Physicians Assisted Suicide Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Physicians Assisted Suicide - Research Paper Example Therefore, it transpires that in the case of physician-assisted suicide, the elements of alleviation of pain and suffering or infeasibility of further treatment are not deemed mandatory. Though ancient Greek culture has recognized this practice on the grounds of rationality, it finally appears to have assumed a religious morality angle under the patronage of the Christian church, which ascribes a â€Å"sinful nature to suicide† (Lachman 121). In the modern day, a controversy exists on the topic because while some people argue that an individual reserves the right to end his or her life, others contend that aiding or assisting a person to commit suicide amounts to abetting murder. A. Purpose of the Paper: This paper attempts to explore the topic in detail, with specific reference to it legal, moral and social responsibility contexts and to analyze whether an extreme measure of physician assisted suicide can be accepted as a standard norm in a civilized society. In doing so, the paper will examine the practical implication of the issue both on the society as well as an individual, who seeks to end his or her life due to some reason and rationale. B. ... C. Background Information on the Topic: The claim to individual’s rights or autonomy is a tenable proposition and a patient’s right to choose between life and death, especially when he or she suffers from some incurable health condition, needs to be honored. However, religious notions and moral values imbibed in a civilized society forbid the voluntary termination of a life. Thus, the question of the validity and legality of sanctioning physician-assisted suicide as a standard practice has become a matter of high controversy. Generally, patients with terminal health conditions such as AIDS, cancer etc are the ones who request to â€Å"hasten death† and it becomes an emotional and moral dilemma for the healthcare professionals (121). Research evidence from Oregon suggests that nearly â€Å"1 of 1,000† patients â€Å"obtain and use† medication to terminate their lives while â€Å"17%† of them have considered it as a viable option (123). Thus, i t appears that despite the reservation about ending of life by terminally ill patients, on the grounds of religious beliefs and morality, many choose it as a favorable option in states that legalize physician-assisted suicide. Therefore, there is scope for an in depth analysis and exploration of various legal aspects of the issue. In addition, I also have personal experience from within my community, wherein I have seen one neighbor suffering from breast cancer. Her condition remained so painful that she kept asking her husband and children to have her life terminated through PAS. It was also difficult for her family to keep up with her, without compromising their daily commitments. Her husband was a sales executive in a big

The Soul and its Importance to Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Soul and its Importance to Theology - Essay Example We nourish our bodies' thorough proper diet and our minds through education and learning, but how do we nourish our souls As a society, we have been desensitized to the virtue of a human beings' soul. This is evident in the wide use of the term "soul-mate" and the over use of the word in the songs we hear on the radio. Most of us, rarely describe how we behave or the manner in which we live our lives, as nourishing our souls. Most of us, cannot even give a definition or description of a soul if asked. Throughout history, the definition, composition and purpose of the human soul have been heavily debated and are often referred to as the Mind/Body argument. In some theologies, it is believed that if the soul only exists in the mind and if the soul does in fact, exist in the mind then it too dies when the brain ceases to function at death. In other theologies, the soul is described as an immaterial part of our physical beings and is without physical bounds. It does not die when our physical bodies die, but transcends from our bodies at death. The objections raised in this theory point to the fact that if the soul is immaterial, that is to say that it is not composed of matter, how then, is it said to exist In his The Summa Theologica, Saint Thomas Aquinas attempted to answer this objection and other questions raised regarding the existence of the human soul. In part one of The Summa Theologica the section titled "The Treatise of Man" the objection to the composition of a soul is argued that "nothing gives what it is not; for instance what is not hot does not give heat" (Aquinas section 75 article 1 The Summa Theologica). This goes to say that if the soul is the force that moves the body, and then the soul is the body. Aquinas countered the objection to say that the soul is not the body, but an act of the body. Aquinas goes on to state that the body and soul work in conjunction to create one entity. The body, working through the material by way of its' physical senses, converts the material to the immaterial. For instance, by sight a human being attains knowledge through reading. Through hearing, a human being attains knowledge by listening. By reading words on paper and listening to words through conversation and lecture the mind converts the material to the immaterial. This cognitive soul is dependant upon sensory experiences in order to form mental images or what is referred to in ancient texts as phantasms. Therefore, Aquinas argued, the body and soul are one. This theology by Aquinas raised the next objection: If the body and soul is indeed one unit, what happens to the soul when the body dies It is often noted that Saint Thomas Aquinas found the basis for his theology through the study of Aristotle's philosophies. The division from Aristotelian for Aquinas' occurs when the Saint answers the questions as to what becomes of the soul when the physical human body no longer exists. Aquinas theorized that the soul and the body are separated at death. The continued survival of the immaterial soul after the death of the material body is based on God's will. Steeped in his belief that the body and soul exist as one unit, Aquinas states ""...it is better for the soul to be united to the body than not to be united to it, since it is

