The United States should intervene in the Syrian Civil War to Essay

The United States should intervene in the Syrian Civil War to overthrow the Assad regime - Essay Example ed out not to be the case because, despite its repressive nature, the Assad government still has a lot of support from the military as well as some of the Syrian population. This is the reason why the United States is duty bound to intervene in this conflict on the side of the rebels and overthrow this regime to end it. It is estimated that more than sixty thousand Syrians have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict and such a high number of deaths is not reasonable. This number of deaths for the sake of a few men holding on to power is unacceptable and the United States, as the defender of democracy, should lead the way in overthrowing them (Friedman). Syria is one of the countries of the Middle East whose stability and strategic position is essential for the maintenance of stability in the region. The conflict that is currently going on in this country is likely to destabilize the region due to the influx of refugees from Syria to its neighbors as well as the spilling over of the conflict to such volatile countries as Lebanon. In order to prevent such an occurrence in a region where it has many interests, it is essential for the United States to intervene this early in the conflict to establish stability. The promotion of democracy has always been one of the reasons why the United States has seen fit to intervene in the affairs of other states. In this case, Syria should not be an exception mainly because its government has for the last fifty years, been among the most repressive in the world. It is only logical for the United States to intervene because this opportunity promotes its democratic ideals to a part of the world that has until recently, experienced little of it (Friedman). Among the most important reasons for the intervention of the United States in Syria is to ensure that a government, which is friendly to the West, is put in place. The Assad regime has proven itself to be against the strategic interests of the United States and its

The global shift against the death penalty Essay

The global shift against the death penalty - Essay Example by saying that the death penalties are not the trade mark of the civilized nations and should be eliminated from the laws as it is an abuse to the human rights. And no crimes will come to end by putting any person’s life to end even after committing any dreadful crime. United States is the one that break human rights itself. Though the government speaks a lot in the favor of saving human kind and ensures their protection in their course of communication with the foreign world yet it reveals concerns regarding violations of human rights in many country e.g Cuba, Iran, Afghanistan China. So its biasness towards this law is not likely to do so in near future. Q3. A number of U.S. states have suspended or abolished in practice the use of the death penalty in recent years due to cases of errors in its application. Should this situation be a factor in determining whether the death penalty should be continued? No, it does not guarantee that U.S will end the death penalty because American states will never be the follower of this abolishing of capital punishment. The suspension of states in following of this rule has a reason behind it as according to them penalty of life taking is now remained with the act of murder (in which the criminal had taken the life of the other one). Because in other crimes e.g rape the victim does not die and so criminal is not hanged till death. Q4. How do you explain the fact that the U.S. is one of the few nations in the world that actively employs the death penalty, and that the other nations are largely those with which the U.S. shares very little in common (i.e., few are U.S. allies or developed countries)? As discussed earlier, the U.S does speak of human rights and constitutional rights, but its acts are the evidence of insult of human rights themselves. The government considers the death penalty as not that much unpleasant and cruel act. Though they have reduce death penalties against the crimes of robbery rape etc to just one

Stay Healthy During Examinations Essay Example for Free

