Assessment of Michael Ignatieff's The Rights Revolution Essay

Assessment of Michael Ignatieff's The Rights Revolution - Essay Example This could be seen clearly from his several interviews where he never fails to mention that he is from Canada. The Rights Revolution is a series of lectures revolving round the theme of group revolution and civic revolution, in this he has taken over the theme from a revolutionary point of view. The concept of group rights and the consequences are the main concern of these lectures. Though the problem of group rights is a common one in many parts of the world, Canada seems to have this more intensely. The reasons behind the group rights revolution are the presence of multi-cultural people and the multi-nationalistic thought prevailing in them. Although Canada claims itself a unified society amidst diversity, there are still issues running among the Quebeckers and the Aboriginals in terms of receiving their distinct rights from the Government of Canada. But in reality the Government has given full freedom in their education, health, religion etc. Some are really interested to look at Canada as having Unity in Diversity, but the problem of identity crisis arises from those who seem to possess a diverse nationalistic spirit. idea for lectures as Canadian’s group rights, he slowly deviates from the Canadian notion and concentrates more on the non-native group of people who have been living here for a long time. Those were the Quebeckers and the Aboriginals. His lectures, particularly the 5th chapter which is based on â€Å"Rights Recognition and Nationalism† [The Right’s Revolution, Chapter 5], fully has its view on the current issue of the Quebeckers’ demand for individual and distinct rights directly sanctioned from the Government. Here Ignatieff keeps more emphasis on the Quebeckers notion of group rights than that of the indigenous Canadians. The quest for group rights seems to have a serious demand from the Quebeckers and the Aboriginals, where as the Government seems to have granted distinct rights for this multi-ethnic community

International Economic- WTO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Economic- WTO - Essay Example The most important round of negotiations in the history of WTO was the Uruguay Round in 1986 which resulted in significant agreement on negotiation topics. The meeting before that in 1982 had resulted in deadlock over agriculture issues. The Uruguay Round resulted in an agreement over ‘a negotiating agenda’ which covered all the trade policy issues required to be discussed (World Trade Organization, 2010). Over the years, the WTO’s agenda has had to expand from just an agreement on trade terms to include issues related to regionalism, intellectual property, services, the environment, investment, electronic commerce and labour standards (World Trade Organization, 2010).1 ‘Balance-of-payments exception’: developing countries were allowed to have less stringent terms in tariff conditions and they were allowed to protect their markets to some level because of the special status to protect them. ‘exports subsidies’: WTO promotes the elimination of export subsidies in agriculture in order to have free competitive market conditions in global agricultural trade. The implementation of this clause is more one-sided and it is the developed countries that specifically demand the elimination of export subsidies in developing countries; and ‘domestic support’: developed countries are promoting the elimination of all other forms if domestic support besides export subsidies that challenge the free competitive market conditions. (World Trade Organization, 2010) The latest agreement on the agriculture front is laid out in August 2007. According to these agreements, in developed countries, there was to be a reduction in tariff and a calculation of the Ad Valorem Equivalent (AEV) tariff. 4-6% of the tariff could be proclaimed for sensitive products. It was also agreed that there was a necessity to ‘formulate an adequate solution for tariff escalation’. Tax simplification was another clause of the 2007 Draft

