Why and how Vladimir Putin is trying to regain control over Russia Media Essay Sample free essay sample

â€Å"Without genuinely free media Russian democracy will non last and we will non win in constructing a civil society† ( Sakwa. Richard ) these were the words of Vladimir Putin in the summer of 2000 shortly after he replaced Boris Yeltsin as the president of Russia. The media breathed a suspiration of alleviation because all indicants were that Putin would back up free media to raising and turn democracy in Russia. In a democratic apparatus. freedom of the imperativeness is enshrined in the fundamental law which guarantees â€Å"the public address frequently through a province fundamental law for its citizens and associations of single extended to members of intelligence assemblage organisations and their published reporting† ( http: //en-wikipedia. org/wiki/freedom-of-the-press ) . However. in Russia the media claim to be independent but â€Å"respect the elected politicians† which can be referred to intend that they can non knock openly the opinion category. During the reign of Mikhail Gorbarchev in the late 1980’s. We will write a custom essay sample on Why and how Vladimir Putin is trying to regain control over Russia Media Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page before the decomposition or the Soviet Union. he favored freedom of address. During Boris Yeltsin’s epoch. the media was privatized and now was run by powerful Oligarchs who â€Å"proceeded to utilize media as a arm in their battle against each other and to act upon the policies of the state† ( Sakwa. Richard ) . The greatest challenge so for the Russian media was the fact that the jurisprudence for the on media was based o European Media Torahs and did non needfully reflect the emerging events in Russia. ( Russian Development Portal. ( 24 June 2005 ) To understand or grok the state of affairs that the Russian people were confronting. it is of import to understand the positions in respects to the executive determinations that affected them during the epoch of Boris Yeltsin. They had a enormous disfavor for the freshly formed constructs of market economy’s and democracy. which they regarded as infliction from the West. They felt that Boris Yeltsin had bungled up by giving-in to the foreign and align constructs. Under Boris Yeltsin Russia sunk into the Chechen war. between 1994 and 1996 Russia was humiliated in this war corrupting the full state that was one time a ace power. ( Human Rights Watch. ( February 1995 ) ) Besides. the life criterions had taken a nose honkytonk and the general public had lost all religion in the government of Boris Yeltsin. Therefore in 2000 when Putin took over power. people’s hopes were raised. Putin was â€Å"fairly immature. healthy. forceful. magnetic are really intelligent man† with a clear apprehension of both local and foreign personal businesss and experience gained while in the K. G. B. ( Lipman. M. and M. McFaul. ( 2001 ) the people had faith in the immature adult male. despite warnings from the media and some lawgivers. The general public did non mind a powerful executive. because they were used to the regulation of powerful sovereigns with huge power. in fact western Democracy was an align construct here. ( Timothy J. Colton. Michael MacFaul ( 2003 ) Therefore. after Putin ascended to power. in 2000. the media function in the state took a new bend from being â€Å"relatively free during Yeltsin† . ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. carnegieru/en/point/67662: print. htm ) Under Yeltsin the degree of corruptness had escalated â€Å"organized offense began to morph through into a semi-legitimate establishment. † ( World Wide Web. pinr. com/report. php? ac=view_report+report ) The oligarchs. made up of several wealthy and powerful persons in Russia. had an upper manus in the fate of the economic system. The Russian people on the other manus had lost so much religion in the authorities and their assurance in it was at highly low points. ( BBC. September 8. 1999 ) Background Upon go uping to power in 2000. Putin who is the Russian President undertook a spirited run to increase province ownership of the media and ban the stuffs that were available in the mass. print and electronic media. The major ground why Putin took these otherwise drastic steps was towards guaranting that he consolidates power. He used several methods to stamp down or incorporate the freedom that the media enjoyed. He resorted to utilizing the province machinery and policies to carry through this. Today Russia Media fraternity is afloat with deficiency of aim coverage which goes towards increasing Putin’s popularity evaluation. ( Timothy J. Colton. Michael MacFaul ( 2003 ) . The media has continued to play a major function in determining the political landscape of Russia. In certain state of affairss the populace were duped about issues and made to believe falsities that wanted to portray the authorities in good visible radiation. A good illustration is the Chechnya war where the Russian media has continued to demonise and revile the Chechens yet disregarding or understating the agonies that the war is conveying to the general populace within the affected country. The media chose to understate the devastation of small towns and towns taking to refugee crisis and the ferociousness meted out to the Chechens by the Russian military personnel. ( Gordon. Michael R. . . ( 2000 ) Putin realized that to stay in power. any signifier of resistance had to either be contained or neutralized all together. Putin realized the function a powerful media played in the personal businesss of Russia. The media had the capacity to do or interrupt a president. Boris Yeltsin his predecessor knew this excessively good because through the support of the media he was elected president in 1996. The media did non trim him but criticized him during his reign particularly in the botched first Chechnya war. ( Human Rights Watch. ( May 1995 ) During the 1996 Russian run many electors were swayed after watching footages of Boris Yeltsin dancing with a terpsichorean in one of the young person rallies. The footage entirely bolstered Yeltsin’s opportunity of being reelected president. The footage wished to convey the message of â€Å"a dynamic. vernal reformer† . The media did non state the truth as Yeltsin was at the brink of another monolithic bosom onslaught. ( McNair. B. ( 2000 ) Putin’s image was besides boosted by the media in March 26 election being depicted as a â€Å"Russian heavy weapon blaring Grozny to rubble† . ( McNair. B. ( 2000 ) However. one can non clearly understand under what fortunes this was go oning