Cuba and China Essay

Democracy, or the power of people, is rather old form of rule. While the word â€Å"democracy† originated in the Ancient Greece in 5th century BC, this form of rule had existed even before this, found in ancient India republics before 6th century BC. However, it was the city-state of Athens in the Ancient Greece that presented this word in the sense which resembles, in some features, the modern vision of democracy. In Athens, people had the right to vote, to take the most important decisions, influencing the political situation of their state. Of course, not all the population could vote – women and children could not vote as well as disabled people. In fact, only one forth or one sixth of the citizens of Athens could vote and participate in a political life of their state. However, it was the first form of democracy and it had many aspects in common with today’s notion of democracy. For example, all the citizens of Athens, poor or rich, powerful or powerless, had the right to vote, they were equal in this right. The democracy, in the form in which it existed in Athens and in the Ancient Greece, was not preserved until our time. Moreover, great changes took place in Europe in 18-19th centuries, in the form of revolutions. The right to vote and to participate in the political life of a state directly is not the main factor characterizing democracy in the modern world. Democracy in the modern sense includes such basic postulates as the basic freedoms: of speech, of expression, of the press, of association et cetera. The democracy in the western world is much more associated with the notion of free market and free trade. However, these preconditions are not exactly true for some countries, for example for China, where free market and free trade can coexist with the lack of democracy, where there are no basic freedoms (for example, the freedom of association – the assembly of Falun Gong in China was violently dispersed by police and banished for practicing in China). Cuba which has made some steps toward the free market economy, opening some part of its economy for the US dollars, does allow the internationally recognized organization of the Red Cross to its prisons, where political prisoners are kept in big numbers. The rule of Communist Party as the only party in the country is observed both in Cuba and in China. And this excludes another characteristic feature of democracy – pluralism, the possibility of many political parties to take part in the political life of the state. Before we proceed to explain the lack of democracy in Cuba and China, it is necessary to understand what democracy means and why China and Cuba should become democratic. In the twentieth century, democracy has gained such popularity that most world rulers describe their rule as democratic. However, most countries were not democratic, and some even became totalitarian. Generally speaking, the term â€Å"democracy† is misused in two ways. First, democracy is expanded into a laundry list that contains almost all kinds of good things. Second, democracy is modified by adding an adjective to the term. Since Western bourgeois democracy is the prototype of modern democracy, modifications are made along two lines. Either rulers characterize their systems not as bourgeois democracies, but as â€Å"people’s democracies,† â€Å"proletarian democracies,† or â€Å"socialist democracies,† or they emphasize local characteristics of their system, such as â€Å"Burmese type of democracy† or â€Å"African type of democracy. † What is democracy? Etymologically, the term means rule by the people. Democracy originated in Athens more than 2,500 years ago, when Cleisthenes allowed all citizens of Attica to preside over the affairs of the city. Athenian democracy took the form of direct democracy. Citizens, which excluded women, slaves, and resident aliens, participated directly in making laws. Moreover, regardless of their properties and talents, rulers were selected not by ballot but by lot. Not surprisingly, virtually all famous Greek scholars were no fans of democracy, regarding tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as corrupt forms of government. Democracy includes two forms: popular sovereignty and individual liberty. This paper defines democracy in terms of political freedom, which involves both positive and negative aspects. Positive freedom refers to a situation in which people have the ability to participate in government; negative freedom means a situation in which people are free from arbitrary interference from government. Modern democracy adheres to the dual principles of popular sovereignty and individual liberty, but has its own distinctive features. Ideal as the principle of popular sovereignty may be, it is technically impossible to let the people in a nation-state decide everything. As a result, modern democracies are representative, not participatory (or direct). The principle of popular sovereignty in modern times hinges on two major mechanisms: the separation of powers and the competitive election. While the ruled choose their rulers during an election, rulers are mutually checked and balanced before and after the election. In determining the nature of a particular political system, the competitive election is more important than the separation of powers. A division of labor is employed in any government, particularly a modern one. Despite the importance of liberalism for modern democracy, popular sovereignty precedes individual liberty. Popular sovereignty talks about the purpose of government; individual liberty comprises the notion of government. The term that means â€Å"people† has undergone great changes in terms of class, education, gender, race, and age. Besides, individual liberty is historically and culturally specific. In the twentieth century, democracy and totalitarianism are regarded as two ends of the political spectrum. To put it in terms of ideal types, a government respecting both popular sovereignty and individual liberty is democratic; a government violating them is totalitarian. Falling somewhere in between, most systems are neither democratic nor totalitarian in the strictest sense of the terms. Some may respect popular sovereignty but violate individual liberty; others may violate popular sovereignty but respect individual liberty. Today’s Islamic Republic of Iran and eighteenth-century Britain are cited as respective examples of these two types. Throughout human history, not many regimes have ever been totalitarian and most have been authoritarian. Compared with totalitarian regimes, authoritarian regimes are less willing and less able to damage people’s rights and interests. The United States of America when compared to China or Cuba, presents the example of â€Å"democratic† democracy towards which China or Cuba should strive. Because now, when we took a closer look at the notion of democracy in the modern world, we are going to analyze the kind of democratic situation and democratic changes that took place in two of the most controversial countries in the world: China and Cuba. To reach conclusions as to the qualitative aspects of Cuban politics in the post-transition era, we will examine aspects of political culture as they relate to the formation and practices of civil society in democracy. From this angle one can interpret some key dimensions of politics in particular settings. Transition to democracy (and its consolidation) depends on a multiplicity of factors, including elite decisions, institutional arrangements, pacts between competing social actors, a constitution and organizations typical of liberal democracies, a favorable moment in world history, supportive international structures, and a measure of good luck. Political and economic factors also impinge on the likelihood of democratic transitions and survival. But political and economic factors determine neither transition to democracy nor democratic stability. The impact of the economy on democracy is not automatic, unidirectional, or necessarily predictable. According to Mattiace and Camp (1996), democracy is the product of multiple causes working together. In contexts where the system confronts unresolved foundational issues and consensus is elusive – on such matters as how the political community is defined, who has authority, what the rules of the game are – political questions become an affair of the heart, lending themselves less to compromise and pragmatism. As a result, democracy tends to be endangered, particularly in places where institutional democratic norms are weak and personalism is high. This is likely to occur in Cuba after Fidel Castro (as it has before and during the socialist years). Though democracy will be established in Cuba sometime in the future, Cuban democracy will not conform to normative models of liberal democracy. Democracy in the way it is in Cuba will be characterized by features of incivility in civil society. The democracy that is most likely to emerge on the island will be far from perfect, will share striking continuities with the past, and will dash the hopes of many who dream of democracy. The cynicism about democracy also has a long genealogy in Cuban intellectual history. As far back as the nineteenth century cultural pessimists on the island have remarked on the frustration that has followed modern projects of independence, nationalism, republicanism, and democracy. Democratic aspirations have a long history on the island, as long as the trajectory of their frustration. The notion is not as alien to Cuban soil as many believe (Dealy, 1996)

