Comparing Transport Systems in flowering Plants and Mammals essays

Comparing Transport Systems in flowering Plants and Mammals essays Unit 2 Biology- FUNCTIONING ORGANISMS SAC- Essay on transport systems Transport systems play an essential role in the survival of flowering plants and mammals Transport systems play an essential role in the survival of flowering plants and mammals. These organisms rely entirely on the transport of water, oxygen and nutrients to every cell. To supply these products at a rate the organisms demand to sustain life, they have developed a specialised transport system. Simple diffusion from the organisms surface to their inside would just be too slow because of mammal and flowering plants small surface area in comparison to its volume. The transport system in mammals and plants is relatively similar as they transport materials through specialised tubes, and use water as a basis for transport due to its ideal properties. Mammals tubes are known as blood vessels and form a circulatory vascular system. Blood vessels are elastic tubes that carry blood from the heart, distribute it through the body, and return it back to the heart. The blood vessels that transport blood away from the heart are the arteries which are the largest in size of the vessels. These divide into smaller arteries (arterioles), which then divide into microscopic vessels (capillaries). The capillaries rejoin to form small veins and then large veins which carry the blood back to the heart. Mammals also have a lymphatic system which plays a different role in the transport system. The lymphatic system consists of lymph vessels, lymph nodes and lymph fluid. Lymph vessels are like veins except they carry a clear fluid containing mostly water and protei n called lymph, instead of blood. Lymph is composed of excess fluid from tissues, waste products, and immune system cells. The lymphatic system drains away that excess body fluid from the cells with the lymph seeping out of the blood vessels and into the body tissues. ...

Results from the 2010 Census essayEssay Writing Service

Results from the 2010 Census essayEssay Writing Service Results from the 2010 Census essay Results from the 2010 Census essayThe article in question is divided into several parts, each exploring on different topics related to the census of 2010 and its future perspectives. The authors of the article investigate such issues as the changes in the US population, increasing racial and minority diversity as well as state and local population changes. The article represents a full-fledged analysis of different issues concerning the US population and its growth. It also deeply covers the issues of minorities in this regard. It is known that every 10 years the US conducts a census to see the changes in the state population (Mather, Pollard, and Jacobsen 3). Thus, the next census will be completed in 2020. It seems like there is a lot of time ahead, but in reality time goes by extremely fast. The authors of the article answer such questions as where the population of the US has increased and what proportion of the country’s population belongs to the ethnic and racial minorit ies.In this relation, it needs to be said that such census is evidently one of the most important issues for the US of today as more and more representatives of other race or ethnicity immigrate to the country for different reasons, mainly in search of prosperity and better living and working conditions. Thus, the number of minorities is ever increasing. The article summarizes the major findings of the 2010 Census. It states that the census conducted in the nearest past included a slightly different range of questions provided to the US citizens in comparison with the censuses that were carried out decades earlier. The results of the census showed that the population of the US has grown to 300 million people (Mather, Pollard, and Jacobsen 5). However, the authors of the article claim that the pace, at which the population of the US has grown, was traced to be considerably slower than that of the previous years.However, according to the article, the census conducted in 2010 was not a ccurate enough. Thus, it has been historically viewed as a survey with inaccurate coverage often missing minorities and children (Mather, Pollard, and Jacobsen 6). The 2010 Census was not an exception. As for the minorities, it needs to be admitted that according to the data obtained through the census, the Latino population has grown 43% in comparison with the previous decade (Mather, Pollard, and Jacobsen 7). In general, it is evident that the growth of minority population is ever increasing and this trend is likely to continue in future. The census also shows that the increase of the Asian population will also take place in the proceeding decades.As for my personal point of view, I consider that the demographic situation in the US has a tendency to constantly change and there can be no clear perspectives as for the future alterations in the population of the country. We can only suggest that some changes will take place, but in reality, it is hard to say whether our suggestions w ill be 100% true as even the most accurate census does not guarantee total coverage. In general, it can be predicted that the minority population of the US will continue to grow along with the number of immigrants who are likely to become future citizens of the country. I consider that carrying out censuses like the one that was conducted in 2010 is of great importance as it is vital to constantly monitor the demographic situation in the country. I should also say that I agree with the authors of the article that the number of children and population in general will increase at a rapid speed and might grow to â€Å"one-third of a billion people†

