The Problem of Hell Essay Example

The Problem of Hell Essay The existence of a place for those who are corrupt and sinful, a place so full of misery and pain, a home to agony for all eternity is frightful for anyone to imagine. It has many names and connections with religions the most common name in Western Christian culture is Hell. For centuries, this abode of the damned has put fear into the hearts of Christians, keeping them aligned with the ethical and moral view of their faith. While Hell is a very real problem for many Christians, perhaps it is not what it seems to be. It is an entirely different plane of existence from that which is most commonly thought of: the usual fire and brimstone, the crackle of eternal fires and demons that tirelessly torture souls for the rest of time. Richard Swinburne, Stephen T. Davis and Marilyn McCord Adams all have written articles interpreting who it is who is exiled to Hell, and what exactly Hell is. I agree with them for the most part with who is sent there, but I think that Hell is something much different than the traditional view that Christians hold. In Stephen T. Davis essay Universalism, Hell and the Fate of the Ignorant, he argues that while Universalism, the belief that all will be rescued, is a good idea it is not plausible. He is himself a Separationist; one who believes some will eternally be away from God. In his essay he takes the argument of the Universalist (the idea that through the atonement of Jesus, every person who has ever lived will ultimately be saved), identifying the good points of it, and then gives his critique. Next he takes the point of the separatist stating his case for that belief. We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Hell specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Hell specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Hell specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He notes that God hates sin and sinners, and although this is plausible, it seems to be a contradiction of His eternal Love and Tolerance. It is also a common Christian belief that God hates the sin, but loves the sinner, and Davis seems to have missed this. But then Davis goes on to say the existence of Hell is a form of therapy to bring so called sinners closer to God through repentance and absolution. He thus says that the wrath of God is part of his overall strategy to bring the people back to Him. The Universalist believes that Hell is merely temporary, and will exist forever, for some have hardened their heart against God. This point is valid: some have had an incident or a tragedy that has turned them away from their faith, their God. Although Davis says God has, according to the Universalist, unlimited time and resources to bring these people back to Him; God will not force anyone into His Kingdom. He wants them to choose freely, and this is something that may cause a problem for some Christians their own free will. Davis makes a good argument for Universalism with the notion that true bliss in Heaven is difficult if a sanctified soul has a loved one in Hell. In Davis critique of Universalism, he notes that Separationists can also believe that God will save everyone. He also believes that Universalists misinterpret the texts, and that their view of Hell and its attachment to God and sin would cause the traditional outlook of salvation Christians have. Davis also notes that the interpretations are not viewed in the entirety of the scriptures and thus seem inconsistent with the testimony. Davis admits that he really likes the idea of total salvation for all, but cannot see the logical reasoning the Universalists have. Davis view on Hell is that it is a place where you are out of Gods light and love, separated from Him, but not totally, else it would not exist. Davis further explains that Hell is a place where the source of all joy, peace and love does not reach causing its inhabitants to be miserable and tormented. People are not sent to Hell, but rather, freely choose to live there out of Gods sight. God, in his infinite Love, allows Hell to exist for those who are ignorant of God so they will not be miserable in Heaven. Davis agrees that one can freely choose Hell over Heaven in they so wish. Hell, Davis explains, is consistent with Gods power and love, for He created Hell as a home for those who choose to ignore Him, and that is a showing of Love. Top address the philosophical points, Davis says that while God has the power to impose His will on humanity, he does not because then we would clearly be robotic with no free will. Some Christians believe that salvation is a matter of grace, in that we are all sinful but still God forgives us out of His love for us; we should be condemned, but are saved by this loving and merciful God. Davis makes a small mistake in his view of Separatism here, because this theory of Grace causes some inconsistencies in its line of belief. If an all-loving God cannot condemn us, then grace has no part of it either, and He is simply justly freeing us from an underserved punishment. He finally argues that while the Bible says that all go to God through Christ, it is not the final authority on all aspects of Christian belief and practice. It should be implied to take into account those born before Christ and those who have never encountered any form of Christianity. Davis makes many good points in his essay. His idea of Universalism is a good idea and allows for the chance of salvation in the end. Another good point is that Hell is a separation from God, and he explains that it is a place that people are miserable by being out of the reach of Gods love and light. His view that humanity has the free will to choose or reject God agrees with Christian teaching, however he thinks that Hell is merely an extension of Gods love. This would seem like an oxymoronic statement. Hell is an existence without God, and therefore cannot relate to Gods love whatsoever. Richard Swinburnes text Theodicy of Heaven and Hell discusses things in the context of the clearly good and the clearly bad (37). He makes reference to Catholicism in this paper, and says that to be admitted to Heaven one must have faith formed from a love of God. He also makes an interesting case for the people who were either born before Christianity or for those who have yet to hear Christs message. His point is that God should allow those who follow his ways and who live good lives into heaven whether they know Christs message or not. He further says that we do not choose our beliefs in the beginning, but outside influences force a change in them over time. This too may cause considerable stress on Christians who are looking, even if just for the sake of curiosity, at other religions and belief structures. He states that all those who seek truth be granted access to Heaven: whether they find truth or not is irrelevant. The attempt is all that is necessary. He poses the logical question of whether a loving and merciful God would share the bliss of Heaven with all, including the bad, or at least shape souls to become good and thereby gain admittance. The reality, it would seem, would be that a loving God would allow all into Heaven, but