Government and Politics

I. Government and Politics

Every society must have a political system in order to have recognized procedures for the allocation of valued resources

Power is the ability to exercise one’s will over others. (Max Weber)

There are three basic sources of Power:

1. Force –the actual or threatened use of coercion to impose one’s will on others.

2. 2. Influence-is the exercise of power through a process of persuasion.

3. Authority-is the institutionalized power that is recognized by the people over whom it is exercised.

There are three ideal types of authority:

1. Traditional authority- is the legitimate power conferred by custom and accepted practice.

2. Legal-authority- is the power made legitimate by law.

3. Charismatic authority-power made legitimate by leader’s exceptional personal or emotional appeal to his or her followers.

Political Behavior

Political Socialization- is the process by which individuals acquire political attitudes and develop patters of political behavior.

There are three principal institutions of Political socialization.

1. family

2. schools

3. media

Political system – is a social institution that is founded on a recognized set of procedures for implementing and achieving society’s goals.

Political participation makes government accountable to its citizens, but voters display a great deal of apathy in both the United States and in other countries too.

Women are still underrepresented in politics, but are becoming more successful at winning election to public office. In the Philippines alone, the commander-in-chief is a woman.

Advocates of the elite model of the U.S. power structure see the nation as being ruled by a small group of individuals who share common political and economic interests( a power elite), in pluralist model believe that power is shared more widely among conflicting groups. The Top ranking Officials of the government are considered as the power elite group, while in a democratic country such as the Philippines, the Filipino people have the power to decide.

II. The Economy

The economic system of a society has an important influence on social behavior and on other social institutions.

Economic system is a social institution through which goals and services are produced, distributed, and consumed.

Industrial revolution gave way to the emergence of Industrial Society.

Industrial Society is a society that depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services.

Systems of capitalism vary in the degree to which the government regulates private ownership and economic activity, but all emphasize the profit motive.

Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are held largely in private hands, and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits.

The basic objective of socialism is to eliminate economic exploitation and meet people’s needs.

Socialism is an economic system under which the means of production and distribution of goods and services are collectively owned.

Karl Marx believed that communism would evolve naturally out of socialism.

Communism is an ideal type, an economic system under which all property is communally owned and no social distinctions are made on the basis of people’s ability to produce.

India’s Sacred Cow

There are certain cultures that firmly obey their custom. They certainly are afraid to do such acts that would lead them to ridicule and would defy their norms. Though others may view such acts on a negative manner and compromising to the ideals that other people know, still they are considered normal.

Norms of a culture can certainly differ from the norms other countries have. People obey their norms for it how the societies have their social control. Deviance to such norms would to a sanction.

Indian’s are afraid to defy their norm for they know what the apparent sanction will be. They stand firm to this because it how they see it. Even though they starve to death as long as they obey their norm they believe that they are in good hands.

Another Issue on this is the view of the outsider. The opinion of the outsider would tell us negative implications. Others may see actions of sanctity to these animals maliciously or exaggerated but the doer would defend that such thing that they are doing are the right thing. On the other hand, if the doer sees an action deviant to their norms they would also feel the same.

There are certain standards that vary with culture. What is acceptable to one culture might not be acceptable to the other. Norms are relative to the culture to which it applies. So as deviance, you are considered deviant to one culture relative to the culture you are in. Acceptance and respect of the culture is the main key word.

The norms of the Indian society might not be acceptable to some but it is how they pay tribute and obey their culture.

For me, it is significant that we should study different cultures so that we won’t experience culture shock or culture lag. Knowing these cultural differences will greatly affect our view about the world around us making it easy for us to accept these cultural diversities.

Mcdonaldization of Society

It is common that every move we make are in a regimen type. We somewhat know or have an idea of a bookstore would look like. A Perceptual expectancy would come to our minds if we say a common word or phrase. A mall is expected to be a mall and the whole system that is embedded inside the four corners of the mall is expected to be this way.

