Home Schooling :: Education Violence Essays

Home Schooling Home schooling is defined by Miriam Webster’s online dictionary as â€Å"to teach school subjects to one’s children at home.† (Miriam Webster online dictionary). Home schooling is becoming an increasingly popular for parents. Home schooling instructional styles can vary from home to home. â€Å"†¦from a daily routine following a scheduled curriculum to a child-led learning in which parents supervise and help.† (Educational Resources Information Center). Home schooling is often a hard choice to make and many things must be taken into account before making the decision. Many parents are afraid of school buildings. After Columbine, parents seem scared to let their child walk into a school building. Parents may also disagree with what is taught in their child’s classroom. Some want total autonomy over what their child is exposed to. According to a CBS news articles, â€Å" Parents feel that they can provide a better education at home, religious reasons, there is a poor learning environment at home, family reasons, and they feel that their children will develop character and morality (CBSnewsstories.com). Parents have the opportunity to teach their children what they feel should be taught. They can teach the morals that they believe in, the religious factions that they believe in, and what they feel are the important aspects of life. Also children have the autonomy to choose when and where they want to study. For example, a child could do English from 8:00-9:30, then do soccer from 9:30-10:30 and then finish the day doing work. The child is no t confined to a regimented 6-hour learning day and a 2-hour practice time. The child can make his/her own schedule and may even be more interested to do the work because he or she planned it out. â€Å"Children can learn about things they are interested in at a time in their lives when they are ready to learn. No preconceived schedule forces them ahead or holds them back. Vacations and outings can be planned for times when the family is ready, and often when the crowds are smaller and the costs lower.† (CBSnewsstories.com). Children who may be better in math than English have the opportunity to take a higher level math class while remaining in a lower level English class. This flexibility can help children to enjoy school more and let parents know that their child is on the right track in each subject area.

Essay --

Being born into a Indian family, where the cuisine is exquisite makes staying healthy and fit almost impossible. Almost everything we eat is fried and full of oil and butter. Instead of eating small meals with snacks in between we eat three big meals. Although most of the food is cooked at home it is still full of fat. Indians are known for their amazing food and the reason it tastes so heavenly is because of all the oil and butter in it. Who can resist the temptation of such delicious food? Did you know that obesity is part of the top 10 factors of death? Being obese can cause serious problems and can be dangerous for normal life. Obesity is a common problem nowadays, which occurred because of various factors such as, development of human civilization, transport, media and communication devices. The increase in technology makes people lazier, rarely moving and spending their free time sitting in front of the computer. People are giving up quality for speed, is it worth it? Obesity i s a major issue I deal with almost everyday, I have several family members who are obese. My family members who are obese don’t care that they are obese and they just continue living the wrong type of lifestyle. They argue that obesity is a disease when many just say it’s a lifestyle. Being obese isn’t easy, yet half the people in America chose nothing to do about it. If people do not do anything to get rid of obesity then the cycle will continue to go on and I need to figure out how to get obese people to live a healthier lifestyle and influence these people to break the cycle. This semester I will be researching on whether obesity is a disease or a lifestyle. I also want to research why the sudden rise in obesity, and what can be done to reduce it. ... ...healthy and not exercise. Eating vegetables and working out is not easy but it is something that needs to be done to maintain a healthy life. Growing up I was surrounded by obese people and tried to eat as healthy as I can so that I would not become obese. While my family would be eating dessert I would eat vegetables. Instead of watching T.V with the rest of my family, I would go outside and play. I guess you can say I was born to be health conscious and want the rest of the world to be healthy also. Researching on obesity is going to be very interesting and seeing the differences in people’s opinions on whether it is a disease or a lifestyle is going to be another interesting aspect. Writing about this topic will help me help those who need some kind of motivation to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. Obesity is a huge issue that needs special attention.

