Five ways to kill a man Essay

In Wilfred Owen’s poem â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est,† the narrator is Owen himself. The story tells the tale of one particular day when he has to watch one of his fellow soldiers gruesomely suffocate to death from inhalation of chlorine gas. Owen paints the soldiers as not necessarily heroic, but rather more desperate and terrified, â€Å"like old beggars under sacks,† (Owen line 1), also â€Å"coughing like hags† (Owen line 2). I feel that Owen portrays his fellow soldiers this way to try and illustrate the point that these people are terribly afraid of death and are faced with it every day they live. They also aren’t this indestructible super human killing machine, but rather a group of terrified 20 year olds who just want to go home. Owen speaks about the need to press on regardless of how bad it gets: â€Å"But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind,† (Owen line 6). This illustrates how bad the circumstances are for the soldiers fi ghting, and goes against the idealistic image of what a battle should look like or how a soldier should appear after a battle. The way Owen tells this story shows that his view of the war was that the soldiers have no comprehension of a righteous cause or a meaning behind their sacrifice. Specifically, the rhyming, tone, and imagery will all help to demonstrate that point. Owen uses the rhyming in the poem to help reflect his own personal beliefs about war onto the reader. The rhymes that Owen chooses are particularly useful for finding out what his message to the reader here is. He uses rhymes such as â€Å"sludge – trudge† (Owen lines 2 and 4), â€Å"blind – behind† (Owen lines 6 and 8), â€Å"fumbling – stumbling† (Owen lines 9 and 11), and perhaps the rhyme that is most telling to Owen’s underwriting theme is when he rhymes â€Å"drowning – drowning† (Owen lines 14 and 16). This last rhyme using the anaphora is chosen solely for the purpose of drawing the reader’s attention to the word and further emphasizing the vividness of which Owen witnessed a friend of his suffocate in front of him, and then they had to carry his corpse with them along their travels. The repetition of the word makes it more important and draws more attention to it. The rhyme scheme is regular a,b,a,b,c,d,c, d,e,f,e,f and the lines are end-stopped. Furthermore, the sounds themselves of the rhymes are cacophonous in nature and are helpful for showing the reader Owen’s emotional mindset at the time  this is all happening. The short vowel sounds in the rhymes of sludge – trudge (Owen lines 2 and 4), fumbling – stumbling (Owen lines 9 and 11), and blood – cud (Owen lines 21 and 23) are meant to help portray a somber mood void of any heroic undertones. This is again done for the purpose of helping to show these soldiers as lost, terrified young men struggling to survive, and not fighting for glory or love of one’s nation. The shortness of the rhymes of sludge and trudge gives the reader an idea of the hurried pace at which the soldiers are walking and talking. According to Daniel Moran, † -â€Å"trudges† along in the reader’s ear as the men â€Å"trudge† toward their unattainable relief. (Also note the rhyming of â€Å"trudge† with â€Å"sludge†, which con nects the action of trudging with the terrain.)† (Moran). Moran here makes the case that Owen is attempting to tie the setting into the action and connect the two, thus aiding the mental picture the reader has of the scene at hand. The tone can also be analyzed to sense the author’s negative outlook on war. Focusing on the two line stanza in the middle of the poem where Owen describes the death of his maskless comrade in the gas attack is a prime example. â€Å"In all my dreams, before my helpless sight. He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.† (Owen lines 15 and 16). According to John Hughes, a writer for The Explicator, â€Å"This recurrent nightmare is the climax of the poem’s tendency, in its first half, toward an unfolding of the poet’s interiority, his personal responses, amid the texture of events it describes. So, from the opening line, the impersonal world of high literary culture, patriotism, and upstanding soldierly endeavor conjured in the title (and to a degree in the early dedication) yields with a jolt to the antithetical world notated with such feeling in the first stanza.† (Hughes). Basically Hughes is stating that in his opinion the entire poem is tak ing place inside Owen’s nightmares while he sleeps at night after the war is over. And in line 15 and 16 Owen is stating how he is forever tormented by the mental image of his fellow soldier and friend in combat being killed in front of his eyes. This work also can be said to contain a great deal of imagery for the reader to delve into. Each one providing a horrible, gruesome firsthand look into  what it would have been like to see the battle of World War 1 from the front lines. In lines 4-6, Owen writes â€Å"And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;† (Owen lines 4-6). These lines early on in the poem give the reader a sense of what the terrain is like and what the men are experiencing just to stay alive. The soldiers are not being portrayed as conquering heroes riding across the countryside, defeating all you stand in their path, as such was the popular way to write war poetry at the time Dulce et Decorum Est was written. According to Kimberly Lutz writing for Poetry for Students, â€Å"This sensibility of the cost of war to both the dead and surviving soldier stands in stark contrast to the types of poetry with which Owen’s readers would have been familiar. Take for instance, â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade,† a famous poem by the Victorian era’s most famous poet (and poet laureate) Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written in 1854 in response to a newspaper account of a military mistake that sent hundreds of men to die battling the Russians in the Crimean War, the poem acknowledges the awful cost of war. However, the reader learns only that â€Å"horse and hero fell.† The bloodshed, the smells, the confusion that go along with battle are not depicted.† (Lutz). This seems to be yet another reason for Owen feeling the need to portray his side of the story of war ever so vividly. The popular thing at the time was for poets to paint war in a positive light and fail to mention the horrible aspects of it. Owen saw these things firsthand and wasn’t going to remain silent about them. â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† is a powerful work by a very young Wilfred Owen. He is speaking from experience and first hand traumas which help add relevancy to the work. The meter was regular for the most part, helping to echo the military uniformity of march and speech. While also irregular at other times of high excitement and scramble, showing that even if you have been conditioned to behave a certain way, your survival instincts take hold once your life depends on it. The work isn’t quite as polished as it could have been, perhaps it could have benefited from some final edits. However, Owen wasn’t just writing this from afar, he was involved in battle, and he believed what he was saying. This can be proven by the fact that Wilfred Owen was killed on the battlefield with 1 week remaining in World War.

Questionnaire on soft drinks’ purchasing preferences…” Essay

â€Å"Questionnaire on soft drinks’ purchasing preferences†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Questionnaire on soft drinks’ purchasing preferences.. Today soft drinks don’t only reduce the thirst but also have become style and fashion. The purpose of this questionnaire is to know what people like most about soft drinks and what attracts them toward these products†¦ Part 1: 1. Do you drink soft drinks? oYES oNO, if no, please return this questionnaire 2. Gender oMale oFemale 3. Which of the following best describes your age? o 16-25 o 26-30 o 31-40 o41-50+ 4. Where is the most common place that you purchase soft drinks? o Restaurants o Supermarket o Hypermarkets. oKiosks oOther (please specify) 5. How often do you consume a soft drink? oDaily Basis o Weekly basis o Monthly basis o Never 6. On average how many times do you visit stores to purchase beverages? o 1-2 per month o 3-4 per month o 5-6 per month o 7+ per month 7. What is your soft drink of choice? oPepsi oCoca-Cola oSprite o7-Up oMirinda oFanta oSchweppes oOther (please specify) 8. Why do you drink soft drinks? oTaste o Caffeine o Refreshment o Brand loyalty oOther (please specify). 9. What is the most effective advertising that makes you want to drink a Coke? o Commercials o Web advertising (social media, official website, etc. ) o Billboards o Print advertising oOther (please specify) Part 2: Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements as 1 = Strongly agree, 3=neutral & 5= strongly disagree: StatementStrongly agree to strongly disagree 1. I understand the features of sodas well enough to evaluate the brands. 2. I have a preference for one or more brands in the soft drink class. 3. Soft drinks are a product for which I have no need whatsoever. 4. I usually purchase the same brand within the soft drink class. 5. If I received information that was contrary to my preferred soft drink, I would still keep my preferred brand. 6. If my preferred brand of soft drink is not available at the store, it makes little difference to me if I must choose another brand. 7. My preferred brand of soft drink helps me attain the type of life I strive for. 8. This soft drink helps me express the â€Å"I† and within myself. 9. I definitely have a â€Å"wanting† for soft drinks. 10. Most of the brands of soft drink are all alike. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5. â€Å"Questionnaire on soft drinks’ purchasing preferences†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Questionnaire on soft drinks’ purchasing preferences.. Today soft drinks don’t only reduce the thirst but also have become style and fashion. The purpose of this questionnaire is to know what people like most about soft drinks and what attracts them toward these products†¦ Part 1: 1. Do you drink soft drinks? oYES oNO, if no, please return this questionnaire 2. Gender oMale oFemale 3. Which of the following best describes your age? o 16-25 o 26-30 o 31-40 o41-50+ 4. Where is the most common place that you purchase soft drinks? o Restaurants o Supermarket o Hypermarkets  oKiosks oOther (please specify)5. How often do you consume a soft drink? oDaily Basis o Weekly basis o Monthly basis o Never 6. On average how many times do you visit stores to purchase beverages? o 1-2 per month o 3-4 per month o 5-6 per month o 7+ per month 7. What is your soft drink of choice? oPepsi oCoca-Cola oSprite o7-Up oMirinda oFanta oSchweppes oOther (please specify) 8. Why do you drink soft drinks? oTaste o Caffeine o Refreshment o Brand loyalty oOther (please specify). 9. What is the most effective advertising that makes you want to drink a Coke? o Commercials o Web advertising (social media, official website, etc. ) o Billboards o Print advertising oOther (please specify). Part 2: Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements as 1 = Strongly agree, 3=neutral & 5= strongly disagree: StatementStrongly agree to strongly disagree 1. I understand the features of sodas well enough to evaluate the brands. 2. I have a preference for one or more brands in the soft drink class. 3. Soft drinks are a product for which I have no need whatsoever. 4. I usually purchase the same brand within the soft drink class. 5. If I received information that was contrary to my preferred soft drink, I would still keep my preferred brand. 6. If my preferred brand of soft drink is not available at the store, it makes little difference to me if I must choose another brand. 7. My preferred brand of soft drink helps me attain the type of life I strive for. 8. This soft drink helps me express the â€Å"I† and within myself. 9. I definitely have a â€Å"wanting† for soft drinks. 10. Most of the brands of soft drink are all alike. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5.

What SAT IIs Should You Take if Youre Undecided?

