Ancient democracy to present democracy Essay Example for Free

Ancient democracy to present democracy Essay The word democracy is derived from two Greek words, demos, which means people, and kratos, which means rule. Today the word has come to mean exactly that, ruled by the people. Many ancient political Greek philosophers would use the phrase the governors are to be governed which we can relate to today. Even though the Greeks notion of democracy is dramatically different from our current democracy, it has been one of the most influential philosophies that have shaped the political thought of the United States. Ironically the term democracy is the most used term to describe the American government even though it has little meaning in our government today. The Athenian government was the first democracy known to the world. Athens had a government where all of the citizens took part in the decision making. Thus, everyone who qualified as a citizen could participate and did not have to be an elected representative. For one to be considered a citizen they first had to be born in Athens and had to be free. Next, once turned eighteen years of age he had to have at least two years of military training then serve in the navy or army. After he has served he could then vote. After the age of thirty he could be considered for council. The women of Athens were also considered to be citizen however they did not posses any political power. The Athenian democracy had three main branches which were the assembly, the council, and the jurymen. The assembly had the reasonability of making the policies for Athens. The assembly could be considered the legislative branch and it was made of eligible Athenian citizens. The council enforced administrative matters and the policies. They were also in control of the military and finances. The council was made of five hundred citizens and could be considered the executive branch. The jury men had the important yet tedious job of resolving disputes of the people. There were six thousand jurymen to manage this job in the courts. The Greeks of Athens had no single head of the government and no political parties. The United States has some similarities with Athenian democracy but very few. There are three branches, the legislative, executive, and the judicial which  are similar to the three branches of Athenss government. The legislative branch is made of the Senate and the House of Representatives. They are in charge of making the laws of the states. The House of Representatives consists of a representative from each state. There is one representative from each district in the state. The district in each state depends on the population of the state. There are four hundred and thirty five members of the House. Each of them only serve for two years and then have to run for re-election. The Senate consists of one hundred members. Each state has two representatives in the Senate. The Senate has three times the amount of service time than the House. The Executive branch is the president and his cabinet. The president gets to appoint his cabinet which consists of several positions, the Secretary of State, Attorney General, National Security Advisor, and more. The judicial branch has nine justices as apposed to six thousand, one that serve as the Chief Justice. Once they are appointed by the president they serve for the rest of their lives. As you can see, the American democracy doesnt quite fit the Greeks definition of democracy. They have appointed officials that can dictate how the people live. The Greek democracy actually consisted of citizens that could participate in political issues without being elected or appointed.

Ethical Challenge of Protecting Software in Emerging Economies: Copyright Law and Enforcement in Pakistan :: Software Technology Protection Essays

Ethical Challenge of Protecting Software in Emerging Economies: Copyright Law and Enforcement in Pakistan Introduction The United States and Pakistan have similar laws protecting software using copyright and patents despite being at very different stages of economic development. Pakistan has an emerging economy with a per capita GDP of $2000 per capita and a literacy rate of 46%.[i] The US has a more mature economy with per capita GDP of $37,600 and a 97% literacy rate[ii]. Despite having similar laws regarding copyright and patent protection Pakistan has rampant piracy problems not seen in the US. It is estimated that 95% of digital media sold in Pakistan is pirated[iii]. This may be in part due to the high cost of software relative to income compared to US where software piracy exists but is less rampant. This discrepancy raises the question: Is it ethical to apply the same rules to two countries regardless of economic condition and industry maturity and what is the global effect of having the same laws but enforcing them differently? Background Two primary methods for protecting software throughout the world are patents and copyright[iv]. Each provides a different measure of protection. The goal of each is to promote the sharing of new inventions and creative works while ensuring that the developer of the work is compensated. Copyright provides the copyright holder rights to the work for 75 years after creation or 50 beyond author’s death whichever is shortest. It not only protects the actual syntax of the code from being copied but covers structure, sequence, and organization of the program. This is to prevent people from simply rewriting an application in another programming language. Copyright, as applied to more traditional written works such as books and songs provide for â€Å"fair use† by others. Fair use means that others can use a small portion of a copyright protected work without permission for certain reasons such as education or critical commentary. The fair use clause is not really applic able to software because it is rare that a small portion of a computer program would be used in the situations covered by the fair use clause. This is an example of stretching an existing law to cover new technology. Patents protect software in a different way by giving the creator rights to the process performed by the protected program.

