Us Economy Essays (1668 words) - Taxation, , Term Papers

Us Economy Introduction How easy is it for smaller business men to achieve the Aamerican dream. How to stop corporate domination. The question I pose to you is Is the American Dream still achievable? The opportunity is there but for what select few is the opportunity available to. If the resources are out there but I can't tap into the resources they rae of no use to me. (Make note of the fact that we live in a market economy. Body Just about every definition of the market in the dictionary connotes an oppurtunity as a place where goods are bought and sold.(cite dict.) As an abstraction, a market is the possibility of sale. Goods find a market, and we say there is is a market for a service or commodity when there is a demand for it, which means it can and will be sold. Markets are opened to those who want to sell and a convenience for those looking to purchase.(cite 2) The market represents conditions as regards, opportunity for, buying and selling.(cite 2) The market implies offering and choice. The way a market economy works is that there are market pressures that develop for different commodities. The pressures work in one direction for a while, but at the same time pressures are budding that work in the opposite direction. As people look forward and see there's going to be some profit made from their production, they'll make decisions to increase volume, usually hiring more people, buying more materials, often bidding up their prices. When people are competing in the same market, that tends to generate more and more pressure in the direction of expansion. But at the same time, as costs and possibly interest rates rise, pressures begin to operate in the other direction, against profits.(cite 1) The public as a whole must get their fair share of the benefits. Macroeconomic reforms should translate into a more efficient delivery of public services, equity, social welfare and social security.(cite 3) The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has released its findings on American living standards. The report, issued every other year on a decline that begsn in the late-1970's. The EPI's report also contends that the Americans are working more for less money because of slow growth in wages since 1989. According to the report, wages in the bottom 80% of men have declined since 1989. The report also contends that 20% of women have experienced a decline in trsl esgrd dincr the 1980's, a period in which wages fell but family income increased because of longer hours at work and increased participation of women in the workforce. Critics assert that the report wrongly focuses on declining wages as a gauge to the income of the American family. Such critics find spending a more appropriate means by which to measure income.(cite 4) One proposal would birng back the 10% income deduction for second earners that was eliminated in the Tax Reform Act of 1986.(cite 5) Under that rule, a couple with two earners can deduct from taxable income 10 percent of the earnings of the spouse with the lower earnings(generally, the wife) up to 30,000 of earnings.(cite 5) Since almost all married working women earn less than 30,000, this is equivalent to a 10 percent reduction in the wife's marginal tax rate.(cite 5) To get a sense of how substansial this offset would be, consider a typical middle-class two earner couple. The husband earns 45,000 per year, and the wife earns $15,000 per year by working 1,000 hours at $15 per hour. They pay tax at a marginal income tax rate of 28 percent plus a payroll tax of 7.65 percent.(cite 5) They also pay at a typical state income tax rate of 5 percent.(cite 5) As a result, the wife's $15 per hour wage produces only a net of $8.90 per hour.(cite 5) If she didn't change her work, the deduction would reduce her taxable earnings from $15,000 to $13,500.(cite 5) With a marginal income tac rate of 28 percent, that would cut her tax payments by 420 per year.(cite 5) That's how the current method of revenue estimation would evaluate the revenue effect of the deduction, a $420 revenue loss. But the 10 percent cut in her effective marginal income tax rate (which would result from deducting 10 percent of her earnings from taxable income) would raise her net hourly take-home by a little less than 5 percent, from $8.90 per hour to $9.32 per hour.(cite 5) Statistical studies of the labor supply of

