Religious views on abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religious views on abortion - Essay Example There are differing opinions about the issue among various denominations and religions. A survey done by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life has shown the statistics behind these differing opinions. In the debate concerning legalizing abortion, the general consensus among most religions is that there should be a restriction on abortion. It was found that 68% of evangelical Protestants think that abortion should not be allowed. It was also found that only about 43% of Catholics believe that abortion should be illegal. (Geoffrey, 1996) Generally speaking Buddhists strongly believe that abortion is immoral and incorrect. This is because their religion is founded on the sanctity and respect for life. There must be a respect for their five ethical guidelines. One of them discourages the destruction of life. The religion believes that there should be a high regard of all beings that have life in them. There is a non violence belief that must not be violated by all Buddhists. The other main reason why abortion is strongly opposed in Buddhism is due to a special ceremony performed by its adherents. It is called Mizuko Kuyo. This ceremony is a service designed for victims of abortions, miscarriages and stillbirths. Here, parents of the dead visit a shrine and perform this ceremony with the main intention of gaining reassurance, appeasing the spirit of the dead fetus and to grief for their dead. This ceremony is usually conducted in a specific way. The ceremony was started about thirty years ago when unavoidable circumstances forced individuals to perform abortions. It was founded on the belief that those souls who died in the process of abortion would cause retribution after the mistreatment they faced from their parents. (James, 1998) It should however be noted that there are special circumstances when it can be considered okay for mothers to abort. This was stated by one of their well known leaders; Tenzin Gyatso. This leader believes that if the fetus will grow up to be mentally retarded and if there is a danger of the parent's death during child birth, then it can be considered permissible for an abortion to occur. Just like any other religion, all Buddhists do not share the same view on this controversial topic. There are conservatives and liberalists. Those who are more tolerant believe that abortions can be done only under special circumstances. But majorities do not support it at all. (James, 1998) Hinduism and abortion The Hindu religion has a no-tolerance view on abortion. This is because they adhere to the belief that life begins at inception. They classify abortion as a sin; it is a form of murder and causes souls of the unborn to be hindered from normal progress in the journey of life. This concept was emphasized by one of their gods called Chiranjeevin. This god performed an abortion and was cursed by another god Krishna to suffer eternally. (James, 1999) Because to every rule there is an exception, there is a low level of tolerance fro the practice. This is due to the fact that there is a general preference for male children in the Hindu culture. Consequently, mothers who find out that they are

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE - Case Study Example Historically, the concept of corporate governance has been at play in most of the United States (US) large companies since the 19th century, and in 2001, with the high-profile collapses of several modern corporations like Enron Corporation, there has been a renewed interest in corporate governance practices (Monks & Minow, 2004). And, as part of the US federal government’s campaign to restore public confidence in corporate governance, it passed the Sarbanes – Oxley Act, which practically set new or enhanced standards for all the US public companies’ boards, management, and public accounting firms through eleven titles or sections including corporate responsibilities and criminal penalties, as well as requiring the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to implement rulings as basis for compliance with the new law (Farrell, 2005). This paper tackles corporate governance as practiced by Qantas Company in terms of its compliance to the principles and standards of corporate governance best practices, as well its current corporate values and ethics vis-Ã  -vis its corporate governance practices, using the question guides provided for this subject. Qantas Group is an Australian company that has been one of the leaders in the aviation industry, both at the international and domestic fronts. Globally, Qantas has been one of the top six airline companies in the world for the last five consecutive years, based on the Skytrax surveys, and has maintained its four-star official ranking worldwide (Skytrax Survey 2008). At the domestic level, Qantas is well-known as Australia’s very own, and is very well-supported as a full-service airline. Like the rest of airline companies around the world, Qantas also underwent some tough times, which included an industrial dispute and subsequent maintenance backlogs, and also two in-flight incidents (Qantas Annual Report, 2009). These somehow damaged the

