The process of decolonization within the British Empire from 1890 to 1997 Essay Example for Free

The process of decolonization within the British Empire from 1890 to 1997 Essay In reviewing the process of decolonization within the British Empire from 1890 to 1997, how far do you agree that the Boer War was the key turning point in Britains relationship with its Empire? Decolonization is the withdrawal of the British Empire and in turn the granting of sovereignty to the original occupiers of the territory. It has been suggested that the Boer War may have been the main cause of the demise of the British Empire, which can be seen as the key to some extent. The Boer took place between 1899 and 1902 and was between the British and the Dutch, taking place in South Africa. However, other factors such as the two world wars and other independent struggles such as the giving back of India and the Suez Crisis can arguably be seen as contributing to its decline. The Boer War, which took place in a Dutch Colony in South Africa ultimately ended in the British conquering the Boers which, after 3 long years of fighting in a battle that would be over by Christmas, did not however, but was successful in severely damaging British pride and her economy. Thus, other nations began to see the British Empire as a diminished force; consequentially leading in Britain losing their label as being the only world super power. Milner who along with Chamberlain and Rhodes was later blamed for the whole catastrophe, decided to invade South Africa, on the acclaim that there was an enormous fortune to be made in diamond and gold mining in the Boer republics of the Transvaal. Although Britain won the war, they were not successful however in each battle and proved that the army was not as strong as it was first seen and portrayed. A number of battles took place, such as The Battle of Colenso, as well as battles in Valkanas, Pieters Hill, and the siege of Ladysmith, Kimberly, and Meeting. The British were unfamiliar with these savages, tactics and this often lead to bush fighting, which the English thought to be the wrong way in conducting war. In a letter to Gorge Hull in Kimberley from Walter Hart Wayland near Belmont, Wayland stated that My own opinion is that the Boers will make but a poor stand when once active operations against them begin, referring to how the troops from Orange River will drive the Boers across the boarder. At first the Boers were thought to have not been in the area, which was to be a rather over-confident comment seeing as the British walked straight into an ambush of Boers. 900 were killed on the Magersfontein Hill, using unconventional fighting methods, The loss of 22,000 lives and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½222,000,000 caused the Boer War to be a humiliating experience for the British. How could they be considered one of the worlds elites when it faced so many struggles fighting against savages, in their own colonies? Anti Imperialism grew as a substational amount of the British Public began to disagree with the Government and its tactics. The anti-Boer feeling that was spread by Milner, lead to Britain making an enemy out of the Dutch, and seeing as Holland was so close by, it was not particularly helpful that potential allies disliked each other. Boer General J.C. Smuts, late Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa concluded that Lord Kitchener has begun to carry out a policy in both (Boer) republic of unbelievable barbarism and gruesomeness which violates the most elementary principles of the international rules of war, which depicts the fact that the British were meant to be civilizing the world, and put them in a bad light in the British press back home. The fact that many women and children were killed under British hands, in concentration camps surely proves that even they werent acting in the normal British manner. This also backs up the statistic that 75% who were killed died from horrific conditions and diseases alone. In conclusion, although the Boer war highlighted weaknesses in the British army; draining their sources and creating a low British morale, it was not the only factor in decolonization and does not necessarily mean than the British were any less of a strong and powerful elite (apart from of course considering the damage done to the military and economic sectors.) It could even be considered that although the Boer War was overshadowed by the extreme loss of life and money, it helped highlight Britain in the sense that it highlighter her weaknesses and in putting an end to splendid isolation, she began to search for allies in the form of the Anglo Japanese. There have been two theories as to the reasons behind the decolonization of India. The first theory, from an Indian perspectives depicts the idea that the Indians drove the British out through a substantional rise in Nationalism. The other argument which is believed by some historians is that after WW1, India was no longer economically viable or useful to the British, and so decolonizing it seemed like a good option as trading with India for goods such as spices was no longer needed. European Civilization threatened the traditions of India causing tensions between the Indians and the British as well as the fear that the British were trying to insert the Catholic church into India, causing a backlash. At first, the British were successful in holding back Indian rebels, an example being the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 where Delhi was struck by rebels. India, however is a vital example of how it seems, the British were driven out indicating that ruling over other countries was just not tolerable anymore. The decolonization of India can somewhat be put down to a number of acts and protests on behalf of the Indian People. One person who particularly helped the movement was Gandhi, who thoroughly believed in peaceful protest stating Violent means will give violent freedom. He was not against the British as such, but wanted India to run under its own government, once stating I think it would be a good idea, referring to what he thought about western civilization. When India declared their Independence, it became apparent that Nationalist pride would soon swoop through the other colonies too. This may explain the speech made by the British Prime minister in which I quote the wind of change is blowing through Africa suggesting that in this day and age the Government knew that Britain keeping hold of her colonies was no longer socially acceptable; of course the fact that America were threatening to invade if Britain did not release, her colonies in the name of a free marker may have contributed, whereby Africas colonies received their independence from 1957-1964. When World War One erupted, all intentions were focused on protecting Britain and so making a profit from trading with Empires was not the key issue anymore. However, the people living in the colonies proved to be useful to the British as they fought along side them. For those indigenous people this merely provoked nationalistic views, as they didnt believe they should be forced to fight in a war which they did not involve them. A fear in communism also irrupted around this time, and so the elites who were making a profit from the colonies, were distracted by the fear of losing money elsewhere. This took the limelight from decolonisation, which was by this time not the countries main priorities. Therefore it can be suggested that World War One was more inflectional in the process of decolonization than any of the other factors mentioned due to the sheer number of impacts it had on Britain. It completely crippled the economy, as most wars would but this one was far more costly than the Boer war. An example of how the war affected the British economy would be when there was an economic boom in 1919-20 in America after Britain bought substantional amounts of ammunition from them, and finished with the Wall Street Crash on 1929 in which the British decided to go on the notions of lasses faire which lead to inflation, strikes and increased wages, taken from the encyclopedia of world history. The government responded with the Emergency Powers Act (1920), restoring its wartime emergency authority. Overall, the British economy was crippled, and cost the Government 8 billion pounds, taking women out of work and placing soldiers back into it, as well as paying for reparations and causing a huge rise in foreign debt; making maintaining the Empire far less important. I believe the British and the rest of the world superpowers who formerly had colonies never really relinquished full control of former colonial countries back to the indigenous occupiers. I believe decolonization is a concept that does not really exist as the former colonizers have maintained a portion of control over the societies by means of military, economic and political influences. An example of such control being exerted is the neo-colonial control being orchestrated by the West today on poor countries such as ones in Africa. However, in the context of decolonization it is arguable to say that World War One was the most significant factor as it completely took the focus away from the Empire and crippled Britains economy so much so that the Empire was becoming more of a nuisance than a profitable cause. This, coupled with a post war anti colonial Government, I think were the main reasons which spurred on decolonization. Although Nationalism in her colonies was clearly on the rise, it can not be disputed that after World War One, decolonization was no longer economically or morally viable anymore and out weighed the benefits of keeping on the Empire.

