Analysis of two stories from Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected Essay

The story is about an old lady, Mrs. Foster, who doesn’t like to be late. Her husband teases her by always being a little bit too late, just to make her suffer. One day, she is going to Paris to see her daughter and her family, but she has to wait for her husband to be done, because he is driving with her, to be dropped off at a club. When he finally out in the car with her, he has forgot his present for her daughter, so he goes back into the house to get it. She goes up to the door of their house, but when she is about to open it, she suddenly hears a strange sound and goes back into the car. She tells the driver to go, even though; Mr. Foster is still in the house. She catches her plane and enjoys her time in Paris, but when she gets back home, after six weeks, there is no lead of Mr. Foster. Then she calls a guy, which can come and fix their lift. You would think that Mrs. Foster is the main character in this story, because we are following her life and the story starts up with an introduction of her. But at the same time, we are also introduced to Mr. Foster right after, and in the end of the story, you wonder if it actually was Mr. Foster, that we were supposed to keep up with, because he is kind of the victim in the end. Almost like we are told about how he died in their lift, because of his lunatic of a wife. And then still Mrs. Foster can be seen as the victim, because she is this sad woman, who is manipulated by her husband, and then finally does what she has always wanted to do, just in a more drastic way. So therefore I see them both as main characters in this story. Mrs. Foster is described in the text as a woman with a pathological fear of missing something, and if she feels that she is about to miss something, she gets into a state of nerves and starts to â€Å"wink† with her left eye, because of a vellicating muscle in the corner of her eye. She lives in a large six-storey house in New York City, on East Sixty-Second Street with her husband and they have four servants. She is also a modest woman, who has served his husband loyally and well, for over thirty years, but she still wonders sometimes, if his husband always is being late on purpose, just to torture her. Her biggest wish is to live in Paris, so she can see her daughter, her son in law and her grandchildren all the time. Mr. Foster is nearly seventy years old and also living with his wife in their large six-storey house. He is described in the text as a man who tortures her wife, by always being late, because he is irritated by her making a fuss about everything. And he smokes cigars. We can tell by their big house, their four servants and their rented car with a chauffeur, that they are a very wealthy couple. They don’t speak to each other like a normal couple; Mr. Foster has disciplined Mrs. Foster to not say, what she wants to say, like she is under his control. Like it says in the text; â€Å"that she would never dare to call out and tell him to hurry. He had disciplined her too well for that.† The Landlady The story is about a young man, Billy Weaver, who has travelled down from London, and now he needs a place to sleep. He was told that he should try â€Å"The bell and dragon†, but on his way down to the hotel, he suddenly catches sight of a printed notice, that says â€Å"BED AND BREAKFAST† on a boarding house. He stares at the notice and feels like the words are a large black eye that is staring at him, like he is forced to go in, so he decides to do it. A middle-aged woman invites him in and shows him where he is going to sleep, and she keeps talking about how she has been waiting for a young boy like him. He later finds out, when he is about to write in her guestbook, that only two other guys has been staying there, and the latest guest is over two years ago. He finds it strange that he feels like he has heard these two guys’ names before. She keeps getting him to drink her tee, and then he suddenly notices that the dog he thought was alive is dead and stuffed. She tells him that she has stuffed them herself. When he sits for a moment, he finds out where he has heard the other guests’ names before, he has read about them being missing, in the newspaper. The main character in this story is definitely Billy Weaver, because we are following his moves and thoughts of the weird lady. Billy Weaver is seventeen years old and he has travelled from London. He is wearing a navy-blue overcoat, a brown trilby hat and a brown suit. He is a young businessman and he is trying to do everything briskly. When he is told that there has only been two guests before him and that the last guest was over two years ago, and that they are even still living there, he is a bit naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve not to see that something is really weird. But you also know that he must be a smart kid, if he is already a businessman and he reads the newspaper. The old lady seems kind and harmless in the beginning, because she is calling him â€Å"my dear† and smiling all the time. And like it says in the text; â€Å"She looked exactly like the mother of one’s best school-friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays.† But when things get more and more weird, Billy starts to think that she is slightly dotty and off her rocker. We also know that she has a bad memory, because she has a hard time remembering her guests’ names. Billy and the old lady have no relation, the old lady is a total stranger to Billy, but he somehow seems to trust her anyway. And Billy is also a total stranger to the old lady, but she keeps talking like if she knew that exactly he would show up on her doorstep, almost like if she had been watching him. Comparison of the two stories Both stories are written by an omniscient 3rd person. And in both of the stories they are using the language â€Å"dear†; In â€Å"The landlady† the old lady probably uses it, because many British old women spoke like that in the old days, but also to sound extra kind, to Billy. And in â€Å"The way up to heaven, it sounds like they are only using it because the finer families spoke like that in the old days. So both of the stories could be going on in, maybe the 50’s. Mrs. Foster and the landlady are both killers, but really different kinds; Mrs. Foster is feeling trapped in her marriage and she has a â€Å"fair† reason not to save him, when she has the chance. And the landlady is simply a lonely lunatic, who wants fake company, by stuffing her victims. The landlady is killing them herself and Mrs. Foster just didn’t save him, when she could. The main theme in both of the stories is deception, because in both of the stories, the victims have faith in their killers, but are duped by them. The ending of â€Å"The landlady† Then he said â€Å"Are you sure Mulholland and Temple are upstairs?† with a stiff look on his face. â€Å"Of course they are, my dear. I’m sure they are enjoying themselves, you shouldn’t worry that much.† She answered. Billy’s eyes flickered and his legs felt so heavy, when he tried to stand up. â€Å"Sit down, my dear. It will soon be over† she said, with a calm tone in her voice, like nothing was wrong. Billy couldn’t walk, so he sat down again and tried to hold his head still. â€Å"Something is wrong with me! What did you give me?† he yelled with a pathetic voice. She smiled and went over to the windows to draw the curtains, and when she sat down again, she started telling him, that she had been looking forward to having such a young boy in the house, and that she had been waiting for him for such a long time. â€Å"Why do you want me, you crazy woman?† he said. â€Å"You’re just perfect, my dear. So young and handsome!† she said, still witch a nice and calming voice. Billy didn’t get to say much more, before everything turned black. One month later†¦ â€Å"MISSING! A seventeen year old boy named Billy Weaver, last seen in Bath.†

Posthumus and Innogene Essay

The following passage is from Shakespeare’s ‘Cymbeline’ Act 4 Scene 2. In the quoted lines Innogen identifies Clotens to be Posthumus due to Posthumus’ garment worn by Clotens. Innogen looks at Clotens’ body and his garments and says â€Å"I know the shape of`s leg; this is his hand†. According to her, his foot is ‘Mercurial’ and thighs â€Å"Marcial’. From the first act the audience is accustomed to see a chaste Innogen who is attracted only to her husband, Postumus. However in this passage Innogene is made to speak admiring words about Clotens which is ironic to the audience. Her instant decision based on the garment is a kind of an amusement to the audience who is aware of the identity of the corpse. Innogene believes that she know Posthumus well enough to identify him without the head or the ‘jovial face’. The audience may expect better judgment from Innogene who till then did show good judgment in choosing Postumus to Clotens. This passage shows that Postumus and Clotens were more similar looking than Innogene would want to believe. These similarities are mentioned by Clotens in â€Å"I mean, the lines of my body are as well drawn as his;† in Act 4, Scene 1(9-10). She tries to see some logical reason for the gruesome murder of her husband. The first possibility that comes to her mind is Pisanio’s involvement. She suspects him to have revealed the details about Posthumous to Clotens. Everyone except Innogene knows that Pisanio has got nothing to do with this murder. Moreover Innogene is unable to think logically, for, if Pisanio was the culprit he may not have helped and sent her in pursuit of Posthumus. She concludes that Pisanio has joined with Clotens to kill Posthumus. In the passage Innogene call Clotens, â€Å"irregulous devil Clotens†. Clotens is interested in marrying Innogen. When he found out that this was not possible because she chose to be the wife of Posthumus, Clotens decided to murder Posthumus and rape her. He goes to the wilderness in search of Posthumous with pure hatred in his heart. Nevertheless he wears Posthumus’ garments while seeking out Posthumus and Innogene. This is ironic that he chose to wear the dress of his opponent in subduing him. He may have thought this would be a nice way to torture Innogene with the thoughts of her dead husband when he uses force on her. This may heighten the misery. This however goes a long way to show the cruel nature of Clotens. On the other hand the audience sees that Posthumus is aggrieved for ordering the death of his wife. He is repentant and tries to seek his own punishment by surrendering as a Roman soldier in to the hand of British troops. During the battle he takes the side of his motherland and protects it from the enemy attack, fulfilling the duty of the son of the soil. Deception in costume plays its part here again when he dresses as an Englishman and fights with Iachimo. Posthumus and Clotens are two opposite forces juxtaposed to bring out their contrasting natures to intensify the final good over evil concept. However Innogenes’ misunderstanding in identifying the corpse is the climax of this parallelism. This is an important scene in this play due to the death of Clotens and his misidentification as Postumous. Clotens has been the shadow of Posthumus throughout the play. At every mention of Posthumus there is a direct comparison drawn with Clotens as both are interested in noble Innogene. Death of Clotens signifies the death of evil and victory of good. However at this stage not all threads in the play are brought to a conclusive end. Moreover the difference between both is so strong that it needs to have a lingering effect for some time until alls well. Hence this scene is a good device to conclude the play in a progressive gradation.

Reduce stress in life Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reduce stress in life - Assignment Example For example, not enough time of the day to deal with personal issues and work; need to find another higher pay job to afford endless bills. In my case, working fulltime while attend school full-time; a baby is on the way at the same time and not to mention I am a first time mum. However, I do not believe that a stress free life is possible and realistic. Stress is a response to challenges in life that occurred around us and many of these challenges cannot be avoided. As adult, we need to learn to confront the stressful situation, learn to find causes and to escape or cope with the stress around us. Mitigating of stress remains a major concern in every individual and this can only be achieved through the development of new behaviors. However, breaking from the old habits and adopting best practices remains a major challenge to a number of people due to the comfort that the old offers despite the stress that we face as a result of them. In this paper, shading of old traits as a way of mitigating stress will be discussed in line with a number of psychological theories and application (King, Singh, Bernard Merianos, & Vidourek, 2012). The management of stress is essential in the development of a normal life and this makes the description of cognitive approaches essential. Stress is considered as an event that has different variables and is influenced by individual’s behaviors and exposures in life. This makes interpretation of fear to differ from one person to another with some viewing the construal of stress and as either positive or negative. Four cognitive factors have been identified to influence fear reception and response in individuals, which ultimately determines their ability to change old habits. Appraisal, retribution, self-efficacy and general stress perception are four cognitive elements essential in the development of stress responses in an individual (Voisin, Stone & Becker, 2013). Initial response to

