Discuss the role of political parties in contemporary democracies Essay

Discuss the role of political parties in contemporary democracies. Assess whether parties have retained their position or are in - Essay Example In this manner citizens have a scope of exercising their ultimate control over the government (Rush 1998). Nature of Democracy The concept of social democracy, as manifested through a social state can be attributed to Tocqueville who was very impressed by the prevailing equality of status, manners, and customs in American society when he visited that country in 1831. He felt the essence of democracy has effectively permeated every strata of American society. This view was also echoed by Bryce who was completely overwhelmed by the egalitarian ethos of American society and felt it represented true democratic setup where each citizen felt they are on equal footing with each other fellow citizen (Bryce 1959). This feeling of equality is the lifeblood of a democratic society where democracy is more a way of life and a part of national psyche. Thus, it might be said that social democracy is an essential prerequisite for political democracy to strike firm roots in a country (Holden 1974). A s a political dispensation, democracy has to channelize and concentrate the wills of millions of citizens through some framework to the hands of the ruling few. This in a sense possibly violates basic democracy that is observed in small integrated communities. But between one-on-one democracy observed in such miniature closely knit groups and large scale democracies, there is a huge gap and it took entire humankind more than two millenniums to partially bridge that gap (Powell 1982). It must be remembered that democracy undergoes a metamorphosis as it traverses the hiatus between the micro and macro and it would be rather unfair to expect all the characteristics of micro democracies to be equally manifested in macro democracies. We can, however, conclude that macro democracies, though far from perfect, are nonetheless target oriented experiments and are not random potshots in the dark or conceived by a one or a small group of individuals who consider them to be more concerned and mo re informed than others (Sartori 1987). The whole issue about relevance of political parties in a democratic dispensation can however be judged with respect to several contexts as these happen to differ widely in their nature and content. Does ascent of O’Donnell signify descent of Republican Party? A case that might be investigated is that of the ascent of Christian O’Donnell. The ascendance of a relative outsider in the conservative echelons of American politics and the gradual emergence of tea party activists who were politically insignificant earlier brings to mind whether conventional political parties are on their way out and also whether American democracy has transcended the well established bounds of an essentially two party democracy. Christine O’Donnell is a vociferous campaigner of what she perceives as Christian moral values and is not known to have any well defined economic or political agenda. Yet such people are not only winning primaries by defe ating established politicians but also getting substantial approval from electorate as is apparent when she could garner nearly 40% of the votes polled. That she eventually lost the election is not that important as the

Department of state Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Department of state - Essay Example The first display that I would like to take the time to speak about concerned the efforts of the Peace Corp as a function of the work they have accomplished in different parts of Southeast Asia. The exhibit showed the harsh conditions coupled with the difficult work that the Peace Corps volunteers have performed as a means of providing fresh drinking water and means of sanitation to some of the more remote districts in places such as Burma and Bangladesh. The exhibit was eye opening because although it is common to hear about the Peace Corps working to better the lives of people in remote corners of the world, it is rare to actually see or hear information that directly relates to the methods by which they do this. Additionally, since news stories are almost always concentric upon the negative with relation to what is going on in the world, it was necessary to visit the museum in order to see first hand some of the things that are being done. Secondly, I spent some time at an exhibit of Joseph E. Davies personal correspondence. To those that are not familiar with him, Joseph E. Davies is the US Ambassador who was responsible for meeting with Joseph Stalin during World War II. As such, the personal correspondence helped to reveal a side of Soviet Russia and the interactions that he had with Joseph Stalin that would otherwise be unknown to history. Furthermore, even though Joseph E. Davies presented an optimistic view of the Soviet Union to the president (FDR), he held a bit of resentment towards the Soviet Union as a result of the show trials that were currently being carried out upon the instructions of Joseph Stalin. With relation to how each of these related to the overall class them, it should be noted that each display helps to show the spirit of integration and involvement with which US diplomacy and foreign

