Religious Commitment Essays - Confirmation, Holy Spirit,

Religious Commitment Religion is considered a very important part of life by a large part of the world's population. Determining moral issues and influencing every day decisions, it resides in everyday life and gives people something in which to believe. Often, the aspects of religion are passed down from parent to child, and the child automatically believes that which his parents believed. I too experienced this influence, as I grew up in a family with the Roman Catholic religion. I was baptized as a baby, and as long as I can remember I attended mass every Sunday with my family no matter how much I contested going or the number of tantrums I would throw. I received my first communion and went through years of Sunday school, which I thought was torture. At an early age I knew and understood the "routine" that Catholics follow. I later realized the true seriousness which was far more than just going through the learned motions. The arguments between my parents and I had diminished as church was now becoming an enjoyable experience for me. I started looking forward to the sermons of the priest, wondering what new topic he would bring about for discussion. Soon I went through a process that is custom in Catholicism, known as confirmation. This is the transformation from a child to an adult in the eyes of the church. My older sister went through the same process before me and I never really truly understood the experience when she went though it. Along with the others I attended special classes taught by the priest. I became much more involved in what went on in the church, helping out with seasonal functions for the younger children in the parish and helping to create an active youth group at the church. When the actual confirmation occurred the different feelings inside of me were captivating. The mass itself actually helped me realize the awesome responsibilities of being a Catholic and even the benefits it had to offer. In reality I was a slightly nervous about the whole thing. The Catholic Church places very high expectations upon its young people, and I now had more responsibility in the parish. After going through the whole confirmation process I feel as if I have grown as a member of the Catholic Church, and as a person. The wisdom that I have gained from my faith is immense. Whenever I am uncertain my faith will help guide me in the right direction. I am very grateful for my parents for not giving into my whining or fits when I was younger. In the end all of the advantages of being an active Catholic are well worth it. Without my commitment to my religion I do not think I would be nearly as strong of a person as I am today. To me the Catholic Church provides direction along with a true friendship that will last a lifetime.

Five Great Feature Ideas for Writers

Five Great Feature Ideas for Writers It doesnt matter whether youre a full-time reporter, a part-time blogger, or a freelancer, all writers need a steady source of feature story ideas. Sometimes, a great feature story will land in your lap, but as a seasoned journalist will tell you, relying on chance is no way to build a portfolio of impressive writing. It takes diligence and hard work, writers say. Tips for Writers Always take notes:  You may discover a great subject for a story on your way to the grocery store or meet by chance at a social event. Inspiration can strike at any time. Keep a small notebook or use a note-taking app on your smartphone to jot down ideas as they strike you.Listen: When you do interview someone, remember to let them do most of the talking. Ask questions that cant be answered with a simple yes or no, such as, Tell me how that made you feel?Keep an open mind: Its easy to make snap judgments and assumptions, but a good writer must keep his or her prejudices at bay. Your job is to be objective and learn as much about your subject as possible.Pay attention: How do your sources behave? What does the location look like? What events are occurring? Information like this, as well as direct quotes from a source, will give your reader a fuller appreciation of your writing and subject matter.Accuracy matters: Check all of your data to make sure theyre accurate, triple-check fact s, and make sure youve proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Remember, it takes a long time to develop a reputation for fairness and accuracy, but just a single mistake to tarnish it. Ideas and Topics Features convey information and facts just like a breaking news story. But a feature is usually much longer and more nuanced than a hard news story, which usually just contains the most relevant or recent factual information. Features allow room for analysis and interpretation, narrative progression, and other elements of rhetorical or creative writing. These five topics are a good place to start if youre looking for feature ideas. Some topics may require days or even weeks of research before you can write a story, while other subjects can be covered in just a few hours.   Profile: Interview a prominent or interesting person in your community and write a profile of them. Possible profile subjects could include the mayor, a judge, a musician or writer, a military veteran, a professor or teacher, or a small business owner.Live-in: Arrange to spend some time at a local homeless shelter, hospital emergency room, nursing home, police precinct or courthouse. Describe the rhythms of the place and the people who work there.News: Talk to community leaders about local issues and trends. Crime, education, taxes, and development are perennial topics of interest to readers, but sports, arts, and cultural events are also newsworthy. Potential sources include city council members, community and grassroots organizations, and local institutions.On-the-spot: Cover an event in your community and write a story on deadline about it. Ideas could include the opening of an art exhibit, a talk by a visiting lecturer or expert, a charity event like a fundraising run, a parade, and so on. Review: Attend the production of a local concert, play or other cultural event and write a review. Or interview the musicians or actors involved and write a story about them. Resources and Further Reading Curtis, Anthony. â€Å"How to Write a Feature Story.† Journalism Skills, University of North Carolina-Pembroke, 2011.â€Å"How to Write a Profile Feature Article.† New York Times Learning Network, High Wire, 1999.Klems, Brian A. â€Å"The Secret to Writing Stronger Feature Articles.† Writers Digest, FW Media, 2 July 2014.