Types of therapy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Types of therapy - Research Paper Example (Berger, 2006, P.p 31-40) The substance of this prose will state and describe the different types of therapies to help clients resolve their issues. The treatment regimes that are designed to help clients overcome their issues and problems, this form of psychological intervention is either referred to as ‘Counseling’ or ‘Psychotherapy’; the latter form was devised by Sigmund Freud. This form of therapy was further developed by Carl Rogers, who laid great emphasis on a client-centered approach to further enhance the treatment. (Berger, 2006, P.p 31-40) In all psychological treatments there are a number of factors that are synonymous with all treatment and these factors include a close rapport with the therapist that is characterized by a deep confiding relationship. The therapy is conducted in a secure setting that is the therapist’s office or generally a closed environment. The therapist’s behavior is also of key importance here, as it speeds u p the process of treatment and enhances client adherence to the regimen. Therefore the therapist must always adopt an empathetic and positive attitude towards the client. As mentioned earlier there are a number of therapies that are suitable for various mental disorders. The first category of therapies is defined by the biological paradigm, whereby the client is prescribed psychotropic drugs such as anti-anxiety, anti-depressive or anti-psychotic drugs that alleviate the symptoms of the disorder. However, there are a number of drawbacks that are associated with this mode of treatment as many of these drugs may give rise to addictive behaviour and sometime the side-effects are even more adverse than the symptoms of the disorder itself. However, drug therapy has been very popular in mental and physical health settings. (Berger, 2006, P.p 31-40) Therapists have devised supportive psychotherapy that involves one-on-one counseling sessions between the clinician and the client. Analogous to the drug therapy, supportive therapy is used by clients suffering from chronic stress and other mental or physical illnesses. Supportive psychotherapy is characterized by a number of sessions over a long period of time. During these sessions the therapist carefully listens to the client, encourages emotional expression and provides an outlet for the client to get rid of the pent-up emotional and mental trauma as a result of the client’s life situations. (Ingram, 2006) This is a client-centered approach and usually ends with the therapist psychoeducating the client and advising him or her accordingly. Such client-centered counseling is effective in dealing with clients, who need social support or an outlet for their emotional ordeal. Client-centered counseling is widely used by pastoral counselors and social workers, who incorporate a non-directive approach to help the client and calmly listen to the client. The counselor clarifies and helps the client understand various is sues but leaves the choice and the entire decision-making power to the client. The prime focus on the client’s dilapidated self-esteem and increase his or her confidence. These sessions effectively help the client achieve self-actualization. (Ingram, 2006) Though, most of the therapy sessions are based on a client-centered approach, however, in Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) is quite different; it is based on the cognitive model of psychiatric disorders and proposed by Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck. The therapy is largely applied on people suffering from depression

Climate Change and Deforestation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12500 words

Climate Change and Deforestation - Essay Example The forests with the huge abundance of trees play a major role in maintaining the carbon cycle in the earth’s environmental system. Tress effectively maintains the carbon cycle through the conversion of carbon present in the atmosphere to form its body and operate its respiratory system. Henceforth the trees, which are large storehouses of natural carbon, emit such vehemently into the atmosphere on being cut down or being burnt (Forests Forever). The practice of deforestation in several countries at increasing level led to the growth of temperature of the climate in several regions like Canada, United States and Australia to name a few. During the period ranging from 1990 to 2010 huge changes in climatic temperatures were recorded in these countries, which would be compared to the deforestation activities taken place in these regions during the stated period. However a range of recent findings conducted by environmentalists reflect that the event of deforestation tends to have an inverse impact on the climatic temperatures. The large number of studies conducted show that from the prehistoric times till date a large number of forest reserves have been cut or burned down amounting to large scale deforestation. Still in comparison to the magnitude of deforestation the climatic temperature has risen insignificantly. On the contrary, the large amount of deforestation has culminated to the cooling of the surface temperature of the earth. ... However a range of recent findings conducted by environmentalists reflect that the event of deforestation tends to have an inverse impact on the climatic temperatures. The large number of studies conducted show that from the prehistoric times till date a large number of forest reserves have been cut or burned down amounting to large scale deforestation. Still in comparison to the magnitude of deforestation the climatic temperature has risen insignificantly. On the contrary, the large amount of deforestation has culminated to the cooling of the surface temperature of the earth. Studies made suggest that owing to deforestation the reflective index of the earth’s surface has increased which radiates the solar heat to the atmosphere. This effect is mainly responsible for the cooling of the earth’s surface. Further owing to the large amounts of deforestation activities the earth’s upper crust has considerably cooled which caused the emergence of the northern and south ern hemisphere. These regions because of the cool surface temperatures have become too cold to be totally covered by ice. Again the progress of the earth’s cooling activities made the ice packed regions to become denser by the event of their joining up to form a unified mass (Renssen, Goosse and Fichefet). Background Impact of Climate Change The phenomenon of climate change is expected to produce a diversified base of different factors, which would tend to alter the ecological balance of the earth’s natural atmosphere. Observation shows that a rise in the temperature of the global climate can contribute heavily in altering the events of rainfall or snowfall in the world. This in turn would affect the moisture contents of the soil textures important for plant growth. Further, a rise in the

Summary of the Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary of the - Article Example One of the absences is the absence of historical context that makes the painting mysterious and unchanging (35). She stresses that, in reality, the late 1860s, the period of the painting, is the period of French colonization of the Near East, which means that there is nothing mysterious or unchanging in the context of the painting. The other absences in the paintings are the presence of Westerners and art. Nochlin emphasizes that Westerners are present in The Snake Charmer by being the ones gazing at the painting. She notes that Westerners create meanings through projecting their ideas and feelings about Orientals on the painting. As for the absence of art, Nochlin criticizes Gà ©rà ´mes realism because it only appears logical and objective as an artistic approach, but it actually hides the reality of how Westerners perceived Orientals as lazy and decadent, by showing how they allow their cultural icons to decay. Moreover, Nochlin contrasts the success of The Snake Charmer over Eug à ¨ne Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapalus. She argues that Gà ©rà ´me was successful in allowing male Westerners to identify with power over women and the darker-skinned without giving them moral responsibility for these thoughts and actions unlike Delacroix. Hence, Nochlin shows that Orientalist paintings represent Western ideas and beliefs about Near Easterners where their main goals were political and physical domination and exploitation over the

The Complexity of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Complexity of Management - Essay Example It is important to note that these events cannot be specifically prevented, as most cases come up as unexpected (Cummings, 2004). In line with this type of complexity's unpredictable nature, the consequences implied afflict conflict between the organization and its stakeholders, and hinders the firm from attaining its corporate goals. A simple problem can escalate into a crisis if not properly managed, one of which can adversely affect the organization and its operations (Bhave and Narendra, 2000). Complexity in the form of Crisis Complexities in the form of crises are usually brought about by risks, whether these have been identified by the firm or not. From a corporate perspective, the disadvantage is that these risks, regardless of its societal, economic, physical, or technological nature, has the possibility of evolving into a more sophisticated and complicated framework (Bhave and Narendra, 2000).Such a premise is supported by situations wherein the consequences of risks would n ot only influence a specific aspect of the business, due to the interrelated nature of business wherein one small detail can affect the whole operations in general. From this perspective, one can note that the effect of risks can either be direct or systematic, wherein both scenarios present a threat to the organization's business (Alavi and Leidner, 2001). The ubiquitous nature of risks in firms imply the need for organizations to employ problem solving approaches that are innovative, as this would serve as their guide in identifying the nature of the problem and quickly apply the most ideal and practical solution. In addressing crisis, solutions must not be applied to fix problems temporarily, as the concept of strategic decision making regards the need for solutions that would produce a long term implication. In crises events, a company can either "pay sooner or later". However, a crisis cannot be immediately solved by a perfect template designed to fix situational events (Choo, 2006). In every crisis lie external and internal factors that must be considered, as each are sensitive to the environment and the situation at hand. The evaluation and implementation process of efficient measures are also coupled by risks, which is why mitigation strategies must be carefully formulated. It is important to note that communication is key in every crisis situation, as an open and continuous communication with stakeholders exemplifies transparency and enjoins trust among the stakeholders (Cummings, 2004). Through establishing trust and transparency, the organization would be equipped the capability to effectively carry out their mitigating measures to address and manage the crisis (Gioia and Chittipeddi, 2006). The Case of Johnson and Johnson: The Tylenol Crisis The researcher has chosen the nature of complexity in corporate organizations, particularly Johnsons and Johnsons, in regards to the renowned crisis concerning Tylenol. In that light, the focus of the study is the application of Crisis Management (Rehak, 2002). The researcher aims to deconstruct the Tylenol crisis, as to how Johnsons and Johnsons resolved the issue in terms of Planning, Leading, Organizing and Controlling on a Management Perspective. The core issue of Johnson and Johnson rooted from the spiked Tylenol products, wherein the issue has aggravated and reached a national level due to the concerns of affected stakeholders (Rudolph, 2000). The incident transpired in October

Investments in Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Investments in Information Technology - Essay Example Heinrich and Simchi-Levi (2005) answer the question whether IT investments really pay off: "The answer is yes-only if solid business processes are in place." Thus, the success of any IT strategy is highly dependent on the integration of business processes within the organization and its various supply chain factors. Information technology strategies are directly linked to the company's supply chain. As the supply chain is composed of stakeholders who are directly related to the operations of the company, the installation of IT software and tool will have an impact on them. In return, the organization bottom line will also benefit or be harmed by any IT strategy in place. Investments in IT generate a lot of advantages in a company's supply chain. However, this is only true with the premise that the appropriate level of business process is in place. As the study of Heinrich and Simchi-Levi proves, information technology goes hand in hand business process maturity in increasing the efficiency and profitability of business organization. Investment in IT without integrating the supply chain by sharing the data in internal and external stakeholders will render useless.

Business History Analysis of Globalization Essay

Business History Analysis of Globalization - Essay Example Is globalization restricted to the business world only? The concept of globalization has entered almost in all areas of our lives be it business, language, education, culture, lifestyle and other psychological and social behavior patterns. It is argued that we are fast losing our unique identity and sense of belonging and are moving towards globalized identity. This paper aims at studying the historical background of multinationals and the creation of global capitalism. It will also study the pattern of its growth that is believed to be non linear and will try to find if the global firms and global capitalism really is inevitable. Multinationals and Global Capitalism Multinationals are firms that operate in more than one country. They are the main source of flow of investment, trade and knowledge that transcends boundaries, which is the essence of the globalization process. Multinationals only proved to be the beginning of the globalization process. Globalization in the last two deca des has entered every aspect of our lives in unimaginable way. Yet its extent and background is still debatable. Globalization is referred to as a process of increasing integration in the civilized world (Gills et al. 2006). There are differing opinions about the history of globalization ranging from world war two to as old as sixteenth century. The extent of globalization today is also debatable some regard world as fast becoming borderless while others regard it just as a fallacy. The impact and consequences of globalization is also two tongued sword. On a positive note it has lead to convergence between countries but on a negative note it has resulted on more inequalities between countries and leading to erosion of sovereignty of nations. There are differing viewpoints about causes of globalization as well. Some believe that developments in the communication and transport technology is responsible for globalization while others regard businesses and governments as the main force behind globalization. According to this viewpoint multinationals has proved to be the forerunners of globalization (Toyne et al, 1997). Multinationals The role of multinationals in globalization cannot be fully understood without the sound understanding of multinationals and its historical background. The term multinational enterprise was used in the latter half of the twentieth century although firms had started to invest offshore in the nineteenth century. A multinational is an organization that has its control operations and income generating assets in more than one country. Home country of multinationals is called home economy and the other countries where they invest are called host economies or host countries. Usually the no of host economies should exceed five or six and they should be of considerable size as well for an organization to be called multinational. If a firm’s international operations are very extensive then it is called global organization. A multinationa l firm makes two types on investment in the host economy, portfolio investment and foreign direct investment (FDI). Portfolio investment is the acquisition of securities with no involvement in the management of the host economies. FDI involves control over the management as well. FDI gives ownership

Where did the system fail CJ202 #5 Research Paper

Where did the system fail CJ202 #5 - Research Paper Example Keeping this sex predator on the street showed an incompetent decision the justice system made (Holmes, 1991, p. 29). The defendant had vital predatory traits towards small girls and should be put in prison for a long time span as possible to protect a girl child against sexual offence. After setting gardener free, a number of victims suffered sexual assault and further caused the death of other two young women. The justice system acts as a door of revolution for sexual predators. They would be legally permitted to reside within neighborhoods forcing the adjacent families to live with fear to fall as the victims of sexual offence and twisted aggression. The system fails by structuring lenient rules for sex offenders instead of harsh punishment. The sex offenders’ sentences would be shortened rather than life imprisonments. These offenders released back to the streets give them a chance to repeat their violent behaviors again and again (London, 1991, p.14). Freeing Gardener and later resulting Amber Dubois, and Chelsea king’s death set fears all over, and the world would be seen to be no longer safe. This imposed hard tasks on parents and institutions to guard the girl child against sex offenders. It is thus unusual and cruel punishment when the justice system leaves these monsters to walk freely and put children and women at a risk (McCarthy, 1991,

