Rodney the skateboarding robot :: Robotics

Rodney the skateboarding robot My project is Rodney, the robot skateboard, targeted at kids who want a cool skateboard accessory, and parents who would most likely buy one for their kids. Similar designs are a handle-like device with wheels that pulls a skateboard or roller skates, and the Segway. I have studied these designs, and a brief history of skateboards to better my understanding of how to make my robot work. The first design has a forward/reverse options for the motors and is turned by turning the board or roller skates. It is practically just a way to use the skateboard without using much energy. Segway ® Human Transporter (HT) can self-balance because of a technology called dynamic stabilization. Dynamic Stabilization works by using solid-state gyroscopes, tilt sensors, high-speed microprocessors, and powerful electric motors performing to keep it balanced. The skateboard originally in the 50s was conceived as a way to surf on land, whenever there was bad surfing weather. It started out as roller skates nailed to a wooden base. Then a bicycle company in the early 70s built better boards with flexible mounts for the wheel axis, and thus was born the modern skateboard, with grip tape for more maneuverability and painted designs and logos on the bottom of the board. Rodney is a two-part robot, one is the controller for Rodney and the other is Rodney himself, the maneuverable part. The controller consists of flat platforms with four walls of beam pieces. It has a RCX 2.0, and three touch sensors. The Rodney also RodneyBeta the skateboarding robot has an RCX 2.0 and four motors in a car-like design. He has beams and panel pieces connecting the motors together for additional stability. Rodney was successful at pushing my skateboard forward, reverse, and even turning. He could move the skateboard by itself at around 5mph and slightly less with added weight. The maximum weight that it can hold is about 2lbs. The remote controller has a range of around 10fts, and when it is out of range Rodney continues doing the same function that it was doing previously. I found that sometimes wheels may fall of Rodney, and occasionally he slides out from under my skateboard. I see that the alpha form of Rodney can that at least three forms, one being the