Media Representation Of Gender And Body Image

Media Representation Of Gender And Body Image It is estimated that we are exposed to over 3,000 advertisements every day. This makes advertisements a very powerful educational force in society. It can be seen that advertisements sell more than just products. They sell values, images and concepts, love and sexuality, and popularity and normalcy. They ultimately tell us who we are and what we should strive to be. Men, women, teens, boys, and girls all identify people by how they look, to body size and shape, to clothes, as well as hairstyles. Therefore, the way we view our body and image can have a large impact on the way we feel about ourselves. For the most people, especially with adolescents, body image is strongly influenced by mass media and advertising. When looking into advertising within media representation and self body image one can see how powerful of an outlet advertising can be in our current society (Advertising: Its everywhere, 2010). Advertisers emphasize body image and the importance of physical attractiveness in order to sell products. They hope to persuade society that something needs to be added or fixed, because what we have is either not enough or good enough to meet the high demands that society puts on satisfaction. Womens magazines are full of articles convincing women that if they can just lose those a little more weight, then they can have the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career. The standard of beauty that is imposed on women is difficult to achieve and maintain and therefore, the cosmetic and diet product industries are sure to profit and grow off the high beauty standard. It is no surprise that youth is increasingly promoted, along with thinness, as an essential criterion of beauty in todays society. Aging is looked at in the media as an issue that needs to be dealt with and ultimately stopped all together (Gerber, 2010). Adolescents are the main target for most media outlets because they are particularly vulnerable and inexperienced consumers. They are still learning their values and roles and developing their self-concepts. Most adolescents are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist (Kilbourne, 1999, p.129). This constant exposure to negative body image advertisements may influence individuals to become self-conscious about their bodies and to obsess over their physical appearance. The beauty industry is an extremely large industry that profits off the negative self-esteem and body image of many women in todays society. Women who are insecure about their bodies are more likely to buy beauty products, new clothes, and diet aids. It is estimated that the diet industry alone is worth anywhere between 40 to  100 billion dollars a year selling temporary weight loss products (Cummings, 2005). On the other hand, research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. The American research group Anorexia Nervosa Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control, such as fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 2010) . The Canadian Womens Health Network warns that weight control measures are now being taken by girls as young as 5 and 6 years old (The Canadian Womens Health Network, 2005).   Another study conducted by Marika Tiggemann and Levina Clark in 2006 titled Appearance Culture in Nine- to 12-Year-Old Girls: Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction, notes that nearly half of all preadolescent girls wish to be thinner and as a result, they have engaged in a diet or are aware of the concept of dieting (Clark, 2006).  Ã‚   In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 percent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that fifty to se venty percent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight (Gibbons, 2003).Overall research indicates that ninety percent of women are dissatisfied with their appearance in some way (The Canadian Womens Health Network, 2005). Media activist Jean Kilbourne concludes that, Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight (Kilbourne, 1999, p. 47). Many of the media images of female beauty are unattainable a majority of women. The media continues to set unrealistic standards for what body size and appearance is considered normal. If you look through any magazine or turn on the television, you would see collarbones, hipbones, cheekbones and rib cages as the overall trend in Hollywood. Celebrities like Mary-Kate Olsen and Nicole Richie, both of whom have been reported to have eating disorders, can be seen in designer clothing with designer handbags and gorgeous men along with them. This is the model of success for many adolescent girls. Most of these girls look up to and admire these celebrities and are therefore taught at a young age