particularly in the modern twenty-four hours and clip. It is of import first to understand the background before projecting any slurs. Media background and restructure in Russia Putin did non put the land work for the censorship of the media ; this was done by his predecessor Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin’s authorities laid the model within which the media could be silenced. It is deserving observing that Yeltsin himself was non rather lament in seeking to hush the media. However through the statute law that he helped put up. any future President could use it to command the media. Putin did precisely this. On 8ThursdayMay 1998. Boris Yeltsin issued a edict that saw the all local and authorities installations which included senders brought under the legal power of RTR. This meant that as it deemed fit. RTR could establish steps to command the media. This besides meant that the commercial T. V. was now dependent on the RTR for any technological support. Thus the RTR could be an effectual tool to command and pull strings all the Stationss in Russia. ( Gunther. R. A ; Mugan. . 2000 ) Moves to Consolidate Power When Putin took over power. he faced assorted challenges at the place forepart that threatened the really being of his regime. Several challenges faced him: On 12ThursdayAugust 2000 the undersea catastrophe caught the world’s headlines. Kursk the Russian pigboat which was atomic powered sunk in the Barents Sea. in an exercising that was supposed to be a show of might by Russia. ( ) While this was go oning Putin was out on a vacation in a Black Sea Resort of Socchi. The media highlighted the catastrophe indicating finger at Putin and his unenrgetic military heads. On 22neodymiumAugust after meeting. the households of the dead crew. Putin attacked the media particularly the barons for seeking to do political milage of the catastrophe on T. V. ( Lipman. M. and M. McFaul. ( 2001 ) . He declared 23rdAugust 2002. a national twenty-four hours of mourning in the full state. The naval forces was portrayed by the media as inept in the whole deliverance mission. Some media houses went farther to even procure the list of the dead crewmans although these were classified military stuff. Komsomolskaya Pravda managed to acquire the list by corrupting a naval officer with 18. 000 debriss. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //keesings. gvpi. cyberspace. 26 May 2004 ) Putin put steps to do certain that the media was kept off from the scene of the accident. Merely RTR under Oleg Dobrodeev was allowed near to the scene. Anything that would hold been damaging politically for Putin was cancelled. ( ) Though ab initio the province had fumbled pull offing the crisis. it finally did pull off to incorporate the whole state of affairs including guaranting merely Kremlin friendly Stationss were allowed entree to the site. Dubrovka Theatre Siege On 23rdOctober 2002. about 800 people go toing a phase show at the Dubrovka Theatre were held surety by about 50 Chechen terrorists or Rebels of whom many were adult females. The Rebels threatened to blow up the whole topographic point if their political demands of conveying an terminal to the Chechnya War were non fulfilled. The media took Centre phase and went farther in front and ventured in the theater to interview the surety – takers. ( Speckhard. Anne A ; Akhmedova. Khapta ( 2005 ) . Russian Torahs don’t allow this. within no clip the authorities got the chance to ban the information the populace was accessing and started taking control of the flow of information in the mass media. The NTV investigated and reported 129 sureties died of nervus gas toxic condition. This happened after the Russian ground forces was called in to deliver the sureties in an operation that lasted about 57 hours. Another ground for the high figure of deceases was besides because of deficiency of adequate and efficient medical attending for the victims after the gas toxic condition. This study was supported by Boris Nemstov of Union of Rightist Forces ( SPS ) who had carried a similar probe. The Russian security forces had bungled the whole deliverance operation that led to the decease of guiltless Russians. NTV’s disclosures did non travel down good with Putin who termed the probe as â€Å"business in blood† and went in front to declare the study by NTV as a piece of work geared towards seeking inexpensive sensationalism from the populace. After this contention the caput of NTV was replaced by the Kremlin. ( White. S. . McAllister. I. And S. Oates ( 2002 ) Having this in head Putin. saw the demand for the â€Å"media to be subservient to the government† . Therefore he sought ways of doing the media to be a portion of the authorities. In the new philosophy of the Information Security of the Russian federation of 2000. Putin spelled out the importance of the media as an plus for national security. The authorities came up with assorted methods that enabled it contain and command the influence the media wielded. ( Zassoursky. I. ( 2004 ) Methods of muzzling the media I ) . Forceful acquisition and bullying This was first method that Putin chose to use to guarantee that the authorities had full control of the media. ( Nemtsov. B. ( 1999 ) ) After Putin took the reigns of power he moved with velocity against the two oligarchs who had the control of the major electronic and print media in Russia. The two powerful and affluent business communities were Vladimir Gusinsky who owned NTV a major private television-station with some publication involvements. The other was Boris Berezosky who controlled the province telecasting channel ORT including newspapers which had great influence. The two media houses were dramatically and forcefully taken over by the authorities and the proprietors ( the media barons ) forced to fly Russia. The authorities took over these companies under the stalking-horse that the companies were executing ill at the economic forepart and that they were extremely indebted to the province. Presently the province controls all media in Russia and any unfavorable judgment of the authorities or the executive is really rear so. ( White. S. . McAllister. I. And S. Oates ( 2002 ) . Besides the media. Putin ensured that the biggest industrial earner in Russia was under government’s control. To make this he made a spirited run to get Yukos one of the biggest oil companies in Russia. Mikhail Khodorkovsky who was the caput of Yukos was jailed under the pretense of the indebt cape of Yukos to the authorities. Khodorkovsky prior to this apprehension had begun financing political forces against Putin utilizing the fundss from Yukos. he had to be