Harvard business review Essay

For each team, by submitting the document online, you claim that the document is original from your own idea. Each team must work on the assignments independently. All the materials submitted will be checked for plagiarism electronically. For more information, please refer to http://www.plagiarism.org/ Should you have questions and concerns in regards to plagiarism, you should contact the course coordinator immediately. Content Tutorial III consists of two parts. The first part includes case discussion while the second part focuses on the feedback to the common mistakes in the intermediate exam. Requirements First, all the students are required to be present and participate in the discussion. Second, all the students are required to read the following two cases: Case Part A: Toyota—Under†the†Radar Recall Response on Page 346 of the textbook; Case – Quality Parts Company on Page 426 of the textbook. Each team is required to write a case note for these two cases. In the case note, you need to give answers to the questions proposed in the corresponding cases. The length of the case note is at most three A4 pages with font size 12 and 1.5 line space, excluding the figure of value stream mapping. For Case – Quality Parts Company, you are NOT required to answer Question 2 and 3. Instead, you need to draw a value stream map for the production process of Model Z based on the symbols which can be found in exhibit 12.3 on Page 409 in the text book. Suppose that customers order every month. After orders are realized, Quality Parts Company orders from suppliers every month. The company does weekly delivery. Inspection is immediately executed after assembly. Every week a production plan is generated which serves as a template for the daily planning activities performed by the production manager. How much value-added time and how much non-value-added time can be found in the production process? Note that you have to ï ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼1 use Microsoft Visio 2010 to draw the VSM. Otherwise, no mark is given. You can directly copy the diagram from Visio to Word. Presentation Team 7 of all the groups and Team 12 of IEM groups should present Toyota. Team 8 of all the groups and Team 13 of IEM groups should present Quality Parts. Team 9 of Group 2, 5, 7 should present Quality Parts. The teams present separately. Each presentation takes five minutes. Please use Microsoft Powerpoint to prepare your presentation and the number of slides is at most 5. Please copy your powerpoint file into a USB stick and bring it to the tutorial. To prepare the presentation for cases, you need to present the solutions to the questions proposed in the case description and give a convincing argument for your solutions. The performance of your presentation will be counted for class participation. Submission Your assignment will be graded only if it is submitted online in the fold of Assignment on Nestor by the deadline and a hard copy is passed to your tutorial teacher in class. The deadline is by 24:00 on October 15. Note that write down your names and student numbers at the first page of your document. For the case note, please name your file as groupnumber_teamnumber_case, such as g1_t1_case. Please print your file with a double†sided format. For your presentation file, you only need to give the hard copy of your slides to your tutorial teacher. Topic

Child’s learning Essay

The observations you made were quite predictable. Those students whose parents supported the learning of English and participated in the home had more probability of learning the formal as well as conversational second language. Those students whose parents did not support the learning of English did not have as much success with their second language. Education of any content supports the same observations. Parental support and participation is key to student success. Another key factor is the concept of â€Å"total immersion† in a second language. People are totally immersed in their first language from birth. Therefore the spoken language becomes almost automatic. Many students even have difficulty learning the ins and outs of their first language grammar because of this immersion, making the learning of the written first language difficult. Add to that the study of a second language out of the context of living. Even the observations of the second student, the 7th grader who was â€Å"truly immersed† in both her first and second languages, supported the value of immersion. But even though the first student, the 5th grader, was totally immersed in her second language at school, it was the absence of the second language spoken at home that counteracted the learning she acquired during the school day. I also found it very interesting when the difference in the pronunciation of the word â€Å"way† was discussed. It was the sound specific to the ear that the observer could not distinguish. I had a similar experience in a class when discussing the words â€Å"ma† and â€Å"ma† in an Asian language. The Asian character was not only written differently, but both words were pronounced differently. I could barely notice the difference in writing (thus posing a literacy issue on my part), nor could I hear the difference. When explained to me, how the inflection of one word went up (like an English question), and the inflection of the other word went down (like an English declarative sentence), I still could not hear it. I could not make the distinction much like the Asian student could not hear the difference in our letters â€Å"L† and â€Å"R. † Even though I explained that the sound was made by different parts of our mouth and throat, she could not hear it. I was finally able to understand my deficit with â€Å"ma† and â€Å"ma†, I would be wise to learn the difference since one meant â€Å"mother† and one meant â€Å"horse. † I wouldn’t want to misuse them! Allison Hill Your discussion about autism was interesting. It is difficult to determine how much cognitive ability is there and how much language acquisition is there in an autistic child. Through the descriptions of the boy’s behaviors, abilities and habits, along with the theories presented, the severity of autism is not clear. As you stated, autism is â€Å"characterized by a lack of social skills and relationships, difficulty with communication, and rigid and repetitive behavior. † This child was described as having â€Å"relatively developed social and communication skills†. Thus it would be initially assumed that this child had mild autism. The descriptions and examples of the child’s behavior go on to note that he does form social relationships but uses language only when he wants something. While some use of language indicates he understands the words, meanings and uses, other uses of language suggest he does not. He certainly understands that verbal communication is a tool. So is autism a situation where one does not have the capacity to understand language, or where one makes the choice to use or not use language? It is an interesting question; one that is not easy to answer. Behavior of this subject supports either answer. Your observations also suggest that language acquisition may be based on individual need. Autistic children have different needs than other children. Autistic babies do not respond to faces and voices as other children do because they simply do not have the same need to do so. Autistic children do not use language like other children simply because they do not have the same need to do so. When one word can get the desired results, why use more? This particular child has learned the words he needs to get the results he wants in his world. You noted in these observations that this child does make errors when attempting to use language to get desired results. Mostly though, the errors seem to be made when he is attempting to please another person, or give another person their desired results. It seems autistic children are less concerned with pleasing others. You concluded by stating that this child’s language learning experience is typical of that of a more severe case on the autism spectrum. Again, it is difficult to determine since it is unclear whether it is cognitive ability or social need that affects the language acquisition. This discussion reminds me of an article I read about requiring a deaf person to interact in a hearing world based on the rules of a hearing world. Once the deaf person understood the rules of a language based on sound and hearing, she was able to communicate appropriately in the hearing situation. It was as if this deaf person was bilingual; she had to know her language (ASL) and the ins and outs of spoken English. It seems that an autistic child must learn the rules of two vastly different languages: one language based on a very social world, and one based on a less social world. Amy Lambert Your observation confirms the theory that total immersion in a foreign language produces a more fluent speaker of that language. Studying a foreign language in a school setting usually only focuses on the written aspects of that language; reading, writing, grammar. Without that constant hearing and speaking, the language acquisition is lost. It was interesting that you made a distinction between learning a foreign language and learning a second language. There is a difference between speaking a language based on learned rules, and speaking a language based on â€Å"feeling† the language. Motivation also seems to be a factor in learning a language. Whether it be learning a foreign language or learning a second language, one must have some important reason for the study. With this woman, her interest started first with the desire to do well in the subject and improve. For some, that is enough to learn a foreign language. For others, the motivation increases as the learner desires not only to know the language, but to become a part of the culture and speech community of that language and thus it becomes a second language. It was interesting that this woman’s heritage was connected to her second language of choice which may have initially contributed to her original motivation. Her father and grand parents were native speakers of Spanish but her mother did not know the language. Speaking Spanish in the home was not stressed. Therefore there was an added challenge in becoming immersed in her chosen second language. This further confirms the theory that parental involvement and support in a child’s learning is a major contributor to the success of that child’s learning. My own experience learning a foreign language was similar to the observed woman’s experience. I studied formal rules of the reading, writing and grammar of Spanish beginning in 10th grade. After three years of study in high school (which included a conversational Spanish course), I cannot say I am a fluent speaker of the language. I was never totally immersed in the language so I never truly HAD to learn to survive and communicate in that language. In addition, I never have many opportunities to use my knowledge and sharpen my skills. It just goes to show; if you don’t use it, you lose it.

Argumentative Essay About Euthanasia

Interested authors claim that some form of euthanasia, rather, passively involuntarily, rarely, indirect euthanasia is morally permitted. However, due to language limitations, we must point out that more important ideas are lack of experience around euthanasia so that we can reflect the authors of my course and my new reading experience not. In addition to this, it should be noted that euthanasia can not be evaluated alone. Why, to learn more urban life persuasive essay export Click to add about better life of the country: the debate about euthanasia, they need to choose life, but I am euthanasia I thought that there are legal and ethical problems. Here this lyrical and active summer tour Aziz sash, this song is their best pumpkin Robert Pattinson is the occurrence of the dispute with the college student, New York City college student, his father, Neil Patrick  · Harris Number is a terrible way to start a fantastic summary of this year's Academy Awards. About Light Macbeth Blood Im age Articles Nursing Student Homework Sub Article Notes Getter Toronto's Articles Children's stables about editor's homework. What is the writing of a critical analysis of poetry when dealing with a paper, and what is the paper on feminist 's English literature? In my article price JFM article, no one but I pursue health as well as their dreams, the relationship is more important in life Abstract: This article provides background information on the background of Belgian euthanasia. It will proceed by discussing Belgian laws on euthanasia, laws, their interpretation and concerns concerning implementation. Finally, major developments and controversies since the entry into force were discussed. In order to prevent the potential exploitation of vulnerable patients, Belgium made recommendations on how to improve the practices of euthanasia laws and regulations, reflecting the research, encouraging members of Belgium and medical institutions to do so

