Media Convergence Essay

What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? For technology, media convergence is when different media come together to do a similar task. The poster child for this is the smart phone. Smart phones are used to talk, text, email, social network, school, business, web browsing, and take picture and video. There are things that I’m sure I missed, but the smart phone has become the epicenter of technological convergence. I spend a lot of my time on my phone posting and promoting for my business. I make jewelry, cat pads, and blankets so I make my items, take a picture, post it to my Etsy page, and promote my store with my phone. When I get an order, I get an email to my phone I contact the buyer for details, and take payments all with my phone. With going to school, I need to check up on the forums to read and respond per class requirements. It makes it easy to do my schoolwork when I’m not home at my laptop. I can pull up the reading for the class on my document reader on my phone and catch up while I’m out and about. I have a six month old and I love taking his picture! I take his picture and post it on Facebook, Instagram, and send it to my family. My family lives in another state so I use my phone to do FaceTime with them so we can see each other all the time. The smartphone has made productivity so much easier because it’s all in one place and instant gratification is satisfied. For some people, the smartphone has become a big distraction and a burden. I think that cell phones, in general, have done damage to people’s grammar and spelling. They use shorthand and abbreviations for words and have forgotten the rule of your and you’re because they are using the shorthand ur. It’s sad.

African American Politicians

During the reconstruction era over two thousand African Americans served in federal, state, and local offices. Information on these individuals is difficult to find, seeing as during this time black lawmakers were condemned as subhuman, and in no need of documentation. Eric Foner, author of Black Politicians in the Reconstruction Era, stated that of the two thousand he only found about 1465 for his book. A great deal of the information on these men and the offices they held was obscure and incorrect. Many scholars had false information about the education level of these African American lawmakers. For example, many scholars claimed that most black delegates to the Georgia convention were illiterate, actually twenty-two of these thirty-seven could read and write. This was impressive seeing as it was against the law in many states for African Americans to be taught how to read or write. The basic research on these politicians was not done because these scholars thought they knew all they needed to know. These lawmakers were black; many were ex-slaves, so they must have been ignorant, corrupt, and incompetent, this was the stereotype, but it was not so! Many of the African American leaders saw fit to educate themselves. Men like John Roy Lynch, who took time off from his photographer†s studio to observe a white classroom from across an alley. He continued this until he had mastered all of the classes taught there. Situations like this show the desire and determination these men had to learn. He used this training to become speaker of the Mississippi house and later a member of congress. These are only two of the many examples of African Americans who self educated themselves in a time when African Americans were banned from education. Others did have a formal education. In South Carolina, State Treasurer Francis L. Cardozo attended Glasgow and London. He was a minister in New Haven and a principal for the School for Blacks in Charleston. These were better credentials than some white politicians had. Economically black politicians were in no way reaping the monetary rewards that Conservatives and white carpetbaggers enjoyed. While African Americans status impressive compared to other freedmen, most could not translate political power into a share of the economic growth of their states. Even prominent leaders such as Hiram Revels, who was the first the first black man to serve in the United States Senate sometimes found it necessary to take small loans from white politicians to meet every day expense. The reconstruction era was a difficult time for African American politicians. In a time when negative stereotypes where all too common, and the color of your skin determined your level of intelligence in the eyes of many. Black leaders had to work twice as hard to accomplish half as much. An extremely relevant point, and a credit to the African American politicians was the fact that there was a very small amount of vindictiveness in their actions and words. They had no dreams or desires to take advantage, or become greedy with the power they were beginning to acquire. They seemed more fixated on receiving what they thought they were entitled to. Beverly Nash, a member of the South Carolina convention, asserted in his first speech, â€Å"the white man is a true friend of the black man. He went on to say, â€Å"I you could see the scroll of the society that banner represents, you would see the white man and the black man standing with their arms locked together, as the type of friendship we desire. † Even when some leaders such as Henry McNeal Turner, who was almost universally disliked by whites, still did what he could to assist in helping the white economy recover its economic strength. Even after all that was done to them, the black leaders held no resentment, and worked for the benefites of blacks and whites as a whole. In conclusion, there are many misconceptions about African American leaders during the era of reconstruction. From their level of education, to the positions they held, and the lifestyles they lead. Black leaders were equally, if not more qualified than their white counter parts for political positions. Unfortunately they were not being compensated in the same manner as the white politicians.

Cell phones and the dangers of them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cell phones and the dangers of them - Essay Example Cell phones should not be banned, but its' usage should be limited. Can you remember the last time you walked down the street, or sat in a caf, or engaged in any public activity and did not see a cellular phone In just about every public place a cell phone would be visible as would be ring tones of the latest sound track and in different languages. Cell phones have become so common that it is likely to see a group of friends hanging out together but each engaged in a conversation with someone else on their cell phone. The use of cell phones cannot be avoided, whether it's a business man calling to check on his appointments, or a mom calling to check on her kids, or just teenagers calling to talk with friends; whatever the reason might be, cell phones are being used by just about everyone. Who is using and why they are using cell phones are the obvious questions with simple answers. The main question to address then arises, is using a cell phone really dangerous and what can we do about it It is important to note that cellular phones are still considered a new invention and it is too soon to tell if serious health problems are really caused by using such devices. However, a lot of research has been conducted in the past few years and many of the researchers are having a controversial debate to the severity of the problems caused by cell phones. According to www.cancer.org, "some recent studies have suggested that long-term use of cell phones may increase the risk of acoustic neuroma, a rare tumor that develops in the nerves near the inner ears."1 Even though this study has not been hundred percent certified as of yet, it is still something serious to look into. Would you really like to continue using cell phones thinking there is a possible you might develop a "rare tumor" All of a sudden, the prospect of having long conversations about nothing in particular does not seem very appealing. There are many ways to deal with this problem though. Just because a suspicion tells us that there is a possibility of a health-risk does not necessarily mean we should all panic and throw out our phones. As indicated by the Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health and the Federal Communications Commission, "If there is a risk from these products -- and at this point we do not know that there is -- it is probably very small." 1 For those users who are still not convinced and suspect that cell phone poses a great threat to their health, they are advised to limit their cell phone conversations. Another helpful way to prevent health issues is to wear a headset instead of putting the cellular to your ear, that way the cell phone itself has less direct contact to your head and cell tissues. 1 Yet, there are other sources that state the risk of health-related problems from cell phones is neither a suspicion nor a myth, but rather a fact. According to British physicist Dr. Gerald Hyland, "If mobile phones were a type of food, they simply would not be licensed."2 That is a very strong statement to make about an obvious safety question and concern. In another cancer related website, Dr. Gerald Hyland is quoted again and this website does not talk about mere suspicions but rather addresses the matter in a very serious manner. To focus on why cell phones are possibly considered unsafe, the website explains that the cell

Vermiculture Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Vermiculture Technology - Essay Example However, a collection of warms with different feeding styles is preferred. This may include column feeders, burrowing feeders and surface feeders, which do not pose a competition for nutrients, but in the process compliments each other in the feeding process. The worms work in a similar way as in natural decomposition pits; they disintegrate organic matter into small fragments. In the process, they breathe and promote fermentation of the nutrient content. A vermicompost also contains microbes, which aid in the decomposition process. In the event that the materials are depleted, the worm poop and the content are ready for harvesting. The technology is generally cheap and easy to practice for both large and small-scale farmers. The farmer needs to rear the worms in pits, about 3m deep. Broken bricks and earthwork are placed at the bottom to provide for good drainage, the base materials be then covered with a thin layer of cow dung. The materials to be decomposed are then introduced into the pit and water sprinkled to create a conducive environment for the worms. Finally, the worms are introduced to initiate the process (Graft, 2001). Non-continuous- this type of bin involves placing the bedding materials at the base of the bin the adding materials to be decomposed in layers above each other. The worms will then feed on the materials uniformly up the bin. Its major disadvantage in that the entire content of the bin have to be emptied for harvesting. Continuous vertical bin- A series of trays arranged vertically are used in this process. Materials in the order of bedding-worms-organic matter is placed in the bottom tray and finally sealed with a layer of rich bedding. When the worms are through with the content of the lower tray, they move upwards and the lower tray can be harvested. Continuous horizontal bins- the trays are arranged in a horizontal manner, the materials

Male circumcision as an hiv control stategies and not a natural condom Essay

Male circumcision as an hiv control stategies and not a natural condom - Essay Example Reproductive Health Matters, the safest way to prevent HIV infections is still to use a condom rather than relying on assumptions which are yet to be proven sufficiently (Bonner, 2001). Bonner is of the opinion that unless certain facts are not proven practically, it is unwise to adopt and follow such assumptions. The facts to be proven encompass umpteenth number of issues such as the reason and the way how circumcision is risk-free, the exact relationship between circumcision status and the remaining STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections). Also, Bonner is still waiting for an answer backed by sufficient evidence that whether or not positive result found in high-risk populations will reap equal results in case of other general groups. However, according to Updegrove, various conclusions insist that uncircumcised males tend to suffer from higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases (Updegrove, 2001). The same has been coherently acknowledged by Ronald Gray and his team with similar mindset (Gray, Kigozi & Serwadda, et al, 2007). Other think-tanks, Bailey, Plummer and Moses, all consider circumcision as an anti-HIV measure (Bailey, Plummer & Moses, 2001). Newell and Barnighausen have gone on to confirm that male circumcision cuts down HIV risk even in the general population (Newell & Barnighausen, 2007). Nevertheless, it should be noted that all the above think-tanks do reveal a certain level of uncertainty in expressing their perspectives. Hence, the two completely distinct recommendations; whether or not to replace condoms with circumcision appear to be a highly perplexing issue. Bonner highlights an investigation according to which circumcised men reveal higher occurrence of genital discharge (Bonner, 2001). He puts forward a French report which reveals that both circumcised as well as uncircumcised men exhibit almost same state of HPV incidence which plays a vital role in cervical cancer (Bonner, 2001). By referencing an American case, Bonner diligently

