...Color of Politics An Essay by Charles Ebeling Presented at the Chicago Literary Club Election Eve, November 5, 2012 Copyright 2012 Charles Ebeling Dedicated to the memory of my good friend and neighbor Marshall J. Goldsmith Who was my guest at the Literary Club, October 24, 2011 Some us recall a great 1986 film called “The Color of Money,” and no, cynics, it wasn’t about politics. That film earned Paul Newman the Oscar for Best Actor as a pool hustler and stakehorse, who enjoyed a glass or two of J.T.S. Brown Kentucky bourbon, my favorite beverage from college days. But, unless I’ve missed a documentary or foreign film along these lines, I haven’t yet seen a dramatization called “The Color of Politics.” Yes, there is such a thing as “The Politics of Color,” but as social commentary, not as a film title. “The Color of Politics” is equally real though, and has a long history. I first dabbled in the palette of politics on election eve, 2008, when I presented before the club on that occasion an essay I’d titled “One Collage Too Many,” painting a picture of the many problems inherent in the...
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...Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid BY ABHIMANYU CHANDRA · AUGUST 2012 The question “who is to be blamed” wafts uneasily through the entire tapestry of Changez’s tale. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid, leaves the reader disturbed and questioning. Why does Changez adopt the rabid path that he does? Who really is the quiet and muscular American sitting across the table from Changez, sharp and cautious, with a metallic object by his chest, for which he repeatedly reaches upon sensing a threat? Who is the waiter, formidable and terse, serving Changez and the American at the café, and why does he seemingly pursue them through the dark alleys of the Pakistani city of Lahore? And what happens after the novel ends, late at night, as the waiter signals to Changez to stop the American, Changez cryptically pronounces—“we shall at last part company”—and the American reaches for the metallic object under his jacket? The novel, a dramatic monologue, follows Changez from Pakistan to America and back to Pakistan. Changez recounts his tale when he sees an American at a Lahore café and initiates a conversation with him. Born and brought up in Pakistan, Changez matriculates at Princeton, graduating summa cum laude. He begins work, thereafter, with a dauntingly selective and boutique valuation firm, Underwood Samson, based in New York. Just as his professional career is about to start, he forms an intimate friendship with the enchanting and well-placed Erica. Content...
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...Stephanie COM 242 Book Analysis: My Forbidden Face One distinctive theme of this Communication Culture course is the balance between oppression and privilege. These very opposite concepts are seen in almost all of our course readings, films, and discussion board assignments. According to the Fabric of Oppression Theory, privilege is when an individual experiences certain advantages that are based on their race, class, sex, religion, sexual orientation, and able-bodiness (FOOT handout). “The privileged groups have opportunities not provided to other groups because of the current social system in place and may not recognize that they ‘benefit’ from the system” (FOOT handout). Oppression is on the other end of the spectrum and involves an individual lacking the same opportunities as someone who is privileged because of the same sub categories of race, class, sex, religion, sexual orientation, and able-bodiness. Latifa’s novel My Forbidden Face is one that shows many strong examples of oppression for Latifa and her family. Not only do we see disadvantages in her life based on her sex and religion, but the Taliban goes even further to control the people of Kabul by providing restrictions on the media and their everyday routines. Throughout My Forbidden Face, we see the main character of Latifa being oppressed from the very beginning, especially because of her female sex. Outlined by FOOT, we see several “isms” that could be taken out on a person, or group of people. One...
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...ENG105 Essay #2 My military community While thinking about what communities have specific languages it was easy for me to think of the United States Army. I served in the U.S. Army for 5 years until I was wounded in Afghanistan and had to medically retire. As I look back at my short military career I would call it a community, or organization that had its own language. The army has a main focus on discipline and structure. The language is spoken through the discipline and structure. The Army has maintained a strict structure of rank to ensure that operations and maintenance run smoothly in stressful environments. In fact rank structure is one of the most defining characteristics of the military and serves a number of purposes. In order for the army to build and maintain this discipline, newer soldiers often need direction and correction from more experienced members in the military. To do this soldiers are assigned ranks according to their experiences in combat or through training. Soldiers are then placed in command of those who are less experienced and hold a lower rank. They can use this authority to enforce disciplinary measures and ensure order and discipline. New soldiers are also sent to basic training when they first begin. You have a drill sergeant that is your leader and guides you in everything you do. His job is to discipline and unify you as a group. They place you in groups durning your training. Now when I was in basic training I was 28...