that Barbie is how a woman is supposed to look; tall, blonde, big breasts, and extremely thin. Barbie in reality is so thin that her weight and body proportions are not only unattainable, but also unhealthy (Gerber, 2010).. Researchers have generated a computer model with Barbie-doll proportions and have found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel. A  real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition. Jill Barad president of Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, estimated that ninety nine percent of girls between the ages of 3 to 10 years old own at least one Barbie doll (Greenwald, 1996). Still, the number of real life women and girls who seek a similarly underweight body is epidemic, and they can suffer equally devastating health consequences (Gerber, 2010). Researchers report that womens magazines have more ads and articles promoting weight loss than mens magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of womens magazines include at least one message about how to change a womans bodily appearance through either diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery (Gerber, 2010). Television and movies reinforce the importance of a thin body as a measure of a womans worth. Canadian researcher, Gregory Fouts reports that over three-quarters of the female characters in TV situation comedies are underweight, and only one in twenty are above average in size. Heavier actresses tend to receive negative comments from male characters about their bodies and eighty percent of these negative comments are followed by canned audience laughter (Gerber, 2010). Billboards are one of the largest forms of advertisement. Advertisers tend to make these advertisements especially memorable so they dont go unnoticed. Sometimes, they overlook and take it too far. An example of this was a billboard advertising one of NBCs popular television shows, Friends. The billboard glamorized anorexia by picturing the three female stars of the show and beside them the phrase Cute anorexic chicks. The caption was originally meant to be looked at as a joke regarding the accusations towards the three women of having eating disorders and unhealthy exercise habits, which all of them denied. Although the billboard was removed immediately, it illustrated a spectrum of ads promoting harmful body ideals (Smith, 1999). What may really make a difference in this unhealthy trend are organizations that promote fighting back against the standards that the media presents. An organization that has helped do just that is the About-Face Organization. About-Face is a San Francisco based media literacy organization that concentrates on the effect of the mass media on the physical, mental, and emotional health of females. About-Face encourages personal activism against the thin body ideal. Since 1995 About-Face has been providing education and resources on this subject through research that indicates a relation between exposure to the idealized female in the media and the occurrence of eating disorders (About-Face, 1996). Another organization to promote positive body image is Dove. In 2004, Dove launched the very successful Campaign for Real Beauty which features real women, not models, advertising Doves products. The advertisement is composed of six women all with perfect skin, hair, and teeth. The only thing that is looked at as not perfect is their weight. The women within the Dove advertisement are supposed to portray real women instead of extremely thin models in in hopes to offset the unrealistically thin and unhealthy images associated with modeling and advertisements in an effort to widen the stereotype of beauty and boost sales in the process. The slogan real women have curves as well as the campaigns Web site, which features quotes from each of the Campaign for Real Beauty models, does a great job of capturing the overall message of real beauty (Dove, 2010) . The Campaign for Real Beauty has had a huge impact and response throughout the world. The six women in the U.S. ads are featured in national television spots, magazine advertisements, print advertisements and billboards in major urban markets in North America and similar campaign ads are being run throughout the world by Dove as well. The campaign and its influence on body image have been the topic of many newspapers and blogs, receiving mostly praise, but like any other media outlet, some criticism as well. Some question the legitimacy of real beauty messaging through commercial beauty products along with how the ads might affect women who still do not fit in with the portrayal of beauty in the Dove advertisements. Although the women are not touched up, the models in the series are still smaller than the average American woman at size 14. These women can be paid far less, but they can also break the sameness of advertising (Corbett, 2006). All of this attention is what Dove was really striving for in order to get the message across. According to a press release, Dove wants to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging todays stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves. The use of women of various ages, shapes and sizes is designed to provoke discussion and debate about todays typecast beauty images (Prior, 2004). According to a study conducted by Dove, only two percent of women describe themselves as beautiful. Sixty three percent strongly agree that society expects women to enhance their physical attractiveness. Forty five percent of women feel women who are more beautiful have greater opportunities in life. The study also