Stay Healthy During Examinations Essay Introduction I. When the final exams, many student will push themselves to study and do not care about their surroundings. II. This means infinite hours of studying, insufficient amounts of sleep, and irregular diet and exercise. The end result problems are occurs, high sickness rates amongst college students. III. Staying illness-free during the final exam season is not easy feat, but is vital in order to maximize performance. IV. Today I will to introduce you to three ways how to keep healthy during exam Comfortable place, time and body, have a healthy eat, and have enough sleep and rest. (Transition: Let’s start by looking at comfortable place, time and body.) Body I. A comfortable place, time and body can help you to focus and can avoid stress when you are studying. A. Make a study time table and follow it. Â  i. Set aside time for friends, family and other activities but you must have your own time table. ii. You must know what you must to do during your weekdays and weekends. Make sure not wasting your time. B. Besides that, have a study space will help you a lot. i. Find somewhere that you are able to go and do your assignment and study in peace and quiet. ii. Find somewhere space you will comfortable with it, because some students have their own ways. C. Take your own break and not push yourself. i. It possible if you are can study without taking some break to release your tension and relaxed your mind. ii. The reason for that is to give your mind a rest and peace. (Transition: Like comfortable place, time and body, keep healthy eat are also the way to stay healthy during examination.) II. Besides that, you must keep your healthy diet during examinations. You must take some food even though you are do not have enough time. A. Find and eat healthy food. i. Find something that can help your brain more active and developed your good memories. ii. Take time away from study to eat, and put your healthy first. B. Be active and do not pressure your brain. i. Go out and do something active, such as go walk, jog or a run. It is can make your brain more active and release your tension. ii. If your mental are healthy, it will lead your mind in peace. (Transition: Now that we have looked at comfortable place, time and body and keep healthy eat, let’s turn to have enough sleep and rest. III. Make sure that you get an enough sleep time and rest during in examinations week. A. Sleep time is more important because it will help your body and brain rest. i. Nowadays, many students do not care about their sleep time. Almost all students like to stay up during a night. ii. Without sleep you will be tired, irritable and cranky. B. Cut down the caffeine. i. It means that, many students like to take caffeine to prevent them from sleepy and want to stay up during a night. ii. It also disrupts your sleep patterns. Conclusion I. As we have seen, health is more important to us and we must keep our healthy with a true ways. II. I have focused on comfortable place, time and body, have a healthy diet and have an enough sleep and rest. III. Make sure that, you as a student have be healthy during your exam. You just wasted your time if you not keep your body health. Bibliography Linda Formichelli (2012). Expert strategies for staying healthy at college. Retrieved January 26, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/expert-strategies-staying-healthy-at-college Tasha Giuda (2011, December 14). Top tips to stay healthy during exam season. Retrieved January 26, 2013, from http://www.foxnews.com/fncu/current-interns/blog/2011/12/14/top-tips-stay-healthy-during-exam-season Siobhan (2012, October 25). Staying healthy during exams. Retrieved January 26, 2013, from http://siobhanb.blogspot.com/2012/09/staying-health-during-exams.html

Enzymes Catalysts In Biochemical Reactions Biology Essay

Enzymes Catalysts In Biochemical Reactions Biology Essay Introduction Enzymes are resourceful catalysts for biochemical reactions, like all catalysts enzymes tend to speed up reactions. Enzymes use alternative reaction pathway of lower activation energy. They take part in the reaction, and as a result their able to provide alternate pathways. Throughout the reaction enzymes remain unchanged because they cannot experience any permanent changes. Enzymes only have the ability to change the rate of the overall reaction; they cant affect the reactions position of the equilibrium (Rsc). In most cases a chemical catalyst will catalyze any sort of reaction, enzymes differ in this sort. Enzymes tend to be specific, and this is due to the shape of enzymes molecules (Rsc). Enzymes are made up of several proteins in a tertiary structure; these proteins tend to be globular. Many enzymes consist of a protein and a non-protein, called a cofactors and coenzymes. Cofactors are inorganic molecules that bind to enzymes to help them function examples maybe be zinc/magnesium ions (Zn2+, Mn2+), and coenzymes are organic molecules that bind to enzymes to help them function. An example of one of the most important coenzymes is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), this substrate acts as an electron carrier in cellular respiration (Nelson Biology 12). Enzymes consist of active sites, which are parts of the enzyme molecule that have the ideal shape