Nestle Infant Formula as cause of child deaths

Nestle Infant Formula as cause of child deaths Company Background Heinrich Nestle and his family members started off producing carbonated water. They later on also combined cows milk with wheat flour and sugar to produce a substitute of mothers milk for those children who couldnt accept breast feeding. In 1866 a milk food formula was developed for infants who were unable to tolerate their mother milk. His product became a success, and it created a demand throughout Europe. By the 1960s Nestle was one of Switzerlands biggest company with over 200 factories around the world (Nestle, 2009). Nestlà ©Ã‚  considers that research can help them make  better food  so that people live a better life.   Good Food is the primary source of Good Health throughout life. In the first months of life, a babys nutrition needs are very specific and different than any other stage of life. Obtaining energy and nutrients is vital for babies healthy growth and development at this critical stage of life. To meet the specialized needs of infants, Nestlà © Nutrition works with the  Nestlà ©Ã‚  Research  Center  and RD centers to provide infant formulas with total nutrition. We strive to bring consumers foods that are safe, of high quality and provide optimal nutrition to meet physiological needs. In addition to Nutrition, Health and Wellness, Nestlà © products bring consumers the vital ingredients of taste and pleasure. Research is a key part of our heritage at Nestlà © and an essential element of our future. Nestlà © believes that the best food for babies is mothers milk. Mission Statement Breast milk nutrients that nourish protect and promote growth and development. However, for different reasons, not all mothers are able to breastfeed their babies or choose to do so, and need a safe, high-quality alternative that provides babies with the precise nutrition they need in the first months of life (Nestle 1990). Infant formula Industry Infant Formula Industry Development and marketing of milk food product for infants begin in 1867. The Creation of the product progressed due to the urgent need of a substitute for infants who could not consume any food Infant formula foods were matured around the 1920s. As an alternative to breast milk the sales boost after WWII and reached its climax in 1957. The Market took a downturn around the 1970s. Nestlà © then decided to market to countries like Africa, South Africa and Far East because of population growth (Boycott, 2007). Nestle and the Infant Formula 1800 was the century when Henry Nestle founded the infant substitute for breast milk for women who could breast feed their children at the time of their birth. Thus, this led to the death of millions of child infant death. Nestle in the early years marketed Infant formula as the best option for infants and also continued to aggressively promote the milk better then breast feeding. The containers had large writing in blocked letters claimimg the best choice for newly born babies which led to an excessive drop of breast feeding and high number of women feeding their children the infant milk. The stats were roughly around 80 % of Singapore three- month-old infants were being breastfed in 1951. By 1971 on 5% of mothers nursed their infants In Mexico around 1966, fewer than 40% mothers nursed their infants Chile experienced three times as many deaths of infants before they became 3 months old in 1973 (Ford, 2008).    There was marked shoot in the rate of gastroenteritis and malnutrition among the babies in the third world countries relating to the improper use of infant formula and the associated feeding equipment, such as bottles and nipples During the 1970s, British Charity Organization circulated a 28 page pamphlet called the Baby Killer which was targeted towards Nestle Switzerland and the poorly advertised marketing efforts in Africa. After the publication was well distributed it raised a concern for the general public and population of the affected countries and other countries. Later, Nestle was alleged as Unethical and immoral behavior.Nestle fought back and the trial lasted for two years therefore nestle was sued for defamation but inevitably Nestle won. But during this time nestle was given a set of code of ethics to follow by World health organization and UNICEF (Birbeck, 2007). The rules were as follows: The key points of the Code as established in 1981 were: Breast milk substitutes should not be advertised. Mothers and health care members are not to be given free supplies and samples. No promotion of products through health care facilities. No the marketing personal is not supposed to be in contact with the mother Information to health workers should be scientific and factual only. All information on artificial feeding, including the labels, should explain the benefits of breastfeeding and the costs and hazards of artificial feeding. Unsuitable products prohibited for babies. Babies should not be depicted on infant formula packaging. Labels should be set out in local native languages. By the end of 1989, The MNC introduced plan of Action for Infant and Young Child feeding where it committed to put a stop to all low priced and free supplies of infant milk formula in developing countries except for the number of children who need it. How Nestle breaks the Rule: Unethical Practises Nido is promoted worldwide. In Bolivia and other countries, Community and health workers are given free samples of Nido which stirs a mixed feeling among the mothers for children above four months although there is no age limits for nido. Neslac is promoted widely for babies for their first birthday although breast feeding is recommended for at least two years of age. Nestle promoted Neslac with the help of posters, gift offer and advertisements in all types of media. In Mexico and in other countries, Nestlà © provides pediatricians and nurses funds for congresses and other professional events Nestle sponsors workers with boxed lunches and vouchers in Taiwan.. In Italy, Nestlà © sponsored meetings and conferences under the brand name Guigoz. Cerelac is promoted in Pakistan on huge posters and roadside banners. Labeled bowls and cups are given out with every purchase of cerelac. The blue bear Logo that is seen almost in every country represents Infant formula and food. In UAE, Nestles distributed Pens with Cerelac logo. Company reps contact mothers though telephone in Hong Kong and Taiwan (Stafford, 1999). Nestlà ©- Baby Milk Ethical Issues Ethical Issues a) Infant Formula. The most important ethical question that arises regarding the use of infant formula is that if it is moral to produce or use the formula as a substitute for breast milk? The point of concern is that, if the infant formula is a bad thing like tobacco smoking or does it lie on the same fronts as consumption of alcohol where misuse leads to harms? The International Baby Food Action Network (IFBAN) suggests that in theory the infant formula might not be a bad thing but, on moral grounds it acts as a substitute for a perfectly good thing that is breast milk. b) Infant Formula cause of Child Deaths? There is no point questioning the fact that hundreds of thousands of young infants die every year in the developing countries mainly because of water-borne disease, malnutrition and some other factors. In case of Nestle it is important to distinguish between the deaths caused by the use and misuse of the infant formula which is the result of improper marketing of the formula as a substitute of breast milk and the deaths caused by other reasons. The use or misuse of the infant formula may lead to child death for various reasons which include negligence to