Abstract This paper examines how getting the best out of the students is the ultimate purpose of education and how it is the responsibility of instructors and educational policy makers to provide the best possible learning environment for the children. In particular, it looks at how the "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB) is a wake-up call for public school teachers and administrators to raise their standards of teaching to a new level of efficiency. It explores how the NCLB is a formidable task for the teachers, posing new administrative problems, and how these issues alone cannot be allowed to affect our commitment to the program, which promises a new hope and a new future for today's American students.
From the Paper "The direct consequence of the NCLB act is that it puts added pressure on the teachers to make the students perform well in the CAP (comprehensive assessment programs) given at the end of the year. A survey conducted revealed that majority of the public are not satisfied with the scheme of judging the performance based on a single test. [Lowell C. Rose] There are increasing reports of instances where teachers are taking to unethical methods to achieve the desired results. For example a recent situation in Tennessee schools project a rather bleak picture. Twenty-two public schools in Tennessee have been ordered to restructure their plans and to improve the performance in the next year failing which they would be taken over by the State."
Abstract This paper examines how, in 1994, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada signed a treaty that would foster the abuse and neglect of people, the environment, and culture of the North Americans and how it called for all barriers on goods and services between the countries of North America to be phased out by 2009. It shows how, on one hand, this meant a business could move to Mexico, where people who had been out of work for years would work in squalid conditions for next to nothing, and how it also meant laying off hundreds of thousands of hard-working American workers. The paper attempts to demonstrate that NAFTA is detrimental to both U.S. and Mexican economies because it enables the exportation of U.S. jobs and mistreatment of Mexican workers.
Outline
Background
Chronology
NAFTA's Downside
The Positive Side to NAFTA
Personal View
Solutions
Conclusion
From the Paper "NAFTA has shown no increase to the Mexican economy though much pollution has been linked to it. There are currently 1,900 malquidoras in Mexico. Studies conducted along the border have shown that large amounts of the pollution can be attributed to raw sewage and wood smoke produced by these factories. Of these 1,900 malquidoras 1,000 produce hazardous waste. Only 30% of these comply with Mexican environmental codes and merely 19% dispose of their toxic waste properly (Donahue). Much of this is inhibited by the Mexican government's lack of enforcement on the low regulations they have (Lowenstein)."
Abstract On October 24, 2001, just six weeks after the September 11th attacks and under the guise of national security, a prosecutor's wish list, not limited to terrorists, was born. This paper argues that, while the Patriot Act contains many appropriate provisions, it is specifically oppressive in reference to some of its expansive powers, which infringe on citizens? civil liberties. It further argues that the United States, the original model of democracy around the world, should be able to protect and defend itself without sacrificing the constitutional rights granted to its citizens.
From the Paper "Furthermore, the aforementioned searches are not subject to the sunset clause attached to some of the Patriot Act's extended powers. What is particularly ominous about these searches is underlined by Tracey Maclin, a leading expert on the Fourth Amendment. Professor Maclin warns that these break-ins are not tied only to cases in which national security or threats from foreign agents appear to be the focus of investigations. It can apply to any criminal investigation (as cited in Hentoff, War 40). Therefore, with the sneak and peak warrants, the government can break into any citizens home, search and confiscate anything deemed necessary, and avoid notifying the person for an indefinite amount of time."
Abstract This paper argues that any text is a source of endless speculation, argument and debate in relation to three poems by William Butler Yeats: "Sailing to Byzantium", "Easter 1916" and "Wild Swans at Coole". Each poem is analysed through two critical approaches, namely New Critical, which focuses on the specific devices used by the poet in the actual poems and Marxist, which looks at the context of the poet and poem to extract meaning.
From the Paper ""Sailing to Byzantium" is not an exception to the fact that any text is a source of endless speculation, argument and debate. The debate in this poem arises over the interpretation of the golden bird that is "set upon a bough to sing". A New Critical reading of the golden bird holds that it is a symbol of the "artifice of eternity" and the ideal world of art. The golden bird defies all change and, as apart of art, comments on life and the natural world which is subject to mutability and transformation. A Marxism, however, argues that the golden bird along with the "holy city of Byzantium" represent aristocratic values, and the stability and immutability of the aristocracy is what Yeats yearns for. To a Marxist, nature symbolizes a society that changes."
This paper discusses Benjamin Barber's views on "thin democracy" and "strong democracy" as expresses in his book "Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age".
Abstract This paper explains that Benjamin Barber in his book "Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age" defines 'thin democracy" as a democracy in which leaders are elected but they are left to their own devices concerning the majority of issues; people have the powers, which democracy provides, but the demonstration of these powers is primarily manifested in the form of elections. The author points out that Barber is convincing in making his point that "thin democracy" has a tendency to strip citizens of their sense of purpose as manifested by the voter participation rate stagnating in the U.S. at about half of those eligible. The paper stress that Barber loves the thought of a "strong democracy" in which it is not the leaders who make a democracy great but rather an active, informed citizenry.
