Real Estate and Construction Sector in the UAE and the Effects of the Crises on the UAE and the Gulf

Real Estate and Construction Sector in the UAE and the Effects of the Crises on the UAE and the Gulf Introduction The current economic status of UAE economy The global crisis that hit the world adversely affected the economies of developing countries. This is because these countries lacked the ability to withstand the external forces that resulted from the collapse of the major world’s economies from which they depended forcing them to restructure their operating business models.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Real Estate and Construction Sector in the UAE and the Effects of the Crises on the UAE and the Gulf specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As the crisis took hold, the Gulf Corporation council countries’ were adversely affected by the depression which hit the region through the trade and financial channels (Khamis, n d). Among the most hit GCC countries was the United Arab Emirates whose economy has transformed itself from a classical base of fishing and pearling into oil based high income econo my with a high concentration of expatriate labor as the main drivers in the key sectors of the economy (IMF, 2003). The UAE had achieved impressive economic growth over the past years due to its rapid development in the non oil economy making it one of the most diversified economies among the Gulf cooperation Council Counterparts (IMF, 2003). However, the region’s persistent dependency on oil as the key driver in the economy and its widely segmented labor market where nationals still continue to have a strong preference for public sector employment over the private sector rendered the region highly vulnerable to the negative implication of the global economic downturn. Real estate and construction sector in UAE The study covers the actual effects of the crisis to the construction and real estate sector in the region which is among the key sectors in the economy contributing an approximate 16% GDP in UAE (IMF, 2003). The sector which had earlier on achieved remarkable growth r apidly declined with the occurrence of the global financial crisis resulting in depreciating values of property as well as departure of foreign investors from the region. The emirate of Dubai provides a clear evidence of the decline in the real estate industry following the crisis.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, the country provides us with the appropriate case study through which we will analyze the trend in the construction and real estate sector in the period between 2002 and 2006 where the industry achieved remarkable growth, the period between 2008 and 2009 when the global financial crisis hit the economy and the forecasted growth up to 2012. This analysis will be essential in our formulation of an informed conclusion. Financial crisis facing the region It is worth noting that the rental market had been soaring in Dubai due to the increased demand for residential houses and office space. Lease prices as well as the real estate prices have doubled since 2005 with prices varying between $ 1700 and $ 3500 per square meter according to location (Noack, 2007). Due to drastic rent increases, the government of Dubai implemented a rental cap forcing land lords to keep the rent increases to a maximum of 15% per year in 2006 which was further reduced to 7% in 2007 (Noack, 2007). There appeared to be the stepping stone towards stabilization on the rental and real estate markets which could be attributed to the implementation of the rental cap and the establishment of new housing units in the market (Noack, 2007). During the boom period, the countries in the GCC particularly Qatar and the UAE experienced remarkable increases in banking system credit to the private sector and this led to real average credit growth which increased bank leverage and doubled the ratio of private sector credit to non oil GDP to 122% by the end of 2008 (Khamis, 2010). Excess credit coupled with low interest rates and a vibrant economy facilitated higher demand for real estates and equities consequently increasing prices (Khamis, 2010). In the UAE, speculative investments significantly contributed to marked increases in real estate prices.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Real Estate and Construction Sector in the UAE and the Effects of the Crises on the UAE and the Gulf specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Further, following the stock market decline in 2006, GCC markets posted 22-60% gains in 2007 but this dramatically reduced in 2008 by 29-73% with the intensification of the global crisis (Khamis, 2010). With the global recession occurrence, the real GDP growth in the gulf region was expected to sharply decline from 5.8% in 2008 to 1.1 % in 2009 due to correction in oil prices, reduced overall production as well as tight credit conditions (UN, 2009). Among the G CC economies, the UAE was the most affected by the crises with its real GDP falling from 7.4 % to 0.5% between 2008 and 2009 (UN, 2009). This resulted from severe contraction in domestic demand for real estate prices. Literature review UAE attained a per capita income in terms of GDP amounting to $16700 in 1998 which was relatively higher than the GDP of most developing