Nuclear Power is a Dangerous Waste of Time :: Argumentative Essays, Persuasive Essays

Nuclear power has been around since the first atomic plant was made operational on December 2, 1942. These plants are an efficient way of producing electricity. They can power every electric item we use today, from TV’s to computers and every thing in between. As great as they may seem, how do we deal with the radioactive waste left over? The answer is, we don’t. Until we, as a civilization, find a better way of dealing with this waste, we should hold off on converting fossil fuel plants to nuclear. As of today, there is no real way to dispose of nuclear waste. While theories of ridding our earth of this harmful radioactive substance vary, the many attempts, have included every thing from simply burying it, to sending it out of our orbit into space. The most popular method to date seems to be â€Å"long term storage.† But what, exactly, does the â€Å"long term storage† mean? It means storing air tight barrels of nuclear waste in facilities until they lose their potency. As good as this method may sound on paper, the process I’ve just described to you can take up to 20,000 years. This means that the waste storage facilities will have to be secured from robbers, terrorists, and the effects of nature for a period of time in which not only their designers will die, but also, quite possibly the countries in which they are located will crumble. Other, more reasonable methods include transmutation: a process in which toxic elements are transformed into less toxic substances. For instance, plutonium can be turned to uranium. This is done by using â€Å"fast consumer† reactors, which use the discarded radioactive isotopes of nuclear reactors and â€Å"consume† them, leaving isotopes which are less dangerous and have only about half the life and potency of the original waste.

The Gender of Power: Latin American Dictatorship

Throughout history men, women and children have been subject to harsh ruler-ship, generally under a patriarchal system. With the emergence of a female role in one of the most coveted dictator positions, one would ask the question: Is feminized power less ruthless? In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's â€Å"Big Mama's Funeral† we learn that although a female has stepped in to the office of a leader, her power is still abused and misused like any other. Latin American history has proven to be one of the most affluent in terms of poor utilization of wealth and power. We have also learned that man or woman can strive in the role of a leader, and that followers will pay mercilessly for the simple fact of living and being. Big Mama is the living proof that power is genderless. The lifestyle lead by a dictator as powerful as Big Mama herself is quite consuming regardless of her gender. The protection of her kingdom and her fortunes were her prime concerns, along with the assurance of her matriarchal rigidity. Her absolute power reigned over the kingdom, slaughtering any who opposed her and every person living within her kingdom had to pay their dues. Residents even believed Big Mama â€Å"was the owner of the waters, running and still†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , even the â€Å"air they breathed†. She was the richest and most powerful matron in the world, although no one knew the the exact value of her estate. She was considered by most of the inhabitants as immortal, to them, she was bigger than life itself. Her stern sovereignty was questioned by none. Her family consisted of brute and loyal soldiers who followed her every command without question. She had built a fence to further protect her and her possessions. The land which she occupied had been passed down from generation to generation. Big Mama had been â€Å"Macondo's center of gravity†, as had her brothers, her parents and the parents of her parents in the past, in a dominance â€Å"which covered two centuries.† She believed she would live well over a hundred years as did her maternal grandmother. The thought of provoking death in Big Mama was laid to rest as most of her tribe members were true believers in her. Although she was mean-spirited and relentless, she tried to uphold a very high-class and honourable image of herself, unlike many other crude rulers of her time. She was two-faced and and everyone knew it, though no one would ever approach her in fear of what she might do to them if she found out they knew. In troubled times, Big Mama contributed secretly for â€Å"weapons for her partisans†, but came to the aid of her victims in public. That patriotic zeal â€Å"guaranteed the highest honours for her.† Big Mama was a master of concealing her hostility and she was proud of the fact that she could. The power invested in a woman such as Big Mama could lead anyone to believe that authority, by man or woman could be ruthless. There is no way of determining whether one or the other could produce more or less wrath. This type of power could put anyone in their place and would terrify even the harshest of critics. Big Mama reigned over the city of Macondo with a cold heart and a tight grip. Her family members supported her every decision in belief it was in all of their best interests, they were true believers. Her self-image was was so god-like, she would never come to realization that every one who knew her in fact despised her.

Use of International Law to Protect Human Rights - 1814 Words

1. Introduction Treaties are the highest source of international law besides jus cogens norms that have binding effect on the parties that ratify them.2 International human rights treaties rely on the â€Å"name and shame† mechanisms to pressure states to improve practices.3 However with â€Å"toothless† international human rights norms, moral coercion is not always effective. An empirical study conducted by Professor Oona Hathaway assessing the effect of human rights treaty ratification on human rights compliance, maintains in its findings that ratification of human rights treaties has little effect on state practices.4 States do not feel pressured to comply and change their practices, rather, signing treaties is â€Å"more likely to offset†¦show more content†¦The question as to why States continue to set up international institutions and ratify treaties remains unanswered and is an ongoing debate. Gerb Oberleitner notes that: with idealists and neoliberals pointing out their significance and necessity, functionalists invoking their usefulness, institutionalists and constructivists asserting their influence, realist being skeptical about all that, and normative theories dissecting their foundations, there is no shortage of analytical engagement .20 Kenneth Abbott and Duncan Snidal reject that any of the above theories give any insight as to why States use formal international organizations to advance human rights.21 While opponents of international law argue that it is all â€Å"mere window dressing.†22 According to Hathaway, States ratify treaties symbolically to show other States that they accept the principles of human rights but they rarely change their practices because of their obligations in the treaty.23 Based on a study of the ICCPR, Linda Keith argued that, â€Å"it may be overly optimistic to expect that being a party to this international covenant will produce an observable direct impact†. 24These findings raise the question as to whether human rights law regime is at all effective in protecting individual human rights. 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