Barbados

Barbados is a small country located in the Caribbean Sea. The capital is Bridgetown with a population of about 8,789. The head of state of Barbados is Queen Elizabeth II and she is represented by General Dame Nita Barrow. The total population of the country is around 252,000. The main language is English and the predominant religion is Christianity. Their date of independence was November 30, 1966. Plagiarism Detection >Barbados is the eastern most Caribbean Island. It is about 200 miles North-North East of Trinidad and about 100 miles East- South East of St. Lucia. It is the second smallest country in the Western Hemisphere. The major urban centers in the area include Bridgetown, Speightstown, Oistins, and Holetown. The land is mainly flat except for a series of ridges that rise up to about 1,000 feet and then falling towards the sea.The climate of the region consists of tropical temperatures influenced by the Northeast trade winds. The average annual temperature is approximately 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The daily temperatures rarely get above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The dry season is cool, while the wet season is slightly warmer. The main rains come during the months of July, August, September, October, and November. The annual average rainfall is 40 inches in the coastal areas and 90 inches in the central areas.The net migration into Barbados is 4.82 per 1000. The annual growth rate is 0.4%, which is one of the lowest in the world. The annual birthrate is 15.45 per 1000, and the annual deathrate is 8.27 per 1000. Barbados ranks fourth in the World in population density with the overall density being 1526 per square mile. The whole island is inhabited, leaving no sparsely populated areas. The main race is Negro, which is about 92% of the population. The remainder of the population is consists of Whites (3.8%), Mulattoes (3.8%), and East Indians (0.4%). About 70% of the population is Anglican. The other 30% belong to various denominations such as Moravian, Method ist, and Roman Catholic.Barbados was once under British control from 1624. Its House of Assembly, which began in 1639, is the third oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere. By the time Britain left in 1966, the island was completely English in culture. The British influence is still seen today in quaint pubs, cricket games on the village greens, and in the common law.Barbados government is British Parliament. The queen is the head of state and she is represented by the governor general. The governor general appoints an advisory council. The executive authority is the Prime Minister who is Owen Seymour Arthur which came into power on September 6, 1994. The Deputy Prime Minister is Billie Miller who also came into power on September 6, 1994. The democratic government works well in the country. They have had three general elections and one smooth transfer of power from the Democratic Labor Party to the Barbados Labor Party. Barbados carries on trade with other Caribbean natio ns and does have diplomatic relations with Cuba. Their closest relations are with the United Stated, and the United Kingdom. Barbados joined the United Nations is 1966.The economy of Barbados is one of the 35 upper middle-income countries of the world. They have a free-market economy, but the dominant sector is private. Their economy is based on sugar and tourism, but the government has encouraged a policy of diversification in order to achieve a more stable nation. They also depend on a light manufacturing industry. Their monetary unit is the Barbados dollar. The coins are made in 1, 5, 10, and 25 cents. The paper money is made in 1, 5, 10, 20, and 100 dollar bills. One U.S. dollar is equal to 2.01 Barbados dollar (1975).About 60% of the land is cropland. The agriculture industry employs 7.4% of the labor force and contributes about 8.7% to the Gross Domestic Product. Sugarcane makes up over half the acreage. Bananas are also grown, but only on a limited scale. Sea island cotton is also grown. All of the farmers are required by regulations to plant at least 12% of their arable land with some food crop.Barbados natural resources include petroleum, fishing, and natural gas. The fishing industry employs about 2,500 people and 500 small boats. Their are no natural forests in the country. Manufacturing contributes about 11.2% to the GDP. Manufacturing and mining employ about 18.9% of the labor force. The majority of the industrial establishments are engaged in some form of sugar processing. Sugar is the principal export. The principal imports include machinery, motor vehicles, lumber, and fuels. Barbados per capita income of $9,200 makes it one of the highest standards of living of all the small island states of the Eastern Caribbean. Barbados is also one of the many transshipment points for narcotics bound for the U.S. and Europe.Some of the current issues in the country consist of the pollution of coastal waters from the waste disposal ships, soil erosion, and i llegal solid waste disposal that threatens contamination of aquifers. Barbados is also plagued with natural disasters such as hurricanes and landslides. Their hurricane season is between the months of June and October, which is the same season as the U.S. Plagiarism Detection >SourcesThe World Factbook 1995. Central Intelligence Agency. 1995. The World in Figures. Showers, Victor. 1973. Library of Congress. Encyclopedia of the Third World. Kurian, George Thomas. 1987. Library of Congress. World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative Study of Churches and the Religions in the Modern World, AD 1900-2000. Caribbean Week. Barbados. Internet.