Making Hotplates Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Making Hotplates - Assignment Example As revealed, â€Å"specialized jobs became very boring† (Gachire, n.d., p. 8) and the change spurred motivation and improvement. The significant increase in performance and job satisfaction that was made possible with identifying the finished product to specific workers likewise contributed to the significant drop in absenteeism and an increase in moral. Likewise, by soliciting the suggestion of the workers who are most knowledgeable in ways of improving their jobs (Gachire, n.d.), there was a marked improvement in moral in conjunction with increased motivation, drop in absenteeism and increase in overall performance and productivity. The major changes in the situation include enjoining the workers to work on a new process work flow that would enable each worker to assemble the hotplate completely. This change provided effective motivation to drive these workers into improving performance and productivity since each output could be easily identified and accounted for by the workers. Therefore, each worker did their best to ensure that the finished product is free from any quality defects. The proposed change was effectively envisioned and implemented by the manager, with inputs and suggestions discussed initially with the workers. As initially indicated, the rejects were virtually controllable; meaning, the operator could easily prevent their occurrences. Therefore, the changes were controlled by the workers under the governance and motivation provided by the manager. If the workers went back to the old assembly line method, the same high rate of absenteeism, high rate of rejects, and low productivity and morale would ensue. As evaluated, as premised from behavioral management theories that focus on determining the job design’s link to productivity, satisfaction and motivation, the old assembly line method is too structured, routine, and redundant that prevents workers from being challenged and in

Demonstrate the evidence of activities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Demonstrate the evidence of activities - Essay Example I made it certain for this day to mark as the beginning of a lasting bond. 1b. Demonstrate an understanding of factors that influence how students integrate into practice Our work requires being up on your toes and having those same toes stilted by nothing less than education, skill and confidence. I believe that my student will best attain these if I were to groom my pupil following the strictest standard of well-roundedness, discipline and competence. For this reason, I introduced my student to my co-workers and permitted the creation of working relationships amongst them so that my student will have an alternate source of training and instruction. I believe that allowing my student to assist other nurses and health practitioners will provide her with the necessary consciousness necessary for her to ascertain her commitment and passion for the job. 1c. Provide on-going and constructive support to facilitate transition from one learning environment to another With my student gaining enough foothold to consider her as being able to adapt well into the responsibility required in this field, I talked to her and made her promise to come see me anytime she feels uncertain or hesitant about a particular duty. I also gave her instructions to feel free to ask her superiors and not be intimidated and reticent to voice out her concerns or questions. My student and I chanced upon an opportunity to talk and I told her of the time when I was starting in on my career and had to undergo everything that she is going through including the uncertainties, misgivings and exhaustions. I told her that she is free to come up to me anytime and that I would not hesitate to lend my support and even willing to see her as a friend to help her through and not her mentor. Domain 2 – Facilitation of Learning 2a. Use knowledge of the student’s stage of learning to select appropriate learning opportunities to meet their individual needs Before commencing on the mentorship progra m, I have already created an outline detailing the tasks that would comprise the duties and responsibilities in the field. I listed down the tasks according to its degree of difficulty and I endeavoured to group together the tasks that are manageable and packed them in one or two days, while the more difficult task, I opted to spread out into more days. I believed that indoctrinating my pupil with the obligations in the field in a gradual manner would enable her to perform better as she would be able to have mastery of the tasks at hand. Allowing her to gain sufficient knowledge in performing assignments in phases would allow her to adapt and cope with the life in the field better and more effectively. 2b. Facilitate selection of appropriate learning strategies to integrate learning from practice and academic experiences With the relative acceptance and assistance that my mentor and I get from the other staff members, I was able to gain insight as to how to handle my pupil as would enable the best manner to instil certain matters into her training. I realized, from a remark made by a co-worker that my pupil is actually very hard working and is set on learning new things. She remains objective even during toughest and critical moments and she seldom gets nonplussed even when under extreme duress. Furthermore, I was able to observe that my pupil responds positively to commendations

A Storm in the Rocky Mountains by Bierstadt Essay

A Storm in the Rocky Mountains by Bierstadt - Essay Example The essay "A Storm in the Rocky Mountains by Bierstadt" explores the painting by Bierstadt, "A Storm in the Rocky Mountains". Coming from a generation of the aforementioned digital photography one is easily cynical enough to question the authenticity of the painting. Its surreal looks and intricate and fine detailing makes it impossible for one to believe that this is a creation by a mere mortal. In 1863, the artist is said to have set out on an expedition to the Chicago Lakes region of the Rockies and he referred to Yosemite as ‘the original site of the Garden of Eden.’ En-route his journey through the region currently known as the Chicago Peaks Range, Albert Bierstadt came to an immediate halt in awe of the breathtaking view, and immediately began to make sketches of the mountainous landscape to gather studies of the region for this monumental painting, executed three years later in his New York studio. For the final canvas, he exercised artistic license, rearranging s ome landmarks and exaggerating the scale of others, to maximize the visual interest of this Rocky Mountain landscape. Gazing at the painting, one does not tend to notice all that, but is left with the wish they had been lucky enough to witness the same view. Still, even a photograph from the most powerful of today’s cameras may not have given the scene as much justice. This picture had thrilled audiences with its dual effects of sublime grandeur and reportorial detail for years now. The soaring peaks, expansive valleys.

Performance Management assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Performance Management assignment - Essay Example 7-8 Etisalat’s Organizational Policies...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8-10 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 10-11 Recommendations: Improving Performance Management †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11-12 Abstract This study explores the significance of performance management to the corporate life of Etisalat, leading telecommunication and internet industry of United Arab Emirates (UAE). Probing on its business management and its contribution to global development, researcher used empirical data to investigate, draw conclusions and make some recommendations on the state of Etisalat performance management. Introduction Performance management (PM) relates about systems on business management and the administration of its huma n resource to attain corporate goals and objectives by strategically directing the delivery of services to leverage in a fast evolving market for want of satisfaction. As global market is evolving in diversity and in complex dynamics, it’s imperative for corporation to develop corporate strategy, set goals, conduct regular assessments, seize opportunities for improvement, and enhance motivations to sustain its corporate life (Armstrong, 2009). In such context, this research aims to critically explore Etisalat’s performance management as a leading telecommunication company in United Arab of Emirates (UAE), correlate its significant contribution to global market, determine the imperatives it adopted to be competitive and resilient from risks, and to draw recommendations to improve company’s performance. Researcher used accessed online documents and other related resources in the conduct of this study. Performance Management defined Performance management is about identifying, measuring and adopting strategic mechanism to align company’s plans with its vision, mission, values, specific goals and translate them into corporate operation. It includes conduct of evaluations, either formal or informal, such as appraisal and constructive feedback mechanism to determine company’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities and strength. As a process, PM deals with structures and systems to set criteria and specify roles to motivate human capital in the performance of tasks, reach targets, earn rewards and enjoy salary with self-esteem. The company may conduct continuing knowledge or skill transfer or trainings to enhance their competence. Since corporate management deal systems, communications and reporting are essential for mutual understanding, coordination, interpersonal exchange of opinions and problems as well as sense of uniformity of thoughts about the nature of their jobs. On the other hand, since PM is about human resource management, organizational goals must be understood by staff; changes are facilitated; salary and rewards scheme are commensurate to expected result; and company is protected from legal impediments. Reward system may include contingency pays to intentionally discourage turn-around rates of good employees and to develop corporate culture on excellence. Absence of corporate system and mismanagement de-motivated workers, pull them out of goals, estranged employee-employers relations and such absence of purposefulness will burn them out (Delaney & Huselid, 1996). The company will suffer high turn-around rate, risks and conflicts would

Written Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Written Analysis - Essay Example ar was declared by Austria Hungary on Serbia and it spread rapidly to Russia, Great Britain, France and Germany because they were involved in treaties and hard to defend the nations. The war continued but there came a time when frustrations, depression, demoralization sickness and even hopelessness due to the loss of lives engulfed the troops. But finally the war came to an end in the late falls of 1918 after the involved member countries of the Central Powers signed an armistice agreement. Each of them had to sign. The ending of the war had some significance importance, for instance Germany was severely punished and this led to World War II as many historians tend to believe. There are many articles and books written containing the description of World War and the themes found. In this paper I will try explaining various themes as described by different authors in relation to the issues on gender, war and trauma. The overwhelming loss of loved ones in the First World War led people to become iconic writers like Virginia Woolf, Wilfred Owen, and Sassoon among others. Such writers embraced some form of mysticism in order to cope. They had experienced unexplainable and unimaginable losses of loved ones and trauma in their early lives which helped them is sensitive to losses friends and relatives in the war. They were fascinated with the works of a psychical researchers especially Frederic Myers that included potential extensions of personality for example clairvoyance, telepathy and automatic writing a phenomena that enhanced personality survival discouraged its death. Literature analysis of the First World War literature and psychobiography showed that engagement of the writers with mysticism and spiritualism was not misleading at all but constituted a more ethical, creative and therapeutic form of mourning. It was better than finding solace from state-sanctioned representations of mourning such as war memorials. ‘The Kind Ghosts’ is one of Owens’s most

Introduction to modern Chinese History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to modern Chinese History - Essay Example Way back in the history of the world’s civilization, china had consolidated the global power and superiority compared to the rest countries (Chaurasia, 2004). It was the major source of the world’s steel that enabled her to gain more wealth and invest in other productive economic activities. It is considered to be the earliest world’s leading in innovations that gave the whole world its backbone in industrial development, an example is the textile manufacturing industries that were seven centuries older than those that were invented in Britain. With the floating capital, china was the leading nation in trade that earned it more wealth. It engaged in the long distance trade with other countries in the various continents such as Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Southern Asia (Kane, 2006). With the interaction to the rest of the world nations, China borrowed more ideas that were utilized effectively thereby making her agricultural and industrial revolution move m uch steps ahead; it engaged in the production of writing materials that ensured proper records were kept for more production activities (Goldman & Lee,2002). This further earned her the opportunity to be the world superpower that exported her goods across all nations by the use of her commercial ships. However, China’s prosperity set a blaze to other nations more especially the British and the Europeans that had sleepless nights in the bid to interact with her, so that they can be able to borrow more from their technological advancement. The British imperialism therefore challenged the china’s superiority and the dominant global position in the world market (Schoppa, 2011). Therefore, the British and the Western engaged on an imperial conquest of the East that was instigated by the material gain in order to prosper in their economies and to ensure they do not allow china to dominate any longer as a superpower. This was not an easy task for them; as a result they were unable to