He would not shape a soul to do what He desires of them. This would take away mans free will, and a loving God would not do that. Swinburne tries to understand why a just God would seal a mans fate at his death, and so he makes a point to say that God does not do that. It would seem that he believes all souls can get to Heaven because God will not judge us. This would seem to be a contradiction to his earlier statement that only those who seek truth will enter Heaven. Christians may become confused by this and sense that they are going to Heaven no matter what, which is not what Swinburne is saying. He describes Heaven in placid terms that supreme happiness in Heaven is to know God, to have Him as your friend. This implies that God isnt your friend to begin with which seems absurd. He points out that Heaven is a home for good people, and not a reward for good actions. He also talks about mans free will, and that if God were to take that away, it would be detrimental to mans well-being and God cannot act in any contradictory way such as this. He makes an interesting comment that if God subjected sinners to an infinite amount of pain, physical and emotional, it would be inconsistent with His infinitely good nature. He really makes no mention of Hell within his essay, but more a guide to Heaven and its benefits. Swinburne does make references to Hell, but not to the circumstances which condemn a soul to damnation, nor to what it is actually like. This seems odd since he incessantly discusses Heaven. This article, while encouraging many to become better people, it fails to show that there is still a problem of a place where fear rules and chaos is as common as dew in the morning. In the article The Problem of Hell: A Problem of Evil for Christians, the author, Marilyn Adams presents her view that some people will be consigned forever to Hell, and that the Christians may be somewhat troubled by this theory. Nobody is safe, it would seem. Adams tackles the problem on two levels at the theoretical level, and the pragmatic level. She first discusses the logical impossibility of God and evil existing at the same time, but tells the readers of her essay that she will attempt to clarify the issue. According to many traditional theologians, she explains, Divine Sovereignty means that God has no bounds on whatever doctrine of salvation He has established. After all, He is Truth Himself! She further explains that God could negate our existence after death, that Hell is legislated as a temporary reform school for sinners to which they will afterwards be placed into an eternal Utopian environment (oxymoronic given that Utopia literally means no place in Latin). Adams explains that many Christians have a kind of free will defence. While God ultimately desires that all His children be saved, he has given man the ability to work out his own destinies for himself to be separate and yet one with God simultaneously. Damnation is not something God does to his creations, but rather something He allows to befall mankind for its actions. With regards to Divine Justice, she writes that God can, logically, never be unjust. Her reasoning follows from Anselms theory that God is not obligated to us in any way, since He is infinite in all aspects, and we are only finite. We are thus insignificant with regards to God. This is uncomforting given the thought that we may not have any value to Him. An interesting point of Adams is that because we are finite, we could not comprehend some things in their entirety. If we were to experience the agonies of Hell or the glorious bliss of Heaven for a finite period, we still could not understand the full extent of either plane. Adams makes mention of Anselms view that the severity of the sin is not only based on the actions of the individual, but also on the relationship that he has with God. Since God deserves nothing but worship, honour, respect and the like, any offence against Him is considered immeasurably indecent, and thus, infinitely offensive. Adams reply to this view is that fair to have consequences that greatly outweigh the offence of a created being. Human life all starts out helpless, weak and ignorant, and unable to make decisions. As a child grows, he constructs a view of the world and everything in it over time. His interaction with human nature and the environment forms as well. The habits we develop, she writes, become rooted in our personality like character traits or quirks, thus giving us individuality. These habits are acted out in an individuals life unintentionally, even though they could possibly cause suffering to themselves and to others before realizing it and attempting to make the arduous and emotionally painful change of spiritual reformation. Therefore, we are no more responsible at certain times in our lives (such as infancy) than children, and that God like a parent is the primary source of responsibility and He is culpable. This portrays God as an unfit parent one who is never available. This is a frightening thought. Another interpretation is that Hell is the consequence of human error. Adams makes a mention of Universalism. By removing the threat of Hell, people would lose their motivation to maintain their moral diligence. This is prevalent in modern society. The media and thus popular thought trivialize Hell and Satan, and sadly enough, God and Christ as well; the whole spiritual concept is foreign to a large portion of the population of the western world. These three authors seem to generally agree, and imply that while not everyone may go to Hell, still no one is truly good. To illustrate this point, Paul stated in Romans 3:10 and 3:13: And there is none righteous, no not one For all have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God. It seems as if man has no choice but to wait and see what awaits him in the end. Davis and Adams present a conception of Hell while Swinburne avoids this issue. While the orthodox view is one of fire and brimstone, the Devil upon his throne of sulphur and skulls, and demons tormenting souls for eternity, this may seem somewhat excessive and a very Hollywood fabricated idea. It would seem more likely that Hell is simply living outside of the love of God, and that would be eternal sadness, and thus the fire and tormenting etc, may seem irrelevant. Anything we do here on earth affects our eternal standing with God, and those unjust and evil acts have adverse effects. Hell might be complete and utter darkness for all time with no feelings but those of agony, remorse, sadness and the likes. It is interesting to note that Dante, in his Divine Comedy presents Hell as icy cold: as far removed as possible from the source of all light and warmth. This is contrary to the conventional view of Hell, but it makes perfect sense. Satan eternally beats his bat-like wings in an attempt to free himself from the icy prison in which he is frozen, but the constant beating of his wings keeps the inner circle of Hell frozen. The ideas presented are not meant to trivialize and dumb down the idea of Satan and the brutality of Hell. Given Gods eternal love however to live without that love and joy would be punishment enough, and thus Hell.

