A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay Example

A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay Example A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay Christmas Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the son of God. Jesus was born on the 25th of December which is Christmas Day. He may have been born in a cave but this fact is unknown. Jesus was born in a manger because the upper room was full. On Christmas Day most Christians go to church. Before Jesus was born a Angel Gabriel came to Mary to let her know that she was going to have a son, and she was going to call him Jesus. At Jesuss time pregnant women had to be married or there were stoned to death because they brought shame and dishonour to their familys and Mary wasnt married. So Joseph kept Marys pregnancy a secret to protect her and, and he married her before she got pregnant. Luke 1:30-35. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.† 34 â€Å"How will this be,† Mary asked the angel, â€Å"since I am a virgin?† 35 The angel answered, â€Å"The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. When Jesus was born, the three wise King came to visit and worship him. They found where Jess was by following the star that could have been Jupiter. At Jesuss time stars were a symbol that a King was going to be born or was going to die. People may have thought that a Super King was about to be born because of the size of the star. They gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Christmas is celebrated in the Christian church because its a very important day for Christians as it symbolizes the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a very special day in the Christian world; it is celebrated by Christians with great enthusiasm. It is a day of merrymaking and joy; people decorate thei

HMS Dreadnought - The 1906 Battleship that Changed Everything

HMS Dreadnought - The 1906 Battleship that Changed Everything In the early years of the 20th century, naval visionaries such as Admiral Sir John Jackie Fisher of the Royal Navy and Vittorio Cuniberti of the Regia Marnia began advocating for the design of all-big-gun battleships. Such a vessel would only feature the largest guns, at this point in time 12, and would largely dispense with the ships secondary armament. Writing for Janes Fighting Ships in 1903, Cuniberti argued that the ideal battleship would possess twelve 12-inch guns in six turrets, armor 12 thick, displace 17,000 tons, and be capable of 24 knots. He foresaw this colossus of the seas as being capable of destroying any existing foe though recognized that the construction of such vessels could only be afforded by the worlds leading navies. A New Approach A year after Cunibertis article, Fisher convened an informal group to begin assessing these types of designs. The all-big gun approach was validated during Admiral Heihachiro Togos victory at the Battle of Tsushima (1905) in which the main guns of Japanese battleships inflicted the bulk of the damage on the Russian Baltic Fleet. British observers aboard Japanese ships reported this to Fisher, now First Sea Lord, with the further observation that the Imperial Japanese Navys 12 guns were particularly effective. Receiving this data, Fisher immediately pressed ahead with an all-big-gun design. The lessons learned at Tsushima were also embraced by the United States which began work on an all-big-gun class (the South Carolina-class) and the Japanese who commenced building the battleship Satsuma. While planning and construction for the South Carolina-class and Satsuma began prior to British efforts, they soon fell behind for a variety of reason. In addition to the increased firepower of an all-big-gun ship, the elimination of the secondary battery made adjusting fire during battle easier as it allowed spotters to know which type of gun was making the splashes near an enemy vessel. The removal of the secondary battery also made the new type more efficient to operate as fewer types of shells were needed. Moving Forward This reduction in cost greatly aided Fisher in securing Parliamentary approval for his new ship. Working with his Committee on Designs, Fisher developed his all-big-gun ship which was dubbed HMS Dreadnought. Centered on a main armament of 12 guns and a minimum top speed of 21 knots, the committee evaluated a variety of different designs and layouts. The group also served to deflect criticism away from Fisher and the Admiralty.    Propulsion Including the latest technology, Dreadnoughts power plant utilized steam turbines, recently developed by Charles A. Parsons, in lieu of the standard triple-expansion steam engines. Mounting two paired sets of Parsons direct-drive turbines powered by eighteen Babcock Wilcox water-tube boilers, Dreadnought was driven by four three-bladed propellers. The use of the Parsons turbines greatly increased the speed of the vessel and allowed it to outrun any existing battleship. The vessel was also fitted with a series of longitudinal bulkheads to protect the magazines and shell rooms from underwater explosions. Armor To protect Dreadnought the designers elected to use Krupp cemented armor which was produced at William Beardmores mill in Dalmuir, Scotland. The main armor belt measured 11 thick at the waterline and tapered to 7 at its lower edge. This was supported by an 8 belt that ran from the waterline up to the main deck. Protection for the turrets included 11 of Krupp cemented armor on the faces and sides while the roofs were covered with 3 of Krupp non-cemented armor.   