Martin Luther King Jr: A Biography

Martin Luther King Jr: A Biography Martin Luther King Junior Introduction Martin Luther King Junior was an American national, a protestant Christian by religion. He was a civil Rights activist, Baptist minister who led the various American-African civil rights movements. He struggled most of his life for the elimination of segregations of Blacks and whites in America. He was educated and had doctorate degree in systematic theology. He remained the Pastor of Baptist church in Montgomery Alabama city. He was also member of executive committee of the national association, which worked for the Betterment of people of America. He was also nominated as first president in southern Christian leadership conference for an organization who were suppose to provide leadership for Civil rights movements. The King also led the first non-violent demonstration ‘bus boycott’ in United States. During his struggle, he spoke over 2500[1]  hundred times against injustice and Deprivation of social rights. He also presented the manifesto of a Negros revolution thro ugh his latter â€Å"letter from Birmingham jail†[2]; later on with a speech, â€Å"I have a dream†. He also wrote five books and several articles. Apart from this, he honored with 50 honorary degrees. Furthermore, he was the youngest man to receive the noble peace prize. (network 1964) He also titled as â€Å"man of Year[3]† In 1963. He awarded with fifteen awards such as presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold[4] medal and Grammy hall [5]of fame award. During his struggle, he was imprisoned for Twenty times. He was assassinated in the age of 39 years. (carson, 1992) Background Family Martin Luther King Junior was born in Atlanta on 15th of January 1968. He was the middle child of three children of his father. Earlier on, his name was Michael but it was changed later on as Martin. His father name was Martin Luther King senior. His grandfathers name was James Albert King and he was a sharecropper in Stockbridge town of Georgia. His father moved on to Atlanta in the age of sixteen. There he got his education and established Himself as a preacher. He served as a Baptist[6] in two churches of Atlanta. Her mother name was Alberta Christine Williams. She graduated from Spellman College Atlanta. Martin siblings were Alfred Daniel King and a sister named Willie Christine. Kings wife was Coretta Scott who was Born in Hamburger on 27 April 1927. Who were a singer and musician in a local school in Boston. Both got married on 18 June 1952 in Marion, Alabama city. They had four children, Two daughters and two sons. Childhood Martin Luther King had a pure rural background. His grandfather remained rural minister for several years. Than he migrated to Atlanta in 1893. He died in 1931 with heart attack. King’s Father was the only surviving child of his parents. Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, in the Age of five years he got admission in public school Atlanta. In May 1936 he was baptized. in 1941 when King was twelve year old when her grandmother Also died with heart attack. It was tragic news for him. He lost his temperament and jumped From the window of his family house for a suicide attempt. Few incidents happen in his early Age that laid a great impact on the idiosyncratic behaviors towards white people. (carson 1992) In the age of three years, there was a white playmate. when he was six year old his father Demanded to quit off playing together. This incident brought a big shock. when he asked his Parents about this happening; there he was made aware first time about the race problem. When He was eight year old another incident happen, he was slapped by a white woman just for Stepping her foot unintentionally. King joined Booker T high school in Washington. He skipped ninth and eleventh grades and entered into the Morehouse College in Atlanta. Another miserable incident of life happened in King’s life. when he was sixteen year after arriving back from winning a debate contest in Dublin[7]. He along his teacher Mrs. Bradley[8] stood up in the bus for almost ninety miles all the way from Dublin to Atlanta. This was angriest moment ever been for him. Though he belonged to a typical religious family who were suppose to involve in church and worship excessively but King have bit contradictory views. Martin disregarded the excessive Display of emotions in religious worships. This discomfort remained with him through his Adolescence phase. During the early years of his ministry, he took the guiding classes of Bible for The filtration of ideas towards religion. Career Academic career Martin Luther King started of his education career from public school Georgia. This was purely a Black segregated institute[9]. After completing his high school education, in September 1944 the King in the age of fifteen got admission in Morehouse college Atlanta. where he got Bachelors degree of arts in sociology in the year June 1948. in the same year he Joined crozer theological seminary Pennsylvania and remained there for three years. (carson 1992) He got the degree of bachelors Divinity in 1951. during his stay in crozer he was elected president for white senior class. This provided him an opportunity to complete the doctorate degree. Then he joined Boston University’s school of Theology and got the doctorate degree in Systematic theology in the year 1955. Earlier career King started his professional career in 1954 during the ending period of his doctorate degree. He Got offers from various colleges for respectable and authoritative posts but accepted the offer From Dexter church and started serving there as a pastor of Baptist church of Montgomery[10]. On 25 August 1955, he was appointed as president of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP [11]executive committee. Rise to prominence In United States black -white racial discrimination was predominately existed in that era. Blacks were segregated and deprived socially, economically as well as morally. Negros were not Allow To go in public parks, theatres, and schools of white people. For travelling, there was a specific way, as Negros was supposed to sit on the back seats either stand. There happened an incident when a girl violated the law by refusing to give the seat to a white man. On 1 December 1955 Mrs. Rosa park[12] another black woman refused to leave the seat and she was arrested. which led the beginning of Montgomery boycott[13] (History wired 1994) movement. On that night local civil right leaders and Martin Luther, King planed to have planned to have citywide boycott of buses and transports. The King was nominated to lead the bus boycott movement because of exceptional intellect and strong family connection. He delivered a speech in which he motivated the agenda of Negroes and he claimed the peaceful pr otest is the only way to secure their legitimacy. He led the movement in a very sensible which also gave the civil right movement of Alabama City a new source of inspiration and execution. The bus boycott remained for 382 days. During This duration Negroes faced multi issues of violence and harassment. King also took