Media items related to gender, sexuality and the body Essay

Media items related to gender, sexuality and the body - Essay Example Sexuality is anchored on physical and biological differences that make males and females different. The media use their content with sexuality and gender to influence, educate or inform their audience. Sexuality in advertising entails the use of erotic or sexual words or phrases, images in advertising to appeal to buyers and increase the chances of selling the product. Analyses of media content indicate that most of the content presented portrays issues relating to gender, sexuality and the body with all of these displaying sexual activities explicitly or implicitly. For example, over 80% of all movies from a cable TV stations have sexual content. Over 50% of the music shown in the television portray sexual feelings and impulses with minority displaying provocative clothing and body movement that are sexually arousing. Sexual messages in most television shows are universally presented in a positive light towards gender and sexuality. In most media gender and sexuality has been exploi ted consciously and unconsciously in media items such as; advertisements, promotions, magazine articles, newspaper articles, blogs, and websites. The gist of this paper is to collect and analyse media items related to gender, sexuality and the body. Blog sexinadsmedia.blogspot.com, 2009, Sexuality in media/advertisement , viewed 18 April 2012, . This is a blog article which details the media use of sexuality in advertising, and it discusses a study carried on the use of sexuality in media. It is now news that sexuality had been used in advertising as early as 1800s when physical attractiveness and sexuality started having a great impact on society. Sexuality was used in advertisements in forms of wood carvings and other illustrations of attractive naked women, from the waist up. In 1885 W. Dukes & Sons Tobacco Company could insert trading cards featuring attractive and provocative women into tobacco packages (sexinadsmedia.blogspot.com. 2009, p. 1). Sexuality has from then proved to be substantially effective tool that can change the sales trend in many companies. The blog article refers to the most striking twentieth century advertisement by Woodbury’s Facial Soap, which was based on sexuality. The history of this company has it that in early twentieth century, its sales were plummeting, and it used a doctor’s face on wrapper as its advertisement tool. Later, the company switched to sexuality advertisements by inserting romantic paintings of, young appealing women, and immediately the sales escalated for the following years. Coupled with these images of sexuality was the sexual slogan â€Å"A Skin You Love to touch†, which has attraction and appeal to sexy women (sexinadsmedia.blogspot.com. 2009, p. 1). The blog article agrees with the fact that sexuality is a transforming tool depending on which product is being advertised. The study on the effect of sexuality in advertisements proves that sexy ads attract more people than nonsexual ones . In most sexuality advertising, 51% females are used, and only 15% males are used (Huston, Wartella & Donnerstein 1998). The twist of the writer is the fact that sexuality in general has become a controversial issue in print media advertising

Various Factors of the External and Internal to Organization Essay Example for Free

Various Factors of the External and Internal to Organization Essay The internal environment of an organization refers to events, factors, people, systems, structures and conditions inside the organization that are generally under the control of the company. The companys mission statement, organizational culture and style of leadership are factors typically associated with the internal environment of an organization. As such, it is the internal environment that will influence organizational activities, decisions and employee behavior and attitudes. Changes in the leadership style, the organizations mission or culture can have a considerable impact on the organization. The External Environment The external environment are those factors that occur outside of the company that cause change inside organizations and are, for the most part, beyond the control of the company. Customers, competition, the economy, technology, political and social conditions and resources are common external factors that influence the organization. Even though the external environment occurs outside of an organization, it can have a significant influence on its current operations, growth and long-term sustainability. Ignoring external forces can be a detrimental mistake for managers to make. As such, it is imperative that managers continually monitor and adapt to the external environment, working to make proactive changes earlier on rather than having to take a reactive approach, which can lead to a vastly different outcome. Changing for the Internal Environment To better understand changes in the internal environment, lets look at the following example. After graduating from college, Cassandra decided to buy an existing tanning salon in her community. Before Cassandra purchased the salon, it was in terrible financial trouble. Many of the employees complained about the general managers leadership style, and the staff were often confused about what products and services they offered at the salon because the manager continuously implemented his next bright idea with little warning, most of which were complete failures. Cassandra knew that if she was ever going to be able to bring any level of success