Sacrifices that the Immigrant Parents Make by Coming to Live and to Essay

Sacrifices that the Immigrant Parents Make by Coming to Live and to Work in the United States - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that parents always find the â€Å"sacrifices† that they make for their families quite easy to bear. For instance, a mother can easily give up her career and become a house wife so as to make sure that her husband and her children have a comfortable daily life. A father can give up his dream job in order not to leave his wife and children in town. While every good parent has to make some sacrifices for the good of their families,   the immigrate parents sacrifice the most in order to give their children a better life. In order to effectively meet the financial and the economic needs of their families, the immigrant parents leave their homes or their hometowns in search of greener pasture abroad. The immigrant parents find it quite challenging to leave their hometowns with which they have already developed emotional attachments. Another major challenge that many immigrant parents face in foreign countries is the challenge of learnin g another new language. Despite these challenges that immigrant parents face in foreign countries, many people, however, especially in the United States have misconceptions or misunderstandings about immigrate parents. Many people in the United States think that the immigrant parents find it easy to stay in the United States; other people think that the main reason behind the immigrant parents coming to the United States is all about money

Philosophy Exam Questions Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Exam Questions Essay What is Plato’s theory of recollection? What is it about and how does it work?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato’s theory of recollection states that all knowledge a person has ever known or will know already exists in his/her memory. As a result, time and learning are simply illusions; they are the process of remembering everything. To prove his theory, Plato presents an example. It concerns Socrates and a slave. Socrates gives the slave a series of geometrical diagrams and questions, asking him to solve them. The slave does so, without having any mathematical training before. Thus, because the slave was able to do so, Socrates says that the only he could was because he had prior knowledge in a previous existence and was simply recollecting that knowledge. Plato held that it is better to suffer injustice than to commit one. Why? What is Plato’s theory of justice?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato’s theory of justice states that, on an individual level, justice is a human virtue responsible for making a person consistent and good; on a social level, justice is what makes a society harmonious and good. Therefore, to suffer an injustice is better, as the person suffering that injustice remains virtuous. The virtue stems from maintaining one’s values, both as an individual and within society. Discuss Plato’s view of death. What is the nature of death for Plato, and what, in his view should be the philosopher’s reaction to the prospect of it? Explain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato’s view of death is presented in the Phaedo, and is of a nonchalant nature. He believes that death is something that should not be feared, as it is the natural course of things to come to life, as well as to die. Through Socrates, he maintains that one of the goals of practicing philosophy is to prepare for death. He believes that it frees the soul from the body as much as possible while one is still alive. Therefore, death is something of a virtue, as it prepares one for having an immortal soul. How does God function in the views of Descartes and Berkeley?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both Descartes and Berkeley use the concept of God in their arguments by introducing God as the cause of a person’s ideas. However, this is where the similarity ends. Descartes states that God is the only possible cause of the idea of God, while matter is the cause of all other ideas. Berkeley states that God is the only possible cause of all ideas. Thus, God is a Divine Mind from which all ideas come. Explain Descartes’ method of doubt. What is it and what is its value for philosophical enquiry?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Descartes’ method of doubt is a philosophical strategy in which the goal is to defeat skepticism. One must begin by doubting the truth of everything, not just the evidence of the senses or the evidence of culture, but the fundamental process of reasoning itself. If a specific truth can survive this extreme challenge, then it must be completely true and thus, a certain foundation for knowledge. In regard to its value for philosophical enquiry, this method is much like Socrates’ method of seeking the truth. It allows one to go through various theories and muddle through various questions in order to seek their own truth. What is Descartes’ wax example about? How do you think Berkeley would explain the same event?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Descartes believes that the human mind is capable of thought and perception. He explains this concept by way of an example concerning wax. It is evident that solid wax and melted wax are both wax. Therefore, perception is not just a function of the senses, but also a reasoning of the mind. The ultimate conclusion for Descartes, then, is the fact that the mind is the only thing that is definitively in existence. Berkeley would agree with Descartes, as he also believes that the mind is the only substance that truly exists. For him, the wax in both forms would not be considered an existing entity, as he does not believe that the physical world exists. What is Berkeley’s view of the distinction between primary and secondary qualities? How does his view differ from Descartes?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Berkeley, upon examining the perception of things, came to the conclusion that any information he has must be considered secondary qualities. Therefore, they are functions of his mind. He rejects the existence of primary qualities, because to him, the mind is the only substance that exists. Descartes says otherwise. He believes that every substance has two types of properties. There is the primary quality, which is the heart of existence; then there is the secondary quality, which focuses on the senses. In simple terms, for Berkeley, there is no primary quality; for Descartes, there is. Describe Russell’s criticism of Berkeley’s idealism. Do you agree with his criticism? Explain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When criticizing Berkeley’s theory of idealism, Russell examines every aspect and counters each point with his own. He points out that Berkeley’s initial reasoning concerning sense-data are valid. However, it is from this point on that Russell begins to dispute Berkeley. He points out that the idea of something being in the mind is a bit difficult to understand, as his meaning of idea is confusing. In the end, Russell states that the ultimate fallacy of Berkeley’s argument is that one can apprehend what is in his or her mind. Finally, Russell states that the nature of knowledge completely refutes Berkeley’s argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Russell’s belief that Berkeley is incorrect in stating that ideas are of the mind is not completely acceptable. Berkeley’s concept is not hard to grasp, as it is in the mind that most ideas develop. Many of the concepts developed within philosophy stem from a simple idea formulated in one’s mind. Therefore, Berkeley is partially correct in his belief. However, Russell makes a valid point that if one believes that things only exist in the mind, the ability for man to gain knowledge would be limited. Since one does not want knowledge to be limited in any way, Berkeley’s concept of idealism can be dismissed in some regards. According to Russell, what is the point of doing philosophy?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Russell does not provide a point, but rather an aim for doing philosophy. He states that the aim is to achieve knowledge through inquiry and criticism. However, philosophy does not contain certainties like other fields of study do. Yet, according to Russell, it is those very uncertainties that make the study of philosophy so vital to humanity. Thus, doing philosophy not only helps to find answers to questions about the world around, but it also helps to keep one inquisitive about that world.