The conning tower utilized a similar arrangement to the turrets. Armament For its main armament, Dreadnought mounted ten 12 guns in five twin turrets. Three of these were mounted along the centerline, one forward and two aft, with the other two in wing positions on either side of the bridge. As a result, Dreadnought could only bring eight of its ten guns to bear on a single target. In laying out the turrets, the committee rejected superfiring (one turret firing over another) arrangements due to concerns that the muzzle blast of the upper turret would cause issues with the open sighting hoods of the one below. Dreadnoughts ten 45-calibre BL 12-inch Mark X guns were capable of firing two rounds per minute at a maximum range of around 20,435 yards. The vessels shell rooms possessed space to store 80 rounds per gun. Supplementing the 12 guns were 27 12-pdr guns intended for close defense against torpedo boats and destroyers. For fire control, the ship incorporated some of the first instruments for electronically transmitting range, deflection, and order directly to the turrets. HMS Dreadnought - Overview Nation: Great BritainType: BattleshipShipyard: HM Dockyard, PortsmouthLaid Down: October 2, 1905Launched: February 10, 1906Commissioned: December 2, 1906Fate: Broken up in 1923 Specifications: Displacement: 18,410  tonsLength: 527 ft.Beam: 82 ft.Draft: 26 ft.Propulsion: 18 Babcock Wilcox 3-drum water-tube boilers w/ Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbinesSpeed: 21 knotsComplement: 695-773 men Armament: Guns 10 x BL 12 in. L/45 Mk.X guns mounted in 5 twin B Mk.VIII turrets27 Ãâ€" 12-pdr 18 cwt L/50 Mk.I guns, single mountings P Mk.IV5 Ãâ€" 18 in. submerged torpedo tubes Construction Anticipating approval of the design, Fisher began stockpiling steel for Dreadnought at the Royal Dockyard in Portsmouth and ordered that many parts be prefabricated. Laid down on October 2, 1905, work on Dreadnought proceeded at a frenetic pace with the vessel being launched by King Edward VII on February 10, 1906, after only four months on the ways. Deemed complete on October 3, 1906, Fisher claimed that the ship had been built in a year and a day. In actuality, it took an additional two months to finish the ship and Dreadnought was not commissioned until December 2. Regardless, the speed of the ships construction startled the world as much as its military capabilities. Early Service Sailing for the Mediterranean and Caribbean in January 1907, with Captain Sir Reginald Bacon in command, Dreadnought performed admirably during its trials and testing. Closely watched by the worlds navies, Dreadnought inspired a revolution in battleship design and future all-big-gun ships were henceforth referred to as dreadnoughts. Designated flagship of the Home Fleet, minor problems with Dreadnought were detected such as the location of the fire control platforms and the arrangement of the armor. These were corrected in the follow-on classes of dreadnoughts. World War I Dreadnought was soon eclipsed by the Orion-class battleships which featured 13.5 guns and began entering service in 1912. Due to their greater firepower, these new ships were dubbed super-dreadnoughts. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Dreadnought was serving as flagship of the Fourth Battle Squadron based at Scapa Flow. In this capacity, it saw its only action of the conflict when it rammed and sank U-29 on March 18, 1915. Refitted in early 1916, Dreadnought shifted south and became part of the Third Battle Squadron at Sheerness. Ironically, due to this transfer, it did not participate in the 1916 Battle of Jutland, which saw the largest confrontation of battleships whose design had been inspired by Dreadnought. Returning to the Fourth Battle Squadron in March 1918, Dreadnought was paid off in July and placed in reserve at Rosyth the following February. Remaining in reserve, Dreadnought was later sold and scrapped at Inverkeithing in 1923. Impact While Dreadnoughts career was largely uneventful, the ship initiated one of the largest arms races in history which ultimately culminated with World War I. Though Fisher had intended to use Dreadnought to demonstrate British naval power, the revolutionary nature of its design immediately reduced Britains 25-ship superiority in battleships to 1. Following the design parameters set forth by Dreadnought, both Britain and Germany embarked on battleship building programs of unprecedented size and scope, with each seeking to build larger, more powerfully armed ships. As a result, Dreadnought and its early sisters were soon out-classed as the Royal Navy and Kaiserliche Marine quickly expanded their ranks with increasingly modern warships. The battleships inspired by Dreadnought served as the backbone of the worlds navies until the rise of the aircraft carrier during World War II.