Gay Marriage Essay

Marriage as defined by Chambers 21st Century Dictionary is one the state or relationship of being husband and wife, two the act or legal contract of becoming husband and wife and three the civil or religious ceremony during which this act is performed; a wedding. Gay marriage has been a topic that has been discussed in the United States for several years now. You have people that have different viewpoints on how they feel about gay marriage more so the big question everyone argues is whether it is right or wrong. We will be discussing gay marriage in this paper focusing on the ethical problems this issue faces. We will look at gay marriage from the deontology theory and then contract the theory from the relativism, emotivism and ethical egoism theory. Lastly I will discuss which of these views I discussed is closer to my view on gay marriage. Growing up I was always told marriage is between a man and a woman and that God wants us to be married and be fruitful and multiply, fruitful meaning having children. This is something that I was told by my parents, grandparents and the church. I chose to discuss gay marriage because it is really something that I have conflicting feelings about based on what I think is right and what I have been told is right, when I was growing up as a young child in a Christian environment. Many Christians quote that God found it unacceptable for same sex relations to take place, because it is wrong. Furthermore, God created woman for man and man for woman, not woman for woman or man for man, as stated in the book of Genesis. You have polls that have been conducted where people still think that gay marriage is wrong. Then religion may be one of the most controversial issues regarding gay marriage, many religions find gay marriage to be immoral and a sin. I think that same sex marriage should be allowed although many of my family and friends wouldn’t agree with my choice. I look at the issue like any other issue that our country has faced like women suffrage and slavery. I don’t think a couple should be discriminated or treated unfairly just because of their sexual preference. The United States of America Constitute states that all men are created equal and have certain unalienable rights. Thomas Jefferson offered as his examples of such rights â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness† (Mosser, 2010). So shouldn’t same sex couples be allowed to have those same rights, shouldn’t they be able to enjoy the life of an American dream that we all aim to achieve. By not being able to pursue these rights we could look at this as a violation of the Constitution. This can present an ethical problem for same sex marriage. Deontology ethics claims that the way to decide if an action is moral is to examine the intentions. Mosser writes that â€Å"deontology looks at the reason for which an act is done, and the rule according to which one chooses to act. Deontology doesn’t deny that acts have consequences; rather, it insists that those consequences should not play a role in our moral evaluation of such acts† (Mosser, 2010). Any time there is an ethical issue there is an ethical problem to follow that issue. First ethical problem we will look at is gay parenting. Many people believe that children being raised by gay parents will deprive them of normal development. Many Americans believe gay men and lesbians should not have or adopt children and that children would not develop â€Å"correctly† with homosexual parents, although research has shown that same-gender couples are as nurturing and capable of parental obligations as other couples. † (Avery, Chase, Johansson, Litvak, Montero, & Wydra, 2007). In the article Children Raised, 2001 a â€Å"study of 55 children–19 ra ised by lesbian couples, 10 by single mothers, and 26 by heterosexual couples–found uniformity among the categories vis-a-vis social skills, well-being, and academic performance†. I feel as long as a child is being raise by people who love them whether they are male or female and if they are being raised by a same sex couple the love the child would get from both parents won’t deprive them of any development deprivation. Although many children may experience some form of negativity from other people like classmates or people who may be against gay marriage. You might hear sometimes how children don’t understand why their parents can’t be married or they treated indifferently or talked about because their parents are gay. Another problem we have is with control. Society deems that is okay for a heterosexual couple to be out in public hugging and kissing each other in public. You have some cities or states that may prohibit this action for homosexual couples. Society sees this as wrong and I think that is why you have a lot of people who are afraid to come out and say that they are gay. Nowadays people are just a little more open to discuss their sexuality as before they were not because they were afraid of the repercussion that they may face. It is even worst for those who are in high power position like celebrities, government officials or people who may be well known throughout the community, as soon as they reveal that they may be gay it is plastered all over the news media, social networking sites and various magazines. It is really bad when they say oh this person was out holding hands or seen kissing his partner out in public. It is easier if you leave in a state that is more receptive to this like California, New York and Massachusetts. You really won’t see this behavior being favored in the Bible belt (the south). My thing is leave them alone if they chose that lifestyle that is their choice, they should be allowed like any other person in this country to freely walk out in public and hold hands and share a kiss. Now another problem is that some people believe that a same-sex couple raising children could destroy the family and social background