and functional groups to bind to one of the reacting molecules. The reacting molecule that binds to the enzyme is called the substrate. An enzyme-catalyzed reaction takes a different direction than a reaction without catalyst. When the substrate binds to the enzyme a reaction intermediate is produced. This intermediate has lower activation energy than the reaction without the enzyme catalyst (Rsc). There are two kinds of enzyme reactions, catabolic and anabolic. In a catabolic reaction the interactions between the substrate and enzyme causes stress and distorts the bonds in the substrate, allowing bonds to break. In an anabolic reaction the enzyme allows two substrates to have proper orientation to allow bonds to form between them. As a result the activation energy is lowered in both the catabolic and anabolic reaction (Nelson Biology 12). Catalase is a common enzyme found in most plant and animal cells that functions as an oxidative catalyst, it decomposes hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. Its structure is made of 4 main polypeptide chains, which can each be over 500 amino acids long. Catalase optimum temperature can vary depending on the species; similarly the optimum pH also varies from approximately 4-11. In humans however the optimum pH for catalase tends to be neutral. One molecule of Catalase can break down 40 million molecules of hydrogen peroxide each second (Catalase). The overall reaction is: 2 H2O2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2 H2O + O2 Many factors such as temperature, pH, inhibition of enzyme activity, substrate and enzyme concentrations can influence the affect the enzyme has on the reaction. As the temperature rises, reacting molecules gain more kinetic energy, as a result the chances of a successful collision increase and thus the rate increases. There is a specific temperature when an enzymes catalytic activity is at its maximum. This optimal temperature is usually around human body temperature (37.5 oC) for the enzymes in human cells (Figure 1). When the temperature increases past the optimal temperature the enzyme becomes agitated, it begins to denature and ultimately lose its overall affect on the reaction (Nelson Biology 12). This occurs because the increase in temperature achieves higher kinetic energy and as a result the intra- and intermolecular bonds are broken in the enzyme molecule (Rsc). Each enzyme works within a fairly small range of pH levels. Similar to temperature there is a pH at which its activity is at its maximum, the optimal pH (Figure 2). This is because changes in pH can create and break intra- and intermolecular bonds, changing the shape of the enzyme and ultimately the rate at which it will react. The rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction depends on the concentrations of enzyme and substrate. As the concentration of either is increased the rate of reaction increases (Figure 3). When substrate concentrations are increased the overall reactions proceeds to increase up to a certain point, at this point the active sites have become saturated by the substrate and there are no further significant changes in the rate of reaction (Figure 4) (Rsc). Some substances reduce or even stop the activity of enzymes in biochemical reactions. They do this by blocking or distorting active sites of enzymes. These substances are referred to as inhibitors. Inhibitors that occupy the active site and prevent a substrate molecule from binding to the enzyme are said to be competitive, as they compete with the substrate for the active site. Inhibitors that attach to other parts of the enzyme molecule, perhaps distorting its shape, are said to be non competitive (Nelson Biology 12). Figure 1: Table 1Analysis Amount of H2O2 (mL) Amount of Distilled Water (mL) Amount of pH Buffer (mL) pH Level Vertical Distance Travelled by Filter Paper Towards Meniscus Time taken by filter paper disc to move to meniscus (s) Upward velocity of Filter Paper Disc (cm/s) 10 mL 5 mL 7 (Control) 8.15 6.6 1.23 10 mL 5 mL 4 8.15 7.05 1.16 10 mL 5 mL 9 8.1 10.4 0.78 10 mL 5 mL 12 7.85 8.14 0.96 Figure 2: Graph 1 Test Tube Temperature ( °C) Distance (cm) Time (s) Rate of Reaction (cm/s) A 10.0 8.00 5.85 1.38 B 21.0 8.00 4.83 1.66 C 35.0 8.00 2.99 2.68 D 50.0 8.00 4.21 1.90 E 80.0 8.00 5.52 1.45 Figure 3: Table 2As the pH increased from 2-7 so did the velocity of the reaction (refer to figure 1: table 1). The reaction had an optimal pH of 7, and as the pH increased after the velocity of the reaction rapidly decreased. Notice the velocity for pH 12 is higher then the velocity of pH 9 (refer to figure 2: graph 1). Figure 4: Graph 2 As the temperature increased from 10oC-30oC so did the rate of the reaction (refer to figure 3: table 2). The reaction had an optimal temperature of 35oC, and as the