Comparing Philosophical Positions of Kant and of John Stuart Mill Essay

Comparing Philosophical Positions of Kant and of John Stuart Mill - Essay Example This research paper considers ideas of Kant and Mill and applies them for the issues of war in the modern global world. Utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill and Deontology of Kant can be compared and contrasted. In the modern context the main ideas of these great philosophers can be implemented in the context of modern political events. Whether there is a need for utilitarian morals and laws or whether it is much important to focus on individual values–these considerations are provided by Kant and Mill. Mill’s Utilitarianism. Mill developed the Greatest Happiness Principle, which he explains in the following way: â€Å"†¦ the ultimate end †¦ is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and as rich as possible in enjoyments, both in point of quantity and quality; †¦ to the greatest extent possible, secured to all mankind; and not to them only, but, so far as the nature of things admits, to the whole sentient creation† (Lectures on Mill). These considerations are appropriate for the modern global society. Mill mentions â€Å"all mankind†, â€Å"the whole sentient creation† . He applies global concepts for his considerations and these are relevant to the modern global society. The main operating category of Mill is consequentialism. He thinks that all rational beings should be subjected to equal moral laws and principles, but in case the nation was be oppressed by those principles, it would not accept them. Current political situation in the world can be analyzed with respect to Mill’s consequentialism. He said that all nations are striving for freedom. A nation is turned into a group of dummies in case they are not looking forward to liberty. A behavior of Americans in the Iraqi war can be analyzed with respect to Mill’s claims. Mill underlined that it is necessary to discard â€Å"despotism of custom† (Moseley, 2002). Every individual should have his own system of benefits, but it is mo re important for the society to have a group of sound members or individuals with clearly set goals. From this perspective Americans are positioned as great freedom setters in an oppressed nation (Moseley, 2002). It is inhumane to prevent people from freedom of thinking and the suppressors, in such a way, hide truth from their nations. Freedom is very important for people in the modern world. It is impossible to develop without it. Categorical Imperative of Kant This categorical imperative of Kant outlines similar positions for every individual. He claims that: The universal laws of nature should be met by individuals, who should act on maxims to meet requirements of the nature. Every individual is a sound human being and he should be treated with respect. An individual in every society should act as if he was â€Å"a member of an ideal kingdom of ends in which you were both subject and sovereign at the same time† (Williams, 1983). Thus, Kant underlines that independent actio ns of every individual are very important for the whole society. At the same time, individuals should refer to social, historical and many other external factors in their nations and to respect them. Furthermore, reflections of Kant can be illustrated by Four Quadrant Module: Picture 1. Four Quadrant Module. In such a way, the philosopher underlines the importance of social independence. In Quadrant One an individual is positioned as a potential benefits’ gainer. In Quadrant Two an individual should work in the name of social benefits or for â€Å"a common good†. Quadrant three makes an emphasis on the importance of independence. Quadrant four is focused on autonomy and interdependence between the individuals (Moseley, 2002). Therefore, oppressed nations, like in the case of Iraq, should be relieved otherwise the individuals of the nation will be unable to

