The Individual, Society and Change Essay Example for Free

The Individual, Society and Change Essay Over the years, people have always been motivated to take action and make a change in the society because of many different factors such as pain, desire to be better person, bad conditions of life or habits. And all of these desires can become true by the motivation, constant, and continued efforts to change this society that could be better without inequity. But sometimes, through small modifications great changes can be made Nora Neale Hurston in her essay How it Feels to be Colored Me talks about her childhood experience to express the pride on her individuality. Instead of trying to talk about racial inequality, talks about her uniqueness and how she was not affected by racist comments of white people. Thus, she attempts to transmit the fact of not changing the identity and personality of black people (or of other races) but try to modify the behavior of people of other races towards comments at this time. To achieve her objective of changing peoples’ mind, there are several passages in the text that reveal her positivity and optimism. For example, she mentions that there was always someone reminding her that she was the â€Å"granddaughter of slaves† (Cooley, 157). But this did not make her feel angry or depressed, since slavery, she says, was the â€Å"price that their ancestors had to pay to get to civilization† (157). She also mentions, I am Merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries (Cooley 157), meaning that the fact of being of color, did not define an individual’s personality or who they were, because every person were another human being. She goes on to say â€Å"Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me† (Cooley 157), meaning that no one should care about people’s opinià ³n. Those three passages are great examples of how Nora Neale tried to change other black or other raced people behavior: define each person by their identity, not by other’s thoughts or comments. And this is where best describes each person is as it is; we all have our strengths and weaknesses because of our character and not the color or race. To conclude, people know when a change is needed, and they will do it because they won’t accept to live in a society that could be better. They will do it because they want a better future for them; their children and the population that is round them. And that is what Hurston made with â€Å"how it feels to be colored me†: she changed the attitude of angry or depressed people of other races about racist comments. And she also made racist people see that individuals of other races where also people which were defined by their character and personality, and not by their origin or ethnicity.