HUMAN RIGHTS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HUMAN RIGHTS - Assignment Example These violations show up in one form or other ranging from domestic violence to religious extremism, ethnocentric outlook of the societies, exploitation of the weak, human trafficking, poverty, all these make up for human rights violation. The mandate on human rights came to forth in 2000 when the general secretary proposed a mandate classification for human rights protection. The nongovernmental organizations as well as the intergovernmental organizations in different countries strive for ensuring implementation of human rights on all levels. Other sources constitute the Security Council resolutions and actions relevant to protection of human rights. Where ever there is any oppression of human rights, the U.N. and its security council ensures that this is being stopped on immediate basis. For example, in cases of wars between states and in international affairs the United Nations ensures that human rights are not being violated. Emergency meetings and veto are being passed in this r egard to protect the human life, honor and property from any unjust measures and means. General Assembly of the Security Council looks up to the human welfare and human rights aspect of the international affairs. ... With no access to the basic commodities of life, human rights violations are a perfect example in display and action there. Various bodies are in place for the cause of protection of human rights, and ensuring that no highhandedness goes unnoticed and is being brought to the justice. These sources come in form of Human Rights acts and strong penalties against the violations. United Nations Human Rights Council and United Nations Human Rights commission are few of the entities and sources in place that provide firm grounding to the United Nations cause of protection of human rights. Each of these faculties has one thing in common and that is to help the downtrodden, underdeveloped, suppressed and underprivileged with equal consideration of elimination of injustice and lack of opportunity. With prime focus on human rights, United Nations has taken concrete steps towards the development and insurance of human rights all over the world. This comes in form of development of mandates and s ources establishment for the purpose of human rights protection. The main agencies in this regard are: Declaration of Rights of Disabled: International Bill of Human rights is another move towards the insurance of human rights at different levels. Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund Universal Declaration of Human rights(Sweet, 2003), UNICEF: United Nations International Children Education Fund. UNHCR: United Nations High Commission for Refugees International law legislation and treaties and accords in this regard are few of the steps and functions that make up for the mandate system of the United Nations. United Nations role: United Nations has played a significant role in the domain of human rights and for this purpose it has established specialized entities which look after

Racial profiling is not beneficial despite expert's findings Term Paper

Racial profiling is not beneficial despite expert's findings - Term Paper Example It suggests that profiling undermines social cohesion, is unjust, and should be stopped. Introduction Racial profiling is a controversial subject that is increasingly on the minds of both minorities and the police. This is a common practice by which people of a certain ethnic background are targeted by the security apparatus on the belief that they are more likely to commit or be involved in illegal activity. There is no other probable suspicion except for their skin colour, and because of it they are subject to search or even detention. There are some that suggest this needs to be done in order to protect our security and to cut down on costs. However, racial profiling is inherently unjust and unAmerican. It is not a useful or acceptable practice and it may even have negative consequences for security. Background To properly understand the role played by racial profiling in the criminal justice system it is important to take a step back and look at the various theories that underlie the system we live in. There are two main models that are used to frame the criminal justice system. These two models are excellent illustrations of the thinking behind a great deal of the policy discussion relating to racial profiling. The first model is called the Due Process model. In this system, the standard to arrest and convict a person is very high. There are numerous safeguards in place to ensure that no innocent person is ever subject to any sort of invasive treatment. Everyone, no matter what the crime or the nature of the evidence, is treated with kid gloves. Not until the judge weighs in with the final conviction is the suspect sent to prison. Trials, under this model, last for a very long time and every scrap of evidence is reviewed. The problem with this model is that it is impracticable. It is very expensive and time consuming. It uses up a lot of resources in a system with limited or finite resources already. It may also permit guilty people to game the system to s ome extent. This system is often promoted by people on the left of the political spectrum. There is a second model called the Crime Control model. Under this system, the police have a great deal of power to act as they see fit. They are empowered to stop people without suspicion and hold people without charge. The prosecutors are usually presumed to be right. The presumption of innocence is somewhat limited. There are few protections regarding the civil rights of those accused under this model. An accusation is similar to a conviction. Trials and investigations are short; everything is aligned against the suspect. Suspicion is akin to guilt. Criminals have few rights and little evidence needs to be presented in order to convict someone. This model is often promoted by people on the right. These two models are good illustrations of the politics behind racial profiling. They also represent two poles, neither of which are an appropriate way to run a criminal justice system. We see that racial profiling falls into the Crime Control model, where suspects have fewer rights, but community security is the ultimate good. Preserving limited resources is important. Rather than randomly searching people, under racial profiling ethnic background is taken to imply a likely disposition to commit a crime or type of crime. Race is used as an investigative shortcut. This is an unfortunate extreme. A much better position is between the two models. Problems with Racial Profiling There are many possible reasons why