You may think that if you’re undecided about your major, then it’s not worth taking SAT IIs. After all, your regular SAT score is already an indicator of your academic potential, so why prove your mastery in a specialized subject? However, by taking a diverse combination of SAT IIs, undecided students can demonstrate their versatility and show that they can handle the challenge of a college course load. Not only that, but your performance on the SAT IIs might clue you in to one of your strengths, so that you can narrow down the types of majors you’re looking at. In general, we recommend that you take SAT IIs that play to your strengths, while choosing SAT IIs from a variety of areas to show that you could do well in any major. Here’s what you need to know to decide on SAT IIs to take. SAT IIs, also known as SAT Subject tests, are a set of standardized tests that cover subjects commonly covered in high school. They’re divided in five general categories: Every SAT II is a multiple choice test that takes about an hour to complete, and students earn scores between 200 to 800. As you probably guessed, 800 is the highest score you can achieve, so that’s the score to aim for! SAT IIs are offered on the same days and often the same locations as the SAT. While you can take up to three SAT IIs on the same day, you can’t take both the SAT and an SAT II. For more information about when the SAT IIs are offered, check out our post SAT Subject Test Dates and Deadlines for 2018-2019 . While some colleges require SAT IIs, most only recommend these tests. Many top schools consider SAT II scores in addition to the rest of your academic profile, so SAT IIs can help you stand out from other college applicants and demonstrate your academic strength in specific subjects not covered on the SAT. For many students, SAT IIs show that they’re ready for their intended major, but since you’re undecided, you’ll want to go for a broad range of subjects and take a few different SAT IIs to show that you’re ready for any major. Some schools may use SAT IIs for particular applicants or use them outside of their general admissions. For example, some schools might place you in higher-level courses based on your SAT II scores, so you can take more interesting, specialized classes offered to upperclassmen. Many schools also ask that international, bilingual/ESL students, and homeschooled students take SAT IIs to show that their education was on par with a U.S. high school education and that they’re ready for college. Your ultimate goal is to maximize flexibility; colleges need to be convinced that you will be successful regardless of the major you choose. You’ll need to plan which tests to take in coordination with satisfying college admissions requirements, so be sure to do some research about the schools you’re interested in and what, if any SAT IIs they require. Here are some examples: Always make sure that you’re satisfying the admissions requirements first before you apply any of the advice below. We recommend that you take 3 tests in a range of subjects to show your versatility, such as one math, one science, and one humanities. However, if you’re having trouble scoring well across multiple categories, then this could be a sign that your major should hone in on the type of test you did well on, such as STEM or humanities. Many schools offer options such as undecided—sciences or undecided—arts as a way for students to indicate this preference without forcing you to commit to a single major. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. One strategy is to look at the five top-level categories of SAT II and pick a test from three different categories. We encourage you to choose one math, one science, and one humanities, but the most important thing is to choose subjects you feel strong in. Your past academic performance might indicate whether that’s a subject test you should take or not. For the humanities, choose the one (or two) categories you’re strongest in. For Math, choose either Level 1 or Level 2—there’s no advantage to taking both. In general, Level 1 covers more â€Å"basic† high school math, and is appropriate if you’ve had at least two years of algebra and one year of geometry. If you have two years of algebra and one year of geometry and have taken Trig or PreCalc, then you may want to take Level 2. We covered this in more detail in our post Which SAT II Math Should You Take? For Science, choose the subject that you have taken or excelled in during high school . You can choose from Physics, Chemistry, Biology E or Biology M. We probably don’t need to explain Physics or Chemistry, but here’s the difference between Biology E and M: Because you’re undecided, you have a little more room to choose SAT IIs based on your preferences. If you need more help deciding, you can also find free practice resources for every SAT II at College Board . Trying sample tests is one of the best ways to determine if a test is good fit for you. Although we recommend that you take one science, one math, and one humanities SAT II, nothing replaces doing your own research into programs you’re interested in. Make sure to follow the information on the admissions website to the letter, and if you’re ever unsure about something on the admissions website, don’t be afraid to contact that school directly for clarification. The best way to prepare for the SAT IIs is to take challenging courses in high school. These tests evaluate how well you learned from your classes in high school, so by pushing yourself to do well in all of your classes you can demonstrate your academic readiness for college. If you want personalized guidance about what tests you need to take in high school, then our Mentorship Program might be the right fit for you. We pair high school students with trained mentors from top colleges to help you build a roadmap and keep you on track. Find out if our Mentorship Program is right for you! For more posts about preparing for college, check out: We'll send valuable information to help you strengthen your profile and get ready for college admissions.

The Efficacy Of Economic Sanctions As Instruments Of Foreign Policy in Essay

The Efficacy Of Economic Sanctions As Instruments Of Foreign Policy in The ase of Iran - Essay Example trument for Foreign Policy Although using of economic sanctions, as an instrument for foreign policy, tends to face various criticisms within the global realm, it can also be implemented by the countries to achieve multiple goals with an intention to strengthen its political, economic and trade relations with other global countries. Conceptually, economic sanctions were generally used by countries in order to obtain better control of its economic sources from being exploited by foreign investors, thereafter making the domestic economy more dependent on the partnered nations. Arguably, it also enables the targeted country to influence stable and sustainable growth in the foreign market. With respect to the implementation of the sanction by numbers of global countries, it has been widely recognised that the sanctions are quite effective in terms of empowering nation’s power of domination and dealing with the negative influences of the particular country(s) (United States General Accounting Office, 1992). In this regard, the major advantageous implications, which can also be classified as the major motivations to countries applying economic sanctions as a tool for foreign policy measures, have been briefly demonstrated in the following discussion. The use of sanctions always tends to obtain adequate facility to the nation for accumulating a stable support in demonstrating authoritative supremacy and differentiating capability of the nation against the sanctioned country(s). Hence, it can also be used as a tool to obtain global power advantages to a substantial extent. Moreover, it also enables the country to uphold international policies through taking adequate measures against the targeted country, regulating controlled trade measures with the imposition of taxation...This research paper aims to to bring adequate insights regarding the efficacies and implications of economic sanctions as an instrument to regulate foreign relationships, taking the example o f Iran in the recent global context. The policy analysis sources in this globalisation era has long been concerned regarding the usage of economic sanctions by the countries with the aim of achieving favourable and more constructive outcomes. Various countries have experienced numbers of disagreements through the implementation of economic sanctions as a measure to control foreign relationships, during the period of 1990s Although using of economic sanctions, as an instrument for foreign policy, tends to face various criticisms within the global realm, it can also be implemented by the countries to achieve multiple goals with an intention to strengthen its political, economic and trade relations with other global countries. Conceptually, economic sanctions were generally used by countries in order to obtain better control of its economic sources from being exploited by foreign investors, thereafter making the domestic economy more dependent on the partnered nations Although the implementation of economic sanctions is effective to protect countries from different external threats, it is also essential for the countries to be supported by a large number of global participants. The example of Iran can be further stated as a major concern which had faced numerous challenges due to the political turmoil with the US.

Intellectual Property Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Intellectual Property Law - Essay Example The TRIPS agreement carries more force than any other provisions established to promote equitable trade and commerce by the WTO, as it is a mandate whose provisions must be adhered to by all participating members of the WTO (Mercurio, 2004). The TRIPS agreement attempted to provide flexibility for member nations who might receive fewer benefits from the mandated patent rights stipulations; however, soon after its implementation it became apparent to many observers and participants alike that the provisions of the TRIPS agreement were more favourable to economically privileged nations than to member nations of the so-called third world (de Almeida, 1990). One of the most disheartening consequences of the TRIPS agreement was that it had the effect of limiting access to life saving drugs by poorer nations who could not afford the high cost of pharmaceuticals while under patent protection (Mercurio, 2004). This resulted in long delays (often years) between the development of new drugs to treat disease endemic to poorer nations such as HIV-AIDS and their availability in these countries (Abbott, 2005). In its attempt to level the playing field, so to speak, and offer all WHO member nations the same rights of protection for inventions, novel technologies and processes, the TRIPS agreement overlooked the basic fact that member nations of the WHO are not a level playing field, but have individual economic bases that would be unequally served by the implementation of this protective mandate (Ewelukwa, 2005).

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy - Essay Example This was strongly resented by the US. Since the end of the cold war, the relationship between US and Russia unlike in the past has become rosy. The Americans have softened their earlier unrelenting positions and has since become tolerable to the Russians. The policy was dubbed decorative policy and it has made the Americans to drastically change their perceived aggression on Russia to a very cooperative and much philanthropic (Aronson 2001). With regard to these, US have entered into many economic ties with Russia and this has even accentuated the belief that there are cordial relations in the offing. Putin is largely acclaimed to be at the helm of all the gains achieved so far. It is obvious that the relation between US and Russia has grown notches higher since the end of the cold war. Cold war almost led to the fall out between the two countries and these has since been corrected and normalcy is achieved. From the Bush administration to Obama’s, the relationship between the two countries has improved remarkably. For instance, in the Afghanistan case, the US and Russia have joined efforts in finding a lasting solution (Cameron 2005). The US relation with Cuba under the leadership of Fidel Castro for along time has not been admirable, the US initiated economic sanction in Cuba and this has retarded economic gains in the country significantly. There have been constant allegations emanating from both countries against conspiracies (Smith 2008). For example, the assassination of the American president J.F. Kennedy was hinted to have been master minded by the Cuban president, on the other hand the Cuban president claims to have dogged eight times murder initiated by the US. All other countries for along time had at least loose ties with the Cuba economically except the US that has remained defiant in making and signing economic pacts with the Cuba (Smith 2008). In as much as that has happened, US in the year 2000 partially lifted travelling restrictions.

