The 2008 Presidency Essay Example for Free

The 2008 Presidency Essay The race to the White House has long been underway. Both Republican and Democrat parties are in the process of selecting their respective nominees for the presidency. Currently, John McCain is recognized as the Republican nominee while Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are the primary contenders for the Democrat nomination. A review of their stand on pertinent issues, as well as their personal and political background is as follows: John McCain John McCain is presently senator of the state of Arizona. Before he entered politics, he was an officer in the U. S. Navy for 22 years (America. gov). He served in Vietnam and was the recipient of not a few honors for his exemplary performance of duty. McCain ran for Republican nomination in the last elections but lost the battle to George Bush. The emphasis of McCain is in homeland security and the threats of terrorism. His view is that strengthening the military and continuing the role of the U. S. troops in Iraq will guarantee a safer America (Washingtonpost. com). Incidentally, his son is also in active duty in that country. Once elected, he will call for modernization in the military and the use of national missile defense systems. High technology weaponry will enable the U. S. to prevent and counteract the anticipated attacks from non-democratic states. He also sees the need for the adequately training the Iraqi military forces to raise their capacity to perform their responsibilities without the assistance of U. S. troops. If America would withdraw its troops this early, this would result in widespread civil unrest. Further, the U. S. should also force Iraq’s neighbors, Syria and Iran, to halt their support to al-Qaida in order to isolate Iraq and effectively contain terrorism in that country (Washingtonpost. om). McCain will support efforts towards establishing democratic states not only in the Middle East but also in Sub-Saharan Africa. Regarding immigrants, McCain is pushing for stricter immigration laws. He views illegal immigrants as a threat to national security. The U. S. should secure the U. S. -Mexico border which is perceived as the major route of illegal immigrants. He initiated legislation efforts in setting up an immigrant status verification system and for employers to hire persons who are legal immigrants (America. ov). McCain also sees it the responsibility of immigrants to master U. S. English, acquire knowledge on U. S. history, constitution and government in order to effectively integrate themselves in society. McCain is also supportive of reducing the taxes of the working class by as much as $2,700. 00 annually and to also offer tax credits to families who could not afford health insurance as well as allow individuals to keep their insurance regardless if they move to another state or seek another job (America. gov). Taxes should also be maximized by evaluating all government programs and removing those that are not effective. With regards to education, he thinks that through encouraging competition, public schools will be motivated to provide their students top-performing teachers whose abilities would translate in higher performance of their students (America. gov). For this to work, teachers should be given proper incentives based on the output of their students. Finally, John McCain is an advocate of free trade and supports the continuing role of the U.  S. in the North American Free Trade Association and other trade relations that are already in place and in expanding these relations to include other developing countries (Washingtonpost. com). In responding to the unemployment brought about by the relocation of the operations of U. S. companies to the third world, providing further education and training would give the laid-off workers the opportunity to hold jobs related to trade (America. gov). Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton is the current senator from New York. She served as first lady to her husband Bill Clinton, who was a former governor of Arkansas and a two-term president beginning in 1993 (America. gov). She is also an attorney, an alumna of Yale Law School and a writer of many books. She is an advocate of many issues such as tax-cuts for the middle class, a universal health insurance program, reform of immigration laws and the safeguarding of our foodstuffs from the threats of bioterrorism (America. gov). When elected, Clinton would call for the withdrawal of U. S. roops in Iraq believing that a globally coordinated effort towards diplomacy, as opposed to force, will work best in establishing democracy in that country (Washingtonpost. com). This is underscored when she stated that she favors creating alliances to counteract threats than moving alone and using military might. She proposes limiting the access of nuclear facilities to uranium to eliminate the possibility of their use for terrorist activities. In the same manner, global alliances are the best way to deal with issues related to the environment, poverty and disease and the U.  