Week 1 - Discussion 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 1 - Discussion 2 - Coursework Example The motivation factors may include a rewarding system that recognizes groups or individual performance. According to Lockwood (2006, 4), â€Å"rewards and recognition also help both to retain talent and to improve performance.† Also, they should recognize and appraise the employees who are performing well and particularly those achieving progressive improvements records. Other forms of employees’ motivation may include promotion, financial and non-financial rewards, etc. Managers should be good leaders in their organizations to motivate and improve performance of their staff. They should inculcate best leadership skills such as ensuring effective communication of the organizational objectives to the employees and coordinating the workforce to relinquish the potential towards the right goals (Gregory, 2011). Also, they should build teamwork and delegate responsibilities to the employees as well as hold the groups or individuals accountable for what they achieve. This will also improve the decision-making process by reducing bureaucracy in the organization. Finally, employers can hire competent workers and initiate training programs to provide training to the employees so that they can advance their skills and acquire latest skills (Dreher & Dougherty,

Transpersonal Psychology Essay Example for Free

Transpersonal Psychology Essay The field of Transpersonal Psychology is the fourth field of psychology in addition to psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanistic psychology which covers the concepts regarding â€Å"Near Death Experience reality’, ‘dream reality’ and ‘waking reality’. According to Lajoie and Shapiro from the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, â€Å"Transpersonal psychology is concerned with the study of humanity’s highest potential, and with the recognition, understanding, and realization of spiritual and transcendent states of consciousness. (Lajoie and Shapiro, 1992:91). However, Walsh and Vaughan started to criticize the many definitions of transpersonal psychology and referred it as the branch of psychology which studies transpersonal experiences which can be experienced during a distorted consciousness and other phenomena related to realms of mind and consciousness. (Walsh Vaughan, 1993, p203). Near Death Experience Near Death Experience (NDE) has been regarded as a phenomenon connected with several aspects such as the after-life experience and physiological experience that has both spiritual and psychological effects depending on how it is perceived. According to Jansen and Phil, â€Å"NDE is an altered state of consciousness of potentially great importance to psychology, philosophy, religion, medicine, neuroscience, art, and humanity in general. The mystery which it represents is of universal significance.† (Dr. Karl Jansen MB.ChB., 1998). According to Jody Long, a person who experienced NDE integrates it to his existing belief and strengthens their sense of spirituality which may involve change of religion. (Long, 2003) Generally, Kenneth Ring (1980) classified NDEs on a 5 stages in progression: 1. feelings of peace and contentment; 2. a sense of detachment from the body; 3. entering a transitional world of darkness (rapid movement through a long dark tunnel: the tunnel experience); 4. emerging into bright light which maybe a religious figure; and 5. entering the light. According to van Lommel, et.al., based on the clinical studies, some factors that lead to NDE include cardiac arrest, postpartum loss of blood, anaphylactic shock, coma, asphyxia, suicide, apnoea, near-drowning and serious depression.(van Lommel, 2001) However, it was observed that there are quite similarities among the description of NDEs and the skeptics understood it to be attributed to the pathology of the dying or reviving brain as suggested by Dr. Vladimir Negovsky. (Pravda, 2004). Dream Reality: A dream, as defined by American Heritage Dictionary (1978), is â€Å"a series of images, ideas, etc., occurring in certain stages of sleep.† Physiologically, it is commonly understood to be the product of the subconscious brain in processing waking reality and oftentimes outside the control of the dreamer. Eventually, studies showed that there is an exemption in lucid dreaming where the dreamer can control some aspects of the dream and experience it clearly. Stephen LaBerge, a popular experimenter has defined it as dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The clarity of the lucid dream signifies good dream recall. Practicing the control of the dream and recreating it may sometimes need tests to determine whether one is dreaming or not. Most common reality tests applied includes pinching oneself, holding one’s nose, or facing a mirror.(LaBerge, 1993) According to Eugen Tarnow, lucid dreaming is similar to NDE in that the persons involved both recall them with clarity. Both gives color and sound and become part of a long-term memory even during waking life. During waking life an executive function interprets long term memory consistent with reality checking. (Long, 2003) This coincides with Grosso’s observation that both stem from the same matrix of consciousness and involve the same mechanisms. (Grosso, 1983) It can also noted that as the NDErs consciously knows that they are experiencing reality, so the lucid dreamers knows that they are dreaming. It was shown in a study entitled Dreams and NDE that dreams rarely reproduced any part of the experience. (Long, 2003) This became the strongest evidence that NDEs and dreams are generally different states of consciousness.   Another way to interrelated the dreams, NDE and waking life is by looking at the thickness or thinness of boundaries an individual may have. According to Abraham Maslow â€Å"an individual’s capacity to experience transcendent states depends on a quality of openness that permits them to occur. (Kohr, 1983) p.171 Apparently, the â€Å"thicker† or more rigid the person, the less dreams the person recalled while the â€Å"thinner† or more fluid the person, the more dreams and waking reality blended. REFERENCES: Lajoie, D. H. Shapiro, S. I. (1992). Definitions of transpersonal psychology: The first twenty-three years. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, Vol. 24. p. 91. Walsh, R. Vaughan, F. (1993). On transpersonal definitions.Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 25 (2) 125-182 Dr. Karl Jansen MB.ChB., M. M. S., D. Phil (Oxon), MRCPsych. (1998). Ketamine Near Death and Near Birth Experience. Retrieved February 26, 2007, from http://www.lila.info/document_view.phtml?document_id=91 Grosso, M. (1983). Jung, Parapsychology, and the Near-Death Experience: Toward a Transpersonal Paradigm. The Journal for Near-Death Studies, 3(1), 19-22. Kohr, R. (1983). Near-Death Experiences In, Altered States, and Psi Sensitivity, Anabiosis. The Journal for Near-Death Studies, 3(2), 169-172. LaBerge, S. a. L., Lynne. (1993). The Light and Mirror Experiment Nightlight 5(Summer), 10. Long, J. A. a. L., Jeffrey. (2003). Dreams, Near-Death Experiences, and Reality Retrieved February 26, 2007, from www.nderf.org van Lommel, P. e. a. (2001). Near Death Experience In Survivors of Cardiac Arrest: A Prospective Study in the Netherlands. The Lancet( 358 ), 2039-2042.

Burn wounds Essay Example for Free

Burn wounds Essay There are several ways that an investigator might confirm suspicion that burns are intentionally inflicted, rather than accidental in nature. One factor in considering whether a burn is intentionally inflicted is the nature of the burn. A contact burn of irregular shape is typical of accidental contact with a hot item such as a pot on a stove or an iron. Burns of this nature are typically accidental. One way of determining if the burn is not is by examining its shape. Burns that reflect the pattern of the object from which they obtained can often point to intentional burning. Symmetrical burns are less likely to be accidental. Chemical burns also should display a random pattern consistent with accidental contact. A burn pattern suggesting submersion in a corrosive or hot liquid of any body part is suspect, particularly if there are no corresponding splash-type wounds. Another determining factor is the location of the burn. Contact burns that are truly accidental are nearly always situated on the extremities, as it is unlikely that a child would ignore the pain of extreme heat until contact is made with the torso, or head. While immersion burns from hot liquid can be on the torso, if accidental, they should be accompanied by splash patterns associated with the rapid withdrawal of the burned body part from the water. Most accidental burns on a child old enough to remove themselves from the source are no worse than second-degree. Burns of greater degree are highly suggestive of a child being physically forced into contact with the burning agent. Unless the parent has a reasonable explanation for a more severe burn, these types of injuries should be regarded as highly suspicious. The key element in determining whether a burn was intentionally inflicted arrives with the interview of the admitting parent. Lies about burn sources are relatively easy to spot. Burn characteristics such as location, severity, and pattern can easily indicate whether the parent is lying about the source of the burn. The questions that must be asked are: What caused the burn? How long was the child in contact with the source of the burn? What sort of supervision was offered while this occurred. There are only three scenarios possible in burn situations: pure accident, parental negligence, or intentional burning. It is up to the investigator to determine which situation applies in any given case.