Impact of climate change in Arctic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Impact of climate change in Arctic - Essay Example The rapid diminishing of sea ice in prolonged summertime is also expected to open up the Arctic for ships and other sea vessels. It is against this backdrop that this paper analyzes how these prospects will impact on the geopolitics of territorial claim that may emanate from these discoveries. According to the National Research Council, climate change poses profound impacts on natural and human systems on the globe. Impacts of climate change are creating concerns for multilateral and bilateral relations, as well as, human, national and international security (56). Changes in sea level, temperature, precipitation patterns and in other elements of the ecosystem adds additional stress to food security, energy, water and other natural resources that support livelihoods (7). In terms of security, climate change poses direct impacts on military operations and regional strategic priorities (8). Therefore, climate change potentially disrupts international relations by posing negative impacts on specific resources and assets (9). The implications of climate change on international relations have begun manifesting in the Arctic region. Based on projections from the National Research Council, warming in the Arctic region has accelerated in intensity than in any other region on the planet (8). In the same vein, Lemke and Jacobi have projected that warming in the Arctic is double the global average since 1980 (7). Regions in the Arctic are already experiencing the effects of this intensified warming. For instance, warming has disrupted the livelihoods of many communities residing in the Arctic, with entire villages at verge of relocation (National Research Council 10). The freezing and subsequent thawing of ice in the Arctic is disrupting infrastructural developments and transportation systems in the region. Additionally, evidence has shown that freezing and thawing of ice has changed the range, diversity and distribution of vegetation and animal species (Turner and Marshal 8). What is worrying many scientists at the moment is the fact that warming and climate change-related impacts in the Arctic are occurring more profoundly and rapidly than had been predicted. For instance, sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and in connecting seas has diminished by more than 30% since 1979 (Turner and Marshal 9). Previous study models had indicated that the summer of 2100 will render the Arctic ice-free. However, recent models have predicted that this will happen as early as 2035 (National research Council 12). The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic has amplified human activities within the region. Furthermore, this loss has generated a lot of interest in and unease about the future of this region. Mounting interest in the Arctic region has been influenced by the perceived benefits that will follow the diminishment of sea ice (Takana 99). Implications of Climate Change in the Arctic Warming, melting, thawing and subsequent diminishment of sea ice in the Arctic has enhance d human accessibility to the region (Kraska 45). For instance, this diminishment could see an increase in commercial ships navigating the two trans-Arctic seaways; the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route (Zellen 5). Accordingly, states have begun updating international guidelines that currently govern ships and other sea vessels navigating the Arctic waters (Kraska 46). Increases have

Take home exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Take home exam - Essay Example Greek mythologies can also create settings of imaginative entertainment. In these instances the ancient myths could become filled with an imaginative art and intellect not clearly obvious to an ordinary audience. Genre cinema, like war or western, which on the surface is totally remote or different from the classical period, could still use themes or plots known from the distant past, especially those about heroes, gods, and goddesses. Greek mythology has a lasting cinematic appeal. These myths continue to exist and attract filmmakers not because they really happened or merely creations of the imagination but because they are believed to be facts in popular culture. The cinema may not portray the traditional renditions of the mythologies but it depicts widely accepted ideas, the occurrences people usually resort to for simple, practical stories which relate to their actual experiences and can be used in their everyday endeavours. These myths explain life’s most important conce rns and provide tales to live by. We do not have to believe in the tales of Greek mythologies, but we may believe that there is power within us that we can draw upon to wrestle injustice. These Greek mythologies also express innate and religious principles of golden ages. There are obviously numerous similarities between religious experiences and movie watching. A film based on Greek mythology merges entertainment with religious intentions. Although cinema obliges the mythological characters to be portrayed as plain human beings and their behaviours and deeds have to be shown rationally, it is quite easy for a lot of moviegoers to appreciate things that are impossible or that challenge reason, like miracles. When cinema attempts to portray impossible things in a scientific way, it loses its marvel and fascination for the divine. A lot of audiences take pleasure in the wonder and awe of Greek mythologies portrayed through cinematic effects. The connection of the audiences to the cine matic gods and goddesses could be attributed to the typical devices of character attachment and the affinity that an audience could develop for cinematic characters. In fact, one of the strongest appeals of Greek mythologies is viewing one’s created heroes, gods, and goddesses on film. Cinema gives life to the mythological characters. Cinema also enables fascination and glamour in that the filmmakers can pick fine-looking, attractive actors; locations can be lavish or delicate; and the soundtrack is performed by the most talented artists. Silent cinema, in particular, expresses an insatiable enthusiasm for myths of ancient Greece. Greece offered special effects, the supernatural, desires, and fantasy. Film representation of Greece mythologies and heroes bear an intense physical power; their images are entertaining, their imagination unhindered by the pressures of history, and their language is simple. But it is essential to bear in mind that their main characters depict not o nly the sexual conventions of 1950s’ film than those of classical Greece. The myth of the Greek hero has clear similarities with western hero mythology, which partly explains Greek mythology’s cinematic appeal. Main themes like adventure, bloodshed, and immortality persistently reappear in

Essay for maritime law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

For maritime law - Essay Example First, let us consider the case of Barrack. Barrack was merely a buyer of vodka and it was meant for presidential election. He had accepted the offer made by Dimitry and had undertaken to bear the profit or loss as expected from the trading point of view. But since the good was not yet delivered to Barack, he can definitely claim compensation, but that is subject to the deal he had with Dimitry. Maritime law is actually an aspect of the international law and cannot be considered a municipal or domestic law. The international aspect of the maritime law can never be denied and it gives it a distinctive flavor. In the doubtful cases the court of one country will look into the examples or rulings of another country for the requirement of idea or assistance. Except to the degree that it is bound by the international conventions like Hague, each country can adapt to the maritime law that think is favorable. Hence, what maybe valid for Russia, may not be applicable for USA and vice versa. But since the bill of lading is considering the U.S. law hence, it can be considered that Barrack will have a definite advantage. In many cases the pilot effort has been made by the International Maritime Committee, which is more commonly known ass Comità © Maritime International (CMI). This contains the maritime law associations of about 30 nations. The work of the committee is to primarily draft the international conventions which relate to the subjects of maritime law. When these drafts are prepared it is then submitted to the government of Belgium which then holds a diplomatic conference and this draft is discussed and amended as per the requirement of the international maritime trade. These regulations are an international system of navigation. In extra fields a lot has been achieved in order to guarantee the international consistency through the confidential agreements willingly adhered to by the affected parties; the

Purification Planning for Sole Proprietor Case Study

Purification Planning for Sole Proprietor - Case Study Example This way a company or a sole proprietor can reduce Paid-up Capital through a payment and the qualifying shares are subsequently sold to arm's length party. This paper tries to answer the question as to whether Mr. Edward Lau, a Canadian Resident, who is the sole shareholder of Cell City is qualified to avail the CGD when he sells his shares. Mr. Edward wants to sell his shares and thus the tax implications have been examined. An analysis of all the possible tax issues that will be raised, and how to overcome it is being discussed in this paper. It is vital to do this kind of planning by Cell City sooner rather than later. The planning becomes more complicated and risky, and probably, more expensive, if such planning is contemplated on the eve of a sale. Mr. Edward Lau, a Canadian Resident, is the sole shareholder of Cell City and has been since its inception. Cell City owns 100% of common shares of Space, which consist of 100 shares with a Paid up Capital (PUC) and an Adjusted Cost Base (ACB) of $50,000. Edward has never claims a Capital Gain Deduction (CGD). Edward has received an offer for his shares in Cell City. Before making his decision, he requests our advice on all the tax consequences resulting from such a decision. He informs us that Cell City has exited since 1989 and that the balance sheet for both corporations has remained substantially the same for the last three years. The balance sheets as at August 31, 2009, are presented below: Cell City: FMV Cost Treasury Bills 150,000 150,000 Shares of public corporations 100,000 75,000 Shares-Space 1,000,000 50,000 1,250,000 275,000 Share Capital 100 Retained Earnings 1,249,900 1,250,000 Space: FMV Cost Loan to Broke Ltd. 300,000 300,000 Land 100,000 75,000 Building 700,000 425,000 Equipment 400,000 600,000 Goodwill 150,000 0 1,650,000 1,400,000 Liabilities 50,000 Mortgage 600,000 Share Capital 50,000 Retained Earnings 950,000 1,650,000 The value of goodwill is reflected in the Fair Market Value (FMV) of retained earnings. Broke Ltd. is not related to Space and the loan does not bear interest it is controlled by a friend of Edward Lau. Edward Lau has asked us to explore the rules applicable to purification planning, identify situations that may come under the provisions of the rules, and determine the tax consequences. Then the provisions of the ITA that allow the Capital Gains Deduction (CGD) to be claimed on disposal of shares in a Canadian-Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) and qualified assets are also analyzed. This is a significant benefit, since using the CGD serves to reduce Edward Lau's tax bill. This paper will determine taxpayers' tax liability and regulatory requirements and exposure. Tax implications of proposed and completed transactions are evaluated and analyzed and tax-planning issues are discussed. Business decisions in their legal context, along with preparing and advising on contract structure and enforcement is discussed. The first section of this paper looks at the background of Cell City.

Intra Organization and Power Bargaining Model Essay Example for Free

Intra Organization and Power Bargaining Model Essay Intra organization is a key factor to the beginning stages of how successful a bargaining unit will be in negotiations. Intra organization is when each respective in a particular bargaining unit works towards a consensus. The inability to agree within ones bargaining unit slows down the process and can create dysfunction. Negotiating starts within each bargaining unit during pre-bargaining preparation. This is where discussion and negotiations begin within each bargaining unit to decide what is most important to least importance. Once the pre-bargaining preparation process is complete, the bargaining unit is ready to negotiate against the other bargaining unit. There were many forces that impacted our Intra-organizational bargaining. First we all had our individual perception on what was most important and what was least important. This had a lot to do with our personalities, attitudes, values and beliefs. For example, depending on our personalities, those who were shy didn’t get to fully express how they felt about their issue. On the other hand those in the bargaining unit who were out spoken would make it a point to not let up and fight for their concerns. Our bargaining unit had a variety of issues we wanted to push to get into the contract. We had to decide what we considered a must haves and what can be used as a bargaining chips. Discussions continued until we all had a good idea where our stance was as a bargaining unit with each issue. The end result of our intra-organization bargaining was difficult but successful. We were able to agree on what issues were most and least important to our bargaining members. We had a few bargaining representatives who were concerned with subcontracting and their job security. Then we have other members who felt subcontracting was irrelevant but having a flexible schedule was above all else. My concern was to allow management to keep their managing power in order to continue to be strong in this competitive market. I needed innovative ideas to create progress within the company, while building opportunity for our members. We agreed that machinist would get a 6% increase and nothing less. We wanted a wage increase across the board for all employees, but our team agreed if we can give employees other benefits outside of pay increase; we would still be in good stance. We understood that we should negotiate taking subcontracting out of the contract, and use it as a bargaining chip. While understanding that our bottom line in regards to subcontracting was the language; we wanted to make sure management doesn’t have full reigns. We would allow management the option to subcontract but at the same time put limitations to subcontracting with the language used in the contract. As a bargaining unit we knew that changing and adding into the contract different aspects such as, flexible schedules, use of vacation, adding health and safety and an apprentice program would help our overall contract negotiation process. Bargaining Power Model Bargaining Power Model a is held by both parties during negotiation process. Its Another important concept is the Bargaining Power Model. Both Union and Management have agreement and disagreement costs. Unions lower managements bargaining power when they receive financial supplements. On the other hand managements disagreements cost can decrease with the lack of need when it comes to employees. Unions and managements bargaining power can change from one day to the next. Incidents such as inventory, supply and demand, wage-price controls, economic changes along with social changes have major influences in the bargaining power model. Under the power bargaining model there are two major assumptions. The first being that â€Å"union and mangament negotiators cost issues in a similar manner and are rational individuals, and if it cost more for a party to disagree than to agree with the other, then the party will agree to the other party’s proposal. (labor relations process) As the union bargaining unit we have decieded to negotiate a win win bargaining strategy or also refered to Mutual gain bargaining. This strategy is used whern both partys negotiate in away where both needs are displayed and honesty takes the leading roll in negotiations. This strategy seemed to work well with our negotiation process considering we were able to pin point wehre we saw a common ground and dominate those areas. On the other hand we understood what was important to management and see what we can use to lower the cost of agreeing with management on specified issues. e understood that we have a lot of bargaining power considering 95% of employees are in the Union. We put that into consideration as we decided what it was we were going to negotiate and what type of resilience we were going to set for each issue. My Union bargaining member profile was Union International Representative. I had to be sure to negotiate a win-win contract. I wanted to make sure management kept their administrative rights, while implementing new programs to keep union bargaining members happy. My main objective was to make sure it was clear that a great contract is when both parties bargain in good faith. Showing to the members of the union that management is working with the and both parties want to make positive changes within the company for all employees. Implementing new programs such as apprenticeship along with health and safety article will bring positive reinforcement to union members and all members. This helped us come up with strategies to bargain an all-around good contract.