Censorship Debate essay essays

Censorship Debate essay essays Censorship has been a large issue in the history of the United States for quite some time. Though this is the home of the free and land of the brave, how far does the freedom go? Current censorship completely holds back literary works that are made into Currently, 40 percent of the population opposes censorship. The other 60 percent of the population either do not care about censorship or promotes it. The entertainment industry is one of the largest parts of the countrys income, to shut it down would be tragic to the economy. Imagine what would happen if censorship did not have to be a part of the world. As of this day and age, entertainment comes from the most taboo parts of the censorship bureaus strict beliefs. Organizations such as the FCC and AMPA limit the people of the supposed free nation from what they can or cannot see and hear. Europe, mainly England, Germany, France and Russia, has seen a dramatic decrease in teen pregnancy and homicide since censorship does not exist in those countries. Teenagers and children have a fear of openness with their parents. Each day, a parents tells his/her child the truth about where babies come from. Each day, it becomes harder and harder for a parent to realize that the truth is harder to tell than some half baked story of storks and cabbage patches. In Europe, the children and teens have little or no discomfort when confronting parents with similar issues simply because sex and violence is shown on that miracle box in the living room. Motion Pictures have played a large part in the lives of millions of people for the past 70 years. More and more sex, violence and profanity market their way into movies. Fiction is the largest type of movie made and watched because of the entertaining and wild action and sexual scenes The United States has made some of the best movies that the world will ever see such as: Lethal W ...

Praise and Regular Monitoring of Knowledge to Test Individual Progress Essay

Praise and Regular Monitoring of Knowledge to Test Individual Progress in Learning English - Essay Example The key differences between the earliest and subsequent linguistic learning are apparent. First language learning is a natural process that allows children to acquire and extend the linguistic comprehension of their environment. However, second language learning is a deliberate pursuit, in which mature individuals partake for many reasons. Moreover, children who learn their first language have a natural advantage. For instance, these children acquire their first language using their intuition through a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Variably, mature individuals have no second chance of learning a language in a natural manner.Consequently, learning the first language is part of a child’s cognitive maturity, which enables the youngster to acquire syntax in an unconscious manner. However, by the time an individual seeks to learn a succeeding language, the individual learns the syntax in a conscious manner. Instead, they have to embrace extra unnatural techniques in order to a cquire competence in their second language. In addition, the first language facilitates the ability of its learners to focus on advanced levels of grammaticality in second language learning. Therefore, subsequent language learners have the ability to manipulate their understanding of grammar using the competency of their first language.Consequently, the dissimilarity between the two languages emanates from the fact that there is more time spent on learning the foremost language because children learn through constant imitation. The learning of a second language takes a shorter time because, during that time, the mature individual has exemplary mastery skills. Moreover, in the first language learning, there is guaranteed access to native speakers. Consequently, these native speakers influence the quick mastery of the language. There is no guarantee of native speakers in the learning of the second language. According to Towel and Hawkins, first language learning has close links with a child’s genetic setup while the second language has no such ties (92).