S. should work to provide the necessary leadership (Washingtonpost. com). With regards to trade, Clinton calls for an evaluation of the effects that major trade agreements such as the NAFTA have caused to the workers in America. She does not propose revocation of these agreements but rather to reform them so that the rights and welfare of American workers are taken into consideration (America. gov). She will move to further enhance the capacity of the Trade Adjustment Assistance in helping the workers who lost their jobs because of the relocation of their companies (America. ov). She also recognized the lack of competent teachers in public schools, high drop out rates of high school ethnic minorities and that many Americans can not afford university education. As such, she would institute tax credits for those enrolled in university and to generate scholarship programs. To help reduce the current health problem, she will focus on promoting health information and in directing the health services sector to further develop preventive measures against diseases (America. gov). Barack Obama Barack Obama entered politics in 2004 as Illinois senator after working in the state senate for eight years (America. gov). He has traveled a lot and held a career as an organizer and civil rights lawyer in Chicago, having graduated from Harvard Law School. He is also active in the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, partly responsible for the welfare of American soldiers from overseas. Obama has long criticized the occupation of U. S. troops in Iraq and like Clinton, would see that the Defense Department will begin the withdrawal of American troops in the Middle-Eastern country (Washingtonpost. om). He attributes the incapacity of the Iraqi government to dependence on U. S. initiatives so that withdrawal of troops would compel them to fulfill their leadership responsibilities. U. S. support should be in the form of humanitarian assistance and in involving Iraq’s neighbors in the over-all effort to promote peace and stability in that country (America. gov). He is in favor of expanding the current number of the army and marines towards better protecting the U. S. rom nuclear attacks which is the most serious threat to national security at the moment (America. gov). Therefore, he will initiate a world-wide endeavor to regulate the use of nuclear resources and weaponry and ensure that these are not availed of by terrorist organizations and rouge states. Obama has so far taken the most liberal position in terms of international relations as he stated that the U. S. should be open to establish communication with as many countries as possible regardless of their style of government (America. ov). He emphasized the responsibility of the U. S. in alleviating poverty world-wide through the efforts of well-trained civilian aid groups and the military (American. gov). He will also focus on developing relations with Asian states, especially China, to challenge them to adhere to international policies. In the field of education, he will also work towards employing more teachers and for education system to increase knowledge levels in the areas of mathematics and science (America. gov). He proposes tax credits to university students, additional funding for education programs including skills training for employment and giving scholarships to students committed to building careers in teaching (Washingtonpost. com). Further, Obama would also like to see tax cuts for the working class and in removing the income taxes of those with the lowest income (American. gov). He would also institute a health insurance for children, for employers to shoulder a portion of their workers’ expenses for health insurance and for health care providers to be transparent regarding their expenditures. Finally, Obama is also interested in and has taken steps towards the enactment of a law permitting the American public to access information regarding how revenue is allocated. He would also institute a system of validating immigrant status prior to employment and that illegal immigrants with no criminal records in the U. S. should be fined if they wish to stay in the country (America. gov). He is against the involvement of the U. S. in trade organizations because of human rights, environment and worker related issues. The Republican and Democrat Position The main differences between Republican and Democrat candidates are in their political and economic paradigms – free trade as against a little government regulation of the economy, diplomacy and global coalitions versus military aggression, funding high tech military and defense system or funding healthcare and education. The Republican John McCain’s stand on issues is largely derived from his background in the military and with continuing the policies of the current administration of a fellow Republican. A major theme in his platform is with regards to national security, threats from rogue states and the prominent role of the military. He is also an advocate of Bush’s foreign policy of free trade. Democrats Clinton and Obama are in favor of diplomacy and the formation of global coalitions instead of primarily using military force in addressing national security and other global issues. They believe in global nuclear weapons regulation but not in enhancing U. S. weapons and military capacity. They call for the evaluation of U. S. involvement in free trade organizations and they also propose a review of U. S. foreign trade policies in order to pursue the protection of workers’ jobs in the U. S. They also seek to provide more funding for health care and education.

