Assess the strengths of the UN Special Procedures mechanisms Essay

Assess the strengths of the UN Special Procedures mechanisms - Essay Example investigations and analysis are used to make recommendations for remedying and improving flaws in human rights protection and enforcement.3 Thus the Special Procedures facilitates a perpetual and vigilant supervision of international human rights and in doing so emphasizes the importance of human rights defence and protection. A number of strengths have been identified in the literature. The UN Special Procedures also calls for coordination and collaboration between the various organs of the UN and also between these organs and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In doing so, not only expertise, but the input of those who are in a position to observe and report on human rights protection progress and protection failures. This can usually include those whose human rights have been infringed or are jeopardized and the state in which those rights are compromised.4 Therefore, the Special Procedures of the UN’s mechanism is predicated on a process of human rights protection and promotion founded on the best available information. In addition to investigating and analyzing international human rights issues and ascertaining appropriate remedial action, the Special Procedures also monitors its own mechanisms.5 In this regard, the Special Procedures is a perpetually improving paradigm and always identifying how it can best achieve its goal of protecting and promoting international human rights. In other words, the Special Procedures mechanisms are not merely monitoring human rights, but it is also monitoring its own review and investigative mechanisms for optimal outcomes. This is enabled by the ad hoc nature of the Special Procedures. As an ad hoc system, the Special Procedures allows for changes to be made to its mechanism in response to changing conditions and circumstances. For example in 2011, the Human Rights Council reviewed its â€Å"work and functioning† and established â€Å"essential principles, such as the obligation of States to cooperate with special

Google Search Essay Example for Free

Google Search Essay What are the company’s key resources and competitive capabilities? What competitive liabilities and resource weaknesses does it have? What opportunities exist? What threats to its continued success are present? The key resources and competitive capabilities of the search industry are due to the huge company’s success. For instance, Google gains the trust of users through reliable, accurate searches and a clear distinction of upfront advertisements in searches. Therefore, the online business user’s can do their work in minimum physical locations and lower fixed cost. These locations is fully utilized as they maximize the creativity and being in high-spirit for their working environment. The employees are hired selectively amongst some of the greatest minds in technology and related fields, and are given the tools, freedom, and encouragement to be innovative and fulfilled by their job. Several iconic features of Google remain unparalleled, including their extensive Google Earth and Google Maps capabilities, archetypal YouTube video streaming, and Google Search Appliances that allow other companies to feature Google search bars within their own sites. Being a leader in the search industries, Google is also has a few number of weaknesses. These could have serious implications on the future of their business as such the low revenue that is acquired from YouTube represents a lost opportunity for such a large online presence. Their grasp on the comprehensive social networking market is far behind those of their competitors. And while they remain an industry leader, their international reach in emerging markets such as China leave much to be desired and acquired. The rapid growth in search industries which revolving around technology and the Internet turns out of giving many opportunities to Google currently and in the near future. For example, the Internet and mobile advertising growth lead the way for increasing importance of Search Engine Optimization for marketers. More data on users becomes more readily available using data collected from searches and Chrome. Possibly the most important up-and-coming necessity for innovative companies such as Google is the  availability for users to have all of their information in one account through cloud computing. Being in such a competitive and fast moving environment will comes together with the threats to the firms. Companies who are leaders in their industry in avenues Google has attempted to take, such as Facebook for social networking, Microsoft Office for word processing, and Weather.com for detailed weather reports, make finding a stronghold in such ventures very difficult. Users who are already fully integrated are unlikely to switch, and may be hesitate to have their personal information in multiple locations. Cloud computing poses a serious threat to possible hacking and identity theft, since a single set of login information could allow access to a multitude of facets of personal information. The ethical concern in the minds of many consumers regarding the ability of companies to track user viewing habits hurts users’ trust in Google, and is characterized in the blocking habits of Explorer and Firefox. Without access to this information however, the full potential of selective online advertising cannot be reached. Google must also confront substitute services as they arise, so that their main competitive advantage in search specialization is not replicated. In addition, they must be aware of any intellectual property rights laws that may be passed in the near future so as not to impede onto the service they provide.

