Outcomes of the Revolution Essay Example for Free

Outcomes of the Revolution Essay Concord and Lexington The British secretary of state requested an army go to Concord to capture colonist supplies and arrest prevalent leaders. However, the colonists were alerted and met the British in Lexington, where ‘the shot heard around the world’ was fired, sparking a furious gunfire battle. The British then moved onto Concord, but the leaders they were meant to capture had already fled. Also, the colonists rallied there and forced the British to alter their return route to Boston, making their trip heavy with casualties. This sparked the physical battle portion of the war, and led to the American’s first gunfire encounter with their enemy. It also brought the colonists together for this big encounter, and though they suffered casualties, allowed them the small victories of not only firing upon the British, but causing them more casualties than their own troops. Fort Ticonderoga The British planned for General Burgoyne to lead his men South from Canada. In doing so, he captured Fort Ticonderoga and then continued south. This capture gave the British’s plan to isolate New England the firm start it  needed and kept them on plan, though ultimately, the plan turned into a British surrender. Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress met to determine if indeed the war had broken out and how the colonists would handle it. They wanted to show they were acting as an independent country without using that term (independent). This was the first major step for the Americans, towards the direction of complete independence from the British Crown. They recognized and supported the war, appointed a general, and offered the Olive Branch Petition to the King, who ignored it. Bunker Hill The British sent troops to capture the colonists’ cannons on Breed’s Hill, which led to the first massive battle of the Revolution. Though the colonists retreated, they had a fatal impact on the British army, causing large amounts of casualties while taking only small numbers of deaths themselves. The Battle of Bunker Hill brought many more colonists to the forefront of the battle, fighting against the British. But, it also made the British realize that the number of colonists were a part of the rebellion, and ultimately turned the rebellion into the revolution, which had much deadlier consequences. Quebec The British took the city from the French and built a stronghold (1759). This battle was the first major American defeat during the war (1775). Two armies attacked Quebec only to be riddled with casualties and death. Many Americans were lost while the British suffered only few issues. This boosted the British armies’ morale and gave them a strong fort to hold supplies and men. It also stopped the Americans from trying to pull the Canadians further into the war, something that played to the British’s benefit. Lake Champlain Fresh off the success of holding Quebec, British forces made way towards Fort Ticonderoga by way of Lake Champlain. Benedict Arnold and his forces met them on the water, and though there was not a victory, the colonists were able to hold them off until a snow storm forced the British back in order to be safe of the weather (History of American Wars, n.d.). This was considered the first naval battle of the war. Trenton George Washington led his men across the Delaware River to capture Trenton, NJ from a small band of Hessians. Though the town really held no strategic importance, it helped boost the men’s morale and kept the Revolutionaries on track. Saratoga The Battle of Saratoga happened in close succession of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. As General Burgoyne’s soldiers continued with their plan and neared the Hudson River, they were slowed due to various issues and the Continental Army caught them. Ultimately, the British were forced to surrender. The success of this battle led the Americans to realize they could indeed fight and win against the British if they could face them in smaller numbers. This also allowed the French, who had not wanted to step in to help the Americans at this point, see that the battle may not be a losing one. Valley Forge There was no battle at Valley Forge. In fact, it was here the American army went in its most severe of states. They were exhausted, hungry, malnourished and lacked any morale to keep going. But after a matter of months, food eventually came and the troops rallied. This was a huge turning point in the war. Had the troops not recovered and moved on, it is very plausible that the colonists, missing a key general (Washington) and many men, would have ultimately failed in their battle against the British. Cowpens With the British winning battles ibn the South, General Greene took the initiative to divide and conquer the British army in a battle near Cowpens. He used a tactic the British did not recognize and which ultimately cost the redcoats many men. This battle caused another massive blow to the British’s numbers, while boosting morale and skill tactics for the Americans. Yorktown General Cornwallis was ultimately forced to move his men up north to wait for replacements, due to malnourishment and fatigue. Washington, seeing his chance, pursued the weakened army and with help from the French navy, defeated the huge army and forced the British’s surrender. This was considered the final major battle of the Revolutionary War. The crown recognized defeat after Cornwallis’s surrender and ultimately surrender its own fight. Part 2 Complete the grid by describing the effects of the Revolution on each group. Group Role, if any, played in the Revolution Effect of the Revolution on the group Political, economic, or social effects of the war on the group Men colonists The man played the primary role within the Revolution. The fought the political and physical battles, and carried almost all authority within the colonies, militias and political parties. The group certainly was brought together from various religious and cultural backgrounds because of the Revolution. The collaborative efforts of the many nationalities brought forth a change in the colonists. As noted, the wars brought them together and they began to finally see themselves as a new Nation and impacted by their own democracy Women colonists As the British acted to hold onto power, the women colonists began to play a major role. One of their most memorable parts was played when laws regarding tea were changed and the British required only certain merchants to sell. The women stepped forward and boycotted the imported tea. They also played key roles as cooks, nurses and seamstresses for the many soldiers. The Revolution brought out the strength in many women, and drove them to support their men, their freedom and their new country. Many stepped forward to take on tasks and lead their own small revolutions of the British, but also a few even went as far as to join the military under false names and identities in an effort to help the men protect this new land. The Revolution opened many doors for women, though it still did not put them at equal marks with men. Though they were granted more power within their own household, the expectations of raising proper children, education and political silence were expected. It wasn’t until years later that the new States even considered allowing women to have more authority, become land owners, and explore their right to vote. Black slaves and freed Blacks Blacks, both freed and enslaved, fought on both sides, though apparently the British were more open to their precise than the colonists. But their  numbers were small in comparison to the whites. The Revolution cause so much chaos many salves fled their owners. It also sparked the talk of abolishing slavery and slowly states began to recognize freed slaves and move to legally outlaw the importation of slavery. As the more slaves were freed or fled, they created communities and built up their own churches, internal politics and educational systems. Native Americans No impacting role to either sides The Revolution unfortunately increased the impact the colonists had on the Native Americans. They continued to be pushed out of their lands and killed, by way of battle or disease The Native Americans were decreased by significant percentages and completely pushed from their lands. They had little to no power over the changes and were eventually wrangled into small protected areas, which were fractions of the size of what they had prior to the colonists arriving Cite and reference all sourced material consistent with APA guidelines. References: History of American Wars. Battles of the Revolutionary War. (n.d.) Retrieved January 24, 2015. http://www.history-of-american-wars.com/battles-of-the-revolutionary-war.html

Cosmetic products

