used I did non see any other signifier of enterprise in topographic point for the category. Every Friday afternoon the pupils would acquire aureate though if they had warnings throughout the hebdomad they would lose at least five proceedingss per warning. Within my twelvemonth six category they all had occupations they carried out every twenty-four hours throughout the school, so when thought and reflecting I can see this was besides a privilege for good behavior and gave them duty within their school fixing them for the following phase of their instruction. I feel that when I go back into school for farther pattern I want to research schoolroom direction and administration more. Asking assorted inquiries on how the instructor ensures she gets the best usage of all her resources and how she gets the kids to behaviour as they are sitting within friendly relationship groups. I can see how this works as there is a mix of ability on each tabular array and the lower ability are supported by their higher ability friends within their surveies, but how does she controls the sum of work done and the less yak traveling on throughout the lessons. Though there is merely one EAL pupil within the school, I am traveling to supervise and research learning techniques with this pupil during my following pattern at the school. On my first pattern I spoke to the category instructor about assorted ways in assisting this pupil advancement within her acquisition of English, for case blending the ability degree she is in, puting the pupil in a higher ability group than the lowest to seek and act upon her to talk out more and contribute. The category instructor has invited me to fall in her category on the 2nd portion of my pattern to assist me derive more understanding and cognition within pattern with an EAL pupil. In decision I feel that I need to utilize my contemplations to put myself bigger challenges and marks to make within the hereafter. To derive more understanding and cognition of the primary school atmosphere and develop my ain techniques of instruction. I am trusting on the following portion of my pattern I am able to set some of the techniques I have discussed into action through the usage of my microteaching. Hoping to research manner in which I can organize my schoolroom to derive the best usage of resources and the best manner the pupils within the category will larn. Not merely am I be aftering on acquiring to cognize my pupils better but besides I am trusting to derive a better apprehension of myself. Reflecting and come oning this experience to see myself as non merely a pupil but, a trainee instructor, with the power over the pupils larning and assisting the following coevals to win into exceeding scholars and outstanding professionals.

50 Ways to Combat Climate Change

Climate change is something that has been on the radar of people worldwide since the 1980's, when the hole in the ozone layer of Antarctica was discovered. Are we doing enough to reduce climate change, and reverse the effects of global warming? While it might be nearly impossible to reverse climate change, we can try to slow down the effects of climate change. On this page, you can find earth friendly tips on reducing your carbon footprint, from greening your vacations to recycling, reducing your energy use at home to helping promote sustainable forestry. . Eat less meat, and eat more vegetables. Cattle are one of the largest producers of methane, a gas that helps contribute to global warming. Cut back on the meat, and you'll be contributing to less methane. 2. Use a more energy efficient vehicle to reduce emissions and oil use. The Toyota Prius always tops the list of most efficient cars, but don't forget the Accord, Sanata, and Jetta. 3. Plant a tree on your own, or in Brazil. You can make donations to help plant trees far away, or plant one locally to help produce more oxygen and filter our air. 4.Take public transportation. Even if you only take public transportation once a week or once a month, you're lessening potential emissions that contribute to climate change. 5. Turn the temperature down on your thermostat to save energy. Any energy you save lessens the amount of fossil fuels used at energy plants. 6. In the warmer months, use window and fan ventilation over air conditioning when possible instead of air conditioning (in your car, too). 7. Purchase recycled products, like recycled paper and recycled plastic toys. 8. Reuse things in your life.Even recycling takes some amount of energy to transform a material into something else. By reusing, there's no transformation or emissions involved, just a little brain power. 9. Buy locally, from farmers markets, locally grown shops, and even in the grocery store to lessen transport energy. Aim to buy your produc e where it's grown closest to you (it often tastes much better this way, too). 10. Start an herb garden or veggie garden. Nothing tastes fresher, it will save you money, and you won't have to drive in the car to get your herbs and veggies.Very little energy consumed! 11. Unplug energy suckers when they aren't in use. Your appliances, toasters, computers, televisions and cellphone charges all use energy just by being plugged in. So, save energy by unplugging! 12. Use CFL bulbs to reduce electricty usage. They save you money, save the environment, and even glow brighter. 13. Bring your own reusable bags to reduce climate change. Bring them to the grocery store and anywhere else you go shopping. If you have a single item and don't need a bag, don't take one. 14.Drink tap water over bottled water. Bottled water costs more, takes more energy to create, and to transport. In most circumstances, tap water is cleaner than bottled water. 15. Think about using reusable diapers to prevent diape rs from decomposing in a landfill. Disposable diapers take up approximately 4% of landfill space, and take hundreds of years to decompose. 16. Use a zero voc paint when painting a room in your home. The VOCs found in traditional paints can be hazardous for you and the ozone. 17. Switch to paperless billing.It's a benefit for the companies, but a great benefit for the environment, too. It's also nice to not be inundated with bills in the mail. 18. Bring your own reusable take out container. These small styrofoam containers really add up! 19. Bring your own reusable container and reusable bag for lunch. 20. Use less resources and energy when you travel by having a green vacation. 21. When you buy anything, buy for the long term instead of the short term. Buy a product that is going to last for a long time, instead of buying the disposable or short term version.A good example is clothing. Higher quality brands will last much longer and hold up better, while cheaper brands often only ge t a few short wears. 22. Support clean energy to reduce climate change, as well as other renewable resources like wind energy and geothermal. 23. Get healthier. By eating less food and exercising more, you'll be consuming less packaging, throwing away less, creating less waste, spending less, going to the doctor's less, and living longer. 24. Take a slightly less warm shower. Heating water is one of the most energy consuming parts of our lives.Warm showers feel great, but reducing the amount of time in the shower and the temperature by just a small amount can make a big difference. Taking cooler showers can also give you better skin. 25. Buy products with less packaging. The less packaing, the less you'll throw away into our landfills. 26. Turn off your cellphone and other electronics at night to cut back on electricity. 27. Try a low energy cold water wash, combined with hanging clothes on the clothesline. 28. Use energy efficient washers and dryers. The savings on your utilities l one will be substantial, but the benefit to the earth will be greater. 29. Reduce junk mail that comes to your home by following these simple steps. 30. Reduce the amount of aersols, candles, and perfumes used by switching to natural perfumes and natural room fresheners. 31. Learn how to recycle things in your life. Start with the obvious choices like cans and bottles, then get more serious (curbside pickup makes it very easy). 32. Save gas and money by carpoolling. The savings will add up, you'll have someone to talk to, and you'll be helping the slow down climate change. 3. Consolidate errands and plan your route to save gas. 34. Order online orders in bulk. When things are shipped together, less packaging and energy is used (and it's cheaper, usually). 35. Buy used and buy repurposed. This prevents new products from being made (and fossil fuels from being burned), helping the environment. 36. Use a reusable product to clean your home instead of disposable paper towels, like reusa ble paper towels, sponges and cloths. 37. Sell your stuff on Ebay, try to throw away less. 38. Donate your stuff instead of throwing it away. 39.Compost to reduce climate change by reducing trash in landfill spaces. 40. Camp out on vacation instead of staying in a hotel and enjoy the outdoors (without the TV and A/C). 41. Go digital and online with more things in your life, like photos, using ecards instead of ecards, and ebooks. There's the Kindle for wireless reading, free ecards, and many free photo hosting websites to store your photos online. 42. Schedule online meetings to save on flights and travel expenses, as well as transport energy. 43. Bring your own reusable to-go coffee cup to the cafe instead of taking a disposable one. 4. Help protect our forests so that the forests can help combat climate change. 45. Recycle packaging instead of throwing it away. Donate it to a local UPS store or post it on Craigslist. 46. Encourage and become involved in reforestation to slow clima te change. 47. Buy sustainable wood, repurposed wood, or a used wood product for furniture purchases. 48. Consider Ecycling your computers and electronics instead of throwing them away. 49. Swap clothing, toys and books with neighboring parents and friends instead of buying new ones. 50. Most importantly, educate others about climate change.

