Religious Freedom in the Philippines Essay

I. Introduction Based on Dr. Jose Rizal’s symbolisms on the cover page of Noli Me Tangere, religion is a big influence with the perspective of the people. However, in the future, there will still be the influence of religion, but people are then educated. People stop continuing the old practices because they start to question the logic in doing these practices. This is only proof that even though the Filipino mind is deeply influenced by Christianity, being open to improving and revealing of oneself is not that far away. We can never change history or force someone to change their beliefs, but let the youth be the ones to discover it themselves. The Filipino youth must be allowed to choose their religion. If not, they end up being confused, losing the essence of religion during marriage, and continuously discriminated due to offensive stereotyping. Inclining their personality with the appropriate beliefs will result to a better perspective for living and to discovering their self-identity. In fant Baptism states that it wipes away original sin; this is a sacrament being practiced almost fully in the Philippines. Their parents are already binding them to be devoted to a belief that may or may not be suitable for their child. This is the simplest act of violation to the freedom of religion. What will happen to those children who refuse to believe in the practices that their parents taught them? These children end up being outcast to their society, causing depression that sometimes leads to suicide. Majority of the Filipino population are Christian Catholics. At present, the essence of Christianity has been continuously forgotten by these Catholics themselves. For Christians, the Ten Commandments take on a whole new perspective. But it seems that the Ten Commandments are not followed, showing signs of unfaithfulness or betrayal to their owl religion. Then what is the logical explanation for being baptised as Christians if they are not devoted or loyal to Christianity? Based on their actions, they are clearly violating the Ten Commandments. The First Commandment states that â€Å"I am the Lord your God. You shall not have other gods beside me† (Ex 20:2-3; Dt 5:6-7), but to be loyal to their God is to follow His commandments. Unfortunately, there are violating the f irst commandment without them knowing it. At the same time, the Filipino population has a young population, meaning majority of the community are minors. And in lieu with the majority of Christians in the Philippines, majority of these minors are Christians. Since Filipino Christians are mostly unfamiliar to their religion, they do not practice their religion fully despite that they are born Christians. They are growing to be more confused about their religion, and end up losing the essence of it as they grow older. Marriage is a part of adulthood, and marriage is a holy sacrament practiced by Christians to bond their relationship with the opposite sex, declaring them husband and wife, in the name of God. But do the Christians being wedded nowadays even recognise the essence of being married? Most of them get married to have the right to experience sexual intercourse legally, property rights of the mate, and in the name of love. Not knowing they are already forgetting the essence of getting married in the name of God. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. Although Christianity was the predominant religion, there is no state religion, and under the Constitution church and State are separate. Muslims were the largest minority religious group in the country. There was widespread debate over the exact size of the Muslim population, as some officials and observers claimed that security concerns in western Mindanao prevented census takers from conducting accurate counts outside urban areas. Estimates ranged from 3.9 million to 7 million, or 5 to 9 % of the population. Muslims resided principally in Mindanao and nearby islands, but there were Muslim communities throughout the country. Historically, Muslims have been discriminated from the Christian majority. The national culture, with its emphasis on familial, tribal, and regional loyalties, forms informal barriers whereby access to jobs or resources is provided first to those of one’s own family or group network. Muslims reported difficulty renting rooms in boarding houses or being hired for work if they used their real name or wore distinctive Muslim dress. As a result, some Muslims used a Christian pseudonym and did not wear distinctive dress when applying for housing or jobs. The Government’s crackdown on the terrorist ASG has led some human rights NGOs to accuse the police and military of unfairly targeting Muslims for arrest and detention. However, most observers believed that discrimination against Muslims was grounded on cultural differences, not religious beliefs or practices. There also were reports of Muslim discrimination against Christians in areas where Muslims were the majority. In conclusion, freedom of religion must be strictly implemented in the Philippines. And the first step to continue practicing the freedom of religion is to let the youth have the freedom to choose their religion. As a result, Filipinos possibly will be more productive and will have a better point of view in life. This may be a solution to the major crisis of the Philippines with the economy. Workers, namely Filipinos, play a big part in the economy. So having better and devoted workers will help produce a greater economy for Philippines, and resulting to rise of the Filipinos from poverty. II. Significance of the Study Religion is a system of belief that a group of people practice. It involves devotion and ritual observances. And often contains a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Religion is something that virtually all humans have in common. In all corners of the world and in all eras of history, people have wondered about the meaning of life, how to make the best of it, what happens afterwards, and if there is anyone or anything â€Å"out there.† Nowadays, religious devotion is being practiced by Filipinos. Sudden devotion to the Black Nazarene is being observed. But still, there are devotees to other religious groups who stay loyal. The freedom of religion is going to benefit majority of Filipinos because of the importance of religion to the Filipinos. The freedom of religion is giving Filipinos the right to practice their religion and still belong to the community without being discriminated; this will unite the Filipino community. Freedom of religion can improve quality of education and man power. Children who are free to choose their belief will have a better perspective in life, and this will help increase man power. Man power is a basic element to greater economy which will be beneficial to the community. It is better to have a better set of generations to educate and nurture for the betterment of our country. Those who will be working or earning money can have a better life. Fewer crimes will be committed due to devotion to what you really want to believe. Democracy will be more effective, because even though there is a law including freedom of religion, namely Article III, section 5, stating free exercise of religious worship shall be allowed, we are not fully practicing freedom. III. Body A. Religion a. Religions in the World 1. Major Religions Religion is a belief where in people sometimes uses it as a way of life or a perspective. There are many, long established, major world religions, each with over three million followers. These religions that are considered as major religions include Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, Baha’i Faith, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto’s, Sikhism, and Paganism; All from different countries of the world. If we had been born in a specific place, we are most likely to adapt the most common religion in the place. Given that you were born in Saudi Arabia, you would almost certainly hold Muslim beliefs. In much of Europe, there is Christianity. And in the Philippines, you are most likely to be Catholic; except if you were born in ARMM, you are to be a Muslim. 2. Neopagans This religion is a modern-day reconstruction of ancient Pagan religions from various countries and eras. Majority of the followers of the Neopagans refer to themselves as Pagans. But the term Neopagans is used because the followers and the religion itself is less ambiguous compare to the Pagans. Neopagans include Asatru or Norse Paganism, Druidism, Wicca, and Witchcraft. But some followers of Asatru regard themselves as Heathens rather than Neopagans. 