Effects Of Smoking Ban On Students Education Essay

AbstractionThe school smoking prohibition policy has been recommended and even implemented in assorted establishments but many inquiries are still being raised about its significance and how effectual it is to the targeted population. This survey seeks to happen out whether it is necessary to hold smoking prohibition policy in schools and whether it has an consequence on the overall life of the pupils. The survey besides aims at happening out how effectual smoke prohibition policy can be and the appropriate scheme that should be applied to do it effectual. In order to happen out these the survey will affect aggregation of informations both from primary and secondary beginnings which will so be verified, analyzed, and a study prepared. The result of this research will be of import to the implementers of smoking prohibition in schools as it will assist them maximise the benefits associated with such a policy.IntroductionThe execution of tobacco-free environments in school is now a comm on tendency in most parts of the universe and this follows a recommendation by the Center for Disease Control ( CDC, 1994 ) . This recommendation was one of the tools that was aimed at commanding smoke among the young persons therefore it was a scheme that targeted the young persons and included the prohibition of smoking within the school premises or belongings including at events that involved schools even when taking topographic point off from the school ( CDC, 1994 ) . It non merely restricted pupils but besides school forces and visitants were included in this bracket provided they were within the restricted zones and events. This policy has nevertheless been defined otherwise from one part to another, either manner the above elements must be addressed and included in the definition ( Small et al, 2001 ) .PurposesIt is a common pattern that before any policy is recommended or implemented significant grounds must be provided to demo that it is truly important and will run into t he intended ends non burying to advert the effects that it may hold on the targeted group and the community at big. Such issues have ever led to many inquiries being asked most of which can merely be answered through research or related surveies. The smoke prohibition is one of such issues and has ever faced a figure of unfavorable judgments and support in about equal proportion since it is an issue that touches the day-to-day lives of many. The fact people are free to smoke anyplace and at anytime greatly affects the life of non-smokers negatively while is enjoyed by tobacco users ; conversely, smoking limitations is good intelligence to non-smokers but bad intelligence to tobacco users therefore such policies need appropriate and in-depth analysis before they are implemented. The chief purpose of this research will be to happen out the relationship between the smoke prohibition and the academic public presentation of pupils and to assist in this the undermentioned inquiry will be answered ; is school smoking prohibitions helpful or harmful to pupils? This will so take to other sub-questions which include ; is there a relationship between smoking prohibitions and smoking prevalence among pupils? Does school smoke prohibitions relate to the academic accomplishment of pupils? What is the best scheme to censor smoke in schools? Does the socioeconomic position of the pupils have an consequence on the result of smoking prohibition policy?AimsPresently there are many instances of school agitations caused by pupils through work stoppages which lead to break of activities and even devastation of belongings. Such actions have more frequently been associated to drug and substance usage among pupils which include smoke, imbibing and other manners of administrating dr ugs. This has besides led to the drastic decrease on public presentation degrees of pupils. Since all these are unwanted occurrences there has been changeless hunt on the possible and most effectual agencies of commanding and at best wholly conveying to an terminal the usage of drugs in schools and all educational establishments. Smoking prohibition in schools has been one of the recommendations that have been put frontward but has faced several challenges with a batch of inquiries being raised on the effectivity of such a move, this has truly affected the execution of this smoke prohibition policy. It is hence really necessary that the arising inquiries be answered and put clearly to be understood so as to ease its execution and the best manner to happen these replies is through research. Given that this survey will non merely happen out the importance of smoking prohibition on schools but besides seek to work out the mystifier on the effectivity of such prohibitions, it will be a really important tool to the implementers of such policies. Through the usage of the consequences of this research schools will be able to place whether it is deserving presenting such a policy, where they have non been, or keeping the policy, in a instance where they exist. At the same clip, the concerned implementers will place the right schemes to be used to implement smoking prohibition policy in schools. Sing these benefits, it is obvious that this research will be important to the community at big since it addresses an issue that is of great concern among the communities in all districts. Since it touches on the young person who are ever looked upon for future prosperity of any state, the significance will finally be felt all through the state and even beyond boundary lines.Literature reappraisalMany young persons get initiated into smoking through many ways and by different persons, this is a wont that they continue with and ne'er program to