silenced and contained. The authorities of Russia today controls virtually every facet of the energy and media subdivisions. Such control goes towards consolidating power and stamp downing any signifier of dissent that any powerful single or motion would desire to show against the authorities. two ) . Patroling the Web In Russia. all internet service suppliers are required to associate their computing machines to the FSB ( once the KGB ) . Seven more jurisprudence enforcement organic structures have been mandated by the authorities to supervise the World Wide Web and in peculiar screen electronic mails and supervise the electronic traffic. â€Å"This is by definition. a misdemeanor of the cardinal and constitutional rights of the citizen† ( Yuri Udovin. deputy president of the St. Petersburg-based group citizens’ ticker. The media have been silent on such misdemeanors three ) Appointment of friendly personalities in cardinal places Another common maneuver the authorities started to set in to utilize by mid 2002 was naming persons friendly to Kremlin into polar stations within the province media. Outstanding personalities appointed in this mode include -Marat Gelam an influential member of Moscow’s artistic Community was appointed as Deputy General Director in charge of political analysis and public dealingss for the ORT. ( The Moscow Times. 2002 ) -General Kobaldze of the Foreign Intelligence Service was appointed the deputy General Director of ITAR-TASS. -FSB Lt. General Alexander Zdnovich was appointed as the Deputy Chair of All- Russian Television and Radio Company ( VGTRK ) responsible for the security ( Yakov. V. 2002 ) . – General Vladimir Kozolov was appointed Deputy Media Minister ; prior to this he was one of the leaders of FSB Anti-Terrorist Center. – General Aksionov from the Interior Ministry was appointed as the Head of TV-7. four ) . Legislation and Investing barriers There are assorted universe wireless Stationss that operate in Russia. These include Radio free Europe ( of the US authorities media grouping ) and BBC which has non had any incidences of traversing blades with the Russian authorization. However the Russian authorities has continuously put up barriers to restrict any signifier of abroad investings particularly in the media. This twelvemonth the authorities passed Torahs that go towards forbiding bulk foreign ownership in the states telecasting media. ( McNair. B. ( 1994 ) This statute law saw CNN’s Ted Turner effort to put in Russian media run into legislative assembly constriction. ( Emma Gray ( 2005 ) After the passage of this jurisprudence. the authorities took control of the media a notch higher. it refused to negociate with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development ( the biggest foreign investor in Russia ) to mend the Ostankino Television Towers. The thought was to enable all broadcasters could utilize at unvarying monetary values. The authorities refused so that it could utilize its ain pricing mechanism as a tool to ban messages that ran contrary to its political orientations. V ) . Economic Methods Kremlin besides uses other signifiers of economic techniques to muzzle the media. In January 2002 Putin assented to a new jurisprudence that saw the transportation of the control of authorities subsidies that benefit the regional newspapers. In the new jurisprudence the duty was transferred to the Press Ministry from the local politicians. ( Androunas. E. ( 1993 ) The move by and large affected about 2000 newspapers that enjoy the subsidies in the state. This is a mechanism that is put in topographic point to guarantee that the cardinal authorities is able to reign in on ‘rebel’ imperativenesss. Most medias ( electronic and imperativeness ) particularly in the rural countries of Russia depend entirely on the local decision makers to finance some of their operations. Another economic method that the Russian Government uses is persecution for revenue enhancement arrears conspiring with Bankss to remember delinquent loans. or bureaucratic ruddy tape to get operating licenses. Decision In Russia. the public to the full embraces the policies their president Vladimir Putin has continued to present. He is viewed as the strong adult male that the state has been hankering for because Russia one time more is holding a say in major universe issues a clout that it had lost over the old ages because of non so popular presidents. The general people has continued back uping the control of the media. which they view as an extension of the democracy the West have continued to subscribe for Russia. Democracy has no topographic point in Russia. Mentions Androunas. E. ( 1993 ) Soviet Media in Transition. Praeger. BBC. September 8. 1999: Yeltsin Linked to corrupt dirt Emma Gray ( 2005 ) Putin’s Media Wars hypertext transfer protocol: //www. cpj. org/Briefings/2000/Russia_analysis_March00/Russia_analysis_march00. hypertext markup language: Accessed on 4ThursdayDecember 2007 Gunther. R. A ; Mugan. A. ( 2000 ) Editors. Democracy A ; the Media ; A comparative survey. New York Cambridge University Press. 106-107 Gordon. Michael R. ( March 16. 2000 ) : Soviet union: Chechen Village Seized. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. nytimes. com/apoline/AP-Russian-Bombing-Investigation. hypertext markup language Human Rights Watch. ( January 1995 ) â€Å"Russia. Russia’s War in Chechnya: Victims Speak Out† . Vol. 7. No. 1. New York. Human Rights Watch. ( January 1995 ) â€Å"Russia. War in Chechnya ; New Report from the Field† . Vol. 7. No. 2. New York Human Rights Watch. ( February 1995 ) . â€Å"Russia. Three Months War in Chechnya† . Vol. 7. No. 6. New York. Human Rights Watch. ( May 1995 ) . â€Å"Russia. Partisan War in Chechnya on the Eve of the WWII Commemoration† . Vol. 7. No. 8. New York.. hypertext transfer protocol: //keesings. gvpi. cyberspace. ( 26 May 2004 ) : Sinking of a pigboat. Keesing’s records of World events August 2000 Russia. hypertext transfer protocol: //en-wikipedia. org/wiki/freedom-of-the-press: Accessed on 4ThursdayDecember 2007 hypertext transfer protocol: //www. carnegieru/en/point/67662: print. htmAccessed on 4ThursdayDecember 2007 hypertext transfer protocol: //www. pinr. com/report. php? ac=view_report+report Accessed on 4ThursdayDecember 2007 Lipman. M. and M. McFaul. ( 2001 ) ‘Managing Democracy in Russia: Putin and The Press’ . The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics. 6 ( 3 ) : 116-27. McNair. B. ( 2000 ) ‘Power. net income. corruptness. and lies: The Russian media in the 1990s’ . pp. 79-94. in J. Curran and M. -J. Park ( explosive detection systems ) De-Westernizing Media Studies. Routledge. McNair. B. ( 1990 ) Glasnost. Perestroika and Soviet Union. London: Routledge McNair. B. ( 1994 ) ‘Media in Post-Soviet Russia: An Overview’ . European Journal of Communication. 