The Responses to the Humanitarian Erisis in Darfur Essay

The Responses to the Humanitarian Erisis in Darfur - Essay Example This low incidence of intervention seems at odds with the agreement entered into by most countries in the Genocide Convention of 1948 wherein they committed, under Art 1, â€Å"to prevent and to punish†2 the crime of genocide. Could this failure to intervene in the genocidal activities of sovereign states be rooted in the inability of the human rights movement to propel international action? The case of Darfur provides a timely opportunity to examine the truth of that theory. It is imperative that a definition of genocide be explored and established first since much of the controversy surrounding international inaction today are in many ways related to the very definition and application of the term â€Å"genocide†. As is best exemplified by Shelly’s wordplay above, the definition and use of the term genocide has been muddled by political stratagems which seem to follow an unspoken rule to never use the term at all costs. Instead of the term â€Å"genocide†, terms such as â€Å"ethnic violence†, â€Å"ethnic cleansing†, â€Å"acts of genocide†, and â€Å"civil war† have become the trademark of the politically-savvy. It would be as though by avoiding the term genocide, a humanitarian crisis such as Rwanda or Darfur would cease to be genocide and transform into something more palatable to the taste. We must thus resort back to the definition of genocide agreed upon by the same international community before t hey actually found themselves bound to make good on such definition. In the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the following definition is clearly detailed.

Ethics Log Essay Example for Free

Ethics Log Essay I was out shopping with a friend and saw something that struck me as very unethical. We were eating at the mall and the manager at one of the fast food places at the food court was given extra money then was due by a customer that was directly ahead of my friend in line. Instead of giving the lady back the extra money he pocketed the money. I know that we are in a financially hard time, but still the man should have told the women that she gave him too much money instead of pocketing the difference. It made me promptly decide to eat at a different place that day. September 15, 2008: I was struck today by something that made me have faith in other people. A man was rushing to leave a store and his wallet dropped out of his pocket. Two teenagers were standing around and watching the people going in and out and they both saw what happened. One of them walked over and picked up the wallet. I thought that the kid was going to pocket the money in the wallet, but instead he walked over to where the man was still putting groceries into his car. He handed the man his wallet and told him that he saw it fall out of his pocket. The man thanked him and offered him a reward. The kid shook his head and said a reward wasn’t necessary. Most of the time teenagers are given a bad name, but seeing that kid be as honest as he was made me feel good knowing that our future are the hands of kids like that. September 22, 2008: I was taking my mother to the doctor and I saw something that seemed to me to be very unethical. Two nurses were waiting for the elevator and they were discussing patients, using the first names of those patients. No one else was around the elevator, so these two women must have thought they were alone. I couldn’t believe my ears, because they were talking in very load tones and telling each other about the details of each patient. I know that doctors are held to strict ethical standards and I thought nurses were too. Anyone could have been listening to these two women gossiping. They finally stopped when I cleared my throat and gave them a look. September 29, 2008: I was watching the evening news and one story struck me as interesting. It was a story about a building contractor who had used substandard materials on some houses that he had built. The people who had bought these homes found mold and parts of their houses were falling down so that living in these homes were dangerous to the occupants. I have always believed that building contractors had an ethical right to use materials that would ensure a safe environment for the people that buy the finished homes. It seems this man cared more for the end dollar that he received then for the quality of building he produced. October 6, 2008: I was watching the news the other night and I saw a story about a psychologist that was being accused of having a relationship with a patient. I was appalled at this fact since psychologists are people who should realize how unethical something like that is. Doctors are in a position of authority over their patients and as such should not abuse hat authority by becoming involved with their patients. The psychologist is facing criminal charges and will probably have his license to practice psychology revoked. I was shocked and outraged by this story and it made me wonder what had to be going through the man’s head to get into such a situation as this where he ahs put his professional life and the reputation of his family in jeopardy. October 14, 2008: I was shopping this weekend and I saw something that struck me not only as ethical but as an example of the goodness in people. I was walking down the street from store to the next and in an alleyway there was a man who for all intents and purposes was homeless or he appears that way. As I was walking I had to stop and answer my cell phone and in vainly trying to find my phone everything in my bag fell out and spilled all over the sidewalk. This man, who was dirty from his head to his feet, came over and started helping me pick things up. I was in such a rush that I didn’t notice that my credit card had bounced in the shadows. I gave the man a curt thank you and was walking away when I heard the man come up behind me. I thought at first he was going to try and do something to me (we all don’t like to admit it but stereotypes sometimes linger in the back of the man about homeless people), and turned ready to hit the man when he smiled toothlessly at me and told me I had dropped my credit card. This man could have pocketed the card, but he chose to do the ethical and right thing of returning the card to me. October 20, 2008: An article that I read recently stuck me as very unethical practices. It was an article on how Treasury Secretary Paulson was utilizing his old Wall Street firm as a way to investigate the goings on of other Wall Street firms. The problem then is that it gives other people the idea that now Paulson’s old firm has their hands in the proverbial Treasury Cookie Jar. That kind of practice is not just unethical but wrong. The United States Treasury is something that has to investigate firms and by allowing a Wall Street firm to be seen as having ties in the department of Treasury gives the idea that the department of the Treasury is biased and will allow this firm to get by with everything and there will not be any repercussions. October 27, 2008: I was reading an article in the newspaper and came across a story about a court case in which the case had to be dismissed because the evidence that was collected was tainted. Apparently when he evidence was collected, it was misplaced and then found two days later. This struck me as highly unethical, since from my understanding when something like that happens it’s hard to know if it is really from the crime or if it had been planted. It also struck me as unethical because evidence should not be contaminated or last in order to make sure questions are not raised in the long run. November 3, 2008: I read in the newspaper about a new school curriculum that has been used at some schools around the nation. Building Decision Skills (BDS) that had â€Å"potentially positive effects† on students. This curriculum targets character education, strengthens critical thinking skills, builds leadership skills, and focuses on teaching students the best way to make ethical decisions as they enter the high school setting and are affected more by peer pressure. I remember my own high school days and how tough it can be when surrounded by friends that want you to make a decision that you don’t feel comfortable with. Ethical behavior after all is learning the right way to do something or the right choice to make when in a given situation. This new curriculum will help students with those kinds of situations. November 10, 2008: The newspaper had an interesting story about the Emperor’s Club and the case against the New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer and his charges for hiring prostitutes. Tania Hollander, the VIP scheduler for the club, also had to take responsibility in the unethical behavior of the attorney general. Ms. Hollander will face jail time for her part in this case, while the New York attorney general was cleared of the charges against him. The attorney for Ms. Hollander made a point of insinuating that this kind of nonsense was unethical in the least because it gives the public the idea that the New York attorney general is being given a slap on the wrist because of his position as an attorney general. Abuse of position such as this is always an unfair and unethical practice.

