Old and New Reflected in The Great Gatsby Essay

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published in 1925. The United States was prospering as part of its post World War I recovery and this meant that the American people prospered as well. But as history will tell us the booming 20’s were a fleeting time and America was on a fast track of change. By the end of the 20’s a depression was on the horizon and the decadence of the early part of decade was over. The Great Gatsby, although not popular in its day, is representative of this old way giving over to a newer one. In addition, to changing economics there was a shift in morals and American values. Gatsby’s character illustrates all of the greedy and excessive ways of the old traditions. The novel takes place during the summer of 1922 in which Nick Carraway, a Minnesota native becomes friends with his neighbor Jay Gatsby. Carraway had recently moved into the West Egg area, where other young and newly wealthy New York residents flock toward. One is that of the greed and excessivness of the â€Å"old† ways. â€Å"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I have been turning over in my mind ever since, ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he said. ‘Just remember that all of the people of the world have not had the opportunities you have, (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 8). † Nick’s character represents the new way. He is reserved when casting judgment and his simple lifestyle reflects the idea that wealth need not flaunt itself. Gatsby threw regular parties in which he displayed excessive amounts of wealth. However, it seems that Gatsby is a lonely character. And although Nick is the opposite of Gatsby he recognizes that it isn’t Gatsby himself that is bad. It is his wealth and all of the people who feed off of Gatsby for his money. â€Å"Gatsby turned out to be alright in the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men, (Fitzgerald, p. 13). † Nick was obviously turned off by the partying and excessiveness of Gatsby’s lifestyle. One of the major motifs in this novel includes geography and how the sense of place affects ones moral background. For example Nick is from the Midwest, where life has a slower pace. In addition, the Midwestern philosophy of life includes such quips as the one from the beginning of the novel where Nick is cautioned about making judgments about other people. However, those from New York, specifically from East Egg are not as virtuous. According to Nick’s assessment the easterners are judgmental and decadent. â€Å"From East Egg, then, came the Chester Beckers and the Leeches, and a man named Bunsen, whom I knew at Yale, and Doctor Webster Civet, who was drowned last summer up in Maine. And the Hornbeams and the Willie Voltaires, and a whole clan named Blackbuck, who always gathered in a corner and flipped up their noses like goats at whosoever came near. And the Ismays and the Chrysties (or rather Hubert Auerbach and Mr. Chrystie’s wife), and Edgar Beaver, whose hair, they say, turned cotton-white one winter afternoon for no good reason at all, (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 34). † The sense of place being a factor is symbolized in the Valley of Ashes which seperates New York, land of moral decay, and the West, land of moral vigor. Other symbols in this novel include the green light which flashes on and off at the edge of the character Daisy’s dock. This light is the green light for Gatsby’s hopes and future. Which ultimatly cause his demise as well. Reference Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Young Generation in New Era

Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It has never been truer than it is today. The young are better educated. They have a lot more money to spend and enjoy more freedom. They grow up more quickly and are not so dependent on their parents. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept the ideals of their elders. Events which the older generation remembers vividly are nothing more than past history. This is as it should be. Every new generation is different from the one that preceded it. Today the difference is very marked indeed.The old always assume that they know best far the simple reason that they have lieen around a bit longer. They don't like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is precisely what the young are doing. They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency. They take leave to doubt that the older generation has created the best of all possible worlds. What they reject more than anything is conformity.Office hours, for instance, are nothing more than enforced slavery. Wouldn't people work best if they were given complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing? Who said that all the men in the world should wear drab grey suits and convict haircuts? If we turn our minds to more serious matters, who said that human differences can best be solved through conventional polities or by violent means? Why have the older generation so often used violence to solve their problems? Why are they so unhappy and guilt-ridden in their pexsonal lives, so obsessed with mean ambitions and the desire to amass more and more material possessions? Can anything be right with the ratrace? Haven't the old lost touch with all that is important in life?These are not questions the older generation can shrug off lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn' t been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to their elders for guidance. Today, the situation might be reversed. The old – if they are prepared to admit it-coutd learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not â€Å"sinful†.Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure; to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. This emphasis orr the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the shadow of the bomb: the constant threat of complete annihilation. This is their glorious heritage. Can we be surprised that they should so often question the sanity of t.he generaiion that bequeathed it?II. Read Read the following passages. Underline the important viewpoints while reading.1. Problems of the YoungMore than 20 Chinese and Ameri can experts discovered that young people of both countries are facing the same probiems of economic and social pressures and lack of confidence. Wayne Meisel, director of the Campus Outreach Opportunity League of Minnesota University, said that under economic pressure American young people have to work hard and most students have to take part-time work in order to support themselves.â€Å"Young people today, ?he said, â€Å"are stereotyped as apathetic, selfcentred, and concerned only with making money and getting ahead.† In these circumstances, he said, young people lack confidence,whicb was not the case in the 1960s when young Americans thought themselves capable of doing anything. In spite of the different conditions in China, Li Xuequan, director of the, higher education section of the All-China Youth Federation, said Chinese young people are alsc facing economic pressure and are worried about iriflation and corruption. Trading has appeared in many Chinese universities a s students with something to sell try to make money on campus.Moreover, Li said, college students have begun to doubt whether what they are learning in class will help them find work,as many businesses totally ignore students of pure theory. So people describe students as â€Å"a lost generation tired of study†, regardless of the causes in society that are shaking their confidence.

Keep Arts in Public Schools Essay

As I scroll through my Instagram feed I see various types of pictures: food, family, homework and a myriad of other subjects. One thing many of the people I see on Instagram do is take pictures in front of old, beat up homes on the east side of Detroit. Why? Well, they are not just beat up homes. They are part of The Heidelberg Project. The Heidelberg project is a live work of art that not only attempts to make beauty out of ruins, but revives Detroit in a way and also makes a political statement of events of the past and today (â€Å"FAQ†). What’s my point? Well, what has made the creator of this project, Tyree Guyton come into this neighborhood and do this? Art. He has a passion for art, and creatively applied it to his surroundings of what seemed like junk and ruins. Guyton had arts in his education and carried it with him in life. Not everybody has to develop some type of passion or love for the arts and make a career out of it, but some people do. Who would play music at events? Who would create music scores for your favorite video games and movies? Design your clothes and homes? Who would act out our favorite plays, movies and musicals? Sure, some people may not be into The Arts, and they may not be very good at it. But how will they be able to find out if they are not given the chance? The government wants to cut arts programs from public schools to ‘save money’ but it is not a wise action. Students will be less well rounded; will lack the advantage of developing specific problem solving and creative thinking skills, make students less motivated to attend school, and also gives them less of a chance to participate in something positive, prevents cultural renewal and hurts the economy more than helps it (Catherine 16). According to Ann Mary, individuals who have arts incorporated into their education end up being ‘more innovative thinkers’ (28). When students have some type of arts class, the tasks each person completes can usually be interpreted in multiple ways and can also be completed in a variety of ways. Even when playing a musical piece, certain parts are not played exactly as written. People can play based on their interpretation where it is available in the sheets. Also, many popular songs today are arranged for playing on musical instruments. Not all arrangements are the same. They may have minor differences, but they could be equally representative as a rendition of the song. Having this freedom in the creative thought process is important to have because in the real word, problems do not always have a specific and designed answer- they can have hundreds of possible solutions with thousands of ways of approaching them, or one solution with hundreds ways of approaching it. Students need to learn how to ‘think outside the box’. Students have also been proven to perform better in school when involved in arts programs (Benham 8). If the only thing left in schools is standardized testing, students will be harmed instead of helped. Standardized tests discourage any type of individual thinking or further thought on the subjects being studied by students because they are so focused on studying for the test and how it is formatted, what type of questions will be asked and which type of answers, how to decipher which is the trick answer and the obviously wrong; they take what they learn at face value and do not think twice of it or strive to learn more. It’s all about the tests, after all. When the tests are over, the information is forgotten like last seasons questionable latest fashion craze that is now replaced with an even more daring fad. Students are turned into one question, one answer, one method zombies that have nothing to receive from their education but black and white packets that determine their grade (Mary 29). School would become less enjoyable for students and they would be less motivated to attend, affecting their attendance (Catherine 17). Students that receive an arts education in school also have the advantage of being more well-rounded compared to students that go to school yet do not participate in any type of extra-curricular or elective type of classes at school. These art-involved students attract the attention of colleges more. Colleges will more likely accept and offer a scholarship to a student who is involved in music, art, or theater opposed to a student who is not involved in any activity. I know this firsthand by being told time and time again by a handful of different teachers and counselors. One of my close friends received a full-time scholarship for her time at college because of her good grades and the music and theater classes she participated in. she is now studying music. In New York, the mayor decided to cut funding for art programs that take place during and after school due to financial crisis (Taylor). This news was discouraging to parents and children and educators. The children who attend these classes most likely enjoy them and learn more than just how to paint or how to cry on spot. They make friends, learn how to work with different types of people, and discover the way things work. Someone may be participating in these activities to avoid going home to a dysfunctional family and take his/her mind off the troubles. Some find it relaxing and fun (Faraj). Some parents work till the evening and feel safer knowing that their child is engaged in a positive after school activity rather than possibly being involved in illegal or dangerous street activity. The individuals that teach these programs lose their jobs and also increase the unemployment rate which does not help the financial crisis. The government’s main reasoning behind the budget cuts is the lack of funds to continue supporting these programs. What the government does not realize is that this will lose money instead of save money (Catherine 16). The people who receive an arts education and decide to make a career out of it may start projects or businesses that pertain to what they do, and also generate more jobs for more people. This would make more tax dollars for the government and also help decrease the unemployment rate. Students that carry their arts education with them will use its benefits towards their career whether they are musicians, physicists, fashion designers, engineers, and more. Personally, I have always loved the arts, especially music. Whenever it is time for music class, I get excited. In elementary school, the class I learned the most in was music. In high school, I took piano class for two years, and even a semester of band. Piano class was the only class where I devoted the most of my efforts and time into that class and feel like I learned the most. When I took band, I learned that all of the concepts that I learned in while learning how to play piano could be applied to playing other instruments. I feel like I have benefited from learning music because it has helped me focus on a task and I learned not to give up right away. My band/piano teacher Mr. Guthre claims, â€Å"Music is the only thing a person can multitask with all while in time. You play a piece of music; think about what you are playing, what you will play next, what mistake you made, all while playing in ‘real ‘time (Guthre). Some people may not really remember their art, music, or theater classes aside from that weird painting they were shown that makes no sense at all, some old piece by Mozart that they learned about (ugh why am I learning this, its so old! ), or the ‘strange’ activities students had to participate to warm up to act out Shakespeare (yet another old guy that is centuries old, yawn), but it has still helped them subconsciously. And for those students that have stuck with anything art related, they will benefit and have the advantages of being well rounded, possessing creative thinking skills and also being able to work effectively in teams while having exceptional problem solving skills. Students will also be engaged in a positive and keeps them motivated overall. The arts are more important than they seem, and the government should reconsider where to make sacrifices to save money.

