Political Changes in Europe Since the Fall of the Soviet Union

In April 1986, Mr. Gorbachev began the perestroika, translation â€Å"reconstruction†, which was to end the Cold War that effectively brought down the Iron Curtain. The split between West and East not only partitioned the world into two parts, but also divided the European family for over 40 years. With the fall of the Soviet Union came many changes that affected much if not all of Europe. At the end of the Brejnev era , the socialist bloc was severely outdated and far removed from the contemporary world.The economy was in a shambles, independent civil society was largely in exile, and corruption throughout and within the state via the Communist Party had become legendary. In addition, the USSR had to devote an enormous portion of its budget to the military. On the international level, the USSR had lost many allies, because its social model proved to be decreasingly successful in its deceit, and the ill-fated invasion of Afghanistan (1979 – 1989) did not help in any way .It was therefore necessary to undertake urgent measures, especially in countries where satellite totalitarian regimes were challenged and the USSR no longer had the support of local communist parties. The advent of Gorbachev to power marked the beginning of the reconstruction. His first step on his rise to power was the partial liberation of the press, also known as glasnost. The first free newspapers emerged and some major newspapers such as â€Å"Novii Mir (New World),† Argumenti i Fakti â€Å"(Arguments and Facts) or† Moskovskie Novosti (Moscow News) changed editors. Books banned by the Soviet censorship began to appear in stores.Also, films which had been censored until this time were finally appearing on the screen. The policy change was also considerable. Under Gorbachev, 140 dissidents, victims of Stalinist repression, were honored and rehabilitated. From exile in Gorky, Sakharov, who condemned the war in Afghanistan – was released. Several opposition po litical organizations emerged as a Democratic Union and in 1988 the first anti-communist demonstrations took place. Gorbachev, considering the difficulty and complexity of the political situation at the time, tried at any price to change the political elite in an effort to ensure reconstruction. Policy frameworks† began and brought fresh faces to power. â€Å"Without – parties† (political parties that were not members of the Communist Party) were authorized to occupy important positions in state bodies. In addition, elections were introduced within the party to make elected officials accountable to its voters. Before this time, the party presented a candidate for the post and members could only nod in approval. Despite all this progress, the USSR was unable to overcome the economic and social crisis that hit the country in the early 80s. The Soviet system was not adaptable by itself and reconstruction was doomed from the start.Gorbachev did not have the political capacity to push the desired reforms through. His strategy, in essence, triggered the collapse of the USSR, which was completely unexpected. Perestroika could not change the structure of the Soviet economy, and thus served as an obstacle to reforms. All means of production were under state control. In addition, factories managers and corrupt officials wanted at all costs to keep the economic system that afforded them considerable privilege, especially in a country where the deficit of consumer products was seen in everyday life.The political system, like the economy, rested on a foundation of lies. Political leaders from cities and regions fabricated domestic and foreign policy statistics, using propaganda, including the newspaper â€Å"Pravda† (Truth). This newspaper was later to become a symbol of Soviet exaggeration of the productivity of the communist state. The Soviet secret services were doing everything to prevent people from having information deemed undesirable; any foreign or independent press was prohibited. In launching his reforms, Gorbachev wanted to reform that which what was not reformable.Perestroika and glasnost had made the system fragile, because the lie was no longer there to blind people. Thus, in 1991 a political system that had seemed indestructible – unbeatable, all but disappeared from the world political map. Perestroika was ultimately the determining factor in the fall of the Iron Curtain. The forces it unleashed, such as freedom of speech (glasnost), by Gorbachev inside his country had devoured the communist parties of Eastern Europe. That was also the case with the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent German reunification.The fall of the Berlin Wall was largely provided for by the green light given by Moscow. Without such approval, it would have been very probably a repetition of the â€Å"coup de Prague† of 1968, as the forces of the Warsaw Pact entered the Czechoslovakian capital to put an end to the demo cratic reforms of Dubcek following the Prague Spring. After the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, the reunification of Germany was inevitable. The non-intervention of Warsaw Pact forces during the fall of the Berlin Wall signaled the outbreak of the revolutions that occurred thereafter.Elsewhere in 1989 in Eastern Europe, democratic movements freed from the tutelage of Moscow out-punched Communism. This is the case in Romania with the fall of Ceausescu, Czechoslovakia and Poland with the resignation of the communist government and the start of negotiations between General Jaruzelski and the representatives of Solidarnosc. The policy of rapprochement between the West promoted by Gorbachev led to the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. Having neither the financial resources nor the political will to save this military alliance, the Soviets proposed in 1988 to repeal the pact against the dissolution of NATO.In December 1988, Gorbachev and Bush declared at a meeting in Malta that th e Cold War was over. Immediately after the fall of communism in Europe, former satellites of the Soviet Union chose to join the unified European family and NATO. Chronologically, in the first half of 90 years, almost all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have submitted their applications to join the European Union and NATO. For these countries, membership in these structures is first and foremost a political symbol, to guarantee their freedom and sovereignty.European integration also meant the return of these countries into the European mainstream as equal partners and not merely as â€Å"little brothers†, as was the case with the USSR. Long oppressed by a regime imposed from outside, these countries could finally defend their interests in the democratic framework that the European Union offers. Without perestroika, the world today would not be the same. It is mainly through this process that democratization has been set up in the Central and Eastern Europe an d that Europe is no longer divided in two.

