Moral matters Essay

PRAYER is the center for Jesus. Religion has two aspects: On the one hand it maintains certain standards of conduct, on the other it affirms certain beliefs about the ultimate nature of the universe. It is prayer which connects the two. Without it the one of these would be ethics, and the other would be theology. Prayer makes them elements in religion. In prayer the individual brings together God, life’s ideal values, and himself. It is evident from the gospels that Jesus believed in prayer, told men to pray, and prayed himself. Mark narrates how early in the morning before others are about he withdraws to the desert to pray (Mark 1:35). Late in the evening after teaching the multitudes all day he goes into a mountain to pray (Mark 6:46). The hours before the arrest are spent in prayer. Luke is particularly interested in the prayers of Jesus, and adds to Mark’s account various other references. At the time of the baptism, when the heavens opened and he saw the vision, he was praying (Mark 14:32). When the multitudes crowded upon him after the healing of the leper, â€Å"he withdrew into the deserts and prayed (Luke 3:21). † Before choosing the Twelve, and before he asked the disciples what they thought of himself, he was in prayer (Luke 5:16). The Transfiguration occurred when he was at prayer (Luke 6:12, 9:18). The request of the disciples, â€Å"Lord, teach us to pray,† was made at the close of one of his periods of prayer (Luke 9:28). Some of these may be editorial additions in order to provide settings for sayings or incidents where the actual occasion had been forgotten, but there can be no doubt that they represent an authentic record of the practice of Jesus. One notices immediately several facts about these acts of prayer. In the first place, a considerable number of them occur at times of decision and crisis. Important junctures and turning points in Jesus’ career were approached after long periods of silent meditation and prayer. In the second place, one notes that prayer was for Jesus a refreshing and invigorating experience. From the turmoil, confusion, and fatigue of dealing with the multitudes he sought refuge in withdrawals for quiet prayer. His words to his disciples show what these retreats meant to himself. â€Å"Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest awhile,† he said when they returned telling of their strenuous campaign through the cities and villages of Galilee (Guignebert 67). Such experiences of rest, reflection, and prayer Jesus himself had found necessary in order to carry on the spiritually and emotionally exhausting undertaking in which he was engaged. Such a practice of prayer throws valuable light on Jesus’ own religion. In spite of his clarity of mind and intuitive understanding of religious and moral matters, in spite too of his independence and the authority with which he taught, it is evident that Jesus had no sense of religious self-sufficiency and personal adequacy. His intuitive moral judgments and his consciousness of authority to proclaim God’s will were rather the results of these hours in which he sought to ascertain the purposes of God and to be led by him. If one should ask what Jesus taught about prayer, it must be answered that he gave very little definite teaching. There were certain things he said about it, but he gave no set rules or systematic directions for prayer. To him it was an intensely personal thing, and never to be reduced to form or ritual. Professor Bundy, speaking of Jesus’ retreats for the purpose of prayer, remarks that there was no regularity about these retreats. â€Å"They were in no sense a part of a prayer system. For Jesus prayer was not a traditional religious exercise to be engaged in and observed at certain set hours, but the spontaneous impromptu practice of an intense personal piety. † Indeed one learns more about prayer as Jesus practiced it from his own prayers recorded in the gospels than from any instructions he gave about praying. By putting together precept and practice one can learn something of his conception of prayer and the objects for which he thought men should pray (Taylor 145-50). First and foremost should be placed the fact that Jesus repeatedly and in the strongest possible language urged his hearers to pray. â€Å"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask for a loaf, will he give him a stone; or if he ask for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? † (Matt. 7: 11) On other occasions he was even more emphatic. â€Å"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,† he said in extreme illustration, â€Å"ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. † By such words he tried to impress upon his hearers that God gives heed to prayer. For he knew that the reason men do not pray is that they do not believe that anything will be accomplished by it. God does hear and answer the prayer of faith. To Jesus prayer was not a process of autosuggestion or a devotional ritual with subjective values, but an actual source of power for accomplishment (Pannenberg 267)

Education System Essay

The education system of India is very old. It has started from the ancient times. The Vedas, puranas, ayurveda, yoga represent some forms of education. There are evidences of imparting formal education in ancient India under the Gurukul system. Under the Gurukul system, young boys who were passing through the Brahmacharya stage of life had to stay at the Guru or the teacher’s home and complete their education. Earlier women and people of lower castes didn’t have a right to educate themselves. But Jainism, Buddhism and Sufi movements had some liberating effects. The Britishers can be credited for bringing a revolution in the Indian education system because it is the English language and the reformation movements of the 19th century that had the most liberating effect in pre-independent India. India Education Present Condition  After independence, making education available to all had become a priority for the government. As discrimination on the basis of caste and gender has been a major impediment in the healthy development of the Indian society, they have been made unlawful by the Indian constitution. The 86th constitutional amendment has also made elementary education a fundamental right for the children between the age group- 6 to 14. According to the 2001 census, Total literacy rate – 65.38%. The female literacy rate – 54.16%. Only 59.4% of rural population is literate as against 80.3% urban population according to the 2001 census. Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/education-system-of-india.php#ixzz2KBxKSaq0

