"UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS"

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris is 1948. The declaration occurred following World War II and was a response the previous world wars in order to agree upon “a comprehensive statement of inalienable human rights.” It consists of 30 articles, which have been expanded in national constitutions, international treaties, regional human rights instruments, and other laws. It is an international vow to never let outrageous behavior like the behavior that occurred during the wars happen again.

http://robertlpeters.com/news/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights/

 One of the criticisms of the UDHR is that some scholars especially in Islamic countries believe there is a Western bias and that it does not align with religious beliefs such as Islam and needs to be viewed in an unbiased way. Another criticism is that some groups, such as War Resisters International and Amnesty International, believe that “The Right to Refuse to Kill” is an essential addition that should be added to the Universal Declaration.

http://www.lisarivero.com/2013/04/19/creative-inspiration-2/

 I believe that it is very important to have a document that outlines the rights that all human beings are entitled too in order to keep peace among nations. But I do understand the criticisms in that it might not align with all beliefs and customs everywhere. The reason I believe this is expressed through the question, are human rights universal? I do believe every human deserves basic human rights and should be treated justly and humanely but what I am getting at is the fact that all around the world there are different customs and traditions whether it be socially, religiously, etc. So some of the things that the document outlines might not align with what some people consider to be part of their culture. Although I do believe that overall it is very important to have because the articles do outline human rights everyone should have and shouldn't be deprived of whether some people agree with it or not.

PUSSY RIOT

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk rock band that has gone beyond just making music but has started a movement. Pussy Riot formed in 2011 in Moscow, Russia in response to Vladimir Putin running in the presidential elections. There are approximately 10-11 performers in Pussy Riot who's songs and videos serve to protest in favor of LGBT rights, feminism, reform of the justice system, political freedom, and against Vladimir Putin. Their signature look, which can be seen below, consists of very bright colors and includes masks to cover their faces, dresses, and tights.

http://www.popculturekeys.com/2012/11/these-chinese-sun-blocking-face-kinis.html 

They have stirred up much controversy in many of their protests with one of the most notable one's being their performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Their performance was stopped by church officials and led to the arrest of three members of the band but before their arrest and on the night of the performance the group turned the footage they had taken and made it into a music video named "punk prayer." The reason they targeted the church was because of the connection between President Putin and the the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church and more specifically the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour being seen as a symbol of government corruption.

http://therevealer.org/archives/10857

The three members who were arrested, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alyokhina, were charged with "premeditated hooliganism performed by an organized group of people motivated by religious hatred or hostility." They were sentenced to two years in prison but later that year Samutsevich was was freed on probation. Although there forms are extreme their form of taking a stand for what they believe and dealing with the consequences is very powerful and shows their dedication and passion to what they are fighting for. Maybe some of the things they have done have gone overboard but if they didn't would people even notice? Their protests are successful because if they weren't people wouldn't be talking about them. I do believe that disrespecting a church no matter what your beliefs may be and whether they align with the church or not is very wrong and they should not have gone that far. However, besides the church performance I do think that their form of protesting in a way that gets peoples attention in other forms is a successful way of spreading their message. 

http://blogs.bookforum.com/paper/2014/01/15/a-new-book-on-pussy-riot-as-protest-art-ransom-center-lands-another-collection-of-salingers-letters/

G20: EFFECTS ON EDUCATION

G20, or The Group of Twenty, is a group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives from the World Bank as well as the International Monetary Fund. It began in 1999 in response to the 1997-99 financial crisis and each year as the president of the group changes and the yearly two-day meeting is held in the country of that president. At these yearly meetings the G20 talks about the most important economic and financial issues. There is controversy because it is difficult to agree when each country wants what is best for their own people, and because many of these countries' economies are so interlinked it is important that their plans coordinate.

http://gbtimes.com/world/figuring-out-g20-leaders-summit

As the president of the St. Edward's chapter of the non-profit organization Pangea Educational Development the topic of global education is clearly very important to me. It is a serious and pressing issue that needs serious attention and has a long way to go. Below is a picture of some of PED's volunteers in Uganda. 

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110629/news/706289997/photos/EP5/

A topic that has also been faced by G20 is that of making sure that underdeveloped regions have sufficient food and sustainable development. Global education is something that needs to be considered because it is needed for sustainable development. In order for a town, city, state, or country to progress the people living there need to be educated, and beyond that it is a right all people should have. The G20 needs to look deeper into this problem because it is something that affects many people globally and should be addressed because many of these underdeveloped countries are not trying to avoid financial crisis but rather get out of it, which is why the G20 should assist. 

References:

"What Is the G20 Summit and What Does It Do?" CBBC Newsroom. CBBC, 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 July 2014.