To what extent can you consider the Arab World culture to be one Essay

To what extent can you consider the Arab World culture to be one singular culture - Essay Example Literature review is used in order to present important normative information on the Arab countries to which this study refers. On the other hand, the literature helps to identify the views of theorists regarding the characteristics and the importance of culture as part of a country’s social framework. Culture is an important part of a country’s history; in fact, culture reflects the development of a country’s social and political life. Through the decades, the changes on a country’s culture can be explained using the ‘social comparison’ theory; this theory is based on the assumption that every individual is likely ‘to use others to make sense of himself and his social world’ (Guimond, 2006, 15); in accordance with Singerman et al. (2006) ‘culture can be seen as a kind of soft power spreading the image and influence of the state beyond its borders among the peoples of other nations’ (Singerman et al., 2006, 157). At the next level, it is noted that the development of culture across a country – but also across a greater region – can be achieved using a series of different tools/ paths, like ‘media products, educational infrastructure and models of economic development and modernization’ (Singerma n et al., 2006, 157). The culture of Arab countries can be explained by referring primarily to the characteristics of Arab culture as an indication of a specific way of life; indeed, in the study of Moran et al. (2007, 316) it is noted that the term ‘Arab’ is mainly related with a specific way of life – the nomadic way of life; through the decades, the term has been used in order to refer to the culture of people living in Middle East; however, it is made clear that not all people living in this area have the same cultural characteristics mostly because today Arab is considered to be related with

Paper about your experience in Ice-cream social and a game of Jenga Essay

Paper about your experience in Ice-cream social and a game of Jenga - Essay Example I, however, soon started feeling uncomfortable and suspected a body reaction after every ice cream social event. It was not until my worst experience that I stopped participating in the events and restrained from taking ice cream and exposing myself to cold environmental factors. This followed a diagnosis that I became asthmatic, a health complication that is triggered by allergic reaction to cold among other factors. The attack was so severe during my last ice cream social event that I had to be rushed to the hospital, in an ambulance, moments later. I also had a reversed experience with the jenga game that I initially thought was complicated and less interesting. Taking time with peers and the pride of being the best in the game however won my interest and I soon determined to learn the game’s rules. I then realized that the jenga game combined both artistic and analytical skills of establishing a balance for the masses in the built structure. I then excelled and became one of the top players in the game that later captivated my