Links Between Investment in Infrastructure and Job Creation

Links Between Investment in Infrastructure and Job Creation Sourav Roy (13060242044) Sourav Das (13060242043) Saptarshi Maiti (13060242036) Devika Kannan (13060242013) Executive summary The effective tool to create jobs is counter-cyclical spending on infrastructure. As the demand for private sector is weak, the government helps the people with jobs and also aggregate demand. Investments of infrastructure are divided into two parts: Economic sectors include increasing efficiency in transportation, including roads, railways and waterways, Social sectors such as education, water and sewage system. Investments in a local scenario and their impact on development strategies lead to creation of more jobs, greater ownership, and can rapidly boost up the local economies. This is particularly applicable in times of crisis. Decentralized public investment should be favored where ever possible. It is very important to assess the resultant labour output of these investments with respect to its impact on direct as well as indirect and employment, not only to assess their productivity in short run, but also to assess the long run impact on growth and other subsidiary effects. There are number of infrastructure projects in low and medium-income countries which are financed fully or partially by IFI. Institutions like these should make an effort to allow for larger labour participation in infrastructure development. Fiscal decentralization can be defined as a two-dimensional policy: 1). Decentralization of tax instrument. 2). Decentralization of expenditure. The relation between decentralization and government efficiency can be divided into two large areas: a) The classical theory: There are three main contribution where this theory can be restricted, those are Tiebout’s model of local public good provision where decentralization coupled with mobile households solve the problem of the efficient provision of public goods. The second most influential contribution is of Oates’(1972) Decentralization Theorem that involves the tradeoff between centralized and decentralized provision of public goods in favour of former if average preferences across citizen of different region are equal. The theorem stresses on to maximize social welfare. And the last is Leviathan hypothesis where it shows the mechanism for constraining the expansionary tendencies of government mechanism. b) The second generation theory: The effect of fiscal decentralization has been modeled to embody the political process and the possibility of asymmetric information across political agents. Description of Policy Challenges According to the paper, on an average major percentage of total stimuli package in infrastructure is spent in emerging economies as compared to developed economies. The policy-brief paper tried to link infrastructure spending to job creation across economies. In this section the paper mentioned the main challenge of gestation period of the infrastructure projects. It viewed the time differential in processing of such projects as a challenge, as it failed to produce the expected outcomes on the stipulated time during a crisis situation. It later pointed out how infrastructures in different areas bear different results. Infrastructural Investment in rural area created more jobs than in urban areas as the jobs in rural areas are more labour intensive. It said, â€Å"The policy challenge is to match the targeting of infrastructure investments with the targeting of employment creation, be it by category or geographic area.† It explained the challenge with the help of examples of policies in three economies: USA, Indonesia and Egypt. The paper said that in USA infrastructure expenses consists only a minor portion of the total fiscal stimulus. According to the paper, expenditures on infrastructure accumulated up to 30 September 2009 amounted to US$4.44 billion or 2.6 per cent of the total fiscal stimulus during the period. However, according to a few articles in Forbes and Bloomberg Obama is planning to spend highly on infrastructure like science research and education and upgrade bridges, ports and roads to create more jobs. (Runningen, 2013) (Lenzner, 2011). The amount spent by USA in infrastructure is huge but, if we consider the share of infrastructure in GDP is only 2.4%. In USA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed in 2009 which was a stimulus package to help recover the country from the Great Recession. The Act followed Keynesian macroeconomics wherein high public expenditure was necessary for improving the unemployment condition and further economic deterioration. USA’s planned stimulus package after revision was 831 billion dollars and according to Paul Krugman it was too less though he was supportive of the law. (Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman: Too Little Stimulus in Stimulus Plan, 2009) Some of the critics for this policy said that it was too slow and had a huge price tag but according to the data the policy had resulted in decrease in unemployment as the unemployment rate is around 6and half percentage points lower. (Blinder Zandi, 2010) The policy paper further gave examples of Indonesian and Egyptian stimulus package. The Indonesian Government spent 7.6 billion dollars to boost aggregate demand and this spending on infrastructure was 17% of the GDP. Estimation of the government to set a job creation target of over one million workers was surpassed. As for the Egyptian government the stimulus package was worth 2.82 billion dollar in the financial year 2008-09. According to various estimates it stated that the complete stimulus package is expected to create between 661,420 and 729,650 new job opportunities. This section of the policy paper concluded by mentioning that some amount of public expenditure (read infrastructure spending) is good as it helps in growth and development of economy through skill development of the labour and promotion of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). It further wrote â€Å"spending cuts in such forms of investment would have a serious negative impact on employment and recovery unless ways could be found to maintain services with reduced costs.