Death of Jesus, God’s Ways

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The crucifixion of Jesus was as dramatic as it was meaningful; yet as politically motivated as it was religiously motivated. However, divinity provides sufficient grounding that the crucifixion was dully for divinity’s sake. Profoundly, each of the assertion has sufficient backing; relative to the ingenious of the presenter of the argument. Nonetheless, the crucifixion was as justified as is injustice to immense magnitude. Vividly, the crucifixion was motivated by both religious and political reasons. Ultimately, the messianic will had to be fulfilled.

Jesus exhibited rare traits. For the Jews, his teaching was against their religious faith. The reason for the Jews to support the crucifixion of Jesus was mainly based on this assertion. To the Jews, the fact that Jesus was interacting and dinning with sinners was sufficient proof that what Jesus was doing was in essence wrong (Thomas, R. L., & Gundry, S. N. 1988 p 6). When Jesus went to Zachaueus to have a meal, this was not taken lightly by the Jewish clergy. Ideally, people who were prophesying the faith were not supposed to mingle with sinners.

Jesus was ideally relinquishing the mandate of forgiveness from the Jewish clergy (Joel B). He was reviewing some of the covenants anew, according to the Jews; Jesus was doing away with the laws of the Old Testament. For instance, the encounter with the adulterous woman at the well, where he challenged those who had not sinned to make the first through at the woman, appeared to present the entire clergy at crossroads (Niswonger, R. 1992). This implied for the Jews that Jesus was condoning sins.

Jesus was allegedly purporting to be the king. It was for this reason that the Roman administration choose to have Him taken before the high priest for judgment (Thomas, R. L., & Gundry, S. N. 1988 p 3). During the judgment the crucifixion was justified by the high priest belatedly. In addition the roman administration had initially alleged that Jesus was advising civilians against payment of taxes. However, it was so evident that he had nothing to do with the Roman law, ‘give Caesar what is for Caesar and to God what is His.’ The Roman was clearly presenting the case against Jesus to justify their crucifixion of Jesus.

Besides, the Romans saw the activities of Jesus as jeopardizing their leadership. The jeopardy was not only explicitly inherent through the activities but also Jesus’ popularity that was hitting gregarious levels (Joel B). Because this could not have a substantive backing for the crucifixion, the Roman administration chose to level other allegations against Jesus. As Wright (Niswonger, R. 1992) rightly puts it, neither the Jews nor the Romans had a straightforward sense for the crucifixion. The crucifixion was therefore largely informed by the popular order that existed in Rome then.

In all aspects, the Romans took the preaching’s by Jesus as utterly subversive. For example when Jesus was asked by the disciples on who was greatest, he answered the kingdom of God belonged to children. Overall, this showed that even the leadership on earth did not matter to him. Besides, He asserted that He was to demolish the church in three days and have it rebuilt. For the Jewish leadership this was quite subversive (Thomas, R. L., & Gundry, S. N. 1988, p 6). The Jews argued that Jesus should have not allowed the unclean to dine with the clean; besides, it was argued that the gentile and the Jews were not supposed to mix, to which Jesus never gave a damn. The Jews saw Jesus as blasphemous when he alleged to be going to sit on the right hand side of God.

The death of Jesus has much to exemplify. In particular, it is evident from the unfolding that he had the least consideration for status. It’s for this reason that He strongly asserts that greatness is much of service than status. Overall, the death of Jesus embodies much to do with the shear sacrifice for others than simply working. The death gives much insight into the ultimate process of ministering and accessing the kingdom of heaven; one has to sacrifice his/her life in total. Sacrifice and humility is the earnest essence of service and Christianity.

