Generational Differences Essay Example

Generational Differences Essay Example Generational Differences Essay Generational Differences Essay A generation Is a group of individuals who are born at a specific time period. Generations range from every alphabet letter known to man. I myself, am from generation Y. This Is the generation that has become victims to so many trends and fads of this world. The Y generation differs in many things from the baby boomers generation. A baby boomer was born between the years of 1946 and 1964. They were given this name because of the soldiers coming home from war, and making love to their wives/significant other. This was the biggest population period of humans known to mankind. One In every four Americans Is a baby boomer. According to statistics, a baby boomer turns 50 years old every 18 seconds and 60 years old every seven seconds. Baby boomers political views were a mixture of liberal and conservative. According to statistics, 74% of baby boomers are favor of more environmental regulations, 57% support legal abortions, 55% believe in stem cell research, and 26% of them support gay marriage. Also 75% of baby boomers are in favor of school prayer, 70% support the death penalty, and 65% agree that civil berries should be curbed because of terrorism (Davis and Love, 2002), During the baby booming period new schools had to be built due to the Increasing population. Also more people started to be farms and ranches. Strip malls also were being built and becoming a main attraction. In the sasss, movies were the 35 cents. Drive in theaters became part of the young family social scene, primarily owing to cheap tickets. : The main movie genres were melodramas, westerns, horror films, comedies, and action-adventure films (Baby Boom Generation, n. D. ). Musicals and science fiction became popular at a later time In the ass. Popular kids shows would be play at the theaters on Saturday afternoons (Baby Boom Generation, n. D. ). Popular television shows consisted of Buffalo Bob and Callable, Captain Kangaroo, Lassie, Leave it to Beaver, and I love Lucy. Popular music artist were Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Battles, Rolling Stones, The Who, and Pink Floyd. Baby Boom Generation, n. D. ). The Y Generation differs from the baby boomers In many ways. Movies now dont cost 35 cents anymore. The price of movies has Increased rapidly. Most members of the Y generation dont go to a movie with their family anymore though. They would rather go with a few of their friends. Music differs much more too. Popular artist to generation Y consist of Ill Wayne, Gucci, Drake, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Beyond, and ot her artist. A lot of music contains much profanity and suggestive lyrics, but most of generation Y children listen to It. Video games have become a big thing too other than watching television shows and popular movies that the generation Y watches are nothing Like the movies of the baby boomers. According to www. Alleviations. Com, generation YKs values are: Self-expression is more important than self-control. Marketing and branding self is important. Violence is an acceptable means of communication. Fear living poorly?this is related to lifestyle enjoyment, not wealth. Respect must be earned; it is not freely granted based on age, authority or Y, n. D. ). Generation Yes attributes are: Adapt rapidly. Crave change Ana canalling. Create constantly. Exceptionally resilient. Committed and loyal when dedicated to an idea, cause or product. Accept others of diverse backgrounds easily and openly . Global in perspective(Generation Y, n. D). The baby boomers generations values and attributes are: Individual choice, community involvement, prosperity, ownership self-actualization, health and wellness, adaptive, goal-oriented, focus on individual choices and freedom, adaptive to a diverse workplace, and had positive attitudes(The Baby Boomer Generation, n. D). According to statistics, 88% of baby boomers completed high school, and 28. 5% hold a bachelors degree or higher. High school completion rates are decreasing by the years now, and these are because of generation Y children. Clothing styles are much more important to generation Y too. From the reportable phase, to the north face Jackets, to the Sperry shoes, once they break in everyone Just has to start wearing it. The baby boomers didnt really care about what they wore. As long as they had clothes on their backs, it was okay. Not everyone had cars in the time of the baby boom generation, but now-a-days, if you dont have a car, you must be broke or something isnt right with you. Having a car now is much more important to generation y than it was to the baby boomers generation. These things though are Just norms that generation Y has. Having a car is the norm, being scalable is the social norm, being stylish is a norm, and their are many other norms that would have went against what the generation of the baby boomers considered to be a norm. No generation is the same in any way, shape, matter, or form. Both generations have their different ways of living. Both generations have made a change in our modern day world. Both generations have made many attributes. Both generations have brought something different to this world.

