Subculture: Electro House Raver

The hallway is dark and all you hear are melodic beats getting steadily louder growing with your anticipation as you walk closer to the entrance. The hallway opens up to a huge warehouse stuffed with ravers. Strobe lights blind you at first but their inviting energy gets you in the mood. Up front is a DJ mixing continuous beats making the floor pulsate. All of your senses are heightened giving everything movement and energy. Electro House is more than just a genre of music. This genre has formed into a subculture because of its enormous following, lifestyle, and roots. The electro house music lifestyle grabs hold of mostly youth. However race, gender, and socioeconomic status is all ranges. A younger crowd is drawn to this genre because of the fun party scene involved and the care free attitude the genre evokes. The electro house genre became more than just music in the 2000’s. Popular DJ’s became the main draw for clubs. Typically this kind of party is called a rave. A rave describes the atmosphere which is dark, has strobe lights and sometimes accompanied by a projection of images to go along with the music. Ravers are the people who go to raves. This is the person who evokes the house music lifestyle. Typically a raver is young, dresses fashionably, and sometimes likes the drugs ecstasy, cocaine, and or MDMA. Raves can be known for their drug consumption but not all ravers are like this. An experienced raver usually brings or wears something that glows. If a raver brings glow sticks this allows an opportunity to dance with one in each hand, this is very popular while listening to electro house music. The fast paced music allows the ravers to dance rhythmically and can be compared to tribal like movements. In every day slang electro house is called electro. Jargon is also used to describe different kinds of electro house music. A bootleg is a remix made by a DJ who doesn’t have the official legal rights or permission to make the remix. These kinds of remixes are common and are done by every DJ. Mashups are similar and involve a producer taking elements from different tracks and putting them together to make a new one. White labels are twelve inch vinyls released for test pressing containing the bootleg tracks or remixes. Ravers also have a slew of jargon when talking about ecstasy. Mostly the terms E, X, or rolls are used and when on the drug most refer to it as â€Å"rollin†. To understand the subculture of electro house the history of house music needs to be established. House music in its first form was disco. The history of house music starts back in 1977 when â€Å"Saturday Night Fever† came out. â€Å"Saturday Night Fever† was an instant hit and a surge of young americans went to disco clubs. Disco at this time was a blend of 70’s funk, soul music, and rock. Most of the disco scene was in New York until 1979 when it spread to underground warehouses in Chicago and Detroit. The creation of house music was an attempt to get listeners hooked. So Chicago and Detroit DJs decided to introduce new techniques in the way disco was being presented. This combined with its separation from New York disco helped it evolve into its own genre. House music became known as more edgier, raw, and incorporated more diverse sounds. Electric keyboards, beat boxers, as well as beat machines helped to refine it into what it is today. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa still have one of the largest house scenes to this day. Plenty of sub-genres of house music has formed since the 1970’s. There is acid house music, latin house, disco house, hard house, funky house, chicago house, NRG house, tech house, New York house, and the largest electro house. Electro house grew from house music and has shown its superiority since 2000. Electro house music differentiates from house music with its four to the floor beats, analogue basslines, high pitched leads, usually accompanied by a piano or string riff. The electro house tempo ranges from 120-130 bpm. The word electro comes from the 1980’s electro movement by which it was influenced. After the 1980’s synth pop sound came the electroclash movement of the early 2000’s. This is where electro house was born, particularly from the Detroit techno scene. The electro house genre has become steadily more popular on the Billboard Top 100. The mainstream electro house songs usually feature a remix of a slower original song like Kid Cudi, â€Å"Pursuit of Happiness† later remixed by Steve Aoki to become an electro house anthem. Other notable electro house DJ’s are Benny Benassi, Daft Punk, Crookers, David Guetta, Deadmau5, Justice, Klaas, MSTRKRFT, Spencer & Hill, and The Bloody Beatroots. Electro house music’s popularity has been on the rise since 2000. You tube has allowed this genre to spread because unknown DJ’s know have an effective platform to showcase their talents. Electro house ravers have a belief system similar to the disco era. Both groups of young adults want to escape their problems and live in the present. Their intertwining beliefs stem from house evolving from disco. Electro house makes it their own by taking it to a level of embracing who you are. An electro house raver isn’t easy to define because they embrace who they want to be. When you walk into a rave you will see some people dressed in halloween type costumes such as angel wings and bright neons or others in regular street clothing. You don’t have to wear a particular type of outfit to fit in. Electro house lovers value this because it’s about the music. The drug ecstasy is widely embraced for this reason. It always the raver to unwind and leave behind their troubles. Disco in the 70’s and electro house of today both allow an escape for their generation. This is also why electro house has such a wide range of youth followers. There’s no pressure to be rich or be a certain race. Where ever you are from and what ever you do electro house will embrace you.