Abuse of Steroids

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Any mention of steroids is always accompanied by the reason behind particular athlete  whether in college are famous for hitting so many runs, running fast or the reason they undertake numerous tackles.  Stories about college students, athletes and steroids pop up regularly in our news.  Some major schools, professional cyclists, baseball players and track stars have admitted to the use of steroids in order to give them edge competition. Steroid use has attracted young college athletes who get pressure to be fast and strong in order to make it to college leagues. Steroids have always promised some bold impact but there is less proof on their long term benefits. Steroids have always been used by students and sport players until 1950s though they were no  abuse until 1980s (Gen, James & Harrison, 2009). Steroids are now known to be a widespread dangerous and addictive substance which is no longer used to boost the strength and size of athletes and young people (Kale, Lizette & Andrew, 1999).  Studies show that millions of men and boys mostly in the western countries are abusing AAS in order to boost their sport performance as well as Physical appearance (Gen et al, 2009). However the use of substance among women as well as girls is reduced (Gen et al, 2009). Though use of steroids and substance abuse enhance performance, it has adverse health effects.

Steroids have been widely used by college athletes and professionals to improve their athletic aptitude by amplifying their strength and size. In a study done to a population of 853 male students in southern state revealed that 11% were using anabolic steroids (Johnson, Jay, Shoup & Rickert, n.d). It was also noted that most of them used without having full comprehension of the risks associated with this behavior.

Since the year 1980, drug use in colleges and high school has become a common phenomenon and a prominent issue. New Jersey, Florida and Texas have authorized programs for drug testing in school athletes (Gary, 2007). In 2004, President Bush gave a speech on use of steroids. He said the following:

The use of performance –enhancing drugs like steroids…send the wrong message. It shows that there are shortcuts to accomplishments. It shows that performance is more important than character. So get tough and get rid of steroids now (Gary, 2007).

It is complex to get a precise estimation of how many people use steroids because it is unlikely for college athletes who want to appear popular among their colleagues to admit of using it (Feinberg, 2009). However in a poll that was done among 198 Olympic athletes showed that more than 98% would take illegal drugs to enhance their performance (Feinberg, 2009).  Half of them admitted they would take the drugs incase it would guarantee them victory for around 5 years (Feinberg, 2009). Research shows that students who engage in this illegal act, 50% of them who are not involved are usually angered by this act but only 1% would report incidences of such incidents (Fenberg, 2009).

The use of steroids and doping in sports has been in the limelight for quite some time. This has been a growing concern among many people. In a recent study done it showed that people had very negative attitudes on people who used steroids and have recommended for the suspension of athletes who use it and heavy punishments for college students calling upon parents’ intervention in the life of their college children (Feinberg, 2009).  Steroids are alleged to have grave side effects and for resulting into permanent, unforgiving damages. Steroids are completely risky drugs and when they are used inappropriately, they result to some irreversible side effects. They stunt adolescent’s height and alter the sex characteristics.

There are vast harmful medical effects that are associated with use steroids abuse.  They lead to kidney failure, heart attacks, liver tumors, strokes, kidney failure and psychiatric problems (Jan, Antoon and Fred, 2010). Also due to the fact that they are injected, the users are at risk of contracting hepatitis or HIV. When steroids are consumed in supraphysiologic amounts, it amounts to cardiovascular toxicity (Gen et al, 2009). Some of its other effects are associated with violence or aggression and depressive signs during its withdrawal (Gen et al, 2009). Steroids also cause dependence syndrome that poses health problems in the future of the college athletes.

The abuse of steroids can be linked with college students who usually have a very low self esteem, suffered from physical hostility and have a conduct disorder (Jan et al, 2010). In a study done among 1422, students it showed that 4.7% of men as compared to 2.9% of female were using abusing steroids (Robert, Carolyn, Chetl and Vaughn, 2005). Among them were other drugs like cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine and injectable drugs (Robert et al, 2005).

Health care providers ought to be more knowledgeable on steroids and be in a position to educate the young people on the deleterious impacts of steroids. The media should also be more authentic in analyzing the use of steroids by not only concentrating on the use but also on the effects of these agents. There needs to be rational analysis and recommendations on how the dangers of using steroids can be reduced to prevent the college students to fall prey of the adverse effects of substance use. Programs to counsel people on the dangerous effects of steroids should be put in place in schools as most of the college students are not aware of the risk that is associated with the use of this substance. It is patent that the uses of steroids cause more harm than good. It is therefore advisable for stricter rules to be put in place for those using steroids both in schools and national wide.