How to Use German Adjectives to Describe Things

How to Use German Adjectives to Describe Things To speak German, you have to know your adjectives. As a reminder, these are the descriptive words used to describe a person, place or thing. In this case, lets look at adjectives commonly used to describe people, both physically and behaviourally. We have grouped adjectives by nouns that theyre commonly associated with, but of course, these descriptive words may be used to describe many different things, not just the body part listed. Also, the adjectives are given in neuter form, so make sure to appropriately declinate adjectives according to the noun gender they describe.   Tip: If you are studying German on your own, a quick and simple way to practice the vocabulary would be to pick a picture of someone in a newspaper, magazine or website and describe them. German Worlds to Describe Physical Appearance Der Kà ¶rper (body): schlank (skinny) - dà ¼nn (thin) - hager (gaunt) - groß (big) - riesig (gigantic, really tall) - dick (fat) - stark, krftig (strong) - schwach, schwchlich (weak) - braun (tanned) - gebà ¼ckt (stooped). Das Gesicht (face): lang (long) - rund (round) - oval (oval) - breit (broad), Pickel im Gesicht (pimples on the face) - mit Falten, faltiges Gesicht (with wrinkles, a wrinkly face) - pausbckig (chubby-cheeked) - bleich, blass (pale) - ein rotes Gesicht (a red face) - kantig (angular) Die Augen (eyes): tiefliegende Augen (deep-set eyes) - strahlend (bright, brilliant), dunkel (dark, hazel) - mandelfà ¶rmig (almond-shaped eyes), geschwollen (puffy), mà ¼de (tired), klar (clear), funkelnd (twinkling) - wulstig (bulging) Die Augenbrauen (eyebrows): dicht (thick), voll (full), schà ¶n geformte (nicely-shaped), dà ¼nn (sparse), geschwungen (slightly curved) Die Nase (nose): krumm (crooked) - spitz (pointy) - gerade (straight) – stumpf (turned-up) – flach (flat) Der Mund (mouth): lchelnd (smiling) - die Stirn runzeln (to frown) - eine Schnute ziehen/einen Schmollmund machen ( to pout) - eckig (square) - offen (open) - weit aufgesperrt (gaping) - Mundgeruch haben (to have bad breath) Die Haare (hair): lockig (curly) – kraus (tightly-curled) – kurz (short) – glnzend (shiny) – glatt (straight) - glatzkà ¶pfig (bald) - schmutzig (dirty) - fettig (greasy) - einen Pferdeschwanz tragen (in a ponytail) - einen Knoten tragen ( in a bun) – gewellt (wavy) - voluminà ¶s (voluminous). See also colors. Die Ohren (ears): herausstehende Ohren (ears that stick out) – Elfenohren (elf ears) - die Schwerhà ¶rigkeit (hard of hearing) – taub (deaf) – Ohrringe tragen (wearing earrings) - Hà ¶rgert tragen (wear a hearing-aid) Die Kleidung (clothes):   modisch (fashionable) - lssig (casual) - sportlich (athletic) - beruflich  (professional) -  unschà ¶n (not fashionable) - altmodisch (dated) More clothes-related nouns that can help describe details: die Hose (pants) - das Hemd (shirt) - das T-shirt ( t-shirt) - der Pullover (sweater) - die Schuhe (shoes) - die Sandalen (sandals) - die Spitzschuhe (high heels) - die Stiefeln (boots) - der Mantel (coat) - die Jacke (jacket) - der Hut (hat) - der Anzug (a suit). See more on clothes and fashion. Other: manikà ¼rte Ngel (manicured nails) - das Muttermal (birthmark) - schmale Lippen (thin lips) – Plattfà ¼ÃƒÅ¸e (flat-feet) German Words To Describe a Person Eigenschaften (personality): Erregt (excited) - redselig (talkative) – schlechtgelaunt (bad-tempered) – jhzornig (violent-tempered) - spaßig (amusing) - zufrieden (happy; satisfied) - freundlich (friendly) - tapfer (courageous) – gemein (mean) – sanft (gentle) – großzà ¼gig (generous) – ungeduldig (impatient) – geduldig (patient) - faul (lazy) – hard-working (fleißig) – nervà ¶s (nervous) - ernst (serious) - schà ¼chtern (shy) - schlau (clever) - klug (smart) - religià ¶s (religious) – dickkà ¶pfig (stubborn) - traurig (sad) – depremiert (depressed) - komish (funny, weird) - seltsam, merkwà ¼rdig (strange) - gierig (greedy) – gerissen (sly) – barmherzig (compassionate) - fleißig (hard-working) – witzig (witty, funny) - jemand der sich immer beklagt (complainer) – eitel (vain) – sportlich (athletic) Descriptive Verbs Hobbys:  lesen (reading) – tanzen (dancing) – schreiben (reading) - Sport treiben (to play sports), singen (singing) – basteln (to do crafts) – photographieren (to take photos) – reisen (to travel) Holzbearbeitung machen (woodworking) – backen (to bake) – kochen (to cook) – malen (to paint, color) – zeichnen (to draw) – camping (Campen gehen) – einkaufen (shopping) Other Descriptive Nouns Die Familie (family): die Eltern (parents) - die Mutter (mother) - der Vater (father) - der Sohn (son) - die Tochter (daughter) - die Schwester (sister) - der Bruder (brother). See Family Glossary for more. Describe Yourself in German Here is a sample description of how it might sound to describe yourself in German. An English translation is below. Hallo. Ich heiße Hilde und komme aus Deutschland. Ich bin in Essen geboren, aber lebe seit vierzehn Jahren in Stuttgart. Zur Zeit studiere ich Maschinenbau an der Universitt. Ich mag reisen, lesen und tanzen. Meine Freunde nennen mich „Schwatzliese,â€Å" weil ich immer so redselig bin – auch whrend den Unterricht! Ich habe dunkle, krause Haare, haselnussbraune Augen und ziehe à ¶fters eine Schnute wenn ich beleidigt bin. Ich bin sehr fleißig zum Studieren aber zu faul um meine Wohnung aufzurumen. Ich trage lieber Jeans und Rennschuhe, als Rà ¶cke und Spitzschuhen. English Translation: Hello. My name is Hilde and I am from Germany. I was born in Essen, but have lived for fourteen years in Stuttgart. Currently, I am studying mechanical engineering at the university. I like to travel, read and dance. My friends call me a chatterbox because I’m always talking so much – even during class! I have dark, curly hair, hazel eyes and can pout really well when I am offended. I am very studious, but very lazy when it comes to cleaning up my apartment. I rather wear jeans and running shoes than skirts and high heels.

