Understanding of Constitutions

Understanding of Constitutions A constitution is a set of rules that people of a certain nation have come up with and agreed upon. It is used for moral, political guidance and to govern the people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding of Constitutions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A Constitution can be written like that of United States or unwritten like that of Britain. In every sovereign state there are laws governing their political society, limiting the powers of the administrators and their subjects. Those laws are found in the constitution showing how the state is organized in terms of administration, judiciary and legislature. Countries have different ways through which their constitution came to existence. Some of them could be due to wars revolutions, gain of independence or any other major happening in the country. Canada was a colony, which formed its constitution after independence thus there was no comprehensive document i nstead there are many acts, orders, schedules unwritten documents and principles. Constitutionalism is ideology or orientation that advocates for a constitutional government, in that, authority is derived and limited by a body of fundamental laws. Constitutionalism supports government by rule of law and not arbitrary judgment and officials in public office are bound by the constitution in their actions. This idea is associated with political theorists such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes and has been criticized by some scholars because there are various questions that arise from it. The system supports limitation of the government using the constitution which is a set of laws made, implemented and adjudicated by same government. Canada’s constitution goes back to 1867 when Canada was formed through the British North America act but it was not until 1982 that Canada’s constitution was patriatised through the Canada act and the Constitutional act and she became completel y independent from the queen. Canada’s constitution is written but also has some parts that are unwritten. It establishes the authority of the executive, legislature and the judicial arms of the government. It gives to the different levels of government found in Canada such as federal, provincial, and municipal, powers to create and implement laws. It also highlights the civil liberties and privileges and how the constitution can be altered. Canada’s constitution is very complex because it was not created from one draft instead many pieces were put together. Guy (253) noted that â€Å"One of the main requirements of this constitution is federalism; it structures the government into two levels of authority, that is, federal and provincial.†Advertising Looking for essay on constitutional law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Guy (55) observes that â€Å"Federalism in Canada was provided in the cons titution during the confederation via the 1867 British North America Act which was renamed the constitutional act 1867 whereby, this act set out the jurisdictional powers of both the federal and provincial levels government. The provincial level governed through institutions, such as hospitals, correctional facilities, and educational institutions.† It also gave the provinces powers to impose direct taxes on these institutions and to share jurisdiction in agriculture and immigration meaning that both levels of government are allowed to create laws for these two areas. Financial management has been a major challenge for the constitution since there are no clear guidelines on what constitutes direct taxation. Section 91 of the act deals with federal powers, the first part says that powers not given to the provinces are left for the federal government, such powers are military ,navigation, census, sea, coast, fisheries, criminal law just to mention a few, this makes the federal s ystem to have a wider taxing power hence more revenue. Another issue is that the federal government has been given power over the provinces, an issue that has brought great controversy, while these powers have been used in the past they have now been superseded by a an written law convection act of 1867. Modern constitutionalism in Canada Canada being a democracy has fallen victim of the tenets of modern constitutionalism which include, human rights, rule of law, making of constitutions and separation of powers ;which involves the division of governments into the three major parts legislature, judiciary, and executive, this way the three are able to check each other to ensure constitutionalism. Rule of law is applying the constitution equally to all its subjects despite the class, race or group of origin. Some of the measures used to ensure this are habeas corpus, prevention of retroactive legislation and judicial review.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Und erstanding of Constitutions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Constitution making process must involve public debates and discussions before the constitution is adapted. All these concepts are after one thing, which is limiting the government and respecting the supremacy of the law. Guy (76) say that â€Å"this has led to many amendments to the Canadian constitution so as to abide by this tenets, some of them are the charter of rights and freedoms, division of power between the federal and the provincial governments, recognition of the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada.† In addition it also requires the two levels of government to meet every year to address issues affecting them.† Some of the important amendments made are discussed below. The London Charter of Rights and Freedoms The Canadian charter of rights and freedoms was created on 17th April 1982 and it guarantees equality rights and freedoms. The section prohibits forms of discrimination in respect to denomination, education, race, genders. These rights are applicable to every natural person and the charter limits both the federal and the provincial governments from making laws that interfere with the rights of the people of Canada. With the introduction of the charter, there has been a drastic change in the Canadian courts, they are now more active in protecting individual rights and freedoms, they have a broader view of equality, recognize substantive equality which means that law makers and the government should ensure that laws made create a good environment for everyone despite personal attributes or group membership. This type of equality requires challenging stereotypes, though people still complain that the courts have not done enough yet to protect the individual. The rights and freedoms are; â€Å"Fundamental rights are freedoms of; belief, thought, expression, press, conscience, religion, belief, a ssembly and association.† Democratic rights; these are rights to vote, maximum duration of officials in public office, parliamentary sittings and their duration. Mobility rights such as; right to life, liberty, security, unreasonable search, freedom from detainment, right to legal counsel, rights against self-incrimination, language rights (this is use of the official languages), English and French (Guy 96). Meech lake accord Meech lake accord was a collection of amendments that had failed to be made to the Canadian constitution and was intended to persuade the government of one of its provinces Quebec to support the 1982 Canadian constitution because it had declined to do so .Advertising Looking for essay on constitutional law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They demanded to be allowed to keep the French language and religion, give rise to the power of the clergy and be identified as distinct society by itself both geographically and in culture, the supreme court had ruled that the new constitution applied to all provinces but Quebec was in opposition. A new premier was elected in Quebec just at the same time as this argument was in place he agreed to negotiate and gave conditions that were to be followed for them to agree to the constitution. This accord was negotiated at the Meech Lake in 1987 and five modifications were made but they had to be approved by other provincial and federal legislatures to prevent change of the constitution amending formula. The accord received support from ten premiers and also national polls showed