Special Agent for the Office of Inspector General for U.S. Department Essay - 1

Special Agent for the Office of Inspector General for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Essay Example Today, various agencies of the United States government are tasked to implement goals of the government from the federal to the local level. Prior to the creation of these agencies, governing rules and regulations are in place to guide the bodies respectively with the common intention to uphold the rights and privileges of the United States citizens. However, it is also the role of the government to protect its agencies and programs in order to make them sustainable and useful for the people. The growth and increase of staff and employees of bureaucracies makes agencies prone to small as well as large-scale fraudulent activities from the seemingly innocent loss of office supplies to massive questionable contracts that are too obvious to keep away public attention. Thus, the creation of monitoring bodies that aside the main cabinets with its officials and employees, secondary agencies like shadows were also put in place to check and balance the activities of these agencies whether these were in the benefit of the government and the public it serves, or otherwise. This focuses on the analysis of the tasks of the Special Agent for the Office of Inspector General for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, that is aimed to address the rapid urbanization and the development of housing and community. It is then discusses how their agents or employees are basically hired to prevent waste, fraud, abuse as well as mismanagement of government programs and operations withi n their operating agency.

What Do You Think Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What Do You Think - Essay Example First of all, the HR Director of the construction company should organize an interaction session. In this session the director should suggest the major stakeholders of the organization to realize the significance of women employees. Recently it has been seen that women staffs are considered as more effective employees who can mange several conflicts in an effective way. It is true that the managerial capability of women is much higher comparing to the men. In addition to this, the HR Director should motivate its employees to work together with employees. Collaborative work and effective workplace diversity strategy can help the director to hire skilled women employees. The human resource department should develop workplace equity policy in order to take care of the morale rights of women employees. This strategy will help the organization to avoid workplace conflicts and improve its productivity. On the other hand, the goodwill of the organization can get increased among its internal and external stakeholders. It is true that male employees have the ability to do the hard work and avail more physical ability comparing to the women individuals. In terms of managerial skills, organization can get advantages from women leaders. It is important for the organization to motivate the male employees before implementing any employment equity policy. The organization should redefine the reward structure and performance evaluation process to motivate the male employees. In addition to this, the HR department should organize an orientation process in which the director can help them to understand the significance of collaborative work performance and workplace diversity. Skilled Men and women employees in a group can enhance collaborative group work (Poelmans 174). There are several competitive advantages to implement this initiative. Diverse workforce with female staffs can help the organization to bid for several leading private

Shift work Essay Example for Free

Shift work Essay Origin: A person seeing a table piled high with sumptuous food has a tendency to get too many and/or too large a portion. Since the problem is brought on by the eyes and a lack of reason, the person is portrayed a one whose eyes are bigger than their stomach. Elephant in the room Meaning: An important and obvious topic, which everyone present is aware of, but which isnt discussed, as such discussion is considered to be uncomfortable. Origin: The theme of the exhibition was global poverty. By painting the elephant in the same bold pattern as the rooms wallpaper, Banksy emphasized the phrases meaning, by both making the elephant even more obvious and by giving those who chose to ignore it (like the woman in the tableau) an opportunity to pretend that it had blended into the wallpaper background. Even at the turning of the tide Meaning: The phrase is used to denote some