Cosmetic products 1. Introduction Cosmetic products are very important in human life due to the improvement of the living standards. And by bringing the products to potential customers, cosmetic advertisements are quite popular in all means of media. Actually, cosmetic advertisers bring the products to customers in different ways which depend mostly on who the customers are. In other words, they design different advertisements of the same product to target different groups of viewers, namely men and women. The differences among such advertisements motivate me to do a small-scaled research on one of the factors that lead to such different features: the languages used in those advertisements. In more details, this essay aims to examine if any gender-based linguistic differences can be utilized in cosmetic advertisements with the purpose of targeting and influencing viewers of different genders by answering the following research questions: Why do advertisers need more than one advertisement for ONE same product? Is language one of the most important differences (among other differences like characters, language, other advertising techniques †¦) between the two kinds of advertisements? Then why and how important is it in making such difference? 2.Theoretical background In this section, a general view of advertising and gender differences will be introduced in order to provide a basic background to answer the very first research question before the main focus of the essay is discussed about further details of language use in advertisements. A special attention is paid on the theory of gender differences in language use in advertisements, which will be examined in seven different advertisements for Clear Shampoo in the later part of the essay. 2.1. An overview of advertising Nowadays, businesses and manufacturers are actually aware of the great importance of advertising their products or services since a successful advertisement can bring them great profits whereas an unfortunate commercial can lead them to bankruptcy (Sadek-Endrawes, 2008). Thus, businesses and manufactures always try their best to find out ways to design the best advertisements for their products and services with the utilization of effective techniques. Those techniques then are used as tools to attract attention, â€Å"engage minds, trigger emotions and change what people think† (adcracker.com a famous website for tips, tools and techniques to create world-class advertising ideas). Among them are special metaphors (a symbolic representation for the product), promises of benefit or problem solving, offers of free samples, features of human-like and life-like, features of â€Å"eye candy†, etc. Writers from adcracker.com also believe that it might be useful to choose or create their own characters who are put in some special situations, for example conflicts, which can be exaggerated. But the most and foremost important techniques that all advertisement designers need to know are the techniques of choosing the target viewers and language wisely and correspondingly. That is the reason why there are sometimes more than one advertisements designed for only one single product. 2.1.1. Language use as a powerful advertising technique It is obvious that language plays a vital role in the society in general and in everyones life in particular. We use language of all kinds every day, if it is not to say, every moment to communicate with other people, to get ourselves and our own opinions expressed and vice versa to get the same things from others (Gyllgard, 2006). Mastering that communicative power of language, sensible advertisers seem to always try their best to utilize language as a powerful tool to influence the viewers. More specifically, they often try to use language quite distinctively in order to catch viewers attention (adcracker.com). For example, they sometimes play with words, use them out of context, and create new ones in order to help viewers remember a certain brand. Sometimes, those words become the famous slogan for the brand like Moving Forward for Toyota cars or Malaysia Truly Asia for Tourism in Malaysia. Language in advertisements is also used as internationalized (Sadek-Endrawes, 2008), which is expected to be beneficial in order to create same response from viewers of different countries in case the product comes into the global market. Another observation which is recorded by French researchers about language use in advertisements is that 50 percent of all words are supposed to be nouns and verbs. In conclusion, with the wise choice of language, advertisers can make outstanding effects on advertisement viewers. 2.1.2. Viewers targeted as an influential advertising technique Most advertisers know that advertising techniques have persuasive energy and that the strength of such persuasive energy is measured in several ways, but most importantly in relation to a target audience (adkracker.com). It is explained by adcracker.com that different target audience have different lifestyles, different attitudes, different feelings and emotions, which is consequently resulted in different behaviors. Thus, successful advertisers are often sensible in building adverts that can get people to take action or plant a belief in the minds of their prospective buyers by closely associating their adverts with the targeted viewers. It is also agreed by itvdictionary.com that the â€Å"personalization† to a group of target audience can lead to â€Å"greater awareness†. More specifically, in a ChoiceStream survey, they noted that 38% of respondents say that they are more willing to pay attention pay attention to such individually focused advertising. 2.2. An overview of gender difference 2.2.1. Gender difference in general Men and women are different in various aspects which can mainly be categorized into biological and social factors. Consequently, different terms are coined to show such differences, for example â€Å"sex† and â€Å"gender†. Sex is defined by Eckert and McConnell-Ginnet (2003:10) as a â€Å"biological categorization† which is based primarily on â€Å"reproductive potential† and â€Å"gender† is the â€Å"social elaboration† of biological sex. This means that â€Å"sex† is something fixed before birth (Thomas, 2004) with while â€Å"gender† is something that the social life shapes on us continuously in every pace of our life (Graddol and Swann, 1994:8). And it is believed and proved by many researches (Coates, 1993; Tannen, 1993; and Trudgill, 2000) that gender has a major influence on language use by a process named â€Å"socialization† (Tannen 1993:84) 2.2.2. Gender difference in language use As afore-mentioned, language is an important part of an individuals life which helps to form his/ her â€Å"social identity† (Gyllgard, 2006:1) by different â€Å"linguistic habits† which reflect different â€Å"individual biographies and experiences† (Graddol and Swann, 1994:5). Coates (1993:144) also claims that â€Å"when children adopt linguistic behavior considered appropriate to their gender they perpetuate the social order which creates gender distinctions† This means that language is among the most significant factors, bedsides social roles and social positions, that make great distinctions between men and women. Actually, it is observed that men and women use language differently in a â€Å"gender-appropriate† manner (Tannen, 1993:85) since they are small. In the following part of the paper, that different use of language by different genders will be discussed in three main aspects: (1) topic choices, (2) word choices and (3) manner of speaking Topic choices In terms of topic choices, men are believed to talk more about sports or other physical activities when they are small (Poynton, 1989) and about current concerns, about their strength and their dominance (Coulmas, 2005) when they grow up. Meanwhile, women are believed to spend time talking more on home activities, romance and fantasy worlds. Later in their life, they are considered to choose to talk about â€Å"nonsense† and â€Å"unimportant† personal topics (Gyllgard, 2006). Consequently, mens language is often considered as serious and important while womens is seen as trivial and easy to ignore (Coates, 1993). Word choices It is believed that women seem to be more careful about choosing words than men. And it is explained that this results from the different roles of the two genders in the society. Women are considered to have their first and foremost roles as caring the families and bringing up children. Consequently, they need to be careful with the words they use or otherwise they may set bad examples for their children. Also regarding word choices, in their works (Poyton, 1989 and Eckert and McConnell-Ginet, 2003), researchers find that women use more intensifies (such as so and very), words of approximation (such as about and around), or inessential qualifiers (like really or so) than men. Women are also claimed to use more adjectives (including â€Å"empty† adjectives like cute and evaluative adjectives like wonderful) and adverbs. Furthermore, hedges and tag questions are found more in women language rather than mens in order to require confirmation or signal uncertainty respectively (Lak off, 1989). Manner of speaking With the same reasons of different social roles, in terms of manner of speaking, women seem to be more polite in speaking. Therefore, it seems that taboo language like slang or swear words are likely to be created and used by men rather than by women (Poyton, 1989). Lakoff (1989) also agrees with this by giving an example that women choose to use weaker expletives like