Cash Cropping in Nepal Essay

On an individual crop basis, tomatoes and potatoes were the most increasing, sensitivity analysis and scenarios suggest high variability and limited short-term impact on poverty alleviation. Profitable. On a per farm basis, 50% of the households with positive farm gross margins grew at least one vegetable crop, while only 25% of households with negative farm gross margins included vegetable crops in their rotation. Farmers have been hesitant to produce primarily for the market given the rudimentary infrastructure and high variability in prices. Farmers reported selling more crops, but when corrected for inflation, gross revenues declined over time. The costs and benefits of developing markets have been unevenly distributed with small holders unable to capitalize on market opportunities and wealthier farmers engaging in input intensive cash cropping. Farms growing vegetables had an average gross margin of US$137 per year compared to US$12 per year for farms growing only staple crops. However, the area under production is small and, while vegetable production is likely to continue Key words: Agriculture, Cash crops, Gross margin, Household economics, Market inequity, Poverty Introduction Cash cropping has been promoted by development specialists as a mechanism to alleviate rural poverty in countries such as Nepal. Programs have capitalized on existing transportation networks, the proximity to urban centers or niche markets (Panday, 1992). But there are concerns that agricultural commercialization by-passes the poor. The cash and land quality requirements of capital intensive farming may limit the capacity of poorer farmers to invest, while the risks associated with yield and price variability may limit their willingness to participate in commercial productionBoth the Agricultural Perspective Plan (APROSC, 1995) and the ninth National Plan (GON, 1998) of Nepal promote the intensification of agriculture and increased cash crop production. In the Mid-hills of Nepal near Kathmandu, potato and tomato production have increased dramatically in the last 10 years (Brown and Shrestha, 2000). But, vegetable production is demanding of soil, water, and human resources. A systematic assessment of cash cropping is required to determine the impact on household well-being. The aims of this paper are five-fold: 1) to determine the relative profitability of vegetable production in the Mid- hills of Nepal;2) to assess the economic impact of incorporating vegetables into the dominant cropping patterns; 3) to analyze the variability between households; 4) to assess the impact of fluctuations in price; and 5) to evaluate temporal changes in household well-being with the incorporation of vegetableproduction. Methods The relative profitability of agricultural production between farms provides a mechanism to compare the economic status of farming households with diversified cropping systems. An indication of the profitability of each farm can be obtained by computing gross margins, defined as total returns less total variable costs. Total returns are equal to the value of all crops produced (including crop residues), irrespective of whether the crop is sold. Total variable costs include: the purchase of seed, fertilizer, and pesticides; hiring oxen; and all labor involved in cultivation activities. Labor includes the time spent in planting, irrigation, fertilizing, spraying, weeding, harvesting and transportation and selling and includes the opportunity cost of family labor. The gross margin can thus be viewed as the return to fixed costs (land and livestock) and management. Gross margin analysis, in this context, focuses on production or income with respect to agriculture. As it does not take into account the time value of money, gross margins are not sensitive to interest rates, and are a good first approximation of financial feasibility.

