Second Vatican and the Roman Council Essay Example for Free

Second Vatican and the Roman Council Essay What changes did the Second Vatican Council made to the Roman Catholic? The Second Vatican Council that is also referred to as the Vatican II took place in 1962-1965. It is also called the 21st Roman Catholic’s ecumenical. The council was initiated by John XXIII the pope of the Roman Catholic Church and continued up to the times of Paul IV. It was specifically concerned with renewing spiritually the Roman Catholic and to address the position of the church in the whole world. This council made a number of significant changes to the Roman church especially on liturgy, church constitution, on ecumenism etc. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss in details the reforms that were made in the Roman Catholic Church. The first announced purpose of this council was to make some reforms on liturgy. This was a change that was proposed such that if implemented the laymen would be encouraged to come closer to the church and increase their participation in the church matters. This was also intended to bring as many laymen as possible to the church so that there would be diversity in terms of the languages as well as in practice. This was based on understanding that various groups in the world have different cultures thus incorporating different groups in the church was the most viable means of bringing diversity. Much emphasis was also directed on the bishops’ pastoral duties so as to differentiate their role from other administrative duties. By the time this council adjourned, the council had discussed these issues and came up with four terms and definitions of these proposed changes that were based on mutual agreement. (Flannery, A 1996) When the council convened again in September to December 1963 the sacred liturgy constitution was passed. This constitution allowed the use of local languages and increased participation of the laymen in the church rituals. (Greeley A. 2004) The second Vatican unlike the past councils was particularly concerned with the renewal of the church and to make citizens to be committed to the church matters. The past council mainly addressed the punishment issues so as to combat heresies. The council came up with what was referred as the constitutions on divine revelations, on the church on 11th November 1964 and the pastoral constitution. The liturgy constitution was after mass participation in the church matters. In this constitution, Latin language, which was being used in the past, was replaced with other vernacular dialects. This constitution also provided the common ground of dealing with Protestants, orthodox and those that were considered as non-Christians. Here the Roman Catholic departed from making harsh policies against the above mentioned groups and instead condemned all acts that were viewed as anti Semitic. The council also deployed the persecution and hatred ness against the Protestants. Generally the council reformed the past constitution something that led to increase church freedom. (Daniel-Rops H. 1962) The church constitution was concerned with the biblical understanding of the juridical model, which was in use for many years. The Roman Catholics came to be regarded as the people of God thereby asking the servant nature of follower the prime concern His touched offices like the bishop and for the priests. The constitution made a provision that would allow bishops to have collegial responsibility in church affairs. The ordinary church members were also not left out as the constitution came upon these members to be sanctified so that they would help the church in spreading the gospel to the Christians in every part of the world. The tone of the constitution on pastoral matters was clearly expressed in the opening words in the council, â€Å"Joy and hope the grief and anguish of contemporary humanity particularly of poor and afflicted. † The debate stated with theological matters affecting humanity and then shifted to other areas that affected humanity such as cultural family, economic and well as family and marriage. (McGrory, B. 2004) This church constitution had eight chapters that were referred as the Lumen Gentium and this particularly completed the work of the first Vatican. This constitution in chapter three addressed the pope’s infallibility but no big change was made except the fact that pope’s infallibility was also extended to the Roman Catholic bishops especially when they are pursuing the church doctrines. The roman primacy was also reemphasized on this constitution but of paramount concern was the bishop’s centrality, which was strongly affirmed. This was in line with the collegiality principle or sharing responsibilities. (Flannery, A 1996) This is in other words affirmed that bishops were just like the body of apostle that Peter headed. By incorporating the Episcopal collegiality, papal primacy and infallibility solved the long continued tension between the council and the. The chapter 4 of this church constitution changed the tenaciously held believe that the clergy only formed church and nobody else mattered. This belief changed so that the church came to be seen as the ‘people of God. ’ With these changes, the church phased out the old traditions and switched to the modern world church. The transition was marked by use of people from all walks of life to promulgate the gospel of Christ. They were the church’s representatives just as it was the case in the times of the Christ. This changed the long-standing belief that only nuns, monks and clergies that possessed the Christian calling. This was changed so that the Roman Catholic would spread its gospel to all areas that in the past were inaccessible. The second Vatican council while forming the second dogmatic constitution touched on the sacred traditions and the church’s functions. They were aware that though the appropriate approach in spreading the gospel was to be used, the content and the harmonization of the scripture was of prime importance. The scripture was to be interpreted depending on the sacred tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. The emphasy was placed on the biblical decree and specifically on its centrality. This council resolved that it was to be ensured that everybody had an access to the sacred scripture. (Bokenkotter T. 1979) This sacred was quickly implemented and the results were evident within a very short time and there was particularly because of the legislation of using vernacular languages in spreading the gospel unlike in the past where Latin was the only recognized language. Another reason why it spread very fast is because unlike in the past where the Roman Catholic only relied on the clergies, monks and nuns to spread the gospel, this time through the constitutional reform, laymen were also entrusted with the work of spreading the same. About the mass sacrifice there were notable changes that were made for example the celebrant was not supposed to say privately those verses that were sung by the choir or by the deacon however they were allowed to sing along with the members in reciting the ordinary of the mass such as the Gloria and the Credo. Also there was supposed to a ‘secret’ prayer to be sung either loudly or secretly prior to preface. (Ker 2002) On ecumenism, the traditional method of teaching was maintained but was dramatically adapted. It was emphasized that only through the Roman Catholic Church of the Christians that salvation would be achieved. There were notable changes especially in the way Protestants and Anglicans were viewed. In the past they were viewed as enemies and were strongly condemned but this time they started seen as Christians while the eastern orthodox was deemed as the descendants of the apostles. The Roman church stopped believed that the solution to the church division was the return of all these churches to Rome but the believed that the solution was to let all participate and fulfill what their God wanted. (Gilbert A 1968) In conclusion, we can say that the second Vatican council made some significant reforms in the Roman Catholic. This is what could be referred to as the turning point between its dark past and the modern Roman Catholic Church. The changes that were brought by this council of the 1962 up to 1965 had some positive results for example viewing Christians as people of God, primacy and infallibility of the papal and the extension of this to the bishops, the inclusion of laymen in the spread of gospel and the condemnation of the persecution against the Protestants and the Jews. Work Cited. Bokenkotter T. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, New York: Image. 1979: 36 Daniel-Rops H. The Second Vatican Council. D. C. Pawley.1962: 78-87. Flannery, A. , ed. Vatican Council II: Constitutions, Decrees, and Declarations. Costello Pub Co. 1996: 98 Gilbert A. : The Vatican Council and the Jews. Cleveland, World Publishing Co. , 1968: 112 Greeley A. The Catholic Revolution: New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Second Vatican Council. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2004: 122-125. Ker I. What did the Second Vatican Council do for us? 2002. Accessed at http://www. christendom-awake. org/pages/ianker/vatican2. html on March 29 2008 McGrory, B. The Parish Council Empowers People: Church, Second Vatican. Catholic New Times. 20th June, 2004: 23-27

Business Essays Sustainability Business Corporate

Business Essays Sustainability Business Corporate Sustainability Business Corporate Executive summary Nowadays, the idea of sustainability has gained wider recognition by most corporates. And business operations are conducted mostly under the guidance of it, that is, satisfying our own needs without diminishing the chances of future generations. There is no denying that the term sustainability poses new challenges for business activities. Actually, any corporate expecting for long-term benefits must be responsible for environment and ecosystems and function in a ethical way. In the new sustainable era, more and more corporates have realized the importance of environmental policies and practices towards sustainability, expecting to reduce their footprints on environment. In order to better understand corporates sustainable development, the report will choose Nestle and Coca-Cola as study objects, both of which are famous food and beverage enterprises in the same industry. Through appropriate analysis and comparation in terms of their environmental policies and non-financial practices, the report is intent to achieve some conclusions summarizing their overall differences in the way they approach sustainability issues and provide certain kind of recommodations to improve their future sustainability performance. Introduction Business sustainability is a pro-active approach to ensure business long-term viability and integrity by optimizing resources, reducing environmental impacts while not compromising product quality, competitiveness and profitability. With the rapid development of business economy, environmental concerns have become of paramount urgency for all corporates, who are responsible a great deal for environmental problems. Quite simply, there are still many business having not taken ethics and social responsibility into consideration, thus destroying environment and their long-term benefits. Therefore, one of the greatest challenges today is to advocate sustainable forms of business and encourage all business assume social responsibility consciously. (Barry, N. P. 2000) Fortunately, when environmental crisis begin to affect business activities, when unethical behavirors begin to bring about side effects to business development, more and more corporates have realized the necessity to perform in a sustainable and ethical way, not only for its stakeholders but also for whole society, as well as for a sound future development space. And a series of polices and practices have been applied by corporates to thoroughly commit to doing more for society. Even though, it is not uncommon to see some corporates sacrificing potential of future generations , only to meet their present needs. Exactly, beyond meeting needs of customers and shareholders, corporates should function according to requirements of societal responsibility. Besides, business should acknowledge its societal role and can lead sustainability for both itself and society. Firstly, the report will review Nestle and Coca-Colas distinct environmental and ethical policies. Secondly, the report will analyze and compare the two corporates different sustainability practices. Then select another topicwaste disposal issues to futher discuss their special attention on corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. In the discussion, academic concepts, frameworks, industry standards will be used to support the views. Lastly, the report will give some suggestions and recommendations to Nestle and Coca-colas next-step sustainable development. Discussion and Analysis (1) Environmental and ethical policies Generally speaking, corporate environmental policies arise from urgent need of environment protection and improvement in social responsibility sense. Recently, most corporates have come to realize the importance of environmental and ethical issues in sustainable development. (Donaldson, T, Werhane, P.H. and Cording, M, 2002) Nestle and Coca-cola are two worldwide famous beverage corporates in food and agriculture industry. Though both of them set sustainability as one of development goals, either of them has distinct environmental policies. As the worlds largest food and beverage manufacturer, Nestle published Nestle Policy on the Environment in 1991 to state its long-lasting commitment on environmental issues for sound business practices. In business activies, Nestle complies with environmental businesss and regulations, participates in legislative and regulatory discussions, and fosters rational environmental businesss. On the basis of applicable legislation, Nestles internal rules are applied for the purpose of reducing environmental footprints and costs, for example, reduced energy consumption, fewer greenhouse gas emission and less water usage. To sum it up, basic principles in Nestle are in favor of long-term development commitments over short-term profits; respecting of diverse cultures; management based on ethical values and information recognition of consumers brand preferences and products requirements. And strict auditing and assurance standards are available to ensure ethical policies smooth application, with Corporate Business Principles, certified standards of ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 22000. For competitive advantages, policy priorities have been given to environmental issues concerning natural resources preserve ,waste minimisation and recovery. In a word, Nestles sustainability policies designs are environmental and sustainable ,which are fit for all its business activities, ranging from research and development, supply chain, information, communication and training. Chart one: Nestles environmental performance indicators in Latin America As for Coca-cola enterprise(CCE), the worlds largest marketer, producer and distributor Coca-cola products, in 2007, CCE formally established CRS as a pillar of Global Operating Framework, intergrating it into everyday business operations. And this framework outlines srategic priorities to guide vision achievement. Besides, CCE also sticks to external standards, such as 10 priciples