that our society currently accepts with an opposite-sex couple. I think a child could still develop normally when they are provided the same love and nurturing necessities of life when provided by either couple whether gay or straight. A child needs love and encouragement to grow and flourish as an individual and that can be provided by people whether gay or straight. The environment a person is raised in does contribute to the type of person that they become, if they are receiving love, support and being nurtured by a gay couple it’s no different than opposite couples. Couples whether gay or straight will have that influence to teach a child what is wrong and what is right in life. As a child spend time with family members whether, gay or straight this will be part of the development process to teach a child who they are. I think a child growing up in a same-sex marriage or relationship will allow a child to learn tolerance and acceptance. They will be more prone to accepting things that others may not and be able to tolerate things more than others, cause having a child in an opposite-sex marriage or relationship they may not learn those same values as much as the other person. Same sex marriage would benefit children by increasing the durability and stability of their parents’ relationship. This will also bring increased social acceptable of and support for same-sex families, although those communities that meet gay marriage with rejection or hostility might not materialize. There really is no evidence that heterosexual couples are any more effective than same-sex couples at raising children. Religion is another ethical problem that we must look at when it comes to gay marriage. Religion as defined by Collins English dictionary is â€Å"belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers to be divine or to have control of human destiny. Two any formal or institutionalized expression of such belief: the Christian religion. Lastly the attitude and feeling of one who believes in a transcendent controlling power or powers. Religion teaches us to believe in god or God or whoever we may believe in, it also teaches us kindness towards others, patience, tolerance and many other things to help us in our daily lives. Religion also teaches us to be able to accept other that may not be the same as us. Some people, including Christians, Jews, Catholics, etic†¦believe that it is wrong for people of the same sex to have a loving relationship with each other. I think each religion might have different interpretation on the teachings that is in the Bible, once religion ay interpret a section of the Bible one why while another will interpret that same section a different way. Does it might either religion right or wrong? No, it doesn’t it is one person interpretation over another. Growing up in a Christian environment it was quoted from the Bible that God found it unacceptable for same-sex relations to take place, because it is lustful and wrong. Then it says that God created man for woman and woman for man not man for man or woman for woman. As a Christian many people say that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation to be fruitful and multiple and that cannot take place in a gay marriage. Equal protection is another problem. The federal government responsibility is to protect and keep all citizens safe, this includes protection under the law. Religion has played a factor in influencing the votes of government officials to ensure equal protection under the law for heterosexuals but not for homosexuals. Bickford states that religious views continuously look down on homosexuality and condemn it. These views continue to influence the American government and the choices made when voting on laws for equal protection. Our government was formed on the basis of separation of church and state but some people are not able to accept that. So why is our government so influenced by religious organization in dictating what action they should take when it comes to voting on these laws? I don’t know if they fear that they would be retaliated against or loose support or funding from religious organizations. I know everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs but to allow those beliefs to harm citizens in our country is unacceptable and it isn’t right. These actions cause hatred to spread throughout our country because of that. The government says that every citizen of the United States shall receive equal rights. Now why did the government pass out the defense of marriage act? The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. I think this act is immoral and unfair because it restricts the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. This act should not have been passed because there really isn’t a reason to justify that act. Mosser states â€Å"The deontologist argues that we have a duty, or an obligation, to treat other people with respect; human beings have dignity, and we must take that dignity into consideration when dealing with them. (We also expect others to respect our dignity when they deal with us. ) As the most famous deontologist, Immanuel Kant (1724—1804), put the point, we should never treat another person only as a means to our ends, or goals, but should regard them as ends in themselves. In other words, I can’t simply use a person to get what I want nor can someone use me to get what he or she wants. We have to consider that other person’s needs and desires, respect them, and try to avoid violating them† (Mosser, 2010). The deontologist in this aspect would resolve gay marriage as stating that all human beings should be treated equally. They are human beings so they should be treated the same way that others are being treated. If a woman and a man is able to marry then a man and a man or a woman and a woman should have that same option. A deontologist would also argue that a person shouldn’t be treated differently