temperature increased after the rate of the reaction began to rapidly decrease (refer to figure 4: graph 2). Enzyme concentration Distance (cm) Time (s) Rate of Change (cm/s) Other observations 100 % concentration 8 cm 3.02 s 2.65 cm/s bubbles appeared 80 % concentration 8 cm 5.06 s 1.58 cm/s fewer bubbles than previous composition 60 % concentration 8 cm 6.28 s 1.27 cm/s fewer bubbles than previous composition 40% concentration 8 cm 7.5 s 1.07 cm/s fewer bubbles than previous composition Figure 5: Table 320% concentration 8 cm 19.65 s 0.41 cm/s no bubbles appeared Figure 6: Graph 3 Figure 7: Table 4 Figure 6: Graph 3Increasing the concentration of the enzyme catalase (potato juice) rapidly increased enzyme activity (refer to figure 6: graph 3). Concentration of H202 of Distilled Water Trial Time of catalase to travel from the bottom of the test tube to the top (s) Distance of bottom of test tube to substrate(cm) Rate of change of the catalyzed reaction (cm/s) 15 mL of H202 3% 1 5.89 8.0 1.36 2 6.86 8.0 1.17 Total 6.38 8.0 1.27 13 mL of H202 2.6% 1 8.13 8.0 0.98 2 7.11 8.0 1.13 Total 7.62 8.0 1.01 10 mL of H202 2% 1 8.65 8.0 0.87 2 12.8 8.0 0.63 Total 10.73 8.0 0.75 7.5 mL of H202 1.5% 1 9.43 8.0 0.84 2 12.53 8.0 0.64 Total 10.98 8.0 0.74 5 mL of H202 1% 1 10.37 8.0 0.77 2 12.88 8.0 0.62 Total 12.63 8.0 0.70 Figure 9: Table 5 Figure 8: Graph 4Increasing concentrations of the substrate slowly increased from 1% to 2% (refer to figure 8: table 4), then as substrate concentrations increased more the rate of change became more rapid (refer to figure 9: graph 4). Experiment Number Amount of Inhibitor (copper (II) sulphate) (drops) Time taken by enzyme disc to float to top of test tube (s) Distance travelled by enzyme disc to top of test tube(cm) Rate of Change of Enzyme Activity(cm/s) 1 0 4.13 8.0 1.94 2 1 4.68 8.0 1.71 3 5 5.57 8.0 1.44 4 10 6.66 8.0 1.20 5 15 8.57 8.0 0.93 Figure 10: Graph 5 As the amount of copper (II) sulphate increases the overall reactions begins to slow down, and the rate of reaction decreases (refer to figure 10: graph 5). Evaluation Part One: Affects of pH Enzymes are very sensitive to changes in pH, and significant changes in pH can affect enzymes in numerous ways. The effects of pH on enzyme activity are due to changes in the ionic state of the amino acid deposits of the enzyme and the substrate molecules. These variations in charge will affect the binding of the enzyme and as a result, enzyme activity will increase or decrease. Over a tapered pH range these effects will be reversible however high acid levels often cause permanent denaturation of the enzyme (Users.rcn). Before conducting this experiment one can anticipate that pH levels too high or too low would cause the enzyme to denature and thus it would no longer have an affect on the overall reaction. In this experiment 5 pH levels were used 2, 4, 7(control), 9, and 12. When the buffer solution affected the pH levels of the H2O2 from 2 to 4 there was a slight increase in enzyme activity (from 0.47 m/s to 1.16 m/s). There was one control test tube contain ing H2O2 with a neutral pH of 7. This test tube conducted the highest velocity of 1.23 m/s. As a result the optimal pH for the H2O2 was at a neutral pH of 7. When the pH level of the H2O2 increased to 9 the velocity seemed to decrease, which illustrated the loss of the effect of the enzyme. However this trend did not seem to remain consistent because when the pH level was increased to 12 the velocity of the enzyme also increased. As a result, it can be stated that enzymes work best in the region of neutral pH levels, and when pH levels become too high or to low enzyme activity decreases thus the hypothesis proved to be partly correct. Part Two: Affects of Temperature The temperature of the H2O2 can severely affect the overall outcome of a reaction. Like most chemical reactions, enzyme-catalyzed reactions also increase in speed with an increase in temperature. As the temperature of the enzyme increases past a critical point thermal agitation begins to disrupt the protein structure resulting in the denaturation and loss of enzyme function (Nelson Biology 12). The hypothesis for this experiment was similar to that of pH, temperatures too high or too low would cause denaturation of the enzyme and thus it would no longer have an affect on the overall reaction. In this experiment 5 different temperatures were used 10oC, 21oC, 35oC (control), 50oC, and 80oC. When the temperature was decreased to 10oC the rate of the reaction was at it lowest of 1.38 m/s. At 21oC the rate slightly increased to 1.66 m/s. Thus there is a trend of lower temperatures causing the enzyme to lose its overall affect. There was one control test tu be containing H2O2 that was at room temperature which was 35oC. This test tube conducted the highest rate