Effects of Media Reporting War, Terrorism and Dissent Essay

Effects of Media Reporting War, Terrorism and Dissent - Essay Example An undeniable truth on modern media influences is our unconscionable act of media outlets delivering stories in such a fashion as to downplaying three important aspects of our attitudes: "importance of things, value of things and reality of things" (McKee, 2005:18) The public sphere is metaphorically speaking "a domain of our social life, where such a thing as public opinion can be formed [where] citizens deal with matters of general interest without being subjected to coercion [to] express and publicize their views. (Habermas, 1997:103)" (McKee, 2005:9). This is particularly resonant in how modern society has progressed from dealing with conflicts through attrition and war with its citizens and in fact wherein "cultures that are structured by values of equality, freedom, justice and comfort." (McKee, 2005:9) As we are continually inundated with social inequalities and conflicts, our opinion and objections are often subjective through the efforts of the media outlets that will garner our astonishment, atonement or impaired judgment with respect to the true situation that we are not privy to. One of the many problems with the media influence as it is today tends to emasculate public culture through making it "too spectacular, too trivialized, too commercialized and too apathetic". (McKee, 2005:3) Many of our sources of information, be it small, large, sensationalized or derived, the general public is left with accepting the knowledge on its merits or questioning the entire relevance. Unfortunately, our ability to succumb to the reporting of the story as factual in its entirety or a flight of fancy, the power of the media will be forever at the forefront of modern culture and there is a necessity to have these stories or events properly recorded and researched prior to being accepted as truthful in nature. Values of Reporting War, Terrorism and Dissent An important function of this paper is to take away an objective viewpoint of both the values perceived or real from what is derived by reporters and book authors. Basically, anyone who has any influence over public opinion. In the article by R. Manne Introduction in Do Not Disturb: Is the Media Failing Australia (pgs 1 - 13) it discusses how an author is capable of destroying years of reputable research, discussion and public empathy toward a native people's entire culture and existence by publishing an entirely fabricated story. The author of such injustices toward the Aboriginal people's historical suffering and massacre in Australia and what the public had come to understand about its tawdry and shameful acts by the British settlers toward the Aboriginal people, sparked outcry by many scholars. This type of misrepresentation of information within a single novel proved how much of an influence that reporters or authors have with respect to delivering truths or falsehoods. As the general public is, as it seems, susceptible to being accepted by their piers and do not want to go against mass opinion be it negative or positive, these types of authors thrive on public acceptance even if what they write is entirely unproven or fabricated in telling of the facts. Reporting Dissent As many viewers of media representation for

Analyse the change process during the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft and Essay

Analyse the change process during the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft and critically evaluate the management of that change process - Essay Example When Kraft took over Cadbury, this was a major change that was disruptive to the Cadbury organisation, which had implications for the all the stakeholders involved. Included in the stakeholders was the UK government, which rebuked the organisation for shuttering a plant that it promised to keep open. The workers felt job insecurity. However, the change was not all bad, as both companies gained market share throughout the world. This essay will examine the changes that were made, including the mistakes that Kraft made, and how the change affected all the stakeholders involved. Cadbury Nature of Change The triggers for change The triggers and forces promoting the change was that Kraft, in September of 2009, offered a takeover for Cadbury, valuing it at the time at ?10.2 billion (Wearden, 2010). This offer was initially rejected. Kraft eventually went hostile without a change in terms, despite the fact that Cadbury upped its sales and profit margins, along with a warning that the firm, Cadbury, would lose its unique culture if Kraft took it over. In the end, despite Cadbury's resistance to the takeover, Cadbury's board recommended that the firm be sold to Kraft for ?12 billion (Wearden, 2010). The triggers for change, in this case, was that Kraft wanted to expand its brand, and Cadbury was struggling in the marketplace. In applying the models of change, one of the pertinent models is that of Lewin’s Force Field Model. In this model, an organisation is beset by driving forces on one side and resisting forces on the other. Change upsets the equilibrium of the company, and the driving forces for change are opportunities and threats (Lewin, 1951). The driving force in this case was Kraft’s will to obtain the company, by any means, because it wanted to expand its market share. The resisting forces came when Cadbury repeatedly rejected Kraft’s offers, and, finally, Kraft had to take the company in a hostile takeover (Wearden, 2010). The opportunity that was represented by change was that both companies could gain market share. The threats was that Kraft’s takeover would threaten jobs, and would make workers, and the UK government, feel insecure about the future of the Cadbury company. Another model that is applicable is Lewin’s Ice Cube model. This assumes that there must be a transition state, that is the unfreezing of people’s beliefs – beliefs are frozen, and they must unfreeze for there to be change. The present state is the frozen belief system, while the desired state is what occurs after the beliefs are unfrozen, change takes place, and there is a new desired state that takes the place of the old belief system (Lewin, 1951). This is applicable in the Kraft case, as people in the Cadbury firm had a certain corporate culture and belief system, which is explained below, and they had to learn to adopt a new culture which was imposed by Kraft.

Diversity in the work force. HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity in the work force. HR - Essay Example (Hubbard) In the modern business context, it is widely considered that the existence of diversity at the workforce and the effective management of such help in augmenting the profit position of the companies. It is seen that the diversified workforce helps in formulating strategies for marketing activities. Moreover, the diversified workforce also helps in citing effective problem-solving techniques. The diversified workforce group also enables the organization to innovate newer products and processes. The above facts are dealt with in an elaborative manner. (Hubbard) The modern practice of trade and commercial activities reflect the effect of globalization in them. It is because due to the restructuring of the communication industry the world has been reduced to a global village. Moreover, the opening up of the markets has led to the business organizations to cater to a large number of customers spread throughout the world. The global image brought about in the firms has greatly helped in increasing of sales and revenue due to widespread business expansion. The Japanese Car Manufacturing companies are becoming conscious of the fact that in United States the women consumers in the automobile segment are fast increasing. Again, the industrial sector focusing on the consumer goods segment is also widely conscious that American population is gradually being filled up with immigrants from several Asian and Latin American nations. Thus, a general advertisement or marketing strategy made for a product or service in America lapses in drawing proper atte ntion from the diversified American population. (Hubbard) The enhancement of the performance parameters of the firm based on revenue generation and profitability is increasingly related to the increased participation of the diversified workforce in problem-solving exercises. It is found that the workforce consisting of people coming

Future Farmers of America Association Essay Example for Free

Future Farmers of America Association Essay Can you believe that the National FFA Organization (Future Farmers of America) has over 400,000 members and growing in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and The Virgin Islands? The FFA is a National Organization devoted to teaching and introducing students to agricultural education. It has introduced a large impact on students, changed their views on agriculture, and given them the chances to carry them out. The history of FFA is quite a long one, starting back in 1925, when four agricultural education teachers organized the Future Farmers of Virginia, which would serve as a model for FFA, as well as the New Farmers of America. Then, in 1930, at the third National Convention, national competitions were restricted to only male competitors. The official creed, written by E. M. Tiffany, and official colors, national blue and corn gold, were adopted this year as well. In 1933, Ohio FFA members wore blue corduroy jackets with the FFA emblem printed on the back, and those were later immersed into the official uniform. Soon after, the NFA and the FFV merged together with the FFA. Later on, in 1988, the organizations name was changed from Future Farmers of America to FFA Organization and membership was extended to middle school students. Lastly, in 2006, the National Convention was at its maximum attendance, with a jaw-dropping amount of about fifty thousand attendants! The history if FFA will continue to become more memorable as long as new members join. The FFA training sequence consists of several areas, pertaining specifically to the SAE program, career opportunities, and chapter meetings. The Supervised Agricultural Experience, or SAE, Program is used to carry out a knowledgeable agriculture project. The project workers are often helped by their chapter advisor, depending on what area of study the project is from, choosing from ag production, food science, forestry, ag sales/ service, and horticulture. In some chapters, members are permitted to visit the chapter’s greenhouses/farms to expand and further pursue Ag education. They can choose to extend their knowledge in fields like farm economics, marketing, computer science, and biotechnology. Through chapter meetings, members will learn and develop public speaking skills and working for others. There are several activities to compete in and degrees to earn and receive in FFA. Members compete at local, state, and national levels in the fields of public speaking, Ag mechanics, dairy-cattle, livestock, poultry, dairy food, meat, and rabbit evaluations, floriculture, ornamental horticulture, parliamentary procedures, and nursery/ landscaping skills. The FFA also gives out four degrees to its members. The Discovery Degree is given to seventh and eight grade students. The Greenhand Degree is given to high school freshmen with knowledge, goals, and skills of FFA. After completing two semesters of Ag course work, you receive the Chapter Degree, with which you are entitled to wear a silver pin. The last degree, the State Degree, is obtained for outstanding achievements and for development of leadership skills. The receiver, however, must have also worked at least a minimum of 300 unpaid hours, and they receive with this honor a golden emblem pin. The FFA is definetly one of the younger organizations in the U. S. But, throughout the last ten years, it has delivered a tremendous impact to students, teachers, and the nation along with it’s future.