The Federalist Papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Federalist Papers - Essay Example The historical consensus is that the Federalist faction eventually triumphed over the Anti-federalist faction primarily because of the intellectual advantage that developed as a result of these publications. Federalist Paper 10 was written by James Madison and it specifically addresses the issue of the power and inherent danger of factional interests. The overriding argument between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists rested upon the fear of too much power in the hands of a centralized government. To counter these legitimate concerns, Madison's contribution to the Federalist Papers turned out to be one of the most important. Madison's argument rested upon the proposition that one of the finest achievements of the Constitution was that it offered a method of controlling the dangers of factions. Madison defined factions as "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community" (Ball 41). These factions are created by differences of opinion and interests and Madison regarded them as i nevitability. The hidden danger of the inevitability of factions is that even when no single faction becomes too powerful, the political infighting can often lead to an obstruction of the interests of the larger public and they have the potential for disenfranchising entire groups and infringing upon the rights of the less powerful. Madison's contention that factions are an inevitable part of a society revealed the soft underbelly of even a representative democratic state. Those who have wealth to protect will tend to gravitate toward others with the same economic interests. Factions can be created around any shared interest or goal, but the primary issue behind the rise of factions will always be power and wealth and the distribution of each. Madison contended well before Karl Marx that property owners are in constant conflict with those who do not. The extrapolation from this assertion is that heart of factionalism in the United States arises as a result of the divergence between the haves and the have-nots. Since property is bound to be divided unequally, and since property means different things to different people, even the interests of those who own property may differ. Madison declares in Federalist 10 that it is in the interest of the government to offer protection of the interests of property owners, wh ile at the same time regulate the inevitable conflicts that arise between property owners and those without. Madison argues that controlling a faction can only be accomplished by eliminating the cause of the conflict or taming its effects. To eliminate the cause of conflict would require the surrender of certain liberties and rights and Madison considered this to be a cure that would do more harm than the disease. The only other way to eliminate the causes of conflict would be to somehow ensure a system in which such things as opinions and interests were shared. Obviously, that would be impossible. The only choice left is to control the effects of the conflict that creates factions and Madison proposed the Constitution as the finest mechanism by which such control could be enacted. Pure democracy was deemed to not be the answer as Madison and the

Medical Records and Privacy of the Famous Essay Example for Free

Medical Records and Privacy of the Famous Essay Medical Records and Privacy of the Famous Privacy seems to be something that many people desire, but is becoming less and less available. With all the new technology, it is easier than ever to invade someone’s privacy. With cameras everywhere, from ATM’s to people’s cell phones, it is difficult for anyone to do anything that can be kept to one ’s self. While privacy is a right that the average person doesn’t normally struggle with, it is a problem that celebrities encounter everyday. Paparazzi are constantly following these famous people around as they do their everyday things like shopping, playing with their children, partying, or simply hanging in their homes. It is basically the price to pay to be famous. While these celebrities’ lives are invaded to a large degree, shouldn’t they still enjoy the right to keep some aspects of their lives private? Celebrities should have the right to keep things like medical records private, because not only is it a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), it is unethical to release medical information about someone to the public, even celebrities. In recent years, there have been a number of break-ins of celebrity medical records that have been leaked to the tabloids. In 2006 one of the country’s leading medical institutions discovered that the security of their medical records had been breached when The National Enquirer printed a story about Farrah Faucet’s cancer relapse, before the actress even told any of her family members† (Steinhaurer, 2008). Ms. Faucet is not the only celebrity who has had this happen. In 2007, George Clooney was informed that his medical records were accessed by people who didn’t have the right to look at them, following a motorcycle crash that left the actor with broken ribs and scrapes. Britney Spears was also a victim when the media reported that she was involuntarily hospitalized in 2008 and put in the psych ward under the thought she could be a danger to others or herself. Gossip outlets and other news media reported on her interactions with staff and visitors throughout her hospitalization (Techweb, 2008). These are incidents that have occurred for many years, as tabloids are always interested in the medical issues celebrities deal with, and keeping it under wraps is more difficult with technology making it easier for anyone to gain instant access to health secrets. â€Å"With the advent of networked computers, the problem has increased exponentially, and celebrities are constantly surrounded by people who are willing to trade in medical information for profit or their own 15 minutes† (Blankstein, 2008). While the people who accessed the records of these celebrities and leaked the stories are definitely at fault, I think that much of the blame also lies with the reporters and journalists who actually print and air the stories. The press is violating privacy by releasing these stories in two ways, legally and ethically. â€Å"Medical privacy rules apply to everybody, including celebrities,† Alicia Mitchell, spokesperson for the American Hospital Association said. â€Å"Everybody is entitled to confidentiality of what is often very personal information† (Rhea, 2007). By printing the very private medical information, there was a violation of HIPPA. HIPPA is an act that went into effect in 1996 and it set a national standard for securing and protecting patient health information. Hospitals have strict policies against leaking information, with the exceptions of insurance and law enforcement investigations. Because of this law, many health care providers won’t even admit to treating some patients (Techweb, 2008). While the people who leaked the stories to the press have been reprimanded by either suspension or termination, there wasn’t any type of consequences for the press for reporting this illegal material. That brings me to the ethical violation. â€Å"Depriving people of their privacy is a cruel and immoral act, which could destroy their lives. The sole objective of tabloids is to make money, so they’ll go to any extreme to satisfy their readers and increase circulation figures† (Heng, 2006). It is obvious that celebrity news is an outlet that sells, as seen by the numerous tabloids and entertainment shows. The public has an interest in what is going on in the lives of these rich and glamorous people. This brings on a form of mediated voyeurism, which can be defined as, â€Å"the consumption of revealing images and information about others’ real and unguarded lives, not always for the purpose of entertainment but frequently at the expense of privacy and discourse, through the means of the mass media† (Calvert, 2000). Basically saying that the public has a need to see these famous people and learn about their lives, even at the risk of invading their privacy. The tabloids simply exploit the public’s desire to learn these things, regardless of the ethical issues of invading a human being’s privacy. They know people will buy it and that they will make money. I think that to be an ethical journalist it is important to empathize with the person whose life is about to be splashed on the papers. Of course there is the matter of getting the story and pleasing the readers and the editor, but it should take into account the public’s real right to know. A story about the health of someone like the President of the United States might be something worth printing, because knowing how he is medically is of public interest because this is a man that is running the country. However, that is a different scenario with someone like Britney Spears. She is simply an entertainer and it isn’t important for the public to know her health because it will not affect the daily lives of people. It is simply news that the public likes to learn about. If I were a journalist, I would like to think to myself how I would feel if someone had released my medical records for the public to read. I would feel very violated. As Lance Morrow states, â€Å"Good journalistic standards are not difficult to state, just tough sometimes when applied case by case. Journalists function best when they are mature, experienced, and intelligent; when they keep their work as clear and simple as possible; when they fall back upon decency and common sense if questions arise about whether to run a piece† (Morrow, 2002). If these people were true journalists, they would think ethically about whether or not to release this type of information, and whether or not it is simply the decent thing to do. I would think that it would be an easy answer because, just because someone is famous, doesn’t mean that all of their privacy rights should be violated.

