Is SDG 5 a problem for religion Essays - Gender, Gender Studies

Is SDG 5 a problem for religion? Gillian Paterson PhD, Heythrop College, University of London 2014 saw the 20thanniversary of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed at Cairo in 1994. 2015 will see the ratification of a new set of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of these, a goal' that is already attracting controversy, especially among religious groups, is SDG 5: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls". This essay seeks for light on why this might be. TWO CONFERENCES In recent months, on behalf of the Catholic Network on Population and Development, I have taken part in two international consultations designed to address religious responses to the UN's post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the first, in New York in September 2014, we were the guests of UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund), which wants to promote a richer and more collaborative dialogue between religious faiths and the UN's development policies. The second, hosted by the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace, was in Rome, in May 2015. Sponsored by international Catholic women's organizations, this was part of an attempt by the Holy See to seek the views of Catholic women on how its Mission to the UN should be responding to the SDGs. It is hard to imagine two more different gatherings. Nevertheless, the really contentious issues were the same: namely reproductive choice, women's rights and how the concept of gender is understood. In UN documents, for example, the terms gender', sexual and reproductive health' (SRH) and reproductive rights' (RR) have become a kind of shorthand for a fundamental set of values ratified at ground-breaking international conferences in Beijing and Cairo in the nineties. However, some Catholic participants in Rome expressed reservations about this terminology, some based on a need for more adequate definition of terms, some on principle and some out of an apparent ignorance of the world of development. SDG 5, the gender-related goal, was of special concern, as speaker upon speaker counselled caution in accepting blanket terms such as gender', SRH' and RR': a concern related to the fear that espousing these ill-defined concepts will open doors, by default, to practices the Church could n ot endorse. Newcomers to religious gatherings like this expressed astonishment. What, they asked, was the problem? All three of these concepts - gender', SRH' and RR' - are widely used in development circles. Many of the activities they include are uncontroversial in any humanely-motivated gathering (as, for example, the promotion of antenatal services, education for girls, or measures to prevent trafficking and slavery). By demonising the language, they warned, you are at risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater: that is, hindering rational and informed discussion, polarising public dialogue, sabotaging work on the ground and undermining global and local planning. What can be done to resolve this impasse? GENDER First, certain aspects of the dialogue around religion and development need detoxifying, especially in relation to the language of gender. I've worked in this field since the mid-eighties, and for most of that time, gender analysis has been widely (and usefully) employed as a sociological tool for analysing the causes of inequalities associated with biological difference between male and female persons. In recent years, though, the emphasis has shifted, leading some to fear that in signing up to gender justice', gender rights', or gender equality', they are being tricked into endorsing an un-catalogued body of ideologically-based beliefs about issues with which the Catholic Church is traditionally uncomfortable such as abortion, surrogacy, gay marriage etc. Thus gender', which was once a perfectly useful concept, has lately morphed into a kind of catch-all, scapegoat term that takes the blame for everything that does not fit into particular ideals of sexuality and reproduction. Listening to these painful concerns, it became evident that there was a lack of consensus on the way language is being used and terms defined. Genderissuesmay be taken to refer to LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered, intersexed) rights; people may connect genderanalysiswith the need to understand injustices based on sexual orientation, or indeed to deny male/female differences. Helpful as it has been for the language of gender rights to be available to LGBTI campaigners, there is little doubt that this shift of emphasis has undermined its capacity to

aztecs and incas essays

aztecs and incas essays The Inca and the Aztec were alike in some ways but also had very large differences. The Inca lived on the northeastern coast of South America from 1450 AD to 1535 AD. The Aztecs lived in central Mexico from 1325 AD to 1523 AD. Let's look at the agriculture. The Inca had an advanced agriculture system, which allowed them to grow more food and specialize. They would carve steps out of a hill and then would plant vegetables such as corn, beans, and squash. These were called terraces. They also had an advanced irrigation system that consisted of canals and streams to help water the terraces. The Aztecs also had an advanced agricultural system. They used floating gardens called chinampas which were rafts made of reeds which soil was put onto and then seeds were planted in it. This way they could have more land for farming. Let's look at warfare. The Inca were not very aggressive people and rarely fought wars. Usually they fought only to conquer more lands or if they were threatened. You will read later how a civil war brought the Inca empire down. The Aztecs were a very warlike civilization and were very aggressive. They fought often so they could take captives for sacrifice. All Aztec men were required to fight at the king's order. When they could not find a excuse for war they played a ball game called tlatchli in which the losers of the game would be sacrificed. Now let's look at religion. The Incas religion was complex and focused around the sun. The Inca believed in blood sacrifice and idols. Also they sacrificed black llamas as offerings to the sun. Like the Inca, the Aztec religion focused around the sun. They believed in human sacrifice and that the sun would die if they did not make a sacrifice. Aztec priests made the sacrifices and were ranked high in the Aztec civilization. Now let's talk about government. The Inca government was a strict monarchy. The main rulers were the king and his nobles. The people's lives ...