Go for It With Pa’lante

Go for It With Pa’lante Palante is not a word you will find in any standard Spanish dictionaries. Spanish teachers might even cringe upon hearing it. It is a Spanish slang word loosely translated as onward, go ahead, or go for it. Where Pa’lante Comes From Palante  is a well-understood  slang  word apparently originally used in Caribbean Spanish-speaking areas and seems to be gaining popularity in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world. Its a shortened version of para  adelante, a fairly common phrase made up of the  preposition  para, often meaning for, and  adelante, an  adverb  (sometimes functioning as other  parts of speech) meaning forward. What is unique about this word and its use is that  contractions and  apostrophes  are rarely used in Spanish. In fact, using apostrophes to indicate letters are missing is usually thought of as an Anglicism. For some inexplicable reason, palante is sometimes spelled as palante and is listed that way as slang in the Collins Spanish Dictionary. But the spelling of palante is far more common. It is not listed in the Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary (known as DRAE for its Spanish initials), the languages most authoritative reference source. Famous Word at Rallies Palante is something commonly heard at rallies usually used to rile up a person or group to action. As evidence of its burgeoning spread outside of the Caribbean, the word was used as part of a slogan at pro-Hugo Chvez rallies in Caracas, Venezuela:  ¡Palante Comandante!  Chvez was the president of Venezuela from 2002 to 2013. A literal translation of the rhyming phrase  ¡Palante Comandante!, would be something like Forward, Commander! although that direct interpretation does not capture the subtle connotation nor the colloquial nature of the phrase. El  CotVmandante  was a popular reference to Chvez. In the context of rallies, other translations of palante might be go ahead, onward, go for it, hang in there or keep on going. Pop Culture References Pop icon and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin brought the word mainstream in his 1995 musical hit,  Marà ­a. A popular line from the song: Un, dos, tres, un pasito palante Maria! The line translates to, One, two, three, one little step forward, Maria!  The song topped the charts at the time and became Martins first international hit single. Before and after Martin, Spanish music artists have been using the slang word in music hits. Other famous titles with the word include Echa  Palante, by  Mexican recording artist, Thalia, made popular in 1997. The song was featured in the 1998 dance competition movie Dance with Me in a memorable scene starring  Vanessa L. Williams  and  Puerto Rican  singer  Chayanne. As an example of the words use in song prior to Martin, Puerto Rican-American Latin jazz great, Tito Puente released a song, Palante, which he subtitled Straight in English.   Palante con Cristina (Palante With Cristina) is a popular show on Telemundo, a U.S. cable TV network. Related Phrases One related phrase that is widespread is echado para adelante. The sentence Estamos echados para adelante can mean something like, Were all ready to go for it. Sometimes echado para adelante is shortened to something like echao padelante. These phrases are not considered formal Spanish, but would most likely be used in the context of colloquial speech or familiar conversation.   Palante in Names of Programs or Groups Palante has become word often used in the names of organizations on programs to help convey they idea of progress. Among them: Mujeres Palante is a cooperative employment organization of and for the benefit of women. It is based in Barcelona, Spain.Palante Harlem is a New York tax-exempt organization devoted to housing issues.Echar PaLante is a campaign devoted to the betterment of Puerto Rico.PaLante Pacà ­fico is a philanthropic effort connected with the University of the Andes (Universidad de los Andes) in Bogot, Colombia.The PaLante Afterschool Program is for elementary children in Allentown, Penn. Key Takeaways Palante is an increasingly common Spanish slang word that isnt listed in most dictionaries.Palante is used to indicate concepts such as encouragement, enthusiasm, resolve, and progress.The word can be found in song titles and names of organizations throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

What will replace passwords Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

What will replace passwords - Research Paper Example At the same time, social media has created a medium for people to interact and share their personal information with other people located in different parts of the world. Countries have democratized the use of technology in order in order to sustain the stream of development that can be accrued from the use of the internet. It is now evident that the expanding of cyberspace is bringing new opportunities and at the same time; new threats. While the cyberspace is encouraging open markets and open social orders, the openness of this space has exposed the people towards cyber attacks. Many of the countries have tried to protect their people against the attacks. However, the technological sector is evolving very fast, an aspect that is making it very hard for the institutions that have been put up to deter the attacks to keep up with the changes. The internet providers and social media companies have not been able to put up stern measures to avoid the attacks. A cyber-attack is the conscious misuse of computer frameworks, technology-ward endeavours, and systems. Cyber-attacks use pernicious code to modify computer system, rationale, or information, bringing about troublesome results that can trade off information and lead to cyber crimes, for example, data and wholesale fraud (Wilson, 2014). Cyber-attacks were originating from various distinctive sources and varieties. There are different procedures to use in cyber-attacks and an assortment of approaches to control them to people or foundations on a more extensive scale. Attacks are broken down into two classes, Syntactic attacks, and Semantic attacks. Syntactic attacks are direct; it is viewed as vindictive software which incorporates viruses, worms, and Trojan stallions. A standard computer virus, presumably the most widely recognized type of a cyber-attack, may addition beginning to access to a computer or framework in two ways: remotely or proximately. A few viruses, for example, Conficker, spread through a

Creole linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Creole linguistics - Essay Example Although there are still many debatable aspects their inclusion into the linguistic arena has motivated scholars to have closer inspections. Unlike languages such as Slavic and Germanic languages Creole languages are different because they have no common ancestor (Baptista 5). All the creole languages put together can never be traced to a particular language or group of languages but what is evident is that there are traces of many different languages within the creoles of different regions. One of the observable features of creole is the use of the double negative or the subject as well as the verb in the negative. This double negative could be influenced by the Romance languages such as Spanish since this is grammatically incorrect in English. The Spanish, â€Å"Yo no voy a ninguna parte,† to Jamaican Creole, â€Å"mi na go no wey,† to the English, â€Å"I am not going anywhere,† is an example of this feature. This is used by the creole speaker to show emphasis and assertiveness. A creole is a restrictive language. Scholars point out that they were developed for communication means. They therefore lack many of the linguistic structures found in other languages. One of the features that point to this restriction is with regard to questions. The structure of the sentence is usually the same as when one makes a statement. The only difference is in the intonation. This could be due to the absence of a written code for the language. A language that is only perpetuated orally will have reduced structures different from those languages that are written. For example, Guyanese Creole â€Å"he gone,† can both mean â€Å"he is gone,† or â€Å"has he gone?† One is just left to the mercy of the speaker’s intonation before being able to decode the message. Apart from questioning there are other areas of creole languages that involves the intonation and emotional involvement