Truth in Media Essay Example for Free

Truth in Media Essay The omnipresence of pornography in today’s society has increased extramentally over the past few decades. What is available over the internet is remarkably unrestricted and available to anyone who looks for it. This paper will cover how and what the messages on sexuality that are being conveyed to today’s society, Open sexualities vs. purity Which is better is an article written by Michael in 2012 regarding finding the truth about how our society views sexuality in the past and currently. He discusses how we Americans have evolved from a society of purity to complete sexual freedom to what is described as a loose society today. He questions the thought process of completely educating our youth. whether it is a good decision to overloading the impressionable minds of out children. He continues to describe the loss of the family unit in America. How this loss has devastated the fabric of society. We have become slaves to our labeto never thinking about what that truly means. The article gives clear statistics on abortion, marriage, STDs, and unwanted births throughout our history to back up what he calls the loss of the family unit. He then gives information on pornography, prostitution, rape, and human trafficking, which gives a complete picture of how human sexuality really looks like in this country. He ends with the encouragement of the old fashioned art of the conversation. He says to continue talking about subjects and maybe things will change. Manipulation The power of subliminal persuasion is an article from mens health magazine in July 2013 edition. It is an article describing how to get you wife or girlfriend to have sex with you through subliminal persuasion. It starts out with this quote â€Å"Money worries have increased marital arguments by 59%, but getting your own way need not mean blood and thunder†. The article does into how certain substances like coffee can increase the effectiveness of subliminal persuasion on the female mind. How if a man starts introducing his wish for sex early in the morning but after her morning coffee his chances increase. The article describes step by step how to introduce his wishes into her subconscious mind throughout the day then finally ending with either the man successfully manipulating the female or with the question of why not and the debate is on. The whole article is on how to get what you want by manipulation and corwersion Conception What if Women are offered contraception for free is an article by Valerie Tarico on May 16, 2013 in Ms. Magazine. The article covers an overview of a research project that was conducted last fall in Missouri on free conception. This research project was conducted with 9000 women and covers how the birth rate, abortion rate, and financial obligations of that state were reduced significantly. The author asks the question on if this trial was to become a fixed solution what would have to be done to implement it ant would it work. The article goes into a complete breakdown of the statistical information of Washington state and how those numbers could be affected by implementing such a program here and what that would mean in the long run for tax payers and families. She continues to describe the financial obligations of not having such a program in place today. This is so astronomical that it is hard to believe we spend that much money on unwanted pregnancies and childcare expenses for as she puts it â€Å"go-with-the-flow babies†. Common views What Are Americans Doing Beneath The Sheets These Days? An article by Dr. Justin Lemiller posted on November 28, 2012 in the Chicago times is a brief expose on what Americans are actually doing in the privacy of their own beds. This article covers masturbation, oral sex, and anal sex and includes at what age people are doing what. Teen pregnancy Teenage pregnancy: High US rates due to poverty, not promiscuity an article written B Stephanie Hanes, Correspondent May 22, 2012 in Modern Parenthood magazine discusses how that statistically it has been proven that teen parenthood has been significantly higher among those with a lower socioeconomic status than any-other bracket. The article goes into detail regaurding the satistical information across countries and within America as well. The article continues to outline the difficulties in correcting such a problem due to the fact that no campaign against teen pregnancy would even effect the overwhelming nature of the lack of options for the lower classes. The lack of options creates a kind of circular motion that seems to offer hope of a better life but doesnt. Extramarital affairs The Truth About Why Men Cheat an article written by M. Gary Neuman for Redbook magazine in 2012, informs readers of why men cheat. The article goes over the reason a man cheats is not for sex. Men according to the ones serveyed cheat do to emotional dissatisfaction rather than sexual dissatisfaction. The article the goes into how to create an atmosphere of mutual reward and respect. Men have trouble asking for pats on the back but need encouragement just as much as women. If we set the stage for a give give relationship we have a better chance at staying faithful. Homosexuality Understanding females sexual fluidity is an article written by Ian Kerner, for the New York Times on February 9th, 2012 discusses an interview with a famous actress and how a slip of the tounge can revel much. The actress said that being a lesbian was a choices she made not something that she was or wasnt. Having said such a thing sparked much debate and consideration of choice. The article talkes about how women are much more fluid in whom they choose to fall in-love with, that women ten to fall in-love with a person not a gender. The article also goes on to show information regarding a study done on heterosexual and homosexual men how they were both turned on my both gay and straight pornography. This study gives a lot of credence to the premise that gays can choose to be not gay. Casual sex  Do You Want More Than a Hookup? Written by Angela Ledgerwood for cosmopolitan magazine discusses how todays young people are not as interested in just hooking up as they once were. The article goes into a question answer format and talks about how todays young people are afraid of dating and not sure even how. The article give a clear description that people today have no idea how to even get someone to go out on a date so it gives some starting points. Then the article goes into some dating tips and encouragement. I found that these articles are well written but lack any sense of morality. I found it so very difficult to find articles that were not how tos or so close to pornography that I would not even use the. This to me seems to be a funny thing for I am a very open person regarding sex. I do not have any inhibitions and from a Christian view point I would be a huge sinner. With that being said as I was doing my research on this topic I found it way to easy to learn how to give a blow job and how to perform anal sex. This was at the common sites like cosmopolitan and Redbook there was no safe guards like even Facebook has regarding sexually explicit stuff like are you 18 to look at that kind of things. Therefore comparing what I have found on the internet with what we were taught thought this class was so completely different that I feel like a prude. Saying that seems a bit off and I have to chuckle a bit. But I feel that honesty is truly the best policy, therefore I must say that I am an ex-prostitute and have had so many partners that I cannot even count. God has forgiven me of this sin and now the rose colored glasses have completely been taken off. Throughout this course we have learned all about what being authentic in our sexualities means and how to have a healthy God centered relationship. It is hard to imagine how these to completely different views can merge into one complete view. I feel compelled to try for we are the sum of all parts. God has given us such a wonderful gift of sexuality and I for one am very grateful. I think that if we try to educated ourselves on how to be fully honest with ourselves, God, and our spouses we will have a great chance at fulfilling ourselves and our marriages. We need to be educated every-way with what and how to do and what God expects of how we are to behave. Finding this balance is not easy in todays society of we are bombarded with explicit material every second of everyday. We must therefore have some kind of outline for us to follow that is where the scriptures come in to play. Our text talks of unhealthy sexual behavior as â€Å"Inauthentic sexual behaviors (that) are organized around using power to control† (Balswick Balswick, 2008, p. 86). this type of behavior is viewed as common place in today’s society by evidence of the article The power of subliminal persuasion by Alex Young. In this article he states just how to manipulate the opposite sex into getting what he wants. He states that â€Å"The power of subliminal persuasion means you can tug in the right direction without her feeling the pinch† (Young, Mens Health, 2012). This however subtle manipulation is all about power and control. Our text tells us that we are to be committed to God and to one other person by saying â€Å"God created for us to be sexual beings, in a spiritual way with one who we have decided to spend our life with† (Balswick, p 68). But society tells us that sex can be freely given to whomever we choose whenever we choose. This is not without its consequences however as stated in the article Which Is Better – A Society With Loose Sexuality Or A Society With Strict Rules For Sexuality? By Michael Snyder. In the article Snyder give information and the destruction of the family unit with â€Å"According to the Pew Research Center, only 51 percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married at this point. Back in 1960, 72 percent of all U.  S. adults were married†. This directly shows that we are not coupling the way God has intended. In our presentation Teens and sex: Taming the drive Chap Clark, M. Div. , Ph. D. explains that it is important to explain to our youth responsible sexuality by the statement â€Å"When teens struggle with their sexual feelings, urges and drives, it is important that the church help them to understand what is behind the physical drives and to see people’s bodies, souls and relational choices as God sees them. His call is to holiness, but that calling is about caring for the best of others as people develop their attitudes and make choices. Chap Clark gives Clear explanations as to the different types of love in-order to inform teens of what is healthy and what not healthy love is. By doing this he sets the stage for responsible choices unlike the responsible choices made by teen mothers. In the article Teenage pregnancy: High US rates due to poverty, not promiscuity by Stephanie Hanes we find that in has been discovered that people with fewer options financially have higher birth rates. Hanes states that â€Å"anthropologists and social workers explain that teens who experience â€Å"despair† are more likely to turn to motherhood as a way to find meaning in a world where they see few other options† which seems to correspond very well with the hypothesis. Our presentation on Restoring Marital Intimacy: After the Affair by Mark Laaser and Deb Laaser informs us how to overcome the sin of infidelity by grace through repentance, honesty treatment, and forgiveness this is a hard road nd takes a lot of faith and commitment. In the article The Truth About Why Men Cheat by M. Gary Neuman we discover that it is not necessarily sex that causes men to cheat but rather a loss of intimacy in the relationship. Neuman states that â€Å"48% of men rated emotional dissatisfaction as the primary reason they cheated†. This seems rather strange considering we are all told that men and women think differently when it comes to sex. I am a grandmother if two wonderful little girls and when I think of the material that they will shortly be exposed to I cringe. As a counselor I would want to keep my eyes open and take a look regularly at what we are being exposed to in-order to be fully informed as to where my clients would be coming form. It would not be enough just to stay up-to-date with the current techniques and treatment options. I would need to keep my eyes open to the current beat of your world as well. I have to say that writing this paper has at least taught me that. Having a wide knowledge base and commitment to biblical principles needs to be the foundation of my counseling process, for without this foundation I would lose my way. God has given me the gift of being able to help others through sharing my pain but in-order full understand someone else’s pain there will be times that I have to educate myself in how they see the world and having this knowledge will enable me to do so. Counselors need to have a full tool box and sometime that tool box has things in it that we have had to learn from others. Having an open mind will make that possible.

Bluewater Case Study Essay Example for Free

Bluewater Case Study Essay * Was built on an old quarry brownfield land. * Employs around 7000 people. * Good disabled access and a range of things to do for all people. * Bluewater makes sure it remains sustainable – it has high operational standards, water usage is measured and controlled, energy is reduced as much as possible, it has a lake and wildlife area to introduce biodiversity, community partnerships, as little chemical use as possible and green transport e.g. buses. Positives of Bluewater * Was built on an old quarry brownfield land. * Employs around 7000 people. * Good disabled access and a range of things to do for all people. * Bluewater makes sure it remains sustainable – it has high operational standards, water usage is measured and controlled, energy is reduced as much as possible, it has a lake and wildlife area to introduce biodiversity, community partnerships, as little chemical use as possible and green transport e.g. buses. What does Bluewater have to offer? * Over 300 shops, * Over 50 restaurants to eat and drink in, * A cinema, * Boating and cycling facilities, * A mini sports stadium, * Places to cook, read, play on a computer, * Advice centres, * Homework help. What does Bluewater have to offer? * Over 300 shops, * Over 50 restaurants to eat and drink in, * A cinema, * Boating and cycling facilities, * A mini sports stadium, * Places to cook, read, play on a computer, * Advice centres, * Homework help. A bit about Bluewater * Bluewater is an out-of town regional shopping centre – (definition: a shopping centre containing over 50,000 square metres of gross retail area offering a wide range of comparison goods and services) * Bluewater is located in Greenhithe, Kent and is 17.8 miles east south east of London. A fifth of the UKs population are within an hour’s journey of Bluewater. * Bluewater has capacity for 13,000 cars, is close to the M25, has over 60 busloads arrive every hour and has train and coach links making transport links easy. * It is the largest out of town shopping centre in Europe- cost  £350m to build A bit about Bluewater * Bluewater is an out-of town regional shopping centre – (definition: a shopping centre containing over 50,000 square metres of gross retail area offering a wide range of comparison goods and services) * Bluewater is located in Greenhithe, Kent and is 17.8 miles east south east of London. A fifth of the UKs population are within an hour’s journey of Bluewater. * Bluewater has capacity for 13,000 cars, is close to the M25, has over 60 busloads arrive every hour and has train and coach links making transport links easy. * It is the largest out of town shopping centre in Europe- cost  £350m to build Negatives of Bluewater * Because of the amount of people travelling long distances to the site, congestion can be a problem, as well as noise and air pollution. * Although there are many bus links, they are not necessarily all over the country and access may be difficult for those who do not have cars. * Because many people from the area will chose to go to Bluewater rather than local CBDs, these areas begin to lose business and a lot of money. Negatives of Bluewater * Because of the amount of people travelling long distances to the site, congestion can be a problem, as well as noise and air pollution. * Although there are many bus links, they are not necessarily all over the country and access may be difficult for those who do not have cars. * Because many people from the area will chose to go to Bluewater rather than local CBDs, these areas begin to lose business and a lot of money.