Teaching Reading in the Content Area Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Teaching Reading in the Content Area - Essay Example I believe that each person should practice this since their childhood and at the same time it is also onus of the teachers to help them in developing such habits. To inculcate such faculties inside a student, I believe that a teacher requires encouraging his students to provide more concentration over study of social sciences and at the same time application of technological devices, such as software, educational CDs or DVDs containing appropriate audio-visual elements also help students to enhance the reflective faculty of the students. As an educator, I have experienced that merging of background knowledge with a new schema is important for application of content both for effective learning and classroom teaching. Most of the time a student does not have sufficient knowledge about the background of the subject that he will be taught. Thus, when a teacher or textbook attempts to apply new schemes for benefit his learning process, the student often finds it quite challenging to adopt with the new schema. To make the whole process simpler for a student the teachers are, I feel, required to come up with new strategic approaches. In same process they also have to take extra responsibility so that they can provide them with such reading assignment, which will help them to receive new information without being confused by new terms. The modern philosophers of education Beck & McKeown have also referred to the same application of these procedures in their book, Questioning the Author. (1996) Most of the terms and terminol ogies that are mentioned in the reading contents are technical and students often feel that those terms do not have any connection with their daily life experience. I believe, as an educator, it is my responsibility to present or help to interpret the technical terms in such ways so that they feel the connection between their real life experience and extreme

What has been the thinking of scholars on beard's thesis 100 years Essay

What has been the thinking of scholars on beard's thesis 100 years later - Essay Example An economics and history argument, Beard’s thesis was vastly controversial during the early 1900s. Numerous academics have debated over the thesis, its meaning, and eventually questioned its legacy. In this thesis, Beard says that the process of forming the constitution succeeded over the interests of citizens. This is because the drafters of this constitution comprised mostly of federalists, large property owners, bankers, traders, capitalists, and creditors, whom Beard noted as substantial owners of â€Å"personality.1† In contrast, United States citizens largely constituted of farmers, debtors, small property owners, and people of moderate riches. This population demographic still holds almost entirely true a hundred years after the publication of Beard’s thesis. As a result, Beard’s proof for his thesis has not primarily overturned the claim despite criticisms that have collectively deteriorated it. Scholars like Harold Faulkner committed two sections to a discussion about the geneses of this war in his 1943 work â€Å"American Economic History.† Here, Faulkner says the impacts of the Civil War on America’s industrial, financial, and trading history were great2. According to scholars Sparrow and OBrien, Beard does not seem to overdo his hand in his argument about the founding fathers and the constitution of the United States. Rather, Beard underemphasizes his argument in the sense that he abandons the inferences that ensue from his inadequate focus on American citizens, who are largely average property holders3. Economics academic Roger Ransom says Beard exempted the wisdom and commitment of America’s founding fathers from his history. Ransom says the founding fathers overpowered their shallow self-interests to generate a masterful document for a whole nation. Using Robert Morris and Nathaniel Gorham as examples, Ransom says