that the people were supporting it, however this changed due to the â€Å"distinct society clause†, and the people said that Quebec could not be treated differently. After many debates, meetings, commiss ions and negotiations the demands even increased to include gender, and natives’ issues in the accord. Time lapsed and polls were held and it was unsuccessful but Quebec did not change there position it hence the failure. A series of constitutional conferences were held and negotiations were made but things were still the same and this led to the Charlottetown accord. The Charlottetown accord The Charlottetown accord was comprised of proposed amendments to the constitution of Canada. The accord’s aim was to solve the disputes of power between federal and provincial jurisdiction, codification of the Canadian character and diversity, recognition of Quebec’s demands, the aboriginal self government principle, changes in the house of commons and appointment of the justices of the Supreme court which Quebec demanded that three of them be elected from the province since they were the only ones that practiced civil law. The accord unlike the previous one was presented t o the public in a referendum which was unsuccessful. The United States constitution The United States constitution is the source of all legal authority in existence in all states; it is over 200 years old. It is the shortest written constitution and was adopted on September 17th 1787 by the constitutional convention in Philadelphia. The document has been amended twenty seven times but has still remained relevant for application. The first ten amendments are called the bill of rights and are the source of the Canadian charter of rights and freedom. It is different with that of London in that, it was written as one formal document unlike that of London that is collected from different pieces and even some are unwritten (Guy 118). Political Parties, Interests and Pressure Groups A political party is a political organization with ideologies on how to run a country. The objective of these parties is to gain majority seats in parliament so as to influence legislation. They engage in polit ical rallies, nominations, electoral campaigns and national elections. They are termed as vehicles trough which political leaders gain power and get their positions in government. Political parties are essential in management of public affairs. The origin of political parties is said to be politics of the United States and its forefathers who were revolutionaries like Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Hamilton. The first parties were formed in 1796 in America’s formative years, the two groups were conflicting on how the new government was to formed, the federalists wanted a central government and supported the ratification of the constitution, industrialization, a national bank and building of roads and canals. The anti federalists in contrast wanted rights of the state in manufacturing and was opposed to the government building roads and other moneyed interests. The group evolved to be the Democratic Republican Party and ascended to power in the1800 election. The federalists achieved their objective for a constitution and after that the party weakened. After the civil war in 1812, the Democratic Republican Party was divided over the issue of who to support for the primary election. There were also other issues like slavery which brought controversies which led to some members breaking out and went to form smaller parties and among them was a major party the Whig party. It was much financed because it was led by wealthy business men. Democrats who were against slavery left the party and together with other small parties they formed the Republican Party. The two parties are still America’s major parties until today in a multiparty system in place. There are many types of parties today but the main distinction between them is cadre and mass based parties. The two forms can be found in one county, but there are also other categories such as communists, socialist, conservative and liberal. All this characteristics can sometimes be found in one party hence they are not specific. Functions of political parties Political parties are vital especially in democracies, because they aggregate and articulate the needs of the people and are avenues for political debates and discussions in the society. They draw people with similar ideologies and interests together and provide them with a means through which they can acquire political power. In addition, they provide an opposition to the government hence keeps it on its toes enabling good public service. They also educate and socialize the people about political issues and the electoral systems in order to enable the people make informed political decisions and take viable options. Another factor that determines the nature of political parties’ is political systems; the main ones are single, two parties and multi- party systems. In single systems there is only one political party which is legal and dominant, it is common in communist countries like china and Nazi Germany, position s in the party are highly valued the system is associated with tyranny and dictatorship. The two party systems have two dominant parties; plurality voting system is the major of the system existence and is mainly found in United States and Britain. The multiple system is characterized of many parties and coalition governments are common due to differences between parties. The history of Canada’s political parties The history of Canada’s political parties is traced back to when it was a colony of Britain and France. During the American Revolution loyalists migrated to Canada and a majority of them believed there was a need for a governing class which was to be comprised of the chief families and wealthy business men. After the 1812 war, there were two groups the reformers and the conservatives. The reformers opposed the ruling class idea and the special privileges they were accorded, thus they advocated for equal rights. They staged a rebellion to oppose this issue but it failed to achieve its objectives. Since then Canada has been characterized by liberalism and conservatism a factor that has shaped the country’s politics until today. Pressure groups Pressure groups are people that are organized and aim to influence the government’s decisions and policies or sometimes focus on an issue and pursue it. Pressure groups and political parties have many differences both in structure and function .Political parties focus on attaining power and maintaining it while pressure groups focus on national interest. Some promote a particular issue while others deal with issues as they come. Pressure groups influence policy formulation and implementation in various countries, they provide substantive information to the decision makers, offer campaign finance and carry out lobbying activities. Some of the successful groups in Canada fight for the rights of women, gender representation, free health care and education for the less fortunate. Currently there are pressure groups pursuing issues like, abortion, the environment, gun control, and capital punishment (Guy 148). Elections and Electoral Systems Psephology is the study of statistical analysis of elections and the word itself has its origin from the Greek language and it means ballots .The analysis uses several elements such as opinion polls, voter’s returns in previous elections, campaign finance and any statistical data about elections. The various applications used in the analysis are Gallagher index, Mackerras pendulum and the swinggometer Concepts of voluntary and compulsory voting Elections are held to determine who is best fit to govern a country among the contesting candidates. The vote of each and every citizen is very important since every vote casted determines the result of the election and hence participating in the decision making process. However it is a personal choice whether to vote or not, although in some countries people are forced to vote. There is two voting systems voluntary and compulsory, in compulsory voting citizens are forced to vote or attend a polling station on the voting day failure to which one is punished through fines, community service or even imprisonment if the first two are not done. Those that do not want to vote can go with the ballot paper or spoil