White Privilege Essay Example for Free

White Privilege Essay How America came about is fascinating, and learning about immigration, rights, laws, and racism makes learning more beneficial. It helps you to understand why we, as a nation, are they way we are today, and why we will continue to be stuck in our ways. According to James Barrett and David Roediger, â€Å"The Story of Americanization is vital and compelling, but it took place in a nation also obsessed by race†¦the process of â€Å"becoming white† and â€Å"becoming American† were connected at every turn (36). † One of the most controversial topics is white privilege and discrimination. Segregation within school systems has been a dominant problem in the past and will always continue to be. Being privileged is a something that individuals should be conscious of due to their past and understand that it is a privilege to be white rather than to be discriminated against. Becoming conscious of one’s own white privilege is the first step to understand the deeper meaning of racism and discrimination. My intentions of writing this paper were to describe a situation in which I was conscious of my own white privilege. White privilege was always on my side until high school where I felt as though I was discriminated against as being a petite, white girl, from upper-class Allendale leaving me to been seen as an easy target. While at my locker one day during lunch, I was approached by two of the black students (one male and one female) and a Latino girl, and they tried to convince me something hurtful was written about me in the bathroom. Being that I am not the type to care, get involved, or respond, I turned to walk away. The Latino girl proceeded to grab my hair causing me to turn and face her and she punched me square in the face. After several minutes of back and forth wrestling and punches, the fight was broken up my teachers. It turns out that there was nothing written about me, they were just trying to get me into the bathroom to fight me, opposed to the hallway which is out in the open. All three of the students that were there were taken to the principal’s office immediately and suspended for two days whereas I got off free and I was allowed to go back to my day. During the duration of the day, one of the African American men left the principal’s office in rage and had a mission to destroy all my belongings in my locker. The boy pried open my locked and poured a bottle of soda all over my books, note books and belongings. After I reported this to our principal, he held the three students involved in the fight until one person came clean about who had been at fault for ruining my locker. It turned out, that no one admitted to it, and they were all suspended even longer than originally for not fessing up. The following week, none of the three students attended my high school anymore and I was told by my principal that they left to attend other high schools in surrounding towns. After this incident, I have never come into contact with any of them ever again. However, several of my male friends found out what happened that day and wanted nothing but to get revenge and retaliate against them and show them who runs the high school, being that whites are minority. I became very conscious of my white privilege growing up in a one-square mile suburban town of Allendale, New Jersey. My entire educational career through eighth grade consisted of white, middle-to-upper-class Americans. All the people were similar, with the same morals, values and beliefs. Everyone dressed similar and drove similar cars, partook in the same activities and hung out in specific niches. At this point in my life, I could say I could correlate my life to Peggy McIntosh’s article when she describes the matrix of white privilege; There was one main piece of cultural turf; it was my own turf, and I was among those who could the turf. I could measure up to the cultural standards and take advantage of the many options I saw around me to make what the culture would call a success of my life†¦I could think of myself as â€Å"belong† in major ways, and of making social systems work for me. I could†¦be oblivious to anything outside of the dominant cultural forms (295). It wasn’t until high school where I thought I would potentially move out of my small town bubble. My high school is regional; students from Allendale, along with the surrounding towns of Ho-Ho-Kus, Upper Saddle River and half of Saddle River attended. Being that I came from such a white school system, the thought of going onto high school and being surrounded by students of other races and ethnicities is something that never crossed my mind. I was never taught about the disadvantages of being white, but rather I learned about blacks and their disadvantages of dealing with racism. Over the years, little was taught about racism and what it stood for, instead we were just told that this is what happened to people when they were of different races and ethnicities back in the day. The article by Peggy McIntosh describes how whites are taught to think of blacks; â€Å"As a white person, I realized I had never been taught about racism as something which put others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege , which puts me at an advantage†(291). Being white was never something that I had to deal with in or outside of school, or even within my community. I wasn’t necessarily shocked to walk into high school my first day to find only a select few of Latinos and African Americans. However, these were things that I never thought about or even had to think about. The few Latinos and African Americans came from Upper Saddle River and Saddle River. I was never stereotypical of these groups of people until I was surrounded with people from towns that had engaged with these people all the way up through high school. The Latinos in my school all stuck together, as well as the three African Americans that attended my high school. I feel as though this particular situation involved me having the white privilege advantage and it seems as though my white privilege helped to get me out of trouble. I should have gotten in trouble for â€Å"self defense† and throwing punches back, but I feel as though since I had never caused problems before, and they had been the center of most of the problems I was let go with no punishment. The students that got in trouble, were seen as troublesome students because of their past, where I had a clean record with no reason to suspect I was the start of the brawl. Considering my school is mostly made up of white students and entirely white faculty, when the three students got in trouble, it was probably a stereotypical decision based on non-whites. Blacks have always endured pain and agony as, â€Å"†¦victims of discrimination, segregation, and violence, blacks in the North encountered a powerful cluster of negative racial images. These stereotypes contributed to the conditions of racial degradation and poverty, which, in turn, reinforced prejudice† (Takaki 107). This excerpt further explains that stereotypes stick and the negative racial images will forever be a part of the everyday lives of blacks. The primary reason of why the situation occurred, I believe dates back to sundown towns. Beginning in about 1890 and continuing until 1968, white Americans established thousands of towns across the United States for whites only. A ‘sundown town’ is any organized influence that, for decades, was all-white on purpose. Many towns drove out their black populations, and then posted sundown signs. Other towns passed ordinances barring African-Americans after dark or prohibiting them from owning or renting property. Evelyn Nakano Glenn helps to further explain the regulations, â€Å"White controlled municipalities passed ordinances creating racial zones. When these laws were found to be unconstitutional, whites formed neighborhood associations and turned to â€Å"private† arrangements such as economic boycotts, violence, and restrictive covenants. These restrictions deprived blacks of a central element of liberal citizenship, namely property rights† (37-38). This is proof that the African-American populations had no choice but to leave because they weren’t welcome. No one would support their businesses or wanted anything to do with them; they were literally driven out of these towns and wouldn’t stand a chance if they stayed. Being that the town of Allendale where I grew up was a sundown town, which is the most obvious explanation as to why I grew up surrounded by all whites. Moving onto high school, the other regional towns of Ho-Ho-Kus and Upper Saddle River were sundown towns as well. This plays a huge role in the situation at my high school because people of color and different races are focused on more and white students carry all the dominant privilege. If I had been a different race I think the entire situation would have never occurred because I would probably be a person that was known for affiliating with them. If I had been black, I would have probably felt like I should stick with the other three black students in the high school. The situation would have been the same if I were Latino or another race. Segregation still takes place in America and being one of only a few black families within your community will be a repetitive cycle for black families looking to move to our dominantly white community. According to Douglas Massey; â€Å"When avenues of spatial assimilation are systematically blocked my prejudice, and discrimination, however, residential segmentation increases and persists over time. New Minorities arrive in the city and settle within enclaves, but their subsequent spatial mobility is stymied, and ethnic concentrations increase†¦whereupon group members are forced to adjacent areas, thus expanding the boundaries of the enclave† (225). I feel as though since my region of New Jersey is predominantly white, what would things change now? Why would blacks and ethnic families feel inclined to move to a neighborhood where they stand out? Especially for African-American families, my town along with the surrounding towns do not sell African-American hair products in any of my supermarkets or pharmacies nor are there salons where African-American women can go to get their hair braided. My community has adjusted to the white population and being that my town is so small, I feel as though it would take dramatic lengths to change the way our community functions. Being white, I feel as though I benefited from the whole situation because I did not get in trouble for punching the girl back, and I did not get suspended. I was allowed to return to my day at school as though nothing happened while they were kept in the front office until school was let out and were suspended for the rest of the week (2 days). This experience made me think about my race in a different way because I had never encountered issues with non-white people, because I was never around them. Coming from a primarily white school, white students stand to make white privilege stick out like a sore thumb. It helped me to understand that white people dominated my school population and that this would have never been an issue if the school had always been made up of a majority of other races and ethnicities. It is as if the select few minorities felt as though they needed to stand up for themselves and prove that just because there are so few of them they can still â€Å"run† the school. The three students involved, I feel, chose to leave due to feeling like they were discriminated against and treated differently than other students. They could have felt mistreated or felt that being out numbered was a disadvantage for them. Moving to surrounding schools definitely made them feel like they belonged better because I know there were mixed groups of people outside of our high school district. Being that ninety-nine percent of my school was white could have made the few students feel intimidated and make the white students angrier and feel the need to gang up on them after this incident, almost to prove their white privilege. This incident correlates to issues of citizenship and my ability to participate as a full and equal member of American society because I suffered no consequences from the incident except for a bloody nose. A bloody nose is a temporarily occurrence but because of what happened, it hasn’t affected me being a full and equal member in the American society. It has however, affected the minority students at my high school, and drove them away. As described by Evelyn Glenn, â€Å"At its most general level, citizenship refers to full membership in the community in which one lives. Membership in turn implies certain†¦reciprocal duties toward the community (37). † These black students are citizens but they do not live in a community with other African-Americans reside. They can be still be involved in the community but the families as a whole might not be as eager to get involved as they are outnumbered and may feel their voices may not be heard or make a difference. There are a few potential long term consequences of white privilege for myself that will be with me as long as I live. Being that Quinnipiac University is not very diverse, but more diverse than my high school, it was difficult to get used to seeing people of color and different ethnicities every day. I do not believe growing up in an all white community has been beneficial to me, and I wish I was more natural around people of different races and ethnicities. It is unrealistic to say that I will never have to deal with this, but in the real world, and when finding a job, you will be presented with a variety of people that may even become more of friends rather than co-workers. Someone’s accent or skin color does not determine what kind of person they are, it is their personality that makes them who they are. I also believe in regards to the incident, if I had been at fault, and was suspended for my actions of self defense, I would have not been able to attend a prestigious school such as Quinnipiac. When applying for colleges, most applications ask if you have ever been suspended, such as the Quinnipiac application which asks if you have ever been suspended or missed significant time from school. I would have then had to explain the situation and how I was suspended for self defense. If colleges see that you are a troubled student, and have a record for misbehaving, they will not accept you to their school. Community colleges of lower rankings will be more willing to accept a student with a past, rather than a private school like Quinnipiac University. Discrimination and segregation still exist today. The past makes up the present so learning about what people of all races and ethnicities went through in history is important as a citizen of the United States. Everyone, in some way, or somehow, has dealt with discrimination whether it is you or friends and family. While on the other hand, it is imperative to pay attention to your privileges and understand what it means to be American. Works Cited Barrett, James E. , and David Roediger. 2005. How White People Became White. Pg. 35-40 in White Privilege: Essential Reading on the Other Side of Racism, 2nd Ed. , Paula S. Rothenberg, Ed. New York: Worth Publishers. Glenn, Evelyn, Nakano. Citizenship: Universalism and Exclusion. Pg. 18-55 in Unequal Freedom: How Race and Gender Shaped American Citizenship and Labor. Cambridge: Harvard. Massey, Douglas S. How Space Gets Raced. Rethinking the Color Line. By Charles A. Gallagher. 3rd Ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 225. McIntosh, Peggy. 1997 White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Womens Studies. Pg. 290-99 in Critical White Studies: Looking Behind the Mirror. Richard Delgado Jean Stefancic, Eds. Philadephia: Temple University Press. Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York, NY: Back Bay, 1994. 108.

