#2ndessay

Different religions have different beliefs. We live in a world wherein religion, no matter what type, is evident in any of a person’s life. We may be open to diverse structures of religions but for us Filipinos, the most manifested belief in our country is Catholicism. As Catholics, we have a strong belief in God and his people. We value our faith deeply, and for us, this holds much importance in our lives.

July 7, 2014, our country was blessed by the information from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines or CBCP, that the Holy Father, Jorge Mario Bergoglio or as most of us know him as Pope Francis, will be paying a visit in our country in the year 2015. His main focus was to visit the survivors of the recent typhoon Yolanda that struck the Visayan region in the 2014. The news spread quickly that it made most people very eager. Within the months of waiting, everyone started to organize and arrange everything needed in order for it to be successful, and preparations were done thoroughly with the help of each and everyone needed.  Months passed, and suddenly, it was time for His Holiness to arrive Manila. January 15-19, 2015 marked the days of pure solemnity and harmony among all people; no matter what religion they engage in. During the Pope’s five-day visit, peace, order, and tranquility were experienced in the country. It seems like everyone was participating and having themselves involved in the celebration; whether live, through the television, or any other forms of media. His presence was felt even at the comforts of home. His scheduled itinerary involves The Eucharistic Celebration in the Manila Cathedral, Meeting with the Families at MOA Arena, Eucharistic Celebration near the Tacloban Airport, Gathering with the survivors of the Typhoon Yolanda, Meeting with Religious leaders, and with the Youth, and finally a concluding mass celebrated at the Quirino Grandstand before he leaves for Rome. Everytime he speaks, sincerity and the act of being genuine are seen through him. The Pope is very down to earth and humble; a very loving one too. He didn’t show any single act of tiredness or impatience; instead, he was very open minded and ‘game’ with every activity endorsed to him. Seeing the Pope gave people nothing but goosebumps, as well as people singing and doing the actions of the theme songs entitled “We are all God’s Children”. Children and families who shared their testimonies made people sympathize to their status and experiences. Social media was filled with so much news, opinions, feelings, and love not only for the Pope, but for God as well. The focal point of his visit is “Mercy and Compassion” among all, and he wants each one to perceive that attitude towards others. “You may be poor yourselves in material ways, but you have an abundance of gifts to offer when you offer Christ and the community of the church. “

People who attended the various activities prepared, who have catch a glimpse of him, or even saw him up close and personal are really fortunate to have an encounter with the Pope. This is considered as a once in a lifetime chance, because Papal Visits happens once in a blue moon. In our case, it happened after 20 years when the World Youth Day was held at Luneta Park in the City of Manila. The Pope touched many people’s lives; may it include old or young, rich or poor. His request is for us to pray for him. Pray that he may fulfill the duties handed over to him, and he may live up to his name. In conclusion to everything, our country was blessed to have been given the opportunity of the Pope to visit our land. Considering the fact that many of the Filipinos really made an effort to have an encounter with him, it is a way of showing that there still are a lot of believers and faithful Catholics who go their way to show that they have not forgotten their God. As long as they believe and share what they know to the next generations, their religion will live on forever.  

~elephunny001

REFERENCES:

     Pope Francis in the Philippines Quotes. (n.d). Retrieved August 25,2015 from http://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/philippines-visit-quotes