† Policy Options to address the challenge The examples illustrated above clearly reflect the issues related to the number of jobs created and the targeting of different sections of labour force. The focus of policy making in this area should shift from the amount of money spent to the number of jobs created relative to the set of employable workers and to the amount of public services provided. A prolonged strategy needs to be developed whose objective would be to provide short term relief from unemployment and long term creation of jobs aiming to meet the structural infrastructure deficits. Measures to guarantee timely implementation Higher public spending in periods of crisis for job creation involves a lag which is inherent in the cycle of identifying, formulating and approving projects. Therefore, objective should be a speedy and timely implementation, as an economy which is already in recession can deteriorate even quickly. The rate at which jobs can be created depends on the type of projects (large construction projects versus small or medium maintenance projects). Another important factor which determines the pace of the projects is the distribution of public tender procedures. A number of countries experience effective execution of public investment at less than 50% of the amount budgeted. Therefore, the short term objective is to achieve full execution of available resources rather than just allocation of additional resources. In order to ensure the timely implementation and to reap benefits from the existing administrational structures, public work schemes can be given additional funds to scale up. Taking up planned infrastructure and improving the efficiency of implementation of works formulated in public investment programmes are few of the features of the fiscal stimulus package. Decentralization of standard administrative procedures and dividing them into small grants at local levels to employ small-scale local contractors, labourers and local resources to efficiently enhance the employment opportunities of the infrastructure component of the packages is often a more effective than centrally planned and executed projects. Targeting Traditionally, the options of targeting were limited in public investment programmes, since majority of the works were generally executed by private enterprises. As objectives of targeting can be influenced to a certain degree through innovations to procurement systems hence, Public Employment Programmes, in which special targeting mechanisms can be applied, play an important complementary role. An important means of targeting constitutes the prioritization of investment projects in areas most affected by crisis. Subcontracting small works to local labourers allows for the targeting of special groups, such as women. In regular maintenance activities, women may take a larger share of job opportunities. Impact of infrastructure spending An investment in infrastructure is the first stepping stone towards the long run development and also takes into account immediate social needs. Generally, investments in infrastructure includes those in economic, such as, improving transportation viz. roads, railways and waterways and social sectors, such as health and education, treatment of water and sewage, and other public sectors. These investments depend mostly on the urgent requirements of the country. A major part of these expenditures can be executed through small-scale or medium-scale enterprises and thereby promoting them. Investments in infrastructure with a focus on the employment have a strong employment multiplier effect, since it leads to job creation both directly and indirectly. Increased usage of local goods and services creates a high indirect employment effect, which in turn leads to higher local incomes and thereby stimulates the local demand and consumption. However, this has to be taken cautiously as the way a job is defined varies from one country to another. There is no valid way to measure the direct employment created because of the fiscal stimulus package, as most countries face problems in gathering reliable data. Therefore, we need a consolidated effort to improving our way of understanding and documentation of the effects, in order to provide better guidance on the measures where the effects of multiplier are most prominent, given the requirements of the particular country. Conclusion Investments in infrastructure should be launched to build up capital for sustainable development and inclusive growth: human capital including skills, employment (including green jobs) and entrepreneurship development, and physical capital such as construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of infrastructure. As told earlier decentralized public investment should be preferred:- First, because decentralized decision-making processes are faster and local population more committed to the projects. It improves targeting and its proper use and maintenance. Secondly, the works undertaken are usually on a smaller scale and involve less expensive tenders, which mean there is less need for heavy machinery. Third, decentralized tenders are more likely to be executed by local firms using workers from the area, thus boosting the local economy as a whole. Because many infrastructure projects in low and medium countries are co- financed by international financial institutions, these institutions should make sure that their regulations allow for an increase in labour content in infrastructure development. Readjusting the design, procurement and contracting modalities of such products could have a major effect on employment. Works Cited Blinder, A. S., Zandi, M. (2010, December). Stimulas Worked. Retrieved from www.imf.org: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2010/12/blinder.htm Council-on-Foreign-Relations. (2014, March 4). Infrastructure. Retrieved from www.cfr.org: http://www.cfr.org/infrastructure/infrastructure/p26178 Lenzner, R. (2011, October 23). A $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Creates 27 Million Jobs In 5 Years. Retrieved from www.forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlenzner/2011/10/23/the-u-s-wont-be-able-to-grow-again-until-2016-18/ Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman: Too Little Stimulus in Stimulus Plan. (2009, February 19). Retrieved from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/nobel-laureate-paul-krugman-too-little-stimulus-in-stimulus-plan/ Runningen, R. (2013, November 9). Obama Urges Infrastructure Spending to Spur U.S. Economy. Retrieved from www.bloomberg.com: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-09/obama-urges-infrastructure-spending-to-spur-u-s-economy.html Spending on transport infrastructure: Latest Data Released. (2013, July 11). Retrieved from www.internationaltransportforum.org: http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/Press/PDFs/2013-07-11Spending.pdf