to the salon, she needed to make several changes to the internal environment of the tanning salon. The first thing Cassandra did was to fire the existing manager because of his ineffective leadership style. She replaced the manager with someone who practiced a leadership style that was better aligned with the company and its employees. Next, Cassandra spent time developing a clear mission of the company and communicated the new mission to all employees. Over the next several months, Cassandra spent time getting to know her employees and worked hard to foster a culture that was positive and rewarding. All of these changes made by Cassandra were necessary due to the internal forces that were pushing for change, and with the help of her employees, Cassandra was able to bring the much needed changes to the internal environment of the company. Changing for the External Environment If we return to the example of Cassandras tanning salon, we can also find some external forces that required additional change at the tanning salon. If you remember, one of the major issues the staff was having with the previous general manager was his continuous changing of products and services at the salon. What his staff did not know was that he was trying to respond to external factors relating to changing customer demands. As a result, Cassandra spent time talking to her customers to find out what they really want in a tanning salon and was sure to make any changes necessary to accommodate those demands. Additionally, because of the struggling economy, Cassandra needed to ensure her pricing was affordable to her clients and comparable to what her competition was offering for similar tanning services and products at their salons. Lesson Summary Lets review. The internal environment of an organization refers to events, factors, people, systems, structures and conditions inside the organization that are generally under the control of the company. The companys mission statement, organizational culture and style of leadership are factors that are typically associated with the internal environment of an organization. The external environment are those factors that occur outside of the company that cause change in organizations and are, for the most part, beyond the control of the company. Customers, competition, the economy, technology, political and social conditions and resources are common external factors that influence the organization. In order for managers to react to the forces of internal and external environments, they rely on environmental scanning. Environmental scanning refers to the monitoring of an organizations internal and external environments for early signs that a change may be needed. Environmental scans allow managers to use the knowledge gained during the scanning process to decide what steps, or changes, Answer: If there is anything that is stead fast and unchanging, it is change itself. Change is inevitable, and those organizations who do not keep up with change will become unstable, with long-term survivability in question. There are things, events, or situations that occur that affect the way a business operates, either in a positive or negative way. These things, situations, or events that occur that affect a business in either a positive or negative way are called driving forces or environmental factors or forces. There are two kinds of driving forces; Internal driving forces, and external driving forces. Internal driving forces are those kinds of things, situations, or events that occur inside the business, and are generally under the control of the company. Examples might be as follows  · organization of machinery and equipment,  · technological capacity,  · organizational culture,  · management systems,  · financial management  · employee morale. External driving forces are those kinds of things, situation, or events that occur outside of the company and are by and large beyond the control of the company. Examples of external driving forces might be, the industry itself, the economy, demographics, competition, political interference, etc. Whether they are internal or external driving forces, one thing is certain for both. Change will occur! A company must be cognizant of these changes, flexible, and willing to respond to them in an appropriate way. External driving forces can bury a business if not appropriately dealt with. The question is, how does a business know what changes are occurring so that they can deal with them in a positive way. OK, thats the next issue. In order for a business to succeed and gain the competitive edge, the business must know what changes are indeed occurring, and what changes might be coming up in the future. I guess you might call this forecasting. Thus, critical to the business is what we call informational resources. It is the collection and analyzation of data. Some examples of critical information might include the following: * Competition (what are they doing?) * Customer behavior (needs, wants, and desires) * Industry out look (local, national, global) * Demographics (the change populations, there density, etc.) * Economy (are we peaking, or moving negatively) * Political movements and/or interference * Social environment * Technological changes * General environmental changes * Government interference (laws, regulations, policies, ect.) The above are just some issues organizations must be on top of. Well its never easy, but organizations that are successful include all of the above (and more), to develop the appropriate tactics, strategies, and best practices, to ensure successful out comes.