Resistance And Electrical Conductivity Environmental Sciences Essay

Resistance And Electrical Conductivity Environmental Sciences Essay Electrical currents are routinely harnessed and transmitted via interconnected wires. The purpose of this research is to identify factors commonly responsible for affecting the resistance of current, or flow of electricity, across a wire in an electrical circuit. Some factors will need to be identified and investigated prior to experimentation. A basic understanding of electrical circuits and resistance is required for successful completion of this project. In order to create an electric circuit, a path must be constructed to allow electrons to continuously move, or flow, across a medium. The movement of electrons is called the current. The medium used to conduct the electron transfer is called a conductor. The difference or potential difference in electrical charges in the circuit is called voltage. Voltage is the measure of the force between two pots. When electrons move through conductors they often encounter friction which is called resistance. As with voltage, resistance is a measurement between to points and does not have meaning outside of those two points. A conductor with low resistance is considered a good conductor and a conductor with high resistance is considered a bad conductor (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Because copper atoms have only one electron in their outer shell they tend to share electrons easily and allow an electrical charge to move through them with little resistance. Because of these properties copper is a good conductor (http://www.webelements.com). Free electrons tend to move through conductors with some degree of friction, or opposition to motion. This opposition to motion is more properly called resistance. The amount of current in a circuit depends on the amount of voltage available to motivate the electrons, and also the amount of resistance in the circuit to oppose electron flow. Just like voltage, resistance is a quantity relative between two points. For this reason, the quantities of voltage and resistance are often stated as being between or across two points in a circuit. Resistance is the property of a conductor that inhibits or restricts the flow of electricity through it. Good conductors are associated with low resistance and high energy transference. Poor conductors are associated with low current and higher resistance (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Hypothesis: The hypothesis of this experiment is: the resistance to an electrical current should increase in relation to the length of the conductor. The resistance should be proportionally higher for the 60cm length of wire than it is for a 10cm length of wire. Prior research indicates that the resistance of the 60cm length should be 6 times that of the 10cm length. Earlier studies indicate that resistance will increase with length because resistance is proportional to length (www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=120694). Project Plan/Problem Statement Does the length of the conductor affect the flow of electricity? If it does, in what way? Resistance to an electrical current should increase in proportion to the length of the conductor. The resistance should be considerably higher for the 60cm length than it is for the 10cm length. Theoretically the resistance for the 60cm length should be 6 times that of the 10cm length. The reason for this was explained earlier. Resistances are just added together in a series circuit so having a long length of wire will just be the same as having 2 lengths of wire half the size. Resistance will increase with length. Resistance is proportional to length (www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=120694). The mathematical formula for the relationship between two points, as described by Ohms Law, being directly proportional to the voltage across the points and inversely proportional to the resistance between them is expressed mathematically as: (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Or graphically as: (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). This science project will be used to test the length of an assortment of wires to determine how characteristic of length affects electrical conductivity. The electrons jump from atom to atom in the metal in response to the electric field in the circuit (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Research tells us that copper has more free electrons than many other materials and should conduct electricity relatively freely (http://www.webelements.com/). The dependent variable for this project is the amount of resistance measured. The independent variable is the length of the copper wire used to conduct the electrical charge. The controlled variables for this project are constant room temperature, constant humidity, constant circuit, and a constant charge from a DC power pack. The project plan is to test the current/resistance over different length of wires. This project is relevant to real world applications because if people have a better understanding of the factors that affect electricity conduction, enhancement can be made in electricity transmission to reduce loss of charge and increase preservation of electrical energy. Literature Review/Other Experiments Research has shown the conductivity of certain materials is: Cu copper use 2.15 nÃŽÂ ©m 15.43 nÃŽÂ ©m 16.78 nÃŽÂ ©m 17.12 nÃŽÂ ©m 17.25 nÃŽÂ ©m CRC (10-8  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©m) 0.215 1.543 1.678 1.712 1.725 LNG (10-8  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©m) 1.678 WEL (10-8  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©m) (293 K-298 K) 1.7 (http://www.webelements.com/) Yamaguchi, T., Matsuoka, T., Koda, S. (2007). A theoretical study on the frequency-dependent electric conductivity of electrolyte solutions.  Journal of Chemical Physics,  127(23), 234501. doi:10.1063/1.2806289. The accepting on the frequency-dependent electric accoutrement of electrolyte solutions proposed beat by Yamaguchi et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 127, 234501 (2007)] is affiliated to arbor the hydrodynamic alternation amidst ions. The accepting is activated to the aqueous band-aid of NaCl and the assimilation affirmation of the accoutrement agrees able with that angled by experiments. The abatement in the electric accoutrement is acceptance into the contributions of ion brace administering at acclimatized distances. The all-embracing ionic atmosphere plays a aloft role at the assimilation as low as 0.01 mol/kg, accepting the accession of the accent ion brace amphitheatre is important at 1 mol/kg. The acclimatized basal of cation is afflicted to be a abbreviating activity of assimilation as is empiric in experiments. How Electricity Works, retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm The basal of electrons in motion in a abuttals is declared the current, and its abstinent in amps. The force allegation the electron alternating is declared the voltage and is abstinent in volts. The accumulated of electricity consumed were measured in watts. Investigation the Factors That Affect Resistance of a Conductor. (21 Jul 2010) Retrieved from: (http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=120694) The factors that affect the transmission of electricity are: length of the wire- the greater the distance over the medium is the longer the electrons have to pass through and producing a higher possibility of impacts with other electrons; material used- the more closely packed the conductor (the nearer the electrons are) the more difficult it is for electrons to move through the conductor and so more crashes between particles, thus giving rise to a greater resistance; temperature- if the temperature of the cable is elevated then the atoms in the cable will begin to pulsate and that will augment the total number of impacts amid particles consequently rising the resistance; cross-sectional area- if the wires thickness is increased the resistance will decrease, this is because the electrons will have more space to move and that will make the probability of a collision with another electron is less likely. Experimental Design Steps/Sequence of Events This test set up should be able to assess the length of a wire for disparity in resistance of wire. Wires of differing lengths will be tested to verify that resistance is proportional to length. This will require testing different lengths of copper wire. For the experiment assorted wires from 10 cm to 60 cm will be tested using a current, a voltmeter and ammeter. The project will require an electrical circuit to test the resistance of a wire and an apparatus to connect differing sections of wire. To gauge the resistance of the wire conductor by means of Ohms Law, both an ammeter and a voltmeter will be used to check the electrical current. To achieve an average, the experiment will be conducted twice and then averaged for more accurate results. The power from the power source will be set at a current of 0.22 amps. Identical experiment steps will be utilized for wires of the following lengths: 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm, and 60 cm. The wire will be attached to the circuit in su ccession so that the current flows directly through it. Power will be supplied by a DC power pack that facilitates easy and accurate adjustments of power. Steps: Prepare circuit Attach section of wire to be tested to circuit Join one end of the ammeter to one end of the open circuit to guarantee that the whole current will be calculated. Check the polarization of the ammeters ends that are connected to the circuit. Turn on the power supply and increase the current to 0.22. Check the reading from the voltmeter. Check the reading from the ammeter. Attach the 10 cm length of the copper wire to the circuit. Apply 0.22 current to the circuit from the power source. Check the reading from the voltmeter. Record the reading from the voltmeter. Check the reading from the ammeter. Record the reading from the ammeter. Calculate resistance. Repeat steps 8-14 with 10cm, 20cm, 30cm, 40cm, 50cm, and 60cm lengths of copper wire. The dependent variable for this project is the amount of current/resistance measured. The independent variable is the wire used to conduct the electrical charge. The controlled variables for this project are steady room temperature, steady humidity, and a steady charge in the form of a DC output from a DC power pack that will allow the power to be changed easily and accurately. Reasoning Copper is a widely recognized conductor that is extensively used in business and housing wiring for electricity. The greater the distance that the electrical charge has to travel then the greater chance of collisions with other electrons within the electrical current. In this experiment the length of an otherwise identical wire will be investigated to find how that factor affects resistance. This experiment design method was chosen for its relative simplicity and ease of computing results. The reasoning behind this testing method was to prove fundamental factors of Ohm law and to test current laws in electrical conductivity. Tools/Materials Tools: Ammeter Votlmeter Circuit Power Source (DC Power Pack) Materials: Wire 10 cm copper wire 20 cm copper wire 30 cm copper wire 40 cm copper wire 50 cm copper wire 60 cm copper wire Variables The controlled variables, which must stay constant in this experiment to make it fair, are the output voltage from the power supply, which remains the same (0.22A) throughout measuring and the surrounding temperature should not rise or lower too much. The independent variable in this experiment is the length of the wire. The dependent variable is the output of current and resistance which are measured with a voltmeter and ammeter. Threat Reduction to Internal Validity To reduce the threat to internal validity a new wire is used for each subsequent test. Previously used wires are discarded after use to ensure that the wire has not been compromised in a previous test. All testing supplies and materials are kept clean and away from contamination. In order to reduce any inconsistency this experiment is repeated several times and several measurements are taken by meters which have previously been checked and determined to be free from defect. Results Experiment 1 Result: Length Experiment 1 Cm I V 10 0.22 0.08 20 0.22 0.14 30 0.22 0.23 40 0.22 0.32 50 0.22 0.4 60 0.22 0.47 Experiment 2 Result: Length Experiment 2 Cm I V 10 0.22 0.09 20 0.22 0.18 30 0.22 0.25 40 0.22 0.33 50 0.22 0.42 60 0.22 0.51 Average Result: Length Average Cm I V 10 0.22 0.85 20 0.22 0.16 30 0.22 0.24 40 0.22 0.325 50 0.22 0.41 60 0.22 0.49 Conclusion The resistance of the wire increases in proportion to length as predicted in the hypothesis. The results from this experiment have followed previous energy laws. The experiment proved that the resistance in 10cm of wire is roughly 50% of the resistance of 20 cm of wire, which is in turn roughly 50% of the resistance of 40 cm of wire. Additionally, the resistance of the 10cm wire is approximately 1/3 of the resistance of the 30cm wire. This is because 10 is 1/3 of 30. Confirmation of Hypothesis Based in the results of this experiment the hypothesis is correct. This experiment proves that resistance increases in proportion to length. The evidence to support this is clearly shown in the graphs included above. As the length of the wire is increased, the resistance also increases directly proportional to the additional distance in length that the electricity had to travel. Experimental Design as Key Factor Experiments are generally conducted to prove or disprove a hypothesis, theory or an assumption. The legitimacy of any experiment is precisely affected by its design and implementation. Consideration of experimental design is particularly significant. If an experiments design is inconsistent the results and conclusions will be unsound and as a result will be unusable. Replication This project could be easily replicated using materials that cost less than $50. This is important because easily replicable results are not as likely to be impacted by accidental errors and if an experiment can be repeated under different circumstances by different people then it is most likely that the conclusions will remain the same and be accepted. Scientists are not likely to accept the results of a single experiment since the proposed hypothesis has to explain all experimental results and due to surrounding conditions, results could potentially vary, Evaluation of Validity This experiment is valid because it is easily reproducible, the data corresponds to scientific proofs, and most importantly the data is consistent through a variety of testing situations. This experiment would be easily confirmed by another scientist recreating the process. Further research is ongoing to develop a method of transmitting electricity with minimal resistance and loss of voltage.