certain important facts regarding the usage or simple ignorance of the mother or the feeder. Non-availability of proper ingredients like pure or clean water, or usage of non-sterilized bottles which are used to feed the infants has proved to be the major health risks. c) Supply of infant formula to regions with inadequate healthcare systems. The supply and promotion of infant formula to areas with weak health care facilities leads to a ethical predicament that, if it is moral on the companys behalf to supply their products in areas like Africa even if they are working within the frame work of the International code? Continue supply to these areas by infant formula companies is not considered an illegal issue as they follow the international code but their product is liked to deaths of young infants which surely make it an ethical issue. In such areas like Africa unsafe water and lack of sanitation are major factors underlying many of the 10 million child deaths every year. Repeated episodes of waterborne diseases like diarrhoea can push children to the brink of survival, leaving them too weak and malnourished to survive even common childhood illnesses (IBFAN, 2008). Illiteracy is another issue that these areas face as they are not able to read the instructions. In some cases, cans of formula were being sold with the inst ructions in the wrong language for the women being targeted which also proved to be an issue to some extent (Moorhead,2007). d) Abiding by the Code Out of all the other ethical issues one of the key issue revolving around the infant formula is the extent to which manufacturers are abiding by the International Code. According to the code article 1, the aim of the Code is to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding, and by ensuring the proper use of breast milk substitutes,  when necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through appropriate marketing  and distribution (Ann,2007). Another article from the code states that there should be no advertising or any other form of promotion to the general public of products within the scope of this Code. The code was formed in 1981 reason being the manufacturers of the infant formula products were promoting their products as a replacement for breast milk and breast feeding was declining. Nestle even stated that the infant formula is better than the breast milk that lead to the boycott of Nestle pr oducts. After the boycott Nestle fell in line with the code but every now and then it has been seen that they find a loop hole in the code and take advantage. This is the reason boycott still continues. In Defense of Nestle The key ethical issues to the substitution of the breast-milk feed, there are two main key points to discuss in this part, and to show how the company thinks that the infant formula is not unethical. First point will be the status and the position of the infant formula, Nestlà © has a unique question to ask those whom are considering the infant formula as an ethical formula, and the question is Is the infant formula a bad thing in itself, as bad as the gambling and tobacco? Second point to discuss is child death cases and relating it to the infant formula, where Nastles says that there are many child death cases all over the world, and there are people and organizations known as competitors or IBFAN where they relate some of those child death cases to the infant formula, and ignoring the other real facts which they were the reason behind those cases, for an example, these people or organizations are ignoring the fact of the death cases in some countries in South Africa, and these re ason are, it is really hard and somehow impossible to find pure and clean water, although the UN is trying their best to provide that clean water for the people in South Africa, and those people want the infant formula to be withdrawn from there. Withdrawn the infant formula from that part of Africa can lead to some serious problems, where other competitors can enter South Africa with new non-efficient infant formula and cause more serious problems to those kids or the infant formula can be replaced sugar water or goat milk. Another causing of death cases to those poor kids is the weak health care system, those people or organizations are ignoring the fact of the weak health care system for instant in some countries in South Africa, therefore Nestlà © argument here is that countries in South Africa are having a weak health system, and people there are not well treated medically, therefore death cases should be related to the weak health system there not to the infant formula, there fore it is unfair and unethical to relate the death cases to the infant formula and to Nestlà ©. These countries should have full medical health care, especially for kids to protect them and to make them strong in order to face other illnesses in the future. After providing full and strong medical health care to those kids, then people can start put the blame on Nestles side after considering the other serious causes of death. Based on these two argument points Nestlà © sees itself doing an ethical and right thing by providing that part of the word with the infant formula. In Conclusion Breastfeeding is the best thing for baby because its containing the perfect amount of antibodies, water, carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals. Also mothers who cant breastfeed there newborn babies they will select formula as the second option for there babies, also many business women who work most of their time They dont have time to feed their babies as a result they always try to choose alternative ways to feed their babies and in the same time it contains every thing the babys needs.   First of all when we talk about the advantages of breastfeeding we will find out a lot of good results that impact the childrens health and their bodies in the future. Breast milk is personalized for babies as a whole meal because this milk contains everything the babies need to protect their bodies from allergy so that they will be less likely to get allergies and protecting them from asthma. Also, breastfeeding may help reduce the chance of becoming over weight, reducing stomach infections, and support babys sensitive digestive system .more over breast feeding is a very comfortable for the mother and its easier than using other artificial milks , in addition to what I mentioned earlier , another advantage of breastfeeding is to save money and its available at anytime and everywhere while artificial milks can be expensive and unaffordable however the breast feeding has a strong relationship between the mother and their babies. Secondly, on the other hand, The disadvantages of the artificial milks as we know that nestle is a leading consumer products companies in the world however it has many ethical issues relating to the breast milk substitutes, first of all , the moral status of the artificial milk or   the infant formula is more like tobacco or gambling where the problem arise from misusing it   such as the role of infant formula in child death , supplying infant formula in areas of weak healthcare systems

Wal-Mart International Essay -- Business Management, Case Study, solut

