Albrecht Ritschl Essay examples -- Christian Theology

IntroductionAlbrecht Ritschl was one of the most pivotal theologians in the history of Christianity. While many raise up him with introducing ideas that led to a more liberal theology, his intentions were nevertheless honorable. Ritschl lived in a time where Christianity was no longer considered relevant or feasible, and his reinterpretations were an attempt to keep Christianity applicable to modern society. His defenses, however, often resulted in a corruption of doctrine and left Christianity open to attack. Thus Ritschl was an extremely influential theologian, though many question how verifying that influence may have been. Ritschls TheologyRitschls theology was greatly affected by the philosophers of his time. Immanuel Kant had declared that the mind was incapable of pictureing anything more than what could be experienced sensorially or was beyond ordered reason and logic. Similarly, Ritschl was influenced by the Tbingen school of theology, which he came to firmly oppose. Tbi ngen theology was extremely inquisitive about Christianity, yet also promoted mysticism. Further, the school disregarded church history.1 Thus Ritschls theology would take a less extreme approach. He would freeze off mysticism on the grounds that theology must be firmly rooted in reality, particularly moral and ethical realities. On this basis he also rejected natural theology.2Ritschls theology agreed with Kants philosophy to some extent. He agreed that the mind was limited to its experiences, but believed it could understand moral issues as they affected the individual.3 Thus everything was reduced to judgements of fact or value. Fact judgements could be proven objectively, but value judgements could not. Thus value judgements were left... ...BibliographyAhern, Annette. friendly Justice Now, Later or Never? The Contribution of Albrecht Ritschl and Johannes Weiss to Social Justice Theology. Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses 32, no. 3 (2003) 281-97. http//sir.sagepub.com/ content/32/3/281 (accessed February 18, 2012).Douglas, J. D., Philip Wesley soothe and Donald Mitchell. Whos Who in Christian History. Wheaton, IL Tyndale House, 1992.Eckman, James P. Exploring Church History. Wheaton, IL Crossway, 2002.Geisler, Norman L. and William E. Nix. A General Introduction to the Bible. Rev. and expanded. Chicago Moody Press, 1996.Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity The Reformation to the amaze Day. 2nd ed. New York City, NY HarperOne, 2010.Pierard, R.V. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2nd ed. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic, 2001.

The Effects of a Change in the Minimum Wage Essay -- Economics Workfor

The Effects of a Change in the Minimum Wage In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and ever since, the join declares has required that all firms that do at least $500,000 worth of business per year pay their workers a borderline remuneration ( happy n.pag.). Because it affects so many an(prenominal) workers in so many different aspects of the economy, the minimum wage plays a big part in the cost of labor and how firms deal with those costs. A flip in the minimum wage, which would seemingly affect only workers, can actually be felt sometimes all the way down to the consumer, who might kibosh up paying for it in the endunless the firm finds another way to pay for the mandatory raise for all its workers, such as a go down in its workforce or a change in the production process. These changes the consumer might not noticeably feel. A change in the minimum wage has several short-term and long-term effects on the economy that can be either beneficial or devastating to s ociety at large.The arguments for and against the minimum wage have been ongoing. On one hand, its simply a supply and demand issue. As prices (or wages) rise, the demand for that product (or labor) decreasesin other words, employers leave alone simply stop or slow down their hiring. If the minimum wage emergences too much, then it could even force some smaller firms out of business. and so even more people will be out of work. On the other hand, better paid employees could feel more motivation to increase their productivity. And increase in a companys productivity could be high enough that, in order to keep up supply, it might need to utilize even more employees. In this case, raising the minimum wage has increased employment.So whos right? Almost all studies of minimum wage ef... ...Handy Reference Guide. ESA/WHD Wage Hour Division Home Page. U.S. Department of Labor. 21 April 2001 .Neumark, David and William Wascher. Employment Effects of Minimum and Subminimum Wages Panel D ata on State Minimum Wage Laws. Industrial & Labor Relations Review Oct 1992 55. EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier. 22 April 2001 .Partridge, Mark D. and Jamie S. Partridge. Do Minimum Wage Hikes Reduce Employment? State-Level Evidence from the Low-Wage sell Sector. Journal of Labor Research Summer 1999 393. EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier. 22 April 2001 .Wimmer, Bradley S. The Minimum Wage and Productivity Differentials. Journal of Labor Research Fall 2000 649. EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier. 22 April 2001 .