Knights Templar

Knights Templar Knights Templar â€Å"The Knights Templar was a religious military order that arose during the first and second crusades and their secrets and wealth destroyed the organization† (Campbell 29-33). The Knights Templar started out as a small group of monks and eventually grew to become a powerful religious order. Members had duties and certain lifestyles as a Templar. The order rapidly spread across Europe after it began. The Templar would become one of the most innovative and influential groups during the Crusades period (â€Å"Templars†). The Knights Templar is shrouded in secrecy; this would be their downfall and their biggest calling card. The original name or the full name for the Knights Templar can be quite a mouth full â€Å"[t]he Holy Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon is the full name of the Order†(Campbell 29-33). Most paraphernalia refer to them as the Knights Templar. Some call the members just Templar, or warrior monks. The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon is another name used (Campbell 29-33). People back in the time of the crusade would have called them heroes. After the first crusade, two new military orders came about in Jerusalem (Read 17-24). One, the Knights Hospitallers, or Knights of Saint John, whose task was to aid the wounded in Outremer, or the land across the sea (Read 17-24). The second military order to arise was the Knights Templar, whose duty was to defend the pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land (Campbell 29-33). In 1118, before the start of the Order, Hugues de Payan and eight fellow knights went to Jerusalem and offered their se rvices to the king. The king offered housing to the knights at the former mosque al-Aqsa, which was located on the site of King Solomons great temple (Hughes 34). The Order was born here and received its name from the temple it was protecting. The Knights Templar took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The religious order was created at the Temple of Solomon and swore to protect the Holy Land (Campbell 29-33). Hughes states in his book that â€Å"[t]he Templar fought bravely against the Saracens, not leaving battle unless outnumbered three to one† (34). The order received the blessing of the Pope in 1129, and the Templar soon got recognition as heroes. With the Popes blessing, the Templar could now recruit members and raise money through donations. Donations came to the Templar in large amounts. The warrior monks were given wealth, jewels, and property (Hughes 34). King Alfonso I of Argon gave the Templar one-third of his Spanish Empire on his deathbed (Read 17-24). They owned land in France, Spain, England, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, and other places. Men also went to the Templar to support their cause, and some in hopes of getting rich. The Knights Templar did have their critics though (Sterns 84-111). The Templar owned houses all across the map, and they used that to their benefit. The Knights Templar became the first bankers in a way. Travelers would deposit money at one Templar building, and travel, with a statement of deposit, to another city (Knight, and Lomas 121). They would then cash in their statement and receive the same amount of money at another Templar structure at their final destination. This was a very safe method, because the traveler could not be robbed. The Templar began to escort travelers on their fleets of ships, charging a fee for both services. That allowed them to take in a large sum of money (Knight, and Lomas 121). The Order was so beloved by the Christian people that the Pope freed the Templar from loyalty to any ruler. From then on the order only answered to the Pope. The Templar later became involved with politics. They served on royal committees and councils. The duties of a Templar split among the regions (Hughes 17). In the east, they remained fier ce warriors defending Christianity, and in the west, they became farmers and merchants. The order was rapidly gaining wealth and riches (Campbell 29-33). During the second crusade, the Templar fought for the Christian effort. They were among some of the highest skilled fighters during this time. Indrikis Sterns quotes a 13th century author by saying†[t]hey are marked by their trademark white helmets and armor, which bears a red cross† (84-111). During the second crusade, the knights became very powerful and wealthy due to payments for their services from several empires. This excluded King Phillip IV of France. He was greatly in debt with the order, owing them large sums of land and money (Hughes 17). The King was worried about his debts to this powerful and influential order. Phillip IV called upon Pope Clement V to put all the members of the order on trial for heresy and other crimes committed. The Pope found no fault in the Order under the trials of heresy but did find fault in their initiation ceremonies. The Pope had them burned at the steak for unspeakable acts against the church (Sterns 84-111). The Knights Templar were said to spit upon a cross before battle and kiss their leaders to show complete obedience to them. The order was not destroyed, but badly crippled. The Knights Templar was hidden in darkness and secrecy, and they will always remain a mystery. This is believed to have led to their downfall. The Knights Templar was said to possess a great secret (Hughes 17). This secret may have been practical knowledge, which if revealed could undermine Christianity or some people believe that the Templar had some great relic. â€Å"Possibly, a piece of the true cross or the crown of thorns worn by Jesus was in their possession† according to Campbell (29-33). The shroud which Jesus was wrapped in his tomb, a piece of wood from a bath used by Jesus, a bronze bowl used to wash the feet of the disciples at the last supper or the head of John the Baptist are all rumored (Hughes 34). The Holy Grail used in the last supper is the most famous of all the relics thought to be owned by the Templar (Knight, and Lomas 121). It is truly unknown whether the Templar had any of these artifacts. Maybe they had one, or two, possibly all, but nobody can be certain. With the amount of land and money that the Templar had, and the possible possessions of great relics, specifically the Holy Grail, people were bound to envy the order (Knight, and Lomas 121). Some people also say that the Knights Templar and their relics live on under the Freemasons. The Masons are said to use many of the same symbols and rituals of the Knights Templar. Things do not help the cause when the Freemasons are also just a shrouded into secrecy as the Knights Templar (Knight, and Lomas 121). Whether the Order lives on or not is a question to be left answered by the opinions of us all. A person may believe all the tales or that the Freemasons, the makers of our country are members of the Order. One may also believe that the entire story of the Knights Templar and the later Freemasons is a complete hoax. However, what would history be without mystery and intrigue? Works Cited Campbell, G.A.Knights Templar: The Rise and Fall. San Francisco: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. 29-33. Print. Hughes, Charles. â€Å"How The Vatican Destroyed the Knights Templar.†Independent26 October 2007: 34. Print. Knight, Christopher, and Robert Lomas.The Hiram Key. Sacremento: Fair Winds Press, 2003. 121. Print. Read, Pierce.The Templars. 1. New York: MacMillan, 1999. 17. Print. Sterns, Indrikis.Crime and Punishment among the Teutonic Knights. 1. 57. New York: Medieval Academy of America, 1982. 84-111. Print. â€Å"Templars.† Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Supplement. American Council of Learned Societies. Charles Scribners Sons, 2004. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing Essays -- Standardized Testing E