of the United Nations Global Compact, international management systems standards for quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001), and health and safety (OHSAS 18001). (Environmental Sustainabilty Index.2001) Its ultimate objective is to achieved full certiication of quality, environment, health, and safety by the end of 2010. Meanwhile, in July 2008, it published its third company-wide Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) Report, announcing commitments in water stewardship, sustainable packaging/recycling, energy conservation, product portfolio/well-being, and diverse and inclusive culture. Water, solid waste and packaging, and energy are its environmental priorities. In order to better implement environmental policies, CCE also cooperates with suppliers, customers, consumers, community leaders and employees widely. And Environmental Management System (EMS) has been implemented and maintained to fulfill environmental commitment. Other than adhereing to applicable local environmental businesss and regulations, CCE environmental policies put emphasis on establishing objectives to measure environmental impacts, pollution prevention, and efficient use of resources. Furthermore, environmental projects and initiatives with local communities have been consolidated as one of the sustainable development policies. (2) Non-financial reporting practices Environmental protection is an integral part of business strategy. (Esty, Daniel C., Marc Levy, Tanja Srebotnjak, and Alexander de Sherbinin.2005)To fullfill its commitiments, Nestle firstly integrates environmental principles and policies across whole business. Then Nestle Environmental Management System has been applied for continuous improvement of environmental performance. Compared with ten years ago, in 2007, Nestle reduced direct greenhouse gas emissions by 16% and overall water withdrawal by 28% and invested about 100 million in environment-related industries and 170 million in new sustainable production facilities. Secondly, a great number of water conservation methods and water treatment plants have been implemented. And top priorities have been given to water consumption toreduce the amount of water used per kilo of food and beverage, because maintaining good water quality is vital to business interests. Thirdly, along its life cycle, Nestle aims to source sustainableraw materials, reduce energy consumption and minimise air emissions. Its sustainableproduct life cycleensures eco-efficiency, especially in by-products and waste management. For example, innovative packaging materials such as Plantic a biodegradable alternative to plastic , have been developed to reduce volum of packaging material used in bottled water. In additon, Nestle provides thousands of farmers with free technical assistance and infrastructure for greater yields of higher quality crops with fewer resources. About half of factories in rural third world have a profound impact on family income and life quality. Supply of safe raw materials and better end products is undoubtedly to gain consumers credit and preference. Brand value forms. Anyway, Nestle helps numbers of consumers for easy access to a safe, healthy and enjoyable diet through a sustainable way to eliminate dangerous trends and is committed to environmentally business practices. Sustainability is central to Nestle strategies and corporate social responsibility is reflected perfectly, added up with vested interests of shareholders. Nestles stainable environmental practices and shared values benefit not only its shareholders but also society. When it comes to non-financial practices in Coca-cola Enterprise(CCE), firstly, around CRS efforts, stakeholder engagement is strengthened to help ascertain key targets and chanllenges. It is stakeholders that urge us to pay special attention to sustainability issues. Customers expect CCE to manage social and environmental matters. Through collaborating with suppliers, CCE develops technology to reduce environmental impacts in supply chain, while at the same time persuades them to perform in responsible practices. Employees are educated for CRS goals. In addition, faculty,specialists and students in universities are involved to deepen sustainability considerations in theory. Secondly, good governance is fundenmental to make sustainable development come true. Corporate responsibility and sustainability committee is an organization responsible for significant social, ethical, and environmental concerns. Confronted with sustainability chanllenges, policymakers are sensitive to changes and new development area. For example, durning 2007,CCE chaired British Food Industry Sustainability Strategy Champions Groups on Water, which gave suggestions for Sustainable Food and Farming strategies. And Social, ethical, and environmental risks can be managed and evaluated in time. Thirdly, in the fields where business has greatest impacts, to minimize environmental footprint is stressed. In view of finite water resource, it is necessary to protect water source, watersheds and to improve water efficiency. By 2001,CCE will reduce plant water usage ratio by 10%. Beverage packaging consisted of alunimum, glass and PET is reduced and recycled to realize sustainability. In munufacturing, fleet, sales, marketing facilities, CCE makes endeavors to reduce carbon emmisions, improve energy efficiency and explore renewable energy , such as electricity and natural gas. Last but not least, a highly talented and diverse workforce is essential to sustainable development. A variety of training and earning opportunities and programs are provided to develop employees sustainable performance skills. Besides, healthy lifestyles, fair workplace, and appropriate rewarding are available here. (3)Waste issues For a long time, Nestle has worked with FareShare community food network and Ron Hulla waste managementcompany and FareShare1st has been created to dispose of surplus foodin a environmentally friendly way, through which remaining waste is reused or recycled for good quality food redistribution. As for CCEs wastewater , disposal process is operating according to applicable businesss and regulations. In 2007,CCE discharged 20 gigaliters of wastewater into municipal treatment plant. When municipal treatment facilities are not available, internal on-site treatment systems function under guidance of stringent wastewater standards. Just as Cola describes, 98% of solid wastes source from bottling process. Production waste includes empty ingredient containers, secondary packaging, film, glass, plastic, etc. Statistics show that in 2004, 76% of solid waste were recycled and reused, compared with 74% in 2003. Improved solid waste ratio and improved recycling ability suggest that various recycling programs have been applied to reduce waste. For example, Latin A mercians first PET recycling plant operated in 2005, with 25000 tons of PET recycling ability. In all, apart from economic profits, both of them work to conserve natural resources and protect environment through appropriate strategies concerning waste issues. As for manufacturing waste in bottling plants, raw materials reduction, solid waste minimization, and recycling increasement are best chioces. As for packaging waste in the marketplace, waste collection, recycling and recovery mechanism has been established to deal with them generated in production. Conclusion In conclusion, Nestle and Coca-cola are in the same food and beverage manufacture industry, although both of them begin to put sustainability development on the agenda, and plan to reduce production impacts on environment, their attitudes towards dealing with sustainability issues are different from each other. On a large scale, the reasons why differences appear