The Value and Importance of Training Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Value and Importance of Training - Essay Example They employ 2.2 million associates worldwide. With their ‘Every Day Low Cost’ strategy Wal-Mart has been able to become leaders in the retail sector. The company recognizes the contribution of its associates (Wal-Mart refers to its employees as associates) in the success of the company. The company since beginning believed in ‘bringing people up through the ranks’ (MMR, 2012). Associates that were keen to further their careers at Wal-Mart are regarded as potential management trainees. To support this, Wal-Mart had a well-established management training program and in the 1980s an increasing number of associated enrolled for the accelerated store management candidate program. Growth of Wal-Mart was so rapid that they had to go in for college recruitments in addition to its internal management identification and training program. Wal-Mart also has a reputation of high turnover of staff, which suggests that they need to motivate the staff to reduce attrition. H owever, associates need to have the knowledge and skills to serve, support and sell within their division (Wal-Mart, 2007). It is thus essential that associate learning is aligned to the business strategy of Wal-Mart. Training, for associates at Wal-Mart has to be specific to their area of responsibility. At the same time it must also prepare them for growth within the organization. Wal-Mart continually updates training and development programs and they adopted computer-based learning. However this has not been sufficient to motivate the associate to grow within the company. Wal-Mart needs to employ more effective training programs that could motivate and enhance performance of their associates. Training is fundamental in transforming the workforce but the training must start from the top and cascade down to the lower levels (Vermeulen & Crous, 2000). The best results are obtained when managers train their own people. However, for training to be effective it must be planned in a sys tematic manner. Training has to be ongoing not merely to meet the changes in technology but it also has to be relevant to the business environment in which the organization operates. In addition, training must be able to meet the future needs of the organization and should be organization-specific. Today it is no more sufficient to align training with the business strategy, especially as organizations employ young graduates. They need to fulfill graduate expectations as well (Connor & Shaw, 2008). Therefore, there has to be a shift from computer-based coaching. The efficacy of structured class-room coaching is debatable even if it is computer-based. Technology provides for alternate solutions including long-distance and e-learning approaches. The traditional programs curb creativity and do not encourage risk-taking (Cron et al, 2005). While technology is increasingly being adopted in training and development programs, it is necessary that such training is ongoing (Byers, 2005). Cons tant change in technology requires life-long learning. Change is inevitable in any business environment. Online training offers the flexibility and capacity to update the training instantly. This is not only a necessity as rapid change takes place in the business environment but it also adds to learner satisfaction. This enables the mature learners to avail of the training sessions at their convenience. Coaching activity in companies is declining which indicates that expected business benefits have

Situation Analysis (Marketing Reserch) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Situation Analysis (Marketing Reserch) - Essay Example Like any large American company, GM has also diversified its operations to include strategic partnerships with other companies and has a part in making electronic components for aircraft as well as various parts for other equipment. GM’s core product is the manufacturing of automobiles. These products are divided into several divisions that have different brand names, each designed to appeal to a different demographic part of the market. For example, the company produces both the Chevrolet and Cadillac lines. Chevrolet vehicles are designed for the market segment that wants basic and affordable transportation. The Cadillac line, however, is made for the high-end consumer who wants performance or prestige and doesn’t mind paying much higher prices for a vehicle. The company also has products in many different countries that are specifically designed for the customers who live there. Industry Trends. The automotive industry is highly competitive, and requires GM to constantly consider what the customers want and how to efficiently provide for the demands in the market. One of the major trends in the automotive industry is the fragmentation of the market, due to competition from other manufacturers outside the country. This has required a change in the location of production plants. GM and other automakers used to follow production concept called the â€Å"regional branch concept† where, because automobiles are â€Å"bulky products fabricated from thousands of parts, automobiles were assembled as close as possible to consumers in order to minimize aggregate freight costs† (Rubenstein 137). Now, given the changes in the market, they employ a more centralized procedure that considers the primary consumer of that particular brand and build production plants in places that allow easy delivery to several markets. Another major trend in the industry is the move to hybrid vehicles. As

Negligent Tort Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negligent Tort - Assignment Example Tort is any legal or civil injury or harm that is caused or directed to a person, company or a party. We would therefore categorize this action under negligent tort. The following elements constitutes negligent tort. A person or a company must owe the customer or individual in question a product or service. The company or the person must violate a promise and obligation. In this case, Philips Company would be violating the consumer safety Act. The consumer must have suffered injury or loss in the process of using the product or the service. The injury or loss must be seen because of the negligence of the manufacture of the product or the service. The government to produce products, which are safe and durable, has licensed Philips Company. The government has licensed the company and therefore mandated the company with the duty of care. Duty of care is the relationship and circumstance under which the law recognizes as providing rise to any legal duty to take care of consumers. If Phil ips Company fails to take care of its consumers then it may lead to legal battle whether the defendant would be liable to pay damages for the loss or damages. The person that is injured is suffering the loss due to the breach of duty of care by the company. According to the US law, standard of care is the level of conduct expected from Philips Company in this regard to avoid liabilities for negligence. If the company or the person fails to meet the expected standards then there is a breach of duty. Philips Company has the mandate of producing standardized products. The reason for the hazards indicate that the products are substandard and do not meet the requirements of the law. This is a breach of duty since the company should provide better services with optimum quality to avoid cases injuries to the consumers. If any person had suffered any injury or harm while using the lamps, the person would be protected from the negligence of the consumer through the negligence liability. The law requires that consumers conform to the standard of care by providing information regarding any under standardized products. Breach of duty occurs when the defendant, which in this case is Philips Company, fails to meet the standards that is set or required by the law. The state expects that companies licensed to provide services to the consumers meet the expected standard. The consumers Act protect from malice and under standardization the consumers. The consumer Act protects all consumers from exploitation. Once it is established that Philips Company owes a consumer the duty of care, it is necessary for the consumers to demonstrate to the court that the company’s action was in breach of duty. Actual causation is the factor that leads to the occurrence of the event. If the factor were missing then the event would not occur. In other words, actual causation is also termed as factual cause. As the consumer, it is important to prove to the courts that if Philips Company woul d have made the wires in such a way that they will not arc, burn and cause fire leading to shattering and laceration, the injury or loss would not occur. The complainant must present his/her defense in the following manner, â€Å"but for the existence of A, would B have occurred†. Proximate causation or legal cause existence is when the complainant proves that the defendant’s negligence is a substantial factor that has led to the injury or loss

