Explain how blood diamonds have helped prolong conflict in Africa Essay

Explain how blood diamonds have helped prolong conflict in Africa - Essay Example mer Zaire (now conveniently known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC-Kinshasa) and from Sierra Leone to Liberia, diamonds have fuelled civil wars by armed insurgents seeking both revolutionary social change and vast riches through the illicit diamond trade. According to the United Nations, conflict diamonds are used to fund military action on behalf of insurgents and the trade of said diamonds is illegal. Seeking to explore the linkages between diamonds in Africa and modern insurgency, this essay will provide a holistic analysis of the conflict diamond phenomenon and will begin by defining conflict diamonds as well as explore historical antecedents to this trend. This will be followed by a brief discussion of the role of conflict diamonds in modern instances of civil war, including in Liberia, Angola, the DRC and Sierra Leone. Our case analysis will focus primarily on Sierra Leone and the role of diamonds in perpetuating civil war in one of the poorest countries on the plan et. We then turn to an exploration of the international response to conflict diamonds, including the Kimberly Process, and in the case of Sierra Leone, the establishment of international criminal tribunals to bring the perpetrators of armed conflict and extreme violence, often funded through the illicit diamond trade, to justice. By exploring efforts to curb the illicit trade of conflict diamonds, we hope to shed light on the international efforts and will conclude with questions regarding the future of armed conflict in Africa and the role that diamonds and other precious resources may play in fuelling future conflict (Goldsmith, 1987) The exploitation of Africa is a historical fact with its roots in the colonial enterprise and Western encroachment onto the continent. Colonialism has had a lasting impact on many countries of the developing world. Few countries of the world were immune to colonial penetration and the enduring influence of the colonial legacy can be found in

Ferguson Police Officer Essay Example for Free

Ferguson Police Officer Essay Why has the shooting of eighteen year old Michael Brown affected my community? Some say it was a race issue others say it was police brutality. Racism being a very sensitive matter in the community that I live in, all though I do not live in Ferguson City, it is only a twenty minute drive from my front door. It has effected where I live as it brings up civil rights, police use of unlawful and deadly force, and racism issues. The shooting of this young man has rocked our communities, and it is more than likely to get worse before getting better. How can we stop events like this from happening in our communities? The civil rights of several us citizens had been violated in the following ways. We as a people have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of speech, not be profiled, and not be unlawfully detained or restrained. One afternoon in Ferguson Missouri all of these rights got broken and started a horrible civil rights protest. Several Ferguson by police officers and other local  law officials have been accused in recent lawsuits by citizen about civil rights violations. Some of these allegations include killing a mentally ill man with a Taser, hitting a child with a pistol. Choking and hog tying a child. Beating a man and charging him with property damage because his blood splatter on the officers clothes. A Mother (Tracey White) and her son was arrested for practicing her rights to freedom of speech while waiting for a ride home after peacefully protesting. When is it alright for an officer to use deadly force? Use of deadly force is acceptable if the suspect is a threat to the officer or the general public safety. The Ferguson police reported that Mr. Brown got fired on during a struggle with the officer. Dorian Johnson, the friend that was with Michael. Stated that the officer opened fire when the young men refused to move from the middle of the street. Police and protestors both agree that Mr. Brown was unarmed. Now with both parties agreeing that the young Mr. Brown had no weapon there was no threat that requires the use of deadly force. In the quest to understand the racial dynamics of police brutality, we are well overdue for a new visual beyond Rodney King getting, (Shedd, Jan). Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson (officer that fired the shots that killed Michael Brown) told authorities Brown reached for the gun during a struggle. Officer Wilsons account of the instance did not explain why he shot at Michael multiple times after emerging from his vehicle. Which now brings me to the racism side of the situation. If this was not race oriented. Then why this unarmed young black male was shot six times two of which were in the head. His body was allowed to lie in the center of Canfield Drive for over four hours. These have caused many different events to expire, and there has been looting of business like the market, tire and rim shop, and the salon. Businesses to be burned to the ground like the quick-trip after it got looted. The peaceful protest went on for the first week ended with a standoff between protesters and police. The police formed a line and engaged the protestors with tear gas. After long nights of back and forth daybreak would arrive, and things would mellow out slightly. First days of school in Ferguson had been postponed due to the facility did not feel it was safe to have children in the schools the first couple day.  