legal action Against the unconstitutional act of law. The higher authorities suffered with huge financial loss and they lifted the segregated law for transportation. this victory earned a great prominence for the King Junior to emerge as leader. Social Contributions After the successful bus boycott movement, the leaders of civil rights movement felt the requirement an organization at national level to ensure the representation of their rights security. For that purpose, Martin Luther King and his close friend Ralph Abernathy [14]with the collaboration of several ministers’ formulated SCLC[15]. the organization organized 20 meetings in the southern cities for the registration of black voters. (Pipes 2007) King personally held meetings with religious and civil rights leaders to discuss the Negroes discrimination issues. In 1959 King also visited India because he was inspired by Gandhi’s non-violent movement. that visit motivated him and he became even more determined for the preservation of civil rights. In 1960 another movement started in Greensboro, known as sit in Movement led my African American students. The movement rapidly spread in other cities as well. Martin Luther King motivated the students To carry on the movement in a p eaceful manner. Under the guidelines of King, the sit-ins Achieved success in finishing the segregation at lunch counters for more than 25 cities. In 1960 King joined his father as co-poster at Ebenezer Baptist church but he also carried on his efforts for the struggle of civil rights. The Birmingham campaign on second of April 1963 ACHR[16] and SCLC under the leadership of Martin Luther King started a protest known as â€Å"Birmingham campaign†. During this campaign the King started mobilizing the Negroes community in more determined way. He met with various Businesspersons, professionals; religious and social activist’s. He also held a meeting with 200 leaders and briefed them about the objectives of this campaign. (Pipes 2007) On 28 August 1963, two million people gathered at Lincoln memorial. The King delivered the Famous speech â€Å"I have a dream†[17] on this occasion and expressed the view of all men unity. In Response civil rights act 1964 was passed. U nder this act the government laid stress on Desegregation of accommodations and public facilities. March on Washington During Birmingham campaign the King was thrown into the jail. When he was released from jail, he held another civil Right March from Selma to Alabama. However, this march turned into violent. this incident is known as â€Å"bloody Sunday†[18]. (MichaelHyatt 1998) The second march was cancelled due to security issues. Third march was held on ninth of March 1965 in which 2500 people both white and Black confronted against each other. However, this confrontation resulted into the loss of political support for King but it eventually provided a platform for the approval of voting right acts of 1965. Chicago campaign In 1967 King started expending his civil rights movement in other American cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. He addressed a rally organized by Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors CCCO [19]. In his speech he announced The Chicago campaign. in July King led â€Å"freedom Sunday† [20]rally. The purpose of rally was to Make Chicago â€Å"open city†[21]. Once gain violence accrued during this rally. as a result few violent whites attacked on the march. The King held â€Å"summit agreement† with Mayor and other prominent leaders of Chicago to sort down the issue. (Pipes 2007) Poor people campaign In 1967 the King planned to change the mechanism of economic and wealth distribution. However, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) did not support it. He launched the poor people’s campaign. The purpose was to secure the jobs and income of the Negros.. He spoke to the workers in the Memphis but violence also disturbed the campaign. Role in politics and state policies Martin Luther King openly opposed the American policies towards Vietnam. He declared war as unfair decision and it cannot win by any mean. He laid stress towards peaceful negotiations. Furthermore, he explained that this war have weekend the American economy as well as had Negative impacts on the civil right movements. King had very good relations with john F Kennedy[22]. During his presidential elections campaign in 1960; King supported him and urged the Negroes community to support him. With the help of Kennedy, King purposed civil rights bill in congress. However, Eisenhower[23] was against Martin Luther King’s policy about the racial inequality but he accepted the two bills in 1957 and 1960. (History wired 1994). Assassination King’s assassination was a controversial one. King visited Memphis where he addressed to a Rally at Mason temple[24]. On 4 April 1968, his flight delayed due to a bomb threat in his flight so He preferred to stay there. King stayed at Lorraine Motel. in the evening he was gunned down while he was standing in the Balcony of second floor. King was shifted to the hospital but he was expired. He was 39 year old at the time of assassination. Two months after the assassination of King, James Earl Ray[25] captured at Heathrow airport. He was charged with King’s murder and he accepted the murder charge but he rejected it after three Days. He further nominated a person who was also involved in the assassination. This Contradiction led the assassination into a new controversy and it became a mystery until now. Personal achievements Martin Luther King struggle earned him several achievements in his life. His efforts for the rights of Negroes made him a great leader. During his life, He honored with 50 honorary Degrees. King also awarded with noble peace prize, American liberties medallion in 1964. in America more than 700 hundred cities and streets are name after the King. King was stood 1st in a American contest organized by American multinational mass media corporation(AOL[26]. )King is also included in the list of hundred African- American great personalities. There is also public Holiday on his birthday in United States. (public commentry 1996) Significance Martin Luther King emerged as a significant character in the American history. His struggle for Civil and social rights earned him a dignifying status not only in United States but also completely across the world. It is because of his efforts American people gathered at a uniform plate form by negating the factor of racial discrimination. The segregations and deprivation ended. The peaceful movement led by him uprooted the violence in United States. The condemnation against Vietnam War[27] also enforced American administration to revise their policies towards the Vietnamese. King’s efforts provided a breakthrough to the Black has to participate in the social and political affairs at grand level. Barack Obama, current American president is the first African-American president of the United States. Condoleezza Rice was Also African-American who remained secretary of the states during Bush administration. Criticism Martin Luther King (Junior) was criticized for his civil right campaign