Wal-Mart International Introduction In 1993, Wal-Mart had become America’s leading retailer, with net sales of $67 billion from its Wal-Mart stores, Sam’s Clubs, and Wal-Mart Supercenters. The Company had grown at a rate of 25% per year since 1990, and it was clear that to continue at its current rate of growth, Wal-Mart would have to seriously consider continuing its recent international expansion. During 1992, Wal-Mart had entered into a joint venture with CIFRA, Mexico’s largest retailer, which currently operated 24 stores in Mexico and had plans to open 70 new stores by 1995. The Company had also recently completed the acquisition of 122 Woolco department stores in Canada. Each of these expansions had presented unique challenges for Wal-Mart to adapt its operations to suit local market demands, but Wal-Mart had successfully risen to the challenge. Given the Company’s successful track record, it seemed logical to continue to expand internationally. If Wal-Mart didn’t expand internationally, David Glass, Wal-Mart’s CEO, felt that companies would start to come to the US and increase competitive pressures domestically. International expansion would drive growth and help in maintaining Wal-Mart’s dominant domestic position. Namely, entrance into foreign markets would force competitors to focus on their primary markets. If Wal-Mart planned to maintain its dominant position in the U.S., international expansion would not only drive growth, but it would also keep potential competitors trying to operate stores in their home markets rather than expanding into the U.S. Wal-Mart Company Background: Sam Walton began his retail career working at J.C. Penney while in college and later leased a Ben Franklin franchised dime store in Newport, Arkansas (1945). In 1950, he relocated to Bentonville and opened a Walton Five and Dime. By 1962, Walton owned 15 Ben Franklin stores under the Walton Five and Dime name. Walton felt that big supermarkets would eventually destroy the smaller, traditional five and dimes and in 1962, Walton opened his own supermarket discount store. Eight years later, the Company was trading on Wall Street and had 30 stores. Wal-Mart’s growth accelerated greatly during the 1970s. The Company aggressively marketed itself to middle class shoppers by advertising "Everyday Low Prices." Walton motivated his employees by impleme... ...ring Argentina with a local partner, analysts expected the new stores to be able to capture additional market share and initially achieve lower operating and administrative expenses than if Wal-Mart entered on its own. Martin wondered which of these alternatives would be most beneficial to Wal-Mart. Summary The annual shareholders meeting was coming up, and Bob Martin needed to make a recommendation to Glass on how to proceed. Although Glass agreed with Martin that international expansion needed to continue, he wasn’t convinced Argentina was the best choice. Glass wanted to be sure that they had considered all of the risks involved before making such a large investment in a new country. If Martin did decide that Wal-Mart should invest in Argentina, Martin wondered which alternative to recommend. He needed to finish his analysis and prepare a report for Glass that compared the alternatives. Whatever Martin’s recommendations, he knew they needed to be presented with a compelling argument. This was a critical year for Wal-Mart, and Glass would want to be able to demonstrate to Wal-Mart’s investors that the Company could overcome its slow down in growth during the last year.

By the Waters of Babylon and Planet of the Apes :: By the Waters of Babylon Essays

By the Waters of Babylon and Planet of the Apes Comparitive Essay      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The short story by the waters of Babylon and the movie planet of the apes were both futuristic stories.   They also both showed the evil sides of today’s man and the chaos and mass destruction that we are capable of accomplishing.   They portrayed today’s man as selfish, violent, and full of hate and rage.   By the waters of Babylon was written from the point of view of a boy close to becoming a man who knew nothing of his past civilization.   Whereas in the movie planet of the apes it was from the point of view of a man that had come nearly directly from that past civilization.   The main people in charge keep knowledge from the public so they do not know the evils that they are capable of as to protect them from making the same mistake.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In both stories our present civilization had destroyed the earth, as we now know it and had killed most of the humans.   The cause of these catastrophes in both stories was suspected to be from nuclear war.   These places were the nuclear bombs had supposably hit could not grow food and had no signs of life and were called the forbidden zones.   The main people in charge did not allow people to go into these so-called forbidden places.   In the story by the waters of Babylon the people in charge were called the high priests.   In the movie the planet of the apes the main people in charge were the elder apes and Dr. Zayus.   In both stories their reasons for having the forbidden zones were similar they wanted to hide the past from them so they do not do it again.   One last strange similarity is that they both took place in New York City or in that area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In by the waters of Babylon the main character and narrator was a boy on the verge of manhood.   He was in a culture that resembled that of medieval times.   Their culture had many tales, stories, good spirits, evil spirits, and magic.   He was the son of a high priest, he called himself John.   High priests made up the rules, purified evil objects and knew everything about everything.     As the high priest’s son he himself wanted to become a good priest but to become one he had to look at the place of gods with his own eyes.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Essay

Stability in the Arabian Peninsula region has been a concern for the United States for some time now. AQAP poses a direct threat against the U.S. and U.S. interests of Stability and Security in the Arabian Peninsula. This instability and threat is why I have chosen the AQAP as the FTO to research making the next attack. The AQAP comes from the merging of the al Qaeda cells from Yemen and in Saudi Arabia. There are approximately one –two hundred members, with thousands of supporters. The merger took place in January 2009, due to the success of the Saudi Arabian government in destroying al Qaeda’s infrastructure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. AQAP is a subsidiary of the al Qaeda, whose center of gravity is in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but works independently of its parent organization. Since formation occurred, they are responsible for a number of attacks on the â€Å"West† and are considered responsible parties of the â€Å"UPS and FEDEX cargo bombing attemptsâ €  (Kurczy, 2010). They were deemed a terrorist organization on December 14, 2009, by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (Gerstein, 2010). Prior to the formation of AQAP, al Qaeda claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Those attacks include: the 1993 attack on World Trade Center, 1998 suicide bombings of Embassies, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, and the 2008 car bombing outside the U.S. Embassy in Sana’ killing 19 people including 6 of the terrorists (Poland, 2005 ). AQAP has claimed to plan on targeting oil facilities, tourists, and security forces in the future. It is believed though that AQAP provided spiritual guidance by U.S. Citizen Anwar al Awlaki to U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was the gunman behind the 2009 Ft. Hood killings and the December 2009 attempt to down a passenger airline to Detroit. Responsible parties to these terroristic events are said to be that of the top five â€Å"key leaders† of AQAP. These men include are in order of their rank from the top spot of leaders to the last. 1. Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, aka the bomb maker. He is believed to be the creator of the bombs intercepted in October last year on cargo planes. 2. Anwar al-Awlaki, aka the chief ideologue. He is suspected of being part of three unsuccessful terrorist attacks to include the Fort Hood Shootings (Bryant, C., & Kasinof, L., 2010), bombing attempt on airliner jet on Christmas, and the Times Square bombing on May 2. 3. Said Ali al-Shihri, deputy chief of AQAP. He is suspected of participation in  September 2008 US Embassy attack and the kidnapping of nine missionaries in June 2009 according to Fox News. 4. Qasim al-Raymi, military commander. He followed Osama bin Laden’s lead on media releases â€Å"building an ever-more sophisticated propaganda arm for al Qaeda in Arabian Peni nsula† (Kurczy, 2010). 5. Nasir al Wuhayshi, head of AQAP. Known as the personal secretary of Osama bin Laden (Kurczy, 2010). Most of AQAP is made up of fighters that returned from Afghanistan during the Russian invasion and fighters that have been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They lure new recruits who are sympathetic to al Qaeda and have animosity towards the U.S. and western nations. The recruiting pool is vast in the region with fighters fleeing Iraq and Afghanistan and relocating to Yemen and Somalia. Both countries have weak central governments that are conducive for lawlessness in the region and have vast ungoverned territory. Government cooperation with American counter-terrorism efforts has historically been spotty and portions of both populations are hostile to the United States. (Kerry, 2010) AQAP aims to overthrow the Yemeni government for its support to the U.S. and its offensive operations against al Qaeda. The group also emphasizes its global ambitions and desire to target western interests within the region. Additionally, AQAP has stated it will focus on cutting supply lines of western nations supporting Israel and looks to expand its influence throughout the region (Boucek, 2010). The animosity against the western nations continues to grow, as does the technology and ideas for new weapons. The newest information is that a poisoned perfume plot against religious and government officials was prevented due to arrest of 149 al Qaeda suspects. This is just an example of the creativity AQAP has come up with. Last summer the country’s Deputy Interior Minister had been attempted to be assassinated by a bomber with the weapon in his anus (Rawnsley, 2010). These weapons are just the newest form used by AQAP. Yemen has emerged as a major staging base for al Qaeda and other likeminded groups for attacking American targets within Yemen as well as to reach targets outside of Yemen including the United States. U.S. officials have warned that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was a growing threat even before the failed 2009, Christmas Day airline bombing attempt (Kerry, 2010). In February 2009, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair stated that, â€Å"Yemen is reemerging as a jihadist battleground and potential regional base of operations for Al Qaeda  to plan internal and external attacks, train terrorists, and facilitate the movement of operatives.† (Rollins, 2010). The threat coming from AQAP is greater than the threat coming from al Qaeda’s central leadership located in Pakistan. AQAP is increasingly a more pressing concern for U.S. national security. AQAP has relative freedom of movement in the Arabian Peninsula and region which allows for its ability to increase its ranks through recruitment as well as its ability to train new recruits. Additionally, AQAP has also shown its ability to influence other like-minded individuals to conduct attacks to our homeland with little to no warning. AQAP has proven it has the means and capability to attempt to conduct attacks globally although it has yet to be successful. It is only a matter of time before they possess the ability and trained personnel that are able to conduct something equal to or greater than the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. AQAP poses a direct threat to the U.S. and U.S. interest of stability and security in the Arabian Peninsula. AQAP is capable of every threat that has been uttered against the US and western countries. The US as well as the other western territories that are considered allies against AQAP, can end or at least moderate the terroristic threat by â€Å"interdicting terrorists, disrupt their planning, restrict their travel, reduce the flow of financial (EO 13224 signed 9/23/01) and material support to terrorist groups, and enable partner governments to assert control over weakly governed territory where terrorists find sanctuary† (US Department of State, 2005). The Antiterrorism Assistance program is a well used deterrent against FTO’s such as AQAP. The AQAP became a bigger threat than al Qaeda, and the instability and security issues within the Arabian Peninsula are threats we must contend with. With the knowledge and training gained since the imperative attacks on American soil in 2001, we can deter and detain these terrorists and protect our homeland and allies. The ideologies and animosity against the US and other western nations are targeted towards the recruiting of others who sympathize with al Qaeda. Preemptive and retaliatory methods are other forces to use to impede the AQAP’s threats and/or attacks. It is also noted in the Country Reports that by American’s helping partner nations in the quest for improving their abilities to detect and prevent terrorist activities this will clearly enhance the overall security of all nations (US Department of State, 2005). References Boucek, Christopher (2010). Terrorism out of Yemen. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved from http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=41705 References Bryant, C., & Kasinof, L. (2010, October 29). Suspicious UPS, FedEx packages raise new concerns about Al Qaeda in Yemen. Christian Science Monitor. p. N.PAG. Retrieved from EBSCOhost CPJ. (2008, April 15). Iraq: Journalists Abducted 2003-09. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from Committee to Protect Journalists: Defending Journalists Worldwide: http://cpj.org/reports/2008/04/abducted.php. Gerstein, Josh (2010). Clinton named Al Qaeda Yemen as terror group. Politico. Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0110/Clinton_named_AlQaeda_Yemen_as_terror_group_a_month_ago.html Kerry, John (2010). Al Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia: A ticking Time Bomb. Committee on foreign relations United States Senate. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2010_rpt/sfrc-aq.pdf Kurczy, S. (2010, November 2). Five key members of Al Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP). Christian Science Monitor. p. N.PAG. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Poland, J. (2005 ). Understanding terrorism: Groups, strategies, and response s 2nd edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson. Rawnsley, A. (2010, December 7). Danger Room What’s Next in National Security. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from Wired: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/12/al-qaedas-latest-weapon-poison-perfume/ Rollins, John (2010). Al Qaeda and Affiliates: Historical Perspective, Global Presence, and Implications for U.S. Policy. Congressional research Service. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R41070.pdf US Department of National Security. (2006). The National Security Strategy of the United States of America. Washington DC: USDOS. US Department of State. (2005). Country Reports on Terrorism 2004. Washington DC: US Government.

