Human Potential – Of Mice And Men

In the novel Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck Illustrates human potential and its effects on Lennie Crooks and George. Steinbeck suggests humans have the natural potential to seek happiness although the potential can be fatal or harmful. Although Lennie does not have the potential to be smart, Lennie has the potential to be a hard worker. However, Lennie s strength did not work with him and the result was fatal. Lennie is an extremely large man who had the strength of a bull. With the use of his strength, he was great worker but did not understand how strong he was. George explains Lennie s strength by: â€Å"that big bastard can put up more grain alone than most pairs can†( Steinbeck 34). Through his size and his enormous amount of strength Lennie could out work the other men of the ranch by himself. Through the use of Lennie s strength he became a great worker who knew nothing more than to work. Lennie uses his potential to work hard, but does not understand how strong he is. Without George, Lennie does not understand what to do. Lennie gets frightened and uses his strength to hold on to objects. Lennie is just like a child. He will do what ever George tells him to: â€Å"Curely was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie s hand. George slapped [Lennie] in the face again and again and still Lennie held on(63). Through Lennie s actions we can see that Lennie is very similar to a child. Lennie s first instinct when he is scared is to hold on. Just as a little kid holds on to its mom or dad when they become frightened, Lennie holds on to objects. Because of Lennie s low intelligence to understand his strength, he becomes frightened and kills Curley s wife and as a result, she ends up being killed by is otential: â€Å"She took Lennie s hand and put it on her head And then she cried angrily. Lennie s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. He shook her and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still†(91). Lennie did not understand his strength and became frightened, and once again just like just like a little child he held on. But he ended up breaking Curley s wife neck. As a result of his actions Lennie ended up dead. Lennie had an extremely great potential to use his strength and become a great worker. However his difficulty to understand his strength lead to his death. Unlike Lennie Crooks potential is his knowledge, and Crooks has the ability to use his knowledge to, try to escape the problems he has on the ranch. However Crooks falls back into a 1930s attitude and chooses to neglect his knowledge. Crooks also uses his knowledge to express his ideas and feelings to Lennie. â€Å"Books ain t no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him A guy goes nuts if ain t got nobody†. (72) Crooks is proving that he is a very knowledgeable man When around others he may chooses to use his knowledge to express his ideas and become a stronger influence. Crooks uses his wisdom to express his ideas and eelings and leave a very strong impact. Crooks has the likelihood to use his knowledge, but how he uses his wisdom will determine his fate. â€Å"I said s pose George don t come back no more. S pose he took a powder and just ain t coming back. What ll you do then? He won t do it Lennie cried. He ll come back tonight —†(71). Crooks is using his knowledge as a power trip on Lennie who does not understand what Crooks is saying. Crooks is doing this because he has never had a chance to use his knowledge in such way before, but is really abusing it. Crooks chooses to use his knowledge around Lennie. But when a higher authority is around Crooks chooses to ignore it for his own safety. â€Å"Listen nigger, [Curley s wife] said, (y)ou know what I can do to you if you open your trap? Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. Yes ma am, and his voice was toneless†(80). When a higher authority is present Crooks chooses to ignore his knowledge because he is scared to speak out for fear of losing his job. Despite Crooks, knowledge he chooses to ignore it around higher authority, this ending up in a 1930 s attitude with his knowledge going to waste. Unlike Lennie or Crooks George has the potential to be his own boss. If George does not work hard enough his potential to be his own boss will be lost and his dream will be crushed. George has always wanted to be his own boss. When he sees that the potential is there, George tries to act on it. George says: â€Å"We d just go there, we wouldn t ask nobody if we could â€Å"(61). George would love to be his own boss and do his own thing, mainly because George would not have to take orders from any one. To accomplish being his own boss, George tries to save his money so that he can buy the ranch: â€Å"If me an Lennie work one onth an don t spen nothing, well have a hundred bucks† (60). To fulfill his potential to be his own boss, George says he will save his money and not spend any. If George can accomplish this he will be his own boss. When Lennie breaks Curley s wife s neck, George realizes that the potential to be his own boss is lost. Candy says: † You an me can get that little place, can t we George? Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew†(94). Now that Lennie has broken Curley s wife s neck, George realizes that his possibility of being his own boss is gone. Without Lennie, George feels here is no hope. As a result the potential to be his own boss is lost. George has a great potential to be his own boss, but with the death of Lennie, George loses hope. George has chosen his fate to be a worker and not to be his own boss. In his novel, Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck illustrates to us that all humans have the potential to do well, but how they use their potential will determine their fate. Lennie, Crooks and George all have one thing on their mind: to accomplish their potential and make it reality. If they do not use their potential It can a source of pain and an unfulfilled dream.

The Crucible vs Real Life

The Salem Witch Trials were an extremely controversial period of time in our history. This was a time of suspicion and accusation of many innocent women and men that led to hysteria and complete turmoil in Salem Village. The Crucible portrays the Salem Witch Trials in a dramatic sense, but there are many similarities between the movie and the actual events. We can use these unusual events to compare to our own lives and learn from the mistakes of our past. I’ve found that although many differences are displayed between the movie and the actual events, the overall theme of The Crucible was accurate.One of the differences was the relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams. In the movie, their relationship had a much more intimate history than what actually occurred. They portrayed the pair to have had romantic relations, which created a very large shift in the plot of the movie. In real life, Proctor and Williams had no connection other than living in the same town b efore the witch trials. Also, another major difference was the character of Giles Corey. In the movie, he was pressed to death because he wouldn’t give up a name.In the actual events, Giles survived, but he was excommunicated from the church. He was very against the hangings that occurred, however, his name was re-entered onto the church scrolls in later years. The first similarity I noticed was the character of Reverend Hale. In the beginning, all he wanted was to use his church authority to help the people, but after the events got out of hand, he wanted nothing to do with the Salem Witch Trials. He was a large supporter of John Proctor. Another similarity was that all of this hysteria began in the home of Mr.Samuel Parris, involving his daughters and their friends after incidents of witchcraft in the woods. Arthur Miller, the director of The Crucible, used an â€Å"artistic license† to dramatize the events, and to make the overall movie more interesting to the viewe rs. Some may find this tactic unjust, however, I find that the changes he made didn’t display an inaccurate version of the Salem Witch Trials. The largest change that he made to the story was the love connection between Abigail Williams and John Proctor, and although that was untrue to theactual events, I found that it gave the movie an interesting twist. Besides the few differences, Miller stayed along the lines of the true story when it came to the actual hangings, character significances, and the tale of how the hysteria truly began along with who was primarily involved. When comparing the similarities and differences, numerous situations exist where the movie was spot on with the trials in 1692. Although there are significant differences, I believe that this did not take away from the historical facts, and that Miller properly used his artistic license.The severe lies and accusations which occurred in Salem during these trials appear so extreme that it would be impossible to compare to life today. However, recurrently in our modern day, it seems that some still haven’t learned from the mistakes of the past. Although not as severe as the hangings and false accusations that were shown in the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, the â€Å"breaking of charity† still proves to destroy friendships and relationships today. An example of this kind of situation could be a jealous friend starting a nasty rumour.Although it may seem harmless at first, the wildfire of gossip can travel even quicker the friend could imagine. If enough people believe and continue to spread the lie, this person could potentially lose many friends and have a lasting effect on their life, causing sadness and unjust treatment. Not to mention, the relationship between the victim and the rumour-starter would be severed until the situation is fully dissolved. Despite the fact that occurrences of this today rarely lead to death or the destruction of a close-knit town, the repercussions of lies can take a harsh effect on relationships to many people.In conclusion, the details of the actual Salem Trials and the movie The Crucible have many similarities and differences that are portrayed throughout history. I believe that Miller’s use of an â€Å"artistic license† is justifiable, and also think that the events of the witch trials can even compare to situations in life today. It’s possible to learn many lessons from this severe religious type of control, and many different opinions are portrayed throughout both the movie and the actual happenings.

The level of contamination on the things we use on daily basis Essay

The level of contamination on the things we use on daily basis - Essay Example At the age of 12 Conrad had lost both his parents to tuberculosis. Conrad father was a translator while he was still alive and thus exposing Conrad to a wide range of literature from many nations, which were in English, French, Spanish, and American. Despite a tragic beginning, Conrad could have a good introduction to rich literary atmosphere. After his parents demise he was to stay under the care of his maternal uncle, Tadeusz Bobrowski. His uncle introduced him to a new chapter in life, which was contrary to what he learned from his father. He was fed with notions of conservatism and strict social discipline. The different ways of life that he had when he was young made Him realize that he was a homo duplex. He was torn between chivalric and egalitarian, revolutionary and conservative, and pragmatic and romantic tradition (Watt, 14). At the age of 14 onwards, Conrad disliked the Christian religion, ceremonies, festivals, and its doctrines. This was the best decision that he made, b ut it was contrary to his family beliefs. At the age of 17, Conrad left Poland to become a sea man and at some point attempted to commit suicide because of problems he experienced at the sea. His career to literature came to be when he was 40 with his first novel The Nigger of the Narcissus, which characterized Conrad’s in-between position as a writer. This was the introduction to prime of Conrad career as a writer. The most famous novel by Joseph Conrad is Heart of Darkness, which he primarily based it on his experience in the Congo. This book is full of paradoxes and has deeply symbolic text (Watt, 37). His main goal was to make a symbolic use of color. Conrad makes constant references of light and dark, black and white. The different characteristics that he gives make the reader to confuse the two states normally associated with the terms. Many instances of moral and physical darkness are topics that Conrad has touched on for example He signifies the corruption of one impo rtant character in the book. In addition, the title of the novel Heart of Darkness brings about a clear picture of the dark and gloomy way of life in the heart of Africa. There is a good connection between the characters used in this book and the events together with the experience that he had in 1890. This novel is a commentary touching upon the tough reality of imperialist control. Symbols are character, objects, figures or color used to show an abstract idea or concept. One symbol used is fog. This symbolizes darkness, and it not only distorts, but it also obscures. Conrad explains that one should make decisions based on the information given and he or she should never try to judge the accuracy of the information (Shmoop, 46). Darkness is also used as a symbol. It is very hard to tell what darkness stands for in this context. However, everything in this book has a dark coating. In addition, the inability to see is also viewed as darkness. Failure to sympathize happens when one fa ils to see another human being and thus having a hard time trying to understand that person Conrad uses Marlow to show that women are the keepers of naive illusions. This role is crucial although it can be seen as condemnatory. Kurtz and his intended mistress function as blank slates, and this brings about the value of wealth of their respective societies. Other symbols include the river, and the white sepulcher. This book is about a story of a European seaman, who sets on a journey to explore the Congo River. His primary role is helping Kurtz, a very prominent ivory trader who was employed by the Belgians. Also a successful writer, Kurtz has a good reputation and Marlow likes him even before their meeting. His writings were concerned with the civilization of the African

Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Technology - Essay Example People now rely on portable devices such as smartphones and tablets to connect with their friends, relatives, teammates, and even compatriots in their places of work. Instantaneous connections allow people to pass messages quickly regardless of where they are. However, the mobile technologies are a hindrance to important one on one communication therefore they should be moderately used for the sake of building of meaningful relationships. The technologies are dangerous since they drive people away from normal conversations. These technologies make people indifferent to the people they are with physically since they rather communicate with others through the mobile devices. According to Turkle, â€Å"technology-enabled, we are able to be with one another, and also elsewhere, connected to wherever we want to be† (1). This tendency leads to the loss in the value of face to face interactions, as people feel rejected by their mates who seem addicted to their communication devices. The use of the mobile technologies actually enables people to snub the people close by. â€Å"We are together, but each of us is in our own bubble, furiously connected to keyboards and tiny touch screens† (Turkle 2). However, the problem has become so widespread that everyone seems to use technologies to keep others away. The remote connections enabled by the mobile technologies do not yield deep relationships. I agree with Turkle’s views that the technologies are an avenue which people use to present an ideal image of themselves, which is unlike who they really are. â€Å"Texting and e-mail and posting let us present the self we want to be. This means we can edit. And if we wish to, we can delete. Or retouch: the voice, the flesh, the face, the body† (Turkle 2). The downside to this is that people end up not knowing one another hence they cannot meaningfully understand and connect to one another. Consulting via the technology does not yield answers that would fit the needs or concerns that