oh dear or goodness instead of words like shit or damn. Meanwhile, Coates (1993) believes that the language used by women is collaboration-oriented with supportive comments to create and maintain relationship of â€Å"closeness† and â€Å"equality† while that used by men is competition-oriented in order to assert their positions of dominance. There are differences between men and womens language in other aspects, however, due to the limit of this essay, only three above-mentioned are chosen to be discussed in this section and to be examined in the later one. 3. Methodology and Data This study focuses on the difference between the languages used by men and women in different advertisements for one same product, namely Clear Shampoo, a very popular shampoo in Vietnam. Secondly, it will test whether the advertisers are successful in utilizing the difference between men and women language in order to target viewers of different genders by checking whether viewers of different genders can recognize which advertisement is for them or not. First of all, English versions of seven Clear Shampoo advertisements are selected to be the data for analyzing and those advertisements are chosen for several reasons. Firstly, shampoo is now an essential cosmetic product that people, regardless of their age, their social or financial status and certainly their gender, have to use in their daily life. Thus, it is worthwhile to investigate the advertisements of such product. Secondly, it is found that there are several different advertisements of Clear Shampoo on television as well as on Youtube at the same time and it is presumed by the author that it may result from the advertisers purpose of targeting viewers of different genders. Consequently, with the help of Google search and Youtube website, seven advertisements of Clear Shampoo are collected and transcribed in the appendices of this essay for being analyzed. Differences among those advertisements will then be figured out by checking the above-mentioned theory and later used to group the seven advertisements into 3 groups: for men, for women and for both men and women. To make the research more reliable, the seven selected advertisements for Clear Shampoo are shown to 20 viewers of both genders who are non-native speakers of English but gain sufficient proficiency to understand the advertisements. Actually, they are Vietnamese teachers of English and students of some M.A. programs for English Linguistics or English Teaching Methodology. The viewers are asked to watch the seven advertisements and answer four following questions: Who does each advertisement target, men or women? What features of the advertisement tell you about its target viewers? Does language used in the advertisement one of those features? How does language tell you about the target viewers? 4. Data analysis and results The results of the interviews surprise the author when most of interviewees, after answering the first two questions, claim the features that inform them about the target viewers of the advertisements are mainly the models and images of the ads. Most of them only pay attention to the language of the advertisement after the third question.   However, they all realize the difference in the language used in the adverts and agree that the language used in adverts by men and women partly tell us about the target viewers. Thus, firstly, this section presents the gender differences in language used in seven Clear Shampoo advertisements which are grouped in differences in (1) choice of topic, (2) choice of word and (3) manner of speaking. Such differences are resulted from the data analysis which is based on the above-mentioned background and the opinions of the interviewees. 4.1 Choice of topic It is revealed by the advertisement analysis that male models talk about their confidence and show their strength as well as their dominance to others by facing the problems: †¦ Black is confident†¦. Confidence means no dandruff. (Appendix 1) †¦ Face it. †¦ Cover it. †¦ I deal with dandruff like man. (Appendix 4) or †¦Rage. Rage against her breath of fear. (Appendix 5) Meanwhile, female models talk about beautyas in: †¦ some beauty shampoos(Appendix 3) about their daily activities such as â€Å"combing† in appendix 3 or about their emotion and their perception as in: †¦ I love my hair. †¦ Im convinced. (Appendix 2) †¦ Convinced. I am. (Appendix 3) They also mention one fact that they often try to avoid the troubles they encounter: †¦ Hide it†¦ Cover it†¦ I keep it secret as any woman should. (Appendix 4) 4.2 Choice of words 4.2.1 Verb choice As male models choose to talk about their confidence, their strength as well as their dominance, they use words that help to express perfectly what they mean. Actually, they use strong verbs as â€Å"breath†, â€Å"move† and â€Å"sweat† in appendix 1 or â€Å"face†, â€Å"solve†, and â€Å"deal with† in appendix 4 or verbs that show their activeness as in †¦ I trust Clear. (Appendix 1) The verbs spoken by male voiceovers also have the same feature: â€Å"remove† and â€Å"prevent† the dandruff (appendix 5), or make the dandruff â€Å"go away† and â€Å"stay away† (appendix 7) so that â€Å"its all settled† (appendix 4). All those verbs bring to the audience the active position of the speakers, and thus, reveal their dominant positions. On the other hand, the verbs used by female models are quite different when they seem to display the defensive positions of the women †¦ Im convinced. (Appendix 2) †¦ Convinced. I am. (Appendix 3) or their avoidance solutions for dandruff by hiding it, covering it or keeping it secret (appendix 4). 4.2.2 Adjective choice As their concerns are different, female and male models choose different adjectives when they speak about their hair. For example, most male models and voiceovers use â€Å"black† to talk about their hair or the hair they want to have: †¦ I like black. Black is confident. Black looks good. (Appendix 1) †¦ From black into darkness †¦ and into the dark, the icy blackness follows. (Appendix 5) †¦ the seduction of black, the temptation of black. Its the closeness of black that you can only have†¦ Be black. (Appendix 6) At the same time, female models talk about the features of â€Å"soft†, â€Å"clean† and â€Å"beautiful† which are just suitable to describe female hair. †¦ Clear makes my hair soft and beautiful†¦.Just soft hair. (Appendix 2) †¦ Can your shampoo leave your hair soft and clean †¦ Clear takes it soft. †¦Just soft hair. (Appendix 3) 4.3 Manner of speaking The last but not least feature that 20 viewers and the author realize as the difference between the two genders is the way they speak. Female models talk with a collaborative orientation. They talk as if they want to share their experience with the audience whereas male models and voiceovers try to assert their positions of dominance by a competitive orientation. They talk about their dealing with dandruff (appendix 4), the collision of â€Å"sparks† and dandruff (appendix 5), their black â€Å"seduction† and â€Å"temptation† when they are dandruff free (appendix 6). The tendency of dominance is also expressed by their short imperative sentences which can be found more frequently in male models or voiceovers speech: †¦ Face it †¦ Solve it (Appendix 4) †¦ Rage, rage against her breath of fear. (Appendix 5) †¦ Make the season more seductive. Make it a Clear Black Valentines. Be board. Be Black. Move closer anytime. Have Clear Black Valentines. (Appendix 6) The first advertisement with the male model, Bi Rain, also offers another feature of male speech. That is the logic in thinking and speaking: †¦ Black is confident. Black looks good. Looking good means no dandruff. Confidence means no dandruff. Clear means no dandruff. With his logical speech, Bi Rain tries to convince the audience the close relationship among Clear, black, confident and looking good. And he seems successful with my interviewees. All in all, from the above analysis of the language used in seven adverts, it comes to a conclusion that advertisement No 1, 5 and 6 are targeted at men (although by what the author and the interviewees get from the adverts, 5 and 6 target at both men and women); advertisement No 2 and 3 are for women and the rest are targeted at both men and women. 5. Conclusion It can be seen from the results that the female language and male language used in seven Clear Shampoo advertisements follow tightly the theory that are presented in other researches on gender differences in language. However, the interviews with Vietnamese viewers who are non-native speakers of English reveal that what lead such viewers to the conclusion of target audience are not the language but the models and the images of the advertisements. The study also come to another conclusion that the advertisers, who are expected to pay attention to the language of advertising, an effective tool of persuasion, do not actually do so. And the results are the wrong target of the two advertisements number 5 and 6, which advertisers tend to target at both men and women (which can be understood by the images of â€Å"white Clear† for women and â€Å"black Clear† for men) but actually target only at men if only language of the advertisements is analyzed.