just because of their sexual preferences. Deontology is like living your life by a set of rules. Now the rules can be used to push yourself into doing the â€Å"right† thing, even if you’d rather not. Now this would help by saying gay marriage is right and it is the right thing to do for same-sex couples, however there will always be exceptions, and this is where the theory falls flat on its face. You will always have someone who will debate this theory. Relativism is the idea that one’s beliefs and values are understood in terms of one’s society, culture, or even one’s own individual values. (Mosser, 2010). Now relativism on the other hand would say for gay marriage that what’s wrong for gay marriage is not necessarily wrong for someone else. Therefore, you have no right to tell two men or two women that they cannot marry, just because you feel personally that it is wrong. What you believe and hold as true is not necessary what someone else believes and holds as true. Relativism would argue that same-sex couples ould argue that marriage is right because this is what they believe in it is part of their values and beliefs. Relativism says that no matter how you argue a point even if every point is completely proven you cannot change someone’s beliefs. This will not work because it is their belief based on how they were raised, religion or even their social influences. I feel that at people whether heterosexual or homosexual should be afforded the same rights under the law of our Constitution. I just wish people would put their differences to the side when it comes to this topic about gay marriage. What really makes me upset is Christian people that I know in my family and at the church they are so quick to judge someone else and say it isn’t right but I am quick to remind them that we are all sinners. Even though you may not like the lifestyle someone chose to leave you can’t make that person change who they are. If they chose to be with another man or another woman that is their prerogative. Then they are so quick to get upset with the government when it comes to these issues. Everyone wants to bring church into politics. I really thing that is a sticky situation and it is so tough given the country that we live in because of the diversity that our country has experienced. I just feel that if someone choses and wants to marry someone from the opposite sex let them. I would say the theory that closely match my belief given the two that I discussed is relativism. I don’t see how gay marriage would bring harm to children that are being raised by gay parents. I don’t think same-sex couples should be deprived of certain benefits or rights because of their sexual orientation. In the article in USA today for gay marriage it states â€Å"But preventing gay parents from marrying hurts their kids, as does denying them equal rights to insurance and Social Security benefits, says Aimee Gelnaw, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition† (Elias, 2004). Why should we deny them these rights that they should be entitled to? If two people want to get married, neither society nor the government should be involved. Religion should stop having such a big influence of political policies and the deeper the donation the more they lean towards pleasing that particular religion. As stated earlier our Country’s constitution allows for the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing gives one person the right to decide what is wrong and what is right when it comes to same-sex couples. What would it be like if the Constitution only allowed certain types of people to be married like only people who tall and has blond hair or black hair. What if they put some stipulation that only whites can marry or only blacks. I am sure that would cause an outrage and scram discrimination. See this is what happens when our government puts limitations on its citizens. This papers has identified some of the ethical problems with gay marriage we have examined what gay marriage is like using the deontology and theory and contrasted it with the relativism theory. I am not gay but I think that a person should be able to choose who they want to be with. I don’t think they should be discriminated against, and at the end of the day it is their choice who they decide they want a relationship with, whether it be a person of the same or opposite sex. Society is so caught up in being in everyone business and who is doing what we want to tell people this is the right way to live or you should do things this way because it is right. Who is to say what that something might be better or right for someone else? Lets’ stop forcing our values and beliefs on others and allow people to be who there are. If they are Christian and they are gay or whatever religion they may be I say leave that between them and their god we should not be the ones judging or condemning them because of something that they believe in or desire. We are no better than the next person.

Fandom in Popular Culture Essay

Everyone is a fan of something. Whether it’s a sports team, celebrity, or television show there is at least one thing that a person enjoys to partake in, talk about, etc. Yet when does becoming too much of a fan – or a fanatic – become a problem? This question raises concern because recently many different fan bases or fandoms of certain movies, books, etc. have been criticized over the last decades due to their extreme dedication and obsession. Some people think that these fan bases and their lifestyles are unhealthy, that these fanatics choose to avoid reality and instead dedicate their life to something that does not return anything rewarding or productive to society. Trekkies attending conventions and spending money on elaborate costumes, Harry Potter fans dressing up like the characters to attend a movie premiere, internet bloggers spending time writing fan fiction online for hours – are all these forms