Mineko Iwasakis Geisha, A Life :: Mineko Iwasaki Geisha, A Life

Mineko Iwasaki's Geisha, A Life Geisha is a wonderful book for people who want to learn about Japanese culture and the geisha arts. Iwasaki explains the intricacies and politics of the business while telling of her life as a geisha in post-World War II Japan. Reviewer Alyssa Kolsky writes â€Å"there’s something alluring about a book that details the day-to-day minutes of one of the world’s most fascinating, secretive and oldest professions† (74). Mineko Iwasaki is a strong willed woman who becomes the Number One geisha of Kyoto’s top geisha house, the Iwasaki oikya. Starting her career at age five, Mineko quickly gains notoriety and overcomes the hurdles that come with being a geisha. She retires at age 29 after fourteen years as Japan’s most famous geisha. People experienced with Japanese culture might find the narration too simple and straight-forward, but beginners will gain a wealth of knowledge. As Mineko describes her life in the oikya, she also includes the histories of the Gion Kobu district where she lived, and the women in the oikya, along with the details of the social-political structure between geishas, their clients, and the businesses that support the geisha arts. Some readers might also find Geisha a little dispassionate for their tastes. â€Å"Her lack of reflection and tendency toward mechanical description make the work more of a manual than a memoir,† (56) writes Sarah Gold and Mark Rotella. An anonymous reviewer for Kirkus Reviews describes a number of passages as â€Å"quite a mouthful for the uninitiated† (1198). Despite Iwasaki’s writing style, Geisha is a wonderful book for fans of the geisha arts and women rising above obstacles that stand in their way. Resources â€Å"Geisha, A Life (Book)† Kirkus Reviews.