“Bold Girls” by Rona Munro Essay

In her drama â€Å"Bold Girls†, Rona Munro has created a relevant and inspiring legacy of war-torn Northern Ireland. Her drama depicts the daily struggles and predicaments faced by four particular women, who seem to thrive on their fantasies and illusions all except Deirdre who is marked out as different from the drama’s beginning: â€Å"Deirdre is not in this room, she’s crouching on all fours on her own talking out of darkness in which only her face is visible.† Introduced as a surreal and somewhat eerie character it is no surprise that Deirdre contrasts greatly with the three other women. It is her persistent search for the truth that polarises her from the others and causes her to be at odds with them as they shut out truth and cushion themselves with their idealistic dreams. This idea of fantasy versus reality is a main concern within the play, and it is through monologues and stage direction that we are allowed a deeper understanding of each character’s situation and of the play’s themes. A particular monologue of Deirdre’s undoubtedly confirms that her search for truth will result in the hurt of others and possible confrontations and violent conflicts: â€Å"The lights change I need a knife a wee blade of my own†¦It was the knife he was talking about. It was the truth. I thought I’d like that. A wee bit of hard truth you could hold in your hand and point where you liked. The lights change† I believe this monologue verifies Deirdre’s role as â€Å"catalyst†. By this point we have been introduced to all four women and to their dreams and fantasies, which Deirdre’s â€Å"wee blade† of truth threatens to destroy. Deirdre’s yearning for the truth causes her to kill these dreams, bringing the three idealistic women crashing back to the harsh reality that surrounds them. Deirdre’s conflict is greatest with the central character, Marie. Compared with Cassie and Nora’s materialistic dreams of redecorating her living room (Nora) and leaving Belfast (Cassie), Marie’s delusions of her late husband’s heroic acts and credibility are not as empty as her friends’. These dreams are instilled within objects in the womens’ homes; for example Nora’s dream is symbolised by a â€Å"peach polyester mix†, Cassie’s by a wad of money hidden behind Michel’s photograph and Marie’s by a â€Å"grainy blow up† of her late husband, Michael. As the play progresses it becomes apparent that Deirdre is intent on destroying each character’s dream, but I think it is also suggested that she is somewhat linked with Marie and her dream. Munro again makes use of symbolism to connect these two characters. For example, Deirdre’s mini dress is reminiscent of Marie’s wedding dress: â€Å"Then other times she looks like me†¦you remember that dress I was married in, that wee white mini-dress?†¦She stands. And stares.† I believe it is as though Munro is depicting Deirdre as a ghost of Marie’s past. This becomes relevant later in the play when Deirdre reveals to Marie that she is in fact Michael’s daughter. The simple observation of Deirdre standing alone at the bottom of the path reflects how she appears isolated from the others in her search for truth; she longs to exploit the truth and become part of the family unit maintained by the three other women: â€Å"I’m wet, I’m cold. I want to get inside†¦I want to get inside. Can’t keep me out.† This monologue has quite a threatening undertone , it is as though Deirdre’s isolation causes her distress. I believe also that the use of â€Å"wet† and â€Å"cold† highlight the harsh environment and the fact that Deirdre is unloved. I think all of these factors – isolation and the longing for truth – cause Deirdre to act as catalyst. In taking on this role, Deirdre threatens to destroy the fellow women’s dreams. Her first act as catalyst is when she steals Cassie’s money hence ruining her dream of escape and freedom. Deirdre makes obvious to the reader that Cassie’s materialistic dream is false and unobtainable in a short, eerie monologue: â€Å"The whole town’s a prison, smash chunks off the wall ’cause we’re all in a prison.† Cassie’s dream of escape is obviously unrealistic and false and I believe Deidre’s destruction of the dream validates this idea. Deirdre also appears to be in conflict with Nora, Cassie’s mother, a she goes on to use her â€Å"wee blade of truth† to shed Nora’s â€Å"shiny peach polyester† fabric and ultimately her dream: â€Å"Deirdre†¦looks at the broad, smooth stretch of material then starts to slash at it, ripping it, trampling it till she’s breathless.† Deirdre’s violent reactions I believe show what harsh and abusive situations she has been exposed to. She desires to know the truth so much, that she finds happiness in destroying the illusions and fantasies of others, forcing them to face their reality and embrace the truth. Although Cassie and Nora do avoid the truth that their materialistic hopes will always elude them, it is Marie’s complete glossing over of the truth that causes her to be most at odds with Deirdre. Her lullaby that she uses to calm her son for example, shows how dependant she is on her delusions about Michael: â€Å"Your daddy was a good man and a brave man†¦that’s what keeps us all together, keeps me going, keeps me strong†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Marie finds comfort in her deluded memories of Michael. I believe this blanking of the truth angers Deirdre and causes her to react violently and destructively toward Marie and her dreams: â€Å"Deirdre hurls the clothes at her. She snatches the knife out of the chair and waves the blade at Marie. She advances on her slowly. I want the truth out of you. I mean it.† This I believe is symbolic in showing that Deirdre uses the truth as a harmful device and that Marie is threatened by its potential exposure. Marie’s reaction is shocking and uncharacteristic of her gentle, nurturing nature – she takes Michael’s picture and using Deirdre’s knife, destroys it. Marie in turn destroys Deirdre’s dream of knowing the truth about her father. These two characters, who are at the greatest point in their conflict portray through their actions the main concerns of the text – reality versus illusion – reality conquers over dreams and pointless fantasies. The unveiling of the truth brings these two closer together allowing them to reconcile. The conclusion of the play suggests hope and optimism for the recovery of these women. They share in a special, ritual feeding of the birds, their relationship to emulate that of a mother and daughter: â€Å"Did you ever feed the birds, Deirdre? â€Å"No† â€Å"I like the common wee birds†¦you’d need to be something special to build a nest around the Falls. Someone should feed them.† â€Å" Deirdre and Marie’s conflict is resolved by Marie’s embracing of the truth that she has for so long avoided. The central idea of â€Å"Bold Girls† of reality versus dreams is made obvious by the characters’ actions, they cope by padding their harsh reality and cushioning themselves with fantasies and illusions. These qualities are instilled within the characters of the play, Marie, Cassie and Nora thrive on fantasies and dreams; whereas Deirdre lives for the truth. The opposing forces I feel cause the characters to be in conflict with each other. Their compromising situations and contrasting ideas about reality create friction between the opposing characters of Deirdre and Marie. Munro expertly uses stage direction, soliloquy and the opposing forces of truth and fantasy to make apparent the concerns of the text and to heighten my personal appreciation of their importance in these womens’ lives.