How the Greek Revered Their Gods :: Ancient Greece Greek History

How the Greek revered their gods In ancient times, the Greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. They demonstrated their admiration by putting in place many rituals and celebrations to reverence the gods that they loved and feared in order to ensure harmony with them. In particular, the focus will be on the religious beliefs of the Greeks, including prayer and sacrifice, as well as on festivals and the arts, such as the ancient Olympic games and theatre. These aspects of their culture made a significant contribution to their quality of life. Moreover, these topics will be examined in relation to the twelve Olympian gods and their associates. The ancient Greeks practiced a religion that was in effect, a building block to many ensuing pagan religions. This religion revolved around their reverence to the gods. Essentially, the Greeks worshipped numerous gods, making their religion polytheistic. They believed that exercising the opportunity to choose between a wide array of gods to worship offered them a great sense of freedom that they treasured. After all, the Greeks were known for their intellectual distinction of which their means of worship played a huge part. Each city-state, or polis, thus had an affiliated god who protected and guided its residents. Within a given polis, the belief in common gods unified the people. Ultimately, the Greeks yearned for this unity and order in the universe, which is a characteristic that is not unlike that of people today. It might seem contradictory that they believed in many gods and sought organization at the same time, for larger numbers are inherently unstable. But, to the god-fear ing Greeks, each god represented a different facet of life that together upheld an organized universe if each of these gods was properly appeased. To satisfy these gods, the Greeks participated in activities such as prayer and sacrifice and erected divine temples and centers for oracles in honor of specific gods. There is evidence of this institutionalization early on in the reign of the Olympian gods, thus forming the Olympian religion. The Olympian religion lacked the presence of true sentimentality, and the gods were not seen as forgiving or "flawless" as the Christian God is often portrayed. The Greek gods were portrayed as humans, which meant that they were not perfect. That is, the gods made mistakes, felt pain (e.g. Aphrodite in love with the mortal Adonis), and succumbed to anger and their tempers (e.

A Common But Separate Goal For Power :: History Native Americans Essays

A Common But Separate Goal For Power missing works cited In the latter half of the 19th century, there were many cultures striving for control of the American Southwest, mainly the southern half of present-day Arizona, which was purchased by the United States in 1853. American Indian tribes, such as the Apaches, had original claims to the land that were overtaken by the Mexican invasion of missions at Tubac and Tucson, which were later overrun with American settlers and soldiers laying their claims to this new American territory. These struggles for power created tension between all of the peoples of southern Arizona, originally between the Apache tribes and Mexicans, and then morphing into a trifecta of clashes between all of the races for control of the land. When the Spanish began colonizing the northern area of Mexico, they were confronted with a problem-what were they to do with the native peoples? Jesuit priests attempted to reform some of the mesa tribes in present-day Arizona and New Mexico, but encountered a population uninterested in Christianity and comfortable with their nomadic ways. There were missions of this type in the towns of Tucson and Tubac, which were abandoned by the missionaries and taken over by the Hispanic population, which in its early days, numbered around five hundred. The Hispanic settlements were centralized around military establishments, mostly because of a fear of the native people, the Pinal Apaches, who were characterized by their raids for horses, food, and other staples. In 1821, Mexico achieved independence from Spain, and the military outposts were completely under Hispanic control; they no longer were under Spanish rule and could make military decisions about the tribes on their own. With this newfound independence, the Mexicans began dealing in peace treaties with the local tribes. On March 5, 1837, the military government in Tucson signed a document with their "perennial enemies, the Pinal Apaches" (Officer, 137), which transported the tribe to the barren Arivaipa Creek, and contained a stipulation that the Apaches could only travel through the Tucson stronghold with the permission of the commander. Placing the Indians on reservations, which created land claims that were their own, seemed to have no reciprocal effect with the Mexicans. Although the tribes were not allowed to trespass on Mexican territory, the Mexicans did not care who trod on the newly claimed tribal lands. According to James E. Officer, in his book Hispanic Arizona, 1356-1856, ".

What’s in a Name? :: essays papers

What’s in a Name? I have always been very proud of everything that I have accomplished in my life. I am proud of one thing more than anything else; my heritage. Ever since I was a child I was told all about my grandparents and their trek from Denmark to the United States. I was curious what their homeland was like, but it never seemed to be a topic of discussion. My grandmother boasted the Danish flag in her home, and displayed little trinkets that said â€Å"velkomen† on them. My knowledge was limited to these few things I saw when I was a child. Since both of my grandparents had passed away, I started my research by picking up the phone and calling my father. My father, Larry Jensen, didn’t know very much about Denmark either. He knew a few names from his family and their birth dates, so I started from there. I hit the internet with my newly obtained knowledge and I searched for anything that could link me to my past. I did not find anything about any of my specific relatives, but I learned about how and why I got my last name. Apparently, Danish people did not have last names until the late 19th century when new laws were introduced forcing them to take on a surname. The common people of Denmark didn’t use family names to identify themselves. Before it was required to have a last name, people used patronymics, meaning they took on their father’s first name with an ending to make their last name. It was also common for people in a town that was large to use their occupation or place of residence as a last name. Many of the girls would get the father’s first name with â€Å"datter† or â€Å"dot ter† attached to it (meaning daughter of.) The boys would get their father’s first name with â€Å"sen† or â€Å"son† attached to it (meaning son of.) In Denmark, â€Å"datter† and â€Å"dotter† meant the same thing, just as â€Å"sen,† and â€Å"son† were the same thing (Origins of Danish Names). The name Jensen, meaning â€Å"son of Jens,† has many different spellings. The Dutch forms of Jensen are Jans, Johansen, Janse, Jansen, Janssen, Hoensen and Janzen. The root of all of these names comes from the stem or the variation of a stem, which is Jan.