it at the polling station, because the important thing is that they get to the polling station. The old and the sick are provided with mobile polling booths so that they also get a chance to vote and are assisted on how to do it. The main argument for the system is that it prevents access to the vote and prevents any factors that may make people not to vote for example employers, transport and weather. It is a measure to involve the socially disadvantaged or politically inactive, enables the population to be politically active, decreases the role of money in politics since not much campaign is done and also reduces the risk of political instability created b y charismatic leaders like Hitler. Arguments against it term it as a violation of citizen’s freedoms and may also lead to donkey voting which may affect the electoral process. The system is commonly found in Australia In voluntary voting people are allowed to vote according to their own wish, it is the system used in many countries for example the America, Canada Britain, Spain and Italy among others Electoral systems An electro system is a method by which people vote in an election or referendum, the system comprises of the rules of voting ,counting of votes and the final result. The voting system also determines the form of ballot, allowable votes and the subgroups of voting. The major voting systems are the, majority system, proportional representation also called plurality and the fast past the post voting systems. The electro system of a country affects the outcome of the election due to the rules that are used, but still the exact amount of influence is difficult to tel l since each election has its own features and dynamics. In the majority system only one representative is to be elected and that would be the most qualified personality. The system gives the big parties a greater chance to win the election while the smaller parties are marginalized, although this system also creates a stable parliamentary majority but still does not represent a pluralistic modern society. The method appears to be straightforward and simple but in the end it leads to complicated policies that are not transparent to voters and hence compromises democracy. The proportional representation method ensures that each vote made counts; it’s an hybrid of single and majority system. All parties present a list of candidates and then voters are allowed select a list hence they vote for the parties not the aspirants. The parties are then given seats according to the number of votes they get; this is because political parties’ present ideas of governance and the mor e the better since small parties gain power and it ensures democracy and proportionality, although it can lead to a weak government. Since coalitions are common, independent candidates do not also get a chance and the link of a representative and his party is lost. It is common in developed western countries like Switzerland (Guy 178). Canada 1993 Federal Election Canada federal elections are nationwide elections done to elect their leaders. The election may be called any time but a least one must be held in a span of five years and past the post system of voting is used. A federal election was held in 1993 to elect the members of the House of Commons with fourteen parties being involved in the election, it was one of Canada’s eventful elections because more than half of the electorate changed parties. The election was called by the by Prime Minister Kim Campbell when she was almost to exit office. She wanted to help her party the progressive conservative party to win in the elections but they gravely lost. Two new parties were formed leading to the division of the conservatives into: â€Å"the Bloc Quà ©bà ©cois, which gathered about half of the votes in Quebec and the Western based Reform Party which gathered about equal number of seats.† During the campaigns the Liberals were very consistent and organized in contrast to the Conservative campaign. â€Å"The Liberals came up with a manifesto, which was exceptional to the other parties’ and provided a new limited public works program and a national child care program. The Bloc Quà ©bà ©cois pledged to support interests at the federal level, by running candidates exclusively in Quebec while fighting for Quebec’s independence from Canada, they also promised to create a smaller government, lower taxes, support the North American Free Trade Agreement, and oppose the Goods and Services Tax† (Guy 145). The liberal party won because they had a strong base in the two major provin ces Quebec and Ontario. They dominated Canada’s elections for the next decade until they were greatly challenged by the sponsorship scandal and fighting within the party which reduced them to a minor party. The primaries in the United States The United states primaries is one of the initial stages in the election of their president, they are run by state and the local governments and are used to determine how many delegates each candidate will receive from the state. The two main political parties nominate the aspirants they want for president at the national conventions, the nominated candidate is then voted for by the voters, hence ensuring that the candidates are chosen by the voters’ not party leaders. There are two ways of voting in the primaries. Guy says† in open primaries, voters engage in one of the primary elections, irrespective of their party and they are not required have to make a public statement of their party choices, but they have to decide whic h primary election they want to vote in that particular election.† This way they do not have to publicly declare their choice and also it enables the candidates to get a chance to be chosen despite their political affiliation. Guy also points out that† the closed primary election system is very restrictive in terms of participation, only party members are allowed to vote, and voters can not switch parties on the primary election day†. The proponents of these system say that it enables; voters to have more power in the candidate selection process hence reducing the power of party leaders and also reduces the influence of organizations, it also enables them to intensify their campaigns and mobilize new supporters while the tiring election campaign during the primaries prepares the candidates for the competition with their opponent(s) in the general election. However, there are some critics about the system; people say that states are not true representative of the st ate and therefore advocate for a single national primary, candidates also have to spend large amounts of money for primary election campaigns before the general election campaign starts, hence creating moneyed politics, the candidates must also strive to get positive media coverage, they also have to make early relations and networks with the members of their parties to gain support for the primary elections. The system in my opinion has greater advantages than disadvantages and more countries should think of establishing it as a method of choosing their candidates (Guy 220). Conventions and debates in Canada and United States Guy says that† another characteristic of the United States presidential nominating process is a national convention which is held every four years by the parties that intend to have a candidate in the national elections†. The purpose is to elect a party nominee for the position. National conventions in Canada are the same with those of the United S tates; the only difference is that delegates to choose the party leader are elected by associations like women groups and young clubs. The conventions in both are aimed at selecting the best candidates for the job and to foster democracy. There are also debates held before the general elections involving the two final candidates of the major parties. They are not very essential but are necessary so as to enable the voters to know clearly the intentions of the candidates once they are elected and also create a chance for the candidates to challenge each other publicly. In the 1992 elections of the united states, there were three candidates, George Bush of the republican party, Bill Clinton for the Democrats and Ross Perot of the independent party. The democrats won because there had been some huge economic problems facing the country under the leadership of the republicans and people did not trust them to re-elect them again having been in office for twelve consecutive years. In that election, Democrats gained full support of the legislature, executive and both houses of US Congress, and also won the 1996 re-election. Canada 2006 Federal Election In Canada, minority governments happen when no party has managed to convincingly has garnered majority of the votes in the legislative house, thus the party with a majority seats forms the next government. However, minority governments should have backing of the other parties to remain in authority, thus they are less stable as compared to majority governments. Guy (236) states that â€Å"The current Prime Minister of Canada is Stephen Joseph Harper who is also the leader of the Conservative Party that won the 2006 federal elections whereby the party was formed after a merge of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties.† Harper dominated media coverage, the first weeks of the campaign and although his party faired baldly in the polls, Harpers personal polls, started to go up. To counteract this, the Liberals started propaganda against the Prime Minister, but these did not change Canadians’ perception as Harper was a popular leader. Guy (56) also noted that â€Å"The Conservatives gathered more than 38 per cent of the popular vote, an increase of seven per cent from 2004 election; while the Liberals came second with 30 per cent and the NDP third with 17.5 per cent.† Canada has much trust in their current prime minister for he has shown he is a rare leader who has even won many awards including the Presidential Gold Medallion for Humanitarianism by Bnai Brith International which has never been awarded to any one in Canada. He has also led the conservatives into forming the best government in Canada, through his desire to turn the Canadian senate into an elected rather than an appointed body. The Conservative Party won a stronger minority in the October 2008 federal election, but going by factors the party is likely to win a majority vote in the next election (G uy 345). Work Cited Guy, James. People, Politics, and Government. Ontario: Pearson Education, 2010. Print.

Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Business Environment - Essay Example The UK has a rising level of its output being exported across borders and overseas and it is an open economy (Holden et al, 1995, p.44). It is at present number eight as the largest exporter in the world for goods and number two in being the largest exporter for services. It also has highest ratio of outward as well as inward investment to the GDP among any of the leading economies in the terms of capital flow. Inevitably the pattern as well as the balance of trade of goods and services changes over the time, this is reflection of movement in the relative prices of different traded goods as well as the shifts in the comparative advantage in various global markets. Other factors that affect the trade pattern are decisions of foreign investment of the UK as well as overseas companies and economic development and growth of countries, regions etc. Major part of UK’s trade of goods and services is carried with the countries that are part of European Union. Since UK became a part of EEC in January, 1973 there has been long term shift in its trade with the European Union. The trade growth has been pushed by single market; this has led to trade diversion and the trade creation effects (Aylott, 2007, p.4) Trade of UK with the countries in North American region has declined, although the U.S still is the largest single market for exported UK goods after EU (Great Britain Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2011) , comprising of 15% of the total exports of UK. Over the previous 15 years trade with the countries that are oil exporters has declined in its relative importance. In the year 1979 percentage of UK’s exports which went to these countries was 10%, which is now only a small percentage of a little over 3%. Apart from the exports the imports from this oil exporting countries has also fallen. Another important change in UK’s pattern regarding trade in geographical sense is its rising share of trade with the fast growing and emerging ec onomies in Asian region. These include Malaysia, China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan. The rate of growth in Indian economy is also probable to help boosting exports to sub-continent in future years; this provides businesses in the UK to grab export opportunities in this region. Analyse the impact of global factors on UK business organisations International trade is crucial for the UK, like any other country. If the UK did not participate in international trade, it would not be able to acquire many different materials that are needed to produce products that are used every day, especially concerning food industry. Cold climate in UK makes it rely on other countries with hotter climate to import fruits like mangoes and bananas which don’t grow domestically, similarly the countries with hot climate rely on countries like UK for vegetables like potatoes to import (in UK’s case, export). If international trade did not exist people in UK and everywhere else ac ross the globe will have very limited choices, and business will not have enough markets to expand. There are various global factors that would affect the business

Education common core standards debate Assignment - 2

Education common core standards debate - Assignment Example Assuming the role of a high school principal, I would like to address some concerns with the execution of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).This initiative was formed with very good intentions aimed at helping the learners’ right from the high school stage all through post-high school level. The main goal of this initiative was to come up with high standards that are consistent across states. The stakeholders in the formation of this initiative were a board of state governors, a private consulting firm and the council of school officers. The goals of the initiative were all beneficial, but the main issue is with the implementation. The initiative, if well implemented will assist many scholars. This is because it pays special emphasis on the students with special needs. According to Haager and Vaughn (2013), the adoption of this initiative will erase some of the differences between general education and special education. It will solve the problem of students with special needs having to travel from one state to another which has been disrupting the learning of such students (p. 6). Considering that it will be implemented in all the states, the problem will be of the past. The United States department of education was not directly involved in the formation of the initiative, but it has been trying to compel the states to adopt and implement the initiative. This has led to some states opting not to implement the standards, either due to lack of sufficient funds to run the standards or due to political reasons. Special educators will also take time to undergo an intensive training on the interpretation of the CCSS, which may further drag the implementation of the program. There also lacked enough time to try and implement the program and also to determine the ability of the schools to shift to this program. There has not been due

Economics Essay Example for Free