Countermeasures to Automobile-Exhaust Pollution Essay Example for Free

Countermeasures to Automobile-Exhaust Pollution Essay The world motor vehicle population exceeds 1 billion units at the moment. These vehicles are used for transportation of people and products across various places around the world. As a result, they emit many pollutants. This is attributable to the action of their engines burning fuel to release energy, which is an inefficient process. Firstly, they release particulate matter consisting of both organic and inorganic substances into the atmosphere, through exhaust emissions. Secondly, they release Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which have carcinogenic effects. Pollution from vehicles is a universally acknowledged problem. However, it varies depending on the nation and its population. For example, pollution from cars contributes to between 50 to 90 percent of the total in urban areas. This may not be the same for rural areas. However, motor vehicles still present a disadvantage to the environment and human life. It is, therefore, prudent to develop countermeasures to automobile-exhaust pollution. Most of the world’s vehicles are operated on conventional hydrocarbons such as diesel and gasoline. By switching to fuel that maintains less pollution, the environmental impact of vehicles can be minimized. An alternative fuel technology that has the potential to meet this challenge is fuel cells. In this technology, hydrogen has maintained the best promise as a candidate to replace petroleum-based fuels. This technology utilizes hydrogen gas to create electricity. This electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy through an electric motor, which makes the wheels of an automobile to rotate. In this process, the emissions developed are pure water, Carbon (IV) Oxide and various oxides of nitrogen. This emissions are attributable to difficulties in storage and commercial production. Despite the release of oxides of carbon and nitrogen into the air, hydrogen fuel cells have a smaller footprint on the environment, when compared to conventional gasoline engines. However, such inefficiencies can be eliminated through use of concrete, as researched by a study at the University of Eindhoven (Yirka npp). The easiest method for manufacturing hydrogen gas at the moment requires mining fossil fuels, which has an environmental impact in its own right. However, new production techniques such as bacteria and biomass waste are expected to become conventional in the coming years. This will reduce the environmental impact of fuel cells, since the technology will lower oxides released into the air (Katsuhiko 3371). A hydrogen fuel cell works by the introduction of hydrogen at the cathode and oxygen at the anode. In the process, water is released out. Anions and cations from the cell are harnessed at the respective terminals, and energy is released. Hydrogen has a high energy content of around 150MJ/Kg or 61,100 BTUs per pound. This exceeds gasoline and its 20,900 BTUs of energy per pound. High energy content implies that less fuel is required to maintain the same amount of power in engines, or to travel the same distances. Similarly, it has a higher efficiency when used in combustion engines. Advanced hybrid engines such as that of the Prius maintain an efficiency of about 40% (Potera 38). However, hydrogen has an efficiency of about 75% when used as the lone source of fuel. This efficiency means that greater distances can be covered with less consumption of energy. However, introduction of additional hydrogen fuel cell cars has been hampered by infrastructural issues. There are limited facilities that allow fuelling to conventional commuters within their localities (Katsuhiko 3369). There are many electric cars (EVs) on modern roads. Examples may be seen from Tesla’s roadster and the Nissan Leaf car. These vehicles release virtually no emissions to the environment, therefore are a solution to automobile-exhaust problems. This is attributable to their engines, which do not burn fossil fuels in order to release energy. Electric cars use sets of linked batteries as their primary source of energy. These energy sources comprise materials such as lithium, lead and nickel-metal hydrides. These batteries typically consist of thousands of cells such as the lithium-ion type. They store energy that has been harnessed from electrical outlets at home, or the recharging stations that are found in some major cities. In the example of the Model S, the vehicle is charged through a ‘high power wall charger’. This device is replenishes the batteries around twice as fast as conventional power outlet would manage. Electric batteries are used to operate everything in the vehicle. They are used to run a controller which serves to run an electric motor. This motor is what rotates the wheels in EVs. Through recent breakthroughs in manufacturing, EV batteries can be mass-produced. There are now lower costs of ownership and maintenance to the consumer, when compared to the past. Batteries have a very high energy density, when compared to fuel cells. As a result, they offer higher mileage than traditional fuels. The Tesla Model S provides a good example of mileage. It can manage about 300 miles of travel at a speed of 55 miles per hour, out of its lithium ion batteries. Even conventional lead-acid batteries allow a range of 80 miles. EVs are characterized by high torque and low speeds. They are, therefore, very useful for usage within cities, where many vehicles are located in smaller vicinities than rural areas. They will help in reducing urban pollution since they do not release exhaust into the environment. The production of EVs often has higher environmental pollution than conventional cars (Lave and Hendrickson et al. 993995). Improvements in production are needed for the solution of such issues. However, the usage of such vehicles is limited by infrastructural issues, just as the hydrogen fuel cells. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has highlighted that only 4,000 EVs are currently running on American roads. This contrasts to gasoline-based vehicles which are in the millions. New breakthroughs in charging and fuel range are required for such EVs to gain critical mass of commuters. The larger the distance a vehicle is driven, the more pollutants it releases to the environment. According to the EPA, over one third of smog emissions are attributable to vehicle use in urban areas. However, more people have taken to the roads since the 1970s. Similarly, they have driven for longer miles hence attenuated the pollution problem. This has only served to attenuate the problem at hand. People usually drive for many reasons. Firstly, it may be as a means for arriving at work. Secondly, they do it to access leisure areas such as parks. Thirdly, they drive to shopping centers to do their groceries. There are ways that people can drive fewer miles while accomplishing all these needs. Firstly, they can involve themselves in carpools. This refers to the sharing of cars on journeys, between different people, such that several people drive in one car simultaneously. This is useful in that lower miles are collectively driven, hence reduced environmental pollution from exhausts. Through carpooling, people can get to work or leisurely places without inconveniences such as fuel costs, long drives and pollution. Carpooling is possible through websites, apps and pickup points. Use of public transport vehicles also achieves the same effect. People should use buses and other public transport means, whenever possible. Secondly, people can reduce the environmental footprint of their cars by combining errands into a single trip. This is especially useful in the case of families that own multiple cars. Instead of sending different people to pick up items needed by the family, one vehicle may be used to collect all these items. Shopping often requires the use of vehicles, since the luggage may be overbearing. In that respect, pollution can be reduced through use of the efficient e-commerce platforms such as Amazon. Individuals are able to meet their shopping needs while reducing their environmental footprint. The use of trucks for shipping goods is also useful since it allows collectively leaner environmental emissions when compared to many cars operated by shoppers. The internet has allowed various individuals to work at home. Similarly, it has enabled people to telecommute. It would, therefore, be environmentally beneficial if people used these tools instead of driving to work on each applicable day. These measures also reduce congestion in traffic. There will be fewer vehicles on the road, thus fewer delays that accumulate into environmental pollution through release of exhausts. In the modern world, settlement has been defined by work and educational opportunities. For example, people try to live as close to work as is comfortably possible. This has been attributable to efforts in reducing travel times, as well as associated fuel costs. According to the United States Census Bureau (npp), over 10 million Americans travel an hour each way to work. This has provided a challenge to the country’s urban planners and engineers. There has been a trend in altering commuting patterns through development of areas that provide ‘walkable communities’. This concept implies areas that require less motorized movements in order to get around (Fullerton Gan 303). Through walkable communities, commuters would be able to reduce their environmental footprints as they get around. Residential, leisure, business and industries are developed in a common area such that people get to each point devoid of cars. Alongside reduction of pollution, the quality of life is also improved for people residing in such locations, since they are able to exercise. Through use of alternative fuels, environmental emissions can be reduced. However, arguably the best approach to reducing such wastes would be an alteration of driving habits. In that respect, an effective method for reducing both fuel consumption and environmental emission would be a reduction in vehicle idle time. When people sit in their cars while their engine runs, they release exhaust just as they were driving. This happens during conditions such as traffic among others. In that respect, it would be prudent if people learn to switch of their engines in such circumstances. Manufacturers should also implement the start-stop systems across a wider range of cars. This will allow engines to switch off, when the cars are stationary. By stepping on the gas pedal, vehicles are able to start their engines immediately. This reduces the annoyances associated by drivers to starting their engines again. Cars of the past featured inefficient engines. They released more particulate wastes into the environment, while consuming more fuel than contemporary variants. However, some of these cars are still in service today. Despite good maintenance, older vehicles become less efficient than their original state. . Drivers should be encouraged to drive newer vehicles. For example, modern cars such as the Prius offer nearly triple the efficiency of older cars, in terms of fuel consumption and environmental consumption. Newer cars also adhere to modern emission controls that are set by the EPA and other responsible bodies (Dennis-Parks 799). In the United States, public transportation policy has been left to local authorities in cities and towns. As a result, the country lacks a homogenized transportation system. Schedules for buses and trains have difficulties in being followed. These systems are also characterized by slow speeds of movement. This has created frustration among users, who view cars as efficient modes of transportation. Similarly, American culture has often painted a tainted picture on public transport systems. The car has been portrayed as a symbol of achievement. The converse has been applied for transport systems such as buses. The American Public Transport Association states that usage of public transportation results into savings of over 35 million metric tons of Carbon (IV) Oxide on an annual basis. By switching to public transport for the average American round trip of 20, miles daily, an individual is able to reduce their annual emissions by over 4,000 pounds (Fullerton Gan 303, 304). Going to work is one of the key reasons behind owning a car in the United States. In that respect, companies can make a significant contribution to the efforts against environmental pollution. Firstly, they can provide shuttle bus services to their employees. In that respect, they can purchase or hire buses that will pick up and drop off employees at designated points, on each work day. This will assist in reducing vehicle emissions due to ride sharing. This can be seen through Google, which operates shuttle services for its employees. Secondly, companies can post ride-share boards in their premises. This will allow employee who live close to each other to commute on a single vehicle, thus saving fuel and the environment. Some companies have also assisted employees through creation of car cooperatives. These are services that allow employees to rent cars from a set location. In return, the employees pay small fees for their use of the cars. Such systems are very useful for people working in inner city districts, who need cars only on a rare occasion. This encourages them to use public and shared transport, as opposed to personal vehicles. It is estimated that the global urban population will almost double by the mid-21st century. As a result, alternate means of transportation need to be crafted for the urban populations. The use of motorized vehicles will only result into further environmental pollution in such areas. Urban dwellers will consequently be exposed to poor health and effects such as smog. In that respect, local authorities need to establish policies that encourage non-motorized commuting. Bike sharing programs are similar to car cooperatives, only that they are not characterized by polluting effects (Fullerton Gan 301). Different cities have made attempts at bike sharing programs. However, they are not meant to eliminate the use of motorized transport completely. Public transport and cars is used for commuting to centralized locations, where bicycles can then be accessed for movement within urban areas. Errands that exist within a radius of one mile are practical by foot. Similarly, bikes are useful for errands within five miles, which characterizes the inner city. Various cities around the world have embraced such measures. For example, the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai have bike sharing programs that have operated very well. Cities may also embrace some measures, which may be rather draconian. For example, cars whose registration ends with odd numbers may be allowed access to roads on particular days of the week. This measure will allow a curtailment of excessive vehicles on roads. Similarly, it will encourage ride sharing programs. Cars have an impact on environmental pollution, especially in the urban context. In that respect, several measures can be observed, in the efforts of reducing exhaust emissions. New technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and EVs will be useful in reducing emissions such as the oxides of carbon and nitrogen. However, of greater use is the adoption of efficient driving habits by commuters. Car manufacturers also have a role in the reduction of emissions. By rolling out start-stop technology to all cars, high environmental savings can be recorded. Driving to work is an important part of many American lives. Companies can assist in environmental efforts by providing their workers with ride sharing and shuttle facilities. Companies such as Google and Apple present a good example of how this can be implemented. Similarly, local authorities and urban planners have an important role in designing cities that will require little use of motorized vehicles. Through implementation of such measures, massive savings on environmental pollutants can be recorded. Works Cited Dennis-Parks, Reda M. Instructing the EPA How to Regulate Vehicle Emmissions. Ecology LQ, 30. (2003): 799. Print. Fullerton, Don and Li Gan. Cost-effective policies to reduce vehicle emissions. American Economic Review, 95. 2 (2005): 300304. Print. Hirose, Katsuhiko. Materials towards carbon-free, emission-free and oil-free mobility: hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles—now and in the future. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 368. 1923 (2010): 33653377. Print. Lave, Lester B, Chris T Hendrickson and Francis Clay Mcmichael. Environmental implications of electric cars.Science(Washington), 268. 5213 (1995): 993995. Print. Potera, Carol. Beyond batteries: portable hydrogen fuel cells. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115. 1 (2007): 38. Print. United States Census Bureau. Megacommuters: 600,000 in U. S. Travel 90 Minutes and 50 Miles to Work, and 10. 8 Million Travel an Hour Each Way, Census Bureau Reports American Community Survey (ACS) Newsroom U. S. Census Bureau. Census. gov, 2013. Web. 2 Dec 2013. . Yirka, Bob. Researchers find treating pavement with titanium oxide reduces air pollution. Phys. org, 2013. Web. 2 Dec 2013. .