Andy Goldsworthy

His work is ephemeral- not going to last forever. Because is artwork doesn't last, the videos/ photos become the artwork. Through the making of his artwork, he learns about nature It is always straight to work- no time for research on the area he is in. He has been taking photographs since school- it is the way that he documents his artwork It is his way of reflecting on what he has make He doesn't have a clear picture of what It Is he Is going to make- he goes out and sees what the day is doing, what it will let him make.The land itself entices him and the absence of nature Background, Influences: English- lives In Scotland The nature, area around him Land art/ earth art in the ass's-ass's art movement The term earth or land art is used to describe site-specific artworks made in the environment, using the materials and forms of the environment. Most earth art is known to the public through photographs and written records. Because earth art is part of the environment It is subject to the force of nature that can cause it to change over time, or can even destroy It.The rise of earth art In the 1960 Is sometime associated with an Increasing awareness of environmental Issues. Most artist, however were attracted to earth art as part of a desire to escape the gallery system and the communication of art objects. Interests, Themes, Ideas, Intentions: Responds to what is happening at that moment, In the day with the Items around him Death and decay Growth, change, flow, nature He uses everything from leaves and sticks to sheep wool. Movement, change (in material, season and weather) Light, sunlight, snow reflections, mist The energy and space around a material

Internet Has Done More Harm Than Good in the Society.

Yes. It had allowed a large amount of criminal,offensive and Discriminatory information to be easily accessed This sort of information would not usually be widely published via offline channels, but with the advent of the Internet it is very easily accessible by anyone like never before, and this is a dangerous president. This is dangerous as vulnerable people could easily be taken in and exploited if the discovered this material. It is quite often found that ‘lone-wolf’ terrorists, for example, have gotten their information and inspiration from the Internet.The Internet has caused more problems than it has done good, because it has made people lazy, among other reasons. The Internet has made people lazy. They can pay their bills online and shop online, so they do not have to leave their homes. It has created problems through social networking sites, because people are spending all their time on them, instead of time with their family and friends. Also, these social netw orking sites have created problems for kids, because it gives people another avenue for bullying and harassing.The Internet can be useful for information, but it has led to a whole new kind of criminal I believe the Internet is useful, but the very negative effects it has had on society far outweigh the usefulness. It now allows all kinds of criminals, from pedophiles to terrorists, the ability to accomplish their crimes easier and more efficiently. With the Internet, any pedophile can lure a child far easier and far quicker than in a real life situation. Violent criminals can stalk any prospective victims. The worst impact the Internet has had is it allows terrorist groups to be much more organized.The information super-highway can do so much good, but until society figures out how to regulate it better, the negatives outweigh the positives. The internet has not brought real knowledge, per say I am beginning to see that the internet is neither good nor bad in itself but those who c reate videos and web pages are not required to be responsible in an academic sense. Often, statements can be made up and believed by many as real. But, are not really the case. Some research estimates that adults in the US spend about 13 hours and teens about 31 hours online each week. Yea, I don't think this is good.I don't think 13 hours is bad, but 31?!?! That is too much time spent socializing online which takes away from socializing in person, family time, homework, etc. My friend is in law enforcement and she just had a seminar taught by a psychologist who was talking about the generations of people who are growing up with the internet and how more and more of them are lacking in major social skills because they are so used to communicating via the internet and not person-to-person. This lack of social skills can include lack of empathy, manners, etc On the flip side this has been a big problem.Sometimes we are overly informed. Why go to a real doctor when you have WebMD (not serious here but I know people who use that website as their doctor). Additionally, the sources on the internet are not always the most reliable. Anyone can put information out there that is misleading, uneducated and biased/hate filled. I also think that it is leading to lack of social skills especially since you can now go online to find a date. No human interaction needed before hand, the computer will find your perfect mate. -it's dangerous: cyber stalking, etc. it's bad for us: people spend hours staring at the screen instead of outside. The result is eye strain, headaches, obesity†¦ -spelling, grammar, etc. is ignored on the Internet and proper English is dying out. Science and technology have done more harm than good. There is no doubt that science and technology affected our lives. There are a lot of scientists who are working on different science and modern technology projects these days. However, with the new science and technology developments most people underestima te the damage it gives us.First of all, I would like to say, that with these new science and technical appliances people became to be lazy. They rarely go out to work on foot or by a bicycle. Now there are a lot of modern cars in the cities, which are said to be emitting less gas. But still their emitted gasses damage the environment, so to my mind, that is why pollution of our environment is increasing. Secondly, it seems to me, that technologies are throwing away our free time. For example, these new laptop computer or those touch-screen devices are full of entertaining programs, which are attracting people effectively.Then people forget how to communicate with others in real life, not through international communication systems like â€Å"Skype† or â€Å"Facebook†. On the other hand, my opinion is that science and technology has far increased by the past few decades. New medical treatment, new computer technologies and other useful technical appliances are helping p eople to solve variety of problems more easily than it used to be. Overall, these new science and technology inventions harm not only our environment, but even us. So in my view, we should start thinking what technologies we use.