Saving the Environment and the Bottom Line Term Paper

Saving the Environment and the Bottom Line - Term Paper Example The labor usage in replacement should be sourced internally to prevent further expenditure Assuming the cost of the showerhead is 50 dollars total saving per showerhead will be the number of guestrooms and the product of the rte of occupants, i.e. 375* 67/100 this will give an approximate figure of 251 rooms. The participant indicates a rate of 1.4 persons per room. The occupant will amount to 251*1.4 which is approximately 352 persons. Assuming each person spends 15 minutes in the shower daily thus his daily gallons will be 1.8*15 minutes which sums at 27 gallons per person daily to give an overall usage of 9504 gallons (351*27). The previous usage stood at 17901 gallons (3.4*15*351). The overall savings will stand at 8397 gallons (17901-9504). The cost will amount to $48.03(5.72*8397/1000) cost savings on showers. The yearly savings will amount to $17520 (48.03*365 days). The savings on toilet gallons will 218416 (1.7*352*365), the cost in savings $1250. The total savings as a result of the proposed measures will be $ 18770(17520 + 1250) annual savings due to reduced wa stage. Xavier hotel needs to redesign its main switch and electric control unit. The lighting bulb needs to be replaced by LED bulbs that consume less energy than the current florescent. Each room needs to be checked after a visitor checks out. The efforts will ensure that bulbs and electric appliances in the empty rooms are disconnected and electricity switched off. The efforts will reduce the electric consumption by more than 10 percent. The heating systems needs to be adjusted and solar powered heaters introduced. Thermostat in each room needs to be checked and its temperature reduced by 50C in every single room at the hotel. Each appliance needs to be checked and worn out equipment in each room repaired and replaced (Todd& Rebecca, 2002). Worn out electric appliances consume more energy as compared to those new ones. In matters heating automated switches should

Systemic Professional Development and its Effect on Novice Teacher Dissertation

Systemic Professional Development and its Effect on Novice Teacher Retention Rates, A Qualitative Research Case Study - Dissertation Example The model of systematic professional development is also discussed vis-a-vis various parameters that influence teaching capabilities with significant impact on retention of novice teacher. Finally, possible remedies that have been suggested to date, with particular attention to mentorship, and systemic professional development were included in this review. To introduce newcomers to the professional culture of the school, induction and mentoring is often used, but with mixed success. For one thing, the time the assistance is offered is usually quite short, and often, if not always, the teacher is expected to be carrying an almost-full or full load. When compared with effective systemic professional development, induction and mentoring do not seem to be as successful. In the following section, the case study research methodology design will be established as a viable way to conduct a qualitative study. The specific qualitative research approach adopted for this study will be explored i n complete detail. Keywords: systematic professional development, K-12 education, retention/ attrition Section 2: Literature Review Introduction The study addresses the problem of low rate of retention among new teachers in the K-12 education system of the United States. The purpose of this study is to identify effective systemic professional development learning opportunities, if any, which aid in the retention of apprentice teachers in the teaching profession. The focus will be in answering the sub question: Why systemic professional development learning opportunities are beneficial to novice teachers? Systemic professional development is one of several possible strategies to deal with low retention amongst novice teachers. It has been credited with success in supporting apprentice teachers (Kent, 2004; Langraf, 2004; Wong et al., 1998). However, its possible influence on new teacher attrition rates is less studied. Siedentop (2006) suggests, that â€Å"what is really missing is systematic evidence to support that the approaches being advocated (work); there is some evidence to support the different positions, but it is spotty at best, flawed at worst† (p. 14). The literature to be reviewed consists primarily of books and scholarly journals from the last 15 years, though a few earlier studies are included to broaden the historical context. It concentrates on the situation in the United States, though studies of similar issues in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Europe will be consulted. The material for the review was gathered by library catalog and electronic database searches, using keywords relevant to each of its topics. The bibliographies found in nearly all source materials were critical in locating and identifying relevant studies, and the studies themselves sometimes cited valuable content from works that remained inaccessible. The gathering of material thus proceeded in a series of waves, where the last items discovered provided inf ormation on what would be most useful to access next. Literature examined in this section is closely associated with the most pertinent work available to address teacher attrition rates. Due consideration is given to the influence, if any, of professional development on novice teacher attrition rates. Included in this review is an investigation of the following:

The Effects of Multimedia on Cultural Change in the Kingdom of Saudi Research Proposal