Research on Dell Inc Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Dell Inc - Research Paper Example Moreover, MIS can be further categorized as Decision Support System (DSS) and Executive Information System (EIS). In general, the role of MIS in terms of a DSS is to analyze and process business data that will aid business decision making efficiently (Nowduri, 2011). For instance, MIS provides comparative sales figures pertaining to a week, revenue figures projected on assumptions of a new product and history of decisions or workarounds performed (Nowduri, 2011). Dell Computer Corporation Dell founded in 1984 by Micheal Dell, it is one of the biggest computer manufacturing companies on the planet that provides personal computers, computer peripherals and associated software. Dell sells its products to the end users via online stores and mail orders. The organization is located in Texas and enjoys a very strong brand image that supports its growth (DATA MONITOR: Dell inc.2009). Likewise, Dell is listed in the top 100 brands of the world and its brand value is $11,695 million, as per t he annual raking 2008 report (DATA MONITOR: Dell inc.2009). Similarly, apart from the strong brand value and robust market position, there are flaws in some product segments along with feeble research and development outputs. Moreover, Dell is currently dependent on third party services along with contraction in end markets, these two factors can be considered as threats (DATA MONITOR: Dell inc.2009). Dell Information Automation Information automation is considered to be an examination and analysis of data organization. Likewise, it is most commonly used in businesses, science and technology and engineering and covers almost all areas pertaining to computing usage. Businesses use automation techniques and methods for performing tasks such as payroll processing, accounts, record keeping, inventory management, sales scrutiny, bank account statements and credit cards statements. Similarly, engineering sector utilize these methods and techniques for numerous applications associated with mineral and oil exploration. Moreover, the analysis associated with new product design and scientific experiments also utilize data processing (Kedar, 2009). Data processing or information automation is divided into two categories i.e. database processing and transaction processing. As database is a collection of data that can be extracted, changed or accessed, data can be associated with banks, financial institutions, income tax, salary, contact number etc. similarly, for a processing data, a database is utilized that is virtually located in the center (Kedar, 2009). Similarly for the second category, transaction processing is associated with an integration of two workstations that constructs the transaction, and it is backed by data provided by the second workstation. For instance, automated teller machines are a prime example for this category (Kedar, 2009). The information automation tools that are acquired and utilized by Dell Incorporated utilize the World Wide Web, spreadshe ets, maps, various models and database. Moreover, for operations functions, Dell focused primarily on the information processing tool named as maps. Likewise, the map tool facilitated Dell to make decisions associated with organizational operation initiatives. Moreover, maps were also utilized for determining the location or country to be selected for acquiring information. Furthermore, the map also

Articles Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Articles - Article Example From the comment, I think the 60% fall in oil will make larger companies to suffer because OPEC is likely to give up some market share. In addition, the smaller shale companies are likely to collapse because in the long run they will run into huge losses for operating below the breakeven point. The collapsing oil prices will lead Russian into economic recession because of their worsening financial condition. Basically I think it is the free market that prevents monopoly from forming. Monopolies that are often seen as free market monopolies are not actually monopolies because the fee market often prevents individuals from cornering the market. A free market does not allow coercive monopolies because it is open to all and not for only one company. There is always someone else or another company that is willing and/or capable of making the same product for lesser or the same price. Coercive monopolies can be given to the free market agents by government legislation, for instance franchise business for only a specific group of people, however, the government can interfere incase such people are exploiting the market. Monopolies do not exist in a free market because it has unrestricted competition. However, monopolies can be granted by only the regulation by the government. Patents only restricts the use of the inventor’s invention but does not prevent others from coming up with almost a similar invention. For instance, the fact that Coca Cola has patented its Coke brand has not prevented PepsiCo from inventing Pepsi cola. Income brackets have created divisions of classes that have inequities and disparities income due to barriers created by society, however there is considerable income mobility. I think there is income mobility but the individuals do not notice it easily due to the relative value of money because as income rises, the prices of products also rise. In

The Collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe Essay Example for Free

The Collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe Essay Analyses of the collapse of communism have followed a dialectical path since the early 1990s, explaining the implosion first as the direct result of US pressure, then as the inevitable fall of a flawed system, and finally, as a combination of the two. This fluctuation has occurred as national archives from both the East and the West have become increasingly accessible, giving historians a more complete picture of trends that may have contributed to the climate within the Eastern bloc at the beginning of the relevant period. Indeed, such documents have been instrumental in dispelling the view that the pivotal events of 1989 had relatively short-term roots. Some analysts have developed reasonable arguments tracing the fall of the Warsaw Pact back only as far as 1985, but for the most part, these are unsatisfying, ignoring critical factors such as the rise of the hawkists in America, and the role of world-wide peace movements. In addition, the release of top secret CIA files has shed interesting light on the under-rated Afghan conflict. These suggest that far from being yet another target for moralistic US containment, Afghanistan was set up by the Americans as an attempt to trap the Soviets in an exhausting Third World contest- to give them their own Vietnam. This discovery, and others relating to the nuclear arms race, technology, the media, and human rights debates, indicates that while not as active as initially supposed, the US was highly instrumental in bringing down European communism. At the same time, however, evidence of a self-perpetuating economic crisis, a crisis which was to spawn the powerful dissident movements in Eastern Europe, can be seen in Soviet archives as early as 1960. It could thus be argued that communism was, as an impractical, unpopular system, doomed to eventual failure. That this occurred on such a grand scale, however, and as early as 1989, must be attributed to Gorbachevs dramatic reform policies; these were in turn shaped by both external and internal pressures, as well as the particular political matrix, formulated under Khrushchev, in which Gorbachevs career began. In order to fully understand the forces that pushed Moscow towards such reforms, it is necessary to begin with the 1970s and the Soviet Union under Brezhnev. This was a period that left a strong legacy economically and thus shaped the local and international environments to a significant degree. A time of superpower dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente, both East and West were feeling the strain of Cold War competition- President Nixon of the