change from a previously stable course of events. Origin: The phrase comes from Shakespeare’s Henry V where he use turning of the tide in a letter. Ear candy Meaning: Music with an instant appeal but with little lasting significance. Origin: The term may have been in use before 1977, although I can find no references to it in print that predate Reddys album title. The term did get picked up though and soon became a generic term for music that was initially attractive but with little lasting substance. Candy is of course what the US calls the confectionery that many parts of the English-speaking world call sweets. The sugary, insubstantial imagery is well suited to these phrases. Excuse my French Meaning: Please forgive my swearing. Origin: A coy phrase used when someone who has used a swear-word attempts to pass it off as French. The coyness comes from the fact the both the speaker and listener are of course both well aware the swear-word is indeed English. F Fair and square Meaning: Honest and straightforward, especially of business dealings. Origin: In the 16th century square meant fair and honest so fair and square is tautological. George Puttenham used that meaning of square in The arte of English poesie, 1589:[Aristotle] termeth a constant minded man a square man. Francis Bacons essay Of Prophecies, 1604 is the first known use of fair and square: Fast asleep Meaning: soundly asleep. Origin: The fast in fast asleep derives from the Old German fest, meaning stuck firmly; not easily moveable as in stuck fast. Asleep derives from sleep in the same way that nautical adverbs like aground and astern derive from ground and stern. To be fast asleep was to be stuck firmly in sleep, analogous to a beached ship being fast aground. Filthy rich Meaning: Very rich, possibly having become so by unfair means. Origin: The phrase comes from the word â€Å"filthy lucre† means money from dishonorable gain. This was first used as a noun phrase meaning rich people; who have become so by dishonorable means like gambling. Face the music Meaning: Face the truth Origin: Comes from the British military. When someone was court marshaled, there would be a military drum squad playing, hence face the music. The term drummed out of the military came from this practice. From stem to stern Meaning: Thorough, complete. Origin: The very front of a ship is called the stem, the rear is called the stern. From stem to stern includes the entire ship. G Get a leg up Meaning: To get a boost or advantage. Origin: This phrase may incorrectly invoke images of a dog raising its leg. In fact Getting a leg up is from the act of an equestrian receiving help in mounting a horse. The helper would create a foothold by cupping the hands to heft the rider upward, throwing a leg up and over the steed. Get of the wrong foot Meaning: Make a bad start to a project or relationship. Origin: The phrase comes from the idiom â€Å"put your best foot forward. † This means to make a best impression. Despite the implication we only have two choices, so if theres a wrong foot there has to be a right one too and get off on the right foot is also in common use. Graveyard shift Meaning: A late-night/early-morning work shift. Origin: So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins was found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer. Grinning like a Cheshire cat Meaning: Grin broadly. Origin: The phrase comes from the novel â€Å"Alice in Wonderland† where she asked the duchess why the cat grinned. The duchess answered â€Å"Because it’s a Cheshire cat! † I didnt know that Cheshire cats always grinned; in fact, I didnt know that cats COULD grin. They all can, say the Duchess; and most of them do. Good as gold Meaning: Well – behaved and obedient. Origin: When banknotes (known as bills in the USA and some other countries) were first introduced they werent considered to be money in the sense we now think of them. They were promissory notes or IOUs. Gold or silver was real money as it had intrinsic value. Notes were just promises to pay in coin. UK banknotes, like those of many other countries, still include messages like this, signed by the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England: I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of ten pounds. So, as good as gold ought really to be as genuine as gold, but the more usual meaning of good has taken precedence over the years and left us with the usual meaning of the phrase. H High on the hog Meaning: Extravagantly. Origin: The best meat is on the upper portion of the pig. Rich people have always been afforded this luxury while the servants, slaves and poor have always had to eat pigs feet, chitterlings, cracklings, etc. low on the hog. Horse of a different color Meaning: Unlike the subject at hand. Origin: Horses are registered at birth and the registration includes a record of their color. When a horse trades hands due to sale, the registration is also transferred. Sometimes the color recorded on the registration may not match the actual color of the horse leading one to suspect the horse is not the one in the registration. Horses sometimes change color as they age, just as some peoples hair changes color. More likely the horse is not the one represented on the