The International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights Essay

The International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights - Essay Example With regard to the exercise of the cultural rights protected under article 27 [of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights], the Committee observes that culture manifests itself in many forms, including a particular way of life associated with the use of land resources, especially in the case of indigenous peoples. Discuss whether Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which New Zealand is a signatory, is effective in protecting the right of MAORI to enjoy Maori culture in New Zealand. Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights gives to the Maori culture the right to engage in fishing activities and it reiterates its obligations to ensure that these rights are recognized. The Fisheries Settlement has achieved this to a large extent in as much as it gave them the right to revenue through quota together with Maori participation in the Sealords deal in what may be called as the modern day embodiment of Maori claims to the commercial fishery. In this way, Maori exercises effective control in a company through their shareholding and their representatives on the Board of Directors and has placed them in an unprecedented position to expand their presence in the market through the acquisition of further quota and fishing assets as well as through diversification in international catching processing and marketing. Its implementation is ensured and protected by the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission and its companies as well as individual tribes. Apart from this, the Fisheries settlement has come a long way in protecting non-commercial fishing i.e. for customary food gathering and a successful attempt has been made to recognize the special relationship between Maori and places of importance for customary food gathering. It may be noted that the right of minorities under Article 27 is not unlimited. They are subject to reasonable regulation provided these measures have a reasonable and ob jective justification and are consistent with the other provision of the Covenant and most importantly do not result in a denial of right. In Re Mahuika V New Zealand, it was held by one of the committee members that as far as in relation to Article 27 of the Covenant, an overall settlement of fisheries claims is found to be compatible to Article 27 provided that the conditions of effective consultation and securing the sustainability of culturally significant forms of Maori fishing are met. The Human Rights Committee was of the view that there is no breach of any article of the Covenant. In pursuance of the protection of the rights of the Maoris under Article 27 of the Covenant, the State has ensured that through a tedious and complex process of consultation with the various Maori groups it has attempted to secure broad Maori support to a nationwide settlement and regulation of fishing activities. It was only when there was substantial Maori support that the Settlement was enacted. It would not be out of place to mention that the consultation process gave special attention to the cultural and religious significance of fishing for the Maori inter alia to securing the possibility of Maori individuals and communities to engage themselves in non-commercial fishing activities. In this way, the State has taken necessary steps to ensure that the Fisheries Settlement and its enactment through legislation including the Quota Management System are in line with article 27.

The impact of sexual abuse on a child and the child's family. Include Research Paper

The impact of sexual abuse on a child and the child's family. Include a discussion of appropriate treatment for the child and the child's family - Research Paper Example The use of a child in pornography videos is also regarded to as an abuse (2012). Towards the extreme end of the case, it involves sexual intercourse with the child with or without his or her consent. Therefore, child sexual abuse can be regarded as the act of coercing a child into sexual activities. There have been complications involved in dealing with this issue, since the child abuse has difficulties involved in solving, because of inadequate awareness of the things that constitute to the act of the abuse. There have been numerous initiatives, from the mental health and child protection professionals to reduce the problem since it is becoming common in the society. There have been very many cases of child sexual abuse both locally and internationally. This is an indication of the level of immorality in the society that is resulting to the insecurity to children in society. This is more accelerated by the use of drugs and exposure to other immoral materials like the pornographic materials that create the incentive of doing these things. Child sexual abuse results to an impact of there being no apparent effect to others that are very severe. There are those children who are involved in an abuse by family members with a high level of physical force (Wyatt and Mickey, 1987). This results to separation anxiety to posttraumatic stress disorder. Various effects result from the child from the act the sexual abuse includes fear. The child who is sexually abused often has a feeling that they have wronged someone and that they are subject to family rejection. Others have the fear of having to cause problems to the parents if they report the case due to the reaction of the parents. This is in terms of the parents doing something to the offender that would send them to jail. The child may also be afraid of the offender since they are likely to threaten the child in order for them not to report the case. The threats could be

