Young evidently brought the gun into school after his mother gave it to him and supposedly encouraged him to carry it for self defense.

After months of being tormented just because he is different, Young lashed back at the group of bullies by raising the stun gun in the air, and causing it to set off an electric charge. This startled the group into running away from Young, who was arrested a short time later.

Although nobody was harmed during this event, as a stun gun must be very close to or touching its target in order to have an effect, an expulsion hearing occurred; however, it is unknown whether any final decisions were made.

Young does not feel his punishment was fair, as he felt unsafe suffering at the hands of these bullies while the school did next to nothing about it, and because he never ended up harming anybody; the stun gun was mainly used as a threat.

Young’s mother offers her point of view in regard to the stun gun. She stated that although she is not an advocate of violence, she felt she had no other choice after making every other effort to have the school do something about the bullying directed at her son.

There are a couple of sides to this story. For one thing, Young’s lifestyle and the ways in which he expresses himself are deviant. Who cares? That gives nobody any right to go against him in any way, because he is not directly harming or offending others through what he does to express himself.

On the other hand, it is not right to send your child to school with a stun gun under ANY circumstances. It would have been much more proper, in my opinion, for Young’s mother to go directly to the police and explain Young’s situation if the school was not being helpful enough.

I remember with yawning bemusement sitting in European History Class studying about the creation of Western Europe and the parade of Kings and Queens that held power for centuries in days gone by. The wars and treachery, power struggles and land grabs were fascinating stuff for a teenage kid but then I began to become a sceptic.

I hate to do the research on this stuff but once Prime Minister’s came about didn’t that make the Royal Family obsolete. In America we had The Carrington’s on Dynasty but after their ratings dropped they got the hook! So what gives with the Royals? I have to admit the genius behind Monty Python has given me many moments of truly side splitting laughter at the expense of the Royal’s. But what is the point now? How much of England’s treasure is being spent out of the pocket of the people compared to the deeper pockets of the Prince?

As I sit and wait for Prince William, a fine young man whom both his Mother and country should be proud, to wed the fair and beautiful Kate Middleton, I hope he is thinking of his Mother’s life’s works. She did everything she could to break free from the “Royal” illusion. Her work with AIDS relief and poverty made a difference and she won the hearts of the people of the world.

The Pomp and Circumstance that surrounds the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton makes for nice pictures and stories for a new generation. The “Royal Family” has no legislative power in Parliament. They are merely rich ornamental figures. My wish for this bright young couple is that they blow the dust and mites off of the olde guard and pick up where Diana left off. That is, to go out and make a difference, to try to make the world a better place, to expose the pain and poverty that grows by the minute in this maddening world. If they don’t, It’s just another Royal scam.

Cover of Royal Wedding

I will never forget the day that Prince Charles announced his engagement to Lady Diana.  She had on a red wool pant suit.  Any girl chic enough to wear this is highly respected by one so in love with fashion.  And the color red, and nice fitting pantsuits.  I thought she made him look handsome, whereas growing up, I kind of thought him weirdly cute.

Then the marriage crumbles and the Nemesis is Camille Parker Bowles.  You just wonder how could Prince Charles have loved a woman that appears so matronly and dull against a sweet, oddly beautiful girl like Diana. But my opinion is of no concern, however the contrast was startling.  I am thankful that she bore children though.  Since the great British Royalty is so revered, naturally the marriage of her eldest son Prince William will make headlines.  Granted I am tired of the headlines and probably will not watch the wedding with the same fervor as  Lady Diana and Prince Charles, no.  I probably won’t even watch it with the same attention I gave her death.  This lady meant a lot to people of all Ethnic groups and Nationalities.  She spelt out what our memories of childhood and reading meant.  I think that’s what’s so fascinating about the Royal Weddings.  In our little story books there was always a Prince and a Princess, a King and a Queen.

I saw Princess Diana in person, at a distance when she visited the hospital that I worked.  It was on the near West side in Chicago.  The suit she had on seemed to blend in color with the garden that she stood by.  It seemed surreal.  And there were two short ladies standing, eagerly at the door.  I was too late to get in on the crowd that would see her up close.  My sharp vision, however, allowed me to see her bend a little to shake these women’s hands, smiling.  Later on it hit the newspapers that she had visited the Wards in the Hospital with the HIV positive infants.  Then on other Wards where there were trauma victims, victims of homicides and whatever you would find in our hospitals, she asked the innocent question Do you give your Staff Members counseling for what they have to witness?  That was about as sweet a concern that I’ve ever heard.  The fact that in New York, she made a visit to the same types of Wards with HIV infected children, holding them and showing them affection showed her intelligence and Humanity.  And that’s the exact word and title that fit her: Humanitarian. Beautiful, Stylish, Sweet to go along with it.  Frankly during those times, I would have been shaking in my shoes if someone had told me to pick up an AIDS infected child. I’m being honest, even though I knew that doing so wouldn’t hurt me but I always respected her for just being a normal, compassionate person.