Great Britain and the Industrial Revolution Essay -- Essays Papers

Great Britain and the industrial Revolution Why did Great Britain lead the Industrial Revolution?The Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century changed Europe forever. At the front of this change was Great Britain, which used some natural advantages and awesome thinking and innovation to become the leader of the Industrial Revolution. First, Britain had some tremendous natural attributes. It was naturally endowed with umteen deposits of coal and iron ore, which were used heavily in the early stages of factory production. In adjunct, Britain was dictated at a critical point for international trade. Its position between the United States and the rest of Europe allowed them to have a serious impact in all matters of trade. Likewise, a multitude of navig qualified waterways, easy access to the sea, and a mild climate all contributed to the onset of industrialism. Britains topography was conducive to industrialism because its diversity allowed for the production of many agr icultural products, preventing any sort of shortage or famine. Evans remarks, Each single such advantage could be replicated in other European countries and some could be accentuated, but no other nation enjoyed such a rich combination of natural bounties (111). Furthermore, the nation was free of many trade tariffs that hampered industry in other European nations while featuring a real opportunity for upward movement in society which provided a great incentive for acquiring wealth. Britain in like manner experienced tremendous population growth which provided a potential workforce as well as an increase in the demand for goods. In addition to all of these natural assets, there was also great innovation and technological advance in Britain. One of the b... ...not on g everyplacenments, but on men of initiative, determination, ambition, vision, resourcefulness, single-mindedness, and (not infrequently) good, fair greed (117). The Industrial Revolution, led by Great Britain, gr eatly changed the existing attitude of powerlessness towards nature to one of power because now people were able to produce enough goods and food to support the expanding population. The ability to produce a surplus that arose from the ongoing industrialization meant that people no longer had to worry over nature and its effects on the economy. The Industrial Revolution led by Great Britain radically changed Europes social and economic ways of life and provided the impetus for the tremendous progress of the 19th century. Work Cited Evans, Eric J. The Forging of the Modern State Early Industrial Britain. London and New York Longman, 1996.

Analysis of Pearl Harbor the Movie Essay -- Jerry Bruckheimer Film

Pearl HarborThe movie Pearl Harbor directed and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer was released in 2001. This highly praised movie allows the reference to carefully watch a movie that is based on a day that started the United States involvement in World War II. The movie begins with a two boys, Danny Walker and Rafe McCawley, who have grown up hoping to become involved in the United States legions and slowly changes to the life, excitement, and hardships of being involved in the struggle. Rafe is unrivaled of the best fighter pilots in the regiment and falls in love with a beautiful nurse, Lt. Evelyn Johnson. As the United States tries to help the British, Rafe volunteers to go to London. After several(prenominal) months he supposedly dies when shot down by a German aircraft. This devastating news is told to Lt. Evelyn Johnson by Danny Walker who is still trying to deal with the situation. A few months went by and Lt. Evelyn Johnson and Danny Walker fall in love. Being alone during a time of war was not an ideal situation, one that all military men and women hated. They found themselves to be compatible and in love. They enjoyed their relationship together until news is delivered to Danny that Rafe is still alive. During all this time United States avoids involvement would in the war because they felt that their involvement would not have an impact. The relationship with Danny and Evelyn progresses and so did the war. It is on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. In the movie Pearl Harbor, Bruckheimer attempts to describe what happened on Sunday December 7, 1941 as accurately as possible. However, no matter how hard Bruckheimer tries to present this event historically it will be unclear because it is employ primarily ... ...roximity, and pre-judgments. Why did he/she create the movie or book? Where did he/she find his/her resources? How did he/she gain his/her knowledge? However once a person learns how to analyze this they will be able to become more objective when thinking about history. BibliographyArthur, Max. Forgotten Voices of World War II. Great Britain Ebury Press, 2004.Bard, Mitchell. The cease Idiots Guide to World War II. in the raw York Alpha Books, 2004Burlingame, Burl. Advance Force, Pearl Harbor. Annapolis, MD Naval Institute Press, 1992.Mullener, Elizabeth. WAR STORIES, remembering World War II. New York Berkley, 2002.Nash, Gary, and others. American Odyssey. Multimedia edition. New York 1997Pearl Harbor. Director Jerry Bruckheimer. Touchstone Studios, 2001.Willmott, H.P. Pearl Harbor. New York Sterling Publishing, 2001.

The Resolution of Conflicts Essay -- Literary Analysis, The Bet

To live anyhow is better than not at all (Chekhov 1) , the short story, The Bet commenced with the participation when the person had no choice but to choose between the death penalty or living in prison. The Bet was originally written by Anton Chekhov, a profound Russian short-story writer who concentrated a lot on human values and the reflection of the extravagantly selfish Russian nobility. And done The Bet he was able to express all those ideas in two sides, the banker and the lawyer with the conflict along the story line. The author introduced the story with a flitting flashback that the banker recalled at night what happened in the past instead of going directly to the society from fifteen years ago. Well, this flashback style for opening suggests that the event on the party from fifteen years ago was unforgettable. Moreover, this introduction style helps to pull the audiences attention and curiosity out more effectively. On that night, the banker and the lawyer make a bet based on the idea between life imprisonment and death penalty. The argument began with the bankers strong statement Capital penalisation kills a man at once, but lifelong imprisonment kills him slowly. Which executioner is the more humane, he who kills you in a few minutes or he who drags the life out of you in the course of many years? (Chekhov, 1) and the lawyer had chosen lifelong imprisonment by indicating that To live anyhow is better than not at all (Chekhov, 1). To prove his philosophy righteously, the lawyer agreed to stay for fifteen years in the basement of the bankers house without the acknowledgement of the jump world. In exchange for those imprisoned years, the banker would give the lawyer two million dollars if the lawyer succeeded with... ...er and the banker had faced a lot of crisis when they decided to make the bet, endure the consequences on both sides for making the bet and make the final resolution or solution. Life is priceless freedom, being able to live is better than accepting death. However, life is too short and unexpected you would die tomorrow or the second later. Therefore, The Bet signifies that everyone should not need to fight over pretty things like currency and power because its learning that makes man valuable not the money (knowledge is power and money is imprisonment). Everyone just lives to the fullest and appreciate every slightest moment, event, thing and people who await in their life. Even that moment is sorrowful but every suffering has some meaning in this world that helps us to grow and develop our unique identity, overcome obstacles and treasure ourselves with others.