Connection Of Biodiversity To International Relations Commerce Essay

Connection Of Biodiversity To International Relations Commerce Essay The connection between international relations and biodiversity can be linked to the evolution of both as globalization does too, which have brought among others, the increasing in international trade throughout last years. Its a fact that countries experience economic interdependence and that it is not equally shared; usually North developed countries demand raw materials or natural resources at low prices to produce goods, which later are going to be sell to southern or developing countries at higher prices; due to that southern countries are forced themselves to exploit their resources at the point that there is space for extinction rates and for biodiversity to decrease. The economic interdependence that countries are experiencing nowadays have caused high loss of biodiversity not only in flora, because of the high rates of deforestation, but also in fauna, as people even more are destroying habitats and exploiting at high levels the benefits that they could take from animals. All of that is part of an evidence to say that international relations and biodiversity are connected and also we can say that the first one can define the course of the last one; as international relations evolve, biodiversity may decrease. This is seem as a problem as international relations increase, globalization and international trade does too, and because of that, southern or commonly named developing countries which have around 20% of the worlds total biodiversity, have to exploit their natural resources, causing massive losses of species. Biodiversity is an important political issue because it depends on the relations among the most powerful economies in the world, which determines the levels of use or abuse on the natural resources available in the planet. Nowadays we are talking of interdependent capitalistic economies competing in the international arena, usually the most powerful developed countries influencing the decisions of not so developed ones. All of those changes in the worlds reality have generated changes in biodiversity too; the fact that specialization has increased as international trade does, developing countries have chosen to exploit their natural resources in order to supply developed countries the raw material they need for their manufactured goods. That in order to developing countries to expand their economies at any price, most of the times without having conscience of the consequences it might bring to the environment, even if they have that conscience, they doesnt have the economic resources to implement sustainable processes that let them exploit natural resources in a reasonable way, causing that way less extinctions or more losses on biodiversity. Reducing the rate of global biodiversity loss depends on the well management of the protected areas in the world, which represents only around the 10% of the worlds surface, which includes zones that were supposedly to be protected but in the daily use it result not be that way. The efforts of developing countries to conserve this zones usually seem to be compromise because of the bad manage they give to the financial aid, that they receive from some developed countries. Its common to find that those financial aids even if they represent some regulations and commitments, are often used in other issues or even fall in hands of corruption which in common in those developing countries. The problem for developed countries to create that kind of zones is that usually they dont have the space or they dont have the flora and fauna to protect. The issue from all of the above if that the protection from excessive use is not feasible as those natural resources represent an important part of th e countrys economy. So the solution is to use biodiversity but in a moderate way, creating protected areas and providing other options for local users. Some effective policies of protection for those areas dont need many economic resources, its enough to increase the surveillance and enforcing rules on those protected areas. But often that enforcement is not enough because the local users usually dont know where the limits are and the penalties they would receive for breaking the rules. One important element that can be useful is to create local conscience and also adapting local constituency and effective enforcement. Susanne Kleeman says in her article voices for biodiversity management in the 21st century that biodiversity management pays inadequate attention to the importance of governing institution, even if they are rules. Laws and policies are more likely to promote sustainable use and conservation of resources with the incorporation of institutions. Three factors are important for a successful conservation program: incorporating local values, ensuring consistency or rules and maintaining adequate enforcement. Due to the process of globalization, extinction rates are increasing worldwide because global warming and other human caused events; which is a reflection of the massive damage of the political and economic system has been causing. Many countries in the world promote free trade and globalization without taking care of the consequences or environmental effects, but without sustainable development policies; if it still going that way extensive trade and all that it brings into a country is going to end with all of the natural resources. In order to contribute to solve some of the environmental problems caused by international relations theres a need to create a new multilateral diplomacy because, as said by Hill, J in his article A new diplomacy for sustainable development; the challenge of global change, the environmental problems and the plans for their mitigations transcend political boundaries. So that way, countries can get into negotiations to integrate long-term perspectives in international policy more in a diplomatic environment that concerns about sustainability, cooperation and threats to the environment. This new way of diplomacy has already begun, first with the UN conference on the human environment in Stockholm in 1972, the with the Rio-Johannesburg process in 2002 and annual meetings and summits that have been realized to creating conscience and finding for solutions for more environmental friendly processes that can contribute with the global warming, which is a long term threat. Another important international actor additional to the multilateral diplomacy, are NGOs that have proven to be a very important actor when dealing with issues that have no frontiers such as environmental and biodiversity issues. Thats one of the most important reasons why NGOs must work together on redesigning the world order and put biodiversity and natural resources as hot topics on the international agenda and also in the political agenda of each country. Many international forums are opened for discussing biodiversity, in which the actors are competing to define priorities and choose the best tools for management of genetic resources, which nowadays have been one of the most important inputs of world economies because those are the raw materials of biotechnology companies. Two international agreements have emerged because of the lack of environmental regulations that is causing the extinction of those resources: the TRIPS and CBD convention on biological diversity. As coban said in his caught between state sovereign rights and properly rights: regulating biodiversity Both consider the problem of regulating to biological resources as an issue related to the capitalist relations but the difference is that the second one is a convention that seeks to protect the environment affirming that biological diversity is subject of national sovereignty, while the former one regulates biotechnology patents worldwide. The TRIPS states that intellectual property rights of corporations over genetic or biological resources are complementary in the process of capital accumulation, while CBD has been an effective awareness-raising tool. The CBD was adopted in 1992 during the Rio Summit and it recognizes the need to take action in the environmental issues, integrating the principles of equity and ethics in the use of biodiversity and also establishes that biological diversity is subject to national sovereignty; this convention has been ratified in 177 states and start its activities in 1993, focusing on the genetic resources and the access to them, technology transfers, financing of conservation policies and trade in genetically modifies organisms. One of the most important contributions of this convention is the fact that poor countries cant commit to preserve biodiversity unless developed ones provide them with technologies and financial aid, due to the use of processes that reduce abuses into the environment. This financial aid has been declining, and the international institutions and organizations that promote the protection of biodiversity has not proven to be an effective regulative framework. Nowadays international agreements are not the only involved, the private sector somehow seem to be more in favor of that sustainable development. International business coalitions also play a role in interactions between environmental regulations and private sector interests. Mainly there are 2 coalitions directly related to environmental issues, the international chamber of commerce and the global industry coalition. The former deals with biodiversity governance and environmental policies, and the latter have to do with biosafety negotiations; both of them have space in the international arena and the power to help biodiversity abuses to diminish at the international level. For international treaties and policies to work correctly, there has to be a support at the national level. Local governments have to share and implement the ideas that international treaties, policies, conventions, NGOs and other actors promote. As stated by Susanne Kleeman, biodiversity governance needs to be adapted to local conditions but aligned with global, regional and national frameworks and it calls for vertical linkages adapted to local conditions. The national government has to agree with the international politics in order to create some consistency and to share the same objectives. In conclusion, biodiversity and international relations have important connections because as more capitalistic becomes the world, natural resources are going to be exploited at much in order to satisfy the needs of trade of the developed countries. And in the other hand in order to survive economically and improve their status and living standards, developing countries would still abuse of the biodiversity with the objective of selling raw materials for the production of manufactured goods. If good conservation policies and treaties are not implemented, much of the diversity and natural resources we have probably will disappear, and after that theres not much to do. Finally unless environmental issues become central part in the international agenda, the world will suffer dramatic changes.