Technology has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last few decades and their benefits are very evident for all to notice. Medical research made possible by technology has led to the end of many diseases and ailments and also to the discovery of many drugs and medications that help prevent many lethal diseases and disorders. The use of computers and technology in classrooms has opened up a whole new method of teaching and effective learning. Because of the numerous technological advancements, the communication industry has also witnessed a huge growth. People can now communicate with each other on the move, and there are already no limitations to the benefits of information technology. Companies have also become more profitable with the help of various advanced machines and equipment, and this has led to a rise in the standard of living of people. Klar (2013), a software programmer, said himself that the national income of countries has expanded as a result of the fast progressing technology particularly software programs. The aforementioned are only some of the benefits of technology people are able to make use of everyday. As long as one has access to modern technology, he/she will be able to perform tasks with greater speed, quality and efficiency.   However, with technology’s ability to work effectively even in a large scale, numerous companies and industries make use of them instead of hiring employees and staff. “The problem now is that the professionals are being undervalued by the business people, who see computers as being cheaper replacements for talented humans, which they are not!”, (Newell, 2013). From giant corporations to university libraries to start-up businesses, employers are using rapidly improving technology to do tasks that humans used to do. That means millions of workers are caught in a competition they can not win against because machines keep getting more powerful, cheap, and easy to use. This has been a cause of concernment and worry especially for those who are working as employees and those who are still looking for a way to earn money. True enough, according to Klar (2013), mail carriers, bookkkeepers, accounting and auditing clerks, telephone operators, secretaries and administrative assistants, travel agents and even middle-class workers have gotten out of jobs in different countries including U.S. due to machine replacements.   Although there are a number of jobs lost by people or are still at stake of being replaced by technology, artmakers particularly painters, have no reason to worry. It’s one thing for technology to enable creative endeavors. Yet, even so, creative endeavors will never be replaced by computers. According to Strickland (2014), art is an expression of human creativity, imagination, and improvisation – something that computers will never have. They may have the ability to perform complex calculations in a span of a second and retrieve and store relevant information without ever forgetting facts or exaggerating, but they can never be able to experience concepts such as emotion, self-awareness, ambition and self-preservation that all rest within human minds. Furthermore, machines do not have the capacity to be motivated and perform based on past experiences and on inspiration. This is what sets technology and human artists apart. There are different purposes, motivations, incentives, rationales, intentions for which people create art for. Some of these objects are created for a specific purpose. They have meaning and significance only within that context. For instance, artists paint art to reflect their religion and the traditions and rituals that come with it. It may also come from one’s imaginations to make something intangible, tangible. Artists have the power to relay a message, tell a story, preserve cultures and history and can reflect through creation what their mind and heart tells them to.

 Human artists may not be in danger of being replaced by technology, but several are still at stake. “I think the story here is fairly similar actually that in the end, yes we may see new forms of work generated but it's not  clear that the kind of people who are put out of work, which I said ought to be those at the low-skilled end of the spectrum, are necessarily going to be those that move into those new forms of work." (Osborne, 2015). Technology has the power to transform people and modify the way human beings think and act. However, people have the choice whether to let technology take over or not. “The whole idea is not about the choice between using or not using technology. The challenge is to use it right.”, (Doctorow, 2015).

 written by: OGGY AND THE COCKROACHES

 References:

1.    Klar R. (2013). Jobs That Have Been Replaced by Technology.

Retrieved August 20, 2015 from http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/2013/01/24/bdc-jobs-replaced-technology-gallery/4yoj0dOxLa5KVwkb64krHM/story.html#slide-1

 2.    Newell P. (2013). Why Technology Can’t Replace the Human Touch.

Retrieved August 20, 2015 from http://www.virgin.com/disruptors/why-technology-cant-replace-the-human-touch

 3.    Lamp L. (2014). Inspiration in Visual Art: Where Do Artists Get Their Ideas.

Retrieved August 20, 2015 from http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/inspiration-in-visual-art-where-do-artists-get-the

 4. Strickland J. (2010). Is the Computer a Good Model for the Brain?

Retrieved August 20, 2015 from http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/computer-brain-model1.htm

 5.    Osborne M. (2015). Jobs Getting Replaced by Technology.

By: OhanaCabana101 

          The element of violence is quite common in most TV shows today. As a matter of fact, most producers today find it to be a necessary ingredient to any show just like themes on materialism, power, and sexuality. The sad fact is, a great number of teenagers today are frequently exposed to these television shows daily. These elements of violence dominant in television today knowingly or unknowingly influence them to commit acts of violence in real life. This behavioral problem stems out from the teenagers processing the violence they are exposed to and subliminally, they are compelled to re-enact these “supposed to be acceptable” scenarios presented by media.