9 ( 2 ) : 115-136. Nemtsov. B. ( 1999 ) ‘The Russian Oligarchs and the Press’ . The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics. 4 ( 3 ) : 5-10. Peter Lavelle The Realist Bibliophile: Geting to Know Vladimir Putin hypertext transfer protocol: //www. inthenationalinterest. com/Articles/Vol3Issue32/Vol3Issue32Biblio. htm Russian Development Portal. ( 24 June 2005 ) : 82 % of Russians Approve TV Censorship. Speckhard. Anne A ; Akhmedova. Khapta. Black Widows The Chechen female Suicide Terrorists ; in Yoram Schweitzer erectile dysfunction. Female Suicide Terrorists Jaffe Center Publication. Tel Aviv. Israel. 2005. Speckhard. Anne A ; Akhmedova. Khapta ( 2005 ) â€Å"Talking to terrorists Journal of Psychohistory. Speckhard. Anne A ; Akhmedova. Khapta ( 2005 ) The Making of a Marthyr: Chechen Suicide Terrorism. Sakwa. Richard. Vildimir Putin: Russias Choice. London. Routledge. 2004. 307 P. White. S. . McAllister. I. And S. Oates ( 2002 ) . ‘Was it Russian Public Television That Wont It? ’ . The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics. 7 ( 2 ) : 17-3 Timothy J. Colton. Michael MacFaul ( 2003 ) . Popular Choice and Managed Democracy: the Russian elections of 1999 and 2000. Washington DC: The Brookings Institution. Yakov. V. : . ( 5ThursdayJune 2002 ) The FSB On Air. Novye Izvestia. JRL # 6290 . Zolotov. Jr. ( 18ThursdayJune 2002 ) A ORT gets new pre-election strategian. The Moscow Times JRL # 6314 Zassoursky. I. ( 2004 ) Media and Power in Post-Soviet Russia. M. E. Sharpe.

The Rise Of Christianity And Religion Religion Essay Essays

The Rise Of Christianity And Religion Religion Essay Essays The Rise Of Christianity And Religion Religion Essay Essay The Rise Of Christianity And Religion Religion Essay Essay Christianity is a faith that developed from within Judaism and in which there is belief in merely one God. Christianity spread easy but steadily in the Roman Empire. The rise of Christianity was a powerful beginning. Teachings from Jesus, what Christianity had to offer, the persecution of Christians, and Constantine accepting Christianity were factors that led to the rise and success of Christianity. Rome took control of the Judaic Kingdom in A.D. 6 and made it portion of the Roman Empire. A few Jews, nevertheless, believed that they would one time once more be freed. Many Jews believed that God would direct a savior known as the Messiah who would reconstruct the Judaic Kingdom. That Messiah was named Jesus Christ. Jesus was born sometime around 6-4 B.C. , in the town of Bethlehem in Judea. Jesus was a public curate ; many of Jesus s instructions came from Judaic traditions. Jesus went from town to town and distribute his instructions and thoughts to people. He ignored the fact of wealth and position and cared more that his instructions had a particular entreaty peculiarly to the hapless. Jesus taught people that God had a personal relationship with each human being. He taught that people should love God, their neighbours, their enemies, and even themselves. He said, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Even though Jesus was going more popular, it was his dec ease and Resurrection that led people to believe that he was the Messiah. The Grecian word Christos means Messiah or savior and the word Christianity comes from the word Christ. Christian religion spread because it embraced all people and gave hope to the powerless. Christianity offered a personal relationship with God. This particularly appealed to the hapless because there was no cost to follow the faith. With other faiths, people had to do forfeits to be portion of that faith. Forfeits cost money which the hapless could non afford. However, with Christianity, the hapless were able to follow their faith without giving up anything or paying for forfeits. Christian religion was besides successful in distributing because it promised ageless life after decease. This appealed to many people. Other faiths promised merely as many old ages in the hereafter as a individual had lived. For illustration, if a individual lived for 70 old ages, they would merely acquire 70 old ages of goodness in his hereafter. In Christianity, it did non count how long you lived or the sort of life you led. God would forgive a individual s wickednesss and he would still acquire illustriousness in his ageless hereafter. Although Christianity was turning, the Roman Leaders became angry with Christians for non idolizing the Roman Gods. Christians refused to believe in any other Gods but their God. Roman swayers had more and more Christians persecuted as the Pax Romana crumbled. The swayers had the Christians exiled, imprisoned, and even executed for non believing in the Roman Gods. Some swayers even used the Christians as whipping boies. Regardless of the persecution of the followings, Christianity became a powerful force. Those people who were persecuted by the Romans were considered sufferer or people who were willing to give their lives for a belief or cause. Constantine, the Roman Emperor, was contending three challengers for leading of Rome. Before the conflict, Constantine prayed for aid. He claimed that he saw an image of a cross, the symbol of Christianity. He so ordered craftsmans to paint the Christian symbol on his soldiers shields. Flavius valerius constantinus and his ground forces were winning in the conflict. Constantine so credited his success largely to the aid of the Christian God. Constantine now accepted Christianity, so he announced an terminal to the persecution of the Christians. He so wanted Christianity to be one of the faiths approved by the emperor. Christianity continued to turn strongly. Later Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the official faith of the Empire. Overall, the rise of Christianity was successful because it had so much to offer to people. There came good wagess that other faiths did non hold. It was free to follow Christianity ; other faiths made people sacrifice or wage. Since more Christians were persecuted, more people recognized what those people were contending for. The Christians were non traveling to allow some other swayers tell them what to believe and what non to believe. Even though Christians were persecuted for non idolizing the Roman Gods, those people sacrificed their lives to demo other people what their beliefs were and what their faith was. In the terminal, Christianity was successful because the emperor Theodosius made Christianity the Empire s official faith.