The Resolution of Conflicts Essay -- Literary Analysis, The Bet

To live anyhow is better than not at only (Chekhov 1) , the short story, The Bet commenced with the conflict when the person had no choice further to engage between the death penalty or life in prison. The Bet was originally written by Anton Chekhov, a profound Russian short-story writer who surd a lot on human values and the reflection of the extravagantly selfish Russian nobility. And through The Bet he was able to express all those creative thinkers in two sides, the banker and the attorney with the conflict along the story line. The author introduced the story with a momentary flashback that the banker recalled at night what happened in the past quite of going directly to the party from fifteen years ago. Well, this flashback name for opening suggests that the event on the party from fifteen years ago was unforgettable. Moreover, this introduction style helps to pull the audiences attention and curiosity out more effectively. On that night, the banker and the lawyer made a bet based on the idea between life imprisonment and death penalty. The argument began with the bankers strong statement Capital punishment kills a man at once, but long imprisonment kills him slowly. Which executioner is the more humane, he who kills you in a few minutes or he who drags the life out of you in the course of many an(prenominal) years? (Chekhov, 1) and the lawyer had chosen lifelong imprisonment by indicating that To live anyhow is better than not at all (Chekhov, 1). To prove his philosophy righteously, the lawyer agreed to stay for fifteen years in the basement of the bankers house without the acknowledgement of the surface world. In exchange for those imprisoned years, the banker would give the lawyer two million dollars if the lawyer succeeded with... ...er and the banker had faced a lot of crisis when they decided to make the bet, endure the consequences on both sides for making the bet and make the concluding resolution or solution. Life is priceless freedo m, being able to live is better than accepting death. However, life is too short and unexpected you would die tomorrow or the second later. Therefore, The Bet signifies that everyone should not need to fight over pretty things like money and power because its learning that makes man priceless not the money (knowledge is power and money is imprisonment). Everyone just lives to the fullest and appreciate every slightest moment, event, thing and people who appear in their life. Even that moment is sorrowful but every suffering has some meaning in this world that helps us to grow and develop our unique identity, overcome obstacles and treasure ourselves with others.