Human rights education for indian armed forces

Human rights education for indian armed forces HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION FOR INDIAN ARMED FORCESCHAPTER INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY When asked what should be done about human rights, the French philosopher Voltaire answered:- â€Å"Let the people know them!† Over the years there has been considerable deterioration in the internal security environment in various parts of our country. JK and NE states have been the theatre of ethnic, regional and state sponsored turmoil for decades for various reasons, the primary one being isolation of the region from rest of the country and the lack of social and economic development of the area. The rise in the law and order problems and failure of the government to control the situation eventually led to the long drawn involvement of the armed forces in the region. The efforts of the security forces to control insurgency and terrorism in the area have brought up the issue of violations of human rights by the security forces. The paradoxical situation now is that while there is an increasing and widespread concern for observance of human rights by the security forces operating in the environment, gross violations of the same by the militant organisations continue unabated. â€Å"Extremist organisations find terror desirable to attract attention whereas counter measures by security forces are restrained when militants blend into the local population, making it impossible to attack their bases or personnel without collateral damage. Here in lies the dilemma for the security forces to conduct operations effectively within the constraints of ethics and the need to respect human rights. (Jasjit Singh) Terrorism and human rights cannot co-exist. They are mutually destructive of each other. Where there is terrorism there cannot be human rights. One of the greatest threats to the future of democracy is terrorism which is increasingly becoming a way of life in the disturbed states. Low intensity conflict operations today includes in its gambit operations against insurgents, militants, terrorists, and any other non state actors that jeopardises national security and sovereignty. The armed forces are being increasingly used in Low Intensity Conflict Operations (LICO) or Counter Insurgency (CI) Operations, which brings it in the media lime light. Certain restrictions have to be imposed on the basic rights of people when combating terrorism, but those restrictions have some norms to be followed. The principles of humanity suggest that military action should not cause unnecessary or disproportionate damage or suffering. When entrusted with a task of this magnitude, human rights violations do take place, but what is important is that the state remains fully aware of its obligations to eradicate the occurrence of such instances and takes prompt measures against the erring personal. It becomes imperative on part of the organisation to educate and train the personals involved in such duties with the basic rights of an individual as a human being and the steps to prevent its violation. METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem This paper aims to formulate and suggest the Institutionalised Human Rights Education and Training as a means to reduce Human Rights Violations by the Armed Forces operating in low intensity conflict environment. Justification of the Study Human rights now constitute the common heritage of humankind; accordingly, human rights education is a means of accessing that heritage through the universal commitment to the dignity and worth of each human. The evils of injustice, exploitation, impoverishment, tyranny, civil strife, genocide, abuses of power, and catastrophic state failures have plagued humankind from time immemorial and produced humiliation and despair. They also spur action for social and economic transformation, which human rights education helps to define and put into practice. Human rights education reinforces the human rights to peace and to development, that is, the rights of human beings and nations to be free from aggression or other unlawful use of armed force and from mass impoverishment. Genocidal practices and other massive human rights violations are a particular challenge for human rights education. Every human being should be empowered through human rights education to expose and undermine the very possibility of such practices before they emerge and to join with others in ending such practices and holding the perpetrators accountable for their deeds and those who could help accountable for their silence and inaction. The dedication of nation-states and of the United Nations system to human rights education is a first step and the modest efforts pursued during the first United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995- 2004) and this effort must be redoubled by the Armed Forces as a responsible organisation to build stronger solidarities through the message of the dignity and equal worth of every human person. Scope This study focuses on establishing a framework of Human Rights Education and Training to the armed forces in low intensity conflict operations environment. It also attempts to suggest functional parameters that will assist in adopting a universal, holistic and integrated approach to Human Rights. Methods of Data Collection The source of data has been the abundant literature on the subject available in the College Library. A bibliography is appended at the end of the text. In addition to it, explicit use of means of mass media including internet has been made. The thought process of eminent personalities and experts on the subject, both in India and internationally, have also been incorporated as they manifested in Interviews and public shows. Organisation of the Dissertation It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- Chapter I. Introduction and Methodology. Chapter II. Human Rights A basic Study. Chapter III. Interplay of Human Rights and Armed Forces in LIC Environment. Chapter IV. Relevance of Human Rights Education for Armed Forces. Chapter V. Approach to Human Rights Education. Chapter VI. Effective Human Rights Training. Chapter VI. Conclusion. CHAPTER II HUMAN RIGHTS A BASIC STUDY Human Rights Evolution of the Concept. In the simplest of terms, human rights could be regarded as involving all those aspects which add to dignity and free existence of human beings. Historians credit the origin of this concept to MAGNA CARTA, AD 1521. On scrutiny however, it would emerge that this document actually was a petition urging the king to concede certain rights to a particular section of his people. It neither had a direct reference to the common mans basic freedom nor the required range of application. The term â€Å"Human Rights† was introduced in the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the US constitution embodied a â€Å"Bill of Rights†. The French resolution later on in 1789, ushered in the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. Much later in 1929, the Institute of International Law, New York, USA, prepared a Declaration of Human Rights and Duties. In 1945, the Inter American Conference passed a resolution seeking the establishment of an international forum for the furtherance of human rights of the whole mankind. The World War II was probably the turning point, which drew the required attention towards human rights. The atrocities committed on ethnic grounds by the axis powers shocked the conscience of the international community. The allied powers then vowed to usher in a world order for promoting respect for the observance of Human Rights and fundamental freedom. The United Nations charter, in its preamble declared, â€Å"we the people of the United Nations Organisation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..reaffirm faith in the fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of human person, in the equal rights of men and women and the Nations large and small†¦..