Animal Farm, by George Orwell :: Animal Farm Essays

The novel Animal Farm by George Orwell was a very interesting, complex, and informing novel. In the novel, George Orwell uses farm animals to portray people of power and the common people during the Russian Revolution. The novel starts off with Major explaining to all the animals in the farm how they are being treated wrongly and how they can over throw their owner, Mr. Jones. They finally gang up on their owner and he leaves the farm. Then they start their own farm with their own rules and commandments. Originally the two people in charge of the "Animal Farm", which they titled it, were Napoleon and Snowball. Napoleon was really greedy and wanted all the power to be his, so he got the animals to turn on Snowball and make him leave the farm. After Napoleon took over the pigs started disobeying the commandments that the pigs, as well as all the other animals, organized and wrote down at the beginning of their take over. Soon the pigs have disobeyed, and/or changed every law there was from the beginning, and the pigs start acting and looking like humans. After that "Animal Farm" slowly starts to loose power and Mr. Jones takes back over. This is a style analysis of Animal Farm. Diction, language and imagery are three important elements in a style analysis. A word choice that is used a lot in the novel is "rebellion". Rebellion is a word used instead of a revolution or a war. Another word that is used a lot in the novel is "comrade". Comrade means an intimate friend or associate. Comrade is used in that form in the novel, instead of saying that someone was their friend the animals called him their comrade. "’No, comrades, a thousand times no!’"(p. 28), that quote was used when one of the animals is expressing to his friends that they will no longer take what man has to offer. Personification is the attribution of human characteristics to something