Ethical analysis on a contemporary issue in the news Essay

Ethical analysis on a contemporary issue in the news - Essay Example Goldman Company is not an exception to this because; it has been in several occasions engaged in shoddy business. The company is seen as a greedy, with the sole intention of making money, and allowing its managers to acquire large wealth in the process leading to the creation of a negative image. The company is among other companies on Wall Street that are engaged in several business operations, and managed to overcome the storm of the financial crisis, and still doing well despite the challenges facing the company in relation to ethics. The role of the company in ensuring that it collects a lot of money is visible from the inception. The company, Goldman Sachs began in 1869 as a humble company with the sole purpose of clearing for commercial paper. The company founded by Marcus Goldman, and his son in law Samuel Sachs began as a loan provider for small banks. Later the company was influenced with the market environment thus moved from the set idea of the founders to start of the one-on-one loans. The company due to the method of operation led to the market crash of 1929. Despite the negative contribution, the company managed to overcome the negative image and continued to become a greater company with increased revenue and capital. The company engaged customers in making money leading to the development of a new strategy of operation, which created a chance for the company to raise more capital. The approach employed in the system was to create an investment company buys 90% shares. In buying 90% of the investment company shares, Goldman drives the share prices up, and because the shares have been bought by the company. In response, the buyers rush to buy the shares of the company which the Goldman sells at a price higher than the initial buying price. In such case, the company becomes a broker and has defied the honesty issue in business ethics. Goldman by conducting such businesses raises a lot of money. The money

Is there a market for wool suits that are washable Essay

Is there a market for wool suits that are washable - Essay Example The strategies for the future will be regarding the expansion of the market, cost of production, cost effectiveness and market vulnerability of the strategies of the company. As the management comprises of directing and controlling the company, the coordination is required. This needs harmonizing the group towards accomplishing a goal. The resources available to the company are assessed and are divided into human, financial, technological and natural resources. The management deals with the power by position and this combined with leadership qualities involves the influence in marketing the product. When the company is one of the market leaders its products, the management qualities can be combined with leadership qualities and can be used for growth of the company. As the analysis of the company in this paper is not a new company, the management with the combination of the leadership can be discussed when needed. 1 The stand taken in this paper is that the family name strategy is more effective than the single name strategy. This is because in this case, each product will have a separate name under a family brand name. This will be viable for the companies that produce diversified product line. This in turn requires product line management to make the company successful in keeping the family brand name popular by quality and marketing. The company may lose its dominant position and fails to capitalize on its position if its strategy fails. The strategy of the company that uses high technology to produce its goods represent unique challenges from other or competitors in the industries. 2.2 Product line strategy: The company should follow the changes in technology that brings about remarkable changes in the quality of the products. When the technology is advancing rapidly the lifetime of the product is short and at this juncture and period, the family brand name helps the companies to market the products on the brand value of the family name.

Right-to-die Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Right-to-die - Essay Example Some of the ways through which this can be achieved is by assisted suicide. This is the main focus of this research. This entire issue of ending one’s life is one that has elicited a lot of debate in the modern times. The major reason that has sparked this debate is just because at the center of this issue is that it is a person’s life that is in question. There are proponents of both sides. There are the individuals who are for the idea with the thought that issue of mercy-killing is morally acceptable. In fact what is being said is that there is a right to death. The example of such proponents might be seen in the members of Voluntary Euthanasia Society of Scotland. At the same time there are those proponents who are totally against this whole issue of this type of life termination. These individuals are of the opinion that the taking of a person’s life is unacceptable under any circumstance. In some cases, it can be said that suicide is acceptable, only that i t has not been put up in the books of law. However, the issue of doctors assisting the patient to commit suicide is a whole story altogether (Whiting, n.p.). One of the major opponents of the whole euthanasia issue since time immemorial has been the Catholic Church. There are some very few countries which permit euthanasia. However, this is under very specific circumstances. An example of such a circumstance is when a person is in excruciating pain. However, even though these few circumstances may allow for mercy-killing, there has to be sufficient evidence to furnish this sort of action (Manoj, n.p.). It is also important to note that there are those countries that are adamant in acceptance of this issue, regardless of the state of the patient. An example of such a country is Japan or even Columbia. What happens in these countries is that the patient is just left to be in the state in which he or she is in until his or her body eventually gives in. On critical examination of the po sition that is held in this case is that there will be the questioning of whether the right action has been taken. Would it be right to kill the person with the intention of helping them avert the pain that is associated with their current state or would it be logical and in order to let the person be in that state of pain in their deathbed (Whiting, n.p.). These and many others are some of the questions that leave people at crossroads when the issue of euthanasia pops up in forums and discussions. In the United States for example Euthanasia is not acceptable in all the states. This is under the homicide law. According to Wisconsin Laws, the act of mercy-killing is not acceptable in any way. So despite of all these arguments are there any good things or benefits that are associated with the act of euthanasia? Well the so-called benefits that are associated with this practice are also under question. The first benefit that is brought forth in this connection is that it alleviates the sick individual from the pains and troubles that are associated with his or her ailment (Manoj, n.p.). Another benefit that may be seen in this case will be realized by the family and friends of the patient. This is because it will save them on the health costs that they have been incurring for the purpose of taking care of the sick individual. In this same relation it is argued that the resources that are used on the person who is terminally ill could