A rose for emily Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A rose for emily - Essay Example Instead, he chooses to simply narrate the facts as told by the people of Jefferson. This narration slowly unravels before us Emily’s personality through the affairs that take place and ‘Emily’ as perceived by the people of her town. From the short story, one can figure out that Emily had been the only daughter of a wealthy and overprotective father. The line ‘We remembered all the young men her father had driven away’ tells us how her father had prevented her from being in any relationship. The overprotective father did not realize then that this would make his daughter reticent. She refrained from socializing even after her father’s death. People of Jefferson did not make an effort to befriend her. Emily and her family were looked at as â€Å"tableau† by the citizens of Jefferson. They visited Emily only to offer condolences after her father’s death. They never tried to know her personally. Perhaps, they were intimidated by her ‘august’ origins. That is why, when Homer Barron came into her life, Emily, finally, found a friend. Emily may have become possessive of Homer since he was the only friend she had. Later, in the story, the author hints that Homer might have been gay. Emily was obstinate. She liked everything to be as she wished. Hence, when she realized that she could lose Homer to a guy, she killed Homer. She had his dead body put in her room so that she could have him for the rest of her life. That Emily was stubborn and obstinate was revealed by a number of other events. Firstly, she refused to pay taxes because she believed that the people of Jefferson owed her father some amount of money. Secondly, she bought arsenic to kill Homer. On being questioned by the pharmacist, she refused to answer him and gave him a cold stare. One incident that makes the reader think profoundly of her mental state is the death of her father. Emily, initially, refused to believe that her father was

Prenuptial agreement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prenuptial agreement - Essay Example The American belief that marriage is a contract, and they encourage divorce while in Philippine we do not encourage divorce (Saks, 2005). I would like to be or get married to a man who we share the same beliefs and moral values. I am not interested in entering to this agreement of marrying Jeremy. I am afraid to get married to Jeremy because he has been used to divorce, and he can still divorce me after we spent years. Jeremy has been financials and socially traumatised, and he can use me in order to recover the damages he encountered with the first wife. The cause of divorce has not been explained to me, and Jeremy could be the cause because even know he does not believe in staying with a woman forever. I am real afraid of marrying Jeremy and leave my people forever because he can prevent me from visiting my people at Philippines (Gottman, 2011). In this case I have the right to know the experience Jeremy had with his wife. Marriage is also a person choice, and no body should be forced in a marriage, so I have the right to marry or not to marry Jeremy (Saks, 2005). My concern in this case is about the children. Jeremy has a child, and I wonder whether he will treat my children and the other child the same. I am also concerned whether marriage with Jeremy will follow ethics, moral and values and no paper that will separate monetary and emotion (Gottman, 2011). The advantages of my decision in the case is that If I do not marry Jeremy, I will still find another man who has not been married and we share the same values. The disadvantage in this decision is that we have been dating with Jeremy for 3 years and falling to marry him will be a waste of time (Gottman,

Death Penalty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Death Penalty - Research Paper Example The proponents of the penalty derive their arguments from the fact that is cheaper than holding convict for life, and acts as a deterrence to crime. However, the proponents are tasked with a heavy burden of proof assignment that has not been successful so far. This leads to the question whether the death penalty deters crime The paper seeks to answer the question through an argumentative approach. According to Amnesty International USA, the assertion that the death penalty reduces murder rates are flawed (Amnesty USA n.d). The fundamental basics to prove that it does not deter crimes are evident in the murder statistics difference between states that employ the death penalty and the states that do not use the penalty. According to the said statistics, it is seen that states that do not have the penalty have lower rates of capital crimes as compared to others. Consequently, the penalty is not popular among the public. The pie chart shows the public opinion about death penalty and its effect in deterrence of crime. Sources indicate that people who commit capital crimes are commonly under the effects of drugs and or alcohol. The claim implies that the persons are not conscious enough to reckon the repercussions of the crime they are committing. Death penalty is not part of their reasoning at the time when they are consumed by rage or fear. It follows that a crime will be committed, with or without death penalty laws. Thus, death penalty is not sufficient to deter crime in such incidents. Another reason that taints the deterrence assertion is that criminals do not expect to be nabbed after committing an atrocity. Suspects in murder cases do not consider the probability of being arrested and facing charges for the crime. Instead, they consider the possibility of walking free (Michigan State University 2000, p.3). In these cases, the fangs of the death penalty do not scare the criminals from their actions. The same implies that criminals do not weigh their

What does the Warrior Ethos mean to me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What does the Warrior Ethos mean to me - Essay Example Rather, everyone must fight at work, in society, and in our relationships to stay safe and successful. Without the impulse to engage in fight, a person is listless and demotivated. However, fighting without a code is disastrous and unhealthy. This book is unique to me in respect that it very effectively offers a code which can help all people defend their individual purposes. This code can be used by us to stay true to ourselves. This book is a great treat not for members of military merely, but for everyone who has had to fight for anything at any point in life. It offers an interesting insight into the life of a warrior with which everyone can relate and gather huge life-changing lessons. The book tells that what separates warriors from vulnerable individuals is their ability to endure adversity. Concluding, The Warrior Ethos was originally written with army officers in the author’s mind, but even a common person like myself can effortlessly relate with it. This is because of the great lessons enclosed in it which have implications for everyone from every

Individual Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Strategic Management - Essay Example The last part of the paper looks at one solid strategic management recommendation for the company. â€Å"Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store and it also offers iPhones and iPads† (Blodget, 2013). Its mission statement is: â€Å"We want to leave the world better than we found it.† The company is comprised of a variety of stakeholders and these are individuals or groups of people who have a stake in the operations of the company. The employees, suppliers, distributers as well as management of the company are the stakeholders who directly control its operations. The shareholders and consumers are also major stakeholders of the company since these contribute towards the revenue it generates from its operations. Ordinary people in the environment in which the company operates are also stakeholders since they are affected by its operations. The government and other regulatory bodies are also stakeholders for this organization. The external environment of the company can be analysed through the use of Porter’s five forces model which comprises of the following factors: barriers to entry by competitors, threat of substitute, bargaining powers of buyers, bargaining powers of suppliers and rivalry among the existing players (http://www.12manage.com/methods_porter_five_forces.html). The mobile communication technology industry is capital intensive hence it may not be that easy for other new entrants to penetrate the market. This means that barriers to entry are high which cushions Apple in its operations. This mainly depends on the buyers’ ability to influence the price. Apple products have premium prices which mean that the customers have little influence to change them. The products offered by Apple are specifically meant for the rich and affluent people. The bargaining powers of suppliers

Context of human services Essay Example for Free

Context of human services Essay Social changes in diverse societies are brought about by several factors such as maintaining order and responsibility within and outside the society. In this case, human services such as attending offering medical attendance, and avoidance of social evils such as corruption, are portrayed as major opportunities for the social changes. Many people see mental anomaly as curable. In real case, one cannot be completely cured from it, but the most promising fact is that it can be recovered and maintained. People in the society are more often encouraged to live with mentally challenged as they support them from day to day. They should be friendly to them since it is not the wish of the victims to be what they are. Family environment has been considered the best in provision of care to the victims of mental illness. Presently, many people prefer discharging their patience from hospitals as soon as possible since the expenses increases from day to day. Insurance reimbursements by both private and governmental sectors usually provide a cover of not more than sixty days to the patients. These days are adequate enough to recover the mental patients. Several organizations have come up to attend the patience and also provide moral support to them. For example, The Office of Protective Commission and the Public Guardian has been established to help the mentally challenged individuals cope with the environment they are in. such organizations have maintained social order as evidenced from their efforts to protect the ill from being taken advantage of (Hasenfeld, 2009) Members of the society should be encouraged and given knowledge about the mental disorder. In so doing, they will be actively encouraged to handle the victims with proper care, love, respect and most of all with dignity since the victims are also human beings thus they deserve tender care. Mental illness has got no specific cause. However, causes has been identified as either due to hereditary factors (it exists in the family linage), caused by organic diseases and even sometimes by environmental situations such as one being subjected to adverse stress. This disorder has got no borders and any person can be a victim, indiscriminate of his religion, gender or race and even age (Hopkins Austin, 2004) Health systems in some parts of the world are a times selective in provision of services to its customers. Not everyone stands equal rights in services offered. Depending on your pocket or rather financial strength one is likely to get better services than the poor. Patience that may require argent medical attention is kept on waiting bays for long. This is as a result of the financially stable personnel not observing the rule of first come first served basis. Such issues have been of much negativity to the society since others have lost their loved ones at the bays and the emergency rooms. Also, the limited number of qualified persons may be a contributing factor. In some circumstances, the patient attendants may be reluctant in provision of services. Evil thoughts that propel them towards this could be such as assuming that patients could have gone to private organizations with relatively shorter queues than theirs, for fast delivery of services. It is much disgusting to realise existence of inequality in any society. This is whereby when one is rich, he/she gets richer and richer, and in most instances at the expense of others (Pease Camilleri , 2001). Strengthening the civil society can be a way of addressing social issues such as social injustices, discrimination, violence and even poverty. A strong society can enhance better governance, tolerance and can also maintain peace within its borders. People who are socially responsible have got no time to engage in activities that will in one way or another haunt others, for example negligently polluting the environment, discriminating against others and even engaging in violence. Currently, reforms have been put in place with an aim of strengthening communities. Public are encouraged to participate in policy making. Several governments have taken initiatives of letting its citizens participate in decision making thus enabling the nation to thrive well in terms of political, economical and social development (Patti ,2008). Social evils such as corruptions are a major issue towards the existence of social injustices. Corruption has been a reason behind increase in the levels of poverty in the societies and also retarded growth in the economy. Corruption is as a result of poor governance. Those in the government can carelessly use the funds at the expense of the public thus being a leeway to social irresponsibility. It is clear therefore that this evil in the society should be emphasized on and properly dealt with so as to bring social order and also desirable changes for the development in the society (Laurence Heinrich, 2000). In summary, it is clear that opportunities of success in terms of social changes can be as a result of human participation in service provision. Social order is enhanced through provision of better services in diverse sectors and also through good governance.