Discuss the view that the influence of religion on UK society is declining

The UK is lucky to have such a vibrant, diverse and cultured population from migrants that have entered our small islands from the past few thousand years. However each time they make Britain there home, they bring there religion. This gives rise to the many religions and there denominations that have a presence. But what is a religion? According to the Penguin Dictionary of Sociology it is â€Å"A set of cultural ideas, symbols, and practices that focus on the meaning of life and the nature of the unknown. † Secularisation had been happening for long time before Nietzsche proclaimed, â€Å"God is Dead† and is a far more complex process than just a drop in church attendance. Marxists believe that religion is form of social control on the proletariat by the bourgeoisie. He saw religion as the opium of the masses, teaching them acceptance which was reinforced by hymns like ‘All things bright and beautiful' which had verses akin to â€Å"The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, God made them, high or lowly, and ordered their estate. † aided there exploitation by teaching them to accept there place in society because it was God wished. When Marx wrote this, churches had a high monopoly on truth so people would be more inclined to believe it. Looking at statistics of ex and current communist countries it is clear that secularisation is very high with the majority of Britain from Chinese decent claiming they have no religion, it is also known that countries that follow a Marxist, however stringently, doctrine that government officials must have no religion, this is very widely enforced within the Peoples Republic of China's administration but not as obligatory within the soviets of the USSR. With only one class there should be no reason for a religion to control society, however when countries became communist the did not all suddenly drop there views and become atheists, even if these values were taught at school, they were still taught in the home as primary socialisation always comes before secondary such as the school. The media openly ridicules religion by broadcasting comedies such as Father Ted and The Vicar of Dibley which portray very un orthodox Ministers and there they very un orthodox parishioners. But the media does not stop there it regularly comments on the flaws in religion through various mediums such as articles printed about the bonuses of secularisation and TV programs calling for religions to be abolished in the bid for world peace. However many of the Abrahamic religions forgot the second commandment â€Å"Though shall not worship false idols† but would God really smite the celebrities that use there fame to help highlight charitable work and those less fortunate than ourselves? However jealous a god he is, does he approve of celebrities such as The Pope or Grand Ayatollah? Even with there religious leadership they still fit the job description of a celebrity. Religions are often accused of being behind the times on items seen as very taboo yet have always been there, especially gay rights and abortion. Many religions see all human life as sacred and that abortion is an act of killing one of gods children so a sin, they also conform to functionalist view of homogonous, heterosexual, monogamous marriage been the only appropriate view on raising children. Within the past hundred years many laws have been passed that work towards an egalitarian society in which no person is superior or inferior to another such as gay rights, abortion rights and gender equality, which have been advocated for as long as Plato in his â€Å"The Republic† in which he sees men and woman indifferent albeit for childbirth and strength, to which he argues that some woman are stronger than some men. Moreover, some religious organisations have moved slightly with times, notably the Anglican faith which no allows gay and female Vicars, abortion in certain circumstances as well as divorce and remarriage. So as many equality principles have been oppressed by religion and are only recently winning it over, only one has been supported which is race equality, which was lead and fronted by one the most famous men in the world, a Methodist minister, Dr Martin Luther King. But to counter that the Dutch Reform Church openly supported Apartheid in South Africa, as well as many Far Right Political Groups mainly National Socialism Groups such as Hitler's Administration but also the BNP and NF groups which solely believe in Aryan Protestants to be the superior race, a dumbfounded patriarchal view that contradicts many statements within the bible including when Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins he removed all barriers including that of gender, race, and nationality. This is as said by the apostle Paul â€Å"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ then you are†¦ heirs according to the promise† (Galatians 3:28-29). Weber first introduced his theory of rationalization in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, He predicts a decline in religion due to industrial advancement, plurality of religions and a rise in science and technology to answer questions that gave rational answers juxtaposed to religions ambiguous statement of it was Gods will. He looks at the Protestant denomination of ‘Calvinism' who believed in predestination and worked hard to beat their anxiety on whether they would be accepted into heaven. Eventually this evolved from a monopoly on truth to a monopoly of industry with many Calvinites becoming successful capitalistic businesspeople, for which Weber argued was inevitable. A rise in religious pluralism also adds to secularisation as individual religions are loosing their monopoly on truth as they are co-habiting and recognising other religions. Many large religious buildings now have faith rooms in which all religions are welcome. Also some Christian denominations meet and work together as Christians this is called Ecumenicalism. Within the past 250 years scientific advancement has gone from virtually nothing to a vital part our lifes today, religion has caught along on this bandwagon as well, but to only a certain extent. Darwin's theory of evolution is still questioned by some many religious individuals however these are mainly creationists. Weber suggested that eventually the mystical ideas would be succumbed by scientific ones. Durkheim (1965) suggests that religion was about celebrating the rules of your society and making the citizens keep to those rules. Yet, he argues, that as a society becomes more complex religion