looked at the degree in which mass media has played in portraying and communicating an unrealistic view of beauty. More than two thirds of women strongly agree that the media and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty that most women coul d not ever achieve. Women feel they are surrounded images unrealistic beauty. The majority wish female beauty was portrayed in the media as being made up of more than just physical attractiveness. Seventy five percent went on to say that they wish the media did a better job of portraying women of diverse physical attractiveness, including age, shape, and size (Dove, 2010). Other advertisers have also been departing from the idealistic body type. In the Just Do It campaign, Nike features muscular, disembodied thighs and butts, labeled Thunder Thighs and Big Butt. These advertisements are very important to understanding the media representation and body image of the direction that society will be heading. It is important to take action with the media and society like represented with the Dove campaign, in order to try and change the trend and get women to love being who they are, no matter what their size, and love the uniqueness of their own body (Corbett, 2006). Another media outlet that should not go unnoticed is the digital media. In todays society this plays a very important role. A great example of this is shown through Doves Evolution video. The video starts off with what appears to be a normal woman and is magically transformed into a beautiful supermodel and placed on a billboard. By using a computer, the womans face is geometrically changed and made to look perfectly proportioned. The video shows people that absolutely perfect faces and bodies are not only rare but nonexistent in many cases (Postrel, 2007). In Madrid, one of the many popular fashion capitals, thin models were banned from the runway in 2006. Spain has recently undergone a project with the aim to standardize clothing sizes through using a process in which a laser beam is used to measure real life womens bodies in order to find the most true to life measurement. This project is hoped to help fight the perception that thin equals beautiful. Milan has also jumped on the idea and also banned ultra thin models from fashion week in 2006 in hopes that models will start to become more healthy sizes (Woolls, 2008). Twenty years ago, the average model weighed eight percent less than the average woman. Todays models weigh twenty three percent less. Advertisers are convinced that thin models sell products and that thin is in. When the Australian magazine New Woman recently included a picture of a heavy-set model on its cover, there was an instant backlash of grateful readers praising the change. The advertisers were less then pleased however. They complained and the magazine soon returned to featuring bone-thin models. Advertising Age International concluded that the incident made clear the influence wielded by advertisers who remain convinced that only thin models spur the sales of beauty products (Gerber, 2010). Mainstream media representations also plays a role in reinforcing ideas about what it means to be a real man in our society. Most media sources portray male characters as rewarding for self-control and controlling of others, aggressive and violent, financially independent, and physically desirability. Although distorted body images have been known to affect women and girls, there is a growing awareness regarding the pressure for men and boys to appear more muscular. Many males are becoming more insecure about their physical appearance due to advertising and other media images that raise the standard and idealize well-built men. Advertising images have been accused of setting unrealistic ideals for males, and men and boys are beginning to risk their health to achieve the well-built media standard (Eating disorders: Body image and advertising, 2008). Another issue is the representation of ethnically diverse women in the media. A 2008 study conducted by Juanita Covert and Travis Dixon titled A Changing View: Representation and Effects of the Portrayal of Women of Color in Mainstream Womens Magazines found that although there was an increase in the representation of women of color, overall white women were overrepresented in mainstream womens magazines from 1999 to 2004. An experiment was designed to view the effects of counter stereotypical portrayals on readers. The research showed that exposure to articles featuring counter stereotypical depictions of women of color tended to evaluate the occupational expectations of women of color among white readers but not people of color (Covert, 2008). In article on African American women and beauty ideals, it is stated that Black women are less vulnerable than white women to reacting negatively is they dont match the ideals pervading prime-time television shows and magazines, according to studies (Smith, 2004). African American women pay little attention to thin images of white women and have better body images than white women, though heavier and unhealthier. African American women have disregarded the idea of thin, pretty white woman as unattainable for themselves and as unimportant to others in the black community (Smith, 2004). It is also found in research that black women were less likely to exhibit signs of bulimia (Smith, 2004). When you think of sexy black women in the media, many would instantly think of Beyonce, Rihanna, or Tyra Banks. However, some would argue that though they are ethnically black, they are whiteified. Their hair has been dyed