Christian Saints

Research and write a mini-bio on a saint from either the Orthodox or Catholic faith.

One of the most important, and most widely worshipped and honored saints in Serbia is the Eastern Orthodox saint, St. Sava. He was born in 1174 and he died in 1236. Saint Sava was born into a royal family. His real was Rastko Nemanjic, and he was the youngest son of the Grand Serbian Prince, Stefan Nemanja. St. Sava's father was the founder of the Nemanjic dynasty. Saint Sava left his home at an early age, and he became a monk. He acquired his monastic name, Sava, in the monastery. The complex of churches and monasteries on the Greek Mount Athos, called Hilandar, were found by St. Sava. In 1219, Sava was recognized by the Patriarch of Constantinople as the first Archbishop of the Serbs. However, Saint Sava is mostly known and appreciated for as the founder of the Serbian orthodox Church. He is the patron saint of all school children/students in Serbia, and Saint Sava's Day is celebrated on January 27th, every year. Sava died in Trnovo, which was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. At that time, it's ruler was Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria. Saint Sava was planning to build more monasteries in Trnovo, for Serbian monks, and also establish a hospital for the Syrian pilgrims. However, he unexpectedly died of pneumonia. The cathedral in Belgrade is dedicated to St. Sava, as it is built in the place where the Ottoman Turks burnt his remains, around the 16th century. This church is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world.

                                          

Women in Politics

Research a modern-day female political leader that you think has had great influence
in making and changing laws. Provide a mini-biography and explain why you chose her.
(approximately 250 words or 2 paragraphs).

The woman that I decided to research is Dilma Rouseff, who is the current president of Brazil. Mrs. Rouseff was born in 1947, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Her father was a Bulgarian immigrant, and she was raised in a middle class household. When she was in her twenties, Mrs. Rouseff became socialist, and she fought against military dictatorship. That is the reason she was arrested in 1970, and was supposedly severely tortured. Once she was released from prison, Dilma Rouseff found the Democratic Labour Party or the PDT. Before becoming president of Brazil, Mrs. Rouseff also served as the Minister of Energy, in 2002. She was invited to be in this position by the former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In 2005, a huge political scandal took place, when the Chief of Staff of Brazil, José Dirceu, got involved in a corruption scandal. After this, Mrs. Rouseff decided to run for president. She won the election on 31^st October 2010, and became the 36^th President of Brazil, as well as the first woman to be in that position.

I chose to research this woman for a variety of reasons. First of all, she is leading one of the most powerful economies and one of the biggest countries in the world, and is quite successful. Dilma Rouseff is also in the third position on the Forbes “Most Powerful Women in Politics” list. However, what I find really fascinating about this woman is the fact that she kept on fighting for what she believed in, and nothing stopped her in her dreams and ambitions, not even going to jail. This shows that she is very brave, determined, and intelligent, much like the Byzantine Empress Theodora was.

Why did Rome fall?

Historians have been debating for years about the reason of the fall of one of the greatest empires on Earth, the Roman Empire. However, even today, there was no definite conclusion reached, so there are still many reasons and speculations about why Rome came to it's final and definite end. Some historians believe that Rome fell because of it's geographical positioning. Because of it's shape and size, Rome needed a lot of soldiers and resources to protect itself against the barabrians. Another theory is that Rome fell ebcasue of the economic decline, and inflation. Despite the growth of government, and army, Romans kept importing luxury goods, causing a major fall of the economy. Starting with Diocletian, the government of Rome kept on growing, causing much more corruption, civil wars, and murder of the emperors. It is also speculated that the empire fell because of the decline in the work force. High death rate among the Romans increased, and the number of slaves dramatically decreased. Also, in Rome, there was a lack of technology. As the army, government, and empire grew, there were fewer workers to produce the demans of the empire. Rome had very little machinery that would make human labor more productive. Finally, Rome could have fallen because of the military defeat; the army was no longer strong enough to beat the barbaric tribes that kept on invading.
Personally, I believe that the main reason for Rome's downfall was the fact that invaders kept coming in. The barbaric tribes kept growing larger, and many of them, including the Vandals and the Huns had many invasions on the Roman Empire. Even though the Roman army kept fighting, the barbaric tribes eventually won. Despite the economic disaster, and the government decline, I do believe that the invaders were the ones who caused the Roman empire to fall. The economy and the government would have probably been restored, if a powerful, strong leader/emperor took the power. However, after Constantine's death, that never happened, and the invaders took advantage of Rome's many economic and political issues.

Jesus Christ Superstar Movie Review

Messiah or Not? : Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar is a controversial rock opera that revolves around the life of one of the most influential figures in human history, Jesus Christ. Throughout the whole movie, you are left wondering whether Jesus was truly a Messiah, or whether he was just a prophet, who was not the long-expected savior of the Jews, or the Son of God. This unique version of the well-known Biblical tales is told from the point of view of one of Jesus’ followers, Judas Iscariot. Astonishing musical numbers, as well as a very talented cast will sure make watching this movie enjoyable and worthwhile.

Opening with a song by Judas (Carl Anderson), who, very harshly, expresses his anger and unhappiness with Jesus (Ted Neeley), this movie promises to be filled with tension and conflicts. However, despite Judas’ accusations, Jesus keeps spreading his message. He accepts all sinners to be his followers, including a prostitute, Mary Magdalene, who is played by Yvonne Elliman. Filmed on the plains of Jerusalem, Israel, this 70’s classic was based on the original Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.  

Jesus Christ is known among his followers, as well as among the Jews in Judaea and Galilee, as the performer of miracles. He is also seen as the healer of the sick, and as the Messiah sent from God to save the Jews from the reign of the Romans. His teachings tell people about eternal love, forgiveness, and acceptance. However, not everyone is fond of Jesus Christ, the “Superstar”. Jewish priests fear that he is gaining too much power, and the Romans are fearful of the riots that could emerge among the Jewish population. Despite being on the edge of great success and glory, Jesus is a very humble character, who is kind and generous towards everyone. Judas, on the other hand, is rebellious and is someone who disagrees with the decisions of his friend and teacher. He is greatly frightened by the powerful Roman leaders. Finally, Mary Magdalene is a very calm and loving woman, despite her portrayal in society.

One of the most disturbing, and definitely one of the most prominent parts of this rock opera, is when Jesus is faced with the isolated sufferers of leprosy. The lepers approach Jesus with pleading cries: “Won’t you touch; won’t you heal me, Christ?” At first, Jesus is willing to help them, but as more and more lepers start emerging, Jesus becomes overwhelmed by their individual desires, crying out: “There’s too little of me! Leave me alone!” One of the most intriguing characters was probably Peter, one of Jesus’ most loyal followers. Despite protecting and believing in Jesus, Peter denies knowing him three times, just as Jesus has predicted. This shows that, in Peter’s case, shame and fear was greater than the belief and loyalty to Christ.  

I would recommend this movie to all of those who are not very judgmental and who are open-minded, because this rock opera is quite intriguing.  Small children would probably find it boring, and would not understand the key concepts. I would rate this movie 7/10 stars. The soundtrack is very good, and the singers/actors really portray the emotions of the characters. However, as I said above, some of the ideas expressed in this movie could be considered controversial by religious people. Jesus Christ Superstar is a movie that you will either love or hate; but despite all the critical remarks, it is a timeless 70’s classic that you should definitely see!