Economics Essay Part I Introduction The Doha Development Rounds of the World Trade Organization were negotiations aimed at lowering trade barriers and facilitating healthier economic ties around the world. The rounds began with a ministerial-level meeting in 2001 which was held in Doha, Qatar. This was followed by several other rounds held in locations such as Mexico and Hong Kong with related negotiations held in other locations including Paris, Switzerland, and Geneva. In 2006, the progress of the talks were put at a standstill created by a divide which placed the developed nations such as the United States, the European Union, and Japan on one side and the major developing nations such as India, China, Brazil, and South Africa on the other. The divide was mainly over conflicting interests with regard to several pending issues. Four of those issues namely agriculture, textile and clothing, drugs, and market access for developing and least developed countries are discussed in this paper. Since the first round of the WTO talks, agriculture has taken the center stage. In fact, many critics claim that the standstill of the talks were mainly due to developed and developing nations inability to find acceptable common ground in the issue of agriculture’s three â€Å"pillars†. These were identified as market access, export subsidies, and domestic support. A prevailing argument in the matter is the issue of the necessary level of cuts in tariffs and domestic support on agriculture to allow developing nations to enter the global market. Currently, high regulatory tariffs in the first world hedge out 3rd world agricultural products such as grain and corn from successfully penetrating the market. What makes it worse is that the United States and the European Union both provide very high subsidies for their farmers. Five years since Qatar, the talks in Hong Kong led to a deal that set the deadline for eliminating all agricultural subsidies for exports by 2013. The Hong Kong talks also required developed countries to accept goods from the world’s poorest nations into their respective markets. This marked a milestone for the United Nations, which had been striving for such an achievement for several years. However, the following talks at Geneva failed to achieve a consensus for genuine policies on reducing farming subsidies and lowering agriculture tariffs (Effland et. al. , 2006). Textile and Clothing Discussions regarding the treatment of textiles and apparel in the Doha talks were a particular point of contention during the 2006 round. Originally, discussions on this area were included within the overall Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiations. However, developments in the talks led many analysts to suspect that the developing countries were asking far more than they were willing to give. There were also the unconfirmed reports of a hidden Chinese agenda to monopolize the world textile and clothing market with their outrageously cheap products. These led countries like Turkey to call for the sectoral separation of textile and clothing from the NAMA. However, none of the bigger players like the U. S. and the E. U. seemed to be supportive of such a move. The E. U. was against sectoring out textile and clothing from talks on NAMA while the U. S. erely acknowledged the need for â€Å"special treatment† without actually supporting Turkey’s call. The proponents of the sectoring of talks on textiles and clothing claimed that the developing countries were asking for unregulated access to 1st world markets without agreeing to the same. Some organizations such as the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) accused countries such as India and Brazil of supporting ill-balanced tariff reductions that could severely hurt the manufacturing sector of the United States. Another issue that was raised was the prevalence of counterfeit 1st world brands manufactured in the 3rd world. Some private lobbyists contested that before countries like the U. S. would agree to such grave reductions in tariffs in the textile and clothing area, the developed nations’ governments should first demand for a 3rd World crackdown on counterfeit brand manufacturing. The 2006 talks were stalled before any relevant progress could be noted in this area (Barrie, 2006). Drug patents and distribution International debates on healthcare have always disputed the manufacturing and distribution of drugs for treating the world’s most serious diseases like malaria, HIV and AIDS. Although these medicines are easily available in the developed world, they are extremely expensive compared to the meager earnings of those in the developing world. Patent holding companies of these medicines usually charge high prices for their products primarily to cover development costs. Thus although the 1st world has the means to manage vast epidemics of say HIV in countries like Africa, the legal system on patents prevent them from doing so. A previous solution thought about for this issue was the issuance of compulsory license grants to the 3rd world. This would effectively allow them to manufacture the drugs on their own. However, since such countries usually lack the technology and resources to manufacture specialized drugs, the solution did not seem to be effective. The first Doha round had already recognized this problem and had begun on working for a solution. It released a declaration which asked for allowing compulsory licenses for the manufacture of patented drugs to be issued in developed countries provided the drugs manufactured were only to be sold to certain countries, primarily the UN’s list of least developed nations. The Hong Kong talks and the subsequent Geneva talks saw some of the participating entities heeding the declaration with concrete action. Canada had implemented the declaration by year end of 2005 while the European Commissions official journal published Regulation 816/2006 in 2006 which enforced the Doha declaration in the European Union (Gruenberg, 2007). Market access for developing and least developed countries Allowing the developing and least developed nations of the world to have better market access to 1st world economies had always been the overall thrust of the Doha talks. Trade barriers such as tariffs were contended fiercely throughout the talks. Many scheduled cuts on tariffs have been made since 2001. However by the end of 2005, the Hong Kong ministerial declaration acknowledged there should be discrimination of cuts with regards to sensitive products. Hence, countries were allowed a percentage of their original tariff lines on sensitive products. However, the Hong Kong declaration also made concessions to developing countries. Since the tariff cuts were differentially treated, the poorer countries would be subject to lower cuts and longer transition periods for implementation. The provisions on special products were also applied to the 3rd world, thereby protecting their own special products that played major roles in food and livelihood security. While the 2006 round was fruitful in providing some measure of protection for the 3rd world, it has stumbled over the means and modalities by which the tariffs were supposed to be cut especially in the context of the 1st world.  Although there were some commitments made by the end of April in 2006, these failed to materialize. A deadline set by July of that same year was also not met (Effland et. al. , 2006). Part II China a. ) The Peoples Republic of China currently has a per capita GDP of $ 7,593 (80th in the world). Since the 1980s, Chinas economic policies have undergone various reforms to make it more open to trade. The reforms have resulted to Chinas new found openness to global trade. Its main trading partners are the U. S. 21. 4%, Hong Kong 16. %, Japan 11%, South Korea 4. 6%, and Germany 4. 3%. Its main exports are plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel. It imports mainly oil and mineral fuels and machinery. b. ) Two main economic issues involving China are 1. ) its stand on textile manufacturing in the world economy and 2. ) its treatment of Research In Motion (RIM) regarding the release of BlackBerry in Beijing. In the first issue, many critics have accused China of maneuvering the Doha talks on NAMA to allow itself unfettered access to the worlds textile and clothing industry. Since labor in China is so cheap and clothing raw materials so abundant, China could veritably launch a full scale monopoly of clothing and textile if given the chance (Barrie, 2006). In the second issue, China had signed a contract with RIM for the company to release its state-of-the-art PDA, BLackBerry in Beijing. However just a few months before the scheduled release, the Chinese government took advantage of the advertising efforts that RIM had previously exerted and released their own version of the PDA, RedBerry. RIM is currently assessing whether they should press charges but China seems to powerful to actually be affected (Jones, 2006). c. ) Both issues seem to point out the potential and actual abuses that China could and has made because of the great power that its vast economic strength bestows upon it. I believe that there is no other solution to such a situation other than fervent watchfulness of the international community. While Chinas entry into global trade should be celebrated, its belligerent attitude and immense resources should not be taken lightly.