lie in their distinguished customers and target groups. When Nestle coffee aims to create a kind of comfortable mood for those who want to taste, Coca-cola plans to satisfy almost all peoples basic needs for Coca. After all, as a f oreign beverage, coffee is not likely to adapt to domestic tastes. In this sense, different consumer groups determine different business policies, including choices in environmental policies. In the vision of sustainable development, Nestle sees it a comprenhensive concept, and defines it as the process of increasing access to higher quality products, while contributing to long-term economic and social development for not only recent generation but also future generations. A healthy profit is no longer at the expense of long-term business development. In Coca-cola, on the other hand, commitment to good citizenship is part of its business practices. And sustainable growth depends on the success in areas of profit, planet, people, partners and protfolio, of which being a responsible citizen makes a difference. In the way how to perform sustainable practices and business strategies, there is a framework for Creating Shared Value in Nestle , which embraces societal value and Nestls shareholder value. While Coca-cola provides a citizenship framework to guide its business in areas of marketplace, workplace, environment and community.( Whetten et al. 2002) In focus of sustainability chanllenges, water, health and wellness, and HIV/AIDS in Africa demand Coca-cola heightest attention. While Nestle believes nutrition, health and wellness as key issues, added up with human rights,sustainable production and community support. (Friedman M. 1970) Certainly, both of them give special attention to water usage. In the field of environmental management, in 1996 Nestle Environmental Management Syste (NEMS) was created and implemented throughout whole company to manage all environmental activities with good results. And Coca-cola follows The Coca-Cola Management System (TCCMS) externally benchmarked against ISO 14001, whose environment portion is called eKOsystem. The function of this system ensures environmental concerns are incorporated into everyday performances for efficiency improvement and costs reduction. Hence, Nestle and Coca-colas successful business tells the inspiring experience of their efforts towards limited growth, reduced environmental impacts and support of social and ecological goals positively. As a result of different brands and products, there indeed exists a great many differences between Nestle and Coca-cola in concrete environmental practices. As long as they are fit for their sustainable policies and business strategies, it is no necessity to assess wether their practices are good or not. Recommendations However, in some developing countries, Nestles business practices have been controversial and thought as unethical, in particular baby formula marketing, which led to widespread boycott since the 1970s. The boycott could be attributed to 1.5 million babies death each year on account of contaminated water mixed with milk. And the same thing is not uncommon in Coca-cola. In 2003, its soft drink was found by Centre for Science and Environment to have 30 times the permitted amount of pesticide residues. In India, Coca-Cola has also been accused of excessive water usage. Nutritionists even argue excessive consumption of soft drinks is harmful to young children because they have a lower intake of calcium, magnesium, ascorbic acid, and vitamin. Although Coca-cola has responded that its products meet minimum health standards and are strictly tested to remove potential contaminants before distribution, criticism or controversy ultimately result to sales decline to some extent. The year 2003 witnessed Nestles transgenic storm, which explained its indifference of public health safety and lack of basic social responsibility. In 2005, Nestles excessive-iodine incident marked its failure in public relations crisis, because the case took place after colloboration with Coca-cola, it would reduce confidence of dealers and consumers towards their co-production of liquid coffee. It is obvious that both Nestle and Coca-cola has not fully perform in accordance with sustainable principles. As for corporates in pursuit of profits, accecptance of environmental protection sense and sustainability idea is no easy task. (Werhane, P. H. and Freeman, R. E. 1999) Above all, in future development process, for sustained competitive advantages, their attentions should also be addressed on sustainability performance improvement. It is of great necessity for both corporates to make efforts to improve environmental performance facing up with emerging environmental challenges. The followings are recommodations for both corporates concerning future sustainability development. For one thing, needless to say, sustainability is still a basic principle, in other words, all business activities should aim to minimise negative effects on environment and keep a balance between economic interests and social and environmental concerns. For another, along supply chain of raw materials sourcing, manufacturing , packaging, distribution, marketing , to meet environmental commitment should always be kept in mind. For example, they should encourages suppliers to adopt most efficient and appropriate packaging materials to satisfy consumer requirements without jeopardising products quality. Whats more, sustainability and environmental management system (EMS) must be implemented and strengthened throughout entire business operation to ensure effectiveness of environmental policies and programmes, and to achieve compatibility with international environmental management standards, such as ISO 14001, the European Union Eco-Management and Audit,etc. In the future, their attention should be paid on environmental management structure enhancement, key sustainability activities measurement, ongoing performance reports, manage and forecast, and reliable environmental information communication. Besides, practical, aspirational environmental goals must be established annually. In addition, responsible leadership is inevitable to coordinate economic, social, and environmental goals,which means integrating ethical considerations into decision-making process . From the perspective of good governance , enterprise risk management (ERM) approach should be intergrated for a scientific sustainability-oriented decision-making process. Then, a skilled and responsible workforce is vital to realize sustainable objectives. Only if employees perform to their full potential, it is possible to attain superior development and future sustainable growth. Training and education should be provided for them to adjust to new sustainable expectations. And a safe fair workplace where they are respected and valued is another way for a empowered, well-trained and professionally team. Besides, in brands collaboration, in order to avoid similar incidents(Nestles unethical behviors bring disaster to Cola) , brand values and performance research before cooperation is i ndispensable. Finally, to be successful, both Nestle and Coca-cola must understand clearly stakeholders concerns. In CSR efforts, stakeholder engagement and coorporation mechanism should be strengthened, including suppliers, employees, NGOs, consumers, customers, investers, governments and local communities. Through engagement , valuable feedback can be received to help us better understand their requirements and how we can perform. For example, most consumers prefer to environmental healthy products. And through collaboration with suppliers, corporations can ensure them understand sustainable development expectations and engage them into environmental performances in supply chain.