Effect of Ocean Conveyor Belt on Global Climate

Effect of Ocean Conveyor Belt on Global Climate Marie Claire Attard Bason Discuss the ocean conveyor belt system and its implications on global climate Without the ocean, life on earth will be impossible. When viewed from outer-space, our planet is covered with water; water which is always in constant motion. The ocean covers 71 % of the earth, where 6% of it is covered by sea ice (Siedler, Church, Gould Griffies, 2001). These mentioned factors make the ocean an important key factor in the transfer of heat energy around the planet. This movement of through ocean currents affect the local weather and temperature to some extremes, which effects also the stabilization of global climatic patterns, the delivery of nutrients and larva to marine ecosystems and many more (Cowan, National Geographic,  http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/ocean-currents-and-climate/?ar_a=1, n.d). Moreover, in total, 81 % of the earth’s surface is covered by liquid water including lakes and rivers as well, and covered by solid water which includes snow and land ice (Siedler, Church, Gould Griffies , 2001). One should first understa nd some of the major properties of the oceans and the types of circulations and currents that exist, than understand the effect of heat transfer called the Thermohaline Circulation or known as the Conveyor belt, its implications on the climate and anthropogenic influences. First and foremost, the ocean circulation is generally classified into two parts; a wind-driven circulation that influences the upper part of the ocean system, hundreds of meters up, and the other is a density-driven circulation that influences the bottom part. The major wind currents include the sub-tropical and sub-polar, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and the equatorial currents (Grinsted, 2005). Moreover, this system is called the ‘Thermohaline’ circulation, because of its role in heating, cooling and salinification. These roles effect the production of the regional density within the ocean (Toggweiler Key, 2001). To explain this process in a much better way, the conveyor belt is the ocean circulation system that is driven by changes of heat and freshwater across the sea surface, after the heat and salt are mixed together. This is a driving mechanism (Rahmstrof, 2006). Secondly, the Thermohaline circulation is seen in the sinking phase, and interestingly enough, there is the formation of new deep water in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. No one exactly knows the whereabouts of the upwelling zones (Rahmstrof, 2006) as the conveyor system has no end (as seen on Fig. 1), but then, in the polar seas near Greenland, there are cold winds from the northern of Canada that cools the surface waters and thus creates sea ice formation (ELF, www.andrill.org/education//3A/GlobalOceanConveyWCredits.pdf‎, n,d) . Fig. 1 Shows the Conveyor Belt pattern and transfer of currents The process of ice formation is linked to evaporation. With the rising temperature, the sea compresses out the salt from the forming ice. When this process occurs, the surrounding waters become saltier and even more denser. Then, this dense water sinks to the bottom and flows along to the North and South America direction. When this approaches Antarctica, it surrounds the continent and meets with the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). This process continues on when then flow flows towards the north into the ocean basins where gradually it mixes with warmer waters present at that site, therefore it rises to the surface in the Pacific Ocean. From there, it makes its way back to the Atlantic and becomes part of the wind driven surface currents eventually returning to the Greenland seas to begin the process again (ELF, www.andrill.org/education//3A/GlobalOceanConveyWCredits.pdf‎, n,d). In 1751, the first measurement of deep ocean temperatures was recorded by a ship captain of an English trading ship, when he discovered that the water underneath his ship, about a mile below his ship was very cold, despite the location he was at; a sub-tropic location. In 1797, again yet another Englishman named Benjamin Thompson, came up with an accurately explanation on this discovery about cold currents coming from the poles. The difference between Thermohaline and wind driven circulation was distinguished in the 19th-Century, during an argument regarding ocean currents. It was question as well weather or not these two processes happen when the wind pushes along the water or else if they are â€Å"convection currents† due to heating and cooling processes. It is important to note that both processes are combined in non-linear way, meaning that both cannot be separated by oceanographic measurements. That is why there are two obvious mechanisms of force, and neither are unique ly separable circulations. Moreover, if changed, the Thermohaline circulation will also change the wind driven currents (Rahmstrof, 2006). The Atlantic Ocean is the most powerful Thermohaline circulation in the oceans today. The conveyor belt roughly estimates at 15106 m3 of upper ocean water into deep water (Toggweiler Key, 2001) where currents typically extend down up to 1-2km depth, although wind only directly drives between 50m to 200m (Grinsted, 2005). Generally, the flow in the upper part of the conveyor mostly passes through the Florida Straits and up to the east coast of North America, which forms part of the Gulfstream (Toggweiler Key, 2001). However, one disadvantage may include climate change which is likely to weaken the Thermohaline circulation in the future, with some risk of triggering sudden changes, some of which can be unexpected, that may be irreversible (Rahmstrof, 2006). In Recent years, there have been numerous newspaper reports, articles on magazines and television documentaries that covered this topic involving concerning threatening scenarios of the Atlantic Thermohaline circulation being breakdown. If this is the case, than this affects and collapses the northern European agriculture and fisheries, and also glaciers will move very fast on Scandinavia and Scotland waters. Irreversible changes are set to be taken very seriously in the discussion on climate change effected by humans. (Rahmstorf, 2000). The Southern Oscillation is the most prominent year to year climate variability that exists in the world. It is associated with many risks such as; fluctuations on atmospheric pressures at sea level point in the tropic regions, a downpour of rainfall, and cold winter circulation over the North of America and other parts of the extra-tropic regions. When this Southern Oscillation was recognized in the late 1960’s, this was related to the oceani c phenomenon- El Nino (Rasmusson Wallace, 1983). Events concerning El Nino have instances which creates serious consequences for climate and ocean ecosystem. The 1982- 1983 El Nino was perhaps one of the strongest that happened. The El Nino Events, have been documented as far back as 1826 and they are usually followed by professionals that constantly keep and eye on any predictable patter when they occur about once every 4 years (Cane, 1983). The conveyor belt can be affected by global warming in two different ways; either by warming the surface or else by freshening up the surface. This effect will reduce the density of high-latitude water surfaces waters and therefore inhibits a deep formation in water (Rahmstorf, 2006). Our planet cannot lose all of its water from its surface reservoirs due to sub-duction processes. After an approximate of 1Billion years, only between 25- 30% of the newly generated ocean will be subducted into the mantle. It is also said by many scientists and geographers that in the far future, if the external forces are left separately, than the surface reservoirs will be kept in a steady state. Chances for the Earth’s ocean lie in the faith of external forcing. Unfortunately, all water could disappear as a result of increasing levels the temperature, globally, caused by the total of power generated from the Sun to space (Bounama, Franck von Bloh, 2001) How long will it take before the entire Earth dries up from its waters completely? There is still no certain answer to this. Results from studies done by Lovelock Whitfield (1982) show that liquid water will be always available in surface reservoirs as a result of internal processes, however, the extinction of the biosphere will be caused by other limiting factors caused by external forces.).(Bounama, Franck and von Bloh, 2001) References Bounama, C., Franck, S., Bloh, W. v. (1999). The fate of Earth’s ocean.Hydrology and Earth System Sciences,5(4), 569-576. Cane, M. A. (1983). Oceanographic events during el nino.Science,222(4629), 1189-1195. Cowan, A. M.  Ocean currents and climate A roller coaster analogy to the ocean conveyor belt Retrieved December, 29th, 2013, fromhttp://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/ocean-currents-and-climate/?ar_a=1 Environmental Literacy Framework. (). Global ocean conveyor belt. Message posted towww.andrill.org/education//3A/GlobalOceanConveyWCredits.pdf Grinsted, A. (2005). The thermohaline circulation. Lovelock, J. E., Whitfield, M. (1982). Life span of the biosphere. Rahmstorf, S. (2000). The thermohaline ocean circulation: A system with dangerous thresholds?Climatic Change,46(3), 247-256. Rahmstorf, S. (2000). The thermohaline ocean circulation: A system with dangerous thresholds?Climatic Change,46(3), 247-256. Rasmusson, E. M., Wallace, J. M. (1983). Meteorological aspects of the el Nino/southern oscillation.Science,222(4629), 1195-1202. Siedler, G., Church, J., Gould, J., Griffies, S. (2001).Ocean circulation and climate: Observing and modelling the global oceanAccess Online via Elsevier. Toggweiler, J., Key, R. M. (2001). Ocean circulation: Thermohaline circulation.Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences,4, 1549-1555.

Nursing Students Need Better Clinical Experiences Essay -- nursing stu

Hospital, only one word but somehow is thought of in a bad connotation. No one wants to be in the hospital and no one has a great time, however there are people who can make your stay better. Nurses can make your stay comfortable and relaxed or painful and scary. Having a caring nurse can make your experience exceptional while having an awful nurse can make everything worse. No one wants the uneducated nurse, and there is something we can do about. Nurses are â€Å"born† at the very first nursing class they attend and grow with each clinical. Clinical is where nursing students can practice as nurses in a specific area under the supervision of a licensed nurse. These clinicals are essential to the development of nursing students and need to be educational. Nursing students at State University need better clinical experiences and better clinical sites. Clinical sites that have nothing to do or preceptors who don’t want to educate should be cut out and replaced with better sites. Ideally each clinical should allow nursing students to gain experience in critical skills and patient ca...

Billy Budd Essay: Comparing Christ to Billy -- Billy Budd Essays

Comparing Christ to Billy of Billy Budd      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "I stand for the heart. To the dogs with the head!" wrote Herman Melville in his June 1851 letter to Nathaniel Hawthorne (Davis and Gilman 3). Yet, by the time he began writing Billy Budd, Sailor in 1888, Melville must have tempered this view, for Billy Budd depicts the inevitable destruction of a man who is all heart but who utterly lacks insight. Melville no doubt intends for his reader to connect this tale with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Billy Budd endures a persecution similar to Christ's; he is executed for like reasons, and he eventually ascends, taking "the full rose of the dawn" (BB 376). Yet, in creating Billy Budd, Melville forms a character who is but a half-Christ, more like the Child than the Man. Indeed, a number of characteristics and circumstances sharply distinguish Billy Budd from the complete Christ. These differences ultimately work to support Melville's (now refined) philosophy that innocence, unaccompanied by wisdom, must inevitably meet wi th destruction and that only when a man balances the "spontaneous impulses of [his] 'heart'" against the experiential "wisdom of [his] 'head'" (Howard 328) can he prevail in a fallen world.    Critics often connect Billy Budd with the Christ Child. Richard Chase, for instance, writes that Billy Budd is the realization of Melville's "fresh commitment to the infantile Christ" (267), and Milton Stern claims that Billy's behavior represents an "ideal Christliness" because he accepts "everything with animal insightlessness and the childlike faith of innocence" (216). Christ taught that to enter heaven, one must become like a little child (Matt. 18:2-3). Many have inferred from this that, from a Christian perspective, ... ...W.H. Gilman, eds. The Letters of Herman Melville. New Haven: Yale UP, 1960. Online. Internet. 29 July 1998. Available HTTP: www.melville.org Howard, Leon. Herman Melville: A Biography. Berkley: U of California P, 1951. Melville, Herman. Billy Budd, Sailor and Other Stories. Ed. Frederick Busch. New York: Penguin, 1986. - - -. Moby Dick. Ed. Charles Child Walcutt. New York: Bantam, 1981. Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader's Companion. Wheaton: SP Publications, Inc., 1991. Sten, Christopher W. "Vere's Use of the 'Forms': Means and Ends in 'Billy Budd.'" On Melville: The Best from American Literature. Ed. Louis J. Budd and Edwin H. Cady. Durham: Duke UP, 1988. 188-202. Stern, Milton R. The Fine Hammered Steel of Herman Melville. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1968. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Dallas: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1979.