3. Atheist An Atheist is seldom referred to as agnostic or infidel. Atheists are people who do not believe in the existence of a supreme being. They deny to be committed to the belief of creation of the universe by a particular deity. They spread free thoughts, sceptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion. One of the most famous groups of Atheists is the Scientology. b. History of Religions in the Philippines 1. Early Period In this period of time, the Philippines were invaded by the Spaniards. The Spaniards were the ones who introduced Catholicism to the Filipinos. Specifically, Ferdinand Magellan was the one who introduced it to Lapu-lapu. The Spaniards were off on a search for Marianas Island, it is said to be rich in different spices. They got off the chart and accidentally went to the Philippines. Their goal was the three G’s; God, gold, and glory; God, to introduce Catholicism, gold, to be able to get a lot of resources, and glory, to invade the islands. They were successful with this because until now, most of the Filipinos practice the religion they introduced to us, Catholicism. 2. Revolutionary Era In 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. By February 1902, the United States defeated the forces of Spain. They established an independent state for the country. The Philippine Organic Act of 1902 was declared stating that no law shall be made to prohibit free will, and that free exercise must forever be allowed. 3. Late American Period The Americans established a religious freedom by declaring the separation of church and state based on the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Filipinos still show signs of anti-friars; therefore, the Americans replaced the Spanish friars for Filipino one’s to take over. The Marcos regime continues to rein the country and imposed Martial Law, which some of the bishops opposed, trying to win back the hearts and loyalty of the country. 4. Post-Independence Corazon Aquino took over Marcos’ presidency and brought back the unity of the government with the Catholic Church. This made way for church officials to make an impression on the 1986 Constitutional Commission. B. Freedom of Religion in the Philippines a. Constitutional Laws 1. Benevolent Neutrality The Supreme Court of the Philippines, established the doctrine of benevolent neutrality-accommodation. The 2006 ruling, imposed by former Chief Justice Puno, explained benevolent-neutrality in the context of U.S. jurisprudence. It states that religious practices is a unanimous right and does not privilege the society to discriminate anyone who accommodates their religion under some circumstances. 2. Article II, Section 3 The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable. With the guarantee of religious freedom in the Philippines, the Roman Catholic Church clergy subsequently remained in the political background as a source of moral influence for many voters during elections until today. Political candidates generally court the clergy for support, although this does not guarantee victory for a candidate. The Philippines was placed under martial law by Dictator Ferdinand Marcos and relations changed dramatically, as some bishops opposed the martial law. 3. Article III, Section 5 No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights The former Philippine Organic Act of 1902. This law is now imposed in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. But the right to act in accordance with one’s belief cannot be absolute. Conduct remains subject to regulation and even prohibition for the protection of society. It may not be used to justify an action or refusal inconsistent with general welfare of society (People vs. Diel, [CA] 44 O.G. 590, August 22, 1947). One of the regulations imposed in its exercise is the compliance of government employees to Section 5 of the Omnibus Rules relative to the number of working hours. While government employees of Muslim faith are excused from work between the hours of 10 o’clock in the morning up to 2 o’clock in the afternoon every Friday, they are obligated to compensate said lost working hours by adopting flexible time schedule to complete forty hours of work in a week. 4. Republic Act No. 3350 This was intended to serve the purpose of advancing the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion, by averting that some people be dismissed from work, or be dispossessed of their right to work and of being impeded to pursue a modest means of livelihood, by reason of union security agreements. b. Religious Conflicts 1. Religious Freedom in the Government Offices Act Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino has withdrawn House Bill 6330 otherwise known as the Religious Freedom in Government Offices Act, which seeks to ban religious images and ceremonies in government offices. The fact that one legislator actually had the guts to file a bill like this in a country where the Roman Catholic Church holds considerable influence in politics is already an achievement in itself. As Palatino said in a statement,†We are encouraged by the fact that despite the misunderstandings, the bill initiated relevant discussions on freedom of religion as one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.† 2. Muslim Discrimination Muslims were the largest minority religious group in the country. Muslims resided principally in Mindanao and nearby islands, but there were Muslim communities throughout the country. Historically, Muslims have been alienated from the predominant Christian majority. The national culture, with its emphasis on familial, tribal, and regional loyalties, creates informal barriers whereby access to jobs or resources is provided first to those of one’s own family or group network. Muslims reported difficulty renting rooms in boarding houses or being hired for retail work if they used their real name or wore distinctive Muslim dress. As a result, some Muslims used a Christian pseudonym and did not wear distinctive dress when applying for housing or jobs 3. Separation of Church and State The First Amendment is about the right to free exercise of religion. It’s interaction with non-discrimination law based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The right of a non-church-related employer to discriminate against gay employees based on religious belief is against a law prohibiting job discrimination. The enactment of employment protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, opponents of such laws have often raised concerns about the infringement of the religious freedom of business owners. C. Current Religious State Is religious freedom being practiced fully in the Philippines? Based on other researches, even though there are many laws regarding the separation of church and state, the Catholic Church still has a lot of influence in the system of the government. And in the minds of the Filipino community, they are not practicing this given democracy and the simple act of baptism to a child is a form of violation. Baptism is a form of surrendering yourself to a Supreme Being and you are already making a sin to that Supreme Being whenever he has doubts or decide to choose their own religion. This is giving pressure to the youth and sometimes lead to social discrimination and suicide. IV. Conclusion The Filipino youth is the foundation of the future of the Philippine community. That’s why we must nurture the youth and continue to educate them and guide them towards a life with more purpose. In our country, religion is one of the major factors that affect the society’s perspective. That is why as early as now; the youth must be guided properly and taught according to their choice of religion. Religion is a way of life, a system of belief wherein they give knowledge of people’s lives importance. And it will be an advantage for everyone in the way they behave. This will lead to a better community, the one that can provide a safe environment for Filipinos and foreigners. And freedom of religion can help produce educated people, and this results to greater man power and greater economy. V. Bibliography Agoncillo, Teodoro; Guerrero, Milagros (1970). History of the Filipino People. Malaya Books. Bacani, Teodoro (1987). The Church and Politics. Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines: Clarentian Publications. Schumacher, John (1976). Church and State in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Loyola School of Theology, Quezon City. de la Costa, Horacio; John Schumacher (1976). Church and State: The Philippine Experience. Quezon City, Philippines: Loyola School of Theology.