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...Abstract This paper seeks a philosophical insight of democracy in general and American democracy in particular by unfolding the paradoxes entailed to whittle a credible conclusion. It attempts to explore contradictions of democracy whether democracy is a best system of governance? Is true democracy possible? Has it to be moral in character? Why other systems of governance tend to challenge the basic fabrics of democracy? Why democracy has turned out to be more productive than other forms of government? Then focus shifts to paradoxes entailed in self evident truth of American democracy. Is American democracy a representative of a true democracy? Does it cater the smaller factions of society? Has the democratic system fostered the rights of liberty, justice, life and pursuit of happiness to good effect for masses once challenged by terrorism, racism, poverty and recession? What good it has brought to its people? Why does America deserve to lead world community? Finally, conclusion is inquired about by addressing the question that How American dream can be pursued in its true democratic meaning? Isn’t it strange that few render democracy as the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people? On the other hand, for some, it is a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; a government after the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; the idea of freedom. Idea of democracy as rule of people traces its expression from...
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...misleading historical lessons, specious claims: 9 CONCLUSION 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 ASSESS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WAR-FIGHTING AND NATION-BUILDING. Nothing is, and will remain in such short supply in the greater majority of the polities of the world’s ‘countryside’, as a sense of political community; and yet no such crucial term as ‘nation building’ has of recent been subjected to so much trivialisation and casual usage. This essay attempts to lay out what it is that nation building entails, as a background to assessing whatever linkage it may have with war fighting, causally or by coincidence. I outline existing schools of thought on nation building and demonstrate that it bore a clear relationship with war fighting especially in the dusk of the extensive empires of Western Europe. I argue that the United States had a much rosier experience by virtue of its geographical isolation, and of being constituted by an immigrant population, and as such, it may the least qualified actor to enforce nation building however construed. The essay points out the prevailing fallacy of conflating short-term post-conflict reconstruction with protracted nation building and state making and concludes by asserting that, recent ‘successes’ in war fighting and ‘nation building’ are attributable more to conjunction than to causation. General Models Nation Building and Political Development It is necessary to outline essential ingredients of nation building that can furnish...
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...The protagonist of Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a deeply introspective character whose story is an emotional rollercoaster. Changez is a Pakistani man who comes to America in pursuit of his own “American Dream,” and while working to achieve his dream he slowly begins to hate himself. Hamid’s novel is the story of the rise and fall of Changez’s relationship with America. The novel takes the form of a dramatic monologue, with Changez as the speaker addressing a mysterious American man, whom we learn very little about except that he is suspicious, and that he may be hiding something under his shirt. His story addresses his time in America from the beginning to the end. He watches himself turn into a modern day janissary of the American Empire, and this sickens him to the point where he can no longer live in America. The pressure of being a Pakistani man living in a post 9/11 United States drive Changez to the point of self loathing, where nothing but the comforts of home and family could repair his internal damage. Changez has the inability to overcome the nostalgia that follows with traumatic events in his life, and for this reason he becomes a reluctant fundamentalist, unable to live in America and follow the American principles of greed and capitalism. The late Benjamin Franklin once said, “The U.S Constitution doesn’t guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.” Changez understands this truth and works...
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...influential leaders on the global stage. The Union impacts tremendously on the following: trade, financial aid and assistance to those countries less fortunate and poverty stricken, anti-terrorism activities, civilian conflict prevention measures, security and defence policy along with also tackling environmental issues such as global warming and carbon emission. In the development of this essay I will primarily focus on Europe’s road towards military integration, understanding the political, institutional, technological developments towards a Common European Security and Defence Policy. In order to discuss the above mentioned topic and to create a clearer and more concise linkage I will also briefly introduce the following: Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Common European Security and Defence Policy (CESDP), Treaty on the European Union (TEU), European Defence Community (EDC), Qualified Majority Voting (QMV), Western European Union (WEU), Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC), Synchronized Armed Forces Europe (SAFE), and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The aim of this essay is to reveal and bring forth the ways in which The European Union is lending a helping hand to countries and nations beyond its own borders and to display just how of a vital and essential role it plays in the international security scene. History Following the end of World War II and the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Dunkirk Treaty was signed by France and the United...
