Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Children's Right


Inspired by the speech given by Hillary Clinton on women’s right, I would like to emphasize on children’s right and child labor too.
As we know Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. During the Industrial Revolution, children as young as four were employed in production factories with dangerous, and often fatal, working conditions. But Child labour is still common in some parts of the world, it can be factory work, mining, prostitution, quarrying, agriculture, helping in the parents' business, having one's own small business. Some children work as guides for tourists, sometimes combined with bringing in business for shops and restaurants. Other children are forced to do tedious, tiring and repetitive jobs such as: assembling boxes, polishing shoes, stocking a store's products, or cleaning.
One out of six children in the world today is involved in child labour, doing work that is damaging to his or her mental, physical and emotional development. These children work in a variety of industries, and in many parts of the world. The vast majority are in the agricultural sector, where they may be exposed to dangerous chemicals and equipment. India accounts for the second highest number where child labour in the world is concerned. Africa accounts for the highest number of children employed and exploited. The fact is that across the length and breadth of the nation, children are in a pathetic condition. It is a very scary thought when each year statistics show increasing numbers. And this is not only a problem afflicting under-developed or developing nations, but also developed countries, though the numbers are comparatively less.
The leading reason is poverty. Families need additional sources of income. And unfortunately their poverty-stricken way of life makes them so ruthless that they sell their children as commodities to exploitive employers. Most such employers pay a lump sum for the child and then keep him or her imprisoned within the factory unit till the child cannot work due to deteriorating health as a result of harsh living and working conditions. A hard and terrifying truth about child labor in India!
Most traditional families believe that a child is born to them to earn more money for the family. The child is just another source of income. And traditional business families in fact put the child into the business rather than sending them to school. Under the pretext of training them, they make them work long hours, sometimes resorting to physical torture in case the child makes mistakes.
Some of the preventive measures which may be taken to stop child labour are:
1. Make the education free for all the children, Education is most important. If people will be educated they will never do these kinds of things and never put their kids in jobs.
2. Government should provide more employment so that parents never send their children to earn money. If they will have enough money they will stop sending their children to hazardous jobs.
3. Government should keep the watch on the child labor and have to make heavy penalties on who employ children.

A time when new ideas were developing, well a new one is developing now.  A foundation keeps people safe and free.  It gives people rights.  Kids need to be free, so they can make their kids freer, because today's children are tomorrow's adults. If child labour continues, the children will not be able to get a good education and our society cannot improve. So, let's put our hand together to stop child labour. Thank you.

Friday, October 19, 2012

What was the main cause of the Russian revolution?


What was the main cause of the Russian revolution?