Moby Dick Essay

In this video, we immediately learn of an obsessed captain who wants revenge. Why does he want revenge and against whom or what? He wants revenge against a white whale for taking his leg. 2.Who is the narrator of Moby Dick and what is the first line of the novel? Ishmael narrates the novel. 3.There are two significant Biblical allusions[->0] mentioned in the film. To whom do these allusions reference? How are the names significant? the name Ahab describes a king who turns vile. This suggesting that the Ahab of this novel will be a similarly conflicted leader. Also Ishmael shows independence and shows that he just wants to take care of himself. 4.The narrator states that Moby Dick symbolizes three different meanings for three different characters. List the characters and the meaning which Moby Dick symbolizes for each of them. Ahab sees Moby Dick as an evil thing. Ishmael sees Moby Dick as just a fish and an evil thing. while Starbuck sees Moby Dick as just a fish 5.Why did Melville choose to write about whaling? Why was the industry significant? He choses to write about whaling because he himself was in the industry. The industry gives light to the world because of the oil from the blubber. 6.What did Melville do when he was 21? He went to sea for whaling for about a year and a half. 7.What established writer did Melville befriend while he was writing Moby Dick? Melville befriended Nathaniel Hawthorne. 8.Comment on the four harpooners of the Pequod; politically, why were they significant? Queequeg’s dad was a king, Tashtego was an Indian, Dagoo was a African American, and Fedallah was a Farsi or Parsee. They were significant because they have already been to sea and they all want to live a life of adventure, not to mention it is bringing many cultures together for a common cause. 9.What happens to the Pequod towards the end of the book? Ahab? Ishmael? The boat was destroyed by Moby Dick, Ahab was killed by Moby Dick, and Ishmael was found by a whale ship after being washed out to sea. 10.What were the final years of Melville like? He became an employee of the customs house. New York Times Why do you think Ahab wanted to kill Moby Dick so bad? Why do you think that the captain hired so many different types of people from different cultures? Why do you think that you survived when Ahab didn’t?  Why was Moby Dick gunning for Ahab?  How was it possible for the ship to be destroyed by a whale? [->0] – http://learn.flvs.net/webdav/educator_eng3_v13/module3/lesmod03/glossary_3.htm?#allusion