The Us Containment Policy History Essay

The Us Containment Policy History Essay Power extension has always been a subject that fascinated me. There are countless ways in which groups of individuals can maintain interests of their communities and protect them from possible threats. This phenomenon has been known to the humanity ever since the first human got off the tree and straightened up. The more sophisticated tools we started using, the more dangerous the threat has become. First armies were created, followed up by intelligence services and counter-intelligence services investigating threats both foreign and domestic. By means of diplomacy, diversion, espionage, and violence mighty rulers were trying to guarantee national security by influencing the circumstances on different levels think of Vaticans interference in French politics via Cardinal Richelieu or Charlemagnes orders to execute thousands and convert the others forcefully into Christianity during the Saxon Wars. This concept remained unchanged for centuries and reached its peak in the 20th century, materializing in three terrifying wars of which one is also known as the Cold War. For me as a person interested in power extension is the latter an episode that cannot be overemphasized. For this reason I decided to devote my PWS to it. However, originally intending to write as much as possible about the Cold War and the mutual American and Russian relations precisely, I had to delimit the subject in order to comply with the quantitative requirements laid upon me. By means of a selection I chose the aspect of the Cold War which I found by far the most interesting, namely the basic assumptions of the post-war American politicians of how to prevent the communism from spreading, also known as the containment policy (derived from contain to keep something under control), and the political and military actions of the American Administration in which these communism-countering ideas can be recognized. In my paper, being as a matter of fact a written work of reference based on numerous sources, I will try to answer the question of how successful the containment policy invented and applied by the American policymakers in the years 1945-1949 turned out to be and to what degree it prevented the communism from spreading. Despite the subject concerns a short period of five years there is much to be written. It is never easy when it comes to explaining political decisions and therefore it is highly necessary to mention the underlying grounds, of which the gradual development led to the measures in question. So will my paper begin with the description of the primary reasons resulting in the introduction of the containment policy. Having described the latter I will focus on what I personally consider as the core of my work a summary of deductions concerning the Soviet post-war point of view written down by a high-rank diplomat working in the American Embassy in Moscow. The summary to be found in chapter 3 depicts concisely the direction that was to be given to the American foreign policy in response to the Soviet spreading ambitions. Theory and planning, however, are often not sufficient to bring the expected change. Real action is also required and so it must be addressed to in my paper in order to make the story complete. Chapter 4 will outline the efforts the US policymakers made as far as the application of the containment policy on the European political arena is considered. A careful and critical reader will find amongst lines the answer on how successful the containment proved to be. The chapter also leaves an open path for those who will attempt to imagine what the current world would look like if there were no communism-countering measures or individuals ready to devote their life to protection of democratic values. I find it necessary to mention that I wanted this PWS to be a challenge and some sort of test of my language skills since I am not a native speaker of English and my level of it is far from proficiency. I didnt choose the easiest way out which was writing this paper in Dutch a language I am much more familiar with. Instead I decided to use the opportunity to learn English vocabulary and grammatical constructions which I might not have memorized if I hadnt written it in the way I had. Before you continue reading I truly want you to know that it is not my intention to lay any idealistic beliefs upon you. On the contrary, I hope my paper will help you understand the past, which is after all necessary in order to live consciously in the present and create a future not based on ignorance of not knowing what the events taking place are caused by. Enjoy your journey back in time! Chapter 2: What were the primary reasons for the mutual distrust resulting in the introduction of the containment policy? The first section of this paper will throw some light on the background of the containment policy and, as a matter of fact, The Cold War itself. A proper comprehension of this part is necessary in order to answer the main question. After the very last tanks ceased firing and the Second World War ended, many realized how terribly destructive the war had been. It had materialized in thousands of destroyed cities and generations of young men who lost their lives in combat, not to mention civilians and their continuous fear for their lives. Many of the survivors were looking brightly at the future which was expected to bring about precious peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, only a few were aware of the threat that was about to arise. The Teheran Conference To be fully able to give a constructive answer to the question in the title we have to go back in time to 1943, from November 28 up to December 1 to be precise. The Teheran Summit was the first of the conferences held between all the members of the Big Three, giving shape to those that were about to be held within the next years. Allied leaders representing the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union pulled together in the Capital of their ally, Iran, to discuss measures that were necessary to overpower the common enemy. Apart from setting up a strategy that included synchronized operations to be undertaken from multiple directions, the Big Three agreed that they shall seek the cooperation and active participation of all nations, large and small, whose peoples in heart and mind are dedicated, as are our own peoples, to the elimination of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance[1]. This encouraging press release was definitely an important sign of taking a step forward into creating some kind of an international organization that would avoid imperfections of its predecessor, The League of Nations. Preventing aggressive tendencies of any sort would be its major goal. Next to the certainty of participation of the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom in the project the question of any role that China and France should play came up. Odds enough the Chinese politicians had not been informed about the proposed understanding at that point of time as result of their disability to form a stable government. Thanks to the Churchills telegram sent to Roosevelt we can surely as shooting state that the British Head of State was more than willing to ignore his early reluctance concerning China if the American president kept pushing on their engagement. As regard to France, it is believed that Roosevelts strong antipathy towards De Gaulle might have been a factor why Frances involvement was not taken seriously at that point of negotiations. After all, the maintenance of peace by controlling, disarming, preventing from rearming in secret and, if necessary, a blockage against a country and its bombardment seemed to be accepted by each of the Heads of State. A press release saying We await the day, when all nations of the world will live peacefully, free of tyranny, according to their national needs and conscience [1] gave a deceptive impression of a complete cooperation. The question of resetting Polish boundaries, brought up by the Russian delegation (consisting of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Defence Minister Klimentii Voroshilov), wasnt solved so easily. It was to become one of the most difficult discussion points which would dominate the Yalta Conference and caused first dents in the mutual trust between the Soviet Union and the other two allies. The Yalta Conference The second meeting of all three members of the Great Alliance was announced in January 1945. It became quite obvious that the issue of boundaries couldnt remain unresolved any longer after the Russian forces had entered on Polish soil nearly a year before on January, 2. The necessary solution was hoped to be found, as stated by Churchill, in the worst place in the world [2] Crimean Yalta. It must be mentioned that each of the participants of the summit held between February 4 and 11 was in the first place, quite logically, trying to maintain the interests of their own country. For the sake of this thesis the main bottlenecks connected to prospective mutual relations will be worked out in detail. These three completely different approaches can be summarized as follows: Winston Churchill mainly interested in the European arena and the French role in the occupation of Germany Franklin Delano Roosevelt agreement on the Far East and setting up a sort of organization of united nations Marshall Stalin the Polish question being a matter of great importance for the Soviet Union. Furthermore an interest in becoming a sphere of influence where the Soviet superiority would be accepted. The compromise about the United Nations came more easily than Roosevelt had ever expected. The deadlock on the voting procedure of the United Nations, about the right of veto to be precise, had been overcome and the number of Soviet republics, which were to participate, had been decreased from sixteen to at least two. Stalins postulates narrowed down to the issue of setting the Polish eastern frontiers at the Curzon Line a demarcation line that was proposed at the Paris Peace Conference as the eastern boundary of Poland excluding the city of Lvov with its huge percentage of Polish citizens. [3] The extremely complicated negotiations between the three Heads of State and both Polish governments (one in-exile and the second set up by the Russians) led to the adoption of the controversial Curzon Line. Stalins spreading intentions, except for the plausible argument of necessity to possess one more ice-free harbour, were perfectly described by Marshall Stalin himself to Ernest Evin, the British Foreign Secretary, saying: The United Kingdom had India and the Indian Ocean in her sphere of interest; the United States China and Japan; the USSR had nothing To guarantee the freedom of elections and establishment of democracy according to Western terms, the Big Three ratified the Joint Declaration on Liberated Europe that promised peoples liberated from the domination of Nazi Germany and the peoples of the former Axis satellite states of Europe to solve by democratic means their pressing political and economic problems'[4]. Nevertheless, the declaration above mentioned turned out to be completely meaningless as history has shown. Due to its conditional implementation and lack of binding commitments there was no legal force upon signatories to maintain the agreement. However, no violations of the Yalta agreements by Stalin were suspected at this point of time, as stated by Churchill. The impression I brought back from the Crimea, and from all my other contacts, is that Marshal Stalin and the Soviet leaders wish to live in honourable friendship and equality with the Western democracies. I feel also that their word is their bond. I know of no government which stands to its obligations, even in its own despite, more solidly than the Russian Soviet Government. I decline absolutely to embark here on a discussion about Russian good faith. It is quite evident that these matters touch the whole future of the world. [5] According to Professor Arthur Schlesinger signing the declaration by Stalin was a diplomatic blunder which became obvious just a month after the Big Three gathered in Yalta. The meetings, which were supposed to determine the best Polish democratic leader, eventually proved to be an excellent way for Soviet secret police to reach the prominent members of the former Polish resistance and make them disappear, despite the promised Soviet guarantee of immunity. It didnt take a long time before Churchills initially credulous account of the agreement transformed into the opposite conviction. By 13 March he sent a telegraph to Roosevelt with a statement that the Heads of State were in the presence of a great failure and an utter breakdown of what was settled at Yalta [6]. Twelve days later the British prime minister described the situation on the West-East border as an iron curtain, which is slowly descending. The following quotation illustrates just how dramatically the developments in the European arena were becoming. If the German people lay down their weapons, the Soviets, according to the agreement between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin, would occupy all of East and Southeast Europe along with the greater part of the Reich. An iron curtain would fall over this enormous territory controlled by the Soviet Union, behind which nations would be slaughtered.'