of fandom unhealthy? In my personal opinion, I do not believe so. When it comes down to it, each fandom has a similar ground base that it builds off of, it also promotes a sense of identity and camaraderie, it’s a form of enjoyment that encourages happiness and optimism but also is an institution that is exploited by the media. Each fandom seems completely different from each other. I know many Harry Potter fans who despise anyone who likes Twilight, thinking that their fan base is so much superior and vice versa. In reality though, each fandom has the same concept to build off of that creates such a huge fan base. This concept is escapism or rather that fandom is distraction from real life and its hardships (Reilly). An example would include myself in that I would much rather choose to read Harry Potter than instead, for instance, write this paper. The same goes for my roommate who chose to watch the Walking Dead instead of doing her homework. In those moments we temporarily escaped our problems and challenges in real life and instead immersed ourselves into another reality that was much more enjoyable. Would that be considered unhealthy? I think not – the problem was not me being a fan of Harry Potter but instead self-control, which differs with each person individually. That’s why we cannot generalize all fanatics of something as being unhealthy because although they choose to incorporate many aspects of their fandom into everyday life, there are many instances when they can productive instead of idle. This includes a dentist from the movie Trekkies that created a dentist office that completely revolves around the television show Star Trek. The dentist/fanatic gets to be immersed in Star Trek all day long at his job, but is actually being productive in society. With that, any direction a fan base goes, it is a form of escapism from real life but is not necessarily detrimental to a fanatic’s well being. Fandom also creates a sense of camaraderie and identity to those who partake in it. By identifying yourself as a fan, you become apart of a community who share similar interests (Jacobson). An example includes my stepfather who is Redskins football fan. He and his friends bond over their love for the team, but are also a part of a huge community who share this love. The best part is that the Redskins fandom allows the fans to be a part of the game without having any football skills at all and it has a very low cost to participate. With this comes a sense of belongingness and camaraderie – that you are a part of something bigger than yourself. This can be very beneficial to the fans and can be applied to every fandom. This sense of community and identity helps with self-esteem and image (Jacobson), which, in my opinion, should not be considered unhealthy. In its most basic form, being a fan of something just makes people happy. The reason why I love reading the Harry Potter books repeatedly or why a Trekkie will attend numerous conventions is because doing it makes us happy – it does not make us obsessive, crazy fanatics. According to the mood management theory, individuals seek out media content that they expect to improve their mood (Burns). Millions of people do not become fanatics of something purely for the enjoyment of it but rather because it has a positive effect on their mood. This explains many fanatic behaviors, like fan fiction for instance. This is when a fan will write their own version of the story, movie, video game etc. that caters to their own desires. They do this because it makes them happy and makes them feel apart of the fandom community. On the other hand, there are many instances where fandom or fanaticism can be taken to the extreme. There are numerous stories of when fans at football games break out into a violent riot, or when a fan physically harms others or themselves to attract attention to themselves – an example including Mark David Chapman, a Beatles fan, murdering John Lennon. But is it really their fanaticism to be blamed? This question should be asked due to the fact that many aspects can influence a person’s decisions, one being their psychological stability. Being a fanatic did not make Chapman a murderer; it was that he was mentally ill. A more important aspect is that according to a concept called entertainment theory, we as audience members do not question the content we consume because â€Å"we are just doing what feels good†¦its only entertainment† (Burns). Yet in reality we the audience that consumes the media are not aware of the content that we are looking at. If Chapman had not been exposed to John Lennon’s life being broadcasted through the media he may not have taken his fanaticism to the extreme level. Fanaticism should not be considered unhealthy since the media that we consume contributes or rather enhances fanaticism to an unhealthy level. Like I said before, we are all fans of something. Whether or not we choose to take our passion for that something to a fanatic level depends on many factors. Psychologically we indulge in our fandom because it makes us happy. The feeling of intimacy and community is a basic human need that fandom provides through online blogging and fan fiction, dressing up like someone we’re not, conventions, etc. Also the way that the media broadcasts and streams pop culture to the general public is something to consider when criticizing fanatics. Finally, each fandom, although diverse in its own way, has the same ideal at it’s root in that people become fans because it provides an escape into another reality that does not our problems and hardships to deal with. Overall, fanaticism should not be considered unhealthy because it is a natural psychological instinct as well as a basic institution has been heightened by the media. Works Cited Burns. â€Å"Harry Potter = Craze Fan?.† Media Influence Spring 09. Blogspot, 16 2009. Web. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.

