Urban issues assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Urban issues assignment - Essay Example Taking USA and Germany as case studies, the paper seeks to come up with the best possible solutions to these challenges for a sustainable future. Germany and The USA are among the highest motorized countries around the world. Between 2010 and 2014, there were 588 and 786 motor vehicles per 1000 people in Germany and the IUS respectively (National Transportation Statistics). Motorization has in turn increased the demand for parking areas, resulting in problems in consumption of space mainly in central areas. The connection between congestion and parking is also evident where motorists experience delays looking for parking areas, negatively affecting local flow. In both of these countries, there is a high density of population and due to the fact that many households are close to means of public transport, there are a small number of trips made by personal cars owing to the convenience of public transport. There are, however, differences that are still evident. Most Americans depend more on cars as compared to their German counterparts (786 against 588 per 10000 people) as more Germans prefer walking or cycling as well as us of public transport. This over-reliance on motor vehicles by Americans has led to heavy consumption of energy and ultimately resulting in pollution, rendering the current maintenance cost of urban spaces unsustainable (Wellman 336). The American transport system grapples with high number of trips per capita, estimated to be about three times higher as compared to Germany. Americans also spend about 5% of their budget on transport, a crucial amount compared to other countries that pay between 2 and 3% (National Transportation Statistics). For this reason, there has been need to adopt policies that would assist in reducing the over-reliance on automobiles and ultimately aid in reduction of congestion in major areas. For example, one of the most densely populated states,

Impact Of Dei Verbum In Roman Catholic Church Religion Essay

Impact Of Dei Verbum In Roman Catholic Church Religion Essay Throughout the history of Christianity, the church has convened a number of councils in order to clarify teachings, address problems, or enact reforms. In many instances, these councils have resulted in momentous turning point in the course of Christian church history. These councils also attempt to respond to the urgent needs of the emerging generation during this modern era. The general councils began in Nicaea in 325, convened at intervals throughout the first millennium and the medieval period, struggled with the age of reformations to the modern world, with a total of 21 councils convened in the span of more than 1600 years. Unlike other councils before the modern era, the opening of Vatican councils seemed to create new perspectives for the Roman Catholics especially in more specific areas on their beliefs and practices. Vatican II was reopened in 1962 by John XXIII which it stunned many by his actions. Shortly after ordination as the pope in 1949, John XXIII believed the church ought to look at the state of the world in order to meet the impending needs of the people. With that, preparation lasted for almost four years and the entire council stretched across four autumns until the 16 documents were completed. In the process, there are two majors camp of people, one who were called the conservatives disputing the fact that the church needed no change at all and the convening of Vatican II was not necessary. The church is self-sufficient and to avoid that happened during the Enlightenment period, the ideal way is to insulate itself behind a powerful structure that would claim to have all the answers. While others were keen to see a new millennium coming forth through Vatican II and Christians from other denominations such as the Lutherans, Episcopalians, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Quake rs were cordially invited. This was a revolutionary move by the Pope John XXII. Although, John XXII did not manage to see through the council, his post-decessor Pope Paul VI continued this council and brought it to completion.  [2]   Among all the various key documents of Vatican II, Dei Verbum (DV) (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) could be considered one of most well received and a foundational component on Catholics thinking on revelation, exegesis and the use of the bible in the Roman Catholic Church. Hence, to what extent does the DV theological idea applied in the 21st century context? Therefore, it would be attempted to present the impact of DV in the current and local context.  [3]   Looking at the rear mirror of church history, there were tremendous issues surrounding the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) especially during the medieval period. Probably the first threat to the divine revelation came from Marcions denial of the Scripture and the nature of God appeared in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Shortly after this, the Gnostics came into the scene whereby they typically claimed to have secret revelations from Jesus, incorporated new systems of beliefs which are inconsistent with the Church. Consequently, the Catholics became more restrictive in the availability of the scripture to the people. RCC believed that God revealed Himself to the people through Jesus Christ. On the other hand, RCC viewed these divine revelations as being originally transmitted primarily by oral means (Sacred Tradition) and later by written means (Sacred Scripture). These Scared Tradition Scared Scripture were additional to the bible. With this emphasis, the bible is not con sidered to be the exhaustive, comprehensive teaching of the Christian Faith. Rather, Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture together are considered the integral source of divine revelation, as explained in the new Catechism of the Catholic Church: Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out of the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing and move towards the same goal. Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own always, to the close of the age.  [4]   With this notion, RCC tend to weigh more heavily on the catechisms as compared to the bible. For this reason, translation and transmission of the bible was not placed on emphasis. Besides this reason, extensive manpower and efforts required to recopy the text. RCC was fearful that the bible could be stolen and abused by individuals. Hence, the reproduction of this decreased during the middle ages and people generally do not have access to the bible.  [5]  The bible basically played a subordinate role in the lives of the believers. Ecclesiastical authorities restricted people to access scriptures and normally reserved for certain level of bishops.  [6]   With the introduction in DV through Vatican II, Scared Tradition was stated as not being static and unchanging but constantly developing through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to a fuller and deeper understanding of the truth. This ongoing of development does not mean the truth but rather the grasping of the truth by the believers.  [7]  Thus, DV call the RCC to return to the main source which is the bible. Like most of the sixteen documents, Dei Verbum was carefully, even passionately considered, but in many ways the subject of Revelation was exceptional, being fundamental to Vatican II in several respects.  [8]  Joseph Ratzinger mentioned that it is important to note that only Scripture is defined in terms of what it is: it is stated that Scripture it the word of God consigned to writing. Tradition, however, is described only functionally, in terms of what it does: it hands on the word of God, but it is not the word of God  [9]   As such a new movement brought forth many renewed faith within the Catholics and their access to proper understanding of the Scriptures.  [10]  The Council then laid down new direction which promoted the reading and studying of biblical texts in a new way. The manner through which Catholics gained new access to the Scriptures was at least the five following ways. Firstly, the Catholics are able to hear the preaching of the word in the communitys vernacular. Before Vatican II, the priest celebrated Mass in Latin with his back facing the people, making the action of the Mass seem far away. It was easy for the faithful to fall into the role of spectators. Now the assembly is more actively engaged, helping us to experience all of us celebrating the Eucharist with the priest. Vatican II liturgy mentioned that the members should be full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations (#14).  [11]  This phenomenon occurred during the 4th century when St Jerome was com missioned by Pope Damasus I to translate to the Latin language and by 13th century, it became the commonly used translation in the Roman Empire.  [12]  With that, most of the masses were conducted in Latin where the indigenous languages were ignored in this situation. Consequently, the nominal people would have minimum understanding of the passage. By and large, the language Latin was not well received in most part of the community and shortly after, the language seemed to be lost. Also, since this is not their native language, the believers would find it difficult to understand and make sense of it. With DVs proposal of using indigenous languages, the believers were able to understand the message preached. According to the Catholic leader, he mentioned similar phenomenon in the RCC in Singapore and how this new dimension added life within the Church and more people are eager to hear the message.  [13]  It appeared that in the past, most people attended the mass because of a form of obligation and doze off during the proceeding. The many reasons given were that they do not understand the meaning of the message. With this new initiative, the preaching became more relevant at least the native language to the local context. Secondly, there was a change in the form of sermons from just a regurgitation of the bible to homiletical preaching: From a liturgical format to a homiletically manner. DV recognized that biblical exegetical plays an essential and positive role in the understanding of the bible. Moreover, it would add substance to the delivery of the message and allow the revelation to fill human hearts more and more  [14]  The efficacy of the word of God depends on the careful preparation and delivery of the message on the pulpit; this requires good training. Efforts were placed in making the sermon digestible and applicable. Therefore, the use of preaching has been increasing to bring a biblical message into the hearts of believers, but sadly, it is not yet universal. In the local context, there seemed to be more of such homiletical preaching occurring among the RCC.  [15]   Next is the liberty for personal bible study by the individual Catholic. This is something uncommon before the Vatican II as the bible is known as the authoritative and scared text, where only the bishops, the academics or scholars were able to read and make interpretations of it. The effects of releasing the Holy Scripture to all were seen from the Protestants movement whereby numerous interpretations arise within the short span of time.  [16]  Besides, it might appear that the bible is not scared enough that only the bishop has the access to it. Thus, the availability of the bible to Catholics became restricted due to the theological, social and also various heretical religious movements. Looking in retrospection, Vatican II created some impact in this area whereby Catholics are able to access to the bible in their native language allowing the Logos and Rehma word of God to be spoken during their devotional time. From a unidirectional reception to a bidirectional, believers are able to directly communion with God through the bible. The Church today encourages its members to make use of new methods of Scripture study and to cherish the Scriptures. Catholics are growing in their understanding of the Bible through the benefits of historical research, literary analysis and archaeological findings. Church documents wisely steer Catholics away from literal-minded approaches and from reading the Bible as if it were a science or history textbook. Since Vatican II, there is fairly widespread of the RCC participation in bible study groups, often advance by Ecclesial movements such as the Neo-catechumenate and the monastic tradition of  Lectio divina. It is sometimes ecumenical in nature whereby the study with Protestants or the Jews and they almost always find both enlightening and enriching. This action was illustrated in the DV 6 (no. 22) if these translations are produced in cooperation with the separated brethren as well, all Christians will be able to use them  [17]  that encouraged the RCC to make peace with the Protestant Bible Societies and work with them. Although there have been a longstanding hostility, full collaboration between the Catholic Biblical Federation and the United Bible Societies was soon established, bringing a notable increase in production of vernacular versions all over the world.  [18]   Similar collaboration has developed with publishers of daily bible reading aids such as the Bible Reading Fellowship, though in this country, at least, nothing seems to check a lamentable decline in general knowledge of the Bible.  [19]   As such, bible study became a central activity of the reformer groups which sprang up especially among the poor. More often than not, it was their daily reading of the bible that brought light into their own situation which was the main cradle of liberation theology.  [20]  In the local context, similar trends were observed in Singapore as well where such practices mushroomed. Many RCCs instituted bible study within the congregations on a regular basis where the believers examine the scripture. Such phenomenon was not evident before Vatican II. With this, Catholics became more familiar with the bible and equipped to defend their faith.  [21]   Finally, the last trajectory, posed a more complex issue to be addressed. It is the formal and scholarly pursuit of biblical study in the academy. Although the goal of academic study is to enable the deepening understanding of the Scripture, the methodologies employed might be deliberately bracketed faith. Since, most Catholic biblical scholar adopted certain methodologies from the Protestants colleagues, they might realized some incompatibility of the certain traditions practiced in the Catholic Church to deviate from the original intention of the Scripture. However, such rigorous academic study facilitated the understanding of the bible from a more holistic manner (theological, cultural, social and context). Consequently, some Catholics started to realize that certain doctrines seemed to be inconsistent with the Holy Scripture and some abandoned certain practices in the Catholic faith. Conversely, some others turned away from the Catholic faith and embraced the Protestant beliefs.à ‚  [22]  Also, many lay leaders are able to learn the bible from a theological angle, able to defend their faith. In Singapore, there are many such theological training evolving within the different Roman Catholic Churches and programme were developed to educate and trained lay ministers.  [23]  Growing numbers of lay women and men are attending theology schools, leading and/or joining Bible study groups and reading an array of solid articles or books on the subject. Priests and religious are no longer the only Scripture experts. Therefore, it is evident in RCC that such changes are happening now and hopefully will be ongoing. Since Vatican II, many speculations about the impact were raised, and it seemed there is an effect of change in the RCC circle as being more biblical, and personal faith; returning back to the original intent of God. Although, many of us were too young to think of Vatican II except as history, this phenomenon caused an effect in the universal church especially in the Catholic circle. According to the RCC in Singapore, many of the believers started getting more involved and serious in studying the bible. In this sense, it also means that wave from Vatican II remain active in both the academic and among the people of the RCC. Although some changes were seen in the RCC, it is heartbreaking to see the overwhelming cases of sex abuse scandals within the RCC, which caused a stir among congregations. Questions were raised regarding the credibility of these priests and the role of the scripture in their lives and casted doubts on the transformation in the RCC due to Vatican II. In conclusion , with the inception of Vatican II, there has been a vast enrichment of the lectionary for Mass and the readings for daily prayer of the Church and made a tremendous impact in the RCC. Hopefully this will continue to fulfill its original intention by Pope Paul XXIII when he convened the pastoral council.