U.S. looking for a way to liquidate the Vietnam War, and Brezhnev beginning to find the arms race excessively expensive. Trade between the two sides increased, and the common goal of nuclear non-proliferation led to various limitation agreements, such as the ABM Treaty of 1972. It was within this context, as Brezhnev was finally able to turn his attention to the process of catching up with the West financially and technologically, that the extent of the economic crisis in the communist states first became apparent. Dissent in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and, to a lesser extent, East Germany, had rung the alarm bells frequently throughout the preceding two decades, but the dilemma had never really absorbed much of the leaderships notice until now. Due to poor management of state funds, corruption within the system- granting party officials special luxuries, and an unbalanced emphasis on industrial manufacture, living standards within the Eastern camp were at a universal low. This was despite successful oil and steel production, the proceeds from which went to the maintenance of the KGB and the military presence in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Commodities were difficult to obtain, having been sacrificed for power plants that were needed to support industry, and, as a result, labour productivity and life expectancy were on the decline. In addition, government subsidies ate up such a large portion of the state budget that foreign trade had to be restricted, and importing rationed. These conditions had long been the fuel for various dissident undercurrents, which were intensified by strict censorship; as Timothy Sowula puts it, nothing nurtures dissent like the inability to express it.1 Although not anti-communist in essence, being rather concerned with democratizing socialism than with implementing Western ideology, these movements, particularly in Hungary and Poland, called for a reduction in state control, and promoted pluralism, and were thus clearly founded on a lack of faith in communism as an economic mechanism. These groups would later develop into powerful policy-setting factions. That they should be given more freedom to express their views first dawned upon the Soviet leadership during Brezhnevs tenure, as the intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and the crushing of Solidarity in 1981 proved destructively expensive both financially and in terms of propaganda. These trends- of economic decline and accompanying dissent- were clearly of predominantly internal beginnings. Basic faults in the system, such as excessive state control, corruption, over-emphasis on industry and the military, in addition to the characteristically repressive environment, caused the crisis situation to emerge as rampant by the 1970s. As recently upgraded spy systems relayed, irregularly it is true, updates on these problems to the West, they were picked up by hawkists within America and taken into careful consideration by those in charge of developing foreign policy. Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente had, once again, lost its luster in the eyes of many instrumental figures, and was viewed not merely as an expression of Americas weakness but also as a cause of it. 2 In addition, U.S. failures such as Vietnam and Watergate had damaged Western morale, and President Jimmy Carter was under pressure to make a strong reinstatement of American prestige. The main source of this pressure, a new political branch later branded neo-conservative, became prominent in the late 1970s, and followed Richard Piper in stating that: The notion that through accommodation you could change (the Soviets) was faulty. To change them you needed a very hard line policy.3 It was this branch, in control of perhaps the majority of the votes in the Senate by 1979, that formulated the adjusted US line: the exploitation of Soviet weaknesses in several different forums. The first arm of this strategy was clandestine support for the existing dissident movements in Eastern Europe. Solidarity, for instance, was largely dependent on printing equipment smuggled in from the U.S, using it to put out regular bulletins coordinating strikes, presenting political advice, and informing members of trade union meetings. The same equipment was also used to publish forbidden books and essays for Solidaritys extensive underground education system. This was not exclusive to Poland, either- evidence suggests that Washington furnished insurrectionist organizations in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany with similar printing machinery. This sponsorship effectively laid the platform for the reform campaigns that were launched both subversively and in the main-stream political arena. In addition, there are numerous records of visits by American politicians to pro-Western officials in Eastern Europe, encouraging them in their resistance, and helping them to develop the petitions that they placed before the leadership in their respective countries. Thus, it is clear that the U.S. did play a relatively influential role in developing the capacity of these movements, although they were, as already stated, self creating and sustaining. In other words, it would be fair to say that while it did not incite their sentiments, the U.S. did equip those who fought for the fatal reforms that would bring down communism. Another important forum of U.S. pressure was the human rights debate. This had begun in 1975 with the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, but had not really evoked wide interest until approximately five years later, as a strong realpolitik contingent in the West had spurned the human rights issue as an unnecessary ideological digression. It was only as Jimmy Carters public promotion of humanitarianism, a tactic which had been rarely used since Vietnam, succeeded in gaining popular support, that U.S. policy makers reincorporated the human rights line into their scheme. And, indeed, this proved a worthwhile investment. Inciting peace movements across the West, and providing the dissident factions in the East with a weapon with which to fight oppression, the Helsinki Final Act, when brought to life, became a powerful document in the context of Cold War competition. It provided a frame of reference by which the peoples of the world could judge both domestic conditions and superpower behaviour in the various conquests of the 1980s. It formed the foundation for reformist debates behind the Iron Curtain, particularly on the subjects of state sovereignty and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente. While it gained great public acclaim as a rare superpower agreement to play by the same rules, however, the Helsinki process was in fact treated with little respect by its signatories. That the U.S. valued it as something that the media could use to bring out Soviet atrocities, both within its own quarters and in places like Afghanistan, more than as a genuine moral code, was evident in Washingtons ongoing support of brutal military dictatorships in Central America, and its collaboration with apartheid South Africa. Likewise, the Soviet Union ignored the terms of the act, which were not legally binding, and opposed the freedom of traffic and of the press that it stipulated. Ultimately, although thus under-rated by the Kremlin, the Helsinki Final Act was to facilitate one of the major exposà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s of the communist system, officially dissolving the myth that communism was socialism with a human face.4 Of course, the success of this human rights operation depended largely on the media. In fact, it was as coverage of peace demonstrations in the West reached the East that an echo effect began to occur, winning support for the dissident movements and dividing central party regimes- a crucial hollowing process that would set up the later implosion. With the tight censorship exercised by Eastern regimes during this period, it may seem surprising that Western media so dramatically influenced areas such as Poland and Hungary, but highly developed technology had basically put an end to the shielding and isolating