Pestel Analysis Of Japan Economics Essay

Pestel Analysis Of Japan Economics Essay Any person wishing to import goods must declare them to the Director-General of Customs and obtain an import permit after necessary examination of the goods concerned. The formalities start with the lodging of an import declaration and end with issuance of an import permit after the necessary examination and payment of Customs duty and excise tax. The government announced an issue of a record JPY53.5 trillion in new government bonds in FY09 which made government-debt-to-GDP ratio reach 200%. More assertive diplomacy in the political arena participation in UN peace-keeping operations seeking permanent membership of the UN Security Council. A policy deadlock is blocking necessary reforms, suffocating Japans productive firms, producing ever more public debt and putting Japans flexible governance model and strong social partnership at risk. The result is that Japans major companies are actively seeking a new future in businesses abroad. The first major wave of deregulation during the late 1980s was initiated out of necessity, to open up capital markets to international investment and to help finance the growing social security burden with the aid of a more flexible financial system. The second attempt at major structural reforms came in 2002, after Japans economy had become even more dependent on finance from public financial institutions and public works. By 2001, public financial institutions had become responsible for most financial transactions and fully one-third of overall credit allocation. Bureaucracy is widely regarded as exceptionally powerful and reaches into many areas of life. Japan has often been tagged the only functioning so International Policy Analysis on earth. But the government is not large in terms of numbers or consumption ECONOMIC Analysis Public debt 201% of GDP. Revenue $614 trillion FDI stock $205.4 billion 09. The yen (sign: Â ¥; code: JPY) is the currency of Japan. It is the third most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the Euro and the United States dollar. Japan in Figures 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Real GDP Growth1, % 1.9 2 2.4 -0.68 -8.8 Yearly CPI Inflation2, % -0.3 0.2 0.6 0.4 -0.1 Fiscal Balance3, % GDP -7.1 6.2 -5.4 -4.9 -6.5 Unemployment4, % 4.4 4.3 7.4 3 4.4 Current Account Balancre 3.6 3.9 4.8 3.2 2.7 Unemployment rate 5.6% in 2010. GDP growth 0.9%. Industries: Manufacturing, construction, distribution, real estate, services, and communication are Japans major industries today. Agriculture makes up only about two percent of the GNP. Most important agricultural product is rice. Resources of raw materials are very limited and the mining industry rather small. Exports: Japans main export goods are cars, electronic devices and computers. Most important trade partners are China and the USA, followed by South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Germany. Imports: Japan has a surplus in its export/import balance. The most important import goods are raw materials such as oil, foodstuffs and wood. Major supplier is China, followed by the USA, Australia, Saudia Arabia, South Korea, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. The CPI fell to -2.4% yoy mainly due to price slashing campaigns like Jpy 690 jeans and Jpy280 beef-rice bowls. Japan has achieved tremendous economic development by taking advantage of their maritime location and resources. Japan is characterized by small farms labor intensive technologies, great use of fertilizers, and the dominance of rice. Only about 25% of the land area is suitable for agriculture .The remainder consists of forest covered mountains. Generally, Japan is resource poor. Therefore, Japans economic successes depended on imported raw materials SOCIAL ANALYSIS Japan is situated in northeastern Asia between the North Pacific and the Sea of Japan. The area of Japan is 377,873 square kilometers, nearly equivalent to Germany and Switzerland combined or slightly smaller than California. There is only one official language spoken in Japan, which is of course Japanese. However, many Japanese are able to understand English to a certain extent since English is the foreign language that everyone must learn as part of compulsory education. Food Rice is the staple of the Japanese diet. They also eat seafood, beef, pork, chicken, dairy, vegetables and fruits. They have Japanese-style noodles, as well as spaghetti and bread. Japans population is over 126 million. Most Japanese reside in densely populated urban areas. Japans capital city is Tokyo. The population of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area including the city, some of its suburbs and the surrounding area is approximately 12 million. Major cities of Japan and their approximate populations City Population Tokyo 12,059,000 Yokohama 3,426,000 Osaka 2,598,000 Nagoya 2,171,000 Sapporo 1,822,000 Kobe 1,493,000 Fukuoka 1,290,000 Sendai 1,008,000 5. Human development index Japan ranks 11 among the 174 countries when talking of Human development index. There were more than 100 deaths and many school trips cancelled due to H1n1 epidemics. 