Teenage pregnancy in Europe

Teenage pregnancy in Europe Compare and contrast how two named health care systems deal with one specific health issues. The aim of this assignment is to choose two countries, and compare and contrast how these two countries deal one specific health issue. One country has to have a good rate of the health issues and the other one has to have a bad rate of the same health issue. The two countries that this assignment chooses to about talk are the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and the health issue that is going to be concentrated on is teenage pregnancy. This assignment will focus on comparing how both countries are tackling teenage pregnancy, the assignment will also talk about the amount of money both countries spend on sex education, also if teenage pregnancy has always been a problem, if both countries raise effective awareness on conceptions and etc, furthermore this essay will discuss about why teenage pregnancy is good in Holland and why the rates of teenage pregnancy keeps on going up in the United Kingdom. Introduction The reason why this topic is being explored is because the United Kingdom always seems to have a high rate in teenage pregnancy in Europe, and in countries like Netherlands teenage pregnancy always seems to be low. Therefore it will be good to compare these two countries and see why one country has a good rate of teenage pregnancy and why the other one has a terrible rate of teenage pregnancy, this can help understand where the united kingdom is going wrong for them to be always having a high rate in teenage pregnancy, and maybe they can see what the Netherlander do to prevent having such high rates of teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is a contemporary health issue because the cost of teenage pregnancy is shocking. Teenagers who end up getting pregnant are less likely to complete secondary school, they are also less likely to get married, and also they normally end up going on benefits, when their children are born they dont really have a good health, their cognitive development is normally slow, and they always tend to have behavioural problems. Being a teenage parent sometimes comes with its own consequences such experiencing mental health problems, sometimes if the teenage mother is not getting any support from family and friends, they feel isolated and they always tend to find it hard to cope, so they start getting stressed out, having a low self esteem, feeling anxiety and depressed which can lead to mental health. Teenage mothers that end up getting pregnant always tend to come from a lower working class, and living in deprived areas, and they always tend to have their second child quickly, this causes more stress on their well being, because they might be struggling with finance. Main body The United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy across Europe, and whereas the Netherlands have one of the lowest teenage pregnancy rate. The reasons why the Netherland have such a low rate of teenage pregnancy could be because they are more opened to talk about sex with their children then parents and schools in the United Kingdom. The Netherland have a low rate of teenage pregnancy because they do sex education in schools, and parents normally have open talk sex with children, and adverts on televisions on how to prevent getting pregnant. The United Kingdom and the Netherlanders sex education are similar, but there are also differences between the two countries on how and what they teach about sex education. The reason why the Netherlands sex education is more effective than the United Kingdoms one is that, the Netherlander tell there children how to protect themselves from STIs and unwanted pregnancy and how to avoid risky sexual behaviour, and when and how to use contraceptives. Whereas in the United Kingdom instead of teaching teenagers how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and how to prevent pregnancy, they promote more on how they should not be having sex. Sex education in the UK is called (PSHE) and in Netherland they call it (CARE). (Hardy, J.B. and Zabin L.S. 1991) believe that sex education is less controversial in the Netherlands, mainly at political level, and there society is more open when it comes to issues about sex, but people sometimes tend to mistake their openness for permissiveness. Studies believe that there is a political opposition to sex education from the smaller Christian parties in Netherlands; Politicians have the tendency to pass the issue over to professional sex educators, whereas in the United Kingdom the politics of sex education have been unfavourable, with major discussions about taking place over legislation passed in 1986, 1988, and 2000. Some politicians and families believe that sex education in schools is too explicit and it promotes homosexuality, and doing sex education in schools causes teenage pregnancy rather than prevent it. This can be argued that having sex education in school does not promote or encourage teenagers to get pregnant, because by having sex education in school, teachers are informing teens how to avoid risky sexual behaviour and they are also teaching them how to use contraceptives correctly, and also by teaching them about sex they will know how to protect themselves, also they will be aware of the consequences of having one or more children at a young age. Teenagers who get pregnant at an early age tend to come from poorer backgrounds and from areas that are high with unemployment rates, daughters of teenager mothers, which always ends up being a vicious circle, and also young people that are in care. Being under age and pregnant cost the British government  £166,000 to raise a child until they reach their 21st birthday. 90 per cent of teenage mothers rely on benefits in order for them to survive. The British public fund course that cost around  £100,000 that allows young teenage mothers as young as 14 to take these courses, this course is about helping them to be writing things up like CV, and teaching them the dangers of smoking whilst pregnant, and by them attending these courses they get paid  £30 a week, and if they finish the 16 week course without missing any lessons they get  £100 bonus. This could be argued that all the money that they are spending on these young mothers to do these courses could go towards trying to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy. The British government are working towards their target of reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy by 2010. Their aim is to make sex education compulsory in all schools both in primary and secondary schools like in Netherlands, and to be going more in details about sex education, this will include teachers talking about contraception and relationship issues. The British government seems to be following the Netherlands footsteps in the way they approach sex education, with openness about sex from a younger age. The reason why the British government wants to follow the Netherlands approach is because the Dutch children get taught about relationships