Database Configurations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Database Configurations - Assignment Example Most organizations do not rely on a single database configuration to be followed across the board. The purpose of having multiple database configurations and settings is similar to the principle of hedging or diversifying risk – the multiple configuration serve as barriers to employees who wish to internally cause damage, collect data about the company or use the information for unauthorized purposes (like selling to a third party). Multiple database configurations can come in various forms: having dedicated database servers, multiple platforms like SQL, Oracle and MySQL and a mix of the above. The idea is that organizations and their IT managers feel safer when information and their data sources are scattered across various configurations. This allows them to reduce the risks of data losses and hacking. The former is avoided because if there is a data failure, then it is likely to be restricted to the particular configuration only due to the fact that multiple configurations are often needed to be enforced across different physical data sources. As for hacking it is important to have different configurations because it restricts the success of hackers, viruses and other automated attempts to gain unauthorized access to data.

Ethics in Business Summative Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics in Business Summative Assignment - Essay Example However, Vin Diesel has recently become a vegetarian and no longer consumes the product. Amie feels disturbed by the ethical ramifications of the celebritys endorsement and is pondering how to proceed with the advertising project in the face of ethical concerns. Individuals in the advertising business, or even amongst general society, are often challenged when they consider ethics and legality to be similar; however ethics and the law are two very distinctly different things (Nickels et al, 2005). Amie, the copywriter for Laird & Laird, questions the ethical appropriateness of using recent vegetarian convert Vin Diesel as the spokesperson for Basils Best bacon. Because the celebrity no longer consumes the product, Amie feels that consumers may be unintentionally misled by the endorsement, since potential health issues are being intentionally omitted from Diesels promotion of the product. However, the Advertising Standards Association has established that so long as the endorser can accurately testify to verifiable personal use of a product, with no mention of strictly present usage, the celebrity endorsement is legally valid. I believe that Amie is engaged in such a dilemma to where she is ineffectively relating legalities with that of ethi cal issues, thus she is not able to separate the two very different viewpoints. The first step that Amie needs to take to satisfy her apprehension is to adequately measure her perceptions to determine whether an ethical situation actually exists. Marketing communications and advertising messages must consistently be accurate and truthful in order to meet appropriate standards (Gershon & Buerstatte, 2003). With this in mind, it has been clearly illustrated through both personal communications with Vin Diesel and in his legalised testament to his historical satisfaction with the consumption of Basils