and it was considered it â€Å"provoKing violence†[28]. The civil rights movements might endanger the whole society and community. (wendt 1966). In 1957, there was propaganda of a post card in which King was Accused of being communist. King also got a letter in which his decency and religion was Questioned. the writer declared it defected. there were allegations of cheating oh he wife and Involvement in sex scandals reported by FBI[29]. Conclusion Martin Luther King (Junior) was a great leader in the American history. He devoted his whole life For a divine cause of humanity. His struggle and determinations have provided a new Mechanism to the whole humanity. He raised his voice for Deprivation of rights, social injustice And peace. His remarkable contributions provided Americans a new way out to move on collectively as nation. His personal achievement depicts his intellectual potential and moral credibility. He refused the acceptance of status quo. He acted in accord with his highest values. He always acknowledged the sacrifices of his followers. This spirit never allowed him to settle or compromise on his ideology He always emphasized that his state should negate three things war, poverty and Racism. He was a man of words who won the hearts of millions, though he is no More in the world but history will always remember his for what he had done for humanity. ‘ Bibliography carson, clayborne. Auto Biogarphy of Martin luther King. Atlanta: Abacus, 1992. History wired. March tuesday, 1994. http://historywired. si. edu/detail. cfm?ID=501. MichaelHyatt. MichaelHyatt. 1998. http://michaelhyatt. com/eight-leadership-lessons-from-martin-luther-King-jr. html. network, learning. teaching and learning with new york times. new york times, 1964: 04. Pipes, Kasey S. IKES Final battle. los Angeles ,CA: world Ahead media, 2007. public commentry. public commentry centre of justice, 1996: 04. wendt, lloyed. Danger in Demonstrations. Augest 6, 1966: 12. 1 [1] The autobiography of martin Luther King [2] The King’s speech [3] Times magazine article [4] Highest civilian award of America [5] Award of national academy of recordings of arts and sciences [6] Christian Religious belief, bathing the new born baby [7] The angriest I ever been, times magazine article 1996 [8] teacher of Martin Luther King ,public school [9] Separate school for Blacks ,Atlanta,1930 [10] Dexter Avenue ,King remained pastor [11] National oldest and largest civil right organization 1909. [12] Civil right activist, known for Montgomery bus boycott [13] Revolt By ROSA park ,civil movement 1,Dec 1955 [14] Baptist Minister, Democratic party ,Friend of Martin Luther King JR [15] Southern leadership conference, NGO 1957,civil rights [16] American conviction Human Rights, civil rights activist 1960 [17] Washington D. C 1963,Famous speech [18] Protestors attacked by state troops,7 March 1965 Sunday [19] Central committee for conscientious objectors,1948 [20] Sunday 7 October 1967,Blacks voters registration [21] Military controls the city to maintain the peace [22] 35th American president 1961-1963 [23] 34th American president 1953-1960 [24] King’s last speech, Central Headquarter Christian international sanctuary [25] Alton born, known for King’s Assassination [26] American multimedia mass corporation [27] [28] Danger in Demonstration by Lloyd wendt 1966 [29] The Federal Bureau of investigation ,United states intelligence Agency,

Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Epic Poem of Gilgamesh Essay -- Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Epic Poem of Gilgamesh In this paper, I seek to explore the identities and relationships between Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the epic poem of Gilgamesh, up through Enkidu’s death. I will explore the gender identity of each independently and then in relation to each other, and how their gender identity influences that relationship. I will also explore other aspects of their identity and how they came to their identities as well, through theories such as social conditioning. I will investigate the possibility that Gilgamesh and Enkidu enjoy a homosexual relationship, since modern times allow such investigations which only 20 years ago were considered extemporaneous to ancient texts by traditions western conventions. Conversely, I will also consider the possibility of a heterosexual male-male relationship in the terms of Platonic love. In addition to this, I will touch briefly at times on the unique relationship each has to a world that is caught up in a change from nature and natural things to what we cal l a civilized life, or an urban life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the epic poem Gilgamesh, the main character Gilgamesh is conveyed as a generally immoral human, his genesis mythically coming from the gods. â€Å"Two thirds they made him god and one third man.† (19, Norton; â€Å"Gilgamesh†). He also is said to have a perfect body, which is a trait of godliness in many ancient cultures. â€Å"When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body.† (18, Norton; â€Å"Gilgamesh). Here again it is obvious that the myth says Gilgamesh is from the same stuff as the gods. He is known for taking whatever he desires â€Å"His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warriors daughter or the wife’s noble.† (19, Norton; â€Å"Gilgamesh†). He has the arrogance and audacity to simply take anything that he considers in his kingdom. Clearly, at least early on in the story, the actions of Gilgamesh mirror that of his mythical genealogy from the gods, who live by a dif ferent moral code than that of civilized humans. At the same time however, Gilgamesh is certainly portrayed in the story as magnificent and capable of incredible things, such as the building of the walls and Rampart in Uruk. â€Å"Climb upon the wall of Uruk; walk along it, I say; regard the foundation terrace and examine the masonry: is it not burnt brick and good?† (19, Norton; Gilgamesh). So at the ... ...ith the fact that it seems death simply can not be escaped. This helps to change Gilgamesh a great deal, and in fact it is after this that Gilgamesh begins to change his way and is truly a â€Å"shepherd of the people.† In the end, Gilgamesh veils Enkidu like a woman (35, Norton: â€Å"Gilgamesh†). In fact, the text describes this as being veiled like a bride in this translation. So once again, even in death, it seems that Enkidu and Gilgamesh have moved to a very close and personal relationship with each other, which is certainly Platonic in nature, and even possibly sexually oriented in some way or another. In the end, it is unavoidable that in some way each is affected by the other, either to serve or remember the other and to be the fulfillment of each other. Works Cited Uknown Author. â€Å"Gilgamesh.† In The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Western Tradition, Seventh Edition, Volume 1. Ed. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1999. 18-35. Doty, William G. Myths of Masculinity. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1993. 73-78. Sayers, Janet. Sexual Contradictions. New York: Tavistock Publications Ltd., 1986. 23-34.