Organizational Performance Management Essay

Each Learning Team member must select a different type of health care organization to study for the purpose of this group assignment. You are encouraged to select a different type of organization from the one chosen in the Week Three individual assignment but it’s not necessary. Group members compare their chosen organizations to complete the table and paper. Resources: Organizational Performance Management Table and Paper Grading Criteria and University of Phoenix Material: Organizational Performance Management Table Conduct a group discussion and address the following points:  · Summarize the type of health care organization you selected.  · Compare the main regulatory and accreditation standards that apply to each type of organization and identify standards that apply broadly to most or all types of health care organizations.  · Discuss the influence of regulatory and accreditation standards on performance-management systems.  · Discuss how the performance-management systems affect risk and quality management in each type of organization.  · Identify key areas in the organization that will have direct responsibility for carrying out the day-to-day responsibilities associated with the regulations or standards.  · Identify other areas in the organization that will be indirectly affected by the regulations or standards.  · Outline what oversight activities you could use to ensure that the regulatory and accreditation requirements are being implemented and are achieving the desired results. Collaborate to write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you address the following points:  · Address the similarities and differences among the types of organizations.  · †¦ Follow the link Now for full guide – https://bitly.com/1DNjhaY Look into attending community college for your first year or two. By taking your basic core studies at a community college, you can save a considerable amount of money. You can then transfer all of your credits to a university of your choice. If the cost of a 4-year degree is beyond what you can afford, this is a good option. General Questions – General General Questions Each Learning Team member must select a different type of health care organization to study for the purpose of this group assignment. You are encouraged to select a different type of organization from the one chosen in the Week Three individual assignment but it’s not necessary. Group members compare their chosen organizations to complete the table and paper. Resources: Organizational Performance Management Table and Paper Grading Criteria and University of Phoenix Material: Organizational Performance Management Table Conduct a group discussion and address the following points:  · Summarize the type of health care organization you selected.  · Compare the main regulatory and accreditation standards that apply to each type of organization and identify standards that apply broadly to most or all types of health care organizations.  · Discuss the influence of regulatory and accreditation standards on performance-management systems.  · Discuss how the performance-management systems affect risk and quality management in each type of organization.  · Identify key areas in the organization that will have direct responsibility for carrying out the day-to-day responsibilities associated with the regulations or standards.  · Identify other areas in the organization that will be indirectly affected by the regulations or standards.  · Outline what oversight activities you could use to ensure that the regulatory and accreditation requirements are being implemented and are achieving the desired results. Collaborate to write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you address the following points:  · Address the similarities and differences among the types of organizations.  · Propose how each organization will monitor performance, achieve regulatory and accreditation compliance, and improve overall organizational performance.