Transition Plans in Special Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Transition Plans in Special Education - Essay Example The transition process for students with disability begins as from age 14 when a student’s is within the educational system or high school. IDEA also offers funds to transition planning programs for student only when still under the confines of an educational system (Trach, 2012). The development of transitional plans targeting children with special disabilities has led to increased number of disabled youths registering for high school and post high school programs. A transition plan is contained under the individualized education program and refers to activities that outline the strengthening of needs, skills and interest of students with special disabilities immediately after high school. Through transition planning, the needs, strengths, skills and life goals of students can be identified long in advance and nurtured. Implementing such a plan in advance enables a student with disabilities to develop personality and skills that can enable them to overcome post high school ch allenges (Trach, 2012). Problem statement and significance of study The development of a child with special disabilities has thus been given much prominence and the education system within the United States mandates schools within role. It appreciates the barriers, challenges and problems that students undergo especially after graduating from high school. Understanding the various process, impacts and players in the transition planning development is an important aspect for all scholars within the special education fraternity. This study thus seeks to highlight the processes of transition planning and the impacts that it has created in the development of special education and the preparation of students for postsecondary school life. It seeks to identify the key stakeholders and collaborators of the process and the different roles that each plays (Trach, 2012). The impact of their input in developing a proper transition plan for students with disability will also be evaluated in the study to help discern the importance of transition planning in the education system of students with disabilities. Most student transition planning focuses on providing skills that can enable the students with special disabilities to secure employment and gainful engagement after high school. Comprehensive transitional plan thus ensures the coordination and liaison with external organization that may be interested in employing the students well in advance before they actually graduate from high school (Michaels & Ferrara, 2005). Research questions 1. What is the impact of transition planning in the educational development of students with disability? 2. What transition area holds the key to the success of any transition-planning program? 3. What are the impacts of formal and informal assessment methods available as IDEA regulations? 4. What are the roles of collaborators and how have they contributed towards the development of an effective transition planning approach Participants in transition planning Participants in transitional planning fall in different age groups and this makes their levels of exposure and life experiences vary significantly. Transition plans are thus developed and modeled depending on the needs of the students, their age groups and life experien

Persusive research paper on stem cell research and why it needs to

Persusive on stem cell and why it needs to continue and be funded by congress - Research Paper Example The present enthusiasm over prospective stem cell-produced remedies radiates from the new innovations of genetic biology. Though one cannot forecast the results from basic research, there is enough information available to suggest that a good deal of this enthusiasm is justified. This enthusiasm is not shared by those of the religious right. This faction is opposed to embryonic stem cell research which they claim as immoral and characterize as devaluing human life, much the same as does abortion, drawing a link between the two. This discussion will provide a brief overview of stem cell research and its benefits to society, the debate surrounding the issue and the arguments for continued research. Embryonic stem cells possess the ability to restore defective or damaged tissues which would heal or regenerate organs which have been adversely affected by a degenerative disease. Cell therapy has the very real potential to provide new cures for diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, macular deg eneration, multiple sclerosis and many other kinds of diseases. Cell therapy has also demonstrated a great potential to help repair and regenerate spinal cord injuries which would help paralyzed patients recapture lost body functions. The possibilities are limitless including greatly advancing the human lifespan because aging organs could be replenished. â€Å"We may even have the ability one day to grow our own organs for transplantation from our own stem cells, eliminating the danger of organ rejection† (â€Å"Future of Cell Therapy†, 2006). The three main objectives given for pursuing stem cell research are obtaining vital scientific information about embryonic development; curing incapacitating ailments and for testing new drugs instead of having to use animals. The scientific techniques for obtaining stem cells could lead to unparalleled advances and even cures for these and other ailments. It has been substantiated from animal research that stem cells can be diff erentiated into cells that will behave appropriately in their transplanted location. For example, the transplantation of stem cells following treatments for cancer has found much success for many years. There are numerous potential sources. The first is bone marrow stem cells. This type of stem cell is probably the most recognized of the stem cells. It has been used routinely to treat a variety of blood and bone marrow diseases, blood cancers and immune disorders. Leukemia is the most recognized disease that has been treated with a bone marrow transplant. New evidence suggests that bone marrow stem cells may be able to differentiate (the process by which an unspecialized cell acquires the features of a specialized cell) into cells that make up tissues outside of the blood such as liver and muscle (â€Å"Stem Cells In Use.† Learn.Genetics). The second type of stem cell is the adult stem cell. An adult stem cell is thought to be an undifferentiated cell, found among differentia ted cells in tissues or organs. These cells can renew themselves and can differentiate to become some or all of the major specialized cells types in the tissue and muscle it resides in. The primary function of this type of stem cell is to maintain and repair the tissue in which they reside. Because there are a very limited number of adult stem cells in each tissue coupled

