Sex Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Sex Education - Essay Example er elements might need to be taught in future sexual education courses, Grace pointed to the fact that it could be potentially beneficial to integrate students with an understanding of Planned Parenthood or means by which many government and/or state sponsored programs seek to speak to the unique needs of the individual student. Ultimately, Grace described the sexual education course that she took part in as a useful and formative part of her early development (Scholz, 2013). Moreover, she indicated that with regards to speaking with parents concerning sexual topics, the interviewee noted that they had a very open and honest dialogue concerning such matters that began as early as late middle school and/or early high school. Conversely, the second individual who is interviewed, Priscilla Yua, noted that her sexual education class left much to be desired. Ultimately, with regards to the first question posed to the interviewee, the respondent noted that the sexual education course never seemed to deal with the realistic situations in which the student may very well face within their sexual growth and development; instead, it focused upon the grotesque, abnormal, and obscene. She noted that this was likely done as a means of horrifying the student from even considering any type of sexual intercourse for fear that they too might be irrevocably harmed. Similarly, with regards to what she most disliked about the program, Priscilla noted that it was the adolescent and juvenile behavior of the participants the most to the way from the experience (Yua, 2013). Likewise, with regards to what level of improvements could be offered, Priscilla indicated that transitioning sexual education to high school might necessarily benefit the individual due to the fact that they could take the... This paper approves that the fact that since individuals develop and mature at different rates, it is seemingly preposterous to assume that they should be taught extraordinarily personal and intimate details concerning human sexual development as a time in which they are ultimately upon different emotional and mental maturity platforms. By the way, sexual education is currently evidenced within the system that each and every stakeholder is satisfied with the level and extent to which key issues concerning sexual development have been covered and/or presented. Sexual education is begun within the elementary school and continues in the various means up until high school. This essay amkes a conclusion that it was the understanding of this interviewer that there was a clear level of correlation between those interviewees that had not discussed sexual topics with their parents/had not received formal sexual training, and those respondents that spoke unfavorably concerning the existence of sexual education or the net benefit they received while in public school. Although it cannot be inferred that the two this level of correlation there exists a definitive realization based upon us, it should be understood that is very likely that sexual attitudes, first evidenced within the family, transcend into the classroom and directly affect the overall level and extent to which be participant can hope to gain value such discussions.

Saint Augustine Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Saint Augustine Research Paper Essay Augustine was a bishop of Hippo Regius, a Latin philosopher and theologian. He was born in 354 in the town of Thagaste in Roman Africa. Growing up with a Pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine endured many experiences from which he produced a book of confessions. In this book he writes about his life and struggles with evil desires. He struggled with greed, gluttony and lust, which are three among seven of the deadliest sins. His main struggle was within faith and religion concerning sexual restrictions and church regulations. He overcomes these struggles when he finds his faith. The encounters of evil Saint Augustine battles with fluctuate throughout his life. In his book of confessions he states that committing greed and gluttony brought joy to him. He loved anything that would amuse him such as chariot racing, gladiator fights and theatre. He would venture in drinking; gambling, stealing and he participated in barbaric pranks on people. He focused more on his own pleasures other than helping others. What saved him was his mother, Monica, who prayed for Augustine’s wickedness to wither. Monica’s prayers were answered when she received a dream from God. During this time he became a teacher and over the years he saw that what he use to enjoy was dull and senseless. Slowly his immoral practices became nothing but regretful memories. His mother then started to persuade him to become a Christian in which he did. He found his faith and began a new life without sin. His most grueling struggle was the sin of lust. He was not chaste nor did he abide Christian precepts. In his book he describes that his actions were done to avoid mockery and to also be accepted by his peers. When his mother was directing him towards the good she proposed that he should marry. Augustine married a 10-year-old child and when waiting for her to evolve he had an affair. By overcoming this obstacle he finally converted to Christianity and refrained from any form of sexual pleasure. He states, â€Å"The evil was not in the sexual act itself but in the emotions that accompany it. He also considers lust to be an obstacle to obtain the virtuous life. Saint Augustine had a constant battle with himself towards church policy and restrictions. He struggled with the limitations towards sexual intentions, which included him to be faithful to his significant other and live a monogamous lifestyle. He disagreed with this because his number one struggle was his erotic desires. This was one of the reasons as to why he gradually con verted to Christianity. His struggle to adhere faith was one of the obstacles to find his identity. He overcame this with the help of his mother and her prayers and he soon came to realize that his past was full of sin so he cleansed himself and became who he is known to be today. Saint Augustine had a life of sin. He struggled with lust, gluttony, greed, faith and religion. He then found himself and became a Saint. Like anybody else Saint Augustine was human, he faced many obstacles concerning evil practices but in the end he overcame these struggles when faith prevailed.

Patient-Focused Pharmacy Arguments

Patient-Focused Pharmacy Arguments Catalysts For Change: Will Pharmacy in the United States Embrace Them? David A. Latif, M.B.A., Ph.D. OBJECTIVES: To briefly discuss previous paradigm change calls for pharmacy practice to move toward a more patient-focused profession, and to make the case that several catalysts are in place to move toward a more patient-focused profession in the near future. SUMMARY: From Eugene White’s â€Å"Office Based† practice model to Helpler and Strand’s â€Å"Pharmaceutical Care† model, during the past 50 years there have been no shortage of expert advocates for the pharmacy profession moving toward a patient-focused one. The results so far have not been as optimal as many would have hoped. An argument is made that the confluence of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, pharmacist manpower stability (and fear by many of an impending oversupply), and the imminent and future impact of automation and technology serve as excellent catalysts to influence the profession to move much more rapidly toward the patient-focused care paradigm. CONCLUSION: The profession must embrace the opportunities discussed regarding moving quickly toward the patient-focused paradigm. Although several barriers still exist, especially in the community setting, it is difficult to see a path whereby pharmacy can rely on dispensing for its livelihood to the extent it has historically. Therefore, the profession has little choice but to embrace the role of the pharmacotherapy expert in collaborative health care practice. During the past half century several authors have called for a paradigm change in the pharmacy profession away from a drug product focus to a more patient and clinically focus.1-7 From Eugene White’s concept of an â€Å"office-based pharmacy† practice in the early 1960s (in violation to the profession’s 1952 Code of Ethics) to Donald Brodie’s thoughtful â€Å"Drug-Use Control† in the 1969 to Hepler and Strand’s â€Å"Pharmaceutical Care,† in the late 1980s there has been no shortage of expert advocates espousing the need for pharmacists to reduce their reliance on the distributive function of prescription medications and emphasize the cognitive component.2,5,6 The need for the paradigm shift revolved around several themes, including the following: 1. To reduce preventable drug-related morbidity and mortality; 2. To regain the professionalization of pharmacy that was ameliorated due to the rise of prepackaged and premixed drugs after Wo rld War II; and 3. To protect against future loss due to automation.1-7 Despite this, especially in the community setting, there is wide-spread agreement that patient-focused care is not practiced as optimally and consistently as it could be practiced.8,9 In addition, historically there have been many barriers to patient-focused care, including time constraints at the community level.10 Perhaps the most significant barrier is the fact that pharmacies have not been reimbursed at a profitable level for providing patient care services. 10,11 One major reason for the underwhelming changes relates to the fact that, with significant shortages of pharmacists during the recent past resulting in meaningful salary increases, there was not a sense of urgency to consistently and fundamentally change pharmacy practice. The situation may be different today due to at least two major factors. First, according to the Aggregate Demand Index (ADI) most of the United States is â€Å"in balance† with a minority of states in moderate demand.12 This contrasts to a high demand for pharmacists as recently as 2007.12 Contributing factors to this supply change include an unprecedented growth in both new schools and colleges of pharmacy, as well as significant expansion of current programs.13,14 Also, some will argue that many pharmacists are working longer than they expected due in part to the Great Recession of 2008. A second reason for why the situation may be different today has to do with the advances in automation and technology. Although there have been previous discussions regarding automation and technology and their impact on the profession, there is some evidence to suggest that the distributive function of pharmacy (i.e., dispensing) will be negatively impacted in the near and long term. A recent summary by Colvin regarding the advances made in technology spotlights the impact these advances may have on the world of work. 15 According to Colvin, the key question to ask is: â€Å"What can people do better than computers?† For example, what impact will Google’s autonomous car have on the future of trucking? What is happening to lawyers is a useful example of how technology can impact professional jobs. In the discovery phase of litigation, computers are much better than people for screening documents for relevance related to germane law cases. They are also better at predicting Supreme Court decisions than humans. That does not bode well for high salaries and full employment in the law profession. Watson, IBM’s cognitive computing system, is not only smarter than we are, but has become 240% faster in the past 2 years! In pharmacy, the robot at University of California at San Francisco’s hospital has replaced all dispensing and has not had an error in 350,000 prescriptions.16 Although the hospital has not reduced its pharmacist staff it is possible that they could in the future. In addition, the technology can be used in other pharmacy organizations to potentially reduce the need for pharmacis ts. On a macro-economic level, economists struggle to explain why the 2008 economic recovery was so tepid. In past recessions, it has taken only 18 months for the U.S. economy to return to pre-recession levels. It has taken 77 months for the 2008 recession. Could advancing technology be a factor in why real wages have stagnated? Former Treasury secretary and economist Larry Summers recently stated: 17 Until a few years ago I didn’t think this was a very complicated subject; the Luddites were wrong, and the believers in technology and technological progress were right. I’m not so completely certain now. We now have the lowest work participation in decades for those in the 25 to 54 age range. Why? What is the answer in pharmacy to the question â€Å"What jobs can humans do better than computers?† Certainly, pharmacists cannot dispense prescriptions better than computers. But pharmacists can perform the non-routine task of patient-focused care better than computers (although some believe that future automation will include robots that can show empathy and emotion). Quality investigations such as the Ashville Project have demonstrated that pharmacists can reduce health care costs and improve patients’ medication therapy outcomes.18 Despite these successes, due to a myriad of reasons such as lack of consistent reimbursement for pharmacist services, many pharmacists’ clinical skills remain underutilized. Interestingly, former APhA President Bruce R. Canaday’s gave a thought provoking inaugural address on March 21, 2006 when he stated the dilemma facing the pharmacy profession.19 He stated that pharmacy needs to change its model of practice â€Å"Becaus e if we don’t, we could become extinct, with our roles in the health care system replaced or eliminated.†19 He cogently argued that optimal medication order fulfillment can be done from anywhere in the world; therefore not changing may result in the pharmacist’s job being marginalized. Since 2006, automation and technology have become more advanced. Paradigm changes often are precipitated by catalysts for change. The catalysts today present tremendous opportunities for pharmacists to utilize their previous underutilized skills in optimizing patients’ complex medication management therapy. In addition to the threat on pharmacists’ jobs from remote medication order fulfillment serving as a catalyst to change, provisions stemming from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that includes Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) and Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) may serve as meaningful catalysts.20,21 These provisions have the goal of reducing costs while imp roving quality. Because of ACA, millions of more citizens and residents of the United States have health insurance. Subsequently, the aforementioned opportunities exist for many health professions, including pharmacists, to optimize patients’ health outcomes. To realize these opportunities, a necessary first step is to be recognized as a Health Care Provider under Social Security. Then, the profession must find a consistent way to get paid for their services in a consistent manner. Because of the Pay-For-Performance incentive programs inherent in ACA the environment is amenable to the cost-saving pharmacist services that pharmacists can excel at. White and Latif presented a model that could work where the pharmacist (with residency training) works as the pharmacotherapy expert in physicians’ offices throughout the United States.22-24 These highly skilled pharmacists would initiate and monitor patients’ complex medication management outcomes. About a third of pri mary care physicians’ time is spent with chronic medication patients.25 By combining the physician’s expertise (diagnosis) with the pharmacists expertise (optimal pharmacotherapy outcomes) the synergy gained may optimize patient outcomes and reduce health care costs due to drug misadventures. White and Latif discussed the changes needed for such a model to work.22-24 The United States spends approximately 50% more on health care than the next most expensive country, Norway.26 If health care were a country, it would be tied with France for the 5th largest economy. The rate of increase of health care expenditures is unsustainable. At its current pace, 50% of our GDP could go to health care by 2070! Therefore, there will be intense pressure on the industry to reduce its costs. In addition to nurse practitioners and physician assistants, pharmacists can play a crucial role in reducing health care costs. Despite the aforementioned positives for pharmacy three key issues remain to be seen: 1. Will pharmacy be awarded Provider status in the near term?; 2. If and when they are awarded Provider status, will they be able to consistently procure fair reimbursement for services that save the health care system money?; and 3. Assuming #s one and two come to fruition, will the United States need as many pharmacists as pharmacy schools are producing? It could b e that highly trained pharmacists will add significant value to the health care system, but because the dispensing function ameliorates fewer pharmacists are needed. In summary, healthcare and pharmacy has and will continue the change. Health care costs must be reduced in the coming decades or the United States economy will collapse (i.e., it is not possible to have 30 to 50% of GDP going to Health Care). The next 5 to 10 years will be critical for the pharmacy profession. Because it is difficult to see a path whereby pharmacy can rely on dispensing for its livelihood to the extent it has historically, pharmacy has little choice but to embrace the role of the pharmacotherapy expert in collaborative health care practice. As former APhA president Canady stated regarding the alternative: â€Å"Because if we don’t, we could become extinct, with our roles in the health care system replaced or eliminated.† 19 REFERENCES White EV. An interesting pharmacy. VA Pharm 1962;46(3):24-7. White EV. How the family medication record was originated. Pharm Times. 1971; 34-37. White EV. The development of the family prescription record system. Am Pharm Assoc. 1973; NS13; 357-359. Hepler, CD. Pharmacy as a clinical profession Am J of Hosp Pharm. 1985 42, 1298-1306 Hepler, CD, Strand LM Opportunities and responsibilities in pharmaceutical care. Am J of Hospital Pharmacy.1990 47(3), 533-543. Brodie, DC, Drug Utilization and Drug Utilization Review and Control, U. S. Depart. of health, education and welfare, 1969. Knapp, DA, Wolf, HH, Knapp DE. The pharmacist as a drug adviser, J Am Pharm Assoc. 1969, 502-505. De Young M. A review of the research on pharmacists’ patient-communication views and practices. AJPE, 1996, 60, 60-77. Shah B, Chewning B, Conceptualizing and measuring pharmacist-patient communication: a review of published studies. Res Social Adm Pharm. 3006, Jun; 2(2) 153-85. Raisch DW., Barriers to providing cognitive services. Am Pharmacy. Vol, NS33(12), 54-58. Scott MA, Hitch B, Raye L, Colvin B. Integration of pharmacists into a patient-centered medical home. J Am Pharm Assoc.2011;51(2):161-166. Aggregate Demand Index, Pharmacymanpower.com. Accessed Jun 15, 2014. http://www.aacp.org/about/pages/vitalstats.aspx. Accessed June 15, 2014. Brown D., From shortage to surplus: The hazards of uncontrolled academic growth. Am J of Pharm Educ., 2010; 74(10) Article 185. Colvin G., In the future will there be any work left for people to do? Fortune, June 2, 2014. Rush-Monroe K., New UCSF robotic pharmacy aims to improve patient safety.March 7, 2011. www.ucsf.edu. Accessed on July 20, 2014. Summers L. The 2013 Martin Feldstein lecture. National Bureau of Economic Research. 2013(4). Cranor CW, Bunting BA, Christensen DB. The Ashville Project: Long-term clinical and economic outcomes of a long-term community pharmacy diabetes care program.J Am Pharm Assoc.2003;43(2):173-84 CanadayBR. Taking the fork in the road†¦and changing the world!J Am Pharm Assoc.2006;46:548–50 Abelson R. The face of future health care. The New York Times. March 20, 2013. Accessed June 5, 2014. Smith M, Bates DW, Bodenheimer T, Cleary PD. Why pharmacists belong in the medical home. Health Aff (Millwood). 2010;29:906–913. White EV, Latif DA. Office-based pharmacy practice: Past, Present, and Future. Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2006 40: 1409-1414. Latif DA, White EV. Reengineering pharmacotherapy delivery to maximize the role of the pharmacist and improve patient outcomes. Research in Soc and Admin Pharm. 2007 3: 223-235. White EV, Latif DA. Restructuring the role of the community pharmacist. J Am Pharm Assoc.2006 46(5); 532-35. Ghorob A, Bodenheimer T. Sharing the care to improve access to primary care. N Engl J Med. 2012;366:1955–1957. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(2010),â€Å"OECD Health Data†,OECD Health Statistics(database). doi: 10.1787/data-00350-en (Accessed on 14 February 2011).