Performing and Visual Arts Essay

Visual and performing arts enhance our lives in a variety of ways. When spanning from things inherent in nature such as the instance of a sunset, sunrise, or perhaps a full moon, to the most mundane and seemingly inane instance of body piercings or an arm tattoo. Art constitutes myriad meanings, translating differently from one individual to the next. Among its broadest categories however, aside from visual arts such as painting – music, theater and dance relates to a significant aspect of performance art. Painting, of course, is a form of visual art which has long taken a prominent place in the art world. Artists express their sentiments and ideologies through brushes and paint indulging in these said worldviews and inspiration by way of paper or canvass. But more than creativity, the discipline requires an amount of coherence and structure on the artist’s part . The use of watercolors for instance, is perhaps the trickiest and difficult medium to master or ‘dabble in ‘ where painting is concerned. Watercolor Painting commands the artist’s ability with the brush, and the delicate balance of mixing the colors with the aforementioned liquid. Oil paintings on the other hand, appear to have the greatest depth visually than any other painting medium, and the concept of oil on canvass always rings a prominent tune where the subject of art is concerned. But artists who paint by the said medium deals with the instance of its messy process , of the relatively unpleasant smells it yields, and the stretching period of time by which it dries . The opposite of which, is perhaps that of acrylic, which takes a faster time to dry, thereby dictating the time by which the artist is to finish the painting in question. The use of acrylics is also the most versatile of medium, its end result approximating, or appearing to emulate a painting done by watercolor, gouache, oil, and so on. Gouache is a medium in painting which can be synonymous with watercolor, because of the similar element existing in both medium that is water. But gouache colors appear heavier than watercolors, and dry to a rich opaque color. Because it is thinned down by water, and doesn’t rely heavily on it as watercolors do, it is as less difficult to work with. At most, visual art, or painting in particular, is a two dimensional take and representation of reality and humanity. Most art movements took root and relate to aspects of painting such as Surrealism, Action Painting, Expressionism, and Cubism, among various others. They represent styles, techniques, concepts, sensibilities and philosophies which contribute to varying end results in painting. According to the textbook â€Å"Perceiving the Arts†, opera is defined as the â€Å"combination of drama and music into a single artistic form† (Sporre, 2009). Opera is made up of primarily music along with other elements similar to a play such as costumes, scenery, lights, and a plot. Unlike a play, the plot of an opera unfolds through a combination of acting and singing. The follow provides an historical development and evolution of opera and the characteristics of the opera genre. In addition, the following provides information on famous composers associated with opera and concludes with the influence opera has made on society and culture. Historical Development and Evolution The art of opera began during the Renaissance era in the late 16th century in Florence, Italy. Opera started as Greek plays recreated by adding music. According to the Music Lessons Online web site (2010), the first recorded opera was called Dafne and it was created in the late 1500’s. Opera style spread quickly across Europe and soon the first opera house was built in Venice, Italy in 1637. At this time, opera became available to the public, not just aristocracy entertainment. By 1700, 16 public opera houses opened (Columbian Encyclopedia, 2008). At that time, opera was considered an Italian music form. Lyrics were written in Italian only. Christoph Gluck is a German composer credited with changing the face of opera with Orfeo et Eurydice in 1762, staged in Vienna. Orfeo et Eurydice is said to have changed opera because of its emphasis on drama (Asiado, 2007). The opera was the first of many â€Å"reformed operas† composed by Gluck, and influenced composers like Mozart. Orfeo et Eurydice set the standard for the modern opera style we see today. Opera finally emerged in German, French, Spanish, and Russian in the 19th century. France produced the Grand Opera that would last four to five hours and include ballet dancers. Why or Why not? People usually create or perform in arts because some of us just can not be satisfied with an ordinary life style. We prefer to ask why not, instead of why? We like to experiment, imagine and the set it as a portray, the improbable, the unlikely, and impossible just to make sure that all the things we think are out there and aren’t any closer than any imaginations. The act of creativity becomes progress to humans. I do it for the feeling of accomplishing something worthwhile (like Rocky said; â€Å"I coulda been a contender!! † In addition to this it is a â€Å"gift. † Arts in Society The arts play a valued role in creating cultures and developing and documenting civilizations. Students of the arts gain powerful tools for: communicating through creative expression; understanding human experiences, past and present; adapting to and respecting the ways others think, work, and express themselves; using artistic modes of problem solving, which, in turn, bring an array of expressive, analytical, and development tools to every human situation; understanding the power of the arts to create and reflect cultures; understanding the impact of design on virtually all we use in daily life; understanding the interdependence of work in the arts and the worlds of ideas and events; making decisions in situations where there are no standard answers; analyzing nonverbal communication and making informed judgments about cultural products and issues; and for communicating thoughts and feelings in a variety of modes, thereby providing a more powerful repertoire of self-expression. Because each arts discipline appeals to different senses and expresses itself through different media, each adds a special richness to the learning environment. Arts education helps students learn to identify, appreciate, and participate in the traditional and non-traditional art forms of their own communities and the communities of others. As students imagine, create, and reflect, they are developing the verbal and non-verbal abilities necessary for life-long learning. The intellectual demands of the arts help students develop problem-solving abilities and such powerful thinking skills as analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. Numerous studies point toward a consistent and positive correlation between substantive education in the arts and student achievement in other subjects. A comprehensive, well-designed arts education program also engages students in a process that helps them develop the self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation necessary for success in life. Most importantly, the arts should be experienced and studied for their own intrinsic value.