of reactions of 2.68 m/s. As a result the control test tube achieved the optimal temperature. When the temperature of the H2O2 began to increase from 50oC to 80oC there was a trend of the enzyme losing its affect, and having an overall lower rate of reaction. As the temperature increased before the optimal temperature the rate of the reaction increased, and when the temperature continued to increase past the optimal point there was a rapid decrease in the rate of the reaction thus it is evident the hypothesis was correct. Part Three: Affects of Changes in Concentrations The rates of enzyme-catalyzed reactions severely depend on the concentrations of enzymes and substrates. If one person is pushing a car it likely that car will take longer to get to and end point, however if 10 people are pushing that same car it will obviously get to the end point a lot quicker. It is the same with enzyme and substrate concentrations, the higher the concentrations the faster the reaction works. As the enzyme concentration increases so does the number of enzyme molecules, thus more substrate molecules can be acted upon at the same time which means they breakdown a lot faster. As the substrate concentrations increase, the reaction also proceeds to increase however with high levels of substrate concentrations the active sites become saturated and the enzyme no longer has an effect of the reaction (Worthington-biochem). The hypothesis for this experiment was simple, as enzyme and substrate concentrations increase so will the speed of the reactions. When changing the substrate concentrations, the five H2O2 concentrations where 3% (control), 2.6%, 2%, 1.5%, and 1%. The main trend in this experiment was the higher the concentration of the substrate the higher the rate of change. There was a significant and rapid increase in the rate of change from concentrations of 2% to 3%. When changing the enzyme concentrations, the five potato juice concentrations where 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. Changing the concentration of the enzyme had a similar affect to when the substrate concentrations were changed. The more concentrated the enzyme was the higher the rate of the reaction. The rate of the reaction rapidly increased from 20% to 40%, however it became a bit constant from 40% to 80%, and from about 80% to 100% it began to promptly increase again. As a result, it is evident the hypothesis was correct as the concentrations increased so did the reactions. Part Four: Effect of the Inhibitors Inhibitors are used to block active sites of enzymes. They are substances used to slow down, or in some cases stop catalysis. Inhibitors either compete with a substance for the enzymes active site (competitive), or they bind to another site on the enzyme changing its shape (non-competitive) (Nelson Biology 12). Before conducting this experiment one can anticipate the more amount of inhibitor present the slower the reactions will proceed. In this experiment copper (II) sulphate was used as the inhibitor. In the five trials 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 drops of the copper (II) sulphate were used. The obvious trend was the more inhibitor the lower the rate of reaction. Thus, the hypothesis was correct. Sources of Error Error #1: Consistency of Filter Paper When conducting each individual experiment for many groups it seemed the most difficult task was getting the filter paper to arrive at the bottom of the test tube. When the filter paper was placed in the test tube it would go about half way down the test tube, however because the reaction catalyzed quickly the filter paper would begin to rise and travel back up to the top of the hydrogen peroxide liquid. As a result you would have to perform the experiment again, with a new catalyzed filter paper. This became a source of error because it made it difficult to collect consistent data. For every test tube, and trial the filter paper did not reach the bottom of the test tube at the exact same time. In some cases it would reach the bottom without difficulty, and in other situations it became a constant struggle to push it down the test tube. During certain trials the experiment had to be performed again and the hydrogen peroxide had already lost its affect from the previous catalyzed reac tion. As a result, it is evident that the consistency and rate at which the filter paper travelled down the test tube is a significant source of error. To improve this source of error, heavier and more durable filter paper should be used. One can purchase wet strength filter paper which will make its way down the test tube on its own without any human force. Error # 2: Accuracy of Inhibitor During this experiment it became difficult to get exactly 15 mL of hydrogen peroxide after the inhibitor has been added. Copper (II) Sulphate is a severely small solvent so when added to the hydrogen peroxide one cannot control the amount of liquid present. This occurs because before adding the copper (II) sulphate it is uncertain how much hydrogen peroxide needs to be reduced in order to have exactly 15 mL. This creates a source of error because now the data collected is inconsistent because of the different volumes of hydrogen peroxide. To prevent this source of error one can use a different inhibitor that will dissolve in the hydrogen peroxide and not change its volume. Error # 3: Catalase in Potatoes During the experiment potato juice was constantly being pumped and used as the enzyme to catalyze the reactions. However it was not considered that each potato is harvested in a different way and one potato may have several nutrients, while the other may be completely dead. This results in the difference of concentrations of catalase that was taken from each specific potato. Once again this source of error causes a inconsistency in the collection of data because one cannot be certain they used the same potato, that pumped a constant concentration of catalase throughout the whole experiment. For the purpose of this experiment if only one potato was ground and made into potato juice then catalase concentrations would be consistent and it would eliminate this source of error. Next Steps A similar experiment that could be performed is Saturation Points of Substrate Concentrations. In the current lab saturation was not tested when changing around substrate concentrations. One can test the amount of substrate it would take to saturate the active site on the enzyme, and proceed to evaluate how much more of the enzyme concentration is needed to unsaturate and dissociate the substrates from the active site of the enzyme. Another experiment that could be performed is Affects on Various Enzymes. Instead of just observing the affects of change of pH, temperature, concentrations, and inhibitors on Catalase it can be tested on other enzymes. For example Cellulase, Lactase, and Pepsin.

The Nature and Variety of Late Classical and Early Hellenistic Greek St

13. Megalopolitans: The people from Megalopolis in Arcadia in the western Peloponnese. It was in the Achaean League during the time being described. It would have been considered a Polis and as such would not have been seen as just a single entity or brain, rather [The Greeks] ‘saw the relationship between the individual and the state as organic’ (Green, 1993). The nature and variety of late classical and early Hellenistic Greek states were unique. Not one appeared to be the same as any other. One system favoured democracy (Athens), another may favour a diarchy (Sparta) and others may be led by a tyrant. However A polis at this time did not just have to be a big city. A small village on a mountainside could be considered as a polis because it was led by a body of citizens. Poleis arguably started to decline during the Hellenistic period when they relied more and more on benefactors who would contribute wealth to a city in exchange for political power. A polis in Ancient Greek times would have meant more than just a city, rather it would be a territory, and a state; which is why a polis can be described as a city-state. Aetolians: The Aetolians are from the area of Aetolia which is a mountainous region north of Corinth in central Greece. It was the base of the Aetolian League which was created to rival Macedonia and the Achaean League. By the 340’s it was the leading power in Greece in which Green explains: ‘The Aetolians now controlled most of central Greece’ (Green, 2007). Polybios is heavily anti-Aetolian in his writing, perhaps because Polybios himself was from Megalopolis which was part of the Achaean League, or that he based most of his work for this time (220’s) on Aratus of Sicyon’s memoirs. His father was also a leading... ...Works Cited Green, P. 2007. The Hellenistic Age. New York. Hansen, M. H. 2006. Polis: An Introduction to the Greek City-State. Oxford. Hansen, M. H. 1998. Polis and City-state: An Ancient Concept and its Modern Equivalent. Copenhagen: Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab/Munksgaard. Larsen, J. A. O. 1968. Greek Federal States: Their Institutions and History. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Paton, W. R. ed. 1922-7. Polybius, Histories. (Loeb Classical Library, 128, 137-8, and 159-61.) Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Shipley, G. 2000. The Greek World after Alexander: 323-30 BC. London-New York: Routledge. Fine, J. V. A. ‘The Background of the Social War of 220-217B.C’. The American Jounal of Philology, Vol 61, No 2. (1940) pp. 129-165. Samuel, A. E. The Ptolemies and the Ideology of Kingship, in Hellenistic History and Culture, Ed. Green, P. 1993.