Gun Ownership and Gun Control in Canada Essay -- firearms weapons gun

Gun Ownership and Gun Control in Canada The Oscar-won documentary ‘Bowling for Columbine’ has aroused people’s awareness of gun ownership and gun control issues. Should gun ownership be banned or should guns be controlled? Does gun ownership create a violent society? The answer is not measurable, however, from the firearm situation between America and Canada, the answer is more obvious. America probably has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. In Canada, the percentage of Canadian households with a rifle is approximately equal to the level in United States. According to the statistics of gun murder rates around the world from ‘Bowling for columbine’, America has 11,127 gun accidents while Canada merely has 165. Is the number of gun ownerships a main factor behind a violent society? Indeed weapon does not commit crimes, the perpetrator does. As well, most crimes do not involve licensed gun owners. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimated the pool of illegal handguns in Canada to be about 50,000. Shockingly, in New York City alone, conservative estimation put the number of illegal handguns at over 700,000. Well, it seems the firearm problem in United States is worsened by the illegal gun owners. So, who should own guns? To the members of NRA (National Rifle Association), anyone who interested in shooting should own a gun; however, guns are more destructive weapons than knives. Therefore guns should only be legalized for certain occupations or certain purposes. Occupations such as policemen, bank or airport security guards and farmers should be allowed to use guns. For leisure gun sport activities, guns should be o... ... law system, however not all illegal applicants can! Some politicians strongly support bans on gun uses will solve the firearm problems more effectively. Significantly, bans on guns will indeed raise the demand for illegal guns underground, which makes it harder for police to control gun uses. i.e. a FAC gun control system in Canada works very effectively due to the fact that fewer guns are traded in black market. ‘Useless laws weaken necessary laws.’ --- Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1775) Importantly, gun ownership doesn’t create a violent society, but lenient gun control does. Nevertheless, bans do not make something disappear, rather harder to control! Therefore a strict, uniform federal gun control system is far more essential so as to ensure no collateral effects of any gun uses!

Career Self-Reflection Essay

Medical regulatory and legal compliance are important areas of health records management. Consider how deeply you might be interested in overseeing these aspects of patient information in your professional work. From what you have learned about compliance issues so far, highlight the choices that best reflect your career interests and explain your reasons: 1. I would enjoy the authority for seeing that documents within patient files are complete, legible, and organized appropriately. †¢ True True †¢ False because: There are times when patient records are unreadable and there should be someone with the ability to go back over the records and make sure that the doctor can read the information provided. 2. I would enjoy the authority for ensuring that patient files are filed accurately. †¢ True True †¢ False because: Patient files should be filed in an appropriate manner to provide easy access to the doctor or others that need to know precisely where the fiule is at any given time. 3. I would enjoy the authority for developing procedures to track and circulate medical records effectively. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I have provided feedback at my place of employment on tracking procedures for patient files because there have been several times when the doctor has come looking for a chart and no one knew where the chart was or who had it and that is not appropriate. 4. I would enjoy the authority for training office employees to follow records management standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I have been proctor for my fellow employees on several occasions and I enjoy watching them grow in their positions. 5. I would enjoy the authority for keeping up with changes in filing policies and compliance standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I would enjoy the filing policies but the compliance standards are a different story. I have stated several times I believe state inspectors should have to work in a nursing facility for one week before they set some of their standards because some of them have no clue what goes on in a nursing facility on a daily basis. 6. I would enjoy the authority for investigating reports of suspected violations of policies and standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I am very passionate about privacy. Patient rights and patient privacy should be held in high regard. Not everyone needs to know a patients business.