Sorrowful Black Death is Not a Hot Ticket and Seduction and Betrayal Es

Sorrowful Black Death is Not a Hot Ticket and Seduction and Betrayal    Toni Morrison and bell hooks share the same views on how white America envisions blacks.   In bell hooks' essays " Seduction and Betrayal" and " Sorrowful Black Death is Not a Hot Ticket" she focuses in on the portrayal of African Americans on the big screen.   In "Seduction and Betrayal"   hooks uses   Spike Lee's Crooklyn to demonstrate how invaluable the life of a black person is.   In " Sorrowful Black Death Is Not a Hot Ticket" she claims the Bodyguard and The Crying Game illustrate the notion that blacks, especially black females, are inferior to whites. In Toni Morrison's introduction to Birth of a Nation'hood , she suggests these same views by looking at the O.J. Simpson case.   Through the use of these movies and courtcases, hooks and Morrison suggest that blacks are viewed as worthless, violent criminals, who are subordinate to the white race. hooks believes, " The racial politics of Hollywood is such that there can be no serious representation of death and dying when the characters are African-Americans" (99). By stating this, she implies that black life in movies is thought of as useless.   She finds that the majority of black death in movies is done through violence. An example of such a   film is Paris Trout in which a young girl is brutally murdered and her relatives "too cowardly to save or avenge her life, ...willingly show the lawyer who will defend her killer the blood stains left by her dragging body, the bullet holes in the walls.   Her life is worth nothing"( hooks, 100).   Not even the girl's own family could find worth in her life. Her relatives cared so little that they were willing to accept money to show her kil... ...al of black life are the views shared by the majority of Americans.   Their views on this portrayal of blacks in America can be summed up in a quote taken from Melville's Benito Cereno, "We will see what the American...wanted to see: the head of the Negro 'fixed on a pole in the Plaza" (27). Works Cited hooks, bell.   "Seduction and Betrayal." Writing as Re-Vision: A Student's Anthology.   Ed.   Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully. Needham Heights: Simon & Schuster Custom   Publishing, 1998. 108-111. hooks, bell.   "Sorrowful Black Death Is Not a Hot Ticket." Writing as Re-Vision: A   Student's Anthology.   Ed. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully. Needham Heights:   Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing, 1998. 99-107. Morrison, Toni. Introduction. Birth of a Nation'hood. Ed. Toni Morrison and Claudia   Brodsky Lacour.   New York: Pantheon Books, 1997.   7-28.

Kiss the Rain Short Story Essay

While waiting for my bus home in the pouring rain, I felt the rain suddenly stop. I looked up to see an umbrella covering me. I looked beside me to see a girl, about my age, kind enough to share cover with a soaked stranger. After a few moments, she moved the umbrella closer to me, motioning me to get it as she skipped on the waiting bus. My bus had come seconds after the girl’s left. I never got a name. I had forgotten about that incident days after only to see the umbrella in my room. Hovering over just to see a small paper attached to the handle, â€Å"Kang Eun-Mi† was written in graceful handwriting. While on my way to the bus stop in the pouring rain, I see a silhouette of a girl, about my age, standing there waiting for her bus. I opened the umbrella, stood next to her and looked down on her. Her face as beautiful and as graceful as her name, â€Å"Kang Eun-Mi†. I gave her back her umbrella and hopped on my bus home. I didn’t expect another encounter with the beautiful and graceful Eun-Mi but just the next day, I saw her again. Standing where she always stood. I smiled at her like an old friend and she smiled back showing her perfect smile. Her smile as beautiful and as graceful as her name, â€Å"Kang Eun-Mi†. I got on my bus, but to my surprise she got on as well. We easily got to know each other and as each day passes, I got to know more about the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi. She was perfect to me, I couldn’t see any flaw in her. She was beautiful and graceful like her name, â€Å"Kang Eun-Mi†. Years pass and the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi and I had grown to become the best of friends. No secrets were kept between us. No secret but one. I loved her. I didn’t love her like a best friend or a sister. I loved her like how Romeo loved his Juliet, like how Jack loved his Rose. No, I didn’t love her, I WAS INLOVE WITH HER. I was in love with t he beautiful and graceful Kang Eun- Mi ever since I had laid my eyes on her. I couldn’t tell her in fear of losing out friendship. One day, I didn’t see her. I couldn’t call her. She didn’t reply to my messages or return my calls. I was worried, maybe something had happened to the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun- Mi. I rushed to her house but I was told she wasn’t home. I took the next taxi I saw to her school. My heart was racing so fast. I was afraid that something bad had happened to the Kang Eun-Mi I had loved so much. When I reached her school, the first thing I saw crushed me. It felt like swords had pierced my heart, cut it in a thousand tiny pieces. The beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi was with another man. She was in the arms of another person. She loved someone else. I was not sure how to react. I was not sure what to do. Should I take her away from that man? Should I punch him in the face for stealing someone who wasn’t even mine from the start? I knew better