Intro to Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intro to Art - Essay Example Claude Monet belonged to the Impressionist genre of artists who aimed to preserve â€Å"the visual freshness of the first fleeting moment† (Heinrich 32) of a scene. In his portrayal, the artist did not categorise or differentiate the various objects in the scene through traditional artistic principles. Monet’s subject matter on canvas were the first impressions of a scene, composed of â€Å"blocks of colours, surface patterns, and the very air as defined by light† (Heinrich 32). The artist termed his concept as l’instantaneite, and made it his life’s work. However, he experienced despair at times, due to the unresolvable contradiction that is inherent in the aim to preserve permanently the passing moment. Boulevard des Capucines (Fig.1 below) is a distinctive portrayal of the busy Paris boulevard from an aerial perspective, viewed through the cold and damp air of winter (Nelson-Atkins, 2008). The painting portrays crowds hurrying along the pavement, and has the â€Å"blurred schematic look of an early photograph† (Ruhrberg et al 7). The brushwork of all Impressionist paintings contributed to their looking like early photographs which had a coarse-grained texture. Further, Impressionist paintings emphasized light effects in the scene; and this is evident in Monet’s flickering representation of haze and light using vibrant dabs of paint for the snow-covered ground, the people and the background images. This is supported by Forgione (p.671) who believes that in this painting human bodies look hazy, distorted, and are â€Å"reflective surfaces whose integrity is compromised by penetrating atmospheric vibrations†. Other typically impressionist features of the painting are the blue shadows and the depiction of pedestrians using bold, individual brush strokes. The forms are made to appear blurred in order to represent motion with people walking briskly in the cold air. Nelson-Atkins (2008) reiterates that Monet depicted the elusive quality of movement with

Legal and Ethical Aspecrts of Delivery Of Health and Social Care Essay

Legal and Ethical Aspecrts of Delivery Of Health and Social Care - Essay Example When handling patients suffering from terminal illnesses, it is my role to ensure that a patient can successfully manage the condition, experience reduced pain, and approach the end of life stages with a positive outlook. Although my intention is to help such patients, complications may occur because of the choices made by the patients. The case of Brian, who is 55 years old and declined to adopt the advice and the equipment presented by me presents an ethical dilemma for any nurse. In this paper, I will discuss Brian’s case study in detail, evaluating, and analysing the case study and presenting my final ethical decision. In addition, the paper will examine the utilitarian ethical principle and weigh it against the respect for autonomy in an effort to help Brian experience quality life despite his condition. Brian, aged 55 years suffers from multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a condition that presents adverse effects on an individual’s immune system. Specifically, the disease affects the protective sheath surrounding nerves. As a result, individuals suffering from the disease do not have a normal communication between the brain and the body. As the disease progresses, an individual’s nervous system may deteriorate badly. Usually, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis and patients with the disease have no other choice but to manage their condition. In the case of Brian, the disease has progressed to the level whereby he needs a wheelchair because he cannot walk (Dimond, 2011). Therefore, the disease has served to debilitate him compelling him to rely on my help and other social workers who help him to feed, wash, and get him out of bed occasionally. Worth noting is the fact that Brian does not have any carer at home because his wife suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Since Brian’s condition compels him to stay in bed or the wheelchair for many hours, he is subject to

Ethical Frame Work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Frame Work - Research Paper Example ct, performance and ethics of nurses is supposed to be guaranteed and information about the patient not to be divulged to anyone without the consent of the patient. In The National Health Service (Venereal Diseases) Regulations 1974 (Halsbury et al. 2010), which is in line the article, states that confidentiality can be breached for the purposes of treatment or prevention of that health condition. This is applicable to the case in the article where the patient’s medical condition required treatment and that could be done only with parent’s consent and hence that information about the cervical cancer had to be disclosed breaching the confidentiality code (Nathanson Feb 24th 2000). This was the ethical decision that the doctor had to make in order for the patient to receive treatment and proper care. The first step is to identify how that problem will affect the individual. In the case, if no treatment is offered and in time, the patient could spread it to others and she could also die. The second step is to identify who will be affected by the decision not to breach the confidentiality and in this case it’s the sex partners and parents. Then you should analyze the values of those to be affected and especially the parents in this situation because of the medical costs and responsibilities of the cancer. At this point make the decision which will be beneficial to the patient’s health condition, which means finally deciding on the course the course of action before it is too late for the patient. In this case, the doctor should convince the student about telling her parents for her own health safety and treatment (Jasper 2007). The ethical framework of decisions requires an individual to be very familiar with the issue under discussion, then think about it very carefully examining its pros and cons, decision on what to do should then follow, after which communication of the decision to the patient/ client is necessary and try to convince them about the

Reflective Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Reflective Report - Essay Example Furthermore, members have different experiences and each has a preferable way to research for the required information. Therefore, we all decided to choose an area in which one would prefer to focus on at the beginning. This was also informed by the limited amount of time available. Even thought the group met every week, more work was done during our private times. On the other hand, the group meetings were useful as we all used this time to share the researched information and track what areas needed to be looked into with more detail. Also, with today’s technological advancement, we were all able to contact each other through mobile phones or email so as to share the findings thus far and seek for assistance from one another. The business plan consists of three parts. One of them is the market environment, which includes external and internal analysis as well as the strategic fit of the corporation. The main advantage of researching the current external and internal situations is the ability to identify the threats and opportunities for marketing purposes (Baines & Fill 2011) (see Figure 1). In our case, the environmental scanning was essential to understand why the company chose the specific strategies it did. For example, the company decided to create the focused shapes UK music (MixtapeMadness 2014). In addition, according to Mintel (2014), technological evolution changed consumer purchasing behaviour with a majority purchasing music products online nowadays. Therefore, in order to match consumer needs, the online platform was created for music downloads. Moreover, the â€Å"PEST† analysis was highly useful to track the environment that the company operates in (Mullins 2013). For example, economical factors such as low income among young consumers have influenced the company to create a free downloading website. The business plan also contained the marketing plan, which

Research and informatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research and informatics - Essay Example The patient safety technology is transforming the way nurses deliver their care services. The devices are more accurate and less prone to errors that are inherent to human beings. The accuracy guarantees patient safety during medical procedures and treatment (Trossman, 2013). Technology can meet the safety standards set by the institute of medicine, by eliminating errors that are inherent to humans. The concept of â€Å"to err is human† is widely used in medical fields to justify human errors. The concept has multiple weaknesses. It allows health providers to act negligently without any legal implications. In extreme cases, human errors result in the deaths of patients and permanent disability. Use of technology eliminates these errors, increases efficiency and accuracy in medical procedures especially surgical procedures. Evidence shows that technology saves the lives of patients in ways that human efforts alone cannot do (Kleib, Shabe & Allen, 2012). For example, before adoption of extensive application of technology, health providers relied on their senses to detect changes and monitor status of a patient. Use of their senses such as smell, touch, hearing and sight was very subjective and prone to errors. Later on, accurate technology to detect a patient’s physical changes developed (Mitchell, 2011). Policies/guidelines/best practice for patient safety technology and nursing care advocate for building a safer health system by eliminating human errors. The concept of â€Å"to err is human† defines the challenges that hinder improvement of safety in the health care sector. However, technology eliminates these human limitations and develops a new best practice that builds a safe health system. The new system is more accurate, precise, efficient and secure because technology is less prone to errors than people (Thede & Linda, 2012). Another guideline aims at keeping patients safe by transforming the work environment for nurses. The guideline focuses

Argument paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Argument paper - Essay Example With the increased cases of crime in society, people have lived in so much fear as they fear any impending attacks and bombings, which lead to many people dying. Through the increase in the number of criminals, imprisonment is not only enough to deter the criminals and that is the reason why the judiciary enforced the death penalty and enacted it as a way of eliminating permanently the criminals and reducing their numbers. Many of those who get out of prison after long years of imprisonment often commit other bigger crimes and hence, it would be better if they were killed, because they end up killing even more people. Therefore there is need to protect the innocent and wipe away the perpetrators of crimes to humanity. The best way is through the death penalty, as other forms of imprisonment are not deterrent enough. In addition, death penalty will enable people to be more careful and appreciate the right to life for every citizen. Additionally, the sanctity of life will be maintained , as they will strive to preserve their own lives and avoid capital punishment. Therefore, it is a punishment for those who take away the lives of others, since the same measure needs to be taken against them, and i.e. they are to be killed too (Mandery and Mandery, 2011). Furthermore, various huge taxes are used to finance prisons and feed murderers in prisons, which are not fair at all since the money needs to be channelled to improve the lives of the poor who are at the mercy of the criminals. In carrying out life imprisonment, the society has to bear high costs with regard to maintaining prisoners with long imprisonment terms for crimes that prompt capital punishment. There is no doubt that the up-front costs of death sentence are relatively low, however, the alternative fronts significant maintenance costs over time (Guernsey, 2009). The financial and economic costs of maintaining a prisoner serving life are astronomical to the tune of $50000 a year, which is more than