countries (Al Abed and Helyller, 2001). The three emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah account for the highest percentage of UAE gross domestic product as well as the population. The income differences between the emirates are generated by the variations in natural resource endowment prevalent in the region (Al Abed and Helyller, 2001). The key resource in the region is oil and gas and in 1998, crude oil contributed for 22% of the total UAE gross domestic product. The UAE economy is highly dependent on external sector as reflected by the import export disparities prevalent in the region’s economy. Both exp orts and imports are relatively high and consequently the external sector plays a major role in performance and evolution of the UAE economy (Al Abed and Helyller, 2001). The 2003-2008 oil price booms spurred economic activity in the GCC consequently strengthening all the sectors in the economy with overall growth in the economy averaging to 6.6% per year which was considerably higher than the pre oil price boom period.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Role of construction and real estate sector in UAE economy The construction and real estate sector is one of the key driving forces in the UAE economy. Increasing volumes of local and tourist population in the region as well as the liberalization of the real estate market had significantly contributed to the rapid growth in the sector due to the rapidly increasing demand for property in the region (Noack, 2007). The United Arab Emirates is by far the biggest property market in the Gulf region which facilitated its domination in the construction sector. Abu Dhabi heavily invested in tourism and residential sector with its numerous projects including beach and island development, town houses, and facilities for residents (Noack, 2007). Dubai’s real estate sector was mushrooming with projects worth billions of dollars and projects including infrastructure development were under construction. Continuous population growth and immigration in the region has led to increased demand f or residential houses especially in Dubai. Other emirates are also increasingly investing on the construction sector but on a relatively smaller scale. Effects of the Crisis in the Region The GCC countries have been hit hard by the decline in oil prices and production as well as by liquidity shortages in global financial markets (Khamis, 2010). The impact of the crisis in the GCC manifested itself in plunging stock and real estate markets with the region’s market capitalization falling dramatically by 41% (Khamis, 2010). As the effects of the global market became more apparent, the average correlation of the GCC markets with the global markets became evident in the period between 2007 and 2008 (Khamis, 2010). The region was further affected by decline in the international asset prices with losses estimated by market analysts at between 20-30% in 2008 (Khamis, 2010). Consequently, real estate prices dramatically declined which corrected prices in Dubai which had initially rise n more sharply. A couple of scholars had predicted the impact of global economic downturn across the Gulf Corporation Council. The economic down turn as well as the dramatic plunge in oil prices led to a major blow on the development efforts in the region and shattered dreams of thousands of investors seeking maximum returns in a region that was once a land of opportunity (BM, 2010). The construction and real estate sector was rendered vulnerable to the adverse effects of the crises due to the fact that credit growth in the region substantially contributed to lending in the real estate sector. This lending was funded substantially by bank’s foreign liabilities which rendered the region’s banking system susceptible to credit losses during economic downturn (Khamis, 2010). The international monetary fund predicted that economic growth across the region would slow down in 3.5 % in 2009 from 6.8% in 2008. The United Arab Emirates which accounts for approximately 46% of the GCC construction boom is likely to be adversely affected according to research findings by EFG Hermes (BM, 2010). The findings further revealed that the region is experiencing a ‘real estate crash ‘and the effects of this have not yet been fully addressed. Objectives, Scope and coverage The Extent of the Crisis in UAE and the gulf region The property and the construction sectors have been worst hit in the emirate following the global economic downturn. Although various sectors continue to register considerable growth in the recent past, the construction and real estate sectors evidently achieved negative growth in 2010 (Property Wire, 2010). This failure can be attributed to the sector’s dependence on demand and supply consequently elongated the recovery period. The world debt crisis has also intensified the negative implications on the real estate sector which plummeted with the diminishing international funding Property sales in the region increased by more tha n half their value since 2008 (Property Wire 2010). A report compiled by the royal institution of Chartered surveyors revealed that there was a substantial increase in the number of distressed assets coming into the UAE market in the third quarter of 2010 and this was further expected to rise in the last quarter of