Summary and strong respond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary and strong respond - Essay Example Several states have been on the move to completely do away with the use of the death penalty while in other states actions have been taken to limit its use. For example, The United States is one country where use of the death penalty has been highly controversial and greatly debated (Walker 10). Capital punishment has no confirmable preventive effect but in real sense, it has caused loss of life, and this may contribute to a cycle of violence that raises murder rates. This loss is brought about when a person kills another, the convicted person is killed, and this shows how the death penalty is costly more than keeping convicted murderers in prison for life. There has been a number of cases where innocent people have been condemned wrongfully due to lack of enough evidence. This has led to several innocent people being executed because there has been no standard guidelines regarding which criminal would receive a death sentence. Defendants who were poor, a member of a minority group, uneducated, or mentally ill received the death penalty more often than those who did not fit these characteristics (Walker 12). In the past, some states allowed the capital punishment for crimes such as rape, criminal assault, kidnapping, forgery, concealing the death or birth of an infant, and arson. Each state has the death penalty that is used in cases of the first murder degree. This system of capital punishment entrenches different states to be obsessed with killing people. It teaches the lesson that some people may kill others willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation as long as they are the right people doing it for the right reasons in the rig ht manner ( Bedau 10). It is true that such killings as a punishment are not necessary, since there are several well established alternative methods of punishment including long-term imprisonment that is used by most states worldwide. Those who argue for the capital