1994 Rwandan Genocide Essay Example for Free

1994 Rwandan Genocide Essay ? The 1994 Rwandan Genocide impacted on a lot of people in a lot of different ways. In this essay the causes I will be covering are ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation, Propaganda and hate rhetoric, the role of the international community, and political problems. The consequences I will be covering are causalities, the economic effects, remembrance and education, and population displacement. In this small country in Africa called Rwanda this terrible killing took place. The Rwandan Genocide began on April 6th 1994 when the president was assassinated, followed by the prime minster the next day. It lasted 100 days, â€Å"100 days of slaughter† ending on the 18th of July 1994. The genocide included many groups. The perpetrators were – Hutu civilians, Hutu army, Interhamwe-the youth of Hutu organised into an extremist militia, and radio RTLM-a radio station announcing to kill all Tutsis. Victims included – Tutsi, Hutu political moderates for example prime minster AgatheUwilingiyimana. Other groups include – RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front). President Juvenal Habyarimana who was in charge if the Hutu government, and the international community for example the UN (United Nations) Peacekeepers. During these 100 days of slaughter hundreds of thousands of Tutsi we killed. Women and girls we raped, and many tortured by having their breast chopped off and sharp objects inserted into their vaginas. Many people tried to hind in schools and churches but were found and executed. I have just written about the context and the course of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. I am now going to write the causes of this horrific event starting with ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation. Ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation is arguably the biggest cause in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. It is a political and social cause that happened over a long period of time. Starting in 1860 and coming right down to 1926. In 1860 the first Tutsi king was appointed. In 1884 German explorer Carl Peters enters the Rwandan kingdom and obtains treaty rights. In 1885 Germany declares a protectorate over present-day Rwanda. In 1890 Rwanda accepts German colonial rule with resistance. A German territorial administrator is not appointed until 1907. In 1916 WW1 Belgium Allied Forces capture German East Africa. In 1924 Great Britten assumes control over Tanzania, while Belgium is granted trusteeship over Rwanda and Burundi. Belgium Colonisation begins. In 1926 Rwandans were given an identity card showing if a person was Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. Prior to colonisation people could ‘jump’ races e. g. Hutu’s could become Tutsi’s. Callipers were the tools of colonisation. The size of the cranium and nose and the colour of the eyes were the factors that determined whether a person was a Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. The result of the unfair system was – Tutsi could have government positions, be landlords, be supervisors of Hutu, collect taxes, get an education (only Tutsi could go to school after the colonisation), be an administrator for the justice system. Hutu were denied higher education, land ownership and positions in government. The identity cards that everyone was given were very clear they had what ethnic group they were from, their place of birth, their date of birth, their profession, their place of residence, the name of their spouse, their C. I number, and their signature. A quote form chief prosecutor of the international Rwandan court sums up this cause well â€Å"European colonial history was a major contributor to what eventually became the genocide in Rwanda†. The second cause I am going to discuss is Propaganda and hate rhetoric. This is a social Cause; it is short term because it happened quite fast after the death of the president and prime minster. Kangura Newspaper was a newspaper about how discussing the Tutsis were, this was launched by first lady AgatheHabyarimana in 1990. Kangura means wake them up in English. In the newspaper they had racist comments such as â€Å"They look like animals, actually they are animals†, â€Å"If you allow snakes to live amongst you, you will be exterminated†, â€Å"They look hideous with their bushy hair and beards that are full of fleas†. RTLM (Radio Television des Milles Collines) or commonly known as â€Å"Hate Radio†, used good rock music to get people to listen to it then they used in to convey hateful messages such as â€Å"cut down the tall trees† this meant for all Hutu extremists to wipe out the Tutsis. RTLM often referred to Tutsi as cockroaches. In 1990 Kangura newspaper published the 10 commandments for the Hutus they were an extended version of 1, Every Hutu must know that the Tutsi woman is working for the Tutsi ethnic cause Hutu is a traitor who a) Acquires a Tutsi wife, b)Acquires a Tutsi concubine, c) Acquires a Tutsi sectary or protegee. 2, Every Hutu must know that our Hutu daughters are more worthy and more conscientious as a woman, as wives and as mothers. 3, Hutu women, be vigilant and make sure that your husbands, brothers and sons see reason. , All Hutus must know that all Tutsis are dishonest in business. We have learned this from experience from experience. Hutu is a traitor who a) forms a business alliance with a Tutsi, b) invests in own funds/public funds in a Tutsi enterprise, c) Borrows money from/loans money to a Tutsi, d) Grants favours to Tutsis. 5, Strategic positions such as politics, administration, economics the military and security must be restricted to Hutu. 6, A Hutu majority must prevail throughout the education system. 7. The Rwandan Army must be exclusively Hutu. No Solider may marry Tutsi women. 8, Hutu must stop taking pity on the Tutsi. 9, Hutu wherever they are must stand united, in solidarity, and concerned with the fate of their Hutu brothers. Hutu must constantly counter Tutsi propaganda. Hutu must stand firm and vigilant against their common enemy. The Tutsi. 10, The social Revolution of 1959, the Referendum of 1961 and the Hutu Ideology must be taught to Hutu of every age. Hutu must spread the word. Any Hutu who persecutes his brother Hutu for spreading the word and teaching this ideology is a traitor. A quote from Leon Mugesera sums up this cause â€Å"The fatal mistake we made in 1959 was to let them escape †¦ they are foreigners from Ethiopia so we will send them by the shortest route throwing them into the Nagbarongo river. We must act. Wipe them all out†. The third cause I am going to discuss is the role of the international community; it is a political cause that is a short term because it became an issue soon after the colonisation. During this cause the world just stood by and watched. Following WW11 and the Holocaust, The United Nations adopted a resolution on December 9, 1948, which stated â€Å"genocide, whether committed in time of peace or time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish†. There were two opportunities to intervene that were missed. In October 1993 The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda began with the deployment of 21 troops under the command of Brigadier – General Romeo Allaire of Canada. Additional troops continued o arrive until February 1994, when the mission was fully staffed with 25,000 personnel. Many soldiers arrived without weapons, food or water; vehicles and radios were sent out second hand from other missions and rarely in working condition. On 11th January 1994 Officers were stockpiling weapons and training civilian militias; the level of preparedness would enable the murder of 1000 Tutsis every 20 minutes. This saying will finish off this cause nicely, â€Å"clearly, the massacres in Rwanda constituted genocide, so why didn’t the world steep into stop it? In my fourth and final cause I’m going to discuss political problems (the role of the Hutu extremists in the Habyarimana government and the catalyst). This is a political cause which was short term. President Juvenal Habyarimana came to power through a military coup in 1973. He promised national unity. By 1994 many Rwandans were calling for democratic government. In January 1994 in spite of increased state oppression and the French-supported up-build of armed forces, 50,000 Rwandans marched in a pro-democracy demonstration in Kigali. The build-up to the Hutu’s wanting power is over quite a short period of time†¦ only 3 years! In October 1990 civil war started when the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a militia of Rwandan Tutsi excels and Hutu dissidents based in Uganda, invaded Rwanda. Thousands of Tutsis were arrested. In 1991 RPF military victories pressured President Habyarimana into drafting a new multi-party constitution. In 1992 UN led peace talks led between the RPF, The Rwanda government and 12 opposition parties to try and achieve a power-sharing agreement. In August 1993 Arusha Peace Accords were signed to neutral Tanzania. Hutu Power’ started broadcasting Tutsi hate messages in the media. In 1993 A Hutu Power Party no participating in the government established Radio/TV Libre de Millie Collines (RTLM) to get round the Arusha agreements explicit prohibition on government sponsored hate speech. I has been believed that the ‘final nail in coffin’ was the assignation of P resi dent Habyarimana. At 8. 30p. m on April 6, 1994, President Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda was returning from a summit in Tanzania where, under international pressure, he was negotiating with the opposition to reach a settlement. A surface-to-air missile shot the plane out of the sky. All on board were killed. I have just written about the causes of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, I am now going to write about the consequences of the ‘100 days of slaughter’. Starting with causalities. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide left behind some major consequences but beyond all others the biggest is the casualties. This is a political, social and ideological cause and is most defiantly immediate timing because it happened during genocide obviously; so many people were left both physically and mentally scared. Over the course of 100 days from April 6 – July 16 1994 it is estimated 800,000 – 1 million Tutsi and some moderate Hutu were slaughtered. The UN estimated 800,000 but the Rwandan government has estimated 1,071,000. It’s very difficult to get exact numbers because these numbers do not include people who were thrown into river/lakes and those who were burnt. Mass graves held up to 50,000 making it even harder to count exact numbers. If the numbers of Tutsis living in Rwanda before and after the genocide are correct then 77% of the Tutsi population was wiped out. 8,640 per day; 360 per hour, 6 per minute. If this is correct this is the equation 6 people x 60 minutes x 24 hours x 100 days = 864,000 people! There is between 300,000 to 400,000 survivors. Almost 50,000 women were left without husbands. Almost 100,000 of the survivors were aged between 14 and 21. 75,000 of the survivors were orphaned. A 1999 study showed 80% of women surveyed showed signs of trauma. Many face health problems such as HIV/AIDS as a direct act of violence during the genocide. Some of the survivors are still threatened with violence, attacked or killed by former perpetrators. Almost all women and girls that survived were raped, many also tortured and mutilated by having their breasts cut off and sharp objects being inserted into their vaginas. Numbers of women and girls raped are somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 exact numbers are not known. Children of rape during the genocide numbers are 2,000 to 5,000 children. Most children show trauma and signs of neglect. More than 67% of women raped were infected with HIV/AIDS. Men with HIV/AIDS used it as a weapon to leave their mark on Tutsi women and their families. To sum up the consequence what the presiding judge said after the verdict â€Å"From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime. We want to send out a strong message that rape is no longer a trophy of war†. In the second consequence, I am going to discuss the economic effects. This is an economic consequence and it is immediate because the things that happened during left people with big struggles. The Rwandan government has struggled to rebuild the economy. In the year of the genocide, growth slumped by 50% and inflation reached 64%. Almost two thirds of the 8. million population live below the poverty line. Coffee is Rwandans major export. Rwanda exported 14,000 tonnes in 1986. The positives of the economic problems were the exiled business leaders returning home, since the genocide in 1994 business leaders have been returning home from Burundi, Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. Desire Kamanzi’s father sold his three houses in Burundi to return to Rwanda. This was no unusual. To sum up this consequence a quote from Leon Haguma, acting director of coffee marketing â€Å"All was abandoned, they were dead or had fled the country, there was nobody to work the plantations†. In the third consequence, I am going to discuss remembrance and education. This is a social consequence because most of Rwanda have contributed in some way. It is a long term consequence because it still goes on today and the world can’t see it stopping anytime soon. The focus of remembrance is to teach the history of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and emphasise moral values. There are many memorial sites in Rwanda, which pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands killed. Marimba Technical School, where many victims were killed and still remain as a museum. Other ways of remembrance is art and photos taken in tribute such as people standing in a line with other people laying in front making human words saying END GENOCIDE NOW! There is also a national day of reflection in Rwanda on April 7th. To sum up this consequence a quote from Kofi Annan general of the UN in 1994, â€Å"If the pictures of tens of thousands of human bodies being gnawed on by dogs do not wake us out of our apathy, I do not know what will†. The fourth and final consequence I am going to write about population displacement. This is a political and social consequence because the government feel through and society took over. This is a short term consequence because lots of people started to come back into Rwanda once the genocide was over. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide resulted in massive exodus of refugees to bordering countries. Another one million people remained internally displaced in Rwanda itself. Millions of Hutu and displaced Tutsi had crowded refugee camps beyond the Rwandan boarders. International relief efforts were mobilised to care for refugees, but available supplies were inadequate and outbreaks of disease were widespread. More than 20,000 refugees died in cholera epidemic. During the genocide Tutsi and Hutu moderates fled. From April 1994 Tutsi and Hutu moderate refugees poured out of Rwanda and into neighbouring countries. After the genocide Tutsi refugees returned. In July 1994 when the seize fire was called Tutsis began to return to Rwanda, including refugees who had fled in the 1960’s. Hutu perpetrators fled the country. Genocide only ended when the RPF eventually defeated the Rwandan government’s armies and took control of the country. Retaliatory violence by Tutsis caused thousands of lives. By mid July, and estimated 2 million Hutu perpetrators and bystanders had fled. 850,000 refugees entered the area in just 4 days. During the influx, 15,000 refugees an hour crossed the Rwanda-Zaire boarder. The camps became like countries in exile for the Hutu extremists who used members of the Hutu army to maintain control of the refugee camps. Between July and November 1996 the refugee camps were shut down. One million exiles returned to Rwanda including tens of thousands of perpetrators who had been living side by side with Tutsi in the refugee camps. In November 1996 more than 600,000 Hutu refugees returned to Rwanda from Zaire. In December 500,000 returned from Tanzania. In summery†¦ Ironically, both Hutu perpetrators and Tutsi and Hutu moderate victims ended up in the same camps. In conclusion the causes I have just written about were the ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation, Propaganda and hate rhetoric, the role of the international community, political problems. The consequences I have just written about were the casualties, the economic effects, remembrance and education, and population displacement. All of these were major events that happened before, during and after the 1994 Rwanda Genocide there were also a number of other causes and consequences, causes are economic problems, and independence problems. The consequences were political effects, apologies from the international community, and justice, responsibility & reconciliation. A quote to sum up the 1994 Rwandan Genocide is, â€Å"The Rwandan Genocide is perhaps the most horrible and systematic human massacre we have had to witness since the extermination of the Jews by the Nazis†. 1994 Rwandan Genocide. (2016, Sep 13).