Analysis of the Venezuelan Economy

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      Economic development is a multifaceted phenomenon that entails the restructuring of institutions. These institutions will be inclusive of the social, political and economic institutions. A country would be declared economically developed if the institutions support the improved living standards of the populace. Venezuela has indeed achieved much and lost some bit geared towards achieving this status. Nevertheless, the overall analysis shows that the Venezuelan economy is on the right track.

This paper takes an in-depth look at the diverse economic indicators that show that the economy has developed. According to the United Nations Development Program, Venezuela was ranked in the 58th position out of the 182 nations that were ranked. At the release of this statistical information, the life expectancy at birth, the enrolment rates at the school and the overall literacy rates were cited as key contributors to this robust economic performance.

According to the UNDP, the population of Venezuelan who were living on less than two dollars was 10.2% in 2007. The rate of life expectancy stood at 73.6 years, the literacy levels hit the 95.2 mark and the enrolment ratio for the school going children was at 85.9%. Ideally, these conditions place Venezuela in the best condition to attain its economic development goals, in particular, human development.

The unfortunate trend to note formatively is the fact that economic inequality in Venezuela is very high. According to the UNDP, the poorest 10% Venezuelans receive a paltry 1.75 of the Venezuelan GDP. This presents a sorry state. With a per capita income of $12,156 this presents such a sad irony. Venezuela is ranked 7th in Latin America economically. The other gainers in Latin America are Chile, Uruguay, Cuba, Argentina, Costa Rico and Mexico.

Since the 1970, the government policy has directed the economic development of Venezuela. The nationalization of iron and the petroleum industries and the electricity industry saw the government control these strategic resources. Through the control of these resources, the government managed to control the prices of consumer commodities and therefore cushioned the consumer from any imminent exploitation. This translated into increased savings for the citizens and triggered domestic investment to skyrocket. Besides, the government went a step further to control the rent. The membership of the Andean Pact forced the government to maintain their foreign trade and investment policy. This impeded on the government’s quest to adopt policies that would see the local industry grow.

Since the 1950s the Venezuelan government had maintained an import substitution policy. Industrialization and foreign direct investment was largely emphasized by the government. The development of the sixth national development plan saw the elimination of protectionist policies and the total removal of the price controls that had been installed by the government. The dawn of the free trade and market precipitated competition that acted as impetus to economic development.

Presumably, the Venezuelan government had much dependence on the oil industry. However, in the years of 1981 through to 1985, the Venezuelan government sought to diversify its economic muscle and reverted to agriculture as a supplementary sector to the oil industry. The government devoted additional resources to development of social facilities housing, public services, health and education. The policy had picked up until 1988 when the policy was partially abandoned for a policy that had been newly developed by the government. The new approach was to see the government inject more funds into the economy through infrastructural development. This was aimed at easing inflation and reducing the level of the imports. In deed the economy was stimulated and saw a growth rate of a record 6%. This unraveled the potential of the small Latin American country.

The Venezuelan society is an amalgam of three races, though numerically the country was believed to be primarily Mestizo. Since colonial times the ethnic settings were a key criterion used to establish status. After considerable genetic mixing, this has become a less considerable criterion for status. It is quite difficult today to distinguish the different races. With time, ethnic grouping later regarded as a continuum and not as distinct categories, the physical appearance and skin color become major criteria for the determination of status in Venezuela. It is appreciable that none of the national census of Venezuela has classified the population along any ethnic lines since the year 1926. The censuses of Venezuela characterize the ethnic fragmentation as mere estimates.

During the Venezuelan census of 1990, an average of 1.5% was Indians, about 67% were Mestizos and the remaining percentage was representative of the mixtures of other ethnic groupings. The mixture was mainly composed of the Caucasian. The different tribes with different cultures occupied different territories indiscriminately and the cohesion in the entire Venezuela was cordial. The groups were ruled by chiefs and these chiefs were supported in their administration by priesthoods in serving the temple. However, the tribes that were still ‘primitive’ were semi nomadic farmers. Disease reduced the population and the harsh conditions of slavery made their lives even harder, hence making them succumb so easily.