from an early age, so they get comfortable as time goes by with talking about sex and contraception, so by the time that they are ready to be having sexual intercourse with the opposite they will know how to use contraception in order to avoid pregnancy and STIs, and this will have a good impact on the country, because they will be a low rate of teenage pregnancy, so if the British government following these approaches, it could work for them also by having a low rate of teenage pregnancy across Europe. Although this kind of approach could be argue that it is encouraging young people to have sex, but statistics in Netherlands stated that there are fewer teenage pregnancies and the age that most young people in Netherland first have sex is higher than in most other developed countries. Another way the British government is trying to tackle with teenage pregnancy is adverting young people to be responsible about sex and contraception on televisions, radios, internets and billboards. These kinds of promotions can be a good thing, because some young people might feel comfortable to be talking about sex amongst their peers, and these advertisements may even encourage some teenagers to talk about sex issues with their parents. Even though some people might argue that advertising sex and contraception will not solve teenage pregnancy, but it can be argued that it will not make the situation any worse, and these advertisements could be a break through towards teenage pregnancy, because some young people might think about their actions and use contraception more sensibly, because they have a knowledge of what the consequences are of not using contraception can lead to. As we already know the United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy across Europe. Figures have shown that during 1996 there were 44,000 that gave birth below the age of 20, which signified around 7 per cent of all births in Britain. The birth rate was 29.8 per 1000 women aged 15 to 19 years, compare with 65.5 per 1000 for women aged 20-24 years. This could be argued That in order to reduce such figures government should concentrate more on sex education in schools. Teenage pregnancy in Britain is usually identified as a problem for society, According to (Peckham, S.1993) stated that reports of medical, financial and social problems for mothers and children following teenage pregnancy, is linked with sex and education, and suggest how they should both be improved. teenage pregnancy rates in the Netherlands have always being low due to the high quality, explicit and early sex education in both primary and secondary schools. (Dr Loon 2003) believes that sex education in the Netherlands starts at younger age then The UK, its also more explicit, he also stated that the Netherlands are more Independent than the United Kingdom and parents and the government in the Netherlands have more power over what is being taught at school and also their Influence of church helps a lot. This can be argued that there is a huge difference in A way both countries approach sex education overall. The awareness of teenage pregnancy is more effective in the Netherlands, than the United Kingdom, because they start talking to children about sex at the age of 11, parents talk to the children about as well, so from a young age they know about sex, and they know what they consequences are of having sex are, and even if they are ready to be having sexual intercourse they know how to protect themselves from getting pregnant and STIs because they have being teaching them how to use contraception from schools, parents and media. Whereas the message is not really effective in the United Kingdom, even though the kind of messages that both countries is kind of similar, but one is more out there than the other, that why works more. The UK provide the correct information about the risks associated with sexual activity the also talk about contraception and birth control, and how to avoid Intercourse, they also focus on reducing specific risky behaviours. They dont really promote safe sex on televisions as much as the Netherlands does, or start sex education at an early age. But recently the UK has started advertising safe sex on televisions and radios. Research have shown that about 93 per of young people in the Netherlands use contraception, whereas in the UK 53 per cent of young people use contraception. This could be because in Netherland they give out the message more about safe sex in schools, homes, and media than in Britain. Studies shown that teenagers in both countries found that boys and girls in the Netherlands gave love to each other, as one of the main reasons of losing their virginity, and boys in the UK do it because they are getting peer pressure. Teenagers in the Netherlands are obviously doing it for the right reason and they are having sexual intercourse they probably feel they are ready, but they are being responsible by taking the percussions needed, because adults like teachers and parents have being telling them about safe sex from an early age, and they understand the consequences of what will happen if they dont take the right percussions needed. And some teenagers in Britain dont know or understand the consequences of safe sex, because they dont talk about sex at home, and at school the message that they send the most in sex education is dont have sex, and obliviously by telling young people not to have sex, they are more likely to do it, so its better off telling them what percussions to take when they feel like they need to starts having sexual intercourse with opposite sex. Conclusion In conclusion this essay has found out why The United Kingdom has a bad rate of teenage pregnancy and why the Netherlands have a good rate of teenage pregnancy. They reason why the UK has a bad rate of teenage pregnancy, its because they dont really talk about sex and contraction, you see they dont feel comfortable talking to their children and student about sex and contraception, so in order for them not to talk about it they just tell the young people not to have sex, instead of telling them about it and how to use contractions and where to go and get it from. They just promote by telling them they are not allow to have sex, whereas in the Netherlands they are more open about telling their children about sex and contraception, and also there children are taught sex education at an early age, unlike in the United Kingdom. The UK is working towards halving the teenage pregnancy rate by 2010, by following the approaches that the Netherlands use, by starting sex education at an early age, obliviously at age that they feel is right for the children, talking about sex and using contraception more, than promoting young people not to be having sex, also promoting using contraceptions on television, radios, internet, and on billboards. By doing is it can eventually make a change towards teenage pregnancy rate in the United Kingdom. Word Count 2, 464

Cloning Essay: Cloneco: Life is Our Business -- Argumentative Persuasi