Social Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Security - Research Paper Example This paper supports the view that social security should not be privatized. Supporting points The very first reason not to privatize social security system this will hinder the realization of the social security objectives and goals. This implies that over the next forty seven years, privatization is likely to reduce the benefit levels by 44% as compared to the level of 2005 (Max, 2005). In addition, Max, (2005) tells us that implementation of privatization system is expensive. The costs that would be spent in the changeover process when coming up with new personal account and continuing to offer benefits to recipients of social security would require about $2 trillion. Privatization of social security will as well hurt the economy. As pointed out by Orszag and Diamond (2005) this is because the high costs would be involved in the privatizing the accounts are likely to reduce the growth of economy (Orszag and Diamond, 2005). This implies that social security fund would be destabilize d. Centralized deficits and debts will increase as a result of privatizing social security. These are likely to reduce long-term growth of the economy and the amount of the funds that is available for retirement of booming new generation. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities carried out an analysis which showed that the President’s proposal was to add $1 trillion in the new federal budget while implementing privatization in the first decade. The following decade was to use 3.5 trillion and much more trillions afterward. Accordingly, this would hurt the economy badly as noted by Orszag and Diamond (2005). The fact that particular insurance covers such as disability and survivors insurance which are offered by social security will decline when the private accounts become operational is a notable reason to oppose privatization. As explained by Max (2005) privatizing social security also means that retirement funds are put on the stock market. This weakens the system of nat ional retirement through potentially risky savings. The retirement savings are moved from a simple and an easy structure into a complex structure of investment that has a portfolio and shares of stock market which are not easy to understand and more risky to deal with. In addition, disproportionate returns are created by private accounts because individuals with higher income have more money and their risks for investment yields are higher as compared to workers who have low and moderate income. Some countries have witnessed negative effects of privatizing their national retirement schemes. For example, in the United Kingdom, the private retirement account started in 1988 and averagely 43% of the return on their investments is spent on marketing fees and management costs (Krugman, 2004). This means much of fund which is supposed to benefit contributors is used to run the privatized social security system. Such a scenario should be avoided completely. In his argument against privatiz ation of social security Max (2005) warns that during an economic crisis, privatization is very disastrous to people who make their contributions to the social security. The households lose most of their properties when there is an economic crisis because their investments are traded on the stock exchange. Banks are enriched by

Stasiland Essay Essay Example for Free

Stasiland Essay Essay â€Å"This society, it was built on lies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why does Funder find it so difficult to uncover the truth? In writing Stasiland, Funder is intent on finding out the truth of the East German regime. She interviews various people that either worked for the Stasi, or had a run in with them, in order to discover the facts about what really happened during the time of the GDR. Uncovering the truth becomes difficult for Funder, as she realizes that the entire operation was built on â€Å"lie after lie after lie. † The Stasi went to extreme lengths to cover up what was really happening to the people in their custody. The story of Miriam Weber includes different examples of the Stasi either lying about their actions or keeping them concealed. After Miriam attempted to climb over the Berlin Wall, she was interrogated and deprived of sleep until she told the interrogator a story about a fake underground escape organisation that told her how to get over the Wall. The Stasi could have then charged her for Deception of the Ministry, but they didn’t, in order to hide the fact that they wouldn’t let Miriam sleep, which was classed as torture. Another possible lie that the Stasi kept was the death of Miriam’s husband, Charlie. Charlie dies in Stasi custody and according to them he had taken his own life, but the Stasi could not tell her how he had hung himself. It was clear that the Stasi even ran the funeral agency, as they insisted that there would be no laying out of the body and that it will have to be cremated, as if to cover up and destroy the evidence of how Charlie really died. The Stasi went to a substantial amount of trouble to hide the truth. Funder finds it extremely difficult to uncover the truth. She hears the numerous stories of different characters, but some these characters don’t really know what the truth is, and others may be too scared to let the truth out. The victims of the Stasi don’t know how extensive the investigations into their own lives were, and the only way for them to find out is to read their own file, which has been destroyed. The people who were members of the Stasi seem to explain to Funder about what really happened behind the closed doors of the GDR, but they don’t reveal any truths that are not already known. They don’t want to expose who they are, or their secrets of how horribly intrusive and malicious they were, because they are scared of their victims getting revenge on them. This becomes clear when Funder goes to interview von-Schnitzler, to find that he has his wife’s maiden name on his door, rather than his own name.

Productive Opportunity Essay Example for Free

Productive Opportunity Essay Productive opportunities depends on multiple things, the advancement of technology, the availability and access to resources, and also what producers and entrepreneurs can think of at the given time. Choosing a combination of productive and financial opportunities help maximize wealth. They key in finding a productive opportunity is a high degree of awareness of the factors that distort judgment A perfect capital market is when buying and selling do not affect prices. â€Å"In a perfect capital market the corporation is regarded only as a means of generating wealth, because the present value of the dollar returns it generates is the only feature relevant to its owners. † Understanding your resource, resources is a source or supply from which an organization gains profit. Typically resources are materials or other assets that are transformed to produce benefit and in the process may be consumed or made unavailable. From a human perspective a natural resource is anything obtained from the environment to satisfy human needs and wants. Organizations operate by people making decisions. A manager plans and organizes a team by executing decisions. The effectiveness and quality of those decisions determines how successful a manager is. With this being said â€Å"the goal of the manager and owner remain the same as long as market value is maximized.† Opportunity is all around us but yet at the same time sometimes we never see it. In business we look for new ways to market our business, reach our target market, build on online community and through this all we overlook the opportunity that is all around us. We are learning to create opportunity my maximizing our market value. In conclusion, â€Å"in a perfect capital market, the market value of the ï ¬ rm is determined only by the cash ï ¬â€šows it can generate and not by the source of funds used to ï ¬ nance those operations. The task of management is to create wealth by ï ¬ nding productive opportunities with average rates of return exceeding the market rate of interest.† Fabozzi, Frank J. (2011-12-01). Financial Economics (Page 46). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Analysis of a Womens Quota in India