registration but is actually an entirely different horse. Hold your feet to the fire Meaning: To hold one accountable for a commitment, make good on a promise. Origin: Pertains to torture used during the Crusades. As a method for extracting confession for heresy, non-believers were positioned in a manner that allowed the inquisitor to apply flames to the feet of the accused. This was done until the accused confessed or died. Head over heels Meaning: Excited, and/or turning cartwheels to demonstrate ones excitement. Origin: Head over heels is now most often used as part of head over heels in love. When first coined it wasnt used that way though and referred exclusively to being temporarily the wrong way up. It is one of many similar phrases that we use to describe things that are not in their usual state upside-down, topsy-turvy, topple up tail, arse over tea-kettle, bass-backwards etc. Hard lines Meaning: Bad luck Origin: Clearly the derivation of hard lines is entirely dependent on which line was being referred to when the phrase was coined. There is a reference to lines in the King James Version of the Bible, 1611, and that is the basis of several early citations of hard lines:Psalms 16:6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

US Role in Middle East Democracy

US Role in Middle East Democracy Democracy is described as a system of government whereby the power is vested in the people by electing representatives who rule them. It is also described as a government of the people by the people. Democracy was started in the ancient Greece and in England after the Magna Carta treaty of 1215. Greece citizens were allowed to speak and vote in the assembly. The Magna Carta treaty, on the hand, delegated some of the king’s powers to the people. The American Revolution is also credited with making a landmark in democracy by the creation of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Democratic principles require the equal treatment of all people and running an institution in a manner that is deemed impartial and fair. Other principles of democracy include respect to the rule of law and protection of the rights of the minorities (Diamond, Plattner, Brumberg). Democracies have been for and granted as a result of wars, revolutions, and economic circumstances. Tod ay the Middle East and in the greater Arab states’ democracy has been plagued by conflicts and authoritarian regimes exercising total control over the people. In the early 1990’s the United States began emphasizing on the development of civil societies in the Middle East through democratic aid pacts. By the 2009 fiscal year, the US annual assistance in the region surpassed the total amount of democratic aid pacts spent between 1991 and 2001. Though the pacts were categorized as democratic aids, it was not necessarily meant to promote the Middle East democracy rather than stability. Most of the Ngo’s who received US assistance avoided doing any act that could be construed as supporting a regime change (Diamond, Plattner, Brumberg). The US is more concerned about maintaining stability rather than the tenets of democracy. Democracy entails the alternation of power from the state to the people. America’s diplomacy in the Middle East is based on maintaining t he status quo and endorsing sheer stability, rather than upholding the ideals and principles of democracy. Tamara Wittes on Americas role in building Arab democracy In the recent years, the promotion of democracy has been a pillar of the US foreign policy not only in the Middle East, but across the globe. However, the true tenets and principles of democracy have always been evaded and questionable in the US foreign policy in the US. The US has supported authoritarian regimes and dictators to ensure stability and US interest and in return turned a blind eye to regime’s usurping of democracy. The US supported Saddam Hussein in Iran-Iraq war but later turned against him when he was perceived as weak after invading Kuwait, a longtime US ally in the Middle East. The Middle East is known to harbor over 60 percent of the world’s global oil reserves, and thus the US is more inclined to maintain stability in the region by overlooking implementation of democracy by the ruling regimes (Wittes,2008). Democracy is an evolutionary aspect rather than revolutionary. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the country held its first general election in 2005 to mark a transition from an authoritarian regime to democracy. However, to date, America still maintains a military presence in Iraq not to further the course of democracy but to maintain stability and security crucial to US foreign policy interests. Schools of thought in the US foreign policy international relations in the Middle East believe the country pursues stability at the expense of democracy in the region. When the Bush administration failed to prove Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction after 9/11, the administration used the notion of democracy to invade Iraq to stamp out Al-Qaeda. The use of democracy as an affront to war was based on the notion that, the overthrow of Saddam’s rule would bring a democratic domino effect across the entire Middle East region. The invasion of Iraq was