Finding Happiness in Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Finding Happiness in Great Expectations    Great Expectations is a coming of age novel. This novel is a story of Pip and his initial dreams and resulting disappointments that eventually lead him to becoming a genuinely good man. During his journey into adulthood, Pip comes to realize two diverse concepts of being a gentleman and he comes to find the real gentlemen in his life aren't the people he had thought.    Encouraged by Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook, as a child Pip entertains fantasies of becoming a gentleman. In the eyes of Pip a gentleman is to be wealthy, educated and have a high class, thus Pip's desires. In his mind, Pip has connected the ideas of moral, social, and educational advancement so that each depends on the others. The coarse and cruel Drummle, a member of the upper class, provides Pip with proof that social advancement has no inherent connection to intelligence or moral worth. Drummle is a lout who has inherited immense wealth, while Pip's friend and brother-in-law Joe is a good man who works hard for the little he earns.    Significantly Pip's life as a gentleman is no more satisfying--and certainly no more moral--than his previous life as a blacksmith's apprentice. Pip's desires for educational improvement have deep connections to his social ambition and longing to marry Estella: a full education is a requirement of being a gentleman so he thinks. As long as he is an ignorant country boy, he has no hope of social advancement. Pip understands this fact as a child, when he learns to read at Mr.    Wopsle's aunt's school, and as a young man, when he takes lessons from Matthew Pocket. Ultimately, through the examples of Joe, Biddy, and Magwitch, Pip learns that social and educational improvement are irrelevant to one's real worth and that conscience and affection are to be valued above sophistication and social standing. This new understanding shows Pip who the real gentlemen are.    As Pip grows in age he grows in wisdom and his true identity unfolds as he discovers what it means to be a gentleman. When Pip was young, he knew only of the stereotypical figures of a gentleman. However, Pip comes to the realization that wealth and class are less important than affection, loyalty, and inner worth.