Analysis of a Womens Quota in India INTRODUCTION OF WOMENS RESERVATION BILL The question of a womens quota in India is distinct from any other nation because the Constitution of India has already provided for quotas for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) formerly untouchable castes in the Hindu community and the Scheduled Tribes (STs). It has provisions for similar measures for the socially and educationally backward classes now termed as the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). These quotas are for admissions to educational institutions, public sector employment and political representation. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments provided for 33% quotas for womens representation in the local self-government institutions. These Amendments were implemented in 1993. They were enacted without any pressure or persistent demand from women or any other section. Prior to these Amendments the State of Karnataka had introduced 25% womens quota in Panchayati Raj Institutions.1 First elections after the implementation of quotas were held in 1987 (Jain 1996). Later, State of Mah arashtra passed a law providing for 30% reservation of seats for women in rural as well as urban local self-government institutions. It is curious that, in spite of over 1,000,000 elected women representatives flooding the local governments; the womens movement in India was totally silent over this issue till 1996. The smooth passage of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments encouraged all major national political parties to commit themselves to extending 33% womens quota to state legislatures and Parliament. The 81st Constitutional Amendment Bill, popularly known as the Womens Reservation Bill, was introduced in the Parliament in 1996 to that effect. The womens movement had no role in bringing about this Bill. It did offer some inputs in the Committee hearings but it became vocal and visible on this issue only after its first debacle in eleventh Lok Sabha. Even then, this visibility was in the form of demonstrations and sit-ins in front of the Parliament and not by way of proactive intervention in the electoral process by supporting women candidates or recruiting movements spokespersons in elective roles on various levels. OBJECTIVES OF WOMENS RESERVATION BILL The proposer of the policy of reservation state that although equality of the sexes is enshrined in the Constitution, it is not the reality. Therefore, forceful affirmative action is required to improve the condition of women. Also, there is evidence that political reservation has increased redistribution of resources in favour of the groups which benefit from reservation. A study about the effect of reservation for women in panchayats shows that women elected under the reservation policy invest more in the public goods closely linked to womens concerns. In 2008, commissioned by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, reveals that a sizeable proportion of women representatives perceive an enhancement in their self-esteem, confidence and decision-making ability. Some opponents argue that separate constituencies for women would not only narrow their outlook but lead to perpetuation of unequal status because they would be seen as not competing on merit. For instance, in the Constituent Assembly, Mrs Renuka Ray argued against reserving seats for women: When there is reservation of seats for women, the question of their consideration for general seats, however competent they may be, does not usually arise. We feel that women will get more chances if the consideration is of ability alone.12 Opponents also contend that reservation would not lead to political empowerment of women because: (a) Larger issues of electoral reforms such as measures to check criminalisation of politics, internal democracy in political parties, influence of black money, etc. have not been addressed, (b) It could lead to election of proxies or relatives of male candidates. LOK SABHA Reserved seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in the state or union territory. If a state or union territory has only one seat in the Lok Sabha, that seat shall be reserved for women in the first general election of every cycle of three elections. If there are two seats, each shall be reserved once in a cycle of three elections. Similar rules apply for seats reserved for SC/STs. Of the two seats in the Lok Sabha reserved for Anglo Indians, one will be reserved for women in each of the two elections in a cycle of three elections. LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES The Bill reserves one-third of all seats in the legislative assemblies that are to be filled by direct election for women. Such seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in the state. For SC/ST seats, similar rules as those for the Lok Sabha apply. KEY FEATURES 1. As nearly as may be one-third of all seats in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies shall be reserved for women. 2. Reservation shall apply in case of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) as well. 3. Seats to be reserved in rotation will be determined by draw of lots in such a way that a seat shall be reserved only once in three consecutive general elections. DEMOCRACY The concept of democracy will only assume true and dynamic significance when political parties and national legislatures are decided upon jointly by men and women in equitable regard for the interests and aptitudes of both halves of the population. Inter-Parliamentary Union, 1994 While there is no universally accepted definition of democracy, any functional analysis must include two fundamental principles: all members of the society must have equal access to power, and all members must enjoy universally recognised freedoms and liberties. The Indian model of democracy also prioritises representation so as to avoid the pitfalls of majority rule. On this basis, there already exists a quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It is clear from the statistics alone that women do not have easy access to raditional power structures. Their entry into public spaces is persistently isabled by prevailing historical constructions of gender, created and perpetuated by the dominant institutions such as family, religion, education and the State. Nevertheless, the nature of this relationship also means that the same institutions which created the imbalance can take responsibility for its repair. The final objective of reservation is to increase womens visibility in all policy decisions on the basis that all policy decisions affect women as well as men, and affect women differently to men. This applies equally to the harder issues such as trade, industry, agriculture, defence, employment etc., as it does to those softer issues which are traditionally assigned to women politicians. Political participation of all sections of society is essential for building a functioning and representative democracy. Women must therefore be present in new arenas of decision making, with their experiences, perspectives and visions of the future informing public debate. Reservation will provide elected women with the ability to compliment elected men in making the rules that apply equally to both sexes, and which women are equally expected to abide by. Reservations on Reservation The greatest impediment to the passing of the Bill is the insistence from certain political lobbies on a quota within a quota for women of other backward classes (OBC). The concern is that, without these provisions, elected women will come from the ruling classes alone and will selectively represent the interests of these socio-political elite. OBCs and Muslim women are not currently represented Within the Womens Reservation Bill simply because there is no general reservation for OBCs and Muslims and as such a sub-quota within the Womens Reservation Bill may be unconstitutional. Whilst it might be possible to add a sub-clause, the push should first be for a Constitutional Amendment that enables a general OBC quota and/or a non-secular quota for Muslims. This was the recommendation of the Joint Select Committee Formed in 1996, which responded to a common delegation of backward caste MPs with the assertion that sub-reservations for OBC women were not legally permissible until a separate constitutional amendment established a general quota. In addition to a number of minor technical adjustments, the Committee then recommended that the bill be passed into law as soon as possible. Interestingly, neither Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party nor any other leader has of yet brought a proposal for reservation for OBCs or other minorities to be debated and discussed in the Parliament. Once the Womens Reservation Bill is passed, quotas for general reservation for other social groups can be raised in the parliament as a separate Issue, with