Pharmacy is a health profession

Pharmacy is a health profession Chapter 1 The word is derived from the Greek word pharmakon meaning drug or medicine and has been used since the 15th and 17th centuries 1. Pharmacy is a health profession that combines the health sciences with the chemical sciences. It ensures the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs. Pharmacy practice includes modern services that are related to health care: clinical services, providing drug information and reviewing medications for safety and efficacy purposes 1. 1.1.1 The various disciplines of Pharmacy Pharmacy can be divided into three major disciplines: a) Pharmaceutics b) Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy c) Pharmacy Practice Pharmacology is often considered to be a fourth discipline but is not specific to pharmacy, even though it is essential. The boundaries between the different disciplines and other sciences like biochemistry are not clear cut. Hence, research work from the various disciplines is often done concurrently 2. 1 The Hormone Shop LLC. The History of Pharmaceutical Compunding. [home page on the Internet]. 2010 [cited 2010 Oct 10]. Available from: http://www.thehormoneshop.com/historyofcompoundingpharmacy.htm 2 Dayanada Sagar College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, India. History of Pharmacy. [home page on the Internet]. 2008 [cited 2010 Oct 10]. Available from: http://www.dscpharmacy.org/pharmacy.php 1.1.2 The Pharmacist and Community Pharmacy Pharmacists are skilled and highly-trained health care professionals who ensure optimal health outcomes for their patients. In the community pharmacy, the pharmacist has various roles and these include amongst others (Azzopardi, 2010): a) the procurement of medications that are suitable for human consumption b) ensuring the appropriate conditions for the storage of medicines c) ensuring the appropriate and safe disposal of expired medicines d) dispensing of medications that are either on a prescription, or pharmacist-recommended or asked for directly by the patient e) point-of-care testing f) offering general medical advice without the need of a prior appointment. The practice of community pharmacy varies between countries. Nevertheless, the basic functions and responsibilities are the same. A community pharmacist builds a special relationship with the clients, especially the regular ones. Hence, communication skills are of major importance. The pharmacist finds him / herself comforting and hearing out the patient when necessary, and is expected to be understanding and also a good listener. 1.2 History of Pharmacy The first pharmacies, apothecaries as they were formerly known, were founded in the Middle Ages in Baghdad. The first one was founded in the year 754 AD by Muslim pharmacists during the Islamic Golden Age 2. During the 11th century, community pharmacies were established in southern France and southern Italy. In 1240, Emperor Frederick II issued a decree the medical profession was to be separated from the pharmacy profession. Pharmacy practice was to be supervised so that drugs of a suitable quality would be prepared and produced (Azzopardi, 2010). The history of pharmacy can be classified into three stages: a) compounding and dispensing b) clinical pharmacy c) pharmaceutical care. Originally, the pharmacists had to prepare and dispense medicines so they had to excel at compounding. The community pharmacist was therefore highly esteemed because the preparation of medicines was greatly valued in society. In fact, at that time, the pharmacists and other professionals such as lawyers, medical doctors and parish priests were the leaders in the community. As time passed, newly discovered drugs became more dangerous and potent so they started being prepared by manufacturing companies. The pharmacists role was only to dispense these drugs (Al-Shaqha, Zairi, 2001). 2 Dayanada Sagar College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, India. History of Pharmacy. [home page on the Internet]. 2008 [cited 2010 Oct 10]. Available from: http://www.dscpharmacy.org/pharmacy.php Pharmacists moved to clinical practice about 25 years ago. The original concept of clinical pharmacy services was based on the fact that pharmacists ought to use their professional knowledge to ensure the appropriate and safe use of drugs in patients. As a result, several pharmacists nowadays work in hospitals, nursing homes and some ambulatory clinics. Problems remained within the drug-use-system despite the advances made in clinical pharmacy and documenting and recognising these problems has led to the concept of pharmaceutical care becoming the new basis for pharmacy practice (Al-Shaqha, Zairi, 2001). 1.2.1 History of pharmacy in Malta 1.2.1.1 History of pharmacy in Malta from the late 15th century until the arrival of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in 1530 Before 1500, the pharmacists in Malta were almost all Sicilian. In the early 15th century, pharmacists were employed either by the Universita or by the Hospital of Santo Spirito. Mastru Salvatore Passa is the first documented pharmacist in Malta who practised in Mdina and the Hospital of Santo Spirito in Rabat from 1450 to 1475. The medicines prescribed in those days were mainly herbal. During this period, Passa often travelled to Sicily due to his work, presumably to import medicinal herbs as many herbs did not form part of the local flora (Borg, 1998). 1.2.1.2 Pharmacy under the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem The Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem arrived in Malta on the 26th October, 1530 and they applied their knowledge of pharmacy to the practice in Malta. A Holy Infirmary in Birgu was built and the Greek pharmacist, Giacomo Gualterio, who had accompanied the Order to Malta was the apothecary (Borg, 1998). Grand Master Nicholas Cottoner established the School of Anatomy and Surgery at the Holy Infirmary in 1676. It is very probable that a Pharmacy course was established in the school (Borg, 1998). Under the Knights, the practice of pharmacy in Malta changed gradually, but continuously, occurring in a similar way to that in Europe. However, extemporaneous preparations remained the same from the times of Mastru Salvatore Passa because the enlargement of the pharmaceutical industry still had to occur (Borg, 1998). 1.2.1.3 Pharmacy under the French and British colonies The French arrived in Malta in 1798. There were no more than 32 pharmacies under their dominion, each one having an average clientele of 3,000 patients. No changes were made to the laws governing the practice of pharmacy under the French. Hence, the daily activities of the pharmacists were identical to those of under the Knights. The laws established by the Knights of the Order of St. John remained in force until 1900. In their stay in Malta, which lasted for about one hundred years, the British left their mark on the pharmacy profession. The use of the English language, the names of pharmacies pertaining to Britain or England and the consulting room in the pharmacy are all such examples (Borg, 1998). 1.2.1.4 Pharmacy in the 20th century The Medical and Kindred Professions Ordinance of the Laws of Malta, governs pharmacy laws. This was enacted in 1900 as the laws governing the profession at that time had become outdated and needed restructuring. A legislation that allowed pharmacists to dispense certain medicaments without a prescription was enacted in October 1955 and on the 12th October 1955, a list of these substances was published in the Malta Government Gazette (Borg, 1998). The Malta Chamber of Pharmacists was founded in 1900 in order to protect the common interests of the pharmacists and also to maintain the professions dignity. Hence, the professions standards were raised by enabling the profession to keep abreast of the changes that were occurring internationally (Borg, 1998). In April 1961, an Extraordinary General Meeting was held by the Chamber to discuss the issue of forming a Trade Union that would represent pharmacists; all 33 pharmacists present agreed that this was necessary. One of the Unions objectives, among others, was to improve the conditions under which the profession was exercised and to promote the interests of pharmacists. The Pharmacy Board was set up in 1968 and this was the greatest achievement of the Chamber and Union. The Union worked very closely with the Chamber and in 1979 they formed one association, i.e. the Chamber of Pharmacists Trade Union. This association worked very hard and it affected the current state of the profession and also the legislation governing the practice of pharmacy (Borg, 1998). In 1984, after several meetings with the Chamber, it was finally decided that new pharmacies ought to be owned by pharmacists and that before granting new permits, the population ratio has to be taken into consideration (Borg, 1998). Patients could get their free medications from the Central Hospital Dispensary and Government Dispensaries throughout the first fifty years of the 20th century. The latter could be found in most villages around Malta. In 1954, the Central Hospital at Floriana was turned into the Headquarters of The Malta Police Force as by the late 1940s, St. Lukes Hospital became Maltas General Hospital. Hence, the Out-Patient Dispensary of St. Lukes Hospital became the Central Government Dispensary (Borg, 1998). Pharmamed, the first local pharmaceutical enterprise, was founded in 1974. This gave rise to several job opportunities in the industrial field, besides enhancing Maltas image abroad. In 1995, as a result of strong and consistent negotiations and representations by the Maltese Chamber of Pharmacists, there was the appointment of the first director of the Government Pharmaceutical Services (GPS). This was part of the reform of the GPS and the career progression of pharmacists in Government service. It was concluded in 1998 in agreement with the Ministry of Health on the full implementation of the GPS reform. 1.2.1.5 Pharmacy in the 21st century In June 2007, Mater Dei Hospital replaced St. Lukes Hospital as the national hospital of Malta. The last of the personnel migrated to Mater Dei by November of that year. Hence, the main Government Dispensary was moved to Mater Dei as well 3. In 2008, the much awaited and debated Scheme of the Pharmacy of Your Choice (POYC) was introduced. This Scheme enables the people to have an easier and more comfortable access to the medicaments that are given for free by the Government. 3 Mater Dei Hospital Malta. [homepage on the Internet]. 2009 [cited 2010 Oct 23]. Available from: http://malta.cc/health-care/mater-dei-hospital-malta/ Thus the service that was previously provided for by the village Health Centre Dispensaries was transferred to the community pharmacies. The patients chose the pharmacy of their choice. The initial stages of the POYC Scheme do not envisage any changes in the reimbursement system. Therefore, patients who are entitled to take free medication will continue to do so; there is no co-payment (Grima IC). Until January 2011, the POYC Scheme had spread to 96 Maltese community pharmacies and to 17 community pharmacies in Gozo. Following the introduction of the Scheme, the village Health Centre Dispensaries where the Scheme was initiated, were closed down after sufficient time had elapsed. Over the past few years, the number of local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies has dramatically increased. So has the number of locally licensed pharmaceutical wholesalers who import medications from EU countries. There are more pharmaceutical products registered with the local Medicines Authority. This has had a positive impact on both the private and public pharmaceutical sectors due to the availability of more different therapeutic classes of medicines and more medicines that fall within the same therapeutic class (Grima IC). Recently, the number of generic medicinals in the private sector has also increased considerably. Nowadays, a pharmacist can substitute a branded prescribed medicinal with a generic product that is cheaper for the patient (Bugeja, 2007). Accession into the European Union in May 2004 had a great impact on the medicines in Malta, especially with regards to their availability. Some medicines that were previously available were not registered due to the high registration costs. Hence, EU accession improved the quality of medicines. On the other hand, it had a negative impact on their availability and affordability (Bugeja, 2008). The prices of medicines in Malta increased considerably after EU accession in 2004. In fact, according to studies carried out, the Maltese are paying about 40% more than the average price for medicinal products in the European Union 4. In July 2010, the Parliamentary Secretary, Chris Said, announced reductions in prices of 62 medicines. Some of these reductions were to be implemented immediately whereas with others, when stocks were sold out. Many medicines in Malta are overpriced when compared to other EU countries, so this was a step in the right direction 5,6. 1.3 Pharmaceutical Care In 1990, Hepler and Strand looked at the responsibilities of the pharmacist and at pharmacy services in a new way. They applied the term pharmaceutical care and over the years pharmacists have endeavoured to develop pharmaceutical care practices (Foppe, Schulz 2006). According to Hepler and Strand (1990): 4 Maltastar. The price of medicines in Malta under European Commission scrutiny. [homepage on the Internet]. 2010 [cited 2010 Oct 27]. Available from: http://www.maltastar.com/pages/rl/ms10dart.asp?a=11804 5 Xuereb M. Makers cut prices of 62 medicines. Times of Malta [serial on the Internet]. 2010 [cited 2010 Oct 27]. Available from: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100703/local/makers-cut-prices-of-62-medicines 6 Vella Matthew. Medicine importers agree to cuts in prices of up to 67%. MaltaToday [serial on the Internet]. 2010 [cited 2010 Oct 27]. Available from: http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/medicines/medicine-importers-agree-to-cuts-in-prices-of-up-to-6 Pharmaceutical care is the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patients quality of life. These outcomes are (1) cure of a disease, (2) elimination or reduction of a patients symptomatology, (3) arresting or slowing of a disease process, or (4) preventing a disease or symptomatology. In their definition of pharmaceutical care, Hepler and Strand looked at the patients quality of life (Strand et al, 1991). Pharmaceutical care involves a pharmacist cooperating with the patient and members of other health care professions 7. This interprofessional relationship allows the implementation, design and monitoring of a therapeutic plan that will have specific therapeutic outcomes for the patient to benefit from (Ford, Jones, 1995). Pharmacists are the last health care professionals to come in contact with the patients. They thus have a major role in educating them regarding drug use. For this reason, pharmacists must be adequately trained and have excellent communication skills in order to provide this service in an effective manner (Alkhawajah, 1992). Pharmaceutical care can therefore be seen as the component of pharmacy practice that has to be performed by a competent pharmacist who must be committed, honest, accountable and loyal to the patient (Strand et al, 1991). 1.4 The Health Care System in Malta Maltas health care system is divided into the public / national health care system and the private health care system in which pharmaceutical services are provided for by 211 pharmacies that are distributed around Malta and Gozo. The public / national health system is based on a model that is founded on the principles of Equity, Solidarity and Justice. 