Cloneco: Life is Our Business    On July 5, 1996, Scottish Scientists shocked the world by creating the first successful clone of a sheep.   With the dawn of this new biotechnology, people have begun to question the ethical ramifications of applying this technology to humans.   Many believe that cloning humans is morally wrong.   As a stockholder in Cloneco, I support their use of this scientific discovery.   However, my position to profit from the use of cloning is not the reason that I believe that there is nothing morally wrong with the practice of cloning.    Once Cloneco and other cloning research facilities have performed sufficient research on cloning, the practice of cloning will have many health benefits.   Currently, there are many genetic diseases for which there are no cures.   These include sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer's disease.   Cloning technology could be used to find cures for these genetic diseases in addition to other non-genetic health problems such as heart disease, liver and kidney failure, leukemia and cancer.  Ã‚      Opponents of cloning argue that the technology will be used for the pursuit of unethical goals.   They believe that some people will use cloning as a means of becoming immortal by repeatedly cloning themselves or that people would try to replace others with clones.   Despite the fact that it is impossible to create a clone with the same memories as the original, research has proven that it is impossible to make an exact replica of a person even if the replica is physically identical to the original.   This is because the environment in which he is brought up largely affects a person's development.&... ....   This means that they can make the most knowledgeable decisions based on the immense amount of information that they have gathered through research and experience.   In addition, all Cloneco employees from administrative assistants to scientists undergo a rigorous selection process in which background checks comparable to those used by the government's alphabet soup agencies are made to ensure that they will make moral decisions and will not pursue personal interests while working for Cloneco.      Cloning will usher in a new era in human history as the traditional form of procreation that has stood constant for eras changes.   However, it is important to remember that the purpose of cloning is to create humans, not duplicates.   It is Cloneco's mission to ensure that cloning technology is used responsibly.   Their business is life.

Abortion is a Necessary Alternative Essay -- pro choice abortion

Abortion is not as harmful as its opponents claim it to be. Instead of viewing abortion as "murder," society as a whole must consider abortion as a necessary alternative. Abortion can save a woman's life, physically, mentally, and emotionally. In today's society, the following reasons clearly impact the abortion dilemma. First, the definition of "life" the anti-abortionists provide us with is self-contradictory. Second, abortions are safer than ever in the past. Third, abortions help society avoid the challenges caused by unwanted children. Fourth, abortions benefit the mother's emotional life. Finally, abortion has its consent from the Bible. Therefore, abortion in the United States of America should remain legal. The anti-abortionist argument can be very well refuted because many professionals say that the "biological" or "life" argument the anti-abortionists use is wrong. According to embryologist Charles Gardner (Podell 64), "the Ôbiological' argument that a human being is created at fertilization contradicts all that we have learned in the past few decades." Another embryologist, C. R., Austin notes (Kamm 212), "fertilization does not confer genetic uniqueness -- this is achieved as a consequence of the first meiotic division, which takes place just before ovulation." Although necessary DNA unequivocally exists for the first time at conception, C. R. Austin informs us that (Kamm 231), "the information required to make an eye or finger does not exist in the fertilized egg. It exists in the positions and interactions of cells and molecules that will be formed only at a later time." Besides, if anti-abortionists are claiming that ensoulment takes place at conception, then what happens whe n twins are born? They grow from the ... ... was introduced to man, man had morals : these morals helped man distinguish what was right from wrong. America was built on morals based on Judeo-Christianity, thus, we were all created equal. America is a country where everyone has the same rights. And one right, regarding bearing children, effect women. But for the anti-abortionists, who will hopefully be a little less narrow-minded and a little more compassionate, perhaps the argument provided in this thesis can help to provide a bridge or two across the gap between "pro-choice" and "pro-life." Every woman deserves a right to choose an abortion. Works Cited Patricia Lunneborg, Abortion: A Positive Decision (New York: Bergin & Garvey, 1992) Kamm, F. M. Creation and Abortion: A Study in Moral and Legal Philosophy. Oxford University Press, 1992. Janet Podell, Abortion (Reference Shelf, Vol 62, No 4)

Globalization, Culture and Indigenous Societies Essay

Globalization describe by Richard Wilk is the world wide impact of industrialization and its socioeconomic, political, and cultural consequences on the world, which include migration of labor, increaing spread of industrial technology. Technology is moving at a rapid pace, that when a indivdual purchases a computer of the shelf, the technology is already obsolete. With the advancement of technology, it is causing countries to become modernizied. Such as inda, which was at one point a third world, but is now becoming mecha, for new businesses. But with monderization, comes dependency, such as with the invetion of the car, we have become depenent on oil, such so that we no longer get the majority of our oil from america, but from other countries. Companys the exxion, pay a certain amount of money for this oil, and will sell it to the consumer for 3 or 5 times the amount they paid, knowing the that consumer will pay the price set by the company, thus exploiting the consumer. Companys our now exploiting other countries, like china, they will out source products to be built in china, and charge the chinese worker a wage of lets say 50 cents an hour, instead or the americans work $9. 