the year (Property Wire 2010). Tom Bunker, an investment sale consultant confirmed this increment in distressed selling citing that this property hit the market below their purchase price and in some cases below the price level at which they were initially sold by the developer. The global economy has started showing signs of revival from its previous down turn (Property digest, 2009). The United Arab Emirate real estate sector has subsequently registered gradual change and according to the Gowealthy Research Team, whereby the demand for off plan properties in the UAE ended with the departure of speculators changing the trend towards preference of ready to move in propert y that are at least half way complete. Dwindling market demand and oversupply of units coupled with distress sales by owners who aim at raising the mortgage requirements have affected the prices of property adversely (Property Digest, 2009). Research by Colliers revealed that home prices in Dubai declined by 40-42% since the fourth quarter of 2008 with sales transactions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi being driven by professional investors rather than speculators. T his helps us to understand the long term impacts of foreign debt as a means of financing local projects. In this region increased foreign debt coupled with global depression has resulted in devaluation of property in Dubai which has consequently affected the region’s economy. The UAE has an ideal location for long term property investment. At present, quality accommodation and work space can be acquired at moderate states with scales heavily tipped in favor of serious investors who negotiate for appreciable bargains (Prop erty Digest, 2009). This creates room for optimism in the UAE real estate market orientation towards long term investment. However, the most important question remains whether the UAE young realty sector is strong and resilient enough to withstand the adverse effects of the forces within the external economies as well as its ability to meet long term investor demands and expectations. To an attempt to achieve this end, the government of Dubai has recently amended Article No. 13 that aims at protecting the stakeholders in the realty sector. The article provides reviewed provisions for cancellation of contracts and also offers property auction licenses to private firms in order to facilitate the auction process. Research question and methodology Our study will focus on a case study of Dubai’s real estate sector and the impact that the global financial crisis has had on the same. This will enable us to evaluate the extent to which the crisis has affected the UAE region since Dub ai is one of the major determinants of overall performance of UAE economy. Effects of the financial crises on the real estate sector in Dubai The crisis has adversely affected the emirate of Dubai which has heavily invested in construction projects as well as establishment of a financial sector. Dr, Eckart Woertz, program manager of economics at the Gulf Research Center observed that Dubai, which was the pioneer in economic development in the UAE has been adversely affected by the crisis due to its over reliance on real estate sector as well as its foreign debt financed growth (BM, 2010). The impact that the economic downturn has had on the Dubai’s construction sector is an obvious indicator of the extent to which the UAE has been affected by the crisis hence our focus on the emirate. Construction projects worth billions of dollars have been rendered worthless with numerous projects being prematurely terminated due to lack of cash inflow (BM, 2010). A report by Proleads resea rch firm uncovered that an approximate 53% of the projects in Dubai had been suspended while only projects worth $698 were still in operation in a sector estimated to be worth US $1.3 trillion (BM, 2010). In addition, job cuts have been widespread in the real estate sector with numerous companies announcing a lot of redundancies while considerable number of expatriates continues to leave the country (BM, 2010). A report by Emirates Business 24/7 claimed that Indian carriers were preparing to accommodate bulk bookings for constructions workers and expatriates leaving the UAE in search of greener pastures. Further, figure released by Dubai’s ministry of interior naturalization and residency highlighted that 54684 residency visas were cancelled in the beginning of 2009 compared to 29418 in January 2008 with the majority being expatriates and private sector workers who had been frustrated by the poor performance in the construction and real estate industry in Dubai (BM, 2010). Th e impact of the global financial crisis further sent shock waves through out other related industries in the region that relied on the construction sector consequently affecting them negatively. For instance, the media companies which depended heavily on the real estate sector for advertising lost significant revenue due to reduction in advertising efforts by the sector (BM, 2010). The architecture and engineering firms as well as facilities management providers were also adversely affected. According to the Property wire (2010), â€Å"The construction and real estate sectors in Dubai have seen a decrease of almost 5% in 2010 and the recovery is some way off according to officials† (p1). Data