Capital Punishment - The View of International and National Courts :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Capital Punishment and International and National Courts    Around the world we travel in this paper, which reviews the attitude of courts worldwide regarding the death penalty.    By way of international courts, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), in a judgement which may have far-reaching consequences on death penalty cases in the English-speaking Caribbean, commuted the death sentences of six convicted prisoners in Jamaica on 12 September. The JCPC which serves as the final appeal court for English-speaking Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and the Bahamas, ruled that it is unlawful to execute prisoners whose appeals are pending before international bodies such as the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee.    The JCPC also ruled that the Jamaican Privy Council (Mercy Committee) when considering whether to exercise the prerogative of mercy, must provide prisoners with an effective and adequate opportunity to participate in the mercy process, including notification of the date on which the Mercy Committee will consider the case and the opportunity to make informed representations to the Committee and to challenge any inaccurate information before it. This judgement overrules previous decisions of the JCPC and other Caribbean courts, including the 1996 decision from the Bahamas, in which the JCPC had held that a condemned prisoner had no rights before the Mercy Committee.    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held public hearings in the LaGrand case (Germany v the USA) from 13 - 17 November in The Hague. For the first time in its history, the ICJ has been asked to determine what remedies are required under international law when arrested foreign nationals are not informed of their consular rights and are then sentenced to death.    German nationals Karl and Walter LaGrand were sentenced to death in Arizona, USA, for killing a bank manager during a robbery in 1982. Although the local authorities were aware of their nationality, the two brothers were arrested, tried and sentenced to death without being advised of their right to consular notification and assistance, as required under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Germany maintains that the treaty violation contributed to the death sentences by preventing consular assistance in the gathering of mitigating evidence for presentation at the sentencing stage of the trial. German consular officers only became aware of the case 10 years after the trial when they were contacted by the LaGrands, who had finally learned of their right to consular assistance, not from the Arizona authorities but from other prison inmates.