blonde, straightened hair, and even skin lightened. This is sending a negative message to the darker skinned African American women that they are not beautiful (How the media destroys black beauty, 2010). Some other examples of media sources lighting the skin of African American celebrities by using Photoshop and special lighting techniques is recently shown in Gabourey Sidibes Elle 25th Anniversary Cover. Though the magazine denies the accusations, this is not the first time this has been brought to everyones attention (Everett, 2010). Beyonce Knowles has also been represented several skin shades darker in her LOreal Paris magazine advertisements. Even after the company made a statement claiming this was untrue, many find this hard to believe (Guardian News Media , 2008). Other celebrities to undergo the supposed Photoshop skin lightening include OJ Simpson, Mariah Carey, and even President Obama. The message that media gives about thinness, dieting and beauty tells ordinary women that they are always in need of adjustment. The female body is looked at as an object to be perfected (Gerber, 2010). Jean Kilbourne argues that the overwhelming presence of media images of painfully thin women means that real womens bodies have become invisible in the mass media. This statement implies that the constant exposure of images and texts suggests the idea that the thinner a woman is, the better she is. This has a strong influence on women which then contributes to eating disorders and low self esteem issues. Kilbourne concludes that many women internalize these stereotypes and therefore judge themselves by the beauty industrys standards (Kilbourne, 2010). Some may blame society for accepting negative representation of media. However, it is going to take the media to make a change through better marketing choices and a better view of body image and self-esteem. We are bombarded with images of perfect women and men everyday, whether it is on our favorite television shows, movies, magazines and music. The majority of the women are tall, thin and beautiful and the men are muscular, tanned and seductive. People who do not fall within this media induced norm are left without models to look up to. Instead, they give in to the cosmetic and diet product industry and try to alter their bodies to what they have been told is beautiful. Adolescent girls and boys are constantly striving to acquire an unattainable physique. Across the nation, millions of teens struggle with eating disorders and borderline conditions. With the help of Organizations like the About-Face Organization and programs like the Doves Campaign for Real Beauty, body image can s oon be embraced by men and women of all ages, sizes, and skin color. Work Cited Advertising: Its Everywhere. Media Awareness Network. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Body Image and the Media. The Canadian Womens Health Network. 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Clark, L. and Tiggemann, M. (2006), Appearance Culture in Nine- to 12-Year-Old Girls: Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction. Social Development, 15:  628-643. Cummings, By Laura. BBC NEWS The Diet Business: Banking on Failure. BBC News Home. 5 Feb. 2003. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Campaign for Real Beauty. Dove. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Corbett, Rachel. Doves Larger Models Spur Sales and Attention. Womens ENews. 29 Jan. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Covert, J. J., and T. L. Dixon. A Changing View: Representation and Effects of the Portrayal of Women of Color in Mainstream Womens Magazines. Communication Research 35.2 (2008): 232-56. Eating Disorders: Body Image and Advertising HealthyPlace. HealthyPlace.com. 11 Dec. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Everett, Cristina. Elle Magazine Accused of Digitally Lightening Gabourey Sidibes Skin on October Cover. NY Daily News. 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Gerber, Robin. Beauty and Body Image in the Media. Media Awareness Network. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Guadian News Media. LOreal Denies whitening Beyonce Knowles Skin in Cosmetics Ad. Buzzle Web Portal. 8 Aug. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Gibbons, Sheila. Teen Magazines Send Girls All the Wrong Messages. Womens ENews. 29 Oct. 2003. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Greenwald, John, Valerie Marchant, and Jacqueline Savaiano. BARBIE BOOTS UP TIME. TIME.com. 11 Nov. 1996. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . How The Media Destroys Black Beauty | Socyberty. Socyberty: Society on the Web. 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Kilbourne, Jean. Beautyand the Beast of Advertising. Center for Media Literacy. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Kilbourne, Jean. Cant Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel. New York: Simon Schuster, 1999. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Postrel, Virginia. The Truth about Beauty. The Atlantic (2007): 1-3. Prior, Molly. Dove Ad Campaign Aims to Redefine Beauty Womens Wear Daily, October 8, 2004. Smith, Dakota. Black Women Ignore Many of Medias Beauty Ideals. Womens ENews. 10 June 2004. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Smith, Katie. Effect of the Media on Eating Disorders. Effect of the Media on Eating Disorders. 23 Nov. 1999. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Woolls, Daniel. Spain to Make Clothes for Real Women. USATODAY.com. 7 Feb. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .

Cold War Essay :: essays research papers

THE COLD WAR The Cold War was a very complex war. Many ideas, conflicts and emotions were going on. This was a major turning point for the word war. War became a much more powerful word. However, this war did bring the people together to work at solutions like none other. We have learned from this experience. The Cold War could have been prevented. Franklin Roosevelt gave Eastern Europe to the Russians at Yalta. When Roosevelt negotiated at Yalta, he was not feeling the pain and needs of the people in Nazi concentration camps and the fire bombings. However the rest of Europe wanted revenge for this. They wanted reparations and a guarantee that this would never happen again. Roosevelt did not give them what they wanted. It could have been prevented if Roosevelt had taken advantage of his negotiating position in Yalta, the Soviets would not have created the buffer zones. If these were not created Russia would be much more vulnerable. Also Russia would have been isolated from Europe by a distance. With its advancements in technology the Soviet Union was fast connecting with Europe. No more was it isolated, it became the center of attention. Had Russia not been invalid with the political struggles of Europe, its power and interest after WW2 would have declined. Even with its nuclear capabilities, Russia would have been far less likely to use such a devastating device, had the country’s political involvement declined to pre-war levels. It was the Iron curtain which brought Russia to the limelight, and it was also Roosevelt who sold the land to Stalin for which he could build his buffer zone. Its somewhat ironic that a buffer zone brought Russia closer to the west. The arms race could have been prevented, but not stopped. It can be explained like this: There are two obvious options to build weapons or to not build. If no power was building then there would be an incentive to build. Once this power starts to build the other powers have no choice but to build (or be completely â€Å"powerless†). There are a way to solve this however. I suggest either there is some policy to not start an arms race. Of course this is difficult to monitor but is better than nothing.

Caricom Formation

Caricom- Caribbean Community and Common Market The formation of Caricom came about when the initial four countries’ governments saw the need for an integration of its members and economies, and the creation of a common market. When the West Indian Federation came to an end in 1962, Caricom was established as a means of regional integration. The West Indian Federation was a political union and consisted of ten countries- which are now states of Caricom- with the exception of Belize, The Bahamas and Guyana.The ending of the Federation meant the beginning of more serious efforts on the part of all Caribbean leaders to strengthen the existing ties among them by providing opportunities for the continuance and sustaining the areas of co-operation. The idea of Caricom was proposed by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago when it announced its withdrawal from the West Indian Federation. Hence, the first Heads of Government Conference was summoned by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. This conference was attended by the leaders of Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.These four countries agreed that there was an immense necessitate for closer co-operation in the Caribbean region. At the eighth Heads of Government Conference in Georgetown, Guyana in April 1973, the decision to establish Caricom was authorized with the signing of the Georgetown Accord. Caricom was finally established on July 04, 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas. This treaty was signed by the Heads of Government of Barbados- Mr. Errol Barrow, Guyana- Mr. Forbes Burnham, Jamaica- Mr. Michael Manley and Trinidad and Tobago- Dr. Eric Williams. After many years of existence, Caricom has extended to fifteen members of state.Members of State of Caricom Name of Country| Capital City| Name of Head of State| Head of Government | Date of Membership| Antigua And Barbuda| St. John's| Dame Louise Agnetha Lake-Tack, Governor-General| Winston Baldwin Spencer| 4th July , 1974| The Bahamas| Nassau| H. E. Sir Arthur A. Foulkes, GCMC, Governor General| Perry G. Christie| 4th July, 1983| Name of Country| Capital City| Name of Head of State| Head of Government | Date of