Arguments Against Censorship in Music

Arguments Against Censorship in Music Have you ever wondered why radios have to bleep everything? Or why some CDs can’t be sold in stores? Or why there’s a little â€Å"Parental Advisory† sticker on some albums? If you answered â€Å"yes† to any or all of these questions, then stick around, because for the next 5 minutes, I am going to explain to you why the censorship on our music is way too harsh. Censorship in music should be reconsidered because of many points such as political views, the fact that musicians are willing to fight for their own music, and most of all, freedom of speech! There’s a song that comes to mind when I think about political censorship. A song called â€Å"Not Ready To Make Nice† by The Dixie Chicks. The song won three Grammies in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. The song is about how they, the band, felt about the invasion of Iraq, and the responses to their position on this situation. Natalie Maines, the main vocalist of the group, was quoted as saying that â€Å"[they] don’t want this war, this violence, and [they’re] ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.† Some of the lines in the song are about the death threats that the band had received in 2003. â€Å"How in the world can the words that I said send somebody so over the edge that they’d write me a letter saying that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over.† Another line in the song â€Å"it’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought’a hate a perfect stranger,† refers to an incident where a mother is actually egging on her young child to say to the band â€Å"screw ‘em!† Think about that. The next song that I think of is American Idiot by Green Day. From the beginning, this song was opposed by most people in the US because of the open lyrics that express the author’s feelings towards President George W. Bush, and certain political issues. Some believe that the song is â€Å"anti-American† because of the title. However, if you actually listen to the lyrics, you might see how patriotic the song really is. The title refers to the authors’ opinion of how politicians these days are telling people what to do, buy, and believe, and how they’re constantly dooped by all these commercials and campaigns that eventually turn is into, for lack of a better term, â€Å"American Idiot†[s]. In the song, the singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, says that he doesn’t want his nation to become idiots, and doesn’t want to be â€Å"part of a redneck agenda†, and doesn’t want this country to be hated because of decisions made by the gov ernment. â€Å"Welcome to a new kind of tension, all across the alienation.† For this next topic, let me give you some background information. The committee that labels CDs as â€Å"inappropriate† and put the Parental Advisory stickers on CDs is called the Parents Music Resource Center, PMRC. It was founded in 1985 by Tipper Gore. It was created with a goal of â€Å"increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed [by an unknown source] to be violent, have drug use or be sexual.† The people to whom I will be referring to are John Denver, a famous musician during the 70s, and Dee Snider, the lead singer for the band Twisted Sister. These people were called to a senate hearing about the PMRC, and stated their opinions on the topic. John Denver had prepared an official statement for the hearing. After he had given his statement, he spoke off the record, saying â€Å"in my experience, sir, all over the world, one of the most interesting things about music that young people are listening to, is it gives us as adults a very clear insight as to what is going on in their minds. We can know what they’re thinking by listening to the music they surround themselves with.† To me, this totally makes sense. It’s an easy way for parents to communicate, and understand what their children are feeling, and thinking. He goes on to talk about â€Å"the troubled children† he’s talked to, and the troubles they have about â€Å"an inability to communicate with their parents.† This would all be fixed if parents could just understand what their kids are feeling and thinking by just listening every once and a while. This next man, Mr. Dee Snider, is quite an amazing and humble man. He starts out his official statement by saying, â€Å"I am 30 years old, I am married, I have a 3 year old son. I was born and raised a Christian and I still adhere to those principles. Believe it or not, I do not smoke, I do not drink, and I do not do drugs.† Does this sound like a man who needs to be censored? I didn’t think so. In his statement, Mr. Snider talks about how he was attacked three different times because of his music. The first one, Tipper Gore had written an article in a Long Island newspaper where she â€Å"claimed one of [his] songs, ‘Under the Blade,’ had lyrics encouraging sadomasochism, bondage, and rape.