Class X – Democratic Politics Book

This book is about democracy. In this first chapter we see how democracy has expanded during the last hundred years to more and more countries in the world.More than half of the independent countries in the world today are democracies. The expansion of democracy has not been smooth and straight. It has seen several ups and downs in different countries. It still remains an unstable and uncertain achievement. This chapter begins with different stories on the making and unmaking of democracy from different parts of the world. These stories are meant to give a sense of what it means to experience democracy and its absence. We present the pattern of the spread of democracy first with a series of maps and then with a short history. The focus in this chapter is on democracy within a country.But towards the end of the chapter, we take a look at democracy or its absence in the relations among different countries. We examine the working of some international organisations. This allows us to as k a big question: are we moving towards democracy at the global level? 2 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS President Salvador Allende (wearing a helmet) and his security guards in front of La Moneda, Chile’s Presidential Palace, on 11 September 1973, hours before his death. What do you read on everyone’s face in this photograph? EMOCRAC ACY 1. 1 TWO TALES OF DEMOCRACY â€Å"Workers of my homeland!I have faith in Chile and its future. Chileans will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason became dominant. You must never forget that, sooner rather than later, the grand avenues will be opened where free men will march on to build a better society. Long live Chile! Long live the people! Long live the workers! These are my last words and I have certainty that my sacrifice will not be in vain; I have certainty that, at the least, I will be a moral lesson to castigate felony, cowardice, and treason. † These are some extracts from the last speech of Salvado r Allende (pronounced Ayen-they).He was then the President of Chile, a country in South America. The speech was given on the morning of 11 September 1973, the day his government was overthrown by the military. Allende was the founder EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY leader of the Socialist Party of Chile and led the Popular Unity coalition to victory in the presidential election in 1970. After being elected the President, Allende had taken several policy decisions to help the poor and the workers. These included reform of the educational system, free milk for children and redistribution of land to the landless farmers.He was opposed to foreign companies taking away natural resources like copper from the country. The landlords, the rich and the Church opposed his policies. Some other political parties in Chile also opposed his government. Why did President Allende address himself mainly to ‘workers’? Why were the rich unhappy with him? M ilitary Coup of 1973 ilitary Coup On the mo rning of 11 September 1973, the military took over the seaport. The Defence Minister was arrested by the military when he arrived at his office. The military 3 IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD  ©La Nacion commanders asked the President to resign.Allende refused to resign or leave the country. But realising the danger to the country and to his life, he addressed the people on the radio, part of which we read in the beginning. Then the military surrounded the President’s house and started bombing it. President Allende died in the military attack. This was the sacrifice he was talking about in his last speech. A government elected by people was overthrown by the military through conspiracy and violence. What took place in Chile on 11 September 1973 was a military coup. General Augusto Pinochet (pronounced Pinoshe), an Army general, led the coup.The government of the United States of America was unhappy with Allende’s rule and is known to have supported and funded ac tivities that led to the coup. Pinochet became the President of the country and ruled it for the next 17 years. From a government that was elected by the people, the power shifted to the military officers. They could do as they wished and no one could question them. Thus a military dictatorship was established in Chile. Pinochet’s government tortured and killed several of those who supported Allende and those who wanted democracy to be restored.These included General Alberto Bachelet of the Chilean Air Force and many other officers who refused to join the coup. General Bachelet’s wife and daughter were put in prison and tortured. More than 3,000 people were killed by the military. Many more were reported ‘missing’. No one knows what happened to them. Did the army have any legal right to arrest the defence minister of the country? Should the army have the power to arrest any citizen? A C T I V I T Y Locate and shade Chile on the map. Which state in our coun try has a shape similar to Chile?Follow the newspaper for one month and collect news items related to any country in Latin America. Did you find the news coverge adequate. President Michelle Bachelet addressing her supporters after her victory in the presidential election in January 2006. From this photograph do you notice any difference between an election rally in Chile and in India?  ©La Nacion, Chile 4 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS Lech Walesa Poland is famous for its poster art. Most of the posters of Solidarity carried this special way of writing ‘Solidarnosc’. Can you find similar examples of poster art or wall writing in Indian politics? sto ra Democr cy emocra R esto ra tion of Democra cy Pinochet’s military dictatorship came to an end after he decided to hold a referendum in 1988. He felt confident that in this referendum, the people would say ‘yes’ to his continuing in power. But the people of Chile had not forgotten their democr atic traditions. Their vote was a decisive ‘no’ to Pinochet. This led to Pinochet losing first his political and then his military powers. The hope Allende expressed in his last address was realised: felony, cowardice and treason were finally punished. Political freedom was restored.Since then Chile has held four presidential elections in which different political parties have participated. Slowly, the army’s role in the country’s government has been eliminated. The elected governments that came to power ordered inquiries into Pinochet’s rule. These inquiries showed that his government was not only very brutal, but also very corrupt. Do you remember a little reference made earlier to General Bachelet’s daughter who was imprisoned and tortured along with her mother? That girl, Michelle Bachelet (pronounced Mishel Bashelet), was elected President of Chile in January 2006.A medical doctor and a moderate socialist, Michelle became the first woman to be a Defence Minister in Latin America. In the presidential elections she defeated one of Chile’s richest men. In this photograph of her victory speech, she is saying to her supporters: â€Å"Because I was the victim of hatred, I have dedicated my life to reverse that hatred and turn it into understanding, tolerance and — why not say it — into love. † emocra cy Poland D emocra cy in Poland Let us turn to another event, this time from Poland, in 1980. At that time Poland was ruled by the Polish United Workers’ Party.This was one of the many communist parties that ruled in several countries of East Europe at that time. In these countries no other political party was allowed to function. The people could not freely choose the leaders of the communist party or the government. Those who spoke against the leaders or the party or the government were put in prison. The government in Poland was supported and controlled by the government of the Soviet Un ion (USSR), a vast and powerful communist state. On 14 August 1980, the workers of Lenin Shipyard in the city of Gdansk went on a strike.The shipyard was owned by the government. In fact all the factories and big property in Poland were owned by the government. The strike began with a demand to take back a crane operator, a woman worker, who was unjustly dismissed 5 EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD from service. This strike was illegal, because trade unions independent of the ruling party were not allowed in Poland. As the strike continued, a former electrician of the shipyard, Lech Walesa (pronounced Lek Walesha), joined the strikers. He was dismissed from service in 1976 for demanding higher pay.Walesa soon emerged as the leader of the striking workers. The strike began to spread across the whole city. Now the workers started raising larger demands. They wanted the right to form independent trade unions. They also demanded the release of political prison ers and an end to censorship on press. The movement became so popular that the government had to give in. The workers led by Walesa signed a 21-point agreement with the government that ended their strike. The government agreed to recognise the workers’ right to form independent trade unions and their right to strike.After the Gdansk agreement was signed, a new trade union called Solidarity (Solidarnosc in Polish) was formed. It was the first time an independent trade union was formed in any of the communist states. Within a year, Solidarity swept across Poland and had about one crore members. Revelations of widespread corruption and mismanagement in the government made matters worse for the rulers. The government, led by General Jaruzelski, grew anxious and imposed martial law in December 1981. Thousands of Solidarity members were put in prison.Freedom to organise, protest and express opinions was once again taken away. Another wave of strikes, again organised by Solidarity, began in 1988. This time the Polish 6 government was weaker, the support from Soviet Union uncertain and the economy was in decline. Another round of negotiations with Walesa resulted in an agreement in April 1989 for free elections. Solidarity contested all the 100 seats of the Senate and won 99 of them. In October 1990, Poland had its first presidential elections in which more than one party could contest. Walesa was elected President of Poland. A C T I V I T YLocate Poland on the map. Write down the names of the countries that surround it. Which other East European countries were ruled by communist parties in the 1980s? Shade them on the map. Make a list of political activities that you could not have done in Poland in 1980s but you can do in our country. Fe atur tures Democr cy emocra Tw o Fe atures of Democra cy We have read two different kinds of real life stories. The story from Chile was of a democratic government led by Allende being replaced by a nondemocratic military gov ernment of Pinochet, followed by restoration of democracy.In Poland we tracked the transition from a non-democratic government to a democratic government. Let us compare the two nondemocratic governments in these stories. There were many differences between Pinochet’s rule in Chile and the communist rule in Poland. Chile was ruled by a military dictator, while Poland was ruled by a political party. The government of Poland claimed that it was ruling on behalf of the working classes. Pinochet made no such claim and openly favoured big capitalists. Yet both had some common features: EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICSWhy was an independent trade union so important in Poland? Why are trade unions necessary? The people could not choose or change their rulers. There was no real freedom to express one’s opinions, form political associations and organise protests and political action. The three democratic governments identified above — Allende’s Chile, Walesaà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Poland and Michelle’s Chile — are different in their approach towards social and economic matters. Allende preferred government control on all big industries and the economy. Walesa wanted the market to be free of government interference.Michelle stands somewhere in the middle on this issue. Yet these three governments shared some basic features. Power was exercised by governments elected by the people and not by the army, unelected leaders or any external power. The people enjoyed some basic political freedoms. From these two stories let us draw a rough way to identify a democracy. Democracy is a form of government that allows people to choose their rulers. In a democracy: only leaders elected by people should rule the country, and people have the freedom to express views, freedom to organise and freedom to protest.We shall come back to this question in Chapter Two and develop a definition of democracy. We shall also note some features of a democracy. CHECK Y OUR PROGRESS Anita made a list of the features of all the five governments that we have discussed so far. But somehow the list got mixed up. Now she has a list of many features but she does not remember which feature applies to which government. Can you help her by writing the correct feature under the name of the government in the table below? Remember, some of these features may apply to more than one government and would need to be written separately under each of these.Features: Military dictatorship Widespread t he The president sm of Critici ent not corruption was once a m er govern political prison d Government allowe Ruler elected owned all Ruler not by the people industries More than o ne elected by the parties e xist people Missing people People enjoyed Foreign basic political inter venti s freedom on domestic a in ffairs Chile Allende Chile Pinochet Chile Bachelet Poland Jaruzelski Poland Walesa EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 7 1. 2 THE CHANGI NG MAPTwentieth century was full of the kind of stories we have read above: stories of transition to democracy, of challenges to democracy, of military coups, of struggles of the people to bring back democracy. Was there a pattern to these stories that record both the march towards democracy and the setbacks to democracy? Let us use the basic features we noted earlier and identify democracies among different countries of the world. This is what the three maps shown here do. Take a look at these three maps below and find out if there was a pattern in the way democracies have evolved in the twentieth century.The first map depicts the countries OF EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY that were democratic in 1950, a few years after the end of the Second World War. This map also shows countries from this set that had already become democratic by 1900. The second map presents a picture of democratic regimes in 1975, after most of the colonies had gained independence. Finally, we take another leap and lo ok at democracies in the year 2000, at the beginning of the twenty-first century. As we look at these maps, let us ask ourselves some questions. How has democracy marched through the twentieth century? Is there a clear pattern of expansion?When did the expansion take place? In which regions? MAP 1. 1: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS IN 1900-1950 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1900 AND 1950 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1950 BUT NOT IN 1900 8 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS MAP 1. 2: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS IN 1975 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1975 MAP 1. 3: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS IN 2000 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 2000 Source: Historical data for these maps is taken from Polity IV Project dataset of Universtiy of Maryland. This dataset defines democracy as existence of choices about policies and leaders, checks on executive power and guarantee of civil liberties.Here we have used positive ‘Polity’ scores as indicating the existence of democracy. In some cases the scores of dataset have been modified. For details see http://www. cidcm. umd. edu EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 9 On the basis of these maps identify up to three countries (in some cases you won’t find three countries) that were democratic in these continents for the given years and make a table as given below. Year 1950 1975 2000 Africa Asia Europe Latin America CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Identify some countries from map 1. 1 that became democratic between 1900 and 1950. Identify some countries from map 1. and 1. 2 that were democratic in 1950 and 1975. Identify some European countries from map 1. 2 and 1. 3 that were democratic in 1975 and 2000. Identify some countries in Latin America that became democratic after 1975. Make a list of big countries that were not democratic in 2000. Let us summarise the main points that emerge from a reading of these maps. You need to go back to the maps to answer the question that comes after each point. Democracy has expanded throughout the tw entieth century. Is it correct to say that at each point in these maps, the number of democratic countries is larger than at the previous point in time?Democracy did not spread evenly in all parts of the world. It was established first in some regions and then spread to other regions. Which continents in the world had a large number of democracies in 1900 and 1950? And which continents did not have almost any? While a majority of countries are democratic today, there are still large parts of the world that are not democratic. Which regions in the world account for most of the countries that were not democracies in 2000? Looking at these maps, which period do you find most important in the expansion of democracy? Why? HASES XPANSI ANSIO 1. PHASES IN THE EXPANSION EMOCRAC ACY OF DEMOCRACY Beginning T he Beginning These maps do not tell us much about what happened before the twentieth century. The story of modern democracy began at least two centuries ago. You may have read the chapter on the French Revolution of 1789 in the history book of this course. This popular uprising did not establish a secure and stable democracy in France. Throughout the nineteenth century, democracy in France was overthrown and restored several times. Yet the French Revolution inspired many struggles for democracy all over Europe.In Britain, the progress towards democracy started much before the French Revolution. But the progress was very slow. Through the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, series of political events reduced the power of monarchy and feudal lords. The right to vote was granted to more and more people. Around the same time as the French Revolution, the British colonies in North America declared themselves independent in 1776. In the next few years these colonies came together to form the United States of America. They adopted a democratic EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS 10Why were women given voting rights much later than men in most countries? Why did this not happen in India? constitution in 1787. But here too the right to vote was limited to very few men. In the nineteenth century struggles for democracy often centred round political equality, freedom and justice. One major demand was the right for every adult citizen to vote. Many European countries that were becoming more democratic did not initially allow all people to vote. In some countries only people owning property had the right to vote. Often women did not have the right to vote.In the United States of America, the blacks all over the country could not exercise the right to vote until 1965. Those struggling for democracy wanted this right granted universally to all adults — men or women, rich or poor, white or black. This is called ‘universal adult franchise’ or ‘universal suffrage’. The box here tells us when universal suffrage was granted in many countries of the world. As you can see, by 1900 New Zealand was the only country where every adult had voting right. But if you go back to the map, you can see many other countries are marked as ‘democracies’ by the beginning of the twentieth century.These countries had by then governments elected by a significant number of people, mostly men, and had granted political freedom in some measure. Early democracies were established in Europe, North America and Latin America. Colonialism E nd of Colonialism When was universal adult franchise granted? 