Print vs. Preaching in the Spread of Protestant Ideas Essay -- Religio

When considering the spread of Protestantism, it is essential to look at the role of printing and preaching. First, looking at printing, there is definitely a correlation between the rise of print and Protestantism, however print was only a substantial industry in countries like Germany, France and Italy, and even there, printed materials were only accessible to a literate minority. Second, the role of preaching must be considered, in spite of accusations by historians such as Susan Karant-Nunn, that it didn’t have a clear message and developed incoherently, this essay will argue that preaching via sermons and focusing on scripture was still as effective as pre-reformation sermons, as Luther and Calvin were very good orators. In addition, preaching was not just confined to the pulpit, oral communication among the general public, and the memorisation and recitation of catechism (the summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for r eligious instruction ) also helped to spread the Protestant ideas. A key factor when looking at the spread of Protestantism is the use of printing during this period. Luther, shortly after his Ninety-Five Theses (1517), during the 1520s, used pamphlets to spread his message and ideas around . It is clear by using the printing press Protestant ideas could be spread to a wider group of people from within Germany, to the rest of Europe and this â€Å"created a new reading public, who seized eagerly on the reformers’ ideas to form a large-scale ‘public opinion’† .There were also further implications as Andrew Pettegree and Matthew Hall point out â€Å"[the printed book] was absolutely paramount in first creating public interest in the controversies surrounding Luther, the... ...6) pp. 19-20. Pettegree and Hall p.801. Ibid 804. Pettegree p.11. Scribner and Dixon pp. 19-20. Ibid p.18. Pettegree p.17 and p.23. Ibid p.19. Ibid p.20. Pettegree and Hall p.796. Gerald Strauss., 'Lutheranism and literacy: a reassessment' in Religion and society in early modern Europe 1500-1800, ed. By K. Von Greyerz (London: German Historical Institute, 1984), 109-123 (p.115). Ibid pp.10-11. Ibid p.10 Ibid p.117. Ibid p.114 Pettegree p.18. Ibid p.19. Martin Luther, 'On the Babylonish Captivity of the Church', (1520), in Culture and belief in Europe, 1450-1600 : an anthology of sources eds. by David Englander, et al. (Oxford, UK ; Cambridge, Mass., USA: Blackwell in association with the Open University, 1990) pp. 177-180 (p.180). Scribner and Dixon p.20. Pettegree, p.24. Ibid p.23. Ibid p.23-24.

“All the Single Ladies” by Kate Bolick (Rhetorical)