Film Critique, Why Did I Get Married 2

Why Did I Get Married? Efrem Terrell ENG 225 Intro to Film Professor Nelly Aguilar April 22, 2012 Why Did I Get Married Released in 2007 by Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, the film Why Did I Get Married? is a comedy and drama that was written, produced, and directed by screen and playwright, Tyler Perry. Depicting the trials and tribulations of marriage, Why Did I Get Married? Was a hit at the box office earning $55,862,886 worldwide (Perry, 2007). Along with several other films and stage productions written and directed by Tyler Perry, the success of Why Did I Get Married? ay be credited to Perry’s expertise in film directing, digital musical selections, and humorous dialogue, along with the film’s dramatic, yet therapeutic storyline on how to sustain a healthy marriage and maintain lifelong friendships. As the director of Why Did I Get Married? , Tyler Perry utilizes incongruous editing in order to establish a central theme for the movie by allowing the audience to get to know each character and establish a theatrical connection with them.As each main character is introduced, Perry jumps around in time displaying each character acting out dramatic and humorous scenes that revealed their true personalities, relationships with the other characters in the film, along with their roles in the movie. While most writers subtly introduce their characters to the audience, movie critics argue that this is an area in Perry’s writing that needs strengthening. According to freelance writer and movie critic, Eric D. Snider (2012), in the film Why Did I Get Married? Tyler Perry’s characters blatantly announce expository dialogue such as, â€Å"I am a Pediatrician,† â€Å"You have control issues,† and â€Å"You could lose about fifty pounds, then I might be somewhat attracted to you. † Movie critics believe that stronger writing would reveal this information without the characters declaring it (Snider, 2012). While direc tors carefully select the best scenes for their movies, they also spend a great deal of time selecting the best soundtrack. Digital musical selections graced the original soundtrack for the film, Why Did I Get Married?.R&B ballads that referenced love, relationships, break-ups, and heart-ache drove the central them of the movie which focuses on the ups and downs of marriage and friendships. Each song from the soundtrack played throughout the movie, helping to tell the story of the film, and draw the audience in by shaping the characters with tempo, range, pitch, and melody. The cinematography for the film, Why Did I Get Married? was performed by Toyomichi Kurita (â€Å"Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, 2012). Kurita creates strong moods and feelings throughout the film with the use of camera shots, movement, and lighting.Scenes throughout the film are solid and clear creating a natural illusion of the set and atmosphere. The audience is able to relate to the emotions of t he characters due to the imagery created by Kurita’s strong cinematography skills. Scenes throughout the film flowed seamlessly, displaying vibrant lighting, while establishing a strong connection between the audience and the film. Editing provided by Maysie Hoy appeared flawless throughout the film. There was strong cohesion among characters as they appeared to have all been filmed at the same place at the same time.The transitions between scenes throughout the film created a natural setting and a feeling as though the viewers were traveling along on the same journey with the characters as the moved from place to place (Perry, 2007). The storyline of the film Why Did I Get Married? centers around the day-to-day struggles of maintaining solid relationships, successful careers, and strong friendships. In order to resolve marital problems, four married couples, who are old college friends, attended an annual retreat in the cold, wintery mountains of Colorado.While the vacation was intended for married couples only, one of the wives decided to bring along an attractive and single female friend by the name of Trina. Throughout the week-long retreat, damaging secrets are revealed that puts each couple in the position to question their own marital relationships along with their friendships with the other couples. As bouts of infidelity come to light, it is also revealed that the single and seductive Miss Trina has been having an affair with the husband of the woman that referred to her as a friend and invited her to the retreat.The film explores the emotional distress that infidelity, lust, and love may weigh upon a marriage. Continuous battles with issues of commitment, betrayal, and forgiveness force each character in the film to evaluate their lives as individuals and as committed couples (Snider, 2007). Patricia (Janet Jackson) is a highly regarded and very famous psychiatrist. Her book about marriage has just won a very prestigious award. Still, a traged y in her past has driven a wedge into her marriage to architect Gavin (Malik Yoba).Things aren’t much better with said pals; Angela (Tasha Smith) is a loudmouth drunk constantly denigrating her struggling husband Marcus (Michael Jai White). Diana (Sharon Leal) is a driven attorney. Having just made partner, she can’t find time for her young daughter, or depressed spouse (Perry). But the worst situation exists between Shelia (Jill Scott) and Mike (Richard T. Jones). He is constantly calling her fat. He’s also cheating on her with best friend Trina (Denis Boutte). When the group gets together for their annual vacation, everyone is on edge.Soon secrets will be revealed, leaving everyone wondering about the state of their relationship (Perry, 2007). The recurring theme that is raised in Tyler Perry’s film Why Did I Get Married? Is â€Å"Can These Marriages Survive? † The infidelity of two husbands leads to the discussion of the â€Å"80/20 Rule. † The rule simply implies that within a marriage, most people only receive eighty-percent of what they want and need from their partners, leading them to go outside of their relationship in an effort to find what they think they are missing.Usually, it’s not until the spouse has stepped out the relationship that they realize that now only twenty-percent of their needs are being met. At this point, they have left their eighty for their twenty, which is a significant downgrade. Watching a Tyler Perry movie is a strange and ecstatic experience, Perry’s desire for shenanigans, inanity and heightened emotions always makes for an entertaining evening, but his films are in a strange in-between space: between melodrama and traditional drama, between lternative cinema and Hollywood style, and between black authenticity and pure elitism. Through it all, what vexes film scholars especially critics, is how style, content, auteurism and culture clash and miss each other in Tyler P erry’s films. Still Perry is one of a handful of black filmmakers- including Antoine Fuqua, John Singleton, Spike Lee, and Lee Daniels, whom can all actually raise money for wide release films. Perry films are primarily ways to talk about black progress and authenticity in a â€Å"post-racial† world, and they absorb all the baggage involved in that project.They are moral tales about maintaining traditional family structures (including, usually, men at the head), the importance of the church and elders, even at the exclusion of gays, and not always, though sometimes, of others: like loose and lost women, drug users etc (Snider, 2007). As of November 1, 2007, on the review Aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of the critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 33 reviews. On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 54 out of 100 based on 12 reviews.Paul Grenada said that while â€Å"there are times where the script seems stiff, it teaches without hammering, and you l eave the movie feeling good about what you saw. † Giving the movie a B-, Entertainment Weekly said that Perry is of the â€Å"spell-everything-in-capital-letters and act-it-out-loudly schools,† but added that â€Å"one performance glistens—Jill Scott’s as the sad, heavyset Shelia, who locates the faith that’s the source of love. † Time magazine gave the film a B and called it the â€Å"usual artless mix of broad comedy, teary confessions and spiritual uplift. † In the opening weekend, the film grossed $21. million in 3,105 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office. In the second weekend, the film slipped to #2 in the box office charts, with a gross of $12. 1 million, bringing the 10-day total to over $38 million. In total, the film domestically grossed $55,862,886 (Gleiberman, 2007). The awards and nominations that the Tyler Perry’s film â€Å"Why Did I Get Married† received were from the Imag e Awards, it was nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture, Jill Scott who played Shelia in the film was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, TylerPerry himself was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, and then there’s Janet Jackson whom won the Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. The issue of matrimony is not a new one to Tyler Perry, almost all of his efforts, both for the stage and screen, have focused on relationships growing, struggling, dissolving, or playing out their post-breakup end games. The decision to create a single overview on the subject seems unnecessary at best. Yet Perry is nothing if not knowledgeable, especially when it comes to his audience.He clearly understands that, even though he’s offering the same old stories, they can’t get enough of the way he tells them. For his film adaptation of the couple’s comedy why did I Get Married? He may have altered the ver y purpose of his otherwise amicable preaching. But at this point in Perry’s career his ability to sell movie tickets in spite of poor critical reception is no surprise, the actor, author, and filmmaker has gone from promoting his own plays to becoming a full-fledged brand, one that, although created outside of the Hollywood machine, is causing some industry people to take notice (Gleiberman 2007).The film is filled with tears, laughter, and shocking disappointments as friends are betrayed and relationships fall apart due to the foibles of marriage. Have you taken a good look at your marriage lately? Is your marriage what you thought it would be? Have you had to deal with issues of commitment or betrayal or forgiveness? Is there a time when you seriously considered whether or not to stay with your spouse? Over the years, have you had to figure out a way to maintain true love and a solid relationship even during difficult times?And during the rough patches, have you ever secret ly asked yourself the question: â€Å"Why Did I Get married? † Why Did I Get Married is one of Tyler Perry’s greatest films yet; leaving some members of the audience filled with emotions as they wonder to themselves, â€Å"Why did I get married? †, while others question, â€Å"Should I stay married? † REFERENCES Gleiberman, Owen (October 26, 2007), â€Å"Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? † Retrieved from Entertainment Weekly (961):51Snider, E. (2007). Why Did I Get Married?. Retrieved April 8, 2012, from http://www. ericdsnider. com/movies/why-did-i-get-married/ Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from http://boxofficemojo. com/movies/? id=whydidigetmarried. htm Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? : Plot Summary and Details. Moviefone. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from http://www. moviefone. com/movie/tyler-perrys-why-did-i-get-married/29300/synopsis

Mary Wollstonecraft: Views on Feminism Essay

1) Mary moved around a lot during her childhood, had no real friends and her father was an abusive husband. 2) Meets a girl named Fanny, similar to Mary’s situation except she was educated, teaches Mary to self-educate. 3) Mary has a public affair and says that women shouldn’t get married anymore until the law change (one flesh doctrine) 4) Writes a short book named â€Å"Vindication of the Rights of Women† Rewrite as a short paragraph/a few clear sentences. Mary Wollstonecraft grew up with an abusive father and moved a great deal during childhood, causing her to not being able to make any real friends and was deprived of family love. Later on, she meets a girl named Fanny, who led a similar life excluding the fact that Fanny had an education and teaches Mary to self-educate. Soon afterwards, Mary becomes a writer and is able to support herself; she becomes fascinated by the ideas of the enlightenment and writes a short book named â€Å"Vindication of the Rights of Women†. It would’ve been a success if it weren’t for her scandalous love affair with a married man, which led her to declare that marriage should be invalid until the law changed and the one flesh doctrine was removed. Sub-arguments 1) Restate the 1st sub-argument from the thesis as a clear, well-written topic sentence. Mary Wollstonecraft believed that marriage was parallel to legalized prostitution. List 1 quote from your sources which proves this sub-argument. â€Å"Business of various kinds, they might likewise pursue, if they were educated in a more orderly manner, which might save many from common and legal prostitution. Women would not then marry for a support, as men accept of places under government, and neglect the implied duties; nor would an attempt to earn their own subsistence, a most laudable one! Sink them almost to the level of those poor abandoned creatures who live by prostitution.† (Wollstonecraft, â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,† 222) Paraphrase one piece of information from your sources which proves this sub-argument. Wollstonecraft argued what may well be her most famous line, â€Å"To marry for support is legal prostitution.† She contended for intellectual companionship and friendship to be the ideal of marriage. She argued for an end to social prejudice against women which would, in turn, lead to women’s being defined by their character and work rather than by their marriages and social status. (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 79) List 1 point of your opinion, supported by one of your sources which proves this sub-argument. Although marriage appears to be sacred, women in society would be deemed to be prostitutes somewhere along the continuum; it was merely a question of degree as to how much a woman sold herself to one man, and how much she relied on him for support. Marriage can be viewed as really just a form of prostitution in which women received poor recompense for their work, are more vulnerable to violence (from their husbands), and had less control over their daily lives than professional sex workers. (Wollstonecraft, â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,† 222) List one additional point: your choice of evidence style (may be a quote, paraphrase, statistic, or your opinion, but must be backed up by a source). Wollstonecraft points out that in her society, marriage alone brings women prestige and power. The only way women can rise in the world is by marriage. (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 81) 2) Restate the 2nd sub-argument from the thesis as a clear, well-written topic sentence. Mary Wollstonecraft argued that women were capable of being equal to men, if given the proper education. List 1 quote from your sources which proves this sub-argument. â€Å"If women were more broadly educated, they would be better placed to carry out their educative duties as parents and to cooperate with men in this role. Part of Wollstonecraft’s defense of female emancipation, therefore, consists of arguing that freedom, equality, and education would make women better mothers.† (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 83) Paraphrase one piece of information from your sources which proves this sub-argument. Wollstonecraft stated that the boundaries on women’s education greatly affected their maturation. She noted that aristocratic women were not in fact confined to any particular â€Å"sphere† but traveled freely in public, going from place to place in order to better â€Å"display their finery.† Such a fine lady was useless to society not because of where she went or what she did, but because she never matured. â€Å"If she has any maternal tenderness, it is of a childish kind,† Wollstonecraft wrote. â€Å"Though she lives many years she is still a child in understanding, and of so little use to society, that her death would scarcely be observed.† With this grim assessment, Wollstonecraft concluded her argument that female education could best be improved by training young girls to become independent adults. Only then could they develop virtue in themselves and command the influence necessary to inspire others. (Field, â€Å"Made Women of When They are Mere Children,† 203-204) List 1 point of your opinion, supported by one of your sources which proves this sub-argument. Women are seen as inferior to men and held in a state of ignorance. Women are not educated nor are they allowed to think for themselves. Without the ability to reason, women cannot achieve virtue or morality and society as a whole suffers. If women were allowed to reason and think independently, both women and men alike would share the benefits. Wollstonecraft’s central goal was for young girls to grow into independent women, she challenged artificial barriers to female maturity in numerous spheres simultaneously: in families, where the laws of marriage required wives to obey husbands; in education, where girls received inferior training to boys; in religious institutions, where male clerics demanded female obedience; in market relations, where employers paid women too little to support themselves; in the state, where men denied women independent political standing; and in civil society, where men discounted women’s opinions. (Field, â€Å"Made Women of When They are Mere Children,† 201) List one additional point: your choice of evidence style (may be a quote, paraphrase, statistic, or your opinion, but must be backed up by a source). Wollstonecraft argues that â€Å"boys and girls, the rich and the poor† should all be taught â€Å"the elements of religion, history, the history of man, and politics† in common—using â€Å"conversations, in the socratic form†. (Field, â€Å"Made Women of When They are Mere Children,† 211). Wollstonecraft concedes that if women had a proper education and could develop their reason and attain independence, they might not marry at all, but could still live happy, fulfilled lives. (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 84) 3) Restate the 3rd sub-argument from the thesis as a clear, well-written topic sentence. Mary Wollstonecraft claimed that friendship and companionship is vital to a marriage and is the key to raising a healthy family. List 1 quote from your sources which proves this sub-argument. â€Å"If women marry for friendship, coquetry and flirtation would not become a way of life. Not compelled to seek male approval and adoration, they could become dedicated wives and mothers.† (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 83) Paraphrase one piece of information from your sources which proves this sub-argument. Wollstonecraft’s arguments about making women better wives and better mothers are mutually reinforcing, for she believes that if men and women marry by choice and for companionship, the husband is more likely to be at home and to be a better father to his children. (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 83) List 1 point of your opinion, supported by one of your sources which proves this sub-argument. A marriage that consisted of friendship and satisfaction would liberate its partners from petty jealousies and allow them to channel their energies outward to the fulfillment of their duties as wives, husbands, mothers, and fathers. Although such a relationship might not offer romantic love’s grand passion and high excitement, the type of care it offers is precious: Wollstonecraft claims that when the passion of romance subsides into friendship there develops a â€Å"tender intimacy, which is the best refuge from care; yet is built on such pure, still affections† (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 84) List one additional point: your choice of evidence style (may be a quote, paraphrase, statistic, or your opinion, but must be backed up by a source). Thus young people contemplating marriage should â€Å"look beyond the present moment, and try to render the whole of life respectable, by forming a plan to regulate friendship which only death ought to dissolve†. A freer, more rational approach to marriage would produce stronger marriages because the people in them would be partners, indeed friends, who would value one another for their virtues of character rather than their physical beauty, status, wealth, or femininity or masculinity. † (Abbey, â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† 84) Conclusion Write one sentence to remind the reader of your central argument. Mary Wollstonecraft strongly argued that marriage was parallel to legalized prostitution, that education was essential to a happy and moral life, and that friendship is a crucial aspect to a healthy marriage. Write one-three sentences to focus the reader’s attention on the most important evidence(s) you have offered. Mary Wollstonecraft argued that by marrying for financial support and social status, women are fundamentally committing prostitution. Moreover, she states that education is essential for women to live free and moral lives, for they will be able to learn to think for themselves and become rational thinkers. Lastly, friendship and companionship is vital in a marriage, it is only then will a marriage be successful. Bibliography/Works Cited (Wollstonecraft, Mary. â€Å"Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society.† A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Peter Edes for Thomas and Andrews ,Boston, 1792. 222.) (Abbey, Ruth. â€Å"Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft,† Hypatia. 1999. Volume 14, Issue 3. 78-95) (Field, Corinne. â€Å"Made Women of When They are Mere Children,† The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth. Spring 2011. Volume 4. Issue 2. 197-198) (Ford, Thomas H. â€Å"Mary Wollstonecraft and the Motherhood of Feminism†, WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly. Fall/Winter 2009. Volume 37. Issues 3 & 4, 189-204)