of peoples in communist countries. This was particularly true in East Germany- the normalization of relations with West Germany in August 1972 and resulted in East Germans being allowed to watch West German T.V. As had been the case throughout the Cold War, what happened in Germany set the tone for the rest of Europe. Combined with Washingtons equipping of Solidarity, this media traffic had under-estimated ramifications. Not only did it expose the peoples of the communist world to the human rights debate, it also, and perhaps more importantly, allowed them to experience the full extent of the disparity between living conditions in the East and living conditions in the West. This, a tribute to the merits of capitalism, and a tool for awakening civilians to their own economic repression, mobilized reformist movements in a way that even Washington, responsible for developing the technology for this project, had never anticipated. Running parallel to these subtler channels of pressure was the typically forefront issue of nuclear arms. And, indeed, a dramatic shift in U.S. nuclear policy around 1978-79 can be discerned, although demand for a zero option in Europe was a consistent theme throughout the relevant period. To return briefly to the 1970s and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente, we see the nuclear arms race denounced as pointless- a vicious circle.5 Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union made marked steps during this passage of the Cold War towards the dissolution of the contest- with the partial test ban treaty of 1968, and the ABM treaty of 1972. Approximately mid-way through Jimmy Carters term, however, the soft-line policy was reversed, and the U.S. began to pressurize the Soviets by developing MRVs, and escalating the production of unlimited weapons. In addition, NATO formulated a tough response to the previously unanswered SS 20 missiles, which allegedly targeted Western Europe. The proposed introduction of the Pershing II and Tomahawk missiles in West Germany and the Netherlands was a new approach, replacing the former agreement to engage in talks on the matter. That this shift coincided with the realization that the nuclear arms race was exhausting dwindling Soviet resources and morale, suggests that it was the direct result of new insights into Soviet behaviour. As American pressure in this arena continued to rise with the development of SDI, the reality that the USSR lacked the power to retaliate began to dawn upon those in charge of foreign policy. One would think, with the traditional gauge of Cold War tensions- the nuclear contest, in such a unilateral state, that superpower relations were becoming progressively peaceful. The irony that summit talks consistently coincided with outbreaks or accelerations in external conflicts demonstrated, however, that this was not the case. In fact, if the impression that the Soviets were suddenly more pro-dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente than the U.S. in the nuclear sense even emerged, Washington quickly eradicated it by turning the worlds attention to undoubtedly aggressive Soviet behaviour in the Middle East and Angola. Exploitation of the Soviet tendency to get involved in Third World conflicts became perhaps the focus of U.S. foreign policy during the late 1970s and early 80s, as can be seen in the most obvious and important example: Afghanistan. The superpower-funded war in Afghanistan was, as stated earlier, misunderstood until perhaps a few years ago. At the time of its occurrence, and during its immediate aftermath, U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was generally defined as an extension of containment, justified with the characteristic moral charge and talk of liberating Afghan captives from an unwanted regime. According to this view, the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan to suppress popular sentiments that threatened their dominance, prompting an objection and military response from the U.S. New evidence suggests, however, that the launch of the covert CIA operation in Afghanistan was hardly a reaction to Soviet movements. On the contrary, substantial U.S. activity was recorded in the area as early as 6 months before the deployment of the Red Army, as officials stirred up opposition to the government, promising military support for an insurrection. Mr. Brezezinksi, adviser to Carter at the time, sums this up, saying: According to the official version of history, aid to the moujahideen began during 1980after the Soviet army invadedBut the realitysecretly guardedis completely otherwise.6 Having established this, we can see that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan had a far from peaceable source; quite the opposite, the plan of action was to induce a Soviet military intervention.7 The purposes of this operation were multiple, but are encapsulated in Brezezinksis statement, quoted earlier, that this was the (Soviets) own Vietnam8- in other words, a conflict designed to exhaust economically, raise disputes at home, and as a touch-point for propaganda. And it worked, too. Domestically, by the time the conquest was five years old, and had claimed thousands of Soviet lives, it had become extremely unpopular, fuelling dissent, and disillusioning even faithful communists. Economically, a battle fought in the mountains with helicopters against the powerful US FIM-92 Stingers was expensive, and, in addition, created a rift between the Red Army and the Soviet leadership as the fighting went on past the desired date of departure. Further, since the West controlled the international media, it was able to present coverage of the exchange with a prejudice, emphasizing the Soviet atrocities and the number of civilian deaths. Human rights were, as one would expect, a major talking point within this context. In addition to undermining the Soviet Union in the above ways, Afghanistan was used as a pretext to end every vestige of dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente. The promising grain trade that had sprung up between the U.S. and the East was abruptly brought to a close. Then, Washington pressured the Saudi Arabian leadership, which was co-operating with the CIA in Afghanistan, to lower oil prices, and thus undercut the Soviet monopoly. Simultaneously, the White House denounced the SALT II Treaty as meaningless, and began inciting people in the West to express their disapproval of Soviet actions by boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The result of all these manouevres was a dramatic heightening in temperature in the Soviet Union, as it found itself stretched and tested at numerous points- economic, political, and military. It is clear, then, that it was a combination of both internal and external forces that shaped the political climate in Moscow in the critical mid-80s period. An additional factor, overlooked in that it is better defined as a context than as a force, was the legacy of dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente and democratization that Khrushchev had left the communist party. While gradually eradicated from main-stream politics as its negative effects began to emerge in Eastern Europe and China, this remained an important influence in specific circles. It had a particular impact on those whose careers had begun under Khrushchev, as his anti-Stalinism left a lasting imprint on minds trained to worship an infallible Soviet leadership. These politicians, many harbouring inclinations towards democratization and reform despite Brezhnevs harsh Sinatra Doctrine, were to emerge as central figures in the Kremlin by 1985. This created an entirely new environment, uniquely receptive to the heightening pressure for refor m that was applied through the previously mentioned channels. Mikhail Gorbachev, a leading figure within this political contingent, was elected head of the communist party both as a result of the natural process outlined above, and as officials realized that the public would best submit to someone with plans for reform. His policies have been cited as the major cause of the collapse of communism, which is reasonable in a limited sense, but they must be