The Reason for Freedom of Religion Essay -- United States Constitution

Religious influence in the adoption and development of law is contradictory to the structure of the American government and way of life. We are all familiar with the phrase; â€Å"My fellow Americans†, these are words we probably have heard many times before, Presidents have uttered them in addressing the nation, they always have the same connotation every time they are spoken, that all of us are Americans, notice please that the statement is not My fellow Christians. That’s because being an American does not automatically indicate being a Christian, one of the reasons this is such a great country is that we have specific rights guaranteed by our government, such as the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, freedom of the press and as important as any†¦.Freedom of religion. I am not a religious person, I cannot remember a time when I ever truly was, even when the central component of my parents teaching and family interaction was religious belief. I never felt it was logical to proclaim unfettering belief; it just wasn’t an investment I could make in good conscience. I agree somewhat with Karl Marx who wrote: Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions.1 though I do not believe the removal of religion is key to alleviating the condition, It is my conjecture that religious practice will di... ...r be allowed to corrupt, government in order to protect religion and liberty. And in the hopes that never again will â€Å"You shall have no other gods before me† (Exodus 20:3)5 be used as reasoning for ethnic and religious cleansing. Works Cited 1. Marx, Karl, and Joseph J. O'Malley. Critique of Hegel's 'philosophy of Right'. Cambridge [Eng.: University Press, 1970. Print. 2. "Code of Ur-Nammu." Online liberty library.org. Liberty Fund, 05Dec2010. Web. 6 Dec 2010. . 3. Mount, Steve. "The United States Constitution." USConstitution.net. U.S. Constitution.net, APR 1997. Web. 5 Dec 2010. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am1 4. Baroja, Julio Caro. The World of the Witch. 1st ed. 1. America: Phoenix Press, 2001. 125. Print. 5. Exodus 20:3 The Bible King James Version

Historian’s Wizard of Oz Review Essay

the movie `wizard of oz`, the strengths and weaknesses of each document, the major differences between the documents, and feedback on any links to present day political and economic issues. Investigate the authors background. Introduction The Historian’s Wizard Of Oz, first published in 1900, made ripples in the literary world and its writer L. Frank Baum shoot to eminence, and the result was so many of the sequels. When MGM, in 1939, decided to convert this hit into movie version, many of the adaptations of Wizard of Oz had been appeared on stage. Although the film did not cause swell at the box office sales in the beginning, but made waves, as people become conscious to its hidden meaning, years following its initial release. â€Å"Its status as an American classic owes more to television, as The Wizard of Oz became an annual television event in the 1950s and 1960s. The universal quality of the story and the warmth of the film made it appealing to people of all ages. Who would’ve thought that The Wizard of Oz contained hidden meanings†?1 Critics and observers has been interpreted this mega hit in different ways for more than a century now. And it is Henry Littlefield, a high school teacher; presented the most illustrious interpretation of The Wizard of Oz. it is a fact that Baum had been very much involved in active politics in the last decades of 1800s.But, Baum never made claim at any stage that that the story, in its contents, was an allegory for politics. â€Å"Baum’s story corresponded to the issues and figures in American politics at the end of the 19th century. Littlefield found that he could use The Wizard of Oz to teach history to his students, as the story functioned well as an allegory to the Populist movement and the 1896 presidential election†. 2 Populism, the Key Issues of 1896 and Impact on Culture More than 50 translations has been made in various languages of East and West of The Wizard of Oz so far. Even, due to its popularity, different countries adapted in a way to match the corrosponding conditions of the local culture. For instance, â€Å"in some countries where the Hindu religion is practiced, abridged versions of the book were published in which, for religious reasons, the Tin Woodsman was replaced with a snake†. 1 When Henry Littlefield article was published in American Quarterly then people began to realize that The Wizard of Oz was a â€Å"parable on Populism,† a prototype of a rural political awakening in the last decades of 1800. The Populist Party of late 19th century mobilized the Farmers’ Alliances to its advantage. â€Å"Farmers faced considerable economic hardship and they believed that monetary policy was determined by eastern bankers and industrial interests. The Farmers’ Alliances wanted greater government regulation of railroads, tax reform and the free coinage of silver to increase the money supply†. 3 Wizard of the Oz made great impression on American, Russian, and other European countries. â€Å"A mere sampling of the breadth in which it is referenced might include Futurama (which parodied it in an episode), The Cinnamon Bear (a 1938 radio serial), RahXephon (a 2002 Japanese animated television show), Zardoz (a 1974 Sean Connery movie), Wizard and Glass (a 1997 Stephen King fantasy/Western novel), and the science fiction literature of Robert Heinlein†. 4 The Wizard of Oz: the movie: the Ups and Downs Although Baum produced the â€Å"Oz† film series in 1908 and 1914 but the most famous adaptation is the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland as Dorothy. Francis MacDonell argues that the movie is an allegory of New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s program of social welfare to combat the widespread hardship of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The man primarily responsible for injecting this political message into the film was lyricist E.Y. â€Å"Yip† Harburg, who was a socialist and supporter of Roosevelt’s policies. Harburg had written the lyrics to â€Å"Brother Can You Spare a Dime?† which served as an apt anthem for the Great Depression. 5 The movie is magical and creative, its pluses is as MacDonnell described, The Wizard of Oz, †¦is a brightly-colored, visually bold, rapidly paced extravaganza, full of gaudy sets, outlandish costumes, and way-over-the-top acting.6 But, some of the scenes were insipid (the ridiculous conclusion of the poppy field sequence) or misplaced (the Cowardly Lion’s song, which occurs at perhaps the least appropriate moment). 5 A look into Frank Baum’s Life and His Political Ambitions L Frank Baum was born on 15 May 1856 in Chittennnango, New York. His earlier interest in the newspapers and magazines but when he entered in his 20s he started taking interest in theaters and operas. His mother was one of the leading champions of the Women’s Rights Movements. He shoot to eminence when he teamed up with Maxfield Parrish, the illustrator, and wrote his first book Mother Goose in Prose, afterwards he together with illustrator William Wallace he published Father Goose, His Book. Both books had drawn huge attention from the children. Nobody can say with surety that Frank Baum really preplanned to produce a work that was so much critical of the monetary aspects of the 1896 election. â€Å"Yet it is not too much of a stretch to interpret the imagery of the story in this light. Of all the fantasy characters Baum could have created to accompany Dorothy on her journey, he chose characters that evoked so strongly the occupations of ordinary people in the late-19th century—farmers and industrial workers. Lawrence Swaim suggests that Baum â€Å"may not have been conscious of [the political significance of the Oz imagery], which would explain why the political references in Baum’s books pop up in such a surrealistic way.†1 It is surprising none of the Baum biographers identified that if Baum had any political intention to write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. â€Å"If Baum had been a Populist supporter, the imagery in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz suggests that Baum had lost his zeal for the Populist movement.† 1 Endnotes 1. Ranjit S. Dighe, The Historian’s Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum’s Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002) 2. Richard Jensen, The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1885-1896 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971) 3. Martin Gardner and Russell B. Nye, eds., The Wizard of Oz and Who He Was (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1994) 4. William Leach, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture, (New York: Vintage Books, 1993) 5. Lynette Carpenter, â€Å"‘There’s No Place Like Home’: The Wizard of Oz and American Isolationism,† Film and History 15 (May, 1985), pp. 37-45 6. Francis MacDonnell, â€Å"‘The Emerald City Was the New Deal’: E.Y. Harburg and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,† Journal of American Culture (13 (Winter 1990), pp. 71-75.

Forensic Science: Evolution and how it has helped to solve many infamous crimes Essay