Mcdonaldization is viewed similarly this way. A whole system runs within a system and rationalized form of expected tasks is assigned through a systematic manner. In a McDonald’s Fast food every stem of the process of food is assigned to someone. A hierarchy is present. One will do the task that he or she is a master of. Similarly in an office, departments are assigned in different tasks that they are known to be familiar or major of. Positions are assigned.

In such system, there are rules to follow, lines to queue in, and orders to be understood. The relationship between brothers, sisters and relatives are not considered so as the relationship between employer and employee. Here, laws and ethics are followed. The whole system is good but escaping such is a great problem for society as we know it follow such system in a hidden way.

Effects of such system lead to a distress, leveling up your fatigue and psychological need for renewal and relief from all of this systematic reality. That’s why people want to have some vacation far away from this. But escaping from this would lead you to another kind of system like there’s no way out. Sociologists call it iron cage of bureaucracy.

Mcdonaldization of society might have been so effective that almost everything had been followed from it. From fast foods, stores, and other services everything has a system followed. Yes, such system has been beneficial, but so much of it had lead to a negative result. No way out, a point of no return.

: No, Poverty Has Not Disappeared

Poverty is present in every society known today. In every street corner, every country has its own way of showing poverty. At a total view they are everywhere. As they commonly say, “Everything has a purpose why they exist”. Applying it to poverty, does it really exist with a purpose?

Poverty ensures that the dirty works shall be done. It is another source of gauging the social structure. Yes, it is maligned and ridiculed, but can’t we see anything important out of them? What if there had been no poverty at all? I remember a story about people or a foundation would give away money for people seeking business that would amount to thousands of pesos. People rushed to their office and seek for application. They even encouraged other people to join the organization so that everyone would be instantly richer. What would have possibly happened if it came true? Who would have taken away our garbage and clean the sidewalks if all were already rich? Who would have possibly gone out of the country if all of us have enough money to sustain our lives? Who shall serve as domestic helpers, garbage collector, kaminero, etc.? Nobody I Think.

Poverty plays a latent function in society. Society as we know it today would not exist without poverty. Second hand goods, such as in ukay-ukay would have been down if poverty isn’t present. Cheap goods with less quality shall not be bought. SM and other large companies would have declined if their low paying employees would have been richer. In this case no one would ever buy the goods that they sell. Companies promising low prices and sale would have been scarce or even wiped out. Pasaload, Unlimited Text, and other offers of telecommunications companies would have been out of the market if people intend to buy in a basis they want.

Game shows would have been less rated and therefore unnecessary if people wouldn’t have to wait for their names to be called as they wait for them to win. Successful and famous people would have been anonymous if all people were rich. These elite as we know them today would have been no one today if the world would have run that way.

People would have been apathetic about politics and wouldn’t have to be forced to vote for people who are not good in the position in the government. Voters won’t need to accept money from politicians during elections.

I am not saying that poverty should exist. It is the way the world is. And I think it is hard to conquer unless an ideal type has been followed. Of course, it is hard to happen for everything runs from order to disorder.

The Credit Card: Private Troubles and Public Issues

Credit card is one of the greatest inventions of America. It is treasured, even worshiped. Yet this isn’t just any other invention, it has become an American icon, making to the list where McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Marlboro and others belong. But not only that! Wait, there’s more! Credit Cards are so powerful that it could even surpass what these other Icons can. It can even buy these icons once you get hold of a credit card.

Credit cards are so powerful. With swipe here, swipe there, in a snap! You have yourself your favorite brand of shoes. You can purchase anything that you want without running through the bank for withdrawal of your savings, or by even getting money from your wallet. They are convenient. Anytime you want, anywhere you are, or even anyhow, you could easily get a purchase. Through your card ID, you could buy anything without rushing for the mall before it closes. Through online shopping, you could buy just anything you want 24/7. With credit cards, you can save money as you could buy in sales with discounts, perks and privileges offered. Credit cards are safer to carry than cash, minimizing cash-based crimes. They are also convenient to pay as it gives us an option of paying bills in a long period or all at once.