Catalytic Converters :: science

Catalytic Converters Introduction There are millions of cars on the road in the United States, and each one is a source of air pollution. Especially in large cities, the amount of pollution cars produce everyday is a lot. To solve those problems, many laws have been enacted restricting the amount of pollution that cars can produce. To make their cars as pollution-free as possible, automakers have made many refinements to car engines and fuel systems and have developed the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter treats the exhaust before it leaves the car, and removes a lot of the pollution. In this project, we will study catalytic converters to find out how they work, and what their effects on our planet and society are. We predict that catalytic converters can change the amounts of products that result from the burning of gasoline, and think that these devices do a good job of making cars as pollution-free as possible. How does a catalytic converter work? In order to reduce emissions, modern car engines carefully control the amount of fuel they burn. They try to keep the air-to-fuel ratio very close to the stoichiometric point, when all of the fuel will be burned using all of the oxygen in the air. For gasoline, the stoichiometric ratio is about 14.7:1. However, this fuel mixture actually varies from the ideal ratio quite a bit during driving. The main emmissions of a car engine are nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. Nitrogen gas makes up about 78% of the air, and most of this gas just passes right through the car. Carbon dioxide is one of the products of combusion. The carbon in the fuel bonds with the oxygen in the air to form carbon dioxide. Water vapor is the other product of combusion. The hydrogen in the fuel bonds with the oxygen in the air to form water vapor. However, the combustion process is never perfect, so some smaller amounts of more harmful emissions are also produced in car engines. They include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides. These are the three main regulated emissions, and also the ones that catalytic converters are designed to reduce. Most modern cars are equipped with three-way catalytic converters. Three-way catalytic converters regulate the three harmful emmissions produced from car engines. The converter uses two different types of catalysts, a reduction catalyst and an oxidization catalyst. Both types consist of a ceramic structure coated with a metal catalyst.

The Ahmanson Ranch Development :: Ventura Country Environmental Essays

The Ahmanson Ranch Development It all started back in 1989 when Home Savings of America announced to build a giant new community consisting of 3,050 homes, two schools, two hotels, two golf courses and 400,000 square feet of commercial and industrial areas on the 5,400-acre Ahmanson Ranch located at the eastern end of Ventura county, adjacent to Los Angeles County. Even though the Ahmanson Ranch has been owned by Home Savings of America since 1963, the nature remained undisturbed all these past years. The ranch has become one of the important habitats for barely surviving native organisms including threatened or endangered species. For this and other important reasons, an organization, Friends of Ahmanson Ranch, was formed to stop the development with the support from other environmental organizations, local legislatures, politicians and public. Almost seven years have passed since the beginning of this issue, but the conflict still remain unsolved. What is interesting about this issue is the diversity in the reas on which the Friends of Ahmanson Ranch claims for protecting the Ahmanson Ranch from development. They point out a variety of reason, and they are not necessarily environmental opinion. First, the reasons of opposition starts from visible things such as plants and living organisms. President of the Native Plant Society San Gabriel Chapter, Melanie Baer, states that the wild grassland ecosystem of Agoura Hills located in the Ahmanson Ranch provides an important habitat for almost-extinct native plant species called Purple needle-grass, or Stipa pulchra. She also suggests that the mitigation of this plant will not be successful due to its difficulty and poor peripheral environment, such as golf course, of the mitigation site. Similaly, Dr. Barbara J. Collins, professor of biology at California Lutheran University, argues that the environmental impact report prepared for the development was inadequate and she points out the importance of the oak savannah along a North-facing slope of Lakey Mesa in the Ahmanson Ranch. According to her opinion, these oak trees are about 200 to 300 years old valley oaks and they are very sensitive species. A large portion of these oaks wi ll be removed, and the remaining will most likely not survive the environmental changes they will go through due to its sensitive nature. In addition, these plants create crucial habitat for other living organisms such as birds, mammals, invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles. Some of them are even listed in the Federal and State endangered and threatened species lists.