Environmental Protection Essay

Environmental protection is an increasingly pressing issue all over the world. Ozone depletion, green house effect, global climate changes or global warming, etc, are the main issues in environment. Recent years, many countries and various organizations have paid more attention into environmental protection. A treaty about global environmental protection was discussed by 192 nations in Copenhagen in December 2011. But I fell every individual on this earth should make sacrifices to prevent environment changes. Yes it is the need of the hour. We should protect the world for the future generations. Why? It is because of mans greed he has the once beahtiful earth into a rubbish of Earth. He has increased his numbers to terrible proportions, has caused the death of hundreds of species of animals, has robbed and destroyed the planet in his search for fuels; now he stands, like a violent, spoilt child, delighted at the speed of his rise to power, It is he who is on the edge of the final mass destruction and of killing all the life which exists in the solar system. The Earth is our home but much of it is dirty and dying. Rapid industrial development caused a lot of ecological problems. They are: air pollution, water pollution, growth of population and shortage of mineral resources. Air becomes polluted with Cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, factories and plants send burnt gases into the air. The production of electricity causes not only air pollution but acid rains and global warming. Because of acid rains the Earth losses twenty million acres of tropical rainforests every year. This means the extinction of thousands of species that live there, for example tigers. Only 67 thousand tigers remain. Tigers are hunted and killed for their body parts. Ozone layer is destroyed too and the dangerous rays get through the atmosphere causing skin cancer and other diseases. Most of the air pollutants directly affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems Nitrogen dioxide and ozone also effect the respiratory system, irritate the eyes, nose and throat and headaches. Carbon monoxide is able to displace oxygen in the blood which in turn can result in cardiovascular and neurological effects. Lead affects bone narrow, impairs liver and kidney function, causes neurological damage and also causes mental retardation in children. Oceans are vital for the life on Earth. We need to protect it. They provide homes for millions of plants and animals, provide people with food and help regulate the climate. But now they are a big dumping ground for tons of toxic waste. Most big cities pour their waste into seas and rivers. Water pollution is due to mixture of dirt, sewage and industrial waste , increased use of fertilizers and insecticides that seep through the earth and pollute the ground water As a result, there are numerous health problems like dysentery, cholera and paratyphoid fever. Noise pollution is yet another problem that the researchers say causes ulcers, abortions, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension besides several mental disorders. Checking of environmental pollution has been absolutely necessary. if it is not checked, the earth will become a graveyard. So we must give due attention to protect it from our own abuses. We must have balanced and planned industrial growth in order to check thin pollution. Towns and cities should be planned very carefully and stress should be given on planting of more trees. I would like to dwell on practical measures which must be taken in order to improve the ecological situation: -the factories must be removed from cities; -have balanced and planned industrial growth -purifying systems for cleaning and trapping harmful substances must be widely used; -green zones must be created by planting more trees. -almost everything is recyclable today – recycling is a great way to reduce waste. We need clean air to breathe and pure water to drink. So we have to prevent disposal of toxic waste and nuclear tests. I feel formal education programmed should be provided and implemented for the environ ­mental protection We need to conserve resources like water by planting rain water harvest in our houses Earth is the only planet endowed with a beautiful environment for man to live We should pass it on to our future generation as their legacy. Protect our earth today for our children tomorrow.

