Green Comet

Human Rights — Article Twenty-Two

Posted on 2021-12-05 by arjaybe

Credit Klemdy – CC-BY-SA

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages.

Article 22.

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

This one is somewhat more abstract than most of the preceding ones. It mentions ‘social security’ and ‘realization of economic, social and cultural rights.’ Social security probably means that all members of society are entitled to economic and social stability. A place where they can grow and live without want or fear. The realization part says people have a right to live with dignity, and with the possibility of fulfilling their potential.

Everyone should be able to be safe and to be their best possible self, and this should be achieved ‘through national effort and international co-operation.’

rjb

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged equality, freedoms, responsibility, rights | 2 Comments

Atmospheric River

Posted on 2021-11-25 by arjaybe

We’re having another emergency. Supply chains are disrupted, store shelves have great gaps, essential items are being rationed. We have the ongoing pandemic crisis which has caused similar problems, although necessary supplies have kept coming in. This summer we had the unprecedented ‘heat dome’ that saw temperatures surpass all records, an intensifying drought and a punishing wildfire season. One small town was consumed by the flames. Now we’re being inundated by a series of ‘atmospheric rivers.’

The flooding has severely damaged several towns whose rivers burst their banks and reclaimed their historical floodplains. Much farming land is also under water, killing a lot of livestock. Compounding those problems, many of our transportation routes have had sections flooded, some completely washed away.

The image (from 2006) at the top of the post shows a satellite photo of the ‘Pineapple Express,’ an ‘atmospheric river.’ I’m accustomed to the ‘Pineapple Express.’ I used to think of it as a harmless weather phenomenon with a cute name. Now, though, it seems to carry a threat that I used to associate with California and their frequent catastrophic floods. I get the feeling that the kind of severe weather that used to stay down there is becoming something we’ll have to get used to up here. One thing we are getting used to is emergencies. Once again we’ll hunker down and ride this one out.