Racism is manifested or reflected in a multiplicity of ways, including: the teaching of basically Eurocentric curriculum; the paucity of research and courses on racism; the absence of an anti-racist pedagogy; incident of racial harassment and overt racism; the lack of resources allocated to implement effectively and anti-racism policies and practices; the power relations between white majority and minority faculty and staff; the polarization between white students and students of color, and the resistance to social change processes designed to eliminate racism. Despite the fact that racism is a pervasive and systemic force (Frances Tator, 1999). Two and a half months have gone by since Michael Brown was gunned down in the streets of Ferguson Missouri by police officer Darren Wilson. The social and political movements that were started by young Michael browns death are still raging on. People from Ferguson and from across the nation came together for a weekend of resistance. Those who attended took part in marches, rallies, and demonstration for several days. All leading up to a massive rally on Saturday October, 12 2014. There were reports of over Three thousand people in attendance for the march on Saturday being called justice for all. It was a diverse crowd of supporters in the streets of St. Louis Missouri. Protestors are demanding justice for Brown and other black men who have been slain by police officers. A lot of the protests have intensified because of the way that the police have responded. The events that have occurred could have been avoided. We as citizens need to understand that these kinds of issues happen everywhere. Issues of this sort do not just appear out of thin air. If we were more involved in our communities and the voting of our government officials, we would be heard sooner. Members of our society need to stand up for our rights, communities elect strong leaders ones that listen not just hear our options and make changes in our towns and cities. Together as one we can be heard and put a stop to all the violence and police brutalities. Participation will help us all as United States citizens win our civil rights back. References Frances, H., Tator, C. (1999). Racism and the university. _Canadian Ethnic Studies, 26.3_(74), 1. Shedd, C. (January 2010). Race and Police Brutality: Roots of an Urban Dilemma. _Contemporary sociology, 43_(39.1), 1.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

For some of you graduates, this will be the last ceremony you might ever sit through. Most of us, though, and I regret that I am in this group, will sit through many more ceremonies -- ceremonies longer and more tedious that this or anything else you can imagine. If you think this is bad, try a college graduation. Think, that is, attend a wedding. And, if just for a moment you think that that is bad, just be thankful you have never attended or will attend a Bar Mitzvah. The only ceremony I think anybody would truly enjoy attending is a funeral. But, only if you are lucky enough, or unlucky enough, to be the guest of honor, because, really, that will be the only time you will be able to be honored at a ceremony and not have to make chit chat with a bunch of strangers afterwards. I hate chit chat. Mindless talk, with really no subject to talk about. People love to chit chat after ceremonies, especially after graduations. Be prepared fellow students. Be prepared. Look around at the people in the stands. They are eyeing you, picking you out. They are going to find you, and they are going to chit chat. I think it is these costumes we are wearing. Something about us all dressing alike that makes people tend to think we're all the same person. They look at one of us in cap and gown, and figure they might as well talk to us like we're all the same relative they came to see. Note to guests: Just because you are Uncle Lenny, does not make you my Uncle Lenny. My Uncle Lenny could not attend tonight. He is the guest of honor at a funeral. Well now I am a minute or so into my speech and all I have done is rant and I have said anything of importance, so let me do that, now. Usually people like to choose a quote to use in speeches like the... ... from there my sultry suburbanite. I know what some of you are thinking right now, though. You right there, you are saying, "Hey guy, while I'm over here thinking about how purty I am and how not-so-purty my neighbor is, my neighbor is thinking the same thing about me. It don't work. Your hypothesis is unfeasible." Well, let me tell you this right now, and it is just between me and you. You are the real good-looking one. Let that beastly person next to you think whatever they want, both me and you know who is hot, and who is not. You will all find this helpful in your lives. Just remember that cardinal rule. When two people are next to each other, one of them has to be better looking than the other, and it might as well be you. Unless, of course you're sitting next to me you infectious flap-mouthed scut, you. Thank you all, for your sweetly faked attention.