Behavioural Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Behavioural Finance - Essay Example The researcher states that behavioral finance examines how the human animal reacts in a financial system theoretically devoid of any emotions. This has been referred to in the past as ‘open-minded finance’ which is a generous expression implying that many investors often behave in a quite contradictory manner to the advice given them by their financial advisors. ‘Proponents of behavioral finance contend that people may not always be â€Å"rational,† but they are always â€Å"human.† Thus, behavioral finance exposes the irrationality of investors in general and shows human fallibility in competitive markets.’ To many, the idea of market efficiency itself goes out the window when the concept of human behavioral finance comes in. The experience of the stock market bubble has given impetus to the theory of behavioral finance, which places greater emphasis on human motivation and market inefficiency. Yet investment bankers and business people appear to put ever greater faith in the verdict of the stock market when making judgments that can have a big impact on output and employment. One of the major contributors over the past several decades to the amount of influence individual investor behavior has on the marketplace is the plethora of information and investment resources that are now available to the individual through access to the internet as well as the constant barrage of financial pundits in the various media channels. Stocks can also be traded instantaneously (via e-trade and the like) by individuals who may have little or no real insight into what they are playing at and may send a knee-jerk reaction that if analyzed more circumspectly they may have avoided. The rise of the Internet dramatically changed the way people make investment decisions†¦ For example, the Internet fosters active involvement by providing the medium for investment chat rooms, message boards, and newsgroups. Millions of people started invest ing online over the past several years. In the late 1990s and early 2000, a tremendous surge occurred in investor trading†¦ If this online investing behavior magnifies the investor's biases, then trading patterns in those accounts that are consistent with the behavioral predictions †¦ should surface. For example, online traders should exhibit signs of overconfidence, such as more frequent trading.

Persuasive Research Paper on effects of ADHD on Children Essay

Persuasive Research Paper on effects of ADHD on Children - Essay Example To start with, the Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is indeed a malady which is related with neurobiology. There has been some research that suggests the symptoms of ADD as being planted courtesy a chemical imbalance within the brain. Having said that, with ADD there is a mistake in the mannerism that the brain runs the neurotransmitter production as well as the eventual storage at different times thus causing for distinct imbalances. [Television] There have been reports that as many as nearly 80 percent of ADD cases happen due to the result of genetics while the remaining are caused due to different toxins, trauma as well as illnesses which are brought in to the whole equation during the pregnancy stages as well as delivery of the newborn. Also this could happen due to poor parenting issues, domestic troubles, poor teachers and/or schools as well as watching a lot of TV. Thus it is significant to appraise one and all of the understanding related with ADD as it is a serious disabilit y which in essence hampers the various aspects of a human being, despite the fact that it does not hinder with the handicapping Attention Deficit Disorder. The distinction between the Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and that of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) hails from the fact that they are two separate terminologies to start with. The same could be so very confusing for just about anyone associated with it in one way or the other. To suggest a proper pathway, the authorized clinical diagnosis is indeed the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which is represented by ADHD. To move further ahead, ADHD is reduced into numerous assorted subtypes which in essence comprise of the inattentive type, combined type as well as the hyperactive impulse type. There are a number of people who use ADD as a general name and categorize for all kinds of ADHD. However with the passage of time, ADD has

Marketing Strategies for HILTON in Europe Essay

Marketing Strategies for HILTON in Europe - Essay Example This essay analyses marketing strategy of Hilton Group Plc. Though it includes not only hotel business, most of its solutions are illustrated through its European hotels division: Hilton International. The first part of the essay starts with a company background and the analysis of its financial reports. Then market conditions are observed through PEST analysis, SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Forces tools. Further Hilton segmentation and positioning is discussed. The next part of the essay deals with Hilton brand overview. Finally the marketing strategy of a company is analysed through the four P’s of marketing mix. A special emphasis of the essay is made on the diversification implemented by Hilton to meet different cultural expectations. The researcher then summarise what made the performance of Hilton better. Firstly, franchising strategy has allowed the company to operate its divisions along with modifying them according to changes in national market conditions. Se condly, the brand of Hilton is a synonym for the word ‘hotel’. This was achieved through a continuous quality improvement and proper positioning of services. Thirdly, customers moving to Internet were timely spotted by the board and e-commerce strategy was developed considering previous two principles. To conclude, the researcher tates that despite its international nature, Hilton is closer to customers than many local brands. The company can serve as an example for the fact, that multinational doesn’t always mean distant.

Why might an existing non-franchised business choose to become a Essay

Why might an existing non-franchised business choose to become a franchisor - Essay Example The motive is consistent with the resource allocation theory that stipulates that organizational units are most productive when tightly controlled (Ashar & Shapiro, 1988), although the new resource-based view of the theory advocates value creation by combining local (or franchisee) and central (or franchisor) advantages (Combs, 2003). The motive was a major driver of franchising among American auto manufacturers in the 1900s (Combs, 2003). The auto manufacturers lacked funds to open dealerships across the country. Their workaround to the problem was to create chains of franchises across the US. The franchisees invested in stocks of vehicles and premises. In return, they enjoyed exclusive marketing territories. Although a business may want a franchise in order to use other people’s funds to grow, some scholars have cast doubt over the cherished notion that the ability to expand without investing their money and retain control over operations is one of the main reasons firms fra nchise. Franchisee financial constraints are a major cause of poor relations between the franchisor and franchise and a threat to the survival of both (Dada, et al., 2009). If this argument is true then it defeats the logic of the franchisor seeking to expand using the franchisee’s capital. A number of reasons explain the occurrence of such a situation. First, some franchisees may falsify their financial position in order to meet the stringent requirements of the franchisor. Such falsification of information, coupled with lack of due diligence on the part of the franchisor creates a situation where the franchise starts the franchise with inadequate capital. Shortly afterward, the franchise becomes unable to provide the product they set out to provide. Even in the absence of documented cases of this nature, the risk of such a scenario is real. The implication is that a business that is desirous of adopting a franchise model as a

Obligation Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Obligation Assessment - Essay Example The case is having a history which is stated below. Plaintiffs one and two were married during 1986 and wished to buy a weekend house which they were ready to procure if no excessive repairs were required. They had seen the house Nutford Farm House, Blandford, Dorset. Both the plaintiffs were happy with the house and wished to buy it. Mrs. Marrow conducted the survey on it and sent her report stating that there is no requirement for much repairs and stated some defects were seen in that house. The plaintiffs were willing to buy a house at a cost up to  £170,000, but were not ready to spend any more for repair. Depending and trusting the report forwarded by Mrs. Morrow, the couple decided to buy Nutford Farm House. The asking cost for the house was set at  £175,000, as there was another client ready to buy it offering a price of  £177,500 and the couple bought the property. The situation changed after entering for living in that house. The hide out stated as â€Å"overall dwell ing house to be sound, stable and in good condition† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.3) by Mrs. Morrow turned out to be a structure requiring much monetary expense for normal make up. The â€Å"eradication of wood borer in roofing timbers† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.3) was actually necessitating â€Å"the roof was due for renewal with felting, rebattening and retiling† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.4) and â€Å"minor works of eradicating continued dampness in ground floor walls† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.4) was actually shown as â€Å"the first floor timbers needed specialist woodworm treatment and refixing of firring pieces with extensive renewal of floor boarding† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.4) also with other works which were not mentioned in Mrs. Morrow’s report of survey. This indicates the fact â€Å"surveyors report negligently failing to disclose defects† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.1) whi ch should be trialled under

Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Critical Analysis - Essay Example This report compares two journal articles highlighting competitor analysis, identifying the varying approaches to competitor analysis and key findings as to best practice for strategic management through competitor monitoring and assessment. Identifying potential opportunities and threats associated with competitor activities is the fundamental purpose of competitor analysis in order to determine whether the business can maintain a competitive advantage and how best to go about doing this. Bergen & Peteraf (2002) describe the importance of competitor analysis as being a positive motivator to increase managerial awareness of external threats and risks, essentially creating a leader who does not take a rather myopic approach to business strategy. The authors suggests that once the competitor has been identified, it is a primary goal to define the market in which the business thrives and determine whether competitors have an edge in finance, product or marketing and look for avenues by which to close this edge through positive business changes. Through this method of competitor analysis, the business understands the overall relevance of competitive activities and prevents the company from being blindsided by surprise moves in similar market environments. The authors propose a detailed, two step framework in competitor analysis in which the most important element is recognizing the level of threat stemming from each competitive entity. For instance, indirect competition is measured along with potential competition and direct competition (Bergen & Peteraf). By identifying competition in this fashion, business leadership creates a company profile based on the level of threat that each competitor maintains in any given business situation. This profile is then compared to long-term company strategy to determine which, if any, internal or external company resources should be allocated to