Synopsis 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Synopsis 3 - Essay Example Tort law enables ordinary citizens to hold â€Å"political actors and multinational corporations† answerable to the harmful effects of their actions (5). Other reasons suggested by the proponents of this law include â€Å"compensating the injured party, discouraging undesirable behavior in society, reinforcing acceptable social norms, redistribution of wealth and expression of political protest† (7). However, opponents of this law argue that it is â€Å"arbitrary, impinges on economic productivity, erodes notions of personal responsibility, is partly responsible for a ‘compensation’ culture, and, gives undeserving claimants and greedy plaintiffs’ lawyers a leeway to exploit defendants† (5). Forms of tort can be categorized based on the following elements: bodily integrity, personal space, possessory interests, freedom of choice and contract, and one’s standing in the eyes of others (30 – 42). Torts violating bodily integrity include battery – intentional physical touching of another’s body that is harmful or offensive such as hitting, kicking, or stabbing; negligence – carelessly inflicting physical injury on another person; defective products; and strict liability for abnormally dangerous activities – liability incurred on the defendant irrespective of fault for activities that cause physical injuries to passive bystanders such as blasting or transportation of radioactive materials (30-33). Torts violating personal space are those that do not require personal injury for them to be admissible in court such as assault – intentionally acting towards another in a way that causes them to anticipate an imminent harmful/offens ive touching; false imprisonment – intentionally confining a person or cause one to perceive herself as being confined; intentional infliction of emotional distress (sheer outrageousness of defendant’s conduct); and workplace harassment (discrimination based on gender, race, religion or sexual

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 181

Assignment Example It explains how consumers will behave as a result of change in prices (Frank, 2007 pg 66). Therefore, the compensated demand curve shows the relationship between the price of a good and the quantity purchased assuming that other prices and utility are held constant. It answers the how utility will change as a result of a change in relative prices of that specific food. In case of an inferior good, customer maximizes utility at point a. However, the prices of good x falls to Px0 making the budget line to rotate. As a result, a point b is formed when the budget line meets the indifference curve. This is known as the price effect. To attain a new equilibrium, M is reduced to M* where a new equilibrium bundle is formed. Therefore, substitution effect is the change of good X from point a to b. The income effect shows that as the income increases,the quantity of good X desired reduces from c to b. For a normal good, income elasticity of demand is positive. On the other hand, elasticity of demand for an inferior good is negative (Frank, 2007 pg 149). This therefore clearly indicates that for a normal good, increase in prices leads to decrease in demand whereas an increase in prices leads to increase in demand for an inferior good. Therefore, normal good are more elastic than inferior

''Storm Center'' by David M. O'Brien Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

''Storm Center'' by David M. O'Brien - Essay Example He illustrates it in a such stoical manner, that the power of America's superior anti-democratic and opposition of majoritarian institution completely depends upon the endorsement or agreement of the country. Even though we think that when it comes to politics, we pay close attention to the elected branches, Alexis de Tocqueville was his common acute as well as observed that hardly any issue which is political take place in the United States that is not determined, ,into a legal question. As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes stated that the Court turns into what is called a ''storm centre'' when it tackles a passion-stirring concern weather it be assimilation, crime, abortion, affirmative action. ''Storm Center'' by David M. O'Brien gives instance of the above mentioned issues. Given the reality that the Court is an oligarchy and all relies on only 9 lords, each and every one of whom is expected to have strong belief and a powerful persona; it would be astonishing if personal hostility did not take place in the procedures. O'Brien in a brilliant manner presents the example of Justice James C. McReynolds, he considers him as being anti-Semitic, would exit from the conference room every time Justice Louis D. Brandeis started to speak . Nevertheless O'Brien points out realistically that irrelevant frustration that has no big part in the important decisions. The Justices are restricted via the type of courtesy which is incorporated into the Court's cases (for example they all of them shake hands each others hands before starting a conference) by the gracefulness of its political position as well as by institutional and prudential concern; unpredicted coalition are made on sensitive issues. O'Brien does not give in blow-by-blow accounts of fights -although he gives quite a few good accounts of the cases however he pays more attention to analyzing the structure and operations of the Court. He states that it has turned into common knowledge, that Justices are frequently selected for their apparent ideological likeness to whoever the President is at present , just to let down their sponsor once installed. An well liked example of O'Brien is of president Dwight D. Eisenhower's choice of Chief Justice Earl Warren. (President Reagan's consultant clearly knows their record; his most recent recommendation to the Court appears to be diligently proposed in order evade any surprises.) Kind Of Research And Analytic Method O'Brien is clear as well as remarkable in the powerful analytic method he uses to explain how the Justices allocate their work. He has used qualitative research as he has utilized pervious literature for the court cases in order to proof his point . this kind of research has led him to give valid information regarding the fact that law clerks have achieved power in current years, as the load of work has increased, although he thinks that their influence is less than that influence which readers of his last publication ''The Brethren'' had . Although the importance that he has given to collegiality ever since the time of Chief Justice John Marshall as well as the strong wish for consent, particularly on important issues , foremost decisions have occasionally been