Understanding the Glow of Noctilucent Clouds

Understanding the Glow of Noctilucent Clouds Each summer, people who live at high latitudes north and south of the equator are treated to a fantastically beautiful phenomenon called noctilucent clouds. These arent clouds in the normal way we understand them. The clouds were more familiar with are generally made of water droplets that have formed around particles of dust. Noctilucent clouds are generally made of ice crystals that formed around tiny dust particles in fairly cold temperatures. Unlike most clouds that float fairly close to the ground, they exist at heights up to 85 kilometers above the surface of our planet, high in the atmosphere that sustains life on Earth. They may look like thin cirrus that we can see throughout the day or night but are generally only visible when the Sun is no more than 16 degrees below the horizon. Clouds of the Night The term noctilucent means night-shining and it describes these clouds perfectly. They cant be seen during the day due to the brightness of the Sun. However, once the Sun sets, it illuminates these high-flying clouds from below. This explains why they can be seen in deep twilight. They typically have a bluish-white color and look very wispy. The History of Noctilucent Cloud Research Noctilucent clouds were first reported in 1885 and are sometimes linked with the eruption of the famous volcano, Krakatoa in 1883. However, its not clear that the eruption caused them - theres no scientific evidence to prove it one way or another. Their appearance may simply be coincidental. The idea that volcanic eruptions cause these clouds was heavily researched and eventually disproved in the 1920s. Since then, atmospheric scientists have studied noctilucent clouds using balloons, sounding rockets, and satellites. They seem to occur pretty frequently and are quite beautiful to observe. How Do Noctilucent Clouds Form? The ice particles that make up these shimmering clouds are quite small, only about 100 nm across. That many times smaller than the width of a human hair. They form when tiny particles of dust- possibly from bits of micro-meteors in the upper atmosphere- are coated with water vapor and frozen high in the atmosphere, in a region called the mesosphere. During local summer, that region of the atmosphere can be quite cold, and the crystals form at about -100 ° C. Noctilucent cloud formation seems to vary as the solar cycle does. In particular, as the Sun emits more ultraviolet radiation, it interacts with water molecules in the upper atmosphere and breaks them apart. That leaves less water to form the clouds during times of increased activity. Solar physicists and atmospheric scientists are tracking solar activity and noctilucent cloud formation to better understand the connection between the two phenomena. In particular, they are interested in learning why changes in these peculiar clouds dont show up until about a year after UV levels change. Interestingly, when NASAs space shuttles were flying, their exhaust plumes (which were nearly all water vapor) froze high in the atmosphere and created very short-lived mini noctilucent clouds. The same thing has happened with other launch vehicles since the shuttle era. However, launches are few and far between. The phenomenon of noctilucent clouds predates launches and aircraft. However, the short-lived noctilucent clouds from launch activities provide more data points about the atmospheric conditions that help them form. Noctilucent Clouds and Climate Change There may be a connection between the frequent formation of noctilucent clouds and climate change. NASA and other space agencies have been studying Earth for many decades and observing  the effects of global warming. However, the evidence is still being gathered, and the link between the clouds and warming remains a relatively controversial suggestion. Scientists are following up on all the evidence to see if there is a definite link. One possible theory is that methane (a greenhouse gas implicated in climate change) migrates to the area of the atmosphere where these clouds form. Greenhouse gases are thought to force temperature changes in the mesosphere, causing it to cool down. That cooling would contribute to the formation of ice crystals that make up the noctilucent clouds. An increase in water vapor (also due to human activities that produce greenhouse gases) would be part of the noctilucent cloud connection to climate change. Much work needs to be done to prove these connecti ons. Regardless of how these clouds form, they remain a favorite of sky watchers, particularly sunset-gazers and amateur observers. Just as some people chase eclipses or remain out late at night to see meteor showers, there are many who live in the high northern and southern latitudes and actively seek out the sight of noctilucent clouds. Theres no doubt of their magnificent beauty, but they are also an indicator of activities in our planets atmosphere.

Your Ideal Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Your Ideal Family - Essay Example As the term ‘ideal’ meant â€Å"satisfying one’s conception of what is perfect; most suitable† (Oxford University Press, 2014), for me, an ideal family should be balanced; meaning, aside from the presence of both parents, siblings should be at least two. But due to China’s one child policy which was previously mandated as a means to prevent population explosion, my parents adhered to the rule. Therefore, being an only daughter did not fit my definition and concept of an ideal family. I would have wanted at least one sibling to share childhood experiences and a common bond to express the love, caring and support that I received from my parents. From my personal perspective, I strongly believe that some forces that affect families include internal and external forces. Internal forces are the values, beliefs and philosophies of each family member, as individuals, that shape one’s personality. Of course, I affirm that each individual was raised in a different familial environment which makes experiences and belief systems distinct and unique. Likewise, external forces that affect families include the political system, economic and financial condition, social factors (how people within the community related to each other), technological factors, and environmental factors. All of these factors have affected my family. For the social forces, it was emphasized that the following factors were noted to affect families: education, housing, employment, childhood cultural trends (Ryan, 2014). For instance, internal forces, which were described as the value systems of each of my parent, have affected the way I was raised. My father had been more of a disciplinarian and exhibited a more authoritative style. In contrast, my mother is very democratic in her parenting style. Therefore, there were instances where my father and mother expressed contrasting views on the way to address some concerns and issues on raising me or in solving problems. The