A murder mystery, an unidentified body, stab wounds to the chest, a pool of blood in a high end street in New York, photographers, police, investigators rush in to begin their course of work to solve the mystery of the dead body, to solve the puzzle, to tell the world the story of the dead body, to make sure the life they lived didn’t just vanish with their death in a split second. It may seem like a season premiere of the latest CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) season, within one hour you are presented with the murderer and how it occurred and why. But is it always that simple? Is it always that crystal clear? Forensic Science has never been under the eye of the public as it is right now. But the perception of what Forensics is to the public is not really what it seems to be in TV shows. Forensic Science is a much more vast collection of studies that helps put murderers and criminals behind bars. It has been present since a long time ago and its evolution from that time to now , has helped solve many infamous crimes that have shocked the world. It has become one of the most crucial elements in any trial to verify the accuracy of the evidence and to grant justice to the innocent and send the guilty behind bars. Forensic Science is known as the science of gathering evidence and establishing facts that can be taken as evidence in a court of law. (Rankin, 2013). The first use of Forensics has not been clearly mentioned, but it is evident that Forensics was used to solve cases even from long time ago. One of the most famous cases reported was the story of Archimedes, where he used his theory of buoyancy to prove whether the gold smith who built the royal crown for the king used 100% gold as he said or whether he mixed silver to it. (Rankin, 2013). From the old age, Forensics has been developing with time. Even before the invention of the microscope, people managed to link evidence and solve crimes. A few such cases include the matching of a torn piece of paper in a pocket to a gun  used in a homicide, developing the finger print system to verify and identify individuals and distinguishing the different blood categories which were some of the most basic techniques used in the early ages to dis tinguish evidence. (Rankin, 2013) With the development of technology, Forensic Science has blossomed immensely. From the use of fingerprint analysis to DNA testing, the advancement of this science has helped to solve many crimes and put criminals behind bars. It has also introduced various aspects of Forensic Science which gives importance to individual specialties and not as a whole, a few common aspects are: Pathology, Entomology, Toxicology and Anthropology. For the CSI fans, Dr. Al Robbins needs no introduction, to the others, he was the Medical Examiner in the series, a doctor who did autopsies and figured out the cause of death of the deceased. This is exactly what a pathologist does in real life even though not as sugar coated as on TV. Pathology is the study of diagnosis and disease and determining the cause of death. It involves gathering evidence from the crime scene and establishing a time of death, cause of death and identifying the body. In almost all cases, Pathology is used, as it is the factor that determines the cause of death. One case as such involves a 16 year old girl name d Leanne Tiernan. She mysteriously disappeared in November 2000 and sadly, her body was found in august 2001. According to evidence found around the crime scene- a dog collar, twine and a cable, they were easily linked back to the murderer John Taylor. But the main piece of evidence was strands of Leanne’s pink sweater which was found at John’s house which provided the final piece of evidence to link him to the murder. John was arrested in November 2001 and sentenced to life imprisonment. (Suzanne Elvidge BSc (hons), 2013) Even though Pathology is one of the main factors being exercised at a crime scene the other factors are equally essential to find out many other details about the crime. Another rather interesting method used by forensic scientist is Entomology which uses information from insects to establish the time of death and location. Naturally after death, the body goes through various stages of decay which attracts many insects in succession, scientists are then able to establish a pattern in which insects arrive at which stage; therefore, making it easy to establish a time of death. Some insects are unique to a certain region, which helps in distinguishing a location if they are found in places where they are not commonly found. Some insects suck out  blood which helps in analyzing if any toxics were involved in the death. Even though the toxicology report is a job for the toxicologist , the sample is taken out from the insect by the Entomologist. A case which used Entomology to a very high standard in the summer of 1997 was the case of Kevin Neal. A stepfather killed both his step children in an act of revenge. The Kevin Neal murder case used Entomology to great lengths. The children, 11 years and 4 years old, were both murdered by unidentified homicidal evidence, but with the help of the vast amounts of insects which gathered in the two bodies where they lay for weeks in a hot summer land, the entomologists were able to establish a rough time period of death and the cause of death to some manner of asphyxia. The fact that 3 different types of insects weren’t found to be acting in the same manner as they would on a normal body made them suspect the day which they first thought the children were murdered. Then a few weed seeds which were attached to Neal’s pants from the site, were found at his house linked him to the crime scene and after years of trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. (Gribben, n.d.) This also shows us how a simple factor such as insect succession which helped in determining the time of death which helped in forensics to form a timeline to figure the whereabouts of Neal at the time of death and link it to the murder of the children. Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects on the human body caused by toxics. It is mostly used to identify any chemicals present in the body after death to rule out foul play or suicide. Not only poisons toxicology is used to identify any foreign material that may have been become toxic while in the body. (Toxicolog y, 2013) The first use of toxicology occurred in 1751 where a woman named Mary together with her husband in need of her father’s estate gave him Arsenic in small dosages until he died. However the maid caring for Mary’s father realized what Mary did and she was accused of murdering her father. The autopsy done by 4 notable doctors at that time revealed that the cause of death was indeed arsenic poisoning and from the powder saved by the maid they conducted a very poor method of burning the powder and smelling it which confirmed it was arsenic. This was reported to be the first toxicology experiment conducted to convict a criminal. Even though the test conducted was purely vague, this incident made them develop more accurate tests to identify compounds and to make them pay attention to forensic toxicology.  (Ramsland, n.d.) If you have watched the hit TV series ‘Bones’ you probably understand what Forensic Anthropology is. The SWAGANTH (Scientific Working Group for Anthropology) defines forensic anthropology as â€Å"The application of anthropological methods and theory – particularly those relating to the recovery of analysis of human remains to resolve legal matters.† (Scientific Working group for Forensic Anthropology, 2013) Anthropology, jus t as the other sectors of Forensics, is a mystery itself. All human skeletal remains are very similar; therefore, identifying its owner can be a cumbersome task and not as easy as it looks on TV. From gathering bones to creating a three dimensional image of the individual, anthropologists have to first gather the bones, analyze it and then identify its origin. There’s a certain protocol which they follow to study their evidence and present it. The protocol is as such: Are the remains human? Do they represent one person or more? When did the death occur? How old was the descendant? What was the sex of the descendant? What was the race of the descendant? What was the descendant’s stature? Body weight? Physique? Does the skeleton present physical anomalies, signs of old disease and injuries or other characteristics which could give a positive identification? What was the cause of death? What was the manner of death? (natural, accident, suicide, murder or unknown) (Snow, Forensic Anthropology, 1982) This method was introduced after a high profile murder case which took place in the 1850’s at Harvard University. The case was called, The Parkman Murder after the murder of Dr. George Parkman. A Harvard alumnus, Parkman donated the land in which the Harvard medical school was built. Professor John Webster was a chemistry professor at the medical school his friend Parkman established. But due to hundreds of dollars Webster was indebted to Parkman, their friendship was heading downhill. Webster was a man with expensive taste that couldn’t suffice with the $4000 a year pay check he received, so  he has taken many loans over the couple of years when Webster and Parkman were friends. Parkman, let the debt go on until he found out that Webster was trying to sell off a valuable mineral collection which he put up as collateral on the loan. This made Parkman denounce Webster in public which may have been the cause for his dismissal from Harvard. Webster under false pretences then had requested Parkman to arrive at his laboratory to allegedly make a substantial payment of his debt, but little did Dr. Parkman know that, that it would be his final journey in life. Dr. Parkman was murdered that night and his body was burnt in a furnace to make him unrecognizable and if that was not gruesome enough, his body, or what was remaining, was thrown into the Charles River. The body was beyond recognition and a highly educated set of pathologists, anthropologists, odontologists who works in Harvard got together and distinguished it to be Dr. Parkman. In the following week, Webster was caught by bone fragments which were found at his home furnace. This case would go down in history as the first case to be solved down through Anthropology and a guiding stone to what Forensic Anthropology is today. (Snow, 1982) Most murder cases such as the Parkman Murder, Leanne Tiernan , are only a one time scenario. You have the murderer, the victim, the police, and the investigation. Some end up well, some end up bad, but either way, when the guilty party is charged, and the deceased family componsated, the story ends. But there are stories that don’t end that e asily. Stories which go on for years, with many people involved, many casualties that would terrorize whole nations in the matter of days and some to not be solved even after a century’s time – Serial Killings. These are killings that are premeditated and are carried out in a series over a period of time. (Jenkins, 2013) What triggers human beings to suddenly be as impulsive as to kill and mutilate their own beings, we don’t know. But fortunately Forensics has been a driving force behind bringing these notorius criminals to justice. Theodore Robert Cowell, notoriously known as Ted Bundy was one of the most gruesome and frightened serial killers in the USA. He used to pretend to have a broken arm and lured young women into his vehicle and horridly mutilated, raped and killed them. Known to be a handsome man, Bundy had no problems with making small talk to make young women comfortable around him, until he made his move. He is known to have murdered over 30 women and to date, the exact amount is unknown. A  known case, somewhat believed to be Bundy’s first, was the brutal rape of 18 year old Joni Lenz, she was found in her own basement with a bed rod savagely rammed into her ge nitals fortunately or unfortunately she was one of the very few people to have escaped the death sentence from Bundy’s terror. Bundy was not arrested for suspicion for murder, he was arrested for not stopping at a police