not entirely based on ensuring democracy, but a US policy of maintaining security and stability in the region. The then, US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice on her nomination hearing before the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee in January 2005, announced that one of the administration’s diplomacy priorities is to strengthen the community democracies to fight and alleviate common security threats and ensure stability (Wittes,2008). The US ‘soft democracy promotion’ in the Middle East can be explained in two ways. The US fears it may bring about unfavorable results that may not be in tandem with Washington’s interests. This can be attributed to the election of Islamic factions in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq who oppose America’s liberal democracy in the region. In Palestinian, the US pushed for elections in return for a guaranteed US support for a future Palestinian state. The elections culminated in the election of Hamas, an Islamic group classified as a terrorist organization by the US and EU. Hamas refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and it later led to the refusal of the UN, EU, US and Russia to recognize Hamas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. (Wittes,2008). Witte also articulates that, the US fears a conflict of interest situation with its allies which may hinder co-operation on strategic issues in the region. For example, to openly deman d for the promotion of democracy in Saudi Arabia may constrain its relationship with the US and push towards China or Russia or run the risk of Islamic radicals taking over the country. Principal determinants of the US Policy in the Middle East Since the Second World War, the Middle East has been of essential interest to the United States. Today, the Middle East has evolved to become a permanent US geopolitical interest. The US policy in the region has long been based on economic factors and regional stability. These determinants have been essential to US that they have overridden democracy and the principles of democracy in the region (Dodge, 2008). Middle East’s presence of oil reserves is a key determinant of the US policy and elations in the Middle East. A 1945 US State Department memorandum described Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves as a stupendous source of strategic and one of the world’s greatest material prizes in history. In 2006, 27 percent of the world’s oil came from the Middle East with the US buying over half of it. President G. W. Bush acknowledged this by stating that, ‘America is addicted to oil’ (Dodge, 2008). US’s dependence on the Middle East oil illustrates that the US will always be cautious about taking any aggressive stance that might be upset or strain its Middle East allies. Nonetheless, as the world’s most powerful nation and the biggest economy, the US has a responsibility to protect this vital interest. In return, the US gets favorable oil prices and strategic partners in the region. The vital oil interest in the Middle East makes the US overlook the exercise of democracy in the region, keep supporting the ruling regimes to ensure there is stability in the region. Today, in Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to vote or lead certain key institutions and the US is its biggest oil importer (Dodge, 2008). The US turns a blind eye on this key violation of democracy for fear that democracy may lead to instability in the region. The US instead keeps a diplomatic policy that maintains the status quo in the region to maintain stability and protect this key economic interest . US democracy effects of in respective Middle East states The US and Israel-and the Palestinians The Jewish state is a key US ally in the Middle East since the recognition of the state by President Harry Truman in 1948. Since then Israel has continued to enjoy US support over time. Israel’s support has remained to be a pillar of US foreign policy in the Middle East as the one of the few democratic states in the region. The US policy of the state is based on several factors in that, to ensure stability in the region and a stable ally. However, Israel’s unwavering US support however, pitted it against its neighbour states who viewed it as a threat to Palestine (Dodge, 2008). Israel has over time been accused of violating known international human rights, and the tenets of democracy but the US has however supported the state for the maintenance of stability in the region. The US backed Israel in its military strikes against the Palestinian authority and militants in the Gaza strip and the occupied territories of the west bank during the rule of Ariel Sharon. Subsequently, the US push for democracy in the Palestinian territories led to the election of a religious extremist group with terrorist affiliations. The US preconditioned the Palestinian territories to allow room for democracy and in return the US would support the formation of a future Palestinian state (Dodge, 2008). The elections culminated in the election of Hamas, an Islamic group classified as a terrorist organization by the US and EU. Hamas refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and it later led to the refusal of the UN, EU, US