Change context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Change context - Essay Example For example, one may question whether a halt in the organizations operations would result in the same changes observed and the consequent associated benefits, or, while in operation, what changes are the organization seeing in its context, that need to be taken into the account. A credible answer to these questions will allow the organization identify what is important and effective this will allow the organization to develop necessary activities that seek to drive the organization to an affirmative position, and communicate its impact in a better manner. Change doesn’t usually occur in an unprecedented manner, and arriving at a reasonably acceptable form of change requires assessment and implementation of strategies meant to accomplish the organizations set goals. In most cases, organizational change results from major external driving forces that the organization has little control over, such as need for increase in productivity, significant cuts in funding and need to address new market targets, among others. Normally, in a bid to keep up with these changes that affect the organization, unprecedented changes must occur, devolving the organizations structure to newer improved standards that can keep up with the changing environment. Such evolving changes may include formulation of new policies such as changing from a highly hasty decision making entrepreneurial tendency to one which observes calm and critical planning preceding decision. Such a move, which alters in the organizations operations results to organization-wide c hange. In comparison of three advertisements seeking to find viable individuals for employment in a managerial post, all the advertisements required highly trained individuals, with an adequate educational background. Also, the duties to be tasked to the manager were quite similar, including development of new organizational ideas, planning of the organizations expenditure, identification of issues affecting the

Is Qatar Economy Favorable for Capital Investment Essay

Is Qatar Economy Favorable for Capital Investment - Essay Example Oil and Gas are potential products and the two products cover half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The country earns substantial revenues from exporting oil and gas to many countries of the world. The country is progressing for many years due to increasing prices of oil and gas in the international market. Oil and gas are the tools that have provided high per capita income in the country. The country has a low rate of unemployment that indicates the strong economic position of the country. The country has nearly 25 billion barrels of oil and around 25 trillion cubic meters gas reserves that could be utilized by the country for more than 57 years in future. Qatar economy is represented as a stable economy due to its cautious macroeconomic management and natural resources (Qatar Economy Profile 2014, 2014). The country has practiced tight fiscal policy in the period of 2002-2008 when revenues were mainly generated from oil and gas products. The new projects of Qatar are indicating high growth in the economy such as Qatar’s metro system, light rail system and changing the infrastructure of the country in near future. The country has inflation so to control it the country adopts tight monetary and fiscal policy. The country has an advantage of a low unemployment rate that indicates that tight economic policies are preferred by the country to reduce inflation and retain its economic growth. It is expected that the budget of 2014-2015 will be surplus of 24 billion dollars because of high prices of oil. The monetary and fiscal management is practiced by the government on account of the country’s current economic position (Nafi, 2014). Oil and gas cover approximately half of the GDP of the economy. The energy resources that contribute over 50 percent of the total GDP are potential resources of the economy that will p0rovid much revenue in future.  

Corporate Culture is Core Competitiveness Essay Example for Free

Corporate Culture is Core Competitiveness Essay Placed in rough sea, survival of the fittest, many companies are still competitive through the development of hundreds of years; the root of the reason is that they have their own corporate culture. Well, what’s the corporate culture? Corporate culture refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that characterize members of an organization and define its nature. Corporate culture is rooted in an organizations goals, strategies, structure, and approaches to labor. Not only does the corporate culture have its own characteristics, but most importantly that corporate culture is their core value which is the first core competitiveness. The corporate culture itself is kind of wisdom, it can’t be copied; it has deep historical accumulation and precipitation. Such as that â€Å"Respect and best service† is one of IBM’s core values that are why we call IBM as â€Å"Big Blue†. If we mention blue and everybody knows it is IBM, which culture influences those people’s thinking and doing, even wherever they go, they feel proud of that they are or they were in the Big Blue. The corporate culture just likes blood in the body, can’t be seen but can feel it and envision it. Regardless of the size of enterprises, large or small, they have their own management mode. However, experience management or system management, even other kind of management, all of them will definitely rise to the cultural management in the end. Corporate culture is the source of core competitiveness, which can create the enormous amount of cohesion, drive and creativity. The business leaders are also the best founders of corporate culture and implementers. They setup the suitable culture which can give employees a great sense of satisfaction in the spirit level and cause a strong sense of belonging. With similar thinking and shared goals, creativity can flourish and create a strong and powerful source of competitiveness. Economic globalization is a trend; the competition is no longer just in products but in who has a stronger corporate culture, which can cover in the market, all aspects of the talents and customers. Once the clients accept your culture and would like to do the business with you, and then we can say that corporate culture plays the role and changed to be a strong competitiveness. So I think corporate culture will be the necessity of the enterprise management in the future.

Scientific Revolution And Secularism

Scientific Revolution And Secularism In the 17th century, Europe had undergone a drastic change in science, philosophy and politics. With new innovations in science, the world began to demystify and doubts began to disappear as new discoveries were being accomplished and questions about the anatomy, evolution and mankind were being answered. The Scientific Revolution was an indirect cause of the growth of secularism in Western Europe during the 17th century. Scientists attempted to address issues of humanity and the universe, furthermore through new discoveries they challenged preconceived notions. Galileo Galilei, William Harvey and Sir Isaac Newton were among the many scientists who, through experimentation and analysis, arrived at some of the most important scientific developments in history. Galileo Galilei was an astronomer and a physicist, born in Pisa, Italy and studied at the University of Pisa. He accumulated mathematical and scientific evidence to support the theories Copernicus held of a heliocentric universe, a theory which defied the Church and went against Aristotles theory of destiny and a divine plan. Galileo started performing controlled experiments such as rolling balls down slopes and measuring their speeds, he showed that motion could be described mathematically (Newman, 2002, p.72). Galileos physical experimentation had liberated people from confinement of religion and had initiated questioning of the Churchs views. His findings had influenced such philosophers as Locke, Machiavelli and Hobbes who had composed modernistic theories of humans and governments which had little to no room for religion and opinions of the Church. Galileo had challenged three major aspects of the Churchs beliefs, one being that there is unification between celestial and terrest rial mechanics and that the universe is subject to change. The second being his mathematical approach to reasoning which was in sharp contrast to divine revelation as the source of truth and the Church as authority of judgment. Galileos last aspect that challenged the beliefs of the Church was his support of the heliocentric cosmology, essentially diminishing the geocentric worldview of importance of humans and the idea of scattered stars with no pattern (Ardent, 2004). By remodeling the telescope, Galileo had since allowed people to visualize and experience these scientific discoveries. He disproved many long-held assumptions made by the Catholic Church during his time, and through his experimentations encouraged a new train of thought which in turn resulted in the beginning of secularism. Similar to Galileo, William Harvey had made significant discoveries which contrasted the views of the Church. Harvey was an English physician who was not satisfied with divine power as an explanation for the workings of the human body (Newman, 2002, p.73). His discoveries in human anatomy were one of the most significant achievements in physiology and medicine in the 17th century, but his work had opposed the Creation Story, which led to skepticism of the Bible. Harvey had made the discovery that humans and animals only had a limited amount of blood by cutting open the vein of an animal and allowing it to pour out (Bhatia, 2010). This was considerably different from the previous thought of blood being a natural spirit where it flowed out to vital spirits in the heart and animal spirits in the brain (Bhatia, 2010). Harvey did not burden himself with these theories but took it upon himself to solve the mysteries of the human body, separating fact from fiction and eluding the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Distinguishing that the heart was a pump and not a filtration plant where blood simply just passes through (Newman, 2002, p.74) had created a whole new way of thinking, people now knew how the heart worked and were beginning to doubt the thought of a divine plan and God creating humans, which brought about thoughts of evolution. In 1642, Sir Isaac Newton combined the knowledge of Galileo and Harvey, along with his own, to create yet another breakthrough in science which resulted in the growth of secularism. Newton accurately described the movements of objects in the solar system and how they move under the influence of universal gravitation (Bhatia, 2010). Newton had further influenced secularism by his discoveries in science, his Three Laws of Motion stated: if no force acts on an object, it will remain at rest or maintain its constant motion in a straight line every change of motion or acceleration is proportional to the force that caused the change and inversely proportional to the objects mass for every action force, there is no equal reaction force in the opposite direction. (Newman, 2002, p.73). These Three Laws of Motion had allowed people to make sense of their actions and the actions of the objects they use on a daily basis. Newton had explained things with concrete evidence, along with certain things that had only been explained in biblical texts which allowed more of a separation between government and religion. Science and technology having liberated men from the superstitions of religion, now guaranteed continuous process. (Genovese, 1997). He showed that God does not make everything happen, which caused people to stray from the belief of divine power and use science as a way of explaining the world. Newtons scientific enhancement, along with the works of Harvey on human anatomy and Galileo in astronomy and the universe, had truly boosted the growth of secularism in the 17th century. Through scientific analysis, these three scientists created new thoughts and theories that challenged the assumptions of mankind made by the Catholic Church. It was the beginning of a new era of thinking, an era where evolution of mankind and the universe were proved with scientific evidence and not holy texts. The Scientific Revolution had significantly affected the growth of secularism in the 17th century and has continued to affect secularism in the 21st century, as people still question and doubt Gods existence, faith and religion.