7 American Pharmacists Association. Principles of practice for pharmaceutical care. [homepage on the Internet]. 2005 [cited 2010 Oct 12]. Available from: https://www.caremark.com/portal/assset/Principles_of_Practice_for_Pharmaceutical_Care.pdf 1.4.1 The Public Health Care System The Maltese Government consists of different Ministries, one of these being the Ministry of Health, Elderly and Community Care. This deals with the healthcare needs of the people and ensures that adequate services are provided for 8. The main goals of the Government for the public health services include 9: The concern of the patient, which is a constant issue The provision of health care and its management The value for money The sustainability of public health care. The Maltese Medicines Authority controls and ensures the quality, safety and efficacy of the pharmaceuticals that are available locally. It also authorizes the medicines that are to be placed on the local market. The Government Health Procurement Services (GHPS) is responsible for the purchasing, storage and distribution of all the pharmaceuticals that are required by the Government Health Services (GHS) in Malta. This entity operates with the funds that are allocated annually by the Government. Procurement of pharmaceuticals is done via tendering procedures that are regulated by the Public Service (Procurement) and Public Contracts regulations. 8 Government of Malta. The health care system in Malta. [homepage on the Internet]. No date [cited 2010 Oct 25]. Available from: The Government of Malta, Web site: http://www.sahha.gov.mt/pages.aspx?page=156 9 Integrated health information system phase 2. [homepage on the Internet]. 2010 [cited 2010 Oct 24]. Available from: The Government of Malta, The Malta Information Technology Agency Web site: https://www.mita.gov.mt/TenderFile.aspx?tfid=727 1.4.1.1 Primary Health Care The Government delivers primary health care via the Health Centres that are distributed around various villages in Malta and Gozo. These centres were set up in 1980 in order to provide free health care services 9. Besides providing the free services of general practitioners, these centres also provide a vast range of other services, including: Specialist clinics eg: gynaecological clinics and diabetes clinics Laboratory diagnostic facilities Radiology. Many people choose to have the services of private general practitioners and / or specialists who work in the primary health care sector. In the private scenario, their services are against payment. 1.4.1.2 Secondary and Tertiary Health Care These are provided for by public and private hospitals, found in different locations in Malta. The main public hospital is Mater Dei Hospital and it provides a wide range of services, including transplant surgery, open heart surgery, emergency care and diagnostic services. Sir Paul Boffa Hospital, another public hospital, has an oncology and dermatology unit. Mount Carmel Hospital is the islands public psychiatric hospital. There are a number of private hospitals in Malta, amongst which is Saint James Capua Hospital. 9 Integrated health information system phase 2. [homepage on the Internet]. 2010 [cited 2010 Oct 24]. Available from: The Government of Malta, The Malta Information Technology Agency Web site: https://www.mita.gov.mt/TenderFile.aspx?tfid=727 1.5 Free health services provided by the government The Government provides free health services; free at the point of delivery, as these are directly funded from general taxation. In Malta, the boundary between the private and public sectors can be seen from two different aspects: medical and pharmaceutical (Wismayer, 2010). 1.5.1 The Medical Aspect The healthcare is available to ALL Maltese citizens, irrespective of the social and financial background of the patient. Anybody can turn up at a Health Centre or public hospital and be given the necessary treatment. Hence, up to a certain extent there is a holistic attitude as no distinction is made between citizens and whoever requires a healthcare service is provided with what is needed (Wismayer, 2010). The seams start to show up when the services available in the public health system are not accessible. That sector of society who can afford to pay, will therefore have to seek the services from the private sector. A case in point is the long waiting lists for certain required procedures at Mater Dei Hospital. 1.5.2 The Pharmaceutical Aspect One of the major tools to achieve good healthcare is to provide good pharmaceutical care. From this aspect, there is a clearer distinction between the private and public sectors. The Government offers free medications to a number of people who fall under different categories: The Schedule II Patients (Pink Card Holders) These cards are issued from the Department of Social Security. They are accompanied by a pink form which bears the name of the pink card holder. The total household income is assessed and the entitlement is based on this. Each household has one pink form that lists all members. However, every member of the household has his / her pink card. The pink form and pink card entitle their holders to free medication that is listed on the Government Formulary. Diabetics also have a pink card issued in their name. There are several faults in the administration of this system, as there does not seem to be a distinction between the strata of society, as is the case with some affluent people who are also in possession of a pink card. Also, no distinction is made between hospital in-patients and out-patients; there is only one formulary for all. 10. The Schedule V Patients (Yellow Card Holders) If a person suffers from a medical condition that is listed under the fifth schedule of the Social Security Act, then he / she can benefit from this free service, irrespective of the financial position. Examples of these conditions include: Respiratory conditions Cardiovascular diseases Malignant diseases Schizophrenia Liver diseases CNS diseases 10. 10 Ministry for Health, the Elderly and Community Care. Free medicinals. [homepage on the Internet]. No date [cited 2010 Oct 12]. Available from: The Government of Malta, Web site: http://www.sahha.gov.mt/pages.aspx?page=8 When a patient is diagnosed with such a condition, he / she is referred to a Consultant by the General Practitioner. The Consultant applies for a Schedule V Card for the patient listing the required medications. Subsequently, the patient is issued with the Card from the Almoner Section at St. Lukes Hospital. People who possess a yellow card are only entitled to take the medications that are listed on the card for free. The list must be amended if the treatment is changed. The Government Hospital In-Patients Any patient resident in the Government Hospitals is entitled to free medication. To date, there is only one Government formulary for all public hospitals. It would make more sense if each hospital had its own formulary due to the specialisation of the hospitals that varies accordingly. These formularies ought to be put together by the doctors who work at the hospitals and by the pharmacists who know what medications are available and which are best suited for the patients. Other people entitled to free medicines include amongst others: Members of certain religious orders Inmates of charitable institutions Refuse collection employees Prisoners People who are injured on duty Members of the Police Forces below the grade of Sub Inspector AFM personnel 11. 11 Ministry for Health, the Elderly and Community Care. Free medicinals. [homepage on the Internet]. No date [cited 2010 Oct 12]. Available from: The Government of Malta, Web site: http://www.sahha.gov.mt/pages.aspx?page=172 1.6 The Pharmacy of Your Choice Scheme The Pharmacy of your choice Scheme (POYC) falls under the umbrella of the Health Division in Malta. The latter is under the portfolio of the Ministry of Health, the Elderly and Community Care. POYC is under the direct responsibility of the Permanent Secretary of Health. The Scheme started in 2008 after several years of discussions and debates. It enables the people to have an easier and more comfortable access to the medicaments that they are entitled to take for free from the Government. The Scheme started in 2008 with an estimate budget of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬460,000 and the actual expenditure for that year amounted to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬366,000. In 2009, the estimate budget was of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400,000 and that for 2010 was of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5 million. The 2011 budget allocated à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1 million to the Scheme apart from the additional à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400,000 which had to be injected to strengthen the electronic system. The POYC pilot study started in December 2007 in two pharmacies in the Ghargur area. About 550 patients were registered in these pharmacies. Mgarr was next (one community pharmacy having approximately 600 patients), followed by Mellieha (three pharmacies having approximately 1500 pateints) in January 2008 and Naxxar in February 2008 ( Sant Fournier, 2008). Most community pharmacies enrolled in the POYC when the Scheme was introduced in their villages. For example, in the Mosta area, which includes Naxxar, St. Pauls Bay, Xemxija, Gharghur, Mgarr, Mellieha and Mosta, only one out of the 24 community pharmacies did not join in the Scheme due to lack of space (Zahra, 2007). With the introduction of the POYC Scheme, the village Health Centre Dispensaries were closed down after sufficient time had elapsed to allow for a seamless transition. 1.6.1 Advantages associated with the POYC Scheme The main scope of the POYC Scheme was to reduce the long queues at the Health Centre Government Dispensaries. Also, patients are monitored better by the community pharmacists who ensure that the medicines are taken in the correct way as more patient advice is given on a one-to-one basis when compared to the previous system (Zahra, 2007). Pharmacy practice in the community has always focussed on the establishment of an excellent patient-pharmacist relationship (Sant Fournier, 2007). This advice is lacking in the public sector as the patients are given the medicines they require with haste, due to the large number of people waiting to collect their medications. Dosage regimen advice is usually the only advice given. Many people used to turn to their community pharmacists anyway to seek advice and to solve any queries they may have had. With this Scheme, there is also a decrease in wastage because patients are not given the medicines if these are not required, despite the fact that they are entitled to them. Sant Fournier, the President of the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists, claimed that most patients have become more educated and as a result acknowledge the fact that medicines are not to be taken as a for granted privilege but must be used rationally (Borg, Bonello, 2009). The patients find it easier to confide in their habitual pharmacist rather than talk to someone who they do not know. 1.6.2 Problems associated with The POYC Scheme According to Mario Debono, the then General Retailers Trade Union (GRTU) Pharmacy and Health Division President, this system has been a success even though it would improve if more money is allocated by the Government and if it receives more attention (Borg, Bonello, 2009). As with any other recently introduced systems, there are flaws. Nevertheless, several efforts are being made to sort them out. The main problem that is associated with the POYC Scheme is the large number of medicines that are out of stock. This is causing unnecessary stress on the pharmacists and patients. The latter have to go to a Government Health Centre Dispensary that is still open or to Mater Dei Out-Patients Pharmacy to get the medications that are not available from the Scheme. However, this out of stock problem is not the fault of the POYC Department but it has got to do with the purchasing system of the Government. In October 2009, Debono stated that a possible reason why such a large number of medicines is out of stock is that some suppliers have not been paid for their services. Shortages of certain medicines abroad could also lead to decreased stock levels (Borg, Bonello, 2009). The Government did not organise any educational campaigns for the general public regarding the implementation of the POYC Scheme, even though it was advised to do so (Sant Fournier, 2009). Hence, pharmacists were faced with several problems, including sometimes, heated arguments with their patients. It was recommended to have the campaign based on the one used for the introduction of the Euro in Malta, the Malta Euro Changeover Campaign. In October 2009. Reginald Fava, the then President of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, made new proposals to upgrade the POYC system which were estimated to cut at least a third of present consumption and abuse. He described the current POYC system as being obscene because according to him medicines were being collected even when they were not required by the patients. Fava suggested that patients ought to pay for the medicines they require and will be reimbursed by the Government at a later stage. With this proposed system, the patients would also have the option to go for more advanced or more expensive medications as compared to their entitlement, and will only have to pay the difference in price. Hence, with this proposal, the POYC Scheme would be allowing superior medicines to be taken for free. It would also make the Scheme more sustainable as it would reduce the out of stock problem, be more cost-effective for the Government, reduce wastage and abuse. Th e Government would thus be saving on costs and would be in a better position to widen the National Formulary with more recent and advanced medications (Borg, 2009). At the moment, this is not possible due to financial constraints. The POYC Scheme affected the daily running of the community pharmacies. Due to the increased work load, some pharmacy owners had to employ further staff. The owners had to purchase a computer and a printer for labels to be issued with every dispensed prescription. They also had to apply for internet service at the pharmacy. Also, some pharmacies had to make the necessary arrangements to increase shelving space to accommodate the weekly delivery of medicines from the POYC Department. Some pharmacies even needed to install another air-conditioning unit. Admittedly, the Government subsidized these expenses to a maximum capital expenditure of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6,990 (Lm 3,000). After the Memorandum of Understanding was signed, negotiations were held and the amount was capped at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬9,000. According to an article on the The Malta Business Weekly that was published in November 2009, only the pharmacists who own the pharmacy are happy with this new system. The employed pharmacists have had their work load doubled, if not trebled. Hence, they do not give their patients the service that they used to give before the implementation of the Scheme (Attard, 2009). 1.6.3 The Memorandum of Understanding The very first document on the POYC Scheme was submitted to the Government by the Malta Chamber of Pharmacis