The fragile ethnic situation made it quite hard for a free and just society. The society was largely organized along racial and class lines. Those who were believed to be less pure blooded were given the least ranking in the administration of the affairs of Venezuela. Those who occupied the higher ranks did so by the shear fact that they were landlords. The entire system stressed the importance of the extended family. The roles of men and women were quite distinct. Formally, the rural areas were made of the lower class while the urban areas were comprised of the upper class. Those people from the rural areas were mainly peasant comprising a mixture of blacks and Indians. There was a small middle class mainly made up of less successful whites and Mestizos who mainly lived in cities and towns.

The wars that were experienced in Venezuela in the late 19th century acted as a leveler to bring the society closer in terms of their class fragmentation. Because of the relative fluidity of the Venezuelan society, the isolation among the groups has been dully reduced. The Venezuelan society is very cohesive today. The interaction is not based largely on the race nor are they based on the class.

There is large gender disparity between men and women in Venezuela. These imbalances have led to the increased poverty level in the rural areas. The building of women’s capacities is therefore central in the attainment of the developmental objectives of the Venezuelan economy. Women have been treated as key players in the attainment of food security targets and nutritional goals of the Venezuelan society. Gender mainstreaming has therefore been largely embraced by the government as a key initiative and policy. According to IFAD, the role of women in Venezuelan economic development and growth are tidal and inevitable.

The IFAD argues that the empowerment of women is inevitable if the economy has to tow the line towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. As at 2009, the government was embarking on a gender equality program that was to see at least 31% of the employment opportunities reserved for women. Besides, the girl child education in Venezuela has been stepped up to ultimately support this course. The enrolment of the girl child has gone up by an average 12% over the last 6 years.

Venezuela is among the least densely populated in the western hemisphere. However, the low population density has not been coupled with even distribution of the population. In the census of the 1990’s the population stood at 19,698,104. This population was largely concentrated at the coast and in the Andean region. In the east, only a population of 4% was recorded despite the fact that this region had the bulk of the land.

Despite the government’s efforts to relocate the population to the eastern region through numerous incentives, the efforts have not paid much dividends. A lot of industries have been relocated to this region but most of the Venezuelan prefers staying away from this region. It is estimated that for every five Venezuelans, one resided from Caracas. There were only three revered inland centers in the urban centers: Ciudad Guayana, Valencia and Barquisimeto. These inlands are relatively densely populated.

The population growth of Venezuela stands at 2.5%, one of the highest in the world. This has been largely precipitated by the inverse relationship between the birthrate and the death rate. While the birth rate is relatively high, the death rate is quite low. The low death rate has been realized because of the improved health services and good sanitary conditions. However, this rate of growth surprises because the country has recorded an increase in the use of contraceptives. In addition, it is expected that the high literacy level in any country should contribute to the country’s decrease in the population growth. Further, the high standards of living are a social indicator that should correlate with low rates of the natural increase in the population.

The Venezuelan statistics department projects that its population may substantively increase in the 21st century. It is estimated that the population may go to the 3.5% mark that was witnessed in the 1980’s. However, analysts take this projection as a positive trend to support the human capital initiative for its development. The population has a large segment (40%) being the young; below the age of fifteen years. While 21% comprises of the aged population above 58 year of age. It is equally to note that the population is largely constituted by the natives, who take about 94% of the population while the immigrants take the paltry share of 6% of the Venezuelan population.

The literacy level in any state does play a very cardinal and central role in the prospects of any country. During the Venezuelan colonial era, education was a preserve of a few landowners. Besides, the education was only being offered by the Roman Catholic Church that would only serve a few learners. However, the notion of education being a preserve of the affluent in society has waned over time. The peculiarity of manual labor made the pursuit for education very high and many people wanted to have their children educated to have them access artistic labor. Overall, this relentless yearning for better employment opportunities drove the entire educational system.

The Venezuelans attached much prestige on education and those who had schooled were referred generally to as men of letters. Those who had not had sufficient education were referred to as men who worked with hands.  The Venezuelans diverted their energies towards university education and ignored the impending vocational needs that were so inherent then.