than to cause trouble. I had to accept it. I had to cope with the burning feeling in my chest. I have always known that she would never love me that way. She would never love me like how I love her. I am nothing but her best friend. Just a best friend. I had tried to cut any ties with her. I didn’t return her calls, I didn’t reply to any of her messages; I tried everything to take my mind off her. But I would always find myself drifting to places where we used to go, bringing memories of the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi. But of all the places, I tried my best to not set foot on the bus stop where we first met. Seeing that place would always bring painful memories. It would always bring the happy moments we had. The happiest memories would always hurt the most. After months of not being with her, I received a call from her. She wanted to see me at the bus stop, she said it was important. And from the sound of her voice, I could tell that something was wrong. It was pouring heavily, I grabbed an umbrella and rushed to the bus stop as fast as I could. I could not think of anything else but the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi. When I got there, I saw a silhouette of a girl, about my age, standing there waiting for someone. I opened the umbrella, stood next to her and looked down on her. Her face as beautiful and as graceful as her name, â€Å"Kang Eun-Mi†. As soon as she noticed an umbrella over her head, she turned to me and whispered the words â€Å"We broke up.†. I dropped my umbrella and hugged her like I have never hugged her before. I was lying in bed later that night with guilt in my heart. I was guilty because the Kang Eun-Mi I loved so much broke up with her boyfriend. I was guilty that I was happy about it. But I then realized that she would never be mine, that I was just a best friend. The next day, everything was perfect. Everything was how it used to be. We did everything like we used to, we rode the bus home like we used to. Everything was in place. It was only the two of us. But just when everything felt in place, I got a call from her. She wanted to see me, she said it was important. And from the sound of her voice, I could tell that something was wrong. I ran as fast I could. I felt my heart beat faster. By the time I got there, I was out of breath. She told me to sit down next to her. I can read the worried expression on her face. The way she acted told me that something was wrong. I knew Kang Eun-Mi like the palm of my hand. I could read her like an open book. I was getting worried at what she would say. I was getting quite nervous just looking at her expression. She opened he mouth, words came out. But I could not believe what she was trying to tell me. Her father was transferred to California. They were migrating to the United States. She was going away. Kang Eun-Mi was going to leave me. The Kang Eun-Mi I had loved for so long was going to leave me. I pretended to be happy for her. But I knew that she read the expression on my face. I excused myself, stood up and went home. I couldn’t accept the fact that the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi was going to California. I didn’t see her until the day she was going away. I would always remember that day. October 5th, the day Kang Eun-Mi promised me that she would call often, that she would e-mail me everyday and that she would be back soon. That was the last time I saw the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi. She had kept her promises. She has kept it all but one. She still has not returned. She has been sending me e-mails every single day. But then, it stopped. She didn’t reply to my e-mails or return my calls. I was worried, maybe something had happened to the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun- Mi. It has been 3 years since I last heard from the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi. I still think about her everyday. I always wonder how she is doing. Who she is with, what she is doing. And i’ve been regretting not telling her how I feel. I am a fool for not confessing to her. After years of not being with her, I received a call from her. She wanted to see me at the bus stop, she said it was important. She had kept her promise! She was back!   I felt so happy that I felt my heart skip a beat. I was finally going to tell her how I feel. I was finally going to tell her that I was in love with her. I was in love with the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun- Mi ever since I had laid my eyes on her. When I got to the bus stop, I was greeted by a silhouette of a woman my age, standing where my best friend always stood. I smiled at her like an old friend and she smiled back showing her perfect smile. Her smile as beautiful and as graceful as her name, â€Å"Kang Eun-Mi†. She invited me to sit and have a cup of coffee. She told me everything, from her exciting trips to her heartbreaks. She wasn’t a girl anymore, she was a woman. She told me that she is not the Kang Eun-Mi I used to know, she is now Jennifer Kang. But she is still the beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi I still love so much. I was about to confess my love for her but she said she had another thing to say. I was excited to hear what it was. Maybe she won’t be going back to California. Maybe she was going to stay here and be with me. She inhaled deeply and extended to show a large diamond ring on her finger. My heart sank. She was engaged. She is to be wed to another man! It was then I realized that Kang Eun-Mi has returned to get married here. Then and there, a man appeared and sat down next to my Kang Eun-Mi. The beautiful and graceful Kang Eun-Mi was engaged