Australia is physically and culturally unique

Australia’s multicultural attitude respects all cultures and races. Australia’s government is amazing because it was federated and democratic. Its climate varies throughout Australia because of its size. Australia is a truly fascinating continent/country/island. Its uniqueness is due to its flora with its many different plants. Its fauna and its many creatures only found in Australia. Australia’s lifestyle is also sought after because it can’t be found anywhere else. Also it landscape is almost unpredictable and also classifies Australia as a continent, country, and island. Its final asset is its development and technology, since Australia is a major contributor to medical studies and are leaders in sports technology. Now that you know briefly why Australia is unique, the rest of this report will elaborate further on them. Australia has a unique climate. It sits in many climate zones because of its large size. These zones include tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, and sub-temperate. Most of Australia has four seasons, summer, autumn, winter, and spring, in other places it is two seasons and they are the wet and dry seasons. From blistering hot temperatures in Darwin to below zero temperatures in Hobart, Australia’s climate is one of many things that make Australia unique. Next in line is Australia’s landscape. Australia has many different terrains from forests to deserts and this is also because of its large size. The edge of Australia is mostly green except for the western coast; the rest of Australia is mainly dry and arid. Australia’s shape, size, and location also make it a continent, country, and also an island. The flora in Australia is truly amazing. Australia has a wide range of flora, like bottle brushes, waratahs, and eucalyptus trees. All the plants mentioned are unique to Australia, with many more that haven’t been mentioned. These plants are also important to Australia’s fauna for habitat and food. These plants also make Australia a colourful and beautiful place. As mentioned in the above paragraph, Australian fauna is important to Australia. The creatures unique to Australia are the kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, emus, koalas, kookaburras, etc. If u look on the Australian emblem u should see two animals unique to Australia, the emu and the kangaroo. Australian lifestyle is well sought after. It is sought after because of the easy going, laid back nature of all Australians. Everyone seems to be happy and enjoying life while in America everyone is stressed and working very hard. The Australian lifestyle also involves the great outdoors. The dominant male is at the BBQ cooking shrimp and steak holding a VB while a game of cricket is going on in the background. These points make the Australian lifestyle favourable. The reason the Australian lifestyle is as it is now is because of its government. Australia originally had 6 colonies until it was federated in 1900. Since then Australia has improved and has learnt from past mistakes. The Australian government makes sure that all cultures and races are accepted as equals, which makes it a multicultural government. This brings us to the next point, multiculturalism. Australia is unique because it is one of the few countries where all cultures and races are respected for who they are and treated as equals. This makes Australia an ideal country to travel to for non-white people because it guarantees that they would be treated fairly while in this country. Australia is pretty significant when it comes to development and technology. Australia are major contributors to medical research especially in the cancer research section. Australians are also leaders in sports technology, mainly to do with rugby, cricket, and AFL. This makes Australia ideal for people interested in sports and cancer research. The following reasons above make me strongly believe that Australia is a unique country. To live in this amazing country is a privilege and should be respected because of it is a one of a kind country, and is confirmed in the above paragraphs.

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example Enron’s boss is cognizant that when I was working at the public hospital, Enron worked closely with the senior management of the hospital. Additionally, he was familiar with a number of both the hospital management and the government department of health. Following my experience in working in the public hospital is aware of the critical issues in the transfer the work from the public hospital to a private hospital. His firm pays large bonuses to employees who successfully move from the general hospital to private. Additionally, the accountants collude with the management in window dressing the financial statements to portray profits being generated by the hospital when it is not the case. The top management director had some information regarding the fall of the shares in the stock exchange. The manager made a point of selling the shares before disclosing such information to the public and respective investors over the future fall in the shares of the public hospital shares. It determination of the ethical dilemma it is necessary to determine the reason Enron was chosen is because of the experience and knowledge he had in the medical services of the eye patients and the familiarity he had with the senior management over some time with the government and the public hospital. The ethical requirements demand that there should be nothing like threats that might hinder the competency, professionalism, integrity or objectivity of the professional. In the above case, there exist are a number of threats to professionalism. There is a threat of self-interest (Williams, 2007). In the above case, it is well stated that the management has an offer of paying Enron a handsome amount after accepting the demands of the senior management. This raises the ethical dilemma. Another threat that is being portrayed is the threat of familiarity. It is clear that Enron has been working with the senior