[7] In the meanwhile the messages exchanged between Stalin and Roosevelt, who were increasingly becoming the two bigger players in the Big Three, were full of mutual accusations of jeopardizing the vulnerable accord. The Potsdam Conference The Polish matter reached a dead end. How things developed couldnt be witnessed by Roosevelt, who died on 12 April 1945. His successor, Harry Truman, once vice-president under Roosevelt, was expected to continue the policy towards the Soviet Union initialized by Roosevelt. However, it became obvious from the beginning that the mild approach, continuously applied by his predecessor, wasnt Trumans favourite style of work. The Potsdam Conference, lasting from July 17 to August 2, aside of being a permanent confirmation of previously made agreements, became Trumans first significant opportunity to influence the US-USSR relationship, mainly because of its nuclear undertone. The US presidents decision not to fully inform Stalin about the rapid progress concerning the construction of an atomic weapon correctly delineates the prospective Trumans policy of hostility and inscrutability towards The Soviet Union. A mentioning of a new weapon of unusual destructive force [8] did not specially bot her Stalin, who was already in 1943 informed about an atomic weapon allegedly built in the West. Russian atomic project did not accelerate until Japan was bombed twice in September 1945. The order, given by Marshal Stalin to Igor Kurchatov, a leading Russian physicist, sounded more or less The balance has been destroyed. Provide the bomb (* No firm evidence of this record has remained until now but the sense of the message is kept unchanged). Chapter 3: What was the containment policy based on? In this paragraph I will briefly describe the major political events that gave shape to what is now understood as the containment policy. President Harry Truman, despite being known of his unyielding personality, lacked experience in foreign affairs and could hardly do without a number of political analysts. These happened to be influenced by the opinions of George F. Kennan (to be seen on the right hand), the prominent USSR specialist in the State Department and the charge daffaires at the American Embassy in Moscow, whose role in the process of the containment policy coming into life cant be over-emphasized. On February 22, 1946 he sent a long analysis of Soviet post-war outlook to his colleagues in the Capitol in Washington. https://blogs.princeton.edu/mudd/files/mt/images/kennan.jpg The so-called Long Telegram, of which the most relevant points are summarized below, became one of the major documents that the containment policy was based on. George F. Kennan [9] A brief characteristic of the Soviet point of view, according to the propaganda machine -The geographical and political surrounding of the USSR by capitalistic nations will eventually result in a battle for the economical leadership in the world, which will be also crucial for the fate of socialism/communism and capitalism. -Any actions, activities and happenings abroad which seem to correspond with the Soviet interests to a certain degree should be supported. In the long run the differences between capitalist countries will become too powerful to be overcome in a peaceful manner. No opportunity may be missed to turn the internal conflict into a communistic revolution. The background of the mentality The premises do not represent the point of view of an average Russian. The ordinary citizen, on the contrary to what is stated by the officials, is more than willing to contact the outside world and live peacefully. It must be kept in mind that the party is the villain The basic assumptions of the Russian propaganda machine pre-date the World War II, which makes it irrelevant and nothing more than incorrect (spoken in terms of 1940s). The premises are as much as necessary for the Russian party in order to deter Soviet citizens coming in contact with technically and economically more advanced West which might prove the fallibility of the communism/socialism. Steps that will be undertaken on the official (diplomatic) level -Increasing the outsiders perception of strength of the Soviet military arsenal and industrial development as much as social cohesion is a significant part of the national policy. On the other hand attempts will be made to conceal imperfections and weaknesses of the system. The efforts to extend Soviet political power will materialize themselves into territorial claims on the official level only after finishing unofficial preparations. Soviet participation in international organizations (as United Nations) serves only the pragmatic purposes of expanding the Soviet political influence on the international arena and reducing operational ability of others. United Nations are not seen as an instrument for a stable and peaceful world society based on interests of all nations. Even on the official level the Soviet Union will attempt to sabotage the relations between Western states and their (former) colonies in order to clear the path for the Soviet participation in policymaking. -Soviet politicians, while being abroad, will be urged to follow the strict diplomatic protocol with emphasis laid on good manners in order to increase the impression of the Soviet prestige. Suspected activities on the unofficial level, i.e. on level for which the Soviet administrations do not take responsibility I feel obliged to remark on the incredible importance of the following section. The contained statements are these that the Truman Administration (and any other following until the end of 1980s) had mostly to deal with. Actions on the unofficial level will be first of all directed to foreign organizations, movements, societies and governments that are regarded as susceptible for, what the party asserted, the Russian sense of nationalism and Marx ideas of equality. The left-wing activists, officially members of Western Labour Parties, were encouraged to work on underground lines and were intensively instructed by politicians in Moscow. A diversity of organizations and associations, such as racial, feministic or religious societies, is highly exposed to penetration. Even the subdivisions of the Orthodox Church located abroad are at risk of being penetrated. George Kennan states that organizations above mentioned will be solely used in fields of their expertise, e.g. influential orthodox activists would jeopardize any thinkable actions of Protestant politicians. Further explanations follow: Increasing industrial and social unrest and stimulation of all possible forms of disunity will result in undermining operational potential of the western states and breaking off the national confidence. In countries forced into colonial relationships outstandingly cruel actions will be undertaken to destroy relatively good relations with (former) mother countries. Simultaneously extreme left-wing parties will be preparing for not necessarily legal taking-over of political power. -Governments obviously not agreeing with the Soviet foreign policy will be kept under pressure in order to cause their eventual removal from office. Every imaginable activity will be undertaken in order to provoke the most powerful Western states against each other. Conclusions for the US Government Soviet power, not schematic in character, doesnt work by strict plans and doesnt take unnecessary hazards. It is extremely responsive to logic or force and therefore it can easily pull back and mostly does when facing a strong opposition. So, quoting Kennan, if the adversary has sufficient force and makes clear his readiness to use it, he rarely has to do so. [9] The next point the author makes has to do with the Western degree of cohesion, firmness and muster. Success of the Soviet Union, as for being the weaker force, depends to some extent on the mentioned factor. Another factor that is relatively easy to deal with is the Soviet propaganda. The destructive and generally negative character of it can be opposed by a sort of intelligent and constructive programmes. In the conclusion the author states that a calm and unprovoked recognition of the hypothetically dangerous movements must be the governments very first step. Furthermore the public education should play a bigger role. The fear of unknown can be overcome by informing the citizens about the Russian reality. After all it would result in improvement of social cohesion and make the society less vulnerable to threats from both outside and inside. Finally Kennan brings up the significance of formulating a constructive and positive picture of the sort of world the US policy makers would like to see. It is not enough to urge people to develop political processes similar to our own. Many foreign peoples, in Europe at least, are tired and frightened by experiences of past, and are less interested in abstract freedom than in security. They are seeking guidance rather than responsibilities. We should be better able than Russians to give them this. And unless we do, Russians certainly will. [10] The reaction of the Russians wasnt immediate. Nearly seven months later, on September the 27, the Soviet Ambassador to United States, Nikolai Novikov, sent a note to the highest officials of the Soviet Union that was nothing but an analysis of the Kennans Long Telegram and the US post-war foreign policy towards the Soviet Union in general. These became accessible for outsiders after the publication in Foreign Affairs magazine of the so-called X Article in July 1947, being as a matter of fact an adjusted version of the original analysis of Kennans. Novikov concluded that the American outlook is predominantly characterized by the drift towards the worlds supremacy and as well economical as military leadership. Amongst others he stated that the plans of establishing more than 480 naval bases, American mainland signalize intense intentions of hostility towards the Soviet Union. By the end of 1946 the political situation between the US and the SU reached its lowest point since the end of the Second World War. Western politicians were little by little abandoning their hope for the cooperation with the Russians and the Kennans prophecy was slowly becoming the reality. How the US officials reacted and what measures they took in order to deter foreign government representatives from embracing communism will be properly described in the following paragraph. Chapter 4: What efforts did the US government make to materialize the containment policy and with what result? The Truman Doctrine The Truman Administration received multiple signals from its British Ally about the gradually increasing difficulties of His Majestys Government to provide on-going financial help to Greece and Turkey the two states the United Kingdom had been supporting for years and which found themselves standing on the edge of a democratic collapse. In an official note dating to February 21, 1947 British informed Washington of their inability to support the mentioned states and requested for a takeover of their economical obligations. Trumans reaction came into history as the Truman Doctrine. In his speech to a joint session of Congress of March 12, he emphasized the moral obligation of the American state to provide assistance to the peoples of Greece and Turkey in order to establish a democracy and restore the authority of the government. In regard to Greece the President stated that the British aid issued in the preceding years wasnt sufficient to supply the weak and not able to operate indepe ndently army and fight communist insurgents dislocating the Greek state. Turkey, on the contrary, didnt need financial assistance so desperately at that point of time. Nevertheless due to a historic background of Greece and Turkey being stubborn rivals for decades it was necessary to split the money equally in order to avoid future claims of injustice or, even worse, anti-Western tensions. Truman concluded that the US Government was the only institution in the world able to prevent Greece and Turkey from becoming what the totalitarian states in the period of the Second World War were regimes of minorities getting their path clear by means of violence and suppression. I find it interesting to mention that the presidential Congress speech is also known as the Trumans containment speech. Clark Clifford (Trumans advisor), asked in 1972 about the nickname, said: we were concerned about preventing Soviet control of larger areas of the world than they already controlled [11]. Although the word containment wasnt even said once by Truman in his speech, the measures supposed by him concentrated on opposing the activities mentioned in the fourth point of Kennans Long Telegram namely the actions of the Soviet party conducted on unofficial level. Greek communist freedom fighters were not powered by Marxs ideals but by Stalins money and military arsenal. As result of it the most of the $338 million sent by the United States to Greece was spent on military equipment. The concept of supporting European nations economically, drafted in March 1947 and perfectly outlined by the President Truman in his Congress speech, was just a momentary restoration programme, which had to prevent Greece and Turkey from falling into the hands of communism. How this financial aid, meant only for the time being, transformed into a long-term supportive programme will be depicted in the following section. Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan, although originally not intended to be a part of the containment policy as stated in the May 23 report of the Policy Planning Staff, became a significant step forward taken by the American Administration, influence and actions of which were gradually becoming more visible on the international political arena. The Policy Planning Staff (PPS), created by George Kennan at the request of the Secretary of State George C. Marshall, was given the task of, taking a long term, strategic view of global trends and framing recommendations for the Secretary of State to advance U.S. interests and American values.'[12] In the context of the European Recovery Program, as the so-called Marshall Plan was officially known, it came down to investigating multiple possibilities of supporting financially the European communities in order to solve their war-caused economical problems and bring them to the level of self-sufficiency. To avoid sceptical publicity criticizing Americans for th eir interventionism in European affairs, aid would be exclusively launched if the formal initiative came from Europe. Besides it was required that the program would evolve on the Old Continent and that its leaders would take the fundamental responsibility for it, while the US would limit themselves to a supportive program of such an undertaking by financial means. Knowing the tensions between the US and the Soviet Union, Kennan and the other members of the PPS didnt want the European Recovery Program (ERP) to be a reason for the further isolation of East from West. Although speculating on Soviet reluctance, the inventors of the Marshall Plan included in their project the participation of the Eastern nations in an early stage. By leaving the door open the American policymakers could verify the Soviet attitude towards the plan, which eventually would give proof of their good or bad faith. Kennan and his co-workers were convinced that this offer would not remain without response, since economical co-operation of Soviet satellite countries with the US would result in weakening of Soviet control in these states. On June 5 1947 the first signals concerning the Marshall Plan were sent out to the outside world. The Harvard speech of Secretary Marshall, being an announcement of conditions and proposals above mentioned, didnt meet much of approvement at the other side of the Iron Curtain. Already after a couple of multipartite conferences the Soviet delegation under wings of Molotov turned down the negotiations. According to the diary notes of Vincent Auriol, the French president at that time, Molotov said amongst other things that the project would divide Europe [13] which testified the bad faith of the Soviet party. The September speech of Soviet deputy foreign minister Andrei Vyshinsky to the United Nations General Assembly was its final confirmation. He stated that the Marshall Plan was a firm violation of the 11 December 1946 resolution of the United Nation, which declared that distribution of economic resources by a state may not be used as an instrument of political pressure. According to Vishinsky the Russian government saw the European Recovery Project as an attempt to put European states in American sphere of influence and to intervene in their internal affairs. In Soviet opinion the plan would result in splitting Europe into two antagonistic blocs, of which the Western one, led by the United States, would develop a certain hostility towards democratically ruled Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union in particular. The splitting up of the Russians gave the American politicians an opportunity to give the aid programme a hoped-for direction. As stated by Michael J. Hogan, an adviser to the US Department of State, the Marshall Plan was about to become a protective measure to counter the Soviet threat and serve as an extension of the containment policy [14]. Â  Unlike Soviet satellite states, which dropped off under pressure of the Soviet Union, the sixteen Western neighbours gathered at a conference in Paris, which lasted from July 12 up to September 22, and was intended to give shape to the financial requests that would be presented to the Americans. Unfortunately due to disunity of the European leaders concerning the final amount that would be asked for and their unwillingness to shift part of political responsibilities to a collectively created international body, which was known as the Committee of European Economic Cooperation (CEEC), Kennan and his Policy Planning Staff did not receive an acceptable report. There are a huge number of details concerning the Marshall Plan being brought to life, which I would like to work out narrowly. Unfortunately I have to limit