Membership| Barbados| Bridgetown| H. E. Ellliot Belgrave, Governor General| Freundel Stuart| 1st August, 1973| Belize| Belmopan| H. E. Sir Colville N. Young Snr. Governor General| Dean Oliver Barrow| 1stMay, 1974| Dominica| Roseau| H. E. Dr. Nicholas Joseph Orville Liverpool, DAH, President| Roosevelt Skerrit| 1st May,1974| Grenada| St. George's| H. E Sir Carlye Glean GCMG, Governor General | Tillman Thomas| 1st May,1974| Guyana| Georgetown | His Excellency Donald Ramotar| 1st August,1973| Haiti | Port-au-Prince| His Excellency Michel Joseph MartellyPresident| July, 2002| Jamaica| Kingston| The Most Honorable Patrick Linton Allen, ON, GCMG, CD – Governor General| The Most Honorable Portia Simpson – MillerPrime Minister| 1st August,1973| Montserrat| Plymouth| H.E. Mr. Adria n Derek Davis, Governor| Honorable Reuben Meade Premier| 1st May,1974| Saint Lucia | Castries| H. E. Dame Perlette Louisy, GCMG, PhD, Governor General| Dr. The Honorable Kenny D. AnthonyPrime Minister| 1st May,1974| St Kitts And Nevis| Basseterre| H. E. Sir Cuthbert Montraville Sebastian, Governor General| The Right Honorable. Dr. Denzil Llewllyn DouglasPrime Minister| 26th July,1974| St. Vincent and the Grenadines| Kingstown| Sir Frederick Nathaniel Ballantyne, Governor General| Dr. the Honorable Ralph E.GonsalvesPrime Minister| 1st May,1974| Suriname| Paramaribo| His Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse President| 4th July,1995| Trinidad and Tobago| | His Excellency George Maxwell Richards, TC, CMT, PhD President| Honorable Kamla Persad-BissessarPrime Minister| 1st August ,1973| Caricom also has its Associate Members (located in the territories of the United Kingdom): * Anguilla * Bermuda * British Virgin Islands, * Cayman Islands and * Turks and Caicos Islands Caricom Secretariat Th e Caricom Secretariat is the principal administrative organ of the ommunity and is headed by a Secretary General, who is the CEO of the community. The Caricom Secretariat is located in Guyana and the current Secretary General is Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, a national of Dominica. Functions of the Caricom Secretariat * Initiate, organize and conduct studies. * Provide, on request, services to Members of State of Caricom on matters of the community. * Collect, store and disseminate relevant information to Member States. * Mobilize resources from donor agencies to assist in the implementation of Community Programmes. * Conduct, as mandated, fact-finding assignments in Member States.Offices and Directorates Offices * Secretary-General * Deputy Secretary-General * General Counsel * Office of Trade Negotiations | Directorates * Foreign and Community Relations * Human and Social Development * Trade and Economic Integration * Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States   (CARI FORUM)| Reference â€Å"Caricom Member States† 2011, Caricom. org. http://www. caricom. org/jsp/community/member_states. jsp? menu=community â€Å"Formation of Caricom† May 2006, Scribd. com http://www. scribd. com/doc/2905473/Introduction-to-CARICOM-CSME

Syncretism

Religious syncretism exhibits blending of two or more religious belief systems into a new system, or the incorporation into a religious tradition of beliefs from unrelated traditions. In the case of Haitian Vodou, Vodou blends two or more religious beliefs into one system, therefore it can be characterized has syncretism. Vodou is a syncretic system derived from deeply rooted African beliefs and colonial French Catholicism. As a reaction to being torn violently from their roots, the slaves tried to resume their cultural and religious traditions.Ancestral spirits were invoked and celebrated in secret, far from the master's eyes. The worship of saints and the Catholic sacraments served as a screen and a support for African beliefs. The creation of a coherent belief system was extremely important in the development of a feeling of unity among the slaves which would provide them with a sense of self and community. The process of syncretization among the African religions helps to explain why Vodou found it relatively easy to accept and integrate parts of Christian religious belief and practice into the local religious activity.Resistance to conversion was met with terrible violence, so Africans already saddled with the horror of being a slave would also suffer extra depreciations because they wished to celebrate their native religion. A solution fell into place though, and this