Democracy

The Agora of Athens was the center of the ancient city: a large, open square where the citizens could assemble for a wide variety of purposes. On any given day the space might be used as a market, or for an election, a dramatic performance, a religious procession, military drill, or athletic competition. Here administrative, political, judicial, commercial, social, cultural, and religious activities all found a place together in the heart of Athens, and the square was surrounded by the public buildings necessary to run the Athenian government. These buildings, along with monuments and small objects, illustrate the important role it played in all aspects of public life. The council chamber...

-- End Ad Box ---> I love my HOA. Not familiar words. Mostly I hear words of contempt, anger, frustration where hate is substituted for love. Call me crazy but I have sacrificed money, when there was vary little to go around, time, at the expense of recreational activities, to become a Certified Community Manager. Why? Because, I love my Country. Yes, the two are infinitely connected. While studying to become a Certified Community Manager, I discovered the basis for community organization is the same system the Founding Fathers of the United States organized as the Government of the United States, a Representative Republic. In an article written by David Barton January 2001, titled Democracy vs...

A petition is a list of names, usually with signatures, that are collected together to show a support for an idea or decision. Petitions like these are used in order to show those with power relating to the issue that a large selection of people feel strongly about a certain issue. The petition in this way suggests that there will be a large amount of opposition or dissatisfaction should the controlling party decide to act against the wishes of those on the list. Petitions have been around for a long, long time and can be used for almost any matter be it political or just a bit of fun. They have the power to change the course of history, facilitate democracy and sway gigantic decisions, or just to...

Predominantly Pashtuns, the Taliban emerged as a political force in 1994 filling the vacuum left after the Soviet withdrawal. As a hard line Islamic movement they imposed a strict rule of law, curbed corruption and generally made areas under their control safe for business and travel. The stability this brought to a troubled region, irrespective of any human rights issues, ensured the Taliban had the support of the West up to 9/11 after which they were driven from power by a US-led coalition, ostensibly for sheltering Osama Bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders. Given the current situation in Afghanistan it is highly likely that Osama Bin Laden is now in Pakistan, assuming he is still alive (and it...

Many different types of communication tools, such as the TV, cinema, radio, newspapers and magazines, web sites and the music industry, can be classified as media. An important issue relating American media is the concept of "concentration of media ownership". This concept implies that the ownership of most of America's media lay in the hands of a few media conglomerates, who both earn huge sums of money through advertising and sale of copyrighted material, and, at the same time, are considered as important global players, regarding the fact that they influence people's views about their surrounding world to a large extent. But on the other hand, some argue that instead of being powerful players...

Belzoni, Mississippi, a small Delta town once known for lynching and Saturday night gun fights, survived a tornado following Hurricane Katrina. "We're up here in the Delta, away from the coast where they really got it. We didn't get the hurricane but we did get a tornado and it was pretty bad," said the owner of a used car lot at the northern edge of this cotton hamlet once known as "Bloody Belzoni." Katrina's subsequent winds and severe rains did in fact hurt most businesses in this community that has been slowly lifting itself up by the bootstraps since earlier days of civil rights violence. In recent years Belzoni leaders created a marketing plan, hoping to bring in new business: colorful five...

Just exactly what is the future of our Democracy? Are we just lost in our own times and seeing them as more critical than other times because they affect us personally? Is there anything left to do, or is the planet as a whole just tumbling down a course of inevitable doom? I suppose that a very great percentage of Americans, believe that a "Capitalistic Democracy" is Democracy... period! This is not true. You can have a Socialistic Democracy. They exist and thrive right now. Failure of Capitalism as the primary driving force of our Democracy, is not surprising, yet is also not finite. In the time of unlimited resources it worked well, but that time is gone. In our Democracy based on Capitalism...