Inclusion Essay -- essays research papers

Although no consensus exists about the definition of inclusion, it can usually be agreed upon that inclusion is a movement to merge regular and special education so that all students can be educated together in a general education classroom. Because of the lack of consensus, inclusion is a hotly debated topic in education today. Mainstreaming and Inclusion are used interchangably for many people. This is where the confusion may lie. For the purpose of this paper I will be using the term inclusion. I interpret this to mean: "meeting the needs of the student with disabilities through regular education classes, with the assistance of special education." (Dover, section 1) Included in the definition of inclusion, it is important to note that there are a continuum of placement options for the child. I found the main difference between mainstreaming and inclusion to be the approach taken towards each one. Mainstreaming asks the question: "WHERE can this child be successful?" Whereas, inclusion asks: Where does this child or regular classroom teacher need support?" The Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA), was signed into law in 1975. IDEA requires that schools educate students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible, and it also ensures to the maximum extent possible, children with disabilities be educated with those who are nondisabled. This implies that the least restrictive environment is the general education classroom. Historically, we have separated exceptional children from the rest of society. This act has served to reinforce society's view that to be exceptinal is to be bad. The truth is, separate is not equal. In this paper I intend to address what complications surround the practice of inclusion, and also to give examples of how inclusion has been beneficial to students. WHY NOT INCLUSION? Even for those that support inclusion philosophically, there are questions and concerns about issues when inclusion is put into practice. Some schools interpret inclusion to mean that all students shall receive special education services in the regular classroom, without individual consideration that such placement would meet the needs of that particular student with disabilities. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president, Albert Shanker, warned members against placement of all disabled students in... ...vel academically, but has a behavior disorder, the regular classroom may be perfectly suited for this child. My feelings are different regarding a child that is severely mentally retarded. I think more time with a specialist, outside of the classroom, may be more productive for the student and the general ed. teacher. I think that there is a lot of responsibility placed on the general education teacher, and they do not have the training like specialists. Special ed. teachers are trained especially for these children, they should be able to work with them. At the same time general education teachers make modifications for typical kids by trying different techniques and strategies, so as to help the child understand. So why not be willing to make modifications for children with special needs? In school we are taught-ALL CHILDREN LEARN DIFFERENTLY! This is why I think I fit into the category that supports inclusion philosophically, but has trouble putting it into practice. I read in a book that if we can think of all children as being special and having special needs, then special will no longer apply to only disabled children. We need to change the language to support role change.