Storge Art History Essay Essay

Storge, the Greek word for familial love, is the title of the art exhibition. Consisting of six works of art, of varying mediums, all but one from the modern era, this art show is meant to project love of family, and the feelings it may bring, whether they are joy or anguish. All the pieces in the show are meant to evoke maternal or paternal feelings in the viewers, and when combined, the pieces are meant to show the journey of parenthood. The duality of the show should be clear with the contrast between some of the happier pieces, such as The Bath, by Cassat, or The Cradle, by Morisot, and some of the darker works, like Migrant Mother, by Lange, and the very famous Pieta, by Michelangelo. The exhibition is also supposed to demonstrate the timelessness of storge, that no matter what century it is, feelings of parenthood are always powerful. Each piece will be placed on its own in a large plain room, and the viewers will walk from one room the next in a sort of chronological order, illustrating the journey of a child’s growth, and how it may affect their parents. The first work shown is The Cradle, and was painted in 1872 using oil on canvas, by Impressionist artist, Berthe Morisot. The piece is of Morisot’s sister Edma gazing at her sleeping baby daughter, and is a beautiful depiction of true motherly love. Morisot used her sister Edma as a model in several other works, like Young Woman Seated at a Window, however, the most powerful works, I found, were the depictions of motherhood, of Edma with her children, such as Hide-and-Seek or On the Grass. The Cradle instills a maternal sense in most viewers, which, after closer inspection seems to be due to the way Morisot had positioned her sister. Edma’s hand drawing the curtain over the cradle, partially obscuring the baby from view creates a feeling of intimacy, and shows the traditional protectiveness a mother has for her child. While the colours that Morisot chose create a somewhat somber feeling, the piece isn’t quite sad. It projects a sense of contentment and serenity, especially coming from the mother’s expression. Some have detected a slight sense of longing in the mother’s eyes, possibly wishing to be able to keep her child safe like this forever, but overall, Morisot creates a peaceful atmosphere evoking motherly sensations in the viewers. The Bath (1892), by Mary Cassat, is another oil on canvas Impressionist painting, also depicting a mother and child. The child in this piece is a few years older than the baby in Morisot’s The Cradle, demonstrating the show’s idea of a child’s growth. Some have described Cassat’s series of pieces showing mother and child as â€Å"largely unsentimental†, however, there is an undeniable feeling of closeness between the two figures, a mother and a daughter. The body language of the mother shows tender care for her daughter, as she gently washes her child’s toes during bathtime. The child, mostly naked, sitting on her mother’s lap is a picture of innocence and vulnerability. The mother cradling her child, holding the girl on her lap with an arm around her hip, creates an image of quiet protectiveness similar to The Cradle. The effect of putting The Bath after Morisot’s piece symbolizes the strong love that mother’s have for their children, because they are both pieces that show the strong bond between parent and child. The painting in the next room after The Bath, is The Banjo Lesson, painted using oil on canvas in 1893, by Henry Ossawa Tanner, a prominent African-American Impressionist painter. This piece shows a black father or grandfather with a young boy on his lap, teaching the boy to play the banjo. Compared with the two works that came before it, The Banjo Lesson shows an even closer bond between parent and child. The closeness of the two figures shows a strong familiarity between them, and again, a feeling of intimacy and protectiveness. The child stands between the man’s legs, leaning against his knee and torso, studiously trying to play a banjo, that’s too big for him, emphasizing his youth and frailty. The man, old and weather, intently watches the child’s delicate fingers, while supporting the neck of the instrument. This painting symbolizes the sharing of knowledge between parent and child, which is a big part of the parental journey. Though there are heavy shadows on the figures’ faces, the concentrated expressions are obvious, and despite that Tanner used mostly darker colours for the foreground, the lighter background, suggesting a fireplace off to the side, creates a feeling of physical warmth, combined with the heartwarming feeling the piece brings. The next three pieces of the Storge show shift the feeling from maternal or paternal warmth, to a slightly sadder sort of feeling. Coming after The Banjo Lesson, is a series of black and white photographs, taken in 1936, Nipomo, California, by Dorothea Lange, called Migrant Mother. The photos all show a poor pea picker, Florence Owens Thompson, the mother of seven children, wearing looks of worry and extreme sadness. All the photos in the set are extremely powerful, because of the feeling of desperation and heartache they generate in viewers of the pictures. At the time, Thompson and her kids had been existing off of frozen vegetables from the field and any birds