Christian Ethics Essays (1551 words) - Bible, Christianity

Christian Ethics Exam 2, Lecture 2 We in our society are happy when we condemn other people. We as Christian cannot do it. The book of Isaiah Isaiah was trying to get the people of Israel to live exclusively according to the righteousness and justice of God. Rather than emulate the nations of Babylon, Assyrian and Egypt. Isaiah has a very clear notion of what justice is and that is the fair treatment of disadvantaged. He mentioned and the psalms mentioned this often and other prophet mentioned this and that is there are three special classes of people in Israel that are to be treated with special care, which are: the orphans, the widows and the strangers. You determine the justice of a society based on how they treat the orphans, the widows and the stranger. Now what do those three have in common? What an orphan and a widow have in common is no father, no male and no patriots. The patriot was the center of all authority and power. All inheritance passes from the patriot to the next patriot and so if you are a widow without a husband or an orphan without a father, you are not part of social power of society. You have not power because it is passed from male to male. The stranger are those people in Egypt who also came out with Moses and the Israelite in the exodus but they where not kin or decedents of Abraham, but they to were part of the protection and blessing of God from the exodus. The strangers were from a different ethical group. Everybody belongs somewhere in the world because in the book of number's it say I have access to land. The strangers had no access to any form of property, God blesses them but when they left Egypt they had no place to live. So the orphans, the widows and the stranger's do not have access to social power. They are what you call the disadvantage. Time and time again, Isaiah, the prophets and the psalms would tell us that we must treated these people fairly because according to Deuteronomy chapter 14 verse 29 (although he said Leviticus) 10% of what you have should go to the orphans, widows and strangers. This is justice. Isaiah form of justice is treating those who cannot take care of themselves fairly. Righteousness according to Isaiah is the right worship of God, which is we really recognize the uniqueness of God. That is one of the reasons why several time throughout Isaiah insults the idols. Righteousness is the right worship and the exclusive worship of God, while justice is to carry those who cannot carry themselves. Chapter 51 verse 17 The reason why Jerusalem is such a devastated and destructive place is because they wanted to emulate the other nations. They did not want to live by extreme righteousness and justice of God, so God judges them for them. Chapter 52 verse 1 This chapter talks about paradox and irony. Paradox those not mean contradiction. Contradiction is when two things don't have the same truth-values. A paradox can be both true but different. Para means aside while dox means opinion Two opinions that are aside but beside one another with different views. Redemption is eschatological according to Isaiah, which is it occurs in history but not according to historical cause. It occurs by God but not in a supernatural realm. What he describes in this chapter is that one-day Jerusalem holy city. It would be heaven on earth. Jerusalem would only become a holy city only if it is done directly by God. God those it not any other thing does it. Not another king, not another ruler, not another intuitions. This has to be done strictly by God otherwise it would just replicate the problem. Example was one of the greatest empires but now it is in ruins. So Isaiah say don't pattern yourself on something that would destroy you like the greed and the injustice but rather pattern yourself by being righteous and just and than you would become the holy city. Chapter 58 1-9 Muedfalsepiety Personal devotion should require social justice and righteousness. But the people of Israel try to manipulate God with

Health Hazards of E-Waste Recycling and Hospitals Role in India

Health Hazards of E-Waste Recycling and Hospitals Role in India Free Online Research Papers E-Waste Management is one of the major areas of concerns today. Researchers are trying to find new ways to reduce, recycle and reuse the E-Waste and governments are trying to find methods of implementations of e-waste management schemes. Developed nations are trying to cope up with this startling problem and the result is the dumping of e-waste into the developing countries like India. New health problems are emerging due to the unmanaged E-Waste industry. As the electronic recycling is an unregulated industry in India, the recycling process is dangerous to the health of its employees. A study of the related health studies in China has shown the impact of e-Waste recycling on health of workers. Such studies are important for