From the Paper ""Thin democracy" takes the stance that average citizens are not interested in political matters and are not capable or adequate enough to directly participate in the political process themselves, beyond electing officials. Benjamin Barber feels that the United States democracy is thin and poorly represents the entire population at large. Significant portions of citizens are unable to vote due to restrictions or simply choose to be complacent and abstain from voting. Citizens under the age of eighteen are restricted from voting, as are prisoners, and persons living within the borders who are not nationalized. Citizens who are active in a thin democracy mainly participate in it by electing persons and then monitoring their political decisions (if they choose to do so), allowing the elected (those seen by the majority to have the most expertise and capability to discern what best represents the will of the majority) to do the actual work."
Abstract This paper explains that over 500 detainees from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan have been brought to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by the U.S. government under the assumption that they are dangerous terrorists and a threat to the United States. The author points out that (1) they were brought to Cuba because it is not U.S. soil thus the military can deny them the rights guaranteed under the United States Constitution, such as due process, independent counsel and a speedy trial, and (2) they do not even have rights under the Geneva Convention since the U.S. has not declared them prisoners of war, instead labeling them "enemy combatants". The paper contends that the fallout from this situation at Guantanamo Bay has been that the world now sees the U.S. as a hypocrite following constitutional rights only when it is in the country's best interests.
Table of Contents
Constitutional Amendments of the United States of America
Introduction
Justice for All
Convenience of the "Enemy Combatants" Label
What's Going on at Guantanamo Bay?
The Abused as Abusers
International Quagmire
Crusade for National Security
The End is Near?
From the Paper "There are even conflicting reports from the same agency. The Red Cross released a report in 2002 stating that there was no torture going on at Guantanamo and then later did an about-face and condemned the treatment of those same prisoners (Cole). Some prisoners who were released talked about physical and mental torture, being isolated for months at a time, being led around with a dog collar, being attacked by dogs, having to wear women's clothing and of being subjected to the desecration of the Quran in front of them (having pages ripped out and flushed down the toilet). Many of these "tortures" have been confirmed by the US government, namely the FBI (Ardiente), with a shrug and grin, as if they are a practice so common (or relatively innocuous compared to what else they might do) that they are confused as to why anyone would be upset by them."
Tags: constitution, denial, enemy-combatants, hypocrite, muslim
A position paper arguing that the Founding Fathers were more intent on preserving their self-interests, when they wrote the U.S. Constitution, than preserving democracy.
700 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 3 sources, 1998, $ 24.95
From the Paper "The American Constitution of 1787 established both a lasting government for the United States and, contemporarily, the most democratic government in the world. Nevertheless, it would be a grave logical fallacy to conclude that the Founding Fathers supported extreme democratization of American society merely because democratization was the result of their actions. Rather, the Founding Fathers shrewdly protected their own interests while drafting the Constitution. The Constitution epitomized self-interest of the Founding Fathers."
A discussion of the NSA's ability to intercept ordinary e-mails, faxes, telexes, and telephone communications carried over the world's telecommunications networks.
1,210 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 7 sources, 2000, $ 41.95
From the Paper "The National Security Agency, or NSA, is a branch of the U.S. government responsible for monitoring data, and encoding and encrypting top-secret messages. Originally set up in 1952, it coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to protect U.S. information systems and produce foreign intelligence information. It enlists hundreds of the country's most skilled mathematicians and uses state-of-the-art computers in order to ensure that information is not leaked from the country, as well as to intercept messages from potential threats to the nation's security ("About NSA"). "
This essay examines Locke's social contract between people and sovereign and how Locke embraces the people's right of revolution, and assigns the sovereign reciprocal responsibilities to his subjects that Hobbes does not do.
2,160 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 3 sources, 2000, $ 67.95
Abstract To substantiate the social contract as a valid justification for the political order, I will primarily examine Locke's social contract between people and sovereign, rather than Hobbes's social contract among the people, because Locke's theory is generally superior and more contemporarily relevant. I will first examine the pre-political state of persons, which is the state of nature, and demonstrate that rational individuals are compelled to enter society by agreeing to the social contract. Secondly, I will discuss the principal advantage of the social contract, which is that the government is legitimized by the consent of the people. Thirdly, I will discuss the principal advantage peculiar to Locke's formulation of the social contract, which is that the sovereign is held accountable for his actions. To more thoroughly examine the validity of the social contract in justifying a political order, I will discuss a possible objection to the use of the social contract, namely, that the social contract cannot oblige any but those who originally formed such a contract.