discontinue about throughout their lives and many factors have been pointed out to do this ( Abernathy et al, 2002 ; Conrad et Al, 1992 ) . Even though school smoke prohibition is the cosmopolitan recommendation towards halting this wont, there is no touchable grounds that this policy when implemented in isolation leads to a lessening in the prevalence of smoke among pupils and the young person ( Moore et Al, 2006 ; Darling et Al, 2006 ; Kumar et Al, 2005 ; Pentz et Al, 1989 ) . Current surveies have suggested a figure of defects related to the execution of school smoking prohibition such as ineffectualness and the fact that such regulations may be unkind. Smoke and the related wellness behaviours are influenced by such factors as socioeconomic position, instruction, and the general societal environment ( Evans et al, 1994 ; Harris et Al, 2009 ; Lowry et Al, 1996 ) . It has been argued that there are pupils who find themselves initiated into smoking through agencies beyond their control, hence, such pupils may be victims of the unintended load brought by school smoke policy ( Martin et al, 2000 ) . Records late presented indicate that there has been a decrease in smoke in developed states over the past decennary, the states that have had this noteworthy alteration include Canada, Australia, the United States, and a figure of states within Europe ( CDC, 2003 ; van der Wilk & A ; Jansen, 2005 ) . This decrease is nevertheless non due to the school smoke prohibition but is attributed to the extended control schemes that have been applied in these states which include Torahs on revenue enhancement and location of smoke, and societal selling. The fact that many schools have implemented the school smoking prohibition policy since its debut by the Center for Disease Control, irrespective of whether it is effectual or non, has shown that many schools recognize the inauspicious effects of smoke and are ready to work with the wellness sector in making a society which is ‘smoke-free ‘ .MethodologyThis research aims at following a population wellness model of adolescent smoke a s this is viewed to be the perfect population given the aim of the research. With mention to the work of Leatherdale and others ( 2005 ) , a theory was formulated saying that there is a direct connexion between the smoke of young person within the school premises and the subsequent smoke of other pupils. This theory echoes the sentiments expressed by the â€Å" contagious disease theoretical account of adolescent substance usage † which indicate that substance usage among striplings is extremely caused by one-on-one interaction and besides those expressed by other surveies. This research intends to use the multi-level analytical analysis techniques to help in proving for the impact that smoking prohibition has on smoking abetment, these techniques will be used to analyze both school-level and single factors at the same time. The research will besides concentrate on disaffection and school drop-out through the usage of academic public presentation which will move as an alternate index of the former and as a precursor to the latter taking to a hypothesis associating the academic public presentation and being of regulations against smoking in schools. The hypothesis is that the academic public presentation of pupils in schools holding regulations on smoke or smoke prohibitions will be better compared the academic public presentation of the pupils in schools that do non hold such regulations or policies. This besides includes consciousness of the pupils in such schools of the being of such regulations or policies. It will besides be necessary to explicate m ulti-level theoretical accounts holding in head the guidelines given by Aveyard et Al ( 2004 ) which advise on the application of single -level features over-controlling. In these guidelines they argue that it is non in order to command for single degree features in a instance where the multi-level surveies are school-based this is because such characteristics are linked both to the person and the school environment.Research designThe research intends to establish on pupils in different parts, such as different states, and utilize a sample design which is single-stage. In this sample design categories are indiscriminately selected and the stratification is done harmonizing to class and school territory and attempts to integrate all pupils who are present on the twenty-four hours of the survey. Before transporting out the research though, it will be of import to acquire consent from the parents of such pupils which follow the demands put frontward by the several heath and instruction sections. In order to roll up equal information, the survey will utilize questionnaires consisting several points ; these points will seek to happen information sing school regulations, smoke and substance usage, mental wellness, and societal and demographic features. To guarantee that the information collected will be dependable and valid, a really broad population of pupils will be covered and the respondents will be accorded namelessness unless otherwise they do non necessitate it. The information will besides be compared to the available informations from similar studies to look into for consistence particularly where estimations are involved. The survey may nevertheless confront restrictions which may include inability to roll up information about school smoke policy from the decision makers therefore the information provided by the pupils will be indispensable every bit limited as they may look.Inclusion/exclusion standardsIndividual-level variables The primary single degree variable that would be considered is the being of regulations censoring smoking harmonizing to the consciousness of the