Health Care” Right or Privilege” Essay

There has been an active debate about health business concern reform among many Americans in the United States. Some the youthful concerns and questions involving a respectable to health c ar ar get to, fairness, efficiency, cost, choice, value, and quality. health Cargon Right or Privilegewellness cover in the United States is exitd by many sepa number legal entities. Health address facilities be largely owned and operated by the private sector. Health insurance policy is now primarily provided by the government in the public sector, with 60-65% of healthcare provision and spending coming from programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, the Childrens Health Insurance Program, and the Veterans Health Administration (Health care in the United States., 2011). In the United States, ownership of the health care system is mainly in private hands, though federal, state, county, and city governments in addition own certain facilities. The non-profit hospitals share of total hos pital capacity has remained relatively stable (about 70%) for decades. There are as well as privately owned for-profit hospitals as intimately as government hospitals in some locations, mainly owned by county and city governments. There is no nationwide system of government-owned medical facilities undefended to the general public but there are local government-owned medical facilities open to the general public.The federal Department of Defense operates field hospitals as well as permanent hospitals (the Military Health System), to provide military-funded care to active military personnel. The federal Veterans Health Administration operates VA hospitals open only to veterans, though veterans who try on medical care for conditions they did not receive while serving in the military are charged for services(Health care in the United States., 2011). Hospitals provide some outpatient care in their emergency rooms and specialty clinics, but primarily exist to provide inpatient care. Hospital emergency departments and urgent care centers are sources of sporadic problem-focused care.Surgery centers are examples of specialty clinics. Hospice services for the terminally ill who are expected to live six months or less are most commonly subsidized by charities and government. Prenatal, family planning, and dysplasia clinics are government-funded obstetric and gynecologic specialty clinics respectively, and are usually staffed by nurse practitioners (Health care in the United States., 2011). Over 45 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured. Those living in poverty exhibit the worst health status. Employment, education, income, and race are important factors in a persons ability to acquire healthcare access. Having established that there are quite a little lacking healthcare access due to multi-factorial etiologies, the question arises as to whether the intervention necessary to assist them in obtaining such access should be considered a privilege, or a right(H ealth care in the United States., 2011).An active debate about health care reform in the United States concerns questions of a right to health care, access, fairness, efficiency, cost, choice, value, and quality. Some render argued that the system does not deliver equivalent value for the money spent. The USA pays twice as much yet lags behind other wealthy nations in such measures as in caramel brownt mortality and life expectancy, though the relation between these statistics to the system itself is debated. Currently, the USA has a higher infant mortality rate than most of the worlds industrialized nations and life expectancy is ranked 42nd in the world. (Health care in the United States., 2011) The Patient aegis and cheap Care effect (PPACA) is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law (along with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010) is the principal health care reform legislative action of the 11 1th United States Congress (Patient guard and Affordable Care Act, 2011).A majority of the states, and numerous organizations and individual persons, dumbfound filed actions in federal court challenging the piece of musicality of PPACA. As of September 2011, federal appellate courts are almost evenly divided on the constitutional issues come ond in this litigation at the district court level, three judges upheld the constitutionality of PPACA and three declared it unconstitutional, in part. PPACA includes numerous provisions to take effect over several years beginning in 2010(Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2011). mayhap the biggest disappointment of our legislative and executive branches of government in the creation of Obama Care is that they lacked vision and a concrete understanding of the bigger picture when crafting and pushing this unseasoned agenda. With a broad brush assessment, we can see that the architects of Obama Care failed in addressing the followin g two areas Bridging Safety loopholes that needlessly lead to over 100,000 medical-related deaths and hundreds of thousands more in injuries in American medical institutions each year.Propagating the misperception that a one-tiered, national health system plan, with greater centralized control, can work somehow better. wiz of the provisions I disagree with is the shared responsibility requirement, commonly called an individual mandate, it requires that nearly all persons not covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or other insurance programs purchase and comply with an approved insurance policy or pay a penalty. The only people exempt from the mandate are individuals of recognized spiritual sects or those individuals able to obtain a waiver from the Internal Revenue Service in cases of financial hardship(Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2011) . The Acts provisions are intended to be funded by a variety of taxes and offsets. Major sources of new revenue include a much-broadened Medicare tax on incomes over $200,000 and $250,000, for individual and joint filers respectively, an annual fee on insurance providers, and a 40% tax on Cadillac insurance policies.There are also taxes on pharmaceuticals, high-cost diagnostic equipment, and a federal sales tax on indoor tanning services. Total new tax revenue from the Act pull up stakes amount to $409.2 billion over the next 10 years. $78 billion entrust be realized before the end of fiscal 2014(Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2011). I withstand two problems with what many Americans now refer to as Obama Care, one I am no fan of paying higher taxes. Any economist will tell you that raising taxes does not stimulate economic growth and without economic growth people will continue to spend less, businesses will not hire new employees or expand, and the unemployment rate will continue to rise. Also an increased unemployment rate means more people in need of government assistance, along with more Americans unable to afford health care. So in short our government is going to raise taxes to give all Americans health care which will in effect cause more Americans to become unemployed and lose there health care and become subject to a penalty.Sounds like the democratic version of utopia is nothing more than a double edge sword doomed for failure. The concept of utopia is an fantastic dream for each persons vision of utopia is different. The other problem I have with Obamas centralized health care plan is that we are letting government dictate what we as American have to purchase or be subject to a fine if we do not comply. Our constitution states each person has the right to pursue happiness, it does not say the government should or could guarantee it, just that you have to right to pursue it.Some people suggest making healthcare mandatory is the same as having to purchase automobile insurance, the only problem with this type of thinking is that you do not have to drive or own a car. If you choose not to, no one fines you for it. I view health care as a right in respect that I have the right to purchase health care or to choose not too. I believe all Americans have the right to choice and should not be fined or penalized if they choose to exercise that right. Too many people today view our government as a separate entity and believe that it owes them something. We as Americans are in fact the government, for we are a government of the people for the people.ReferencesHealth care in the United States. (2011). In . Retrieved October 24, 2011, from http//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_in_the_United_States&oldid=456210485 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (2011). In . Retrieved October 24, 2011, from http//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act&oldid=456759152

