Introduction to Santería :: Santeria

Introduction to Santerà ­a Santerà ­a, sometimes referred to as La Regla Lucunmi, originated in West Africa in what are now Nigeria and Benin. Santerà ­a is, however, not purely a West African religion; it has many ties to European Catholicism. Because of this correlation, there is no exact year for the formation of this religion. The closest date available for the founding of Santerà ­a is between the 1700's to about 1870 – the period of the slave trade. The slave trade brought many people that practiced this particular religion to the shores of Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Trinidad as well as many other Caribbean countries. Not only were the slaves' bodies brought over. Their souls, culture, and religion were brought to the Americas as well. In the early years, when the slaves had just begun arriving, there was a great deal of pressure placed on them, by the European plantation owners and missionaries, to convert to Catholicism. Despite these attempts by the plantation owners, Santerà ­a was still openly practiced, and the number of practitioners was increasing. Since in performing openly their religion many harsh beatings and punishments were administered, the religious followers tended to incorporate many Catholic elements into their religion. One factor that helped to make the two religions look similar to the plantation owners was that many of the orishas, the primary gods, shared many of the same physical characteristics that the Catholic saints possessed. This made the slaves appear to be practicing Catholicism although they were practicing their native, African religions. Believers of Santerà ­a place their faith in the orishas. The orishas are not as powerful or as omnipotent as their predominant God, Olodumare, or Olorun. Olorun is the source of ashe, the spiritual energy that makes up the entire universe, all life and all things material. The orishas are the spirits or gods that interact with humans by controlling nature and attending to the daily needs of the religion's followers. They are approachable and can be counted on to come to the aid of followers by guiding them to a better life, materially as well as spiritually. In other words, they are emissaries of God. Furthermore, each orisha possesses a distinct personality. Communication between orishas and humankind is accomplished through ritual, prayer, divination and offerings (ebo). Depending on the particular orisha that they wish to please, santeros use certain colors and certain animals and play particular drumbeats during their rituals. The music is of great importance because it helps to coax the orisha into "mounting" or possessing the priest.

Reaction Paper on Global Warming Essay

How many among us have proclaimed at least once, in a rather self-righteous manner, that we are someone who is environment-friendly or someone who is eco-conscious? Almost all of us have been guilty of making such a grand statement without fully knowing what it really means. After all, being earth-friendly is very much in fashion nowadays. No one will last an hour inside a mall without seeing fashionable ladies toting a canvass bag or wearing shirts that allude to their propensity to recycle or to plant trees. It makes one wonder though how many of these canvass-toting individuals know how many years does our planet has left before it reaches an environmental tipping point or in what year was the hottest earth temperature recorded. I admit that I am one of those individuals who proclaimed and believed that I am a friend of the earth. After all, I try to conserve water as much as I can and I segregate garbage whenever I have the chance. But like many individuals out there, I was ignorant about the real issue concerning our environment, that is until I have seen the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Directed by Davis Guggenheim and featuring former United States vice president Al Gore, the documentary zeros in on the subject of global warming and how it is affecting and will affect the planet Earth. The Effectiveness of Al Gore Technical and cinematic achievements aside, I believe the best contribution of this film is that it has made the issue of global warming accessible to ordinary individuals. Gore plays the role of environmental spokesperson well. He provides a believable and authoritative personality to the documentary and to the issues it is trying to expose. Much of the popularity that the film has enjoyed it owes to Gore’s ability to act as an expert and a fellow observer at the same time. When this film was released, not a few have surmised that it is nothing but a gimmick to catapult Al Gore back into the White House. After watching the film though, many of Gore’s detractors have been transformed into followers. The fact that there is now a different person in the Palace is a vindication for Gore and a proof of his sincerity and lack of political agenda. The strongest point of Gore lies in his ability to convey urgency while at the same time maintaining a hopeful attitude and optimistic outlook which is not an easy feat to achieve when you are talking about the current state of the environment. The Message of the Film The message of this film is very clear: that global warming is real and we must do something about it or we will suffer the consequences. According to Gore, the planet has about ten more years before it reaches a â€Å"tipping point† at which instance there would be little that we can do already. The best part about Gore’s message is that they are presented not without scientific evidence and proofs. The following scientific phenomena and materials are used to support the film’s main thesis: †¢ before and after photographs of melting ice glaciers; †¢ temperature records from the 1980s that show that the ten hottest years have occurred in the last three decades; †¢ the Keeling curve which measures the rising level of CO2; †¢ a study that shows that carbon dioxide concentrations are higher now than at any point in history. The presentation of these pieces of evidence are essential to lending veracity to the film’s core message. Without them, Al Gore would simply appear as a preacher pointing to some distant doomsday. Visually Engaging One of the first things that you will realize while watching An Inconvenient Truth is how engaging and enjoyable the experience is and this is largely because of the visuals that were used in the film. From the opening scene, when we were shown the now famous photograph of the earth taken by the first Americans who went to space , the audience were being foretold that the film is going to be one visual treat. Throughout the film, beautiful and terrible images were precisely interwoven to help achieve the film’s goal of sending out the dual message of making people realize how beautiful our planet is and making us see the extent of the destruction that has already been done. Not a few individuals were turned off when they learned that this film is a documentary. But if only these individuals gave the film a chance then they would have been amazed at the fact that it is one such visual achievement. Documentaries – especially those that deal with subjects relating to the environment – have a reputation of being boring and uninteresting. The â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† may just change people’s impression about environmental films and even documentaries as a whole with its engaging style and arresting elements. Conclusion  An Inconvenient Truth is a film that should be seen by anyone who cares for the environment and for the future of humanity and our planet. It is one of the most accessible materials that has ever been produced about the subject of global warming. It is easy to dismiss the criticism that the movie is plain propaganda because of the many sound scientific pieces of evidence that the film present. The â€Å" An Inconvenient Truth â€Å" actually is a well presented and entertaining thesis on the reality of the global warming phenomenon and the things that we can do to stop it to avoid a total disaster that is looming to happen in the near future.

Taylor Sanders A Case - 857 Words

Taylor Sanders is a 17 year old Caucasian female, residing in Western Maryland. Taylor is from Northeastern Maryland. Upon relocating to Western Maryland, Taylor lived with her adoptive family until her mother filed theft charges and could not handle multiple maladaptive behaviors. Due to the filed charges, Taylor is a Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) client. Initially, DJS referred Taylor to San Mar Children’s Home Bowman House (main group home). In March 2014, Taylor transferred to the Barr House when a residential bed was available. The Barr House provided more structure than the main group home, with intense services. Taylor was unable to complete the program due to Barr House closing in November 2014. San Mar decided to transition Taylor into their Treatment Foster Care program, as the client’s options for placement were limited. Taylor was placed with the Millers’ family. The client’s honeymoon mood period was over; she AWOLed early January 2015 and the foster mother requested removal from her home. The foster mother did not realize the challenges with Taylor were greater than she expected. Taylor continued to hoard food and destroyed furniture in her room, used excessive foul language, struggled with personal hygiene, steal, and angry outbursts. In addition, the adoptive mother interfered with multiple p hone calls and text messages; this was too much for the Millers. Three days later, Taylor was placed in her future foster home which looks hopeful. If the clientShow MoreRelatedThe Fight For Civil Rights1602 Words   |  7 PagesAct passed in 1964, affirmative action practices were incorporated into the college admissions process, with the objective of ending institutional discrimination based on race, creed, color or national origin. 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