pupil, this will be found out by presenting a inquiry that straight asks this and giving the pupil an option of giving a straightforward reply to the inquiry. The other variables that will be taken into consideration at the single degree during the research will be grade, gender, abode, socioeconomic position of the household, and highest degree of instruction of one of the parents, sooner the female parent, which is besides a socioeconomic degree index. All these variables are viewed to hold a direct consequence on the pupil as an single therefore are of import to see ( Fagan et al, 2005 ) . School-level variables There are variables that will be considered at school-level and these will be generated from the responses or informations collected from the single variables. The first variable in this instance is the prevalence of regulations or policy censoring smoke in schools and this will be deduced from the responses given by the pupils as persons and will bespeak the mean per centum of schools that have such regulations. This research is expected to take three hebdomads divided into three subdivisions that are back-to-back and each enduring a hebdomad. The subdivisions will be the pre-study hebdomad, the intercession hebdomad, and the post-study hebdomad in that order. The pre-study hebdomad will be utilized by detecting the smoke behaviours of persons in all the targeted groups and their interaction with pupils, the intercession hebdomad will be for roll uping the needed information through the agencies that have been identified, and the post-study hebdomad will be for analysing the information collected and coming up with a study.Ethical considerationSmoke is a wont that has been embraced by many and more are still fall ining the conference of tobacco users therefore it is an issue that is really sensitive to manage. Apart from holding a societal consequence on persons, it besides touches on the economic system since the concern of coffin nails generates high degree of gross and besides provides em ployment to a good figure of persons. Recommending and implementing any policy that seems to deter of hinder the sale and usage of coffin nails ever draws assorted reactions from the general population ; school smoke prohibition is one such policy. It is therefore the consideration of the survey non to disregard such possible reactions and will avoid being personal on any issue throughout the research procedure. The survey will lodge to the issues that it targets without affecting on other issues that are non connected in any manner to the survey.ResultsThose back uping smoking-free school policies argue that pupils are straight affected by the smoke of those persons who they view as their function theoretical accounts in the community and these include non merely grownups but besides fellow young persons who are ever around them. Their attitudes and development of involvement are based on the mode in which people around them handle smoking and how they talk about it and most of the times they will be given to emulate them. There is experimental grounds that have been put frontward with respect to this which indicates that most pupils tend to copy other young persons who smoke within school belongings Oklahoman or subsequently. With respect to this so it is right to province that schools holding smoking prohibitions should register low smoke rates among the pupils both within and outside school. Given that it is non easy to state precisely what per centum of success of non-smoking sum pupils is attributed to smoking prohibitions, there have been assorted grounds with respect to the effectivity of smoking prohibitions. In order to stop this statement so there should be a manner of turn outing that smoking prohibitions have really discouraged the young persons from smoking or affecting in smoking related activities. A figure of surveies have been carried out to happen this and a few have come out with the decision that there is a relationship between smoking prohibitions and decreased smoke among pupils and farther stressing that this greatly relied on the mode in which such a policy is enforced. Conversely, other surveies did non successfully show the nexus that exists between smoking prevalence in schools and smoking prohibition policy in schools. The differences that appear in these are surveies are due to several factors such as the fluctuations in the schemes of implement ing and implementing the policy, the purpose behind such policy, and the extent of coverage in footings of population and length of clip. In add-on to these it has been found that there are great fluctuations in the countenances imposed on lawbreakers and the degree of their enforcement, this is apparent both within and outside a individual authorization. The undermentioned hypotheses were therefore put forward: All the pupils who said that their schools had non adopted the school smoke prohibition policies, or those who were non cognizant of the being of such policies would be extremely exposed to the hazard of smoking induction when compared to their chaps who were in schools where the policy was embraced and the pupils were cognizant of its being notwithstanding the rates of smoke. Students who were in schools with regulations on smoking would appreciate the significance of holding protective mechanisms on smoking induction as compared to pupils from schools that do non hold such regulations. This implies that smoking prohibition would impact positively on the pupils in footings of attitude which would interpret to cut down smoke rates among the young person. The socioeconomic position of the pupils would be of great influence to the consequences without sing the handiness of the smoke prohibition policy in schools.

