Lourdes is too commercialised Do you agree or disagree Essay Example

Lourdes is too commercialised Do you agree or disagree Essay Lourdes is a centre of pilgrimage that is known throughout the Christian world. However, it is a place of two contrasting halves. One is the serene, holy and special place that is the main basilicas and the main features of the actual site of the pilgrimage. The other is the highly commercialised, profit-orientated area. This is full of souvenir shops and hotels, not associated with the church, but out to make a profit. There are two very different approaches to Lourdes, some highlight the commercialism in negative way, and others choose to see the positive merits. I will explore both sides of this argument and come to a conclusion.People who come to Lourdes often say that the commercialism has a bad effect; they say that it detracts from the religious aura and the general special feeling of the place. Others would argue that this touristy atmosphere adds to the mood of Lourdes. Many feel that people should be able to detach themselves from the commercialism, as the actual religious sites are not affected in the same way as the rest of the town. After all, it is ones personal choice to go into the shops and buy things. People that oppose this positive argument for commercialism often say that the things for sale in the shops are verging on blasphemous and should not be allowed full stop, they are tacky and are sold for extortionate prices.Away from the religious side, the commercialism has brought nothing but good things for Lourdes as a community, the local economy receiving a substantial boost not to mention the jobs created. Many would argue that there is no getting away from the commercialism and that we should not let it affect us, after all the events that took place at Lourdes are far too important to be affected by it. Lots would say that as the church does not receive any sort of profit from the commercialisation of Lourdes then it is a bad thing, because commercialism stands for everything the church does not profit, greed and material happiness. For example the incident in Matthew 21:12/13 cast out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves my house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robbers denI personally believe that Lourdes is not too commercialised. I think that it can be forgotten and that the real purpose of Lourdes is for physical and more importantly spiritual healing. People have their own choice about whether to let it detract from the experience, some even say that it helps. Obviously, it is a matter of personal preference, but I believe that if someone truly believe in the events that took place here, the they can see that their importance far outweighs the negatives of the commercialism.

Free Essays on Women And Family In The Classical World

According to The Random House College Dictionary, family is defined as â€Å"any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts and cousins† (477). During the days of the classical world, the structures of family as well as the social roles of Roman women were different than how they have evolved today. During the time of the Roman Republic, women were controlled by the men in their lives, having no rights of their own (The Roman Family). In their lifetime, they went from obeying their father to obeying their husband. According to the law under Gaius, propter animi levitatem, or â€Å"’on account of the lightness of the mind’†, women of all ages were to be cared for by a guardian. Fortunately, by Constantine’s reign, this law no longer existed. Marriage with manus, or marriage where the wife is legally dependent on the husband, eventually became unpopular (Martin). Roman women were typically married off at the age of eighteen to bridegrooms considerably older than they were, approximately thirty years of age (Martin). During the time when marriage with manus was the social norm, women could not claim dower rights in her husband’s property and could not appear in court. She was also not allowed to â€Å"hold office, vote or serve as a ju dge or advocate† until the days of the Republic, when she was then able to own property and wealth (The Roman Family). â€Å"Free marriage† became more common, where the woman remained part of her family of orientation and, upon the death of her father, was able to inherit property (Martin). The Oppian Law, passed in 216 BC as a result of the defeat of the Romans by Hannibal at the battle of Cannae, allowed the wives and daughters of the soldiers of the deceased soldiers to inherit their land and money, making many women quite wealthy. Despite this positive aspect of the law, its true purpose was to pay for the damages caused by this battle in that it wa... Free Essays on Women And Family In The Classical World Free Essays on Women And Family In The Classical World According to The Random House College Dictionary, family is defined as â€Å"any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts and cousins† (477). During the days of the classical world, the structures of family as well as the social roles of Roman women were different than how they have evolved today. During the time of the Roman Republic, women were controlled by the men in their lives, having no rights of their own (The Roman Family). In their lifetime, they went from obeying their father to obeying their husband. According to the law under Gaius, propter animi levitatem, or â€Å"’on account of the lightness of the mind’†, women of all ages were to be cared for by a guardian. Fortunately, by Constantine’s reign, this law no longer existed. Marriage with manus, or marriage where the wife is legally dependent on the husband, eventually became unpopular (Martin). Roman women were typically married off at the age of eighteen to bridegrooms considerably older than they were, approximately thirty years of age (Martin). During the time when marriage with manus was the social norm, women could not claim dower rights in her husband’s property and could not appear in court. She was also not allowed to â€Å"hold office, vote or serve as a ju dge or advocate† until the days of the Republic, when she was then able to own property and wealth (The Roman Family). â€Å"Free marriage† became more common, where the woman remained part of her family of orientation and, upon the death of her father, was able to inherit property (Martin). The Oppian Law, passed in 216 BC as a result of the defeat of the Romans by Hannibal at the battle of Cannae, allowed the wives and daughters of the soldiers of the deceased soldiers to inherit their land and money, making many women quite wealthy. Despite this positive aspect of the law, its true purpose was to pay for the damages caused by this battle in that it wa...

Would Apple, Inc. Stockholders be Better Financially if They Received Research Paper

Would Apple, Inc. Stockholders be Better Financially if They Received Dividends Annually - Research Paper Example Investors invest their money on the assumption that though dividends may not be paid for considerable period of time, the capital appreciation due to growth will significantly justify the non-payment of dividends. The overall direction set up by Steve Jobs for Apple was based upon not paying the dividends and to accumulate a hoard of cash which can be subsequently utilized in terms of making investments into innovation. As a result of this policy, Apple went on to accumulate a large quantity of cash, the returns on which were relatively low and was considered as a drag on the returns on equity for the shareholders of Apple. One of the key reasons as to why Steve Jobs consistently pursued this policy of not paying the dividends is also based upon the fact that Apple barely avoided bankruptcy in 1997 thus Jobs was focused upon maintaining a large pile of cash which can potential avert any possibility of bankruptcy in future. (Shontell, 2011) Apple Inc, however took a new turn and annou nced that it will be sharing billions of dollars in dividends to the shareholders. This move has been considered by many as a radical shift from Job’s legacy. ... In order to avoid any such mishap in future, Jobs therefore focused upon piling up cash and neglecting paying the dividends to shareholders. Apple declared its first ever quarterly dividend in 1987 amounting to $ .12 per share however, at the same time, Apple also announced a 2 for 1 stock split too. Subsequently, however, Apple experienced losses and it became a less competitive player in the market. Due to this sliding, Apple gradually reduced paying the dividends and finally stopped to pay the same to its investors despite making a promising start in the early years of its establishment as a leading PC maker in the world. Recent Announcement of Dividends After the lapse of many years, Apple recently announced that it will start paying a quarterly dividend and will spend $45 billions in the next three years in terms of dividends as well as share buy backs. The recent announcement to pay quarterly dividend however also came with the offer of stock buy back thus signaling that Apple Inc might focus on reducing its outstanding shares in the market. (Satariano, 2012) Over the period of time, the cash pile up accumulated by Apple Inc was attracting low interest rates. In an economic environment where interest rates are relatively low thus keeping cash reserves as high as over $100 billions was considered as an imprudent financing decision. Investors therefore were of the view that hoarding such large amount of cash was actually a drag on the return on equity of the shareholders. The recent announcement therefore seems to be an effort towards listening to shareholders and provide them some sort of return in terms of dividends. However, the cash used for the share buy-back as well as dividends