Employability Skills Essay

Employability Skills for Team Manager Fresh Days Morrison’s. The role at Morrison’s of being team manager at fresh days will require the applicant to have certain qualities and skills. You will need to be a high performer in order to be successful in the Morrison’s job role. To be eligible for this team manager job you will need a certain list of employability skills to ensure that you are the right applicant for the job of team manager at fresh days Morrison’s. For the job at Fresh Days Morrison’s you will defiantly need to have good verbal communication as team manager because you will have the responsibility of your team members day in and day out and you will be overseeing projects which you would be in charge of so you will need to be able to communicate with colleagues to make sure everything will run smoothly and then you will need to report back to the director. You will need to be able to plan and organise well so you are able to plan out and then organise a project well and then carry it out effectively. Time management is an essential employability skill that will be required, you will need to be able to perform efficiently to the amount of time you have and manage it effectively within projects and daily work days. As a team manager you will need to be able to have exceptional leadership skills, being able to motivate your team and being someone that they come to for guidance is really important in this job. Flexibility is a good skill to have in this job as you will need to adapt to different situations, tasks and environments quickly as team leader so that you team members are able to come to you for help if they are unable to adapt quickly. Morrison’s are looking for these specific employability skills as they know that without these you will not be suitable for the job and will not succeed, then neither the applicant of Morrison’s will benefit from this. Personal Skills for Team Manager Fresh Days Morrison’s. You will need to be a natural born leader to be successful in the team manager fresh days job at Morrison’s, you can’t be shy or held back you have to be able to take charge of a situation straight away without any difficulty and you will have to be a good directing others by making sure all the tasks are complete. It is very important that you are confidant within yourself so that people in your team can respect and look up to you, without confidence you will not succeed in being a team manager and you would not be best suited for this job. We require that you’re an ambitious person so that we know the goals of the company that are set can be achieved without any problems and if we set harder goals you are motivated to reach these goals. Something that we think is essential in a team manager is motivation because if your team members see that you are motivated it will motivate them to perform well in their work. You will need to have a skill of reporting back to people as this job position requires you to report back to the director on a daily basis. Morrison’s are looking for a real leader to be their team manager at fresh days Morrison’s to help the business succeed. Communication Skills for Team Manager As a team leader you will need to be a very good listener, you will have to take on your team members problems within the tasks, their ideas and anything else they have to say, without this communication skill your team will not succeed in the tasks and daily requirements that are set. You will be the leader of your team and it is your job to hear everything everybody has to say even if you don’t necessarily want to. It is necessary that you are able to take feedback from your bosses with good intentions, you have to be able to take bad feedback and then learn from it and take good feedback and be proud of it. If you want to be a good team leader you will need to be assertive in this job so that everything that you know needs to be done will be done with no complications or without any colleagues saying that didn’t know what you were talking about, you need to be assertive so that tasks and projects are completed efficiently. You will defiantly need to be a good talker to get your colleagues attention and to be able to share everyone’s ideas and thoughts on the task set for that day so everyone in that team feels like and equal member of the team.

Are non-executive directors capable of fulfilling the role given to Essay

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Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Question - Essay Example Naturalistic observation does not require active involvement with the environment from which the data is being collected from; the latter does. The second choice is the period of observation. The observation can be carried out once or repeated for a number of times. The third choice pertains to data recording method. The data can be recorded or notes short notes taken as the data is gathered. Observation can also be done and the data computed after the observation process. The fourth choice relates to the scope of observation. The observation can be done on a single environment that best treats the variables of the data being gathered, or a number of environments can be integrated into the observation process. Another choice is made on the variables to be observed at a go. Observation can be done at once for all the variables constituted in the data gathering procedure, or observation data for each variable be considered one at a time. The scale contains numerical values, but the importance of the scale is to gather data that is of importance over and above the numerical values. Descriptions of what the numbers mean are valuable to the respondent because it allows the respondent to express his or her true opinion in regard to the issue in question. Different respondents have different experiences and may not rate their experiences the same way. Outlining the meaning of the numbers identifies the respondent to each category of numbers given the response required. Purpose of the interview- The goal and objective of undertaking an interview determines the scope of the interview. All encompassed variables of the interview should be considered before the interview questions are developed. Phrasing questions- Questions should be direct to the main idea of the interview. Proper language should be used in regard to the identified participants. Simple questions are favorable, and each question should be asked

Choice overload Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Choice overload - Essay Example The most widely referenced source in this regard is Schwartz’s. It is due to this reason that the following paper will be greatly based on the source or the book written by Schwartz entitled, â€Å"The Paradox of Choice†. It is imperative to understand the basic definition of the concept choice overload before looking at various perspectives on the subject of matter. It is an evident fact that choice overload is associated with the ability of the consumers to buy more products. The consumers observe the choices when they are given more than one product of a same kind. It does not only make consumers think about the limitless options they have but also think of better ways to consume the product. At times, it is also noted that the concept of choice overload is a behavioural aspect to be learned within the field of psychology. The term Choice Overload is also known as Overchoice. Choice overload is defined in many aspects; it has directly linked to the consumer behaviour and decision-making. Choice overload is now considered as a major problem facing by consumers at the time of purchase. It is also defined that manufacturers, retailers, and other businesses have not increased the choice overload in term of giving options in products, but they have also overloaded the related information. Giving multiple alternatives and bundle of choices does not satisfy the need of a consumer, it rather drive them in psychological depression and thrive their stress level. Consumer start losing their confidence and level of confusion arise which eventually resulted in disturbing their personality (Lee & Lee, 2004). As per the study conducted by Cherev, Bockenholt, and Goodman (2012), it has been noted that despite a lot of stress on providing options to the consumers, it is still not sure that assortments can be beneficial for the