The heights vs the grange essays

The heights vs the grange essays Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange represent, respectively, uncivilized and civilized, or turbulent and serene. Accordingly, so are the residents of these houses and consequently, the attitudes of the places reflect the people. Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights, is a novel of duality, of opposites unable to overcome their differences. Bronte describes Wuthering Heights as a harsh, cold house, with grotesque carvings (10) and she depicts it as having a pervading spirit of neglect (10). Not surprisingly name of the residence is symbolic of its nature, Wuthering being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather (10), which is a foreshadowing of evil to come. Even the vegetation is lifeless and bleak, a few stunted firs at the end of the house (10), and a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun (10), vividly conjuring images of the darkness and wildness of the house. Accordingly, the people who inhabit the house tend to be brutal and turbulent as well. Pointedly, Heathcliff, who spends his entire existence plotting revenge on other people. Heathcliff is described as a dirty, ragged, black haired child (41) when Mr. Earnshaw brings him home for the first time, and even Mr. Lockwood describes him as a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect (11), which fits with the darkness of the house It is fitting to say that Heathcliff influences the negativity of the Heights to a great extent. The early generation Earnshaws are relatively happy before the arrival of Heathcliff whose presence is favoured over that of the true Earnshaw children by old Mr Earnshaw. A jealousy arises in Hindley who inflicts intense abuse on Heathcliff when he inherits the role of head of the Heights. Such treatment leads to conflicts in the home and...

Free Essays on Town and Country Lovers

Social and Racial Boundaries Between â€Å"Lovers† The social and racial boundaries in South Africa are clearly portrayed in Nadine Gordimer’s short story â€Å"Town and Country Lovers†. There are two characters in the story that come from completely different backgrounds. They become lovers and are found out by the police. Gordimer illustrates the differenced between the two lovers and how their society reacts to them. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf is a well-educated man from Austria. Gordimer describes him as being a â€Å"geologist absorbed in his work† (1854). He is a well-cultured man who enjoys â€Å"an occasional skiing trip, listening to music, [and] reading poetry† (1855). Leinsdorf’s work has taken him to many different places, including Peru, New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. â€Å"He has no interest in the politics of the countries he works in† (1855), or of becoming a permanent resident in South Africa. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf â€Å"[accepts the] social distinctions between people but [doesn’t] think they should be legally imposed† (1861). The girl in the story is young and black. She comes from a poor family and is of low class, so low that she does not even have a name in the story. The girl works in a supermarket where she assisted Dr. Leinsdorf in purchasing razor blades, and later did all his shopping for him. â€Å"She was one of nine children of a female laundry worker. She had left school in Standard Three (Eighth Grade) because there was no money at home for gym clothes or a school blazer. She had worked as a machinist in a factory and a cashier in a supermarket† (1861). The young girl followed Dr. Leinsdorf’s habits, learning how to make real coffee, not â€Å"synthetic flavoring† (1857); how to cook; and she learned how to type Dr. Leinsdorf’s notes. These two manage to come together as lovers and friends, but still the differences between them a prevalent. When they are caught, n... Free Essays on Town and Country Lovers Free Essays on Town and Country Lovers Social and Racial Boundaries Between â€Å"Lovers† The social and racial boundaries in South Africa are clearly portrayed in Nadine Gordimer’s short story â€Å"Town and Country Lovers†. There are two characters in the story that come from completely different backgrounds. They become lovers and are found out by the police. Gordimer illustrates the differenced between the two lovers and how their society reacts to them. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf is a well-educated man from Austria. Gordimer describes him as being a â€Å"geologist absorbed in his work† (1854). He is a well-cultured man who enjoys â€Å"an occasional skiing trip, listening to music, [and] reading poetry† (1855). Leinsdorf’s work has taken him to many different places, including Peru, New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. â€Å"He has no interest in the politics of the countries he works in† (1855), or of becoming a permanent resident in South Africa. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf â€Å"[accepts the] social distinctions between people but [doesn’t] think they should be legally imposed† (1861). The girl in the story is young and black. She comes from a poor family and is of low class, so low that she does not even have a name in the story. The girl works in a supermarket where she assisted Dr. Leinsdorf in purchasing razor blades, and later did all his shopping for him. â€Å"She was one of nine children of a female laundry worker. She had left school in Standard Three (Eighth Grade) because there was no money at home for gym clothes or a school blazer. She had worked as a machinist in a factory and a cashier in a supermarket† (1861). The young girl followed Dr. Leinsdorf’s habits, learning how to make real coffee, not â€Å"synthetic flavoring† (1857); how to cook; and she learned how to type Dr. Leinsdorf’s notes. These two manage to come together as lovers and friends, but still the differences between them a prevalent. When they are caught, n...

Child Obesity and Its Causes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Child Obesity and Its Causes - Essay Example Children who do less physical activities and spend most of their time watching television and playing computer games are more prone to childhood obesity. For example, a child who prefers playing games on computer instead of playing physical games in the playground is more likely to face childhood obesity. Similarly, a child who prefers to watch cartoons on television in free time instead of playing some game with friends is likely to experience the medical problem of obesity. Lack of physical activities creates a nutritional imbalance in the body, which ultimately affects the overall body shape. It is a fact that when a person does not perform any physical activity, the levels of fats and cholesterol start rising in the body that results in fatness or obesity. For children, the nutritional imbalance causes obesity the effects of which even linger into their future lives. For example, children facing the problem of obesity lose their confidence when peers make fun of them, as well as face a number of critical health issues, which may include high blood pressure, chronic heart problems, joint pains, diabetes, and decrease in stamina. During the earlier years of a person’s life, human body experiences different stages of development and provision of a particular set of proteins, calcium, potassium, vitamins, and all other nutrients is the requirement of each of those stages. However, when a child avoids physical activities and likes to eat junk food most of the time in early years of life, the levels of cholesterol and fats start rising in the body while decreasing the levels of other nutrients.It is the responsibility of parents, teachers, and media to create awareness among children regarding the importance of nutritional values in life. For example, in schools teachers can teach students the importance of doing physical activities and eating a balanced diet, which should include fresh fruits and  vegetables.  