Leadership style assessment is needed if you want to understand your preferred leadership style. Although certain leadership styles are good for certain kinds of situation and certain types of people, it is best to have a repertoire of leadership styles to use for every circumstance. Are you an authoritarian leader? Do you wish to control every process and result in the organization? Do you want your subordinates to always give you a report or updates regarding the tasks they are working on? More importantly, you also need to look at the kinds of people you are working with. Are they the type of employees that expect strong presence and leadership from you? Do they exhibit little initiative? Then...

A strong national currency is often deemed to be a symbol of economic virility. That being the case, the pound sterling has been looking so flaccid of late that you'd be forgiven for thinking it had lost its supply of Viagra tablets down the back of the sofa. Since its last peak against the Euro in December 2008 the pound is now down around 11% and relative to the lofty heights it managed to scale against the US dollar back in November 2007 it's taken a confidence-sapping hit of almost 25%! I suspect this droop in the pound's relative performance against a basket of the world's major currencies may have some deep underlying problems - such as continued abuse from politicians over a number of years...

This week was very hard on Thai people. Several Thais died during a police action to control the people protesting the current government. We can ask the question "does the PAD have the right to protest". I guess the question is kind of mute because the government, namely the military and the police have allowed to hold protest these last few months. As a US citizen living in Bangkok the fact that the protestors have been allowed to control the government house seems absurd. This truly would never be allowed to occur in the US. But Thailand has a different type of government, a democratic democracy, with many parties and a king. This is a huge difference in American politics that only really has two...

In one of the very vocal town meetings recently being held around the country about the pending health-care plan, I saw a man on the television news stand up and shout that he hadn't fought in World War II to allow this country to become a socialist state... he fought and nearly died for democracy. Wait a minute, sir. I have a couple of questions for you. Do you receive Social Security payments every month? Probably so. Since you fought in WW II, do you qualify for, or receive veteran's benefit? Again, probably so. Well, if the answer is yes to one or both of those, welcome to America, the socialist democracy. Socialism, as defined by the dictionary is, "a theory or system of social organization...

It is often amazing how events around the globe affect us here at home. Sometimes it pays to do nothing, and at other times we cannot turn a blind's eye. How we handle such affairs says a lot about who we are, what we stand for, and our primary focus and objectives in those areas of the world; the US cannot be all things to all people. Sometimes it may seem cruel to do nothing, but often that is the best course of action, even if it hurts our hearts to watch things unfold. The Kyrgyzstan Revolution and civil unrest is half a world away, but it still affects us here in the United States. Not long ago, I was discussing this Geo-Political issue with a post cold war scholar on Russian-US Relations, and...

Sharing services has risen up the agendas of the UK's national and local governments in recent years, propelled by political and financial trends as well as by more concrete factors such as Sir Peter Gershon's 2004-5 Efficiency Review and Sir David Varney's report on transformational government. In an attempt to throw some light on recent developments and to examine where shared services may be headed in future, SSON convened a roundtable debate involving a group of practitioners and advisors at local and national level, chaired by SSON's online editor Jamie Liddell. The results were, indeed, illuminating... Attending were: Tony Isaacs Programme Manager Warwickshire Direct Partnership The...

VIRAL MARKETING IN SOCIAL MEDIA FINAL It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million listeners. Pre-Cable TV took 13 years to reach 50 million users.. The internet took four years to reach 50 million people... In less than nine months Facebook added 100 million users. For less than a $1,000 you can launch a viral marketing campaign with the potential to reach thousands of people, if not millions quickly and almost effortlessly. Take for example the Blendtec Company, a maker of food processors and blenders, who placed a series of YouTube videos called "Will It Blend?" Arising our curiosity and sense of dark humor Blendtec blended golf balls, an iPhone, and even a bag of marbles. It was fascinating to...

The anti-Obamacare crowd blogs are up on the ramparts today decrying and vilifying the sneaky move Democrats are proposing to use a House of Representatives rule to push through health care reform. The opponents entitle the maneuver the "Slaughter solution" after the House Rules Committee Chairman, Louise Slaughter, ( D. NY). It is unconstitutional they say because it deprives the public of a vote by its representatives and it fails to comply with the "presentation" clause of the Constitution, Article I, Section 7, Clause 2 which requires a bill to be passed by both houses of Congress and presented to the President for his signature before becoming law. The "Slaughter solution" as Mr. Boehner (R...