6, In Clothing most people ordinarily wear western-style clothes. Some schools have uniforms. The traditional clothing, called kimono (kee-mo-no) is worn only on special occasions, such as New Years Day, graduations, and tea ceremonies. Housing the traditional Japanese homes are wooden buildings with tiled roofs. However, most of the contemporary houses and apartments are western style and made of concrete. Tourism count and Nationalities Tourism in Japan comprises both a vibrant domestic sector and over eight million entries each year by foreigners. Religions its share from population Name of religion Estimated Population Its share from population Shinto 106,000,000 49.30% Buddhism 96,000,000 44.65% Christianity 2,000,000 0.93% Islam 125,000 0.06% Theravada 1,500 0.001% Buddhism Judaism 600 0.0003% Others 10,872,900 5.06% TOTAL 215,000,000 100% Technological Analysis Japan reached a level equivalent to or beyond that of the U.S. By 1987, the U.S. Department of Defense found that Japan held the lead in twelve of 24 major categories of semiconductor technology, with a 50% share of the world market, up from 30% a decade earlier. As of 2005, one half of energy in Japan is produced from petroleum, a fifth from coal, and 14% from natural gas. Nuclear power in Japan makes a quarter of electricity production and Japan would like to double it in the next decades. In 2008, Japan ranked third in the world in electricity production, after the United States and China, with 1.25Â ·10 GWh produced during that year. Japan was the worlds second largest producer of photovoltaic electricity until overtaken by Germany in 2005, a year in which it had 38% of the world supply compared to Germanys 39%.. Japan leads the world in robotics, possessing more than half (402,200 of 742,500) of the worlds industrial robots used for manufacturing. It has developed a series of rockets, the latest and the most powerful of which is H-IIB. H-IIA/B rockets which have the capability of carrying 8-ton payload to the GTO at maximum are now managed by the private-own company Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Makoto Kobayashi, Toshihide Masukawa, and Yoichiro Nambu who is an American citizen when awarded, shared the physics prize and Osamu Shimomura also won the chemistry prize in 2008. LEGAL FACTORS Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected members of the Diet, while sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people. The Emperor acts as the head of state on diplomatic occasions Japans legislative organ is the National Diet, a bicameral parliament. The Diet consists of a House of Representatives with 480 seats The Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Emperor after being designated by the Diet from among its members. 19th century, the judicial system has been largely based on the civil law of Europe, notably Germany Civil unsecured debt collection remedies, if a debtor has defaulted in payment of its debt, a creditor may file a motion against the debtor with a competent local court to obtain a judgment ordering the payment. The law regarding composition proceedings has been repealed, and the law regarding corporate arrangement proceedings, while still in effect, is rarely utilized. Since the collapse of the so-called bubble economy in Japan in Japan, insolvency cases have increased dramatically, and new laws were enacted to address the changed circumstances facing Japan. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Japanese city and prefectural authorities have focused on the reduction of solid waste going to landfill. This of course is in response to the lack of affordable space available for landfill sites. Their approach relies heavily on four major factors: 1) technological advancements in incineration 2) technological advancements in plastics recycling 3) Comprehensive production-side recycle stream package labeling and 4) wide consumer-side/household participation in recycling and waste material separation (bunbetsu). The Cool Biz campaign introduced under former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi was targeted at reducing energy use through the reduction of air conditioning use in government. Japanese government started its whaling for research purposes the following year. This whaling program has been criticized by environmental protection groups and anti-whaling countries, who say that the program is not for scientific research. The environmental problems related to Japans construction industry, and the industrys lobbying power preventing the introduction of stricter zoning laws