Mother Theresa :: essays research papers

Mother Theresa: Saint of the Gutters (1910-1997) A modern day savior was born to the world in 1910 in Skopje Yugoslavia. Born under the name Agnes Gongxha Bojaxhiu, she later took the name Teresa after St. Teresa, patroness of missionaries. Joining the Sisters of Loretoat the tender age of 18, she came across many events that would touch her life in the most special way; inspiring her to do many great deeds for human kinds. In 1948, Mother Teresa came across a half-dying woman lying in front of the Calcutta hospital. Through the compassion of her dear heart, Mother Teresa stayed with her until she passed into the after-life. Through this one kind act, Mother Teresa devoted her life to helping the poorest in India. She gained the name, â€Å" Saint of Gutters† from her many kind works. Mother Teresa founded the order of nuns known as the â€Å" Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.† The group of 12 became a group of 3,000 in 50 years. That is three thousand women in India which have donated their lives to helping the poor in India around the world. Mother Teresa would not stop there. She founded the Nirmal Hriday, a home for the Dying, in a former temple located in Calcutta. This was a foundation that took the dying Indians off the street and brought them in to a nice, peaceful environment. Although Mother Teresa was not able to cure the people through some divine power, she did offer the dying Indians a peaceful place of comfort for them to release themselves into the after life in dignity. She saw the love of Jesus within every man, woman and child she brought in. No matter what ailed them, Mother Teresa still found the compassion in heart to bring them in. For 50 years she continued to help the poor, conquering many emotional times with the aid of her faith in God. The respect she received from the world won her a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Over the past two decades, Mother Teresa had begun to see end of her long hard journey.

Chinese Views on Death and Dying Essay

Chinese religion and strict cultural beliefs are inseparable from the death rites performed. Many different names for death are scattered throughout Chinese history, including an ideogram that depicts a person kneeling in front of their ancestor’s bones 1. In Chinese culture, death rites are intricate and well thought out works on preparing one for the afterlife and rebirth. Chinese funeral rites have strict guidelines as to where the rites are to be performed, how the rites are performed (ritual bathing of the corpse), the dress of the attendees and the dead, the transfer of material goods on Earth to the dead, acknowledgement of the deceased and the actual burial of the body. All these sacred rites are performed by specialists (usually priests or otherwise) who are paid by the deceased’s family members. Death rituals carry on long after the burial of the body in terms of grieving for the dead. These rites include returning to the burial site on specific dates to mourn, perform yuan-fen (a symbolic act in which the burial site is rounded off with dirt to give it a nice and proper shape) and burning of incense and earthly offerings 2. Attitudes and beliefs on death and the afterlife are quite the same among the Chinese people of the late Imperial Chinese culture and the Chinese culture of today. The continuing traditions of the ritualistic burials sheds light on one way a society can be linked culturally. 1. T.C. Lai â€Å"To The Yellow Springs: The Chinese View of Death† (17) Hong Kong: Joint Publbishing Co. and Kelly & Walsh, 1983 2. Watson, James L. and Evelyn L. Rawski â€Å"Death Ritual in Late Imperial and Modern China† (12-15) Berklely: University of California Press, 1988 Different cultures harbor different views on death and dying, and it is important to understand the significance of these contrasting elements of other cultures and our own. The Chinese cultures do not see death as something shy away from, but rather it is a part of life that is revered. Death is such a scared step that it embodies many different characters for definition such as ni 3a and qi shi 3b. The transition from being a mortal and alive and being deceased is very important to the Chinese. The Chinese  have a strict set of funeral rites that must be followed completely in order for the transition between this world and the world after death to be smooth- the rites are so embedded in culture and rich with rules that there is even a set time for certain levels of grievances. Death rites are often followed by a series of mourning sessions over the year. However, death rituals for those higher up in society, of course, differ from those of the common man. James L. Watson states that â€Å"To be Chinese is to understand, and accept the view, that there is a correct way to perform rites associated with the life-cycle, the most important being weddings and funerals. By following accepted ritual routines ordinary citizens participated in the process of cultural unification.† 4 and with this in mind we can begin to understand the reason why the Chinese abode by such rigid structure for the burial of a deceased person. The structure that was imposed on the people of China was embraced because it brought everyone together. 3. T.C. Lai â€Å"To the Yellow Springs: The Chinese View of Death† (18) Hong Kong: Joint Publbishing Co. and Kelly & Walsh, 1983 4. Quote from: Watson, James L. â€Å"Death Ritual in Late Imperial and Modern China† The Structure of Chinese Funerary Rites: Elementary Forms, Ritual Sequence, and the Primacy of Performance (3) The sequence in which the ritual is performed is laid out perfectly and begins with public notification that a death has occurred. As soon as a death has occurred women in the presence of the death must announce the death by wailing at the top of her lungs, such wailings, as documented by Watson were not voluntary. Along with the informal announcement of death was a formal one where white banners and blue lanterns are placed around the abode and along the doorway. Some of the formal notices were voluntary in part of China, whereas in some parts they were also mandatory. Not much unlike Western culture, different colors hint to a time of mourning. Instead of wearing black (like in Western cultures), those who are mourning  the deceased in China are seen wearing white clothes, shoes and cloaks that are usually made out of sackcloth or hemp. Although mourning colors differ in different parts of China, white is the universal color of mourning for the Chinese. These mourning clothes are usually ragged, unbleached, unhemmed and white. 