THE UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations is an international organization that was founded in 1945 following WWII. The purpose of the organization has been to boost economic and political cooperation among member countries in order to prevent another world war. The United Nations works towards decreasing global conflicts, social and economic development programs, and improving human rights. The most important parts of the UN are the Security Council (made up of France, Britain, The United States of America, China, and Russia) and the General Assembly (made up of all the countries) because together they pass resolutions to make policy for the world. A brief explanation of the United Nations including some of what is already mentioned can be seen in the short video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoIafzc0k74

The overall progress has been positive but that does not mean there has not been criticisms of the United Nations' peacekeeping concept. Poor countries do not have much of a voice when it comes to the Security Council and many people believe that overall the United Nations is inefficient and corrupt. There has been much conflict over the power of some countries such as the U.S. in comparison to other UN member countries. But others believe that overall the UN over the last 60 years has had great benefits to our generation.

http://freetibet.org/news-media/na/china-rebuffs-un-recommendations

Although, there have been criticisms the overall concept is a great one and the intention to keep peace globally is one that should continue in the years to come but there also needs to be caution in terms of power hungry nations and poor countries whose voices can barely be heard. 

THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank was originally established following World War II to help fight poverty in underdeveloped countries by offering technical assistance, loans, and policy advice.

http://blog.coursera.org/post/64164078376/coursera-partners-with-the-world-bank

The long-term goal over the years has been to ultimately eliminate poverty, and although that is an ideal situation that is wanted by all people, it is very hard to achieve and does not seem to advancing even with the help of The World Bank. I do have to say that I agree with the overall concept of helping underdeveloped countries and I believe that the intention is good but there is also a lot of controversy behind it. One of the big controversies that I would like to address is that as time goes on and some of the nations begin to develop more aid is required causing some countries to accumulate more debt than they can ever pay off. This defeats the overall purpose of the system because although they have been offered aid in the end they are left with a bigger burden to pay off. 

http://theconversation.com/the-truth-behind-our-dangerous-public-debt-levels-13245

This then brings into question whether the purpose of The World Bank is still being served and causes people to consider alternative ways that people can begin to help underdeveloped countries that will help their nations evolve rather than put their real problems on hold.

STEVEN PINKER: THE SURPRISING DECLINE IN VIOLENCE

Steven Pinker begins by providing evidence that violence was much greater in the past. He uses examples from the Bible as well as recalls the fact that in the Middle Ages crimes that are punishable by fines nowadays were punished by means of torture or execution.

http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/10-medieval-torture-devices.htm

He then asks the question, "Why are we so wrong?" He states one of the reasons is a cognitive illusion. There is a psychological phenomenon called the availability heuristic which explains that we are more likely to remember things that we can easily recall or hear more often. This ties into his ideas about technology being one of the reasons we are so wrong as well because we are bombarded with news everywhere we turn from every social media outlet available, which is something that didn't happen to the same extent in the past.

 http://www.zmescience.com/tech/ten-reasons-to-join-social-media-today/#!7Pvr3

Constantly hearing about wars and how people are dying all around the world through different media outlets causes us to remember these things more because they are lingering in our minds therefore leading to the availability heuristic. Pinker explains the 4 reasons why violence has declined and believes that we are more empathetic and more interconnected due to technology and therefore can get more from people, or as Robert Wright put it, "other people become more valuable alive than dead." He concluded with the idea that no matter people believe or what it is that we are doing, we are doing it right.

HOW A SLAP SPARKED TUNISIA'S REVOLUTION

Mohammed Bouazizi was the man who started it all, a young fruit vendor from Sidi Bouzid with the sole intentions of providing for his family. He was the domino and the municipal official that slapped him was the push that set the domino into action and began the chain reaction that was the revolution around Tunisia. Zine Ben Ali had been in power for 23 years and it wasn't until Bouzazizi set himself on fire that the Tunisian people began to protest and fight for him to be overthrown.

                                            http://www.dcclothesline.com/2013/08/17/why-will-america-not-go-egypt-part-iii/

Ben Ali commanded his soldiers to shoot those who were protesting and the people of Sidi Bouzid took to Facebook, the only video-sharing platform available to them, to show the rest of Tunisia and the world what was going on. Once the revolution was set into action and Ben Ali began to get nervous he went on a PR campaign. What he didn't realize was that he was probably making it worse for himself when he took other politicians to pose for a picture visiting Bouazizi who was dying in the hospital. His intentions were wrong and the people of Tunisia saw right through him.  

                                        http://esra-hanna.blogspot.com/2011/05/mohammed-bouazizi-man-who-set-middle.html

When he realized there was no way of undoing what he had already done he fled to Saudi Arabia. It was said to be “the revolt of the young” and the people of Tunisia used Facebook to show the world what other media outlets wouldn't. Mohammed Bouazizi was the domino that set the people of Tunisia into action and he gave his life to better the lives of those around him.