There is a strong case to be made for industrial societies to change over to renewable sources of energy. At the centre of the debate is the unsustainable continuing fossil fuel usage and the attendant environmental degradation. The United States is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels in the world and has been…
The importance of a civil government for protecting the rights and liberties of individuals
There is little doubt as to the necessity of a civil government in order to protect the right and liberties of individuals. As long as the government remains loyal to its founding objective, namely that of serving the interests of the general population, its need and importance cannot be contested. On the theoretical front, there…
How can Public Relations communications theory help us understand the role of new media
The Public Relations industry, which is an offshoot of the traditional advertising industry, turned into a dominant business institution through the course of the twentieth century. The two countries that pioneered this industry are the United States and the United Kingdom. In the case of the former, Edward Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud, is…
Are modes of resistance different in democracies than in monarchies?
Resistance and dissent against established institutions have proven to be difficult throughout the history of organized societies. Even today, many parts of the world languish under the rule of autocrats, plutocrats and oligarchs, where opposition to authority is silenced by coercion or crushed by force. Even in the so-called democratic countries there have been political…
Arguments for and against total debt relief for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
The problem of Third World Debt has been a talking point in international political meetings for more than half a century now. The new world order that had emerged with the end of Second World War had divided the world into three distinct political groups. The first was led by the United States and its…
Criminal Justice: Preventing rape as a weapon of war
The association between rape and war goes as far back as recorded history. Among all evil actions that human beings are known to commit, rape is only next to murder in terms of its barbarity and cruelty. It is also a sad fact that irrespective of widespread acknowledgement of the tendency of human beings to…
John Steinbeck: His Life and His Works
Introduction: John Steinbeck is arguably the most prominent littérateur of his generation to have adopted the cause of working class America. His most famous work The Grapes of Wrath depicts the everyday travails of a westward migrating white American family in search of better economic opportunities. Of Mice and Men, another prominent work, is a…
Disaster Management: The cases of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike
1. How did the flooding affect commodity markets? Describe, in detail, what happened to energy prices. Look at the markets for the following commodities: crude oil, unleaded gas, and natural gas. Does Ike constitute a supply or demand shock? Explain yourself clearly. Hurricane Ike moved inland from the Atlantic Ocean in the second week of…
The radical politics of David Gilbert
Throughout the history of the United States, there has been conflict between established order and the general public. Even the very conception of an independent union of states separate from the British crown was an act of rebellion. The story of David Gilbert is one of many such struggles for progress. Landmark events in our…
In defense of Khalid Muhammad
Khalid Muhammad was the former leader of Nation of Islam (NOI), which is a radical black nationalist movement founded in the last century. This organization has close links with the New Black Panther Party, which is distinct from the original party of the Black Power movement. Khalid Muhammad is right about many of the grievances…