to another man. She was in the arms of another person. She loved someone else. I was not sure how to react. I was not sure what to do. Should I take her away from that man? Should I punch him in the face for stealing someone who wasn’t even mine from the start? The painful memories of the first time I lost her to someone else flooded my mind. I was in shock. If only I had told her how I felt in time, would this happen? Everything felt like it was in the movies, everything felt like it was in slow motion. But I got dragged back to reality when I heard the words â€Å"best friend†. She wanted me to be at her wedding! I pretended to be happy for her. The day of the wedding came and everyone was happy. Everyone but me. I saw her walk down the aisle, she was beautiful and graceful like her name. It was the prettiest I have seen her. How I wished that it was I who was waiting for her at the altar. The way she looked at him crushed me. It felt like swords had pierced my heart when I heard them exchange their vows. My heart was cut it in a thousand tiny pieces when I saw them kiss. They were to have their honeymoon in Hawaii the next day. Eun-Mi asked me to accompany them to the airport. How I wish I declined. May 12th, I saw her for the last time. I gave her the tightest hug I could give her. I didn’t want to let go. I wanted it to be just like how it used to be, just the two of us. I have been in love with the same woman for 60 years. I just wish she knew. Eun-Mi, I have never married. I am going to wait for your return, no matter how long it will take. I will wait at the bus stop for you, no matter how hard the rain pours. The rain will just remind me of you. And even the slightest memory of you makes my heart jump with joy. But I always knew that you would never love me that way. You would never love me like how I love you. I am nothing but your best friend. Like how Jack never got Rose in the end, like Romeo who never got his Juliet. I will never get my Kang Eun-Mi, the woman who is as beautiful and as graceful as her name. Every time it rains, I think of no one or nothing else but you.

My Car

When I look at my car all I can think about is the future for it and how glorious it will look when I am finished. I drive a carbon steel grey 2013 Volkswagen GET and I love it. Currently I only have a couple of modifications done to it but I have a list of plans for the future, for when I get the money. On my list of modifications, current and future, I can divide the modifications into three main categories; engine power, cosmetic appearance, and handling.Some of the modifications may be in for than one category but all of the modifications lead to my car looking, sounding, and feeling tremendous. Engine power was the first thing I started to work on when I first got my car. First I went too tuning shop and had Leo, the owner of the shop, install an PAR stage 1 refresh which took the car from pH to about pH. That modification really woke the car up making it a little faster and a lot more fun to drive.The next power modification I did was a cat-back exhaust which claimed to give th e car 15 ore horse power but I did not feel any difference. The cat-back exhaust only made the car louder and gave the car a more aggressive look from the back. After the cat- back exhaust I installed an air intake which make the car more fuel efficient, gave it about 5 extra horsepower, and allowed the car to have an awesome blow off sound. The final power modification I have done so far was putting on a three inch downside and a stages refresh which took the car from about pH to about pH.My power edification I hope to get in the future are an intake manifold, larger fuel injectors, Audit re coil packs, a key turbo kit from PAR, and a larger intercooler. For cosmetic appearance I have not done too many things yet but the things I have done made the car look much better and gave it a little bit of my own personal style. The first thing I did for appearance was changing my head light and for light to HID light, this made the car look much more aggressive and gave me better visibility in the night.The next wing I did was tint the windows, I made them very dark in the back I believe it was a 5% tint. After that I painted my grill strips teal and added four teal stickers around the car. Two stickers are on the rear window and the other two are on my rear side windows. For cosmetic appearance that is all I have been able to do so far but I do plan to eventually get new headlights, new taillights, larger wheels, and the lower the car on coil oversee. Handling is the category where I have done very little to affect it.I eave only done two things to affect handling and those two things are lowering springs and new tires. The lowering spring affect handling because they lower the car center of gravity making the car not lean so much in the corners. The tires help handling by allowing the car to get more traction so it does not slide around as much and because the car have more traction it can take corners at a faster speed. I plan to eventually get coil oversee, strong er sway bars, and new wheels. All of those items will help the car handle much better.Looking at my car now makes me think of all the hard work I have put into it and how I look forward to doing a lot more work on it. Out of engine performance, cosmetic appearance, and handling I have done the most work on engine performance and the least work on improving handling. I hope in the next coming year I can save up enough money to do all of modifications I would like to do on my car and when I am finally finished my car will look, sound, and feel amazing. But, as every car person knows, a project car is never finished.