North American Free Trade Agreement Economics Essay

North American Free Trade Agreement Economics Essay The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of American that came into effect January 1st, 1994. This agreement established the worlds largest free trade region involving over 400 million people and 11 trillion dollars in annual production.  [1]  It established a new trading relationship based on more secure and more open access to each others markets. It was supposed to bring benefits to several sectors of the Canadian economy. Overall, consumers in all three countries were supposed to reap the benefits of the more efficient distribution of resources and by paying less for goods and services. NAFTA advocates that capital owners win, workers win, consumers win therefore everyone is better off living under NAFTA. Many government officials, businesses, and citizens however, have debated whether NAFTA has been beneficial to Canada. Proponents of NAFTA claim that because the agreement will increase trade throughout N orth America and moderate product prices, it will lead to creating new jobs in all three countries. NAFTA, while it has brought some disadvantages for Canada, as a whole it has had a positive effect. The positive effects of job creation and higher wages has been outweighed by the negative effects on the manufacturing industry specifically, the auto sector. In addition, Canada has succeeded in maintaining high labour standards and laws compare to its NAFTA partners due to Canadian legislative environment that alleviate against downward harmonization. This paper will examine three aspects of NAFTA and its effects on Canada. First, it will look at labour and discuss the effects of NAFTA on employment and wages. Then it will examine the manufacturing industry, in particular Canadas automotive industry. Finally, the paper will look at why Canada has been able to maintain high labour standards and laws compare to Mexico and the United States. It will conclude that any loss for Canada is outweighed by the gains. One of the main issues by labour rights advocates was that increased trade liberalization would jeopardize the Canadian economy to compete with low-wage workers in Mà ©xico and the southern United States.  [2]  This was supposed to push investments away from Canada, especially from low-skilled industries, leading to plant closures and cutbacks resulting in job losses. It was further argued that the competitive environment would causes wages to decrease. Gunderson simulated the possible impact of NAFTA and analyzed the expected wage and employment impact of trade liberalization. His study showed that the overall impacts are likely to be positive but extremely small for both Canada and the United States, as job created associate with export expansion is slightly higher than job destruction associated with increased imports. He also found that job gains would be at the high end of the wage spectrum, while job losses, which can be significant in some sectors, would be at the lower e nd.  [3]  Opponents may argue that this is not beneficial to the economy as there are more people in Canada working in low-end jobs than there are in high-end jobs. When the low-end job workers are unable to find employment they would be forced to go on social welfare such as unemployment insurance. This would cost the government more because the government would lose a source of income due to the elimination of tariffs, less people paying income tax, and supporting the unemployed through unemployment insurance and other welfare programs. However, this is not the case because studies have shown NAFTA has had no effect on unemployment, instead since NAFTA came into effect Canadas employment rate has increased. In a recent study conducted by the Bank of Montreal involving 109 senior executives in Canada, it concluded that majority of the businesses have either hired more or employed the same number of people since NAFTA came into effect. In addition, most employers reported that NAFTA has not affected their labour costs and it has increased their productivity level.  [4]  This increase in productivity may have to do with fear of relocation to southern United States or Mexico. In Canada, 50 percent of the senior executives reported that they had hired more workers, 39 percent stated no changed in work force size, and merely 11 percent reported they had lost workers.  [5]  This study shows critics that NAFTA has not resulted in unemployment and companies have either hired more or employed the same number of people while increasing productivity levels. A study conducted by Vicario, an economist with the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation (NAALC), supports the findings of the Bank of Montreal. Using Canada Labour Force statistics, she found that the average growth rate of employment from1994-1998 remained at 1.9 percent per year, or an annual increase of 258,000 jobs. Most of these jobs were full-time, as matters of fact, in 1998, 9 out of 10 jobs created were full-time. What is more surprising is that workers salary increased by 2.6 percent between 1994 and 1997 and 0.3 percent in 1998.  [6]  This study goes a step further because it proves to NAFTA critics that NAFTA has helped create jobs and increased wages for the employees. It is safe to say that employers are making a larger profit because they would only increase wages if their profits increased. This research shows that NAFTA has not only created jobs but also increased company profits and employee wages. Kumar and Holmes conducted a study in the auto industry of Canada, a sector that NAFTA critics feared would have harsh negative impact due to low-wage competition from Mexico and southern United States. Their study concluded that production level and employment in the Canadian automotive parts industry grew significantly between 1991 and 1996. They further claim that there is no evidence to suggest that NAFTA has had any negative effects on the Canadian auto industry.  [7]  Regardless of these positive effects, employers and unions have been pressured to reduce wages and cut jobs in the manufacturing sector.  [8]  This is a small price to pay because overall Canada has become a richer country since NAFTA came into effect. Overall, Canada has had a higher employment rate, higher company profits, and higher wages. According to Canadian unions, companies would invest where there are reasonably low labour and environment standards. These investment decisions, and the threat to re-invest, would consequently force governments to lower their labour standards in order to attract new or retain existing business.  [9]  Although these fears are legitimate, studies have shown when investors choose a country to invest, they place the value of workforce, social, and political steadiness over labour cost.  [10]  They do so because high labour standard result into high levels of productivity and economic performance. Satisfied workers are an outcome of high wages and high work place standards that results in a higher quality of performance. Higher safety standards have proven to reduce costly workplace accidents and save on health care bills. Freedom of association and collective bargaining will result in better cooperation between management and workers, thereby reducing if not eliminating costly s trikes and improve social stability.  [11]  Since Canada has a higher rate of unionization than the United States thanks to Canadas beneficial labour laws, downward harmonization posed a serious threat to Canadian unions.  [12]   There are a number of factors that prevent downward harmonization in Canada. First, labour laws fall mainly under provincial jurisdiction and therefore, ideological forces are more influential.  [13]  For example, the New Democratic Government in Ontario under the leadership of Bob Rae passed several pieces of pro-labour legislation such as, prohibition on the use of replacement workers. The social democratic governments in British Columbia and Saskatchewan have also passed several labour-friendly legislations to protect the interest of workers.  [14]  The successful implementation of these legislations proves that NAFTA has strengthened Canadian labour standards and laws. Secondly, labour boards and independent arbitrators have enjoyed greater autonomy in enforcing their decisions though court orders in Canada. Over time, and with relevant court decisions, a significant body of case law  [15]  has developed, and it would be tough for pressure from free trade to weaken this base. In the United States, employers often use the means of courts to oppose decisions by the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB). This however, is not a problem in Canada.  [16]   Third, unions in Canada are often more cautious and political than in the unions United States. Their constant support from left-leaning New Democratic Party governments has strengthened their agenda on the legislative process. In addition, their vigilance against free trade was in a large part responsible for public dissatisfaction of NAFTA in Canada, as shown in national polls, and making NAFTA an election issue.  [17]  These kinds of tactics will most likely continue to prevent anti-labour laws being passed in Canada. According to research conducted by Gunderson, four relationships must exist for downward harmonization of labour laws and standards to occur because of trade liberalization. First, the labour laws must be implemented and actively enforced. Secondly, the laws must lead to an actual or perceived increase in labour costs to business. Third, the higher labour costs must discourage investments and influence plant location decisions. Fourth, jurisdictions must compete against each other for investments and jobs based on decreasing their costly labour laws.  [18]  Though it is possible for the race to the lowest common denominator, considering the inter-connectivity of these relationships and the political and institutions influence working to prevent downwards harmonization, it is highly unlikely it will ever occur in Canada. Many critics argue that there has been a decline in Canadian social standards, such as cutbacks in employment insurance, pensions, and health insurance since NAFTA came into effect  [19]  However, these cuts back are probably due to fiscal problems facing governments rather than NAFTA. There is also persistent pressure on both provincial and federal governments to cut taxes that may result in less spending on social welfare programs. Thus, the optimistic results of job creating and higher wages have outweighed the negative results on the auto sector. Canada has also been able to maintain its high labour standards and laws compare to Mà ©xico and the United States. Critics have argued that Canada would lose jobs due to re-location to other NAFTA partners this has not been the case as studies have shown NAFTA has not resulted in unemployment. NAFTA has shows to increase company profits, employee wages, crate jobs, and increase productivity levels. Though unions in the auto sector have been forced to reduce wages and cut jobs, it is a small price to pay for higher employment rate, higher company profits, higher wages, and the ability to retain business in Canada. Unions thought Canada would have to lower its labour standards and laws to compete with Mexico and the United States however, studies have shown when investors choose a country to invest, they rank the quality of workforce, political, and social stability above low labour cost. There are also several institutions and ideological forces in place that work against downward harmonization of labour standards. After 16 years of living under NAFTA, it is safe to assume that Canadian consumers will keep reaping up the benefits for many decades to come.

Motherly Love Essays -- essays research papers

Motherly Love   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the three stories we read by Flannery O’Connor; â€Å"The Comforts of Home†, â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge†, and â€Å"The Enduring Chill†, the major relationship portrayed was between mothers and their hypersensitive sons. While all of the major characters, the sons, were noticeably similar, the lesser characters of the mothers were also very alike in many ways. Many of their views, gestures and outward qualities paralleled throughout the stories. After rereading all of the stories again I came to the realization that the mothers O’Connor wrote in her stories were variations of the same person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the qualities that jump out first is that all three mothers are incredibly proud of their sons, even if they have no reason to be. Julian’s mother loves to tell people how her â€Å"son finished college last year. He wants to write but he’s selling typewriters until he gets started† (10). She does not care that he has not truly written anything, but that he has graduated college and that he is trying to get his life on track. She is constantly reminding him that â€Å"Rome wasn’t built in a day† (11), and she truly believes this about her son; that eventually he will go places with his writing. Mrs. Fox, Asbury’s mother, while not particularly glad that he is a writer, is proud that he is an artist and has every faith that her son â€Å"might be writing a long book† (90). While not as vocal about how she is proud of her son, she is happy that he is doing what he wants; writing. Thomas’ mother was often found boasting about her son to Star Drake. In the two’s first meeting, Thomas’ mother tells Star that â€Å"Thomas writes history†¦ He’s the president of the local Historical Society this year† (123). This statement alone proves that she is impressed by what her son does and what he has become in his life, otherwise I doubt his mother would have mentioned it. A lot of the pride these mothers have in their son’s may be due to the fact that, except in the case of Asbury, they are only children to single mothers. Since they are all portrayed as older women, of course they will have pride in what their sons do, since they have little in their lives to boast about. Yet, it seems to me that these mothers feel their sons can do no wrong in life, which may be a cause of why their sons tend to walk all over them. &nb... ...l are single and assumed to be widowed. O’Connor uses the blue eyes to further connect these background characters who have more in common then what initially meets the eye.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the three stories by Flannery O’Connor that we read for class, the mothers played more important roles then initially thought. They help to shape the story and their sons. Each of them has their own individual qualities, but is very similar to the others. They are all proud of their sons and their achievements, even though these boys feel that they are lacking in one-way or another, are very innocent in all that they do and think, and have many similar outward qualities. These factors put together lead me to believe that O’Connor had the same person in mind when writing each of these stories. Maybe she used different aspects of the same person, but it would be hard for me to believe that more then one person was in mind when writing these stories. The same innocent, heart-driven, blue-eyed mother was depicted in all three stories, just in slightly different situations. In summary, O’Connor had the same person in mind when writing about the mother in all three of these stories.