A Study Of The City Of Jaipur Environmental Sciences Essay

A Study Of The City Of Jaipur Environmental Sciences Essay The city of Jaipur, nestled in the rugged hills of Aravallis, popularly known as the Pink City, was founded in 1727 AD by one of the greatest rulers of the Kachhawaha clan, the astronomer king Sawai Jai Singh. The pink colour was used at the time of making to create an impression of red sandstone buildings of Mughal cities and repainted in 1876, during the visit of the Prince of Wales. The city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets which are laid out into sectors separated by broad streets. Jaipur which means the city of victory was built exactly 273 years back and is 262 km by road from Delhi (Capital of India). A strong wall encircles the old city and even today has a suggestion of formidable strength; its function of protecting all within is obvious.   The plains of Rajasthan of which Jaipur is the capital once thundered and echoed with clash of swords and the drums of wars, Built in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh-II, Jaipur was the first planned city of its time (the earlier planned city in northern India having been built near Taxila sometime in the 2nd century BC). Source: www.mapsofindia.com Jaipur was planned by Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali architect, who gave shape to the ideas of Sawai Jai Singh in a grid system with wide straight avenues, roads, streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side of the main bazaars, all arranged in nine rectangular city sectors (chokris), planned on the basis of principles of `Shilp Shastra`. The city itself is an attractive creation worthy of universal admiration. The population size of the city is 2.5 million, as per Census 2001. The Municipal body was recognised in 1926 and a Municipal Act was in place in1929. Recently, it achieved the status of a Municipal Corporation and its jurisdiction spread over 64.75 sq.kms. The old city occupies 9.8 sq.kms. The average density of population works out at 38610 persons per sq km. amongst all the mega cities of the country, Jaipur ranks 11th with a total population of 2.3 million. It is one of the fastest growing mega cities of the country with an annual average growth rate of 4.5% whereas the national urban growth rate is only 2% as per Census of India, 2001. With its current growth trend, it is likely to supercede many other cities. Jaipur is thus a vibrant city. Earlier it was Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) who deals with the planning and maintenance part of the city but now it is Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) who deals with the planning and maintenance of the city. Historical Background: This section describes the spatial growth of Jaipur city since the time it was founded. The spatial growth pattern of Jaipur city is divided into four distinct phases which will enable us to understand the growth of city phase wise about the growth trends better. Phase I: 1727-1850 AD : The city was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727 A.D, is one of the few planned cities of its times based on the principles of ancient town planning doctrine of Shilpa Shastra. The city conformed to the traditional walled city concept with the encircling wall and 9 entry gates. Jaipur walled city evolved as a grid-iron plan with the main road running almost east west along the ridge in the centre and the palace complex at the core. The buildings were built following a strict Architectural guideline. By 1734, the main markets of the town including various bazaars had been built. Hawa Mahal, the principle street of Jaipur, c. 1875Phase II: 1850-1930: During this phase, the city grew out of the confines of the walled city. The establishment of railway line in 1868 A.D fueled the growth of the city. During the Rajasthan Famine of 1868-69, Ramniwas Garden was constructed as part of the famine relief work. Modern water Works and Gas Works for lighting the city streets was also established during this phase. Phase III: 1930-1970 : In 1930s, five development schemes, Fateh Tiba, area south of Ramniwas Bagh, Ashok Nagar, New Colony in Jalu pura and Bani Park commonly known as A, B, C, D, E respectively were conceived to provide residential plots, land for public institutions and other amenities for the increasing population. Civil Lines area was developed primarily to house the Senior Government servants. Mirza Ismail (MI) Road was constructed as a ceremonial highway from Ajmer Road to Moti Doongri Road in the early 1940s. The Rajasthan University was inaugurated in 1947 thereby opening opportunities for the southward growth of the city. A sudden increase of population after partition was seen that was mainly due to the influx of refugees during this time. Jaipur then became the capital of Rajasthan leading to further attraction of administrative and economic activities. These factors led to increased development of residential areas to cater to the growing population. For instance, Bapu Nagar and Gandhi Nagar residential areas were developed towards south of the city. Development towards the Northwest of the city took place in the early sixties with the establishment of the Jhotwara Industrial Estate. Phase IV: Post 1970s: During the last 3 decades, the major growth direction has remained largely the same i.e., towards the southwest and northwest of the city. Spatial Integration of Jaipur city: The spatial integration of Jaipur city will be determined by the city land use assessment method changes in it can be analysed and the spatial planning tools techniques, which are responsible for the development also can be analysed. The land use assessment method will analyse the development and growth patterns in past as well as future direction of it. The land use of Jaipur city in 1971 has been compared with the existing land use in 1991 to find out the spatial analysis. Figure: 4.2.1 Landuse, 1971 Landuse, 1991 Source: Census of India, 1971 and 1991 Due to the lack of latest landuse data of city, the assessment is confined uptil the year 1991. There is a very sharp change in the some land uses like residential, public and semi public, and industrial sectors etc. The area under residential increased upto 62% in year 1991 while it was 51% in year 1971, under public semi public is decreased 17 % (1971) to 8 % (1991), also under circulation decreased from 17% (1971) to 12% (1991) but the area under governmental uses remains constant. In case of recreational area, also further decreased by 1% from 1971 to 1991, the area under industrial (7% to 10%) and commercial has an increase of 1%. JDA Land use constituentsThere are also 3 different constitutes in the Jaipur city named as: Walled city, the rest of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC), and rest of Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) area. The largest proportion of all the developed land uses is concentrated in the JMC area and large proportion of undeveloped land is in the rest of JDA area  [1]  . In order to achieve spatial planned development, JDA prepared two master plans for the JDA area till now as a spatial planning tool. 1st Master Plan (1971-1991): The first master plan for 1971-1991 came into effect in May, 1976. It was prepared by the Town Planning Department under the Rajasthan Urban Improvement Act (1959). The master plan defines the objectives of the comprehensive development of the city along new 125 revenue villages Jaipur was proposed to be developed as major tourist destination for the horizon of 1991 and later it was extended for next years i.e.: till 1996. The proposals were made as follows: The Walled city Area: The population density was recommended as 700 persons per ha and other proposals were like tourist facilities, five star hotel in the Jal Mahal Lake shift of some industries from walled city area. Jaipur Nagar Nigam Area (JNN): The proposals were prepared for the additional areas in the periphery along the existing urbanized area and the proposals were prepared for residential, commercial, industrial and parks open spaces. There were also detailed proposals to develop whole sale markets industrial development by size, nature of the industries. Land use Analysis Existing vs ProposedThe proposals given in 1st master plan were not attained in various sectors. The variations in the proposed land use and actual land use which came up later can be seen. The area under residential sector was proposed as 52% but it increased up to 62% and there were decrease in the area under other sectors. There were other proposals which were proposed but the actual situation was totally different from them, are as followed: Due to the development of walled city as a CBD, the attraction of people to the central area increased traffic and congestion and pressure on CBD as well. The colonies and housing societies on outer skirts of the Jaipur city developed by private developers were lacking in proper infrastructure, amenities and the quality of services as RHB and UIT could not meet the housing stock. The concept of `working-living area relationship` and `Residential Area` couldn`t maintained in the city due to this fragmented development by private housing co-operative societies. Some of the commercial schemes could not implement due to the lack of suitable land acquisition and non-acceptance of organised commercial activities in the city. The industrial development could not attain according to the proposals due to land acquisition and presence of other activities like forest, redevelopment schemes etc. The principle of hierarchical development of residential, commercial and other facilities couldn`t achieved as per the plan due to haphazard development, violation of rules and regulations etc. The other proposals for facilities like medical, educational, recreational and tourism were also under same situation due to lack of land availability and acquisition, shift in the proposed locations etc. The next actions such as preparation of various plans like zonal development plans, functional plans, zoning and building regulations etc could not finalize due to the lack of successful implementation of 1st Master Plan. The analysis shows that there are serious gaps in the proposed and actual situation during year 1991. The reason for the wide gaps between them is a total violation of the proposals. There are several main factors which were also responsible for the non-implementation of the plan, are indicated below: Non availability of land with the Local Authorities (JDA and UIT) Lack of coordination among various departments in the city especially in case of UIT. As a result, it opened the doors for private co-operative societies and developers to handle the situation. Time delays in planning process like land acquisition by JDA due to the provisions of agricultural land conversion rules, ULCAR Act, 1976 etc. After the analysis, calculation of deviations between actual and proposed plan, JDA prepared the 2nd Master plan, to cover all those wide gaps and to achieve sustainable development of the Jaipur city for the horizon of 2011. 