Philosophy. Viktor Frankls Mans Search for Meaning, Platos Theory of Essay

Philosophy. Viktor Frankls Mans Search for Meaning, Platos Theory of Forms - Essay Example Yes, we sometimes understand an emotional resposne to something, but this does not mean that we excuse it: we rely on logic to examine whether or not it is true, even if we know that there is an emotion behind it. With this in mind, one can evaluate Viktor Frankl’s most famous quote: â€Å"there are two races of men in this world, but only these two – the â€Å"race† of descent men, and the â€Å"race† of indecent men. Both are found everywhere, they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent or indecent people,† (Frankl 43). This quotation comes from Viktor Frankl’s seminal book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ was written in 1946 and draws on his experiences in four different concentration camps but particularly during his time in Auschwitz, that great factory of mass murder where over 1.5 million Jews and other political prisoners were exterminated. Frankl had to suffer several of his familyâ⠂¬â„¢s deaths including his pregnant wife while he had to continue labouring and blocking out the suffering from his mind. Frankl’s encounters with the terrible and almost unreal experiences in the concentration camps truly prove to be harrwoing reading. ... Frankl is also concerned with the effects of all this mass murder on the Germans themselves who also end up severely traumatized by their experiences. Indeed he has words of comfort for those who have to go through their own personal suffering to achieve some sort of understanding and catharsis, yet he is obviously much more sympathetic with what the camp inmates are going through. The experiences of those who are left in the starvation block are particularly harrwoing and disturbing as Frankl has to examine some of them who are very near death. Here one begins to understand the horror and torture that these person were going through with absolutely no chance of survival. Yet even with all of this emotional baggage that forms a part of this argument, that there are only two races of men, it falls on a philosopher to analyze if this is true. This contains within it some premises that may or may not be true: we will evaluate each of the individually. Because this is a short passage, so me of these premises will only be implied instead of explicit, but I will argue where apropriate how they are implied. An examination of the underlying premises show that his original statement is in fact not true, logically speaking. One of the first premises of this statement, especially when viewed in the context of the book itself, is that one can significantly separate someone’s role in support of a system from their moral responsibility for that system’s actions. One of his fundamental points when making this statement is that there were some descent people among the gaurds at the prison camp where Frankl stayed. He even said as much in his book. This is an objection to the idea that there can be descent people among any group – no gaurd at a

MGMT444 U2 IP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MGMT444 U2 IP - Research Paper Example Personality can be defined as some sets of unique mental characteristics and traits that provide consistency to behavior of an individual across several possible situations. Self-confidence, warmth, enthusiasm, extroversion, emotional stability, assertiveness, trustworthiness, flexibility, sense of humor and assertiveness are some personality traits that help leaders to act differently in an organization based on the characteristics and demands of different situations. In terms of cognitive differences, several cognitive factors associated within some effective leadership process, such as creativity, innovation, openness, knowledge, skills and conceptual thinking generally help the leaders to guide entire team quite effectively towards the developed goals and objectives. Values are important aspects. Each and every leader should try to possess moral, ethical, professional and personal value in leadership style in order to become a great leader. It is true that effective value in lead ership process helps a leader to gain respect and popularity in an organization. Emotion can be considered as one of the important personality traits of a leader that helps to understand the needs of followers and guide them towards the objectives respectively. Each and every leader should develop a positive and idealized vision to meet the objective (George, 2003). Charisma in leadership process can help a leader to lead from front and motivate sub-ordinates quite effectively. It helps to maintain an effective and conflict free workplace environment. Leadership process can be considered as an important aspect of each and every leading multinational or domestic organization as effective leadership style helps an organization to become successful. Courage and moral are two important elements that should be considered in leadership styles of each and every leader to become one of the greatest leaders. Courage in

Gang Development And Control Essay Example for Free

Gang Development And Control Essay Below are descriptions of gang development theories. Copy and paste the correct description into the table below next to the appropriate theory. There are five descriptions and four theories. One description is not valid. Theory Gang members are violent and rarely show remorse or feelings regarding their violent and criminal actions. Members may join a gang because it provides them a release for their personal problems, which may include drug abuse, low self-esteem, and family problems. Gang members typically come from low income areas and may even be considered to have been â€Å"forced† into gang life in order to survive. The gang provides a sense of belonging in a world where members may lack positive role models and the ability to attain status in a way considered acceptable by society. Joining a gang is a way to obtain money and protection. It is often seen as a personal decision to gain success. Members who join for this reason feel pride when they get away with a crime and were most likely committing illegal acts long before joining a gang. Members join a gang to have a safe social circle and to learn techniques to communicate through graffiti. Gang members use those techniques to display their gang’s strength and power in their neighborhood. Members who join a gang for this reason are typically involved in drug use and truancy but rarely violent acts of delinquency. Individuals who join gangs for this reason may have an older family member who is a gang member. They may go through distinct hazing rituals before they can join. The hazing rituals offer assurance that the individual is capa ble and ready to start his or her new life as a gang member. Description: Anthropological †¢Individuals who join gangs for this reason may have an older family member who is a gang member. They may go through distinct hazing rituals before they can join. The hazing rituals offer assurance that the individual is capable and ready to start his or her new life as a gang member. Sociocultural †¢Gang members typically come from low income areas and may even be considered to have been â€Å"forced† into gang life in order to survive. The gang provides a sense of belonging in a world where members may lack positive role models and the ability to attain status in a way considered acceptable by society. Psychological †¢Gang members are violent and rarely show remorse or feelings regarding their violent and criminal actions. Members may join a gang because it provides them a release for their personal problems, which may include drug abuse, low self-esteem, and family problems. Rational Choice †¢Joining a gang is a way to obtain money and protection. It is often seen as a personal decision to gain success. Members who join for this reason feel pride when they get away with a crime and were most likely committing illegal acts long before joining a gang. Gang Control In the table below, describe the gang control methods in your own words and use the Internet to provide an example of a program based on each type of gang control method. Include the name of the Web site and the working URL address in the table. Gang Control Methods Descriptions Examples Law Enforcement Efforts Law enforcement is looked at for gang control and it takes three forms. Youth service program where they are given responsibility for gang control. Gang details are assigned exclusively to gang control work. Gang units are to deal solely with gang problems. Chicago officers have an intelligence unit that will use the gang members name in the computer to see if they have gotten arrested or picked up for anything. Gang Awareness https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/Communities/Gang%20Awareness Community Control Efforts They used to have the YMCA where there were people there to work with gangs. Now they have prevention services for kids to prevent them from joining a gang. Like counseling and parent kid activities. They also want to find a way to involve programs into the schools. Gang Free http://www.gangfree.org/who_index.html