The free public and compulsory education has been a core policy in the development agenda of Venezuela. This objective was conceived at independent in 1811. However, the ideals of the policy seemed forgotten over some time until the mid 1870’s. The implementation of the free primary education was vested in the national, state and local governments. Hitherto, there was no ministry that was charged with this responsibility; however, this move saw the establishment of the ministry of public education. This led to the establishment of a college to train teachers for primary schools. A university was later established in 1891; university of Zulia. Since then, Venezuela has seen the establishment of numerous pedagogic institutions. These institutions have been established across the entire Venezuela.

In 1980 Venezuela introduced free preschool education which has largely bolstered the enrolment rates into the school system. This was achieved through the passing of the Organic Law of education. The government has over time tried to emphasize the need for vocational education, however, students prefer professional education. Nonetheless, the education system of Venezuela is among the best in the Latin America. Overall, UNESCO asserts that the education organization and standards in Venezuela are among the best in the world.

Venezuela has seen an astounding growth of its urban centers. There has been a shift from rural settlement to urban centers. This has been occasioned by the sudden development of petroleum industries. In 1941, census showed that 66% of the Venezuelan population was rural based. However, as has been observed, the 1982 census showed a dramatic shift with 85% of Venezuelans residing in urban centers. The overall effect was that cities started to experience numerous challenges because of the unexpected population growth.

In additions to the Venezuelan natural population growth, Venezuela has received a surmountable number of foreigners. This was precipitated through the passing of the law in 1936 that allowed for the permission of skilled labor to be given leeway to register as Venezuelan nationals. However, the immigrants of Venezuela came from a small number of countries. 30% of the Venezuelan immigrants came from Colombia. Spaniards, Italians and Portuguese accounted for about 25%, 15% and 15% respectively. Some of the immigrants came to Venezuela as political or economic refugees. Most of the immigrants sought employment in the construction and petroleum industries.

Over the years, Venezuela was dogged by illegal immigration, in the 1980s to date; Venezuela has tried to contain the illegal immigration. The restriction became more stringent with the setting in of the economic depression that made jobs in Venezuela very scarce. This was undertaken to cushion the Venezuelans from unemployment. The forced the Venezuelans to engage largely in disguised unemployment; handling jobs they had initially taken as below their dignity. The restrictions also saw most of the immigrants travel to America, particularly those of Colombian origin.

Venezuela has the best road networks in the world. Its road network is distinctive in the entire Latin American region. Venezuelan road network boasts of 60% of its roads as paved highways. The southern region of Venezuela depends largely on the air travel or river travel. The transportation of goods is largely done through the road network, estimated at 98% of the goods that are transported in Venezuela. The railway network of Venezuela is the least used, with paltry 584 kilometers coverage.

Venezuela has 11 international airports beside the 36 domestic airports. The international airport in Caracas accounts for 90% of the flights of Venezuela. Unfortunately, most of the Venezuelan airports are not high quality. Besides, Venezuela utilizes the ports and harbors in the Caribbean Sea. This mode of transport handles 80% of the Venezuelan cargo, particularly the La Guaira, Maracaibo and Puerto ports. Regrettably, the La Guaira airport facilities were damaged significantly during the 1999 mudslides. This has done a blow on the overall airport transport in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan economy has not been spared from the economic downturn either. Though the president had vowed to protect the economy from any adverse effects with expended zeal, the protection did not last long. The tumbling of the oil prices in the international market dealt a blow on the exports of Venezuela. The Venezuelan economy contracted to 2.95% and its inflation shot up to 25%; among the highest in the world. By January 2010, the Venezuelan currency was highly devalued. Nevertheless, the economy remains quite robust amid the tide. However, the economy still largely depends on oil revenues.

Oils accounts for 90% of the export earnings, and an estimated 50% of the economy’s budgets revenue. Besides, 30% of the Venezuelan GDP comes from the sales of oil products. The high government spending coupled with the hike in the minimum wage and the ease of accessibility of credit translated into a consumption boom that largely swept the domestic market. This consumption boom is largely to blame for increased inflation rates that hit Venezuela.

