Mexico

This article I found has to do with a group of vigilantes that have taken it upon themselves to fight back against a specific drug cartel. They were initially well-received, since that particular cartel was causing a lot of trouble in the area, but apparently the vigilantes were starting to cause problems of their own. In addition, the Mexican government believes that they have a better handle on the situation than they used to, and that the vigilantes are no longer needed.

This just goes to show what a complicated issue Mexico's drug cartels are. They cause a lot of problems, but the way people react to those problems can be an issue in of itself.

This is a translation of an article from a Japanese travel website, containing ten tips for travelers visiting America. Some of the observations are critical (apparently the author doesn't like American food), but others are more positive (apparently drivers here are much better than they are there). Overall, it's an interesting glimpse at how certain parts of our culture look from an outside perspective.

I'm posting this at the last minute, so the article I found doesn't really have to do with government. Still, I think it could be relevant. After all,

I had a bit of trouble finding a relevant article, but the one I chose can be found here.

This article has to do with several high-profile Germans being charged with tax evasion, including the mayor of Berlin and the treasurer of the country's conservative party. Apparently, a few years ago, the authorities got ahold of some CDs with a bunch of data regarding financial records, and there's been a lot more attention given to things like tax evasion since then. The article mentions that a lot of ordinary citizens decided to be honest about their finances in order to avoid being caught.

Apparently, some of this has to do with the perception of such crimes changing. It's becoming less socially acceptable.

I can't really figure out what the people who were charged had to do, but it looks like they just had to pay the money they owed. Given how wealthy these people are, that doesn't seem like much more than a slap on the wrist.

I didn't really know much about politics in the UK or how they work, so I found this chapter to be very informative. One bit I found interesting was how the system has changed and streamlined itself over time. It's gradually become more democratic over the centuries. Something that's mentioned in the chapter that should be noted is that Britain was never an absolute monarchy to begin with. There were several in the rest of Europe, but British lords and nobles managed to keep a lot more power than their equivalents in other countries. Granted, if I remember correctly, it took quite a bit longer for ordinary people to start having influence...but it did happen eventually.

I also noticed the part about the separation between the monarchy and the functional government. The textbook mentioned that this can be a good thing, because it means that the symbolic part of the country's leadership isn't affected by people's political opinions. Even if they have issues with the prime minister or the party in power, people will have a separate opinion of the Queen - one that tends towards the positive. In contrast, if the American President does something dumb, people lose faith in both him and the rest of the government.

The article I found relates to the British school system, and how many business owners believe that students are not adequately prepared for the real world when they leave school.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2546053/Firms-slam-illiterate-school-leavers-putting-Britains-economic-recovery-risk.html

This reminded me of the textbook's criticisms of the school system - that it's fragmented, unequal, and not as effective as it could be. Judging from this article, I think they might be right about that.