struggles to bind individuals due to industrialization and social fragmentation that regulate religion into a corner of where it becomes one of many beliefs and fails to unify members of society. Secularists and Antidisestablishmentarians have fought along side the broad left and broad right respectively, but hardly any battles have been as severe as the Spanish civil war (1936 – 1939) The Republicans were secularists and some of the more radical groups within in them such as the Stalinists NKVD committed terrible atrocities against the catholic church in Spain such as massacring clergy and destroying churches and monasteries. While the Nationalists were led by the infamous General Francisco Franco and had largely fascist yet catholic views and ties. They suppressed the terrorist secularist activities by executing teachers that promoted the removal of the church from education. Clear Statistics prove a decline in church attendance (All Protestant and Roman Catholic) from 30% of the population in 1900 to 12% in 1990, Hamilton (? ) Table 1. However a Social Attitudes Survey (1992) cited in Haralambous et al (2000) table 7. 19 pg 479 states that 75% of people believe in at some point God with or without scepticism, while the remaining 25% either stated they were Atheists, no answer or that they did not if there was a God and believed there was no way to find out. As 75% of people still believe in God at some point, this adds to the point that people may not be attending churches but still are retaining faith and does indicate a rise in Atheism. Davie calls this â€Å"believing without belonging†. Returning back to the Penguins Dictionary of Sociology's definition of religion in no point of the description does it state that one has to attend a specific place of worship to practice there religion. This adds to the point that people have not stopped believing in god but merely openly practicing in public, this could be that a conventional church does not fit in with there views of a religion or their lifestyles. In America Evangelical Christians have used the TV to their advantage and started to broadcast live sermons, this is taking the idea of songs of praise to a new level and with channels emerging such as GOD channel, religious sermons can make it into our homes – if we choose. Furthermore, Christian Church attendance was only mentioned above so what would be held for other religions and the attendance at there place of worship. Other data suggests that Christianity is just for Christmas According to UK Census Data (2001) 71. 6% claim to be Christian, 2. 7% to be Muslim, 1. 0% to be Hindu, 0. 6% to be Sikh, 0. 5% to be Jewish, 0. 3% to Buddhist and 23. 2% either have no religion or did not state one. However, comparing this with data from Social Trends 30 (2000) cited in Moore (2001) pg 417 suggest that while Christianity may be on the decrease other religions are not. Islam in the UK had increased 380% from 130,000 individuals in 1970 to 495,000 individuals. As well the amount of people stating their religion as Sikhism increased 250% from 1970 to 1990. Interestingly, participants of other non-Christian religious institutions had increased 231% over the twenty-year period, these could be institutions that conform to the description of a religion but are either world rejecting or world affirming. World rejecting religions promise savoir on judgement day and normally have very tight, strict rules and regulations placed upon their members, and most of all see the world as a bad place in which will not make it into heaven. World affirming religions on the other hand are too promised savour but do not have as many tight restrictions on its members but maybe one or two, such as no sex before marriage or no drinking alcohol and most importantly do not see the world as a bad place. There are many methodical issues raised when researching any religion topic, let alone secularisation. There are many points to include when research is undertaken for instance the reliability of the data, would a different research get the same results or if a different sample of participants and method of data collection was used. Is their a true representative sample, this would be important as Britain is a highly religiously diverse country and a poor sample could obscure the results. How valid is the data actually gained; is it what the researcher aimed to find in their question or is it irrelevant due to an ambiguous question. Religion is a very private matter and a researcher must question there self on how far they may be intruding on a participant's life or institution. Finally a researcher must be sensitive to the data and interaction with participants, as beliefs are very sacred to a person they must be fully aware of their customs so that they do not offend. Secondary sources must be looked at with great care and what they say applied today for example a woman practicing herbal medicine would not be seen as anything bizarre in today's world but 400 years ago burnt at the stake for witchcraft. In conclusion the debate of secularisation has rage on with the sociological world for many year, yet a unified decision has yet too be and probably won't be made. Bellah (1967) and Luckman (1996) both argue that religion is not in decline but is merely changing form. They say that the public side of religion may be in decline but the private side of religion and personal belief is not. Berger (1967) on the other hand says that religion is loosing its traditional place within society saying how the growth of science and technology has questioned it, and suggests that religion, as a way of life is no longer in capacity to do so. Wilson (1966) described secularisation as â€Å"the process whereby religious thinking, practices and institutions lose their social significance† But even though there is a drop in church attendance, society is not loosing its belief in a religion. Many religions have religious buildings to worship their god, yet with some religions it is not compulsory to attend them regularly, such as Islam and Judaism – perhaps Christianity has to learn from its religious ‘relatives'. On the contrary Voas (2005) gives evidence for a significant rise in church attendance around Christmas time, which can rise by 330% in some diocese in Anglican Britain. Perhaps this suggests that Anglicans choose to go to church only at special religious occasions. Many sociologists looking at secularisation focus on Britain and do to take into account other countries that have taken a huge rise of fundamentalism such as the USA and Iran, which are closely linked too politics. Fundamentalists, such as the Christian Coalition, helped shape the policies of the Reagan and Bush administrations, Bruce (1995). Finally Stark and Bainbridge (1990) suggest that secularisation and strong religious belief alternate in a cyclical pattern. From this I agree with Bellah and Luckman that religion is not in decline but merely changing the form in which it presents its self within society, as there is more corroboration between researchers that suggest people have not lost faith.