Analysis: The Case of Dubai The property industry in Dubai registered remarkable growth in years prior the global financial crisis (Anonymous, 2007). The trend of the industry in the period between 2002and 2006 is a clear indicator of the robust growth that the sector had enjoyed in prev ious years. The graph below displays the percentage growth sustained by Dubai’s real estate sector during the period. Source: Zahrat Dubai real estate. rocketriver.com/zahrat/stat.php However, the upward trend rapidly declined with the occurrence of the global financial crisis that affected all the economies in the world. Reports indicated that the residential property prices in Dubai were bound to decline in the subsequent years from the peak levels seen in the third quarter of 2008. The graph below displays the falling real estate prices in specific locations in Dubai during the period of the financial crisis. Source: Dubai Forums 2009. dubaiforums.com/ar/dubai-property-prices-to-fall-70-from-peak-1-34758.htm Despite the numerous challenges facing the real sector as a result of global financial depression, the region is optimistic that the sector will survive the financial crisis. Substantial market corrections have taken place which has led to the restructuring of the bu siness models in operation. In order to achieve the best case scenario industry conditions as shown in the graph, the government of Dubai should seek to support the country’s economy by increasing infrastructural spending, reducing oil and foreign income dependence in the economy and bail out guarantees to financial institutions in order to improve performance of the industry and regain investors’ confidence. ameinfo.com/196124.html Conclusion The financial crisis that hit the global economy adversely affected numerous countries’ economies without exception of the countries in the GCC. The UAE was the most affected among the GCC member countries with its construction and real estate sector rapidly declining as a result. The construction and real estate sector which contributes significantly to overall GDP in the UAE has had severe consequences on the overall economic growth of the region. Evident from the study, the decline in the sector has significantly reduc ed returns to investment which has led to mass exodus of foreign investors from the region’s free zones and disrupted performance in other related industries. The region should therefore seek to rectify the situation by minimizing their dependence on oil and foreign funding in order to reduce the risks of industry collapse in future. Reference List Al Abed, I., Helyller, P. (2001). United Arab Emirates- A New Perspective. London: Trident Press Ltd. Anonymous (2007). Statistical Report on Dubai Real Estate Trends. Retrieved from rocketriver.com/zahrat/stat.php. Business management (2010). How The Bubble Burst. Retrieved from busmanagementme.com/article/How-the-bubble-burst/. Dubai Forums (2009). Dubai Prices to Fall ‘70% from the Peak. Retrieved from dubaiforums.com/ar/dubai-property-prices-to-fall-70-from-peak-1-34758.htm. IMF (2003). United Arab Emirates: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix. Washington, D.C: International Monetary Fund. Khamis, M. (2010). Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Gulf Corporation Council Countries and the Challenges Ahead. Retrieved from imf.org/external/pubs/ft/dp/2010/dp1001.pdf Noack, S., Betriebswirt, D. (2007). Doing Business in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Property Digest (2009). UAE Real Estate Sector on the Road to Recovery. Retrieved from gowealthy.com/gowealthy/wcms/en/home/real-estate/property-digest/april-2009/Vol1-April-2009-1240826069217.html Property Wire (2010). Real Estate Sector Is The Worst Hit In Economic Terms, Officials Admit. Retrieved from propertywire.com/news/middle-east/-dubai-real-estate-hit-201012024736.html United Nations (2009). The Global Economic and Financial Crisis: Regional Impacts, Responses and Solutions. New York: United Nations publications.

Life as a function of biological definitions Essay

Life as a function of biological definitions - Essay Example Perhaps one of the most complex questions that biology attempts to answer is not who are we and where have we come from;but rather the simplest of answers – what defines life?Depending on who is asked and what journals and/or texts are consulted,the researcher attempting to answer such a question will likely be led down a host of different paths. However, oftentimes the best way to define something that is infinitely complex is to draw a very broad definition that focuses on the key attributes and elements that are displayed while also drawing on the key attributes and elements that are noticeably missing. In this way, it is necessary to work to define life as well as to provide many of the prior and current definitions that scientists have used to attempt to determine what is living from what is not. One might question why such an absolute definition is such an integral facet of understanding biology; citing the fact that life is obvious to the observer when it is seen. Howev er, this is not always the case. Due to the recent advances that have been made in biology and genetics as they relate to the creation of â€Å"living† wetwear and other engineered forms of life, the observer