Takeover and Strategy Proposal

Takeover and Strategy Proposal The following strategy and takeover proposal examines the contracting division of Masters Building Company Limited. The proposal undertakes a SWOT analysis, used as the foundation for strategy in marketing, division structure, and teamwork. Each area of concern is examined based on what has previously occurred, what is proposed to occur, and what the expected outcomes are. The strategic initiatives seek to prompt Masters Building Company Limited into a new era of relationship marketing, decentralised managerial structure, and strong employee morale. The firm’s strengths are that it has a strong consumer base with a positive history and social status. This is assumed from the long tradition of the firm in its operative area. The firm has very low debt and is profitable. There is some growth in the contracting division. The firm’s weaknesses are the lack of new client contracts, the recent decision to open new offices requiring overdrafts for the new offices of the contracting division. The contracting division also has low employee moral. Another weakness is that there is little work in the Exerter area and low complexity of projects. The firm has opportunities in altering its managerial and team structures to create stronger employee moral. It has opportunities in creating more complex projects through regional marketing of the new offices. The firm’s external threats are the credit crisis and recession, increased pressure from creditors for early payment and delays in receiving stage payments. The firm can overcome these threats by focusing in its strengths of tradition and customer relationships which can be implemented through stronger marketing strategies. The construction industry is highly competitive, and the ability of management to use marketing as a valuable service is imperative to gaining contracts (Shutt 1995). The focus of the takeover proposal is to generate more complex construction work for the betterment of the company. In doing so, the takeover proposal recognises that Masters has the potential to increase its commercial bids through a stronger marketing mix. Commercial bids are preferred due to their work complexity, which generates revenue and knowledge based experience for the firm (Finkel 1996). Furthermore, commercial bids are understood to have mixed uses and are often allocated by internal funds, thus they have minimal effects of interest rates and public policies (Finkel 1996). Since the scale of major construction projects is a barrier to small firms, it is imperative that Masters be placed under a strong examination of capital requirements in terms of current and necessary tools and materials, as both time and money are required to create jobs in commercial markets (Shutt 1995). Specialty contract work in commercial industry is the focus as this allows for small to medium sized businesses such as Masters to enter the market, generating stronger income (Canter 1994). The focus will be on small, complex projects in renovation and alteration. The takeover proposal is to include the past customers with new potential in a stronger marketing strategy as the firm moves towards the development of new offices it will require more marketing resources in Plymouth, Bristol and Bournemout. The takeover proposal must include a strategic business outline as: Figure 1 Marketing Strategy The current structure is very linear and hierarchical. While this has worked in the traditional construction industry, it bars open communication. It is recommended that the structure be evaluated and redistributed to increase communication between areas of the contracting division. This is imperative as the firm is expanding to add new estimators and managers. The takeover proposal is not to remove Frank Burton, but to readdress his position as an authoritarian manager into one of quality leadership that allows for stronger determination of the firm’s detection of, allocation of, and income from, the contracting division. Deficiencies in structure occur when there are low knowledge flows, which constrict planning techniques and lessen control of the contractual position (Finkel 1996). Figure 2 Structure Strategy Under Frank Burton’s traditional authoritarian management, the contracting division has low morale. Change management is required to rejuvenate the team. The contracting division has multiple intricacies that are dependent on the ability of management to integrate capabilities (Shutt 1995). The contracting division has a discontinuous business environment due to temporal bidding and allocation concerns, creating less efficient workloads (Shutt 1995). Establishing measures for efficiency is imperative to increase productivity, variables in staff periods, job roles, training incentives, and operations should be set to overcome staffing issues (Shut 1995). Figure 3 Team Strategy The impact of previous changes in the structure of the contracting and specialist service divisions have lead to a third reduction in overhead costs as staffing levels have been reduced, however turnover has increased. The contracting division has a turnover of 4,377,000Â £ with overheads at 9.5% and profits at 2.1%. Thus, net profits are only 91,917Â £, while overhead is 415,815Â £, which shows a negative cost efficiency strategy. Overhead costs are higher in Bristol and Bournemouth, where net profit is also lower, and that regional office has a smaller staff. This is likely due to the increased debt of the Bristol and Bournemouth locations. The common economic pathway for reducing overhead costs is not always to strategically move staff and relocate management or offices in new regions. This may lead to a false economy, since overhead costs were not lowered, just moved. Therefore, the takeover must consider strong evaluation of Masters complete economic position for the sake of reducing the high overhead costs. Market economic show that overhead cost reduction is found in low-cost production, availability of quality products and effective supply chain management (Rockley 1984). Cost concerns require a more efficient use of temporary and low-complexity work, and examining the markets in the regional offices to evaluate their cost effectiveness (Rockley 1984; Shutt 1994). It is not clear if the move to the regions such as Bristol was cost effective, however it is assumed that this was not an efficient move since it has higher overhead and lower profits (Rockley 1984). Therefore, it is likely that these regional offices ar e simply geographically out of place for the construction market (Shutt 1994). Furthermore, the construction industry itself is highly labour intensive, therefore it stands to reason that staff turnover and quality control as well as the product supply chain must be streamlined to lower costs and increase profitability (Shutt 1994). Activity name Project Leader Estimated start Estimated finish Market Analysis of Service Differentiation Len 4-Jan-09 4-Mar-09 Market Analysis of Relationship Management Len 20-Jan-09 21-Feb-09 Market Analysis of Marketing Mix Len 6-Feb-09 16-Apr-09 Restructuring from Hierarchical to Decentralised Gordon and Frank 24-Feb-09 25-Apr-09 Communication Pathways Open Door Policy Gordon and Frank 8-Mar-09 18-Mar-09 Communication Pathways Between Regional Offices Gordon and Frank 19-Mar-09 29-Apr-09 Examination of Job Roles Gordon and Frank 10-Apr-09 20-Apr-09 Examination of Training Gordon and Frank 10-Apr-09 22-Jun-09 Examination of Employee Resources Gordon and Frank 18-Apr-09 30-Aug-09 Supply and Production Analysis Sammy 30-Jun-09 30-Aug-09 Quality and Effectiveness Analysis Frank 30-Aug-09 21-Jul-09 Regional Market Analysis Frank 14-Jun-09 12-Aug-09 Figure 4 Milestones Canter M.R. (1994) Resource Management for Construction, London: Macmillan Finkel, Gregory (1996) Economics For Construction Industry. London: M.E. Sharpe Rockley L.E. (1984) Finance for the Non-Accountant, USA: Business Books Shutt R.C. (1995) Economics for the Construction Industry, London: Longman