The first group of European essays

The first group of European essays This is characteristic mostly of new constitutions that deliberately try to adopt the generally accepted standards of the Rule of Law and constitutionalism. The German Basic Law can be considered an example of this effort and philosophy, and for the moment is the only Western constitution examined here that explicitly states the principle of separation of powers. Article 20, section 2 of the Basic Law says: All State power emanates from the people. It shall be exercised by the people by means of elections and voting and by specific legislative, executive and judicial organs. The philosophy of the German Basic Law and this is common with other European constitutions is built upon the following postulates: 1. The people is the holder of the whole State power. 2. The State power forms a unity4, and is indivisible. 3. The principle of separation of powers outlines and determines the organization and content of the exercise of State power. 4. The former premises result from the democratic principle under this principle the separation of powers does not divide State power into branches of different origin, it marks only the different functions of the unified power according to the Constitutional Court, it is an organizational and functional principle.5 Constitutions of some former socialist countries expressly state the principle of separation of powers presumably as a reaction to the previous ideology which rejected the idea of separation of powers, and as an expression of commitment to Western standards of constitutionalism. Russia is a good example of this argument. According to Marxist-Leninist doctrine all powers were concentrated in the hands of the soviets. In 1992, after the Soviet Union fell apart, the principle of separation of powers was added to the text of the old Constitution as a foundation of the new constitutional regime. This led to a discrepancy between...

A Sense of Sin Essay Example for Free

A Sense of Sin Essay ? No one doubts the presence of evil in the world. We experience it in a variety of ways: national and international conflict; domestic and street violence; political and corporate corruption; and a host of manifestations of sexism, clericalism, racism, ageism, and other violations of justice. All such forms of brutality, disorder and discrimination, seem from a theological perspective, are rooted in sin. But do we ever recognize the sin and name it as such? 1 For some reason, sin seems to have lost its hold on us as a way of accounting for and naming so much of the evil we know. Among the many other reasons, the eclipse of the religious world view through the rise of the secular spirit accounts significantly for the loss of the sense of sin. In fact, in his post-synodal exhortation, Reconciliatio et Penitentia (1984), Pope John Paul II credits â€Å"secularism† above all with contributing to a loss of a sense of sin.2 The secular spirit questions the relevance and meaning of all Christian symbols, and even of religion itself. One effect of this secular spirit on the meaning of sin, for example, has been to reduce sin to some form of psychological or social disorder. The therapeutic perspective which pervades the secular spirit looks on behavior as either healthily adaptive-problem-solving behavior, or as unhealthy, nonadaptive, and problem-creating behavior.3 It does not call the latter sin. For a survey at major attempts in the past twenty years to explore the mystery of sin, see James A. O’Donohue, â€Å"Toward a Theology of Sin: A Look at the Last Twenty Years,† Church 2 (Spring 1986): 48-54. 2 The other factors of a non-ecclesial nature which John Paul II lists as errors made in evaluating certain findings of the human sciences, deriving systems of ethics from historical relativism, and identifying sin with neurotic guilt. Within the thought and life of the Church, certain trends have also contributed to the loss of the sense of sin. Among these he lists the movement from seeing sin everywhere to not recognizing it anywhere; from an emphasis on fear of external punishment to preaching a love of God that excludes punishment; from correcting erroneous consciences to respecting consciences but excluding the duty to tell the truth. Two other ecclesial factors are the plurality of opinions existing in the church on questions of morality and the deficiencies in the practice of penance. To restore a healthy sense of sin, the pope advocates â€Å"a sound catechetics, illuminated by the biblical theology of the covenant, by an attentive listening and trustful openness to the magisterium of the church, which never ceases to enlighten consciences, and by an ever more careful practice of the sacrament of penance.