finds it increasingly difficult to define with a high level of certainty what is life and what is not. Due to the fact that scientists are ever coming closer to engineering and â€Å"creating† more and more complex forms of â€Å"non natural/human engineered† life, the necessity for a clear and actionable comes into clear focus. Thus the purpose of this essay will be to weigh those competing definitions and draw inference based on their requisite strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, scientists have struggled over the years to uniformly define life based on its most common attributes. For instance, in 1944, physicist Erwin Schrodinger defined life as â€Å"that which avoids the decay into equilibrium†. Although this definition is at least partially va lid, there are non-life forms that ascribe to this same level of meaning. For instance, few biologists would argue that a forest fire is a life form. It grows, reproduces, and resists entropy. One could even argue that to a certain degree fire consumes energy to produce thermal heat as well as performs a type of respiration; all of these are verifiable attributes of life. However, fire is most certainly not a life form. However, even considering the shortcomings of this particular definition, there is the additional shortcoming that all life, regardless of its form, eventually seeks entropy as well. In this way, it is clear that although certain processes may avoid decay into equilibrium, it is unwise to call these processes a life form due to the fact that eventually all matter, energy, and life seeks entropy (Jagers op Akkerhuis 248). Similarly, many biologists have hearkened back to Darwin in order to determine what defines life. Those that ascribe to distinctly Darwinian school of thought define life as that which resists entropy and seeks to perpetuate a self-sustaining system cable of evolution. Although this definition is useful, it is similarly too broad to adequately narrow the focus of the researcher/student in understanding the complex nature of life. Likewise, many others conclude that metabolism is a requirement for something to be considered a life form. Regardless of the particular variety of life that is being analyzed, the common denotation of this is that all life requires a form of metabolic processes in order to synthesize, utilize, and extract useful energy for life. Similarly, this process invariably utilizes H20. As such, many biologists have appropriately theorized that all life requires H20 as a functional component of cellular growth, respiration, and division. Although this is merely supposition, the evolution of life on other planets may well utilize another more plentiful means of growth, division, and respiration than H20. Due to the fact that

Analysis of the Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Analysis of the Business Environment - Essay Example The daring steps in the formulation of the monetary policy have been taken in order to contain the deflation in the country. Despite the continuous efforts of the government the yield of the bonds issued by the government of Japan has remained more or less static and low. On the other hand the net public debt of the economy of Japan is as high as 134 % of the GDP. This is one of the highest levels of public debt out of the advanced economies of the world. In such a situation the Abenomics policies of 2013 to bring about a surge in the growth rate of the country and to bring about inflation in the country is considered to be having a lot of uncertainty and is dependent on the proper implementation of the strategies. This report is an analysis of the key measures under the policies, the main objectives as well as the long term implications of the policy. Scholarly resources have been consulted extensively in order to conduct the research and to draw appropriate inferences. Discussion B ackground of the Japanese economy In the post world war period Japan experienced spectacular growth of the economy. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the average rate of the economy had been 10%, 5% and 4% respectively. The country moved to being one of the advanced economies. However, Japan witnessed a burst in the assets bubble in the early 1990s. There was an economic slowdown which resulted in a high level of unemployment in the country. Adding to this there was a huge amount of deficit in the budget which occurred due to the ventures of the government to finance the projects related to public works in the country. However the stagnation in the economy could in no way be stimulated by the different infrastructure projects. In order to battle such an economic situation the Japanese government took policy measures that would take out the speculative part of the surplus liquidity from the stock markets as well as the real estate markets. These policies led the country into a phase of intensive deflation during the phase of 1990 to 2004 (Arslanalp and Lam, 2013, pp. 12-16). Due to the policies the economy recovered once again but the deflation still persisted. At the time of the financial crisis which had hit almost all the countries of the world, Japan experienced a loss in the level of GDP by 0.7% in the year 2008 and about 5.2% in the year 2009. On the other hand the growth rate of GDP of the country was negative in 2009. The volume of international trade in the country also suffered a decline of 27%. Key policies under Abenomics The policies under Abenomics comprise of mainly three strategies which are better known as the â€Å"three arrows† (Itoh, 2013, pp. 2-3). The three pillars are Bold monetary policy Flexibility in the Fiscal Policy Strategy to induce growth The Prime Minister intended to take a bold monetary policy through the introduction of quantitative easing as well as increasing the level of spending on the public expenditure along with the attempt to devalue yen. The Bank of Japan intended to undertake a strategy of Quantitative Easing through this policy. The bank would be buying assets from the open market worth $ 1.4 trillion so that the money