Strategies to Lower Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions

Strategies to Lower Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions Carbon dioxide emissions from Annex I countries have established since 1990 but are growing rapidly in developing countries (non Annex I countries) at a rate of approximately 4% per year which is reflected in the world emissions which are growing roughly 600 million tons of CO2 per year. Carbon dioxide emissions are the dominant component of greenhouse gas emissions, but represented in 2006 only 69,6% of the total emissions. The remaining 30.4% are methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases with high global warming potential (GWP) which are: SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride), HFCs (hydrofluorcarbons) and PFCs (perfluorcarbons). (Figure 4). Usually one expresses GHG emissions in CO2 equivalent. Total emissions in 2005 were approximately 45 Gtons of CO2.equivalent of which 30 Gtons of CO2. To reduce CO2 and other GHG emissions became thus one of the most urgent tasks we are facing today. There are two approaches to handle this problem: use energy more efficiently, consequently emitting less CO2 and extending the life of fossil fuels reserves. increase the contribution of renewable energies in the world energy matrix National governments as well as some sectors of the productive system (industry, transportation, residential and others) can adopt these solutions in differentiated degrees. In industrialized countries, which have already reached a high level of energy consumption per capita, energy efficiency is the low hanging fruit approach that can be more easily implemented. Renewable energies can also play a significant role. In developing countries where energy consumption per capita is low, and the need for the growth for energies services is inevitable, it can be done incorporating early, in the process of development, clean and efficient technologies as well as renewable energies, following a different path than that done in the past by todays industrialized countries We will discuss hereafter the potential of energy efficiency, renewable energies and emissions trading schemes in achieving the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. RENEWABLE ENERGIES Table I lists the renewable energy used in the world at the end of 2008 by all types of renewable sources, as well their yearly growth rates. Traditional biomass is left out of this table because it is used mainly in rural areas as cooking fuel or charcoal in ways that are frequently non renewable, leading to deforestation and soil degradation Renewables (including large hydro) represented, in 2008, approximately 5% of the world?s total primary energy consumption but are growing at a rate of 6.3% per year while total primary energy supply is growing at a smaller rate of approximately 2% per year. Taking into account the appropriate efficiency and capacity factors* the numbers in Table I can be converted into the total primary energy contribution from renewables (Table II) and Figure 6. An extrapolation of the contribution of renewables up to 2030 on the basis of the rates of growth in the last 10 years is shown in Figure 7. To give an idea of the effort that would be needed to curb CO2 emissions up to 2050 the IEA produced recently two scenarios of what would be required in terms of renewables in the electricity sector. The results are shown in Table III. In the IEA Scenarios nuclear energy and coal and gas fired thermal power plants (with carbon capture and storage CCS) are included. These numbers are very large but give an idea of the effort required to prevent a catastrophic climate change. The main policy instruments used to accelerate the introduction of renewables in the energy system of a number of countries are feed in tariffs and renewable portfolio standards (RPS) Feed-in tariffs: this is a policy adopted by governments to accelerate the introduction of renewable energy sources in their matrixes. Power companies are obliged to buy renewable energy from independent producers, at a fixed price above the average cost of production. These incremental costs of renewable energy over fossil fuels can be transferred to consumers. Germany has had striking success with feed-in tariffs over the last two decades, supplying 15% of its energy needs through renewable sources. The German approach involves guaranteed fixed payments for 20 years designed to deliver a profit of 7 to 9 percent. The rates charged vary by energy source and are tied to the cost of production. The rates paid for new contracts decline annually, forcing the green energy sector to innovate. Renewable Portfolio Standards: such approach places an obligation on electricity supply companies to produce a specified fraction of their electricity from renewable energy sources (typically 10-20%). Certified renewable energy generators earn certificates for every unit of electricity they produce and can sell these along with their electricity to supply companies. RPS-type mechanisms have been adopted in the UK, Italy and Belgium, as well as in 27 States in the US and the District of Columbia. Regulations vary from state to state, and there is no federal policy. Four of the 27 states have voluntary rather than mandatory goals. Together these 27 states account for more than 42 percent of the electricity sales in the country. Renewable energies are being introduced in a significant way in many countries particularly in Europe in the form of distributed generation* ( ) (mostly renewable) which seems to be the approach to be used in large scale in the future. (Figure 8) ENERGY EFFICIENCY The amount of energy required to provide the energy services needed depends on the efficiency with which the energy is produced, delivered and used. Gains in energy efficiency are usually measured by indicators, one of which is called energy intensity and defined as the energy necessary (E) per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). I = E/GDP Reduction in the energy intensity over time indicate that the same amount of GDP is obtained with a smaller energy input as shown in Figure 9. In terms of CO2 emissions for the OECD countries means a reduction of emissions of roughly 350 million tons of CO2 per year. The reasons for such decline are a combination of the following factors. structural changes in industrialized and transition countries which can come from increased recycling and substitution of energy-intensive materials improved material efficiency and intensified use of durable and investment goods, shifts to services and less energy-intensive industrial production, and saturation effects in the residential and transportation sectors (i.e., a limit to the number of