George W. Russell (AE Æ),- His Life, Paintings and Impact on Irish Cult

George W. Russell (AE Æ),- His Life, Paintings and Impact on Irish Culture Introduction George William Russell (Æ), poet, painter, statesman and friend of many. George Russell definitely was all of those things. But why is it that I, a visiting student from the far North, takes such an interest in a man who despite his greatness not many people outside Ireland has heard of. When asked about visual arts in Ireland, names like Jack Yeats, Paul Henry and James Barry might be heard but only people with a deep interest in Irish culture will also mention George W. Russell, or Æ as he is more commonly known. But Æ Russell was, and still is, Irish culture, which is what I will try to prove to you with this paper. My first encounter with Æ Russell was when I heard about one of the greatest love stories ever heard, the Irish legend about Deirdre and Naisi. Æ Russell took this tale and made it into a play, the one and only play he would ever write, published in 1901 under the name â€Å"Deirdre†. The mythological tales has always been a keen interest to me and to learn that Æ Russell wrote plays, poems and painted pictures with mythological content, sure was a true excitement for me. But to get a better understanding of what kind of man Æ Russell was and what he had done for Irish culture I embarked on a cultural trip around Dublin. I started off by going to the Oriel Gallery a Clare Street to see some of his paintings. My next step was a visit to 3 Upper Ely Place (behind Saint Stephen’s Green), a place where Æ Russell lived between 1891 and 1898 (1897) and one of two places in Dublin where you still can see an original mural signed Æ Russell. Sadly, a lot of his other murals on Dublin walls has been torn down, taking an important part of cultural heritage away with it. Lastly I visited the Mount Jerome Cemetery (Harold’s Cross) where Æ Russell is buried. All this, together with my own strong interest in mythology, made this cultural â€Å"journey† in Æ Russell footsteps a pure pleasure. George â€Å"Ɔ Russell, the man George William Russell, son and one of three children of Tomas Elias Russell & Marianne Russell (formerly Armstrong), was born in William Street, Lurgan, County Armagh on the 10:th of April 1867. At the age of 11, the family moved to Emorville Avenue in Dublin where in 1880 George Russell enrolled in the Art School on Kildare Street. At the age of 16, George Ru... ... the â€Å"human†. As of today, that favorite of mine goes for about IR £ 8.500 but that in my view is a small price for such a work of excellence. It is also a part of Irish culture as it was 100 years ago; and still is†¦.. 1. â€Å"Neptunes Daughters† (Original size: 16† x 21â€Å") 2. â€Å"A Vision in the Glade† (15 ½Ã¢â‚¬  x 21†) 3. â€Å"Trailing Clouds of Glory† (18 ½Ã¢â‚¬  x 24†) 4. â€Å"Neptunes Angels† (21† x 32†) 5. â€Å"The Young W.B. Inscribed and Dated 1897† (17† x 14†) References: Main Publications: Davis, R.B., 1977, George William Russell (â€Å"AE†). George Prior Publishers, London, England. Denson, A., 1961, George W. Russell (Æ) – A Bibliography. Northwestern University Press, New Jersey, U.S.A. Kain, R.M. & O’Brien, J.H., 1976, George Russell (Æ). Bucknell University Press, Lewisburg, U.S.A. Other publications: Nulty, O., 1989, George Russell – Æ â€ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦at The Oriel’s, 21st Anniversary. The Oriel Gallery, Dublin, Ireland. Smythe, C., 1988, The Descent of the Gods – The mystical writings of G. W. Russell – Æ. By: Michael Arrhenius University: Jà ¶nkà ¶ping International Business School, Sweden. Class: Irish Culture Instructor: Mr. Smyth Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Aungier Street, March 2000.

Participation – Citizenship Coursework

In the summer, my class decided to run a charity stall to raise money for our house charity, The British Heart Foundation. I knew someone that recently underwent a triple heart bypass and thought that raising money for such a cause that could help to extend peoples life was an excellent idea. The temperature at school was becoming unbearable so I suggested that a great way to earn money selling something that people need would be to run an ice-cream stall outside the picnic area where the majority of the school eat their lunch. Everyone agreed that it was a good idea but we came across the problem of finding a price that we could agree on. So we decided to do some market research and some members of my class organised a questionnaire