I don’t have to tell you how horrible her death hit me and of course, the world.  We’re still sad and mourning.  That’s what happens with tragic deaths….no one gets closure.  But in some small way, we’re getting some of her back in the form of the handsome Prince William to Kate Middleton, that pretty girl.  And I pray to God that people (the Papparazzi and news in general, let them live their lives).   I know they are real people.  I know that real life will take over but this type of Wedding still feels like a fairytale and we really hope that the handsome and nice son of hers and his Princess do live happily ever after……….Peace!

China’s civilization was one of the 3 classical civilizations (Indian, Mediterranean, and Chinese) and has survived over 2 thousand years.  The reason behind China’s survival can be said to be in part of how there was both physical and cultural unity.  Once upon a time, China consisted of warring states that warred regularly and tried to battle for control, this was during the Zhou Dynasty.  Then came the Qin dynasty and the emperor Shih Huangdi expanded and united China.  He was able to physically unite China as well standardize things like measurement and the written language.  The social/cultural unity can be said to be because of Confucius, whose teaching shaped the very basis of family, ruling, culture and so many other things as he addressed so many part of Chinese life.  This unity helped China to go through many dynasties and survive numerous invasions and battles.  Throughout the years, one of the things that was kept constant was the written language.  China uses the same written language as they did back then as they do now.  The spoken languages were not phonetic but the written language could be read and interpreted by every variation of Chinese.  The majority of China spoke Mandarin Chinese, but there are still a few other branches of Chinese.  However, this is how it can be explained why Chinese has become so popular.

China’s business is booming.  China’s great population means that they can steal jobs from other countries and become very industrial.  China’s business is also fantastic and many of our economic relations are with them.  Spanish is still just a bit useful because of how Spanish is the 3rd widest language spoken, right after Chinese and Hindi, but languages like French and German are cast aside for such a language as Chinese.

 What are the reasons of learning a foreign language?  Well many schools require at least 2 years of a foreign language, unless you desire to go to a very nice school like one of the Ivy League schools, in which case you need about 4 years.  The other reason is that you want to study business or foreign affairs or just do something in your life which relates to having to communicate and study foreign people, languages, and culture.  Then perhaps you may want to take a foreign language so you can get your head start on that.  Another reason may be that your parents are foreign and they want you to learn their native tongue so that their culture lives on in you.  Or finally, perhaps it is out of personal interest.  Whatever the reason is, Chinese seems like one of the more favorable languages to study now.  Especially of how helpful it will become in the business field.

Right now is a good time to start thinking about learning Chinese if you plan to do something in business or desire to get ahead economically.

Medieval Japan was a land without strong emperors. Power instead lay with warlords and they maintained control using their armies of fearsome samurai warriors. The emperors of Japan were dominated by powerful military families. From these soldier clans came the shoguns, or overlords, who really ruled the country, such as the powerful Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199). The shoguns drove off attacks from Mongol China with their fiercely loyal samurai warriors. A samurai held land, like a knight in Europe but left farming to the peasants while he hunted or trained with sword and bow. The samurai eventually came to form an elite warrior class the practised Zen Buddhism, a philosophy which had been brought to Japan from China in 582.

From the 1300s, Japan was torn by violent civil wars between lords known as daimyos who built castles to guard their lands. The daimyos led armies of samurai warriors. In 1388 a samurai named Ashikaga Tokauji became the emperor’s shogun.

His family thus became the governing family. The most powerful daimyo was Hideyoshi Toyotomi, a peasant who rose to become a samurai warlord. He seized control of all Japan and tried, but failed to conquer Koreea. Hideyoshi controlled Japan from 1585 until his death. One of Hideyoshi’s lieutenants, Ieyasu, became shogun in 1603, and founded the Tokugawa dynasty.

The Japanese felt the gods protected them from invasion. In 1274 and 1281, Kublai Khan sent Chinese fleets to conquer Japan. The first fleet withdrew in the face of a storm. The second invasion was scattered and sunk by a typhoon, which the Japanese called kamikaze “the divine wind”, and it was the subject of paintings. A samurai warrior wore a steel horned helmet and body armour made in pieces from leather of lacquered iron strips, so it was fully flexible. He fought with bow, sword and lance. Modern martial arts have their origins in samurai training.

Ancient Chinese Culture

The earliest civilizations in China grew up along the banks of three major rivers – the Chang Jiang, Xi Jiang and Huang he. Farmers used the river water to irrigate their crops, but also faced the frequent risk of floods that could devastate their harvests. From about 2205bc, Chinawas ruled by a series of dynasties. The first, for which experts have reasonable evidence, is the Shang dynasty, which began in about 1766bc. The Shang ruled China for more than 400 years. At the end of the 11thcentury bc, the Shang were conquered by the Zhou. Their rule lasted until 221bc. During this time many wars were fought between the rival kingdoms that made up the Zhou lands, but it was also a period of economic growth and of trading success, with Chinese silk, precious jade, and fine porcelain being traded abroad. By 221bc, the kingdoms of Chinahad been at war for more than 250 years. Gradually, the Qin, a war like dynasty, from the north-west united the country and established the empire that gives China its name. The first emperor of the united China, Shi Huangdi, reorganized government and standardized money, weights and measures. A road and canal network was also built to link up the various parts of the country and the Great Wall of Chinawas built across the northern border to keep out the hostile huns. Shi Huangdi was a brilliant, but worthless general and politician, burning books and putting scholars to death because their ideas did not match his own. Despite his achievements, the Qin dynasty was overthrown in 206bc four years after Shi Huangdi’s death.