1893 1917 1918 1919 1928 1931 1934 1944 1945 1950 1951 1952 1955 1962 1965 1978 1994 New Zealand Russia Germany Netherlands Britain Sri Lanka Turkey France Japan India Argentina Greece Malaysia Australia US Spain South Africa Note: This is only an illustrative list from different parts of the world.The year indicates when the principle of one person one vote was fully realised in that country. The list does not include those cases where the right to vote was withdrawn later. For a very long time most countries in Asia a nd Africa were colonies under the control of European nations. People of the colonised countries had to wage struggles to achieve independence. They not only wanted to get rid of their colonial masters, but also wished to choose their future leaders. Our country was one of the few colonies where people carried a nationalist struggle to liberate the country from the colonial rule.Many of these countries became democracies immediately after the end of the Second World War in 1945. India achieved Independence in 1947 and embarked on its journey to transform itself from a subject country to a democracy. It continues to be a democracy. Most former colonies did not have such a good experience. The case of Ghana, a country in western Africa, illustrates the more common experience of former colonies. Ghana used to be a British colony named Gold Coast. It became independent in 1957. It was among the first countries in Africa to gain independence. It inspired other African countries to strugg le for freedom.Kwame Nkrumah (pronounced Enkruma), son of a 11 EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD goldsmith and himself a teacher, was active in the independence struggle of his country. After independence, Nkrumah became the first prime minister and then the president of Ghana. He was a friend of Jawaharlal Nehru and an inspiration for democrats in Africa. But unlike Nehru, he got himself elected president for life. Soon after, in 1966, he was overthrown by the military. Like Ghana, most countries that became democracies after gaining independence had a mixed record. They could not remain democracies for long.A C T I V I T Y Locate Ghana in an atlas and then spot it in the three maps in the previous section. Was Ghana a democracy in 2000? Do you think it is good to elect someone President for life? Or is it better to hold regular elections after every few years? nt R e c e nt phase The next big push towards democracy came after 1980, as democracy was revive d in several countries of Latin America. The disintegration of the Soviet Union accelerated this process. From the story of Poland we know that the then Soviet Union controlled many of its neighbouring communist countries in Eastern Europe.Poland and several other countries became free from the control of the Soviet Union during 1989-90. They chose to become democracies. Finally the Soviet Union itself broke down in 1991. The Soviet Union comprised 15 Republics. All the constituent Republics emerged as independent countries. Most of them became democracies. Thus the end of Soviet control on East Europe and the break up of the Soviet Union led to a big 12 change in the political map of the world. In this period major changes also took place in India’s neighbourhood. Pakistan and Bangladesh made a transition from army rule to democracy in 1990s.In Nepal, the king gave up many of his powers to become a constitutional monarch to be guided by elected leaders. However, these change s were not permanent. In 1999 General Musharraf brought back army rule in Pakistan. In 2005 the new king of Nepal dismissed the elected government and took back political freedoms that people had won in the previous decade. Yet the overall trend in this period points to more and more countries turning to democracy. This phase still continues. By 2005, about 140 countries were holding multi-party elections. This number was higher than ever before.More than 80 previously non-democratic countries have made significant advances towards democracy since 1980. But, even today, there are many countries where people cannot express their opinion freely. They Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This park was commissioned in 1992, twenty years after Nkrumah passed away. What might have caused this delay? EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS Dev Ley, Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License read the cartoon  ©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc. This cartoon appeared in 2005 when Aung San Suu Kyi’s turned 60. What is the cartoonist saying here?Will the army rulers feel happy with this cartoon? What should be the policy of the government of India towards the military rulers of Myanmar? still cannot elect their leaders. They cannot take big decisions about their present and future life. One such country is Myanmar, previously known as Burma. It gained freedom from colonial rule in 1948 and became a democracy. But the democratic rule ended in 1962 with a military coup. In 1990 elections were held for the first time after almost 30 years. The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Soo-chi), won the election.But the military leaders of Myanmar refused to step down and did not recognise the election results. Instead, the military put the elected pro-democracy leaders, including Suu Kyi, under house arrest. Political activists accused of even the most trivial offences have been jailed. Anyone caught publicly airing views or issuing statements critical of the regime can be sentenced up to twenty years in prison. Due to the coercive policies of the military-ruled EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY government in Myanmar, about 6 to 10 lakh people in that country have been uprooted from their homes and have taken shelter elsewhere.Despite being under house arrest, Suu Kyi continued to campaign for democracy. According to her: â€Å"The quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of the people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community. † Her struggle has won international recognition. She has also been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet the people in Myanmar are still struggling to establish a democratic government in their country. A C T I V I T Y Locate Myanmar on an atlas. Which Indian states border this country? Write a short essay on the life of Aung San Suu Kyi.Collect newspaper reports on the struggle for democracy in Myanmar. 13 IN THE NTEMPORARY CO NTEMPORARY WORLD EMOCRAC ACY 1. 4 DEMOCRACY AT THE GLOBAL LE VEL? After reading about the various phases of expansion of democracy, a teacher, Mr. Singh, asked the students to summarise what they had learnt. This is how the conversation took place: Farida: We have learnt that democracy has been expanding to more and more regions and countries all over the world. Rajesh: Yes, we live in a better world than before. It seems we are moving towards a world democracy. Sushmita: World democracy! How can you say that?I saw a television programme that showed how the Americans invaded Iraq without any justification. The people of Iraq were not consulted at any stage. How can you call that a world democracy? Farida: I am not talking about the relationship between different countries. I am only saying that more and more countries are becoming democratic. Rajesh: But what is the difference between the two? If more and more countries become democratic, isn’t it obvious that the world also becomes more democratic? After all the Iraq war was all about taking democracy to that country. Sushmita: No, it is not obvious to me.Singh sir: I think we are talking about two very different things here. Farida spoke about establishment of democratic governments within different countries in the world today. Sushmita and Rajesh have differences over something else. Their difference is over the relationship among different countries. It is quite possible, Rajesh, that the rulers of a country who are democratically elected by their people may want to dominate over other countries. Sushmita: Yes sir. That is exactly what happened in the case of the war on Iraq. Surinder: I am confused. How can we talk about democracy at the global level? Is there any world government?Who is the president of the world? If there is no government, how can it be democratic or non-democratic? nt rn ational Organisations I nt e rn ational Organisations Let us respond to the question that came up in this co nversation: Does an increase in the number of democratic countries all over the world automatically lead to democratic relations among countries? Before we do that, let us think about the point raised by Surinder. There is a government of India, a government of the United States of America, and so on. But there is no government of the world. No government can pass any law that will apply to all the people of the world.If there is no such government, if there are no rulers and ruled, how can we apply the two features of democracy here? These two features, you would recall, were that the rulers should be elected by the people and that people should have basic political freedoms. Should there be a world government? If yes, who should elect it? And, what powers should it have?  ©Angel Boligan, EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS Universal,Mexico, Cagle Cartoons Inc. This cartoon was published in Mexico in 2005 and was titled ‘International Games’. Which games is the car toonist talking about here? What does the ball symbolize?Who are the players? 14 Should the permanent members of the UN be given the power to veto? While Surinder is right in a simple sense, we cannot say that the question of democracy does not arise here. There is no single World Government, but there are many institutions in the world that perform partially the functions of such a government. These organisations cannot command countries and citizens in a way a government can, but they do make rules that put limits on what governments can do. Consider these points: Who makes laws and rules to govern the seas that do not fall within the boundaries of any one country?Or who takes steps to control environmental degradation that threatens all the countries together. The United Nations (UN) has evolved many Conventions on these questions that are now binding on most countries of the world. The UN is a global association of nations of the world to help cooperation in international law, s ecurity, economic development and social equity. The UN Secretary General is its chief administrative officer. What happens when a country attacks another country in an unjust manner? The UN Security Council, an organ of the UN, is responsible for maintaining peace nd security among countries. It can put together an international army and take action against the wrongdoer. Who lends money to governments when they need it? The International Monetary Fund (IMF) does so. The World Bank also gives loans to the governments. Before lending they ask the concerned government to show all its accounts and direct it to make changes in its economic policy. EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY decisions A r e these decisions democra democra tic? So, there are many institutions at the world level that perform some of the functions that a world government would perform.But we need to know just how democratic these organisations are. The yardstick here is whether each of the countries has free and equal say in t he decisions that affect them. In this light let us examine the organisation of some of these world bodies. Everyone of the 192 member countries of the UN has one vote in the UN General Assembly. It meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected from among the representatives of the member countries. General Assembly is like the parliament where all the discussion takes place. In that sense the UN would appear to be a very democratic organisation.But the General Assembly cannot take any decision about what action should be taken in a conflict between different countries. The fifteen-member Security Council of the UN takes such crucial decisions. The Council has five permanent members – US, Russia, UK, France and China. Ten other members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The real power is with five permanent members. The permanent members, especially the US, contribute most of the money needed for the maintenance of the UN. Each permanent memb er has veto power. It means that the Council cannot take a decision if any permanent member says no to that decision.This system has led more and more people and countries to protect and demand that the UN becomes more democratic. 15 IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD International Monetary Fund (IMF) is one of the biggest moneylenders for any country in the world. Its 173 member states do not have equal voting rights. The vote of each country is weighed by how much money it has contributed to the IMF. Nearly half of the voting power in the IMF is in the hands of only seven countries (US, Japan, France, UK, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia). The remaining 166 countries have very little say in how these international organisations take decisions.The World Bank has a similar system of voting. The President of the World Bank has always been a citizen of the US, conventionally nominated by the Treasury Secretary (Finance Minister) of the US government. A C T I V I T Y Find out more abou t the history and various organs of the United Nations. Collect any news about the decisions of the World Bank and the IMF. Compare these to the kind of democratic practices that we have been discussing in this chapter. What would you say about a country where some persons have a permanent position in the ministry and have the power to stop the decision of the entire parliament?Or a parliament where five per cent of the members hold a majority of votes? Would you call these democratic? Most of the global institutions fail to pass the simple test of democracy that we use for national governments. If global institutions are not democratic, are they at least becoming more democratic than before? Here too the evidence is not very encouraging. In fact, while 16 nations are becoming more democratic than they were earlier, international organisations are becoming less democratic. Twenty years ago there were two big powers in the world: the US and the Soviet Union.The competition and confli ct between these two big powers and their allies kept a certain balance in all the global organisations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US appears to be the only superpower in the world. This American dominance affects the working of international organisations. This is not to say that there is no urge or move towards global democracy. The urge comes from people who get more opportunities to come in touch with one another. Over the last few years the people of different countries have come together without their governments’ support.They have formed global organisations against war and against domination of the world by a few countries and business companies. As in the case of democracy within the nations, the initiative for democracy among nations has come from the struggles of the people. Wolfowitz was a senior official in the Department of Defence in the US (commonly called Pentagon). He was an aggressive supporter of the invasion of Iraq. The cartoon comments on his appointment as the President of the World Bank. What does the cartoon tell us about the relationship between the World Bank and the US? ead the cartoon  ©Patrick Chappatte, International Herald Tribune, Cagle Cartoons Inc. EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Here are some suggestions to strengthen world democracy. Do you support these changes? Are these changes likely to happen? Give your reasons for each of these. More nations should become permanent members of the Security Council. UN General Assembly should become like a world parliament with representatives from each country in proportion to the population of the country. These representatives should elect a world government.Individual countries should not have armies. The UN should maintain task forces to bring about peace in case of conflict between nations. A UN President should be elected directly by all the people of the world. D emocra cy promotion emocra cy The cartoon â€Å"Cactus of Demo cracy† was published in 2004. What does the cactus look like here? Who is gifting it, and to whom? What is the message? read the cartoon  ©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc. Take a close look at the two cartoons on this and on the next page. These cartoons raise a fundamental question related to global democracy.Recently, many powerful countries in the world, particularly the United States of America, have taken on the task of democracy promotion in the rest of the world. They say that propagating the values of democracy is not enough. Existing democracies should directly intervene in countries that are non-democratic to establish democracy there. In some cases powerful countries have launched armed attack on nondemocratic countries. This is what Sushmita was talking about. Let us see what happened in Iraq. Iraq is a country in Western Asia. It became independent from British ule in 1932. Three decades later there were a series of coups by military officers. Since 1968, it was ruled by Arab Socialist Ba’th Party (the Arabic word Ba’th means renaissance). Saddam Hussein, a leading Ba’th party leader, played a key role in the 1968 coup that brought the party to power. This government abolished traditional Islamic law and gave women the right to vote and several freedoms not granted in other west Asian countries. After becoming the president of Iraq in 1979, Saddam ran a dictatorial government and suppressed any dissent or opposition to his rule.He was known to have got a number of political opponents killed and persons of ethnic minorities massacred. The US and its allies like Britain, alleged that Iraq possessed secret nuclear weapons and other ‘weapons of mass destruction’ which posed a big threat to the world. But when a UN team went to Iraq to search for such weapons, it did not find any. Still the US and its allies invaded Iraq, occupied it and removed Saddam Hussein from power in 2003. The US installed a n interim government of its preference. The war against Iraq was not authorised by the UN Security Council.Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, said that the US war on Iraq was illegal. EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 17 A C T I V I T Y Collect information on the debate related to Iraq within the US and the UK. What were the reasons originally offered for the Iraq invasion by the President of US and the Prime Minister of UK? What were the reasons offered after the war? read the cartoon ‘Helping Democracy’ was a comment on the presence of US forces during the elections in Iraq. Do you think the cartoon can apply to many other situations? Identify some examples from this chapter which this cartoon can help understand. 8 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS  ©Ares, Caglecartoons. com, Cagle Cartoons Inc. The example of Iraq raises some basic questions that we need to think about: Is this the right way to promote democracy? Should a democrati c country wage a war and invade other countries for establishing democracy there? Does external help work in every case? Or does it work only when the people of a nation are actively engaged in a struggle to make their societies democratic? Even if external intervention leads to the establishment of democracy in a country, would it last long? Would it enjoy the support of its citizens?Finally, is the use of external force to gift democracy to the people in keeping with the spirit of democracy? Think about these questions in the light of all that you have learnt in this chapter. GLOSSARY Censorship: A condition under which the freedom of expression is taken away. Citizens have to take prior permission from the censor authorities of the government for making a speech or publishing news and views. Anything that the government finds objectionable cannot be published. Coalition: An alliance of people, associations, parties or nations. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of conveni ence.Colony: Territory under the immediate political control of another state. Communist state: A state governed by a communist party without allowing other parties to compete for power. The state controls all the big property and industry. Coup: A coup d’etat (pronounced ku de’ta), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government illegally. It may or may not be violent in nature. The term is French for ‘a sudden blow or strike to a state’. Martial law: A system of rules that takes effect when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice.Political prisoners: Persons held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, because a government considers their ideas, image or activities as a threat to the authority of the state. Often exaggerated or false cases are foisted on them and they are kept in detention without following normal law. Referendum: A direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to eit her accept or reject a particular proposal. This may be adoption of a new constitution, a law or a specific governmental policy. Strike: Mass refusal by workers or employees to perform work due to certain grievances or because of demands not met.In most democratic countries the right to strike is legal. Trade Union: An association of workers for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. Veto: The right of a person, party or nation to stop a certain decision or law. The word comes from Latin, which means ‘I forbid’. A veto gives unlimited power to stop a decision, but not to adopt one. exercises 1 Which of the following does not lead to the spread of democracy? a Struggle by the people b Invasion by foreign countries c End of colonialism d People’s desire for freedom Which of the following statement is true about today’s world? Monarchy as a form of government has vanished . b The relationship between different countries ha s become more democratic than ever before. c In more and more countries rulers are being elected by the people. d There are no more military dictators in the world. NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 2 EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE 19 3 Use one of the following statements to complete the sentence: Democracy in the international organisations requires that †¦ a The rich countries should have a greater say. b Countries should have a say according to their military power. c Countries should be treated with respect in proportion to their population. All countries in the world should be treated equally. Based on the information given in this chapter, match the following countries and the path democracy has taken in that country. COUNTRY PATH TO DEMOCRACY 4 a b c d 5 Chile Nepal Poland Ghana i ii iii iv Freedom from British colonial rule End of military dictatorship End of one party rule King agreed to give up his powers What are the difficulties people face in a non-democratic country? G ive answers drawing from the examples given in this chapter. Which freedoms are ususally taken away when a democracy is overthrown by the military? 6 7Which of the following positions can contribute to democracy at the global level? Give reasons for your answer in each case. a My country gives more money to international institutions. Therefore, I want to be treated with more respect and exercise more power. b My country may be small or poor. But my voice must be heard with equal respect, because these decisions will affect my country. c Wealthy nations will have a greater say in international affairs. They cannot let their interests suffer just because they are outnumbered by poor nations. d Big countries like India must have a greater say in international organisations.Here are three opinions heard in a television debate on the struggle for democracy in Nepal. Which of these do you agree with and why? Guest 1: India is a democracy. Therefore, the Indian government must support the people of Nepal who are struggling against monarchy and for democracy. Guest 2: That is a dangerous argument. We would be in the same position as the US was in Iraq. Remember, no outside force can promote democracy. Guest 3: But why should we bother about the internal affairs of another country? We should be worried about our business interests there, not about democracy. 8 20 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS xercises exercises 9 In an imaginary country called Happyland, the people overthrew the foreign ruler and brought back the old royal family. They said: â€Å"After all their ancestors were our kings before foreigners started ruling us. It is good that we have one strong ruler, who can help us become rich and powerful†. When someone talked about democracy the wise men said it is a foreign idea. Their struggle was to throw the foreigners and their ideas out of the country. When someone demanded freedom for the media, the elders thought that too much criticism of the ruler would not help them improve their living standards. After all, the king is so kind and interested in the welfare of all the subjects. Why create problems for him. Don’t we all want to be happy? † After reading the above passage, Chaman, Champa and Chandru made the following observations: Chaman: Happyland is a democratic country because people were able to throw out the foreign rulers and bring back the king. Champa: Happyland is not a democratic country because people cannot criticise the ruler. The king may be nice and may provide economic prosperity, but a king cannot give a democratic rule. Chandru: What people need is happiness.So they are willing to allow their new ruler to take decisions for them. If people are happy it must be a democracy. What is your opinion about each of these statements? What do you think about the form of government in this country? Form different groups in your class and collect different types of information (news clippings, article s, photographs, cartoons, etc. ) about struggles for democracy in any country that is currently not democratic. Focus on the following questions: What makes the government non-democratic? What are the main complaints and demands of the people in that country?How do the existing rulers react to people’s demands? Who are the main leaders of the struggle for democracy? You could present the information thus collected in various forms: an exhibition, a collage, a report or a wallpaper. EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 21 CHAPTER 2 What is Democracy? Why Democracy? OVERVIEW VERVIE VIEW The stories and the analysis in the previous chapter gave us a sense of what democracy is like. There we described some governments as democratic and some as non-democratic. We saw how governments in some of those countries changed from one form to the other.Let us now draw general lessons from those stories and ask the more basic question: What is democracy? What are its features? This chapter builds on a simple definition of democracy. Step by step, we work out the meaning of the terms involved in this definition. The aim here is to understand clearly the bare minimum features of a democratic form of government. After going through this chapter we should be able to distinguish a democratic form of government from a non-democratic government. Towards the end of this chapter, we step beyond this minimal objective and introduce a broader idea of democracy.In the previous chapter, we have seen that democracy is the most prevalent form of government in the world today and it is expanding to more countries. But why is it so? What makes it better than other forms of government? That is the second big question that we take up in this chapter. 22 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS HAT 2. 1 W HAT IS EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? distinguishes these governments from Pinochet’s rule in Chile, communist rule in Poland or the later period of Nkrumah’s rule in Ghana? What do these governments have in common with the military rule in Myanmar? Why do we say that these governments are not democratic?On the basis of this analysis, write down some common features of: Democratic governments Non-democratic governments In Chapter One we read many stories from different parts of the world. Through these stories we discussed various governments and organisations. We called some of these democracies. Others were described as non-democracies. Can you recall, for each of these countries, something about the governments that were described as democracies? Chile, before and after Pinochet’s rule Poland, after the fall of communist rule Ghana, in the early period of Nkrumah’s government What do you think is common to them?Why do we club them all under the label of democracy? What is it that define democra cy W h y define democra cy ? Before we proceed further, let us first take note of an objection by Merry. She does not like this w ay of defining democracy and wants to ask some basic questions. News items like this appear very often in newspapers. Do they all use the word democracy in the same sense? HAT W HAT IS EMOCRAC ACY EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? 23 Her teacher Matilda Lyngdoh responds to her questions, as other classmates join the discussion: Merry: Ma’am, I don’t like this idea.First we spend one whole chapter discussing democracies in different parts of the world and then we want to find out the meaning of democracy. I mean logically shouldn’t we have approached it the other way round? Shouldn’t the meaning have come first and then the example? Lyngdoh Madam: I can see your point. But that is not how we reason in everyday life. We use words like pen, rain or love. Do we wait to have a definition of these words before we use them? Come to think of it, do we have clear definition of these words? It is only by using a word that we understand its meaning.Merry: But th en why do we need definitions at all? Lyngdoh Madam: We need a definition only when we come across a difficulty in the use of a word. We need a definition of rain only when we wish to distinguish it from, say, drizzle or cloudburst. The same is true for democracy. We need a clear definition only because people use it for different purposes, because very different kinds of governments call themselves democracy. Ribiang: But why do we need to work on a definition? The other day you quoted Abraham Lincoln to us: â€Å"Democracy is a rule of the people, for the people and by the people†.We in Meghalaya always ruled ourselves. That is accepted by everyone. Why do we need to change that? Lyngdoh Madam: I am not saying we need to change it. I too find this definition very beautiful. But we don’t know if this is the best way of defining unless we think about it ourselves. We must not accept something just because it is famous, just because everyone accepts it. Yolanda: Ma†™am, can I suggest something? We don’t need to look for any definition. I read somewhere that the word democracy comes from a Greek word ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means people and ‘kratia’ means rule. So democracy is rule by the people.This is the correct meaning. Where is the need to debate? Lyngdoh Madam: That is also a very helpful way of thinking about this matter. I would just say that this does not always work. A word does 24 not remain tied to its origin. Just think of computers. Originally they were used for computing, that is to say calculating, very difficult mathematical sums. These were very powerful calculators. But nowadays very few people use computers for computing sums. They use it for writing, for designing, for listening to music and for watching films. Words remain the same but their meaning can change with time.In that case it is not very useful to look at the origins of a word. Merry: Ma’am, so basical ly what you are saying is that there is no shortcut to our thinking about the matter ourselves. We have to think about its meaning and evolve a definition. Lyngdoh Madam: You got me right. Let us get on with it now. A C T I V I T Y Let us take Lyngdoh Madam seriously and try to write down the exact definition of some of the simple words that we use all the time: pen, rain and love. For example, is there a way of defining a pen that distinguishes it clearly from a pencil, a brush, a highlighter or a marker?What have you learnt from this attempt? What does it teach us about understanding the meaning of democracy? I have heard a different version. Democracy is off the people, far (from) the people and (where they) buy the people. Why don’t we accept that? definition A simple definition Let us get back to our discussion on similarities and differences among governments that are called democracies. In the last chapter we identified one simple factor common to all democracies: the government is chosen by the people. We could thus start with a simple definition: democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.This is a useful starting point. This definition allows us to separate democracy from forms of government that are clearly not democratic. The army rulers of Myanmar are not elected by the people. Those who happen to be in control of the army EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS become the rulers of the country. People have no say in this decision. Dictators like Pinochet are not elected by the people. This also applies to monarchies. The king of Nepal and Saudi Arabia rule not because the people have chosen them to do so but because they happen to be born into the royal family. This simple definition is not adequate.It reminds us that democracy is people’s rule. But if we use this definition in an unthinking manner, we would end up calling almost every government that holds an election a democracy. That would be ve ry misleading. As we noted in Chapter Four, every government in contemporary world wants to be called a democracy, even if it is not so. That is why we need to carefully distinguish between a government that is a democracy and one that pretends to be one. We can do so by understanding each word in this definition carefully and spelling out the features of a democratic government. CHECK YOUR PROGRESSRibiang went back home and collected some more famous quotations on democracy. This time she did not mention the names of the people who said or wrote these. She wants you to read these and comment on how good or useful these thoughts are: Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor. Democracy consists of choosing your dictators after they’ve told you what you think it is you want to hear. Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary Democracy is a device that insures we shall be gove rned no better than we deserve.All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy. read the cartoon This cartoon was drawn when elections were held in Iraq with the presence of US and other foreign powers. What do you think this cartoon is saying? Why is ‘democracy’ written the way it is?  ©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc. HAT W HAT IS EMOCRAC ACY EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? 25 EATURES 2. 2 FEATURES EMOCRAC ACY OF DEMOCRACY want in a democracy? Or must a democratic government function with some limits? Is it necessary for a democracy to respect some rights of the citizens? Let us consider each of these questions with the help of some examples.We have started with a simple definition that democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. This raises many questions: Who are the rulers in this definition? Which officials must be elected for any government to be called a democracy? Which decisions may be taken by nonelected officials in a democracy? What kind of election constitutes a democratic election? What conditions must be fulfilled for an election to be considered democratic? Who are the people who can elect the rulers or get elected as rulers? Should this include every citizen on an equal basis?Can a democracy deny some citizens this right? Finally, what kind of a form of government is democracy? Can elected rulers do whatever they M ajor decisions by elec t e d decisions by elec leaders In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a miliary coup in October 1999. He overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country. Later he changed his designation to President and in 2002 held a referendum in the country that granted him a fiveyear extension. Pakistani media, human right organisations and democracy activists said that the referendum was based on ead the cartoon Syria is a small west Asian country. The ruling Baath Part y and some of its small allies are the only parties allowed in that country. Do you think this cartoon could apply to China or Mexico? What does the crown of leaves on democracy signify? 26 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS  ©Emad Hajjaj, Jordan, Cagle Cartoons Inc. read the cartoon  ©Ares, Caglecartoon. com, Cagle Cartoons Inc. This cartoon was drawn in the context of Latin America. Do you think it applies to the Pakistani situation as well? Think of other countries where this could apply?Does this happen sometimes in our country as well? rulers. They cannot take the final decisions. The power to take final decision rests with army officials and with General Musharraf, and none of them are elected by the people. This happens in many dictatorships and monarchies. They formally have an elected parliament and government but the real power is with those who are not elected. In the last chapter we read about the role of USSR in communist Poland and that of US in contemporary Ira q. Here the real power was with some external powers and not with locally elected representatives.This cannot be called people’s rule. This gives us the first feature. In a democracy the final decision making power must rest with those elected by the people. malpractices and fraud. In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the constitution of Pakistan. According to this Order, the President can dismiss the national or provincial assemblies. The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council which is dominated by military officers. After passing this law, elections were held to the national and state assemblies.So Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some powers. But the final power rests with military officers and General Musharraf himself. Clearly, there are many reasons why Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy. But let us focus on one of these. Can we say that the rulers are elected by the people in Pakistan? Not quite. People may have elected their representatives to the national and provincial assemblies but those elected representatives are not really the HAT W HAT EMOCRAC ACY EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? elec ra F ree and fair elec t o ra l c ompetitionIn China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country’s parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress). The National People’s Congress has the power to appoint the President of the country. It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected by the army. Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections held in 2002-03. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.Since its independence in 1 930, Mexico holds elections after every six years to elect its President. The country has never been under a military or dictator’s rule. But until 2000 every election was won by a 27 All this is so remote for me. Is democracy all about rulers and governments? Can we talk about a democratic classroom? Or a democratic family? IS party called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed to win. The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections. All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI. Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them. Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes. The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates. Should we consider the elections described above as examples of people electing their rulers? Reading these examples we get a sense that we cannot. There are many problems here. In China the elections do not offer the people any serious choice.They have to choose the ruling party and the candidates approved by it. Can we call this