           Violence, in the guise of entertainment, serves as a form of escape from (a teenager’s) his or her own present family situations or problems. It makes them disconnected to reality and more often than not, escalates a teenager’s anger levels especially in the hormonally unstable stage of their bodies. Also as a form of escapism, violence or violent behavior can result in very irresponsible decisions such as neglect of studies, disrespect of elders, bullying, and to an extreme, even suicide. The barrage of violence battering their senses desensitizes individuals from good judgement and renders acts of violence as “socially acceptable.”  

           Violence is not to be underestimated because through history, different forms of it have existed and some have even gone unnoticed. (To name a most obvious one, great acts of violence towards mankind was evident with Hitler and the Holocaust during the Second World War). There are many kinds of violence that exist in the world today. There is the violence committed against women, children, and even to the unborn. There is also the violence committed against the poor, the helpless, or the marginalized. Other forms of violence are elder abuse, child abuse, even drug abuse which is considered as violence towards one’s own body. There is emotional violence also sometimes known as “psychological violence” prevalent in cyberbullying, which goes even beyond just verbal abuse and plays with the victim’s mind long after the initial violence has been committed. There is the violence such as hazing initiations secretly done in fraternities and organizations which sometimes even results to death.

Written by JT

           Sports are the most popular extra-curricular activity not only in St. Paul College Pasig but in other schools around the globe as well. In other countries, they incorporate Sports in their educational curriculum through gym classes and other clubs. In the Philippines, we call it Physical Education (PE). The main reason why the Department of Education (DepEd) still includes PE classes in the country's educational curriculum is mainly because they want students to have a healthy lifestyle. Health is a more important priority than education itself. Some students, even when they are sick, still continues to go to school for the sake of not missing academics and not having an absence record in their attendance. This is what the government wants us to avoid. Sports helps students to become stronger and better through having a healthier lifestyle and other activities.

          Most schools have sports clubs and Varsity teams for students who want to play sports and represent their schools in Inter-school competitions. In St. Paul College Pasig, students are required to join a 'club' and it is called Giftedness Instruction for Talent Development Program (GIFT) wherein the students are allowed to choose their own GIFT class. There are a lot of GIFT classes to choose from. It is mainly divided in to five categories or Centers. Communication Arts, Culinary Arts, Fine Arts, Performing Arts and Sports. In those five categories, Center for Sports has the most number of students. It is evident that numerous students enjoy and value sports. It shows that a lot of students are very passionate about playing sports. SPCP also has varsities that represent the school in Inter-School Competitions. Sports teach students lessons that cannot be just simply taught inside the classrooms. It teaches students to be more disciplined and value the essence of teamwork, camaraderie, unity, and humility. It helps students boost their confidence and hone their socializing skills. It makes students realize the importance of hard work and perseverance.              Most Sports are team sports. It allows the students to build and strengthen bonds with their team mates and teaches them to be selfless. In games and competitions, there are winners and there are losers. Winning teams are taught to keep their feet on the ground, and losing teams strengthen their mentality and emotions by never giving up and training harder. This is also where discipline comes in. Students play and train after classes. It teaches students to learn how to manage their time and how to set their priorities. Students have games and trainings on weekends. These players dedicate their time and energy for their passion.            Instead of just staying at home sleeping, and doing nothing or staring at their smartphones and other gadgets the whole day, playing sports makes it possible for students to go outside and move their bodies. It also encourages students to avoid junk and unhealthy food. Sports help students realize that sweating through running, moving and playing is more fun that staying indoors and doing things that can damage their eyes and other body parts like playing video games and watching television. It also helps the students avoid being influenced into doing illegal things.