Credit cards are also considered as a means of social status. If you have a credit card then it implies that you are in a higher social mobility. In a department store for example, the cash registry attendant would always ask if you will pay cash or charge. Some people even have five or even ten credit cards. Your name is printed or engraved in a credit car. It also serves as your ID, since some even have pictures and signatures on it. They are often used in verifications.

Credit cards generate a culture of spending much, spending much in the sense that even if your salary is much lower than what you spend. Spending much which results to a bad habit of indebtedness. Individuals who are actually the victims are paying for the charges that they have made even though they have purchased an amount that they are aware they can’t pay. In spite of the known consequences, people tend to use and still spend through credit cards.

The original mission of the banks was to encourage people to save money, but due to the emergence of banks they have gone otherwise. They offer low interest rates to entice individuals to use their credit cards and to let people spend more. It has been an invention of the banks to spend more and save less.

Though the problem of the use of credit cards were already manifesting, advertisements and competition of credit cards still exists in total energy. Youngsters are now being exposed to such a culture that would engulf them and advancing their possibility of being drawn into indebtedness.

The problem of the use of credit cards reminds me of how capitalists exploit the masses. Having higher profits come from both cutting the cost and selling more products. The credit card industry plays such a role that people are encouraged to spend more money far beyond the available cash they have on the goods and services the capitalists have. They exploit consumers. Indeed, modern capitalism has gone too far. Instead of extracting money from consumers alone, they used another channel to greater heights.

In the Philippines alone, banking and shopping had been altogether been part of a great syndicate wherein people are encouraged to buy goods from the capitalists department store while using their brand of credit card yet the profit goes to them also.

Lifestyles of the Next Millennium: 65 Forecasts

The forecasts were all futuristic yet some are not realistic. Some of the accounts given by the authors can only be seen on science fiction films and novels. Thus, some are impossible to happen. Though some the accounts given were so far from realities, there had been significantly many accounts that already exist.

Home

Company towns are possible to happen but the thought of companies subsidizing the housing of their employees are impossible. Instead, there might be a possibility that companies would exploit the employees. Living in a global village is possible to happen; in the Philippine we already have Bonifacio Global City. Special purpose rooms already exist in homes of elite people. Fully automated rooms are possible but are not yet probable since technology is not yet ready for it. Spa centers and other wellness centers are now considered sleeping machines, but the actual experience of controlling dreams is seemingly impossible. Robots and other derivatives are already developing especially in Japan where technology is rapidly developing.

Family and Education

The dream of a perfect family and education can never be attained for being perfect is not right. The dreaming shall only be of the present but attaining such is impossible to happen. Even in the present, lives of people are far from being perfect. Social control and deviance of the first unit of government or the family is very much affective in terms of society. If the possibility of controlling recalcitrant children and as well as imperfect family background is probable then attaining a society of perfect order is also probable. But, this reality is far from what is really happening.

In terms of education, since education systems are continually developing and evolving along the way, trends and adaptations shall always be happening. It would only depend on the way people think and see about education.

Others

Society and society alone can dictate what the future will bring. Though the available technology is yet to come and the specific technologies are yet uncertain we can’t be sure of what the future will bring. Of course the inevitable would always be at hand. And no matter what happens, such behavior in society shall always happen. Developments and further developments would always come and go. Issues of the future would always be a question, a question that is yet to be answered.

Elementary Forms of the Religious Life

According to Emile Durkheim, religious beliefs and rituals are real and reflect the societies in which they exist. I agree that religion plays such a role that penetrates the nature of society. But looking to another perspective, religion can be a very delicate and powerful instrument that when used in a negative way would lead to an undesirable issue.

Religious faith can be a dangerous instrument that could destroy and as well as construct the social integration. The church serves as a refuge and sanctuary in times of troubles, but when a crime has been committed it is also used by people as a refuge. The impact of religious beliefs have great impact on society. It used by other forces to control as well as to hypnotize people. It had been evident during the Spanish colonization. Spain used the church as a unit of social control. Rules and regulations are being imposed inside the church. The church and government had been combined into one. It had been a clever idea that until now it has been innate to our society.

The experiences that we encounter inside the church leads us to a belief that such reverence to the church should be given.