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 19

Human Resource Management - Essay Example It’s for that reason crucial for all supervisors to comprehend and provide due significance to the diverse HR guiding principles as well as functions within a business. Management of HR describes HRM significance along with its diverse roles of a company. It explores the diverse Human Resource procedures which get interested with drawing, controlling, inspiring as well as developing workers for the organization’s advantage (Metz, 2005, 35). Talk to anyone operating within Omani oil and gas industry as well it is shortly prior to the arising of the HR question. â€Å"The tanks at this place are vastly complex; thus, the capability gap is a challenge; however it may even be a problem within the United Sates or whichever other marketplace. We require collaborating with the State in providing sufficient education,† Chikri Ben Ammo, the general oilfield services general director of Schlumberger Oman. The multifaceted reservoir buildings coupled with hydrocarbons endowment from sultanate implies that the responsibility sourcing human resources with suitable know-how as well as competencies has constantly been a hard one for global oil corporations, and will probably stay so (Dess & Miller 2010, 12). The article describes the challenges in HR management inside a shifting setting and recommends possible leveraging as well as HR management methods. Hiring as well as retaining competent personnel has transformed into an expensive commerce in form of capital as well as time, and it’s hence not shocking that the State along with the personal sector has by now ventured large amounts in teaching Omanis in working at all hydrocarbon company levels, from discovery to distillation and delivery (Sadler 2003 23). The mainly noticeable sign of this combined endeavor is to be established in Muscat control center foundations of the government-owned colossal Petroleum Growth

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 45

Leadership - Essay Example He wanted to get done with the enemy through killings and to put down anyone who resisted him. When he had this on his mind he did not have any regard even for the second and third orders of effect. For instance, the case study â€Å"Fall of the Warrior King† relates that Sassaman closed down the entire city of Abu Hishma by sealing it off with barbed wire. No person was allowed to enter or leave the city without showing the identification card which had been provided by his unit to the entire city population. This cannot be termed as an ethical act. It only paved inconveniences for the city people and they hated the Americans even more. Sassaman ended up making more enemies but he did not care about it, which was wrong. While a commander should live ethically so that his unit sees and follows his actions, he should not hesitate to teach ethics to his subordinates. He should continue this during a war as well because that helps with keeping him in the game and to prevent desensitization towards any dubious acts. Sassaman, however, does not fit the description of such a commander. After SSG Dale Panchot was killed due to an RPG, and when a company commander also died, Sassaman got hyper. He could not tolerate any misbehavior on the part of the soldiers under him. He cared for his men and probably wished to avenge the two deaths by making people pay for it. However, this is not how things work. The commander should have taught ethics. If so, Sassaman would have been able to actually pay attention to the ongoing game and maintain an ethical environment. The chaplain could also have talked to the commander and helped him stay calm. While giving any kind of an advice to an aggressive commander like Sassaman is pretty difficult it is not exactly impossible. In any case, the chaplain was supposed to help out the commander. It is, however, not known whether he did that or not, so the blame cannot be placed upon him. But the

Descriptive Statistics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Descriptive Statistics - Case Study Example This would look like a promising finding because it is higher than the current trend on the mean number of weeks that a prostate cancer patient lives after receiving a confirmed diagnosis of being in stage 4 which is 9.6, with a standard deviation of 3.2. Unfortunately, the data contains an extreme point in this instance, which is 45 and this would certainly draw the mean upwards (Doty, 1996), thereby misrepresenting the behavior of the data. It can also be observed that the standard deviation is unusually high, and since it measures the approximate distance of the data values from the mean (Black, 2010), this indicates that the data set is highly variable. In order to provide a more appropriate interpretation of the behavior of the data, the research team may choose to eliminate this extreme point. This is usually done when a data set contains a minimum number of extreme values that affect the results when the mean is used to interpret it (Fink, 2003). Based on the new calculations made once the value of 45 is removed, the data set will now have a mean of 7.64 and a standard deviation of 2.4. Clearly, such results are lower than the current trend.

Quality Assurance in Banking Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quality Assurance in Banking Investment - Essay Example In view of the importance of quality assurance in the investment banks, the process is carried out to strengthen the procedure and standards at corporate level, promoting efficient utilization of available resources so that different functions are carried out in an expeditious and cost effective manner and make recommendations for enhanced customer satisfaction. As investment banking is a service oriented business with most of the profits coming through the investments in businesses and acting as consultant to many businesses, it is necessary that investment banking adopt suitable techniques, theories and principles related to quality assurance for customer satisfaction and retention. Banking Investment or investment banking is part of the financial services industry that offers wide variety of services to corporations and organizations all over the world. The range of products and services is increasing rapidly that has made it difficult to distinguish the most important services because investment banks offer their services in different forms (Turnbull and Moustakatos, 1996)1 The service is an area that helps companies in funds acquisition, advising for wide range of transactions for future businesses (www.wisegeek.com).2 As it is clear that the investment banking deals with providing financial assistance to the companies for business matters, it is essential to ensure quality service in the area. Therefore quality assurance is the main pillar of any business including profit and nonprofit organizations, government and nongovernmental organizations as it affects the level of success in the business. The quality assurance further helps in conducting other evalua tion processes like standards compliance evaluations, brand assurance evaluations, customer or guest experience evaluations, etc. which makes it essential and important in any business organization to maintain a dominant position in the industry market (www.totalqualityassuranceservices.com). In view of the importance of quality assurance, the present paper is intended to discuss the issues and importance related to banking sector particularly in investment banking. Investment Banking Investment banks have multilateral functions to execute in favor of various companies. The service mainly deals with companies like helping private and public corporations in issuing securities in the primary market, guarantee by standby underwriting or best efforts selling and foreign exchange management. (www.economywatch.com).3 Further it is committed towards providing assistance to capital markets as intermediary. These are the institutions that are regarded as counterparts of banks in the capital market in the function of intermediation in the process of resource allocation (Subramanyam, 2004, p.72)4 Need for Quality Assurance in Investment Banking Williamson (1988, p.55) stated that investment banking has been and will continue to be an increasingly intensively competitive business in order to strive in the market which is mainly dominated by the changes as part of strategy in the capital and securities industry. The changes in the market include emergence of institutional investors, internationalization, innovative technology enabling investment banks and their customers to organize and distribute

Social problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social problem - Essay Example To address this issue, the paper will draw on a variety of different sources as well as give some personal opinions on the matter. There is little question that drugs can play a very positive role in our modern society. Drugs are often prescribed or taken in moderation to help our physical health, and in this respect one can consider drug use to be beneficial to our societal well being. According to the World Health Organization (1969) a drug is in its most basic terms, a substance that can be absorbed into the body to modify a bodily function. In this respect one could consider any number of chemically engineered and naturally occurring substances as being classified as a drug. However in a more common context and for the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on drugs that are taken for recreational purposes to the determent of one’s personal health (Or wellbeing) or to those around the drug taker in question. For the purpose of this paper the focus will be on more traditional drugs such as alcohol, cannabis, opiates, barbiturates, etc. It should be noted that many of thee drugs are legally obtained, either over the counter, or through prescription yet still maybe detrimental. There are many substances such as coffee which technically meet the definition of being a drug and may be detrimental to one’s health but in the broadest sense these substances are not as detrimental to society as a number of other more powerful narcotics. Why are drugs considered a societal problem? In many circumstances people can take drugs recreationally and not harm themselves. So it is the case that a drug such as alcohol in the hands of most people does not represent a serious threat to society or one’s health. However it is the case that some people do negatively respond to the stimuli brought about from alcoholic beverage consumption and engage in behavior that

Descriptive Statistics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Descriptive Statistics - Case Study Example This would look like a promising finding because it is higher than the current trend on the mean number of weeks that a prostate cancer patient lives after receiving a confirmed diagnosis of being in stage 4 which is 9.6, with a standard deviation of 3.2. Unfortunately, the data contains an extreme point in this instance, which is 45 and this would certainly draw the mean upwards (Doty, 1996), thereby misrepresenting the behavior of the data. It can also be observed that the standard deviation is unusually high, and since it measures the approximate distance of the data values from the mean (Black, 2010), this indicates that the data set is highly variable. In order to provide a more appropriate interpretation of the behavior of the data, the research team may choose to eliminate this extreme point. This is usually done when a data set contains a minimum number of extreme values that affect the results when the mean is used to interpret it (Fink, 2003). Based on the new calculations made once the value of 45 is removed, the data set will now have a mean of 7.64 and a standard deviation of 2.4. Clearly, such results are lower than the current trend.

Social problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social problem - Essay Example To address this issue, the paper will draw on a variety of different sources as well as give some personal opinions on the matter. There is little question that drugs can play a very positive role in our modern society. Drugs are often prescribed or taken in moderation to help our physical health, and in this respect one can consider drug use to be beneficial to our societal well being. According to the World Health Organization (1969) a drug is in its most basic terms, a substance that can be absorbed into the body to modify a bodily function. In this respect one could consider any number of chemically engineered and naturally occurring substances as being classified as a drug. However in a more common context and for the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on drugs that are taken for recreational purposes to the determent of one’s personal health (Or wellbeing) or to those around the drug taker in question. For the purpose of this paper the focus will be on more traditional drugs such as alcohol, cannabis, opiates, barbiturates, etc. It should be noted that many of thee drugs are legally obtained, either over the counter, or through prescription yet still maybe detrimental. There are many substances such as coffee which technically meet the definition of being a drug and may be detrimental to one’s health but in the broadest sense these substances are not as detrimental to society as a number of other more powerful narcotics. Why are drugs considered a societal problem? In many circumstances people can take drugs recreationally and not harm themselves. So it is the case that a drug such as alcohol in the hands of most people does not represent a serious threat to society or one’s health. However it is the case that some people do negatively respond to the stimuli brought about from alcoholic beverage consumption and engage in behavior that

The Application of Study Loans Essay Example for Free

The Application of Study Loans Essay The chart shown that as increasing for study loan among students. The years of applications for study loans is from 2004 until 2008. This chart is too closely related between the applications for study loans and the reason for applying for study loans. The applications for study loans are including male and female students. There are many reasons for students who wants to applying for study loans. Firstly, the comparison year from 2007 till 2008. It is show that were increase. This is because students wants to be independent if they get the loans. They think that they will not pester parents for wanting to be independent in the pursuit of our own future without make life difficult for anyone. The same time, the money they get, can be used with thrifty. Secondly, the year difference between 2004 to 2005. It is show that the number of students were increase. This in turn is caused by students unwilling to work and study. Additionally, reduced application rates because students are not willing to work and study. Such a case because the students do not want to work and at the same time want to learn. For them, its hard to juggle work and study. That is why students need applying for study loans to continue their education. Thirdly, the year 2006, it is show the number of students is remain constant. This caused economic downturn. Parents retrenched and need money for other purposes. Thing like that, too, who had to apply for a loan cause students to continue studying. Such a case, can help students who need the money to continue his studies and purchase the study. In a nutshell, based on the chart show that many reason in application for study loans. Beside that, parents do not have the means and other factors also the reasons for applying for study loans for students who require.