5 The corpse must go through a series of cleansings and blessings before it is allowed to be buried. A ritualized bathing of the corpse is required before it goes on to the next step in the rites. In south China the water is not gathered by the family themselves, but rather, bought from a deity of a sacred well. This particular rite is called mai-shui or roughly translated, â€Å"buying water†. There are 5. Jones, Constance R.I.P. The Complete Book Of Death And Dying New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997 (Pg. 163)  several ways the corpse is cleansed–from scrubbing with the water bought, or a  gentle dab on the forehead with the sacred water. Along with the cleaning is the  donning of new clothes on the corpse. The next step in the funerary rites would be the transfer of material goods to the dead. Things like paper clothes, cardboard houses, furniture and servants and other things the dead might need in the afterlife would be transferred into the world of the dead by burning them in a big pot. Food was presented as an offering to the deceased and afterwards, the mourners would partake in the food. 6 Food is an integral part of Chinese tradition and culture, especially with the ritualized steps of burial. Stuart E. Thompson says that, â€Å"To be Chinese is to perform Chinese ritual and vice-versa; to be Chinese is also to eat Chinese-style food with Chinese-style implements.† It is explained that the  food used in the rites are to transform a corpse into an ancestor. Food is a centerpiece in the ritual more than once. 1. Foods are presented as soon as the person dies and once again during the ceremonial coffining of the body. Rice is a crucial part of Chinese diet and rice balls and other food products (roast pork and such) are usually placed on top of his/her coffin to accompany the dead on their journey. Parts of the ceremony are used to separate the living from the dead, for instance, the breaking of bowls to break the ties between the dead and his/her descendants. After the breaking of the bowls, the 6. Watson, James L. â€Å"The Structure of Chinese Funerary Rites† from Death Ritual in Late Imperial and Modern China. (12-13)  family members must insure that the deceased does not return upset, so  the belongings of the deceased must be symbolically distributed among his/her heirs using the food on top of the coffin. 2. After the coffining of the body, food is presented to the coffin at least twice a day by the daughter-in-law of the deceased. These offerings are made until the coffin is buried. Sometimes, the offerings continue even after burial. 3. A farewell feast is giving either the day before, or on the day of the burial. This tradition is to ensure that transformation from being deceased into an ancestor is complete. Prized offerings consist of either pig heads or whole pigs along with rice. Along with the farewell feast for the deceased, some offerings are given to hungry ghosts whom would usually steal from the deceased on his/her journey. 4. Wine, usually rice wine, is poured into three cups for the dead on the burial grounds. This is the last rite before the body passes on to become an ancestor. 5. Food is presented again after the burial when everyone returns to the home where the ceremony began. Ancestral tablets (explained further in this paper) are then set on specially built alters or mantles. (My own family has the ashes of the deceased on a mantle in which food is presented to them at every meal) 7 7. Thompson, Stuart E. â€Å"Death, Food, And Fertility† from Death Ritual in the Late Imperial and Modern China. (75-76) Soul tablets are made for the deceased (except for children and unknown people) as a symbol of a part of their soul. These soul tablets are made by ritual specialists and are placed either on an alter (of those who are married) or in temples, specified institutions or covenants for a fee (for unwed women). These tablets were very important to the rites of the dead. A written Chinese name was required for these tablet, hence the reason why unknown strangers could not receive one. The dead were not recognized by any materialistic idol or pictures, but only by their written Chinese name. Music was also an integral part of the burial sequence. There were two different kinds of sounds that were used to either ward off evil spirits or aid the passing of the soul. High-pitched piping and drumming were the two common sounds heard during burial rites. These sounds are usually played during transitions in the ritual, usually when physical movement of the corpse is taking place. Music is also played during the sealing of the corpse. The Chinese found that this is the most important feature of all the different acts. The coffins made of wood have been with the Chinese since the Neolithic. Again, paid specialists are the ones who make sure the corpse is stationary within the coffin. They secure the lid on with nails and caulking compounds to be sure that the coffin is airtight. The nailing of the coffin is the most important part of the whole ritual. The hammering is usually done by the main mourner or by an invited guest who holds a high social status. The final sequence is the removal of the coffin from the village. However, this  last rite does not need to be performed immediately. It is actually a sign of respect for the  coffin to be kept close to the family over a long period of time. But of course, there comes a time when the coffin must leave the hands of the living. 8 Those who are relatively wealthy will be able to carry out every burial rite with the assistance of a burial specialist. Watson explains that, â€Å"The ethnographic evidence suggests that, among the Cantonese, there is a hierarchy of specialists ranked according to the relative exposure to the pollution of death. This hierarchy also reflects the standards of skill, training, and literacy required to carry out ritual tasks† (Death Ritual in Late Imperial and Modern China. 109) The highest ranking specialist is the Geomancer (a person who has the ability to foretell the future by using signs from the earth) whose work demands high levels of skill and literacy. Next in line are priests who receive their knowledge through years of apprenticeship. Priests are moderately literate in order to perform mortuary rites. Those who rank below priests are usually illiterate, mainly because their line of work usually does not require any reading or skill. These specialists range from pipers, nuns, musicians, and overall helpers. There are also helpers who rank even lower than those below priests and these are the corpse handlers. Corpse handlers’ tasks involve washing the corpse, dressing the corpse and arranging the corpse in the coffin, and finally carrying the coffin to its burial ground, digging the grave, and disposing items that are directly associated with the corpse 9. Corpse handlers are of the lowest ranking ritual specialists because they are deemed as highly polluted by death and are set apart from the other specialists. 