Leadership qualities of Odysseus throughout the book Essay

Throughout the Odyssey, the lead character, Odysseus, is presented as the noble-minded Hellenic leader. He demonstrates this through the treat custodyt of his men and how he deals with problems that are presented to him. Because the Odyssey was first a spoken myth, it took on the shape of the society in which it was told. Including that societys good and ethical values, as well as its desires in the traits of a leader. A leader must(prenominal) first be defined, then set apart from separate potential leaders, then the leader must be tested through his actions, only then can a definite leader be defined.First, bingle must define the ideal Greek leader. An ideal Greek leader com spellds the respect of those being led, but also gives respect. He must be intellectual and cunning, and able to think logically with the intentions of keeping the well being of those beneath him. Reverence to the gods is mandatory, as they are viewed as the supreme leaders. An ideal leader must have a n ability to lead a military victoriously, but also know when military action is not necessary. There are m all former(a) traits that the ideal Greek leader must possess, but none are as important as those that have been listed.Another way of proving Odysseus as the ideal leader is by contrasting him with other leaders. Two other characters in the book that could be considered character foils are Antinoos and Alkinoos, two very different leaders. Alkinoos, magnate of the Phaeacians, is presented as leader who is open to outsiders, another trait that is revered in ancient Greek culture. When he provides the hospitality to Odysseus, he shows his welcoming manner by not only allowing Odysseus to stay as his guest, but also taking him back to Ithaca. When you came here to my strong home, Odysseus, under my tall roof, headwinds were left behind you. class sailing shall you have now, homeward now (XIII, 4-7) Alkinoos can be considered a foil that showswhat Homer viewed as a good leader. Antinoos, on the other hand, was near the opposite. The suitor spent his time unsuccessfully enticing Penelope, one of many things that Homer could have considered to be a bad trait, peculiarly when possessed by a leader, which is something that Antinoos could be considered in his relationship with the other suitors. He was also the suitor who came up with the scheme to kill Telemachus. Furthermore, Antinoos being the first to die when Odysseus returns, could be presented as Homers punishment of the iniquitous suitor of the heros wife. These two characters can be considered the two extremes in Homers view of a leader.Odysseuss actions throughout the book demonstrate the traits that make him a good leader. Through his decisions in these specific compensatets, he proves that he is a good, but not perfect, leader. First, his decision to send men to scout out Kirkes house was one of pleasure, not conquest. Odysseus did not need to send his men probing the unfamiliar island, but stil l matte up it necessary. This decision is one that had to be made, but given past experiences, the reader would expect Odysseus to choose otherwise, especially when his men felt hesitant. They were all silent, but their hearts contracted, remembering Antiphates the Laistrygon and that prodigious cannibal, the Kyklopes But seeing our time for action lost in weeping, I mustered those Akhaians under arms, counting them off in two platoons, myself and my godlike Eurylokhos commanding. (X, 217-224)It wasnt until after the first party fell prey to Kirkes elixir that Odysseus shows his true leadership. With the financial aid of the gods, he is able to free his men from living as swine. Although he stays long after he has freed his men, nearly a year, he felt the obligation towards his men by undoing Kirkes acts and freed them from her hold. Another instance when Odysseus demonstrates his leadership ability is when he is faced with the escape from Polyphemuss cave. His quick thought and strategic approach gave him victory over the giant, two traits Homer emphasizes in Odysseus. Odysseus is able to lead his men to blind the Kyklops, but shows how no mortal man can be perfect, no matter how heroic, by shouting back at Polyphemus and telling him who had truly blinded him.Finally, Odysseuss similarity to some of the know leaders of ancient Greececan be used to express how Odysseus was presented as the ideal Greek leader. The first of whom being the democratic leader of Athens, Pericles, and second being Alexander the Great. Pericles was much like Odysseus in a sense of his ability to manipulate and limit those under him, a necessary skill in any democratic society. He was able to influence the other elected officials into believing what he wanted, and stemmed his success from that ability. Although not an especially admirable trait, the ability to influence men into what is needed to be done in the eyes of the leader is most certainly necessary, especially when it inv olves military authority.Alexander the Greats conclusion is paralleled only by Odysseus, which is another trait that all strong leaders must possess. Another element to a leader that is often present is that of arrogance, as Alexander the Great believed himself to be half immortal, and held himself in comparison with Hercules. Alexander was even known to sleep with copies of Homers books under his pillow, and drew hard influence from Homers characters, including Odysseus.Odysseus is considered to be one of the greatest mythological heroic leaders. Not only is he presented as the model for the ideal Greek leader, but has influenced many other leaders throughout history, including Alexander the Great. Odysseus was a model for ancient Greek leaders, and still influences our views of leadership today, although we may not even notice it.

Symbolism in Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation”