1.Elections

2.Declaration of policies

3.Making of public opinion

4.To form and run the government

They also have many challenges that they face everywhere , four of them are listed below:

1.Lack of internal democracy

2.Dynastic succession

3.Money and muscle power

4.Lack of meaningful choice

Thus there are steps that have been taken to strengthen the working of political parties, some of them are:

1.Anti-Defection law

2.Affidavit

3.Steps taken by the election commision

4.Proper revision of voter’s lists

Finally , the need to have political parties is vast,some of them are:

1.Formation of policies

2.Uncertain government

3.Representative democracy

4.To gather public opinion

Thank you . As this is my first post , i would like to hear comments/suggestions please!

By 3,000 BC, Chinese society had been organized and developed enough that levees, ditches, and canals began to be used in order to harvest the vast economic potential of this great river, along which towns and cities appear.

By 1,700 BC, the rich powerful and prosperous city-state of Shang Conquered the Huang river plane and established the first, of many, dynasties. The Shang rule their state from the capital Anyang.

The Zhou Dynasty

Shang rule in northern China comes to an end around 1,100 BC. The Zhou to the west of Shang, having been influenced by Shang Culture and better fighters due to the fact that they were constantly in war with Nomadic tribes from the steppes of central Asia, conquer Shang.

The Zhou rule China during the early centuries of the Iron age. After two centuries of centralized rule, a type of feudalized rule develops and china is governed in different territories by local strong men’s rulers who control a strong castle and the surrounding countryside while ‘officially’ ruling on behalf of the Zhou king.

These local rulers wage war against each other to antagonize their territory. this period of chinese history is called the ‘warring states’ period. this is also the period when King of Fuzi (Confucius) makes his Philosophical observations that will influence all of the subsequent generations of Chinese to the present day.

The Race of Qin, Shi Huang Di, and The Great Wall

The period of the warring states ends with Shi Huang Di, the King of Qin (pronounced as ‘Chin’) who conquered Zhou (the ’separate’ warring states) and unites all of China to Become the first Emperor.

Qin rule is assured by master of fighting on horse back using the composite bow learned war fare against the peoples steppes. all this in the 240’s BC.

Shi Huang Di is a strong rules, but cruel, superstitious, and tyrannical. He builds the Great Wall ( taking decades to complete). The Quin Dynasty does not outlast his own lifetime. upon his death a rebellion breaks out against his successor’s rule, led by Gaozu. this rebellion ends in victory for the Rebels.

Gauzu established the Han Dynasty (circa 200 BC – 200 AD) whose rule coincides with the great age of the Roman Empire.To consolidate his rule he draws on the educational against native abilities and talents of the Confucian Scholars.

The Mongol Empire took place in the years 1271-1368. This empire was the largest contiguous empire and the second largest empire in all of world history. The empire emerged from the unification of the Mongol and the Turkic tribes in modern day Mongolia.

The Empire grew through invasions in Asia.

Mongols and Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan was the founder of the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan, the person who started the Mongol invasions. Kublai Khan finished the invasions that his grandfather started, and also unified the Mongol empire. Kublai became emperor of the empire in the year 1271 when his brother Mongke died. With Kublai Khan leading the Yuan Dynasty reached its highest peak

Mongol Dynasty

This empire was the second largest empire in the world. It is called the Mongol Dynasty because all of china was taken over by the Mongols. This fierce empire took over most of Eurasia and destroyed everyone that stood in their way.

Silk Road and Achievements

Silk Road

The Mongol expansion helped bring political stability and re-establish the Silk Road.

The Silk Road allowed travelers such as Marco Polo and Ibn Batuttah travel to China to trade and study Chinese culture.

Achievements

During the Mongol dynasty they insured diffusion in Chinese technology. They connected Europe and Asia’s areas by constructing roads. The Khans funded advancements in medicine and astronomy. They spread culture and innovations to lands they have conquered.

The Mongols established the largest contiguous empire.

Explorers

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a European traveler. He thought China was a magnificent country. China was described as benevolent, relieving populace in taxes in times of hardship, and had a well philosophy.

Ibn Batutta

Ibn Batutta was a Muslim traveler. He traveled all throughout China describing China to Africa.

Fall of Yuan

Weakening

Mongols became weaker over time after the battle with Japan. Their last battle with Japan weakened them so much that they couldn’t control their empire.

Fall of Yuan

The Dynasty fell because of uprising of their citizens when the empire was weak.

There was also corruption of Yuan court officials.

Yuan Dynasty Ends

This empire amazed the eyes of many travelers and traders. But it could only last so long. In the year 1368 the Yuan dynasty fell.