Essay --

Environmental decision-making has become a tool in the hands of communities and NGOs to oppose development projects that may benefit the larger society. Indeed it may be argues that such participation in environmental decision making limits economic progress. Fracking also known as hydro-fracking or hydraulic fracturing is the process of using millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and other variety of chemical commonly known as frack fluid to fracture shale rock thousands of feet below the ground and these fractures open allowing gas to seep back through the drill-hole and be extracted to the surface . It is the process by which natural gas ‘shale’ and oil are extracted from the ground by opening and widening fractures below the earth surface and injecting a mixture of water, chemicals and silica sand at high pressure into drilled wells in the earth to push the natural gas and/or oil onto the surface . Hydrofracking is a stimulation technique used to increase the yield of natural gas wells . In organically rich shale formations such as the Appalachian, Marcellus Shale, natural gas occurs in three ways: within the pore spaces of the shale, within natural vertical fractures or joints in the shale, and adsorbed to mineral grains and organic materials within the shale . Most of the recoverable gas is located in the pore spaces, but because the pores are tiny and insular, extracting gas from them is difficult. Because of shale’s low permeability, the vertical wells traditionally drilled in the Marcellus Shale and others yielded gas at a slow rate . Geologists noticed, however, that the most successful wells shared a common trait: a wellbore that intersects numerous fractures in the shale. These fractures in turn intersect oth... ...n the US has been in practice for a really long time and the percentage of proven environmental impacts caused by fracking are low. In a University of Texas study an estimate of approx. 1 million oil and gas wells have been drilled and fracked. News reports, public debates and environmental groups all have their respective facts and figure of the impact of fracking to the environment. There have been peer-reviewed scientific reports into the potential impacts of fracking but these studies show that risk of leakage for instance is dependent on the quality and integrity of the borehole casing and cement job rather than what is brought about by fracking. Other environmental impacts are dependent on the logistics and extraction plan. 1. Ground water contamination This is the most discussed issue raised about fracking, it is also the most serious environmental concern Essay -- Environmental decision-making has become a tool in the hands of communities and NGOs to oppose development projects that may benefit the larger society. Indeed it may be argues that such participation in environmental decision making limits economic progress. Fracking also known as hydro-fracking or hydraulic fracturing is the process of using millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and other variety of chemical commonly known as frack fluid to fracture shale rock thousands of feet below the ground and these fractures open allowing gas to seep back through the drill-hole and be extracted to the surface . It is the process by which natural gas ‘shale’ and oil are extracted from the ground by opening and widening fractures below the earth surface and injecting a mixture of water, chemicals and silica sand at high pressure into drilled wells in the earth to push the natural gas and/or oil onto the surface . Hydrofracking is a stimulation technique used to increase the yield of natural gas wells . In organically rich shale formations such as the Appalachian, Marcellus Shale, natural gas occurs in three ways: within the pore spaces of the shale, within natural vertical fractures or joints in the shale, and adsorbed to mineral grains and organic materials within the shale . Most of the recoverable gas is located in the pore spaces, but because the pores are tiny and insular, extracting gas from them is difficult. Because of shale’s low permeability, the vertical wells traditionally drilled in the Marcellus Shale and others yielded gas at a slow rate . Geologists noticed, however, that the most successful wells shared a common trait: a wellbore that intersects numerous fractures in the shale. These fractures in turn intersect oth... ...n the US has been in practice for a really long time and the percentage of proven environmental impacts caused by fracking are low. In a University of Texas study an estimate of approx. 1 million oil and gas wells have been drilled and fracked. News reports, public debates and environmental groups all have their respective facts and figure of the impact of fracking to the environment. There have been peer-reviewed scientific reports into the potential impacts of fracking but these studies show that risk of leakage for instance is dependent on the quality and integrity of the borehole casing and cement job rather than what is brought about by fracking. Other environmental impacts are dependent on the logistics and extraction plan. 1. Ground water contamination This is the most discussed issue raised about fracking, it is also the most serious environmental concern

The Preprogrammin of a Child Essay -- essays research papers

A child is a blank book and a parent is the pen. A parent or elder makes a remark or takes action, and a child often will respond by mimicking what has been said or done. The essence of a child is one of innocence as well as gullibility. Adults serve as an abundance of knowledge, rules, and regulations, which a child is supposed to live and abide by. Not all children will obey the regulations expected of them, yet certain rules are more critical than others. When disciplining children, parents and adults take rules pertaining to gender specifications much more seriously than most other topics of obedience, without acknowledging they are practicing such behaviors. Gender distinctions are apparent within the way children are spoken to, how they are treated in certain situations, and the toys they play and interact with. Ultimately in a media driven society, such as America, it would be nearly impossible to raise a child free from gender stereotyping. Over the course of more recent yea rs the distinct gender defined world of toys has been lessened, yet most of these stereotypes still seem to appear to be engrained into a child’s brain almost from birth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As early as the birth of a child there are specified gender separations. Once born, a child is distinguished by either the color blue or pink. You can see a pink stork on the corner for a new baby girl or a blue stork for a new baby boy. Of course these colors are not comprehensible to the child, yet children throughout the rest of the neighborhood view these signs. A parent may make a comment pertaining to the neighbors having a new baby boy simply because of a blue sign. This could be one of the initial unconscious comments a parent or adult may make, which instills such beliefs that color defines gender. Throughout adolescence it is a rarity to see a young boy wearing a pink shirt, because there is a stigma associated with a young boy wearing the color pink. We take such an ineffectual concept, a color, and place behind it prejudice. Later on in life wearing the color pink can conjure up assumptions of homosexuality. These judgments have no validation to them, except the stigma American’s associated with this color throughout childhood experiences and understandings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example of the emphasis of color on gender can be directed at the legos toy.... ...bsp;Children are blank books who need direction; it is obvious that parents are not the only ones holding the pen to dictate their knowledge. Other adults, peers, and society take their turn in marking their territory. In order to raise a child free from gender stereotypes, that child must be home schooled, not allowed to entertain themselves with most reading material available, and could not be permitted to socialize with anyone outside their â€Å"regulator.† The way in which society has been constructed restricts the level of censorship available outside the home. In other words this society has such an immense amount of gender stereotypes within every aspect of the outside world that it would be just about impossible to out run their impact. Ideally each person should be able to get past what society dictates, yet it is much easier to fall into the trap of acceptance. It is very difficult to parade a boy of two years old, in a pink outfit without feeling the stare of disapproval from outsiders. People must use the term acceptance rather than exclusion, because the worst oppression is that which is placed on a child who does not have the capability to understand his or her choices.

