??xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?> Samuel L. Jackson comes from a family with high expectations. If he failed to make good grades, his parents would ground him. That meant no football, no basketball, no band, no hanging out until he turned around his academic performance. "I was educated in a segregated school and I had black teachers that had taught my mother and her brothers and sisters, so they knew what the expectations were in my house; they knew I was expected to go to college," says Jackson, who was born in Washington, D. C. and raised in Chattanooga, Tenn. during the 1950s and 1960s. While his friends headed to football practice, Jackson went to his room or to the library to read literature and study calculus. Understandably he was somewhat resentful, but he earned his high school diploma and was accepted at Morehouse College near Atlanta, one of the most prestigious African-American colleges in the country. It was there that he began to appreciate having grown up in such a nurturing environment surrounded by people who cared enough about him to ensure that he got a quality education. (His love of education was passed on to his daughter, Zoe, who graduated from Vassar last spring.) So when Jackson was approached about portraying Ken Carter, the California high school basketball coach who benched his entire team after some of the players failed to meet academic standards, the Oscar-nominated actor jumped on it. As the title character in "Coach Carter," Jackson portrays an unrelenting coach who turns around his team's mediocre performance on the court then holds his players accountable to an agreement they signed promising to maintain a "C" average. His decision to bench the team just as it was headed toward a regional championship during the 1998-99 school year incurred the wrath of players, school officials and residents in working class Richmond, CA. Carter stuck to his guns, though, and refused to allow his players to play or even practice until they achieved the 2.0 grade point average spelled out in their agreement. "He just totally believes that mistaken belief that most adults have that kids want to be held accountable," Jackson says, laughing. Jackson, 56, met Carter, now a youth advocate in Richmond, at a basketball game at the school where he coached for five seasons. "Just talking to him about the game and about his philosophy while he was trying to make these kids go to class is what informed me," Jackson says. "I found out that we aren't that different. He's not that different from my parents." Like the character he plays, Jackson is concerned about the future of young African-American men and fears that too much emphasis is placed within the community on athletics over academic excellence. "There are thousands of kids that play basketball in college in America and out of those thousands of kids there's only, what, 300 jobs in the NBA. So what's the percentage of these kids making it?" he asks rhetorically. "Someone needs to be there to emphasize the fact that they need to get an education." All of Carter's players involved in the lockout ended up going to college and though some of them played for college teams, none entered the NBA. Instead they have become teachers and other professionals. Carter's son, who played for the team, is in medical school.
]]>
]]>
Met with the co-founders of a fascinating organization in New York yesterday that is trying to identify 100 people who would statistically represent the population of our planet. The organization is set up as a charity, and is called 100 People. The concept is both artistic (Carolyn Jones, who is one of the partners is an amazing photographer) and has aspirations of helping us understand in visual and personal terms who our global neighbours are. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in statistics like the ones below. But if we can see, read and hear the stories of the actual people, we might be more inclined to both be energized by the diversity and richness of mankind, as well as the shame of how isolationist our species has become. Anyway, take a look at the website, even if only for the great photos.
If the World were 100 PEOPLE:
50 would be females
50 would be males
There would be:
61 Asians
12 Europeans
14 people from the Western Hemisphere
13 Africans
30 would be children
There would be 70 adults,
7 of which would be aged
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
33 would be Christian
18 would be Muslims
16 would be Hindus
6 would be Buddhist
1 would be Jewish
11 would believe in other religions
15 would be non-religious
1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer
80 people would live in substandard housing
14 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be dying of starvation
15 would be overweight
75 people would have some supply of food and a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain, but
25 would not.
17 people would have no clean, safe water to drink
Sources: The Global Citizen, May 31, 1990, Donella H. Meadows, Hebei University 2001, Zero Population Growth Seattle, Unheard Voices: Celebrating Cultures from the Developing World, Returning Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison Wisconsin, 1992
delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.