that her children could kill. The children are positioned differently from photograph to photograph, but the expression on the mother’s face remains the same. It is a mixture of different emotions: disappointment, that she was unable to give her children a proper home; deep concentration, trying to find a way to make a better life for her family; serious concern, about how to make ends meet, where their next meal would come from; and tiredness, physically and mentally exhausted. In most pictures, she cradles her infant, while her other children lean on her. The body language of all the figures represents how a parent is a support system for the child, no matter how exhausted they are. The next work in the Storge exhibition is Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother, painted by James McNeill Whistler, in 1871. The oil on canvas, Impressionist piece shows, as the title dictates, the artist’s mother. At first glance, I had assumed, as did many others, that the mother was at her child’s funeral. It is a very somber picture, the woman wearing all black, clearly old, seeming vulnerable and sad. With some research, I learned that is definitely not what happened. Whistler’s mother had, apparently, sat in on for the portrait when the model became sick. It’s interesting how this piece shows a different sort of familial love. Rather than parent to child, it’s child to parent. Whistler managed to really evoke his mother’s Protestant character with the pose, expression, and colours that he used. There is exceptional attention to detail when it comes to his mother’s face, which kind of symbolizes their relationship. He would have to be very close to her to capture her character in his art, and even to physically recreate her face. I also detected a slight feeling of worry on Whistler’s part, with his mother aging. She had been standing at the start of the portrait, but she had to sit down due to her frailty. So while I did detect, after learning of Whistler’s intentions, a feeling of peace and contentment in the painting, I also felt the feeling of sadness that a child has when the realize they don’t have very much time left with their parent. The last piece, though it breaks from the vaguely chronological order of the show, is arguably the most powerful depiction of mother and son, not just in the show, but ever. Michelangelo’s Pieta, carved from Carrara marble, completed in 1499, depicts every parent’s worst nightmare, the death of a child. Mary holds Jesus’ lifeless body on her lap after the Crucifixion, cradling him in the same way she has been shown cradling Jesus as an infant. Her palms are turned upward as if asking why God would take her son from her, especially in such a violent way. Her face, a picture of numbness and vulnerability, combined with the body language of the two figures creates a sense of a very natural relationship, and shows the bond that was shared between Mary and her son. This piece evokes a very strong reaction in all viewers, of despair and empathy. Regardless of religious background, people have been known to break down into tears at the sight of Pieta, struck by what it would feel like to lose a child. Storge is meant to elicit a strong reaction in all viewers, not just parents. The pieces chosen for this exhibit were meant to show the best and worst events that could occur during parenthood, from cradling your toddler, to cradling your slain child. Viewers should go from craving the bond of parent and child at the beginning of the show, to feeling the loss of a child by the end of it. The artists chosen for this were mostly Impressionist, but I find the most powerful pieces, Migrant Mother by Lange and Pieta by Michelangelo, came from opposite ends of the time spectrum. This shows the timelessness of the journey of parenthood.

Maneging coral reefs

Coral reefs are unique ecosystems of plants, animals, and their associated geological framework. The ocean equivalent of rainforests, they are home to 25% of all marine species, yet it is estimated that many of the world's reefs will be destroyed or significantly damaged in the next 20 years because of the human and the physical damage put on to them. They grow in tropical seas in the photic zone, where there is mild wave action, not so strong to tear the reef apart yet strong enough to stir the water and deliver sufficient food and oxygen. Coral reefs also need nutrient-poor, clear, warm, shallow water to grow. Human Threats to the Coral reefs Tourist There are a number of different human threats applied to the coral reefs, most of it which is caused by tourists. These activities are; * Snorkelling- Inexperienced snorkellers can trample corals with their flippers. The can also damage the corals by getting to close and resting on the reefs. * Boat trips- Cruses taking visitors out to the reefs are often careless when the drop their anchor. The anchor will crush the delicate corals with their weight. The water movements made by the boats travelling too fast will damage the corals the force applied to the corals underwater. When the boats get to close to the reefs, the hull tends to scrape past the corals, damaging them. * Boat hire- Tourist don't tend to know the local water, so when they hire a boat, they usually run it aground on a reef. * Souvenirs- When