Free Essays: The Many Challenges of Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey Essays

The Many Challenges of Homer's Odyssey In The Odyssey, Odysseus had to face many challenges during his travels; a few of these difficulties were a cannibalistic Cyclops, huge whirlpools, determined suitors, along with many hardships. Odysseus fought constantly to return to his homeland of Ithaca, but to accomplish this Odysseus had to be clever, resourceful, and have great leadership qualities. Odysseus proved throughout the story that he was very clever. When he was faced with having to get out of Polyphemus's cave, Odysseus first told the Cyclops, "My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, / everyone calls me Nohbdy". (pg. 452, 341-342) Odysseus told him this because he knew if the other Cyclopes would come and ask who was with him, they would think that "Nohbdy" was there. In another episode, Odysseus outsmarted the Sirens; he wanted to listen to their sweet song, but he knew he would try to jump overboard. It was then he got the notion to tell his crew, "...you are to tie me up, tight as a splint, / erect along the mast, lashed to the mast, / and if I shout and beg to be untied, / take more turns of rope to muffle me." (pg. 459, 536-539) This and telling the crew members to put wax in their ears ensured that Odysseus, alone, could listen to the Sirens' song and not die. When Odysseus had to figure out how he could kill the Suitors who were staying in his house, he had Athena disguise him as an old beggar and then told Telemachus, his son, to hide all of the Suitors' weapons and armor. If they asked Telemachus what he was doing, he was to tell them he was storing the weapons so that none of the suitors would kill each other if they got into a fight. Many times throughout the story, Odysseus had to be resourceful enough to accomplish a task by using surrounding things, whatever was at hand. When he was drifting back towards Charybdis, Odysseus grabbed onto a nearby fig tree and held on until a piece of driftwood shot out of the whirlpool; then he grabbed a hold of the driftwood and soared to safety. In order to escape from the Cyclops's cave, Odysseus wanted to blind the Cyclops.

Preferences of the Banks in Hiring Accounting Technicians Essay

Accounting technicians are now creating their names in the accounting firm. They are accounting professionals that could work in all types of organizations and widely employed throughout the public sector, industry and commerce and in private accountancy practices. According to the website of Foras Aiseanna Saothair Training & Employment Authority (n.d) they assist professional accountants in collecting, checking and analyzing financial reports. They could work independently or as a part of a team. They also said that accounting technician must work with accuracy and methodically with figures. And they must capable of compiling and analyzing transactions such as administering payrolls, bookkeeping, and other financial transactions. This research paper aims to discuss the preferences of banks in hiring accounting technicians based on characteristics and qualification in the said position. It also focuses about what does accounting technicians mean and how to be one of them. At the same time, the researchers will tackle the job description of an accounting technician. I. Accounting Technicians are like professional accountants because according to the website of Accounting Technicians Ireland that they are also qualified to work at all degrees of finance. Accounting technicians are extensively employed throughout the public sector, industry, commerce and in private accountancy practices. According to Shaw (2006), â€Å"Certified accounting technicians are responsible for a variety of administrative task to try to improve the efficiency and profitability of a company. They are usually in the accounting or finance department of charities, banks, building societies or insurance companies.† An effective accounting technician... ...s Retrieved from: http://www.saipa.co.za/page/491/accounting-technicians †¢ Anonymous (2014) Accounting Technician: job description Retrieved from: http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/276923-accounting-technician-job-description#employers †¢ Anonymous (2014) Certified Accounting Technician Graduates Retrieved from: http://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/student/foundation-lvl-qual-student-journey/qualification-resources/foundation-lvl-qual/cat-qualification/cat-graduates.html †¢ Wikipedia. (2014, February 13) Association of Accounting Technicians Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Accounting_Technicians †¢ Robertson, Tanya (n.d) Disadvantages of being an Accountant Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/info_12152469_disadvantages-being-accountant.html †¢ Plunket College (n.d) Retrieved from: http://www.plunketcollege.ie/news.php