India as these will help in designing better policies of E-Waste Management. In this paper, we present the problem of e-waste with the focus on the health. A study about the role of hospitals in dealing with this problem is also being presented with a focus of new initiatives that can be taken by hospitals in this regard. INTRODUCTION It is a major area of concern today that the wealthy countries are dumping large quantities of e-waste into the developing world. According to (Rachel Kesselman, 2007), currently, companies export 80 percent of the worlds electronic trash to Asia, and 90 percent of this flows into China, according to a BBC report. The article (Toxic Links, 2008) besides discussing the problem of e-waste recycling in India and the economies involved expresses the urgent need for educating consumers and the general public regarding the potential threat to public health and the environment posed by their products and for raising awareness for the proper waste management protocols. E-WASTE RECYCLING IN INDIA According to (Rachel Kesselman, 2007), The Indian government estimates that the country generates approximately 146,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, and that another 150,000 tonnes of used PCs, printers and other IT devices enter its ports illegally. Greenpeace International released a report (GreenPeace International, 2005) in August 2005 about the hazardous chemicals found in scrap yards in India that include tin, lead, copper, cadmium and antimony in the soil and local rivers around scrap yards where the electronic waste is recycled. It also emphasized the fact that all stages in e-waste processing could release substantial quantities of toxic heavy metals and organic compounds into the workplace environment. HEALTH HAZARDS The e-waste recycling and disposal operations found in developing countries are extremely polluting and likely to be very damaging to human health (Robert Bortner, 2008). According to (Habib Beary, 2005), computers, refrigerators, televisions and mobiles contain more than 1,000 different toxic materials. Chemicals such as beryllium, found in computer motherboards, and cadmium in chip resistors and semiconductors are poisonous and can lead to cancer. Chromium in floppy disks, lead in batteries and computer monitors and mercury in alkaline batteries and fluorescent lamps also pose severe health risks. The author (Mike Mcphate, 2004) writes about the patients suffering from problems such as bleeding from the throat and breathlessness, lung ailments including asthma, bronchitis and chronic lung infections, relating these to e-waste recycling methods used, burning of wires and handling of green circuit boards such as the task of recovering copper from printed circuit boards (PCBs). The author also shows the concern to the use of a brew of nitric acid, a toxic substance during the recycling process that releases copper as well as cancer-causing lead and mercury. According to (Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, 2007), plastics used to house computer equipment and cover wire cables to prevent flammability often contain poly-brominates flame retardants, a class of dangerous chemicals. Studies have shown that ingesting these substances may increase the risk of cancer, liver damage, and immune system dysfunction. The chemicals contained in e-waste are a cocktail of dangerous pollutants that kill both the environment and humans slowly. The recycling units are mostly in the residential areas, where children play with trash. This can lead to further health hazards. The example, as in (Andrew Pollack, 1984), specifies As batteries have become smaller, especially with the introduction of button-shaped versions, infants have started swallowing them. A swallowed battery can burn holes in the intestines and cause inflammations. SOLUTIONS FOR INDIA It is not that there is no solution for this problem. There are various articles such as (Intersindia.com, 2007), where the authors give suggestions to keep a check on this seemingly uncontrolled problem of recycling. However, to give importance to such ideas and to implement these, there is a need to understand the health hazards of this unwatched process of recycling. There is also the need of bringing health awareness to masses regarding this issue. As this recycling industry contributes to the economics of the country, the need is also to study the health impacts and to relate these directly to the recycling process. Such studies will not only help in designing controlled, supervised and monitored processed of recycling e-waste but will also help in cautious reduction of e-waste. RELATED RESEARCHES The research conducted by (Xia Huo et. Al, 2007) found that the lead contamination from e-waste processing appears to have reached the level considered to be a serious threat to children’s health around the e-waste recycling area, and that the elevated Blood Lead Levels in