Approaches to the study of Religion

Approaches to the study of Religion We can say that there are different approaches that can be taken when studying religion. For the last four decades universities and schools have been acting in response to a constant , steady demand for courses upon the study of religion .The people who take these courses are usually involved in religion themselves ,many are involved a in religious communities or, wishing to know more and learn regarding the religious beliefs of others. Others have no clear vision upon their religious identity and are searching possible traditions, ready to meet their spiritual exploration .So they start looking for different approaches to their study ,bringing along different opinions and whatever the process and methodology is, will bring them information from which eventually they will find answers or give opinion. (Peter Connolly,pp1-2Approche to the Study of Religion,Biddles L.T.D.) The author will attempt to evaluate the strengths and weakness of two approaches to religion and try to compare the work of the two representations and their methodology .The first is Professor Ninian Smart as he wrote widely, regarding different topics in religions, with papers and articles appearing in a vast range of publication sand television worldwide developing his own vision and philosophy of human progress and spiritual evolution. The other is Sri Aurobindo who brought a change to the vision of evolution of life into the divinity of life, In his own words: Man is on a transitorily passage . He is not final. The stage from man to super being is the next which depends from the approach of the achievement on the evolution on earth. It is the logic of Natures process. The works of both Sri Aurobindo and Ninian Smart shows two drastic and completely different approaches to religion. The author as part of his degree course has studied these two vastly differing approaches. Ninian Smarts approach to religion is described in his academic literature as a completely new way to the thinking of religion. He illustrate the introduction of Phenomenology saying, a lot of opinions have been written about not only the physical interchange of races but;, also ethnical and cultural, and especially upon values, so what take place when religions and their tradition convene? Will the globalization lead to a kind of universal religion, as prediction might lead, or it will be turned in a lively variety of many different beliefs? Smart contemplated these question for many years investigating various religions in the world. He explains that such experience definitely will change positions on previous views regarding religious tradition. It may perhaps intensify your religious experience. It all depends on the person you are and the personal period of life you are going through.(Scott London ,the future of religion an Interview with Ninian Smart June 1999 issue ofThe Witne ssmagazine. ) We can confirm that the method of study that Smart used in his approach comprehend both external and internal analysis of religion, characterized by phenomenological perspectives.(James L.Cox,p.159.A guide to the Phenomenology of religion .key figure ,formative influence and subsequent debate. Continuum International publishing group .2006.)Of course the phenomenological approach employed by Smart can be interpreted as an attempt of taking into consideration the individual experience of religion a at the same time trying to separate from it. The method used was to compare the subjective experience with the intent of shaping the arrangement of religion itself from within the structure. This approach can be better understood in his ritual dimension involvement with worshipping, meditations, pilgrimages, sacrifices and healing activities .Of course doctrinal and philosophical dimension is to be taken in consideration without living behind the experimental and emotional dimension and the important ethical and legal dimension.(Ninian Smart,pp10-12,Dimension of the sacred an anatomy of the worlds beliefs ,Harper Collins Publisher 1196) We see from Smarts classifactory account The Experiential and Emotional Dimension The Narrative or Mythic Dimension The Doctrinal The Philosophical Dimension The Ethical and Legal Dimension The Social and Institutional Dimension The Material Dimension The Practical and ritual dimensions (BBC.Religion) Smarts perspective in sustaining a phenomenological perception to the methodology of approach to the study, is far different from the approach that Sri Aurobindo use. First of all we have to say that both, Smart and Aurobindo have not defined religion from objective point of view but rather to determine religion in terms of its own value. Both methods tried to avoid the phenomenological approach. Personal experience is crucial to any understanding of religion .On this particular account Aurobindo discovers the relation or union, he favours, what he identifies as spiritual psychology and integral methods, but for both he confirms that the objective is to be understood and interpreted in terms of subjective.( D P Chattopadhyaya p1integral sociology and dialectical sociology,Shri Jainedra press 1976) From its approach, we understand that Sri Aurobindo begins his work clearly within religious prospect, particularly his own relation with yoga, he explains; the practice is not for ourselves alone, but for the Divine; The intent is to find occupation of good in the world, to outcome a spiritual conversion and to bring down a divine nature and a divine life into the mental, vital and physical nature and life of humanity. Its object is not personal, although is a necessary condition of the yoga. So with Aurobindo is clear the goal is more directly mystical ,to became one with the divine .(Michael T.Mclaughlin,p96, Editrice Ponteficia Universita` Grecoriana Roma 2003)In many occasions he confirmed that he does not intend to promote any old religion or to find a new one and he strongly oppose religious particolarism. So he is proposing a mystical goal and from his yogic teachings he guides,shows and achieves that.(Stephen H.Phillips.p79,Aurobindo`s Philosophyof Brahman,E.J.Brill Leiden 1986) The strength of Smart can be seen that he does not wish to strip religion or faith down to one or two elements say belief in The Virgin Birth and the dogma of out with the church there is no salvation but his classificatory account makes it clear that it has many elements and strands. A criticism of his approach is that it is far to scientific and while starting from the experiential and emotional he soon slips back into trying to seek common themes within all religions Aurobindo did not just stick to an immanental experience of a divine being but that there must be transcendence within the individuals life which is seen in Auroville with a lived approach to ones faith rather like that which is common within Charismatic and Evangelical Churches. A criticism of Aurobindos view may be seen that it seeks to remain within religion itself, similar to that of Smart as they both emphasise the importance of the experience of religion, a personal contact with God or Gods, however within Marxism we can see a move away from this religious experience. Aurobindo offers no guidance upon other religions as his account is purely personal. So how would Aurobindo address questions upon doctrine say within the New Testament? These questions within Smarts Classifactory account would help to define a religion. For example different opinions regarding the Trinity between Roman Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses. Also we can see the beliefs, symbolim and teachings of Aurovil le fitting weel within the above detailed classifacations of Smarts dimensions of religion Can we truly compare two totally different views religion one very internal the other very visual? Is Sri Aurobindo truly internal when we have the community of Auroville and a culture around him? Can we categorize all religions within Ninian Smart definitions? We may conclude saying that maybe religions will never combine in to one global faith ,but we do think that the society is moving towards a global ideology that have a space for religion and identify the contributions of the diverse ethnicity and traditions and bring a new way in helping us to work together for the support of human values and spirituality. What may be the way forward in the teaching and definition of religion is to accept the singularity of each religion and each individuals faith and seek ways in which they can be accommodated within a safe international environment that moves away from empirical definitions.

How Multiple Incidents Develop the Plot Line in The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers fc

F. Scott Fitzgerald brilliantly wrote many novels as well as short stories. One of his best known works is The Great Gatsby. In the novel, the main character Jay Gatsby tries to obtain his lifetime dreams: wealth and Daisy Buchanan. Throughout the story, he works at achieving his goals while overcoming many obstacles. Fitzgerald’s plot line relies heavily on accidents, carelessness, and misconceptions, which ultimately reveal the basic themes in the story. During the book, Fitzgerald is able to create a superior storyline by tying all the events in the story, directly or indirectly, together. Ernest Lockridge notes in his criticisms about the book: Yet in a triumph of art, Fitzgerald makes even accidents seem unaccidental, he incorporates ‘real’ disorder within fictional order. He accomplishes this by repetition (in the ‘real’ world, repetition does not exist): the accident involving Tom and the chambermaid, the reference to both Nick and Jordan baker as ‘bad drivers,’ the wreck just outside Gatsby’s driveway after his party in which, as in Tom’s accident, a wheel is ripped off, the hit-and-run death of Myrtle Wilson, and finally the accidental conjunction of events which leads to Gatsby’s murder and Wilson’s suicide. Lockridge, 7 Fitzgerald is capable of picking an event and referring back to it while still staying on topic. One of these events is accidents. Almost every character is related to an accident that occurs to another character: You see, when we [Gatsby and Daisy] left New York she was very nervous and she thought it would steady her to drive—and this woman [Myrtle Wilson] rushed out at us just as we were passing a car coming the other way. It all happened in a minute,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  but it seemed to me that she wanted to speak to us, thought we were somebody she knew. Well, first Daisy turned away from the woman toward the other car, and then she lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt shock—it must have killed her instantly. Gatsby; 151 As one of the main accidents in the story, Fitzgerald connects the death of Myrtle Wilson to Daisy. The connection is completely accidental, because Daisy does not know that Myrtle is her husband’s mistress. In this incident, Fitzgerald is able to create irony between the two characters to make one think that it was actually not an accident, when in reality it was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the course of the story, it is relevant that some of the characters in the book use careless actions.

Living In Space :: essays research papers fc

Living In Space: Energy Space is filled with radiant energy and beyond earth's atmosphere this energy flow more steadily and more intensely from the sun than that which penetrates to the surface of the Earth. So an abundant and essential source of energy that would be used in space for the space colony would be solar radiation by developing satellite solar power stations. To live in space, humans must be protected from the fierce intensity and penetrating wavelengths of unattenuated sunlight, but this same energy is one of the primary resources of space. The colony will have to have enough energy to maintain a fairly uniform temperature even though it is apace. The sun shines twenty-four hours a day and is not dimmed by an atmosphere. Shaded materials not exposed to direct sunlight will almost be at absolute zero. While the temperature in closed bodies exposed to the sun can soar above the boiling point. The colony will need to have both heaters and air conditioners. On the other hand, this sun's energy can be converted into electricity in the colonies. It will be converted with ten percent efficiency to electrical power which is sold at a rate of .012 kw/hr, a square kilometer of space would return more than $14,000,000 each year. Converting solar power to electricity in space, we would build satellite solar power stations that would intercept the sunlight and convert it into electricity. The satellite solar power stations would intercept enough sunlight to replace five nuclear reactors or coal plants. The stations could be as big as nine miles long and four miles wide and it would only weigh twenty thousand tons. It would be built with hollow triangular girders made of aluminum that is very fast and easy to build . Solar power satellites are a pollution free way to generate electricity and cost no more than coal or nuclear energy. There has been twomajor designed stations made so far. One is designed by Peter Glaser of Author D. Little Inc., which would use very large arrays of photo voltaic cells to make the conversion directly into energy. The other major design is by Gordon Woodcock of Boeing Aircraft Corporation, proposed having conventional turbogenerators operating on a Brayton cycle with helium as the working fluid. The key product in the solar power stations is solar cells, which does the actual converting of energy into electricity. A useful material is found in lunar soil is silicon which is used to make solar cells. So we can produce a large amount of these cells and then we can avoid any problems of shipping the material from earth. Cells convert sunlight directly into electricity and this could be used to supply the electricity for the