2nd Master Plan (1991-2011): The second Master Plan was conceived for 2011 for the Jaipur region and now its under proposals for the revision for the year 2021. This Master Plan was prepared in 1995 and came into force from 1998 under JDA Act, 1982. It covers the entire Jaipur region including new 6 satellite towns along with the Jaipur city. The total area of the Jaipur region is 1464 sq.km. the proposal of inner towns between Jaipur city and satellite tows to develop to accommodate the total projected population 42.2 lakhs by 2011. The proposed Master Plan proposed Jaipur region into 3 categories as: Rural Area, Ecological Zone and Urbanizable Area. Proposed Master Plan- 2011 Spatial Strategies for walled city: The second master plan has come up with strategies for each of the constituents of the JDA region. The spatial strategies for Walled City are described as:- No permission to be given for commercial complexes, shopping areas etc inside the walled city area. New building bylaws proposed for the walled city to reduce the density. Shifting of wholesale activities, traffic generating and intensive activities to areas outside. Parking would not be allowed inside the walled city on the main roads. The other tools and techniques like Rajasthan (State) Building Bye Laws, Rajasthan Urban Housing and Habitat Policy- 2006 and Rajasthan Conservation and Heritage Byelaws, 1961 etc were used in the spatial development of the Pink city. After the migration of people to suburbs/outer skirts which can be explained as a spatial contiguity, the concept of satellite towns becomes a spatial planning tools for the local authorities to integrate the spatial development of the `Pink City`. According to Master Development Plan-2011, there were 32 urban nodes which were catering the urban functions so 12 of them which were under Jaipur Urbanizable area, identified and selected as Satellite Towns and Inner Ring Towns to accommodate future population (7 Lakhs as per MDP-2011). These towns will function as urban nodes of Jaipur region and primarily characterised by principle activity like commercial, industrial and recreational etc. The new spatial planning tools and techniques like Zoning codes by introduction of Zonal Development Plans to achieve the most appropriate development of land in the context of development policies and land use proposals given in the Master Development Plan, Land use plan -2011 for Jaipur region (Urbanizable area). After the land use assessment of Jaipur city, the following section describes the aspects like housing, traffic transportation and heritage management to explore problems/issues arise in these aspects and other spatial planning tools techniques which were used in the spatial development of the city. Housing: This section assesses the housing situation of the city specifically in the walled city (Old Area) to understand the spatial integration in terms of housing. If we look at the housing scenario of the city, the number of houseless population has increased in the past ten years thereby indicating a housing gap. The data given in table below shows the clear picture as: Table: 4.2.2 Housing Scenario Source: Census of India, 2001. JMC Housing Stock: On the total housing stock the most predominant use is residential (75%) of the total houses and others are like shops and offices (15%), rest have very minor proportion in account of total proportion. The occupancy rate in the city was 7.2 % in the past decade while it has been seen that it was more in walled city and in the other areas of municipal boundary while it was less in JDA area. But now in days, occupancy rate is high at the periphery of the city because of migration of people from the inner area to the new area, townships, new developments etc. There are various factors behind the migration are like easier availability of land at periphery with different options like big plots, location etc, too much congestion in the walled city area and municipal area, land prices are very high in the central core etc. Housing Type Condition: The city overall has a relatively flatted development but within the walled city, only G+2 structures are predominant. Now in days multi-storeyed buildings can be seen in JMC and other areas of JDA. The housing conditions vary within the city. A qualitative analysis of housing conditions has been done for the walled city is described as: Table: 4.2.3 Housing Condition Source: CDP, Jaipur Source: CDP, JaipurHousing Supply: -The housing development in the whole city can be categorised into 4 types i.e. traditional housing, Formal housing and informal housing. The housing in the walled city is a type of traditional housing. The houses are around 100 to 150 years old and are built in typical Rajasthani architecture style. Mostly, the houses are two storied with decorated doors, windows and chhajjas (projections) etc. Housing Stakeholders: The total housing supply in the Jaipur is through six sources : JDA  [2]  , Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB), Private Developers, the Co-Operative societies, the traditional houses in the walled city the slums (kacchi bastis). In case of walled city, most of the houses come under traditional housing. The proportion of housing supply provided by all of these sources is given below as: New Developments in Housing: In the light of Rajasthan Urban Housing and Habitat Policy- 2006  [3]  , there are new developments which can be categorized as: group housing schemes, redevelopment schemes, flats of RHB and new townships at the outskirts of the city. In case of walled city, redevelopment schemes are taking place, and under these schemes individuals are allotted plots of an area 40 sq.mts  [4]  while JMC and JDA are responsible for the implementation process of redevelopment schemes. Problems/Issues in Walled City: There are various problems/issues related with housing in the walled city which are major concern for the authorities. These are listed as: Most of the houses are very old like built around 100-150 years back and they are in dilapidated condition especially in the market area which are occupied by lower income groups (LIG`s). Most of the area of walled city is facing poor infrastructure facilities. Due to high population density, the houses are overcrowded with families leads to unhealthy living environment. Most of the housed occupied by Middle Income groups (MIG`s) and Lower Income groups (LIG`s) have no open spaces, houses are semi-pucca or kaccha, some of them are without toilets and electricity connections. Water supply is only through public taps or old wells only and the ventilation in the houses in not adequate. Missing of unique character (Pink Colour) in new housing developments of the `Pink City`. The housing problems/issues are also becoming prime concern in spatial integration of the Jaipur city especially in the walled city. The increase in housing demand and lack in housing supply by local authorities, use of spatial planning tools such as redevelopment/regeneration schemes in old (Walled city) areas, neighbourhood planning on the outer skirts through private developers, incoming development of slums (Kacchi Bastis) etc are creating a big threat for the spatial character of the `Pink City`. Traffic and Transportation: Traffic and transpiration is also an integral part of the spatial integration of the Jaipur city. As Jaipur is one of the metropolitan cities in the country with a population of over 2.5 million and is observed to be growing at very fast rate. Besides being the capital city of Rajasthan, the city of Jaipur is a major tourist centre in the country as well. Major portions of economic activities of the city are located in walled city area, spreading over 9.8 sq.kms. This area is, besides having heavily concentrated activities, a very important tourist centre and attracts tourists from all over the globe. The economic activities in the form of wholesale trade, commerce, household industries, administration and tourist spots generate heavy traffic to and from these areas. The limited road space of the area is congested with vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The shopkeepers and vendors also occupy the sidewalks and carriageways. Consequently the traffic in these areas is facing acute conge stion, bottlenecks and hazards. The environmental pollution as well as physical and visual intrusions are also some of the other problems increasingly faced by the residents and the visitors to the area. In case of transportation facilities, only bus service is operated throughout the city by public sector and the other modes are like private taxis, auto-rickshaws, animal driven vehicles, rickshaws, private mini buses etc are used as transport facility. The situation of parking in the walled city is also in haphazard condition. Parking demand in the walled city area is met mainly by roadside parking along all major roads and there is no major off-street parking facility. With the ever increasing parking demand the vehicles are parked in two rows on carriageways. Footpaths are also filled with parked vehicles. While there is heavy demand for parking, the limited enforcement of regulatory measures fails to control and manage the parking problems. The following pictures will describe the nature and extent of traffic, parking problems in the walled city. On street parking on the major roads of walled city Animals are very common for transportation of goods on Jaipur roads causes congestion slow traffic Street Hawkers/vendors along the roads in the walled city Mixed Traffic Problems/Issues in the Walled City: The pressure on the roads of walled city can be easily observed due to encroachments by on street parking, hawkers/vendors and excessive commercialization and mixed vehicular movement. There is a lack of proper traffic management system in the old area as well as in the whole city like no regulations on mixed traffic, no maintenance of signals junctions, animals are moving freely in the daily traffic etc. The public transport facility is also inadequate due to insufficient number of vehicles like buses etc. for transportation. Parking is also a major issue in the walled city due to lack of parking spaces and due to this, leads to other issues like on street parking, encroachments on the roads etc. The through traffic of National Highway (NH) -8 is creating problems in the city in terms of congestion, air noise pollution, The traffic and transportation system in the Jaipur city is still facing number of problems although various departments like JDA, PWD, Transport Department, RSRTC, JNN etc are in coordination with each other to solve the issues/problems related with it. The proposals in the layout of grid-iron pattern development as ring roads, bye-pass, Mass Rapid Transportation System (MRTS), terminals for buses and trucks etc are still in pipeline but Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) under JNNURM scheme as a spatial planning tool is a main achievement to the date to address the traffic problems in the city. Heritage Management: Heritage is a word which expresses the character of Jaipur city. The city is known as the `Pink City` which is very rich famous for its heritage culture. Due to rapid urbanisation, the new developments are coming but still the city has fascinating heritage from its earlier times. In Jaipur, all the historical buildings are described into three classes as: royal palaces forts, temples and museums. Each heritage building has different history and different characteristics. Most of the buildings are situated in the walled city area and others are in municipal area. The historical Buildings which are situated in the city are as: Walled City Area JMC Area City Palace Complex Amber Fort Hawa Mahal Amber Palace Jantar Mantar Jaigarh Nawab Sahib Ki Haveli Nahargarh Swargasuli or Isar Lat Motidoongari Maharani Ki Chhatri Jal Mahal Place Ram Niwas Garden Rambagh Place Albert Hall Gaitor Jagat Shiromani Temple Ghat Ki Guni So, there are 8 buildings which are situated in the walled city and 10 buildings are in JMC area. There are other historical components which has unique values. These includes like bazaars (Commercial area), water tanks, small temples and chabutras. These are 100-250 years old built. Besides this, JDA has identified total 300 historic buildings into the various parts in the walled city and categorized into different levels as per their area. The existing situation of the walled city is assessed on the basis of current status and condition of these historical monuments. The JMC bye laws are violated and traditional planning system has no use in the present time in the walled city. An existing situation analysis  [5]  shows it very clearly as follows: The Rajasthan Conservation and Heritage Byelaws, 1961 also guides about the conservation of historical properties and many agencies (Governmental, Private and NGO`s) are working towards conservation of those historical monuments but somehow these rules and regulations are also violated which threats to the unique historical character of the `Pink City`. Problems/Issues in the Walled City: Due to excessive commercialization, it leads to the major traffic congestion in the streets and the irregular construction of shops in streets; Chhajas (projections) in front of shops have disturbed the fabric of historical streets. The encroachments on streets also spoiled the character image of streets and led to congestion in traffic movement too. Due to lack of sufficient parking spaces, the on street parking becomes a major problem for the loss of cultural fabric of street traffic congestion. The maintenance and Lack of infrastructure facilities like water supply, sewerage, garbage collection and solid waste management in the inner streets also creates unhealthy environment which may disturb the character of inner areas. Due to the lack of rules and regulations for heritage walkways, they have lost their historical image. The maintenance of heritage buildings under private ownership is not adequate, and some of them have converted into modern buildings. The conservation rules regulations are violated in the walled city due to lack of co-ordination among different departments. Heritage buildings are treated as only commercial spots without the proper conservation and protection. As `Pink City` is famous for its rich heritage and historical background but due to lack of attention and awareness by local authorities and people, it is facing number of problems related to its heritage. Somehow planning officials included the conservation of historical monuments and developments of significant tourist spots as a planning policy and principle in the Landuse Plan-2011 but still there are other number of concerns regarding the heritage and cultural character of the city which should be addressed as well.