and other environmental protection efforts. Japan has been treating the waste of electronic materials differently than other materials.The utilization of electronic waste resources is around 50% currently and is growing Porters Diamond Potential sources of competitive advantage Firm Strategy and Rivalry Japan is very competitive in electronic goods in fact Japans main export goods are cars, electronic devices and computers. Japan has a surplus in its export/import balance. It has developed a series of rockets, the latest and the most powerful of which is H-IIB. H-IIA/B rockets which have the capability of carrying 8-ton payload Japan leads the world in robotics, possessing more than half (402,200 of 742,500) of the worlds industrial robots used for manufacturing. In 2008, Japan ranked third in the world in electricity production, after the United States and China, with 1.25Â ·10 GWh produced during that year Factor Conditions Tourism count and Nationalities Tourism in Japan comprises both a vibrant domestic sector and over eight million entries each year by foreigners. Only about 25% of the land area is suitable for agriculture .The remainder consists of forest covered mountains. Japans economic successes depended on imported raw materials. Demand Conditions The demand is very stable which can be assumed by the fact of interest rates which are zero so that as much as possible money gets infused in the economy. The limited population is another factor which again makes Japan dependent on exports for its produce. The current crisis shows how unbalanced and vulnerable Japans economy still is. When overseas demand subsided in 2008, Japans economy almost imploded. The third factor is off course the incentive for suppliers which is certainly not there as currently the economy is in deflation. Related and supported industries Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is planning to develop a scheme to support Japanese companies involved in overseas smart community business projects. Fuji Heavy Industries Japans largest transport to financial support for the automotive industry Summary containing key facts Trade International trade has been a force for economic development for centuries. The CDI measures trade barriers in rich countries against exports from developing countries. Japan ranks 20 Low agricultural subsidies (equivalent to a tariff worth 3.2% of the value of imports; rank Investment Provides insurance against political risk for both domestic and foreign firms Employs foreign tax credits to prevent double taxation of corporate profits earned abroad Technology High tax subsidy rate to businesses for RD (rank: 10) No attempt to incorporate into bilateral free trade agreements TRIPS Defence No arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments (rank by share of GDP: 1) Migration Large share of foreign students from developing countries Environment Low fishing subsidies OTHER WEAKNESSES Negligent in identifying bribery and corrupt practices on the part of home country firms abroad High barriers against apparel (9.0% of the value of imports; rank: 17) Greenhouse gas emissions grew almost as fast as GDP in 1998-2008 (average annual growth rate/GDP, -1.4%; rank: 17) Small financial or personnel contributions to internationally sanctioned peacekeeping and humanitarian interventions over last decade (rank by share of GDP: 21) Refrences http://www.cgdev.org/section/initiatives/_active/cdi/_country/japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_in_Japan Research paper Legal issues in Japan By Nagashima Ohno Tsunematsu

The Butterfly Sisters Essay -- essays research papers

The main themes of this book is not to far from the reality of every persons life. Not everyone has to live in a tyranny and fight for freedom to live but the fact is you still need to fight for something. Life is filled with struggles and that goes to different extents for different people. For the sisters in, In The Time of The Butterflies they had to go through an extreme part of their lives together and ended up not coming out the same. They were dependent on each other yet they were independent at the same time. The main theme I picked up from this book was the faith they had. The faith they had with each other, the faith they had to survive but most importantly the faith they had for themselves. They had faith as independent woman that they will survive no matter what the cost was and if they did not then they would die trying. The other theme I picked up was independency of these woman. They did not need anything from anyone else just each other. This faith and independence I look at with the growth of my favorite character, Minerva. In the beginning of the novel, Alvarez introduces Minerva to the reader with Minerva's excitement that her Pap plans to send her away to school. School becomes Minerva's first victory and