In the 2011, November issue of The Atlantic, the cover article titled â€Å"All The Single Ladies† by Kate Bolick, was published. This powerful article presents a strong, independent, feminist-minded woman, who discusses marriage with the economic and demographic changes, the role of women and men in education and the workplace, and how these shifts are changing traditional marriage. Bolick uses ethos, pathos, and logos to reach out to the â€Å"Single Ladies†, the feminists, and the enlightened men about marriage in today’s quickly changing world.In recent years, there has been an explosion of male joblessness and a decline in male income, educational attainment, and employment prospects. However, in this brave new world women are rising to the top higher than ever in their education and careers. The world is consistently changing. In one-way which differs from the past is the variety of our interactions with the opposite sex. Now the opposite sex can be our cla ssmates, bosses, or subordinates.Then come the debates that are all these statistics decreasing the group of traditionally â€Å"marriageable† men. Bolick explores how this new gender balance is giving people a fresh new outlook and prospect to re-think how they look at the institution of marriage. She explains how this shift is causing some women to choose to delay marriage, and why remaining single is not such a bad idea. Bolick demonstrates intrinsic ethos by being exceptionally knowledgeable about women’s success and the alterations of customary marriage.The single 39-year-old feminist, with a New York University master's degree in cultural criticism is a recipient of a MacDowell fellowship. She has also taught writing, which shows Bolick’s extraordinary literary credentials. With a blend of personal reflection and reporting, she equally adds together reflecting on her own life and experiences as well as interviewing others about their lives and encounters. Bolick shares many of her own personal dating experiences. She chooses to write about these ideas for the reason that it is her life and the way she was raised.Bolick relies heavily on the strong influences and encouragement from her mother as seen throughout the article, â€Å"[Not being ready to settle down] is a second-wave feminist idea I'd acquired from my mother, who had embraced it, in part, I suspect, to correct for her own choices† (Bolick 118). Her mother learned from her own mistakes, and wanted nothing more but a future of limitless possibilities for her daughter. This is why there was so much stress on not being tied down just yet.Due to Katie Bolick’s upbringing and choice to be a single woman, has strengthened her argument and credentials and makes her a credible voice in the debate about marriage. Bolick begins her essay in an interesting and heartfelt way, where she uses pathos while reaching out to her reader’s hearts and capturing the reader's interest. She specifically describes her break up with the perfect and exceptional boyfriend of three years for no good reason. Heartbreak is more than just an emotional defeat; it is painfully real. Readers connect and start to feel sorry for her when we read, â€Å"The period that followed was awful.I barely ate for sobbing all the time† (Bolick 116). This detached tone in her writing significantly shows and suggest Bolick’s attitude and feelings towards her painful past. Her readers can feel that this tone expresses tender emotions. Most members of her audience have likely been there before, recognizing the feeling of heartbreak she describes. However, at one point or another, the majority of people can relate to a mind numbing feeling: fears of being alone, fears of making a mistake. Bolick uses her emotional break up to engage the audience's emotions as they imagine and relate to the feeling.Bolick enforces a logical appeal as she demonstrates being a strong user of data and statistics. She supports all her informative ideas and arguments with evidence, that provides for her claims. As seen throughout the article are facts to back up her initial idea, such as: â€Å"For starters, we keep putting marriage off. In 1960, the median age of first marriage in the U. S. was 23 for men and 20 for women; today it is 28 and 26† (Bolick 120). She uses several statistics to show the growing number of marriages being delayed nowadays.She also successfully compares statistics of men’s and women’s education and workplace accounts. She has clearly done a great deal of research and it is shown here as well as in all of her statistics. These statistics not only add surprise and interest to her writing, but also add logical appeal. With Bolick’s efficient use of the data and facts, the article backs itself with rationale and logic which leads the audience to a greater understanding and to logically infer and agree with her agreemen t of why the shift in marriages is currently on hold.These statistics displayed by the author are logically appealing and unmistakably apparent in her perspective and studies. Throughout the article, Bolick successfully and skillfully uses ethos, pathos, and logos to create a strong, convincing article. More important than the purpose of these techniques she uses independently is how Bolick uses them together, overlapping to create effective writing to inform the reader, and present her ideas on how the world around us is changing therefore, altering the idea of family and romance.In today’s world, education, the workplace, and marriage is very different from what it use to be. It is time to reevaluate marriage. As the economy evolves, we are now offered an opportunity. It is time to embrace new ideas and thoughts about romance relationships and family, acknowledging and kissing traditional marriages goodbye. Works Cited Bolick, Kate. â€Å"All The Single Ladies. † Atl antic Monthly (10727825) 308. 4 (2011): 116-136. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.