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...3) Ingredienser i radikalisering: 1. Brændstof: sociale og politiske faktorer. Eksklusion. X: dansk-pakistaner. 2. Medspil: søgen efter et fællesskab 3. Retning: Ideologi og religion. X: dansk-pakistaner. 4. Trickeren: »Hvornår slår radikalisering over i vold? Det kan være en kort eller en lang proces. Kernen er, at der opstår en overbevisning om, at modstanderne er umennesker, og at de udgør en eksistentiel trussel mod dig, din identitet og det fællesskab, du er en del af. De, der radikaliserer, sænker barrieren for, hvad man menneskeligt er i stand til. De fremstiller også modstanderen, som om han kun forstår et sprog: Vold. Hvis du ikke går løs på ham - vil han gå løs på dig, lyder argumentet,« siger Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen. X: Paris-brødre. Syrien-hjernevask. 4) Stigning i radikalisering: Alene i 2014 havde Københavns Kommune 60 sager om unge københavnere i farezonen for at blive radikaliseret. Til sammenligning var der i alt 94 sager i de tre foregående år. Tallene dækker i ét tilfælde over højrenationalistisk radikalisering, mens størstedelen af sagerne knytter sig til islamisme og især de yderligtgående salafistiske grupper i hovedstaden. Størstedelen af henvendelser var i årets sidste tre måneder. I 26 tilfælde var bekymringen direkte, at de unge var på vej til kampene i Syrien og Irak eller ved at blive opfordret til at tage af sted. Ifølge kommunen er »et fåtal« af disse rejst ud. I dansk regi lyder den seneste melding fra efterretningstjenesten...
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...Terrorism came from the word of ‘terror’ which mean to horror and to fear. There is no specific definition about the meaning of terrorism. This is because the field that related inside terrorism is very wide and there are over 100 definitions of ‘terrorism’ according to studies. Terrorism have been existed for many years as a global phenomenon, but only in few decades ago that it has been getting stronger and to influence our daily lives with any costs. In our report, we will explain more details about the relationship of terrorism and transportation. Transportation has always been a target or method for terrorism to transfer their message to the public. While transportation keeps economic moving, nationally and globally, business relies on transport and transport systems at every level no matter transferring goods, transporting customers or staff commuting. From jet airliners to mass transit buses and rail terminals, vehicles and transport facilities are all-too familiar targets of terrorist attacks in all country and abroad. The impact of large-scale disruption of transport infrastructures can be critical for national and global business because transport systems have long been viewed as targets for terrorists groups worldwide. Also we will elaborate more on how terrorism can be spread or being use through the four methods of transportation like rail, road, aviation and maritime. For the incident strikes on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York on September 11, 2001,...
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...*Daryoosh Hayati Lecturer of English Language, Lamerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran Journal of Subcontinent Researches University of Sistan and Baluchestan Vol. 3, No.7, summer 2011 (p.p 31-52) East meets West: a Study of Dual Identity in Mohsin Hamid’s the Reluctant Fundamentalist Abstract This essay will present a postcolonial study of how Eastern identity and Western identity clash in The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, the Pakistani- American novelist, and make the character of the protagonist a glocal one, (A mixture of global and local), a term newly coined by Postcolonial scholars to show the ever clashing mixture of global and local dualities in immigrants’ personalities. The basis for this research paper is the postcolonial theories of Edward Said, Fanon and Homi K. Bhabha. The aim is to question simply and sardonically the human cost of empire building, moreover it is discussed how the people in a totally alien culture are faced with different cultural predicaments, dilemmas as well as contradictions threatening their identity. Identity is supposed to be stable, while as this novel indicates, it is more of glocal identity which is at risk due to the cultural conflicts, as a result of which identity and ethnicity are subjected to change for the benefit of the hegemony. In line with Edward Said’s: “the East writes back” it is shown how this novel is a reaction to the discourse of colonization from the Pakistani side (which stands for the East)...