The Business Environment in Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Business Environment in Asia - Essay Example The top 30 companies in Indonesia belonged to the Salim Group and to Suharto's children. After the recession, new family conglomerates entered the scene but the structure of the private sector did not undergo substantial change. The economy continues to boom and the family businesses benefit. In Indonesia, the state plays the most vital role in the growth of the business groups. Lobbying and corruption are prevalent in conducting business and due to their continued influence, businessmen become politicians (Mahmood, 2011). Large-scale towns in Indonesia have their own police and their own government including private taxation collection. All public facilities such as health, water, sewerage, and sanitation are controlled by this self-styled government in individual townships. The business has so much of political clout and influence that they are able to sustain opaque ownership pyramid structure which originates in some other nation and develops monopoly as in the case of Instant No odles that belongs to the Salim Group. Such a system has its own disadvantages and advantages. While it provides capital, infrastructure, and source of business talent and entrepreneurship, it creates moral hazard, ethnic tensions, and state capture.Importance of building relationships is critical to the success of business in Indonesia. Relationships with the government officials help in expediting the bureaucratic process. It helps in streamlining the applications for obtaining licenses, permits, and information.... Indonesia The top 30 companies in Indonesia belonged to the Salim Group and to Suharto’s children. After the recession new family conglomerates entered the scene but the structure of the private sector did not undergo substantial change. The economy continues to boom and the family businesses benefit. In Indonesia the state plays the most vital role in the growth of the business groups. Lobbying and corruption are prevalent in conducting business and due to their continued influence businessmen become politicians (Mahmood, 2011). Large scale towns in Indonesia have their own police and their own government including private taxation collection. All public facilities such as health, water, sewerage and sanitation are controlled by this self-styled government in individual townships. The business have so much of political clout and influence that they are able to sustain opaque ownership pyramid structure which originates in some other nation and develops monopoly as in the case of Instant Noodles that belongs to the Salim Group. Such a system has its own disadvantages and advantages. While it provides capital, infrastructure and source of business talent and entrepreneurship, it creates moral hazard, ethnic tensions and state capture. Importance of building relationships is critical to the success of business in Indonesia. Relationships with the government officials help in expediting the bureaucratic process. It helps in streamlining the applications for obtaining licenses, permits and information (Facing the Challenge, n.d.). The national officials or pegawai negeri such as the notary in Indonesia are treated with respect. Such initiatives have facilitated the

The Color Purple Essay Example for Free

The Color Purple Essay The novel the color purple by Alice Walker is well known for is revolutionary theme of black lesbianism. Until this novel and other leading writers touched on the subject of black lesbianism, it was viewed as dirty and unspeakable. The protagonist, Celie, brings respect and positive attributes to the idea of black lesbianism. Walker’s depicture of Celie not only relates constructive events towards lesbianism, but also journeys through the rejection of male dominance and how it brings Celie freedom. Most of Celie’s freedom comes in the form of monetary relief and independence. However freedom also comes from Celie’s change of world view; from a repressive patriarchal society and God to a gentle and softer version of religion. Walker emphasizes the oppression black women face in relationships with black men (brothers, fathers, husbands, lovers) and the bond the women must form with each other in order to free themselves. Right from the beginning of the novel, Walker introduces a hard to digest picture of rape, incest, and sexual cruelty. He never had a kine word to say to me†¦ Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me† (Walker 1). This telling of rape by her father is also seen through the eyes of the reader as lacking emotion or at least the emotions such as anger and anguish that come with an event such as rape. Celie’s life begins to form into a picture of a slave’s, with her missing feelings and reactions to the horrible fates that befall her. After this rape, Celie becomes pregnant and is forced to separate with her child straight after. According to Ana Marie Fraile-Marcos who wrote a critical essay on Walker’s â€Å"womanist† representation of lesbianism, Celie’s sexual abuse becomes endemic after her two successive pregnancies and deliveries. Celie seems to accept sexual exploitation and oppression as shaping factors in her life and not only does Celie become a sexual object, her story also echoes the life of a slave. An auction scene is called to mind when Celie is told to walk in front of Albert, while he decides whether or not to take her as his new wife. Along with the physical oppression, Celie also has to endure psychological oppression due to her sexual exploitation. During Celie’s pregnancies, she had to put up with the confusing torment of her mother at the same time as her father blames her for her mother’s slow passing. Finally Celie’s mother passes cursing her, although Celie is at a loss to what she did wrong. Next to her mother’s negative affliction, Celie also curses herself and believes that she is on the road to hell for committing incest imposed on her by her father. In her mind, Celie is living in â€Å"sin without redemption† (Fraile-Marcos). The men were forces of her oppression, which made Celie turn towards women for her liberation. During her childhood, Celie was close with her sister and found a love that she would sincerely protect. â€Å"She scared. But I say I’ll take care of you. † Although Celie’s love for Nettie is a bond that lasts through the whole novel, the most important figure to influence Celie’s change in submissiveness is Shug Avery. Through uncovering the letters Nettie wrote to Celie, forcing Albert to beat Celie less, and just being the woman who did whatever she wanted, Shug was the leading character who taught Celie the beauty of sexuality. After quizzing Celie in Shug’s first stay, Shug deemed Celie a virgin due to her never having sex with someone that she loves. From that point, Shug begins to teach her about the female body, which Celie enjoys because sexuality turns from a negative and repressive force, to one that becomes exciting. Shug’s most important contribution to Celie’s self-realization is love, both sexually and spiritually† (Fraile-Marcos). Through this self-realization, Celie comes to the conclusion that she has a sister who loves her and will always write to her, and has Shug who has the intention of loving her and helping her get on her feet. All of the forces involved in Celie’s positive evolution come from the female gender, which leads Celie to her chang e in religion. Shug’s spiritual contribution to Celie’s self realization is the modification of the picture of God in Celie’s mind. At the start of the novel, Celie’s version of God was one who was a white authority figure, who only gave orders and punished the people who stepped out of line. â€Å"Okay, I say. He big and old and tall and graybearded and white. He wear white robes and go barefooted† (Walker 194). Celie’s version of God did not have time for her and saw her sufferings as something to just move on from. However, Shug soon initiates a spiritual awakening that begins with her description of God, who doesn’t have specific characteristics and instead is more a spiritual presence. God ain’t a he or a she, but an It†¦ Don’t look like nothing, she say. It ain’t a picture show. It ain’t something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself† (Walker 195). Shug showed that God was found within everyone and everything, instead of a figure impossible to relate to. Celie’s journey dragged her from a hellish, detached exis tence to a life she could feeling pulsing through her body. After her self-revelation and freedom from oppression, Celie supported herself thorough making pants. This created an independent woman out of Celie, and taught her to rely on herself more than the people around her such as her oppressors or even Shug. Believing God was a white, despotic figure lead Celie to her rejection of the world, rejection to male dominance, and her acceptance of an unfair society. However, femininity brought Celie back to the world and showed her the kind, caring, and gentle side of life. Walker took the reader through a journey of finding Celies personal voice and also helped the reader accept and appreciate the rejection of male dominance.