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay Example for Free

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay A Rose for Emily is a short story by American author William Faulkner. It tells about an old woman named Emily Grierson lives in the town of Jefferson. The tale sets in the early nineteen hundreds, it opens with the town finding out about Emily’s death. Through the whole story, people learn of the life and times of Emily, her relationship with the town, her father and her lover. People find out the truth that Emily was hiding at the end of the story. There are many different symbolisms in the story Among all of the symbolisms , the monument, the frame, the grey hair, the house and a rose are the most important and thoughtful ones throughout the entire story. The monument appears in the beginning of the story as the first symbolism. â€Å"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument†(A Rose For Emily). Faulkner calls Emily a fallen monument, it also could understand as an idol in a niche. It shows that how the town views her and to connect her to the idea of the old, genteel Southern ways. The modern townspeople dont know what to do with her, and she is so closed off to them, but they respect her enough to just leave her alone. Like Faulkner states, she was like a statue only representing a real, living person and thus she passed from generation to generation dear, inescapable, impervious, tranquil, and perverse. In her old age she is seen as a monument to the past that is never seen outside of her house. All of the respect that her father had earned died with the old men and women of the town. Frames also seem to be symbolic in A Rose for Emily. One of the examples is the scene where the narrator is describing Miss Emilys father as standing in the foreground and framed by the doorway as he held would be suitors at bay. Meanwhile Miss Emily is framed in the background. Emily’s father. Mr. Grierson is a controlling, looming presence even in death, and the community clearly sees his lasting influence over Emily. Also he references framing with reference to her crayon picture of her father in the gold frame. The whole story is framed in the idea of traditions dying out as time passes. monument who left a part of her behind in the grey hair. The single grey hair on the pillow is another symbolism. The old hair on the pillow signifies that Emily is a history in the town now, lying with corpses as all that she has had to be proud of is also dead. Her desperate attempt to maintain a hold upon the past has failed and she is a fallen angel’. The house that Emily lives in is a symbolism that shows the decay as Emily begin getting older and older. The house at one time was one of the most beautiful homes in the whole town of Jefferson. In Emilys youth the house was always well kept. As Emily aged so did the house she lived in. The street she lives in from the symbolic of high class became the worst for the entire town. With faded paint and an unkempt yard it even began to smell at one point. The men of the old Jefferson would never tell a lady that her house smelled so they cured the smell themselves. It would seem that the house and Emily where connected in a way. Both of them had grown old and lost their brightness. The house was also looked at in the same way as Emily. Emily lost her mind and her looks. The house lost the beauty it once held due to old age. They where looked at as a monument to the past. The most important symbolism among the all in A Rose for Emily is in the title itself. The rose is most often thought of as a symbol for love in the case Homer is the rose or love for Emily. Her father thought there was no man was good enough for her or for the Grierson family. Therefore she was never able to experience passion or the rose of love until she met Homer. The rose for Emily is hope, and passion. However, there is another meaning of rose to consider. However, the rose in the title of the story could therefore stand for Emilys secret; that is Homer her rose whom she cherished, loved and kept to herself even after his body was corrupted by the decay of time. While Faulkner had many symbolisms in A Rose For Emily, the symbolisms of the monument, the frame, the grey hair, the house and a rose are the most important and worthful ones throughout the entire story. Author William Faulkner truly wrote a wonderful story about an old women who loses her mind. A Rose For Emily uses different symbolisms to show the way in which people all grow old and decay, it tells a story of fallen angel Emily’s life.