8. Watson, James L. Death Rituals in Late Imperial and Modern China (12-15) 9. Watson, James L. â€Å"Funeral Specialists in Cantonese Society: Pollution, Performance, and Social Hierarchy† Death Ritual in Late Imperial and Modern China (109-110) Along with the ritual sequence come the many names for death. As  explained before, the earliest concept of death was characterized as a person kneeling before his ancestor’s bones. The deaths of people of different ranks in society are characterized differently from one another. The death of sovereign is called beng ,which comes from the sound of a large building collapsing. The death of a prince is called hong (the sound of something breaking), a government minister’s death is called cu (â€Å"the end†), and that of an official is called bu lu (meaning: ending the enjoyment of emolument), however, the death of a common person is less extravagant–si simply means â€Å"to expire†. Just like the many characters there are for the people who pass away, there are many characters for the ways people can die, for example, death from old age is called shou zhong which translates to â€Å"the termination of longevity†, which death while young is ca lled yao which means â€Å"breaking in mid-journey†. 10 With the different ways they have to describe death in one or two words, it is hard not to notice that the Chinese are very much interested in the process of death. In China, the spring time is time for purification and regeneration. The Spring Festival is held every spring and it is very important to the comfort of the dead. During the festival, descendants will visit graves of their ancestors to honor  and care for the burial ground and body it incases. Prayers and sacrifices are made to the dead during that time and the act of â€Å"saluting the tomb† is practiced. 10. Text adapted from To the Yellow Springs: The Chinese View of Death by T.C. Lai. Hong Kong: Joint Publishing Co. and Kelly & Walsh. (1983) (Text 18) â€Å"Saluting the tomb† is an act where red-colored rice and peeled eggs, which are symbolic of the saying â€Å"old gives way to the new†, are placed on top of the burial ground. November is the month that harbors Ghost Day celebrations. Ghost day is a special day where people burn paper money as  offerings to their ancestors. Another day of celebration is the Winter Dress Festival where paper clothes and such are burned for their ancestors, again this holiday is celebrated in October and November 11. These celebrations do not directly pertain to spirits who are in a state of unrest. In China a ghost, a male ghost is called kuei while the female is called yao, is a spirit whose death was either very unusual or very violent criminal act. The Chinese are extremely superstitious. It is said that ghosts linger relatively close to the location of their death. For example, Ghosts of thieves would sometimes be seen close to the area of their execution. Another common superstition (one that was also taught to me) was that if a pregnant woman were to walk past a spot where a person has died, that spirit would attempt to expel the child’s soul and replace it with its own to be reborn 12. Anniversary ghosts also exist in Chinese culture. Anniversary ghosts are essentially ghosts who appear on the anniversary of their death to re-enact the scene. The only way this can be stopped is if someone dies in its place on that same day, the same way, in the same spot so that the soul that is tr apped and doomed to repeat its painful death will be released. Unfortunately, the person who has died in their place will be doomed to repeat his 11. Jones, Constance The Complete Book of Death and Dying (135) 12. Jones, Constance The Complete Book of Death and Dying (129)  or her death, unless a specialist performs a ritual to set the spirit free. One can already tell that the Chinese have great respect for the dead and their ancestors. Chinese attitudes and beliefs about death are influenced by Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism 13. â€Å"If one does not know life,  how can he begin to know death.† Confucius (Fig. 1) The Chinese honors the dead regularly by presenting offerings and prayers since they believe that these practices push forth the sense that death occurs all the time and that it should be accepted into daily life. 13. Jones, Constance R.I.P. The Complete Book of Death and Dying (12) 14. Figure 1 is from T.C. Lai To The Yellow Springs (14) NOTE! Blank Spaces are for images taken from books. Be sure to add corresponding images to this essay.

Changes Within the Education System - 1587 Words

Introduction There are platitudes of issues and elements that pertain to the educational process as well as curriculum development that are addressed on a routine basis. As many researchers have discussed, and administrators and teachers alike have grown to understand, if this current educational model/system is to produce creative, productive, active, and technologically savvy students-citizens the worst actions are perhaps having no actions at all (Stansbury, 2013). In addition to the grandiose mistakes of becoming stagnant (progress), educators and administrators are faced with increasing demands at the highest levels; this of course is making reference to both federal and state legislation such as No Child Left Behind, perhaps the†¦show more content†¦Given the current trends of offerings, increasing in enrolment over the past four years(an increase of roughly 15%), as well as the availability of inexpensive hardware and software the complexity of change should be a natural and seam less transition of allowing more programs via online, more important when addressing curriculum of choice(Existentialism), should find new ways that go beyond the current offerings, taking the first brave steps in bridging our students to the outside world would prove a beneficial exposure over time for students(preparation for professions) and the university via increased global exposure(Snyder, 2013). In addition to relevance and practicality, investing more human resources as well as capital via online venues is a perfect and natural connection to Existentialism by which the university has placed great value. Characteristics at the School District Level Having been employed as a professor at the university for the past four years this researcher has observed several attempts to stay relevant and innovative at the higher education level. We (university) attempted to implement a sister-city/sister-institution with the emerging world power China. This program called for a cultural exchange via exchange of professors as well as students. 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