Perfect Wife

Jose L. Alvarado English 61 K, Dahi June 22, 2009 The Perfect Wife My wife would have to take care of the children when I’m not around. I don’t have children right now, but I’m planning on having two kids. That’s why I would want that characteristic on my wife. Being faithful to your partner is a major role on a relationship especially if you’re planning on marring him or her. Not cheating on your wife or husband is going to bring trust to one another. Another characteristic I want my wife to have is a good sense of humor. Someone I could share jokes with and will laugh along with me instead of at me. People say laughter is the best thing in life and I agree. A relationship without laughter would be boring and pointless. Now the most important characteristic I want on my wife would be for her to be well educated and attractive. I want a wife I could hold a good conversation about the most random thing and for it to be interesting or at least for her to be smarter than me. Being attractive is very important to me because I have noticed that attractive people seem to be more successful in life, they’re the ones that get promotions or invitations to the bosses house for dinner. Those are some of the characteristics I would want on my wife. Some of the characteristics I believe my wife would want from me would be to get along with her family and relatives. She would want this because families stick together and since I’m going to be part of the family I would have to get along with them. Probably the most important characteristic my wife would want from me would be to be reasonable with the work that needs to be done around the house. Do everything in a 5050 basis. My wife wouldn’t like to be the only one that has to mop, wash dishes, dust off the cabinets and clean the restroom. We would have to share those chores. My wife would also want to have the same religious beliefs, because I know how much a girl cares about getting married by the church with a white dress. The girls plan the weeding even before they’re engage. I know for a fact my wife is going to want me to be economically stable. She would want this because in case of an emergency I would have to come out and pay the bills. The characteristics both my wife and I would have in common would be for us to be gentlemen or lady in the streets, but a freak in the sheets. I think matrimony in order to work there must be chemistry in bed. I find it hard to believe that some people wait till they are married to have sex due to their religion. Another characteristic we would have in common would be the foods we eat. My wife or I wouldn’t like to cook two totally different plates everyday for the rest of our lives. The same taste of music would be one characteristic because how would we be able to dance to music we don’t like. It would be like living a lie. Overall I think looks, personality and money will make a wife or husband likeable. Those would be the top three characteristics a man or woman looks for in a partner. Like I said before no one in this world is perfect, so for them guys and girls waiting for the perfect spouse all I got to say is good luck.

Historical and Modern Terrorist Groups by Type

Historical and Modern Terrorist Groups by Type While there is no universally agreed-upon or legally binding definition of a terrorist act, the U.S. gives it a good try in Title 22 Chapter 38 U.S. Code  § 2656f, by defining  terrorism as an act of premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.  Or, in brief, the use of violence or threat of violence in the pursuit of political, religious, ideological, or social objectives. What we do know is that terrorism is nothing new. Even a cursory glance over the centuries reveals a startling list of groups for whom some form of violence is justified to  achieve  social, political, and religious change. Terrorism in Early History Most of us think of terrorism as a modern phenomenon. After all, many of the terrorist groups listed below rely or have relied on the mass media to spread their message through non-stop coverage. However, there are some pre-modern groups who used terror to achieve their ends, and who are often considered precursors to modern terrorists. For instance, the Sicarii, organized in the first century in Judea to protest Roman rule or the Thugee cult of assassins in ancient India who wreaked havoc and destruction in the name of Kali. Socialist/Communist Many groups committed to socialist revolution or the establishment of socialist or communist states arose in the last half of the 20th century, and many are now defunct. The most prominent included: Baader-Meinhof Group  (Germany; renamed Red Army Faction but defunct as of 1998)  Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)Red Brigades (Italy)Revolutionary Struggle (Greece)Shining Path (Peru)Weather Underground Organization (United States) National Liberation National liberation is historically among the most potent reasons that extremist groups turn to violence to achieve their aims. There are many of these groups, but they have included: ETA (Basque)Fatah (PLO) (Palestinian)Irgun (Zionist)IRA (Irish)(Kurdish)Tamil Tigers (Sri Lankan Tamils) Religious-Political There has been a rise in religiosity globally since the 1970s and, with it, a rise in what many analysts call religious terrorism. It would be more accurate to call groups such as Al Qaeda religious-political, or religious-nationalist. We call them religious because they use a religious idiom and shape their mandate in divine terms. Their goals, however, are political: recognition, power, territory, concessions from states, and the like. Historically, such groups have included: Al Qaeda (transnational, Islamist)Aum Shinrikyo (renamed Aleph; Japanese, with various influences, including Hindu and Buddhist)Ku Klux Klan (U.S.,  Christian)Abu Sayyaf  (Philippines,  Islamist)Egyptian Islamic JihadHamas (Palestinian,  Islamist) (Hamas is designated by the U.S. and other governments as a terrorist group, but it is also the elected government of the Palestinian Authority)Hezbollah (Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other governments, but others argue it should be considered a movement, rather than a terrorist group) State Terrorism Most states and transnational organizations (like the United Nations) define terrorists as non-state actors. This is often a highly contentious issue, and there are long-standing debates in the international sphere over a few states in particular. For instance, Iran and other Islamic states have long accused Israel of supporting terrorist acts in the surrounding settlements, Gaza, and elsewhere. Israel, on the other hand, contends it is fighting for its right to exist free of terror.  There are some states or state actions in history over which theres no dispute, though, such as in Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia.