The 2nd Vatican Council Essay -- History Religion Catholic Religious E

The 2nd Vatican Council Starting with the First Council of Nicaea in 325 the Catholic Church established a tradition of ecumenical Council meetings to help decide on and shape the future of the Church. The most recent Council, called Vatican II, is considered to be both the largest ever in scope and also the most ground breaking in the amount of change it yielded. The changes in doctrine, dogma and procedure they enacted had major effects both inside and outside the Catholic Church and continue to today. Before the Vatican II the Catholic Church was an aging dinosaur, still crippled by the Reformation and unable to relate to contemporary man. It emerged from it a modern Church, tolerant and accepting of other religions, accessible to the laity and ready to grip with this age of reason over faith. I contend that the Vatican II council, while not being perfect or perhaps as progressive as it should have been, was just what the Catholic Church needed if it intended to maintain its status as one of the largest denominations on Earth. This paper is divided up in to two portions, the first a historical account of events of the council and the second an analysis of the most important of the 16 documents approved by the assembled Fathers and their effect on the Catholic Church. WHAT HAPPENED On January 25th 1959, Pope John XXIII announced that he was assembling what was to be the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. He proclaimed to his closest advisors that the purpose of the council would be â€Å"to proclaim the truth, bring Christians closer to the faith, and contribute at the same time to peace and prosperity on earth.† Pope John immediately made it very clear that his papal reign, which up until this point was considered rather inconsequential, was going to make a difference. Councils of the church are called to contemplate and reevaluate the church’s position on matters such as church administration, doctrine and discipline. An ecumenical council is a worldwide council that can only be called by the pope. All bishops and other high-ranking members of the whole church are to be present. This was to be the first major council in the Church since the original Vatican Council that was convened in 1869-1870. Immediately after the pope’s order the Vatican’s bureaucracy of religious leaders, which is known as the Curia, sprung... ...ly did little more than grant official consent to the beliefs that were already present by that time in the minds of the majority of Fathers. It still was a necessary step and required a lot of bravery on the part of those involved. Without it the Church may well have become a trivial antiquity too stuck in its old ways to be in any way relevant to the modern world. Works Cited Basset, Bernard. Preist in the piazza. Goal line tribute to a council, with illustrations by Penelope Harter. Fresno: Academy Guild Press, 1963. Berkouwer, G.C. The Second Vatican Council and the new Catholicism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965 Caporale, Rock. Vatican II: Last of the councils. Balitmore: Helicon, 1964. Catholic Church: Pope John XXIII. Apostolic letter of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II: on the 25 anniversay of the promulgation of the conciliar Constitution â€Å"Sacrosanctum Concilium† on the Sacred Liturgy. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1988. MacEoin, Gary. What Happened at Rome? The Council and Its Implications for the Modern World. Garden City: Doubleday, 1966. Ratzinger, Joseph. Theological Highlights of Vatican II. New York: Paulist Press, 1967.

Theme of Evil in Macbeth

English – Macbeth – Evil – Homework Essay – â€Å"In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents us with a powerful vision on evil†. Write your response to the above statement. Textual support may include reference to a particular performance of the play you have seen. I believe the theme of this play to be the vision on evil. It is a very powerful theme; it makes the play both interesting and memorable. There is an evil presence throughout the play; this is evident from the very first scene where we encounter the three witches. Fundamentally, there are two types of evil visible in Shakespeare’s play of Macbeth. The evil which we see, the violent acts, the violent imagery, then there is a sense of evil within the characters themselves, and the three witches, as they are considered evil beings. All of these elements combine to establish an overall atmosphere of evil. Evil characters like Lady Macbeth I think the strongest vision of evil in this play is demonstrated by the witches. The witches themselves are a symbol of evil, never mind their actual doings. They are supernatural and automatically feared. They like to play cruel tricks, mislead people. Their cruel actions always cause a cruel and bleak outcome for their victim. We see examples of this in the very first scene, when they discuss how they tortured a sailor by depriving him of sleep and tossing his ship into a tempestuous storm. They enjoy barbaric acts like severing a man’s thumb and keeping it as a trophy. In my opinion it’s very meaningful that the witches are the first people we met, the set the tone of the play. The significance of this is huge; it shows the prevalence of the theme of evil. Early on, we realise that the witches have a great deal of power over events and propensity to convince a malleable mind. Their goal is not to help Macbeth gain all the glory and power which it is his ambition to achieve but to convince him that this is their aim but rather lead him to his death! They receive satisfaction in the false sense of security and hope their prophecies have given Macbeth. I think the witches have set their sights on misleading