Graffiti Art Essay Example for Free

Graffiti Art Essay In the late 1960s’s, another art genre was recognized and developed although its lack of form and other basic aesthetic elements has been once a topic of debates as regard its acceptance in the artistic world. Obviously, it differs from the works of art found in museums and galleries and its kind are not found in those elite locations because its location is specific. The location of graffiti art has been actually a subject of oppositions as well as its bold, unexpected and unconventional presentation. Although still, its location, may it be illegal, does not disqualify it as art. Thus, graffiti art is a form of art despite criticisms on its legality, coherence and presentation. It is also argued that graffiti art is a form of vandalism, but this is true only if they appeared on private or public property without permission. Graffiti art is indeed another genre of visual masterpiece. Graffiti comes from â€Å"grafficar†, an Italian word for drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles, or messages that are painted, written, or carved on a wall or surface. Graffiti is the plural of grafficar. Grafficar also signifies a process meaning to scratch. Examples of which are different wall writings ranging from cave paintings, bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. In the ancient Egypt and Rome, in particular, graffiti has been visible in monuments and building walls which are now being explored. It is originally used to term inscriptions, figure drawings, and other carvings found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins. Examples are the Catacombs, or those found at Pompeii. (Whitford, 1992. pp. 137) In the modern era, present day graffiti is also associated to any unsolicited markings on a private or public property, usually considered to be vandalism. In the early 1970s young New Yorkers has started to adopt tags, signatures and signs using aerosol sprays and markers in public places. The youngsters, belonging to the black and Puerto Rican communities have initiated the tagging which eventually developed and soon covered the citys walls, buses and obviously in subway trains. Tags even cover the entire train. Some may contain screen names or reflections of the writer, comes in subtle and often cryptic messages. Taki, an artist of Greek-American descent, was the first modern identified tagger in New York. He signed himself Taki 183, the number probably derived from the number in his apartment block. Some names also made their appearances in some real urban murals painted with spray-paint. Tags such as Futura 2000, Dust and Pink gained fame and recognition in the world of hip-hops. There were also Basquiat and Haring who also started to work in the street and the subway but their works swiftly spread beyond the works of graffiti. Their works attracted the attention of influential dealers which put them in great demand although their works were considered one of the rare forms of graffiti art. (Graffiti†¦ 2007, p. 1) Tagging and graffiti differs from each other although arguments about this difference still arise. Tagging is associated negatively as gang-motivated and illegal because it is usually meant as vandalism. It is also viewed as too vulgar or controversial to have public value. On the other hand, graffiti can be viewed as creative expression, not to mention its usual link to politics. Main Types of Graffiti Art The main types of graffiti fall into different categories and have their own names which are recognized in cities all over the world. First is â€Å"Hip Hop Graffiti†. This is characterized by ‘pieces’ which hip hop graffitists create by aerosol spray paints. They are large and colorful works, usually including either a complex mix of letters or a cartoon-style picture. This type of graffiti often lacks much thought and planning in design and usually takes an extended period of time. Second is the â€Å"Opportunistic Graffiti† which location is selected impulsively, on the basis of low risk and low natural surveillance. Graffitists of this type usually use tags or scrawling to mark their territory. Third type is the â€Å"Gang Graffiti†. Gang graffiti is not art work but a sophisticated communication to publicize gang power, status, and territory. This type is somehow related to opportunistic graffitists because they also use tags or scrawling to mark territory. But in addition to this, gangs use graffiti to create notoriety or show off their defiance of the law and society, and as a mode of marking their presence. The fourth, the â€Å"Political Social Graffiti† is obviously of racial or political motivation. This is uncommonly regarded as part of the graffiti subculture, although it is recognized as damaging to property. The last type is the â€Å"Commercial Graffiti† which is an emerging civic problem. This involves huge compensations paid by private organizations to graffitists to spray advertising logos onto walkways and buildings for promotions of their products. This type is an illegal form of advertising that avoids normal planning laws. (Stowers 1997, pp. 1-2) Gang Graffiti: The Most Dangerous Graffiti The gang graffiti is the most controversial not just because of the characters of its writings but because of its social impact in the neighborhood. Gang graffiti is an indication of gang presence in the community. Gangs use graffiti as their newspapers, thus they usually call it â€Å"newspaper in the wall† as gangs use them to send messages. This is their way of marking boundaries and warning rival gangs. Graffiti may also be an instrument to advertise drug market or, as a memorial to a killed gang member. Symbols and cryptic writing style is exclusive in each gang. Death warrants and beat downs are known to be posted in graffiti. Upside down or crossed out graffiti generally means a put down or threat to a rival gang or person. (Bland and Read 2000) According to Michael Carlie (2002), graffiti is the most common method of gang communication and a major symbolism of their gang affiliation. Jonathan Kellerman (1994) as cited by Carlie referred to graffiti as â€Å"the hieroglyphics of rage† because of the violence associated with it. On the surface, a person who is not familiar with it might think of graffiti as a simple nonsense painting on the wall or in poles or elsewhere, or just a plain vandal. Carlie adds that among other things, graffiti communicates the â€Å"role call† or the roster of gang members, or the hierarchy of gang members. It also implies whos around, whos with who, whos disrespecting who, which gangs are claiming what territory and which areas are in dispute. It may be an announcement of current gang activities and whos getting ready to attack who, or whos already been killed. A familiar language, for example, is the â€Å"X† which if marked on a member’s name means he is the likely target for an attack or murder. (Carlie 2002, pp. 2) An important not on gang graffiti is, in many ways, it is a code and codes in general are subjects to analysis. Deciphering gang graffiti requires the understanding of the symbols, abbreviations, structure, that composes the gang language. In the United States, gang graffiti is usually based on two dominant styles the L. A. and Chicago styles which vary greatly and influence to some degree across the country. Some gangs use an exclusive style while others use a combination. For example, the Gangster Disciples originated in south-side of Chicago might combine L. A. style gang lettering with Chicago Folks Nation symbols. In New York, Latin Kings might use Chicago Latin King symbols but with New York tagger style graffiti lettering. (Graffiti 2010) These styles and some of the variations are seen throughout the country and a person who understands both styles is more likely to understand most, if not all, gang graffiti. Characters of gang related graffiti has sharp, angular stick letters, or mostly contains religious, even â€Å"satanic† imagery, or is done in one color of paint. Most of the times they are very simple and flat-out which make them easy to figure out. But no matter how simple they appear, it still requires some basic code-breaking skills. (Deciphering Gang†¦2010. p. 1) Figure 1: WS 18 St, HGS West Side Eighteenth Street (gang), Hoover Gangsters (a clique of 18th Street) Two-digit numbers, especially â€Å"13? , â€Å"14? , or â€Å"18? , signifies graffiti for a hispanic gang while three digits, especially if they are the area code of your neighborhood, it’s almost certainly not a hispanic gang, but a typical prison or street sort. Exception to this is numbers followed by â€Å"K† which means a threat from a rival gang. â€Å"WS18? (figure 1) is a tag for the (hispanic) West Side 18th Street gang out of California. â€Å"WS18K† means a threat towards 18th Street by a local gang. Note that â€Å"K† is short for â€Å"Kill†. If there are two digits, see if they’re prefixed by â€Å"N†, â€Å"S†, â€Å"E†, or â€Å"W† (or â€Å"NS†, â€Å"SS†, â€Å"ES†, or â€Å"WS†) which relate to the cardinal directions, and form part of the gang’s identity. Hispanic gangs more often use 13 and 14 the 13th letter of the alphabet is â€Å"M†, which generally stands for â€Å"Mexico† or â€Å"La Eme†, the Mexican Mafia and the 14th letter â€Å"N† generally means â€Å"North† that symbolizes which end of California the gang originated from. It is a division as gangstas from the north and south parts of California frequently clash. Figure 2: Lil Capone WS VSLC, crossed out BK, Crossed out PBGK Lil Capone (name of gang member) West Side Venice Shoreline Crips, Blood Killer, Playboy Gangster Killer (disrespect to rival gangs) Certain patterns appear without the numbers. As always, â€Å"K† is a threat to â€Å"(K)ill†, as are any crossed-out letters. â€Å"A† as in â€Å"Almighty† â€Å"N†, that virtually stands for â€Å"Nation† can be safely ignored. When seen together, which usually occurs, it show up that the gangs used to calling themselves the Almighty Whatever Nation. Figure 3: GD around Star of David with number six inside the star, pitchfork extending from the D Gangsters Disciples with six point star representing GDs and Folks. Pitchford represents GDs and Folks Gangs which are known in the country carry a finite code which makes them easy to identify. â€Å"GD† is the Gangster Disciples and â€Å"VL† are the Vice Lords. â€Å"LK† are the Latin Kings, and â€Å"LQ† the Latin Queens; sometimes when they’re getting along, they’re the LKQ Latin Kings and Queens. Crossed-out letters in gang graffiti usually mean a threat. Letters â€Å"B†, â€Å"C†, â€Å"F†, â€Å"P†, or â€Å"S† crossed-out in a piece of gang graffiti, it signifies a threat towards a gang whose name, â€Å"nation†, or nickname begins with that crossed out letter. In the Vice Lord tag, the letter â€Å"C† is not crossed out which tells you the local Vice Lords don’t have complaints with the (C)rips. Gangs should write very carefully because all too often, little slights in graffiti like crossing out letters, or painting over rival gangs’ tags, are a sure warning sign of impending gang war. Figure 4: CVLN Conservative Vice Lords Nation. Cane extending from the L is a CVL symbol. Upside down pitchfork shows disrespect towards Fold Nation gangs. Knowledge in deciphering gang graffiti introduced you to a neighborhood of gangs. In (figure 4) the â€Å"C† is short for â€Å"Conservative†. The â€Å"Conservative Vice Lords† are one of several dozen larger Vice Lord â€Å"sets† around United States. Some communities have taken a massive campaign against graffiti and also intensifies gang reduction. In Florida, the Florida Department of Corrections website posts information to help educate the public in reducing gang activities, which imposes threat to the community. Some gangs, the website says, even use graffiti as Death warrants to authorities specifically to police officers. Community awareness program in most part of America uses the 4 Rs of graffiti to intensify campaign against gangs and gang graffiti. The slogan says, â€Å"READ IT, RECORD IT, REPORT IT REMOVE IT†. (Deciphering Gang†¦2010, p. 1) Thus, citizens should read it and report it to police, and police will record it and then remove it. These steps are important but the removal of the graffiti is the most risky. Removal of graffiti manifests the neighborhoods refusal to be dominated or intimidated by gangs which is a language most gang members understand. Neighborhood residents who ignore graffiti and bother not to remove them are viewed as frightened and weak by the gangs who made them. At the worst, there are instances that gang members attack people who attempt to remove or cover their graffiti. Gang graffiti is the most dangerous of all graffiti and can usually be found around community rail stations. It marks territory and rival gangs usually challenge for territory by crossing out another gangs graffiti. It imposes real and great danger to the residents. Messages in graffiti are taken seriously by gangsters and the longer graffiti is, the greater the risk that the threats will be acted on. Graffiti is a gateway crime and membership in gangs certainly guarantees a criminal record. Since juvenile of minor age receives more lenience when it comes to punishment, the minors are the usual target of recruitment and the doer of crimes. Residents Against Graffiti Everywhere (RAGE) is a community group that looks at social issues and works with local councils and Governments towards promoting a zero tolerance policy on graffiti. (Bland and Read 2000, p. 179) By legal definition, graffiti is vandalism. It is the unauthorized application of markings on someone else’s property, especially without permission. Therefore, legality wise it is a crime. The manner that graffiti is regularly produced as illegal detracts it from the concept to be considered an art form. Very unfortunately that graffiti is responded with outrage over the abuse of someone’s property. This negative connotation may take away the value or impact of the artist’s original message. Perhaps, it would be better to get permission from the owner of the â€Å"canvas† to display the art. Yet, graffiti still elicits emotional response even in its illegal state. Furthermore, it is composed of lines, shapes, color, tones, and forms in a display that conveys a certain message and elicits an emotion. Therefore, it is safe to say that graffiti is indeed an art. As George Stowers (1997) presented four criteria as basis that some forms of graffiti become a work of art. First, the artists intention to produce a work of art separates graffiti art from everyday graffiti markings. Second, graffiti art established a history of development in style and technique. Third, the art world has already recognized graffiti as an art form. Fourth is the public response to graffiti art indicates that it is art. Regardless of the message it conveys, the fact that graffiti carry the aesthetic and creative symbolism and expression, public agrees that graffiti is a form of art. Like other art forms, graffiti art is a definite art when both the artist and the audience agree on the works ability to provide maximal aesthetic satisfaction. Graffiti is presently known as spray can art which is a form indeed recognized as art. It has form, color, and other base properties as any other art pieces. It also has as an arrangement of these elements into structures that qualify it aesthetically as being art. However, something that is done with spray paint might make it graffiti, but not necessarily qualify as art or graffiti art. Location and presentation still are the factors that hinder the general acceptance of graffiti art. However, the instances that the art world’s acceptance of graffiti art shows that conventional methods of presentation are not all that matters in determining graffiti as an art. Graffiti in the form of spray can art is art like any other work that might be found in a gallery or a museum. References Bland, N. Read, T. (2000). Policing Anti-social Behaviour. Police Research Series 123, Policing and Reducing Crime, British Home Office, London, UK. Carlie, Michael. (2002) Graffiti and Other Gang Identifiers. (Into the Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs) Retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://faculty. missouristate. edu/m/MichaelCarlie/what_I_learned_about/GANGS/graffiti _and_other_identifiers. htm. Deciphering Gang Graffiti (2008). The Slugsite. com. Retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://www. slugsite. com/archives/825. Graffiti. (2007) The Huntfor. com retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://www. huntfor. com/arthistory/C20th/graffiti. htm.