Deception Point Page 34

Tolland looked only partially comforted, his relief apparently clouded by a deeper mystery. â€Å"I can't be for sure without a microscope,† Tolland said, â€Å"but it looks to me like this is a bioluminescent plankton from the phylum Pyrrophyta. Its name means fire plant. The Arctic Ocean is filled with it.† Corky shrugged. â€Å"So why'd you ask if they were from space?† â€Å"Because,† Tolland said, â€Å"the meteorite was buried in glacial ice-fresh water from snowfalls. The water in that hole is glacial melt and has been frozen for three centuries. How could ocean creatures get in there?† Tolland's point brought a long silence. Rachel stood at the edge of the pool and tried to get her mind around what she was looking at. Bioluminescent plankton in the extraction shaft. What does it mean? â€Å"There's got to be a crack somewhere down there,† Tolland said. â€Å"It's the only explanation. The plankton must have entered the shaft through a fissure in the ice that allowed ocean water to seep in.† Rachel didn't understand. â€Å"Seep in? From where?† She recalled her long IceRover ride in from the ocean. â€Å"The coast is a good two miles from here.† Both Corky and Tolland gave Rachel an odd look. â€Å"Actually,† Corky said, â€Å"the ocean is directly underneath us. This slab of ice is floating.† Rachel stared at the two men, feeling utterly perplexed. â€Å"Floating? But†¦ we're on a glacier.† â€Å"Yes, we're on a glacier,† Tolland said, â€Å"but we're not over land. Glaciers sometimes flow off a landmass and fan out over water. Because ice is lighter than water, the glacier simply continues to flow, floating out over the ocean like an enormous ice raft. That's the definition of an ice shelf†¦ the floating section of a glacier.† He paused. â€Å"We're actually almost a mile out to sea at the moment.† Shocked, Rachel instantly became wary. As she adjusted her mental picture of her surroundings, the thought of standing over the Arctic Ocean brought with it a sense of fear. Tolland seemed to sense her uneasiness. He stamped his foot reassuringly on the ice. â€Å"Don't worry. This ice is three hundred feet thick, with two hundred of those feet floating below the water like an ice cube in a glass. Makes the shelf very stable. You could build a skyscraper on this thing.† Rachel gave a wan nod, not entirely convinced. The misgivings aside, she now understood Tolland's theory about the origins of the plankton. He thinks there's a crack that goes all the way down to the ocean, allowing plankton to come up through it into the hole. It was feasible, Rachel decided, and yet it involved a paradox that bothered her. Norah Mangor had been very clear about the integrity of the glacier, having drilled dozens of test cores to confirm its solidity. Rachel looked at Tolland. â€Å"I thought the glacier's perfection was the cornerstone of all the strata-dating records. Didn't Dr. Mangor say the glacier had no cracks or fissures?† Corky frowned. â€Å"Looks like the ice queen muffed it.† Don't say that too loudly, Rachel thought, or you'll get an ice pick in the back. Tolland stroked his chin as he watched the phosphorescing creatures. â€Å"There's literally no other explanation. There must be a crack. The weight of the ice shelf on top of the ocean must be pushing plankton-rich sea-water up into the hole.† One hell of a crack, Rachel thought. If the ice here was three hundred feet thick and the hole was two hundred feet deep, then this hypothetical crack had to pass through a hundred feet of solid ice. Norah Mangor's test cores showed no cracks. â€Å"Do me a favor,† Tolland said to Corky. â€Å"Go find Norah. Let's hope to God she knows something about this glacier that she's not telling us. And find Ming, too, maybe he can tell us what these little glow-beasties are.† Corky headed off. â€Å"Better hurry,† Tolland called after him, glancing back into the hole. â€Å"I could swear this bioluminescence is fading.† Rachel looked at the hole. Sure enough, the green was not so brilliant now. Tolland removed his parka and lay down on the ice next to the hole. Rachel watched, confused. â€Å"Mike?† â€Å"I want to find out if there's any saltwater flowing in.† â€Å"By lying on the ice without a coat?† â€Å"Yup.† Tolland crawled on his belly to the edge of the hole. Holding one sleeve of the coat over the edge, he let the other sleeve dangle down the shaft until the cuff skimmed the water. â€Å"This is a highly accurate salinity test used by world-class oceanographers. It's called ‘licking a wet jacket.'† Out on the ice shelf, Delta-One struggled with the controls, trying to keep the damaged microbot in flight over the group now assembled around the excavation pit. From the sounds of the conversation beneath, he knew things were unraveling fast. â€Å"Call the controller,† he said. â€Å"We've got a serious problem.† 40 Gabrielle Ashe had taken the White House public tour many times in her youth, secretly dreaming of someday working inside the presidential mansion and becoming part of the elite team that charted the country's future. At the moment, however, she would have preferred to be anywhere else in the world. As the Secret Serviceman from the East Gate led Gabrielle into an ornate foyer, she wondered what in the world her anonymous informant was trying to prove. Inviting Gabrielle into the White House was insane. What if I'm seen? Gabrielle had become quite visible lately in the media as Senator Sexton's right-hand aide. Certainly someone would recognize her. â€Å"Ms. Ashe?† Gabrielle looked up. A kind-faced sentry in the foyer gave her a welcoming smile. â€Å"Look over there, please.† He pointed. Gabrielle looked where he was pointing and was blinded by a flashbulb. â€Å"Thank you, ma'am.† The sentry led her to a desk and handed her a pen. â€Å"Please sign the entry log.† He pushed a heavy leather binder in front of her. Gabrielle looked at the log. The page before her was blank. She recalled hearing once that all White House visitors sign on their own blank page to preserve the privacy of their visit. She signed her name. So much for a secret meeting. Gabrielle walked through a metal detector, and was then given a cursory pat down. The sentry smiled. â€Å"Enjoy your visit, Ms. Ashe.† Gabrielle followed the Secret Serviceman fifty feet down a tiled hallway to a second security desk. Here, another sentry was assembling a guest pass that was just rolling out of a lamination machine. He punched a hole in it, affixed a neck cord, and slipped it over Gabrielle's head. The plastic was still warm. The photo on the ID was the snapshot they had taken fifteen seconds earlier down the hall. Gabrielle was impressed. Who says government is inefficient? They continued, the Secret Serviceman leading her deeper into the White House complex. Gabrielle was feeling more uneasy with every step. Whoever had extended the mysterious invitation certainly was not concerned about keeping the meeting private. Gabrielle had been issued an official pass, signed the guest log, and was now being marched in plain view through the first floor of the White House where public tours were gathered. â€Å"And this is the China Room,† a tour guide was saying to a group of tourists, â€Å"home of Nancy Reagan's $952 per setting red-rimmed china that sparked a debate over conspicuous consumption back in 1981.† The Secret Serviceman led Gabrielle past the tour toward a huge marble staircase, where another tour was ascending. â€Å"You are about to enter the thirty-two-hundred-square-foot East Room,† the guide was narrating, â€Å"where Abigail Adams once hung John Adams's laundry. Then we will pass to the Red Room, where Dolley Madison liquored up visiting heads of state before James Madison negotiated with them.†