in which students at our school were asked questions about their favourite flavours or how much they would be willing to pay for one ice cream. We discovered that most people enjoyed strawberry, vanilla and mint chocolate chip ice cream and that they would pay around 50p for one ice cream with extra toppings. Everyone in my class had a role in participation, whether it was finding a place to store 30 tubs of ice cream or organising security so that people didn't try to get ice cream without paying. We all had to bring in one litre tub each and we stored them in the freezer. Buying ice cream wasn't a problem for most, however I personally found it hard to find mint chocolate chip ice cream and ended up buying plain mint ice cream instead. Also in the hot weather, some people's generators had given in and their freezers had broken, so I offered to store some extra tubs in my freezer for those who didn't have room. My main role was organising what stuff we needed and who was supplying it. I brought in scoopers and cool bags to place the ice cream in when we were selling it so that it didn't melt. Melting ice cream didn't become a problem as the dinner ladies kindly offered to place a fridge outside the canteen with an extension lead to keep it running so that we could store some ice cream in the fridge outside. I also had another role in being a â€Å"scooper† and making the ice creams for people to buy, at the same time I had to keep an eye on people trying to skip the queue. I enjoyed being a scooper and in my opinion it was one of the better roles of the task, we even brought in music to motivate the scoopers and entertain people waiting in the queue. The disadvantage of being a scooper would probably be that after scooping for 1hr and 10 minutes my hand felt numb and I couldn't move it. However the customers seemed to love it, probably because it was such a sweaty day and they needed something to cool them off, even the head teacher came down to buy some ice creams. People who bought ice creams from our stall then told their friends, a lot of people bought more than one! There was some quarrelling when the people who were supposed to be running the stall didn't show up or their friends kept taking free scoops or abusing our â€Å"extra topping service† by pilling the toppings on. Although after they did this they did drop their ice cream on the floor, which serves them right. And they weren't the only ones, because people kept dropping them on the floor it encouraged wasps, and we also lost profit, as we had to give them a new one. When the end of lunch drew near, I helped to count the money made in the day, this made me feel very responsible and trusted with so much money. There was also a lot of cleaning up to do, as well as putting back the tables, cleaning the cool bags and counting our profit. We made approximately à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½150 pounds on the first day and because it was successful we were approached to do it again the next day. The second time around we knew where we went wrong last time and how to make our stall more efficient. This time I helped to re-decorate the stalls, make signs to place around the school and put leaflets in the registers to remind people to bring their money to school for a second time. We also read out a notice in assembly. This time a lot more people came to buy stuff because the weather was warmer, and those who forgot their money yesterday brought it this time. At the end of the day we raised a further à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½172 pounds, and astonishing amount of money for one lunchtime. The school was very pleased and we got a lot of credit for our charity work. On the third day we decided instead of selling the leftovers to give everyone one each and we invited another form to join us. It was nice for me because it was actually my last day at that school. Afterwards we presented the canteen staff with flowers to thank them for giving us freezer space. Our head teacher called it â€Å"a huge success† and many people wished there had been something like it when we had the hottest day in 20 years. Overall it was a good two days and we didn't come across too many problems other than minor disagreements about staff rotas on the scooping table and we made a lot of money. They said that it is likely they will do it again next year, if I was still there I would defiantly suggest it, then next time we could sell something else like balloons or badges at the same time.