Business Plan for Progressive Consulting Essays -- Marketing Technolog

Business Plan for Progressive Consulting What follows is a complete business plan for a hypothetical company. Please copy or save to your disk and use as an example in developing your own business plan. If you would like to read a series of articles jump to Web Marketing . For additional business aids click on The Practical Tools of Consulting 1. 0 Executive Summary Progressive Consulting will be formed as a consulting company specializing in marketing of high technology products in international markets. Its founders are former marketers of consulting services, personal computers, and market research, all in international markets. They are founding Progressive Consulting to formalize the consulting services they offer. 1. 2 Mission Progressive Consulting offers high-tech manufacturers a reliable, high quality alternative to inhouse resources for business development, market development, and channel development on an international scale. A true alternative to in house resources offers a very high level of practical experience, know how, contacts, and confidentiality. Clients must know that working with Progrssive Consulting is a more professional, less risky way to develop new areas even than working completely in house with their own people. Progressive Consulting must also be able to maintain financial balance, charging a high value for its services, and delivering an even higher value to its clients. Initial focus will be development in the European and Latin American markets, or for European clients in the United States market. 1. 3 Keys to Success †¢Excellence in fulfilling the promise completely confidential, reliable, trustworthy expertise and information. †¢Developing visibility to generate new business leads. †¢Leveraging from a single pool of expertise into multiple revenue generation opportunities: retainer consulting, project consulting, market research, and market research published reports. 2. 0 Company Summary Progressive Consulting is a new company providing high-level expertise in international high-tech business development, channel development, distribution strategies, and marketing of high tech products. It will focus initially on providing two kinds of international triangles: †¢Providing United States clients with development for European and Latin American markets. †¢Providing E... ...7% 85.81% 84.90% Net profit margin 4.57% 11.25% 14.92% Return on Assets 12.38% 20.64% 25.49% Return on Equity 50.05% 61.73% 51.37% Activity Ratios: AR Turnover 6.30 7.77 6.66 Collection days 29 45 45 Inventory Turnover 0.00 0.00 0.00 Accts payable turnover 7.67 7.06 7.35 Total asset turnover 2.71 1.83 1.71 Debt Ratios: 1995 1996 1997 ____________ ________________________________________________________ Debt to net Worth 3.04 1.99 1.02 Short-term Debt to Liab. 0.70 0.82 0.83 Liquidity Ratios: Current Ratio 1.91 1.83 2.39 Quick Ratio 1.91 1.83 2.39 Net Working Capital $104,050 $191,250 $340,450 Interest Coverage 4.15 5.90 9.38 Additional Ratios: 1995 1996 1997 ____________ _________________________________________________________ Asset

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How to be a Good College Student College is a competitive environment; in order to succeed in it a student needs certain skills. Those skills can only be learned. A college professor mentioned that there five basic rules that need to be followed in order to become a good student: study, do all the homework and the assigned reading, attend class, and, most importantly, develop self-discipline and time management 1. In the following lines, a detailed analysis of those different steps will be done. So, let’s get started. First, we mentioned study. A good student has to do study everyday. Study involves reading the textbooks, understand them, be able to explain it to others and sometimes memorize the most important concepts. As a creature of habit, it is important to have a special place and a special time to study. A good student will try to find a peaceful place and also try to study during those times that he/she works best. While studying, a good student can also use this time to do the homework and assigned reading. They are, most of the time, the application of what is covered in class. Personally, I study every day between the courses hours at the school library. This helps me to go over the last course I had, the next one that I would take and also do my homework. Then, we also mentioned the necessity to attend class regularly. There are two important reasons for that: it will help in learning the material and also in getting familiar with the instructor. Know...

Slaughter House-Five by Kurt Vonnegut :: essays research papers

Slaughter House-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Slaughter house-Five, written by Kurt Vonnegut is a post modern novel, attempting to undermine the reader's expectations. The novel does not have smooth transitions from one event to the next. The reason is, because the novel reflects modern man's life. Since the novel is not smooth it is confusing. This is just like modern man's life, confusing. Another literary device is, it is difficult to follow. When the novel is hard to read the reader cannot enjoy and understand the book. This is how modern society is too(difficult to follow). Another literary device is the novel's characters lack depth. The characters need more descriptive details. This reflects man by saying that man lacks depth and is not well rounded. The book undermines the novel's conventional approach. These are some reasons for the undermining of the reader's expectations. The novel does not have smooth transitions from one event to the next one. "Billy blinked in 1958, traveled in time to 1961." After a chapter, "Billy Pilgrim nestled like a spoon with the hobo on Christmas night, and he fell asleep, and he traveled in time to 1967. When Billy is in 1958, he is busy talking about World War Two. Then suddenly he travels through time to 1967 and he ends up being kidnaped by aliens from Tralfamadore. So when the story changes, the reader's mind has to adjust to the changes. The events just pop up all of a sudden. Modern man always has surprises in life that just pop up just like this novel. In life there is usually no smooth adjustments. It is abrupt and sudden. Billy Pilgrim(protagonist) travels through time in an awkward chronological order. In life people do not adapt to different situations without any problem. In this book, shifting from one situation to another is meant to be poor. The book is difficult to follow. It has many small stories in it. Pilgrim is in World War Two and then he ends up being with aliens from Tralfadamore. Some of these topics are hard to comprehend. This symbolizes modern life since it is difficult to comprehend the understandings of life. For example, Roland Weary is one of Billy's war companions. He kept beating the living daylights out of Billy. The novel mentions that Weary treat Pilgrim like this to discipline him, but he over does it. Is it, because Weary is a psychopath or has something