Sustainability Analysis of BP Shipping

Sustainability Analysis of BP Shipping Introduction A shipping company has different impacts on the society and the Earth. In 1986, Gubbins suggested that the service function of a shipping company is the transportation of surplus merchandises to fill the gaps between trading nations. The BP Shipping as a shipping company manages the hydrocarbon transportation activities across the worlds oceans (bp.com, 2016). Due to the growing efficiency coupled with the expanded trade liberalization, this company like other shipping companies has had a strong growth (Ics-shipping.org, 2016). This company provides a huge employment as currently it has around 1,300 seafarers (bp.com, 2015). Further, compared to other companies, the BP Shipping is not only one of the least costly, but also is one the greenest and the least environmentally damaging companies (Leal-Arcas, 2013). Nevertheless, the BP Shipping has several environmental impacts including air pollution, ocean dumping, oil spill, sewage discharge and invasive species. Therefore, since with the current situations the Earth cannot sustain us or its carrying capability for humanity ad infinitum (McDonagh and Prothero, 2014), the sustainability as a megatrend should be addressed in this company (Lubin Esty, 2010). Sustainability Sustainability has three dimensions, known as The Triple Bottom Line (TBL), which are social, economic and environmental (Henriques and Richardson, 2004). The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) through the Bruntland Report defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The TBL and sustainable development can be seen in the following figure.   Ã‚   Sustainable marketing focuses on achieving the triple bottom line to deliver solutions to human needs that are environmentally oriented, moral, viable, and relationship based (Beltz and Peattie, 2012).Therefore, the triple bottom line in the BP Shipping will be analyzed. Environmental aspect This aspect focuses on targets and usage of natural resources and energy, waste management and recycling, greenhouse emissions and biodiversity (Bals and Tate, 2016). Ways to reduce the environmental impacts of the BP Shipping Manage the greenhouse gas emissions through operational energy efficiency; noting that the shipping sector is responsible for 3% of greenhouse gas emissions (Jean-Vasile, 2013). Consider carbon cost in investment appraisals and the engineering design of new projects. Transfer to low Sulphur and cleaner fuel. Exhaust after-treatment technology (use of Selective Catalytic Reduction combined with a PM filter and an oxidation catalyst) (Han, 2010). Reduce ship speed. Use of land-based power when a ship is in a dry-dock. Manage the oil spills via externally approved oil spill response/contingency plans. Train the seafarers on both prevention and response to pollution incidents. Reduce the noise produced by ships as a potential threat to migratory species by improving the design and engine of the ships. Recycle and manage the garbage and wastes; recycle the ship itself. Manage the ballast water which transfers the invasive species. Social aspect Social sustainability means to meet the human needs within the limits set by the conditions for ecological sustainability (Lopez, 2008). To assess this aspect, there are elements including education, health and well-being, equity and access to social resources, social capital, and quality of life which should be considered (Thiel, 2016). Elements of social aspect in the BP Shipping Ships of the company are the sources of employment for over a thousand seafarers from different nationalities. In addition to seafarers, the company creates jobs for people in the ports to give services to its ships and provides opportunities for local suppliers. The seafarers who run the ships will be trained for different aspects of the job. In addition to health insurance and pension plans, the PI clubs protect the seafarers. Ships help the growth of nations economies which lead to social welfare. Since some of the oil and gas suppliers, like some countries in Africa, has the populations with the high level of poverty (Marà ­n, 2015), this company has a key role in reducing poverty. Economic aspect The aim of this aspect is to improve a healthy economy in order to produce the resources to meet peoples demands (Ecifm.rdg.ac.uk, 2016). To evaluate this aspect, elements such as income or expenditures, taxes, structure of the economy, business climate factors, employment, Life expectancy, and business diversity factors should be considered (Ibrc.indiana.edu, 2016). Elements of economic aspect in the BP Shipping The BP Shipping by providing both ship based jobs and shore based jobs has a direct contribution to employment. Since a part of wages paid to employees will be spent on retail and leisure outlets, this company stimulates economic activity in the two areas. This company supports the gross value added contribution to the UKs GDP. It contributes to nations Exchequer through a combination of direct and indirect taxes. The companys expenditures on inputs of services and goods affect the economy of local suppliers. (Oxford economics, 2015) Conclusion To conclude, the BP Shipping which has more than one thousand seafarers from different nationalities is responsible for transportation of oil and gas products between different nations. To assist this company to optimize the function of delivering its offerings and services, sustainability marketing focuses on reaching different aspects of sustainability namely social, economic, and environmental by delivering sustainable solutions while constantly satisfying the stakeholders. Regarding environmental aspect, in addition to technology, alternative energy resources and more sustainable operations and logistics are needed to solve the environmental issues (J. Corbett and Winebrake, 2008).With regards to the social aspect, the company by transporting the hydrocarbon products plays a key role in improving the social welfare and reducing the poverty (Marà ­n, 2015). Considering the economic aspects, the company supports employment, gross value added and tax revenues via direct, indirect a nd induced channels (Oxford economics, 2015). Bibliography Bals, L. and Tate, W. (2016). Implementing triple bottom line sustainability into global supply chains. 1st ed. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf. Belz, F-M. and Peattie, K. (2012) Sustainability marketing, a global perspective. John Wiley Sons, Ltd. bp.com. (2015). BP Shipping celebrates 100 years of maritime success. [online] Available at: http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/press/press-releases/bp-shipping-celebrates-100-years-of-maritime-success.html [Accessed 20 Jan. 2017]. bp.com. (2016). About BP Shipping. [online] Available at: http://www.bp.com/en/global/bp-shipping/about-bp-shipping.html [Accessed 20 Jan. 2017]. Ecifm.rdg.ac.uk. (2016). Sustainability Indicators. [online] Available at: http://www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk/inofsd.htm [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. Gubbins, E. (1986). The shipping industry. 1st ed. New York u.a.: Gordon and Breach, p.1. Han, C. (2010). Strategies to Reduce Air Pollution in Shipping Industry. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 26(1), pp.7-29. Henriques, A. and Richardson, J. (2004). The triple bottom line, does it all add up?. London: Earthscan. Ibrc.indiana.edu. (2016). The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work?. [online] Available at: http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2011/spring/article2.html [Accessed 9 Jan. 2017]. Ics-shipping.org.(a) (2016). ICS | Shipping and World Trade. [online] Available at: http://www.ics-shipping.org/shipping-facts/shipping-and-world-trade [Accessed 4 Jan. 2017]. J. Corbett, J. and Winebrake, J. (2008). The Impacts of Globalisation on International Maritime Transport Activity. 1st ed. Guadalajara, Mexico: Global Forum on Transport and Environment in a Globalising World, p.21. Jean-Vasile, A. (2013). Sustainable technologies, policies, and constraints in the green economy. 1st ed. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, p.277. Leal-Arcas, R. (2013). Climate Change and International Trade. 1st ed. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, p.172. Lopez, R. (2008). Progress in sustainable development research. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Lubin, D. A., Esty, D. C. (2010). The sustainability imperative. Harvard Business Review, 88 (5), 42-50. Marà ­n, M. (2015). Impact of logistics and shipping in the sustainable development of societies. journal of marine technology and environment, universitat polità ¨cnica de catalunya, spain. McDonagh, P. and Prothero, A. (2014). Sustainability marketing research: past, present and future. Journal of Marketing Management, 30(11-12), pp.1186-1219. Oxford economics, (2015). The economic impact of the UK Maritime Services Sector: Shipping. pp.2-5. Thiel, M. (2016). The social domain in CSR and sustainability. New York: Routledge.