Animal Farm 7 essays

Animal Farm 7 essays A literary work that has greatly influenced my life would be the work of George Orwells Animal Farm. Orwell once classified the book as a fairy story but it is to many other things to be simply classified so casually. It has been described as a fable, a political analysis, an allegorical lesson, but more importantly a satire on humane folly. Derived from his actual experiences with Soviet communism, Animal Farm delivers a strong message about the effects of power and superiority on the human conscience that can be applied not only to the status quo of Orwells time, but it serves as an astoundingly accurate depiction of many events over the course of history. For example it is a common Marxist theory that the ruling class would be overthrown by a lower class which would in turn become the new ruling class. The new ruling class would eventually be overthrown by the newly formed lower class, and so on. This a perfect example of what Orwell demonstrated in Animal Farm. He reminds us that it is easy forget to be compassionate when you shift from the oppressed to the oppressor because of the deceptiveness of power. One could even go as far as to apply this situation to the American Revolution. Once freed from tyranny of Britain, many of the states wasted no time in abusing there power with taxes and laws. More importantly, however, was the mistreatment of minorities. Slaves, Native Americans, and women were oppressed under under the statement that all men are created equal.. And even today you find the struggle for dominance: one party so convinced that their principles are better for the country than another. You cannot possibly have the best interest of the country in mind when you generalize the opinion of every citizen in the country or are naive enough to believe that you know how to run the lives of the people better than the people do. When representatives of the people become representative...

South West Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

South West Airlines - Case Study Example The aim of this report is to analyze the operations and practices of Southwest Airlines. In the first section of the report, the SWOT analysis has been done to highlight the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by Southwest Airlines. After identifying the critical factors, in the second section, the conclusion about the overall situation has been presented. In the same section, the suggestions for improving the company’s strategies have been presented, after analyzing the current strategies of the company through theoretical concepts including Porter’s Five Forces Model and Ansoff Model. In the following section, Human Resource practices of Southwest Airlines have been discussed with a special focus towards the policies which have been created for the benefits of employees. After that an analysis has been done to identify the impact of the practices on the business strategy of Southwest Airlines. Since, Southwest Airlines is recognized for its customer services and culture therefore, in this section, I will also analyze how staff and management of the company are becoming as a prime source of competitive advantage for the company. The Southwest Airline is one of the successful low cost carriers in the United States and most of low cost carriers of the world have adopted the strategies of the company. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of Southwest Airline business model, another successful low cost airline company will be selected. In this section, the similarities and dissimilarities between the United States and Australian aviation industries will be done. Finally, the similarities and dissimilarities between the business models of the two airline companies will be also conducted. Southwest Airline is operating in a highly uncertain industry where the demand of the tickets fluctuates very randomly. In the following section, the SWOT analysis has been done to identify the major strengths and

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security Research Paper

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security - Research Paper Example As a result, businesses have implemented the use of social media technology and application to communicate marketing messages and images to their consumers who have ready access to the communication media (Castronovo & Lei, 2012). Nonetheless, it is notable that many parts of the developed world has not adequately achieved access to computer systems and the internet (Chung & Austria, 2010) as a result of this, the application of social media is largely a phenomenon and concept of the urban community within developing economies because of access to technological infrastructure (Furlow, 2012). The marketing messages which are communicated via social media are passed from one individual to another rather than directly from the company or organization. Therefore, the users of social media in their evaluation of products and services act as a third parties and hence objective and credible sources of information (Lipsman, Mud, Rich & Bruich, 2012). Therefore social media is popularly being applied by business in marketing communication because of the authenticity and credibility that is associated with this form of communication (Castronovo & Lei, 2012). On the other hand, the application of social media in marketing communication has been criticized on the basis that it is informal and less reliable source of marketing communication about products and services (Hill & Moran, 2011). Additionally, it is argued that social media is only popular among specific segments of the market such as the young people (Lipsman, Mud, Rich & Bruich, 2012). This means that some segments of the market are not reached in social media marketing. Because of this, social media... As the essay declares  the popularity of social media as a marketing tool is argued to be a result of the advancement in information and communication technology. The contemporary society is increasingly utilizing technology and particularly the internet for communication and networking. With the advent of social media sites and platforms, the application of technology by individuals, businesses, agencies, organizations and companies has increased gradually.This discussion highlights that  the marketing messages which are communicated via social media are passed from one individual to another rather than directly from the company or organization. Therefore, the users of social media in their evaluation of products and services act as a third parties and hence objective and credible sources of information. Therefore social media is popularly being applied by business in marketing communication because of the authenticity and credibility that is associated with this form of communi cation. On the other hand, the application of social media in marketing communication has been criticized on the basis that it is informal and less reliable source of marketing communication about products and services.  The application of social media platforms in marketing is said to be the most effective way of reaching a large number of audience at no cost. Facebook and Twitter have registered billions of users within their accounts.