Sewing for Millionaires

Sewing for Millionaires A two-hour drive from the capital of San Jose, Costa Rica, sits the small community of Turrialba where mostly young workers sit and sew baseballs destined for Major League Baseball teams. Rawlings Sporting Goods Company moved its baseball manufacturing operations from Haiti in 1986 when the political landscape of the country began to change. Rawlings selected the town of Turrialba due to the incentives offered to the company by the Costa Rican government. Rawlings was awarded a free-trade zone in which the company would be allowed to operate duty-free in the country.Rawlings pays no import tariffs on the goods it imports to manufacture its baseballs, and the finished product can be shipped duty-free into the United States under the Caribbean Basin Initiative. The Turrialba region was hard hit economically in the 1980s when a major highway from the capital bypassed the town. Because travelers no longer stopped in Turrialba, the Costa Rican government wanted to develop the local area through foreign investment. Rawlings found the potential workforce better educated, and more disciplined than its workers in Haiti. The country was also well known for being very politically stable.With few employment opportunities in the area, Rawlings had no difficulty in securing dedicated and motivated employees. Although Costa Rica is the wealthiest country in Central America, per capita income is still only about $4,200 a year. Costa Rica has a national unemployment rate of 6. 7 percent. However, the rate can vary from region to region. With the completion of the new highway and declining employment opportunities in the coffee and sugarcane industries, many local residents of Turrialba were eager to find stable employment. Most Rawlings employees in Costa Rica are engaged in sewing operations.In the plant, 300 employees sit in rows of high back chairs and sew baseballs. Many employees break the boredom of the work by listening to music on their headphone s. The plant employs a total of 575 workers. At one time Rawlings employed approximately 1,900 workers at the Costa Rican plant, however, employment fell when the company shifted production of its lower quality baseballs to China. The Rawlings plant takes a baseball core and wraps it in yarn. The product is then covered with cowhide and sewn by hand. Baseballs must be sewn by hand in order to achieve the quality level demanded by the Major Leagues.Each worker sews 108 perfect stitches using a long needle and thread. The balls are then inspected, cleaned, and stamped with the MLB logo and the signature of the commissioner of baseball. The balls are then packed and shipped to the port city of Limon where they are loaded onto a ship bound for Port Everglades, Florida. The baseballs are then trucked to Rawlings’ Springfield, Missouri facility, and then to Major League teams or retail stores. Rawlings has been the exclusive supplier of baseballs to the Major Leagues since 1977. Th e Costa Rican facility produces approximately 2. million baseballs a year, with 1. 8 million of those going to Major League Baseball. The remaining balls are sold to minor league and college baseball teams, or sold to the public through retail stores or the Websites of MLB and Rawlings. Although Rawlings refuses to disclose the price of the baseballs paid by MLB, the baseballs retail on the company’s Website for $12. 99 per unit. Employees are paid $1. 21 per hour and receive the value of 67 cents an hour in benefits, or about 30 cents per ball produced. Workers can go home early in the week if they complete their production quotas.Rawlings workers earn about 14 percent above the Costa Rican minimum wage. In addition to their wages, Rawlings employees in Costa Rica must be paid for eleven holidays, receive two weeks of paid vacation a year, and receive a Christmas bonus equal to one month’s pay. The Company must also pay into a retirement and medical plan and provide f our months of maternity leave when needed. A 2004 New York Times article questioned the pay and working conditions of the Rawlings plant in Costa Rica. The article accused Rawlings and MLB of running a sweatshop in Costa Rica where workers were underpaid and worked in an unhealthy environment.Consumer advocate Ralph Nader joined in the criticism by writing a letter to Bud Selig, MLB Commissioner and the Executive Director of the MLB Player Association. In the letter Nader condemned the two men for allowing baseballs to be manufactured in what he considered to be poor conditions. Portions of the letter follow: â€Å"Your respective organizations must not ignore their roles in this exploitation and abuse of worker rights committed under Major League Baseball and Player Association product sourcing and licensing agreements. † â€Å"American consumers and baseball fans currently have no guarantee that any icensed Major League Baseball products are not being made under sweatshop conditions that violate basic human and worker rights standards. † Major League Baseball consumer products vice president, Howard Smith, responded to the rising complaints by stating: â€Å"I can assure you that there is no company we do business with that knowingly goes into a factory with sub-par working conditions. † Not everyone agrees with Mr. Smith. Maribel Alezondo Brenes worked at the Rawlings plant for seven years before her doctor told her to stop working there for health reasons.Carpal tunnel syndrome has been noticed in the Rawlings employees due to the repetitive nature of the work. Dr. Carlos Guerrero who worked at the Rawlings plant as company physician says that up to 90 percent of Rawlings employees may have experienced pain from the work, from minor cuts to disabling injuries. Others feel that the plant has been a good addition to the region, including Warny Gomez, who worked at the Rawlings facility for four years and made enough money to attend colle ge and to become a teacher.With average pay for Major League Baseball players close to $2. 3 million a year, some Rawlings employees feel that their compensation is unjust. Many, however, feel like Alan Cascante, an eight-year employee of the baseball factory: â€Å"We can live on that (Rawlings wages). We never made that working in the fields. † Plant manager, Ken West agrees with Cascante, by saying â€Å"The best thing’s the pay. We’re a good place to work. † The debate over pay and working conditions of employees who supply MLB with its products appears to be growing in some quarters.People like Kenneth Miller; a self-appointed champion of sweatshop workers takes his message to the fans by camping outside ballparks. He tells potential consumers of MLB products that the baseball player bobble head doll they are about to purchase was made by a Chinese worker who works 20 hour shifts for very little pay. Miller states that he often finds indifference amo ng consumers. Some tell him: â€Å"Why are you trying to interrupt our nice day at the ballpark? Miller and a handful of others are pressuring MLB to take greater control over the working conditions of its suppliers, such as Rawlings. As the debate continues in the United States over the working conditions and pay of the Costa Rican employees and others, baseballs are sewn in Turrialba with pictures of Alex Rodriquez, Mike Piazza, and other baseball players hanging on the walls of the factory. Rawlings’ employees, however, are too busy sewing baseballs for the millionaire players to even notice the pictures hanging above them.