Daniel Quinns Ishmael - Transformation of Will Weston from Taker to Le

Daniel Quinn's Ishmael - Transformation of Will Weston from Taker to Leaver The seceded Ecotopian nation and the country it came from can be categorized into two groups, "Takers" and "Leavers". These terms are derived from Daniel Quinn's novel, Ishmael. "Good. So henceforth I'm going to call the people of your [American] culture Takers and the people of all other cultures Leavers." "You call your self civilized and all the rest primitive." Upon entering Ecotopia, Will Weston is impressed, horrified and overwhelmed by the practices of Ecotopians. "Can things be as weird as they sound" and will he be able to "keep his sanity" among the madness he encounters? What Will does not know is that the longer he stays in Ecotopia, this "Leaver" society is going to challenge his "Taker" beliefs and mindset and ultimately change them for good. Will is very cautious and defensive upon going into Ecotopia. He's an American "Taker" traveling off into unknown "Leaver" territory and he is very suspicious of the Ecotopians. "Something peculiar is going on in this place. Can't yet exactly locate the source of the feeling. The way people deal with each other -with me- keeps reminding me of something -but I don't know what. Always takes me off guard, makes me feel I was confronted with some fine personal opportunity -a friendship, learning something's important, love -which by then has just passed Will's first impression of the Ecotopians is mixed. On one hand he thinks that they have very novel ideas in regards to the way they live and when he thinks of them as savages because of many of their different practices. "Woke up sweating, hands clutched tight on dream spear. Wished I was home safe in New York. Savages!" Many experiences wit... ... and live out in these past six weeks. He sees the horrible person that he used to be and instantly wants to part of it any more. He knows now that his place is right here in Ecotopia. For the past couple weeks he knew deep down that he should stay here, but couldn't bring himself to admit it openly. Not until he is shown is former self, does he admit his true feelings and decide to stay in Ecotopia. The one thing Will Weston never expected to happen as he went on assignment in Ecotopia did happen. He was influenced and changed by these so- called savages. He was changed from a typical American "Taker" into an Ecotopian "Leaver". His ideas about love, life and friendship were all changed in a matter of six weeks. He learned what it meant to live in harmony with nature and to be one with your fellow Ecotopians. We should only hope that Americans could do the same.

Rate of Photosynthesis: Limiting Factors

Rate of photosynthesis: limiting factors Limiting factors The main factors affecting rate of photosynthesis are light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature. In any given situation any one of these may become a limiting factor, in other words the factors that directly affects the rate at which photosynthesis can take place masking the effects of the other factors. Light and rate of photosynthesis At low light intensities, as light intensity increases, the rate of the light-dependent reaction, and therefore photosynthesis generally, increases proportionately (straight line relationship).The more photons of light that fall on a leaf, the greater the number of chlorophyll molecules that are ionised and the more ATP and NADPH are generated. Light dependent reactions use light energy and so are not affected by changes in temperature. Rate of photosynthesis Intensity of light As light intensity is increased further, however, the rate of photosynthesis is eventually limited by some other factor. So the rate plateaus. At very high light intensity, chlorophyll may be damaged and the rate drops steeply (not shown in the graph). Chlorophyll a is used in both photosystems.The wavelength of light is also important. PSI absorbs energy most efficiently at 700 nm and PSII at 680 nm. Light with a higher proportion of energy concentrated in these wavelengths will produce a higher rate of photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide and rate of photosynthesis An increase in the carbon dioxide concentration increases the rate at which carbon is incorporated into carbohydrate in the light-independent reaction, and so the rate of photosynthesis generally increases until limited by another factor. As it is normally present in the atmosphere at very low concentrations (about 0. 4%), increasing carbon dioxide concentration causes a rapid rise in the rate of photosynthesis, which eventually plateaus when the maximum rate of fixation is reached. Rate of photosynthesis Carbon dioxide c oncentration 1 Temperature and rate of photosynthesis Although the light dependent reactions of photosynthesis are not affected by changes in temperature, the light independent reactions of photosynthesis are dependent on temperature. They are reactions catalysed by enzymes. As the enzymes approach their optimum temperatures the overall rate increases.It approximately doubles for every 10 Â °C increase in temperature. Above the optimum temperature the rate begins to decrease, as enzymes are denatured, until it stops. Limiting factors In 1905, when investigating the factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis, Blackmann formulated the Law of limiting factors. This states that the rate of a physiological process will be limited by the factor which is in shortest supply. Any change in the level of a limiting factor will affect the rate of reaction. For example, the amount of light will affect the rate of photosynthesis.If there is no light, there will be no photosynthesis. As light i ntensity increases, the rate of photosynthesis will increase as long as other factors are in adequate supply. As the rate increases, eventually another factor will come into short supply. The graph below shows the effect of low carbon dioxide concentration. It will eventually be insufficient to support a higher rate of photosynthesis, and increasing light intensity will have no effect, so the rate plateaus. Rate of photosynthesis Temperature Rate of photosynthesis Higher CO2 concentration; higher temperature.Higher CO2 concentration; lower temperature. Lower CO2 concentration; lower temperature. . Intensity of light If a higher concentration of carbon dioxide is supplied, light is again a limiting factor and a higher rate can be reached before the rate again plateaus. If carbon dioxide and light levels are high, but temperature is low, increasing temperature will have the greatest effect on reaching a higher rate of photosynthesis. Finding out How might the factors that affect the r ate of photosynthesis be investigated? Design a suitable series of experiments. 2