If we will follow what Durkheim stated, religious beliefs and rituals reflect the societies which they exist. In the Philippines, where roman catholic is the dominant religion has been a country dominated by poverty, corruption, and lots of human rights violation, is it the religion that is responsible for the country’s backlash economy? Or is because people doesn’t believe about the reality and significance of their religious rituals?

The answer to the question is difficult. Even the ministers of this church couldn’t figure out the nearest or possible answer as they continue to ask the same question. Comparing it to Islamic countries, most of them are in good condition in terms of economy.

Its definitely true that religion has been used as an instrument to bind people to the society and as well as to ensure social integration, but the abuse of the power given to the church gave rise to questions. The acceptance of religion shall be a question of how people exercise their rituals.

For me, I truly believe that religion affects the society where it exists. Whatever the society manifests goes back to the religion where you belong. For example, people think that the Moslems are rebellious. Their beliefs accompany them along the way. They act or somewhat act this way because its within their cultural norms.

What a society manifests is affected by the beliefs that their church have. Their rituals and norms are usually imposed within the religion. The validity of the premise of its total existence and reality is within one’s perception.

what is Physics

Greje R. Abangan II-BSPT

Out Line:

Title: What Is Physics?

Measurements Are Indispensable In Studying The Behavior And Structure Of Matter They Are Used To Verify Its Validity As A Science.

I. Definition Of Physics

II. Physics As A Basic Science

III. Importance Of Measurements In Physics

IV. Ways Early Scientists Used Measurements In Physics

a. Size Of The Earth

b. Size Of The Moon

c. Distance Of The Moon

d. Distance Of The Sun

e. Size Of The Sun

V. Modern Way Of Measuring

a. The Use Of The SI Units

Physics is the science that deals with matter and energy, and the action of different forms of energy, and the action of different forms of energy, excluding chemical and biological change. Physics studies Force, motion, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism, radiation, and atomic structure. The aim of theoretical physics must be to find a complete set of mutually consistent postulates or axioms from which the properties of nature described above can be deduced in the form of a number of theorems (H.J. Bhaba)

Physics is more than a part of the physical sciences; it is the most basic of all the sciences. It’s about the nature of basic things such as motion, forces, energy, matter, heat, sound, light, and the composition of atoms. In a general perspective, Physics is the study which deals with the behavior and structure of matter.

To study the behavior and structure of matter, we need to understand and know how to ascertain quantities. We need to know how to measure matter so that we can better understand what they stand for.

Measurements are a hallmark of good science. How much you know about something is often related to how well you can measure it. This was well put by the most famous physicist Lord Kelvin in the nineteenth century: “I often say that when you can measure something and express it in numbers, you know something about it. When you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the stage of science, whatever it may be.” Scientific measurements are not something new but go back to ancient times.

Eratosthenes was the first to measure the size of the earth which is near to our known measurement. Aristarchus and others as well attempted to measure the moon. Paul Hewitt’s book, Conceptual Physics tells us more. ( see page 3-8)

Measurement is a comparison of an unknown physical quantity with a known physical quantity.

Predict,observe,explain

P.O.E Presentation

Greje R. Abangan II-BSPT

Predict

v What will happen to the can if we invert and put the soda-pop can into a pan of water?

v Will it explode, expand, compress, or stay the same?

v Predict

Observe:

v Put a small amount of water in an aluminum soda-pop can and heat it on a stove until steam comes out from the opening.

v Then, with a pair of tongs, quickly invert the can into a pan of water.

v Observe

Explain

As we heat a small amount of water in aluminum soda-pop can and as steam comes out of the opening, the air inside has been driven out and replaced by steam.

The can is crushed by the atmospheric pressure. Why? When the molecules of steam encounter water from the pan, condensation occurs, leaving a very low pressure in the can, whereupon the surrounding atmospheric pressure crunches the can. Here we see how pressure is reduced by condensation. This is why in a heat engine the role of condensation in the turbine plays crucial. Without the temperature difference, the turbine won’t run and do work. Remember that temperature is dependent upon the pressure of the system.