Some things are definitely meant not to be, like the Prophet Mohammed teaching capitalism to the West. One great confusion in the otherwise already greatly confused societies of Islam is the combination and interaction of spiritual and temporal powers. Unlike the West where Church and State are separate, independent and each sovereign, Islam unites State and Religion together with less than auspicious results. Because State and Religion are one and only, for centuries Muslims have developed ways to integrate religious beliefs with the external economic realities of the nations they lived in. This has had varying degrees of compatibility with the empires and customs they encountered. For example...

A surefire way to make a visit to a foreign country more enjoyable is to understand a bit about the country's history, heritage, culture and politics. The history of Spain has been molded by many influences. The Iberian Peninsula, which encompasses Spain and Portugal has been occupied through the ages by the Romans, the Moors and others. If you have no knowledge of the influence of these ancient cultures, you will not appreciate and understand the castles, churches, fortresses and other buildings throughout the country. There are even edifices that show the influence of many of these cultures in Thai same building. Spain was once one of the most powerful nations on earth. Wars and political...

With the gradual decline of the monarchy beginning in the eleventh century BC the power of the citizens in creased and their Public Assembly which had hitherto met in the Agora transferred its seat to the Pnyx. Every Athenian in possession of full civic rights was entitled to participate in the deliberations of the Assembly. During the debates every citizen had the right of addressing the meeting but he could speak only once (and for a limited time) at each session. The constitution and laws promulgated here were of the greatest moment to the Hellenes and, with the spread of their civilization, to the whole of mankind. On this historic rock were first recognized the principles of freedom, speech and...

On Sunday, August 20, 2006, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora suggested that Israel, if it 'behaves wisely,' could be in a position to enter into a peace treaty with Lebanon. Don't schedule the celebrations just yet. Throughout the course of its long history, the Middle East has been a graveyard for optimism. There, the promise of peace has typically proved more illusory than a desert mirage. Therefore, the offer needs to be tested to determine if it is credible. Even if it is, major obstacles could still block the way to peace between Lebanon and Israel. Prime Minister Siniora's willingness to pursue peace with Israel could be ascertained by determining whether he is willing to engage in...

#ffffff;" /> At no point in recent history have the American people been this angry and dissatisfied with their government. Both political parties are unpopular, less than a third believe the country is heading in the right direction and Congress has a record 11% approval rating. The polls all indicate that big changes will be taking place after the November election. The question is how big? To truly change the Congress, the Democratic majority party must be removed from power. To accomplish this, the Republican Party must take control of Congress or at least the House. But can they do it? Unfortunately there is no historical precedent for this political situation and therefore the experts are not...

Juan Diaz de Solis initially discovered Argentina in 1516. Argentina has progressed gradually under Spanish colonial rule. Buenos Aires was established in 1580. The country had a flourishing cattle industry way back in 1600. Invasion by British forces was effectively thwarted in 1806-1807. After Napoleon occupied Spain in1808, the Argentineans founded their own government in 1810. On July 9, 1816, Argentina formally pronounced its independence. Juan D. Perón, an army colonel, won the presidential elections of 1946 and 1951, during the post war period. Perón's political power was boosted by his second wife, Eva Duarte de Perón (Evita). The working class of Argentina adored her...

Corrado Feroci (1892 - 1962) was a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, the art capital of Italy. He came to Bangkok in 1923 when King Rama VI requested the Italian government for a sculptor to train Thai artists and craftsmen and raise the standards of Thai art to international levels. The arrival of Corrado Feroci was to start a train of events that would have a profound impact on the development of Thai art. He started as a sculptor with the Fine Arts Department and taught sculpture to art graduates. Later, he was asked by the Thai government to prepare a curriculum and the textbooks for the formal training of artists. With a formal teaching system in place, the Silpakorn School of...