Reality Shows Should Be Banned Essay

The main essence of reality shows is to put ordinary people in a social confined setting with extraordinary environment and activities with the aim of entertaining audiences with the illusion that what is going on is not scripted nor rehearsed. Most reality shows attempt to convince the audience that the participants of the show are being pushed to their physical, emotional or physiological limits in order to complete a specific task or attain a certain goal of which audience cheer on their favorite participant. With the change in times and technology most reality shows have gone over board and have forgotten the basic concept of reality shows and are now focusing more on entertainment than reality that has lead to increase in sexual exposure, humiliation and immorality. Reality shows have lost their way from original series like survivor to the new mediocre series of two celebrities living in a farm yard for a week. Reality TV has joined the ranks of day time entertainment and has lost the spark of spontaneous originality from other forms of scripted entertainment. Additionally, the most famous reality shows worldwide are big brother and Idols; these two are examples of scripted and well rehearsed reality shows. In the just concluded episode of idols a judge was dared to sing out of the blue and it so happened just by â€Å"coincidence† that the band started playing a song which the judge joined in emphatically without hesitation. The crowed cheered and applauded for the â€Å"unexpected† performance by the judge. Such reality T.V. shows give viewers and more so children false hope of a â€Å"happily ever after† reality were heroes and heroines live thus insulting the intelligence of the viewers. In the case of big brother viewers are subjected to sex as a form of entertainment. Relationships formed in the big brother house give the participant a better chance of winning the competition and increase his/her ratings thus the audience spends time and money voting for the participant so they can enjoy seeing the participants relationship grow. And due to the full disclosure nature of the show all activities are broadcasted and shown live on our T.V. sets exposing and encouraging our youths, young adults and children to sex, immorality and promiscuous behaviors. Furthermore, the common comic saying â€Å"its funny until someone gets hurt, then it’s hilarious† comes to life in most reality shows. Producers of reality shows capitalize  on the demise and misfortunes of participants. When a contestant falls down or gets hurt in anyway it is taken as a form of entertainment or comedy not knowing the humiliation and psychological trauma they instill in the participant. Examples of such shows are â€Å"show me the funny† â€Å"Real T.V.† and â€Å"Fear factor†. Show me the funny capitalizes on bloopers of home made videos which show family member having accidents such as hitting each other being bitten by a snake or having a ball hit them on their faces. Turning such perilous or even fatal accidents to o form of humor encourages children to view violence and accidents as vivacious events and not the precarious activities they are. Producers also capitalize on the eviction or the inability of a participant to complete a certain assignment. The humiliation and reaction of a participant being evicted or accepting defeat is a high point of most reality T.V. which is morally and ethically wrong. The failure of a fellow human being should be frowned upon and not celebrated. 2) Here are plenty of reality shows which are being shown on television channels world wide, in which one can see lots of aspirants taking to the stunts and heroic acts as they want to win the coveted title and they did some shots which amaze the audiances and keep them on their tender nooks, its also done to increase the rating of the channel in the tele shows. There are plenty of reality shows which are being shown on television channels world wide, in which one can see lots of aspirants taking to the stunts and heroic acts as they want to win the coveted title and they did some shots which amaze the audiences and keep them on their tender nooks, its also done to increase the rating of the channel in the tele shows. I am not sure if they are there in your part of the world, channels like Sony and Zee TV they show lot of enthusiasm in such things. The weird things they shown on the small screen are hair raising and put a lot of questions in viewers minds as to such things can be accomplished in real life or not. But the stunt mania grips the minds of innocent public and kids alike. They all want feats and also want to show off to their genre of friends and foes. In the process they might hurt themselves badly. Although there are several reports of teen-aged children being hurt in the process of macho man image building but to no avail as the generation is fast and furious, they just want their way and life to be left to them. I am not sure about consequences and impact  they could have but it is for sure, every one wants his part of fame and attention in public, for we are mortal beings and success is our ambition in life. Effect on teenagers Social cognitive theory suggests that meaningful sources of identity can be discovered by people in their teens who feel â€Å"connected† to what they’re viewing. Thus, when attempting to understand media’s role in the development of teenagers, it is crucial to be aware of the time they devote to their shows like reality television due to this strong influence[48] America’s Next Top Model is often criticized for it’s portrayal of women and poor body image. When faced with the image of a thin, beautiful, successful models, young girls may feel inferior, leading to low self-esteem and eating disorders. Likewise, Jersey Shore is denounced for it’s representation of being a single, young adult. Young people idolize the show’s cast, making them susceptible to imitate their actions, such as promiscuity, violence, and binge drinking.[citation needed]