Communism is based on the principle of all members of a society being free and that state ownership of the means of production would ensure that all members of a society would be equally taken care of. Theoretically, there are no social or economic differences between members of society. Think of Communism as a sort of political Nirvana in which all members of a society lived equally in harmony without the need for government. It is important to view the rise of the ideal of Communism though the lens of the Industrial Revolution where workers en masse were exploited to the benefit of very few, rich, owners. The ideal of Communism was that workers unite and rebel against ownership so that they all would share ownership (and profits) equally. In practice, the original idea of Communism was twisted into a means of control over a population and the term Communism has become synonymous with oppressive dictatorships that only have one ruling party who strives to crush any opposition.

Communism isn’t the only ideology that in theory looked good, but was used to subjugate people. Look at how Christianity was used, especially in the Middle Ages as a way of controlling people. Often politicians and religious authorities were one in the same and obedient service to the ruling authority was a way of avoiding hell; “do as we say, or you will have an eternity of torture.” I would like to be clear here. I am not saying that Christians are oppressive totalitarians. I am speaking historically of events where it was used to subjugate and repress populations, for example the Inquisition. This abuse of power was what lead to the movement of separation of church and state.

In Canada, an uncontested divorce can be wrapped up in 8 to 16 weeks. Usually, the husband and wife must have lived apart for at least a year before divorce can take place.

In Canada, and many other parts of the world, colleges are vocational institutions where you can learn a trade, or a two year Associate degree in Arts or Science. Many students will complete the first two years of their Bachelor’s degree at a college and finish the last 2 years at a university. Colleges have some advantages over universities; they generally have smaller class sizes and the professors are more focused on student successes and less focused on research related endeavors. Colleges can be a good intermediate step between high school and university. In addition, for people who didn’t graduate from high school or didn’t earn the appropriate prerequisites to enter their degree program, colleges offer courses that are pre first year courses such as Math, Physics, and Chemistry for grades 11 and 12. The drawback of going to a college is that it can at times be less prestigious and have less course offerings than a university.

To complicate matters a little bit more, some colleges in small cities are offering one or two degree programs in a specialized area. Often, these colleges are partnered with a university in a larger town, but students don’t have to commute to finish their degrees. For people living in really remote areas, correspondence degrees are offered through Open Universities. Basically, there is a requirement to attend the actual institution for a small period of time each year; like two weeks at a stretch, but for the rest of the time, with a fast internet connection and a reliable computer, you don’t have to leave home. Royal Roads in Victoria, BC, Canada has wonderful correspondence programs.

The biggest university in the world is Allama Iqbal Open Univeristy in Islamabad, Pakistan with over 1.8 million students. Of particular interest is the role that this university plays in educating women. They have made a commitment to provide education at a low cost to people who would not otherwise have access to higher education; women in rural villages from traditional households, where female higher education isn’t supported, and as a result, the vast majority of their students are female. It has won the UNESCO NOMA award for working at increasing Pakistan’s literacy rate.