Saint Philip Neri :: essays research papers fc

Saint Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in the year 1515. He was the oldest son of Francis Neri and Lucretia Soldi, both descendants of Tuscan families. He was kind hearted as a kid and soon became known as Philip the Good - "the good Pippo." As a child, he studied philosophy and later he took a comprehensive course in theology. With fourteen companions, he created the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity for looking after pilgrims and convalescents. The members met for Communion, prayer and other spiritual exercises in the Church of San Salvatore, and Philip himself introduced the idea of having exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at least once a month. At these devotions, Philip preached, even though he had not yet become a priest. In 1550, he transferred this Confraternity to the Church of the Holy Trinity, and built a new hospital. His work continued and in 1551, he was ordained a priest at the age of thirty-six. As a newly ordained priest, Philip continued his spiritual conferences to ever-increasing numbers, who came seeking his guidance and help. In a short time, several priests and young clergymen associated themselves with him. They began to aid him with his conferences and in reading prayers and meditations to the people of the Church of the Holy Trinity. This small group soon became known as an Oratory, because at certain hours each day, they would gather the people together for prayer and meditation. Therefore they laid the foundation of a new religious society. In 1564, when Philip had formed his congregation into a regular community, he had several of his young clergy men ordained to the priesthood. Saint Philip lived to be eighty years of age. In the year 1595, he was struck by an unusual violent fever and was confined to his bed for the entire month of April. Cardinal Caesar Baronius game him Extreme Unction and Cardinal Frederick Borromeo, an intimate friend, brought him Holy Viaticum. His entire congregation accompanied him on his deathbed. It was shortly after midnight on May 26th, 1595 that he passed away. Saint Philip was noted also for his kindness and simplicity and was much sought after as a confessor. His sense of humor was note worthy. He was beautified by Pope Paul V in 1615 and was canonized a saint by Pope Gregory XV in the year 1622. After Philip's death it was discovered that two of his ribs were broken and had formed an arch, enlarging the normal space for the heart. His body rests in the Chiesa Nuova where it remains miraculously incorrupt.

Revolutionary road Essay

Revolutionary Road was a profound movie. This film portrays the malaise that had lied behind the American Dream during the mid-1950s. During that era, the image of the nuclear family living in suburbia where the man is the bread-winner and the woman as the domesticated housewife was considered as the dominant idea constructed by a patriarchal society. This film tracks the unraveling of April and Frank Wheeler, a couple who had unwantedly settled with two children living in suburbia unable to get themselves out of the empty and meaningless life they have. April had thought she and Frank were different than everyone else around them that had fallen victim to conformity. She thought they were deserving of a more exciting life and so convinces Frank to move to Paris rather than being stuck as a chance to escape from being a lonely unfulfilling housewife. But as soon as April realizes she is pregnant for the third time, plans to move Paris had to be abandoned which then really sends April over the edge. Both Frank and April are individuals in their own right, the suffering and inflicting suffering eventually leads to a tragic end to April’s life through a self-induced abortion. As well gender stereotypes, gender discrimination, androcentrism are well indicated within this film and era which will be further discussed. This film expresses the suffering of how many domesticated women had felt in the era of the 1950s. It reveals the sickness of a culture that tends to shut down a woman’s feelings in the self-serving illusion that a nice home with a yard, committed stay at home mom and a bread-winning husband were the answer for a happy and fulfilling life. Evidence of female discrimination were depicted when April is shown to take out the garbage and realizes all the trash is perfectly lined up along with one and another along the streets and during the scene where Frank is shown to be standing in the train having a breath of fresh air while having a cigarette (Orawan, 2010). These two scenes basically show the difference in the amount of freedom and choices that a man and woman had, where married women are shown to be confined to their home with their household and childrearing duties, meanwhile the man gets the freedom and choice of going about whatever they like outside their home (Orawan, 2010.). In another scene showcasing the gender discrimination that was placed on women was the topic on abortion. Besides being a high-risk mortality procedure, it was also illegal during the 50s as a way  to prevent women’s autonomy and restrict them to their traditional child-bearing role (Gordon, 1990). As such this was portrayed when April attempts to take abortion