“The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917. In the second revolution, during October, the Provisional Government was removed and replaced with a Bolshevik government.” (Wikipedia.com).
There are several causes of the Russian Revolution. The poor economy and week leader is couple of them but the main cause was the impact of World War I on Russia. Russia had a huge but terribly led and poorly equipped military force.
(www.schoolhistory.co.uk). By the end of 1916 over 14 million men had been mobilized in the empire.   The most significant pressure fell on the peasantry: nearly 50 percent of the male rural labor force had been called up by the end of 1916, in most of the Russian regions anything from one-third to two-thirds of the peasant houses had lost their male workers.  Wartime development requirements brought about an increase in the amount of factory workers in the big cities: there were 242,600 workers in Petrograd in 1914 and 391,800 in 1917; in Moscow, during the same period, the factory labor force increased from 153,223 to 205,919. Russian military losses were tremendous.by the end of October 1916 the Russian army had lost between 1.6 and 1.8 million killed, with another two million as prisoners of war and over one million more 'missing'. Early in 1916 there had been reports of troops fraternizing with the opponent. (www.schoolhistory.co.uk).
The Russian army did not provide its troops with guns, because there was a shortage of guns, so only a third of the troops were armed. Another reason why the Russian army lost so many of its troops were because most of the people involved in fighting in the war were not trained. Most were farmers or factory workers who were recruited to fight in the war. (Essaydepot.com). Military leadership of Tsar and generals increasingly disillusioned troops. Growing agitation by small number of Bolsheviks within the army took place setting the scene for a revolution. (www.casahistoria.net).World war one was not the only war where the Russians lost land and military force; in fact The Russians were defeated in the Russo-Japanese war as well. This was a disgrace for the Russian Nationalists because it was the first time that a white Nation had lost a war to a non-white nation. After this, the Nationalists believed the power of the Tzar was weak and he didn't have the power normally associated with his office. (http://sointoprem.blogspot.dk/).
Another essential cause of the Russian revolution was the weak economy as it resulted in poverty, misery and exploitation of the peasants by the aristocracy. Prior to the revolution, 75% of Russians resided in villages. Until 1861 these peasants had belonged to their masters, who could buy and sell them like cattle. The peasants were liberated in 1861 and given small sizes of land for which they had to pay back the government. They therefore had small farms and hefty debts, with the result that they were very poor.
Most of the peasants could not read or write, so they knew very little about how to improve the land. They still used the old farming methods, working by hand on their plots.   They envied the nobles with their huge estates (johndclare.net/). Because of the weak economic system 70% of the Russian inhabitants were illiterate. The royal family owned most of the farming land. 70% of the peasants possessed between three and ten acres of land. In inclusion the peasants were required to use primitive tools, implements and methods of cultivation, which were not very productive and modern machinery was not provided.
 The laborers were treated roughly and were not given medical relief in case of an emergency in the course of their work time, which was 12 to 14 hours a day. These workers were given incredibly minimal wages and were not granted a weekly holiday. Great discontent and displeasure among the farmers generated, as they had to pay huge chunks of rent and tributes to their landlords every year. In order to end this economic and social system, these peasants were ready to rebel against the Tzarist government. (pinkmonkey.com. “The War took 15 million men from the farms in response; industrial workers went on strike and effectively paralyzed the railway and transportation networks. What few supplies were available could not be effectively transported. As goods became more and more scarce, prices skyrocketed.” (quizlet.com) (sointoprem.blogspot.dk/). And In the winter of 1916–17 there was famine and starvation. So it created the unrest, which unseated the monarchy – on 8th March the women went on a Bread March, which turned into riots. (www.bbc.co.uk/).If the leader is unable to see the problems his subjects are facing then he cant possibly solve them. A very significant cause of the Russian revolution was that, Russia’s emperor was blind to the issues in his country. In my opinion, Tsar Nicholas II was a decent man but a lousy emperor. He found the daily work of a monarch intolerably boring.  He could not stand listening long or seriously to ministers’ reports, or studying them. He never had a viewpoint of his own, constantly accepting the judgment of the last individual he spoke to. Nicholas would rather devote time with his loved ones than cope with governmental matters. He could be cruel and merciless.  He would not stand for resistance.  His answer was always the same – violence. Nicholas believed completely in autocracy.  He thought that democracy with elections and parliaments would lead to the failure of Russia.  Nicholas knew very little about the people.  He did not pay a visit to factories or villages, or go on tours.  His information about what was going on came from a small number of people, who were quite happy to protect him from the facts of life in Russia. Nicholas had no understanding of the world of men, of politics or government to help him make the major decisions that in the Russian system the Tsar alone ought to make. (docstoc.com) (ngfl-cymru.org.uk).
The Russian Revolution consisted of numerous causes, but I believe That the main cause was the effect of World War I on Russia as this had a major impact on the economy during mobilization and increase in the prices of goods, it also influenced the social structure as poverty increased and people started hating the emperor because he was throwing untrained and poorly equipped men into the war. In my opinion, Tsar Nicholas II was a decent man but a lousy emperor. finally, they all decided to revolt against the king, and improve their lives. This cause is important because this was a significant factor, which led to the Revolution in Russia.WORK CITED-"Causes of the Russian Revolution." Essay on. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.essaydepot.com/doc/34247/Causes-Of-The-Russian-Revolution>."Russian Revolution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution>.
"How Did World War I Bring about the Fall of Nicholas II? - Interactive Diagram - Www.SchoolHistory.co.uk." How Did World War I Bring about the Fall of Nicholas II? - Interactive Diagram - Www.SchoolHistory.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/lessons/russia/impact_wwi.shtml>.
"PinkMonkey.com World History Study Guide - 12.1 Causes of the Russian Revolution." PinkMonkey.com World History Study Guide - 12.1 Causes of the Russian Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/worldhis/chap12/w1212101.asp>.
"Quizlet." Russian Revolution of 1917 Causes/Effects Flashcards. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://quizlet.com/11180526/russian-revolution-of-1917-causeseffects-flash-cards/>.
"EasternPrism." : Causes of the Russian Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://sointoprem.blogspot.dk/2009/07/causes-of-russian-revolution.html>.