[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio. (2) ]
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."̔
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
¹ Amos 5:24 (rendered precisely in The American Standard Version of the Holy Bible)
̔ Isaiah 40:4-5 (King James Version of the Holy Bible). Quotation marks are excluded from part of this moment in the text because King's rendering of Isaiah 40:4 does not precisely follow the KJV version from which he quotes (e.g., "hill" and "mountain" are reversed in the KJV). King's rendering of Isaiah 40:5, however, is precisely quoted from the KJV.
At: http://www.negrospirituals.com/news-song/free_at_last_from.htm
Also in this database: Martin Luther King, Jr: A Time to Break Silence
Copyright Status: Audio = Used without permission. Text = Used without permission. Images of King = Used without permission. AmericanRhetoric.com does not own the copyrights to any of items on this page and has no legal authority to grant or deny permission for the use thereof. For further information on copyright permissions regarding text and audio reproductions of "I Have a Dream" see: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/copyright/index.htm
Copyright Owner: Copyright inquiries and permission requests may be directed to:
Estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Intellectual Properties Management
One Freedom Plaza
449 Auburn Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
Fax: 404-526-8969
我们居住的房屋越来越宽敞Q家庭却来小型化Q可以n受的生活便利日益增多Q属于自q旉却日减;我们获得了一张又一张学位证书,却愈加频J地陷入对常识的茫然中;我们q泛地涉猎各cȝ识,却越来越~Z对于外界事物的准把握和判断Q专家越来越多,问题却也日渐增加Q药物越吃越多,健康却每冉|下?/SPAN>
The paradox of our times
We live in a bigger house, but family is smaller; more conveniences ,but less time for own; more degrees, but less common sense; we got more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degreesQ?/FONT>but less common sense; more knowledgeQ?/FONT>but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
我们花钱太疯Q笑容太,开车太快,发怒太急,熬夜太晚Qvw太累,文章d太少Q电视看得太多,告做得太少。我们不断聚敛物质胦富,却逐渐丢失了自我h倹{我们的话语太多Q真爱太,谎言泛滥。我们掌握了谋生手段Q却不懂得生zȝ谛;我们让年华付诸流_却不曑ְ生命倾注其中?/SPAN>
We spend too recklessly , but laugh too little, drive too fast, too easy get to angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduces values. We speak too much, but love too little, lie too often. We have learned hot to make a living, not a life; we have added years to life, not life to years.
We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get to angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too often, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too little and lie too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life. not life to years.
我们的住房越来越好,脾气却越来越p;我们行驶的道路越来越宽阔Q眼光却来狭隘。我们付出很多,可获得的很少Q我们购C很多Q可从中得到的乐却很少?/SPAN>
We have taller building, but shorter tempter; our roads are wider, but viewpoint is narrower. We spend more, but obtain less; we buy more , but enjoy it less.
We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
我们能够往q于地球与月球之?/SPAN>,却不乐于I过马\向新d问好。我们可以征服外部空_却慑于走q内心世界。我们可以击原子,却不能突破思想偏见Q我们写得很多,可学到的很少Q计划很多,可完成的很少?/SPAN>
We can arrive in moon, but have trouble crossing the street to meet new neighbor. We can conquer outer space, but not inner space. We can split the atom, but never our prejudice . we write too much, but learn less; plan more, but complete less.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. We’ve split the atomQ?/SPAN>but not our prejudice; We write more, but learn less; plan more, but accomplish less.
我们学会了追赶时_却没学会耐心{待Q我们拥有的财富来多Q道德品质却日益沦。我们生产更多的电脑用于存储更多的信息和刉更多的拯Q而相互间的交与沟通却来少。我们拥有的是数量,~Z的是质量?/SPAN>
We have learned to chase time , but not to wait patiently; we have higher incomes, but lower morals. We produce more computers to store more information and more copies; but less communication. We are long on quantity ,but short on quality.
We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies, but have less communication. We are long on quantity, but short on quality.
q是一个快食品和消化q缓怼的时代;一个体格高大和性格病态ƈ存的时代Q一个追名逐利和h情冷漠相生的时代。我们的休闲多了。乐却了Q食品种cd了,营养却少了;双薪家庭增加了,d率也Ȁ升了Q居室的装修华丽了,家庭却残~破了?/SPAN>
This is a time of fast foods and slow digestion, strong body and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships. More leisure but less happy, more kinds of foods, but less nutrition, more two incomes families, but increasing divorce rate, fancier houses , but more broken families.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships. More leisure and less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition; two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes.