Bruce Dawe Poem Essay

Good morning/afternoon everyone. I am sure that many of you will agree with me, after studying and discussing in class war poetry, that war is destructive; it destroys properties and lives. It is also the meaning if not dehumanizing as Owen in his ‘Dulce et Decorum Est' has pointed out. The violence and destructiveness of war reduces men in the battlefield into something less than human; they are stripped of their dignity. Ultimately as Owen points out in his poem, war is senseless or futile. Whatever the reason for going to war, it's not justification enough for the senseless slaughter of young lives. Owen, as you know, has great ability in challenging the responders senses, to experience the horror of war. He allows us to see, to hear, to feel, to smell, even to taste the ugliness of war. Thus we see a group of soldiers trudging the muddy tracks blindly to safety. They are ‘drunk with fatigue' and Owen captures their dehumanization by a series of similes. They are ‘bent double, like old beggars, coughing like hags' and ‘deaf' to the sound and fury of guns and gas shells dropping around them. I still can visualize and hear their panic reaction to the chlorine gas and those who are not quick enough to put on their mask, literally drown in what Owen calls the ‘green sea' and our auditory sense is challenged by the guttering, the choking and the convulsed sobs. You will agree with me for sure, that the image that Owen conjures up of the victim of the chlorine gas is no less than grotesquely horrible. We see the ‘white eyes writhing' in his agony and the convulsions that are followed by the blood that comes gargling out of the victim's ‘froth corrupted lungs. Again a simile is used ‘bitter as the cud of vile,' effectively giving us the ‘awful taste' of the situation. I know of one other poet who also condemns war and who can effectively communicate the horror of war and the senselessness of it, simply by challenging our senses. Kenneth Slessor, like Wilfred Owen, has a strong indictment of war, if Owen's tone in his poem is angry because, for him , ‘Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori' which since the time of Horace was used by authorities to entice men to fight for their country – it is a big ie. From the images that he conjures in this poem, there is nothing glorious about dying in such an indignified, brutal and senseless way. In contrast, Kenneth Slessor's tone in his ‘Beach Burial' is elegiac; he laments the destructiveness, the dehumanizing effect and the futility of war like Owen, although his anger is tempered and what we get is a tone of frustration, he communicates just as powerfully an antiwar message. His ‘Beach Burial' presents a dramatic situation in which a group of dead sailors floats towards the beach at El Alamein in the Middle East. The dehumanization motif comes almost strikingly because the sailors is at the mercy of the sea, no longer in control of their lives, but subject to the ebb and the flow of the sea. The fact that they are ‘unknown seamen,' a mixture of allied and axis soldiers probably highlights the senselessness of war. A man who takes pity on the dead ‘snatched them from the water' and bury them in burrows along the beach. Clearly, the image portrayed here is one of dehumanization and responders feel great pity for them in realizing that these sailors ultimate protection is to be found within the earth as animals find comfort in the safety of their burrows. Slessor's irony is obvious in the way he describes the situation; ‘Between the sob and clubbing of the gunfire, Someone, it seems, has time for this, To pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows And tread the sand upon their nakedness' Our auditory sense is challenged by the words ‘sob' and ‘clubbing' in this line so that we can hear the destruction of war. When Slessor uses the word ‘pluck' to describe the man's action of removing the bodies from the water to be buried, I am reminded of the soldier smothered in gas in Owen's poem being ‘flung' behind a wagon. Both poets certainly capture the unceremonious brutality of war. The futility of war is further highlighted by the man's bewilderment, not knowing what name to write on the crudely made tidewood crosses that he used for each grave. ‘Unknown seaman' is the only thing he can think to write. And, at this point the voice of the poet is clearly mournful, as suggested by the repetition of the word ‘such' and the tone; ‘Written with such perplexity, with such bewildered pity, The words choke as they begin' Certainly there is no glory in either their death or their burial for their memorial, only stresses their anonymity. The ultimate senselessness of it all is captured in the last stanza; ‘Dead seamen, gone in search of the same landfall, Whether as enemies they fought, Or fought with us, or neither, the sand joins them together, Enlisted on the other front' In life these sailor soldiers where able to live together without enmity, but now in death they are peacefully united; they have come from so many lands and end up in the same landfall somewhere on the beach of El Alamein. I believe we should take the message of both Owen and Slessor seriously that war destroys, that it robs us of our human dignity, and that it is ultimately senseless. Both poets have experienced the horror of war, Owen as a lieutenant in the British army in WWI and Slessor as an Australian Official War Correspondent in the Middle East during WWII. If belligerent or war-like world leaders of today study these poems, I am sure the world will be a better place to live in.