The Baader Meinhof Gang

The Baader Meinhof Gang, also known as the Red Army Faction, was one of the most active militant left-wing groups of postwar West Germany that gained prominence in the 1970s and 80s. Like may other radical communist groups of its time, it was formed with the objective of overthrowing social and political order to give rise to a totalitarian socialist state. Although the group described itself as a ‘Communist Urban Guerilla Group engaged in armed resistance’ its use of arms and weaponry quickly gained it the reputation of being one of the most deadly terrorist groups in Europe at that time.By the end of the 70s the group was responsible for over 30 killings and a series of bombings and kidnappings that aroused severe social and political unrest in the country. The Backdrop of Social & Political Unrest The formation of the Baader Meinhof Group or Gang can be traced back to the social and political instability in West Germany in the late 1960s. As in many industrialized nat ions, young students and workers disillusioned with the ‘oppressive’ regimes of the capitalist government began to stage massive protests.Their objective was to fight for freedom and human rights and they brought issues such as anti-imperialism, racism and the Vietnam War to the forefront of radical politics. The ‘German student movement’ as it was later termed was fuelled by a series of events that took place in the arena of German politics. In 1956, the Communist Party of Germany was banned. Government positions were occupied by ex-Nazis resulting in anger and frustration at the ineffectiveness of de-Nazification after World War II.The media was considered biased as it was controlled by anti-radical conservatives. The mid 1960s saw the merging of the country’s two major political parties- the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) and the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) to form a new government. This was referred to as the ‘gran d coalition’ in Germany in 1966, with a former Nazi, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, as chancellor. This development was received with outrage from the radicals who viewed it as a collusion of capitalist power as a convenient way to block out the left-wing opposition parties.Since 95% of the Bundestag (West German Parliament) was controlled by the coalition, a new opposition party was formed called the Ausserparlamentarische Opposition (APO) or Extra Parliamentary Opposition, with the objective of carrying out political activity and protests independent of the government. The APO provided a platform for student radicals to wage resistance against the coalition and played a central role in the German student movement.What started out as peaceful demonstrations turned into violent protests on June 2, 1967 when the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, visited West Berlin. During one such demonstration outside the opera house where he was visiting, German student, Benno Ohnesorg was shot i n the head and killed. The police officer responsible for the shooting was later acquitted. Outrage of the radicals led to the creation of a new militant group called ‘Movement 2 June’, named after the date of Ohnesorg’s death.Formation of The RAF It was against the backdrop of this social and political environment and the impact of Ohnesorg’s death that led to the formation of an alliance between Thorwald Proll, Horst Sohnlein, Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader. Together they detonated home made bombs in several Frankfurt department stores to protest against the Vietnam War. All four were subsequently arrested on April 2, 1967 and later convicted of arson and sentenced to three years imprisonment.Three of the members including Baader and Ensslin managed to escape during a special parole for political prisoners. Baader was soon recaptured, while the remaining members fled to France and Italy and hid underground. During his stay in prison, Andreas Baader ga ined permission to write a book on ‘organizing young people on the fringes of society’. For this he was granted the privilege of visiting a library accompanied by uniformed armed guards. It was during one such library visit in 1970 that Baader managed to escape with the help of left-wing journalist Ulrike Meinhof.It was here that the Baader-Meinhof duo came together, referring to their alliance as the Red Army Faction. Soon after, several members of the group went to Jordan where they received training in the use of arms by a military camp run by the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The Rise of the RAF Hereafter the RAF slowly grew to become one of the most prominent left-wing militant groups in West Germany and was engaged in numerous killings, bombings and robberies in attempt to get their message across through force.It attracted members and supporters from several other radical groups across the country such as the ‘Revolutionary Cells’, ‘Move ment 2 June’, the ‘Situationsists’ and the ‘Socialist Patients’ Collective’. Its rules and mission were partly modeled