An innovative company and a contemporary culture Essays

An innovative company and a contemporary culture Essays An innovative company and a contemporary culture Essay An innovative company and a contemporary culture Essay Gore-Tex expanded PETE was a material used to combat cardiovascular disease. When human arteries were seriously damaged that stop the flow of blood, Gore-Tex artificial arteries are able to replace the damaged part. Gore-Tex fabric was waterproof and windproof product which allow our skin breath. As for the mountaineers and adventurers, the Gore-Tex fabric is necessary gear for them. It can help people who work outside and in a bad weather. Even for the military personnel, they quite often use the pants, cloths, and gloves which made by Gore-Tex materials which can work well under the condition of sunlight, cold, chemicals and heat. 2. It seems that Gore Associates is heavily oriented towards technology; what are some of the dangers of being too heavily focused on technology? There are some of the dangers of being too heavily focused on technology. The first one is cost a lot. If company Just focus on the technology, they will invest much more money in RD department, furthermore, if too many projects come out based on the developing technology, which will waste tons of money. The other thing I want to stress on is that if company focuses on technology, which will lose the direction to develop companys initial goals and ignore innovating and creating new things and lost other potential opportunities. 3. Explain how Bill Gores flat organization inspires new product development. The Bill Gores flat organization structure provides a much freedom to the employees which can easily come up with new ideas. The factor is that the people who can make decision, it not base the seniority, but compare the knowledge. People who have enough knowledge and ideas about the projects will finally make a decision. There re not traditional bosses and managers, there is no predetermined command from boss which will kill the creativity from employees. Therefore, employees can communicate with each other directly, there is no limit who can accomplish it. In addition, there are associates who can provide the useful information and correct the mistakes which may make by employees, which decrease the risk. 4. What has been the Gore STRATEGY to achieving success in its markets? How is this strategy now being challenged? The Gores strategy that always keep on developing more patent and proprietary secrets, which allowed company achieved success in its market. They have already had over 1 50 patents yet, it will continue growing. Information about the products, and then the company will face huge competition in their market. Especially, there are some high margin products which attract competitors to fight with the market share. Secondly, majority of companys product depend on the PETE material, if for any reason, if the product or the product process are unsafe for the environment saws detected, which will make Gore in deep trouble. However, this situation will appear in a lower degree, the company depends on the single raw material will cause threats to the companys competitiveness.

PhD Thesis

PhD Thesis PhD Thesis PhD ThesisPhD thesis is a report on the research conducted. This report should describe what was already known about the problem under consideration previously, what you did to solve this problem, what you think the results obtained during research may mean, and how the further progress in the research area can be made. Do not forget to review free article on thesis format, research paper thesis writing as well as read great guide on writing a thesis .To write PhD thesis successfully, students should keep in mind that thesis writing differs much from undergraduate writing where they are expected to simply answer an assignment. What is more, in undergraduate assignments the reader usually knows what the answer is supposed to be. If it concerns PhD thesis writing, the reader does not know what your answer to the question will be. You have to present your ideas and backup them with solid evidence. Evidently, your examiners will read your PhD thesis. These people are experts in the ge neral field of your topic. However, nobody but you is the world expert of a particular issue regarding your research topic. That is why when writing PhD thesis, keep in mind that you should make the topic clearer to the reader. The style of PhD thesisIt is obvious that your text should be clear, and your grammar should be perfect. Still, scientific writing requires more than that. Keep your sentences short and simple. Of course, sometimes you will need to use complicated sentences because an idea may be much complicated. Some lengthy technical words will also be necessary especially in case you are writing PhD thesis on biochemistry or alike. Still, you should always remember that non-native speakers may also be readers of your PhD thesis. That is why you should care about simplicity of your sentences. PresentationSometimes students spend too much time on figures, diagrams, tables, etc. However, this time might be spent on examining arguments, making the explanations clearer, checki ng the mistakes, etc. The reason of course is that it is much easier to draw something than to think how to improve your writing. Actually, a neat diagram may be drawn even by a hand faster and scanned to include it into PhD thesis. If you use photographs for your PhD thesis, think about an appropriate compression format, such as .jpg (for photos) or .gif (for diagrams). Further, you will be able to save space or speed by reducing the number of colors. This is only the smallest part of the information you should know about PhD thesis. Still, nobody but your supervisor will better explain you how to prepare it successfully.