Psychophysiological Aspects of Stress Essay

Stress seems to be an unpleasant, but essential part of human life. Adverse events happen in life, and hardly anyone is an exception. However, the same negative life events may result in different outcomes depending on the individual who faces them. To paraphrase the common words, â€Å"what doesn’t kill you (just) makes you stronger†. The question of what inner resources help one cope with stressful â€Å"lemons† in one’s life, and perhaps, â€Å"make lemonade† out of them has long attracted attention of philosophers, writers, moviemakers, and at some point every person who has experienced negative life events. It is not surprising that the issue of individual differences in response to stress has been extensively explored in psychology. Individual differences may vary from situational resources, such as social support, to personal resources, such as certain personality traits (e. g. , hardiness, explanatory style, optimism, self-esteem, psychological control, etc. ) These psychosocial resources strongly influence both psychological and physiological outcomes of stress. The Alameda County Study showed that those people who had more ties to their community and social network lived longer (Berkman & Syme, 1979). Receiving social support helped women with ovarian cancer cope with their illness better (Costanzo et al. , 2005), whereas social isolation strongly increased the likelihood of stroke recurrence in patients with stroke (Boden-Albala, 2005). Lack of social support strongly predicted elevated levels of anxiety and depressed mood (Godin, 2004). Personality resources may also help people cope with stressful life events. For example, optimistic explanatory style was associated with significantly fewer physical complaints in college students (Carver & Scheier, 1999), whereas pessimistic explanatory style increased symptoms of depression (Bennett & Vanderbilt, 2002). Perceived control also appears to mitigate the effects of stressful life events (Frazier, 2004). Finally, almost 3 decades of research on the moderating effect of hardiness has linked this personality resource to physical and mental health (Maddi, 1999). Specifically, hardiness is associated with fewer symptoms of depression (Oman, 2003) and burnout (Cilliers, 2003), and it physical strain as well (Beasley, 2003). The list of personal and situational resources moderating the effect of adverse life events is far from being complete; in fact, it may be quite extensive. Given the strong moderating effect of psychosocial resources on mental and physical health established by the previous research, the questions that arise, such as how exactly do these resources affect health? Are there any physiological differences in the way those individuals who have more psychosocial resources, and those individuals who have fewer resources, react to stress? The present study aims to answer this question with regard to the effect of personality hardiness on physical outcomes of stress. Research has shown that hardy individuals appear to thrive on stressful life events (Maddi, 1999). Hardy individuals are committed to their work and family, they perceive control over their life circumstances, and they perceive stressful life events as an opportunity for growth and development, rather than a threat (Maddi, 2002). Hardiness is an important moderator of stress response, yet little research has investigated the differences in the physiology of stress responses in high hardy versus low-hardy individuals. Previous research found that increased physiological reactivity to stress (for example, in terms of blood pressure) is associated with detrimental health outcomes, such as hypertension. However, hardiness has been strongly linked to better health outcomes of stress (Beasley, 2003; Cilliers, 2003; Maddi, 2002, Oman, 2003). Previous research has also shown that identical blood pressure increases can be produced by different hemodynamic mechanisms, with negative or neutral implications for health (Sherwood et al. , 1999). The goal of the present study is to clarify how hardiness takes its effect on health in terms of the psychophysiology of human stress responding. The Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat In this paper, the physiological response to stress is conceptualized within the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat paradigm developed by Blascovich, Mendes, Tomaka, and colleagues (Blascovich, Mendes, Tomaka, Salomon, & Seery, 2003; Seery, Blascovich, Weisbuch, & Vick, 2004). In a series of studies, Blascovich, Tomaka, and colleagues demonstrated that threat and challenge appraisals are associated with distinctive patterns of cardiovascular response during a goal-relevant, motivated-performance task (Blascovich et al. , 1999). In Obrist’s terms (1983), this type of task involves active coping. In order to evoke both challenge and threat reactivity, the task should be engaging and psychologically involving, such as taking a test, making a good impression, giving a speech, and engaging in athletic competition (Seery et al. , 2004). Challenge appraisals are associated with positive affectivity, greater engagement in the situation, and are mediated by the myocardial response; whereas threat appraisals are associated with negative affectivity and blood pressure responses that are mediated by the vascular resistance. Challenge and threat are distinguished by changes in total peripheral resistance (TPR; the index of net constriction of the blood vessels) and cardiac output (CO; the amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute). In relative terms, greater CO and lesser TPR reflect greater challenge/lesser threat response profile. According to biopsychosocial model, threat reactivity is associated with detrimental health outcomes of stress. Blascovich and colleagues tied Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional model of stress and coping to physiological response to stress in terms of myocardial and vascular hemodynamic profiles. According to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), when the individual confronts new or changing environment, he/she tries to determine the meaning of the event (â€Å"primary appraisal†). Primary appraisal is concerned with whether the event is likely to be neutral, positive, or negative in its consequences. Negative events may be appraised in terms of future damage potentially produced by the event (â€Å"threat†), or as damage that has already been made by the event (â€Å"harm†), or in terms of one’s potential to overcome the event and perhaps even benefit from it (â€Å"challenge†). Secondary appraisal is concerned with the evaluation of whether one’s resources are sufficient to meet the threat, harm, or challenge. The balance between the primary and secondary appraisal determines one’s experience of stress. Blascovich and colleagues (Blascovich et al. , 2003) conceptualized threat/challenge essentially in terms of the ratio between the primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. In addition, in their approach, primary appraisal involves estimations of danger, uncertainty, and required effort. Danger, uncertainty, and effort define how demanding the situation is. The subjective experience of stress then depends on the ratio between the demand and one’s coping resources. If the demand is high, and the resources are low, the individual feels threat. If the demand is high, but at the same time the coping resources are sufficient to meet it, the individual feels challenge. Threat appraisal implies the aversive experience in that the individual anticipates damage from the situation, and presumably experiences negative affectivity, such as fear, anxiety and anger. In contrast, challenge appraisals are considered less aversive, with a primary focus on the potential for growth or gain that can come from the situation, although damage is also possible. Challenge appraisals are therefore theoretically associated with increased motivation and positive affectivity, such eagerness, excitement, and exhilaration. To reiterate, it is the threat appraisal that primarily accounts for perceived stress (Tomaka & Palacios-Esquivel, 1999). Blascovich and colleagues conceptualize threat and challenge as two opposite points on the single appraisal continuum. This is also different from Lazarus and Folkman’s conceptualization of threat and challenge as not mutually exclusive appraisals. Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) concept of appraisal has come under considerable criticism (Zajonc, 2000). Zajonc believes that cognitive appraisal and affective experience are â€Å"distinct, conceptually separable processes† (Zajonc, 2000, p. 31). The appraisal theories of emotion were considered too â€Å"cognitive†, conscious, and slow, as appraisal often occurs unconsciously and quickly. The proponents of appraisal theories respond that appraisal does not need to be conscious as it often occurs unconsciously, automatically, and very quickly, and appraisal may be accompanied by subcortical as well as cortical processing (Ellsworth, Scherer, & Forgas, 2003). That’s why, according to appraisal theorists, although stressful experience is defined as a combination of appraisals, it is not experienced as such (Ellsworth, Scherer, & Forgas, 2003). However, this makes appraisal difficult to study. Self-reports might not adequately reflect one’s appraisal, and because appraisal is assessed a posteriori, a wide variety of confounding variables may interfere with accurate measurement. Within the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat, appraisal is conceptualized as a process involving both unconscious and conscious processes; and therefore the best way to investigate appraisal would be to manipulate the task in the experiment, whereas subjective evaluations are considered much less reliable (Blascovich et al. , 2003). The biopsychosocial model is based on Dienstbier’s (1989) research. Dienstbier (1989) argued that there are two axes of stress response, sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA), both of which serve to mobilize energy reserves. However, SAM activation involves the release of catecholamines, including epinephrine and norepinephrine, which have a half-life in the body for only a few minutes, whereas HPA activation involves the release of cortisol, which has a half-life in the body for approximately 90 minutes. Thus, SAM allows for rapid energy mobilization, whereas HPA involves long-term mobilization of energy resources. Dienstbier’s (1989) argued that fast large SAM response to the acute stressors coupled with low HPA response is indicative of the organism’s physiological toughness and adaptive pattern of stress responding. According to Frankenhauser (1983), SAM activation is associated with greater coping effort, whereas HPA activation reflects greater negative affect. Both Frankenhauser (1983) and Dienstbier (1989) believed that the stressors involving joint activation of the SAM and HPA have the most detrimental effect on health. For example, individuals with hypertension were found to have both higher diastolic blood pressure reactivity and higher cortisol reactivity to stress (Nyklicek, Bosch, & Amerongen, 2005). Thus, joint SAM axis and HPA axis activation is observed in hypertensive individuals, i. e. , the group that has traditionally been found to be especially vulnerable to the effect of stressful life events. Blascovich et al. (2003) argued that challenge reflects primarily SAM axis of stress response, whereas threat reflects joint activation of the SAM and HPA axes of stress response. Blascovich and colleagues did not empirically test this assumption. This conceptualization of the treat and challenge profiles as reflections of sympathetic/HP A reactivity has come under considerable criticism in the recent literature. Wright and Kirby (2003) argued that this conceptualization may not reflect the true activation of the stress response system, and it needs to be tested empirically before one can rely on the assumption. The Effect of Individual Differences on Hemodynamic Response to Stress Individual differences in hardiness may have impact on one’s response to stress. To understand the influence of individual differences on the physiological response to stress, it is important to establish if the hemodynamic profile is a characteristic if the individual, or a function of the situation. Would a specific situation elicit the same hemodynamic response in all individuals? Or, is the hemodynamic response a stable individual trait? To answer this question, one should consider the research on the consistency of hemodynamic profiles across diverse tasks and over time. Previous research suggested that hemodynamic responses are to some extent situation-specific. The myocardial hemodynamic profile is evoked by the tasks that require active coping (Obrist, 1983) or fight or flight response; whereas vascular hemodynamic response is evoked by the tasks that require passive endurance and offer little control, such as cold stressor tasks. Blascovich and colleagues (Mendes, Blascovich, Lickel, et al. , 2002) used a speech delivery task to validate their theory. The participants were instructed to deliver a speech in the presence of either a same-group partner (challenge) or an out-group partner (threat). As expected, the TPR response was higher in the threat condition, whereas CO response was higher in the challenge condition. Maier, Waldstein, and Synowski (2003) used a computerized mental arithmetic task to find that challenge appraisal was related to greater positive affect and task engagement, whereas threat appraisal was related to greater negative affect and perceived stress. Prkachin, Mills, and Husted (2001) found that anger-inducing interview led to the vascular response, whereas mental arithmetic led to the myocardial response. Hartley, Ginsburg, and Heffner (1999) showed their participants a previously recorded videotape, in which they were disclosing personal information about themselves. The participants in the active condition were allowed to mark the segments of the tape, which they wanted to re-shoot before the tape was â€Å"evaluated by the reviewer†; whereas the participants in the passive condition were not allowed to mark the segments of the tape. Both conditions produced similar elevation in blood pressure; however, in the active condition, blood pressure elevation was elicited through myocardial mechanism, whereas in the passive condition, blood pressure elevation was elicited through the vascular mechanism. Gregg, James, Matyas, and Thornsteinsson (1999) found that mental arithmetic task elicited myocardial response, and cold pressor task elicited vascular response. Quigley, Barrett, and Weinstein (2002) did a within-subject analysis of cardiovascular reactivity to the different tasks, and found that greater CO was associated with greater challenge implied by the task (serial subtraction); however, there was no difference in TPR. Although Quigley and colleagues (2002) investigated the differences in physiological reactions produced by different tasks within the individuals, they did not investigate the consistency of these reactions within the individuals themselves, i. e. , how stable was the hemodynamic response within a given person across different tasks. Previous research has