Ice Cream Production Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ice Cream Production - Essay Example It also has beautiful packaging, creative in the field. We are targeting all health conscious people including those who have diabetes, athletes and have extra weight to shed. We are hoping to supply free samples initially and hope to get feedback. It will be advertised in the diet section of the magazines, and will be exhibited in food shows. It is highly economical cost wise as 1000 grams are produced at the cost of mere 3.47. "Despite the simplicity of the ingredients, the interactions between the components of ice cream are quite complex; because it is an emulsion, a foam and a dispersion at the same time, scientists have always struggled to classify it among the colloid family. This too is a lengthy process and intends to use oats instead of cream. It is necessary to emphasize that strict methods of production are used to produce a healthy alternative to the present form of ice cream and Ice Supreme has the capabilities of reducing obesity being a healthier food. As mentioned earlier, ground oats are used instead of cream and they give a thick creamy texture due to the starch in them. Frozen raspberries and riabena concentrate are blended together and this concentrate is added to milk, which is in turn is pasteurised by boiling it for five minutes. It is left to cool before 3 egg yolks stirred in and the solution is put in ice-cream maker for 30 minutes. Meringue is made using three egg whites, and adding sugar after 15 minutes. It is possible to face problems of too low cereal quantity and too weak flavour after using normal fruit juice. Product has to pass microbiological testing. It is necessary to mention that Ice cream ingredients could be replaced by diverse ingredients, though here we are sticking to the above. "Many commercial, large-scale manufacturers make ice cream from fat, water, milk proteins, sugar, stabilisers and emulsifiers http://www.chemsoc.org/chembytes/ezine/2001/davies_jul01.htm Ice cream is supposed to contain a considerable amount of milk fat and all the conventional ice cream adheres to this fat content. "Ice cream must legally contain more than 10% milk fat. The product also contains up to 15% sucrose, as well as flavorings and emulsifiers. The major component of ice cream is air and the product is essentially a frozen foam" http://www.foodprocessing-technology.com/projects/wells Suggested ingredients are much healthier. Basic ice cream manufacturing steps are mixing, pasteurisation, homogenisation, cooling, ageing, freezing, filling/packing, hardening, and storage and distribution. Mixing involves the initial binding of all ingredients in a suitable vessel which could be preheated. Usually a steam-jacketed, stainless steel vessel is fitted with an agitator and is connected to a pasteuriser and if done so, a calibrated recording deviser should be connected to record temperatures at different stages of heat treatment and the length of time taken should be noted down. It could also be fitted with a homogeniser that could mix the product at a high shear to break up the fat globules in pre-pasteurisation homogenisation or if fitted