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...Culture of Pakistan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Part of a series on the Culture of Pakistan Pakistan Monument, Islamabad History[show] People[show] Languages[show] Traditions Mythology and folklore[show] Cuisine Festivals[show] Religion[show] Art[show] Literature[show] Music and performing arts[show] Media[show] Sport Monuments[show] Symbols[show] Culture portal Pakistan portal v t e This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This article is written like a personal reflection or opinion essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. (March 2013) This article may contain original research. (March 2013) This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2012) The 17th century Badshahi Mosque built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore The society and culture of Pakistan (Urdu: ثقافت پاکستان) comprises numerous diverse cultures and ethnic groups: the Punjabis, Kashmiris, Sindhis in east, Muhajirs, Makrani in the south; Baloch and Pashtun in the west; and the ancient Dardic, Wakhi, Baltistani and Burusho communities in the north. These Pakistani cultures have been greatly influenced by many of the surrounding countries' cultures, such as the Turkic peoples, Persian, Arab, and other South Asian ethnic groups of the Subcontinent, Central Asia and the Middle East. In ancient times, Pakistan was a major cultural hub.[citation needed] Many cultural practices...
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...propaganda in wartime? The objective is obviously the same – to get the general populace to accept what the propaganda states and take appropriate action i.e. buy goods, vote for a party or support the war effort. Advertising and political propaganda continue to take place during the periods of War propaganda although the reverse is not generally true (or is reduced to recruitment advertising and maintaining armed deterrents). The method of delivery of the propaganda, in whichever age you choose, is also similar but varies with technology – speeches, signage, word of mouth, leaflets, posters, radio messages, TV advertisements/broadcasts, Internet messages/presentations/advertisements and even educational establishments (teaching). This essay will mainly (and briefly) address the last two plus centuries since the term propaganda was established (with a...
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...Identification: "Bangladesh" is a combination of the Bengali words, Bangla and Desh, meaning the country or land where the Bangla language is spoken. The country formerly was known as East Pakistan. Location and Geography: Bangladesh straddles the Bay of Bengal in south Asia. To the west and north it is bounded by India; to the southeast, it borders Myanmar. The topography is predominantly a low-lying floodplain. About half the total area is actively deltaic and is prone to flooding in the monsoon season from May through September. The Padma River flows into the country from the northwest, whilethe Brahmaputra/ Jamuna enters from the north. The capital city, Dhaka, is near the point where those river systems meet. The land is suitable for rice cultivation. Demography. Bangladesh is the most densely populated non island nation in the world. With approximately 150 million inhabitants living in an area of 55,813 square miles, there are about 2,688 persons per square mile. The majority of the population (98 percent) is Bengali, with 2 percent belonging to tribal or other non-Bengali groups. Approximately 83 percent of the population is Muslim, 16 percent is Hindu, and 1 percent is Buddhist, Christian, or other. Annual population growth rate is at about 2 percent. Linguistic Affiliation: The primary language is Bangla, called Bengali by most nonnative’s, an Indo-European language spoken not just by Bangladeshis, but also by people who are culturally Bengali. This includes...
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...was not even in my dictionary previously until Hollywood introduced it to me in the most dramatic ways I could possibly imagine, and ever since my speculation of the Apocalypse never stopped evolving. From more unrealistic predictions involving in zombies, Godzilla, and DNA-modified prehistoric killer dinosaurs, to more practical speculations like nuclear war and ozone depletion, I was constantly updating my Apocalypse view. With my increasing understanding of the mechanism of how the world functions as a whole, I realized that a global hot war is imminently possible since politics can exert a strong influence on the global situation. In a sense, the transformation China experienced was a direct result from the power of politics. In this essay, I will establish the following hypothesis: The world is going to end with a global political meltdown resulting from a dramatic chain reaction initiated by a single country’s misplay. I would like to start my augment with pointing out that politics can also serve a powerful tool of massive brainwashing, and a hypnotized county is able to unleash the most dreadful power. Here, I will support my point...
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