Extraordinary chamber to try some of the top leaders during Democratic Kampuchea Regime; a regime that is accused of killing millions of Cambodian innocent lives, is in the process. This is probably the most heated topic from the government institution up to the general public. However, a prevailing fact that would dim "the justice prospect" for Cambodian people is that a huge number of the people do not even know the basic biography of those most responsible; Democratic Kampuchea leaders to face trial, constituted of Cambodian and international judges. Mr. KHIEU Samphan, one of the prominent leaders of many other Democratic Kampuchea leaders is due to face the foregoing extraordinary chamber...

Panama has international credibility. It's easy to make a statement like that and then talk about all the qualities of a place in glowing terms and not really make any specific quantitative claims that can be pinned down. But the proof is on the pudding, or rather in the evidence. In the case of the Republic of Panama, it is easy to make the claim and easy to back it up. One of the things that I think speaks volumes to this idea is the consistent inflow of foreign investment capital. In another of my articles, I discuss the details of how and why foreign capital flows into Panama. I think an investment of $6.2B (US) by U.S. companies alone in 2007 is strong proof of credibility. Mercer Multinational...

A land richly steeped in history and culture, legend attributes the creation of Japan to the sun goddess Amaterasu, whose claim to the throne by her grandson Emperor Jimmu in 660 B.C, was a traditional belief that constituted official recognition until 1945. The first indication of recorded history in Japan was around the year A.D. 400, when the ambitious Yamato clan based in Kyoto was successful in gaining control over several other key family groups in central and western Japan. The next several centuries were kept under the tight reign of this powerful clan, who succeeded in creating an imperial court similar to that of China, and whose authority was eventually undermined by...

The Republic of Panama is consistently near the top of the list of countries with the best access to capital. The latest Milken Institute 'Capital Access Index" published in 2008 looked at one hundred twenty-two countries worldwide. The Researchers gathered information from seven essential elements that facilitate access to capital. These extremely smart people then used 56 different variables drawn from these sectors to generate the index. The maximum index achieved was Canada (7.90). Panama's index was 5.56, which ranked it in 38th position, placing it ahead of all of the BRIC economies. This result should not surprise anyone. The Republic of Panama is a great place to do business, just as it has...

For years this great country of ours was led down the socialistic path of destruction. Presently we have a Marxist in the office of the presidency, a democratically controlled Congress and a boat load of leftist agendas on the table. The Administration is wasting no time in getting their agenda out there. The constant ignoring of the people, disregard for the Constitution and the outright illegal actions aught to be an alarm bell going off in the citizenry's heads. The cry has gone out. Ron Paul is an outspoken Congressman on the causes of our problems. He speaks about everything from the failed foreign policy to the despicable private banks that run this country. He fights from the inside of the...

ign="center"> Early Yankee politics was identified by a partisanship no less intense than that experienced today. In truth, the clash between Federalists and Anti-Federalists in America's early years essentially causes modern conflicts between Republicans and democrats to appear like child's play, and rhetoric and methods widely employed then would never be endured today. Yet, not withstanding those intense partisan conflicts, there were certain fundamental constitutional guidelines on which both Federalists and Anti-Federalists agreed - fixed boundaries beyond which neither would proceed. One of the nonnegotiable lines that neither side would cross was a principle they considered to be the...

Introduction: All American presidents from the first to the 43rd, George W. Bush, have had their own agendas. The 1776 revolution and the subsequent conventions that followed the Independence Day were all arranged so that at last the most powerful person of a superpower country in the world is created and given shape. This character is the president of the United States. Although the head of the executive branch, in comparison with congress, Senate and the Judiciary, US presidents through out history have repeatedly indicated, directly or indirectly, that it is the president who has the word in major concerns of the country, especially wars. The line of this powerfulness starts with George...