tourists go snorkelling or scuba diving by the corals, they tend to pick corals for them to take home. Fishing It's NOT always tourist how cause all the damage, but it's also the fishermen. Their ways of catching fish is always a harm to corals. Their ways of fishing are; * Dynamite fishing- Some fishers in poor countries, who fish by the coral reefs, often drop dynamites or other explosive into the reefs. When it explodes, it drives the fishes out of the corals and stuns or kills them. This makes it easier to collect the fishes. The explosion can blow corals apart and can send shock waves to the coral which are further away. This is a danger to the fishes and corals. Small organisms, especially coral polyps, are killed by the cyanide in this process. It also provides a new set of dangers to the fishermen. * Metal Nets- When fishers use large mesh net to fish the corals reefs with, the corals get usually get stuck, and then get ripped off, when the boats drag the net behind them. Physical threats to the coral reefs There are also a number of physical threats applied top the coral reefs. They are; * Sea level- Global warming causes the temperature to rise by 1 or2 centigrade per century. It may not seem much, but it affects the sea because the sea level rises by 15-95 cm. A rise in temperature causes the icebergs to melt. The melted sea water is added to the sea, and makes the sea level rise. The means that the sea becomes deeper. If the sea becomes deeper, the corals will start to lack in sunlight. Corals need warm and shallow water. * Soil Erosion- When soil erodes, the soil usually ends up in a river, and then gets carried down to the sea. The soil can then be deposited on the corals. If this happens, the corals would be covered in sand, and they won't be able to intake any sunlight. It is usually caused by poor use of land. * Climate change- Changes to the weather patterns can cause problems for the coral reefs. Hurricanes are now striking more and more frequently, and the have becomes stronger. This is all to blame on the global warming. Hurricanes can have a devastating impact on the coral reefs because of its increased wave energy. Sediments generated during storms can bury the coral communities. Ways to prevent human damages to coral reefs Tourist There might be a lot of human threats to the coral reefs which can damage them, but there are also a number of ways to prevent the damages which are caused to them. These ways are; * Snorkelling- Inexperienced snorkellers should need to take an experienced snorkeller with them. Like they do driving licences, they should do snorkelling licences. * Boat trips- When cruses take people to see the reefs, they can drop the anchors somewhere by the reefs, where there are no fishes or corals. The movements made by fast boats can be prevented by putting a speed limit by the coral reefs. * Boat hire- When tourists hire a boat, the hiring agency should give them a driver who knows the local water, to steer the boat around the coral reefs. * Souvenirs- Instead of tourist picking corals from the reefs, the government should pick dead corals, and sell the in gift shops. Fishing There are also ways to prevent damage cause by fishing, if we prevent fishing by the corals, the fishmongers will become bankrupt, and there would be much more poverty. But if we don't prevent fishing by the reefs, in the years to come, the rare types of fishes will be extinct. The ways fishing can be prevented are; * Dynamite fishing- Dynamite fishing can be prevented is banned. If people still continue, there should be a watchman for the each reef, patrolling the reefs for any dynamite fishers. * Metal Nets- Instead of using large mesh nets, the fishers should use nets made out of roots and vines because corals won't break and if the nets get stuck, the fishes can always eat them. Ways to prevent physical damage to the coral reefs The physical threats applied to the coral reefs are mostly caused by global warming. Most of it can be prevented if less CO2 is used, but there are many other ways to prevent these. They are; * Sea level- It is hard to prevent the sea level from rising, is still possible. This can be done if the amount of carbon dioxide produce is less than before. We can shorten the amount by using less energy, stop the usage of non-renewable fuels and use our cars less and less. * Soil erosion- Soil erosion can be prevented by planting more trees on the land. This will keep the soil together and prevent the soil from washing away when it rains heavily. * Climate change- Hurricanes and other powerful storm are nearly impossible to prevent. It wouldn't be normal if they don't strike, but reducing the amount of CO2 would help to reduce the speed of the storms. If the damage continues at the same rate as it is now, in the next few centuries to come, the coral reefs and their inhabitants would be extinct. In my opinion, the tourist industry is causing most of the damage. The coral reefs should be all made into a nature park, where tourist would have a guide to take them around the corals and tell them about the dangers of them being extinct. Fishing by the coral reefs should be banned by the government. If all these improvements are made, the fragile ecosystem would be around for the next generation of people to see them.