viewed as the product of the existing domestic and international situations rather than as a theoretical digression. Faced with such economic, political, and military strain, Gorbachev virtually had no other choice than to seek to minimize Soviet expenses. And this meant, of course, reorganizing the empire for efficiency (perestroika). It also entailed pacifying the masses by giving them a voice; the policy of open discussion, known as glasnost, reduced censorship and allowed debates on ideology to take place. This approach was developed with the aim of liquidating factions such as Solidarity, by giving them certain concessions, for example, freedom of speech and of assembly. As later became evident, however, both this policy and perestroika had a far from calming effect in the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. Ultimately, Gorbachevs reforms destroyed communist rule because they compromised the central police force and terror necessary to its survival- allowing pluralism, and opening gateways to the West. This took place in both an economic and a political sense, so that capitalist influences infiltrated almost every sphere of Soviet society. The first of Gorbachevs policies to make an impact was perestroika, which was put before the Kremlin in June 1987, and began to affect the economic structure almost immediately. As early as August, the Soviet Union had begun to make overtures to British prime-minister Margaret Thatcher, arranging for Western businesses to be established on Soviet soil, and opening up the oil trade. A series of joint ventures were set up the following year, although they were never to achieve the stated goal of helping the USSR to advance technologically. At the same time, petroleum production was restored, state planning diminished, taxes regulated, and a law passed permitting private businesses to operate. These changes were to affect almost everyone- many negatively, as alterations in factory relationships caused workers to lose their jobs. In fact, this economic democratization actually worsened living conditions- that this occurred just as the people were becoming exposed to the comparative wealth of Western nations as traffic flow and the media opened up, ensured that perestroika contributed significantly to the fall of communism. This exposure came with the policy of glasnost, introduced in the Soviet Union in late 1987, and entailing the open discussion of communist ideology both through the media, and within the Party. Its inception was accompanied by Gorbachevs declaration before the UN that he would not intervene in the internal affairs of other Warsaw Pact countries. Together, these liberalizations virtually ended communist terror, opening the way for reform. In addition, the new media freedoms enabled programs detailing past Soviet atrocities, such as the gulags and the Great Purges, to be broadcast. At the same time, the inefficiency of Stalins mechanisms and the extent of state corruption in the past were made known in full to the public. This greatly undermined the peoples faith in the system- it eroded the CPs social power base, by bringing down its traditional corner stones- the hierarchy of the politburo, and CP dominance. The effects of these policies were first evident in Eastern Europe, as dissident movements supported by Gorbachev began to gain power. In Poland, for instance, the previously banned Civic Society was able to rise to a position where it could negotiate for economic reforms and other freedoms- freedoms which would eventually lead to pluralism. Hungary followed a similar course, its underground organizations receiving encouragement and inspiration from Gorbachev, and Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria, while slower to get started, eventually experienced much the same thing. This process- the rise of dissent and the consequent introduction of non-communist elements into the party- escalated as it became increasing clear that Moscow had no intention of opposing democratization. It culminated in 1988-89, as a series of insurrections, some violent, some peaceful, brought about the reinstatement of free elections and the overthrow of communist regimes across Eastern Europe. This implosion is perhaps symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall, which occurred after Gorbachev liscensed Hungary to open its border and thus provide an escape route for East Germans. It was echoed in the Soviet Union two years later- the Red Army had staged a brief coup in the interests of a military intervention in Eastern Europe, and had failed. Gorbachev had tried to regain popular support, and had proposed a new constitution, dismissing the CPCC, but Estonia, Ukraine, and Belarus nonetheless declared their independence. By 1991, communist rule in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was over, and the world was left to reflect on the sad, bizarre chapter in human history,9 that had just been written. It can thus be confirmed that the decline of communism after 1985 was the direct result of Gorbachevs policies. And, in this sense, it was an internal force that brought about the actual collapse that occurred, although, as already established, this was shaped both by U.S. pressure and conditions within the Eastern bloc. It is important, in addition, not to overlook the role that American policy played in these latter years. That Reagan and Thatcher continued to build western economies that far outshone those in the East certainly kept the pressure on the communists. Likewise, Regan constantly challenged Gorbachevs commitment to peace, demanding that he open this gatetear down this wall.10 For the most part, however, the collapse was self-contained after 1985. It is perhaps best summarized by Erik Chenoweth in his article, Common Elements of Successful Opposition to Communism: pluralism is an anathema to communism andcan survive communisms system of terror, where the systems terror is balanced by societys opposition.11 1 Timothy Sowula, The Helsinki Process and the Death of Communism, 2002. 2 Richard Piper, Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente and Its Demise, 2001. 3 ibid. 4 Timothy Sowula, ibid 5 Colonel-General Nikolai Chervov, as quoted in Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente And Its Demise, 2001 6 Brezezinksi, The Afghan Caper, 2004 7 ibid. 8 ibid. 9 Robert Reagan as quoted in Misinterpreting the Cold War- www.foreignaffairs.org/19950/001fareviewessay5008/richard-pipes.html 10 ibid. 11 http://www.idee.org/cubaideas4.html

Nature of Logic Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Logic Thinking Essay

Nature of Logic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nature of logic and critical thinking go hand in hand. A person must use logic during the critical thinking process. However, each person’s logic may depend on his/her perceptual process or their perceptual barriers. No person can ever fully understand their own perceptual process in its entirety. The reason being is that no person knows all of their perceptual barriers. Without knowing all of the barriers, how is a person able to determine the process in which they perceive things? While a person may know or assume some of their perceptual barriers, some of their perceptual barriers will never be uncovered because they may not know they even exist. They may not even know that they exist because the perceptual barrier is so strong that it will never be known to them, that it, in fact, is a barrier at all. This alone could be a potential barrier.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aside from not being able to identify all of a person’s perceptual barriers, each situation that comes about where a critical thinking process may be utilized can call for a different process. For example, a person may use an entirely different perceptual process while at their place of employment than they would in their home. Even then a person may utilize a different process depending on the situations that occur on any given day. However, the way we think can be determined by the way we were raised and the way we currently are living. Many factors come into play that can cause percept...