Defining Ethical And Moral Standards Philosophy Essay

Defining Ethical And Moral Standards Philosophy Essay Morality is a conveniently flexible term to begin with, one which could be stretched and sculpted according to most anyones ulterior motives. This in turn renders moral standards almost completely irrelevant and they should be regarded with skepticism, especially when it comes to those in power; because what is moral behavior to one person is indignation to another person. I think we can define ethical and moral standards as guidelines for an ethical and moral behavior. And in its turn, ethical and moral behavior of a person (or a group) can be defined as a way of interaction with a society which is the least disturbing, or better, pleasing to the other members of a society. Societies function much more effectively, efficiently, and responsibly when politicians and elected officials are expected to follow the rule of law more so than the rather subjective definition of a higher moral standard. After all, how can so many people glamorize Che Guevara and his noble and moral legacy of fighting for social justice, but turn a blind eye to his ordering the execution by firing squad of hundreds of people, including innocent student protestors, without the due process of law in a single month at La Cabaà ±a prison 50 years ago? And what else other than moral relativity could explain why so many of his T-shirt wearing acolytes claim to be morally outraged by former President George W. Bushs similar crime of the suspension of habeas corpus for Guantanamo Bay prisoners, of which none were executed? Which is why the rhetoric and pseudo-philosophizing of morality is still popular in communist nations such as Cuba whose totalitarian regime continues to push the false and deluded hope that communism will one day triumph again for those with the moral courage to endure needless sacrifice. This morality above reality mindset and rationale is explicitly illustrated in archived film footage where Fidel Castro was asked if he wore a bulletproof vest considering the various attempts on his life. He joked by opening his shirt, proudly displaying his bare chest and belly, bellowing a laugh and responded No, I wear a moral vest. Sure he did. As possibly did other murderous tyrants such as Ho Chi Min, Pol Pot, and Idi Amin to name a few. If their higher moral standards are what people expect to be ruled and led by, we may as well rebuild our collapsing economy by constructing our own concentration camps replete with gas chambers and ovens, and printing our monthly food supply ration booklets, like the ones Cubans carry with them to this day. One would figure they would simply register these via internet nowadays, only they are still not allowed by law to have internet access in their homes. On one hand, we should admit that high ethical and moral standards are probably one of aspects to judge an effective leader. Track back to the history, we can find many famous leaders with high ethical and moral standards. For example, Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln they were well known not only because of their marvelous contribution to their nations but also for the good reputation they built. It is the highly ethical manners lead them to serve the people they led in the correction direction. On the contrary, Adolph Hitler, who maybe can also called an effective leader of Germany in World War 2. He conquered half of the Europe and decimated thousands of Jaws with Nazi army, caused great damage to Jaws and the world due to his prejudice and lack of ethical standards. On one hand, we should admit that high ethical and moral standards are probably one of aspects to judge an effective leader. Track back to the history, we can find many famous leaders with high ethical and moral standards. For example, Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln they were well known not only because of their marvelous contribution to their nations but also for the good reputation they built. It is the highly ethical manners lead them to serve the people they led in the correction direction. On the contrary, Adolph Hitler, who maybe can also called an effective leader of Germany in World War 2. He conquered half of the Europe and decimated thousands of Jaws with Nazi army, caused great damage to Jaws and the world due to his prejudice and lack of ethical standards. Finally, the effective leaders are also human beings. No human beings could be perfect, everyone makes mistakes from time to time, as a famous saying goes to err is human, and so does the leader. But a few flows such as some personal affairs would not efface the splendid achievements they make as an effective leader. Bill Clinton, the former president of America is the best evidence. Despite the sex scandal and his perjury in court, which nearly resulted in his impeachment, there is no doubt that he is an effective leader in the eyes of American people. He has fight back the economic recession in the U.S. and promoted peaceful progress in Israel-Palestinian relationship. All of these great achievement to U.S. even the world persuasively prove him as an effective leader. Everyone has his/her own pettiness; the leader is not exception either. Hence as long as it is within his/her people tolerance, some flaws on ethic cannot prevent him/her to be an effective leader. It is precisely because of the infinite number of quandaries that a higher moral standard poses that makes such a prerequisite obsolete for elected officials in comparison to their obeying the rule of law. And chances are, if they respect and obey the rule of law to begin with, theyre bound to have higher moral standards that are genuine and socially reciprocal. Most of us, who obey laws, dont just do so because were afraid of being caught if we dont. We do so because they make sense to our survival. Considering how poor a job morality alone has done to ensure our survival, let alone our rights, we need to look further beyond mere moral standards as criteria in electing our leaders. No matter how high a moral standard politicians profess to set for themselves, and much less the rest of us whom they ultimately work for. Finally, the effective leaders are also human beings. None of human beings could be perfect, anyone makes mistakes some times, as a famous saying goes to err is human, and so does the leader. But a few flows such as some personal affairs would not efface the splendid achievements they make as an effective leader. Bill Clinton, the former president of America is the best evidence. Despite the sex scandal and his perjury in court, which nearly resulted in his impeachment, there is no doubt that he is an effective leader in the eyes of American people. He has fight back the economic recession in the U.S. and promoted peaceful progress in Israel-Palestinian relationship. All of these great achievement to U.S. even the world persuasively prove him as an effective leader. Everyone has his/her own pettiness; the leader is not exception either. Hence as long as within his/her people tolerance, some flaws on ethic cannot prevent him/her to be an effective leader. In conclusion, as long as supported by the people he/she serves, the public official does not have to maintain the highest ethical and moral standards, but to do so will make them more admirable. * To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards. Finalizing everything Ive said I have to disagree with the original statement. It appears to be not necessary for a public official to maintain highest ethical and moral standards if he wants to be an effective leader. He just have to be able to sufficiently deliver power of organization he represents to the people he suppose to lead.