†. The charter then went on to declare that the purpose of the United Nations is, â€Å"to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedom for all, without distinction based o n race, sex, language or religion†. The United Nations proclaimed the universal declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The United States defined Human Rights in a policy document in 1978 , which includes the following aspects:- â€Å"Freedom from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, torture, unfair trial, cruel and unusual punishment and invasion of privacy, rights to food, shelter, health care, education, freedom of thought, speech, assembly, religion, press, movement and participation in Government†. Human Rights The International Endeavour. The United nations Organisation in keeping with its charter to promote respect for fundamental freedom and Human Rights for all without any distinction, came out with an International bill of Human Rights consisting of the following:- Universal Declaration of human Rights, 1948. The International Covenant on civil and Political Rights, 1966. The International covenant of Economic social and cultural rights, 1966. The optional protocol (1966) providing for the right of the individual to petition international agencies. The principles on which this bill was based on are as under:- All human beings have been brought within the scope of this bill, without any distinction. Equality of application without any distinction of race, sex, language or religion. Emphasis on international cooperation for implementation of the bill. UN Declaration of Human Rights. The UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948 approved and accepted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Further on 16 December 1966, two covenants were also approved by the UN General Assembly on â€Å"Economic, Social and Cultural Rights† and â€Å"Civil and Political Rights†. These covenants are legally binding and came into force in 1976. Some of the important aspects of UN Declaration are as under:- Right to life, liberty and security of person (Art 3). Right against slavery or servitude (Art 4). No one shall be subjected to torture, cruel, in human or degrading treatment or punishment (Art 5). Equality before Law and equal protection under law (Art 6 and 7). (e) Right to effective remedy against violation of Fundamental Rights (Art 8). Right against arbitrary arrest, detention or exile (Art 9) Right against interference with individuals privacy (Art 10 and 11). Right to a free and fair trial (Art 12). Right to freedom of movement, residence and nationality and to seek asylum in other countries (Art 13, 14 and 15). Right to marry and to form a family (Art 16). Right to property (Art 17). Right to freedom of thought, religion, freedom of opinion and expression (Art 16 and 18). Right to work, reasonable working conditions and to receive equal pay for equal work (Art 23, 24). Right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and to be a member of a society (Art 20 and 22). Right to a standard of living, conducive for health, well being and social protection (Art 25). Right to education (Art 26). Right to participation in cultural life of community (Art 27). Right to a social and international order in which the right and freedom set forth in this declaration can be fully exercised (Art 28). Human Rights The Scenario in India. India does not have a known convention on human rights. However, India is a signatory to the various conventions proclaimed by the United Nations organisation. Traditionally, Indian culture has always stressed the observance of human rights. Our constitutional founders have given this aspect the due prominence in the form of fundamental rights, which has been embodied as Directive Principles of State Policy. The important aspects are as given below :- Right to equality (Art 14). No discrimination against any citizen based on religion, race, caste, sex etc (Art 15). Right against untouchability (Art 17). Right to freedom. Right to freedom of speech and expression (19(i)(a)) Freedom to assemble peacefully without arms (Art 19(i)(b)). Freedom to form associations (Art 19(i) (c)). Freedom to reside and settle in any part of country (Art 19(i) (f). Freedom in choice of profession (Art 19(i) (f)). Right not to be compelled to be a witness against himself (Art 20(2). Protection of life and personal liberty (Art 21). Protection against arrest and detention (Art 22). Right against exploitation by traffic in human beings, beggary and other similar forms of forced labour (Art 23 and 24). Right to freedom of Religion (Art 25 to 26). Right to move Supreme Court for enforcement of fundamental rights (Art 32). CHAPTER III INTERPLAY OF ARMED FORCES AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN LOW INTENSITY CONFICT ENVIRONMENT â€Å"When the soldier is fighting against an adversary in war, considerations of Human Rights are secondary principles. Practices and usage of war are the best guide. But during peace time employment, in addition to the guidelines laid down in various conventions, it is essential that the environment that the soldier has to operate is clearly understood. -Army Training Note S/1/95 Six decades after our independence, country finds itself beset with terrorism and insurgencies in many states simultaneously. The security forces have been actively involved in counter insurgency operations in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and more recently, Naxals in as many as twelve other states. Involvement of non state actors in promoting insurgency in our border states is also well established. The insurgencies and terrorism are quite different from a full scale conventional war and thus demand the utmost attention of a government and the people. The counter insurgency operations must differ materially from regular warfare for which armies train and equip themselves. Environmental Realities in LIC More often than not the armed forces are deployed for operations at a very belated stage, when the situation is almost out of control. The prevailing environment that is likely to be encountered by the army therefore assumes a great degree of importance. Some of the salient aspects of the environmental realities are given in the succeeding paragraphs:- Public. There is a prevailing sense of in-security among the general public. People tend to either silently obey the militants or to migrate to safer places. They are very reluctant to cooperate with the security forces. Militants. There is an overpowering cult of the gun and defiance of authority. They acquire sophisticated and lethal weapons by establishing nexus with powers inimical to the state. They have no desire for peaceful negotiations, unless the government out rightly succumbs to their demands. Bureaucracy, Politicians and Judiciary. These come under tremendous pressure because of the constant threat of retribution. Police/Paramilitary Forces. Militants endeavour to induce fear in them through intimidation, and other forms of retribution. This coupled with inadequate equipment and training has adverse effects on the morale and efficiency of these forces. As a result their credibility gets eroded and they fail to induce any confidence among the people. Media. The official media and some of the national dailies are viewed as the mouth piece of the government and its credibility with the masses is usually low. Reporters have scant knowledge of LICO and tend to sensationalise events. Civil Administration. The general conditions prevailing amounts to the civil administration being ineffective and the authority of the government gets eroded with the writ of the militants running supreme. Law of the Land. The law of one state is not always applicable in the other states. This facilitates the militants shifting their bases and operating from areas where they can escape the law. Once certain special laws are enacted, these are portrayed as draconian in a democratic society, thereby providing sufficient cause for propaganda and also drawing attention of the Human Rights Organisations. The militants also thrive on the various existing lacunae in our legal system. Neighbouring States. Inimical neighbours exploit the instable situation to the full extent and resort to waging a proxy war. The Nexus. Militants tend to establish a nexus with identical anti government movements. Even some religious fundamentalist extends their direct support. State and Central Agencies. There is a plethora of state and central agencies operating in such an environment. They usually lack unity of purpose and operate at cross purposes. Impact of Environmental Realities. All these environmental realities given above have an impact on the operations carried out by the army. These are as given below:- The army gets involved when things have gone out of hands of the police/para military forces to handle thereby making their task much more difficult. Operations tend to become long drawn and the army gets involved over protracted periods to effectively neutralise the militants potential. The resources required are also out of proportion invariably. The army invariably has to operate in an intelligence vacuum. Barriers of language pose additional problems. Militants also manage to infiltrate various civil and police organisations compromising security. There is often an absence of clear cut political directive, making it difficult for the army to understand the charter and to evolve its aims, objectives and plans n a long term