† See Origins 14 (December 20, 1984): 443-444, quotation at p. 444. 3 The research of the team headed by sociologist Robert Bellah which has produced Habits of the Heart (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985), a study of the American beliefs and practices which give shape to our character and form our social order, shows that the therapist is the newest character forming American culture. See Chapter Two â€Å"Culture and Character: The Historical Conversation,† pp. 27-51, especially pp. 47-48. 2 Moreover, the secular, therapeutic perspective tends to look on persons more as victims of unconscious or socio-cultural influences than as agents of free actions. Psychiatrists Karl Menninger in Whatever Happened to Sin4 and M. Scott Peck in People of the Lie5 want to make full allowance for those conditions which cause people to do evil. Yet both insist on a strip of responsibility which cannot be negotiated away to these determining influences. While the behavioral sciences provide us with helpful explanations of human behavior, they do not give a full account. Sin is real, and we need a fresh way to get at it and call it what it is. What do we need to grasp in order to retrieve a sense of sin in an adult manner? Contemporary moral theology says a â€Å"sense of responsibility.† Christian theologians find in â€Å"responsibility† the essential theme of Christian faith and the central characteristic of the moral life. A leading Protestant theologian of this century, H. Richard Niebuhr, has done much to give impetus to the â€Å"responsibility† motif in Christian morality. 6 He summarizes the constituents of responsibility by describing the agent’s actions as a response to an action upon him in accordance with his interpretation of the latter action and with his expectation of response to his response; and all of this is in a continuing community of agents. (The Responsible Self, 65) Since God is present to us in and through all that makes up our lives so that we are never not in the presence of God, our responses to all our actions upon us include our response to God. As Niebuhr asserts, â€Å"Responsibility affirms: God is acting in all our actions upon you. So respond to all actions upon you as to respond to his action† (The Responsible Self, 126). If â€Å"being responsible† sums up the quality of character and action marking Christian moral living, sin will mark the failure to be fully responsible. â€Å"Responsibility† as a motif for the moral life has found its way into Catholic moral thinking with the strong support of the biblical renewal in the Catholic Church. Bernard Hà ¤ring, who has been instrumental in renewing Catholic moral thinking, has used this notion of â€Å"responsibility† with great success in reconstructing Catholic moral thought. Along with other Catholic theologians, Hà ¤ring has found in the biblical renewal a fresh theological framework and an orientation for understanding the moral life.7 We turn, then, to the biblical perspective on sin. Menninger, Whatever Happened to Sin? (New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1973). Peck, People of the Lie (New York: Simon and Shuster, 1983). 6 See especially Niebuhr, The Responsible Self (New York: Harper & Row, 1963), pp. 61-65. 7 Bernard Hà ¤ring’s writings are vast and wide-ranging. His early three-volume work, The Law of Christ (Westminster: Newman Press, 1961, 1963, 1966), was one of the first major works by a Catholic moral theologian to rethink morality in light of the biblical renewal. His most recent three-volume work, Free and Faithful in Christ (New York: Seabury Press, 1978, 1979, 1981), is an expression of Hà ¤ring’s more mature thought. This work is not a revision of The Law of Christ, but a completely new work. Charles E. Curran, a student of Hà ¤ring, has followed his teacher’s lead in making efforts at renewing moral theology in light of the biblical renewal. Some of Curran’s pertinent articles are â€Å"The Relevancy of the Ethical Teaching of Jesus† and â€Å"Conversion: The Central Message of Jesus† in A New Look at Christian Morality (Notre Dame: Fides Publishers, Inc., 1968), pp. 1-23 and 25-71. From the Bible we see that Christian morality is primarily a â€Å"vocation.