step towards her life as a revolutionary fighter. The faith she has in herself to go out into the world as an independent woman will shape her future greatly. Minerva says referring to going to school, â€Å"is how I got free† (13). Alvarez uses Minerva's de... The Butterfly Sisters Essay -- essays research papers The main themes of this book is not to far from the reality of every persons life. Not everyone has to live in a tyranny and fight for freedom to live but the fact is you still need to fight for something. Life is filled with struggles and that goes to different extents for different people. For the sisters in, In The Time of The Butterflies they had to go through an extreme part of their lives together and ended up not coming out the same. They were dependent on each other yet they were independent at the same time. The main theme I picked up from this book was the faith they had. The faith they had with each other, the faith they had to survive but most importantly the faith they had for themselves. They had faith as independent woman that they will survive no matter what the cost was and if they did not then they would die trying. The other theme I picked up was independency of these woman. They did not need anything from anyone else just each other. This faith and independence I look at with the growth of my favorite character, Minerva. In the beginning of the novel, Alvarez introduces Minerva to the reader with Minerva's excitement that her Pap plans to send her away to school. School becomes Minerva's first victory and step towards her life as a revolutionary fighter. The faith she has in herself to go out into the world as an independent woman will shape her future greatly. Minerva says referring to going to school, â€Å"is how I got free† (13). Alvarez uses Minerva's de...

Was Germany responsible for the Outbreak of WW1?

There is much evidence to suggest that German Aggression was responsible for the outbreak of a general European war in August 1914. Both Sources 1 and 2 play on the idea that both the Kaiser and Bethmann Hollweg used its foreign policies to create tension within Europe which consequently led to a European war. Source 1 argues ‘Germany’s foreign policy aims were focused on annexation, and that she went to was to achieve these aims’ highlighting the forceful nature which Germany could have possessed in this era.However, Source 3 argues that infact the growing tension in Europe arguably led Germany to fight a defensive war and that it was infact Britain, Russia and France through Germany’s fear of invasion who stimulated the war; ‘The British were determined to maintain their naval superiority, whatever the financial and political cost’. This leads to the judgement that although there is some evidence to suggest that Germany did fight a defensive war to some extent, overall German aggression did lead to the outbreak of a general European war.Firstly, the idea that Germany did fight an aggressive war can be seen through Germany’s increasing desire for European Hegemony. The fact that Germany was slowly but surly disabling European peace in its quest for Weltpolitik shows how Germany were looking for confrontation. The Moroccan Crisis’ of 1905-11 highlights the Kaiser’s desire to expand the German empire into other continents as well as just Europe. The consequences of this crisis furthermore increased the bitterness between the Germans and the French; showing how the idea of Weltpolitik played a large part in the why Germany had an aggressive attitude to war.Both Source 1 and 2 follow the line of argument that the aggression had led to war, and that ‘Germanys foreign policy aims were focused on annexation, and that she went to war to achieve these aims’ shows that Germany had had every intent ion to go to war. That, in conclusion with the latter emergence of the Schlieffen plan suggests how Germany were prepared to go to war highlighting that the idea they were fighting an defensive war could be hard to believe. Source 2 furthermore states that Was Germany responsible for the Outbreak of WW1? There is much evidence to suggest that German Aggression was responsible for the outbreak of a general European war in August 1914. Both Sources 1 and 2 play on the idea that both the Kaiser and Bethmann Hollweg used its foreign policies to create tension within Europe which consequently led to a European war. Source 1 argues ‘Germany’s foreign policy aims were focused on annexation, and that she went to was to achieve these aims’ highlighting the forceful nature which Germany could have possessed in this era.However, Source 3 argues that infact the growing tension in Europe arguably led Germany to fight a defensive war and that it was infact Britain, Russia and France through Germany’s fear of invasion who stimulated the war; ‘The British were determined to maintain their naval superiority, whatever