Flannery OConnor belongs to the school of writing called American Southern Gothic. Her prevarication revolves around multitude from the South and the volatile relationships fermenting in their society. The significance of be a writer from the American South has something to do with the immediate context from which the stories ar written. The extent of slavery and racial prejudice in the South pre directs Southern writers with subject matter ranging from racism to moral decay (Wood 1) Apart from being grow in what is considered a backwater, Bible-fundamentalist society, OConnors staunch faith in Roman Catholicism also break aways a part in her fiction.Many of her full treatment have been read with symbolism of spiritual realities. Martin asserts that the symbolic nature of her work comes from the plausibility of her characters action or the circumstances in which they find themselves, and the metaphysical sum these actions or circumstances take (137). To OConnor, however, her fiction is not symbolic but sacramental in that the actions, which are often violent, are seen to be intrusions of perfections grace into the physical arena (Revel).The ability of OConnor to translate abstract matters such as good, evil, grace, and redemption into a concrete, mundane, and very real scenario infuses her fiction with rich symbolism. The effective use of symbol is demonstrate in the short story Revelation. Like most of her stories, Revelation is set in the South, in a little town where ordinary folks live. It is a world familiar to OConnor, having been brought up in Georgia. The protagonist in the story is Ruby Turpin, a stocky woman who has a penchant for thin might about people in relation to her own sense of righteousness.Along with her husband, Mrs.Turpin is found at the get-go of the story in a clinic delay elbow room in which she joined several people. Immediately, she surveyed the room and sized them up according to her own sets of labels a albumin trash woman, a fat, displeasing teenager, a pleasant woman, and ordinary-looking folks. Not long after, she strikes a conversation with the pleasant woman who turns out to be the mother of the ugly girl. They talk about how important it is to observe propriety and maintain a positive outlook even when they have to deal with niggers. They then share view about being thankful for whatever God has given them.All this time, the ugly girl named bloody shame Grace is smirking, obviously irritated and furious at the conversation of the two women. The white trash woman, on the other hand, tries to join the conversation by sharing comments which only showed her ignorance. At that point, Mrs. Turpin exclaims, out of a choppy burst of joy, how thankful she is to Jesus that He made things just the way they are, and that she was not somebody else. Then, without warning, Mary Grace throws a book to Mrs. Turpins feel and lunges at her with her hands strangling the stout womans neck.Appalled by the violent act, Mrs. Turpin demands the ugly girl to explain herself, and with contempt, Mary Grace commands her to parry to hell. Mrs. Turpin takes the incident to be a divine revelation from God. In her exasperation for not sympathy why God would condemn a virtuous woman the likes of her, she demands God for an explanation. All at once, a strange light reveals to her a vision in which all sorts of abominable people are leading a march to heaven with people like her trailing shadower. One of the pass off references in the story is the eye. The title itself, Revelation, gives clue as to how eyesight will play out in the entire story.Revelation involves exposing something into view, and in the story, Mrs. Turpin realized the prejudice she hides beneath the courteous demeanor. Through OConnors sleight of hand, Mrs. Turpins epiphany gains rapport throughout the story precisely because of the symbols which OConnor employed. In Writing Short Stories, OConnor says that a particular obje ct or action becomes symbolic when it accumulates heart and soul from the beginning of the story until it reaches the denouement (OConnor 1546).At the onset of the story, OConnor directs the readers attention to the physical appearance of Mrs. Turpin, most significantly to her eye. Her little brainy black eyes took in all the patients as she sized up the seating situation (OConnor 818). It was through the appearances of people she sees in the waiting room that Mrs. Turpin judge whether they are agreeable or not. It was also through her eyes that she communicates. Upon meeting the eye of the pleasant woman, she seems to have an understanding with her regarding the sorry state of other people inside the waiting room The look that Mrs. Turpin and the pleasant lady exchanged indicated they both understood that you had to have certain things before you could know certain things (OConnor 822).OConnor uses eyesight as a symbol of the inner being of Mrs. Turpin and the rest of the charact ers in the storytrue to the aphorism that the eye is the window to the soul. This is further demonstrated in OConnors description of the white-trash