Guiyu children are common as a result of exposure to lead contamination caused by primitive e-waste recycling activities. Another important research, (Annao. W. Leung et. Al, 2007), is the human health risk assessment study conducted concerning dust exposure at an uncontrolled e-waste recycling site and the results can serve as a case study for similar e-waste activities in countries such as Africa, India, and Vietnam where e-waste is becoming a growing problem. COEH, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health is also involved in e-Waste management research projects and claims to be the only such center out of the 240 Medical Colleges in India (T. K. Joshi and Neeraj Gupta, 2008). HOSPITALS’ PROJECTS AND NEW INITIATIVES In recent years, some U.S. hospitals have taken proactive measures to not only minimize or eliminate the impact of hazardous e-waste on their nation’s environment, but also for saving the valuable dollars as well. One such hospital (Premier, 2009) in New England, Hartford, CT-based Saint Francis Care entered into an agreement with WeRecycle!, in 2005. The combined effort was not to allow hazardous e-waste to be sent to solid waste landfills, incinerators, prison recycling operations or developing countries. In India, it is needed that hospitals should get involved in such life saving initiatives for people of India and the ‘Mother Earth’. Hospitals in India can come up with different initiatives to help in this regard, such as To conduct the public health awareness programs on dangers of uncontrolled e-waste recycling. To find the impact on health on people working in E-waste recycling units in India. To find the impact on health on people living near the E-waste recycling units in India, specially the pregnant women and children. To relate to specific health problems and their increase to e-waste recycling issues. In paper (Violet N. Pinto, 2009), the table 1, specifies E-Waste Component, the process needed for dismantling, the related potential occupational and environmental hazards. Such studies should be used by the hospitals to create mass awareness. The hospitals can take the initiatives of keeping a check or recording the patient’s health history if it is suspected to be related to E-Waste mismanagement. The hospitals can also further publish reports, based on such recordings for making the government alert on the increase of health problems of people in a given location, which is suspected to be related to E-waste. DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM AS PART OF E-WASTE RECYCLING MANAGEMENT Hospitals in India can provide a real measure of problem severity, may it be the rate of increase of stress and suicides, the criminal offences, the domestic fights, even the impact of mosquito-bites. However, this is only possible if hospitals play a pro-active role in monitoring, recording and analysis of factors related to life and death, even those that are seemingly not directed related to the diagnostics and treatments. Hospitals’ role play had been considered related to E-Waste Management only to the extent of hospital or bio-waste management. However, as the sufferers of the E-Waste recycling processes also come to the hospitals for treatment, the track of recycling processes, impacts, health hazard and possible treatments can be kept easily by hospitals. HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM (Hospitals’ initiatives and Projects/ Collaborations) Check on the health hazards related to E-Waste Recycling Recording Cause and Impact on Patient’s health. Keeping Track of such patient’s occupational processes and habits. Recording the number of similar cases in the locality. Research Analysis on treatments and improvements. Public Awareness Schemes. Reports Publications. Figure 1: A Health Monitoring Framework CONCLUSIONS This paper has presented the areas of Health Monitoring System, which can be further elaborated and embedded in the daily processes of hospitals. The E-waste Management Systems with health monitoring frameworks can lead to results in only the health improvement of patients but also in public thought and views related to E-waste recycling. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are grateful to Fausta Research and Development Pvt. Ltd, Faridabad, for making of ‘Fausta Research Community’, to motivate research collaborations between researchers and multi-disciplinary organizations, and initiating the IT and healthcare projects. REFERENCES Andrew Pollack, Battery Pollution Worries Japanese, Published: June 25, 1984, The New York Times, retrieved on 3rd June 2008, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=technologyres=990CE3DB1439F936A15755C0A962948260 Annao. W. Leung et. al, Heavy Metals Concentrations of Surface Dust from e-Waste Recycling and Its Human Health Implications in Southeast China, (2007), Environ. Sci. Technol. , Retrieved on 5th June 