† He actually talks about those lyrics and says that the lyrics are about the fear that people get before they go into surgery. Attack number two, Twisted Sister’s song â€Å"We’re Not Gonna Take It† was labeled as rated V because of â€Å"v iolent lyrical content,† when Snider assures everyone that â€Å"there is absolutely no violence of any type either sung about or implied anywhere in the song.† Lastly, Mr. Snider was accused of sexism because of a T-shirt Tipper Gore thought she saw. In response to this, Snider says â€Å"we have always taken great pains to steer clear of sexism in our merchandise, records, stage show, and personal lives.† Clearly, the PMRC is trying to make up stories to get their way. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.† These are the exact words of the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. Basically, congress can’t make any laws saying that people can’t speak their minds. If you ask me, congress has done just that by censoring our music. I think that music is the most important and powerful form of expression that both entertains and informs. So, why hide it? Moral values? Racial implications? Fear? The actual censoring of music began in the 1950s when traditional conservative values were part of the peoples’ mindset. People during that time believed in those morals, and strived to determine what is â€Å"acceptable† for people to listen to. By the end of the 1950s, members of the society witnessed many young adults and teens expressing new attitudes about topics like sex and drugs. This movement started breaking down the â€Å"traditional moral order† in many ways, but especially in music. It may seem off that race would be a factor in music censorship, but it actually is a huge problem, especially in the 50s and 60s when rhythm and blues was first introduced to the world. Some older white people believed that RB was a threat that corrupted the young people who listened to it, and that it promoted â€Å"immoral behavior.† This prompted authorities to take action. An example of these actions; after receiving a myriad of angry letter from listeners, a Chicago radio station promised to censor â€Å"any controversial music, especially RB†. A more recent example of racial censorship in music would be MTV refusing to play music videos from black artists. During a live interview in 1983, famous musician David Bowie asked, â€Å"Why are there practically no black artists on the network?† Good question, Mr. Bowie. I’m sure everyone else was thinking the same thing. â€Å"Censorship is based on fear.† A fear that music will affect us negatively. A fear that music will prevent us from achieving a morally acceptable life. A fear that society will change significantly. Not for the better. The people who decided to censor OUR music are afraid of the unknown, and our music seems to hold that unknown and uncertainty. There’s a song from 1975 called â€Å"The Pill† by Loretta Lynn that was censored on many radio stations for more than 10 years after birth control pills became popular. People did this because they were afraid of the unknown, and thought that all their kids would start acting out, and going out of control. So, all these people who are afraid of our music just try to cover up the problem instead of facing it like adults. To end this speech, censorship in music should be reconsidered because of many points such as political views, the fact that musicians are willing to fight for their own music, and most of all, the freedom of speech. Now, instead of leaving it like this, I’m going to leave you all with a quote from R. Andre Hall. â€Å"From the Vietnam War to today’s Iraq War, and from the advent of the sexual revolution to today’s â€Å"culture wars,† music is recognized as a potential source of power to change values, ideas, and beliefs- as well as to influence actions. Those who fear this change try to stop it by censorship, even when, as history has shown us, censorship is futile when change is inevitable.†

Philosophy of Education Essay -- Education Teaching Careers Essays