State-Sponsored Terrorism: The Relationship between Hizballah and the I

Most of the countries involved in state-sponsored terrorism make modest attempts to disassociate themselves with terrorist organizations. These countries do this in hopes that the United Nations will not place sanctions. More often than not, these countries continue their support of various terrorist groups. They support the terrorist organization in various ways: financially, training, supplies. Iran has remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism to date (State Department, 2013). Iran supports several different terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command and Hizballah. Often times, Iran is involved in the planning and support of different terrorist attacks. Iran has most notably assisted the terrorist organization, Hizballah, with training, weapons and funding. The Iranian government has also allowed Hizballah to use Iran as a safe haven for any terrorists that might need to go underground to hide if they have been involved in terrorist attacks and are currently on a watch list. This paper will first define terrorism, as well as state-sponsored terrorism. Second, the paper will give background on the terrorist organization of Hizballah; to include why the organization was first created and what attacks the organization is responsible for. Third, the paper will discuss the ideology and goals of Hizballah and how their ideology and goals fit into those of the Iranian government. This paper will also exam the relationship between Hizballah and the Iranian government and how that relationship affects the United States and its interests in the Middle East, mainly Israel. There is not a definition of terrorism that is used universally. Th... ... terrorism. It went over some background on the terrorist organization of Hizballah; to include why the organization was first created and what attacks the organization is responsible for. It discussed the ideology and goals of Hizballah and how their ideology and goals fit into those of the Iranian government. It examined the relationship between Hizballah and the Iranian government. It also examined how that relationship affects the United States and its interests in the Middle East, mainly Israel. Works Cited "Country Reports on Terrorism 2013" Bureau of Counterterrorism U.S. Department of State 2013 Web. http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/224826.htm "Lebanon 2006: Unfinished War" MERIA Journal Volume 11, Number 03 (Sep 2007) Snapper, Jessica. "The Hezbollah Dossier" December 15th, 2009 Web. http://jessicasnapper.com/the-hezbollah-dossier/