established that at least some parameters of cardiovascular reactivity may be stable characteristic, such as blood pressure reactivity. In other words, the individuals with higher blood pressure reactivity would consistently exhibit this response pattern in different circumstances. Sherwood et al. (1999) argued that hemodynamic profiles also represent a trait, as individuals have a tendency to exhibit a certain type of response across diverse tasks. However, this is a very â€Å"relative† tendency as it is determined by comparison with other individuals. So instead of always responding in a fixed way to all situations, a particular individual would just show more/less myocardial/vascular response comparing to other individuals in the context of a given task. In addition, Sherwood et al. (1999) argued that the individual’s tendency to exhibit a particular hemodynamic response profile is stable over time. For example, middle-aged Type A men exhibited significant correlations over a 3-month interval on a competitive reaction time task (Sherwood et al. , 1999). Kamarck et al. (2000) identified myocardial and vascular responders in the initial testing session, and this tendency was stable after a 4-week interval. Thus, there is evidence that hemodynamic profiles may be relatively stable across tasks and across time, i. e. , some individuals may respond in a relatively more myocardial/vascular way to diverse tasks, and this response may tend to be stable over time. What are the factors that may influence one’s hemodynamic response pattern? Previous research indicated that ethnicity may be one of these factors as African American individuals typically have a tendency to respond in a vascular way; in addition, there are significant gender differences (Allen, Stoney, Owens, & Matthews, 1999). However, there is little research on the personality factors that might affect hemodynamic pattern of responding. Cooper and Waldstein (2004) found that hostility was associated with greater TPR. Cacioppo and colleagues (2002) and Hawkey, Burleson, Berntson, & Cacioppo (2003) found that in young adults, loneliness was associated with higher TPR and lower CO, whereas non-lonely young adults had higher CO. Tomaka and colleagues (Tomaka et al. , 1999) found that approach motivation was associated with higher CO. However, these two studies looked at the state variables, such as loneliness and approach/avoidance motivation. It might be of interest to investigate the effect of stable personality traits as well. Previous research has documented the health-enhancing and health compromising effect of a number of personality variables, such as optimism (Carver & Scheier, 2001), Type A, and hardiness (Maddi, 1999) in terms of blood pressure and future risk for hypertension and CVD development. Yet, there has been little research investigating the effect of personality variables on the hemodynamic mechanisms underlying BP reactivity. Blascovich and colleagues (2003) emphasized the need for research clarifying the effect of social and emotional factors on the patterns of physiological response associated with challenge and threat appraisals. HPA Reactivity in Response to Stress Situations Evoking HPA Activation HPA response is elicited by the situations implying significant threat to the individual, such as physical survival (Sapolsky et al. , 2000) and threat to one’s important goals (Carver & Scheier, 1999). Cortisol helps the organism manage short-term metabolic demands of the situation. Although cortisol response may be elicited by a variety of situations, it is the threat to one’s important goals that triggers this response. Dickerson and Kemeny (2004) conducted meta-analysis of 208 studies on cortisol reactivity. The effect size found in these studies varied from small (d=. 20) to fairly large (d=. 87) depending on the experimental task. The largest effect sizes were produced by tasks that involved uncontrollable threat to social self, such as public speaking, coupled with harassment, false feedback, perceived inability to complete the task, etc. (d = . 92). Thus, it appears that cortisol response to an acute laboratory stressor is most likely to be elicited by the uncontrollable social-evaluative tasks. These two features of uncontrollability and social evaluation have consistently been found to produce intense distress. Uncontrollability is one of the classical characteristics defining stressful situations. In a classical study, Glass and Singer (1973) showed that stress is associated with the situations involving uncontrollability and unpredictability. Social evaluation and self-presentation are common features of everyday life. In the experience of daily stress, interpersonal events play a central role, self-presentation is concerned with (1) one’s need to define one’s social self, and make one’s social self as close as possible to one’s ideal self; and (2) one’s need to please the audience (Baumeister, 1982). This need to make a favorable impression is very important for most people, and when they doubt that they succeed, people experience social anxiety marked by feelings of apprehension, self-consciousness, and distress. Social anxiety may be a dominant factor in modern life. Thus, an uncontrollable social-evaluative threat may produce intense experience of distress marked by significant cortisol elevation. The Relationship between Joint SAM and HPA axes Activation and Personality The research investigating joint HPA and SAM axes activation in response to stress indicated that a single manipulation of the experimental task may elicit different patterns of SAM and HP A response. For example, Earle, Linden, and Weinberg (1999) compared participants performing mental arithmetic task in front of an audience in harassment and no-harassment conditions. Harassment consisted of the scripted statements by same-gender experimenters. Both conditions produced sympathetic activation in terms of DBP (in men) and HR (in women), but it was the harassment condition only that produced significant cortisol elevation. The research on the relationship between joint HPA and SAM axes activation and personality dispositions during a single exposure to stress found a link between personality and SAM reactivity, but not between personality and HPA reactivity. This finding pertains to the studies involving single exposure to an acute laboratory stressor. For example, Taylor et al. (2003) found that high self-enhancers had lower sympathetic responses (SBP and HR), but authors did not find a significant difference in eortisol response to stress between the high and low self-enhancers. Gregg et al. (1999) did not find any meaningful correlations between eortisol and hemodynamic measures in the participants performing mental arithmetic task and cold pressor task. Schommer, Kudielka, Hellhammer, and Kirschbaum (1999) found no relationship between eortisol response to an acute laboratory stressor and the personality traits of Extraversion, Neuroticism, or Psychoticism measured with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised. However, the research evidence with regard to the effect of exposure to repeated psychosocial stress did find a significant effect of personality on cortisol reactivity. Pruessner, Gaab, Hellhammer, Lintz, Schumer, and Kirschbaum (1999) exposed the participants to psychosocial stressor (public speaking) over a period of 5 consecutive days. Although during the first day, there was no significant relationship between personality factors (locus of control) and cortisol response, there was a significant relationship between locus of control and cortisol response later, from day two to day five. Pruessner et al. (1999) found that the combination of data obtained over the five consecutive days was necessary to detect the significant effect of personality traits, such as locus of control, on cortisol reactivity. In another study, Kirschbaum, Prussner, Stone, Federenko, Gaab, Lintz, Schommer, and Hellhammer (1999) investigated cortisol response to the repeated psychosocial stressor consisting of public speaking and mental arithmetic in a group of healthy young adults. The participants had been exposed to the stressor for 5 days. Kirschbaum and colleagues (1999) observed quick habituation of the HPA axis in some participants. These â€Å"low cortisol responders† exhibited large cortisol responses during the first day, and then this response subsided during the 5-day interval. However, in some participants, the HPA axis did not habituate to the stressor. These â€Å"high responders† kept producing large cortisol reactions throughout the entire 5-day period. The tendency to exhibit persistent high cortisol responses to repeated psychological stress was strongly associated with a number of personality variables, such as having lower self-esteem, viewing oneself as less attractive than others, and being more often in depressed mood, and lower extraversion. Cortisol high responders also reported significantly more symptoms of distress than cortisol low responders. In another study, Schommer, Hellhammer, and Kirschbaum (2003) also found a group of individuals with persistent cortisol response to psychosocial stress. In addition, high cortisol responders had significantly higher plasma ACTH levels. This study also looked at the sympathetic activation. The results suggested that SAM axis does not habituate to the repeated stress, as rapidly as the HPA axis does, because the levels of catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) were consistently elevated in both high and low cortisol responders. Pruessner et al. (1999) suggested that during the first exposure to stress, the effect of personality on HPA reactivity is masked by the novelty of the situation. Novelty, which is one of the classical features defining a stressful situation, has a profound effect on HPA reactivity masking moderating effect of personality. However, during the second and subsequent exposures to stress, the novelty is lessened, so the influence of personality dispositions may be investigated. Discussion and Conclusion According to the biopsychosocial model, challenge and threat response are evoked only by the situations involving â€Å"motivated performance† (Seery at al. , 2004). Engagement in the task is essential in eliciting both challenge and threat reactivity. The task should be â€Å"goal-relevant† (e. g. , it should be important for the participant). Hardiness, especially its commitment and control components, can be significantly correlated with conscientiousness, and both dispositions are associated with greater TPR increase in response to stress and little or no change in CO. Higher conscientiousness, commitment to the task and need to control the situation might lead to the greater engagement in the task and higher expectations for the quality of one’s performance. This might have resulted in greater negative affectivity about the task and about one’s performance. In contrast, the low-hardy participants can be probably disengaged, and, therefore, showed less reactivity. Due to the greater commitment to the task, high-hardy individuals showed a response profile that exaggerated the response typically evoked by the task. Thus, in a socially evaluative situation known to evoke a strong threat hemodynamic response profile, greater hardiness may be associated with greater threat response. This tendency may be due to the greater commitment to the task and greater need to control the situation. To fully understand the effect of hardiness on psychophysiology of human stress responding, the HPA reactivity should be evaluated (Seery et al. , 2004). Hardiness can be associated with a tendency towards exaggerated cardiovascular response to the psychosocial stressor. The general pattern of reactivity evoked by the TSST is consistent with the threat profile. It would be interesting to investigate reactivity to the stressor that evokes primarily challenge hemodynamic response profile. According to the biopsychosocial model, challenge and threat are defined by the ratio of the demand posed by the situation and perceived resources to cope with it (Blascovich et al. , 2003). Thus, in the challenging situation, the individuals would perceive more resources to cope with the demand. Due to the greater commitment to the task and greater conscientiousness, high-hardy individuals may potentially show greater challenge reactivity. However, it may also be possible that high-hardy individuals will still have greater concerns about their performance, which may be associated with greater distress reflected in a threat response profile. To sum up, it appears that in some individuals, the HPA axis cannot adapt quickly to the repeated stressful situation, so these individuals keep responding with high cortisol elevations consistently. There is link between personality dispositions (locus of control, self-esteem, and extraversion) and this persistent high cortisol response. In conclusion, the research suggests that although a single exposure to stress may provide information about the relationship between personality and SAM reactivity, the HPA activation will not be tapped. In order to obtain a true picture of joint SAM and HPA activation, it is necessary to consider the effect of repeated exposure to psychosocial stress. References Allen, M. T. , Stoney, C. M. , Owens, J. F. , & Matthews, K. A. (1993). Hemodynamic adjustments to laboratory stress: the influence of gender and personality. Psychosomatic Medicine, 55 (6), 505-17. Baumeister, R. F. (1982). A self-presentational view of social phenomena. Psychological Bulletin, 91(1), 3-26 Beasley, M. , Thompson, T. , Davidson, J. (2003) Resilience in response to life stress: The effects of coping style and cognitive hardiness. Personality and Individual Differences, 34 (1), 77-95. Berkman, L. F. & Syme, S. L. (1979). Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 109 (2), 186-204. Blascovich, J. , Mendes, W. B. , Hunter, S. B. & Salomon, K. (1999). Social ‘Facilitation’ as Challenge and Threat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(1), 68-77. Blascovich, J. , Mendes, W. B. , Tomaka, J. , Salomon, K. , & Seery, M. (2003). The robust nature of biopsychosocial model challenge and threat: A reply to Wright and Kirby. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7 (3), 234-243. Boden-Albala, B, Litwak, E, Elkind, M. S. , Rundek, T. , & Sacco, R. L. (2005) Social isolation and outcomes post stroke. Neurology, 64(11), 1888-92. Cacioppo, J. T. , Hawkley, L. C. , Crawford, L. E. , Ernst, J. M. , Burleson, M. H. , Kowalewski, R. B. , Malarkey, W. B. , Van Cauter, E. , & Berntson, G. G. (2002). Loneliness and health: potential mechanisms. Psychosomatic Medicine, 64 (3), 407-17. Carver, C. S. , & Scheier, M. F. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and self-regulation. In E. C. Chang (Ed. ), Optimism and pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice (pp. 31-51). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Cooper, D. C. , & Waldstein, S. R. (2004). Hostility differentially predicts cardiovascular risk factors in African American and White young adults. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57 (5), 491-9. Costanzo ES, Lutgendorf SK, Sood AK, Anderson B, Sorosky J, Lubaroff DM. Psychosocial factors and interleukin-6 among women with advanced ovarian cancer. Cancer 2005;104:305-13.

