Russia essays

Russia essays It seems like only yesterday that Russia was a strong, proud nation. It was also revered as one of the only two world superpowers, with the United States being the other. However, in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, marking the failure of Communism. Today, Russia is on the brink of becoming a third-world nation. Russias population is collapsing, environmental problems are widespread, diseases, both communicable and non-communicable, are spreading like wildfire, crime is rampant, people are turning to drugs in an effort to ease their pains, and the economy has been plummeting since the conversion from Communism to capitalism from over a decade ago. While Russia was still known as the Soviet Union, its population reached approximately 287 million, 40 million more than the United States at this time (Dillin 4). Since this time, its population has dwindled down to almost half of this (146 million). This can be attributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, which saw Russia lose about one-third of its population, and one-fourth of its territory. Some experts estimate that Russia is losing nearly 400 thousand people a year, which may lead to its population sinking to around 125 million by the year 2015 (Dillin 5). Officially, Russias population is declining by one thousand every day. A major contributing factor to the major loss of population may be the lack of childbirth. Sexually transmitted diseases have left millions of women infertile and, with abortion legal, abortions outnumber live births by an astonishing 2-to-1 average (Dillin 2). It is estimated that the birth rate in Russia has fallen to 9.1 births per one thousand people, compared to 15.7 in the United State (Powell 1). This means that one in four married couples is childless (Powell 2). If these trends do not end soon, Russias population could fall below that of countries such as Mexico, Vietnam, and Iran by the year 2025 (Dillin 6). In conclusion, a...

Comparison Essay on Football and Basketball

Comparison Essay on Football and Basketball Comparison Essay on Football and Basketball Football and basketball are two of the most common sports that are played in many parts of the world. For an individual who is torn between selecting which of the two sports he should play, it can be very helpful to know the characteristics of the two sports and compare these qualities in order to select the one that interests a particular person the most. One of the most obvious differences between the two sports lies in the way they are played. While football is in most cases played outdoors in areas that may not necessarily have artificial lighting or controlled temperatures, basketball is mostly played in indoor fields that have both artificial lighting and temperature control. The size of the football field is also several times bigger than that of basketball. The other difference lies in the way the players interact with the ball. In football, the ball is played by fumbling, while in basketball, the ball is played by bouncing the ball up and down on the floor repeatedly in an action known as dribbling. In football, the main objective of the game is to capture the territory of the opposing team in ten yard segments, eventually driving the ball to the opposing team’s end zone. In basketball, the main aim is to throw the ball as many ways as possible into the opposing team’s basket, given that the more baskets a team makes, the higher the score. Another major difference is that physical contact between basketball players of opposing teams is highly discouraged and may actually result in a foul. This is especially the case when a player knocks another player of the opposing team to the floor. In football, contact is highly encouraged. Contact in football is referred to as a tackle. Another difference between the two sports is way players dress. While basketball players adorn vests as the uniform of the game, football players are usually dressed in long sleeved t-shirts and trousers. They also wear helmets to protect their heads during tough tackles. Another notable difference between the two sports is why a player may be suspended from the game. The most common reason behind players being ruled out of a basketball game is the fouls that they cause, but in football, injuries are the most common reasons that remove players from the game. The kind of scores in each of the games also differs greatly. In football, 3 is the least number of points that the opposing team can score at a single time, while in basketball, 3 is the most a player can score at a time. Finally, the origin of each of the games also differs. While football is thought to have originated in the early 1900s as a violent collegiate sport for men, bask etball is believed to have originated from a gymnastics practice for women. You can enjoy our professional essay service which can help with writing your comparison essay on Football and Basketball. Get 100% original custom compare and contrast essay written from scratch!