Do We Have True Separation of Powers in Trinidad and Tobago? Essay

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely! (Lord Acton, 1834-1902). This phrase aptly demonstrates the reason for the separation of powers, which is meant to prevent abuse of power in a democracy and preserve each and every citizen’s rights through the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches, averting one branch from gaining absolute power or abusing the power they are given. The intent is to avoid the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances. Though it can be traced as far back as ancient Greece, the first modern interpretation of the separation of powers was introduced by the French enlightenment writer Charles Montesquieu in De L’Esprit des Lois (The Spirit of the Laws) in 1748. He believed that for liberty and freedom to be maintained a safeguard against centralisation of power in one person should be provided. Montesquieu wrote that a nation’s freedom depended on the three powers of governance â⠂¬â€œ legislative, executive and judicial – and that these three powers must be separate and act independently to effectively promote liberty. This principle has been widely used in the development of many democracies since that time. The question is asked though: ‘Is the separation of powers truly separate?’ This essay would be focussing on the separation of powers in Trinidad and Tobago and the question of whether there exists true separation of powers in this country. For this purpose we will also examine the differences of the Unitary and Federal State and will be using the USA as an example of a Federal State. Trinidad and Tobago is a Unitary State governed by a democratic system. Unitary States exists in homogenous societies; there is one central government and all taxes goes back to the central government; one law making body and the laws made applies to the entire State. It is a single state. Federal states consists of a heterogeneous society, it is a combination of states and each state has the authority to make certain laws which may differ from state to state but Federal laws can override State laws; power is shared; and there is a State and Federal tax system. The USA is a Federal State. These two countries are governed under a democratic system which abides by the separation of powers and whose governmental systems both  consist of an executive, judicial and legislative branch. The legislative branch is responsible for the making and changing of laws. Trinidad and Tobago has a Bicameral Parliament, which means there are two houses, the Upper House or Senate and the Lower House or the House of Representatives. The Senate consists of 31 members: 16 government senators appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, 6 appointed senators on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, and 9 independent senators appointed by the President to represent other sectors of society. They are all appointed by the President. The ratio in the Senate is always fixed because that is what is allowed in the Constitution. The number of members in the House of Representatives is not a fixed ratio because it all depends on the voting process during elections, which are supposed to be free and fair and free from fear, meaning that you can choose to vote for whoever you want without any victimisation or force to do otherwise. Whoever wins the seat will be appointed a Member of Parl iament, by the President, and allowed to sit in the House of Representatives. Currently the House of Representatives, in Trinidad and Tobago consists of: 27 People Partnership seats, 1 ILP seat and 13 People National Movement seats. The party who wins the majority of seats would form the Government for the next 5 years. The United States Congress is also a bicameral legislature consisting of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both representatives and senators are chosen through direct election. Members are affiliated to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party and only rarely to a third-party or as independents. Congress has 535 voting members: 435 Representatives and 100 Senators. The Vice President is also the President of the Senate.The Congress debates on and approves bills concerning various matters and approves all treaties and all nominations to key foreign policy postings. The most important authority given to Congress overall is the power to declare war. But there has always been a tension between this and the president’s constitutional role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. According to the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, Ch 5 (74) and (75), Executive authority is vested in the President and, subject to the Constitution, may be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him. Supreme command of the armed forces is also vested in the President and the exercise of this power shall be regulated by law. Under Ch 5 (80) 1, â€Å"In the exercise of his functions under the Constitution or any other law, the President shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet†. The Cabinet falls under the Executive arm and have the general direction and control of the government of Trinidad and Tobago, and is collectively responsible to Parliament. The Cabinet is headed by the Prime Minister who is appointed by the President. The leader of the political party that won the majority of seats via the voting system in a general election usually becomes the next Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is responsible for the allocation of function among Government Ministries. Other members of the Cabinet include the Attorney General and other Ministers of government appointed by the Prime Minister. Apart from the Prime Minister the Attorney General is the only member of the Cabinet specifically mentioned in the constitution relating to the executive branch of government, which is why they must be present for this arm to function. The constitution also provides that in exercising his powers, the Attorney General shall not be subjected to the direction or control of any other person or authority. Also, the Prime Minister can remove any member of Cabinet or a Government Senator because they are chosen by the Prime Minister, but not a member of the House of Representatives because they were voted into office by the peop le. The functions of Cabinet include the initiating and deciding on policies, the supreme control of the government and the coordination of government departments. According to the Constitution Ch 5 (77) 1, where the House of Representatives passes a resolution, supported by the votes of a majority of all the members of the House, declaring that it has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister does not within seven days of the passing of such a resolution either resign or advise the President to dissolve Parliament, the President shall revoke the appointment of the Prime Minister from office by members of the legislature on a vote of no confidence, but this is unheard of since the members of both arms share the same political agenda. They may  also vacate office by replacement or by ceasing to be a member of the house to which they belong. Apart from being the leader of the Cabinet which has effective control of the nation’s affairs, it is most certain that by the power vested in this arm of government it is easy for intimidation to occur, contradicting the very back bone of Montesquieu’s theory on the hallmark of democracy with regards to the separation of powers, with his main argument being for liberty and freedom to be maintained the three arms of government should be separated and apart – entrusted to different people. In a Federal State the President is the head of the executive branch of government. The Cabinet also consist of the vice president and fifteen executive departments – the Secretaries of agriculture, commerce, defence, education, energy, health and human services, homeland security, housing and urban development, interior, labour, state, transport, treasury, veterans affairs and the Attorney General. The purpose of the cabinet is to advise the president on matters relating to the duties of their respective offices. These members of cabinet are appointed by the president and must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate. They cannot be a member of congress or hold any other elected office. They can be dismissed at any time by the President, without the approval of Cabinet.The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by congress. The main duties of the executive are making sure that the laws of the States are obeyed. They deliver programs and services to the population within the framework of laws, expenditures and tax measures approved by legislature. The Judiciary is known as the third arm of government in a unitary or federal state. The Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago is headed by the Chief Justice, and in a democratic country as this, the Judiciary is established by the Constitution to operate independently from the executive arm. They interpret and enforce the laws, and acts as a forum for the resolution of legal disputes among citizens of the State. The hierarchical order of the courts is as follows; magistrate, supreme, appeal and Privy Council which is the last and highest level located in England. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Under the constitution the judicial and legal  services commission (JLSC) which is made up by the Chairman of the Public Services Commission, one person who was a Judge, two persons with legal qualifications and the Chief Justice, is charged with the tasks of appointing Justices of Appeal, High Court Judges, Masters of the High Court, Magistrates, Registrars of the Supreme Court and the Administrative Secretary to the Chief Justice, all of whom are judicial officers. Although the law clearly protects the Judiciary from political interference, the Judiciary is economically dependent on the executive arm of government for the allocation of funds causing them to not be as independent as proposed. The Attorney General, who is the second in command in Cabinet under the Executive, is the Minister responsible for the administration of legal affairs. There were complaints made by the Chief Justice in 1999, about the Attorney General’s plans to make the Judiciary a department under his Ministry, requiring the Chief Justice and his staff to report to him on matters concerning the operation of the courts in general. A detailed report by the Attorney General to the Parliament argued that a dispute did exist concerning his role in relation to the administration of justice, and he asserted his right of control over administrative matters not pertaining to the judicial function. He saw it fit that he should superintend the administrative affairs of the J udiciary. Another issue facing the judiciary is the national awards. The Chief Justice heads the committee which receives recommendations of citizens deserving of the award, this is then passed to the Prime Minister who has the power to insert and delete nominees. This has caused major concern in the real independence of the Judiciary as it pertains to the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary and some may see this as being politically motivated. In the past an inquiry into the interference by the other arms of government in the Judiciary was investigated by one of the Lords at the Privy Council. His findings gave no comfort to the allegations made, instead he noted that the real issue was the lack of co-operation by the Executive and the Judiciary arm of government and stressed that they should work together for the good of the country. In a federal judicial system such as the USA more than 600 judges sit on district courts, almost 200 judges sit on courts of appeals, and 9 justices make up the Supreme Court. Federal judges have life terms, therefore, no single president will make all of these appointments.The Supreme Court is the highest court and consists of the Chief Justice and 8 other associates. The Constitution provides broad parameters for the judicial nomination process giving the responsibility for nominating federal judges and justices to the President, who relies on many sources to recommend appropriate nominees for judicial posts.Recommendations are received from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, members of Congress, sitting judges and justices, and the American Bar Association. Some judicial hopefuls even nominate themselves. Nominations are also required to be confirmed by the Senate. A special, very powerful tradition for recommending district judges is called senatorial courtesy. This practice allows senators from the state in which there is a vacancy, and who is also of the same political party as the President, to send a nomination to the President, who almost always follows the recommendation. To ignore it would be a great affront to the senator, as well as an invitation for conflict between the President and the Senate. The Constitution guarantees that judges would be protected by any reduction in salaries and removal from office. This concept is the backbone of the judicial independence which was establish by Brittan. The judiciary arm of government in a federal state may serve different purposes. Their functions can range from judicial to non-judicial with its main function being the administration of laws, interpretation of laws, guardianship of the constitution, advisory jurisdiction, protector of the fundamental rights and supervisory to smaller courts. Whilst stressing on the independence of the judiciary in the separation of powers external threats arise from the powers that the Constitution leaves to congress and the president to control the judiciary’s resources. In both the Unitary State which is Trinidad and Tobago and the Federal State which is the USA there exist a system in place for the separation of powers but in Trinidad and Tobago there is an overlapping in the system. The Parliament and the Cabinet has some of the same people, for example the Prime Minister, Attorney General and Government Ministers form the Cabinet  but they are also members of the Parliament. This means that there is no true separation of powers between the Parliament and the Executive because according to Montesquieu to ensure that liberty and freedom is maintained the three arms of government should be entrusted to different people and this has not happened with these two branches. The only one that remains totally separate is the Judiciary. In an article from the Guardian Newspaper, Tony Fraser wrote on the Separation of Powers, he said: â€Å"Having an operational separation of powers is important to achieve democratic and quality governance. It is absolute ly dangerous for the Government/Cabinet and the Prime Minister to have full control of the passage of legislation, to be in a position to implement policies and programmes, the vast majority of which have a base in the laws passed, and to then have control of the judiciary whose responsibility is to interpret the laws. Imagine the power of a prime minister as CEO who could pass legislation which does not require a special majority, have a majority to alter the Constitution to take away the right to free expression, have total control of all major appointments to state office — including the President of the Republic and the Chief Justice, the Commissioner of Police, the operations of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, the Service Commissions — and appoint independent senators and on and on. Imagine, too, a Prime Minister having full control of the operations of the judiciary so that judges and magistrates would have to make judgements based on the desires of the CEO. Effectively, this would mean that the PM could determine who among the political opponents of the Government should â€Å"make a jail† and who among the supporters of the ruling party could engage in corrupt activity â€Å"la blash,† free sheet without fear of prosecution. If the doctrine of the separa tion of powers does not function effectively, the Prime Minister would have total legislative power and power too over the judiciary, and all of this in addition to being in total control of the establishment and functioning of the Cabinet including, for instance, deciding which minister should be fired, who should be protected, and what policies and programmes are to be implemented without a continuing check on the power.† This article clearly illustrates the importance of the separation of powers, and the corruption that could ensue without it. In Trinidad and Tobago the separation of powers does not truly exist because too much power is centralised in one person – the Prime Minister. In a federal state there is true separation of powers because each branch is entrusted to different people. The only exception is that the Vice President is also the President of the Senate, which can lead to abuse of power, such as in the case of Senators who gives recommendations to the President, forcing the President to choose the person they recommended or face conflict in the Senate. Lord Acton could not have said it any better, power truly corrupts but he also said that â€Å"Great men are almost always bad men.† If no one else believed what his words conveyed then a need for the separation of powers would never have been realised. Checks and balances are not just needed for Government officials but also in everyone else’s daily lives. Businesses has managers, supervisors and labourers and they all have different degrees of power which helps to keep staff in check and ensure that everything is running efficiently, if they all had the same status then there would not be an incentive to keep others in check and chaos would reign supreme. There must always be a mechanism to help maintain order/good governance and even though it may not be a perfect system, some abusers of the laws have been brought to justice, more so in the federal system. We do, however, look forward to the day that it works efficiently in a Unitary State. BIBLIOGRAPHY Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Act 4 of 1976. http://www.ag.gov.tt/Portals/0/Documents/TT%20Constitution.pdf Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved from http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/1.01.pdf Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Contributors, Gaurav Shukla, Grace Young, Separation of Powers, The Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/topic/473411/contributors http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/az.htm Martin Kelly, Separation of Powers, About.com American History http://americanhistory.about.com/od/usconstitution/g/sep_of_powers.htm NCSL, Separation of Powers – an Overview. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers-an-overview.aspx Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved from http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=25 The Phase Finder: Retrieved from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely.html Tony Fraser, Separation of Powers, Guardian Newspaper Article. Retrieved from https://guardian.co.tt/columnist/2012-12-19/separation-powers Wikipedia: The United States Congress, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress

Electoral College System Essay

The President and the Vice President of the United States are elected indirectly by an institution known as the Electoral College. The U. S. Constitution provides the broad framework through which electors are appointed and by which they cast votes for the President and Vice President. In evaluating the contingent election process, some commentators have suggested that any threshold inquiry requires assessing how often contingent election occurs. If the results of a general election are frequently inconclusive, they increase the likelihood of contingent election. The democratic criteria require implementing reforms that bring the people into the contingency process. Critics of the Electoral College system argue that the presence of viable and well-funded third-party or independent presidential candidates, who may be able to garner electoral votes by carrying a plurality of the votes in statewide elections, increases the likelihood of contingent election. Analysis of criticism of the Electoral College system There are several shortcomings of the Electoral College as cited by the proponents of the presidential election reform. These shortcomings have raised justifications for reform or abolition of the current system. One of the criticism is on the Electoral College is the Electoral College deadlock of the contingent election. In this one, the 12th amendment provide that the House of Representatives should choose a president and the senate chooses the vice president by contingent election if the presidential and the vice presidential candidates votes have not reached a simple majority of the Electoral College votes. The election of the president by the House of Representatives happened only once on the February 9th, 1825 where John Quincy Adams was elected as President over Andrew Jackson. This election was criticized by some commentators saying that it brought about a constitutional crisis since the president was selected as part of a political corrupt bargain because some of the presidential candidates were disqualified from the contingent election. Critics claim that this election removes the choice of president and vice president voters (Whitaker & Neale, 2004). Another criticism is on the minority president which was expressed in the Electoral College misfire. In this one, the current electoral college system can result in the election of a minority president which states that the president can be one who wins the majority of the electoral votes even though he has lost the popular votes. This was experienced in the 1800s where three minority presidents namely, John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, and Benjamin Harrison in1888. The other criticisms are on the current methods of allocating electoral votes, the decennial census problem, and the faithless elector, presidential succession between nomination and inauguration, independent and the third party versus major party candidates. These criticisms have caused so many controversies that have made many people believe that the current Electoral College system is not a good system and therefore it needs amendment (Whitaker & Neale, 2004). Advantages of various reform proposals. The electoral college reform proposals include (1)the district plan, awarding each state two at large electoral votes to the state-wide popular vote winners, and one electoral vote to the winning candidate in each congressional district; (2) the proportional plan, awarding electoral votes in states in direct proportion to the popular vote gained in the state by each candidate; and (3) the automatic plan, awarding each state’s electoral votes directly on a winner-take- all basis to the statewide vote winners (Amar, 1995). The advantages to the electoral-vote system include its tendency to produce a clear winner. The constitution is however subject to change, allowing for the second vote in case of depressed voter turnout. Great leverage is also given to third party candidates by requiring the winner to have a majority and by this it calls for fair and just elections. A National Election Agency is incorporated in the system to run the vote. However, the government also comes in to help, where the National Election Agency has fewer powers under the government (Amar, 1995). Despite the fact that the president alone is elected by the people, doesn’t mean he can legitimately defy the law. It is good to know that the elections are fair in that a presidential candidate who stands in his campaign and wins with a substantial majority of votes from the American people does of course gain the mandate. The candidate who emerges with the most electoral votes has a fully legitimate claim to the office for the next four years (Amar, 1995). Disadvantages of various reform proposals. In the U. S there is a rule that, a candidate chosen on the Election Day may not be the president. Therefore if it happens that a candidate has failed to win the national popular vote, he might be sworn in as the president by the virtue of claiming more electoral votes on than his opponents. Therefore the main disadvantage of such kind of proposal, is that if the sitting president who lost in the popular vote is returned again to power after his rejection, then there will be a wide condemnation on the Electoral college as a wacky anachronism which will lead to extensive demands for the amendments of the constitution in order for the replacement of the electoral vote with popular election (Longley, 2008). Due to this kind of proposals, there is a possibility of not telling the exact winner since the constitution is the main source of authenticity. The main disadvantage here is that there might be a possibility of both candidates having different fundamental campaigns which give different issues of emphasis and making frequent appearances in different states. Another disadvantage for this proposal is the argument on which candidate to take office and who was chosen by an archaic and wholly irrational system. If the electoral system is replaced, by the popular vote election, since it is not irrational there is a possibility of embarrassment on the president opting to be chosen by this process (Dellinger, 2004). Another greatest disadvantage of the present system of voting in U. S is that there is a possibility that the candidate who receives the most votes from the nation (people) may not take office. Therefore the present president in office may face many challenges and offsetting values since he or she was not put in by the majority. The disadvantage of the constitutional system for choosing a president in the U. S is not perfect and needs to be changed and therefore the candidate who emerges with most electoral votes has full justified claim to the office for four years (Dellinger, 2004). Conclusion It is clear that once the candidate chosen by the people of the United States on the Election Day may not become president. The candidate must choose the constitutional rules currently in place. In the voting parties, the party that receives more total votes nationally wins the parliament while the one with fewer total votes chooses the Nation’s prime minister. The constitution however, is subject to change (Longley & Dana, 1992). Amending the Constitution to alter it would present a series of difficult questions: Will we give great leverage to third party candidates by requiring the winner to have a majority? Will we have a runoff, which might lead to depressed turnout for the second vote? Will we create a National Election Agency to run the vote and or leave it with the 51 governments who now run it? If those states report raw votes, will they somehow artificially increase the number of voters in the state or pad the totals—a temptation now avoided by having a set number of electoral votes for each state? These are not insurmountable objections to constitutional change, but they should certainly give pause (Longley & Dana, 1992). References Amar, A. R. (1995). Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Death: Closing the Constitution’s Succession Gap Dellinger, W. (2004). Popularity contest in defense of the Electoral College, Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC. Retrieved October 26th, 2008, from http://www. slate. com/id/2108991/ Longley R. (2008). The Electoral College System, who really elects the president of the united states, About . com Longley, L. D. & Dana, J. D. , Jr. (1992). The Biases of the Electoral College in the 1990s Whitaker, L. P. & Neale, T. H. (2004, November 5). The Electoral College: An Overview and Analysis of Reform Proposals. CRS Report for Congress. Retrieved October 26th, 2008, from http://italy. usembassy. gov/pdf/other/RL30804. pdf.