Stalin did more harm than good to Russia

The role of Joseph Stalin in the history of post-revolutionary Russia is remarkable as well as the history of the USSR itself. Stalin is associated with great purges, repressions, victory over the bloodiest regime in the WWII, mass deportations and the executions. Stalin’s name is also associated with the huge industrial raise of the USSR at the pre-WWII period, forcible collectivization of peasants and relocation of hundreds of thousands of people. He is also responsible for the bloodiest repression system known as Gulag and suppression of any manifestations of oppositions.The roots of â€Å"the red terror† in Russia go back to the attempt of assassination of Lenin in 1918. The thesis of â€Å"class struggle† became the dominating one and the ideology of the newly established state was programmed for the violence. This thesis correlated with the general course of the Bolshevik’s propaganda of the â€Å"global revolution† and establishing the Commun ist rule globally as the final aim. Joseph Stalin, a student of the Orthodox seminary in Georgia was grasped with the ideas of Karl Marx and joined the students in their protests against tsar.Stalin joined the radical organizations attempting to protest against authorities, was arrested by police and exiled to Siberia. Stalin escaped in Siberia several times, made friends with Lenin and became growing in the hierarchy of the Communist Party. After the revolution of 1917 he took the leading posts in the Communist Party. He took on the roles of political commissar for the Red Army during the civil war, and was the editor of Pravda translated as â€Å"truth,† In these capacities, Stalin was able to become a powerful figure within the party, but he did make enemies.One of them was another key revolutionary figure, a man named Leon Trotsky. By 1922, Stalin was powerful enough to take on the role of General Secretary of the Communist Party. 1 After the end of the Civil War the Bols heviks started to re-evaluate the political course. There were several groups advocating various ways of the future development. Before his death in 1924 Lenin warned his colleagues on the rudeness of Stalin and Stalin opponents tried to get the chance to back him from the power.Stalin presented an argument that Lenin before his death was sick and all his warnings should not have been taken seriously. Ideologically Stalin in contrast to Trotsky advocated an idea of building the socialism in the particular taken country. It contradicted the idea of the global proletarian revolution supported by Trotsky and his followers. Before his death Lenin introduced NEP, the new economic policy based on the partial liberalization of economy, turning it partially to the private sector. This measure was considered to be temporal and brought certain results.Before the revolution Russia was one of the main exporters of grain. After getting power Stalin took certain steps to renew the image of Russia as the main grain exporter. The former economic relations had been destroyed and the new ones were not built. The first wave of repression known as collectivization began. Peasants were forced to enter the collective farms, more or less well-to-do peasants were exiled and their property was confiscated. The military units collected the harvest by force and sent the products to cities.The repression machine started working and people were prosecuted and sent to prison even for to gleaning. One of the most striking phenomena of the 30’s Soviet Union was famine which burst out even in the rural regions of Ukraine famous for its fertile soil. The agricultural products were forcibly collected and sent to the cities. Of course, Stalin was responsible for this. Meanwhile the inner ideological struggle between the Communist Party leaders was going on. Stalin tried to eliminate any influence of the exiled Trotsky.The advocates of the Stalin’s rule stated that the situation of the USSR was difficult, it was surrounded by the countries with the hostile according to Lenin ideologies and the country needed the strong leader to renew the industry and provide the economic growth. Having nothing but the repressive machine Stalin started the great renewal of the industry. The huge repressive machine started its operations in 1936 after the assassination of Kirov in 1934. Huge formation described by Alexander Solzhenitsyn as â€Å"Archipelago Gulag† was established.GULAG is the abbreviation from Russian of Main Department of Prisons. NKVD (secret police) tried to unmask imaginary anti-Stalin conspiracies throughout the country. One of the most tragic consequences of the Stalin’s repression was the elimination of the Soviet military elite before the WWII. Almost all outstanding military leaders were repressed and executed. At the same time all remarkable pre-WWII industrial achievements were associated with Stalin and mass repressions. Article 58 of the criminal code presupposed severe repressions for being â€Å"the people’s enemy†.The interpretation of the code was very broad. The representatives of intelligentsia, science, and army were imprisoned according to this article. This article could be applied to anyone and condemned had to work hard building the hydropower stations, plants, roads and channels. The cheap labor of Gulag was the main reason of the industrial achievements of the 30’s. At the same time the cult of the Stalin’s personality was steadily growing. A number of songs, poems and films were devoted to â€Å"the Father of Peoples†.The adoration was reaching absurd forms very often and it was nothing more but fear to be repressed moved the Stalin’s admirers. This is one of the examples of widely used odes to Stalin: O great Stalin, O leader of the peoples, Thou who broughtest man to birth. Thou who fructifies the earth, Thou who restorest to centuries, Thou who makest bl oom the spring, Thou who makest vibrate the musical chords†¦ Thou, splendour of my spring, O thou, Sun reflected by millions of hearts. 2 The USSR was completely unprepared to the WWII known as the Great Patriotic War in the history of the Soviet Union.It is very complicated issue to discuss the reasons of the war but the role of Stalin was remarkable. By 1941 when German fascists attacked the USSR the personality cult of Stalin was successfully formed and played its certain (though questionable) role in the consolidation of the nation. The political biography of Stalin is a remarkable phenomenon. Millions of people were executed and the bloodiest human hating fascist regime was eliminated. He turned the theory of socialism upside down; he replaced the original thesis â€Å"socialism for people† by his own â€Å"people for socialism†.His saying â€Å"there is no problems if there is no a person† reflects his style of leadership. Outstanding scientists were intentionally imprisoned to work in the secret closed scientific institutes developing the mass destruction weapon. Stalin played his certain positive role in the WWII, but the causes and consequences of the war have not been yet still clearly defined. The victory over Nazism is sometimes presented as the Stalin’s personal achievement and historians sometimes don’t care about the 200 million people and brilliant military leaders who directed Soviet soldiers.The historical evaluation is very difficult thing and the responsibility of Stalin for genocide against the Soviet people is unquestionable. At the same time the dictators are not just villains. This would be a very simplified approach. Soviet people under the guidance of Stalin built one of the world’s most powerful economies though it cost millions of innocent victims. The Soviet leader of the 60’s Nikita Khrushev admitted and unmasked the cult of personality of Stalin but system changes took place o nly in late 80’s under the guidance of Gorbachev