Symptoms of the Black Death

Symptoms of the Black Death The Black Death is a plague which killed millions of people. In one particularly destructive explosion, over a third of the whole European population might have died in a few years in the mid 14th century, a process which changed history, birthing, among other things, the start of the modern age and the Renaissance. For a history of the Black Death in Europe, see our page here. This is an explanation of what happens when someone contracts it. You really have to hope you never do! How you get the Black Death Despite plenty of people trying to claim other things, the evidence comfortably points to The Black Death being Bubonic Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pestis . A human being usually receives this by being bitten by a flea which has ingested the disease from the blood of a house rat. The infected flea has had its system blocked by the disease, and remains hungry, regurgitating older infected blood into a human before drinking new blood, spreading infection. The rat’s flea doesn’t usually target humans, but seeks them out as new hosts once their colony of rats die off from the plague; other animals could also be affected. Plague carrying fleas didn’t have to come straight from a rat, as the fleas could survive for several weeks in bundles of cloth and other items humans conveniently came into contact with. On rarer occasions, a human could receive the disease from infected droplets which had been sneezed or coughed out into the air from a sufferer of a va riation called Pneumonic Plague. Even rarer still was infection from a cut or sore. Symptoms Once bitten, a victim experienced symptoms like headaches, chills, high temperatures and extreme tiredness. They might have nausea and pain throughout their body. Within several days the bacteria had begun affecting the body’s lymph nodes, and these swelled up into painful large lumps called ‘buboes’ (from which the disease takes its popular name: Bubonic Plague). Usually those nodes closest to the initial bite were first, which normally meant in the groin, but those under the arms and in the neck were also affected. They could reach the size of an egg. Suffering great pain, you could then die, roughly a week after you were first bitten. From the lymph nodes the plague could spread and internal bleeding would begin. The sufferer would expel blood in their waste, and black spots could appear all over the body. Sufferers with the spots almost invariably died, and this is noted in the chronicles of the day. The disease could spread to the lungs, giving the victim Pneumonic Plague, or into the bloodstream, giving Septicaemic Plague, which killed you before the buboes appeared. Some people did recover from the Black Death – Benedictow gives a figure of 20% - but contrary to the beliefs of some survivors they did not gain an automatic immunity. Medieval Reaction Medieval doctors identified numerous symptoms of the plague, many of which correlate with modern knowledge. The process of the illness through its stages wasn’t fully understood by medieval and early modern doctors, and some interpreted the buboes as signs the body was trying to vent foul liquids. They then attempted to relieve the illness by lancing the buboes. A punishment from God was seen at the frequent underlying course, although quite how and why God was inflicting this was heatedly discussed. The situation wasnt one of total scientific blindness, as Europe has always been blessed with proto-scientists, but it was confused and unable to react like modern science. Even so, you can still see this confusion exist today when it comes to popular understanding of illness.

5 Great Tips for Business Writing - Proofeds Writing Tips

5 Great Tips for Business Writing - Proofeds Writing Tips 5 Great Tips for Business Writing Business writing includes everything from dry internal reports to snazzy website copy. But while different situations call for different writing styles, we have a few tips that apply to any type of business writing. Check them out below to find out how they could benefit your company! 1. Tailor Writing to an Audience As mentioned above, business writing is a broad category. This means you should always write for a specific audience. So whether it is a technical report for those in the know or a light-hearted press release for the public, think about who you are writing for and adapt the tone and language to suit. 2. Beware Buzzwords and Jargon Business buzzwords and jargon are not necessarily bad. Sometimes you need to use technical language to communicate something complicated. But take care not to go too far! Packing your writing with jargon will make it difficult to read, especially if you aren’t writing for a specialist audience. And buzzwords can be alienating. It is far better to keep things simple by using everyday language wherever possible. And if you need to use jargon, explain exactly what it means when you introduce the term. 3. Help Your Reader Find Key Details Life is busy. And sometimes that means you don’t have time to read the small print. If you want to make sure your readers don’t miss important information, then, you have to make it easy for them. If you are writing for an internal audience, you may want to include an executive summary. This lets you summarize key details in an easy-to-read fashion, while giving full information in the rest of the document. If writing for a wider audience, use formatting (e.g., bold or italics) and headings to help your readers find the most important information even while skim reading. 4. Keep It Short Write concisely wherever possible. After all, if time is money in the business world, you can’t assume everyone will read the entire 283-page report you sent. So keep it short where you can. If you are writing a longer document, though, always give the main points first. This will ensure that even busy readers see what you need them to. 5. Always Proofread! This is quite possibly the most important tip of all. And we’re not just saying that because we offer an outstanding business proofreading service. Whether or not you choose to work with us (you should), checking your business writing for errors is essential all of the time. Errors in business writing will give a bad impression to customers, clients, and colleagues alike. They can even cost a lot of money if you’re unlucky! And this makes proofreading worth the effort.