Essay on The Crucible: Motivations for the Trials :: Essay on The Crucible

Motivations for the Trials in The Crucible  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the madness of the Salem witch trials is explored in great detail. There are many theories as to why the witch trials came about, the most popular of which is the girls' suppressed childhoods. However, there were other factors as well, such as Abigail Williams' affair with John Proctor, the secret grudges that neighbors held against each other, and the physical and economic differences between the citizens of Salem Village. From a historical viewpoint, it is known that young girls in colonial Massachusetts were given little or no freedom to act like children. They were expected to walk straight, arms by their sides, eyes slightly downcast, and their mouths were to be shut unless otherwise asked to speak. It is not surprising that the girls would find this type of lifestyle very constricting. To rebel against it, they played pranks, such as dancing in the woods, listening to slaves' magic stories and pretending that other villagers were bewitching them. The Crucible starts after the girls in the village have been caught dancing in the woods. As one of them falls sick, rumors start to fly that there is witchcraft going on in the woods, and that the sick girl is bewitched. Once the girls talk to each other, they become more and more frightened of being accused as witches, so Abigail starts accusing others of practicing witchcraft. The other girls all join in so that the blame will not be placed on them. In the novel, Abigail starts the accusations by saying, "I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!" Another girl, Betty, continues the cry with, "I saw George Jacobs with the Devil! I saw Goody Howe with the Devil!" From here on, the accusations grow and grow until the jails overflow with accused witches. It must have given them an incredible sense of power when the whole town of Salem listened to their words and believed each and every accusation. After all, children were to be seen and not heard in Puritan society, and the newfound attention was probably overwhelming. In Act Three of The Crucible, the girls were called before the judges to defend themselves against the claims that they were only acting.

The Florida Everglades Essay -- Geology

THE EVERGLADES: RIVER OF GRASS The Everglades, also known as the River of Grass, is one of South Florida's most treasured areas. It is an area still full of wonder and mystery. The Everglades is lined with a specific type of limestone bedrock formed by tiny organisms called byrozoans. These animals, though not related to coral, act like coral by extracting dissolved limestone from the sea water around them and using it to construct protective chambers in which to live. They then attach to various kinds of sea grasses on the ocean floor and coat them as well. Individual chambers combine together to form rock-like structures. Over thousands of years, when South Florida was completely submerged, a vast amount of this limestone combined with other ocean sediments and was laid down over the area now covered by the Everglades. Prior to the draining activities of humans and its use as an agricultural area, the Everglades was flooded about nine to eleven months of the year. It also lost only about 0.03 inches of soil per year. After the drainage the Everglades began losing soil at approximately 1 inch per year. Now, however, it is only losing 0.56 inches per year. In the Everglades there are a variety of different animals and species that seem to be able to thrive in the same habitat. The truth is that due to elevation differences, and therefore differences in the water level, the Everglades is really an area of interconnecting, but different habitats. One of the more important habitat areas is actually created by one of the Everglades most famous inhabitants – the alligator. The alligators move in and out of holes (depressions) in the limestone described above. By doing this they keep this area lower than the rest ... ...restore natural lands. The federal, state, and local governments are joining forces to bring these pristine natural lands back to their original splendor and beauty. "The question of why we should protect the Everglades has now evolved into how we should restore the Everglades," according to Suzie Unger. "Everglades National Park is the largest remaining sub-tropical wilderness in the continental United States and has extensive fresh and saltwater areas, open Everglades prairies, and mangrove forests. Abundant wildlife includes rare and colorful birds, and this is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. The park is 1,506,539 acres (606,688 hectares) in size. It is a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Significance," according to the following website: http://nps.gov/ever

Essay --

Being born and brought up in Afghanistan doesn’t go particularly smoothly, especially when compared to the contemporary standards of the UK. Aside from on-going war, many outbreaks of diseases have occurred, which I have first-hand experience of. At the age of 10 I contracted the water borne disease of cholera, due to our village’s water supply being heavily contaminated. I fully recovered, however the experience left me with a spark of inquisitiveness into the importance of maintaining a clean water supply and not allowing it be polluted. Today, chemical engineers are at the vanguard of maintaining clean water supplies to where they are abundant and establishing clean water supplies to where they are scarce, alongside their many other contributions to modern day scientific breakthroughs. Having studied Physics, Maths and Chemistry, I understand the obligation chemical engineers feel to contribute to the ever expanding global society. I had already thoroughly enjoyed these subjects at GCSE level and it only seemed right to me to pursue them at a higher level; when deciding my A-Level...