Macbeth the whole way until his death, they pray on his sense of ambition and use this to start the fire which engulfs all and ends with Macbeth’s death. Lady Macbeth has another important role in this play, to expand on the theme of evil and carry it further through the play. I think she, like the witches enjoys in the pursuit of evil just for the sake of it. She taunts and blackmails her husband into committing unthinkable crimes for the sake of it. Lady Macbeth is an appalling woman, from the moment we met her we see her just ready to empty her wickedness upon any poor sucker that comes along, unlucky for Macbeth he happens to be her victim. She is a like a spider she catches him in her web and wraps him up and engrosses him in all her evil. Her true essence comes into play when she calls upon the evil spirits to take away her femininity, to take away her weaknesses and pity, â€Å"come, you spirits, that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty†. When Macbeth refuses to be part of the act, he decides to not kill Duncan, this infuriates Lady Macbeth. She begins to try and guilt Macbeth into committing the crime. She uses violent bloody imagery to guilt him into doing it. She is very manipulative; this shows us how ruthless Lady Macbeth is. Macbeth ends up changing his mind. While the three witches and Lady Macbeth are seen as the main forms of evil in the play, we must not overlook Macbeth himself. We cannot tell if he is truly an evil human being or if he just carries out evil acts. After all, he is the one who carries out Duncan’s brutal murder. He is the one who ordered for the killing of Banquo and Fleance (who escapes). He is the one who employs three murders to kill Macduffs wife and kids. Is this because he is evil? Or is it because of the push Lady Macbeth gave him which led him to spiral out of control and with the confidence he received from the witches. The brutal slaughter of Duncan was his first step into the bloodbath from which he finds impossible to return from. The violent bloody imagery used throughout the play also portrays a sense of evil. The evil in the play is presented very well through pathetic fallacy. In most occasions in the play, when a murder was committed or when we came upon the witches, the weather would reflect the actions or the tension in the play. Also, how the animals reacted after Duncan’s death, they all went wild and ate each other. I think this draws a very good image, and links everything in with the particular act. These unnatural acts mirror the evil in reality. In my opinion this overall intensifies the play and makes you become engrossed in the play. Overall, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is full of images of evil, cruelty, suffering and death. It is images like the amputated thumb, the horses eating each other of the brutality of the murders. There are also many references to the devil, hell and violence. The characters, their actions and moods all combine to make a very powerful vision of evil within the play. While we see that evil does not go unpunished, the final victory does not look like much compared to the amount of evil which has been seen through this play, the amount of lives lost and how it has affected the people left behind, even though law and order is finally restored. It is prevalent that the main theme in this play is the theme of evil.

Drug Addiction - 1784 Words

Drug Addiction A drug addiction is an ongoing need to use drugs. It is also called substance dependence, because the person may depend on drugs to continue functioning normally. Like any addiction, it involves a craving, or strong want, that is very hard to control.[1] When the addict is no longer able to use the drug, they will suffer from withdrawal.[2] A person usually become addicted to specific kinds of drugs, the use of which may or may not be against the law. A person who may easily become addicted to drugs is said to have an addictive personality. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines drug addiction as a mental disorder. Causes Drugs known to cause addiction include both legal and illegal drugs as†¦show more content†¦He gave the soon to be called Baby Boomers an effective alternative to the prevalent drug culture. He called it the 3HO (healthy, happy, holy) way of life. [photopress:YB_September_1970.jpg,full,centered]In 1973, Yogi Bhajan founded 3HO SuperHealth, a remarkably successful drugless, drug rehabilitation program, blending the proven ancient yogic wisdom of the East with the modern technology of the west. The philosophy of 3HO SuperHealth was based upon the belief that natural healing techniques such as Kundalini Yoga, meditation, special diets, hydrotherapy, and massage utilized in a structured environment such as a holistic therapeutic community, are the most effective way of treating people who have problems with addictions. 3HO’s SuperHealth Program had excellent results helping thousands of individuals to not only free themselves from alcohol or drugs but to begin to lead a l ife without negative addictions. SuperHealth was accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization and received its highest commendation. In 1973 it distinguished itself as being in the top 10% of all treatment programs throughout the U.S, with a recovery rate of 91%. Then in 1989 Yogi Bhajan met with then President Mikhail Gorbachev and established addiction treatment programs in Russia based on the 3HO SuperHealth model. Since 1993 Yogi Bhajan had also been persistently contacting the Punjab Government offering assistance withShow MoreRelatedDrug Addiction : Drugs And Heroin Addiction1130 Words   |  5 PagesThe arguments for whether or not to prescribe heroin to treat heroin addictions are controversial. 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