Florence Nightingale and her Philosophy of Nursing Term Paper

Florence Nightingale and her Philosophy of Nursing - Term Paper Example The reason she observed was absence of sanitation, lack of food and warmth for the wounded soldiers. After enduring with these circumstances she formed a theory which was successful and is practiced and followed by many. The main focus of her theory was on the environment and the patient’s reaction to it. Her belief was, if alternation in the surroundings are made nature helps patient to heal. The foundation of her theory depended upon environment, patient, health and nursing. NURSING THEORIES: A general view Theories are composed of concepts, definitions, models, propositions and sometimes even assumptions derived from nursing models, to acquire the knowledge regarding patient’s health and betterment. Nursing theories aims to identify and predict the phenomena of nursing. The theories of nursing assist the nurses to describe, explain and predict everyday experiences as well guide to review interventions and evaluation of the nursing care system. FLORENCE AND HER THEORY OF NURSING Florence Nightingale’s theories were basically regarding the ideal nursing requirements and one of the essential requirement was of course the â€Å"home sister† and after that practice of the skills required by the profession, for this purpose she wrote two articles, â€Å"Nursing the sick† and â€Å"Nursing, training of†, her aim was to combine the training from the wards and supervise learners abilities and moral development. The home sister’s duty in fact is to train the nurses, however Florence herself, was the nurse trained without the Home sister. â€Å"Observation tells how the patient is; reflection tells what is to be done; training tells how it is to be done. Training and experience are, of course, necessary to teach us, too, how to observe, what to observe; how to think, what to think† (Nightingale, 1882). She explained her environmental theory in her book â€Å"What it is and what it is not† According to Florence process of learning should carry on from the initial formal training and it should never be discontinued because nursing requires a solid educational base. It is however, quite surprising that Florence fought against the idea of requirement of license for the nursing professionals as it would undeniably affect their training and will be a cause of self-importance for the nurses where as actually this profession wants a feature of kind heartedness and down towards earth temperament. Profession of nursing should be considered as a higher calling other then just a profession, was Florence’s vie w, and that can just be secured when a nurse recognizes her responsibilities for the well being of the patient because nursing is

Walt Whitman: Homoeroticism in Leaves of Grass Essay -- Poetry Analysi

Leaves of Grass is Walt Whitman’s life legacy and at the same time the most praised and condemned book of poetry. Although fearful of social scorn, there are several poems in Leaves of Grass that are more explicit in showing the homoerotic imagery, whereas there are several subtle – should I say â€Å"implicit† – images woven into the fabric of the book. It is not strange, then, that he created many different identities in order to remain safe. What Whitman faced in writing his poetry was the difficulty in describing and resonating manly and homosexual love. He was to find another voice of his, a rhetoric device, and his effort took two forms: simplified, and subverted word play. The first was to understand and render the experience in everyday terms, as in the poem Behold This Swarthy Face. Whitman puts emphasis on masculinity â€Å"in this swarthy face, these gray eyes† (149), and other words, too, are expressive enough to explain to the reader what kind of person is to be loved. What is not as subtle as in some other of Whitman’s poems is the idea in the second part of the poem: â€Å"And I on the crossing of the street or on the ship’s deck give a kiss in / return† (149) – the meeting of the two is to be recognized anywhere, be it on the street or on a ship's deck. When it comes to the second form, Davidson notices that â€Å"The other and far more prevalent form of presented homoerotic love was by means of terms of oppression, subversion† (54). Exemplar poem of this form is Not Heaving from My Ribb’d Breast Only. In it the lyrical subject is trapped in fears and must break out of suppression in order to be himself. In the end of the poem there is a sudden release: â€Å"O pulse of my life! / Need I that you exist and show yourself any more than in... ...d Bergman, David. Choosing Our Fathers: Gender and Identity in Whitman, Ashbery and Richard Howard. American Literary History 1.2 (1989): 383-403. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Davidson, Edward H.. The Presence of Walt Whitman. Journal of Aesthetic Education 17.4 (1983): 41-63. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Herrman, Steven B.. Walt Whitman and the Homoerotic Imagination. Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche 1.2 (2007): 16-47. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Maslan, Mark. Whitman and His Doubles: Division and Union in Leaves of Grass and Its Critics. American Literary History 6.1 (1994): 119-139. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Metzer, David. Reclaiming Walt: Marc Blitzstein’s Whitman Settings. Journal of the American Musicological Society 48.2 (1995): 240-271. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. Pennsylvania: the Pennsylvania State University, 2007. Print.