and Russia to recognize Hamas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The preset preconditions were that the Palestine territories would accept Israel’s right to existence, abandon violence and acknowledge previous Palestine-Israel agreements. In 2007, following a forcible capture of Gaza by Hamas the US responded by imposing economic sanctions on the Palestinian enclave. The US at the same time rapidly increased funding of the West-Bank under the control of Fatah. Fatah was headed by Mahmoud Abbas had received US support in his candidacy for prime minister and president in 2003 and 2005 respectively. The US’s intention of the increased Fatah’s funding was to undermine the Hamas movement and strengthen the Fatah party. This scenario indicates that the US promoted Fatah because there was a viable condition for having a democracy and ensuring in the region (Dodge, 2008). Bahrain In the Middle East Bahrain is an key US ally primarily due to the location of US Navy Fifth Fleet command headquarters situated in the country’s capital and due to Bahrain’s importance to Saudi Arabia as a check to Iran. Bahrain’s ruling government is comprised of the Sunni minority whereas the Shia Muslims, who are the country’s majority are minimally represented in government. The principles of democracy articulate that, in any democratic setting the ruling government must respect and teat the minority in equal measure as the majority. However, the US tends to overlook this aspect for the maintenance of stability in the region. Military aid in the country increased in 2001 from 235,000 dollars to 90.4 million in 2004 (Carothers Ottaway,2010). This was largely attributed to the US’s policy of key Bahrain as an ally and maintaining stability in the region by allowing the continued stay of US troops in the region. Iraq The Iraq invasion of 2003 was based on based on the notion that there was a need to counter US threats and bring stability and the only way viable way to do so was by introducing democracy in Iraq. Saddam’s twenty four year rule was overthrown amid an effort to bring democracy to the country and the entire Middle East region. The introduction of democracy in Iraq was seen as the cornerstone of democracy in the entire region. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice termed the transformation of Iraq as a key element of a very distinct Middle East (Dalacoura,2005). The fall of Saddam’s Baath party led to a collapse of public order which was highly unanticipated by the US. The collapse gave birth to the formation of Islamic insurgent groups that engaged the US in a war to push them out of Iraq. An extreme shortage in basic necessities such as food and water swept across the country. Insecurity became rampant and majority of the people were displaced, and a new conflict was fo rmed. A conflict between the US military and Iraq insurgents. The collapse of public order threatened stability in the region and led engagement of the longest US war in history. In Saddam’s twenty-four year rule, Iraq largely experienced stability and public order which was constrained by US’s introduction of democracy in the country. After the formation of an elected government, the country privatized all state -owned companies in all sectors except oil and minerals. This was viewed an economic reform of the country. New bilateral agreements were signed to ensure stability in the region (Dalacoura,2005). Jordan Due to its constitutional monarch, Jordan has for a long time been regarded as one of the most stable states in the Middle East. During the Bush administration, Jordan and the US only engage on an ‘as needed’ basis only. However, after the Iraq invasion in 2003, this need be basis changed. The US reviewed its relations with the Jordan and democratic reforms. However, the renewed interest of democracy in US was based on ensuring stability in the region and the significance of maintenance of peace with Israel. An agreement with the US was signed that allowed Jordan to consolidate its debt with the US. In return, Jordan agreed to train Iraq police on its soil to help combat the growing insurgency in Iraq. State interactions between the two countries increased (Carothers Ottaway,2010). Lebanon Renewed calls for democracy in Lebanon led to the country’s first free and fair general elections in 2005. The election resulted in the election of Hezbollah, a terrorist group in government. Election of the group to government led to widespread negative press against the US, but the US still kept maintaining diplomatic relations with the country for the sake of stability. The introduction of democracy in the country by US was perceived as a way maintaining stability by giving people a chance to elect leaders of their choice (Carothers Ottaway,2010). However, the election of Hezbollah faced the US with a dilemma of how to maintain diplomatic relations with the country with a government that representatives with known terrorist affiliations Syria Due to Syria’s classification as a state sponsor of terrorism the US only exercises minimal direct interactions with the state. Syria has been ruled by the Assad dynasty for decades. The Assads practice total authoritarian rule over their subjects. Under the Obama administration, the US threatened to invade Syria to impose democracy and rule of law in the country. The invasion was vetoed by Russia in the UN Security Council meeting. After the veto of military intervention, the US sponsored a revolution to topple that Assad government by supplying weapons to the revolutionary groups Documents on Democracy. (2014). A general election was held in 2014, and Bashar al-Assad won by a landslide victory. 