The Nineteenth Century America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Nineteenth Century America - Essay Example In the year 1819 the Transcontinental Treaty proposed by the then American President John Quincy Adams was signed by the United States and Spain. This treaty reinforced the American belief of territorial expansion. The desire to spread towards the west increased when John Jacob Astor expanded his fur trade company to the Pacific Northwest. With trade expansions the legendary â€Å"mountain men† became popular as they were financially facilitated by the fur trade companies to move to other countries in search of profit. During the 1830s and 1840s the Americans expanded their territory westward towards the Pacific Ocean. Besides economic there were other reasons like avoiding religious persecution. Their attempt to establish American ideals into areas that fell into the boundaries of Mexico or Great Britain created diplomatic crisis. The phrase Manifest Destiny was coined in 1845. It manifested the American belief that God has given them the right to expand their territories bec ause of their growing population. The largest acquisition took place in 1803 when America acquired Louisiana territory for $15 million. With this America got control over Mississippi River and the size of the nation became double. America was greatly affected by the era of expansion. The territorial expansions resulted in dividing the nation by causing diplomatic crisis, war and internal conflicts. The economic expansion that took place internally increased class differences and America began to be recognised as a â€Å"land of opportunity and upward mobility† (Divine et.al, ch.8, 9, 13). II.Transportation Revolution During the first half of nineteenth century America experienced a growth in market economy. This was helped by development in the transportation sector which created an economic link between different parts of the nation and strengthened the national economy. It was the era of expansion in America when the nation expanded its territory towards the West. Most of the land in the east of Mississippi river became marketing centers to fulfill the needs of the farmers. There was a growing awareness among the political leaders regarding the need of connecting these distant areas with the rest of the nation through a well developed transport system. The initial focus was on developing the road network by building new highways and improving the older roads. Overland toll roads or turnpikes could not provide cheap transportation to cover long distances during bad weather because of their poor conditions. More economically efficient was the water transport. Many canals were constructed to estab lish links between the rivers Ohio and Mississippi as canals were cheaper to transport heavy agricultural goods than on poorly maintained roads and highways. The most important canal, the Erie Canal, was constructed in 1825. This canal helped in extending the commercial market to New York and this led to economic development in the region. There were also other improvements made on water transport. Steamboats became popular after they were invented in 1807 by Robert Fulton. (Divine et.al, ch.9) The growth of railroads in the 1840s and the 1850s reduced the importance of canals as primary means of freight transport. The expansion of the railroads helped the iron industry of America. It also facilitated financing of business sectors and paved the way for governments to provide land grants (Divine et.al, ch.13). III. Jackson presidential administrations During the 1820s and 1830s the concept of â€Å"self-made man† was celebrated in the political culture. It promoted the idea th at leaders of the

Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Individual Project - Essay Example The Five Cultural Dimensions Model is the brainchild of Geert Hofstede, a Dutch academic. This model shows five dimensions which define work-related values that are also related to national culture. These five dimensions (Hofstede, 2001) are discussed below. This dimension deals with the degree to which power is equally distributed in a society and the extent to which the said society accepts the distribution. A culture that is high power distance oriented has a preference for strong leadership styles, hierarchical bureaucracies. People in this kind of culture hold very high regard for authority. On the other hand, people in low power distance cultures favour autonomy and personal responsibility. This dimension addresses the extent to which people require clear structures and set boundaries. In high uncertainty cultures, individuals have a better mechanism for coping with risk and innovation. A low uncertainty culture puts a lot of emphasis on greater job security and standardisation. This is the measure to which people hold their own self-interest as opposed to the interests of a group. In a collective oriented culture, the group’s needs are deemed to be more important than personal needs and the government plays a big role in markets. On the other hand, an individualistic culture values and encourages free will. This dimension is concerned with the degree of the goal orientation of a society. A masculine society values status that is derived from position and wages while a feminine culture values quality of life and human relationships. This dimension looks at the extent to which a society values respect for tradition and long term commitments. Long term-oriented cultures greatly value thrift, long term planning and industriousness. Short-term oriented cultures are more concerned with living for the moment and