Philosophy of Education I want to become a teacher. I must be out of my mind. At least that is what I am told by almost everyone when I tell him or her my plans for the future. Maybe I should become a doctor, lawyer, or own a business. No, I am going to fulfill my dream that I have had since I was in elementary school. I always ask a question to answer, â€Å"Why do you want to be a teacher? Are you out of your mind?† I ask who shapes the minds of the children of these doctors, lawyers, and businessmen while they are working. I also ask how these people would become doctors, lawyers, and businessmen without teachers to present them with the gift of education and the skills needed to perform their jobs. I am not out of my mind. I want to shape the minds of others. When I was in the third grade, I had to write a paper entitled, â€Å"What I Want to be When I Grow Up.† I wrote about becoming a teacher. From that point on, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. Growing up, teachers have had a big influence on my life, and I hope that I can do the same when I become a teacher. There are a few reasons that I decided to become a teacher. First, a teacher’s salary is not as horrible as it seems. Also, the benefits, such as the insurance and retirement make up for the low salary. Another thing that I considered when weighing my options is the vacation time and the hours, which will allow me to spend time with my family, to travel, and to do other things that I enjoy. The final and most important reason that I chose to become a teacher is that it will be a rewarding experience to watch children learn and use the things that I teach them. I have had some great teachers in the past, and I have had some that werenâ€⠄¢t so great. ... ...to the day when I become Mr. Hartwell, English/Language Arts teacher. In conclusion, I do not believe I am out of my mind at all for wanting to become a teacher. No matter how many people try to talk me out of it, even if he or she is a teacher, I am going to fulfill my dream and become a teacher. I will never discourage anyone from becoming a teacher. Teachers help boys and girls become men and women, the little boy that stained the carpet with his chemistry set to become a world-renowned scientist or a pharmacist, the little girls who cook with their easy-bake ovens into owners of successful restaurant chains. I want to be the teacher that students write about in an essay about the teacher that had the greatest influence on their lives, or to be named teacher of the year, or to be complimented with a simple â€Å"Thanks Mr. Hartwell. You’re pretty cool. ¨

Bank Manager

Bank managers direct bank branches and departments, resolve customers’ problems, ensure that standards of service are maintained, and administer the institutions’ operations and investments, in addition to overseeing the following employees: * Bank tellers, the largest number of workers in banking, provide routine financial services to the public. They handle customers’ deposits and withdrawals, change money, sell money orders and traveler’s checks, and accept payment for loans and utility bills. Increasingly, tellers also are selling bank services to customers. * New accounts clerks and customer service representatives answer questions from customers, and help them open and close accounts and fill out forms to apply forbanking services. They are knowledgeable about a broad array of bank services and must be able to sell those services to potential clients. Some customer service representatives work in a call or customer contact center environment, taking phone calls and answering emails from customers. In addition to responding to inquiries, these workers also help customers over the phone with routine banking transactions and handle and resolve problems or complaints. * Loan and credit clerks assemble and prepare paperwork, process applications, and complete the documentation after a loan or line of credit has been approved. They also verify applications for completeness. * Bill and account collectors attempt to collect payments on overdue loans. Many general office clerks and bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are employed to maintain financial records, enter data, and process the thousands of deposit slips, checks, and other documents that banks handle daily. Banks also employ many secretaries, data entry and information processing workers, receptionists, and other office and administrative support workers. Office and administrative support worker supervisors and managers oversee the activities and training of workers in the various administrative support occupations. Loan officers, who evaluate loan applications, determine an applicant’s ability to pay back a loan, and recommend approval of loans. They usually specialize in commercial, consumer, or mortgage lending. When loans become delinquent, loan officers, or loan counselors, may advise borrowers on the management of their finances or take action to collect outstanding amounts. Loan officers also play a major role in bringing in new business and spend uch of their time developing relationships with potential customers. * Trust officers manage a variety of assets that were placed in trust with the bank for other people or organizations; these assets can include pension funds, school endowments, or a company’s profit-sharing plan. Sometimes, trust officers act as executors of estates upon a person’s death. They also may work as accountants, lawyers, and investment managers.