cars, refrigerators, television sets, etc., that a society can absorb). Since more than 80% of the energy used in the world today comes from fossil fuels the reduction in energy intensity is reflected in a reduction in carbon intensity (I=CO2/GDP) which is shown in Figure 11. As can be seem there is a steady decline in the carbon intensity in OECD countries. In non-OECD countries there was also a decline but it has stabilized after the year 2000. Over the next twenty years the amount of primary energy required for a given level of energy services could be cost-effectively reduced by 25 to 35 percent in industrialized countries. Reductions of more than 40 percent are cost-effectively achievable in transitional economies within the next two decades. In most developing countries ? which tend to have high economic growth and old capital and vehicle stocks ? the cost-effective improvement potential ranges from 30 to more than 45 percent, relative to energy efficiencies achieved with existing capital stock. The combined result of structural changes and efficiency improvements could accelerate the annual decline in energy intensity to perhaps 2.5 percent. How much of this potential will be realized depends on the effectiveness of policy frameworks and measures, changes in attitude and behavior, as well as the level of entrepreneurial activity in energy conservation and material efficiency. Standards (e.g., building codes; well-informed consumers, planners, and decision makers; motivated operators; market-based incentives such as certificate markets; and an adequate payments system ( ) for energy) are central to the successful implementation of energy efficiency improvements. EMISSIONS TRADING In addition to national efforts to curb GHG emissions through increased energy efficiency measures and the use of renewable energy source trading emissions is a strategy used to control pollution by providing incentive s for achieving reductions in the emission of pollutants. Usually it is called a ?cap and trade? system and the way is works is the following: A central authority (usually a government or international body) sets a limit or cap on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. Companies or other groups are issued emission permits and are required to hold an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) which represent the right to emit a specific amount. The total amount of allowances and credits cannot exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Companies that need to increase their emission allowances must buy credits from those who pollute less. The transfer of allowances is referred to as a trade. In effect, the buyer is paying a charge for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions. An early example of an emission trading system has been the SO2 trading system under the framework of the Acid Rain Program of the 1990 Clean Air Act in the U.S. Under the program, which is essentially a cap-and-trade emissions trading system, SO2 emissions were reduced by 50 percent from 1980 leve ls by 2007. Some experts argue that the cap and trade system of SO2 emissions reduction has reduced the cost of controlling acid rain by as much as 80 percent versus source-by-source reduction?.( ) At the international level the Kyoto Protocol (KP) adopted in 1997 and which came into force in 2005, binds most developed nations to a cap and trade system for the six major greenhouse gases. In spite of being a signatory of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United States is the only industrialized nation (i.e., under the KP Annex I) which has not ratified and therefore is not bound by it. Emission quotas were agreed by each participating country, with the intention of reducing their overall emissions by 5.2% of their 1990 levels by the end of 2012. Under the Treaty, for the 5-year compliance period from 2008 until 2012, nations that emit less than their quota will be able to sell emission credits to nations that exceed their quota through use of the following flexibility mechanisms: Joint Implementation projects (JI) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) International Emissions Trading (IET). The second commitment period of the KP, together with a long-term cooperative action under the UNFCCC, will be discussed by nations at the end of 2009. THE EUROPEAN UNION EMISSIONS TRADING SCHEME (EU ETS) The European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) is the largest multi-national, emissions trading scheme in the world, and is a major pillar of EU climate policy. Under the EU ETS, the governments of the EU Member States agree on national emission caps which have to be approved by the EU commission, allocate allowances to their industrial operators, track and validate the actual emissions in accordance against the relevant assigned amount. In the first phase (2005-2007), the EU ETS includes some 12,000 installations, representing approximately 40% of EU CO2 emissions, (2.4 billion tons of CO2 equivalent) covering energy activities (combustion installations with a rated thermal input exceeding 20 MW, mineral oil refineries, coke ovens, production and processing of ferrous metals, mineral industry (cement clinker, glass and ceramic bricks) and pulp, paper and board activities. The scheme, in which all 15 member states that were then members of the European Union participated, nominally commenced operation on January 1st, 2005, although national registries were unable to settle transactions for the first few months. The first trading period of the EU ETS ran for three years, from January 1st, 2005 until the end of 2007. With its termination first phase allowances became invalid. The goal of the trial period was primarily to gain experience with key elements of the trading system in order to have a fully operational system for 2008-2012 when compliance with binding reductions would be required under the Kyoto Protocol. (Table IV) The price of allowances increased more or less steadily to its peak level in April 2006 of about ?30 per tonne CO2, but fell in May 2006 to under ?10/ton on news that some countries were likely to give their industries such generous emission caps that there was no need for them to reduce emissions. When the publication of 2005 verified emissions data in May 2006 highlighted this over-allocation, the market reacted by substantially lowering the price of allowances. Prices dropped precipitously to ?1.2 a tonne in March 2007, declining to ?0.10 in September 2007, because allowances could not be carried over or ?banked? and used in the next trading period. Although the first phase ended disastrously, because the allowances could not be banked to the next phase, it did not impact on the prices for contracts for 2008, the first year of