How Did Men Deal with the Stress of World War II Essay

The iconic â€Å"thousand-yard stare†, a far-off, unfocused gaze characteristic of soldiers who had succumbed to the trauma of war by dissociating from it, emerged with its name through the chilling photos of soldiers who were overtaken by these symptoms in the wake of World War II. It’s no surprise that war takes a toll on the psyche of all those affected by it. Given the brutality and scope of World War II, which began only 21 years after World War II (a war that had already ravaged the landscape and people of Europe leaving high estimates of the death toll at 65 million deaths), civilians and soldiers alike were engulfed in total war. As Hitler and the Nazis’ ideology was based on â€Å"A War of Extermination† fueled by a racial ideology that sought for the ethnic cleansing and complete reengineering of the social population of Europe, the massive amount of Soviet soldiers that perished as they were thrown wave after wave in order to slow the Nazi war machine, and the general cruelty that was apparent in this war, soldiers upon soldiers grew appalled by the nature of the war. As one soldier confesses in The Italian Job, â€Å"After three months, it was demoralizing†¦ it was every night, every night everybody was hunting Germans, everybody was out to kill anybody†¦ we was insane†¦ We did become like animals in the end†¦ Yes, just like rats†¦ It was far worse than the desert. You were stuck in the same place. You had nowhere to go. You didn’t get no rest, like in the desert. No sleep†¦ You never expected to see the end of it. You just forgot why you were there† (Addison 208). Often times, the amount of effort put into it and the lives sacrificed seemed to far outweigh the benefits reaped from both; Gottlob Herbert Bidderman, a German soldier that was present on the Eastern Front reflected on â€Å"the insignificance of twelve kilometers: twelve kilometers—in an endless land, where unbroken fields stretched to the horizon before us from sunrise to sunset. I wondered how many more twelve-kilometer battles lay ahead of us during our march away from the setting sun† (Bidderman 23). However, like anything that people are overexposed to, these men slowly grew accustomed to and desensitized to the trocities and horrors of the war. Human beings are naturally adaptive beings and history has shown time and time again that they do what is needed in order to survive. It would be simplistic to classify each of the nations and their armies as being uniform in their coping with the war – due to the specific nature of some of the problems and solutions that emerged from belonging to that particular nation (such as the Soviets reveling in their loyalty and the cult-like worship of Stalin and the Nazis racial ideology being one that ensured in their mind their victory), but many men, regardless of their affiliation, handled the war similarly. Some treated the time on these fronts as a long extended workday, disassociating from the acts they committed and the sights they witnessed as simply being a part of a job. Others turned to their families away from home – brothers and sisters, who through their common experiences, pains, and moments of hope, stood together in solidarity. Others turned to the bottom of a bottle to ease the pain; while others turned instead upwards to a higher power, or at the very least began to frequent religious services. Those who were not willing to look quite so loftily turned to their superiors and leaders for guidance and bravery; while in the case of the Soviet soldiers, glanced fearfully backwards as the higher-ups pushed them forward to their death. Far away from home and under harsh conditions, food and other chanced upon provisions and commodities would often serve as a best to moral. Due to the sheer breadth of stress embodied in being a soldier in any front during WWII, soldiers dealt with the immense strain in varying ways in order to keep intact their humanity, or at the very least, keep their sanity so that they could ensure their survival. There is a perception held by many idealistic, young men that war is a somewhat akin to a noble crusade. However, there is the reality is much more analogous, to as one German soldier put it â€Å"this is ten times worse than hell† (Grossman 151). A scene from the Italian Job details this hell: â€Å"some (too many, far too many) were carried in dying, with gross combinations of shattered limbs, protrusions of intestines and brain from great holes in their poor frames torn by 880millimetre shells, mortars and anti-personnel bombs. Some lay quiet and still, with legs drawn up – penetrating wounds of the abdomen. Some were carried in sitting up on the stretcher, gasping and coughing, shot through the lungs †¦ All were exhausted after being under continuous fire, and after lying in the mud for hours and days† (Addison 208). As a result, as these idealistic notions were lost, many turned to viewing the entire ordeal as a job. Having suffered through the war for some time, one soldier remarked, â€Å"You’re fighting for the skin in the line. When I was enlisted I was patriotic as hell. There’s no patriotism in the line. A boy up there 60 days in the line is in danger every minute. He ain’t fighting for patriotism† (Addison 210). Another soldier enjoyed fighting at dawn as he felt that it was almost as if he was heading off to work at the factory. Rather than consciously thinking of all of the horrors that they were witnessing on a daily basis and focusing on the fact that they could die at any moment, the concept of just doing a job provided a blanket under which these men sought to maintain control of their humanity by separating their psyches from the appalling state of being they were in. A man in an earlier war who was quoted in Addison’s book stated that â€Å"whatever its size a man’s world was his section—at most, his platoon; all that mattered to him was the one little boatload of castaways with whom he was marooned on a desert island making shift to keep off the weather and any sudden attacks by wild beast† (Addison 211). Away from their families and friends, immersed