perspective. There is inadequate cooperation from the local public, bureaucracy and the politicians. Media gets exploited by the militants to discredit the army, thereby imposing great caution on operations by the army. There is a lack of integration between various agencies, thus making problems of coordination acute. Where the militants enjoy public support, willing or forced, it is difficult to sift and isolate the militants from the public. Law of the land often provides great immunity to the militants and imposes numerous constraints on conduct of military operations. Where the inimical neighbours provide active support to the militants, a great deal of effort is diverted to check infiltration of such support. Where Armed Forces Go Wrong. It is now evident that the whole problem is intensified due to proximity of civilians to the area of operations. The following issues form part of the media campaign and cause concern to various Human Rights Organisations:- Curbing of Fundamental Rights. Operations of cordon and search, vehicle checking etc, cause harassment to people. As these operations cannot be done away with, it must be ensured that these operations are done on firm intelligence only to avoid any unwanted fallout. Rape/Molestation. Reports appearing in the media are a min of actuals and the malicious propaganda being launched by militants. Illegal Detention. As per rules, any offender is required to be handled over to the police within 24 hours of apprehension, for filing of a case. Problem arises when due to mistaken identity an innocent citizen is detained by an enthusiastic unit and the legal formalities get delayed due to efforts to extract information by that unit. Fake Encounters. Stage managed encounters in the vicinity of population centres come to the knowledge of human rights organisations. Attack on Civilians. Bomb blasts, proxy actions in populated areas and seemingly intentional killing of civilian population in hostile territory, becomes a media headline, and draws adverse propaganda. Custodial Deaths. In a bid to extract information, no suspect should be tortured. Failure to carry out a medical check up before handing over to the police authorities, could result in reasons for an eventual death of the individual at the hands of the police, being attributed to alleged torture by army prior to handing over. Compensation. All victims should be compensated at the earliest. Rules should be framed on various contingencies and offenders if any should be made to pay compensation, and punished as well. Special powers to the Army. Special powers conferred should be understood in its totality. Legal constraints like carrying police representative for cordon and search operations, frisking of women by women police, signing of â€Å"No Claim† certificates etc have to exercised with due care. Cross Fire Tactics. Militants employ this tactics of firing from a crowd or putting civilians in front of them as shields. Indiscriminate reaction by armed forces will not go well with the media and public at large. Prolonged Operations. Our experience of operations in North Eastern states have amply proved that when units are pressed to achieve quick results and prolonged operations conducted, instead of achieving tangible results, what actually took place was alienation of the population, besides causing discomfort to own troops. â€Å"To extricate information from an apprehended insurgent/militant regarding their crime, intentions, information regarding operations in progress and whereabouts of their bases, some force is required to be used against the norms of human rights. No individual will ever divulge information if treated well.† Lt Gen (Retd) VK Sood, PVSM, AVSM Human Rights Record of Army Indian army has achieved a great degree of success in this genre of conflict due to the highly successful operational style and technique adopted. This is based on a very humane approach of psychological dissuasion and winning the hearts and minds of the population. It is a â€Å"discriminate† approach, in as much as it relies upon large scale application of trained manpower as imposed to indiscriminate use of heavy fire power and airpower. Operations in LIC are complex. The difficulty in identification of the militants and their affinity to the local population, make the task of security forces difficult. In such operations, therefore, a certain amount of human rights violations are likely to take place. The Indian Army however, takes such incidents very seriously, not only because of the violations by themselves being criminal acts, but also due to the fact that it adversely affects the units discipline. ‘The Pledge We are the human rights generation We will accept nothing less than human rights. We will know them and claim them, For all women, men, youth and children, From those who speak human rights, But deny them to their own people. We will move power to human rights CHAPTER IV RELEVANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO ARMED FORCES Increased awareness of human rights over the last thirty years has led to new standards for state actors in peace and war. Since the Cold War, democratic governments have promoted constitutional reforms aimed at subordinating the military to civilian control and preventing human rights abuses.Militaries have also undergone a self examination to adapt their roles and missions to the changing strategic environment. By and large they have endorsed democratic principles and human rights. In India, we have a commitment by the armed forces to remain subordinated to civilian authority, act within constitutional bounds, and respect human rights. Reflecting changes in national security strategy, the Indian Armed forces need to play a critical role in promoting democracy and human rights. Rooted in a belief that there is an affinity between democratic systems and free market economies, and that democratic states are less likely to go to war with each other, this strategy aims to ensure that regimes consolidate democratic institutions and increase respect for human rights. The incorporation of democracy and human rights as national security policy objectives has been accompanied by operational changes in the role and mission of the forces as per our military doctrine. Existing Human Rights Safeguards Historical Legacy This Humane characteristics of the Indian Army and its soldiers have been exemplified in the history : During the Police Action against Razakars in the state of Hyderabad in 1948. Gen J N Choudhry, commander of the Indian Forces, reminded the Indian troops that they should be absolutely humane while dealing with the local population as they were their own countrymen particularly the woman, children and the infirm. (b) Similarly, in December 1961, after the military operations in Goa the then Chief of the Army Staff in a message to the troops said ‘ In Goa, you are in India and with your compatriots. Your duty is at home. Go and protect the people. Let no one suffer violence. At the end of the operations the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his message to the operating forces said â€Å" You, and officers and men serving under your command in Goa Operations, have my warmest congratulations on the splendid way all of you have carried out the allotted task- with efficiency, courtesy and humanity†. (c) As mentioned earlier 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered in 1971 Bangladesh operations. At the time of surrender Lt Gen J S Aurora gave a solemn assurance that â€Å" The personnel, who surrender, shall be treated with dignity and respect that soldiers are entitled to in accordance with the Geneva Convention and protection shall be provided to the foreign nationals, ethnic minorities and the personnel of West Pakistan origin†. The Indian Army has stood the test of time as regards the Human Rights issue wherever and whenever deployed for counter insurgency or conventional operations. History is on its side to prove the point. After the end of 1971 Indo-Pak war, 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered. While treating the POWs, the Indian Army not only complied meticulously with the Geneva Conventions on POW, but also gave them free access to their friends and relatives in West Pakistan. It also gave them freedom to celebrate their religious festivals. The Indian Army is fully aware of the pitfalls, nuances, implications of Human Rights violations and the resultant adverse effect on its operational efficiency and morale. It has therefore taken comprehensive measures at all levels to safeguard and prevent Human Rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. The measures undertaken at the macro level to the grass root level of troops operating in LIC operations in Jammu and Kashmir are enumerated in the succeeding parag raphs. Humane Fibre of Indian Soldiers By and large, the basic instinct and reaction of an Indian soldier in most of the situations is to protect the Human Rights and uphold human dignity. The factors responsible for development of this attitude and reaction to a large extent are military discipline, compassion and camaraderie and apolitical entity. Indian Army in Peace-keeping Operations Outside India The contributions of the Indian Army to the Humanitarian cause in United Nations peacekeeping operations outside India is well known, appreciated world wide and well documented. The Indian Army has earned for them the praise and admiration of the warring factions, the United Nations and the Government of their own country. Peacekeeping operations in Korea, Gaza, Congo, Somalia, Cambodia, and Rwanda are some of the shining examples of the legacy of the Indian Army to the Human cause. 