Presence of Depression in Patients Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease

Presence of Depression in Patients Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder which is associated with cognitive and memory deterioration, progressive impairment of activities of daily living, a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms and behavioral disturbances (Robinson). This disease is seen in about 2-4 million Americans and is usually occurs after the age of 65 years (Robinson).According to Teri and Wagner (1992) there is growing agreement among physicians that Alzheimer’s disease is often accompanied by mood and behavior disturbances, especially depression. Depression and Alzheimer’s dementia are two separate disorders, one is disorder of affect other disorder of cognition (Terri, & Wagner 1992). Despite this, depression and dementia share a number of characteristics and frequently coexist. Impact of Associated Depression with Alzheimer’s disease on Patients and Caregivers According to Terry & Wagner (1992) depression is one of the most frequent comorbidpsychiatric disorders in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and is associated with poor quality of life, great degree of disability in activities of daily living, a faster cognitive decline, a high rate of nursing home placement and high mortality rate. AD patients with coexistent depression exhibit significantly more functional disability due to presence of depressive symptoms like: dysphoric mood, vegetative signs, social withdrawal, loss of interest, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, and suicidal ideation etc (Terry, & Wagner 1992).According to Newcomer, Yordi, DuNah, Fox, & Wilkinson (1999) depression in the patient is often a major source of stress, burden, and depression for care providers Caregivers of people with dementia and depression have been shown to experience depression, anger, anxiety, guilt, and to report negative attitudes toward the patient and other family members All these problems in patients with AD and depression can lead to massively increased health care costs (Terry and Wagner, 1992). Assessment of the Problem Gathering data on depression in order to accurately assess the prevalence of depressionamongst the patients suffering from AD is a very difficult problem due to many reasons as mentioned below: Lack of established procedures to ascertain depressive symptoms in AD: Absence of a standardized procedure for assessment of depression in patients with AD was probably the main factor which has contributed to the variable rates of depression (15%-86%) in different studies (Terri, & Wagner 1992). Different versions of the DSM III [1980] and DSM-III-R [1987] criteria were used in various studies which gave rise to different rates of prevalence of depression in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.AD and depression are now often clearly defined by using well-accepted diagnostic criteria, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3r d ed. , rev. (DSM-III-R); and the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Diseases and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA), and well-established measures spanning the range of self-report and interviewer assessment (Terri, & Wagner, 1992).Other more established measures are also been used now, including the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Using DSM-III-R criteria, Teri, and Wagner (1991) reported prevalence of depression among AD patients in their study as 29%.. Overlap of symptoms between depression and AD: Since there can be overlap of symptoms between the two, it is difficult to attribute the symptom to a particular disorder. This overlap can often confound the diagnosis of depression (Terri, & Wagner 1992).Existent measures can identify the presence of specific symptomatology, but they cannot clarify its cause. For e. g. : a person might be experiencing â€Å"loss of interest,† Now this loss could be due to the cognitive deterioration of dementia or due to anhedonia (loss of pleasure) related to depression.. Thus it becomes very difficult to differentiate dementia from depression in some cases. The primary source from which the history of depressive symptoms is obtained:According to number of studies (Gilley, et al. 1996; Teri, & Wegner1991) the traditional methods of obtaining history about depressive symptoms like patient interview and self reporting questionnaires might not prove accurate to assess the patient’s symptoms as the patient with Alzheimer’s disease might be suffering from significant cognitive impairment. As a result of this cognitive impairment AD patients are unable to provide accurate information about their symptoms of depression .As an alternative to patient-report methods, the use of collateral informants (patient’s care provider) to ascertain depressive symptomatology in cognitively impaired patients has been em ployed nowadays. In 1991 Teri and Wegner conducted a study in AD patients to show that the reports given by the patients themselves indicated less depression than reports from either their caregivers or reports given by clinicians after clinical observation of the patient. .The results of their study indicated that most of the patients suffering from AD and dementia seemed to be unaware of their depression.Although the use of collateral informants seems to be an attractive alternative approach for the assessment of depression in AD patients, it is not without important potential limitations. Caregivers may be unavailable for many patients or the care provider may not be living with the patient (Terry &Wegner 1992). If the care provider does not stay with the patient he might not get an opportunity to routinely observe the patient and will not be able to provide accurate information. The relationship between the care-provider and the patient also needs to be considered.According to m any studies (Terri, & Wegner 1992; Gilley, et al. 1995) child or spouse of the patient has been identified as the most accurate informant. Inaccurate data may be obtained if other sources of collateral informants are used. Caregivers may also provide inaccurate history as they may rely more on observable behaviors than on other sources of information because they are unable to evaluate the patient's emotional state, or conversely, caregivers may rely more on inference, using their subjective beliefs to evaluate how the patient is feeling (Teri& Wegner 1991).In cases where the care provider is not available, it typically becomes the responsibility of the clinician to make a diagnosis of depression. However clinician’s diagnosis is based on brief periods of patient’s observation and thus might not yield accurate results (Terri & Wegner 1992). Effect of Depression on Cognitive Deficits Associated with AD. Pronounced episodic memory impairment is one of the cardinal manife stations of AD. Depression on its own is also related with some amount of memory loss.Since both depression and AD have been found to result in memory deficits, it may be hypothesized that the simultaneous occurrence of both these diseases would add to the memory problems resulting from AD alone (Terry & Wagner 1992). Many neuropathological and clinical studies have attempted to determine whether the existence of one disorder predisposes an individual to the development of the other and whether the cognitive deficits seen in AD become more pronounced if the person also suffers from depression.The results of the study performed by Fahlander, Berger & Wahlin (1999) indicated that depression does not further impair episodic memory performance in patients with AD. This result was in agreement with a prior research done by Backman, Hassing, Forsell, and Viitanen (1996) who determined the co morbidity effects of AD and depression on episodic memory performance in very old persons (90-100 years of age) with and without dementia and depression. Overall, Backman, et al. found no differences between depressed patients and healthy old controls or between patients with AD and depression and those with AD alone.Backman, et al explained this finding as follows: Symptoms of depression which are most likely to exert negative effects on memory include motivational and attention factors like lack of interest, loss of energy, concentration difficulties etc. Some amount of memory impairment is already present among AD patients as a result of similar symptoms like lack of interest, loss of energy etc