2nd Class Citizens In Greek Society Essays - Free Essays

2nd Class Citizens In Greek Society Essays - Free Essays 2nd Class Citizens in Greek Society Throughout human history the roles of women and men have been defined in part by physiology and in part by the attitudes conveyed by those who hold power and influence. In ancient history, societies were centered around women and the worshipping of goddesses. These roles changed quickly as hunting and warfare became increasingly more important and women's less powerful physique placed them in a weaker position. Just prior to the Hellenistic Age, three men wrote of their times, and of their perceptions, attitudes and ideas regarding men, women, and civilization. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles we get a glimpse inside the life and tragic misfortunes of a royal family. Thucydides wrote a history of the Peloponnesian war, and in his recounting of Pericles' Funeral Oration the duties and benefits of Athenians were revealed. Plato's The Republic, was a philosophical dialogue covering the times as they were and how he felt they possibly could be better. In each of these works t! he roles of women are revealed not only through their position within the community but also through the relation of the benefits and rights men enjoyed which women were denied. During the time of Sophocles, the Greek population led a simplistic life enjoying a dynamic life of festivals, light work loads and the attendance of compulsory dramas paid for by the state for human enhancement. The Greek population consisted of free men, free women and slaves. Men were at the top of the hierarchy enjoying all the benefits provided by their civilization; involvement in politics, ownership of property, influence, and the freedom to chose their actions. Women on the other hand were primarily delegated to keeping up and nurturing the appearances of society; care of the home and children, upkeep of possessions, and more importantly upkeep of their husbands reputations and honor. Throughout Sophocles' Oedipus Rex the values that make a good citizen (that being a free male) are introduced. These include being humble before the gods, being responsible for your actions while having respect for humans and for the instructions of the gods. The expectations and roles of women are also shown through the actions of Jocasta the queen in comparison with the actions of her husband Oedipus. Jocasta is not entitled to as much public power as her husband, her role is in the background, helping direct him privately and always caring to keep up his reputation. She says during one of Oedipus's public outbursts, "Into the palace now. And Creon, you go home. Why make such a furor over nothing?"1, while at another time she submissively says, "...But do let's go inside. I'd never displease you, least of all in this."2 This weak and dependent perception of women is evidenced even more when hearing Oedipus talk of his children to Creon, "... my daughters, my poor helpless girls, clustering at our table, never without me hovering over them ... take care of them, I beg you."3 He continues saying to his children; "How I weep for you ...just thinking of all your days to come, the bitterness, the life that rough mankind will thrust upon you. Where are the public gatherings you can join, the banquets of the clans? ...And when you reach perfection, ripe for marriage, who will he be, my dear ones? ... Who will marry you then? Not a man on earth. Your doom is clear: you'll wither away to nothing, single, without a child."4 When Jocasta and Oedipus finally hear that their fate has indeed come to pass, the actions of each are very different, but also very indicative of their perspective roles. Oedipus takes a powerful stance by inflicting a life-long punishment on himself. Jocasta takes the meeker route, by hanging herself she saves herself from the dishonor of having to live with the knowledge of her fateful actions, and from the terribly rough life she would have being stigmatized and being forced to live without a proper husband and provider. By the time of the Peloponnesian War, the status of women had not changed much. Although women were allowed to own some amount of property, the daily management of that property was the responsibility of her husband. A women's