Just Do It Essay

Sharad Haksar’s Just Do It is part of his very moving series of pictures he calls â€Å"Brand Irony. † This series portrays ironic juxtapositions of world-renowned brands combined with interesting visuals. In this specific picture, Haskar shows Nike’s famous Swoosh accompanied by its â€Å"Just Do It† slogan on a wall acting as an advertisement somewhere in India. On the wall next to the ad, a young boy is urinating as a little dog looks on. At first a feeling of excitement comes over the viewer because of Nike’s large media presence and its ties to athleticism. The boy urinating next to the slogan seems to then invoke a feeling of humor. These emotions soon give way, however, to a much deeper and serious analysis. Soon enjoyment and wittiness turn into anger and sadness as the details of the image slowly come forward. Born in India, Sharad Haksar was probably accustomed to seeing this kind of situation day in and day out. For this reason, Haksar was surely biased in the way that he definitely had some kind of disgust with companies like Nike. He is trying to appeal to the same audience Nike would be trying to attract in their advertisements. This would be, for the most part, young and active people anywhere from the ages 15-40. More than that, he is also trying to appeal to anyone who has an interest in photography, advertising, and the worldwide problem of worker exploitation. He finished up his collection of photos entitled â€Å"Brand Irony† in 2006. These photos were meant to show big-market companies advertising in ironic situations and/or places. In this specific photo, his frustration with large corporations exploiting their workers seems to be the focal point. Nike is a world –power when it comes to brand imagery, and their â€Å"Just Do It† slogan is as recognizable as any. By combining the first glance humor of a boy urinating on a wall, with the more profound message hidden deeper inside the photo, Haksar creates a brilliant image that begs to be understood. Many human beings see Nike as a model company, one that is always progressing its craft, and constantly trying to better its products. Haksar realizes this, and he wants to shed some light on the other side of the business. He wants to show how huge commercial businesses like Nike affect the countries and communities in which they conduct their trades. Nike has been at the forefront of â€Å"sweatshop† controversy in India, and the dirty and grimy background of the image appeals to this controversy. The â€Å"Just Do It† slogan, rather than being the upbeat, creative influence it usually is, is now portrayed in a much darker light. In Indonesia alone, 30% of factory workers were reported as being verbally abused, with another 2. 5% experiencing â€Å"unwanted fondling† (Dukcevich). In Honduras, two Nike subcontractors closed down their plants, pushing 1,800 natives out of work. It didn’t stop there, though. In complete disregard for Hondurian law, they refused to pay the $2 million in severance that was rightfully owed. Nike’s â€Å"factory to factory† competitiveness creates â€Å"an ultra-competitive environment that drives down wages and gives factory owners virtually no choice but to disrespect workers’ basic rights† (Greenhouse). The motto â€Å"Just Do It† is supposed to cast anger over the viewer, as it is clear that this is not an option to these people; life will never grant them the chance to just do it. Haksar is trying to bring awareness to the poverty-laden countries that big companies exploit to inexpensively run their large factories. He is trying to show that these disadvantaged humans slave over products that they cannot and probably never will be able to afford. This underprivileged boy and the rest of this community are living a life that doesn’t allow them to â€Å"Just Do It,† the opportunities just aren’t there. They lead a life of struggling to survive on insufficient paying jobs, some even as factory line workers in one of Nike’s 1000 factories worldwide. It is not unusual for these workers, most of the time women and children ages 10-24, to work 13-hour shifts and come home with a meager $1. 60. This fact becomes staggering when one takes into account that the average minimum living wage in most of the third world countries that house Nike factories is somewhere around $3. 00 to $5. 00 a day (Braddock). Exploited workers in these factories have no chance of living any kind of lifestyle Nike promotes, but rather become the impoverished human beings that are the face of third-world countries around the globe. The boy in the picture that at first seemed so comical is in fact without hoes or a shirt. He is clearly indigent and the littered ground he stands on emphasizes this. A sense of pity is immediately taken up for the boy, as he cannot even afford to put a pair of shoes on his feet, let alone the ones Nike advertises. Then the focus shifts to the dog. The dog that at first seemed cute and harmonious prancing next to the boy, now seems ragged and undersized. As the powerful, commenting images slowly unfold from Haskar’s photo, the picture transforms from just an advertisement to a much more critical view of Nike’s world-power franchise. He is trying to invoke a sense of guilt and remorse in his audience for their participation in buying Nike’s products. Moreover, a sense of anger is supposed to be instilled in the viewer, caused by Nike’s insistence on advertising in countries where just a miniscule part of the population has the means to buy their products. In this sense, Haksar is appealing to his audience to recognize where and how Nike’s products are being made. The innovation in brand imagery Nike has brought to the commercial world is unparalleled. The Swoosh and the â€Å"Just Do It† slogan are reminders that Nike sits in the top of its class when it comes to advertising. Sharad Haksar’s stunning Nike image in his â€Å"Brand Irony† series is a comment on this advertising and also an insight into how the products they market are produced. The image comes off, at first, just to be a humorous depiction of a boy urinating on a wall, but in fact is trying to shed light on the cruel and inhumane ways workers are exploited by companies like Nike. What the general public sees is Nike’s innovation and their leadership in their industry. What they don’t see are images like this.