How Can Civic Education Enhances Civil Society Essay

Civic education is very essential to each and every citizen in a civil society. Therefore it must be noticeable. Civic education contributes to the well-being of society. This presentation is aimed at discussing how civic education can enhance civil society. The key concepts in this presentation are civic education and civil society. Therefore it is important to know the meaning of these two terms. Civic education is the field of study dealing with rights and responsibilities of citizenship as well as the responsibilities of the government. It deals with the commitment, assumptions, values and challenges of the national and civil society at large (Mwaipaya 1980). A Civil society is a public place between the states the market and the ordinary household, in which people debate and tackles action. Civic education enhances civil society in many ways, as one of the components is civic knowledge which it imparts in the citizen of the civil society. If the civil society are aware of their rights and if they know what to do it is very easy for them to participate in various activities of the civil society. Civic education imparts knowledge on democracy among the citizen of the civil society; democracy simply means a dialogue, a discussion, and a deliberative process in which citizen engage themselves in question about civic knowledge like what are the foundation of that particular civil society, and if the civil society will have knowledge on democracy issues it will improve. Hence this knowledge about democracy can only be imparted to the civil society through civic education and by doing so it is enhancing the needs of a civil society (Brookers etal 1980). Civic education also enhances civil society in terms of democracy because it is through civic education that we know and explain to others on how democracy acts and depends on certain basic values like respect for individual, the right to participate in the implementation of politics and development programmes, therefore if people in a civil society have knowledge about these rights and responsibilities, the civil society will be improved. Civic education can enhance the civil society because of its civic skills, if citizens are able to exercise their rights and discharge their responsibilities as members of self-governing communities, they are only need to acquire relevant intellectual and participatory skills, when we say intellectual skills these are essential for informed, effective and inseparable citizen from content, to be able to think critically about contemporary relevance as well as command of a set of an intellectual tools or considerations useful in dealing with such an issue. Hence if the society will have civic skills it will automatically be enhanced and there will be quick development in that particular civil society (Z.C.E.A, 2004). Another intellectual skill which good civic education fosters is that of describing. The ability to describe functions and processes such as legislative checks and balances or judicial review is indicative of understanding, describing trends like participation in civil lif e, immigration or employment helps the citizens fit current events into longer term pattern (Patterson, 2001). Civic education seeks to develop competence in explaining and analyzing issues, if citizen can explain how something should work, they will be able to analyze things as the components and consequences of ideals, social, political or economic processes and institutions. The ability to analyze enables one to distinguish between facts and opinion or between means and ends. It also helps the citizen to clarify responsibilities such as those between personal and public responsibilities or those between elected or appointed officials and citizens, therefore this can only happens if people in a civil society have civil skills and by having these skills in a civil society means that civic education is doing its job of enhancing the civil society (African Development Bank Achieving Millennium Development Goals in Global poverty, 2002). Furthermore, civic education enhances civil society through the component of civic skills, in such a way that education for citizenship in a democratic society focuses on civic skills that are required for informed, effective and responsible participation in the political process and in civil society, those skills can be categorized as interacting, monitoring and influencing. Interacting pertains to the skills citizen need to communicate and to work cooperatively with others. To interact is to be responsive to one’s fellow citizens, to interact is to question, to answer and to deliberate with civility, therefore if people be able to interact and question others toward certain common good the civil society will be enhanced. Monitoring politics and government simply refers to the skills citizens need to track the handling of issues by the political process and by the government. Monitoring also means the exercising of over sight functions on the part of citizens. Finally the participatory skill of influencing refers to the capacity to affect the process of politics and governance, both the formal processes of governance in the community (Mwaipaya, 1986). Civic education can improve and enhance our civil society through the component of civic dispositions essential traits of private and public character. This is important to the maintenance and improvement of constitutional democracy. Civic dispositions, like civic skills, develop slowly overtime and as a result of what one learns and experience in the home, school and organizations of civil society. These experiences should engender understanding that democracy requires the responsible self -governance of each individual worth and their dignity. One cannot exist without the other. Traits of private character such as moral responsibility, self -discipline and respect for the worth and human dignity of every individuals are no less consequential. Such traits as public spiritedness, civility, and respect for the rule of law, critical mindedness to listen, negotiate and compromise are indispensible to democracy success (Patterson, 