The Disappearing Ozone Layer Essay Example for Free

The Disappearing Ozone Layer Essay The Ozone Layer extends from twelve to thirty miles above the surface of the earth. Oxygen in the presence of sunlight forms Ozone. It acts as a barrier to the carcinogenic ultraviolet radiation that is emitted by the Sun (Ozone Layer, 2005). The Ozone molecule consists of three Oxygen atoms. It is unsafe to inhale and most of it is to be found in the stratosphere. It absorbs a particular band of ultraviolet radiation, from the Sun, that has a wavelength between of 280 to 320 nanometers. This ultraviolet radiation known as UV – B causes great harm to the DNA of living organisms (Ozone Depletion , 2006). The Ozone layer is destroyed by the Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, which were previously used in refrigerants and cleaning agents, and other Ozone Depleting Substances or ODS that, are used in fire extinguishers. The chlorine in the CFCs is released when the Ultraviolet light splits them and these halogen atoms destroy the Ozone by combining with the third Oxygen atom in the Ozone molecule. Subsequently, this molecule combines with a free Oxygen atom to release the halogen atom which again breaks up another Ozone molecule. One halogen atom destroys around a hundred thousand Ozone molecules (Fahey, 2003). The main halogens that cause the depletion of the Ozone Layer are Chlorine and Bromine. Due to exposure to sunlight the halogen source gases are converted into halogen gases that are highly reactive. For instance, chlorine based gases get transformed to ClO or chlorine monoxide and bromine based compounds change to BrO or bromine oxide. In addition, chlorine and bromine atoms are also formed which are highly reactive and cause untold damage to the Ozone Layer (Fahey, 2003). The depletion of the Ozone Layer is not uniform and there is considerable variation with latitude. Due to the extremely high Ozone losses in the Antarctic region the loss is at a global maximum there. The next highest losses transpire in the Northern Hemisphere. The air that has been depleted of Ozone spreads from the Polar Regions. The depletion in the tropical regions is the least because of the fact that reactive halogen gases are present in very small quantities (Fahey, 2003). Further, a seasonal variation has also been noticed in this Ozone Layer depletion process. In the Southern Hemisphere, there is not much of a variation in the process and the amount of depletion is around six percent. However, in the Northern Hemisphere, the variation between winter and summer is from four percent to two percent respectively (Fahey, 2003). Atmospheric Ozone is of three forms the good form, the bad form and the natural form. Good Ozone is the Stratospheric Ozone that protects humans, animals and plants from UV – B radiation. Bad Ozone occurs near the surface of the Earth due to chemical reactions and human activities that produce polluting gases. Industrial activity and the consumption of fossil based fuels cause an increase in bad Ozone (Fahey, 2003). The natural form of Ozone is one of the constituents of a clean atmosphere and if there had been no human activities on the surface of the Earth then Ozone would have been observed at the surface of the Earth and in the troposphere and stratosphere. Ozone extracts other naturally and manmade gases in the atmosphere (Fahey, 2003). Realizing the gravity of the situation, twenty countries became signatories at Vienna to a treaty agreement in 1985. This treaty was named the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and it was decided to protect the Ozone Layer from the depredations of human activities. Subsequently, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was ratified in 1989 (Fahey, 2003). This Protocol implemented controls on the developed and developing countries in respect of the manufacture and utilization of chemicals that were instrumental in causing a depletion of the Ozone Layer. These measures were further strengthened by the 1990 London Amendments to the Protocol, which made it mandatory to reduce the production and consumption of such substances. The directives of the Montreal Protocol have proved to be successful to some extent. With increasing depletion of the Ozone Layer the Ultra Violet Radiation reaching the surface of the Earth increases (Fahey, 2003). UV – B radiation causes non – melanoma skin cancer. In the United States of America skin cancer cases are increasing tremendously. The situation is very serious with twenty percent of the residents developing skin cancer. The fatalities from this disease alone are one per hour in the US (Health Effects of Overexposure to the Sun, 2006). Moreover, UVB causes actinic keratoses and premature aging of the skin. Keratoses or lesions occur on the face, upper limbs and neck of individuals. These can lead to squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, UVB brings about a loss in the transparency in the eye lens or what is commonly termed as cataract. Millions of Americans are afflicted by this malaise every year and the expenditure this incurs is of the order of several billion dollars. Further, such radiation causes the degeneration of the macula or that part of the retina where visual perception is at its best. Another grave problem created by such radiation is the impairment of the immune system of the human body (Health Effects of Overexposure to the Sun, 2006). The government of the state of Mississippi being seized with this extremely serious problem posed by UVB radiation has implemented several measures. In this state a large number of air-conditioning and refrigerating units are employed. Some of these refrigerants are Freon 12, Freon 22 and R – 12. By 1995, the production of R – 12 was completely stopped and new substances like HFC – 134A are being used in its place. The government has prohibited the release of Freon into the atmosphere and Freon is being sold only to certified technicians. All air – conditioning and refrigerant equipment has to be thoroughly inspected in order to ensure that the leakage of Freon into the atmosphere is minimized (Moore Kimbrough, 2007). A team of scientists, led by Dr. Yang, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, analyzed data collected over a quarter century. This data had been collected by NASA and NOAA or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since, 1979 there had been a drastic depletion of the Ozone Layer. However, in 1997 a reversal in this trend was observed. This was in no small measure due to the proper implementation of the Montreal Protocol. This had prompted Yang and his team to conclude, after extrapolating from the available data, that the Ozone Layer would be restored to its 1980 status by the year 2050 (NASA, NOAA Data Indicate Ozone Layer is Recovering, 2006). However, till such time, it is imperative for people to take abundant precautions. Some of these are the avoidance of the midday sun in summer, protecting the eyes from direct sunlight by wearing sunglasses that filter out Ultra Violet Radiation and eschewing the use of aerosols and CFCs. In addition, liberal use of sunscreen with a sun protection factor or SPF of 15 or more, protective clothing and wide – brimmed hats have to be utilized, especially in the case of children. This is due to the fact that the skin of children is much more sensitive than that of adults. Moreover, every effort should be made to avoid direct sunlight, especially between 10 am to 4 pm.