the second phase. Market participants knew already in 2007 that phase II would be more stringent in relation to the cap and less lenient in relation to allowances, which explains the high prices for 2008 allowances. The first EU ETS Trading Period expired in December 2007. Since January 2008, the second Trading Period is under way which will last until December 2012. Currently, the installations get the allowances for free from the EU member states governments. Besides receiving this initial allocation on a plant-by-plant basis, an operator may purchase EU allowances from others (installations, traders, the government). In January 2008, the European Commission proposed a number of changes to the scheme, including centralized allocation (no more national allocation plans) by an EU authority, a turn to auctioning a greater share (60+ %) of permits rather than allocating freely, and inclusion of other greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide and per-fluorocarbons. These changes are still in a draft stage; the mentioned amendments are only likely to become effective from January 2013 onwards, i.e. in the third Trading Period under the EU ETS. Also, the proposed caps for the third Trading Period foresee an overall reduction of greenhouse gases for the sector of 21% in 2020 compared to 2005 emissions. The EU ETS has recently been extended to the airline industry as well, but these changes will not take place until 2012. In addition, the third trading period will be both more economically efficient and environmentally effective. It will be more efficient because trading periods will be longer (8 years instead of 5 years), and a substantial increase in the amount of auctioning (from less than 4% in phase 2 to more than half in phase 3). The environmental effectiveness will be guaranteed by a robust and annually declining emissions cap (21% reduction in 2020 compared to 2005) and a centralized allocation process within the European Commission. A robust secondary market for carbon certificates exists through which investors bank on the future value of the EU ETS certificates changing many times. However the ETS doesn?t include transport, thus this action is limited to industrial process and energy sector. JOINT IMPLEMENTATION (JI) Joint implementation is one of flexibility mechanisms set forth in the Kyoto Protocol to help countries with binding greenhouse gas emissions targets (so-called Annex I countries) meet their obligations. In this mechanism any Annex I countries can invest in emission reduction projects (referred to as Joint Implementation Projects) in any other Annex I country as an alternative to reducing emissions domestically. In this way countries can lower the costs of complying with their Kyoto targets by investing in greenhouse gas reductions in an Annex I country where reductions are cheaper, and then applying the credit for those reductions towards their commitment goal. The process of receiving credit for JI projects is somewhat complex. Emission reductions are awarded credits called Emission Reduction Units (ERUs), where one ERU represents an emission reduction equaling one tonne of CO2 equivalent. The ERUs come from the host countrys pool of assigned emissions credits, known as Assigned Amount Units, or AAUs ( ). After a long preparatory process JI projects began to take shape. As of June 2009, 207 projects have been submitted. If all implemented they will lead to emissions reduction of 338,048 million times CO2 equivalent in the period 2008-2012. The great majority of the projects are in the Russian Federation and Eastern European countries. The number of JI projects by type is given in Figure 14. So far the only certificates issued (ERUs) emissions reduction units are 651 thousand CO2 equivalent for coal bed/mine methane. CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM (CDM) The Clean Development Mechanism is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol allowing industrialized countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment (called Annex B countries) to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries as an alternative to more expensive emission reductions in their own countries. A crucial feature of an approved CDM carbon project is that it has established that the planned reductions would not occur without the additional incentive provided by emission reductions credits, a concept known as additionality. The CDM allows net global greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced at a much lower global cost by financing emissions reduction projects in developing countries where costs are lower than in industrialized countries. The CDM is supervised by the CDM Executive Board (CDM EB) and is under the guidance of the Conference of the Parties (COP/MOP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). By June 1 2009, 4,417 projects have been submitted which if all implemented correspond to 2,931,813 million tons of CO2 equivalent. It represents roughly 1% of the total necessary effort to curb GHG emissions until 2050. Roughly 75% of the CDM projects are in China. In contrast to emissions trading schemes which are actively traded in the stock market JI and CDM are project-based transaction. THE STIMULUS PACKAGE A significant amount of the stimulus package adopted by a number of governments to face the financial crisis of 2007/2008 is made of investments in so called ?green? activities. They amount to 6% of the total recovery packages announced by governments (US$184.9billion dollars). (Figure 17) China and the US remain the leaders, in nominal terms, of the green stimuli activities, earmarking US$ 68.7 billion and US$ 66.6 billion respectively. The sector break-down shows that energy efficiency (Figure 18) remains at the heart of the low-carbon fiscal stimuli. Accounting for as much as 36% of the total US$ 184.9 billion, the sector will receive a boost of some US$ 65.7 billion globally, mainly via building efficiency projects. In addition to that, US$ 7.9 billion has been announced for research and development in energy efficiency. The second major winner is electricity grid infrastructure. More than US$ 48.7 billion has been earmarked for its development and upgrade, accounting for some 26% of the total funds. The Department of Energy has already disbursed US$ 41.9 million in grants for fuel cell energy projects. Furthermore, US$ 101.5 million has been directed to wind energy research and detailed plans have been disclosed on US$ 2.4 billion to be spent on carbon capture and storage and US$ 4 billion for grid upgrades. Details of almost US$ 1.3 billion, out of US$ 2 billion to support energy science research, have also been confirmed and there are now only some US$ 725 million remaining to be allocated.