Comparison of the Use of Nature by Shelley and Wordsworth Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both Shelley, in "Ode to the West Wind," and Wordsworth, in "Intimations of Immortality," are very similar in their use of nature to describe the life and death of the human spirit. As they both describe nature these two poets use the comparison of how the Earth and all its life is the same as our own human life. I feel that Shelley uses the seasons as a way of portraying the human life during reincarnation. Wordsworth seems to concentrate more on the stages that a person goes through during life. Shelley compares himself to such things as clouds, leaves, and waves. He is writing the poem as if he were an object of the earth, and what it is like to once live and then die only to be reborn. On the other hand, Wordsworth takes images like meadows, fields, and birds and uses them to show what gives him life. Life being what ever a person needs to move on, and with out those objects can't have life. Wordsworth does not compare himself to these things like Shelley, bu t instead uses them as an example of how he feels about the stages of living. Starting from an infant to a young boy into a man, a man who knows death is coming and can do nothing about it because it's part of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a man becomes old and has nothing to look forward to he will always look back, back to what are called the good old days. These days were full of young innocence, and no worries. Wordsworth describes these childhood days by saying that "A single Field which I have looked upon, / Both of them speak of something that is gone: The Pansy at my feet Doth the same tale repeat: Whither is fled the visionary gleam? Where is it now, the glory and the dream?"(190) Another example of how Wordsworth uses nature as a way of dwelling on his past childhood experiences is when he writes "O joy! That in our embers / Is something that doth live, / That nature yet remembers / What was so fugitive!" (192) Here an ember represents our fading years through life and nature is remembering the childhood that has escaped over the years. As far as Wordsworth and his moods go I think he is very touched by nature. I can picture him seeing life and feeling it in every flower, ant, and pie ce of grass that crosses his path. The emotion he feels is strongly suggested in this line "To me the meanest flower that blows can give / Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears." (193) Not only is this showi... ...d of this poem Shelley asks, "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" (678) Now I wonder if this is just another line emphasizing rebirth and the similarities between the seasons. Or is Shelley saying this because he is getting the sense that the closer he gets to death the more he questions whether rebirth is real.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So after close examination of both these pieces of literature I feel that the differences between these two poets is that Wordsworth looks back on how life was and Shelley wonders what's after death. I would have to say that they're very similar in the way that they use nature as a way of portraying human life. The use of how nature affects them and their love for nature brings me to that conclusion. So what makes these pieces so powerful? Really it's not the reasoning between life and death; it's the comparison of how other living things on Earth that we take for granted are similar to us as a human race. When these two poets look at a flower or a sunset they see more than just a pretty flower or a beautiful sunset they see what life is made up of, which is wonderful at times and ugly at other times. Like the saying goes you can't have good without evil. Comparison of the Use of Nature by Shelley and Wordsworth Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both Shelley, in "Ode to the West Wind," and Wordsworth, in "Intimations of Immortality," are very similar in their use of nature to describe the life and death of the human spirit. As they both describe nature these two poets use the comparison of how the Earth and all its life is the same as our own human life. I feel that Shelley uses the seasons as a way of portraying the human life during reincarnation. Wordsworth seems to concentrate more on the stages that a person goes through during life. Shelley compares himself to such things as clouds, leaves, and waves. He is writing the poem as if he were an object of the earth, and what it is like to once live and then die only to be reborn. On the other hand, Wordsworth takes images like meadows, fields, and birds and uses them to show what gives him life. Life being what ever a person needs to move on, and with out those objects can't have life. Wordsworth does not compare himself to these things like Shelley, bu t instead uses them as an example of how he feels about the stages of living. Starting from an infant to a young boy into a man, a man who knows death is coming and can do nothing about it because it's part of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a man becomes old and has nothing to look forward to he will always look back, back to what are called the good old days. These days were full of young innocence, and no worries. Wordsworth describes these childhood days by saying that "A single Field which I have looked upon, / Both of them speak of something that is gone: The Pansy at my feet Doth the same tale repeat: Whither is fled the visionary gleam? Where is it now, the glory and the dream?"(190) Another example of how Wordsworth uses nature as a way of dwelling on his past childhood experiences is when he writes "O joy! That in our embers / Is something that doth live, / That nature yet remembers / What was so fugitive!" (192) Here an ember represents our fading years through life and nature is remembering the childhood that has escaped over the years. As far as Wordsworth and his moods go I think he is very touched by nature. I can picture him seeing life and feeling it in every flower, ant, and pie ce of grass that crosses his path. The emotion he feels is strongly suggested in this line "To me the meanest flower that blows can give / Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears." (193) Not only is this showi... ...d of this poem Shelley asks, "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" (678) Now I wonder if this is just another line emphasizing rebirth and the similarities between the seasons. Or is Shelley saying this because he is getting the sense that the closer he gets to death the more he questions whether rebirth is real.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So after close examination of both these pieces of literature I feel that the differences between these two poets is that Wordsworth looks back on how life was and Shelley wonders what's after death. I would have to say that they're very similar in the way that they use nature as a way of portraying human life. The use of how nature affects them and their love for nature brings me to that conclusion. So what makes these pieces so powerful? Really it's not the reasoning between life and death; it's the comparison of how other living things on Earth that we take for granted are similar to us as a human race. When these two poets look at a flower or a sunset they see more than just a pretty flower or a beautiful sunset they see what life is made up of, which is wonderful at times and ugly at other times. Like the saying goes you can't have good without evil.

American Airlines Essay

1. Issues 2. American Airlines’ objectives 3. The airline industry 4. Market 5. Consumer needs 6. Brand image 7. Distribution system 8. Pricing 9. Marketing related strategies 10. Assumptions and risks 1- Issues The main issue of this case is the lack of profits of the airline industry, an industry that should be more than profitable due to the large amount of customers, the necessity of using airlines’ services and the high prices charged by most of these airlines. What we are going to deal with is, why is this happening? And how is American airlines dealing with this problem?. To be able to discuss how American airlines wants to regain profitability, we must identify and analyse different issues such as, the company’s background, the airline industry as a whole, the demand for air travel, the marketing strategies, the distribution systems, pricing policies etc. 2- American Airlines’ objectives American Airlines’ prime objective is to bring back value to air travel, through stimulating business travel, lowering prices etc. So in other words American Airlines’ main objective is to become as profitable as possible. To understand better the company’s objectives we first have to focus on the company’s background, this way we will find out why the airline is not as profitable as it should, and what kind of a change is needed. American Airlines had been the largest airline in the United States for a long time. In 1990 and 1991 due to a recession and the Gulf War, demand for air travel dropped drastically, for this reason, fare wars started and all the airlines incurred massive losses. 3- The Airline industry and the market The airline industry is large, specially in the United States, mainly due to the † Deregulation† of the industry. In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Board was created to control the growth of the air transportation industry. This board had the authority to control entry, exit, prices and methods of competition. In the late 1970 this structure was found inefficient and in 1978 deregulation took place. Due to the deregulation of the industry competition intensified, prices dropped, and the number of people travelling increased. Many new companies  emerged and regional airlines saw deregulation as an opportunity to expand. Due to the rise in competition, by 1986 mergers started to take place and in 1987 64.8% of the market was controlled by the four largest airlines. The demand for air travel is determined mainly by price, studies revealed that half of the leisure travellers and on quarter of business travellers did not have a preference for a particular airline, which means that prices determined the preference. So the strategy to compete for customers consisted mainly in pricing and flight schedules. The demand for flights varies depending on the season or the business cycle therefore airlines have to develop different pricing strategies and offers depending on the season or the business cycle period. An other determinant for demand is technology, the new telecommunication possibilities have made air travelling unnecessary in some cases, which of course has affected airlines revenues. 4- Consumer needs. Consumer needs are clear, what airline consumers need is basically god prices and good flight schedules. These are the basic needs, apart from these ones we could also point out other needs such as big, comfortable seats for long flights, good service on board, good food, punctual departures, check-in facilities, movie channels, etc. All these are consumer needs, but studies have shown that demand is mainly determined by price and a flight schedules, the rest just add value to these two, therefore companies must focus on ways to lower prices and provide good flight timetables. There are two types of travellers, business travellers and leisure travellers, these two of course have different needs, for the first ones price is not so important because usually the company pays for it on the other hand punctuality and flight schedules are very important to them. For leisure travellers the most important thing is usually price, and the rest comes after that. But as I said before consumer needs can be summarised in these to price and schedules. 5- Brand image American Airlines’ brand image is good, due to its successful background and its new marketing strategies. In 1991 American Airlines was the biggest airline in the United States, and the reason for it is that this airline was pioneer in many fields gaining competitive advantage over the other airlines. When deregulation took part in 1978, American transformed in  such a way that it became the industry’s market share leader. American had also pioneered several policies that affected the industry’s structure and standard practices. In the late 1960’s, American introduced the first computerised airline reservation system, which revolutionised the marketing and distribution of the travel industry. American also introduced â€Å"the super saver† fares in 1977, which was the first programme of deep discounts for leisure travellers, and in 1981, American launched the first frequent-flier programme, which created brand loyalty towards the airline. American Airlines is constantly developing new strategies, and introducing new technologies, and this is why its brand image is so high. Some of the new innovations that American Airlines is introducing are, the any time fares for business, new plan ahead for leisure, lower first class fares, etc. 6- The distribution system The main distribution system for air travel is the travel agent, which provides not only the flight ticket, but also supplementary services such as car rentals, hotels, excursions, etc. Airlines ask the agents to make reservations and deliver tickets. There is a difference in the distribution of tickets for business travellers and leisure travellers. Leisure travellers deal always with the agent, but for business travellers sometimes the airlines make deals directly with the companies. Airlines also make special offers to large corporate buyers, like price discount for frequent flier travellers, or quantity discounts. Nowadays there are other distribution systems, such as on line booking, and airlines’ home delivery tickets. 7- Pricing After the deregulation, pricing policies changed drastically, airlines started to offer a wide variety of fares discounted below the regular price. These discount were accompanied by several restrictions such as advanced booking, no refund, no changing dates, etc. Therefore people unwilling to meet these restrictions paid a higher price. At American Airlines management was viewed as selling the right seat to the right person, this means that they search for ways to find out who is willing to pay a higher price, and how can they make him pay a higher price. By 1991, the industry’s pricing structure had become enormously complex. American’s flights involved maintaining 500,000 fares. By late 1991 93% of the tickets  were sold at one kind of a discount or another. And the average discount was 63%. Due to the complex pricing structure American developed the â€Å"value pricing† plan. This plan consisted in: First for any given flight there would be only four different fares. Second, all fares would be mileage-related, and finally, the new fares were set below the levels of comparable existing fares so lower prices would be available to more business and leisure travellers. 8- Marketing related strategies Some the marketing strategies carried out by American Airlines have been: -Computerised reservation Systems: This system changed the industry’s marketing and distribution systems. This system stored information about, flights, seats availability and fares. Which made the booking and distribution a lot easier. CRS systems gave American Airlines a great competitive advantage over the other airlines, as booking fees by CRS enabled American to earn substantial amounts from its competitors. -Hubbing: With hubbing, flights from various origins on spokes of the network are channelled through an intermediate location, where they change planes and are re-routed to their final destination. This way the airline can serve more locations with fewer planes. -Frequent Flyer programmes: These programmes provide discounts or bonuses to frequent travellers. The value of the bonuses increase as the mileage flown increase, the bonuses can take various forms such as, fare reductions, upgrades to better classes or even free tickets. 9- Assumptions and risks In my opinion all of this strategies are brilliant, the only risk I see is in hubbing, customers sometimes don’t want spend additional time changing planes, there is the risk of missing connecting planes, luggage may get lost, etc. In the rest of the strategies I don’t see any risks what so ever.