The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model

The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model One of the most important political ideologies used in the modern era especially by the Western countries is liberal democracy. A liberal democratic state involves of the goals of both liberalism and democracy. This essay will talk about the critiques of liberal democracy explaining the four criteria of liberal democracy and why it works or does not work in the context to the case study countries. In a liberal democratic model, it is necessary to have some basic criteria on liberal democracy. The four criteria that will be explored in relation to the case study countries are multiple distinct political parties, separation of power into different branches of government, an idea of equality and lastly secularism. According to Gordon Smith political parties are, the summation of pluralist tradition. This means political parties are very important because of the role they play in society. Pluralists debate that there should be multiple contenders in opposing centres of power as the power should not rest in one group rather be divided and diffused (Schwarzmantel, 1994:51). Political parties represent the public interests. Likewise, multi- party system creates diversity and competition in turn parties makes efforts and try out to reach to a larger group of people making their policies relevant. It emphasises different groups of interests within the liberal democratic state which prevents any one group from dominating. As each human being have different perspective of looking at the world, similarly each party might have a different interpretation on a policy because of the different ideals and values. The main aim of political parties is to capture state power. This pluralist view applies to a co untry like Russia where they have multi-party system. It is practically accurate to argue that at the national level Russia has attained at least a semi-pluralistic political system, with number of national parties and the strong influence of business interests. On the other hand Elite theory rejects the pluralist theory that power can be diffused and can be divided and spread among different groups of society. Elite theory argues that the power rests in the hands of few, who are wealthy. They assert that the average person cannot be heard because the power is usually concentrated in a few at the top. Democratic elite theorists argued that the decrease in internal party democracy and meeting process did not matter much, so long as competition between parties still give voters the final power. Elite theory says that two-party or multi-party system is usually dominated by an elite. For example in a country like USA elite theory works more than the pluralist theory. United States has two parties unlike the other countries that have multi-party system. In a multi-party system, political parties usually have specialised agenda which in turn represents their interests like environment, labor or business. But in America with a more generalised syst em, the two parties have to please a wider range of people to be elected. Consequently, both parties act neither too liberal nor too conservative. Many people agree that United States has a two-party system but there have been few cases where third party candidate won an election. Third party candidates have to struggle to get elected. The last time when the country saw a third party presented elected was in 1860 when Abraham Lincoln became President. In the view of elite theory they agree with the two-party system in United States as campaigns costs a fortune in this country. In their view the wealth buys the political power by recruiting capable individuals to serve the interests of the ruling class, and by financing the campaigns of politicians and the operation of political parties'(Module guide).Political parties are important for keeping the check and balance of power through peaceful means and are thus important in a liberal democracy. Without having any form of competition t hen from an elitist, then there would be only one outcome and that is whatever the elite considers the best then that will be the decision. In a country to be liberal democratic state power should be divided among different groups so that state cannot rule the masses on their own and the power is distributed among different factions of government. Pluralism critique of the state suggests a solution to how democracies can be realised in large and complex societies and how to achieve popular power and at the same time limit the power of the state. Pluralism is strictly against the totalitarian government. A pluralist society is on in which the decisions are taken by associations of citizens, acting independently of state. They assume state as a neutral actor which helps control conflicts and negotiations among groups. As all groups do not have equal resources or influence as some of the other groups in society, state does not favour any of the group rather remain neutral. Pluralism prefers a federal system of government in which power is divided among executive, legislature and judiciary. So that there is checks and balanc es and no one can misuse the power. Madison advocated a simple logic stating that, grant independent power to