The United States recognizes that standardized testing is a central part of the educational system in our country. What many people do not know though is the history of where it came from. Beginning in the mid-1800’s prestigious universities decided they wanted to give more students across the country a better chance at going into higher education, but at the time there was not a way to measure the capabilities of students in both high class and low class families. This is how standardized testing came into play. If a student could do well on these tests regardless of their financial position than their scores would hopefully speak for themselves. Now standardized testing performs many more roles compared to its simple origins. In today’s society standardized tests not only indicates the capabilities of the students, but they also show how much they have learned, and the results can even decide how much funding a school will receive. Due to these factors, a tremendous amount of pressure is put upon both students and teachers. For students the pressure is mainly to do well, and for teachers the pressure is primarily to teach your students well enough to perform their best. These requirements have become an integral part of what shapes the classroom mold. The goal of schooling is no longer to just teach, but is now also to prepare students for taking exams. One argument that has become prevalent is the debate of whether or not standardized testing should be used at all. Ultimately this is a personal decision; there is no right or wrong answer considering that an argument could be made for either side. One thing that is for certain though is that there has to be some standard for determining a student’s abilities in school. Th... ...Tests." ProCon.org Headlines. N.p., 1 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Tennant, Victoria. "School of Education at Johns Hopkins University-The Powerful Impact of Stress." School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. John Hopkinds School of Education, Sept. 2005. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. "The Human Brain - Stress." The Human Brain - Stress. The Franklin Institute, 2004. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Tung, Stephen. "News." Stanford University. Stanford, 20 Jan. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. "Where Did The Test Come From?" PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