Religious Ideas of Dr. Jose Rizal Essay

Dr. Jose P. Rizal (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was executed by the Spanish colonial authorities for having rebelled and incited rebellion against the Church and against Spain. He was charged of â€Å"sedition,† and â€Å"insurrection† against the â€Å"mother country.† The evidence brought against him would not have stood in contemporary courts of law.What the authorities classified as rebellious activities were mainly writings critical of the regime, membership in â€Å"subversive† organizations like Masonic lodges, and forming an association of citizens desirous of seeking social and political reforms, La Liga Filipina. Never mind if La Liga Filipina sought to obtain citizenship rights similar to those enjoyed by Spaniards in Spain. For having repeatedly questioned the authority of the Church and the temerity to organize citizens outside Church control, Rizal was charged with â€Å"separatism,† committing a terrible heresy, the greatest crime in colonial Philippines. The authorities prodded by the friar orders meted out the death sentence. At that time, the Church conceived of itself as the sole representative of Divine Order on earth. The friar orders believed that they were the guardians of public order and morals and the source of all knowledge. They claimed that unlike the civilian government who was indecisive, remote and weak, they were the only effective instruments that kept the people of the Philippine archipelago devoted Catholics and therefore loyal and obedient subjects of the colonial government. By equating the Church and the friar orders with Spanish civil  authority, any criticism, any attempt to disparage the friars was ipso facto insurrection. Today in 2011, narration of these events deserve repetition for up till the late 1930’s, in 1950’s and to the 1970’s during the height of the Cold War accusations in the same vein were marshaled against the native folk religious associations (colorums),6 against the labor, peasants movements and their sympathizers among the intelligentsia. Dr. Rizal did not write an entire treatise on religion. Neither did he write exclusively on religion. Rizal was no theologian. His thoughts on religion are articulated alongside his ideas about what is a just and humane social order for our country and the rest of the world. His religious ideas were formulated as the result of his experiences, his education and vast readings, and as a consequence of his attempts to wrestle with the social, political and economic problems of his times. In this sense his religious perspective is humanistic and existential. He was not concerned with the subtle points of scholastic theological debate. Religion to Rizal is intimately connected with daily life, in the way our institutions work, and the unfolding of historical processes. Above all as he matured, religion to him should serve to inspire humans to strive for self-improvement, for a peaceful and tranquil life on this earth and not on the next. He had no quarrel with Christianity per se, or with the clergy. He opposed the Church and the friar orders for obstructing all peaceful means to uplift the Filipino people from servitude, from denying their God-given rights of freedom to think, analyze and uproot the sources of ignorance and injustice. His religious ideas are be drawn from his two novels, the Noli me Tangere and El Filibustrismo. He expounded them in his numerous articles published in La Solidaridad, his essays, letters to his family, colleagues, friends, and his exchange of letters with Ferdinand Blumentritt, and with his former Jesuit mentor, Fr. Pablo Pastells. The latter using the pseudonym Manuel Garcia Barzanallana wrote extensive polemics regarding Rizal’s so-called retraction and justified the hero’s execution as the means for him to repent his â€Å"sins of arrogance† and thereby allowed him to attain â€Å"eternal salvation.† Like Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and his other colleagues in the Propaganda movement who studied and worked in Europe and Spain, Rizal imbibed the ideas and sentiments of the European Enlightenment and witnessed the revolutionary changes that were transforming the entire social and political structures in Spain and Europe. As a medical student at the University of Madrid and in Heidelberg, Germany, his wide-ranging studies in ethnography, anthropology, linguistics and history, Rizal absorbed the methods of scientific inquiry, experimentation, objective valuation of facts and information, and reliance on human reasoning rather than authority be it the Church or the state. Of special significance were his contacts with the thinkers and leaders of the progressive and libertarian movements in Spain and with other scholars, scientists and philosophers in Europe. Among them was the Austrian Ferdinand Blumentritt who was one of the first European specialists on the Philippines. He also read a great deal of radical theological writings such as those by Felicite R. de Lamennais (17882-1854) who advocated that Christianity must serve the poor and disadvantaged in this earth and fight injustice including that perpetuated by the Church. Men like Miguel Morayta Sagrario, Rafael Labra, Manuel Luis Zorilla, Francisco Pi y Margall (1824-1901) President of the First Republic of 1873, who struggled to transform Spain’s antiquated feudal system and the moribund clergy were close friends of Rizal. Pi y Magall tried to stop Rizal’s execution but the ultra conservative Spanish forces bent on keeping the colony prevailed.7 Rizal also avidly studied the wrings of French philosophers like Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire, novelist Victor Hugo and British and other European progressives.8 Was Rizal a heretic? Did he commit apostasy as claimed by his murderers? Was he a traitor to Spain? Rizal did not denounce Catholic Christianity per se but its moribund institutions and the corruption and abuses of its representatives in the country. He remained a Catholic until his death. 9 He did not oppose religion but the perversions, abuses and hypocrisy of the representatives of the Church and the colonial government, which he portrayed vividly in his two novels. He intended not to destroy the Church but make its practices more consistent with the fundamental tenets of  Christianity. Similarly, before 1888 he did not espouse complete separation from Spain. He wanted affiliation with the progressive side of Spain that stood for equality, justice and brotherhood of all men. Compared to the anti-clerical Spaniards, who assaulted friars, seized their properties, expelled them, torched churches and convents, Rizal’s attack on the Church by comparison was infinitely milder. 10 What made the friars hysterical with vindictive anger was that Rizal, a Catholic espoused Christianity but rejected the Church dogma about the divinity of Christ, his resurrection, and salvation through faith. Moreover, Rizal defied Church authoritarian methods that stifled freedom to think and express grievances. He wrote vehemently against corruption and abuses of the clergy that were widely disseminated in Spain and in the Philippines. His Christianity did not rely on the intercession of friar orders, nor their institutions and organizations. Neither did he follow mandatory performance of religious rituals, sacraments and ceremonies. He said, â€Å"God does not require candles, He has more candles than the light of the sun.† Instead, Christians should spend their time in the cultivation of reason and virtue. He taught that true Christians are those who practice love and charity among all humans. He believed that humans are essentially moral, and that all human beings possess the God-given capacity to think and reason for one’s self. Ability to reason gives man the free will that makes him responsible for his decisions and actions. From this assumption follows that all human beings regardless of race, social status and sex are equal. He emphasized this view in his letters to the women of Malolos and to his Bulacan compatriots. In his letter to his mother on Christmas, 1886 Rizal explained that Christ was the first to proclaim the equality of all men. He admired the early Christians who although poor and persecuted were steadfast in their faith. They remained faithful to the original teachings of Christ. â€Å"The poor gave Christianity its power because it was their friend, their religion. The rich did not accept it until much later. They mastered it, making it their instrument to subjugate the people.† And as his criticism of the state of the Church in the Philippines and Europe, he asked -: â€Å"Why then is Christianity no longer the religion of the poor, of the unfortunate? Has it placed itself on the side of those who rule and dominate?† Rizal agreed with Pi y Margall in condemning Spanish use of Christianity in the conquest of the Americas. Rizal argued that the conquest of the Philippines was waged in the name of Christianizing the â€Å"pagan Indios.† Thus, Christianity became the legitimizing philosophy of imperialism, not the liberating religion of Christ. Sensitive to the developments in neighboring Asian countries, Rizal in his article published in La Solidaridad, wrote how Ternate was conquered in 1601 by Spanish soldiers â€Å"enslaving and killing the native people while singing Salve Regina. He asked, â€Å" Is this the way to make Filipinos love this God, making them slaves and toys they should be, while their hearts and conscience cry out in protest?† In dealing with the conditions of early Christians and of the changes in Christian beliefs and practices, Rizal said that Christianity was part of history. Its institutions and people’s conceptions of God also change and develop as history evolves. In fact he reversed the usual adage that â€Å"Man is made in the image of God;† to â€Å"Man creates God according to man’s image.† Every country develops its own image and concept of God in accordance with its culture and historical circumstances. God’s intervention in social life is manifested in the collective decisions and actions of humans. To the extent that humans apply their God-given reason for moral and ethical ends, exercise their free will for the social good; there is where God is found. In this sense, Rizal believes that God is a God of history. However, God to Rizal does not appear like a shower of manna or a thunderbolt not even as a venerable –looking judge to reward or punish good and bad deeds. As a scientist, and a keen observer of nature and social processes God to Rizal is not manifested in a single person or in a single revelation as narrated in the Bible, but revealed in the vastness and wonders of nature. This position made Rizal close to denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, the central doctrine of Christianity. Rizal maintained that there is no direct divine intervention in history except through human will, the sincere exercise of reason and conscience, these three concepts run like a continuous thread in his writings. In much the same way he rejected divine  right of kings, divine succession of the apostles through the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and the infallibility of the Pope and that of the Papal representatives in the Philippines. He counseled the youth of Malolos not to follow blindly whatever the friars said but to understand their own experiences, and sieve them through their own reason and conscience. Friars he said â€Å"are also humans made of flesh and bones and posses the same frailties like us.† Rizal endeavored to counteract the indoctrination propagated by the friars that molded people into submissive, obedient, humble and mindless flock of sheep prone to passivity. Indoctrinated only to believe the friars, they are credulous of â€Å"miraculous† events and superstitions for they have lost self-confidence and ability to question, reason and take responsible actions. This was an abomination to Rizal for Christianity was supposed to elevate the human spirit, and endow it with the spark of intelligence and energy so that they strive for the same dignity as other human beings in the world. The inspiration to raise the human spirit is Jesus Christ. Christ. To Rizal, Jesus Christ was both divine and human stressing the more human aspects of Jesus Christ. It is Christ’s humanity that makes him more accessible to the common tao and serves as the exemplary hero. 12 Rizal scorned adoration of the idols of Christ and the saints. He believed that time and energy spent in prolonged prayers, novenas, processions, veladas and other elaborate rituals ought to be used for more productive economic and social activities. 13 Instead, he said that the best way to express one’s devotion was to emulate Christ through good deeds. Do good towards your fellow men is central core of Rizal’s understanding of the Christian ethos. In his hymn to labor â€Å"Man’s Road to Progress and Perfection† he advocated the improvement of the poor and giving labor a fair share of the profits of production. He wanted to change the attitudes, habits and beliefs of his countrymen and women who tended to believe and rely on magic and the supernatural. Rizal narrated in his two novels the proclivity of the people to believe in and rely on magic, anting-anting, agimat, scapulars, rosaries, ghosts, and the like rather than their own native capabilities, in honest persistent labor. In the Noli, Elias spoke these scathing words against superstitious practices: â€Å"Do you call these external practices faith? Or that business in cords and scapulars, religion? Or the stories of miracles and other fairy tales that we hear everyday, truth? Is this the law of Jesus Christ? A God did not have Himself be crucified for this, nor we assume the obligation of eternal gratitude. Superstition existed long before this; all that was needed was to perfect it and to raise the price of the merchandise.