As long last I was able to say a few words of my own. I never wanted to withhold anything, but until now It is not constitutionally possible to speak.
At long last I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.
几个时之前Q我履行了作为国王和皇帝的最后义务?/P>
A few hours ago, I discharged my last responsibility as king and emperor.
现在Q我的弟弟约克公爵已l接替了我的位置Q所以我要先向他宣誓效忠Q真心实意的宣誓我的忠心?/P>
New that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart.
A few hours ago I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart.
大家都知道促使我攑ּ王位的原因,但我希望你们能够了解Q在我做个决定的同时Q我q没有忘记我的王国和帝国?5q来Q无论是作ؓ威尔士王子,q是不久前Q国王期间Q我一直都力为国家效力?/P>
Everyone all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne, but I hope you can know when making up my mind I didn’t forget my country and king, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve.
You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the empire, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve.
但是Q你们必ȝ信,如果没有我所挚爱的女人的帮助和支持,我是没有办法担承担这些沉重的责Qq行我作ؓ国王所应尽的义务的?/P>
However, you must believe when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.
if there are not the women’s help and support, I am not able to take these responsibility and perform the duty as a king.
But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.
我还希望你们能够了解Q这个决定是我自己做出的Qƈ且完全是我个人的军_。这是一件必d全由我自己做出取舍的事情。与此事关系密切的另一位当事者直到最后还在力劝我做出另外一U决定?BR>I hope you can understand that this decision is my own one. It is a thing that I must judge entirely for myself. The person concerned has tried up to persuade me to make another decision.
And I want you to know that the decision I have made has been mine and mine alone. This was a thing I had to judge entirely for myself. The other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course.
我做Zq个我一生当中最重大的决定完全基于这样一个想法,卌个决定最l对所有h来说都是最好的?BR>
This most serious decision I made in my life completely is on the basis of this idea- it is better for everyone in the end.
I have made this, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what would, in the end, be best for all.
q个军_对于我来说之所以不是那么困难,乃是因ؓ我确信我的弟弟凭着他在处理公共事务斚w的长期锻g及其卓越的才能,有能力立刻接替我的位置Q而丝毫无损英帝国的活力与发展。另外,他还同你们中的许多h一P有着一h所~Z的、无可比拟的q怺——有d儿女Q有一个幸的家庭?/P>
This decision is not difficult for me, for I trust my brother with public affair and his outstanding ability have ability to discharge my place with his long term practice in dealing without interrupting and harming the progress of empire. Moreover, he as most of you, have a lucky thing which I lucked ?a family of a wife and children.
This decision has been made less difficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother with his long training in the public affairs of this country and with his fine qualities, will be able to take my place forthwith without interruption or injury to the life and progress of the empire. And he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you, and not bestowed on me—a happy home with
在那些难q日子里,我的母后陛下和我的家人给了我很多的慰藉。王国的大臣们,其是首盔Rh先生Q一直都Ҏ非常体谅。我和他们之间、我和议会之间从来没有针对宪法生过分歧。我是在父亲重宪法传统的熏陶下长大的,所以我l不会允许有q样的情况发生?/P>
During those hard days, my mother and my family have comforted me. The ministers of the crown, especially Mir bob, have always treated me with full consideration. There has never been any constitutional difference between me and them, and between me and parliament. I was bred in the influence of respecting the constitutional tradition, so I should have never allowed such thing to arise.
During these hard days I have been comforted by her majesty my mother and by my family. The ministers of the crown, and in particular, Mr. Baldwin, the Prime Minister, have always treated me with full consideration. There has never been any constitutional difference between me and them, and between me and Parliament. Bred in the constitutional tradition by my father, I should never have allowed any such issue to arise.
从我成ؓ威尔士王子以来,以及后来担Q国王期间Q在我生zL游历q的每一个地方,各个阶层的民众都Ҏ极ؓ友好。对此,我表C心感谢?/P>
During the time of being Prince W , as well as occupied the throne, all classes of people treated me very kindly wherever I have lived or journeyed throughout the empire. For this, I am very grateful.