Limited Foreign Exchange Exposure Through Hedging Research Paper

Limited Foreign Exchange Exposure Through Hedging - Research Paper Example The research paper discusses different kinds of hedging instruments employed by firms all over the world. The risk of the exchange rate is raised from the assets and liabilities or transactions dominated in foreign currencies or existing. The hedging activities of all firms are not alike and they may vary based on the core business of firms and kinds of their foreign exchange risk. The paper described the kinds of Hedging instruments including Natural Hedging and Foreign Exchange Derivatives. In order to evaluate hedging practices in Australia, data of up to March 2005 has been used apart from hedging surveys for Australia. The previous surveys show that the banking sector of Australia has always been well-protected from currency fluctuations. In the period following the floating of the Australian dollar, Australian banks had very little exposure to exchange rate risk because of the restrictions of regulations on international transactions. After the removal of these restrictions, banks have been financing their domestic assets through short term liabilities abroad. In order to limit their net exposures, the banks used to match foreign currency liabilities to their assets. For further eliminating the residual risk exposure, Australian banks have been using derivatives. The current market risk guidelines ask the Australian authorized deposit-taking banks to dete rmine their foreign currency exposure daily. The evaluation of adaptations of non-financial firms to exchange rate fluctuations show that these firms have been facing difficulties because of poor or little experience. In 1986, borrowers made 3000 foreign currency loans dominated in Swiss francs and they incurred huge losses when Swiss francs appreciated by 50% against the Australian dollar.

How and why did the U.S. emerge as a world superpower between World Essay

How and why did the U.S. emerge as a world superpower between World War Two and 1991 - Essay Example America gained its super power status immediately after the Second World War which saw America and the Soviet Union emerges stronger from the war than before they entered. The period between world war two and 1991 saw major events take place that led to the decline of previous great powers to the emergence of new superpowers. This was the â€Å"cold war† period. Cold war was a state of military and political tension between western bloc and eastern bloc. The western bloc was led by America and its NATO allies while the eastern bloc was led by the Soviet Union and its allies who were in the Warsaw pact. The war was described as â€Å"cold† because it was marked with no large scale direct fights but with regional wars that were supported with the two blocs. Some of the countries that experienced wars were Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Korea. Cold war was defined by several events that prompted the two superpowers to demonstrate their influence in their allied countries. Some of the events that shaped this war were consolidation of the eastern states by the Soviet Union which saw America retaliate by giving financial and military aid to the anti-communist side in the Greek civil war. Other events that marked this period are the Chinese civil war, Korean War, Cuban missile crisis, berlin crisis, Suez crisis and the Vietnam War. These events shaped the cold war and hence bringing to the fore the emergence of America as the superpower with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The subsequent paragraphs will explore how and why America gained the superpower status between the period after world war two and 1991. Most of the war was fought far away from America’s boundaries. This gave it a competitive advantage over the other powers like Britain, France, and Germany who were close or experienced the war on their soil. With the war taking place away from their national boundaries, America did not suffer major losses and destruction