The General Understanding of Technology

â€Å"Technology is not an image of the world but a way of operating on reality. The nihilism of technology lies not only in the fact that it is the most perfect expression of the will to power †¦ but also in the fact that it lacks meaning. † (Octavio Paz) Technology is the general term for the processes by which human beings create tools and machines to increase their control and understanding of the material environment. It is perhaps best understood in a historical context that traces the evolution of early humans from a period of very simple tools to the complex, large-scale networks that influence much of our modern-day life. For the past couple of decades, it has been unclear, whether technology is a positive movement or a path to self-destruction. The debate has led strong arguments from both sides, but the one thing that they both agree on is that technology involves a huge risk. However, the movement toward a technological workplace has been undoubtedly in the works for a long time and no matter what the critics say it will still continue to grow exponentially each year. As the world stumbles toward the twenty-first century, a shadow looms over the planet, a dawn of a new revolution: a revolution of work. Just as human history was forced to cope with the transformations that came with the rise of the Industrial Revolution, we now must deal with the end of that Revolution and the beginning of another. Although this technological revolution in the business world has been the subject of immense media hype and scrutiny in the past few years, it has occurred slowly but surely over the past few decades. The revolution reaches as far back as the invention of the telegraph in the 1850s. The invention of the telephone, fax machine, and more recent developments in wireless communication have offered businesses more flexibility and efficiency, and those willing to embrace these new technologies have found that they are more likely to survive and prosper than fade away as fads. As a result, employers persistently push for technological advancements regardless of the risks. Rumors about computers taking over people†s jobs run rampant through today†s high-speed network of communication. The fear of losing one†s job to a hard-cased metallic box is beyond anyone†s understanding. However strong of a possibility it may be, the technology age is far from it. As Nobel Peace Laureate Arno Penzias, chief scientist at Lucent Bell Labs, said â€Å"†¦ I can't say anything is totally impossible–of a computer, no matter how powerful, replacing a human being. Human beings just do too many different things. † Technology still requires human interaction. For example, at a super-market, if the clerk scans a product over the bar code reader and the reader is unable to read the product correctly, the clerk must manually enter the number into the register. Arno goes on to reiterate that â€Å"Technology is a tool and it can make us whatever we are already, only more so. Today†s technology is in no state to replace humans, but rather is in a state requiring integration of human intuition and machine logic. The result is today's heavily technological workplace, where proficiency with complex phone systems, fax machines, and networked computers is essential. These machines tend not only to liberate but also enslave the common worker. Critics argue that technology can be a positive influence, but with the current situation in which new technology grows each day, it is making more of a negative impact and generating additional hardship for the worker. A report by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) warns that one out of every 10 jobs requiring information technology skills is going unfilled due to a shortage of qualified workers. † Critics claim that workers are unable to keep up with the speed at which technology is being unveiled and that employers are blinded by the â€Å"infinite possibilities† that technology promises. â€Å"It's like running out of iron ore in the middle of the Industrial Revolution,† says the association's (ITAA) president. A study says that an estimated 60% of new jobs in the year 2000 will require skills possessed by only 22% of new workers, thus requiring U. S. companies to send more of their work overseas where they can find eligible job candidates. Technology is a positive movement; however, it plays a key role in many cases of unemployment. As the rate of technological development quickens, those who do not work with these advancements on a day-to-day basis can become detached from the modern industry and consumer demands, thus becoming far less useful to a company. For example, a young employee at a bank in the past could become increasingly useful and valuable to his company as he aged, since his knowledge would be cumulative of all that he had experienced, since the industry would probably not undergo drastic changes in fifty years. Today, however, a 50-year-old manager of a computer firm would have started his career when punch cards were used to collect and store data in programs. For him to keep up with the astounding changes in the computer industry over the past 30 years would be a commendable achievement by itself, let alone running a company at the same time. However, despite the prosperity that technology may bring, the current trend of hardships in a technological workplace has deterred many young workers. A (ITAA) survey showed that 2,000 large and mid-sized companies found at least 190,000 unfilled information technology (IT) jobs. The report cited a decline in college graduates with degrees in mathematics or computer science. Currently, â€Å"With the median age at 40 and climbing, middle-aged and older workers will be the cores of tomorrow's workforce (while younger workers will be scarce)†¦ To compete for the best workers, businesses will offer expanded employee benefits and flex scheduling to accommodate the needs of diverse ages and lifestyles. † These benefits that businesses promise to accommodate their workers with are beginning to appeal more and more in the eyes of younger workers and college grads. According to a study by Newsweek, traces of technological growth are already evident. The top three fastest growing and top paying jobs involve or directly use technology; Database manager at 11. %, Computer engineer at 10. 9%, and System†s Analyst at 10. 3%. The introduction of technology into the workplace sometimes poses difficult challenges for supervisors, and often the manager-employee relationship. Although a worker's access to a phone or computer may theoretically increase his or her productivity, it also introduces new temptations for distraction and wasted time. In addition, employees become more isolated and their relationships with co-workers deteriorate. Client contacts can frequently be handled over the phone or by other electronic means, and although this usually proves more efficient and cost-effective than traditional person-to-person contact, it also results in a depersonalization of this relationship. Technological advancements also sometimes lead to divisions within a company between management and its employees. Management must decide to give workers the freedom associated with many of these technologies and construct a plan for monitoring employees use of these technologies, while keeping in mind that overbearing supervision leads to worker dissatisfaction and distrust of managers. In general, the relationships between individuals of any level of a company tend to suffer with the introduction of new technological methods. In summary, technology has changed our workplaces enormously. It has not only opened up opportunities, but has also changed the very nature of work. In the transformation from an agricultural to an industrial based economy the world has redefined work. Labor meant the men, women, and children in factories. However, those jobs are no longer there. The majority of people are no longer needed for the production of goods in the world with the advent of more modern mechanized production facilities. These trends foreshadow not just change but a seismic quake. A wave of change that will crash upon us with a force we haven†t known before. Many will see this new wave of change as frightening. But, it does not have to be viewed that way. Aside from all the loss and danger our collective future shows, it also offers unparalleled opportunity.