Vogue: Across Cultures | Analysis

Vogue: Across Cultures | Analysis ABSTRACT The popularity of fashion magazines over the past few decades has risen to new heights. Fashion magazines being the Bible that many young women and men live by, it is highly important to understand the role these magazines play in different societies and cultures. The researchers of marketing, consumer behaviour, trend analysis and trend forecasting consider culture or the differences and similarities in them to be an â€Å"obvious given†. Culture is most often seen as something that stands in the way of complete globalisation. Theory suggests that differences in target groups and marketing segments can be easily overcome through explicit research. While agreeing to the general thought that culture should be ‘respected and ‘treated seriously, the major driving force of marketing and consumer studies is most often, completely, how to overcome and ‘manage culture (Roothart, H. and W.van der Pol, 2002) There has been some research done on the representation of w omen and feminist ideas in the west but an extensive research needs to be done on the representation of women, men, society and culture through media in an Asian context. Over the past few years the Asian countries have changed their public policies surrounding media its ownership and contents. Taking advantage of this opportunity many international magazines like Elle, Vogue and Cosmopolitan have launched their local versions in these countries. These local versions have continuously faced accusations and criticism from society be it racism, discrimination or nudity, although their international versions have been highly appreciated, thus indicating that cultural differences need to be explored for the successful launch of any brand. For this paper the similarities and differences within different cultures would be determined using the covers of a common brand of magazine VOGUE across cultures. This comparison would also help to determine whether culture and/or society play any role in the successful placement of a magazine and whether Vogue has managed to maintain its brand personality by going local. Chasing a Dream INTRODUCTION Beauty is not concrete and may vary from culture to culture changing over time and shift according to location. The concept of beauty is an image which has been created by society to which woman and men have had to subject themselves to be â€Å"real†. History confirms that the ideology of beauty or what is accepted as being the right appearance has been created by society and largely propagated by media. For United States of the 1950s Marilyn Monroe was the pinnacle of beauty which soon changed to Twiggy in the 1960s. While porcelain skin is valued in China, scarification of the skin and decorating it with tattoos is considered as a status symbol in Africa and other parts. Thus the physical attributes and ideas attached to beauty vary across cultures. â€Å"Womens magazine industry is understood as a monolithic meaning producer, circulating magazines that contain messages and signs about the nature of femininity that serve to promote and legitimate dominant interests.† (Anna Gough- Yates) They have been a great source to study the changes in society. Moving from the purely fashion magazine to lifestyle and home to ‘do it yourself and ‘New woman to ‘woman can work too magazines have always reflected revolutions in society and influenced the opinion of women across nations. Given the increase in trade to Asia and the spread of the beauty industry across nations, it is disappointing that there has hardly been any study on how people are depicted internationally in the fashion magazines. Previous research has established that womans magazines can act as agents of socialising, publicizing certain gender stereotypes and certain beauty ideals like size zero and institutionalizing conventions like photographic poses. (Rudman and Verdi, 1993; Griffin, Viswanath, Schwartz, 1994). Yet hardly any research has been done on the differences in representation of women internationally and locally. GLOBAL MEDIA Over the past few decades there has been a rapid expansion of the global media in the area of womans fashion magazines. Local editions of Elle, Harpers Bazzar and Vogue are now being published in Asia. â€Å"Theory holds that increase trade and improved communication are bringing about a mix of cultures and global unity† (Giddens, 1990, Thompson, 1997). The internationalization of a magazine is not a new phenomenon although until quite recently the most popular womans magazines have been published locally. Harpers Bazaar, a U.S magazine launched itself in U.K. in 1929 (Anna Gough-Yates, 1993), Elle a European magazine began publishing its first edition in Japan in 1960s while Vogue a U.S magazine entered the Indian market in the 21st century. However â€Å"the establishment of an integrated global media market only began in earnest in the late 1980s and did not reach its full potential until the 1990s.† (Herman and Mc Chesney ,1997, p10) According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers the Asia/Pacific magazine market excluding Japan is projected to grow by 7.2% annually, reaching $20.7 billion by 2010, Advertising is also expected to rise by 5% annually to $8.1 billion in 2010. This means theres plenty of potential for countries in South Asia, where advertising spending is just about 0.34% of GDP. Until now foreign brands were allowed only 26% ownership when venturing into Asian countries. But in 2005 most of the Asian countries levelled the field for non news publications allowing 100% foreign direct investment. (D. Ruth, 2007, Forbes) Like all the other global media, magazines use many different strategies to cross borders. But the main reasons for doing so are ‘saturation of home markets and to generate revenue by providing international consumer brands with advertising vehicles that reach into the expanding foreign markets'(Dr. Katherine Frith, 2006,pg4-5). With Condà © Nast having to close down Mademoiselle in November 2001 due to competition and flagging sales, markets with rising economic rates like Asia and Middle East have now become a target for westerns producers of beauty and fashion magazines. HISTORY A study of fashion and magazine covers over the past 100 years gives us a clear picture of the extent of change media can bring about. From the corsets and 16 inch waists to jersey fabrics to bikinis the amount of womans liberation brought about along with the growth of womans beauty and fashion magazines is pretty evident. Magazine publishing surfaced much before the 19th century but up till than due to limited resources and technology publishers did not need illustrated or photographed front covers to sell a magazine. By the end of the century development in technology meant that every publisher could now make use of cover illustrations. The 20s and 30s saw two or more people on the front covers. Red lips, cigarettes, dapper looking men and understated elegance came into fashion. During the second world war men disappeared from the cover pages just as they disappeared from everyday lives of woman. Magazines became womens true friends and the government used them to communicate with the home front. Silk fell from grace and hosiery became scarce. The cover girl emerged, women were pictured wearing aprons holding sheaf of corn. With the end of the world war magazine publishers stuck to a fixed formula of selling magazines by using colour and arresting cover lines. Christian Dior made a splash and womans liberation began. The 1960s