Education For Media Literacy Media Essay

Education For Media Literacy Media Essay Media literacy is an approach to education which provides a framework to analyze, evaluate and access messages in various forms and thereby building an understanding of the role of media in the society as well as self-expressions required for citizens of a democracy. Media literacy is the ability to know and understand how the mass media works. This includes how they are organized, how they produce their meanings and how they use them wisely. A person who is media literate can clearly describe the role of media in their lives. He or she understands the basics of various media and enjoys using them deliberately in a conscious way. He or she has full recognition that protects them from being unnecessarily frightened and therefore has a full control of his or her media experiences. Often, the media is lumped together as a single entity but in reality it is actually many forms of communication like the newspapers, billboards, television, radio, magazines, video games, computer games and videocassettes. Education for media literacy uses the inquiry-based pedagogic, model which encourages the people to ask questions in relation to what they read, hear and watch. Media literacy provides tools which help people analyze messages and offer them opportunities to broaden their experience of media. It assists them develop creative skills in coming up with their own media messages. Critical analysis includes identifying the author, his purpose and point of view, examining the construction techniques and genres, patterns of media presentation and detecting any bias, censorship and propaganda available in the news and public programming. Media literacy explores how structural features like the media ownership and funding model affects the information presented. Media literate people are skillful in creating and producing media messages to facilitate understanding of specific qualities of each medium and at the same time create independent media and participate as active citizens. Media literacy has contributed to an expanded conceptualization of literacy which treats mass media, popular culture and digital media as types of texts that require critical evaluation and analysis. Due to the transformation process of media consumption into an active and a critical process, people have gained a bigger awareness of the potential for manipulation and misrepresentation through public relations techniques and get to know the role of mass media in constructing the views of reality. Sometimes, media literacy is viewed as a channel to address the negative side of mass media, digital media and popular culture which includes gender, media violence and racial stereotypes, concerns about loss of privacy, internet predators, the sexualization of children and cyber bullying. Media literacy provides a type of protection for children and helps them make good decisions in their consumption habits and the patterns of their use. Learning abilities linked to media literacy can be used to create learning and teaching methods for example through mobile phones, internet based learning and interactive whitboard. Media interprets the past and shows us what has made us into being the way we are. Like geography, it defines for us our place in the world. Media literacy also helps us understand the workings of our immediate world and also our places individually in it. The media is also a major source of modern culture and entertainment and also requires us to learn and use the critical thinking skills. Media literacy helps us define how we communicate with others and also helps us to adopt the edge of modern technological innovations. Media literacy also helps us determine much of the cultural diet and weave part of the fabric part of our lives. Media literacy also helps us to understand ourselves as well as misunderstand ourselves and others. It helps us interpret our world, its ideas to us and its values. Media literacy helps us understand how things work, because it has carefully planned constructed and designed products. By helping kids and teens to become media literate, we can help them protecting them against pressures from advertising and several others media forms to drink, use drugs, eat unhealthy foods and have sex. We also help them build good communication skills , put portrayals of others as well as themselves, encourage them to look into multiple interpretations of media messages and also improve their media usage habits like changing the ritualistic viewing behaviors. The goal of media literacy is not bashing or to ridicule the media because it is a dominant force in our culture and therefore should be evaluated fairly and not denigrated. Media literacy is also not a magic wand or a silver bullet to solve all our problems but rather our best defense to resist manipulation and to keep a perspective of the images and messages that are a part of the youth culture and the media. Media literacy is therefore about helping students to become competent and critical in the various media forms so that they are well equipped to control the interpretation of what they observe and hear instead of letting the interpretation to control them. To be media literate is not about memorizing or taking statistics about the media but rather learning to raise the appropriate questions about what is seen, heard or read, in other words it is the ability to think for oneself. Without this ability, an individual cannot have the full dignity to exercise citizenship in a society which is democratic.