† He showed that there is no causal relationship between the state of our morality or piety on one hand and natural disasters and misfortunes on the other. Natural calamities like typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and epidemics are unavoidable – they are beyond human control. On the other hand, humans must take responsibility for social aberrations, cruelties, abuses and injustice. They are the consequences of human lassitude, indifference, arrogance, greed and error. Since God endowed humans with reason and dignity, hence, to fight for one’s honor, for one’s rights and freedom is tantamount to religious devotion. â€Å"There are no tyrants where there are no slaves.† Following his reasoning, to rebel against tyranny, oppression and injustice is a Christian duty. It is a duty that one must pursue even at the cost of one’s life. While he exhorted people to strive and use their native reason as the best means to reach God, he did not ridicule nor condemn church going and all religious rituals and liturgies. Rizal appreciated sincere acts of piety and devotion having observed these practices in his mother and sisters. While studying in Spain and even during his exile in Dapitan, Rizal attended mass and celebrated Christian holidays. What he criticized was sanctimonious performance of novenas, processions and ceremonials that distract and waylay people from deeper understanding of God and in examining the meaning of human existence. During his time, the prevailing frailocracy prohibited all civic associations and organizations except those related to the Church and those initiated and supervised by the friars. So stifling was the social climate that civic associations and other similar activities were forced underground. Even the  association of Masons whose membership was mainly professionals and intellectuals were denounced and charged as subversives by the Church. Some of the best and finest Filipino citizens and leaders were Masons; among them were Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, and Rizal himself. Manuel Garcia-Barzanallana, nom de plume of Fr. Jose Pastells vehemently opposed and denounced the Masons since their ideology of equality and freedom of all persons irrespective of race, religion and social status and political activities challenged absolute authority of the Church. What made the religious orders in the Philippines harbor intense fear and hatred of such moderate organizations like the Masons and La Liga Filipina? Violent political upheavals in Europe and Spain provoked their paranoia. The friar orders having been expelled from Spain found refuge in the Philippines, the colonial outpost, where they thought, they would escape the political and religious upheavals in Spain. Bent on holding on to their properties and privileges that they could no longer maintain in their homeland, Friar orders became overly suspicious, defensive and paranoid. They persecuted Masons and all those they suspected as their enemies that only exacerbated opposition of their victims. Hundreds of Filipinos were killed, tortured, banished and hounded for the mere suspicion that they belonged to this fraternity of Masons or possession of â€Å"heretical and subversive† materials. Rizal was attracted to Masonry precisely because the organization accepted all persons of good will and character as members. Masonry propagated equality of all humans around the world; they stood for individual liberties, the pursuit of justice, and combat tyranny. The practices of Masonry were more democratic which was the opposite of the organization of friar orders that were closed to most Filipinos who were called disparagingly as â€Å"Indios†. Friar orders were strictly hierarchical, and served mainly the interests of their organization Regardless of Rizal’s scathing criticism of the Church, Rizal was profoundly spiritual. Much as he gave the greatest importance to human capacity to reason, to human capacity for self- improvement, he believed in God. He expounded his belief in God in his letters to Fr. Pablo Pastells, the head  of the Society of Jesus the one who sent him to his death in order that he may â€Å"find salvation.† During the period of exile in Dapitan, and up to the last hours before Rizal’s execution, Fr. Pastells strove to bring him back to the Catholic fold by sending religious books and Rizal’s former teacher Fr. Sanchez to counsel him. Fr. Pastells was adamant in his stand that only the Catholic faith was the true religion and that all others were erroneous. He attacked the Rationalists, Deists, Socialists, and Communists as evil teachings. He further argued that Spain was the rightful country where true Christianity reigned and its best defender stating in effect that the best form of government was a theocracy based on Catholicism. He insisted that true faith rested on total submission to the mystery and supernatural revelation in Jesus Christ as propounded by the Church fathers who inherited divine authority from Jesus Christ, that was passed on to St. Peter and then to the Papacy. On the other hand, Rizal was open-minded and sincerely wanted to be instructed on the intricacies of Catholic faith. He read the books by defenders of the Catholic faith diligently and expressed his admiration of some of the books. However Fr. Pastells could not match. Rizal’s logical reasoning, his earnest search for empirical and historical evidence needed to validate religious doctrines. His arguments in defense of the primary importance of human reason in analyzing religious teachings showed his consistency and intellectual integrity. Father Pastells did not think that evidence was necessary. Instead he appealed to the mystery, the supernatural and transcendental. He argued that the ultimate purpose of human reason was to have faith. Moreover, he added that the Catholic Church alone possessed the capacity and authority to judge what was immutable Truth. He went to the extent that he would use preventive and even repressive measures to ensure the perpetuation of this Catholic doctrine. Clearly Fr. Pastells and Rizal could not have any common grounds for mutual understanding since they argued from two diametrically opposed epistemology. Father Pastells’ framework was based on religious supernatural knowledge that was immutable and divinely ordained and interpreted exclusively by the religious hierarchy. Rizal thought that all knowledge including that of God was accessible to human reason and understanding and thereby varied according to each individual’s  personal capabilities, time and place. In other words, man creates God according to his own â€Å"image† or to his own understanding. In the exchange of letters Rizal replied to the charge by Fr, Pastells that in relying only in one’s reason, he forgot God and committed the sin of arrogance and self-pride; that his concern was limited merely to the mundane. Rizal the poet replied eloquently and with more humility than what Fr. Pastells credited him for. â€Å"How cannot I not believe in God? To do so would be to deny my own existence.† â€Å"I believe firmly in the existence of God the Creator†¦ I firmly believe in His wisdom, His infinite power (my idea of the infinite is so limited), His goodness manifested in the marvelous creation of the universe; in the order that reigns in His creation; His magnificence that overwhelms my understanding; His greatness that enlightens and nourishes all. His wisdom is so great that it humiliates human reason and makes me dizzy with vertigo for my own reasoning is imperfect and confused. Many times my reasoning leads me to raise my eyes to Him. I believe Him to be in the immense system of planets, in all the aggregation of nebulae, that bewilders and stretches my imagination beyond my comprehension that I am filled with dread, awe and bewilderment and leaves me dumb with wonder.† Fr. Pastell charged Rizal that by asserting reliance on human reason he misunderstood the true nature of faith and thus ignored divine mystery that was inseparable to faith. â€Å"†Faith cannot be called the result of a reasoning process; it is a supernatural gift from God our Lord, inasmuch as it is the beginning and source of justification, it cannot be equated by our natural powers without the necessary assistance of divine grace. Faith is a voluntary act of homage by which men freely submit his reason to the authority of the revealing God.† (April 28, 1893) To this accusation of self-pride, his lack of understanding of the mystery  of faith as a divine grace, Rizal countered perhaps with more prescience than his former mentor: â€Å"†Foolish is the epithet that you apply to the pride of the rationalists. If I may be permitted to ask, if I am still far from being one of them who is more proud – the man who is satisfied with following his own reason without imposing his views on others, or the man who tries to impose on others not what his reason dictates, but what appears to him to be the truth? What is rational has never seemed foolish to me, and pride has always shown its head in the attitude of superiority.† Rizal decided to end the exchange of letters with Fr. Pastells for the latter refused to concede even an iota to Rizal’s way of thinking, that the humane values of justice, equality, the search for truth based on God-given reason and conscience are fundamentally spiritual and are manifestations of the Divine. In his usual polite and conciliatory style, Rizal wrote. â€Å"Your Reverence says that I ought to hope that God will restore the faith that I lack. Let us then hope that he will do so, for this matter seems to me to be beyond our natural capabilities. Msgr. Bougarrd no longer convinces me. I am no longer able to comprehend your arguments and appreciate their merits. And I would be doing wrong in the eye of society, if I were to continue robbing you of your time, which the many people who live under your direction need so much and can use to their great advantage. †¦ let us leave to God the things that are God’s and to men the things that are men’s. As Your Reverence says the return to the faith is God’s work. Rizal’s murderers succeeded only in eliminating him physically. They failed in killing his ideas and what he stood for – freedom of thought, expression, and assembly and of the press. Rizal taught us that we must fight for the dignity and equality of all human beings not on our knees but in the arena of life. That to him is the best expression of devotion to God. By his self -sacrifice, he demonstrated that uncompromising courage is the greater weapon in the face of overpowering tyranny. True, Rizal fought the Church institutions and its clergy. And yet it was Christian morality that formed  the very heart of his social and political ideas for reforms and justice. Rizal did not weaken nor threaten Christianity in the Philippines. What he fought against was corruption, greed, superstition, ignorance and paranoia of the forces of counter-revolution. Conclusion – What then is the relevance of the discussion of Rizal’s ideas on religion to the state of and direction of Philippine Studies? The study is also a way of re-assessing the historical framework of the way we study and approach our history. Christianization and Westernization tend to view historical developments from the vantage point of the Catholic religion, of Spain and their institutions. It looks at the Filipino people as passive wards of the energetic missionary and â€Å"civilizing† efforts of the colonizers. Rizal’s life and works showed that however much he imbibed Catholicism and Spanish culture, he retained a great deal of his native, indigenous culture and values – language, social norms and practices that he invoked and defended against Spanish prejudices. He and his colleagues from ilustrados who studied in Europe and his stay-at-home countrymen and women shared basic cultural values and attitudes that enabled them to resist the worst Western de mands and exactions. In the process, like Rizal, our predecessors formulated a unique resilient Filipino culture that eventually evolved into what is called â€Å"national Consciousness.† True, Rizal like his educated colleagues studied and learned from the European Enlightenment about the rights of man, about individual liberty, the use of reason and science. Still, the Filipino historian must not ignore the Filipino folk who toiled relentlessly to survive the oppressive colonial regime and re-formulated and accommodated to the onerous colonial rule. Rizal was not bound by the strict divisions in the field of knowledge. He was less concerned with the formulation of the so-called â€Å"universal theories and methodologies† in the Humanities and Social Sciences since his goal was to seek evidence and the means of how humans can fight injustice, tyranny, oppression, and social iniquities. Most of all he wanted to elevate the Indio into a dignified, confident human being equipped with critical thinking and able to solve social ills. Therefore, Philippine Studies should be inter-disciplinal by tackling history, philology, geography, geology, biology, and other related  disciplines all to serve as the means for self-understanding, formulation of Filipino identity and contribute to the formation of a sovereign, united and prosperous nation. Another important ramification of this study is how Rizal viewed history. Contrary to the static, rigid, immutable Catholic position of Fr. Pastells, Rizal thought of history as a dynamic continuous process of change. Events, circumstances, people, their ideas and the environment are inter-connected and are in constant motion. The direction of change may not be always be in neat successive stages but its direction is towards more knowledge, the expansion of human consciousness and awareness, towards greater human aspirations for freedom and equality. Far from being a pessimist like Pr. Pastells who was fearful of losing Spanish power and prestige of the Church, Rizal was optimistic and looked courageously toward to a better world when the decaying, repressive structures of the old that was surely going to be dismantled to bring forth a better order. Bibliography Bonoan, Raul J., S.J, The Rizal – Pastells Correspondence, the hitherto unpublished letters of Jose Rizal and portions of Fr. Pablo Pastells’ fourth letter and translation of the correspondence, together with a historical background and theological Critique, Ateneo de Manila Univ. Press, 1994. Carr, Raymond, Spain, 1808-1039, Oxford Univ. Press, 1966. Carr, Raymond, editor, Spain, a History, Oxford Univ. Press, 2000. 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