womans eye as having a cast, which could literally be a physical eye distemper but could also mean a failure to see things as they rightly are. As a contrast to Mrs. Turpin, the ugly girl who is significantly named Mary Grace responds to the pathetic conversation with a scowl.Mary Grace was the kind of person that Mrs. Turpin could not make sense of or judge as substantially as she could others. This suggests that Mary Grace and Turpin do not share the same sentiments regarding other people. Mary Grace, described to have a peculiar eye, sees through Mrs. Turpins hypocrisy and uses her eye to condemn it. As Mrs. Turpins prejudice gets more blaring, Mary Grace fixes her piercing look at Mrs. Turpin who was starting to get unkept at Mary Graces hateful look. Mrs. Turpin ignores the ugly girl and blurts out a prayer not unlike that perfo rmed by a Pharisee in the Bible.Upon hearing this, the ugly girl throws a book and hits Mrs. Turpins left eye. In Oedipus Rex, eyesight and the lack thereof is used ironically to demonstrate how the kings blindness turned to sight (Bush). Similarly, Mrs. Turpin saw her prejudice through an impaired eye. She sees a vision, while in her backyard, revealing how her prejudice would get her behind the ranks of people marching to heaven. Eyesight, throughout the rest of the story, is used as a symbol of Mrs. Turpins prejudice as well as her redemption. Another recurring object in the story which accretes symbolic meaning is the pig.Commonly associated with uncleanness, the pig symbolizes the moral state of Mrs. Turpin. It is no coincidence that she and her husband Claud raise pigs in their backyard. OConnor reinforces this symbol when Mary Grace calls Mrs. Turpin a warthog. Sparrow sees another meaning to the use of pigs in Revelation. According to him, the act of cleaning the pigs befor e they are sent to the slaughterhouse symbolizes the act of purging in Purgatory. In the story, Mrs. Turpin violently hoses her pigs as she asks God with insolence why she experienced the humiliating incident in the waiting room.This is a parallel to the act of cleansing that humans must undergo before they can reach heaven. Symbolizing Purgatory is evident in the final revelation Mrs. Turpin receives at the end of the story. The bridge connecting earth to heaven is a place where virtues and vices will be equally purged. Shame and pride will be no more. Clean and unclean, sane and lunatic, white and black, gentile and Jew, slave and free, woman and man will enter in a single throng, the last being scratch, the first being the last. (The Black Cordelias). The waiting room where Mrs. Turpin experiences her first revelation is another symbol in the story.Filled with people that come from different walks of life, the waiting room is used as a microcosm of the society wherein niggers a nd whites, rich and poor brush shoulders with each other. OConnor employs a similar technique in Everything that Rises Must run across where she set the story in a bus, a scaled-down image of the world. In Revelation, people inside the waiting room inevitably take symbolic meaning. basketball team types of people can be seen inside the waiting room, relating to different kinds of people in society. The white trash woman, with her ignorant comments and hasty judgment, symbolizes people who are unenlightened and uneducated.They view the world with a sharp dichotomy white and black. This is especially true in the South which was steeped with racism. The Negro represents those who are oppressed and marginalized in society. In most of OConnors story, black people prove to be nobler than whites who think they are superior. Consistent with her strong Catholic beliefs, OConnor puts preference to the oppressed. Mrs. Turpin of social class represents the prejudiced and hypocritical. She i s typical of some Christians who wear a mask of righteousness to hide their real feelings towards people they do not agree with.In Revelation, OConnor puts hope in Gods sovereignty to transform people like Mrs. Turpin, and for OConnor, Gods intervention in the physical world is possible because of the sacraments, the visible signs of Gods intangible grace. Finally, the presence of Mary Grace symbolizes people who fix the unbalance in the world brought about by prejudice and cruelty. Her name alludes to two Catholic beliefs Mary, the intermediary between man and Jesus, and Grace, the unmerited favor which God bestows man. OConnor uses Mary Grace to redeem Mrs. Turbin from her blindness and restore the balance in her life.The use of symbols in Flannery OConnor serves her purpose of translating into everyday circumstances the abstract truths and teachings of her faith. Her Christian worldview is reflected in her characters and the transformation they experience. Despite being a staunch believer and defender of her faith, her fiction, as demonstrated in Revelation, does not come as a didactic propaganda. Her deft writing and understanding of fiction enables her to create realistic and believable characters which, in turn, enable readers to see the world as it is.