one third of the seats within these distinct quotas subsequently reserved for women. Even with no general quota, it is difficult to understand why it is assumed that OBCs will be less well represented upon the implementation of womens reservation. To quote the former Judge of Delhi High Court, Justice Rajinder Sachar (PUCL Report, 2003), There are about 200 OBC candidates in the Lok Sabha It is not their public service, but merely the caste configuration that has preferred them. Similar results will follow even after the reservation for women. CLIMRAP Subsequently, womens organisations and the National Commission for Women (NCW) have accused detractors in parliament of making demandsfor OBC sub-quotas simply to undermine the bill and safeguard their own seats, or alternatively to keep their Muslim and OBC vote bank intact at a highly opportune time. They claim that, within the parties most Protesting about the need for female representation from backward classes, there are remarkably few female candidates or elected representatives: the Samajwadi Party (SP), for example, has 2 women representatives out of a total of 39 MPs. If these MPs were truly concerned about the lot of OBC women, it should have been possible before now to distribute party tickets to female candidates from OBCs and other minorities. There are also very real dangers in compartmentalising the Issue of womens empowerment. The NCW have noted that quotas are one of the few issues to unite women in parliament from across party lines often because many of these women have personally witnessed the systemic discrimination that impedes womens participation in electoral and political procedures. Reservation is a tool that begins to repair the damage caused by Centuries of discrimination that exists ubiquitously across political parties, across social classes and across community divisions. Of any excluded group, the most deprived member will always be a woman. 22.5 per cent of seats in Parliament are already reserved for SC/ST of which just over 7 per cent are held by women and around 200 MPs are from OBCs (well over a third of the Lok Sabha). In contrast, just 8 per cent of seats in the national legislature are held by women. There is undoubtedly a need to further the participation of Lower castes and classes, but an alternative prop is needed to the Womens Reservation Bill. The government cannot continue to be sidelined on this issue because there are men in Parliament who apparently possess more pressing Concerns than the liberation of half the population. Ultimately, mens very presence in Parliament will always enable them to shout louder and more often Until the Bill is passed. METHODOLOGY Womens Rights and Social Development I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved. B.R. Ambedkar Taking measures to enhance the status and visibility of women is critical for sustainable progress against the range of human development indicators, Both because women are particularly vulnerable to social and economic marginalisation when resources are scarce, and because women are critical agents in the development processes. According to various international reports, development in India is being severely hampered by the breadth of the gender gap and limited female participation in traditionally male dominated institutions and social strata as in below: India and the Gender Gap The World Economic Forums annual Gender Gap Report (2007) affirmed that there are just six countries Iran, Bahrain, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen performing worse against economic parameters, with women constituting a mere 3 per cent of legislators, senior officials and managers and making up 90 per cent of informal workers in the economy. Against other major indicators, there is also immense cause for concern: India has the largest number of maternal deaths in the world and shocking rates of female malnutrition, and a woman in India has lesser chance of survival than in all but 2 of 128 countries. The oft-discussed imbalance in the sex ratio can be attributed not only to female infanticide, as is often assumed but to sustained neglect from infancy of female health, nutrition and wellbeing. A girl child is up to 3 times more likely to be malnourished than her brother (UN), and is also significantly more likely to drop out of school before completing a full eight years of education. As well as passive neglect, violence against women and girl children is on the rise: the number of rapes per day has increased by nearly 700 per cent since 1971, and thousands of dowry deaths occur each year (National Crime Records Bureau). There are countless studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of womens empowerment as a tool for development. For example, Kerala and Manipur have experienced rapid progress in improving health and reducing mortality and fertility rates the benefits of which affect men as well as women and in these states women also play a vital social and economic role. This correlation should not be surprising, given that nutrition and child health generally fall within the remit of the womans household decisions. Ultimately, healthy, educated and empowered women are more likely to raise healthy, educated and confident children and engage positively with the life of the community (UNICEF). To eliminate gender discrimination and promote female empowerment, womens decision making capacity must therefore be enhanced within the household, the workplace and the political sphere. Increased political influence should have reverberations for womens equality in the other two realms, which will in turn have implications for Indias performance against all milestones for social progress. Reservation of seats is a basic, consistent and logical step towards both womens emancipation and inclusive development particularly for a government which promised that the equal access to participation and decision making of women in the social, political and economic life of the nation would be at the heart of its agenda (National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, 2001). Experiences in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) The challenges faced by elected women in local government are often extreme, and have been widely documented by both proponents and critics of womens reservation. However, it is important to note that there are also many success stories from within the PRIs. Where womens presence has been meaningful, they have been able to make a significant contribution to the life of the community and offer an alternative perspective to the traditional status quo. Womens panchayats have also successfully campaigned and taken action on pressing issues that impact on womens rights such as alcoholism, child marriage, domestic violence and gambling. Nevertheless, the experiments with reservation in PRIs have demonstrated that it will be necessary to ensure that women access equal opportunities to progress within the political system, and that fixed reservation in the Lok Sabha does not act as a seal on participation. Few women from PRIs have of yet managed to progress through the ranks and enter State Assemblies, national legislatures etc. Processes of promotion Within decision making bodies must therefore be facilitated, for it is overly simplistic to imagine that prejudice is not dispersed within the institutions of governance themselves. Women demand one third reservation in parliament 30 Aug 2009, 0014 hrs IST, ET Bureau Thursday should have been a red-letter day for Indian women. Thats when the Cabinet agreed to hike reservation for women in all tiers of the Panchayati raj system from the existing 33% to 50%. In a country where the Womens Reservation Bill, reserving a third of the seats in Parliament for women, has been stonewalled for 13 years, the decision marks a victory, however small. But its not enough. Especially if, as many suspect, it is a convenient ploy to draw attention away from the main issue: the inability (unwillingness?) of the government to deliver on its promise of reserving seats for women in parliament. The unstated underlying logic (?) seems to be more women are fine provided they are at the sub-ordinate level of decision making. So give them more seats in Panchayati level institutions that are anyway fairly powerless but dont allow them to sup at the high table of Parliament/state legislatures But is that fair, either to the women or the country? Research suggests that having more women lawmakers makes a huge difference, not just to women, but to society as a whole especially in poor countries. In Rwanda, for instance, a much-needed law that defines rape and protects victims of sexual abuse was passed only after women legislators became a force to reckon with. Their male counterparts saw the subject as taboo. (Rwanda, incidentally, is the first country in the world where women are in a majority in