Cellular phones have affected our lives in good and bad ways but its advancement is now leaning on the bad. Cellular phones have now been replacing social interaction among humans. These devices are slowly poisoning our relationships with other people. People would rather interact with each other through their smart phones than through physical interaction. We find it time consuming to shower, dress up, and get ready to meet with other people and because of that, we would rather stay at home and video chat with them.

Most people don’t realize that during gatherings, everyone is on their phone either playing a game, or talking to someone else who is not in the room. These occurrences should be avoided because we attend social gatherings for physical and social interaction. These devices make us stray away from people we love because of games or chatting with other people. These also make us more unproductive because we get carried away with our phones, putting out all of our attention to them and we finish our work later than what was expected.

We lose touch with people because when we are physically together, we tend to put our social networks first, posting pictures of food we eat on Instagram, posting where we are on Facebook, tweeting what we’re doing on twitter and blogging all our favorite things on Tumblr.

Some people don’t even mind what’s happening all around us, the plummeting of face-to-face social interaction. In the years to come, face-to-face social interaction may become a myth because of the way people are neglecting it.

Cellular phones are also harmful to our eyes and it weakens our eyesight through continuous use. These devices also lead to accidents because of people’s carelessness while crossing the street or driving. We tend to focus on the device, leading to carelessness when walking, driving or doing other miscellaneous activities. We devote most of our time to these devices when we should be enjoying the company of other people. On the contrary, cellular phones also have their advantages. Cellular phones also help us connect with our loved ones when those people are unreachable. It also gives us something to do when we are waiting in long lines, when we are at home with nothing to do, and all the various activities that leave us idle. It gives us a chance to reconnect with old friends or friends and family abroad. It also makes everyday activities easier such as ordering food, calling a cab, sending requirements to your professors and many more. These are also helpful in an emergency when we can quickly request for help. Even with all these advantages, the disadvantages weigh much more.

Some people are now afraid of these devices because they believe that these devices are becoming too intelligent and through further advancements, they believe that these may be able to control us. This is possible because of the technological advancements happening today. Technology is advancing, getting more intelligent, and becoming more adaptive.

This documentary explores the urban underworld and gives us an insight into what goes on in the world of debt collecting in the UK. The documentary shows the harsh reality of debt collecting in a small town in Liverpool called Warrington. Throughout the whole documentary archive footage is rarely used this makes the documentary seem more realistic and pulls the viewer in as the documentary felt like it was live and everything was happening at the time and this made it more realistic. During this essay I will explore the techniques used in the documentary and if they were effective and what mode I believe it conforms to. Also I will consider the issues the documentary makers had while filming this.

This documentary uses realism and real characters to emphasize the reality of the situation that the characters are in and to make the audience feel engaged in the documentary. In this documentary they use occasional humour this could be because they want the documentary to seem more light-hearted and keep the reader interested. They could use this contrast to make the reader enjoy this documentary instead of just finding it interesting. This could also make the sinister side of the documentary more prominent and more effective. For example notice after character Shaun Smith threatens a person for their money, they joke about it after inside the car which shows a stark contrast. In the documentary they use a lot of different interviews with the main character Shaun Smith, this could be because they want the audience to feel close with him, so we do not dislike him. Also I noticed that all of the interview shots with Shaun Smith are well light, which shows they dont want Shaun Smith to be seen as a bad character or a dark character, and they want him to be liked by the viewer. Also during the interviews when Shaun Smith is talking about a shocking subject such as when the he witnessed a gang boss getting raped, they use close ups which can make the situation seem much more tense. Also the documenter gets a series of shots which make the documentary more exciting such as small fights/arguments. Notice that when the confrontations are shown the music changes making the documentary more dramatic for the viewer. Also the camera crew stayed of of the way of the debt collectors which meant they could catch some good realistic shots.

I think these techniques are effective because the film crew managed to get good shots and managed to stay out of the way so they could catch realism in the shots they got. This made the documentary much more exciting for the viewer as anything could of happen throughout the documentary. Also it was effective that the documentary was realistic because the audience felt connected to the characters.