saw a revolution of self expression, music and ‘models who became as famous as movie stars. This was the start of a new era for women. The cover of Harpers Bazaar (1965) with the model Jean Shrimpton wearing a Day-Glo bright pink space helmet and the acid green brand emblem at the top is often seen as an emblem of the 60s. Jerseys, pullovers long hair for men and woman were the characteristics of the 70s. Photographs more than an illustration was often seen as the cover pages while cover lines became bigger, brighter and bolder. The 1980s was the decade of Madonna and Michael Jackson with shoulder pads and workout wear which dominating the fashion scene. ( Publication: Vogue Country: United Kingdom Date: 15 April 1980) This ended individualism in the 1990s with Grunge, Goth and a sense of anti style with tattooing and body art becoming in vogue. (Publication: Phase Country: United Kingdom, Date: May 1994) In the 20th century the key to selling magazines was the use of celebrity faces and anorexic models with porcelain skin. Diet plans and Make up tips more than ‘†how to catch a guy and keep him† cover lines make the magazine move. Environment friendly clothes and cosmetics modelled by Julia Roberts and Leonardo di Caprio were the latest trends. (Publication:ElleCountry:Spain Date: August 2002) Until the 90s, Asian society and fashion has been very traditional with local influences. In 1990 fashion icon Princes Diana wore a Salwar kameez and Asian fashion became a noticeable global trend. The 1990s also saw the rise of the â€Å"Asian -chic†. International pop icons like Janet Jackson promoted the Asian look and gave it an International stage. â€Å"As Asian economies flourished, than crashed and began to recover, Asians of different class, ethnicities and gender faced the decision of whether they should wear Western or Asian clothing.†(L. Ann Marie, J. Carla, 2003). The growth of international magazines in Asia and promotion of the Western beauty ideals confused already puzzled nations, drastically affecting the self esteem of many young men and woman. A lot has been recorded about the fashion influences, cultural changes and media in the West however there is hardly any record of such changes in the East. Study has proven that there is great difference between the local and international versions of the magazines but there is no record of the influences and effects on society due to these differences. MAGAZINES TODAY The difference between international magazines and their ‘local versions is that the international issues tend to carry a predominance of images for multinational products. (Shaw, 1999). Such magazines are growing in popularity in Asia and this popularity has bought about a change in perspective regarding the depiction of woman and products in local magazines. Griffin, Viswanath, and Schwartz(1994) found in a study comparing images in weekly U.S. news magazines (Time and Life) to weekly Indian magazines (India Today and Illustrated weekly of India), that many of the western advertising principles and poses for women were being conveyed across nations. They confirmed that female models in India were taking on poses that related closely to ‘gender portrayals ‘of the advanced western nations. A recent analysis of magazines international and local in China by Frith, Cheng and Shaw (2004) suggests that Caucasian models are more frequently shown in seductive dresses than Asian models. Feminist critiques like Kates, Shaw and Garlock (1999) would argue that western magazines are cultural institutions that represent women in a problematic and often unacceptable way although attractive female bodies and sexual content have for long been used in the west to attract consumers to a product and generate interest. Comparing this to the representation of woman across cultures with reference to the few studies conducted on the topic; Griffin, Viswanath and Schwartz (1994) concluded that the use of â€Å"Sexual pursuit† as a theme was used three times more often in U.S. magazines than in Indian magazines. In conservative Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia only Caucasian women were used in Lingerie advertisements (Frith and Mueller, 2003). Any magazine wanting to be resonant with its target audience needs to represent the social norms and cultural values of the given society. International magazines like Vogue and Elle although have publishing houses in Asian countries most often train their employees in the west. The result being that the forms of representation and especially that of woman can take on a globalized look. As Kyung-Ja Lee,(2000, pg 86) has rightly said â€Å" for thirty years, media have been taken to task for reproducing and reinforcing stereotyped images of woman. Yet unfair representation of woman in media still prevails worldwide. Sex stereotyping has been so deeply ingrained, even glorified, that the woman themselves have become desensitised to their own inferior portrayal. The prospects appear even gloomier as the globalisation of media progresses† Previous researchers have noted that the images of models used in magazines have been extensively retouched to represent the ideal of beauty that is unattainable for all but a very few people.(Greer,1999; Gauntlett, 2002). By showing models that are ‘uniformly thin, flawless and perfectly proportioned the media may contribute towards low self esteem and unhappiness among woman and give rise to problems like eating disorders. In fact media is a large contributor to the global increase in plastic surgery to change physical appearance among young girls. Finally as global media takes readers away from local publications it is important to study the impact of international beauty ideal on local consumers. With most models used in international magazines being ‘white the publications are rarefying the ethnic beauty ideals. In fact the obsession with whitening products may be a result of this overuse of White models in Asian publications. For the Caucasian women the body may represent beauty while for the Asian woman it might be the face. For some Asian countries beauty is the simplicity in a ‘sari clad woman while in some parts of Africa its a tattoo adorned naked female. To better understand how beauty and women have been represented internationally as compared to locally and their differences based on society and culture I have considered 3 issue of Vogue magazine across cultures (U.S, India and China) for the period of 6 months from February 2009 to June 2009. The unit of analysis was restricted to the cover pages, containing at least one model. Looking at Vogue magazine over the last twenty years we can easily conclude that the magazines expansion strategy has been very aggressive. Condà © Nast which has a portfolio of 127 magazines in 23 countries believes Vogue to be its cash cow. At present there are a million fashion and beauty magazines such as In Style, Elle and Cosmopolitan circulated around the globe, but in times of crises citizens all over turn to Vogue to confirm the latest fashion news. With readership and subscription levels of about 220,000 a month for the British Vogues, 133,000 a month for the French Vogue and American Vogue, at 1.2 million a month Vogue is the leading magazine in the business of fashion. The Greek, Indian and Chinese Vogues not being as influential are important only to their local countries. The French and Italian Vogue cater to the edgier end of the market while American and British Vogue embrace fashion in the broader sense owing to their larger readership. (A. Lisa, 2009, Times online)