in a bloody war where hundreds upon thousands of people could die in a skirmish or battle, these soldiers could only count on each other to truly understand the situation they were currently in. Beaten and battered together, having lost many of the same friends, triumphed momentarily, or retreated hastily, this mutual understanding gave way to a support group – a family who soldiers could lean upon and secure their well being. Of this, Bidermann wrote, â€Å"Our thoughts were constantly occupied by the tenuous if not hopeless situation in which we found ourselves. We received solace only in our numbers and in being with comrades with whom we had shared so many experiences over the weeks, months, and years† (Bidermann 266). Repeatedly throughout the 3 readings, there is mention of men, whether they in the heat of battle or â€Å"relaxing† with company, being drunk. It’s no surprise as alcohol has been a means by which men have coped with their problems for thousands of years. If the problems won’t go away, the solution for some has been to drink until those problems do not register as problems anymore. As such, Holmes noted â€Å"headaches were almost universal in a theatre of war where wine and brandy were readily available† (Addison 212). Grossman ctually talks about how his battalion commander Kozlov, in the midst of battle, â€Å"withstood an attack of tanks. He was on great form and completely drunk. The tanks were thrown back in a dashing fashion† (Grossman 103). As religion has functioned as a form of comfort since the inception of civilization and the birth of religion, it was only natural for men living in depravity to come to it to relieve them of some of their burden. Subsequently, the men of the clergy were often instrumental to moral and aid. Furthermore, due to the looming possibility of death in war, the mortality of some became that much more apparent. In Bidermann’s account, he talks of a divisional chaplain named Satzger who had several times risked his life to recover wounded men. Resulting from men of the cloth like Satzger and with death looming, â€Å"many of the soldiers who had not been so inclined began to attend religious services †¦ For far too many [the chaplain] would offer the last voice of reassurance and the last vestige of comfort before they, too, succumbed to mortal wounds† (Bidermann 25). Another Catholic priest was dubbed â€Å"the rucksack priest† as he carried a field pack from which he provided troops on the front lines with simple food items that had in war become luxuries. While it may have been a spiritual solace that many received at the hands of these men of God, others attended for the sake of having a comforting and helping hand. It’s been told that leaders are supposed to lead by example. Caught in chaotic times, superior officers often functioned as beacons to rally around. In times past, great leaders such as George Washington, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan immersed themselves in battles, showing that the best commanders do not directing them from the rear, but rather leading them in the front. A commanding officer by the name of â€Å"Captain Kendall, turned a shaky company into a passably good one by public displays of sheer guts. ‘Look at me,’ he said quietly, walking from man to man under fire. ‘They can’t hit me. Look at me’† (Addison 210). Examples like this provided moral boosts to dreary men who needed something positive to cling to. Conversely, rather than inspiring by a guiding light of bravery and courage, the Soviets were incentivized onwards by the ever-present detachments behind the troops that would shoot deserters. Grossman describes this in further detail: â€Å"Stalin’s Order No. 27 – ‘Not One Step Back’ – included the instruction to each army command to organise ‘three to five well-armed [blocking] detachments (up to two hundred men each)’ to form a second line to ‘combat cowardices’ by shooti ng down any soldier who tried to run away† (Grossman 141). As many Soviet soldiers understood the likelihood of their death in squaring off against the Nazis, the desire to flee was understandable. Stalin believed that the presence of the troops would force the Soviet troops to fight even harder. Pushed forwards, the stark realization of soldiers was expressed by Grossman: â€Å"Once you are here, there is no way out. Either you will lose your head or your legs†¦ Everyone knows that those who turn and run would be shot on the spot. This was more terrifying than the Germans† (Grossman 146). Under the constant strain of needing to ration supplies and consistently cut off from supply lines, soldiers had to make do with their limited resources. Given the treacherous nature of the constant advancement and lack of luxuries, whenever there was time to enjoy the comfort brought by certain goods that had faded away from recent recollection to distant memories, the time was relished and the goods provided relief to the men. In fact, Bidermann specifically noted several instances where his regiment and he would partake in â€Å"luxuries† that were not available to them by enjoying the spoils of war. â€Å"Two August was marked by a break in the monotonous field rations, when we boiled freshly dug potatoes in an unnamed Ukrainian village. Obserschutze Fehr had already plucked a chicken, and together with the boiled hen and potatoes we ate peeled cucumbers† (Bidermann 24). In another instance, his crew discovered a still-intact collective farm and was able to enjoy hot coffee, schmalzbrot, and sleep in small thatched-roof huts. Though seemingly commonplace to us, moments such as these provided brief relief and respite from the horrors of daily life across the theatres, and allowed soldiers to momentarily reflect on how life used to be. Constantly under an onslaught of forces that, if mishandled, could cause a man to lose his mind, soldiers used some, if not all, of the aforementioned forms to provide relief or inspiration in persevering in their struggle. Under pressure, these men had to find whatever means by which to motivate themselves to return safely home, and more so than that, return home as much themselves as before.