blockade and after being stopped, the police were found suspicious items such as a ski mask, rope, crowbar and handcuffs in his car which lead to the initial suspicions. This lead to him being recorded and under surveillance for some time and after many times he was released due to lack of evidence. But due to his sadistic fantasies of biting his victims, it was Odontology that helped put Bundy away, Odontologists were able to associate his teeth marks with the bite marks of some of the victims, at the same time a few strands of hair found in his car linked him to the murders that lead to the final conviction of this mass murderer in 1989 January with his life ending in the electric chair. (Bell, 2012) The story of Richard Ramirez is quite intriguing. He was known as the Night Stalker due to his modus operandi which followed, jumping into houses and killing people inside the house. The metho d of his killings were gruesome. He would mutilate his victims by gouging their eyes out and mutilating their corpses. He was known to perform sexual activities with dead corpses as well. He was a self aclaimed satanist who had no remorse for the crimes he commited. His capture was with the help of fingerprinting techonology which was making quite a stir at that time. Ramirez’s fingerprint caught in a car was linked to him and his mugshot was sent to the police, in one weeks time, he was captured and sent to prison on the account of 13 murders. (Reporter, 2013) John Wayne Gacy Jr., a name that still sends chills down anyone’s spine was a serial killer who preyed on young boys. He would perform sexual acts on the boys who he caught and eventually murder them. Gacy was a man loved by everyone. He was a hard worker who was just trying to catch a break which he did, but would end up tarnishing his image due to his sadistic homosexual needs. Married twice, he would be no more different to your own friendly neighbor, as his close friends stated in court during his hearing. He would go on to murder more than 30 young teenage boys who he would perform sexual acts on and burying them in his own backyard. After going through the second divorce he started  his own business where he undertook work such painting, refurbishing and maintaining. H e hired young men under him to apparently lower the costs, but it was apparent that, that was a cover up to hide Gacy’s fantasies. One by one, the men at his workplace kept disappearing and after being questioned for suspicion of the disappearance of the men he hired to work for him, the sheriff in charge did a background check on Gacy and got to know about his previous acts of sodomy. He then got a search warrant to investigate his house when Gacy wasn’t in, he then went on to find many links that connected Gacy to many of the missing men and at that point he confessed to one of the murders thinking they would not dig the grave yard in his crawl space at that point. However the unbearable stench coming from Gacy’s crawl space would lead the police to dig up his backyard that would reveal the grave yard of the missing men, more than 30 bodies and of which, 7 have not been recognized up to date. Anthropology played a massive role in separating all the bone fragments gathered from his backyard and identifying their owners as well as determining their cause of death. When the final tally came up Gacy would only be second to Ted Bundy with the death toll. Even though it was one factor in forensics which helped in catching these murderers be it pathology, anthropology or odontology, all of the other factors help in verifying the data you gather. Therefore, it is not quite clear cut as to say that only one aspect of Forensics played the whole part in solving a murder. This is the reason as to the Medical Examiner is the head of the Forensic department. All the data is gathered by him and he makes the final judgment as to what the evidence shows. In forensics, the evidence is the bits and pieces of a story that is scattered around. The forensic examiner merely interprets what the evidence means to his area of expertise and delivers it to the Medical Examiner – the author. Here, the Medical Examiner gathers all the little stories scattered around and builds up the story that will be given out to the police – the publisher. In the same case, these results may turn out to not be what you expected. Sometimes, these results may interpret inconclusive results that would alter the final decision of the respected official therefore it is not always correct. Recently many scientific communities have been debating about the validity of Forensic Evidence in court due to various inconsistencies in the results that has been produced in labs. Not only scientists, many people are now questioning  the science of forensic evidence as at current, the evidence is taken for granted. With hit TV shows like CSI, Body of Proof, Bones, people are easily manipulated into believing the circumstantial evidence provided to judge a case, now called the CIS effect where people judgments are subconsciously questioned by TV shows than what is provided as evidence. Some juries who are fans of CIS have gone on to acquit obviously guilty criminals just because the investigators failed to test evidence â€Å"the CSI way†. (Cole & Diosso-Villa, 2009) These jurors are now known to rely on superficial evidence CSI has provided rather than the evidence provided. The most frightnening factor in this case is the evidence itself. Regardless of the jurors verdict, the results that have provided in some cases are now known to be inconclusive. A recent research found out that ‘identifications on the same fingerprint can change solely by presenting the print in a different context’. Called ‘conceptual biasing’ the report showed how previously identified finger print results of the samples changed when details about their arrest were told which is called conceptual biasing. (Jr. & B., 2009, 36-38p) Another case which was under the spotlight was th case of Brandan Mayfield. He was arrested with charges of being a material witne ss based on his fingerprints found in a bag where the detonation device of the terrorist bombing which occurred in Madrid, Spain which killed 191 people and injured thousands. The fingerprint of Mayfield was analyzed by an outside source by a different individual. The Spanish police then alerted the FBI regarding doubts with the findings of Mayfield and released him after 18 days with $2 million componsation. (Jr. & B., 2009) Many scholars have begun to question the accuracy of the evidence used in a court. The highly controversial Amanda Knox case was recently brought back to lime light with the Forensic Scientist in charge of the murder trial requested to retest the blood which was on the knife which was used to kill Meredith Kercher; however, the appeal judge thought the evidence was unreliable and hence dismissed the suggestion. This would have been a major point to rule out whether it was Kercher’s blood in the knife as statistically, if the testing was done more than 5 times, the results would have been more accurate with regard to whether the blood was actually from Kercher and would have either verified the unreliable evidence or dismissed it which would make a firm case for Knox’s release (Alexander, 2013) At points like   these the evidence is just put aside where it would have been of great resource. Since the inception of forensics, it has managed to send many criminals behind bars, as to whether the law decides if it is true or not is up for debate, but scientist today are trying to make the evidence they gather more reliable so that no such cases will arise in the future. The advancement of technology has helped to create many new methods of tests for the use of Forensics. A recently discovered method of finger printing was found in Australia at Curtin University using henna. The usual method of identifying invisible fingerprints were said to be by using nin-hydrin a volatile chemical, now they have been able to use henna to identify the finger prints which is not harmful at all and is available at ease. (Renee Jelly, Chris Lennard, Limc, & Almogd, 2008) Other findings include gunshot residual identification. The technology to identify minute residual materials on suspects is being developed. Earlier use, included the use of paraffin to make cast over the suspects hand and when sprayed with a reagent would turn into a specific colour, but due to cigarettes and urine also giving the same results, this method was dropped in the 1950’s, therefore this new method would be a new beginning for Gun Shot Residual identification. (Pilant, 2000) The hour of a purely fictional TV episode ends. What has is it done to you? What has it made you believe? If only forensics was as crystal clear as in TV, the police would have caught all the criminals and serial killers of the world if so, but unfortunately it is not. We have to slap ourselves back to reality and realize the situation at hand. Forensic Science has helped to imprison the demons in human form that have made you want to doubt if you will ever see your loved ones after they leave the comfort of your house. It might soon overcome the point where innocent children such as Madeleine McCann, Edward and Austin Bryant (Sampson, 2011) can be found by the use of new technology and reopen these cases and analyze the evidence recorded and stored. It would give peace to many parents who are mourning the disappearance of their loved ones not knowing whether they’re alive or not. Forensics has turned out to be a scientific breakthrough in the industry of crime. With the media attention it is getting, Forensics is at a point where it’s growing at a steady rate. It has brought a whole new era in to the cycle of forensics and what we will expect in the future will definitely be unimaginable and till then we will await. Bibliography Alexander, R. (2013, 04). Amanda Knox and bad maths in court. Retrieved 2013, from BBC News Magazine: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22310186 Bell, R. (2012). Ted Bundy. Retrieved 2013, from Crime Library : http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/bundy/index_1.html Cole, S. A., & Diosso-Villa, R. (2009). INVESTIGATING THE ‘CSI EFFECT’ EFFECT: MEDIA AND LITIGATION CRISIS IN CRIMINAL LAW. The Stanford Law Review , 1335-1373. Gribben, M. (n.d.). Crime Library. Retrieved 2013, from Crime Library; crimina mindls and methods: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/kevin_neal/1_index.html Jenkins, J. P. (2013). Encyclopeadia. Retrieved 2013, from Encyclopaedia Brittanica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/863836/serial-murder Jr., D., & B., H. (2009). Forensic Science under the spotlight. Judges’ Journal , 48 (4), 36-38. Pilant, L. (2000). Forensic Science: Bringing New Technology. Ramsland, K. (n.d.). Crime Library; criminla minds and methods. Retrieved 2013, from Crime Library: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/toxicology/2.html Rankin, S. (2013). Forensic Science. Retrieved 2013, from Forensic Science Central: http://forensicsciencecentral.co.uk/history.html Renee Jelly, a. S., Chris Lennard, b., Limc, K. F., & Almogd, J. (2008). could henna help catch criminals. Retrieved from RSC publishing: http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2008/08/fingerprints.asp Reporter, A. P. (2013). Mail Online. Retrieved 2013, from Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2343661/California-serial-killer-self-confessed-Satanist-Richard-Ramirez-died-cancer.html Sampson, J. (2011, 07). 10 Tragic cases of lost children. Retrieved 2013, from Listverse: http://listverse.com/2011/07/11/10-tragic-cases-of-missing-children/ Scientific Working group for Forensic Anthropology. (2013). Retrieved 2013, from a forensic anthropoligical scientific group: http://www.swganth.org/ Snow, C. C. (1982). Forensic Anthropology. Annnul Review of Anthropology , 11, pp. 97-131. Suzanne Elvidge BSc (hons), M. (2013, 04 21). Explore Forensics. Retrieved 07 30, 2013, from Forensic Science exploaration: http://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/forensic-cases-murder-leanne-tiernan.html Word Count – 3900