Ever since I was Prince of Wales, and later on when I occupied the throne, I have been treated with the greatest kindness by all classes of the people wherever I have lived or journeyed throughout the empire. For that I am very grateful.
现在我一q出所有公׃务,怸我肩上的担子。也许我与国告别一D|_但我永q深深关注不列颠民族与帝国的发展命运。将来只要我能以个hw䆾为陛下效力,我将决不辜负陛下的厚爱?/P>
Nowadays, I quit altogether public affairs, and lay down my burden. It maybe some time before I return to my nation, but I shall always follow the fortunes of the British race and empire with profound interest and if at any time in the future I can be found of service to his majesty in a private station, I shall not fail
I now quit altogether public affairs and I lay down my burden. It may be some time before I return to my native land, but I shall always follow the fortunes of the British race and empire with profound interest and if at any time in the future I can be found of service to his majesty in a private station, I shall not fail.
现在Q我们大家有了一个新的国王。我衷心愿他和他的子民们幸美满、繁荣昌?愿上帝保佑大?愿上帝保佑吾?
And now, we have a new king. I sincerely wish him and his people happiness and prosperity with all my heart.
God bless you.
And now, we all have a new King. I wish him and you, his people, happiness and prosperity with all my heart. God bless you all! God save the King!
It can be seen from the picture that ?/SPAN>
?/SPAN> increase from ?/SPAN> to ?/SPAN> Q数量增减) decrease fall
用于句首提出论题或现象的句型
with the development of society, ?/SPAN>has been playing an important role in our day-to-day life .
用于比较、阐qC同观点的常用句型
Some people suggest ?/SPAN> Others , however , hold the different opinion .
用于陈述个h观点/x的常用句?/SPAN>
In my opinion , we should pay more attention to ?/SPAN>
My own experience tells me that ?/SPAN>
Personally , I prefer to do?/SPAN> rather than do?/SPAN>
Somebody suggest that 虚拟
I am willing to do ?/SPAN> = I hope to do
I intend to do = want to do
用于l尾的常用句?/SPAN>
It is high time that something was done about ?/SPAN>虚拟
In conclusion ,the most important is ?/SPAN>
用于书信写作的常用句?/SPAN>
I am writing you a letter to do ?/SPAN>.
I would be happy if you could / would ?/SPAN>
Could you tell me about ?/SPAN>.
表示因果关系的连词有:so, hence, thus, therefore, as a result{?/SPAN>.
表示递进关系的连词有:besides, moreover, in addition{?/SPAN>.
表示转折关系的连词有: however, but, yet, on the other hand{?/SPAN>.
表示Ҏ关系的表达方式有:Some prefer...others long for...; We can compare A with B...;{?/SPAN>.
举例说明的表达方式有: for example; such as
ȝ全文的表达方式有:in a word, to sum up , in short,
冠穿全文?/SPAN>to start with, next, in addition, finally
一作文要使用的句型:
1个原因状语从句(长句Q?/SPAN>
1个{折状语从句或者ƈ列从句(长句Q?/SPAN>
1个定语从句(长句Q?/SPAN>
1个被动语态(长句Q?/SPAN>
1个虚拟语气的间接引语Q短句)
1个普通短?/SPAN>
2个高U动?/SPAN>
GOD explains the relationship between evolution and religion. No matter how true or false you feel, we can not stop the development of science and religion. Maybe, two aspects are necessary for human, therefore, we have to make the balance of them possible. Anyhow, let’s look at the explain as following:
The Catholic Position
The Time Question
Much less has been defined as to when the universe, life, and man appeared. The Church has infallibly determined that the universe is of finite age—that it has not existed from all eternity—but it has not infallibly defined whether the world was created only a few thousand years ago or whether it was created several billion years ago.
Catholics should weigh the evidence for the universe’s age by examining biblical and scientific evidence. "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 159).