Capital Punishment Is Wrong Essay -- Death Penalty Crime Essays

Capital Punishment Is Wrong To this date, Seven hundred and seventy two criminals in the U.S. alone have been subject to Capital Punishment. (Executions USA 2002). Using specific examples such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Timothy McVeigh execution, capital punishment is seen as inhumane, wrong and an unusual punishment. The death penalty is greatly rejected and discouraged by many countries and states. There are more than one hundred countries who have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while the United States has increased the rate of executions and the number of crimes that are punishable by death (The Death Penalty†¦2000). Many politicians claim that they are tough on crimes, but they should spend ninety four percent of criminal justice money on preventing crimes instead of after the crime was committed (Get the Facts†¦2000). Protocol No.6 to the European Convention on Human Rights to Abolish is an agreement to abolish the death penalty in peacetime. The other two protocols, the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, provide for the total abolition of the death penalty but allows states wishing to do so to retain the death penalty in wartime as an exception (Facts and Figures†¦2000). There are several different procedures that are used to execute such as hanging, the electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection and the fire squad, which is still used in Idaho and Utah (The Death Penalty, 2000). The death penalty is abolished for all crimes under the Human Rights because it is believed to be inhumane, cruel and degrading, but it is still enforced today. The death penalty should also be abolished because the failure to prevent the execution of the innocent and the cost for executions are outrageous. In the eyes of those who are for the death penalty, they believe that the criminal should lose all rights once they commit a heinous crime and they also believe that the cost of imprisoning someone for life without parole is extremely higher than just putting them to death. They also take into consideration that the death penalty is okay by their religion. They believe that God was for the death penalty and they claim that He once killed men who crosse... ... http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/factsinnocence.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cruelanddegrading.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cost.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/violationofhrs.html Amnesty International. (2000). The Death Penalty in the U.S.A. (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/rightsforall/dp/index.html Amnesty International.(2000). Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty(Online). http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/imtcam/dp/dpfacts.htm Civil Liberty. (9 May 2001). Don't Kill McVeigh (Online). http://www.civilliberty.about.com/ CUADP. (2000). Get the Facts, Then Decide (Online). http://www.cuadp.org David McReynolds. (27 April 2001). The Case of Tim McVeigh & Capital Punishment (Online). http://www.zmag.org/mcveigh.htm ECADP. (30 April 2002). Executions USA 2002 (Online). http://www.ecadp.org/forall/cont_exec.html Human Rights Watch. (2000). The DEATH PENALTY(Online). http://www.hrw.org/about/initiatives/deathpen.htm Capital Punishment Is Wrong Essay -- Death Penalty Crime Essays Capital Punishment Is Wrong To this date, Seven hundred and seventy two criminals in the U.S. alone have been subject to Capital Punishment. (Executions USA 2002). Using specific examples such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Timothy McVeigh execution, capital punishment is seen as inhumane, wrong and an unusual punishment. The death penalty is greatly rejected and discouraged by many countries and states. There are more than one hundred countries who have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while the United States has increased the rate of executions and the number of crimes that are punishable by death (The Death Penalty†¦2000). Many politicians claim that they are tough on crimes, but they should spend ninety four percent of criminal justice money on preventing crimes instead of after the crime was committed (Get the Facts†¦2000). Protocol No.6 to the European Convention on Human Rights to Abolish is an agreement to abolish the death penalty in peacetime. The other two protocols, the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, provide for the total abolition of the death penalty but allows states wishing to do so to retain the death penalty in wartime as an exception (Facts and Figures†¦2000). There are several different procedures that are used to execute such as hanging, the electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection and the fire squad, which is still used in Idaho and Utah (The Death Penalty, 2000). The death penalty is abolished for all crimes under the Human Rights because it is believed to be inhumane, cruel and degrading, but it is still enforced today. The death penalty should also be abolished because the failure to prevent the execution of the innocent and the cost for executions are outrageous. In the eyes of those who are for the death penalty, they believe that the criminal should lose all rights once they commit a heinous crime and they also believe that the cost of imprisoning someone for life without parole is extremely higher than just putting them to death. They also take into consideration that the death penalty is okay by their religion. They believe that God was for the death penalty and they claim that He once killed men who crosse... ... http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/factsinnocence.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cruelanddegrading.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cost.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/violationofhrs.html Amnesty International. (2000). The Death Penalty in the U.S.A. (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/rightsforall/dp/index.html Amnesty International.(2000). Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty(Online). http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/imtcam/dp/dpfacts.htm Civil Liberty. (9 May 2001). Don't Kill McVeigh (Online). http://www.civilliberty.about.com/ CUADP. (2000). Get the Facts, Then Decide (Online). http://www.cuadp.org David McReynolds. (27 April 2001). The Case of Tim McVeigh & Capital Punishment (Online). http://www.zmag.org/mcveigh.htm ECADP. (30 April 2002). Executions USA 2002 (Online). http://www.ecadp.org/forall/cont_exec.html Human Rights Watch. (2000). The DEATH PENALTY(Online). http://www.hrw.org/about/initiatives/deathpen.htm

Bank Accounts, Joint or Separate? :: essays research papers

Introduction The topic I chose to discuss is if couples have separate bank accounts and if they have arrived at this solution after trying to use a single account or if this was their first attempt at martial checking. I chose this topic because I always had the notion that a married couple should have a joint bank account, meaning that their finances just like them were intertwined and inseparable. After I was married to the love of my life, I noticed the concepts and methods we practiced regarding the monthly budget and our finances were vastly different and at times conflicting. She was brought up in a household where her parents never discussed budgets or savings, they just spent their money on whatever they wanted and when the money ran out, they would barrow to continue spending. I was brought up in a poor household where we had to scrimp and save to make ends meat. I’m sure you can figure that this was the source of a lot of conflict and hard ship in the first years of our marriage. We had tried many different techniques to settle things, but no matter what we tried conflict still arose on how the money was spent and when it was spent. Finally after researching the topic and talking to mother married couples who I knew and respected, I came to the conclusion that no matter what my personal opinion on how the finances should be, my wife and I were never going to agree on this and that I should look for another solution instead of trying to indoctrinate her with my philosophy. One of piece of advice I was given was to split up the family budget in whatever ratio is necessary and allocate the money accordingly. This resulted in my wife being put over the groceries, clothing, and school needs for the family and I was put over the rest of the bills (mortgage, insurance, phone, etc.). I also tried to find a way to tuck a little money away each month into a savings account. Since the inception of this solution we had two separate bank accounts which has resulted in my less conflict and we have been able to put money away for the future for the first time in our marital history. I wanted to research if this problem was common or not given the diversity of financial backgrounds now in society.

Religion and Ethnic Diversity Essay

Religion and Ethnic Diversity Buddhism was first found in India about 2,500 years ago. Buddhism is an increasing popular religion that continues to be the leading religion in the Far East. Buddhism has advanced over to a large amount of countries that have embraced a vast variety of customs, rituals, beliefs, and practices. Buddhist’s do not believe that a God created Earth. Buddha is the only Master, Buddhist’s believe in. Buddhist’s acknowledge that the ultimate purpose of life is to establish consideration for all living beings without inequity and to perform for their piece, good, and happiness. Buddhist’s have incorporated the Four Noble Truths in their lives, which are Dukkha, SamudÄ ya, Nirodha, and Magga. According to â€Å"The Four Noble Truths† (2013), † 1.The truth of suffering (Dukkha). 2. The truth of the origin of suffering (SamudÄ ya). 3. The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha). 4.The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga),â₠¬  (The Four Noble Truths). Buddhism does not share common characteristics with other religion groups. Buddhism is, however, receptive to other religions and beliefs. This religious group acknowledges the way other religions teach those involved. These individuals do not believe in a God. It is a belief system like all other religious groups. There are individuals who do not accept Buddhist and believe that those who do are not going to heaven. Others who refuse to understand Buddhism and how it works dismiss it completely because it is not what they believe in. Even though Buddhism is not America’s most practiced religion, its beliefs and ideas have been passed into American culture. It has helped blend American culture. Today there is a large amount of Buddhist’s who contribute to promoting peace amongst one another, reaching out to those who are in prison and who are homeless, and some even do advocacy for the environment. Buddhist’s experience hate just like other people in other religions. In 2003, Chung Tai Buddhist Group applied to construct a meditation and worship center in the city of Walnut, California, but the application was later denied. Not only did the City Planning Commission deny the application, but also residents were against building the center. Residents disputed against the plan because they believed there would be an increase in traffic and noise. A few years later the City Planning Commission approved an application to build on some of the area Chung Tai had prepared to use. In 2010, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit stating the city of Walnut; California treated the group unreasonably while dealing with the permit to build the worship and meditation center for Chung Tai Buddhist Group. The Department of Justice came to the conclusion that it was religious discrimination. After learning what Buddhism is and where it originated from allows me to understand it more. I now know that it is not only about humming and repeating a few words in another language, but also learning how to live a happier, more pure life even with the struggles and unfortunate events that can occur. Not only that, but respecting every living thing as it is. The Chinese are quite different from other racial/ethnic groups. The two most common languages used in China are Mandarin or Cantonese. Mandarin is t he government, education, and media’s main language that is used in China. Known as the ‘common language,’ mandarin is the first language that is spoken. The Chinese are a combined society with the urge to associate themselves in groups, whether it is to their work group, family, country, or associates. The Chinese depend on non-verbal communication like tone of voice and facial expression, to reveal what other maybe thinking or feeling. The Chinese believe in an ethical system known as Confucianism. Confucianism is a set up of ethics and behaviors that signify responsibilities of people towards one another based on their relationship. The Chinese have and continue to contribute to American culture in many ways. Many Americans embrace Chinese religions. Converting to Buddhism and so many other Asian religions. In the 1800’s Chinese immigrants helped working with the gold miners. These men helped construct the intercontinental railway. The Chinese have brought their recipes to American cultures that have been passed down from generation to generation. The Chinese brought their customs, language, and social organization into Amer ican culture. On May 6, 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law. It was brought about in reply to economic concerns in the West Coast, where Americans imputed unemployment and withheld wages to Chinese workers. Americans at the time viewed the Chinese as racially indifferent. Even though the act was repealed during World War II it only allowed 105 Chinese immigrants per year into the United States,  which still showed prejudice against the Chinese. I believe the source of prejudice against the Chinese was economic benefit. A large amount of Chinese immigrants came to the states to seek employment opportunities, but were denied at times because of the direct need for employment. I do believe what I have learned about the Chinese helped me understand this group. I learned what a big contribution to our culture they provided. I also learned that because of their great impact on American culture some individuals take those same customs and values and incorporate them into their own lives. The Chinese and Buddhist experienced similar situations dealing with discrimination because they were both persecuted for being who they are as individuals. Neither one of these groups tried to be something they were not, so they were prejudged and treated unfairly. These groups experienced different situations dealing with discrimination because the Chinese were discriminated against based on real and observed racial dissimilarities. Buddhistâ₠¬â„¢s were discriminated against based on who or what they believed in. Buddhist’s were also discriminated against because of their feeling towards their religion and those belonging to other religious groups. Discrimination towards these two groups and the many others is wrong. It has restricted these groups from opportunities that should have always been available to not only one group, but also all groups of individuals regardless of their appearance or their beliefs. 1. The Four Noble Truths. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml 2.