English Language Learners Essay -- Education, ESL

Presently there is a rising number of English Language Learners (ELLs) entering into classrooms all over the country. According to the three research studies that I utilized, there are several varied assessment approaches for teaching ELLs in reading (Davis-Lenski, Ehlers-Zavala, Daniel, & Sun-Irminger, 2006; Dreher, & Letcher-Gray, 2009; Ebe, 2010). English Language Learners (ELLs) consistently struggle with some aspects of reading because, they lack background knowledge in terms of the generalized text selections, which they are often given (Davis-Lenski, Ehlers-Zavala, Daniel, & Sun-Irminger, 2006; Dreher, & Letcher-Gray, 2009; Ebe, 2010). The data across all three journal documents agrees that there is an achievement gap where ELLs are consistently performing at lower levels than their native-born English-speaking peers (Davis-Lenski, Ehlers-Zavala, Daniel, & Sun-Irminger, 2006; Dreher, & Letcher-Gray, 2009; Ebe, 2010). Researchers seem to vary on how to instruct, and assess st udents who are ELLs. One element that all of the authors concentrated on was seeking out the best practice(s) for using assessments to create effective instruction for ELLS (Davis-Lenksi, Ehlers-Zavla, Daniel, & Sun-Irminger, (2006), Dreher, & Letcher-Gray (2009) and Ebe 2010). There are 4.5 million ELLS currently enrolled in the public school systems in the United States, and the numbers are continuously rising due to the more than 1 million people who immigrant here each year (Davis-Lenski, Ehlers-Zavala, Daniel, & Sun-Irminger, 2006). Many teachers find themselves in unknown territory when it comes to instructing and assessing ELLs (Davis-Lenski, Ehlers-Zavala, Daniel, & Sun-Irminger, 2006). The passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) furth... ...lready stated, and all of them also have different assessment approaches included in their articles too. After reading all of the information I must say I think that all of the assessments, and the strategies and tools associated with the articles, are all borne out of research-based instructional, and assessment methods and therefore; they are all relevant to working with ELLs per literacy (Davis-Lenski, Ehlers-Zavala, Daniel, & Sun-Irminger, 2006; Dreher, & Letcher-Gray, 2009; Ebe, 2010). I don’t think any one of the assessments profiled in the three articles I researched, is anything better than the other. However I also think that although all of the techniques discussed are good solid research-based assessment tools; one still has to understand that they will require applications which are well structured, and the most appropriate for that specific student.