† This means that our life is a response to the word of God spoken to us preeminently in Jesus, but also in and through the people and events of our lives. From the perspective of vocation, wherein God calls and we respond, responsibility replaces obligation as the primary characteristic of the moral life. Also, the relationship that we establish with God in and through our responses to all things becomes the focal point of the moral life. From this point of view, practicing the presence of God becomes essential for Christian responsibility, Christian moral growth, and our awareness of sin. A consistent theme of contemporary theology has been that we cannot have a proper understanding of sin unless we have a proper understanding of the nature and implications of the covenant God has established with us. â€Å"Covenant† and â€Å"heart† are the dominant metaphors of biblical faith for understanding the moral life. They provide the biblical horizon against which to recognize sin. The two frequently used terms for sin in the Old Testament point to violations of relationships. Hattah is the most common term. Its meaning, â€Å"to miss the mark† or â€Å"to offend,† points to a purposeful action oriented toward an existing relationship. The existence of the relationship makes the offence or failure possible. Pesa, meaning â€Å"rebellion,† is a legal term denoting a deliberate action violating a relationship in community. The New Testament term for sin is hamartia. It connotes a deliberate action rooted in the heart and missing the intended mark. 8 These terms acquire theological significance when used in the context of the covenant which expresses the most personal kind of relationship between God and us. The primary aim of the covenant is that God loves us without our having done anything to attract God’s attention or to win that love. God’s covenant is a bond of completely gratuitous love, pure grace. But God’s initiative of love (grace) does not destroy our freedom. Unlike the Godfather, God makes an offer we can refuse. God’s offer of love awaits our acceptance. Once we accept the offer of love we commit ourselves to living as the covenant requires. The covenant context lifts the notion of sin out of a legalistic framework to set it on a level of a personal relationship with God. In worshipping the golden calf (Ex 32), Israel missed the mark of covenant love, or sinned, not so much because Israel broke one of the laws of the covenant, but because Israel broke the personal bond of love of which the law was an external expression. The law was not to be the final object of Israel’s fidelity. God was. Sin in the Bible is not merely breaking a law. Sin is breaking or weakening the God-given bond of love. The law was an aid to Israel’s fidelity and pointed to the responsibilities of being in relationship to God. A Sense of Sin. (2016, Dec 10).

Evaluating web site audiences Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Evaluating web site audiences - Assignment Example In this way the designers present the intended audience of the brand. Firstly you may think that there are clothes only for women. It is the main idea of the designer who puts women on the top among the expected buyers. While exploring the site I saw that there were also collections for men, young people and children, so we see that this is the brand for all ages and genders. By writing prices near the goods the designers show that this brand is created for successful and high-income people. The second site is oriented for young women no more than 25. It is easy to see when you open it. The designers use energetic music and positive girls to represent the intended audience. So when you open the site you understand that it is for teenagers and for girls only. The site offers discounts and sales by means of which the creators try to attract people of middle income. The site of â€Å"Versace† introduces the new collections on top pages. It means that selling them is the main aim of the company. The site is designed in muted colors in order not to distract the attention of the customer. The web page of ‘Tally Weijl† uses discounts to attract people who are more interested in prices. That is why the site is very colorful and vivid. To make the site ‘Tally Weijl† easy and more comfortable in use they offer to choose the country you live in. After choosing the country the web page is displayed at your language. That is made for attracting people all over the world. There are two different styles which represent sites: classic style (â€Å"Versace†) and casual style (â€Å"Tally Weijl†). Classic style is typical for people engaged in different business spheres, open ceremonies and public interviews, while casual style is more appropriate for everyday life activities: shopping, walking, sport and so forth. Every page of â€Å"Versace† site contains logo which is an important part of the company image that is why it is easy to identify any