Plot and central idea in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” Essay

Shirley Jackson’s, â€Å"The Lottery† concerns a small town’s annual lottery drawing and the grim circumstances that ensue. In this short but disturbingly profound piece of work, Shirley Jackson communicates to the reader the theme of scapegoatism along with its implications concerning traditions. In the village where this lottery takes place, we find many familiar elements: a post office, a grocery store, schools and a coal mine. In this village, Mr. Summers owns the coal mine, so his business has made him the wealthiest man in the village. Mr. Summers also controls the annual lottery. He is somewhat uncomfortable with his authority but has chosen to carry on with the yearly tradition. The order in which the lottery drawings take place emphasizes who does and who doesn’t have power in the village’s social hierarchy. Men or working sons draw for their families. The few exceptions involve death or illness. Only then is a wife permitted to draw. It is evident that although everyone eventually participates in this drawing (children included), women are disenfranchised from the village social structure. As the villagers anxiously wait for the lottery to begin, the young boys rough play and gather piles of stones, while the girls socialize in their circles, watching the boys. Agriculture is the main staple of this village and a great emphasis seems to be placed on the bountifulness of crops. This is reinforced by Old Man Warner, a long time resident of the town, when he cites the expression, â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.† There is timid talk by Mr. and Mrs. Adams of nearby villages doing away with the lottery, but the notion is quickly abolished when Warner calls these new thinkers â€Å"a pack of crazy fools.† He sarcastically suggests that perhaps they would be better off if they succumbed to living in caves and eating â€Å"stewed chicken weed and acorns.† As far as Old Man Warner is concerned, there has always been a lottery. As Mr. Summers begins to address the town gathering, Mrs. Hutchinson shows up  late, hurriedly joining her husband and family. She claims to have almost forgotten what day it was. Once the drawing commences, Mrs. Hutchinson rushes her husband on when his turn comes to draw with the remark, â€Å"Get up there, Bill.† The reader gets the impression that Mrs. Hutchinson holds little respect for either Mr. Summers or the lottery. The last round of the lottery concludes with Mrs. Hutchinson drawing the slip with the feared â€Å"black spot.† As the town and her own family members move in on her with stones, she cries out several times, â€Å"It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.† Her cries go unheard and we are uneasily left to hope that the villagers were swift with their proceedings. In this story, Shirley Jackson illustrates how traditions are passed down to our children, who tend to do what they are told without asking or knowing why. By the time we are mature enough to question morality, as long as it â€Å"isn’t fair† or â€Å"it isn’t right† to us, we are more willing to accept the condition of our surroundings rather than promote change.