Simple Harmonic Motion

Physics Laboratory Report Simple Harmonic Motion: Determining the force constant Aim of experiment: The objective of this experiment is: 1. To study the simple harmonic motion of a mass-spring system 2. To estimate the force constant of a spring Principles involved: A horizontal or vertical mass-spring system can perform simple harmonic motion as shown below. If we know the period (T) of the motion and the mass (m), the force constant (k) of the spring can be determined. [pic] Consider pulling the mass of a horizontal mass-spring system to an extension x on a table, the mass subjected to a restoring force (F=-kx) stated by Hooke’s Law.If the mass is now released, it will move with acceleration (a) towards the equilibrium position. By Newton’s second law, the force (ma) acting on the mass is equal to the restoring force, i. e. ma = -kx a = -(k/m)x ————————-(1) As the movement continues, it performs a simple harmonic motion with angular velocity (? ) and has acceleration (a = -? 2x). By comparing it with equation (1), we have: ? = v(k/m) Thus, the period can be represented as follows: T = 2? /? T = 2? x v(m/k) T2 = (4? 2/k) m —————————(2)From the equation, it can be seen that the period of the simple harmonic motion is independent of the amplitude. As the result also applies to vertical mass-spring system, a vertical mass-spring system, which has a smaller frictional effects, is used in this experiment. Apparatus: Slotted mass (20g)x 9 Hanger (20g)x 1 Springx 1 Retort stand and clampx 1 Stop watchx 1 G-clampx 1 Procedure: 1. The apparatuses were set up as shown on the right. 2. No slotted mass was originally put into the hanger and it was set to oscillate in moderate amplitude. 3.The period (t1) for 20 complete oscillations was measured and recorded. 4. Step 3 was repeated to obtain another record (t2). 5. Steps 2 to 4 were repeated by adding one slotted mass to the hanger each time until all of the nine given masses have been used. 6. A graph of the square of the period (T2) against mass (m) was plotted. 7. A best-fitted line was drawn on the graph and its slope was measured. Precaution: 1. The oscillations of the spring were of moderate amplitudes to reduce errors. 2. The oscillations of the spring were carefully initiated so that the spring did not swing to ensure accurate results. . The spring used was carefully chosen that it could perform 20 oscillations with little decay in amplitude when the hanger was put on it, and it was not over-stretched when all the 9 slotted masses were put on it. This could ensure accurate and reliable results. 4. The experiment was carried out in a place with little air movement (wind), in order to reduce swinging of the spring during oscillations and errors of the experiment. 5. The spring was clamped tightly so that the spring did not slide during oscillation. It reduced ene rgy loss from the spring and ensured accurate results. . A G-clamp was used to attach the stand firmly on the bench.This reduced energy loss from the spring and ensured accurate results. Results |Hanger and slotted mass |20 periods / s |One period (T) |T2 / s2 | |(m) / kg | |/ s | | | |t1 |t2 |Mean | | | | |( ±0. 1s) |( ±0. s) |= (t1 + t2) / 2 | | | |0. 02 |5. 0 |5. 4 |5. 2 |0. 26 |0. 0676 | |0. 04 |6. 0 |6. 0 |6. 0 |0. 3 |0. 09 | |0. 06 |7. 0 |7. 0 |7. 0 |0. 35 |0. 1225 | |0. 08 |7. 8 |7. 8 |7. 8 |0. 9 |0. 1521 | |0. 10 |8. 6 |8. 6 |8. 6 |0. 43 |0. 1849 | |0. 12 |9. 4 |9. 5 |9. 45 |0. 4725 |0. 22325625 | |0. 14 |10. 1 |10. 1 |10. 1 |0. 505 |0. 255025 | |0. 16 |10. 5 |10. 4 |10. 45 |0. 5225 |0. 27300625 | |0. 8 |11. 1 |11. 3 |11. 2 |0. 56 |0. 3136 | |0. 20 |11. 9 |12. 0 |11. 95 |0. 5975 |0. 35700625 | Calculations and Interpretation of results [pic] From equation (2), the slope of the graph is equal to (4? 2/k), i. e. 1. 5968 = 4? 2/k k = 4? 2/1. 5968 ? 24. 723 Nm-1 ?The force c onstant of the spring is 24. 723 Nm-1. Sources of error 1. The spring swung during oscillations in the experiments. 2.As the amplitudes of oscillations were small, there was difficulty to determine whether an oscillation was completed. 3. Reaction time of observer was involved in time-taking. 4. Energy was lost from the oscillations of the spring to resonance of the spring. Order of Accuracy Absolute error in time-taking =  ±0. 1s |Hanger and slotted mass (m) / kg |20 periods / s |Relative error in time-taking | | |t1 |t2 | | | |( ±0. s) |( ±0. 1s) | | | | | |t1 |t2 | |0. 02 |5. 0 |5. 4 |2. 00% |1. 85% | |0. 04 |6. 0 |6. 0 |1. 67% |1. 67% | |0. 06 |7. 0 |7. 0 |1. 3% |1. 43% | |0. 08 |7. 8 |7. 8 |1. 28% |1. 28% | |0. 10 |8. 6 |8. 6 |1. 16% |1. 16% | |0. 12 |9. 4 |9. 5 |1. 06% |1. 05% | |0. 14 |10. 1 |10. 1 |0. 990% |0. 990% | |0. 6 |10. 5 |10. 4 |0. 952% |0. 962% | |0. 18 |11. 1 |11. 3 |0. 901% |0. 885% | |0. 20 |11. 9 |12. 0 |0. 840% |0. 833% | Improvement 1. The spring should be initiated to oscillate as vertical as possible to prevent swinging of the spring, which would cause energy loss from the spring and give inaccurate results. 2.Several observers could observe the oscillations of the spring and determine a more accurate and reliable result that whether the spring has completed an oscillation. 3. The time taken for oscillations should be taken by the same observer. This allows more reliable results as error-error cancellation of reaction time of the observer occurs. 4. The spring used should be made of a material that its resonance frequency is difficult to match. Discussion In this experiment, several assumptions were made. First, it is assumed that the spring used is weightless and resonance does not occur.Furthermore, it is assumed that no energy is lost from the spring to overcome the air resistance. Besides, it is assumed that no swinging of the spring occurs during the experiment. In addition, there were difficulties in carrying out the exper iment. For timing the oscillation, as the spring oscillates with moderate amplitude, it was hard to determine if a complete oscillation has been accomplished. Added to this, in drawing the best-fitted line, as all the points do not join to form a straight line, there was a little difficult encountered while drawing the line.Nevertheless, they were all solved. Several observers observed the oscillations of the spring and determined a more reliable result that whether the spring has completed an oscillation. For the best-fitted line, computer was employed to obtain a reliable graph. Conclusion The mass-spring system performs simple harmonic motion and the force constant of the spring used in this experiment is 24. 723 Nm-1. ———————– A graph of T2 against m Square of the period (T2) [pic] Simple Harmonic Motion Shanise Hawes 04/04/2012 Simple Harmonic Motion Lab Introduction: In this two part lab we sought out to demonstrate simple harmonic motion by observing the behavior of a spring. For the first part we needed to observe the motion or oscillation of a spring in order to find k, the spring constant; which is commonly described as how stiff the spring is. Using the equation Fs=-kx or, Fs=mg=kx; where Fs is the force of the spring, mg represents mass times gravity, and kx is the spring constant times the distance, we can mathematically isolate for the spring constant k.We can also graph the data collected and the slope of the line will reflect the spring constant. In the second part of the lab we used the equation T=2? mk, where T is the period of the spring. After calculating and graphing the data the x-intercept represented k, the spring constant. The spring constant is technically the measure of elasticity of the spring. Data: mass of weight | displacement| m (kg)| x (m)| 0. 1| 0. 12| 0 . 2| 0. 24| 0. 3 | 0. 36| 0. 4| 0. 48| 0. 5| 0. 60|We began the experiment by placing a helical spring on a clamp, creating a â€Å"spring system†. We then measured the distance from the bottom of the suspended spring to the floor. Next we placed a 100g weight on the bottom of the spring and then measured the displacement of the spring due to the weight . We repeated the procedure with 200g, 300g, 400g, and 500g weights. We then placed the recorded data for each trial into the equation Fs=mg=kx. For example: 300g weight mg=kx 0. 30kg9. 8ms2=k0. 36m 0. 30kg 9. 8ms20. 36m=k 8. 17kgs=kHere we graphed our collected data. The slope of the line verified that the spring constant is approximately 8. 17kgs. In the second part of the experiment we suspended a 100g weight from the bottom of the spring and pulled it very slightly in order to set the spring in motion. We then used a timer to time how long it took for the spring to make one complete oscillation. We repeated this for the 20 0g, 300g, 400g, and 500g weights. Next we divided the times by 30 in order to find the average period of oscillation. We then used the equation T2=4? mk to mathematically isolate and find k. Lastly we graphed our data in order to find the x-intercept which should represent the value of k. Data Collected: Derived Data: mass of weight | time of 30 osscillation | avg osscilation T| T2| | m (kg)| t (s)| t30 (s)| T2 s2| | 0. 10| 26. 35| 0. 88| 0. 77| | 0. 20| 33. 53| 1. 12| 1. 25| | 0. 30| 39. 34| 1. 31| 1. 72| | 0. 40| 44. 81| 1. 49| 2. 22| | 0. 50| 49. 78| 1. 66| 2. 76| | Going back to our equation T2=4? 2mk .We found the average period squared and the average mass and set the equation up as T2m=4? 2k. Since T2 is our change in y and m is our change in x, this also helped us to find the slope of our line. We got T2m equals approximately 4. 98s2kg. We now have 4. 98s2kg= 4? 2k. Rearranging we have k=4? 24. 98s2k= 7. 92N/m. Plotting the points and observing that the slope of our line is indeed approximately 4. 98 we see that the line does cross the x-axis at approximately 7. 92. Conclusion Prior to placing any additional weight onto our spring we measured the length of spring to be 0. 8m. So if we hooked an identical spring and an additional 200g the elongation of our total spring would be approximately 0. 8m; accounting for twice our spring and the . 24m the additional weight added. However, I believe the additional weight of the second spring would slightly elongate the initial spring; bringing it roughly over a meter. Since our spring elongation has almost tripled I believe that an effective spring constant would be triple that of what we found it to be initially, making a new spring constant of 24. 51kgs

Osmosis in Red Onion Cells

Osmosis in Red Onion Cells By: Youssef Gharib Brief Description of Osmosis in Red Onion cells: Osmosis is the diffusion of water from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration across a semi-permeable membrane. The purpose of this lab is to compare the three different types of solutions affect on the relative size of the vacuole to the cell, the outer membrane of onion red cells (tunics) are used to figure out the different types. In the red onion you can see effects promptly when the onion cells are placed in different type of solutions. The effect of the solutions is shown through the purple part within the membrane since that’s where the vacuoles are present. Question: How will the vacuole inside the cells of the outer membrane of a red onion react when deionized water, a 1%, and a 10% saline solution are added to the cells? Hypothesis: If a saline solution is added to the outer membrane of a red onion cell, then based on the amount of the solution, it will cause the vacuole inside the cell to become hypertonic thus shrinking in size. This is because water moves from inside the vacuole, to the cell since the saline solution is entering the vacuole. While if deionized water is added on to cell, then the vacuole size should get larger or stay the same. Variables: Independent Variables: type of solution, amount of solution, and the type of onion. Levels of IV: Deionized water, 1% saline solution, 10% saline solution, red onion outer membrane. Control group: Red onion without any solution added to it. Dependent Variables: amount of water inside the vacuole. Controlled Variables: . Constant temperature – this will be insured by keeping the room at a constant temperature of 21 degrees, because if temperature is not kept constant, the data might be affected. 2. Type of onion – this will be insured by using the same onion (red onion) to collect data, if a different type of onion is used, this might cause the data to be inaccurate. 3. Microscope – while collecting data, and observing what happens to th e red onion, the same microscope shall be used for observing what happens to the vacuoles. Materials: * Red Onion Scissors/ Scalpel * Microscope * 1%, 10% saline solutions * Deionized/Distilled water * Plastic cups * Cover slips Procedure: 1. Take a small piece of onion and peel off a sheet of the purple skin. Cut a piece of skin about the size of a little fingernail. 2. Place the piece onto a microscope slide, and put it under the microscope to record data as this is the control group. 3. Then add five drops of deionized water onto the slide, then record qualitative and quantitative observations on the size of the vacuole inside the cell. 4. Then repeat step one, and put the piece of skin on another microscope slide. 5. Add five drops of 1% saline solution on the slide, then record qualitative and quantitative observations on the change in size of the onion cell vacuole. 6. Step four was repeated, then five drops of 10% saline solution were dropped onto the slide. Record qualitative and quantitative observations again on the change in size of the onion cell vacuole. 7. Steps 2, 3, 5, and 6 were all recorded under high-power objective in the microscope. 8. Clean and dry slide and coverslip. Data/Data Table: The effect of Deionized water, 1%, and 10% saline solution on the outer membrane of a red onion Amount of water inside the vacuoles| No solution (control group)| Deionized water| 1% solution| 10% solution| Before| 100%| 100%| 100%| 100%| After| 100%| 100%| 85%| 65%| % change| 0%| 0%| 15%| 35%| Qualitative data/ Observations| No change, purple onion cell walls only visible| No change, deionized water didn’t cause vacuoles to shrink| Vacuoles shrank, but not significant amount. | Vacuoles shrank a lot, and are visibly hypertonic| Data Analysis: In the lab, observations were recorded to see how a 1% saline solution and a 10% saline solution affected the size of the vacuole inside the cells of the outer membrane of a red onion. The independent variables in the experiment were the: type of solution, amount of solution, and the type of onion. There was a 1% saline solution and a 10% saline solution. The type of onion used in this experiment was a red onion, and the purple outer membrane was used to record data. The control group that the experiment was based upon was a slice of the outer membrane without any solutions added to it. The dependent variable was the amount of water inside the vacuole that changed based on the addition of the saline solutions, and the deionized water. The controlled variables in the experiment were: constant temperature, the type of onion, and the microscope. The constant temperature would be insured by keeping the room at a constant temperature of 21 degrees (room temp. ), because if temperature is not kept constant, the data would be affected. The type of onion will be insured by using the same onion (red onion) to collect data, if a different type of onion is used, this would increase chance of error while collecting data. While collecting data, and observing what happens to the red onion, the same microscope was used for observing what happens to the vacuoles. The data collected and observations recorded showed that the more concentrated the saline solutions were, the more the vacuole shrunk in size. For example, when the 1% solution was added, only 15% of the vacuole lost water, while when the 10% solution was added, 35% of the vacuole lost water. The deionized water however showed barely any change in size, so it did not shrink or grow. The percentages recorded in the data table though were not accurate since they were just assumptions because the tools to correctly measure the percent change were not present. Since the experiment was only conducted once, there were no repeated trials, leading the data to be more prone to errors and uncertainties. Another error in the data was that at first many slices of the tunic had to be peeled to finally get a single strand of cells, because every time a slice would be peeled, there would be a double layer of cells, causing it to be hard to see through the microscope. Conclusion and Evaluation: In the lab, many conclusions were drawn from the results found. The data calculated, and the observations recorded supported the hypothesis, since in the data the saline solutions caused the vacuoles to shrink, and the deionized water caused the vacuole to stay the same. The saline solutions caused the vacuoles to shrink because since there was more salt outside the vacuole, the vacuole became hypertonic causing it to release water and absorb salt into the vacuole. The use of a control group in this experiment establishes the basis of a means for comparison between the different levels of IV and the control group. The procedure was not as descriptive as possible, and could have been more explanatory, and instructive. Limitations in the experiment could have been that the tunic of the red onion was not thin enough to record accurate data since it was very hard to get a single strand of cells without having two strands on top of each other. Another imitation in the experiment would've been that the correct tools to measure the quantitative data in the experiment were not present, and it caused the data to be approximated, and not accurate. A weakness in the experiment could have been that at first, the saline solutions didn’t seem to change the size of the vacuoles, until another observation was conducted from the microscope and it became visibly different. An error in the experiment would've included only having one trial, and not repeati ng any. Another error could've been contaminations with the contact of the cells with skin, and or contaminations with the dropper used for the experiment. Improvements that could've been made to this experiment were repeated trials to make the data more precise, also a way to measure the relative size of the vacuole to the cell more accurately. Another improvement could've been using a microscope with higher magnification and resolution leading to better image quality and better data. Protocol Diagram:

Why Nations Fail – Chapter 5 Summary

Levisalles Amaury Georg-August-Universitat Sommer Semester 2012 Gottingen WHY NATIONS FAIL D. ACEMOGLU & J. A. ROBINSON Seminar Paper CHAPTER 5 â€Å"I'VE SEEN THE FUTURE, AND IT WORKS†: GROWTH UNDER EXTRACTIVE INSTITUTIONS What Stalin, King Shyaam, the Neolithic Revolution, and the Maya city-states all had in common and how this explains why China's current economic growth cannot last.Resume of the Key Statements of the Chapter In this chapter, D. Acemoglu and J. A. Robinson explain how growth under extractive institutions is not sustainable in the long term and always leads to the collapse, in one way or another, of these institutions. The title of the chapter, â€Å"I've seen the future and it works†, is a quotation from the autobiography of Lincoln Steffens (1931). He was then speaking about the communist model that he had discovered on a diplomatic mission to Russia. The title of the chapter is of course ironic since it is well known that the Soviet System broke down in 1991.In this chapter the authors tackle different aspects of Extractive Institutions and explain throughout many concrete examples as to why the multiple facets of these institutions lead to the end of them. Extractive politi cal and economical institutions are â€Å"structured to extract resources from the many by the few† and â€Å"concentrate power in the hand of a few, who will then have incentives to maintain and develop these institutions† (page 430). Dictatorship is the best example of an extractive institution as in this case power is concentrated in the hands of very few, if not only the dictator himself.These types of institutions are mostly founded in authoritarianism and totalitarianism political systems (dictatorship being an authoritarianism type of system). The Soviet Model is the first system studied by Acemoglu and Robinson in this chapter. It is indeed one of the best examples in history to observe how growth evolves under extractive institutions and the problems that rise along this type of political and economical system. After coming to power via a massive purge of his opponents, Stalin decided to invest massively in the industry sector through huge government orders, e specially in the military and aeronautical sectors.In order to support all the needs of the workers, he implemented very high taxes on agricultural resources. However, the tax system in Russia at this time was very ineffective. He thus collectivized all the land to form state farms known as Kolkhoz. The incentives of farm workers were therefore much lowered since a large part of their harvests was taken away by the government. This led to a great famine during which six million Russians died (Davies and Wheatcroft, 2004).Even if the collectivization system was a total disaster, the growth in Russia still increased from 6% per year from 1928 to 1960, which at this time was a record. The growth happened through reallocation of labour and capital force. Indeed, the technology used at this 3 time in the country was really obsolete in comparison to Europe or the United States and only removing resources from agricultural to industrial work allowed Russia to benefit from very high growth for several years. However, rapid growth rate is one, if not the only possible achievement under Extractive Institutions.In fact, Russia's extreme growth slowed down from the 1960 and it had totally stopped by 1970. Unsustainable growth is explained by a lack of incentive for creative destruction, that means for technological change. For example, bonuses were given to companies meeting targets set by the government. Therefore, no one was eager to sacrifice resources to invest in future technologies since everyone wanted to reach targets. What is to be considered with the Soviet Model is that growth under Extractive Institutions is high but only in the very short term and that it is not sustainable at all.The lack of creative destruction and true economic incentives are the main factors responsible for it. The second part of the chapter is focused on how Institutional Innovations, e. g. centralization and political establishment, can accomplish some limited economic achievements, and how, in a certain situation, it led to the Neolithic Revolution. In 1620, a man named Shyaam provoked a political revolution and made himself king of the Bushong, an African people located near the river Kasai. On the other side of the river was another, the Lele.Contrary to the first one, they had no government and would live in villages without any real hierarchy (Douglas, 1962/1963 and Vansina, 1978). After his accession to power, King Shyaam implemented a pyramid of political institutions and with it, a tax and a legal system assured by a police and a â€Å"trial by jury† system. The king also decided to reorganize agriculture with the implementation of â€Å"an intensive mixed-farming cycle† (page 135). Thanks to all of this, the Bushong became much more prosperous than their neighbours and the situation is still the same today.Although King Shyaam was taking a large amount of resources from its people, since it was an Extractive Institution, they were still much richer than their nearby residents and were living in a secure state. As for the Natufians, they were considered as the first people to settle and established the bases for the Neolithic Revolution. Around 9600 BC came â€Å"The Long Summer† (Fagan, 2003), which allowed an expanding animal and vegetal population. Thanks to these abundant resources, the Natufians decided to settle down and later on, began farming. This change from a omadic to a sedentary life had been made possible by previous institutional changes.Even though the reasons are still unknown, it has been proved that a hierarchy had been established 4 among the Natufians. Since their group had a leader, they were able to settle and keep on having institutional innovations that were needed to live in a sedentary way. The important fact about the Bushong and the Natufians is that even with a limited amount of institutional innovation, a certain amount of economic prosperity can be reached. However this development is not very high but more importantly, it is not sustainable.The fourth and last society studied by Acemoglu and Robinson is the Maya and their City-States that existed about a thousand years ago. The goal of the authors here is to show us that as Extractive Institutions rise, some people take power and are envied by others. This situation can lead to the replacement of a leader by another but also to the end of a civilization, as it has been the case for the Maya. As the Natufians transitioned to Agriculture, so did the Maya. This agricultural emergence was made possible by the creation of Extractive Institutions.The Maya were in fact an extremely well hierarchically developed society. But since it was controlled by extractive institutions, it meant that a few people would be exploiting a large number and these inequalities always generate jealousy. The city-states were very prosperous and trade was very important at the time, however, lots of them would be at war against one anot her. And when it wasn't the cities that were at war, it would be the elites of a city that would fight each other for power. This situation of elite warfare was all the more the case when the king (k'uhul ajaw) of a city would die.At some point, in the city of Quirigua, when the last king died, the population simply deserted the city and the let it be invaded by the jungle. The main point to be remembered from the Mayan example is that when it is not the economic situation that kills extractive institutions, it is its political system. Because such a model makes lots of people envious, self-destruction by citizens from the same city or war between cities is ineluctable. We can therefore keep in mind that Extractive Institutions are able to achieve more or less high and rapid growth.However, this growth is unsustainable and sometimes very limited, mainly because of a lack of creative destruction and technological progress. This is mainly due to the resistance opposed by the Elite and the Government that fear these changes. Another feature of extractive institutions is that great inequalities among people arise since the state extracts much of the created wealth. Political instability is the last important aspect of these institutions as the position of elite is much envied by others. 5 Description of the Original Researches used By The AuthorsIn this second part, we will have a look at the original papers that the authors used to write their book and discuss them. The first case of the chapter, the Soviet Model, is based on three main books and on numbers and a quotation coming from 4 others. We shall here examine mainly the three principal writings used by the authors in their book. The first important paper is written by Joseph S. Berliner and is entitled â€Å"The Innovation Decision in Soviet Industry†. In this book, J. Berliner explains the process of innovation under the Soviet Model and how decisions about it are being taken.He provides an explana tion of how the economy under the Communist System works but above all, he focuses on the features that are being taken into account to decide the innovations that are to be implemented. What is to be understood as innovation in the Soviet Union is â€Å"whenever any enterprise introduces a product or process that has never been employed before†. As D. Acemoglu and J. A. Robinson point out in their book, the innovation system is more than inefficient. Indeed, the soviet economy is based on â€Å"the production of established products by mean of established processes† and therefore, innovation is not very conceivable.The second text is from Gregory and Harrison and deals with how the economy worked and how it was planned under Stalin's dictatorship. Following the opening of the economic archives under Stalin's era, it has been found that the system was extremely centralized. Even if power was delegated, all the decision makers feared repression from their superior in ca se of a bad choice. In the end, Stalin was making an incredible amount of decisions and everything was controlled from the very top, making the system inaccurate.We also learn that the communist control over the market, that should have replaced the invisible hand in a market-friendly economy, was totally inefficient. The central planning as Acemoglu and Robinson mention wasn't able to introduce true incentives because the whole market was built on government command and this is not sustainable in the long term as we saw when the Soviet Union fell. The last document used is a review by Levy and Peart of all the theories that had been made about the Soviet economic growth and how everyone was more or less way too overconfident about it.Like Samuelson (1948-1980), some Americans economists had predicted that the Soviet Union's economy was to overpass the United State's one. Indeed, when we    6 take a look at the consumption of the two countries, their part of investment of the GNP and their growth at the time, we could think that the US economy should have been overtaken by the Soviet's in a few years. However, the Soviet GNP was at the beginning only 60% of America's. More importantly, the Soviet investments were focused essentially on the military and the aeronautical sector. Therefore, the communist economy was not diversified at all, that is to say, not sustainable.For the second part of the chapter, we will have a look over three of the texts used in the studied chapter. As we can read in an abstract of Vansina's study about the Kuba kingdom, it is impossible to know the exact reasons that led a man to unite the Kuba people under his leadership. But what is sure is that King Shyaam a-Mbul a Ngoong, Shyaam â€Å"the Great†, has left an incredible legacy to its people. By creating a political, economical and social life, he simply allowed the Bushong people, one of the Kuba tribe, to have a prosperous and secured life compared to the other tribes.Th e reason why it is the Bushong and not the Lele, the Pende or another people that has benefited from these innovations is however unknown since there is no writing about it and the only memories that subsist are through oral histories. As Acemoglu and Robinson have written, Shyaam has revolutionized the culture of its people through the implementation of an agricultural cycle based on cultivating different crops in the course of the year. He also brought to its people a developed government built on justice, merit and loyalty.It is therefore proved that the institutional innovations led to a great development of the Bushong over the years, even if it was limited because of the Belgian colonization at the end of the 19th century. The second paper is about â€Å"The Emergence of Agriculture† and how we know that agriculture was developed after settling and not before. In his paper, Bruce D. Smith explains that agriculture did not appear in one day but in more or less 2 000 year s. Indeed, through archaeological researches, it has been proved that the plants cultivated 8 000 years ago were selected and had already been sorted.As we read in Acemoglu and Robinson's book, the Natufians had first selected the good crops and had then cultivated them. But in order to select them, the Natufians had to be settled, which proves that agriculture came after settlement. And with the rise of agriculture came other sciences such as math, astronomy or engineering that allowed the farmers to establish a calendar or effective irrigation system. The third book, which also confirms Smith's work is entitled â€Å"Village on the Euphrates: From Foraging to Farming at Abu Hureyra†. In this book, the authors take the village of Abu Hureyra as an example.This village was inhabited by Natufians from 11 500 B. C to 7 000 B. C and on the    7 archaeological site, scientists have found prior evidence that agriculture came after sedentarisation. Indeed, in the part of the vill age dating from more than approximately 9 000 years ago, bones of local hunted animals such as Persian gazelles have been found along with crops of wild vegetations. On the contrary, in the part of the village that existed after 9 000 B. C, bones of domesticated animals and plants have been found. This confirms once more the fact that agriculture appeared after settlement.For the third and last part of the studied chapter, we will take a look at two of the books used. The first one, â€Å"Chronicle of the Maya King and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya†, is a great description of the complex hierarchy that ruled the Mayan empire for several centuries. The book explains the story of all the different dynasties that existed throughout the Mayan empire and how the cities made alliances in order to create kingdoms and then fought between each other in order to control the largest possible part of the Mayan empire.As we read in Acemoglu and Robinson's work, the wars between the Maya city-states played a big role in the collapse of its empire. In the second text, â€Å"The Fall of the Ancient Maya†, the reasons for the collapse of the Mayan empire are more deeply studied. One of the trigger factors of it was the long-lasting droughts that would sometimes occur for several months and which would severely weaken the populations. Another reason is that the King, who also occupied the function of high priest at the time, was responsible for all the sacrifices that were supposed to bring rain, good harvest and prosperity to the city.But this wouldn't always work and as we read in the fifth chapter. In the city of Copan for example, the king was overthrown and later on, the city abandoned. One of the reasons that Copan's king wasn't able to provide enough food for all its inhabitants is that the population was growing over time and the farming surface was diminishing. This made it impossible for all the people of Copan to be fed. This sit uation was not only observed in Copan but all over the Mayan empire. However, what seems to be the main reason for the Mayan collapse is the constant warfare that would occur between cities and even among them.It was believed, at the time, that the sacrifices that kings had to do to bring rain, food and richness, had to be from royal blood. That means that cities were not only fighting against each other in order to enlarge their kingdoms but also to capture the elites from other cities and ransack them to take all the precious resources and offer them as sacrifices to the gods. Therefore, lots of cities would find themselves without any government and thereafter, the elites would fight against each other to take the throne and the cities would be abandoned in the end. 8Opposition to the Theories of Acemoglu and Robinson For this third part of the seminar paper, we will use reviews from several writers and newspapers about â€Å"Why Nations Fail†. The first one is a review by Francis Fukuyama about the book but more precisely about the notions of extractive institutions and conversely, inclusive institutions. In his article, Fukuyama explains why he disagrees with Acemoglu and Robinson's theory about the â€Å"more inclusive, more growth† phenomenon. He criticizes the fact that Acemoglu and Robinson do not give a precise definition of extractive and inclusive institutions.Since these two opposed government systems are not well defined, it allows the authors to give the benefit of growth to the inclusive institutions and on the contrary, to blame the extractive institutions for the absence of growth. He puts forward the argument that nowadays, each government is a mix of extractive and inclusive institutions and it is therefore extremely difficult to precisely attribute the wealth or the poorness of a country to one of the two types of politico-economic systems.He also disapproves of the fact that inclusive institutions are called so as soon as th e people are able to have a role in the political life of the country, even if very limited. He takes England in the late 17th Century, as an example. He explains that it is absurd to call it an inclusive state since only 10% of the population could vote at the time. For him, an inclusive institution should be defined as such, if it is like a modern day democracy, among many other things.He regrets that the Potosi Mita of the Conquistador's America, the Caribbean's Sugar Plantation, the Argentinean’s Ranchers and today's Communist China are all put in the same category. As a counter argument against â€Å"more inclusive, more growth†, he takes the example of India today, which is considered as the biggest democratic republic in the world. The problem in India, as Fukuyama writes, is that the inclusive institutions are too inclusive. The problem with it is that the government is unable to make any important decision about â€Å"major infrastructure projects because of all the lawsuits and the protests†.We therefore see that an excess of inclusion makes the inclusive state inaccurate, as is exactly the same case with an extractive institution. With the explanation of the Roman Empire System, Fukuyama shows us an example of a stable politico-economic institution and his disagreement with â€Å"Why Nations Fail† 9 concerning extractive institutions. The changeover from an oligarchy to a monarchy brought a political stability to the Roman Empire that enabled it to become one of the biggest nations that ever existed. Furthermore, this change allowed the citizens to take part in political life.Even though the Roman Empire ultimately collapsed, it was the wealthiest country in the world for more than two centuries. Fukuyama here is sceptical about the global model developed by Acemoglu and Robinson. He thus disagrees that Extractive Institutions are always a source of political and economical instability. In the end, we can say that even if Fukuyama disagrees with a certain number of Acemoglu and Robinson's arguments, they all agree on the fact that the key to success, and therefore growth, is a mix of inclusive and extractive politics and economics.The second article that we shall study here is written by Matthew Yglesias. In his review, Yglesias asks himself why it is that some of the biggest differences of income exist between countries in the third world and developed countries. He wonders why citizens from Ethiopia earn ten times less than ones from Colombia where as at the same time, citizens from Colombia earn only four times less than ones from Sweden. According to Yglesias, a â€Å"wellexecuted programme of growth under extractive institutions would solve some of the world's severe problems†.He explains, in a later article, that Communism is the key to explaining differences of wealth in countries that are governed by extractive institutions. It is for him the reason why East Germany was much poorer th an West Germany, China than Taiwan or even North Korea and South Korea. We can therefore say that Yglesias is not in disagreement with Acemoglu and Robinson's theories but thinks that the comparisons should not occur between extractive and inclusive institutions but between extractive institutions themselves.The last article we will see is a review by The Economist about the book â€Å"Why Nations Fail† and the question of the elites. According to Buttonwood, Extractive Elites exist within inclusive institutions. He says that the financial system is one of them. They are being criticized because they take a considerable amount of resources and therefore prevent these resources being allocated to others sectors in which innovations could be made. As banks are the institutions that lend money to entrepreneurs to create new businesses, they have the power of decision about the creation of start-ups, which is to say, new ideas and innovations.If banks would lend the money each ti me, they would be fully considered as inclusive institutions, however, this is not the case. The principal purpose of a bank is to be profitable    10 and make the most amount of money possible. Therefore, they don't want to lend money each time and are seen in this way as extractive institutions as they will only give the money to concrete and profitable businesses. Another problem of the inclusive institutions is the social policies applied by some countries; employees from the public sector prefer keeping their secure jobs rather than creating or joining a new business.These employees do not only want to be sure to keep their jobs but also want to continue enjoying the many advantages that civil servants are given. This, in a way, is a form of non-creative destruction, or at least, non-innovation. It is of course a perversity of the social aids created by governments of inclusive institutions. However, it is a form of resistance to creative destruction, which is a core feature of extractive institutions. The Public Sector is therefore, along with the financial Sector, a kind of extractive elite.However, the article in The Economist explains well that the extraction of the Elite among inclusive institutions is limited and cannot be regarded as totally extractive. 11 Personal Point Of View For the last part of this review of the fifth chapter of â€Å"Why Nations Fail†, I will give my thoughts about the points that have been discussed previously in the essay and that are tackled in the chapter. With the first example that Acemoglu and Robinson develop in this chapter, they show us how the lack of innovation is a main feature of Extractive Institutions' failure.This lack of innovation is mainly due to the resistance of the Elite and a Government that fears being overthrown by the people, as they will be willing to keep the profits of their innovations. On this point, I totally agree with the argument, however, as we have seen with the Soviet Model, th at for more than 30 years they have been able to extract the best of what was available. That is to say that without, or with only very few technological innovations, the Soviet Union has been able to maintain a 6% growth rate per year.This is somewhat incredible since America, at the same time, could not do better even though they were benefiting from technological change. I think that what is to be learned here is that in general, and even more in today’s world, we do not use what we have to its full capacity. By this I mean that as soon as we create a new tool or a new technology, we get rid of it before having used all of its facets. And the advantage, maybe the only one, of a totalitarianism state is that it obliges the people to work with what they have and therefore, use their tools to the optimum. I don't want to be taken for an extremist here.I am not at all in favour of a totalitarian or an authoritarian system; I just think that the best of every system should be t aken, as there is something good within each one. In this case, it is the optimum and full use of the present technologies before moving on to other things. As we see with the second example, a certain degree of institutional innovations may bring a certain degree of growth. With the institutional innovations come also economic, social and political improvements. I think that what is to be considered with King Shyaam is that with a certain degree of rigidity, growth is enabled.Therefore, I would say, following Yglesias' point of view, that with a certain degree of extraction, when well executed, a certain amount of growth and achievements could be reached. I think that even if in the long term, extractive institutions are not good and viable, it can be a good way to start or to re-launch an 12 economy. Even if this is very difficult to achieve, I think that having extractive institutions at the beginning and then moving on towards more inclusive ones might be very good for the econo my of a nation.As Fukuyama describes with the Roman Empire, the System was clearly extractive since the power was in the hands of the emperor. However, citizens had much more possibility to take part in the political life of their cites and they had true incentives to work since they could make their fortunes, but above all, they could keep these fortunes. They would have to pay taxes but the notion of private property was real and if someone was trying hard to succeed, he could do so.The result was that the Roman Empire stood for more than 200 years and is considered as one of the biggest that has ever existed. A certain degree of political extraction can therefore definitely be good for a nation's growth. We can see, today, that the political parties are more often trying to destroy the other parties' ideas than trying to cooperate with them and find the best compromises. It is here that a certain degree of extractive politics could be good and could help countries take big decisi ons more quickly.I would like to finish here with the case of China. Acemoglu and Robinson are convinced that China will inevitably collapse, just like the Soviet Union did. I think that this might not be the case for four reasons. My first point is the difference that exists between China and the former Soviet Union. On the other hqnd, we know much more about China than we knew about USSR. What I mean here is that we know that China has a considerable fortune and that they are not spending money that they don't have, which was the case with Soviet Union.There is a much stronger transparency with China's economy than there was with Stalin's government. My second argument is that the economical situation from today is not the same at all compared to that of the twentieth century. And we have seen that even with the global economic crisis that occurred in 2008, China has succeeded in maintaining a growth rate of more than 8% and an average growth of 10% over the past three decades, wh ich is much more than USSR even though USSR's GDP was bigger than China's today.My third point is that China is opening its economy more and more; it is gradually moving towards an inclusive economy. China is for technological change and creative destruction. Since approximately a decade, China has opened itself to foreign investments and Shanghai is now sometimes considered as the future â€Å"New York†. Even if this economical change is very limited and extremely controlled by the government (any foreign company that wishes to establish itself in China must create a joint venture with a Chinese company),    13 changes are happening.We cannot therefore say that China is against creative destruction; it is just that it is an authoritarian country and changes cannot happen in one day. My last point is about the political power in China and the liberty of the people. It is, I believe, the only reason that might someday put an end to the Chinese regime. Even if the people who disagree with the Chinese government are very badly treated, they are still much more considerate than before thanks to the international relations that China maintains with other countries.That is to say, China cares more than before about how other countries view it. However, the People's Republic of China is still extremely repressing its dissidents. The population in China is step by step, gaining some freedom even if they are still very oppressed by the regime. In the last few years, the situation with Chinese workers has evolved and their wages or working conditions have considerably changed, especially after the suicide wave that touched the country in 2010.In the end, I would conclude by saying that China, if it succeeds in following its transition little by little to a more inclusive economy and moreover to a more inclusive political system, even if not reaching the point of a democracy, might not collapse as lots of economists are predicting today.