The Conflicting Societies in Lord of the Flies Essay -- Lord of the Fl

The Conflicting Societies in Lord of the Flies Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, many different conflicting societies develop. These groups of young English schoolboys have conflicts between them for many different reasons. Some of them are so spread apart in age that their beliefs and actions are very different. Other groups are conflicting because they have different opinions about who the leader of the entire group should be. The groups also argue about what their priorities should be while trapped on the island. These conflicts continue to grow until the very end, when one group finally gains supremacy. From the very beginning it can be seen that the boys have already begun to divide into two groups. When Ralph calls the first meeting the boys have together by summoning them with a conch shell, he decides they should vote on a leader. A boy named Jack Merridew thinks that he should be the chief because he is "chapter chorister and head boy." (22) Another boy nominates Ralph for leader, because he is the one that called for the meeting. When it comes time to vote, the choir members vote for Jack, while all the other boys vote for Ralph. After he is elected leader, Ralph tells Jack that he is in charge of his choir. Jack tells Ralph that they will be the hunters, and Ralph agrees. This causes the boys to be divided into one group led by Ralph, and the hunting group made up of the choir members, led by Jack Merridew. Being organized and civilized is very important to Ralph. He dec... ...cause a Navy ship spots the fire, and rescues the boys. The novel Lord of the Flies shows how one group, when put under certain circumstances, can be completely transformed. The group starts out as a group of schoolboys who try to work together in order to survive. They try to use the skills they have been taught as civilized human beings to do whatever they can to be rescued. However, things fall apart very quickly. They lose sight of what they are trying to accomplish, and lose hope of being rescued. The evil nature within the boys comes through, taking over their minds. All they can think about now is hunting and killing. Even the most responsible ones are transformed into savages, or they are murdered.

A Womans Role :: essays papers

A Womans Role According to Judeo-Christian tradition, divine edict clearly relegates women to a position of subservience beneath men, as expressed in the Genesis creation account. This idea of female servility has dominated Western culture for thousands of years with virtually no significant changes; only in the past several decades has the notion of male dominance lost wide-spread acceptance in America. Prior to this cultural shift, American ideology mandated that women dutifully obey their husbands and confine themselves to managing the home and raising children, thus depriving them of any power beyond the sphere of the home and rendering them dependent on their husbands. This mentality is especially apparent in the movie, The Sound of Music. In The Sound of Music, female characters are portrayed to be highly dependent upon men, a central aspect of the "traditional" woman's role. This is initially shown in the scene where Ralph and Liesl are singing and dancing in the gazebo. Liesl sings that she is "scared to face a world of men" and would like to depend on Ralph in order to alleviate her fear. Ralph acknowledges and accepts her submission, telling Liesl that since he is "older and wiser" he will take care of her. Liesl offers to submit herself to Ralph in accordance with her preconceived notion of male-female relationships, thus fulfilling her yearning of security in social normalcy. She is willing to become dependent upon Ralph and cross the threshold into traditional womanhood. Although she may wear a mask of independence, Maria also fills the role of the traditional woman. Independence can be measured by the amount of control one has over her own life, and, if Maria's control over herself is analyzed, it is clear that she lacks independence. Initially, Maria appears to be independent when she ignores the Captain's prescriptions for stern child raising and defies his direct orders by making the children "play clothes". When Maria is reprimanded for her actions, she stands up to the Captain, criticizing the way he raises his children. Through these actions, Maria seems to deviate from stereotypical feminine behavior by challenging the Captain's authority, however, upon closer examination, such is not the case. The children are traditionally the woman's responsibility and are a matter over which she is supposed to have control.