The contribution made by the physical sciences to examining these questions is stressed by the Catechism, which states, "The question about the origins of the world and of man has been the object of many scientific studies which have splendidly enriched our knowledge of the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the development of life-forms and the appearance of man. These discoveries invite us to even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him thanks for all his works and for the understanding and wisdom he gives to scholars and researchers" (CCC 283).
It is outside the scope of this tract to look at the scientific evidence, but a few words need to be said about the interpretation of Genesis and its six days of creation. While there are many interpretations of these six days, they can be grouped into two basic methods of reading the account—a chronological reading and a topical reading.
Chronological Reading
According to the chronological reading, the six days of creation should be understood to have followed each other in strict chronological order. This view is often coupled with the claim that the six days were standard 24-hour days.
Some have denied that they were standard days on the basis that the Hebrew word used in this passage for day (yom) can sometimes mean a longer-than-24-hour period (as it does in Genesis 2:4). However, it seems clear that Genesis 1 presents the days to us as standard days. At the end of each one is a formula like, "And there was evening and there was morning, one day" (Gen. 1:5). Evening and morning are, of course, the transition points between day and night (this is the meaning of the Hebrew terms here), but periods of time longer than 24 hours are not composed of a day and a night. Genesis is presenting these days to us as 24-hour, solar days. If we are not meant to understand them as 24-hour days, it would most likely be because Genesis 1 is not meant to be understood as a literal chronological account.
That is a possibility. Pope Pius XII warned us, "What is the literal sense of a passage is not always as obvious in the speeches and writings of the ancient authors of the East, as it is in the works of our own time. For what they wished to express is not to be determined by the rules of grammar and philology alone, nor solely by the context; the interpreter must, as it were, go back wholly in spirit to those remote centuries of the East and with the aid of history, archaeology, ethnology, and other sciences, accurately determine what modes of writing, so to speak, the authors of that ancient period would be likely to use, and in fact did use. For the ancient peoples of the East, in order to express their ideas, did not always employ those forms or kinds of speech which we use today; but rather those used by the men of their times and countries. What those exactly were the commentator cannot determine as it were in advance, but only after a careful examination of the ancient literature of the East" (Divino Afflante Spiritu 35?6).
Real History
The argument is that all of this is real history, it is simply ordered topically rather than chronologically, and the ancient audience of Genesis, it is argued, would have understood it as such.
Even if Genesis 1 records God’s work in a topical fashion, it still records God’s work—things God really did.
The Catechism explains that "Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine ‘work,?concluded by the ‘rest?of the seventh day" (CCC 337), but "nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. The world began when God’s word drew it out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history is rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted and time begun" (CCC 338).
It is impossible to dismiss the events of Genesis 1 as a mere legend. They are accounts of real history, even if they are told in a style of historical writing that Westerners do not typically use.
When you watch this film, made by Warner Bros in Feb 2005, you will feel the blood out of your heart. The story is about religion, if you didn't know about the Bible, you will be interesting in the rule of Christ between the god and the Satan, among the hell, the human world and the heaven.
at the same time, I am looking forward to know when the film can be shown in China. Moveover, I find some understandable summary in the website of Constantine. Whether you have seen this film , you should read the content as following:
John Constantine has been to hell and back.
Born with a gift he didn't want, the ability to clearly recognize the half-breed angels and demons that walk the earth in human skin, Constantine (KEANU REEVES) was driven to take his own life to escape the tormenting clarity of his vision. But he failed. Resuscitated against his will, he found himself cast back into the land of the living. Now, marked as an attempted suicide with a temporary lease on life, he patrols the earthly border between heaven and hell, hoping in vain to earn his way to salvation by sending the devil's foot soldiers back to the depths.
But Constantine is no saint. Disillusioned by the world around him and at odds with the one beyond, he's a hard-drinking, hard-living bitter hero who scorns the very idea of heroism. Constantine will fight to save your soul but he doesn’t want your admiration or your thanks ?and certainly not your sympathy.
All he wants is a reprieve.
When a desperate but skeptical police detective (RACHEL WEISZ as Angela Dodson) enlists his help in solving the mysterious death of her beloved twin sister (also played by Weisz), their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldly events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.