How Does Priestley Present the Change in Sheila During the...

An inspector calls is a morality play that challenges the ideas of an upper class Edwardian audience,preistley achieves this both through the attitudes of the play but also through his implementation of personal morals. Sheila is initially presented as the stereotypical Edwardian daughter but soon freely presents her emotions, without the need for approval from her parents. Sheila is first presented as the stereotypical daughter who conforms to the wishes of her parents, â€Å"you’re squiffy† shows Sheila being very respectful in the way she speaks, but in this still presenting her emotions without upsetting her parents.it would be expected of Sheila to be very well spoken, â€Å"yes, go on, mummy† uses formal address terms showing Sheila’s†¦show more content†¦Despite Gerald’s control over his fiancà © Sheila seems more interested in the ring.Preistley may have been attempting to present the shallowness of the upper class society. After questioning has started by the inspector we start to see a change in Sheilas attitudes towards the rest of her family. â€Å"Did you, dad† shows continued respect whilst still allowing Sheila to escape from the expectations she has to conform to, this is made easier due to the fact that Sheila has the inspector with her as the voice of the lower classes. Priestley is attempting to show that the lower classes are not given a voice so need the upper class to offer some level of protection. This progresses to a more obvious display of emotion â€Å"I think it was a mean thing to do† this openly criticizes her father, something which would have been heavily unexpected and seriously punished ,with the inspectors presence Sheila can present the change of attitudes of the younger generations. Priestley was attempting to show that the change in attitudes of the upper class will not be instant; the younger generation will be the catalyst for the change in attitudes towards the lower classes. Before the inspector entered the birling household Sheila presented herself as the perfect fiancà © to Gerald, despite knowing something happened during the summer she is still very reserved in what she says. With the inspector acting as a defence she begins to take on the role of theShow MoreRelatedSheilas Development; Inspector Calls930 Words   |  4 PagesHow does Priestley present the change in Sheila during the course of the play An Inspector Calls? How do you think this ch ange reflects some of Priestley’s ideas? Initially Sheila is thought of to be quite childish and immature at the start of the play as she teases and has a playful argument with her brother and with her mother telling her off saying ‘’Now stop it, you two’’. This resembles an ordinary family and so we can see that Sheila is treated as a child and behaves like one through the use