Venezuela, from available statistics, has the high international reserve, standing at $1300 per capita. This translates into $34 billions. Despite this high international reserve per capita, Venezuela is yet to reap the benefit; may be until international oil prices shoot up. When the finance minister presented the 2010 budget, expended attention was placed on social spending. Despite this injection and in retrospect, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects the Venezuelan economy is to grow by -0.4%.

The IMF projects the Venezuelan inflation at 40%, this rate is not only dizzying but also, a large challenge for the Venezuelan administration. The poor economy has also been characterized by incessant power cuts and blackouts. This energy crisis is projected to equally eat into the national economy. According to the financial times, the crisis in the energy sector may further eat into the national GDP of Venezuela in 2010. Nevertheless, the economy of Venezuela has all the potential except for cushioning from the international economic downturn.

History records that over the years, corruption has been very high in Venezuela. Presumably, the middle class and a substantive upper class are so because of corruption. When Chavez took over power, the mandating platform was zero tolerance to corruption. Despite this mandate, he has achieved the least towards this end. Rather, this has been wished away as a shear propaganda machine. Apparently, corruption in Venezuela is worse than it was six years ago. There is the least evidence that corruption would leave Venezuela any soon.

Venezuela has the highest levels of drug and substance abuse in Latin America. In the El Espectador 2009, it was reported that 14000 death were recorded that were related to drug and substance abuse in Venezuela. Caracas is seen as the most risky city on the planet. In addition, the sale of drugs is done in a wanton manner, jeopardizing the lives of many. The overall crime rates in Venezuela are very high.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Venezuelan economy has what it can take for any economy to develop and grow. However, there are number of determinant factors that need to be reviewed with expended zeal and cautiousness. Inherently, the population growth rate should be checked, through programs that would see the rate remain below 2%.

In addition, the government should put in place policies that would see the level of corruption reduce or diminish altogether. This will promote foreign investment and reduce the levels of unemployment. In addition, reduced corruption will increase the overall service delivery to the public. The Venezuelan administration should ensure reduced crime levels; this would equally encourage foreign investment because of their security confidence in the country.

Sociology

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India is one of the countries who have a hierarchical caste system. Within the culture of the Indian people, all people and things are ranked on the basis of some essential qualities they possess. According to the article, “the caste system in India”, there is a particular behavior that people possess towards each other. Individuals are usually placed on the grounds of power and wealth. There are usually “big men” and “small men”. The caste system therefore promotes discrimination. To end the caste system I would aim at ending racism first. I would mix the women from the higher caste with Brahmin and then the Dalit men and Sudra men. I would ensure that the men from the high caste and Brahmin breed effectively with the lower caste. I would also legitimize the mixing up and portray it to be a good thing. I would encourage it to be a Dharma act thus there would be no any castes that are left.  I will ensure there are financial incentives from the government to the couples that the government will match up. Hence, there will be half Brahmin and half Sudra offspring who will end racism. The unjustified outrage from the parents will be reduced by the financial incentives and thus the India populace will be homogenous. The Brahmin females should be encouraged to marry the lower caste as well as produce some offspring. There should be a passing of law whereby all the Hindus who refute to allow low castes to the temple ought to be sued. There should be affirmative action and introduction of programs where the Brahmin females are fully allowed to marry with the lower caste and the offspring are treated equally. I would also start from the bottom going upwards asking for support from those who are more affected. There should be a non discriminatory, single civil code that ought to be put in place. I would face opposition from Muslims, high caste people and some politicians because they enjoy exceptional privileges from the sharia law. It resembles US struggle over civil rights in the fact that for many years there have been racial discrimination in US among the whites and blacks. The whites were treated with more respect than the blacks and always placed in higher positions.