Light Emitting Diode

LIGHT EMITTING DIODES Light Emitting Diodes are electronic components that use the flow of electrons to excite materials into emitting photons of light. A diode is a basic electronic component that allows electricity to flow one way only. The discovery of â€Å"light emitting† diodes we believe was an accident sometime around 1907 when a diode in an early radio transmitter was noticed to glow when in use. Incandescent bulbs use resistance in a filament to impede the flow of electricity, heating up to a degree which emits light.It takes high amounts of energy to do this and the filament burns out in time and high levels of wasted energy are given off in the form of heat. Quite a â€Å"green† product from a manufacturing and chemical/recyclable point of view. CFL â€Å"energy savers†, fluorescent tubes and many other conventional lamps use higher frequency alternating current to excite harmful chemicals to emit light. One 5 foot 1,5meter tube contains enough mercur y to contaminate a swimming pool. Billions have been dumped into waste disposal. Heavy metal poisons have a cumulative effect.In the long term these cannot be a â€Å"fix† for the energy crisis we face today. They are poisoning our earth and also us directly through the food chain and locally with emission of harmful UV. So â€Å"Energy savers† are in the writers opinion very dangerous and should be banned. Aquifers for example may soon be or may already have been rendered unusable. Cape Town for example has water shortages in summer, but our municipal uncontrolled dumps are sitting on top of these aquifers. With poison being cumulative up the food chain, we worry about the safety of this water.A lot of our vegetables are grown in this area, using this aquifer water. Has this water or these vegetables been tested? LED lighting uses less energy than most other lighting sources, with current commercially available product generation producing 90 or more lumens per watt a nd doing so with a good power factor. Initial start up current is not high so production capacity of electricity can be reduced. Led lighting can give the illusion of natural light and thus the lit area may not be so obvious as with the predominantly yellow wash from other technologies.However, this warm effect can be created with the appropriate (warm) colour scale choice of LED. (Kelvin scale) LED lamps can be made to any specific colour from infra-red to ultra violet for specific requirement. For example, the pure white, 5000-6000K or daylight white 6000-7000k (slightly blue to look at) will greatly enhance viewing of detail, help old tired eyes with reading and greatly improves CCTV camera image quality. The limited white light band emitted by LED luminaries with very little long wavelength red light content, does not reflect off glass for example so that CCTV cameras will view inside of vehicles for example.Visual quality control of food products and manufactured goods is enhan ced. Finishing lines for the automotive industry will clearly show up any blemishes for example. LED useful life span is longer than most other forms of lighting. Actually LED lifespan is governed more by the mains power supply conversion components that drive them. The LED component should be good for 50 000 hours with acceptable loss of output , however the lamp will be limited by the lifespan of the driver which is likely to be 20 to 30 000 hours. The driver converts your input mains Alternating Current to Direct Current.The led itself being a diode, runs on low DC voltage. I prefer constant voltage power supplies to drive LED's as opposed to constant current drivers. Constant current drivers are a little more energy efficient but we have found in practice that they cause the LED to run too hot for our liking and in some circumstances don't switch the current fast enough and pop the led. Constant voltage â€Å"switch mode† power supplies have a wide input voltage tolerance , are very efficient and have internal short circuit, temperature and overload protection circuits with automatic recovery.Conventional low voltage down lights for example mostly use copper wound transformers. Output voltage of transformers follow the input voltage. These type of transformers are around 50% efficient so it takes approx 75watts to run a 50watt lamp. This could be replaced by a 6watt LED lamp that would use 7watts taking the power supply in to account. Power factor would be improved. LED's run extremely cool relative to â€Å"conventional† lamps so can also save on air conditioning. A fluorescent or incandescent lamp in a fridge is effectively having a fire inside a fridge.High power LED's do run hotter, but not nearly as hot as metal halide, fluorescent, HPS or incandescent. LED lamps are recyclable and contain no harmful toxins. In addition to this the manufacturing process of this produces less carbon emissions than some other older type of lamps. No hazardo us substance disposal procedure required. They will have relatively high recycle value and can achieve Restriction of Hazardous Substances certification. The light output is colour specific, which does not degrade over time. Unlike most other light sources, they emit very low levels of harmful UV and infra-red rays.For food processing areas, our lamps, if broken, will not contaminate the area and can be made with PVC or poly carbonate covers so no broken glass issues either. (food production plants) LED is available in many guises, so most of your old fittings can be retrofitted with LED to minimize cost and waste. (tubes, bulkheads, downlights etc) LED lighting is directional, so light pollution in to neighbouring areas can be contained. This also allows for much lower power for example in the case of reading lamps. (task lighting).Less confusion blinding night creatures, less attraction and little or no killing of insects. The Earth Power team appeals to you to support the growing LED lighting industry which is open to all, unlike the â€Å"conventional† lighting industry which is dominated by wealthy giant corporations who all helped in getting us in to this trouble in the first place. We have been working with LED technology specifically for 4 years now and have identified many top quality reliable products and technologies. These products exceed our expectations and do more than just the job in hand.This technology has leaped in the last few years and continues to move forward. Our dedicated team consists of the founder with 35years owned business experience in the electronics industry an experienced QS , our marketing relationship manageress with a legal degree and our in-training technicians and support staff. EarthPower has quickly become a strong well know brand. We may not be the first to offer LED lighting in South Africa, but we are one of the pioneers and with 4 years dedication, one of the most experienced. Remember, we are all the incumbe nt custodians of our planet.