Definition and Examples of Pathos in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Pathos in Rhetoric In classical rhetoric, pathos is the means of persuasion that appeals to the emotions of an audience. Adjective: pathetic. Also called  pathetic proof and emotional argument.The most effective way to deliver a pathetic appeal, says W.J. Brandt, is to lower the level of abstraction of ones discourse. Feeling originates in experience, and the more concrete writing is, the more feeling is implicit in it (The Rhetoric of Argumentation). Pathos is one of the three kinds of artistic proof in Aristotles rhetorical theory. Etymology: From the Greek, experience, suffer Pronunciation: PAY-thos Examples and Observations Of the three appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos, it is the [last] that impels an audience to act. Emotions range from mild to intense; some, such as well-being, are gentle attitudes and outlooks, while others, such as sudden fury, are so intense that they overwhelm rational thought. Images are particularly effective in arousing emotions, whether those images are visual and direct as sensations, or cognitive and indirect as memory or imagination, and part of a rhetors task is to associate the subject with such images.(L. D. Greene, Pathos. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press, 2001)Most twenty-first-century direct mail solicitations for environmental groups invoke the pathetic appeal. The pathos exists in the emotional appeals to the receivers sense of compassion (for the dying animal species, deforestation, the shrinking of glaciers, and so on).(Stuart C. Brown and L.A. Coutant, Do the Right Thing. Renewing Rhetorics Relation to Composition, ed. by Shane Borrowman et al . Routledge, 2009) Cicero on the Power of Pathos[E]veryone must acknowledge that of all the resources of an orator far the greatest is his ability to inflame the minds of his hearers and to turn them in whatever direction the case demands. If the orator lacks that ability, he lacks the one thing most essential.(Cicero, Brutus 80.279, 46 B.C.)Quintilian on the Power of Pathos[T]he man who can carry the judge with him, and put him in whatever frame of mind he wishes, whose words move men to tears or anger, has always been a rare creature. Yet this is what dominates the courts, this is the eloquence that reigns supreme. . . . [W]here force has to be brought to bear on the judges feelings and their minds distracted from the truth, there the orators true work begins.(Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, c. 95 A.D.)Augustine on the Power of PathosJust as the listener is to be delighted if he is to be retained as a listener, so also he is to be persuaded if he is to be moved to act. And just as he is delighted if you speak sweetly, so is he persuaded if he loves what you promise, fears what you threaten, hates what you condemn, embraces what you commend, sorrows at what you maintain to be sorrowful; rejoices when you announce something delightful, takes pity on those whom you place before him in speaking as being pitiful, flees those whom you, moving fear, warn are to be avoided; and is moved by whatever else may be done through grand eloquence toward moving the minds of listeners, not that they may know what is to be done, but that they may do what they already know should be done.(Augustine of Hippo, Book Four of On Christian Doctrine, 426) Playing on the Emotions[I]t is perilous to announce to an audience that we are going to play on the emotions. As soon as we appraise an audience of such an intention, we jeopardize, if we do not entirely destroy, the effectiveness of the emotional appeal. It is not so with appeals to the understanding.(Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors, Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 1999)All About the Children- It has become a verbal tic for politicians to say that everything they do is about the children. This rhetoric of pathos reflects the de-intellectualization of public life- the substitution of sentimentalism for reasoned persuasion. Bill Clinton carried this to comic lengths when, in his first State of the Union address, he noted that not a single Russian missile is pointed at the children of America.Those children-seeking missiles were diabolical.(George Will, Sleepwalking Toward DD-Day. Newsweek, October 1, 2007)- A brilliant young woman I know was asked once to support her argument in favor of social welfare. She named the most powerful source imaginable: the look in a mothers face when she cannot feed her children. Can you look that hungry child in the eyes? See the blood on his feet from working barefoot in the cotton fields. Or do you ask his baby sister with her belly swollen from hunger if she cares about her daddys work ethics?(Nate Parker as Henry Lowe in The Great Debaters, 2007) Stirred, Not ShakenHillary Clinton used a moment of brilliantly staged emotion to win the New Hampshire Democratic primary . . .. As she answered questions in a diner on the morning before the election, Mrs. Clintons voice began to waver and crack when she said: Its not easy. . . . This is very personal for me.Emotions can be an electoral trump card, especially if one can show them as Mrs. Clinton did, without tears. The key is to appear stirred without appearing weak.