The Effects of Multimedia on Cultural Change in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example The native language of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Arabic, and is thus, the primary medium of oral and written communication. The Arabic language also â€Å"reflects and preserves the culture and customs of the desert society of Arabia that evolved long before the introduction of Islam† (Long, 2005, p. 82). Long (2005) maintained that Arabic is more than a liturgical language, but a living language echoing the culture of its people, then and now. Kendall (2011), however, believes that generally, cultures do not remain static. Forces are constantly at work which results either in gradual or abrupt cultural changes. There is reason to believe that like other cultures of the world, Saudi Arabia may not be immune to cultural changes. The computer and the Internet are believed to be responsible for the popularity of multimedia among people globally. Such popularity is believed to be a significant influence on how multimedia changes the lives of people in any society. Even Saudi Arabia, which according to Cordesman (2009) is generally regarded as a very conservative society then and now, did not remain unaffected by the changes brought about by multimedia. Based on a number of information technology statistics, Saudi Arabia posted 11.4 million Internet users from a population of 26,131,703, for an approximate Internet penetration of 43.6%. As of March, 2011, there are 4,092,600 Facebook accounts by Saudi Arabian nationals. Saudi Arabia posted higher Internet penetration rate than seven other Middle East nations, namely: Iran (42.6%); Kuwait (42.6%); Jordan (26.8%); Lebanon (26.4%); Syria (19.8%); Yemen (9.7%) and Iraq (1.1%) (Internet World Stats, 2011). Aims of the Proposed Study The study is being proposed to examine how multimedia has influenced cultural change in the Kingdom, aided by the computer and the Internet. Specifically, the aims of the study are: (1) describe the profile of the respondents in terms of gender, age, educational attainment, occupa tion and place of residence: (2) identify the types of multimedia equipment the respondents consider as indispensable for their activities at home in the office and in school: (3) measure the extent to which different forms of multimedia affect the people of Saudi Arabia as social beings; (4) explain how the culture of Saudi Arabia changed as a result of the introduction of various forms of multimedia and assess whether the respondents are amenable to these cultural changes; (5) describe how multimedia have an effect in the cultural changes which has occurred in Saudi Arabia in the last decade; (6) verify significant differences in the perspective of the respondents about the cultural changes when they are grouped according to the profile variables considered in the study. Methodology The study will involve 385 respondents selected using a web-based sample size calculator based on the following parameters: (1) a margin of error of 5%; (2) a confidence level of 95%; (3) a population size of 26,131,703; and (4) a response distribution of 50% (Raosoft, 2004). Respondents will be selected using purposive sampling. A survey questionnaire will serve as the main data gathering instrument. The questionnaire will be pilot tested among 20 respondents and the same will be subjected to content and face validation and reliability analysis. Data gathering will be carried out using a technology-mediated questionnaire

The Design of Health and Safety Control Systems Assignment - 1

The Design of Health and Safety Control Systems - Assignment Example The design of any equipment used at work is controlled and measured by various legislation, with the supply of machinery (safety) regulations 2008 covering the stepladder involved in this operation (Policy Group STSU, 2008). The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 cover the stepladders usage and maintenance throughout the operation (Policy Group STSU, 1998). This PUWER legislation requires that the equipment be ‘suitable for the intended use’ and ‘maintained in a safe condition’. Regular checks are required by this legislation, and all checks should be recorded to ensure that the equipment is in the best possible condition to prevent health and safety issues. Additionally, all employees concerned in the operation are required to have adequate training. To verify the competence of these employees, the PUWER legislation requires that all equipment must be used by those who have received adequate information with which to use the equipment safe ly. In this case, to ensure that all employees are competent, they must be shown the correct use of the ladder prior to the operation despite any prior training. For the chemicals, the correct safety procedure should be carried out and the employees should be familiar with the packaging to ensure they know the risks and signs. The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmopsheres Regulations 2002 (Disease Reduction Programme Office, 2002) requires that all substances that are flammable are controlled, and employers should ‘find out what dangerous substances are in their workplace and what the fire risks are’, as well as ‘put control measures in place to remove [or] remove’ the risks. Employees should be properly informed about and trained in the usage of these chemicals. The sealant, in this case, is the dangerous substance and the employees involved should be informed of the risks and training in its use. Finally, the welfare of the employees is also a concer n in enclosed spaces. The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 should be followed stringently to ensure that work in the enclosed space is safe, healthy and poses no risk to welfare. Checks Hazard Control Measure Results What else can be done? Safe? Spray Sealant Ensure all employees using this substance understand the risks of the substance and the emergency proceedures involved Spray Sealant Ensure all employees are provided with masks to prevent any damage to health from the sealant Ladder Ensure that ladders safety information is up to date and appropriate checks have been carried out Ladder Ensure all employees are trained in the proper usage of the ladder Ladder Ensure all employees are provided with hard hats to prevent damage to the head in the case of a fall Transport Ensure all employees have clean drivers licenses and are aware of the dangers of driving down private lanes (as well as normal driving dangers) Risk Assessment What are the hazards? Who might be harmed and how? Wh at are you already doing? What further action is necessary? Action by who? Action by when? Done? Ladder The employees using the ladder to access the sewer Ensuring that training and equipment is safe and in place. None Spray Sealant The employees in the confined space in which the sealant is being used Ensuring that all fire risks are assessed and removed as much as possible. All employees are aware of the evacuation procedure for this task. All employees have the appropriate equipment for this task.