Mama Day :: essays research papers

The entire structure of Mama Day is fitting to the telling of multiple love stories entertwined. Like the most heartfelt episode of Seinfeld ever Gloria Naylor doesn’t tell a love story, but rather lays out in detail the events of everyday life for all of the central characters. In the process the love stories of the characters are all told at once. The most obvious example is the relationship between George and Cocoa (arguably the main love story). Through the book we see them meet, fall in love, and go through excitement and hardship; all that love is. There is also the love story of Mama Day, Abigail, and Cocoa. Even though Abigail is Cocoa’s grandmother and Mama Day is her great-aunt, they both take on the role of mother through their mutual love for her. There is also the love story between Bernice, Ambush and Little Caesar. Despite their squabbles, they love each other. Love is one of the major themes in this book. Gloria Naylor steps aside and lets the characters do her work for her. Love has the unfortunate nature of being objective and the best way to tell love stories is from every point of view. How else can one understand from the outside? On page one she starts with Cocoa telling her side of things and on twenty-two; here comes George’s side. And it continues on like this, back and forth, telling both sides of certain events through the fog that is each character’s own perception of things. This is a brilliant manipulation of point of views and one of the saving features of the book. The reader’s attention is caught when they have to re-associate themselves to a new point of view. In the ultimate representation of what love is this point of view switch is used to show likeness of thought between Ophelia and George toward the end of the novel. The words “OUR WORST FIGHT EVER'; appear twice in the novel. Once at the beginning of Cocoa’s account of the event an d again at the beginning of George’s (Naylor 230-232). Even in their most disagreeable moment, when it all boils down they both see it the same, the blowout to end all blowouts. Argue as they did, argue as they may, in the end they were one person of one mind, just what a marriage should be. A slightly different form of this same technique is used to give example of the mother-daughter love relationship between Mama Day and Cocoa.