From the Paper "After the English Civil War, justifying political authority became a particularly pressing concern. After all, the nation fought a bloody war to determine whether its supreme authority would be King Charles I, who claimed rule by divine right, or the Parliament. Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan was published in 1651, shortly after the Rump Parliament voted to execute the often-intractable Charles I in 1649. The chaos of the Civil War, regicide, and the establishment of Cromwell's Protectorate surely led Hobbes to favor a sovereign with absolute power. In contrast, Locke's Second Treatise on Government, published in 1690, was greeted by a starkly different English political culture. The 1688 Glorious Revolution, a bloodless coup in which the last Catholic monarch, James II, was finally deposed, allowed for the acceptance of the English Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights finally guaranteed the supremacy of Parliament and the political and civil rights of the people. Granted the historical fact of the Glorious Revolution, Locke embraces the people's right of revolution, and assigns the sovereign reciprocal responsibilities to his subjects that Hobbes does not do. Although Hobbes and Locke ultimately design markedly different states, each justifies the political order with a social contract. The social contract does, indeed, provide a convincing justification for the political order."
Tags: government, hobbes, john, leviathan, locke, on, second, thomas, treatise
An overview of the contributions of both Smith and Marx, as well as an examination of both systems, which concludes that the market system is indeed preferable to laissez-faire.
1,020 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 12 sources, 1999, $ 36.95
Abstract This paper provides a good overview of the contributions of both Smith and Marx, as well as a good examination of both systems, while coming to the conclusion that the market system is indeed, preferable to laissez-faire.
An analysis of how both democracies are born of the same imperial template with similar political sub cultures, yet although similar, their political cultures are different.
3,770 words (approx. 15.1 pages), 8 sources, 2000, $ 103.95
Abstract Background
British Influence in the US and Canada
US Civil War ? It's affect on Canada's constitution
Constitutional Divergence ? Canada, US, and England
Political Culture
Political Sub Culture
Statistical Facts
Tags: canada, political, science, us, united, states
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between religion and government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It looks at the effects foreign influence, technology, and oil have had on the importance of religion in Saudi Arabia. The paper also provides an account of Saudi Arabia's emergence as an independent state, the formation of its legal code, and different elements of traditional Islamic culture and religion. Also included is an analysis of Saudi Arabia's importance to the Muslim religion.
Tags: arab, east, international, middle, politics, religion
Abstract This paper discusses treatment of Native Americans? rights to their sacred sites under US Constitutional law. Three law journal articles are reviewed and utilized to form a thesis promoting the concept of communal religious rights. Historical background is provided also.
From the Paper "The first clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states: ?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.?[1] However, throughout U.S. history, the federal government has deliberately restricted and prohibited the religious practices of North America's indigenous Native Americans. Rather than confront this severe blight on the country's human rights record, the various branches of the Euro-cultured U.S. government gloss over past transgressions of First Amendment rights, even as they attempt to justify new violations of Native Americans? religious rights."
Abstract This essay explains Bentham's reasons for developing utilitarianism as both a social and political framework. It examines utilitarianism in an individual and private environment, as well as its workings in a more widespread and universal atmosphere. The latter part of this essay focuses on the viability of utilitarianism in the public sphere, and whether it provides appropriate guidance for government policy-making. The main objective of this part of the essay is to determine whether Bentham's principle of utility is appropriate as the foundation of a political structure. Thusly, it focuses on the attributes and failings of the principle of utility as a public philosophy.
From the Paper "Bentham's theory of utilitarianism was a result of deficiencies in government institutions in his country, and their failing to adequately serve the general satisfaction of its population. The principle of utility is based on intrinsic facts that motivate individuals, namely pleasure and pain. It is human nature to pursue pleasure and to avoid pain. Therefore what we ought and ought not to do is determined by these two "sovereign masters". The element of pleasure or pain involved in an action determines whether or not an individual, or group of people proceed with that action. All forms of utilitarianism are consequential. In every circumstance or action, a consequence is identified and then compared with the consequence of inaction.Whichever produces the greatest happiness is what ought to be done."
Abstract This paper details Oliver Stone's film "Platoon" as a commentary on modern warfare and a look into the human psyche. It is written from the perspective of a student studying the causes of war and discusses the the often brutal portrayal of warfare in modern filmmaking. A look a the causes and repercussions of warfare and a brief discussion of the Vietnam Conflict are also included.
From the Paper "Although upon cursory inspection, Oliver Stone's masterpiece of war cinematography, ?Platoon,? is essentially a film about Vietnam, it has become a model for how the world views war in the late twentieth century. It is a film that documents the actions and emotions of a platoon of U.S. Army infantrymen in the steamy jungles of Southeast Asia during the height of the Vietnam War. The central character is Chris Taylor -- a green "flatfoot" neophyte, wide eyed, and fearful of the confusing realities of war that characterized the experiences of most soldiers sent to Vietnam. Chris? platoon is run largely by Staff Sergeant Barnes ("affectionately" referred to as just Barnes for much of the film), who is Stone's characterization of a paper Satan."
Tags: fog, human, movie, psyche, review, vietnam, war, warfare
