Lastly, marriage provides security and empowers couples. A relationship that is recognized by the law guarantees a lot of benefits. For instance, a partner can make decisions on behalf of the other partner on issues including health care and finances. On the contrary, single people who do not have significant others do not have anyone to depend on in times of dire need.

The Academy Awards has been around since 1929 when it was first held in a private dinner function with 270 attendees. Since then, it has had its moments of glamor and controversy. Amidst the glamorand excitement that surrounds the atmosphere on every Academy Awards night, it has seemed like there is always a catch. Every awards night has become a night where the media watch out for the announcement of the winners, their acceptance speeches, and yes, even the best and the worst dressed celebrities. 

There were rare instances when nominees opted to boycott the event. Some even refused to accept their awards due to various reasons such as discrimination and bias. This 2016, the most recent blow that the Oscars has suffered is the accusation of lack of diversity which is nothing new. Around the time that the nominees were released, African-American actress Jada Pinkett Smith was one of the first celebrities to take note that no African-Americans were nominated this 2016. She further criticized the lack of diversity in the acting category. This year’s event was given an alternative title, “#OscarsSoWhite.” 

Adding more insult to injury, African-American comedian Chris Rock hosted the awards night and confronted the diversity issue head on, promising that he would not shy away from the issue. Before the awards night, people were already on the edge of their seats, anxious to witness how Chris Rock would handle the longstanding issue of lack of diversity in the Academy nominations. He started the night with a feisty monologue that would forever be remembered. 

He mentioned some thought-provoking sentiments by asking rhetorical questions, while still managing to keep the audience entertained by his use of humorous metaphors in between. He also criticized other celebrities who asked him to boycott the event. However, he also made it clear that he understood why actresses like Jada boycotted the awards night. Over the years, he added, African-Americans had other more important protests than not getting nominated for an Oscar. 

In the end, he capped his monologue on a serious note that what African-Americans really want is to get more acting opportunities. His stand became clearer in his sentiment that Leonardo DiCaprio gets a great part every year, while African-American actors do not. However, some netizens criticized Chris Rock for only speaking in behalf of African-Americans while other races were not nominated as well. Nevertheless, many people thought that what he did was brave and brilliant.

Acting is a craft where people portray a character or tell a story by speaking, singing, and moving. It has two major kinds: stage acting and on-screen acting.

Stage acting includes the performances done by actors and actresses in front of a live audience as in musicals and stage plays. On-screen acting performances, on the other hand, are those that involve the use of cameras and other multimedia equipment during production. In this kind of acting, the performances maybe pre-recorded and edited before audiences can watch them in movie theaters or on their personal electronic devices.

Aside from the difference in the way audiences can view them, stage acting and on-screen acting still have other distinctdissimilarities.

One is the timeframe provided for each kind of acting. For stage acting, performers are often given ample time to rehearse for the role they are playing. They also have enough opportunities to bond with other cast members and the production crew. They are allowed to become very familiar with their roles and the people they work with before their actual performances. For on-screen acting, actors or actresses are often given very limited rehearsal time for a role or a scene. They may also move from one location to another, depending on what will best suit the storyline of their production. This means that on-screen performers also spend time on travelling and preparing for the next scene.

Another difference is the script used by performers in each kind of acting. For stage acting, actors and actresses may use materials that are made by renowned writers and playwrights like William Shakespeare and Wole Soyinka. Even though audiences come and watch a play for the first time, they may know what to expect in a production because they may have already come across the story sometime in the past.

In the case of on-screen acting, scripts for each film are produced for the first time. The performances of actors and actresses in a film or TV show cannot be compared with past performances because they may be totally different from one another. Enthusiasts say that on-screen performers have more liberty in acting than stage performers do because of the scripts being used.

There are still a lot of differences between these two kinds of acting. Each kind of acting has its own styles, special features, and challenges, but both of them fall under the same umbrella of the entertainment industry. Whichever is deemed more superior among the two would depend on the people’s tastes and preferences.

For the sixth time this year, Angela Merkel is named the World’s Most Powerful Woman by Forbes, an American business magazine that features articles on finance, industry, investment, and marketing topics. 

Before entering politics, Angela Merkel was a research scientist. Besides being a politician, she also has a doctorate in physical chemistry. Since 2005, she has been the Chancellor of Germany which, in German politics, is the counterpart of a prime minister. 

She is known for her economic and political accomplishments as a leader of the European Union. According to Forbes, the European Union still remains standing today because of her leadership. She guided Germany through a tough time of recession. Forbes also stated that Merkel’s latest decision to open Germany’s borders to over one million immigrants from Syria and other Muslim countries may be her boldest act. She is often compared to the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, also known as “The Iron Lady” because of their striking similarities, one of which is having a science degree. 

Second to the World’s Most Powerful Woman is none other than the famous Hillary Clinton of the United States. Forbes said that she could likely be the next World’s Most Powerful Woman if she wins the American presidency this November. 

Hillary Clinton has a long background in politics. She is possibly the most talked about female political figure in the United States with over a hundred books and scholarly works written about her. Many people refer to her as a “polarizing figure.” She was once the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She was also the First Lady of Arkansas for twelve years. From 2001 to 2009, she was the junior U.S. Senator representing New York. 