the different branches of government, and each member of that branch will have a personal interest in maintaining that power and preventing the other branches from carrying out their repressive designs. It means if the power is distributed among different bodies in the government, no person will be able to impose his or her will. Pluralist theory can apply to a country like France where there is a federal system of government although the executive is body is slightly stronger than that of legislature. However all the power does not rest with the executive, power also lies within the two remaining branches of government, the legislative, and the judiciary. The second critique which describes the state is elite theory. In their view, the separation of power is unimportant within the state because in the end unified elite hold the power. They assert that the elites will always hold power in the society in different forms and their nature will directly determine the properties of society in which they live. The post- war elite theory critique C. Wright Mills argued that important decisions made in United States policy making were most of the times made by unelected power elite. For example, Unites States has a federal system of government in which power is evenly distributed among the 3 bodies of government , namely legislature, executive and judiciary but there certain cases where there are power elite makes the decisions. For instance the head of a big American business corporation or even the President or his appointed staff. On the contrary, Marxist theory argues that economy is the most important element in the society and that the s ociety should grow towards a classless structure with an equal distribution of power. Each citizen should be treated equally irrespective of gender, cast and religion to live in peace. Thus, idea of equality should be present in every country which makes it an important aspect of a liberal democratic country. Marxist Theory can best explain that why there is inequality among countries. Marxists states that unequal distribution of wealth is caused by exploitation in production as well as distribution of wealth. Capitalism and notion of private property creates class differences and unequal distribution of power. Private property maximises the gap between rich and poor. For instance if a person owns a property, he gets to exploit people who dont which leads to other people working for the person who owns the property and can provide them with money. This form of organisation develops two classes, the bourgeoisie or ruling class who control and profit from the system and the working class who are much more numerous. In Marxist view wealth should be equally distributed am ong people. Rejecting this theory of Marxism, elite critiques argue that economic or social class forces do not determine what happens in society rather elites do. Italian writer Vilfredo Pareto criticises Marxists for overlooking the control of elite. For example in a country like America and Nigeria there is a huge income gap between rich and poor due to capitalism. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of elites which gives an adverse effect on the welfare of citizens. Utter poverty for a large percentage of the people of Nigeria is because of the mismanagement of the economy and widespread corruption by political elites. Therefore both the theories can be applied in the countries like Nigeria and United States. All the liberal democratic countries should accept that citizens should not be prevented from practicing their religion and the state is no one to interfere with the religious decisions of citizens or their institutions. Marxist sees religion as a feature only of a class-divided society. The theory argues that whichever class controls the economic production also controls the production and distribution of ideas in society via institutions such as church, education system and the media. For example, France has declared herself as a secular country having divided church and state during the French Revolution. However, over 80% of her citizens claim to be Roman Catholics, on the other hand 10% claim to be Muslim (CIA).In spite of being a secular state France does not allow manifestation of religion in public sphere. In 2004, an anti-religious law passed through legislature that banned the wearing of headscarves, turban, skullcaps, or large crosses in the public schools as (Graham, 109) .Therefore looking at this example of France it can be said that the Marxist theory can describe secularism in France as the person who is ruling is passing all the laws which controls all the power in the government and can influence any law in his favour. Moreover this law in the end can lead to divisions in society. Similarly, Pluralism accepts all the religions in the society and rejects the notion that there can be a single belief in religion or culture. That is, pluralism is a simple recognition of the fact that there are many different faith groups active in the country. Pluralist theory works well in the liberal democratic countries as they demonstrate well about secularism. Pluralist theory works well in religious country like United States which is a multi-cultural society consisting of many religious groups such as Christians, Muslims, Hindus.