30. Human right training has been intensified and efforts to reform military justice in Indian Army have been introduced. While these initiatives have lowered the decibel level between human rights advocates and the military, there is no consensus on their effectiveness. Two crucial dilemmas arise in attempting to harmonize such efforts with other objectives. First, training has met obstacles that limit its impact. The backgrounds of many militaries have afforded them considerable freedom from civilian control while portraying them as guarantors of the state. Another dilemma involves threats such as drug trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism. In most mature democracies responsibility for dealing with such threats falls to civilian institutions. But in much of the country, these challenges have overwhelmed new democratic governments, leading to a call for the army to play a central role. The democratic transition in many nations removed the armed forces from internal security op erations; thus human rights organizations and democracy activists fear that proposed roles and missions will reinforce impunity and lead to a return to violations. There is a greater focus required on incorporating human rights issues in operational training exercises and developing more pragmatic and mission related arguments for respecting them. The Army needs to sponsor a collegium or working group which could compose of representatives of various international and regional organizations and officials with responsibility for human rights training. It will need to produce a consensus document that specifies objectives for doctrine, education and training, internal control systems, cooperation with external control systems, and the delineation of police and military functions. Deliberations earlier have highlighted possibilities and difficulties of reaching a consensus between civil and military representatives on advancing human rights. On the positive side, a relatively detailed consensus does exist. At the same time there are major differences over priorities. Military officers stress education and training as key to improving performance. They acknowledge the importance of incorporating support for democracy and respect for human rights in doctrine. Civilian participants, on the other hand, emphasize the need for both internal and external control mechanisms to ensure accountability for violations. New Threats, Ancient Rights

The Educational Philosophy I Will Incorporate in My Classroom Essay

The Educational Philosophy I Will Incorporate in My Classroom Education serves as the foundation to a lifetime of learning. Since every child is unique, I believe that it is important for them to learn in an environment that is both secure and stimulating. By creating this type of atmosphere, the students will be able to realize their intelligence and use it constructively. As a future educator, it will be my goal to establish a classroom that is, 1) non-authoritarian, 2) student-centered, and 3) focused around student experience. These three elements are part of Progressivism, the educational philosophy I plan to incorporate in my classroom. In a classroom that is non-authoritarian, the teacher serves as a facilitator, or supervisor of learning. By assuming this role, the teacher provides access to information rather than being the primary source of information. In this aspect, the students will be able to discover knowledge through problem-solving, cooperative learning activities, and decision making. I believe it is important for a teacher to provide students a sense of freedom so that they may choose what they want to learn according to their interests. By making a child feel as though they have a choice, rather than an obligation to learn information, it will help them constructively build their knowledge. I believe it is equally important to have a classroom that is student-centered. I do not imagine my classroom arranged with rows of seated desks all facing the front of the classroom. Instead, I think that students should have the opportunity to work amongst their peers in small groups, studying a wide array of topics. Students will not be required to focus their attention on on... ...my education at Concord University studying Elementary Education. After graduating with my Bachelors of Science in Education, I plan to get a job as a teacher in an elementary school. I believe that there is a need for compassionate and caring teachers in elementary schools. At such a young age, I believe that it is important for elementary students to have positive role models in their lives. I am very interested in pursuing my Masters Degree at some point, but my main goal is to get out into the school system as a teacher. The most important thing that I have learned in my life is the importance of education. Living in a world bursting with advantages and opportunities for those in education, I find it both a priority and privilege to share the gift of knowledge with the future of society. Even more, I find it an honor to be able to have the chance.

Cyberspace in William Gibsons Neuromancer :: essays research papers

Cyberspace in William Gibson's Neuromancer As described by William Gibson in his science fiction novel Neuromancer, cyberspace was a "Consensual hallucination that felt and looked like a physical space but actuallly was a computer-generated construct representing abstract data." Years later, mankind has realized that Gibson's vision is very close to reality. The term cyberspace was frequently used to explain or describe the process in which two computers connect with each other through various telephone lines. In this communication between the two systems there seems to be no distance between them. There are now four catagories that describe the major components of todays cyber space. One oof those is commercial on-line services. These large computer systems can host thousands of users simultaneously. When a computer user purchases an account from the company they recieve a screen name and a password. The user then can use his or her screen name and password to log on and use the system. Most of the online systems have chat rooms where users can chat in real time with one another. some users even think of on-line services as a community. The second catagory involves Bulletin Boards or (BBS's). These services allow the user accounts like their larger on-line service cousins. These BBS's have less users because they run on smaller computers. The system operators, more commonly known as sysops, are running the boards. Since most BBS's are hobbies there is usually no charge for an account. The same as on-line services, users use BBS's for trades, games, and to chat among other users. Since bulletin boeard are so easy to set up there are thousands of them located around the world. Each board has a theme. These themes range from astronomy to racist neo-nazi crap. A boards theme helps users in their search for a board that will satisfy their personal preference. A third catagory is the Private System. These private systems sometime run bulletin boards privately, not letting the public acess. In these private systems users can perform specialized computer operations, or access to data. Through this private network users within a company can send mail, faxes, and other messages to each other through the companies computer network. If a worker was to look up a customers information he could access it through the companies private network. The public can not get access to the companies private system unless he or she knows the systems password. The fourth and last catagory is computer networks. These collections are a group of connected computers that exchange information. One of the most well known is the internet. The internet is the so called "network of networks.