How Successful Was the New Economic Policy

The New Economic Policy (NEP) was a measure implemented in order to counter the arguably disastrous effects War Communism. The New Economic is controversial. Some historians argue it allowed the Soviet economy to solidify and begin to recover, and also allowed the Bolsheviks to retain control over Russia. Others, like Orlando Figes, state it was ultimately a failure, arguing that under the NEP the peasants grew away from the Bolshevik regime, inviting a future, and brutal, reassertion of central control. This essay will discuss the effectiveness of the NEP economically and politically as well as outlining War Communism and why it failed Michael Lynch argues that ‘By 1921, the grim economic situation had undermined the original justification for war communism. During its operation, industrial and agricultural production had fallen alarmingly. ’ War Communism was first introduced as an extreme economic measure in order to deal with problems created during the Civil War as well as enabling the Army to be fed. However in accordance with Lynch, the policy did not improve Russia’s productivity or indeed the Bolshevik popularity. The existence of the Cheka and the Red Army enabled Lenin to embark on the policy of centralisation. This resulted in a considerable increase in Bolshevik influence in the factories via the infiltration of the Workers’ committees by political commissars. This development helped prepare the way for issuing the Decree of Nationalisation in June 1918 and within two years it brought practically all major industrial enterprises in Russia under central government control. Yet nationalism did nothing to increase production due to being imposed at the time of severe industrial disruption caused initially by the strains of World War One but which worsened during the Civil War. Furthermore the military needs were given priority thus denying resources to those industries not considered essential. The situation was made more serious by factories being deprived of man power as a result of conscription into the Red army and flight from urban areas of large numbers of inhabitants who left in search of food or by means of escape from the Civil War. This led to the population of Petrograd and Moscow to drop by half between 1918 and 1921 causing a dramatic decrease in Russia’s productivity. Problems were deepened further by hyper-inflation. The scarcity of goods and the government’s policy of continuing to print currency notes effectively destroyed the value of money and by the end of 1920 the rouble had fallen to 1% of its worth in 1917. Ultimately War Communism tightened the Bolshevik’s grip on industry but did not lead to economic growth. Agriculture was also largely affected by War Communism. A major purpose of War Communism was to force the peasants to provide more food. However peasants were resistant to the government’s demands and this was largely blamed on the Kulaks who the Bolsheviks claimed were hoarding the grain. As a result the government become infuriated by the peasant’s refusal to conform and condemned them as counter-revolutionaries and restored to coercion. Cheka requisition units were sent into the countryside to take the grain by force. In 1920 the order was given to hang one hundred kulaks publically in order to terrify the population however this seemed to have the reverse effect of the one intended. With the knowledge that any surplus would be confiscated, peasants produced the bare minimum to feed themselves and their family. By 1921 a combination of requisitioning, draught and general disruption of war resulted in national famine with grain harvests in 1920 and 1921 being less than half that gathered in 1913. The matters became so desperate that the Bolsheviks admitted famine and accepted foreign assistance however foreign help was too late to prevent mass starvation. Of the 10 million of the Civil War period over half starved to death. Although War Communism proved catastrophic in terms of industrial and agricultural output the Bolsheviks saw it as true socialism due to the squeezing of the peasants and the ending of private ownership. Even after the Red Army’s victory in the Civil War, the policy of War Communism was maintained. As a short-term measure the policy produced the results Lenin wanted but severity increased Bolshevik unpopularity resulting in a number of minor outbreaks of resistance during the 1920s. But the Kronstadt Rising of 1921 proved to be highly disturbing to Lenin as he described it as the ‘lightening flash that illuminated the true reality of things’. Lynch claims that ‘As long as unrest was confined to the peasants and the Bolsheviks’ political enemies it was a containable problem’ but Lenin began to worry over the development of War Communism within the party itself. The two prominent Bolsheviks involved Alexander Shlyapnikov, labour commissar, and Alexandra Kollontai, who led a ‘workers’ Opposition’ movement against the excess of war communism. Kollontai accused party leaders of losing touch with the proletariat and from this, groups of workers in Petrograd went on strike in early 1921 justifying their actions in the proclamation than change is needed in the policies of the government. By February 1921 thousands of Petrograd workers crossed the naval base on Kronstadt claiming that Russia should be better, not worse, than Tsarist times ,as the Bolshevik government claimed Russia to be a workers’ state. In an attempt to pacify strikers Lenin sent a team of political commissars to Kronstadt who were greeted with derision. In early March, the sailors and workers of Kronstadt produced a manifesto. It was not the demands that frightened the Bolsheviks but the people who drafted them as the workers and sailors of Kronstadt had been great and popular supporters of the Bolsheviks in 1917. Shelia Fitzpatrick describes them as ‘The Kronstadters, heroes of the July Days and supporters of the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution, had become almost legendary figures in Bolshevik mythology. Now they were repudiating the Bolsheviks’ revolution, denouncing ‘the arbitrary rule of the commissar’ and calling for a true society republic of workers and peasants’. The danger for the Bolsheviks was that due to their popularity of the Kronstadters revolted the rest of the people would be due to follow. The rising was finally crushed when Trotsky ordered the Red Army to storm the Kronstadt base with violent results. Lenin took an important lesson from the Kronstadt uprising which was to avoid scandal and embarrassment of another open challenge to his party and government and so decided it was time to soften his severity of war communism leading to the introduction of the NEP in order to tackle the famine and thus prevent further uprising. The majority of historians agree that the NEP was certainly an economic success compared to the catastrophe of War Communism with both Shelia Fitzpatrick and Orlando Figes agreeing that NEP was introduced as ‘an impoverished response to desperate economic conditions’. Lenin is a pragmatic character and so seeing that peasants could not be forced to produce more food so instead must be persuaded and thus temporarily abandon the idea of War Communism. The success of the NEP can in reality only be measured by its aims. The NEP was set up primarily to stabilise the economy; this included decreasing inflation, increasing agricultural and industrial production and re-establishing trade outside of the country. The other major aim of the policy was to minimise the gap between the worker and the peasant in order to get peasant co-operation and support. Due to the fact that the NEP was set up as a result of Kronstadt its other aim is to demolish the possibility of such a rebellion happening again. Many reforms took place in Russia due to the NEP. Under the NEP the Government stopped its policy of requisitioning the peasants entire crop and instead began to take only what was needed to meet the minimum requirements of the army and the urban workers. Fixed tax in kind was introduced and although the peasants were forced to pay the tax, they were now allowed to sell the remainder of their crop for profit. They could sell either privately or to the state. This gave peasants the initiative to grow more crops as a result the grain harvest went up from 37. 6 million tons in 1921 to 72. 5 million tons in 1925. This was a success of the NEP as it increased agricultural production to Russia’s pre-war levels, which helped to stabilise the economy. Nationalisation was minimised with only the large industries remaining under state control. However, this was still a lot as 85% of the workforce worked for state enterprises, the rest for private enterprises or co-operatives. Also conscription of the workforce was abandoned. Over the course of five years, the NEP allowed industrial and agricultural output to rise to its pre-war levels. In this sense, the NEP did achieve economic recovery. However, the NEP was bitterly disliked by many leading communists who saw it as a reversal of everything they believed which will be discussed later in the essay. Although industrial production increased at a slower pace than agricultural production, which caused many problems such as the scissors crisis in 1923, it did increase. For example, coal in 1921 did not exceed 8. million tons while in 1925, it was around 18. 1 million tons, and steel production increased nearly 10 times from 183 thousand tons being produced in 1921 to 2135 thousand tons in 1925. However industry did not attain the same levels of recovery as agriculture and did not reach the pre-war level. This shows that the NEP was successful in increasing industrial production. However, the increase in heavy industry was not as great as light industry, consequently it suffered in comparison. Trade with foreign countries was also reintroduced, as earlier it had been prohibited. The ban against free trade was lifted too so the whole population was permitted to trade with one another. The state only had control over 15% of the trade; the rest was under Nepmen or co-operative control. However, the boom in private trade led to a widening gap between rich and poor. This can clearly be seen by the sudden rise in unemployment in the first two years of the setting up of the NEP. There was a lot of anger focused on the Nepmen, who were seen as the ‘new class’, between rich and poor. The workers also felt resentful towards the Bolsheviks as they felt the NEP was sacrificing their class interests in favour of the peasantry. Therefore although the NEP allowed free trade and re-established foreign trade, not everyone benefited from it. And in fact this lead to the very thing communism went against class. Nepmen became the new beneficiaries, as they grew rich. Also, the gap between rich peasants and poor ones increased as class, once again became an issue. In addition, a new currency was set up to ease the economic problem. This currency was known as the chervontsy. However, they were in heavy demand and only available in large denominations. The rouble was still legal tender until February 1924. Inflation can clearly be seen as in January 1921 there was 1,169 milliards of roubles in circulation and by January 1923 there were 1, 9994,464 milliards. This clearly shows that a change in currency was needed. Although this helped the economy as the rate of inflation decreased slightly, it did not do enough to help the people and their financial difficulties. The NEP did minimise the gap between workers and peasants. The policy meant that peasants could make more of a profit as they were allowed to sell their own produce and trade with others. It also encouraged them to work harder. However, it was the peasants who suffered most due to inflation. Although they made money, it was worth little in industry. In this way the NEP had been partly a success as it had minimised the gap and made things better for the peasants but did not improve everything. As for the NEP’s other aim, that being avoiding another rebellion like Kronstadt, the policy was successful as there was no threat of them ever losing power. Although there were protests against the NEP or some parts of it, overall these were unthreatening to Bolshevik power and were ignored or came to an end after a while. Aside from economic issues, the NEP also caused dispute amongst the Bolsheviks themselves in political terms. As Fitzpatrick argues ‘From the communist standpoint NEP was a retreat, and a partial admission of failure. Many Communists felt deeply disillusioned: it seemed that the revolution had changed so little. ’ The NEP was a mixture of socialism and capitalism and was referred to as a â€Å"step back† for the Bolsheviks as they had just defended socialism in the civil war but was now retreating into capitalism and the â€Å"old ways†. A major objection from the Bolsheviks was the reintroduction of money and private trading had created the Nepmen. It was the profiteering that Victor Serge, a representative of the Left Bolsheviks, had in mind when he described the immediate social effects of NEP: ‘the cities we ruled over assumed a foreign aspect, we felt ourselves sinking into the mire. Money lubricated and befouled the entire machine just as under capitalism’ As the NEP had become such a contentious issue among the Bolsheviks Lenin introduced the banning of factionalism as well as outlawing all other parties except from Bolshevism. The object of this was to eliminate party disputes and political rivals and to a certain extent this worked. In conclusion, the NEP was successful to a certain extent. Because of the New Economic Policy the Soviet economy revived quickly. There was more food from the farmers; there were goods in the shops and outdoor markets, However many Bolshevik members did not consider the NEP as socialism and thought that it was a betrayal of communist principles. On the whole the NEP was a success. It met most of its aims. The policy helped stabilise the crumbling economy and re-established pre-war levels. The policy decreased the rate of inflation, it increased agricultural and industrial production, it allowed free trade and re-established foreign trade. However, some of these aims it only met partly. For example although the rate of inflation did decrease it was still very high and the NEP did not stop it completely. Industry production also suffered as a result of the NEP. Although its production increased its prices rose due to the fast increase of agriculture. Trade also caused problems like the re-establishment of classes. So these aims were only partly successful and created many other problems. The NEP tried to minimise the gap between peasants and workers. Many of the aims in stabilising the economy were for the peasants’ benefits like the end of requisitioning and allowing them to trade. However, the high prices in industry and high inflation left the peasants with money which was not worth as much. However, the policy did try to get peasant support. It was partly successful in bringing workers and peasants together, however many workers felt let down by the party that was supposed to cater to their needs. The fact no major rebellions threatened the Communists shows that the policy had kept many people happy and those that protested were insignificant or in such small numbers they were unable to mount a decent threat on the party. Thus the NEP was one of the major factors that had enabled the survival of Communism in Russia. The step back from socialism and the reintroduction of capitalism had worked. Peasant uprisings virtually ceased, the economy recovered and the Bolshevik regime was consolidated