Q2.      Though most of the Muslim countries like Turkey, Iran and Malaysia have modernized, some of the Muslim counties are still behind.  During the Islamic Empire the Muslim community was leading in military strength and economic status (Tyler, 2004). Most of the religious leaders loathe change and suppress any development that does conflict with the interpretation of the scriptures. This neither encourages industrial investment nor scientific research. The Islamic failure to modernize on political, cultural and economic systems has led to global financial ruin. There has been western influence and aggression on Muslim lands (Tyler, 2004). There has been lack of unification from the time Arab government collapsed because of the Mongol invasion as well as the destruction of the Baghdad (Tyler, 2004). In the attempt of the Muslim countries to adopt European innovations they failed totally. The Muslim world has a conservative mindset (Tyler, 2004). Before there was creation of western systems of renovation, societies did not expand. Hence, most Muslim nations focus was not reinvestment or innovation but to preserve the technology and knowledge that existed thus remaining constant.  There has also been corruption among government officials that have hindered development (Tyler, 2004). Most of the government officials are against modernization because they fear that there will be transparency in the government.

Q3.      Developing countries have some few common characteristics. The developing countries have low labor productivity (Kintu, 2008). This is because they lack inputs like capital and experienced management. There is high rate of dependence and population growth. They also have short life expectancy of 51 years as compared to 75 years among the developed countries (Kintu, 2008). Most of the developing countries populace work in rural areas and depend on agriculture. There are also high levels of unemployment and technological backwardness. They also have limited resources. They are different as far as culture is concerned. Each country has its own culture. They also differ in language between communities as far as official languages are concerned. For example in Kenya, the official language is Swahili and in Uganda it is English. They are also diverse in political and social structures as well as economic conditions. Economic development and democracy is complex in Latin America and Africa because of the political instability (Robert, N.d).  There has been weakening of commodity prices in Latin America causing economic problems (Michael & Peterson, 2002). There is also diminished inflow in foreign investments and accumulation of debts to Latin America (Michael & Peterson, 2002).

Cultural construction of crime, criminals, violence in war, peace and about small wars and invisible genocides.

MEMORANDUM

TO:                 The president of United States of America

FROM:           Assistance secretary of States for United Nations affairs

DATE:                       December 10th, 2007.

SUBJECT:     Cultural construction of crime, criminals, violence in war, peace and about small wars and invisible genocides.

This is a memorandum about structural violence. It has clearly outlined strategies that can be followed to bring an end to all structural violence in the whole world. I have been prompted to write it after looking at the cultural construction of crime, the violence attributed to wars, how people have struggled to bring peace, small wars and genocides that have existed in dark figures. Structure violence should be prevented because it is an obstacle to people from meeting their basic needs. It drastically reduces the quality of life if it is allowed to take shape. It generates violence such as family based, racial based, terrorism, genocide and even war. Therefore Mr. President, I would like you to look at my proposals and see their viability if implemented though my proposals are subject to discussion.

Structural violence is a systematic way in which given society and institution kill people gradually by making it possible for people to meet their basic requirements like food, clothing and other basic necessities. This is according to Johan Galtung who first applied this concept in 1970s. Mr. President, from the researches that have been done by various scholars, it has been noted that war, genocides and crime compromise the life expectancy of citizens especially when people are not free to determine their own destinies, they have no say in political matters, they do not enjoy the benefits of free market and when the level of crime is high. These shortcomings when they are not properly addressed degenerates in to racial and family violence and can also result into crimes, terrorism, genocides and wars. It is as result of this structural violence that most children in the world are dying at a very tender age. Most of them do not live to see their tenth birthday. These are children who are not well taken care of and do not have access to proper meals and health. It should be known that governments are losing and destroying their future pool of human resources by not taking measures against structural violence. Structural violence hinders people from enjoying the benefits of scientific discoveries and social progress.