solution was nearly identical all across the Americas. The Africans would pretend to convert to Catholicism, and secretly continue their religious traditions under the guise of Christian worship. Catholic symbols, like the Eucharist and the Saints, came to have double meanings.Initially this integration was purely functional, providing a cover of legitimacy for religions that were severely proscribed. Naturally, most Africans did not want to leave behind their old traditions. But after a few generations a real syncretism became part of the duality of beliefs of the slaves themselves, who soo n found it possible to accommodate both religious systems. One way in which one can see clearly an example of syncretism is that Vodou recognizes a supreme deity and so does Catholicism.However, this god does not interact directly with humanity. Humans must rely on lesser celestial beings known as laws; and in Roman Catholicism humans must rely on lesser celestial beings known as angels and saints. These creatures might appear as gods, though they are more like helpers and messengers for the supreme creator. It was a simple matter of marrying the imagery of lwas with saints and angels. Then it was simple to go to Church and pray to St. Patrick to invoke Damballah, or pray to St. Anthony to invoke Legba.There was also no need to change the structure of the supreme deity. Vodou does not reject the idea that the Christian god is any different than their supreme deity. How did Haitian Vodou come to this point? Vodou’s evolution is marked by four major developments. The first one is the integration of African beliefs and practices around the dominant Fon religion. The second was the classification of gods and emergence of new ones. The third one was the synthesis of Catholic elements; and finally the fourth one was appropriating Amerindian religious symbols.The reason that the Fon beliefs became the dominant ones was for the simple fact that the Dahomean culture was the most populous. Vodou gained the majority of its deities from the Fon received from other African religions are the terms for gods (laws), mambos, the Congo word for priestess, and special deities lie Ogun, which absorbs the place of Gu in Dahomey. The classification for gods/laws changed over the time of Vodou’s development. At first it was classified according to African ethnic origins: Rada, Kongo, Nago, and Ibo.Later, with the emergence of new deities in Haiti two major categories of deities emerged: Rada and Petwo deities. The Rada deities originate from Africa while the Petwo deit ies originated in Haiti, but are still believed to visit from Africa (nan ginen). Synthesis of the Catholic faith with Vodou began with the Code Noir in 1685. This code outlawed all religions except for Catholicism. According to the Code Noir, slaves must be baptized. It stated that each slave’s acceptance into the church must be preceded by a period of religious instruction in the Catholic faith.This led to restrictions for the slaves. Some of these restrictions included slaves not being able to leave the plantation, prohibit slaves from night gathering, rituals, dances, etc. , and the sale of goats were prohibited. Three theories could explain what happened. The first one simply states that both fused together to make one. The second theory, symbiosis, explains that African elements and Catholic elements existed side by side as part of a mosaic, not having true fusion.The third theory, merely draped over the African dissimulation, states that Catholic elements of ritual wer e merely draped over the African ones in efforts to conceal traditional religious practices in an environment that was hostile to their survival. The last theory is what I think explains this scenario the best. Vodou is more closely related to African traditions than the Catholic faith; Vodou just used the Catholic faith as a disguise.I believe if the Catholic faith was not there, it Vodou could have still emerged under Islam or Judaism, but it would have been much harder since the two latter religions are not as universal as Catholicism. The final step in the development of Vodou is the synthesis of Amerindian religions. Symbols for Vodou originated here and not in Africa. Things like the asson, the sacred rattle of the priests, and the objects used in rituals. One can conclude that Vodou started as a religion from mainly three other religions, but now Vodou has evolved into a new and unique religion.