Parliament). Unfortunately, Rwanda is an exception. In the 100 odd years since women were first elected to a national parliament, only 18.4% of seats worldwide are currently held by women. To address this, close to 110 countries have introduced rules to help women get elected. So has India but with one difference. We, or rather our male Parliamentarians, are willing to allow more representation to women, but not where it matters, in Parliament and state legislatures. This is why even as Indian women celebrate Thursdays decision by the Union Cabinet they must see it for what it is mere crumbs! The fact is more than sixty years after independence women are among the most deprived sections of Indian society. In law, the Indian woman has few equals in the world. The Indian Constitution, unlike many others, gave equal rights to women as to men right from day one. In every respect she is on par with the Indian man. But only on paper! In reality, the picture could not be more different. On almost every human development indicator, women trail not just their male counterparts but also women in neighbouring countries; countries that are not only poorer but cannot boast of so many women at the helm of affairs: a president, a chief minister and a powerful political leader at the centre. Take, for instance, maternal mortality rates. Deaths during childbirth in India are way above the S Asia average. In Sri lanka almost all births take place in institutions; in India this number is below 40%. Again, poorest women in Bangladesh have 72 % the health coverage of the richest; in Pakistan the comparable figure is 63 % but in India the number drops to 55% in urban areas and just 37 % in rural areas. This state of affairs has much to do with the fact that less than one in ten legislators in parliament or state assemblies in India is a woman. According to the Delhi-based PRS Legislative Research, women accounted for less than 7% the total MLAs in 28 states and two union territories and little over 9 % of the total number of MPs in the last Lok Sabha. The position has improved in the 15th Lok Sabha, but only marginally. Agreed reservation as a policy instrument is a poor substitute for ensuring equality of opportunity, whether in educational institutions or in jobs or in Parliament. .But having said that, it is nothing but hypocrisy when a political class that regards reservation as an answer to social discrimination suffered by SCs, STs, and now OBCs, argues it is not an answer when it comes to increasing the presence of women in Parliament. Thursdays Cabinets decision to reserve 50% seats in Panchayats for women while stonewalling the Womens Reservation Bill must, therefore, be seen for what it is: a bid to divert attention from the much larger issue at stake. There is no reason why the rest of the country, especially its womenfolk, should fall for it. IMPLICATIONS OF THE BILL The main provisions of the Bill, as introduced in the Rajya Sabha in May 2008, are: 1. Not less than one-third of seats to be reserved in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women. 2. One-third of the total number of seats reserved under clause (2) of article 330 (the existing quota for Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes) to be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes. 3. Reservation of seats to cease to exist or expire after 15 years of the commencement of the constitutional amendment. 4. To select women candidates through a system of rotation, by which one third of the total number of constituencies to be reserved for women candidates, will be determined through a draw of lots. 5. To consider extending the reservation to Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Councils of States, without making any definite provisions within the scope of the current Bill. KEY SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 1. There are divergent views on the reservation policy. Proponents stress the necessity of affirmative action to improve the condition of women. Some recent studies on panchayats have shown the positive effect of reservation on empowerment of women and on allocation of resources. 2. Opponents argue that it would perpetuate the unequal status of women since they would not be perceived to be competing on merit. They also contend that this policy diverts attention from the larger issues of electoral reform such as criminalisation of politics and inner party democracy. 3. Reservation of seats in Parliament restricts choice of voters to women candidates. Therefore, some experts have suggested alternate methods such as reservation in political parties and dual member constituencies. 4. Rotation of reserved constituencies in every election may reduce the incentive for an MP to work for his constituency as he may be ineligible to seek re-election from that constituency. 5. The report examining the 1996 womens reservation Bill recommended that reservation be provided for women of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) once the Constitution was amended to allow for reservation for OBCs. It also recommended that reservation be extended to the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Councils. Neither of these recommendations has been incorporated in the Bill. CONCLUSION As in India there are several reservations like SC, ST and OBC etc. is already present from its independence. However in 1996 a talk of another reservation bill called womens reservation bill was debated to introduce. However it is not applied till now. By the womens reservation bill we can easily prevent discrimination of womens from our society by applying the womens reservation bill. Some leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulyam Singh Yadav are not in favour of womens reservation bill because they think that there are already several reservations like SC , ST and OBC etc. some people thinks that they are right while some other are not in favour of this bill. By passing this bill we make womens more responsive and hardworkers. Along with this there is increase in participation of Indian womens. Lawful Representation There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment of unequals. Aristotle The Constitution of India is a progressive document that guarantees equal rights for both sexes, and entitles women to enjoy economic, social, cultural and political rights on an equal footing with men (Article 325). It proceeds to consider the appropriate use of legislation to redress inequality and prevent the Further infringement of womens fundamental democratic freedoms and human rights. Under Article 15 (3), the State is thereby empowered to make special provisions, legislative or otherwise, to secure womens socio-political advancement. Indian case law has already interpreted the Equal Protection provisions to allow for affirmative action for women. In addition, India is a signatory to a number of international agreements that support proactive state measures for womens political development: 1. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was ratified by India in 1993. Article 3 discusses appropriate measures, including legislation, to ensure the full advancement of women. Beyond this, Article 7 affirms that signatories should take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country. It recognises that, unless countries take active steps to promote this integration, women will never be able to fully enjoy the basic human rights guaranteed in international law. 2. The Inter Parliamentary Unions (IPU) Universal Declaration on Democracy (1997) asserted that the achievement of genuine democracy presupposes a genuine partnership between men and women in the conduct of the affairs of society in which they work in equality and complementarily, drawing mutual enrichment from their differences. 3. The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), 1995 affirmed that womens persistent exclusion from decision making was substantially hampering the achievement of democratic transformation, womens empowerment and achieving the goals of sustainable development. The BPfA therefore endorses affirmative action for women in the political spheres. Under the Constitution and other national and international Commitments, the State is thereby under an obligation to protect and promote the human rights of women, including the right to political equality, without any discrimination on the basis of sex. BIBLOGRAPHY http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Columnists/Mythili-Bhusnurmath/Women-demand-one-third-reservation-in-Parliament/articleshow/4949634.cms http://archive.idea.int/women/parl/ch6b.htm http://www.iwdc.org/resources/fact_sheet.htm http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0sid=4srchmode=1vinst=PRODfmt=3startpage=-1clientid=129893vname=PQDRQT=309did=1823009961scaling=FULLts=1257869802vtype=PQDrqt=309TS=1257869857clientId=129893cc=1TS=1257869857cfc=1