Joseph Stalin and First Five-Year Plan Essay

Abstract The historical scope of this research essay focuses on the methods undertaken by Joseph Stalin in industrializing the Soviet Union through his First Five-Year Plan. Thus, the main question arising throughout this essay is the following: To What Extent Were Joseph Stalin’s Methods In Employing The First Five-Year Plan (1928-1932) Effective In Achieving His Original Industrial Aims? In order to be able to analyze such controversial topic, the essay first addresses how Stalin approached the idea for economic growth, mainly by employing three methods: centralized, directive planning, utilization of political propaganda campaigns, and a focus on heavy industry. The results of industrialization are then analyzed and compared to the originally proposed objectives. Much of the research conducted was based on primary sources of evidence as well as secondary sources that most accurately depicted the situation of the Soviet Union at the time and its progress through the specified time pe riod of the Stalin administration. Analysis of such documents was also required in order to correctly deduce the credibility and validity of the evidence presented in order to be able to base the conclusions on the information. Lastly, the use of historians’ interpretations was used in order to substantiate claims or provide helpful alternative viewpoints. This research essay thus concluded that, although he did managed to expand enormously investment in industry and force the nation out of its backward, agrarian state, Stalin did not achieve comprehensive industrialization for the Soviet Union. Essentially, the deep bureaucratization of the economy, in concert with the particular features of the Soviet policy, produced a combination of contradictory forces originating from bureaucratic self-interests and impulsive political will. This would prevent the emergence of the right mix of factors that would assure the normal functioning of the economy. Table of Contents Abstract ———————————————————————————————————2 Abbreviations and Glossary ——————————————————————————— 4 Introduction —————————————————————————————————- 5 Stalin’s Realization for Industrialization 1. Explaining the Five-Year Plan (1928 – 1932) —————————————————-7 Analysis of Soviet Model of Industrialization under Stalin 1. Stalin and Centralized Directive Planning ——————————————————– 9 2. Stalin and Political Propaganda Campaigns —————————————————- 10 3. Stalin and Focus on Heavy Industry ————————————————————- 13 Results of First Five-Year Plan 1. Development of Overall Industrial Sector ——————————————————-10 Conclusion —————————————————————————————————-17 Notes ———————————————————————————————————- Bibliography ————————————————————————————â €”———–19 Abbreviations and Glossary 1. 2. Central Committee: Soviet Communist Party supreme body, elected at Party Congress. 3. Gosbank: Gosudarstvenny bank SSSR (USSR State Bank); Soviet Union central bank and the only bank in the entire USSR from the 1930s until 1987. 4. Gosplan: Gosudarstvenniy Komitet po Planirovaniyu (State Planning Committee); committee responsible for economic planning in the Soviet Union. One of its main duties was the creation of Five-Year Plans. 5. Gossnab: State Supplies of the USSR; the state committee for material technical supply in the Soviet Union. Primarily responsible for the allocation of producer goods to enterprises, a critical state function in the absence of markets. 6. Gulag: Glavnoe Upravlenie Lagerei (main camp administration); eventually in charge of Soviet concentration camps. 7. Mensheviks: Minority faction of the RSDLP, founded in 1903 8. NEP: New Economic Policy (1921-1929) introduced by Lenin. 9. Pravda: the semiofficial newspaper of the Communist Party Introduction In October 1928, Joseph Stalin(1) executed the First Five-Year Plan (piatiletka) in order to strengthen the economy of the Soviet Union and accelerate its rate of industrialization. Part of a series of nationwide, centralized exercises in rapid economic development, the First Five-Year Plan would become the basis for future overall industrial production and development of heavy industries (manufacturing and military goods).(A) Since the conclusion of the First Five-Year Plan, however, numerous accounts have surfaced either praising or criticizing Stalin’s model of economic growth (depending on the interpreter’s predilection of results) in relation to the Soviet Union’s future development. Although modern historians, including  Evan Mawdsley(2) and Robert Gellately(3), debate over the extent of Stalin’s success in achieving the original aims of the First Five-Year Plan, the majority of them will agree that he did accomplish a significant and essential inc rease in industrial growth that would ultimately elevate the Soviet Union as a world class power. (E) Nevertheless, due to the unreliability of primary resources originating from Soviet archives and recurring debates among historians, some difficulties continue to exist in accurately defining the extent of Stalin’s success and whether his methods were applicable in employing the First Five-Year Plan most effectively. Advocates of Marxism-Leninism assert that the coercive and abrasive methodology in achieving major industrialization was the most appropriate and necessary in both the economic and social modernization of the USSR as well as indispensable for its survival in the face of capitalist â€Å"enemies†. However, Non-Soviet Marxists, from Mensheviks to Herbert Marcuse(4), criticize this approach for its long-term detrimental effects on the economy and working class, as well as the profound mark on the Soviet cultural life and standard of living.(F) Therefore, a critical examination of the diverse range of historical interpretations and analyses concerning this controversial subject should thus be conducted, making the topic of Soviet industrialization worthy of investigation. This research paper, in spite of the limited availability of Soviet primary sources and their dubious credibility, will thus attempt to answer the following question: To What Extent Were Joseph Stalin’s Methods In Employing The First Five-Year Plan (1928-1932) Effective In Achieving His Original Industrial Aims? In this way, valuable insight into historians’ methods in incorporating evidence to support their claims and constructing their arguments based on such evidence will be gained. In order to maintain clarity and focus, this research paper will essentially discuss industrialization and will thus revolve around two themes: First, the Soviet model of industrial advancement was not comprehensive and its achievements can only by attributed and limited to certain sectors. Second, the methods employed by Stalin to achieve industrialization and economic modernization were fallible and precluded complete achievement of the proposed goals. Stalin’s Realization for Industrialization Explaining the First Five-Year Plan (1928-1932) It is important to first gain an understanding of what Josef Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan entailed and what he aimed to accomplish in the industrial sectors by the end of the five year period. The latter approach will enable a qualified analysis examining how the results of the plan compared to the originally established objectives, thus, providing the necessary perspective in evaluating Stalin’s methods for economic reformation. In October 1928, Stalin incorporated the Soviet blueprint for the institution of socialism in the First Five-Year Plan, representing the first attempt by a major power to transform all aspects of economy and society. This new Soviet strategy focused primarily on establishing a heavy industrial sector to expedite the growth of manufactured products and armaments as well as reconstructing the agricultural sector on a new technical foundation.(G) This would create a self-dependent USSR in terms of military and industry and, more importantly, prop agate the socialistic doctrines throughout the nation. Overall, the plan would mainly impact the industrial and agricultural sectors, but it was also set to transform the social and cultural aspects of the Soviet populace. The aims were to surpass capitalism’s per capita output; to make greater technological advancements; employ a radical transformation of agriculture through the employment of machinery and modern techniques; to give priority to heavy industry, rather than consumer goods; produce the infrastructure of a modern, efficient state; raise the standard of living, providing people access to better education, health care, and welfare; and to secure the country against foreign invaders.(H) However, this research essay will narrow the scope of Stalin’s Five-Year Plan objectives by focusing on the industrial aspects of the plan. Quantitatively, in terms of industry, the projected growth for overall industrial production was to increase by 250% and heavy industry by 330%.(I) The extent to which this economic feat of mo dernization was plausible was a matter often discussed and disputed inside the Communist Party. Sergo Ordzhonikidze, the commissar of heavy industry, admitted the challenge to be formidable considering the agrarian, industrially-backward state of the USSR. Stalin himself admitted in his 1933 speech on the results of the First Five-Year Plan that â€Å"the restoration and development of heavy industry, particularly in such a backward and poor country as [USSR] was at the beginning of the five-year  plan period, was an extremely difficult task.†(K) Their justification in making such statements probably was that heavy industry requires both the enormous financial expenditure and the existence of experienced technical forces (both of which the Soviets could not afford or did not have), without which, generally speaking, the restoration of heavy industry is impossible. Certainly, with Stalin’s steep demand in industrial development, the Five-Year Plan appeared barely achievable. Historian Evan Mawdsley correctly points out how the two major policies stipulated in the plan were extremely demanding and in the long run proved to be unattainable. It is probable he based such observation on several factors including unavailable seed capital because of international reaction to Communist policies, little international trade, and virtually no modern infrastructure. Essentially, Stalin’s proposition of the First Five-Year Plan seemed unviable and unsustainable, but it is for this same reason that it is necessary to evaluate how Stalin achieved his goals and to what extent. Analyzing the Soviet Model of Industrialization under Stalin Stalin and Centralized Directive Planning Perhaps one of the clearest distinctions in Stalin’s methods of Soviet industrialization was that it was not based on private enterprise, but that it was totally state-driven and was largely based on centralized directive planning.(J) Most effective, argues Evan Mawdsley, was the system of economic administration that was based on the party leadership, Gosplan, the ministerial system, the commissariat of heavy industry (Narkomtiazhprom), and the supervisory role of the Central Committee. In contrast to Lenin’s NEP, the First Five-Year Plan represented this new system’s movement towards establishing central planning as the basis of economic decision-making and the stress on rapid heavy industrialization. This economic mechanism displayed particular strengths at periods when the political objectives of the regime demanded a rapid breakthrough in some branches of the national economy or during the emergency of war. However, Evan Mawdsley further argues against other historians that referring to the Soviet economy as a â€Å"planned† economy would be misleading, especially for the initial period of Soviet industrialization.(M) First of all, Stalinist planning did not make for the balanced growth of industry, or consider investment rates versus  consumption rates. Historian Andy Blunden makes a similar argument in which he proposes that the Stalin economic model of development was not based on the Marxist concept of planned economy, but rather (to some extent) on a bureaucratic centralist-command economy.(N) Combining both historical interpretations, it thus follows to infer that what the system did provide was a means of rigid prioritization, concentrating production in key are as of the Soviet economy (heavy industry), but at the same time limiting the expansion and diversification of the economic sector as a result of stringent political issues. Thus, Alex Chubarov, a professor at Coventry University in England, makes a rather true statement about the overly centralized planning system in the Soviet Union: It did not always work in practice. Stalin’s policies to â€Å"tighten work discipline† often worsened economic output instead of promoting production. Because of the stringent political climate that permitted few people to provide negative input or criticize the plan, Soviet planners had very little reliable feedback which they could use to determine the success of their plans.(O) Thus, economic planning was often done based on faulty or outdated information, especially in sectors with a large clientele. As a result, certain goods, especially consumer goods, tended to be underproduced, leading to shortages, while some goods such as manufactured goods, armaments, etc. were overproduced and put in storage. Furthermore, factories took to inflating their production figures due to the severe punishment of failure and the poor quality of products inhibited their use.(P) Stalin and Political Propaganda Campaigns The next important distinction was that Stalin’s industrialization was greatly politicized. Industrialization as a process usually accompanies the movement towards modernization in any country. However, in the Soviet Union, the achievement of industrialization was greatly a result of political influences, mainly the power of carefully stage-managed propaganda campaigns. These political campaigns ultimately focused on socialist industrialization as the essential and indispensable step in building the material foundations of socialism, a theme constantly used by Stalin in several of his public appearances. The Stalinist political regime and the inflation of ideological principles for the rapid economic growth to prevent hindrance in the global â€Å"competition† would thus prove to be perhaps one of  the most necessary components of the economic success. During the late 1920s, the need for rapid industrialization arose from the question of whether Soviet Russia could pr ovide the needs to support socialism in a country that was industrially underdeveloped and agriculturally backward. Thus, as reiterated constantly by Stalin in his public speeches, socialist industrialization was the key element in instituting the material basis for socialism in the Soviet Union as well as ensuring its success. In November 19, 1928, Stalin delivered a speech warning the populace about the vulnerability of socialism to the capitalist nations, and the survival of the ideology through industrial fronts: â€Å"†¦[Soviets] have overtaken and outstripped the advanced capitalist countries by establishing a new political system. That is good. But that is not enough. To secure the final victory of Socialism in our country, we must also overtake and outstrip these countries technically and economically. If we do not do this, we shall find ourselves forced to the wall.