88.7 percent of the electorates elected him even after been opposed by the US. Though the US did not explicitly acknowledge Assad’s election it recommended the people for participating in the election. References Carothers, T., Ottaway, M. (Eds.). (2010). Uncharted journey: promoting democracy in the Middle East. Carnegie Endowment Dalacoura, K. (2005). US democracy promotion in the Arab Middle East since 11 September 2001: a critique. International affairs, 81(5), 963-979. Dodge, T. (2008). US foreign policy in the Middle East (pp. 214-235). Oxford University Press. Documents on Democracy. (2014). Journal Of Democracy, 25(4), 180-185. doi:10.1353/jod.2014.0078 Diamond, L. J., Plattner, M. F., Brumberg, D. (Eds.). (2003). Islam and democracy in the Middle East. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press. Wittes, Tamara Cofman (2008). Freedom’s unsteady march: Americas role in building Arab democracy. The Brookings Institution

Tatyana Tolstaya’s White Walls: Summary

White walls. In having white walls, there is always room tort improvement. You are never stuck with one look because you can always simply change it. Tolstoy is very optimistic in that she feels that with the end of Communism and the Soviet Houses 3 Union, there is great room for improvement. I believe that she is correct in this assessment because Russia today is not as big of super power as the United States, but it is certainly on its way to be there soon. Another big symbol in this piece, I believe, is Johnson + Johnson.Tolstoy never clarifies entirely what Johnson + Johnson is, but it seems to be a big company. This could be a new company that was formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. We learned about how when the USSR dissolved the government and the economy took a huge hit. I believe this is an example of a company that is on the rise. This can definitely be viewed as a symbol due to the fact that it is not only a business, but the name Johnson + Johnson makes it seem as if it is a family run operation.The sentence after Tolstoy mentions Johnson + Johnson, she says, â€Å"From broad, there were quick-acting cleaners and spot removers-aerosols to erase memory, acids to eliminate the past. † This is another example of how she wants the past to be erased. Although Johnson + Johnson is only mentioned a few times in this short story I believe it is a crucial symbol. The business industry is on the rise in Russia. The final symbol I chose was Mikhail Avouching Jason. M. A . Jason was the builder of the dacha that Tolstoy and her family lived in when they were kids.He is constantly mentioned throughout this piece. Tolstoy alas about how she always found some of his old stuff in the attic and how she was always very intrigued by what she would find. The way they describe Jason, makes it seem that he was a very nice and kind man. The main message that I get from reading this is that Russia is a rebuilding country. All the examples in the story of tearing down old things to replace them with new Houses 4 items shows this message. If it weren't for Jason then Tolstoy would never have lived in this house and she wouldn't have found all of the old items left behind by IM.She talks about how Jason essentially dispersed without any remembrance of him. Tolstoy says that, â€Å"Jason dispersed, disintegrated, vanished into the earth. † This shows how over time things become lost. She then talks about how his plaque saying his name had been stolen by an admirer of nonferrous metals. Many people have come and gone but the country has remained alive. As new generations evolve the country has to adapt to their specific needs. Again this is why I believe Tolstoy is trying to tell us that Russia is a rebuilding country.All three symbols mentioned played crucial parts of this story. Different people could interpret them in many different ways, but this is how I see them. They all show different parts of Totality's childhood and how she grew up. All of these symbols also have historical references in them. Again it depends on how you view and interpret them. Someone could think it meaner one thing when another person could thinks it meaner the complete opposite. She never makes a comment specifically about Communism in this piece.She mentions Lenin and Stalin a few times but does not give you her impression of them. An author for The New York Review of Books says about â€Å"White Walls†, that â€Å"Totality's favorite theme is an inexhaustible one: the passage of time, often accompanied by a potent regret for opportunities lost. † This is extremely relevant because the whole story is about the passage of time and how things change. All in all the main message is that Russia is a rebuilding country that is on its way to becoming more of a super power than it is today.