Left Wing Extremism Essay

Six historic period back, when on November 4, 2004, the Prime Minister title leftfield lengthiness Extremism as the biggest t break confronting the rural ara that had to be dealt at warf atomic number 18 footing, it had a ring of collapse of a freshly select brass to generate the bull by its horns. However, when he repeats the like now, it carries an air of jockstrapless(prenominal) lamentation. The apparent movements at war footing notwith rearing, during the last half dozen years, the area under Naxal influence has closely doubled extending to nearly 203 districts in xiv states.The strength of arm guerrillas has swelled from less than 7,000 because to somewhere around 13,500 now. Left extremists, to twenty-four hours, consume many more and overmuch sophisticated weapons (estimated to be nearly 14000 as against 5500 in 2004) and have upgraded their tactics, field subterfuge and skills in handling weapons and explosives manifold. They have words notes nearly to the tune of Rs. 1,200 Crore a year, which in an impoverished area of their dominance is a huge amount to fashion dissymmetry and enables them to pay regular monthly salaries to their armed cadres.Economic conditions of the peck have by and large remained unchanged despite healthy tuitional poplays virtually of the funds each misused or siph unmatchedd off by the corrupt. It would be erroneous to infer that the governing body took no initiatives both at surety and developmental fronts to deal with the situation. However, in basis of results achieved, the efforts made have failed to achieve the pass judgment results. It makes it a case less of error of intention, and more of lack of capacity, which in a topic auspices paradigm is a cause of much crackinger concern.The theme that enquires to be pondered over is wherefore a country of Indias omnibus(prenominal) National Power is otiose to oversee with an existentialist threat from an ideology that has been disapp ointed and discredited world over, is unable to antipathetical an ugly by under-resourced and ill skilful tribals and despite being worlds biggest democracy is unable to mobilize its courteous parliamentary procedure in its fight against the extremists, whose agendum is patently anti-national. The first requirement for plan an effective retort is to accept the realities as they are and to make a badly assessment of the foe his mindset, doctrines, capabilities and goals.One give the gate not win unless one fights and one can not fight bowl one is able to define the enemy boldly and bluntly. One major effort why we, as a state, have often gone wrong in our responses and not derived full value disclose of our efforts and sacrifices is our apprehension to face the hard realities as they exist, notwithstanding the compelling evidence. What get hold ofs to be accepted by all those in power and those who aspire for it is that Left Wing extremism is pure and simple terroris m that amply meets the conventional definition of the stipulation i. e. persona of violence to terrorise clutch for achieving polity-making objectives.Their armed push is for acquiring and then retaining organisational power by dint of cask of the gun and both in attainableness and practice they have not deviated from this goal. go often advanced causative factors developmental, well-disposed, regimenal etc. may have deep justifications on their own merit, for Maoists they are sole(prenominal) instrumentalities to seize political control. In avocation of this end, they are prepared to make a common cause with all those who are inclined to give expression to their refuse done with(predicate) with(predicate) violence.They support everything that negates Indian nationhood may it be the secessionists in J&K, insurgents in brotherhood East, radical Islamic groups or armed ethnic groups. In an wonder in 2007 Ganapathy, the Secretary General of CPI-Maoists ass ert We see the Islamic pot as a progressive anti-imperialist force in the contemporary world. It is wrong to describe the struggle that is going on in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya as Islamic fundamentalism. Our Party supports the Islamic upsurge.Commenting on 26/11 shambles of Mumbai, Bimal, Polit Bureau Member was quoted in Hindustan measure that We do not support the elbow room they attacked the Victoria station, where intimately of the victims were Muslims. At the same time, we feel the Islamic upsurge should not be opposed as it is basically anti-US and anti-imperialist in nature. We in that respectfore want it to grow. Varavara Rao referring to North East insurgencies stated on whitethorn 13, 2007 that This is a time for all revolutionary, pop and nationality movements, like the ones in Kashmir and the Northeast to unite, and something allow come out of this unity.They stand against Indias sovereignty, unity, democratic polity and cultivatedisation al set and hence go forth have to be fought and defeated at all planes ideological, political, and physical. whatsoever dilution in accepting this basic eccentric person of the threat will only if mixed the problem and prolong the national agony. Having colonised the goal, the next stage is working out the strategy to achieve it. It is obvious that the policy of blow hot blow ice-cold does not work and only betrays the wonder indecisiveness of those in power.It also de righteousizes the security personnel. Indecisiveness is a consequence of fear and requires to be shunned. The security weapon of the country, given(p) the right resources, empowerments and leadership is rather strong and resilient to take on the Left Extremists. They need to be reserved take up of weapons, vehicles, communication equipment, armoured personnel carriers, shadow vision devices, portable gen-sets, direction finders etc. There is also an urgent need to improve their living conditions, mak ing safe their work places and applying their morale high. to the highest degree importantly, tactical plans should be well deliberated upon by senior and experienced officers and wherever possible duly rehearsed. It is particularly necessary where primal forces have to work along placement the local anaesthetic police forces. Maoists are great political analysts who carefully work-out their long term strategy and tactical plans. Maoists in their political estimates assess, and probably with some justification, that the political conformation in the country, irrespective of the brand name that they carry, are fast losing their legitimacy and credibleness.The elected representatives hold their positions more by impartiality of legality of the process that catapultes them to power than the moral authority, trust and respect of the multitude that they ingest to represent. The credibility of the governmental apparatus to provide a sentience of security and evaluator to the people, redress their basic grievances, assure development and assure dignity is at a low ebb. just about of the extremist actions analysed in strategic name are aimed at exploiting this in firmity and indulging in acts will further erode the legitimacy and credibility of the system.Their attacks on police and para-military forces are aimed at demonstrating that the coercive power of the government is a myth as it is even unable to protect it egotism. Their holding Jan Adalats, imposing fines and dictating terms for talks are calculated to antagonize the governments ability to carry out its writ and authority and gave credibility to their propaganda that government is only a paper tiger. On the contrary, the state has been able to do diminutive to demolish the contrived self image of the Left Extremists as saviors of the people.The confused voices within the government and display of confusion and indecisiveness immensely boost their moral. season the far flung tribal areas are in the news because of incidents of violence what is lesser know is their fast spreading influence in urban suburbs, among the trade unions, unemployed callowness etc. much beyond the tribal areas. To meet this grave challenge the political class first needs to do a serious introspection and stamp down their party interests if not for the larger national interests than at least for their own self interest.All political parties need to confirm that they face an existentialist threat as the political power, the booty of the war, has to be seized from them. This is a classical object lesson of quarter coevals Warfare-(4GW) a warfare where the enemy is hidden and the battle is for the control of civil society through coercion, controlling the hearts and minds of the people or delivering results by redressing grievances of the people. The modern day guru of Fourth Generation Warfare, William Lind aptly observes that, If nation states are going to survive, people in power mu st earn and keep the trust of the governed. Addressing the American Council of Foreign relations he said The heart of Fourth Generation Warfare is a crisis of legitimacy of the state. How true to the Indian model when he added that, The establishment is no all-night made up of policy types- most of its important functionaries are placemen. Their expertise is in becoming and then remaining members of the establishment. Their ingenuousness is covert politics and not the competency or expertise. When the 4GW will find them their response would be to close the shutters on the windows of Versailles.Majority of the people in Maoist affected areas and even their supporters and cadres have little to do with Maoism at ideological aim. They are only alienated and angered people with real of perceived sense of injustice, heaviness and indignity. Maoists are cleverly exploiting this sentiment to their improvement caste conflicts in Bihar, resentment against landlords in Andhra, disconten t against forest laws in tribal areas, unemployment amongst young person and radicalism among Muslims are all given prescription of capture of power through gun as the ultimate issue of all their problems.While the local grievances need to be efficaciously addressed through improved governance and ruthless accountability, there is also a need for creating multitude awareness of the ultimate designs and consequences of what the extremists stand for. Maoist propaganda must also be effectively forbided, particularly at the political level. classless political parties have plenty of political arguments and facts in their favour to demolish the revolutionist propaganda of the Left extremists.They also have authorize and access upto village levels with intimate social networking that needs to be arnessed. This task cannot be undertaken by the government agencies or the police. Additionally, through a concerted, credible and sustained psy-war offensive contradiction in their ideolo gies and practices, tales of their brutalities, collaborations with the rich to assimilate funds, incidents of moral turpitude etc. should be highlighted. The local and national media, think tanks and NGOs operating(a) in the region could be leveraged for the purpose. near of their front organizations, masquerading as think tanks and NGOs industrious in subversive propaganda also need to be tackled effectively.At tactical level the most important favor of 4GW warriors is the advantage of invisibility. Only quality operational science can make them visible for counter tactical operations aimed at pre-empting, preventing and tough the depredators. It is also the only instrumentality through which they can be tactically surprise and their advantage of speed and surprise neutralized. The tilt to raise additional battalions without corresponding accrual in operational intelligence capability creates little pressure on the extremists and only provides them more targets to hit at.S tate patrol forces, with their intimate knowledge of the terrain, language and local people are best fitted out(p) to develop ground intelligence. They need to be resourced and trained for intelligence work. Diversion of at least 30% of central modernization grants to state police for intelligence up-gradation should be made mandatory. Money is one of the most important factors helping extremists to acquire weapons and explosives, raise their cadre strength by recruiting youth on regular salaries and carrying out mass mobilization programmes.They are reportedly collection Rs. 1,600 crore a year, which is a big cash for carrying out armed insurrection in an impoverished area. With a determined effort and much lower risk, the governments can take stern actions against business houses paying tribute money, transporters paying levies, contractors giving taxes and corrupt government officials sharing the loot from the developmental funds. Most would be willing to cooperate if provi ded sense of security and protection which can be achieved at a much lesser monetary value.There is no doubt that this venture ultimately will be contained and countered. A finely chiseled strategic response is required only to minimize its cost to the nation in terms of priceless lives lost, growth and development stalled and innocent people falling prey to malicious propaganda of the extremists. The civil society and opinion builders have a vital role to play in this. They should create right pressures on the politicians and create broad spectrum awareness among the people to help bring about a lap in national response.