Deontological Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Deontological Ethics - Essay Example The deontological moral systems define the reasons why certain actions are performed. Additionally, the systems do not approve following the correct moral rules as sufficient. It demands the people to follow the moral rules with the correct motivation. Furthermore, only the correct motivation could not justify the action in a deontological moral system. Nevertheless, a correct motivation cannot describe if an action is morally correct and cannot determine the correct duty to follow. There are key questions in deontological ethical systems. The key questions include â€Å"what is my moral duty?† â€Å"What are my moral obligations?† And â€Å"how do I weigh one moral duty against another?† Examples of deontological ethical theories include divine command, duty and rights theories, monistic deontology and contractarianism,. Divine command set their moral obligations from a god. For examples, the Muslims believe an action is morally correct whenever it goes hand in hand with the rules established by Allah. Duty theories define their action as morally correct if it abides by some list of duties and obligations. Duty based theories are the most successful and the strongest. Rights theories define an action to be morally correct if it respects the human rights. Contractarianism defines an action to be morally right if it abides by the rules that rational moral agents would observe when entering a social relationship. Monistic deontology defines an action is morally right it abides by some single deontological principle that guides the other subsidiary principles (Richard & Yvonne 150-300). There are many factors that make duty theories the most successful. The theory demands an action to abide by some list of duties and obligations if it wants to be morally right. Immanuel Kant was the philosopher behind Kantian duty based ethics. According to Kant, it would be possible to use

Password and hacking under the privcy issues Research Paper

Password and hacking under the privcy issues - Research Paper Example Hackers view the people’s privacy as an unknown intriguing matter, which has to be conquered. The hacking methods have kept up with the development of the various technologies meant to protect the privacy of the users and they have managed to violate them and gain access to one’s personal information. A proof of their rapid development is that, according to the FBI’s National Computer Crimes Squad, 85 to 97 percent of computer intrusions are not detected. Moreover, only 19 % of the attacks are reported.1 Installing password for online accounts is one of these methods; in fact, it is the most popular one. No matter the nature of the accounts, whether it is an account in a social network, or an email account, installing passwords to it is the best that one can do in order to protect his/her account from uninvited curious â€Å"guests†. The objective of this paper is to analyze how violating one’s account by cracking its password is regarded from the privacy ethical point of view. The paper shall present the legislative acts that tend to legally protect personal information from hackers and their practical application in the real life. The paper is divided into two chapters. The first chapter is dedicated to the history of hacking and its development. It will also describe the most common methods of password violation and the hackers’ point of view on this matter, under the privacy issues. The next chapter will describe the acts that are meant to protect personal information and guarantee one’s privacy and their efficiency in application. Some popular law cases connected to password hacking will be described and analyzed. Most of us associate the activity of â€Å"hacking† with illegal conduct, infringements and law violations. Of course, a hacker for us represents a law disobedient person, some kind of a rebel that instead of living his life normally chooses to spend days and nights in front of a computer and break into

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 29

Marketing - Essay Example However, many of the researchers specifically name it as ‘status consumption’. In literature the concept of status consumption is defined as the consumption of anything with the intention of boasting of and showing off affluence to others and it ranges from an expensive lipstick to a pricey car (Scheetz, n.d.). Status consumption is the phenomenon through which consumers seek to increase their social standing by conspicuous consumption and possessions (Schiffman). Shukla defines status consumption as the behaviour of the consumer to buy the products and services to enhance their status, no matter what their income or social class is. Basically, status consumption refers to the purchases made by consumers to attain a social status. It also shows the increasing materialism among the people in the society. A lot of work has been done by various researchers on status consumption. Even the concept of status consumption is considered very effective from marketing point of view. In a survey of 239 Malaysian students, it was found that promotional appeals that underline social comparisons are more effective on status seeking customers (Heaney, Goldsmith & Jusoh, 2005). The researchers have been always curious to determine the reasons because of which the consumers go for status consumption. In a study of 598 consumers, it was found that status seeking consumers have a need for uniqueness and can be good opinion leaders (Clark, Zboja & Goldsmith, 2006). Therefore, the need to look superior and to maintain the social status results in status consumption. Ustuner and Holt (2009) studied the concept of status consumption among the middle class people from less industrialised countries. They limited their research to middle class group only because this class does have enough spending power to maintain their social class and they find that significant