Child Labor



CHILD LABOR

Logos: According to International Labor Organization estimates, there are some
250 million children between the ages of 5 and14 years who are in economic activity in developing According to ILO estimates; there are some
250 million children between the ages of 5 and14 years who are in economic activity in developing countries alone. For 120 million of them, work is a full-time activity. The remainder combines work with schooling or other non-economic activities.
Countries alone. For 120 million of them, work is a full-time activity. The remainder combines work with schooling or other non-economic activities.
In absolute terms, Asia, being the most densely populated region of the world, has the largest number of child workers. 61 per cent are found in Asia, 32 per cent in Africa and 7 per cent in Latin America.

Pathos: imagine if you were part of a poor family and you wanted to go to school and study but your parents forced you to do labor work such as farming or factory work, how would you feel? Wont you feel like a slave in your own family? Would you stay quite and hide behind or rebel?

Ethos: The essential problem is not child labor itself but the exploitation of it. Many societies in both developing and industrialized countries perceive child work to be beneficial to a child’s development and personal growth as well as being a necessary family commitment. Many children work after school, on weekends or during holidays.
However, there is a big difference between this type of child labor and the absolute exploitation that children in prostitution, bonded labor and sweatshop employment are subjected to. Employers commonly expose working children to excessively long hours, health and safety risks as well as abuse. They are often housed in sub-standard accommodation and work for non-fixed or irregularly paid wages.

Euthanasia speech

Here is a man unable to walk, unable to see, and can barely breathe let alone speak. He is in such unbearable pain that he can’t even cry. This is a real situation for many, many people. Would you like to help these people? How? The answer is euthanasia. So what is euthanasia? Euthanasia is the act of putting a person or animal suffering from an incurable condition to death painlessly. It is also called mercy killing and it simply means a painless death.
I would like to tell you a little about the people suffering right now, the people who are not allowed to be euthanized.
The final stages of a person suffering are often treated by increasing the dosage of pain-killers such as morphine & heroin & also by giving sedatives which induce sleep which eventually may take the person into coma. This is known as 'terminal sedation' & in most cases the patient takes no part in the decision to use it. I believe this is as bad as forcing someone to take drugs. These people know that death is going to come there way now or later, then why not end it painlessly now instead of suffering for a long time and then passing away?
These people should be able to make their own choices and have control over their own lives. First of all, deciding if you want to be alive or not is a personal decision. No one should have the power to decide if you want to live or not. If the government can give us liberty to decide our job, our family, our religion, and even our sex preference, why should they not give us the right to decide if we want to live or not? Should people be forced to stay alive? No. Care for the dying has improved a lot in recent years, but medical technology has also enabled life to be extended even when the person is past being able to enjoy it. We believe that we should be able to ask for help when we feel we have suffered enough.



I respect the people belief in religion but many people justify their claim that euthanasia is wrong. Through their religion or faith.  People have claimed that euthanasia is "considered as a rejection of God's loving plan". Others claim "we are obligated to accept life gratefully and preserve it for His honor and the salvation of our souls". These very religious people try to use their beliefs to forbid anyone else from practicing or supporting euthanasia.  However, do we not live in a country established to protect individual rights and freedoms?  The present law is based on traditional beliefs, which are no longer held by many & should not be imposed on those who do not share them.
Lets talk about euthanasia in numbers! According to statisticbrain.com 54% percent of medical practitioners support Euthanasia. 86% Percent of public supports euthanasia, 81% of the public was known to think that a person suffering unbearably from a terminal illness should be allowed by law to have medical help to die if that is what he or she wants in the National Opinion Poll 2002 and Only 4 out of 196 countries have legalized euthanasia. This doesn’t make sense to me…. If people support euthanasia then why doesn’t things change.
 Several people are suffering as we speak right now! Wont you get them out of their misery? I urge you to Put yourself in their shoes for a moment! Do you think we should let them face such worthless and pitiable lives?