Definition Essay - The Evolved Definition of Community -- Definition E

Definition Essay- The Evolved Definition of Community The definition provided in The American College Dictionary from 1964 says â€Å"a group of men or women leading a common life according to a rule.† I never really viewed community in this manner. Many of us think of the word â€Å"community† as a group of people who live near each other. We forget that a community is actually just a group of people with common interests or characteristics who often happen to live near each other. Communities can be bound by race, religion, economic standings, political standings, and most commonly, location. Frequently, communities fall into more than one of these categories. The definition of community has obviously changed over the years. If we look at one of the first definitions of the word in 1874, we can see that the word started out describing a certain type of group; â€Å"a communistic or socialistic society.† (A Dictionary of American English) The word has still retained its original idea of a special group of people, only now the definition has broadened too many different types of people and...

U.S. Monetary Policy and What the Federal Reserve :: essays research papers

U.S. Monetary Policy and What the Federal Reserve does. According to the Congressional Budget Office monetary policy is, â€Å"The strategy of influencing movements of the money supply and interest rates to affect output and inflation. An "easy" monetary policy suggests faster growth of the money supply and initially lower short-term interest rates in an attempt to increase aggregate demand, but it may lead to a higher rate of inflation. A "tight" monetary policy suggests slower growth of the money supply and higher interest rates in the near term in an attempt to reduce inflationary pressure by lowering aggregate demand.† In the United States it is the Federal Reserve System that is responsible for defining and implementing these policies. In the United States the Federal Reserve is made up of a Board of Governors, which consists of seven members, all of whom are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Of these seven, the president appoints one to be chairman of the Board of Governors. The curre nt chairman of the United States Federal Reserve is Alan Greenspan. With the appointment of Alan Greenspan to chairman, monetary policy in the United States changed from a monetarism view, an approach based on a constant growth in the money supply, to a mixed policy. With a mixed policy, inflation is monitored and controled via the iterest rate that banks charge, along with an understanding of unemployment and business cycles. Only a few days ago chairman Greenspan adressed congress and stated that the â€Å"central bank would keep raising interest rates and gave little hint of when it might stop.† This increase of the interest rate would tend to slow inflation as well as possably decrease labor costs and increase productivity. The Federal reserve â€Å"views labor costs as the most important source of inflation, both because labor costs amount to more than two-thirds of total costs and because they can feed a self-perpetuating spiral of higher prices and higher wage demands.† So wat is the reason for the chairman of the Board of Governors to address congress? If the public is informed of the Federal reserves stance and commitment to lower or keep inflation in check we should see lower wages and in turn lower prices.