Essay Sample on HR Technique during Periods of Change and Uncertainty

Essay Sample on HR Technique during Periods of Change and Uncertainty It is widely believed that one can fool anybody for all time, one can fool everybody for a short time but it is impossible to fool everybody for all time. This is the focal point of the above statement. I believe that an organization is a long termed project and not just a sort termed profit making scam. To attain success in the long term and attain success an organization must look into issues that would help the organization in the long term. One such issue is to maintain sustainability over a long period of time and to attain sustainability the most important variable related to an organization is Trust with a capital T. It is this trust that helps an organization to be fruitful and develop. By using the word trust it is not meant to be applicable to any specific firm or individual. It is not only applicable towards clients and suppliers but it is relevant to everybody associated with the company or organization. This principle could be formulated into a HR technique that would yield surplus in the long run. Trust is not just about the stake holders of the company but more so it is applicable towards its employees too. There is no meaning of showing a bright future where there is none; rather it would be far more positive attitude to reveal everything that is true about the organization. It is not only a moral approach but a trust building operation that would prove to be helpful in future and a HR manager would never let go a chance to win the faith of a worker. (Mukherjee, 28) Revealing the open truth about the company is the most effective way of taking an employee into complete confidence. If you need a custom essay, research paper, thesis, term paper, dissertation on Management, Business or other discipline feel free to contact our professional custom writing service.

Journal 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Journal 2 - Essay Example Barfing is something that is universal and yet so private, which makes it a perfect symbol of identity. Myles is telling a story about her political sestina, and then she narrates a story concerning a boat of barfers. She wants to puke herself because of her poem and her own feelings for it. She wants to express her sincere emotions, like a barf would have. In real life, however, it is hard to be â€Å"real† without being judged as fake. I believe she wants to say that to puke is â€Å"to be,† in the terms of â€Å"identity.† To puke is utterly natural in a most disgusting way. Who said it is disgusting anyway? Why cannot people freely barf without being judged? In other words, why cannot people be who they are and who they want to be with without feeling the disgusted eyes of the people around them? Myles is showing the way to knowing thyself through the art of barfing the inner contents of oneself. Myles’ relationship with her mother is troubled and the center of her barfing because as her mother, she is her foundation as a person. Myles, nevertheless, admits her complex relationship with the woman who gave birth to her. On the one hand, she wants to be near her again. I want to confirm with Myles if it is for companionship. Does she want to be with her mother because of her failed relationships with other women? She might be craving for comfort from the original woman of her life. Or, Myles might be blaming her mother for controlling her life, so she might as well suffer with her. Despite the restless emotions, Myles understands that her mother has not completely destroyed her. Living with her mother has turned her into a puke hater. She must have wanted to puke because she has a hard time being who she is with her mother. Myles cannot directly express her identity to her mother. Puking is her release. It is her way of â€Å"being† without being so blatant about it. Forming and

Program and culture class in architecture Assignment

Program and culture class in architecture - Assignment Example I have particularly chosen this site because it presents a different culture from my own. I come from Indonesia and would like to experience a different culture. A sizeable number of customers attends the cafà © and as such, the number will be enough to draw meaningful conclusion. Riverside Public Library is one of the smallest libraries in the United States and I can easily access it since it is public. It is not congested like other public libraries and as such, I can easily conduct my study there. People attend the library from different cultural background and my visit there will provide me with an opportunity to mix and interact with different cultures. I will be able to identify one fellow who will introduce me to the place. The grocery is located with the Guatemalteca Bakery Restaurant and offers Guatemalan and Latin American foods. It is visited by a sizeable number of people and is accessible to members of the public. Since It is mostly attended my Latin American people, I will get an opportunity to interact with the new