A closer look at the works of the former director of Massachusset Prison in the department of Mental Health Service Mr. James Gilgan, the poor are the worst hit by the increased rates of deaths and disabilities. He noted that these increases deaths are not as a result of natural deaths but due to the stress associated with poverty. A classic example of structural violence is of Rwanda Genocide of 1994. About 800,000 Tutsis minority and some Hutus were either buried alive, shot by merciless guards or their heads were chopped off with machetes. Another good example of structural violence is of African continent which was brought about by colonial interventions. Africa has always been referred to as theDark Continentby western nations. These accusations are not baseless especially when they are given a closer inspection, Mr. President. It is what colonial victimizers did to the Africans that are the main source of all these problems. Colonialism brought divisions among many ethnic groupings, wars erupted, many lives perished and a lot of properties were destroyed. Iam sure all the atrocities that Africans encountered were as a result of structural violence (Farmer, P.E.Berkeley, 2005)

The Cambodian genocide of 1975-79 is another example of structural violence. In this genocide, about 1.7 million people lost their lives. This is about 21% of the whole population. The same case happened inGuatemala,YugoslaviaandGermanywhere the Nazi regime cleansed the whole population of the Israelis inGermany.

Mr. President, most enormous obstacle to peace is the tendency of human beings to carry out open warfare but above all, the pressing issue is hunger which is caused by warfare. Structural violence basically describes crime, hunger and poverty. Mr. President, in an effort to end this structural violence, I have come up with the following proposals. First, the idea of submissiveness should be forgotten. Violence results from this tendency of making people to be subjects. This idea which makes some people to be superior to others should be replaced by that of morality. That is, putting interest of others ahead of yours. Submissiveness simply means being self centered while morality is all about caring others.

Secondly, war should be applied as the last option that is when all other alternatives have failed. Wars do hinder people from achieving their basic requirements. Lastly, poverty levels should also be significantly reduced. This is what causes stress that results to crime and wars over resources that lead to deaths. Mr. President, if these three proposals are taken in to serious consideration, I am double sure that all forms of structure violence would be prevented.

My proposal is geared towards improving the quality of life and definitely life expectancy will go up. This is because all the obstacles to good life will have been removed and life will be smoother. So, to prevent more deaths and stress, proper measures should be taken immediately. Wars, crimes and all other atrocities associated would be a thing of the past. For these reasons Mr. President, I think acting with speed will be of essence.

 

Reference:

Farmer, P.E.Berkeley, 2005. Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights and the New     War on the Poor. 2nd Edition.University ofCalifornia Press.

Healthcare Systems Administration

Health care organizations operate to offer quality services at minimal costs. Excessive costs would work to increase the financial losses that such organizations face. Establishing effective strategies and reassessing the current approach would suffice in ensuring such costs are contained. New subsystems can be implemented to ensure sustainability of the current health care delivery market. Leadership is considered a very complex phenomenon that entails diversified roles. Continue reading “Healthcare Systems Administration”

Western Civilization

The development of modern western civilization can be traced back to the period between the early eighteen centuries and early twentieth century. This is the period that would witness the dominance of the European culture and values with other civilizations taking a back seat. The spread of western values and influence into the rest of the globe took place in two phases, these being the old and the new imperialisms. Both the old and the new imperialism were driven by similar motives that revolved around economics. Continue reading “Western Civilization”

Difference between Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar are two very important and influential men in the history of the world. Alexander was a Greek king and a military commander of one of the most successful armies in the world during the ancient times. Likewise, Julius Caesar was a military leader and at the helm in the founding of the Roman Empire. These two great men sought to rule and conquer the world, and they almost did, though using different tactics. Their leadership styles were different. An analysis of Alexander achievements and deeds indicates that he espoused democracy and admonished to the totalitarianism. Continue reading “Difference between Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great”

Community Policing

What is the current presidential administration stance on community policing?

Community policing revolves around the engagement and the involvement of the community that relate to local security. It is meant to enhance the relationship between the government and the people on the ground by offering home based solutions to local problems. The role of community policing as a solution to many social evils like crime and drug abuse in the American society cannot be underscored. Continue reading “Community Policing”

Cold War

The cold war period between the late 1940s and early 1990s was characterized by intense rivalry and tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. This rivalry emanated from the competition that existed between the two powers as mirrored in the military fields, technological advertisements, arms race and ideological differences. Although in this period there was no confrontation between the powers, this rivalry was exhibited in the proxy wars that existed during that time. Continue reading “Cold War”