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Show 1 ._____ _ _ _ _ T_m_u_NIVE __R_srr_Y_J_o_u_RN_AL_•_so_u_ra_ERN_u_T_AH_UNIVE __R_SITY __ ._m_o_A_Y_ , J_ANU_AR_Y_9,_19_9_s_ _--1 ' THE CAMPUS []J Convo speaker Sturua talks about Russia's struggles By TIANA TEW OF THE JOURNAL STAPF For m any Americans it may be impossible to understand the difficulties facing Russia as it tries to establish a democracy from its communist roots. Some may question why many in the country still cling to the former soviet regime. As Melor Sturua said at yesterday's Convocation, " It was easier to write for Khruschev than to evaluate the present state of Russia. It is not a communism and not a free society yet. It is neither white nor black. It is one-sixth of the earth that is gray." With the recent destruction of the communist regime in the former Soviet Union, political and social unrest have plagued Russia in its attempts to establish itself as a democratic nation. Sturua, an international journalist, commented on Gorbechev's role in the current state of Russian politics saying that the former president's adherence to concepts such as glasnost in an attempt to establish a form of democratic socialism lead to the downfall of the U.S.S.R. Sturua said, "Socialism and democracy contradict each other. You can't have both. " Despite the seemingly smooth and bloodless revolution in 1991, Sturua said many of the birthmarks of the communist regime still remain and modem Russia still contains many of the features of the communist psychology. Sturua said that there arc still many communist factions that maintain power in the Russian parliament and much of the population has found it difficult to adjust to life in a free society. Sturua reminded convogoers that under communism, the state did have many achievements such as free education, housing, and health care. "The Russian people had a romanticized idea of would drug abuse and gambling which never existed under communism. "Under communism everything was suppressed. The freedom was suppressed and the crime was suppressed," he said. According to Sturua, part of the social unrest can be attributed to the outrageous gap between what he called "the have's and the have-not's." Sturua discussed the "new Russians" which he said control most of the lucrative industries of the nation and nearly all of the country's power, money, and media. He said, "Freedom of the press is a mockery. All the newspapers and television are owned and dictated by the powerful. " Sturua also addressed the role of other western nations in the growth of a Russian democracy. He said that while the U.S. has provided aid ~ to nations such as South Korea and Mexico, it ~ is been negligent in helping to secure a g democracy in Russia. He reminded the ~ audience that Russia still maintains a super~ power status in terms of its store of nuclear :i weapons and said that the U.S. needs to ~ ensure a stable Russian democracy to nega t-e 5 any threat. "It took many centuries for other democracies to develop," said Sturua. "Several centuries for some European nations and two centuries for the U.S. Twenty years is a relatively short time in the life of a society, but can be unbearable in the life of an individual. " It will not be my generation, or my children's but my grandchildren's that will live in a true democracy," he said. =======. . - a democracy would be," said Sturua. "They thought it would mean immediate effluence. They compare themselves with the U.S. now and forget the struggle it went through in the last two centuries." "Russia has been very good at mimicking the negative points of western society, but it's been harder to mimic the positive;'' said Sturua. He said that most Russian cities are infested with crime, homelessness, Robotic host serves drinks at SUU reception of thanks A G.M Fanuc Arcmatc Robot poured lemonade and acted as the chief entertainer at a SUU public reception yesterday in the university's T echnology Building. The robot is a new addition to the SUU technology. "This is a twopurpose reception," David Ward, associate professor of electronics technology at SUU, explained. The reception was a way to thank Metalcraft T echnologies for the donation of the robot and other indus trial equipment, Ward said. The total contribution from Metalcraft was close to $100,000 in value. " The best way to thank someone for someth ing is to show them that it is being used," Ward said. Only $500 was spent to set up the robot, all of which came from money raised by Roger Greener, CNC lecturer, who is in the process of selling the other surplus equipment donated by Metalcraft. The Japanese built robot was originally built to perform welding functions, and has six degrees of movement. Ward has converted the robot into a "gripping end effector robot" rather than a welding robot by adding a gripper on to its service arm. It has an effective payload capacity of 11 pounds. "We wanted to inform the community and the university about the robot, because now we have the capability to teach more advanced robotics than ever before," Ward said. During the demonstration, Ward showed the robots industrial capabilities by having it move autom otive air bag filters from one spot to another, as well as having it pour lemonade for guest at the reception. Ward also demonstrated a safety device called a laser fence. Once anything interrupts the laser beam from hitting its target, the power to the robot is shut off. Ward said that there has been three deaths in the United States involving robotics, and that safety is a concern when dealing with the robot. Ward said that there are four areas that someone interested in robotics must study. Electronics, mechanics, computers, and different processes, such as welding, a robot can preform. "I've been interested in robotics since I first came to SUU 13 years ago, and when Metalcraft called me and asked if I wanted this robot, I jumped at the opportunity," Ward said. According to Ward there are only 60 industrial robots currently in use in Utah. tu{llOktmst PHOTOGRAPHY K a r I H u g h Quality • Individuality • Affordability 98 West Center St. • Cedar City • 865-7434 |