into her own hands as a desperate attempt to get her life back in hopes to take control of her life and so to be free to pursue to her dreams (Orawan, 2010). April had no rights over the choice to reproduce due to the standards set by society which had led to her taking the abortion into her own hands (Tas, 2010). It is evident that society at the time had preceded the belief about women’s duty to be subservient to their man and become a baby producing machines plus the ambivalence felt towards women that had led to discrimination of women (Matlin, 2012, p. 39) The movie clearly presents androcentrism in one particular scene for me, when Frank makes his way to work and all the people around him were men with very few that were women. This just shows the freedom and normalcy of men being able to work and be able to be out during the day. The very few women depicted to be working or on the city streets are only women that were unmarried. To me, this showed that women still had their individual identity until they became married where the women adopts the identity of her husband to become his supportive and obedient wife. Another issue is that even though unmarried women were able to obtain work, but because women were also considered as second class human due to androcentrism they were limited in options as well. Unmarried women were discriminated from higher employment positions with the choices of only low-levels jobs such as administrative or secretarial jobs (Tas, 2014). As it is suggested by Matlin (2012), there are negative attitudes to wards women’s competence especially from men of traditional views; as such women during the 50s were seen only capable of dull, mind-numbing jobs. Gender stereotypes were particularly evident when the Wheelers had told their friends, Miley and Shep Campbells, that they were moving to Paris and that April would take on the bread-winning role making Frank a dependent. In reaction to the news, Shep had thought their plan was immature imposing the stereotypical idea again that married women should not be working and that the man should be the one bringing home the money to support the family; this was the norm. This is clearly evidence of benevolent sexism as it shows  the assumption that women should not be held with so much work responsibility and should be taken care of by the man (Matlin, 2012, p. 58). When Shep asked Miley to confirm his opinion about the Wheeler’s being immature, she hesitantly agreed and begins to cries. This scene was of huge significance as this reveals the suffering that Miley feels as a housewife and by her husband’s comment she realizes that her life is hopeless in that she will remain i n her current position for the rest of her life. I can see that Miley is just a bit jealous of the Wheelers for making the move to Paris, she desperately wants out but is afraid to tell Shep what she feels inside. The consequences of internalizing gender stereotypes are represented in the same scene where Miley does not reveal her real thoughts and so allows her husband to further oppress her. Miley is influenced by the gender stereotypes that is presented in society and assumes the role of a subservient housewife. Miley did not say anything to act or rebel against her husband as she is afraid to appear to be a disobedient wife and accepts her husband’s comments about the Wheelers, revealing the fact that she has given up on her own principle. Additionally, Miley cries to let out her emotional frustration in that she then realizes the hopeless and empty life that she holds and inability to express her feeling shows her acceptance of her role in life; this in some way I feel is abusive to oneself psychologically and physically. Revolutionary Road is definitely a blast from the past taking on a Feminist approach to revealing all the negative effects of women living in suburbia during the 1950s. Due to androcentrism being the main idea of society, many negative attitudes and beliefs about women were expressed in this revealing the gender stereotypes and discriminations that were experienced. The character April Wheeler had revealed the sufferings of living a life with no choices bounded by her house, husband and children. With the women’s movement of the 1970s much of the negative attitudes and discrimination towards women have decreased in North America (Silverstein, 2008). However, I believe the idea of the nuclear family, the American Dream is still seen as for many, such as my family, is still the ideal way of life. References Gordan, L. (1990). Woman’s Body. Woman’s Right. Retrieved from http://www.feminist.com/resources/ourbodies/abortion.html Matlin, M. W. (2012). The Psychology of Women. (7th Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cencage Learning. Orawan, C. (2010, March 9). Revolutionary Road: Feminist Liberation in Post-War Suburban Prison. Retrieved from http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/print.php?id=8050 Silverstein, M. (2008, December 26). Feminism & Revolutionary Road. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-silverstein/feminism-revolutionary- ro_b_153604.html Tas. (2010, April 14). Was ‘Revolutionary Road’ about Feminism? Retrieved from http://metrac.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/was-revolutionary-road-about-feminism/