after a revolutionary group in Uruguay called the ‘Tupamaros Movement’ which succeeded in bringing guerilla war against imperialist oppression, under Che Guevara’s government, from rural areas to metropolitan cities. To avoid capture, most members operated under code names and carried out terrorist activities under a single contract.In June 1972, Baader was recaptured along with his accomplice Jan-Carl Raspe, followed by his girlfriend Ensslin and later Meinhof. Although kept in solitary confinement in a high security prison – Stammheim Prison in Stuggart, the group members devised a means of communicating with one another through letters delivered through their lawyers. With the core members of the group in prison, the group’s activities were taken over by a second generation of militants who se aim now was to secure the release of its leaders.This led to some of the worst terrorist attacks in the group’s history. The German Autumn On April 24, 1975, the RAF occupied the German Embassy in Stockholm where it demanded the release of its leaders in return for the freeing of hostages. When the German government refused, the RAF murdered two of the hostages. Baader and his fellow accomplices were finally put on trial in May 1975 – one of the most long drawn out and costly trials in West German history.Exactly a year later in May 1976, Ulrike Meinhof was found dead in her prison cell after an apparent suicide in which she had hung herself with a rope of towels. As the trial progressed, a number of high profile attacks took place. These involved the killing of Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback at a traffic signal, along with his driver and body guard, by two members of the RAF in April 1977. Three months later, in July 1977, Juergen Ponto, the CEO of Dresdner Ba nk was shot and killed outside his home in the German town of Oberursel.The following September, Hans Martin Schleyer, head of the German Association of Employers and one of the most powerful industrialists in the country, was kidnapped after his driver and bodyguards were shot dead by RAF militants. After taking Schleyer hostage, the RAF demanded the release of eleven prisoners including the leaders of the RAF at Stammheim Prison. Under the advice of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, the government decided not to accede and instead set up a crisis committee to investigate the whereabouts of Schleyer.Before the situation could be resolved, another attack took place which marked the culmination of terrorist activities associated with the RAF. This attack took place in October 1977 when Lufthansa flight 181 from Majorca to Frankfurt was hijacked by a group of Arabs who appeared to have close links with the RAF as they also demanded the release of the same prisoners as in the Schleyer case. T he crisis committee again refused to give in to the hijackers demands, after which the flight captain was murdered and his body disposed of on a runway.A rescue operation was quickly put in motion led by under-secretary Hans Jurgen Wischenewski, during which the elite force of the German Federal Police were finally able to free the aircraft by shooting down all four hijackers. Shortly after, success of the rescue operation, with not a single passenger hurt, was made public by the media. The same night, three of the imprisoned RAF members – Baader, Ensslin and Raspe were found dead in their cells in what appeared to be a planned and collective suicide.The same night Schleyer was shot dead and the location of his executed body was communicated to the French press the following day. It was this string of bloody events that is frequently referred to as the German Autumn (Der Deutsche Herbst) The Downfall The ideology behind the 70s killings is still unclear and by the end of the 1970s the group’s sole objective appeared to be the release of its imprisoned leaders. The second generation of RAF members remained active in the 1980s gaining some East German support in the form of shelter and funding.The group continued to target prominent industrialists and executives and in 1985 murdered Ernst Zimmerman, CEO of a German engineering company. This was followed by a bombing at a US airforce base near Frankfurt which killed three. Seimen’s executive, Karl-Heinz Beckurts was killed by a car bomb in 1986. In 1989, Duetsche Bank chairman, Alfred Herrhausen was also killed by a car bomb planted by the RAF. As attacks continued throughout the 1980s and early 90s, the RAF attracted increasingly fewer supporters and less sympathy from the left.Its popularity quickly waned after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and after a long silence the group announced its dissolution in April 1998. References Alpert, Jane. (1987) The Baader-Meinhof Group: The Inside S tory of a Phenomenon. Translated by Anthea Bell. London: Bodley Head. Becker, Jillian. (1977) Hitler's Children: The Story of the Baader-Meinhof Terrorist Gang. Philadelphia: Lippincott. Katsiaficas, George. (1987) The Imagination of the New Left: A Global Analysis of 1968. Boston: Beacon Press.