25 an hour to make the same product. With the rapid expansion of globalization, has change a lot of countries, it has in some cases, destroyed cultures, mainly for the countires resources. With epansion can come cultural change, someimes it is forced, case in point the mbuti tribe. The Mbuti, had been in contact with ousiders for centuries, but chose to retain their tradional way of life. During the colonial peroid, government officials tried to resettle the mbuti. The resettling was a disaster. It isnt the first time a government has tried to move a society of peole, one such case is the native american of north america. The united states put the native amerians on reservation, one such tribe would be the navajo indians. Globalization has had negative impact on a lot of small societys. It has destroyed their culture, their land, the people themselves to some extent. But in bigger societys, it has caused a triving oasis. But the downfalls our dependency. If we were to gradually, incorpate globalization of what bigger societys, in to smaller societys it would allow the intergration of the old and new, to eventually over time, it would evolve into something new. Such inda, and its marriage practices, the man works the women takes care of the home, but there our some women who want to work and take care of the home. Chapter Globalization in latin america, africa and the caribbean Globlization had a major impact in latin amercia in the 1500s. During this time, a man named hernado, cortes a spanierd, help start a rebellion, in the aztec empire. He gave the aztects non native weapons such as guns, to rebel against their ruler, Montezuma. The aztec state quickly crumpled. But it didnt stop their, the spanish wanted more territory, with the help of their native americans, the went to conquer mesoamerica, including Mexico, Honduras, and guatemala as well as parts of norh amercia, such as california. They exploited the people and land, by developing mining, commercial agricuture, and live stock raising and trading. This drastically transformed the sociocultural systems of the the americas. In Africa, societies exploited the country but use of slavery. In Africa this system included slaves who were attached to the extended families and be came part of the domestic social unit and as such could marry, own property and were protected from mutilation and murder.. But in western countries thought of them as property and did not have personal rights, could never be incorporated into the owners domestic family or social system. In the Caribbean islands because they did not have a large agricutrual resource, the colonial powers intrduced commercialized agricutrual usually in the form of sugrar plantations. In some cases, globalization can back fire, is various parts of south america, revolts started happing, and with the migration of various, peoples, south america become intermingled. Religions evolved, as well as devolved. The globalization of africa and south america, drasically change its land scape and its people forever. Many people lost their homes as well as their heritage. The africans lost a country when they were brought to the americas to become slaves. They lost many freedoms.. Chapter 15 Globalization in the middle east and asia. Just as in latin america, africa and the Caribbean, globalization had a negative impact for coutries in the middle east and in asia. With colonization, can dieses, and death. At one point weastern societies, tried to change the religion of many countries in the middle east as well as in various countries in asia. For the most part they did not succeed. Just as in south america, when came to colonization in the middle east and in asia, there came revolution. But some were more peace then others such as mohandas gahdis protests for indias independence from the British. Unlike china’s protests which were more violent, which lead to china forming a communist movement. These revolts and protects, change many countries, thus forming newer countries in the process. When these countries changed, some became very wealth while others became poor, for example, some countries in the middle east, had oil, many others did not. In the middle east, the Islamic tradition and Arab culture influence the patterns of family life and gender. With the globalization of the middle east and asia, came change, but mostly the change was met with revolution and for the most part it was a very violet one. Some countries tried to isolate them selves such as china, from the rest of the outside world. When you have a society that is trying to drastically change another culture it is almost always going to be met with hostility. But what comes out of it, when the dust settles, it could be go or band. But usually the change eventually turns out to be good.

Fidm Essay Paper

Valencia MitchellFIDM Application Hi, I’m Valencia Mitchell, and I believe FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) is the right school for me. Since the age of 10-11, fashion has been one of those things that I just knew I had a passion for. From reading fashion magazines; memorizing many French, Scandinavian, Italian, and American fashion designers; keeping up with the trends and events on style. com, to catching up with fashion weeks all around the world online; I have finally found my place.I’m a very independent, social, determined, but goofy person. I love meeting new people. During my free time, I love to listen to music, draw, or watch movies. I love making people smile, and making their day better. I’m a junior in high school, but graduating early this upcoming year due to extra credits. No matter what I’m doing or where I am, I try to exceed the expectations that I have set for myself. I believe that FIDM is the perfect fit for me, be cause it mainly focuses on the occupation or industry you would like to work in.FIDM teaches you the inside and out’s of the industry, and prepares you for the future. For three years now, I have wanted to attend this school and I believe that FIDM will bring out the best of my abilities and make my future brighter. Ever since I was given a tour around the San Francisco campus, I have fallen even more in love with this school. The atmosphere, the energy, the display windows – it seemed like the school was made for me!This has made me even more excited for college and what my future will bring. The major that I’m applying for is Visual Communications. For the longest time, I wanted to be a fashion stylist. I loved how they didn’t just pick/choose and style the clothes – they tried to portray a story with props, location, and history as well. I’ve been a big fan of Grace Coddington (from Vogue), Camilla Nickerson, and Havana Lafitte. Visual Co mmunications takes all those things and puts into one.When I toured the campus in San Francisco, I noticed many display windows in which were designed by many visual communication students. Every window I came across was different in style, and the story told from what they designed. Being in a classroom is okay at times, but I like being interactive with projects, also. Since I’m a very big dreamer, I believe this major is perfect for me. Upon my graduation from FIDM, I know that I will have accomplished what I always wanted to do ever since the age of 10.I want to feel that I never gave up on my dream of being who I always wanted to be. I know I will become very proud of myself when I graduate from FIDM. I would have gain the experience that I needed to push forward and explore new opportunities. Hopefully by then, I would have made great connections with different clothing brands such as J. Crew, BCBG, or Anthropologie. I believe that with me receiving education from FIDM, it will help me reach new heights that I never knew I could reach. This is the first step to reaching those heights.