Environment and crime

The term â€Å"environment† is roughly associated with the immediate surrounding such as the aquatic environment which is the surrounding area or region proximal to aquatic flora and fauna. Oftentimes, the concept of an environment is the agglomeration of both living and nonliving entities with respect to a certain subject surrounded by the immediate surroundings.For instance, a student's environment can be that of a learning institution such as a university whereby the ‘academic' environment is composed of other students, teachers, books and libraries, classrooms and many others.It can be observed that one's environment is a direct correlate to one's activities. If this is indeed the case, it would seem quite plausible to assume that, in terms of an individual's criminal activity, the neighborhood environment is a leading correlate of crime.Granted that this is true, why is it that a large majority of those who live in even the most crime ridden and impoverished areas r efrain from committing crime? To answer this question, a few things must be taken into consideration.First, logic tells us that an individual wanting to commit the crime of robbery for the purpose of stealing the most valuables will most likely rob, say, a wealthy businessman rather than a beggar. In a larger scale, it is logical to presume that a criminal residing in an impoverished and crime ridden locality will least likely rob the residents of the area primarily because there is little reward for a highly punishable act.That is, a criminal will be attracted to steal from individuals with a higher or with the most resources. Hence, one cannot easily identify criminal activity by individuals in the most impoverished and crime ridden areas.Yet the non-identification of criminal activity in an environment does not lead to the presumption that there is none. In order to have a compelling reason to further believe that a large majority of people living in the most ‘criminalized' areas refrain from committing crime, another factor must be considered.This leads us to the second logical presumption—the tendency to attribute certain activities to certain individuals.  Criminal activities are easily identified with criminals in the sense that when an armed robbery occurred in a certain city bank, the immediate suspect will be the criminals who are known to rob banks or who have previous records of armed bank robbery.In this sense, the most crime ridden locality will be included in the list of the ‘hideouts' of potential suspects apparently after each criminal activity is identified to have transpired somewhere else. Hence, there becomes the tendency to attribute certain activities to certain individuals.With this in mind, individuals living in the most crime ridden are prone to be prime candidates for suspects in criminal activities. Their response may be twofold: either they will live up to their ‘label' since they are already ‘brand ed' or they will seek to refrain from committing crime.The first option is indeed probable, yet one factor hinders it from turning into reality: their incapacity to overpower the law due to their impoverished state. Given the fact that these individuals live in a state where there are scarce resources to sustain themselves, there is little reason to believe that these impoverished individuals have the capability to overpower law enforcers through, say, stealing from a well-guarded urban mall.With sanctions imposable on criminals, risking one's impoverished life for a momentary sustenance which has a miniscule chance from succeeding is simply not an option. Hence, a large majority of individuals living in the most crime ridden and impoverished areas refrain from committing crime especially from within their financially challenged locality for the reason that the gains are doubly scarce and that the risks have negligible worth.ReferenceSamaha, J. (2007). Criminal Law (9th ed.). Belmon t: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

“Non dare call it education” by John A. Stormer: a review

The vast majority of American children are educated in public schools. Now, many parents start asking themselves: what’s happening to our schools. Why do schools produce children, who are unable to read, write or calculate, why do schoolchildren risk to be killed in shooting, what are the reasons for dramatic fall of moral between American teenagers. The book â€Å"Non Dare Call It Education† by John A. Stormer was aimed to investigate the adverse events, which take place in the public schools throughout America. The author brings in â€Å"horrible examples† of ignorance, illiteracy, criminal activities (including shooting at schools), alcoholism, drug addiction, moral downfall, early pregnancies and other failures inside our educational institutions. Having analyzed statistics, tests data and newspaper reports, witnessing the above stated, the author makes a conclusion, that American educational system appeared in a state of deep crisis, caused by crude educational innovations. Stormer determines two basic reasons for degeneracy of school system. The first reason is simplification and primitivization of teaching process. For example, no attention is longer paid to correct spelling. Children are encouraged to guess how words are pronounced and written, when they look at the pictures in spite of being taught to read and write the word. Correct spelling in such approach is said to be a work of computer. Mathematics textbooks teach children, that correct calculation is also not important, because it can be done by computers, so children are tolled to guess of the result, not to count it by themselves[1]. Downfall of students educational level results in downfall of teachers level. Stormer brings an example of Massachusetts’ testing for incoming teachers in 1998, where 56% of candidates failed. In order to help more teachers pass, the State Board of Education had to lower the standards of tests[2]. The second problem with recent educational reforms is that even the smartest children have to undergo manipulative techniques, which change their thinking values. They have to adopt faulty â€Å"humanistic† and â€Å"universal† values, to become future leaders of â€Å"new social order†. Stormer points, that there are many devoted teachers at schools, however, the system of education itself is ill due to government attempts not only to educate, but to change the thoughts and feelings of students to make them â€Å"correct†. The most destructive element of such manipulative changes, as Stormer believes, is undermining of traditional values, resulting in destructive social processes. Comparing textbooks, which were issued 40 years ago and modern ones, the author pointed 12 basic values, which appeared to be undermined, including marriage an family, paternal authority, substitution of situational ethics with absolute terms of good and bad, change of attitude towards national independence and sovereignty. In chapter 2 he gives an example of Illinois State Board of Education, which gave a test to 11th grade students in Illinois schools with provoking questions about their sexual behavior. The tests caused much public indignation, and the newspapers blamed, that educational bureaucrats were â€Å"determined to force their vision of permissive sex education on parents and students – even when the vision conflicts with Illinois law†. However, almost no reaction of authorities followed, and an information was passed, that the Illinois State Board of Education acted under instructions of supreme bodies[3]. Stormer specially notices, that he does not write about a conspiracy, because educational reforms are conducted openly with a declared aim to substitute intellectual development with vocational development. Public schools are substituted with Schools-to-Work. As Henry Hyde a Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee noticed, â€Å"Behavior modification is a significant part of restructuring our schools. School children will be trained to be â€Å"politically correct,† to be unbiased, to understand diversity, to accept â€Å"alternative life-styles..[4].† The modification of school system under Stormer is a systematic action, openly and deliberately conducted by the government to change the entire American society. The main value of the book is that it attracts attention to the destructive phenomena in our education and provides a good factual summary of such phenomena. Stormer attempts to explain those trends systematically and in a way succeeds. However, he does not provide any strategy of actions to overcome the situation. The book is written from traditional position and attributes all failures to â€Å"undermined values† and government efforts, not taking other factors into account, such as massive migration of poorly educated persons or objective factors of social change in the postindustrial era.   Moreover, the book concentrates only on the worst things, not analyzing positive effects of educational reforms, therefore, it appears to be a little overweighted. References John A. Stormer (1998), None Dare Call It Education, Florissant MO, Liberty Bell Press [1] John A. Stormer (1998), None Dare Call It Education, Florissant MO, Liberty Bell Press, p.- 17 [2] John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p- 21 [3] John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p-56 [4] John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p-117