The interview about communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The interview about communication - Essay Example The first question I asked my friend is related to his view regarding the relations between communications and culture. He believes that communication and culture are closely intertwined with each other. In fact, my friend holds that the lack or non-existence of culture would result to the impossibility of the development of communication, historically and vice versa. He gives an example of the development of the human species. He explained that the earliest days of human beings were close to the culture of communication. Communication first started out as a necessity for collective survival of human tribes. Eventually, culture was developed as humanity developed communication skills. It came to a point wherein human beings formed different societies, created their own culture, and produced cultural distinctions and differences. This leads to the next question regarding the method behind communication as a means to bridging cultural differences. My friend answers that finding a bridge between the cultural differences of people requires understanding the culture of others. Man must look and understand another culture for what it is without any preconceived judgments or prejudices. There is no such thing as a general application of one cultural aspect to another. Each culture has its own perspective regarding different matters or points of view. According to my friend, there is a tendency for many prevailing cultures to insist that their point of view regarding any matter applies, or should be applied and adhered to by other cultures.

Article review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article review - Assignment Example Moreover, I will suggest additional research finding that would make the article more authentic, and bring some more understandings. Parker begins by describing the economic history of depression. In this period, there was high rate of economic growth, and increased consumer spending and purchasing power. He claims that economic growth was only disrupted minimally by the three recessions that took place in 1923, 1924, and 1926 (Parker, 2010, Web). Parker also claims that the policy adopted by the federal government were key in economic growth. For example in the 1920’s, the Federal Reserve used monetary policies to stabilize business cycle fluctuations (Parker, 2010, Web). Moreover, there were also high demands of America goods, as World War 1 did not affect it like other European countries. In addition, the Gold Standards were not much entrenched during this period (Parker, 2010, Web). Secondly, Parker describes the beginning of the economic anguish. He talks of the federal government failures to notice dangers leading to the great depression. He says that deflation failed to operate, as it was case in the beginning of 1920. Moreover, the European economies had recovered and Gold Standards became a mode of transaction. He also focuses on failures of the economy, and factors that might have led to this failure. He describes failures in the bank claiming that there was no deposit insurance and this led to panic. He also cites various forms of contemporary explanation on the great Depression. For this reason, various theories are highlighted such as liquidationist theory. He also describes the modern explanation based on monetary hypothesis of Friedman and Schwartz together with the nonmonetary/financial hypotheses of Bernanke and Fisher (Parker, 2010, Web). Parker claims that based on his own understanding, the non-monetary theories cannot support the theories menti oned to account the state of the economy during

Capstone Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Capstone Project - Research Paper Example The company was exercising a share based compensation plan for its top executives comprising of stock options. These were also not reflected in the financial statements. The company is planning to enter into partnership for which it requires presenting financial report to IFRS. Negative impact of the fraudulent activity on the company followed by recommendations to CFO The inventory write downs are often associated with various negative impacts on the organization. It negatively impacts the operating performance of the organizations. It has been seen that the extreme sales growth in companies lead to higher chances of experiencing future inventory write down as compared to the moderate growing firms. The inventory is an important portion in the financial statement of any organization. The cost of goods sold contains inventory portion, which an organization sells during an accounting period. The inventory stands out to be paramount for the business as it helps in the computation of th e company’s gross profit indirectly. After the gross profit, the net income of the company is obtained by subtracting all the operating expenses from the gross profit figure. Thus, missing entire inventory value in the financial statement leads to misinterpretation of the growth profit as well as the net income of the company. Underestimation or overestimation of the cost of goods sold results in huge differences in the profit figure as well. The manipulation in the financial statements may lead to several consequences. The company might manipulate its financial data in order to hide the actual financial performance. The financial statement of any organization reflects its financial information based on which the stock prices are changed. This information assists the investors in making their investing decisions. The GAAP reflects true and fair view related to the financial information of any particular company. But many times it has been seen that the figures in the financia l statements get manipulated by the managers of the organizations in such manner that it bears no resemblance with real performance of the company. This can also be termed as the creative accounting method. The manipulation in the real figures of the items presented in the financial statement has a negative impact on the stock prices in the financial market and due to which the values get deviated from the actual values. This displays a misleading picture for the market which in turn misleads the investor’s decisions. Many research studies in the past have reflected positive abnormal returns because of the changes made in the actual earnings of the organization. The returns get altered depending on the validity of alteration in the total earning gained. If the accounting process is conducted in fair manner then this statement becomes highly profitable for an organization. But in case if manipulations or alterations have been done on the actual earni