the financial and political cost’. This leads to the judgement that although there is some evidence to suggest that Germany did fight a defensive war to some extent, overall German aggression did lead to the outbreak of a general European war.Firstly, the idea that Germany did fight an aggressive war can be seen through Germany’s increasing desire for European Hegemony. The fact that Germany was slowly but surly disabling European peace in its quest for Weltpolitik shows how Germany were looking for confrontation. The Moroccan Crisis’ of 1905-11 highlights the Kaiser’s desire to expand the German empire into other continents as well as just Europe. The consequences of this crisis furthermore increased the bitterness between the Germans and the French; showing how the idea of Weltpolitik played a large part in the why Germany had an aggressive attitude to war.Both Source 1 and 2 follow the line of argument that the aggression had led to war, and that ‘Germanys foreign policy aims were focused on annexation, and that she went to war to achieve these aims’ shows that Germany had had every intent ion to go to war. That, in conclusion with the latter emergence of the Schlieffen plan suggests how Germany were prepared to go to war highlighting that the idea they were fighting an defensive war could be hard to believe. Source 2 furthermore states that

Good Friday and Easter

Good Friday and Easter Good Friday and Easter Good Friday and Easter By Maeve Maddox Reader Elaine Peters wonders if the word Good in Good Friday has anything to do with the word God, pointing out that the English good-bye is a shortened version of the once common expression God be with ye. The word goodbye is the result of running words together until theyve dwindled into a compressed version of the original. The English words good and god, however, are not related. Both stem from Indo-European roots. The word god meaning deity, is thought to come from a word meaning that which is invoked. Or, It could come from a different Indo-European word meaning to pour as in the pouring of a libation. The word good, meaning having a desirable quality, comes from a Proto-Indo- European base word with the meaning to unite, be associated, suitable. Like the word nice, good can be used in so many contexts that it is probably a word to be avoided by careful writers. For example, good can have the following meanings: prosperous: He makes a good living. beneficial: Spinach is good for you. welcome: The doctor gave him good news. fertile: The land isnt very good in this area. attractive: Actors must have good looks. genuine: This money is not good. advantageous: I got a good deal on this couch. Among the many meanings of good are virtuous, moral, and wise. One of the meanings of the word holy is infinitely good. From such meanings come the expressions the Good Book and Good Friday. To call the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Good Friday could seem a little perverse, but seen from the perspective of Christian belief, the day marks the salvation of mankind and the triumph over death. For that reason it is called Good Friday in the Christian calendar. The Christian use of the word Easter for the religious celebration of the passion and death of Christ is one of those ironies of linguistic history. The word Easter derives from the name of an ancient Germanic goddess of fertility and sunrise, Austron. Her feast was celebrated at the spring equinox. Anglo-Saxon converts to Christianity adopted the name and, according to the Venerable Bede, some of the practices of the old worship for their Mass of the Resurrection as well. The word east derives from the same word as does the name of the goddess. The German word for Easter is similar: Ostern, but most European languages use words derived from Medieval Latin pascha: French: PÃ ¢ques Dutch: Pasen Italian: Pasque Spanish: Pascua Portuguese: Pscoa* Russian: nacxa [pass-kha]* (with thanks to Andre, Andriano, and Alexey) The Latin word come from a Hebrew word which passed into Aramaic as pasha and from there into Greek and Latin. William Tyndale, translating the Bible in 1530, translated Hebrew pesah as pass over. During the Middle English period, some writers used the word Pasche for Easter, but the pagan word is the one that has survived into modern English. Even though English speakers use Easter as the name of the festival, they do have an adjective, paschal, that has the meaning of or pertaining to Easter. One of my family traditions was the eating of the Paschal Egg on Easter morning. We cut one of our colored eggs, usually a purple one, into four pieces, one for each member of the family. I suppose that an Easter egg hunt could be referred to as a paschal event. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One SpellingThe Possessive Apostrophe6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know