associated with dementia. Therefore, a diagnosis of major depression may not cause further impairment of memory in persons suffering from AD.Backman, et al also suggested that although depression influences memory performance in normal aging individuals, in dementia, this effect seems to be overshadowed by the neurodegenerative changes of AD itself . Backman, et al reached a conclusio n that since such symptoms are more likely to be part of normal aging in the 90’s compared with earlier decades, the effects of major depression on memory would be more prevalent among younger old persons(in7-8th decade of life) as compared to the oldest old(in 9-10th decade of life).Tests for Differentiating Alzheimer’s disease and Depression. Utility of the Fuld profile in the differentiation of AD and depression: Bornstein, Termeer, Longbrake, Heger, & North (1989) have examined the incidence of Fuld profile in a sample of patients diagnosed to be suffering from major depression. Fuld’s profile refers to a pattern of performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) that appears to be associated with cholinergic deficits and thus is found to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (Bornstein, et al).Since a large number of patients with AD have been seen to show negative profiles, a negative profile does not prove that AD is not present. Bo rnstein, et al. have suggested that one should not rely on the results obtained from Fuld profile to make a diagnosis of AD. A diagnosis of AD should be made only after a thorough medical and neurological history and a complete neuropsychological examination. According to Bornstein, et al this profile was significantly less frequent in the depressed patients as compared to that reported in previous studies in Alzheimer's disease patients.The study by Bornstein, et al does provide some support regarding the diagnostic specificity of the Fuld profile in diagnosis of depression. Although this study and previous data are encouraging, considerable further investigation is needed to document the specificity and diagnostic contribution of this profile for diagnosis of depression. Measurement of a potential biological marker in the CSF: Increased CSF concentrations of phosphorylated brain protein called tau protein, has been seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Phosphorylated t au protein (ptau) has been suggested as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease.Since the levels of this protein are not elevated in patients with depression, measurement of this biological marker in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can diagnose patients with AD and thus help in differentiating them from those suffering from depression. (Vernon 2003). Treatment of Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Treatment of Alzheimer's disease has proved to be quite difficult. . The disease is progressive and use of drugs (like cholinesterase inhibitors) just help in bringing about a little improvement (20-30%) in cognitive symptoms (Zepf 2005).However the drugs used for improving cognitive functions have no effect on the depressive symptoms. Treatment of depression must form an important part of the overall treatment of this disease. This is so as treatment of depression in patients with Alzheimer's disease can have a significant impact on the well-being of these patients as well as their ca re givers [Lyketsos, et al. 2003 (as cited in Miller 2004)]. Continuing research is taking place in order to treat depression in AD patients. Many drugs have been tried to treat depression among patients with AD.Drugs like tricyclic antidepressants often used in cases of depression without AD are usually avoided in patients with AD, owing to their anticholinergic properties (Zepf, 2005). Lyketsos et al, 2003 (as cited in Miller 2004) showed the drug sertraline (selective seratonin uptake inhibitor) to be much superior as compared to placebo in treatment of depression in patients with AD. According to USA Today (Society for advancement of education) the drug sertraline (Zoloft) significantly improves the quality of life and prevents disruption in daily activities for patients of Alzheimer's disease with depression.Use of this drug has been shown to lessen the behavioral disturbances and improve the activities of daily living but has no effect on patients' cognitive abilities, such as thinking, remembering and learning. Conclusion Despite the great deal of research which has recently taken place in the field of Alzheimer’s disease with depression, more research is still required in this field as the physicians are still are not clear about the pathophysiology of AD or about the exact prevalence of depression in patients of AD or it’s etiology.The questions of whether depression and dementia are similar or different, whether one leads to the other or whether their coexistence has any etiological significance are far from resolved. The complete knowledge and understanding in this field will help the physicians in developing effective treatment strategies for care of such patients. Once the psychologists are able to understand the risk factors for coexistent depression in dementia and find its effective cure, they would be able to significantly improve the quality of life of the patients as well as their care providers and greatly reduce the health ca re costs.Several questions regarding the management of depression in AD still need to be answered. The comparative efficacy of anti-depressants from various classes still needs to be explored by performing larger clinical trials. Role of non-pharmacological methods for treatment of depression also needs to be explored. Further research and studies are required in future to address these topics. The number of studies at present is quite small and the need for further investigation in future persists. References Backman, L. , Massing, L. , Forsell, Y. , & Viitanen, M. (1996). Episodic Remembering in apopulation-based Sample of Nonagenarians: Does major depression exacerbate the memory deficits seen in alzheimer's disease? Psychology and Aging, 2(4),649-657. Bornstein, R. A. , Termeer, J. , Longbrake, K. , Heger, M. , & North, R. (1989). WAIS-R Cholinergic Deficit Profile in Depression. Psychological Assessment, 1(4), 342-344. Fahlander, K. , Berger, A. K. , Wahlin, A. ,& Backman, L. ( 1999). Depression does not aggravate the episodic memory deficits associated with alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychology, 13 (4), 532-538. Gilley,D. W. , Wilson R. S. , Fleischman D. A. , Harrison, D. W. , Goetz, C.G. , & Tanner, C. M. (1995). Impact of Alzheimer's-Type Dementia and Information Source on the Assessment of Depression. Psychological Assessment, 7(1), 42-48. Miller, E. K. (2004). Depression in patients with Alzheimer's disease. American Family Physician. Retrieved on 8 Nov 2006 from http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_3_69/ai_112915116 Newcomer, R. , Yordi, C. , DuNah, R. , Fox, P. , & Wilkinson, A. (1999). Effects of the Medicare alzheimer's disease demonstration on caregiver burden and depression: The medicare alzheimer's disease demonstration program. Health Services Research.Retrieved on 8 Nov 2006 from http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m4149/is_3_34/ai_55610150 Robinson, R. Alzheimer's disease. Encyclopedia of Medicine. Retrieved on 8 Nov 2006 from http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_g2601/is_0000/ai_2601000053 Teri, L. , & Wagner, A. W. (1991). Assessment of depression in patients with Alzheimer's Disease: Concordance among informants. Psychology and Aging, 6(2), 280-285. Teri, L. , & Wagner, A. (1992). Alzheimer's disease and depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60(3), 379-391. USA Today. (Society for advancement of education). (2003).Antidepressant slows patient decline: Alzheimer's Disease. Retrieved on 8 Nov 2006 from http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2701_132/ai_109085096 Vernon, H. (2003). Hemoxymed’s diagnostic test in development is useful in differentiating patients with Alzheimer's disease from patients with geriatric major depression. Business wire. Retrieved on 8 Nov 2006 from http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1G1-97485997. html Zepf, B. (2005). Drug therapy for patients with Alzheimer's disease. American family physicians Retrieved on 8 Nov 2006 from h ttp://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_10_71/ai_n13790924.