Race and Ethnicity in the US Education System Essay

The United States has a strong history of immigration. As a result it has become a nation composed of different races and different peoples coming from different ethnic backgrounds. This has impacted American society in terms of the economy, the peace and order situation, employment, and the education system. These things are constantly interacting to create opportunities and problems for all US citizens. But in recent decades – in spite of the rhetoric on equal opportunity for all Americans – numerous studies show that minorities are in a disadvantage. Two major ethnic groups, the African Americans and Hispanics are finding it hard to succeed in a highly competitive world and the root cause why many of them are poor, unemployed and involved in a life of crime is the lack of access to quality education. Background The United States was founded by immigrants coming from Europe. After a few centuries these immigrants had taken over major portions of the United States, that it is no longer proper to call them immigrants. But in recent decades there was a new wave of immigration that swept across America; it was an influx of migrants coming from Asia, Latin America, and Mexico. The last two will comprise the second largest minority group in the US – the Hispanics. In May 2006 the US Census Bureau provided the following statistics: Hispanics are the largest subgroup (42. 7 million) roughly half of all the minorities in the US (Sullivan, 2007). Furthermore, according to experts, â€Å"The terms ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’ are used interchangeably by the U. S. Census Bureau †¦ to identify persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, Dominican, Spanish, and other Hispanic descent; they may be of any race† (Kohler & Lazarin, 2007). In this paper the terms â€Å"Hispanic† and â€Å"Latinos† will also be used interchangeably. African Americans on the other hand are also a part of the minority group but they achieve that status via a different route. African Americans did not arrive in America through traditional means of migration. They were forcefully taken from their homeland and sold to American plantation owners as slaves. At any rate, when both African American and Hispanic groups entered America they started from a disadvantageous position and that is why even today they find it hard to experience upward mobility in American society. In spite of the rhetoric on equality and civil liberties there are many Americans who are living like second-class citizens in their own country. In order to improve the lives of those who belonged to minority groups there is a need for assimilation; an increase in funding in areas where there is a high concentration of African Americans and Hispanics; and to change the mindset of the members of these minority groups so that they will value the importance of education in their lives and the lives of their children.

The Conception of Substance Dualism

The Conception of Substance Dualism Rene Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher, created the idea of Substance dualism. Descartes states that the mind and the body are two separate entities that possess different characteristics. The mind, a theoretical substance, cannot be viewed in space as a material substance using tradition measuments such as height or weight. Because of this, only the physical body can be extended, not the mind, separating the two into the theory of substance dualism. Throughout the many Meditations, multiple concepts are introduced in order to prove this seemingly complex notion.A principle that Descartes often employed and of great interest to me is that nothing can come from nothing and provides an excellent basis for the many ideas surrounding substance dualism. Descartes concluded that because no perfect idea can be created by something imperfect, the idea that an indefinitely perfect God exists must have been place in us by a perfect God. Descartes uses very complex and convincing arguments to prove the existence of God and the separation of mind and body. Cartesian theory essentially proves each sub-idea until the main idea is reached.By using a step-by-step methodology for proving God’s existence and substance dualism, it is very difficult to find a flaw in his theories. Because nonexistence is an imperfection, God must exist because he has placed a perfect thought of him into us. This is Descartes first reasoning as to why God exists. Next Descartes says that because deception is an imperfection, God cannot be a deceiver, loosely disproving doubt of objects and surroundings. Descartes reasoning for separating mind and body is as follows.He states that because I have a clear and distinct conception of myself as a thinking thing without extension, the mind cannot exist in space. Because he also recognizes the body however as having extension, It cannot be a res-cogitans. Despite his methodology, it is difficult to agre e with Descartes on his theory of substance dualism. He connects each idea in a logical way, but the main picture seems too irrational. If the mind and the body are separate as he states using the theory of doubt, what is the agent of movement and extendibility for the body?If the mind is not extendible, it seemingly cannot control the function of a body. Descartes states later on that the mind connects to the body through the Pineal gland. Most Cartesian theorists, refuse to accept this theory because it contradicts Descartes original theory of substance dualism. A non-extendable object cannot connect to an extendable one because Descartes argues that the mind is immeasurable in space. In addition, Descartes has no grounds to question the existence of his own body. According to him, Gods very existence proves his perfection.A perfect God is incapable of deception meaning that all objects on earth exist, including our bodies. In conclusion, Descartes does an admirable job in creatin g a logical format that shows how God can exist. Furthermore, his belief that the mind and body are separate entities based on extension and thought makes sense until he questions the existence of our bodies. In doing this, Descartes is contradicting his original theory about deception and raises new questions. Descartes makes good arguments but is missing key concepts that cause his theory to ultimately fail.