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Class:ENG112 - Section 36 - Fall 2007/new magazine page/Section 6
From UMassWiki
Freedom is the basic need of all human beings. Without freedom, human living is torturous. Democracy is a system of government relies on belief in freedom and equality between the people and the rulers. Building up a democratic system is the goal of every country in the world.
The people in Burma dream and die to have this democracy to influence the political system in their country, because under the traditional dictatorship of the King and the current military control, the citizens have lost their freedom. So the idea of democracy influences them to seek better leadership.
On the other hand, Hong Kong labels itself as a democratic city, but the problem of SARS shows their protectionism. Actually, the spread of SARS could have been prevented from the beginning if the government trusted the people. Before SARS spread throughout Hong Kong, the rulers hid the seriousness of SARS, leaving the people without enough knowledge to protect themselves. Many people are concerned that the government limited freedom of speech.
Around the world, soldiers are glorified for “defending†their countries through war. Governments list all the dead soldiers’ names, and hide the greater number of civilians’ death. For example, the United States government reports that one and a half million civilians died during Korean War, but European statistics show two to five million of Koreans died during the war. Political and military leaders take advantage of various patriotisms to manipulate our freedom to believe, while ignoring other victims of the wars.
In this chapter, authors bring out these enormous issues to get the public’s attention. We hope our readers can recognize that whether the government is democratic or not, people will not have complete freedom.
Governments will try to control their citizens, in order to stabilize their powers. If you care about the facts but have not yet taken any action,
recognize the value of your political views in order to create change in these global issues.
Wing
Death and Peace
To all the members of United Nations General Assembly,
When opening a newspaper, or turning on the television, or even though type in “war†in Google search, the very first thing pops into our eyes is about the war in Iraq, because all the American people care about the war. All of them want to know are there any more soldiers die in the war; how many soldiers died; or did the United States’ soldiers attack any Iraqian military used missiles. But how many Americans care about the people in Iraq? Do the Americans know that how do lives in Iraq look like right now; how many Iraq civilians die in the war up-to-day; or how do the deaths’ families do after missing one or couple of their relative? Most American people are only focusing on when the Iraq War will be end; when will the American troop come back; or what they can do to end the war. The lives of the United States soldiers are important, but those people in Iraq are important, too. The numbers of death of the United States soldiers are large, but the amounts of people in Iraq are much larger, and that is huge. But in human’s history, the death civilians are only having numbers to represent their deaths to the world, to history, to their contribution. Civilians’ deaths are not non-meaningful; their lives are worthy.
Full Text of Wing's Paper
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A History of Injustice
Burma's history is full of turmoil and political change, and recently another chapter of political change is about to unfold. The Burmese Government have dug themselves into a hole by detaining peaceful protestors and not allowing them a fair trial. In order for this chapter to end peacefully, Burma must swallow their pride and submit to the requests of the international community.
Full Text of Evita's Paper
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Living Under the Nightmare
To all the people who do not concern about SARS,
“Remember to wash your hands and wear the mask before you go outside, otherwise, you may get infected by SARS.â€(SARs history) was our motto during the SARS period. 2003 was the most unforgettable year for all of the people living in Hong Kong. The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiration Syndrome (SARS), a fatal illness, made all of us live in a nightmare. SARs could be easily spread out through the airborne, for example, it could spread out through coughing. SARS was not only affecting the people who live in Hong Kong, it gave the world a new sight of Hong Kong. SARS affected us in many ways: social problems, economic problems and health problems. SARS, not only brought us problems, it also left us with many questions and mistrusts between the government and the public. Until now, parts of the questions have not been solved yet.
Full Text of Christine Lee's Paper
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