2008, ban.org/Library/Scientific/Leung_HM_Dust_Guiyu_2008.pdf Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, E-Waste is killing Ghanaians slowly, August 27, 2007, http://ghananewsonline.blogspot.com/2007/08/e-waste-is-killing-ghanaians-slowly.html, Retrieved on 3rd June 2008. GreenPeace International, Toxic Technology contaminates e-waste recycling yards in China and India, 17 August 2005, Retrieved on 3rd June 2008, greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/toxic-technology-contaminates Habib Beary, Bangalore faces e-waste hazards, BBC News, Bangalore, Last Updated: Monday, 31 January, 2005, Retrieved on 3rd June 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4222521.stm Intersindia.com, E-Waste Management in Indian Scenario, 2007, Retrieved on 5th June 2008, internsindia.com/download.php?download_file=../profiles/E-Waste.www.internsindia.com.pdf. Mercedes Oestermann van Essen, â€Å"The Air You Breathe Is Full Of Toxins, And I Am Not Talking About Exhaust Fumes†, Retrieved on 3rd June 2008, content4reprint.com/health/the-air-you-breathe-is-full-of-toxins-and-i-am-not-talking-about-exhaust-fumes.htm Mike Mcphate, E-waste a health hazard, Delhi NewsLine, Retrieved on 3rd June 2008, http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=81450, Published: Sunday , April 11, 2004 Premier, ‘Saint Francis Care’s e-waste initiatives save environment, costs’, premierinc.com/quality-safety/tools-services/safety/green-link/green-corner/st-francis-ewaste.pdf, retrieved on: 12th Oct 2009. Rachel Kesselman, Intel Brief: E-waste hazards, for ISN Security Watch (27/07/07), Mercyhurst-ISN intelligence, Retrieved on 3rd June 2008, isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=17914 Robert Bortner, Acumen International, Asia, Near East (ANE) Computer Recycling and Disposal (E-Waste), Retrieved on 5th June 2008, dot-com-alliance.org/resourceptrdb/uploads/partnerfile/upload/258/Ewaste%20Research%20Final.doc T. K. Joshi, Neeraj Gupta, Impact of E-Waste on Health along with case studies, Retrieved on 5th June 2008, www.assocham.org/events/recent/event_64/Dr_T_K_Joshi_Dr_Neeraj_Gupta_COEH.ppt Toxic Links, E-WASTE IN INDIA System failure imminent – take action NOW!, Retrieved on 5th June 2008, noharm.org/details.cfm?type=documentid=1175 Violet N. Pinto, â€Å"E-waste Hazard The Impending Challenge†, http://medind.nic.in/iay/t08/i2/iayt08i2p65.pdf, Retrieved on: 14th Oct, 2009. Xia Huo et. al, Elevated Blood Lead Levels of Children in Guiyu, an Electronic Waste Recycling Town in China, Environ Health Perspect. 2007 July; 115(7): 1113–1117. ––––– ***** ––––– Research Papers on Health Hazards of E-Waste Recycling and Hospitals' Role in IndiaDefinition of Export QuotasInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductGenetic EngineeringThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTwilight of the UAWThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

Sufism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Sufism - Essay Example Sufism shows the influence of other major religions such as Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism (Isfahan Web site). While the underlying precept of Sufism is renunciation of the worldly life and a repudiation of conflict and strife, history shows that Sufism often transcended its’ spiritual mandate to function as a political or even a military power. The emphasis of Sufism is on Unity with God: Tawhid, through an allegorical interpretation of the Qur’an. The orthodox conformity to the religious laws of the Shari’ah is but an external guide to repudiate the worldly life. The crucial step is the achievement of an inner, personal experience of the Divine, in which the self becomes one with God. This can be achieved by tariqa, or mediation, and dhikr, or remembrance of God. Sufism encourages self-denial and ascetism and centers round the love of God: mahabbah, through the subjugation of the ego, or nafs (Univ. of Calgary Web site). Sufism includes many orders or mystical brotherhoods: Tariqas, organized on a structure developed by Al-Ghazali (1058-1111), who is credited with bringing Sufism firmly within the ambit of orthodox Islam theology, making it a more popular, inclusive movement. Each order is headed by a spiritual leader, or Shaykh, and follows a distinctive path. The disciples, faqirs or mudirs, live communally. Their mystical practices include chanting of divine phrases, breath control, communal chanting and ecstatic dancing (the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey). The main Sufi brotherhoods are the Qadiriya, Chistiya, Shadhilya, Naqshbandiya, Ni’matallahiya and Meleviye, although many others, each with its’ own emphasis regarding practice and observances, are found in various parts of the world (Godlas, Sufism). In what may be viewed as a contradiction in terms, Sufism has been associated with movements of political and historical significance over the ages. The Safavid Empire in Persia, one