† (B) In this excerpt from his 1928 speech, Stalin instilled fear in the population about imminent attacks from the capitalists if the USSR â€Å"did not overtake and outstrip† the Western nations through technical and economic means. However, this method of conveying war panic through the manipulation of the â€Å"catch up and overtake† (dognat’ i peregnat’) theme was used as justification to dissolve Lenin’s New Economic Policy and attain populist appeal to adopt major industrialization. Robert Gellately, the Earl Ray Beck Professor of History at Florida State University, argues that Stalin inflated a â€Å"war scare† inspired by â€Å"Anglo-French† imperialism that came up in 1927, â€Å"one he deliberately exaggerated to driv e home the point that the USSR was vulnerable to the hostile West.†(N) He denotes how Stalin used the elimination of diplomatic relations by Britain in May and the presence of political friction with France, Poland, Romania to the west and Japan to the east accordingly in â€Å"his demand to industrialize the country as rapidly as possible, to focus on heavy industry, and to drop the NEP in favor of a more Communistic five-year plan.† (D) Based on Gellately’s observation, it would follow that Stalin could then make the argument that it was crucial to the health and security of the Soviets that the Party take this change of course, facilitating popular support for the Five-Year Plan. (C) Stalin was not the only communist to take the threat seriously, and the crisis had an  important influence on the decision to industrialize. But of those nations, Romania was the only threat to ever develop. More important, however, was a subsequent â€Å"war scare† in hi s speech to industrial managers on February 1931 (during the height of the enthusiasm for the Five-Year Plan), when Stalin proclaimed: â€Å"To reduce the tempo, means to fall behind. Those who fall behind get beaten†¦We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or we shall be crushed.† (C) Ten years later, in 1941, Adolf Hitler commences military mobilization for â€Å"Operation Barbarossa† to invade the Soviet Union. But to see the German invasion as proper justification for Stalin’s rapid industrialization solely from the perspective of the 1941 invasion would be misleading. During 1931, Germany was suffering deep economic turmoil from the Great Depression and Hitler was still a fringe politician, so it was no real danger to the USSR. Germany’s army had also been limited to 100,000 soldiers, without tanks or aircraft. Historian Mawdsley also identifies the elaborate propaganda machine, â€Å"coupled with upward mobility and popular nationalism at critical periods,† as successful in winning support for the program of industrialization.(M) However, unlike Gellately, he proposes that the acceleration of industrialization as a result of tentative attacks may have been justified. Industrialization came from the Soviets’ general mistrust of the outside world which, in turn, had root both in the Russian tradition and in the Communists’ perception of the outside world. Russia’s rulers had promoted industry for military opposition and defense as well as to assure the country’s power status. In part, Stalin and the Communist Party proselytized the ideology of â€Å"capitalist encirclement† and the real memories of invasion from European powers and Japan during World War I and the Russian Civil War. Stalin’s Method and Heavy Industry Finally, the doctrine of â€Å"socialist industrialization† put great emphasis on massive expansion of heavy industry, particularly the means of production, as a necessary first step on the way to the technological restructuring of the entire economy. Only after a massive surge in heavy industrial capacity had been achieved would it be possible to embark on a more balanced economic strategy, including the development of consumer-oriented light industry. As a result of a whole number of factors, the Soviet industrialization would be  confined, for the most part, to the one-sided priority development of heavy industry. Aside from receiving special attention from the planning the economic system of administration, industrial production was relatively easy to plan even without minute feedback, which led to significant growth in that sector. Consequently, industrial production was disproportionately higher in the Soviet Union than in Western economies, with production of consumer goods also being proportionately higher. However, one of the most eminent Marxist scholars in the world of economics, Maurice Dobbs, points out the problems of Soviet economic â€Å"planning† and explains the fallible economic logic behind the Soviet way of industrialization with investment priority for heavy industries. First of all, the rate of investment or the average savings ratio in an economy will be rather static, largely determined within fairly narrow limits by past history and past decisions. Therefore, focus should be given to distribution of investment because it may essentially determine the future output and consumption in a major way. Dobbs argues that â€Å"it may in fact be more important than the overall rate of investment.†(Q) Dobbs seems to base his argument on the theory of factor proportions, a doctrine of ‘comparative costs’ in terms of marginal productivity, which states that those factors of production that are relatively abundant have a low marginal productivity and henc e a low price and conversely with factors that are relatively scarce. Consequently, those forms of production that use relatively more of the abundant factors and economize on the scarce ones would have the lowest expenditures. He argues that in a country like Russia with plentiful labor and scarce capital, relatively labor-using techniques are most economical (rather than capital-expensive ones). It is thus more beneficial and appropriate for the applications on handicrafts and light industries rather than heavy industries, where there is a large expenditure of fixed capital (plant and equipment).(R) Results of the First Five-Year Plan Development of Overall Industrial Sector After having analyzed Joseph Stalin’s methods in employing the First Five-Year Plan, it is then necessary evaluate their impact on the proceeding industrialization results. First of all, by directing and focusing  investments on heavy industry and not consumer goods, it was possible to attain industrialization over a relatively short period. The industrialization enabled the Soviet Union to mass-produce aircraft, trucks, cars, tractors, combine harvesters, synthetic rubber, and different types of equipment designed primarily for the expansion of heavy industry and military might. In the years of the â€Å"great leap† industrial production grew at an average annual rate of 10 to 16 percent, displaying the remarkable dynamism and seemingly boundless potential of the new economic system. Table 1-1 shows the specific advancements made in heavy industries as a result of concentrating in such sector, thus, illustrating Stalin’s accomplishment of his aforementioned go al of focusing in heavy industry. Table 1-1: Russian Industrial Growth under Stalin. | 1928| 1932| Prescribed Target| Percentage Increase| Pig Iron (million tons)| 3.3 | 6.2 | 8.0 | 87.8%| Coal (million tons)| 35.4 | 64.0 | 68.0 | 80.8%| Steel (million tons)| 4.0 | 5.9 | 8.3 | 47.5%| Oil (million tons)| 11.7 | 21.4 | 19.0 | 82.9%| Electricity (mill. kWhs)| 5.0 | 13.4 | 17.0 | 168%| However, it is important to evaluate these results and compare them with the larger global context. Table 1-1 shows significant growth for heavy industries in the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1932 despite only achieving the prescribed target in one of the five areas of production. Nevertheless, these results were relatively small compared to Western standards and were accomplished at a great human cost. Furthermore, reported Soviet aggregate output figures were too high, not least by failing to take into account of the rising prices. Thus, Stalin’s aforementioned methods of industrialization did indeed make advancements in heavy industrial output but did not accomplish his previous goal of the ‘catch up and overtake’ slogan considering that the Soviet Union still lagged behind Western capitalist nations in terms of economic power. In terms of manufacturing infrastructure and technological advancements, a colossal industrial complex and city were constructed at Nizhni Novgorod on the Volga with the help of the Austin Company (a large American firm), which was designed to produce over 100,000 vehicles per year. Other American companies were also involved  in building tractor plants in Kharkov, Stalingrad and Chelyabinsk. Among the other spectacular projects was the construction of the steel complex at Magnitogorsk, a brand-new city built from the ground up. (S) The colossal project of Magnitogorsk was one prime example of the sixty or more towns created out of nothing during the First Five-Year Plan. Through the accelerated pace of industrialization employed in the Five-Year Plan, the Soviet Union began producing all the machinery and manufacturing plants necessary to supplement heavy industrialization. Major works included the Moscow, Nizhni-Novgorod, and Gorky automobile plants, the Urals and Kramatorsk heavy machinery plants, the Dnieprostroi hydro-electric project, the mammoth steel plants at Magnitogorsk and Kuznetsk, and the network of machine shops and chemical plants in the Urals. Entirely new branches of industry were developed, such as aviation, plastics, and synthetic rubber. The plan constituted an important milestone in the process of the socioeconomic transformation of Russia. At the en d of the Five-Year Plan in 1932, Stalin declared that the First Five-Year Plan had been achieved ahead of time. However, the extent to which it was achieved was vague and unclear, with newspapers only allowed to report â€Å"outstanding achievements† of the Soviet Union advance toward socialism and local state agencies prohibited from publishing any economic data other than the official figures given by Gosplan. Based on the figures in Table 1-1, Stalin declared that the Five-Year Plan for industrial development had been fulfilled by 93.7% in only four years, while development for heavy industry was achieved by 108%. But considering the levels of deception and figure inflation, it is hard to determine how accurate these figures are and to what extent the statements of â€Å"success† can be trusted. Certainly, it was not surprising that the plan did not achieve its prescribed goals of 250% projected growth for overall industrial production and 330% projected growth in heavy industry. Conclusion Essentially, the coercive and abrasive methods of industrialization employed by Stalin during his First Five-Year Plan were admittedly successful when viewed from a holistic perspective. However, it cannot be acknowledged that the plan and how it was particularly executed was comprehensive in achieving its originally proposed objectives of economic development and that the  methods applied were completely effective and appropriate for the Soviet Union. Overall, this essay explicitly raises the question of exactly what constituted the â€Å"achievements† of the Soviet industrial system as a whole, and whether, in fact, the Stalin model of industrialization was ultimately the most effective solution based on its particular approach. First of all, there were several consequences of the over-centralization and very high level of state power reflected in the economic policy of the USSR. The ‘planning’ system established targets emphasizing quantity at the expense of quality, with the particular system of reward and punishment distorting output reports and encouraging ‘storming’ (last-minute attempts to achieve targets) and hoarding, i.e. waste, of raw materials. This system of economy was responsive to a small number of ‘customers’ but inherently inflexible for it could not change to rising demands. Furthermore, due to the stringent political climate that drove the command, bureaucratic economy and encouraged severe output inflation among factories, the extent to which the industrialization results are credible is still unknown. Secondly, the incorporation of the Stalinist political regime into the promotion of economic success would prove to be effective yet also damaging. The elaborate propaganda campaigns set out by Stalin and the injection of popular nationalism at critical periods, won popular support for the program of in dustrialization. Furthermore, there was a particular kind of motivation present in the enthusiastic officials to establish the pace of industrialization. Now, whether such enthusiasm was felt by the Communist Party as much as Stalin is still under question. However, the darker side of the system was that the pace of industrialization could only be accomplished at the human cost and real sacrifices. Lastly, the urban economy was kept static and investment exclusive to heavy industry at the expense of consumer-oriented production. Certainly, the prominence of military production in the economy can be potentially beneficial, but at the same time imminently harmful. Paul Kennedy would later disclose an analysis of the rise and fall of great powers that applied especially to the Soviet Union in which he warned that â€Å"if†¦too large a proportion of the state’s resources is diverted from wealth creation and allocated instead to military purposes, then that is likely to lead to a weakening of national power over the longer term†. (T) The huge investments in producer-goods industries led  to acute shortages of labor, ca pital, and material in other crucial sectors. Factories did not meet their expected targets and would provide quantity at the cost of quality. Instead of producing the projected 2,000 tractors by September 1930, the Stalingrad tractor factory produced only forty-three, which began to fall apart after seventy-two hours of operation. Thus, the deep bureaucratization of the economy, in concert with the particular features of the Soviet policy, produced a combination of contradictory forces originating from bureaucratic self-interests and impulsive political will. This would prevent the emergence of the right mix of factors that would assure the normal functioning of the economy. Completely new branches of industry were built and massive manufacturing plants were undertaken, certainly contributing to the notion of the USSR as an emerging industrial power. However, this new power was endowed with fallible features: the inherent tendency to produce harmful imbalances, the blatant ignorance to consumer goods, production of quantity at the expense of quality, ineffective economic administrative system, etc. Essentially, Stalin did not achieve comprehensive industrialization for the USSR, but he did force the nation to advance from its backward, agrarian state and into a momentum towards economic growth and industrial d evelopment. Notes 1. Joseph Stalin (18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953): born Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhughashvili. In office as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 3 April 1922 – 16 October 1952 and Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. 2. Evan Mawdsley: Professor of International History in the Department of History, University of Glasgow. His previous publications include The Russian Civil War (1983/2008), The Soviet Elite from Lenin to Gorbachev: The Central Committee and its Members, 1917–1991 (with Stephen White, 2000), The Stalin Years: The Soviet Union, 1929–1953 (2003) and Thunder in the East: The Nazi-Soviet War, 1941–1945 (2005). 3. Robert Gellately: Newfoundland-born Canadian academic who is one of the leading historians of modern Europe, particularly during World War II and the Cold War era. He is presently Earl Ray Beck Professor of History at Florida State University and was the Bertelsmann Visiting Profe ssor of Twentieth-Century Jewish Politics and