Economic progress in Russia in the years 1981-1982 Essay

Despite frequent changes in policy, Russian and Soviet governments were spectacularly unsuccessful in securing sustained economic progress in the years 1881-1982’. Assess the validity of this statement. Between 1981 and 1982, Russia underwent huge changes, particularly the in economy. Russian history is well known for its frequent changes in policy as the country faced revolutions, changes in regime, changes in leadership and not to mention its involvement in various conflicts. As a result, Russia’s economic policy was subject to major change apart from three key areas, industry, agriculture and the tertiary sector. These three areas of the economy remained a constant in its ever changing climate; however, many historians still argue that Russia’s economy was unsuccessful and poorly managed despite its frequent change in policy. Thus begs the question, ‘To what extent is this true?’ The Tsarist regime, for many Russians, was a period of economic instability as agriculture was seen as a secondary concern. Growth rate was not structured and growth rate fell considerably between the late 1890’s and 1905.[1] Meanwhile, other economies expanded leaving Russia struggling to catch up and some historians see agriculture as a reason for Russia’s economic decline. For example, Carol. S. Leonard argued that Russia’s grain production per capita GDP was lagged far behind that of America in 1913.[2] This argument shows how agriculture in Tsarist Russia wasn’t dealt with effectively and as a result, the economy suffered. On the other hand, some historians have pointed out that agriculture in Russia during the late Tsarist years were not so destructive. One argument maintains that actually, Russia’s agriculture grew and developed quite substantially pre- revolution. For example; from 1890 to 1913, cereal production per capita increased by 35%[3]. Although this evidence is hard to ignore, it is also difficult to turn a blind eye to the contrasting evidence which suggests that agriculture suffered under the late Tsarist regime and consequently, affected the economy as a whole. For example: â€Å"There was very little investment in agriculture in Imperial Russia and this lead to small yields and economic volatility when prices rose and fell†¦lack of investment in agriculture frequently caused grain prices to rise which caused famines†[4] Overall, although agriculture grew slightly during the Tsarist regime, ultimately it suffered greatly as did the Russian people. Looking at agriculture alone, Russia’s economy looked bleak however; industry had slightly more success during this time so perhaps the economy was not so bad after all. S J Lee puts forward a simple statement: â€Å"The periods of most rapid growth were in the reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917) as a result of the economic reforms of Sergei Witte (1892-1903)†[5]. This is easy to see, when one considers that in 1914, Russia produced 35 million tons of coal, ranking Russia fifth amongst the main producers.[6] Building on Lee’s argument, there seems to be a lot of evidence pointing to Sergei Witte as the main reason for Russia’s industrial boom. Upon taking office, Witte raised massive amounts of capital by securing a loan from France and raising taxes and tariffs and interest rates.[7] However, it is the development of Russian railways which Witte is perhaps most remembered for. Under his guidance the railway network grew from around thirty one thousand km to around fifty three km worth of track.[8] With Witte at the helm, Russia’s industry continued to develop with growth rates comparing well next to those of the United States and Germany. Witte has often been credited with modernizing Russia to such a great extent that its industrial boom continued long after he left his post as Finance Minister in 1903. For example, in 1913, Russia’s steel production stood at 4.9 million metric tons next to France’s 4.7 million, with coal and iron not far behind.[9] On the other hand, Witte’s industrialization policies were not always so successful. For example, between 1890 and 1899, Russia’s industrial growth stood at 8.0% whereas between 1900-06, it reduced to 1.4%[10]. His aims of modernizing came with a heavy cost and it was consumers who had to pay the price. Taxes were raised but only for the lower classes, indeed the wealthier classes were spared from taxation although their money was needed for private capital. Tariffs also caused problems as, although they protected Russian industry, they added to the cost of living.[11] Whatsmore, although some historians have credited Witte’s decision to seek loans from foreign investors, some remain critical. This is because the interest added to the loans had to be paid in a secure medium meaning, in order to pay off their debts, Russia was forced to export grain regularly, including during the famine of 1891.[12] Overall, although Witte made huge strides in modernizing the Russian economy, he was not entirely faultless. Industry picked up, but there were still issues and it was the common man who had to pay. The economy still suffered, although, arguably, not as much as it would have done without Witte. However, the tertiary sector also contributed to the economy. Although some historians critique Russia’s dependence of Western investors, these ties had corresponding benefits in the shape of trade. [13] Business also boomed within Russia with eight large banks emerging in 1899 which owned more than half the total bank capital. This provided free access for foreign capital, controlling important branches of the Russian economy, including the fuel and metallurgical industries. [14] Moreover, according to Robert Service, domestic industrialists and banks were thriving too.[15] This argument can be supported by the growth in towns and cities between 1897 and 1914. For example; the population in St Petersburg grew from 1’300 thousand (1987) to 2’100 thousand (1914)[16]. This shows that the economic growth had a positive impact on society and the country was doing well under the Tsarist regime. However, although to the naked eye Russia seemed to be doing well, their growth wasn’t so great. Compared to the other Great powers of the period, Russia was lagging far behind. Between 1894 and 1913, Austria-Hungary had a 79% increase in national income whereas Russia was lagging far behind with only a 50% increase[17]. This clearly demonstrates that Russia’s overall situation was not so great and actually, Russian people did suffer. When Lenin came to power in 1917, he brought with him a change in regime and economic policy including the introduction of war communism. War communism aimed to socialize the economy through state involvement. Rural areas were subjected to grain requisition which was forcibly removed by the military.[18] This inevitably was unpopular and caused much suffering and peasants who stored their crops were often wrongfully prosecuted. It was not just agriculture which suffered. Factories were nationalized by November 1920 and were geared towards war production.[19] Additionally, private trade was banned and rationing was introduced on consumer goods including food and clothing. War communism was, effectively a self destructive policy. Grain requisitioning meant more than three million people died of starvation by late 1922.[20] Moreover, money lost its value and people got by through a system of barter. Inflation shot up and multiplied 1917 costs by four million in 1922. Additionally, in comparison to the growth in city population during the Tsarist regime, people fled the cities. For example; in December 1920 the population in Petrograd fell by 57.5%[21] Lenin knew that it was time for a change. War communism caused more harm then good so Lenin came up with an alternative, the ‘New Economic Policy’ (NEP). Peasants were allowed to sell grain for profit and they paid tax on what they produced rather than giving it up[22]. Things also changed industrially and in the tertiary sector. Businessmen could own small or medium sized businesses however large firms were still state owned.[23] The NEP basically gave the people of Russia freedom and Lenin hoped that it would boost economic growth as well. However, in 1924, Lenin died and Stalin came to power. Stalin also brought new ideas and his own ways of modernizing the economy. In November 1927, Stalin introduced his policies of industrialisation and collectivisation with the aim of modernising the economy. They were supported by a series of five year plans, the first (1928-32) aimed to improve living standards and the second (1933-37) and third (1938-41) aimed to highlight and thus, amend, Russia’s weaknesses[24]. Industrialisation was relatively successful as by the late 1930’s many workers conditions had improved and they had acquired better paid jobs and unemployment was almost non-existent. Accounts from the time support this view: â€Å"Good progress was made†¦4’500 new factories, plants, mines and power stations were commissioned, three times as many as the first Five-Year period’[25]. On the other hand, industrialisation was harsh and lateness for work often led to employees getting the sack. Many prisoners also paid the price by working on the grand engineering projects and working in appalling and dangerous conditions. For example; around 100’000 workers died building the Belmor Canal[26]. Collectivisation was ultimately unsuccessful and peasants were in a worse position than ever before. The concept of sharing farms and thus, sharing salary meant there wasn’t enough money to go around and crop production fell too. For example: â€Å"†¦Grain shortages, combined with continued forced procurements, led to rural famine†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [27] However, some people benefitted from collectivisation such as Bertha Malnick: â€Å"We have more than 600 hectares†¦our farmers have built 70 new houses for themselves during the last few years†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [28]. However, it is reasonable to conclude overall that collectivisation was unsuccessful given the various sources which provide figures of those who died or badly suffered during Stalin’s reign. Stalin died in 1953 and Khrushchev took over. Khrushchev focused on DeStalinisation, distancing the USSR as far away from Stalin as possible. Khrushchev was keen to adopt a different economic policy with the aim of building on the country’s previous economic growth and amending its weaknesses and one way he did this was by abandoning the five year plans and starting a new, seven year plan (1959-65) which aimed to take advantage of newly discovered mineral resources and fit in with industry[29]. Khrushchev pumped a lot of money into agriculture and overall 40% of investment was put into the neglected eastern regions of the USSR[30]. However, the seven year plan had similar flaws to the previous five year plans such as mistakes in resource distribution. Living standards got worse, the opposite to what Khrushchev had hoped to achieve. For example; only five in one thousand citizens owned a car and in 1963, the USSR was forced to import grain from the capitalist west to compensate shortages.[31] There were successes during this time such as the rise in foreign trade however this can’t compensate for the huge failures experienced during this time. Khrushchev made an honest attempt to improve the economy however his plans backfired and once again the country was left to clean up an economic mess. Eventually, Khrushchev was removed from power and in his place came Brezhnev who did little to change the economy. The era of Brezhnev has often been described as ‘a period of economic stagnation’ but some historians believe that this is not fair. Like Khrushchev, Brezhnev wanted to focus on improving agriculture and living standards in Russia. Historians Gwyneth Hughes and Simon Welfare support this view saying: â€Å"†¦After the terror of Stalin’s reign and the chaos of Khrushchev’s, the Soviet Union was in for a period of stability, and that meant everyone kept their job and their perks for life.†[32] Brezhnev allowed farmers to work on state own plots which motivated them to produce as much as possible in order to sell the surplus[33]. This, in theory, should have been beneficial and shows that Brezhnev was trying to improve the economy through new methods however, he was not so lucky. In 1975, the USSR suffered another poor harvest meaning Brezhnev had to increase foreign exports to keep everyone fed. This was just another disaster in Russia but Brezhnev did little to help. His aim to improve agriculture and living standards meant he neglected industry and production rates continued to rapidly fall[34]. However, arguably his biggest flaw was his inability to change the already ridged economy. Brezhnev had new ideas but couldn’t fight the system and by the end of his reign, Russia had made little improvement. Historian Dmitri Volkognov best sums up the Brezhnev period saying: â€Å"If Lenin and Stalin, and to some extent even Khrushchev, were able to enliven the moribund ideology of Communism, it was quite beyond Brezhnev†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [35]. In conclusion, between 1881 and 1982, Russia experienced much hardship especially surrounding the economy. After analyzing this one hundred year period it is hard to deny that the statement ‘Despite frequent changes in policy, Russian and Soviet governments were spectacularly unsuccessful in securing sustained economic progress in the years 1881-1992’. The economy under the Tsarist regime had its faults and during and after the 1917 revolution, it was widely believed that the country’s economic situation would improve. However, from Lenin to Stalin and Khrushchev to Brezhnev, it seemed that no leader was able to sustain a long-lasting and successful economic policy. The economy grew as quickly as it declined and it has taken many years to make any significant progress since. Therefore, this statement is valid. ________________ [1] Heinemann Advanced History: The Modernisation of Russia 1856-1985 [2] Agricultural Productivity Growth in Russia 1861-1913. From Inertia to Ferment by Carol. S. Leonard [3] The Penguin History of Modern Russia by Robert Service [4] www.historymadefun.co.uk/Tsarism [5] Overview from Russia and the USSR: Autocracy and Dictatorship (questions and answers in History) by Stephen. J. Lee [6] Stephen J Lee [7] http://www.slideshare.net/russeltarr/tsar-nicholas-ii-and-industry [8] The Industrialisation of Russia by M. Falkus [9] http://www.portalus.ru/modules/english_russia [10] M. Falkus [11] A2 History OCR: A Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964 [12] A2 History OCR [13] S. J Lee [14] A History of the USSR [15] Penguin History of Modern Russia [16] M. Falkus [17] The Making of the Revolution, 1881-1905 [18] From Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991 by Evans and Jenkins [19] Evans and Jenkins [20] The Russian Revolutions 1914-1924 [21] Evans and Jenkins [22] The USSR, Germany and the USA between the wars [23] Russia and the USSR 1905-1941 [24] The USSR, Germany and Russia between the wars [25] A Soviet view of the second five year plan from History of the USSR by Y. Kukushkin [26] Stalin and the Soviet Economy [27] European History 1848-1945 by T.A Morris [28] Everyday Life in Russia by Bertha Malnick [29] AQA A2 History Triumph and Collapse: Russia and the USSR 1941-1991 by John Laver & Sally Waller [30] Russia 1855- 1964 Flagship History by D. Murray and T. Morris [31] The Soviet Economy 1917-80 by S J Lee [32] Red Empire. The Forbidden History of the USSR by G. Hughes and S. Welfare [33] www.ibguides.com/history/notes.ccom [34] Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991 [35] The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire by D.Volkognov