2001). Civic education can enhance civil society due to civic dispositions that contribute to the political efficiency of the individual, the healthy functioning of the political system, a sense of dignity and worthy as well as the common good were identified in national standards for civics and government. In the interest of brevity, these dispositions are private and public character might be described as becoming an independent member of the society, assuming the personal, political and economic responsibilities of a citizen, respecting individual worth and human dignity (respecting others and listen to their opinions). Also participating in civil affairs in a thoughtful and effective manner as well as promoting the healthy functioning of constitutional democracy (Todaro etal 2009) Therefore, it can be noted that civic dispositions as a component or the habits of the heart , the traits of the public and private character that under-greed democracy are in the long run, probably of more consequence than the knowledge or skills a citizen may command (Z.C.E.A, 2004). In conclusion, civil society can be enhanced by civic education through its components (civic knowledge, civic skills and civic dispositions). Civic education is therefore very important to the lives of citizens in a civil society and it must be noticeable.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire - Essay Example It seems like America has forgotten the lesson learned after the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire. On March 25, 1911 right before the final whistle called for the end of the day a fire started on the 8th floor of the 23 Washington Place (Schneider). The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory occupied the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the building. After the fire started the 8th floor called the 10th floor to give them warning, but no one notified the 9th floor (Stein and Greider 182). The women on the 10th floor either escaped through an elevator or up the stairwell to the roof. The people on the 8th floor went down the stairwell or through the elevator. An elevator ran for a little while to the floors , but soon the cables melted (Drehle 153). Soon people were opening the elevator shaft and jumping to get away from the flames. Women were also jumping out the 9th floor windows as well. The 9th floor girls were trapped due to a locked stairwell that was supposed to prevent theft† (Greenwald 62). As the factory burned people gathered on the street watching the women jump. Fire trucks did not have the water or the ladders to reach the 8th floor. The devastation of human life was enormous. Lives were lost due to an antitheft measure. After the fire workers cried for new safety measures. â€Å"The 146 lives lost in the fire ignited. ... If women tried to strike they were considered bad. â€Å"They were either ‘good’ girls who listened docilely to fathers, employers, and policemen, or ‘bad’ women whose aggressive behavior made them akin to prostitutes† (Orleck 62). Even if the women at Triangle would have protested the unsafe locked doors, it would have been up to management to open them. One of the owners probably would not have listened. Max Blanck was caught locking doors again in 1913; he was only fined $20 (Hoeing). There was a need for the creation of OSHA and unions. Although the Triangle fire was 100 years ago, many lessons can still be learned from the tragedy. However Americans are forgetting about this tragedy and other workplace accidents. Unions are being outlawed by our own congresses. Instead of worrying about lives, the legislators are more interested in budget shortfalls. â€Å"Yet a century later, the laws that could have saved lives had they been in place on March 25, 1911, are being threatened by budget cuts proposed by a Republican-controlled Congressâ€Å" (Schneider). Unions have come to stand for pay raises and benefits. What about the safety issues? It seems like safety issues seem to be a moot discussion. The most famous anti-union legislation is against teachers in Wisconsin. It might seem like a good idea to cut the budget, but what could the possible outcomes be? Teachers might decided to go to different states that still have unions. That could mean the best teachers would leave. If the best teachers leave, then what would the children of Wisconsin be learning? The consequences could reach for generations. Without the union what happens if principals decided to make the teachers work in unsafe conditions?

Middle Eastern Politics Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Middle Eastern Politics Political Science - Essay Example Initially the area was broken into three Mandates: Palestine under Britain, Mesopotamia under Britain, Syria under France. But in the 1920s Syria and Palestine were subdivided, Syria into the countries of Syria and Lebanon, Palestine into the countries of Jordan and Palestine. Also, Kuwait was kept separate from Mesopotamia. These incidences left the new Arab states weak and divided and further were the cause for subsequent conflict. â€Å"Under the Mandate system, conquered lands were placed into one of three categories (A, B, C) and were assigned to a victorious power to govern. The countries of the Arab world were declared to be Level A Mandates, meaning that they were at a very advanced stage of development and would have only a short period of British or French control. Level A Mandates were to be autonomous (self-governing) within a short time and were to choose their own leaders and shape their own destiny. (Mandates of the B and C levels were declared to be less advanced. Most of Africa was in the B category, some small islands in the Pacific were C, meaning that independence was unlikely in the foreseeable future). In 1922 Palestine (west of the Jordan River) became a Level A Mandate under British control† (umich.edu, 1993). â€Å"The period from the outbreak of World War I in 1914 to the granting of France's mandate over Syria by the League of Nations in 1922 was marked by a complicated sequence of events and power politics during which Syrians achieved a brief moment of independence† (Library of Congress Country Studies, 1987).