(Christopher Caldwell, Politics of the Personal. Financial Times, January 12, 2008)Winston Churchill: Never give in[T]his is the lesson: Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never- in nothing, great or small, large or petty- never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries, it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated. Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead, our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.(Winston Churchill, To the Boys of Harrow School, October 29, 1941) Artful Persuasion: A Pathetic ParodyDuring the 1890s, the following genuine letter from a homesick schoolboy was reprinted in several magazines. A century later, British journalist Jeremy Paxman quoted it in his book  The English: A Portrait of a People, where he observed that the letter is so perfect in its depictions of the horrors and so cunning in its attempts to extract sympathy before the appeal for cash that it reads like a parody.One suspects that it  reads  like a parody because thats exactly what it is.My  Dear Ma- I wright to tell you I am very retched and my chilblains is worse again. I have not made any progress and do not think I shall. I am very sorry to be such an expence, but I do not think this schule is any good. One of the fellows has taken the crown of my best hat for a target, he has now borrowed my watch to make a water wheal with the works, but it wont act. Me and him have tried to put the works back, but we think some wheels are missing, as they wont fit. I hope Matildas cold is better. I am glad she is not at schule I think I have got consumption, the boys at this place are not gentlemanly, but of course you did not know this when you sent me here, I will try not to get bad habits. The trousers have worn out at the knees. I think the tailor must have cheated you, the buttons have come off and they are loose behind. I dont think the food is good, but I should not mind if I was stronger. The piece of meat I send you is off the beef we had on Sunday, but on other days it is more stringy. There are black beadles in the kitchen and sometimes they cook them in the dinner, which cant be wholesome when you are not strong.Dear Ma, I hope you and Pa are well and do not mind my being so uncomfortable because I do not think I shall last long. Please send me some more money as io 8d. If you cannot spare it I think I can borrow it of a boy who is going to leave at the half quarter and then he wont ask for it back again, but perhaps you wd. n ot like to be under an obligation to his parents as they are tradespeople. I think you deal at their shop. I did not mention it or I dare say they wd. have put it down in the bill.- Yr. loving but retched son(Switchmens Journal, December 1893;  The Travelers Record, March 1894;  The Collector, October 1897) An instructors first impulse might be to assign this letter as an editing exercise and be done with it. But lets consider some of the richer pedagogical opportunities here.For one thing, the letter is a smart example of pathos, one of the three categories of artistic proof discussed in Aristotles  Rhetoric. Likewise, this homesick schoolboy has masterfully executed two of the more popular logical fallacies: ad misericordiam  (an argument based on an exaggerated appeal to pity) and the appeal to force  (a fallacy that relies on scare tactics to persuade an audience to take a particular course of action). In addition, the letter aptly illustrates the effective use of kairos- a classical term for saying the appropriate thing at the appropriate time.Soon Ill be asking my students to update the letter, retaining the same persuasive strategies while freshening the litany of horrors.(Grammar Composition Blog, August 28, 2012) The Lighter Side of Pathos: Pathetic Appeals in Monty Python Restaurant Manager: I want to apologize, humbly, deeply, and sincerely about the fork.Man: Oh please, its only a tiny bit. . . . I couldnt see it.Manager: Ah, youre good kind fine people for saying that, but I can see it. To me its like a mountain, a vast bowl of pus.Man: Its not as bad as that.Manager: It gets me here. I cant give you any excuses for itthere are no excuses. Ive been meaning to spend more time in the restaurant recently, but I havent been too well. . . . (emotionally) Things arent going very well back there. The poor cooks son has been put away again, and poor old Mrs. Dalrymple who does the washing up can hardly move her poor fingers, and then theres Gilbertos war woundbut theyre good people, and theyre kind people, and together we were beginning to get over this dark patch. . . . There was light at the end of the tunnel. . . . Now, this. Now, this.Man: Can I get you some water?Manager (in tears): Its the end of the road!(Eric Idle and Graham Chapman, episode three of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, 1969)