Since early 2003, Hillary Clinton had been preparing for a potential candidacy for presidency. Her latest position was the 67th U.S. Secretary of State from 2009-2013. If she becomes the next U.S. President, she would be the first First Lady to become the President of the United States. Recently, the media considered her the presumptive nominee for earning enough pledged delegates and supportive superdelegates from several states. She is the first female presidential nominee of a major American political party.

Without or without the title of the World’s Most Powerful Woman, these political figures are a celebration of the fact that women’s roles continue to evolve and break away from patriarchal societies and societal norms. Clinton, Merkel, and other women out there have proven that politics is not exclusive to men. Most importantly, they open doors to a world where women become more and more empowered to lead people and make a change in the world.

New York City is the home of some of the world’s wealthiest people.In fact, it could rank as the 15th largest economy in the world, if it were an independent nation. However, poverty is also an ongoing problem in New York, as it is in any other state or nation. New York is a classic representation of a society that is divided by the rich and the poor. Nevertheless, New York can be considered a model society where the rich and the poor work together to eradicate poverty. 

The United Nations and participating nations are aware that the signing ceremony is just the beginning of a big battle against climate change. They say that achieving their ultimate goal may be quite an endeavor, but collective measures need to be done as quickly as possible for the sake of the Earth and mankind.

Vietnam and the United States have a long history of war. It was only in 1995 when the formal normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries was announced. Since then, the diplomatic relations between them have deepened. In fact, Vietnam is considered to be one of the pro-American countries in Southeast Asia today — a proof that relationships change no matter how permanent they seem to be.

English started being used in Britain in the 5th century when three tribes from Germany (the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes) arrived in Britain. Since then, it has evolved from Old English to Middle English to Modern English. After that, many varieties of English have emerged due to numerous factors. The most common varieties are British English and American English. 

English has become a global lingua franca, which means it is a language used by people with different mother tongues. New words and even slangs get added in English dictionaries yearly. Examples of slangs that were recently added are “selfie” from the term self-portrait, “adorbs” which is short for adorable, and “hashtag” which used to be a social media jargon. 

The addition of slangs in English dictionaries has been met with conflicting reactions, especially from linguists. Some say that just like species, languages also get extinct. One of the ways for English to live on is for people to use and enhance it. Since English is no longer just a local dialect that is exclusive to one nation, English has to evolve alongside time and its current users.

Moreover, there are still countless words in other languages that have no direct translation in English. There will always be new technologies, experiences, and products that will call for new words to refer to them. The only way to remedy this is to make certain terms official English words, and they will have to include slangs.

Lastly, adopting slangs and words from other languages makes English richer. It breaks down barriers and promotes the inclusion of other cultures, thereby reducing cultural indifference. This is very useful in this age of globalization because it makes communication between cultures and nations easier than ever. 

Despite these reasonable points, some conservative linguists feel that adding slangs in English dictionaries is sabotage. They say that slangs do not help people, especially youngsters, communicate better with the rest of the world. 

Aside from linguists, other people feel strongly against adding slangs in English dictionaries because they feel that English is for formal settings while slangs are for casual settings. This is also the reason why people should have two languages — one for formal situations, which is English, and one for informal settings. 

Lastly, many linguists also feel that slangs make people inarticulate, less eloquent, and less intelligent. English is a prestigious language that has to be mastered like an art. Adding slangs to the language only corrupts it.

The role and purpose of education have changed over themillennia. As societies strived to achieve social equality, education became more and more accessible. Education is now everyone’s right and no longer just a privilege.

However, due to the numerous changes and rapid developments that the world continues to go through, many people start to question the relevance of higher education in society today. Is it simply a means to gain access to financial security or a necessity for intellectual growth and development?

Those who say that going to college ensures financial stability emphasize the importance of getting a degree. Employment opportunities that are available to high school graduates are almost always very slim. They usually get confined in a lifetime of switching jobs, from one low-paying job to another. They need a lot of luck to change their living conditions.

Furthermore, a college degree can give a person a sure shot in landing a job that he or she is passionate about. It is a person’s ticket to achieving his or her dreams. Otherwise, it may be difficult for one’s dreams to translate into reality. This means that a college graduate who carries a diploma may be favored by employers over a high school graduate who has mere potentials.

Also, from a bigger perspective of how much the purpose of education has changed over the years, people no longer go to college to search for ways to improve human condition and elevate society. The world has changed so rapidly that students go to college to meet globalization’s workforce needs. 

On the other hand, higher education offers so much more than monetary rewards. Many people still say that it gives people access to a wider and deeper understanding not only of the society that they are a part of, but also of the world they live in.

Moreover, getting a degree is not just about enriching one’s material conditions but a way to elevate one’s mind and character.In fact, many people who are already financially stable still get higher education as a way to self-improve and self-actualizebecause secondary education teaches only the basics.

Lastly, education is not just about training and enhancing one’s skills for practical purposes and employment readiness. Education is needed by any society to produce not just money-making but more importantly, moral citizens. That is why it is an important institution that teaches not only theories and concepts but cultivates students to become highly developed humans who will contribute to a highly functioning and literate society.