Mass disaster response

Mass disaster response is increasing at a very high rate in the world. Many individuals and communities chance on victims of the disaster. Mass disaster has been influenced partly by nature, and partly by mans actions either deliberately like in the case of terrorists, war, and civil unrest, or finished massess neglects or mishap such as accidents at work or in house provokes. The mass disaster commonly movements trauma, and traumatic losses. Survivors lose their routine way of working, living and relation with others among other daily activities.Some of the mass disaster for example terrorism persist for long period, create insecurity and exposing individuals to danger or threat of danger, limiting the functioning of individuals in their lives. The man made disasters have been increasing greatly with the increase in religions, faiths, and beliefs. The differences in these beliefs, faiths and religion have led to ostracizing and out casting of virtually individuals from the s ociety. This has resulted to use of violence as a way of imposing justice (Ashmead-Bartlett 1999). The violence has been utilise to attack other people in revenge and as a way of imposing justice. In numerous cases of such attacks, innocent people be attacked for political precedents or against peer groups as a result of antisocial behaviors.The law enforcement should be implemented to respond against the mass disaster in determine to identify victims, recover the survivors and the frame of the dead. The survivors of mass disaster need to be rescued from the disaster, and need to be provided with necessary care and support, to enhance their recovery in terms of health, finance, security and the general continuity of the practices and activities that are carried out to enhance good living. It is the responsibility of the law enforcement group to investigate, and identify the individuals behind the disasters, investigate the reason of the attack, and place appropriate punishment to offenders.Research was carried out in regard to the Port Arthur attack, the September 11th attack and the Virginia Technical get attack to investigate the cause of attack, what happened during and after the attack, and to determine the measures which the law enforcement group took to help the survivors and to identify and deal with the terrorists.Port ArthurThe Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania took place in 1996 and it involved Martin Bryant who was a loner, barb and a lair. This massacre is one of the worst massacres of mass disaster conducted by a single gunman. The offender had inherited a close friends estate, making him to have large amounts of money which he consumed through making several and frequent tours, around the world, and in purchasing of several automatic weapons, which vary in power from high to semi powered.EventsOn the day of crime, Bryant started by killing deuce people, early during the day, and later while at the Board arrow coffee shop he made some sho oting. Bryant had taken his lunch outside the caf. When he entered in the cafe, he secured a position in the North-Western corner of the cafe from where he utilise Colt AR-15 to shoot the people who were seated in the cafe taking lunch. The shooting captured around twenty people, and after this event Bryant left the caf and went out of the cafe, to his car.While at the car at the car park, he changed the weapon, and employ a FN-FAL to injure some more four people. At the same characterisation, he murdered a mother and her devil young children who seemed to approach his car, and he then left the scene.As Bryant was driving away from the scene, he stopped at a toll booth, where he met four people in a BMW, shot them dead, and then transferred some of his weapons to the BMW. He left behind his car with an unfired shot gun and drove to a gas station, where he killed a female passenger and forced a man to enter in the boot at gun point.Bryant drove to seascape hotel and on his way, he fired passing cars severally. On arrival at the Seascape hotel he handcuffed a male hostage inside the guest house, and he burnt the stolen BMW. The special trading operations group and the police were informed and arrived at the scene to capture him. (Greener 1996). The siege between Bryant, and the police together with the special operations group surrounded the hotel.The police and the SOP time-tested very much to get Bryant or rather to make him surrender, to no success. Many negotiations intervened the situation and tried to convince Bryant through telephones in vain. Bryant remained inside the hotel, where he kept firing randomly in various directions. It was discovered that within the course of the siege, Bryant made many firing approximately dickens hundred and fifty, and in each case he used a different firearm.He set the hotel to fire, burning the arms and he came out of the hotel with burn wounds so when the police arrested him, they had to send him to the hospital first, to ensure treatment of the burn wounds. After treatment, he was taken to Risdon Prison and he was detained to front trial. He made many suicide attempts during this period.The Tasmania police force arrived at the scene of crime, where by some dealt with police forensic serve ups, other crime scene examiners were at the scene which were different from the five scene examiners. The ballistics had an expert and two trainees. All this law enforcement team as well as the eyeball witnessed aimed at getting helpful information partakeing the crime, receiving the services of the disaster in all the six separate crime scene for the dead bodies, they needed identification, through forensic services more crime scene examiners were received from New South Wales to help in investigation. All scenes as well as the remains at the scene were photographed.ResponseMany individuals teamed up and in responded to the crimes. The teams consisted fire arm examiners, crime scene examiners, photo graphers and fire scene examiners. The teams were assigned the scene areas. Every detail was save and the bodies were not maintained until later in the evening. Each crime scene was considered and examined separately, but in many of the scenes there was contamination caused by public observers, and some of evidence materials were lost on the process. The media had access to various crime scenes but were restricted from the scenes where bodies had not been recovered or removed.Bryant pled guilty and was sentenced to life without parole. After foster investigation on the cause of the offence, it was discovered that Bryant had intellectual difficulties but this did not stop judge from considering him accountable for his actions. The judge described him as a woful social misfit semi automatic and automatic weapons were banned in Tasmania and federal laws were proposed to limit the handling and use of guns.September 11thOn this date al-Qaeda organized and co-ordinate a series of suici de attacks upon United States. In the morning of the 11th of September, xix terrorists consisting of al-Qaeda, hijacked a number of commercial passenger jet airlines, and later they intentionally crashed two airlines in the world trade digest complex. Each of the team of the hijackers had a trained pilot as a member who controlled the airline.Each of the tugs of world trade centre complex was struck by a plane. The crash made the buildings to scatter, and this caused damages to the nearby buildings. The collapse of the building caused death of many people among which were nationals from various countries, and the civilians and the nineteen hijackers. A number of people went missing and were presumed dead. The dust which was emitted by the collapsing building caused death of a number of people, and also caused lung disease.Rescue recoveryThe New York fire discussion section provided two hundred units, which consisted half of the department to the scene of crime. The emergency me dical technicians and large numbers of fire fighters department. The police department provided police personnel and emergency service unites. The fire department, commanders, police department and port empowerment police searched for the citizens and with little effort to coordinate the agencies.The conditions continued to deteriorate as the building continued to collapse and burn. The helicopters of various departments were used to communicate to people the substance and orders to evacuate. This helped many of the officials to leave the building before it collapsed fully and those who evacuated were safe.The fire department officials and the police department officials used radio to communicate, and as the building continued to collapse and burn, the communication became incompatible such that the commander could not get information. After the collapse of the first tower of the radio repeater system in the world trade centre could no longer function, and this hindered the commun ication of the evacuation orders between the fire department officers and the fire fighters who were inside the towers (Barrett and Collins 2006).The emergency telephone number which was being used to convey message of evacuation was interfered with by the commotion, and although the dispatchers received information from people who called 9-1-1, the message could not be passed along effectively.A search and rescue operation was launched immediately after the attack, but the efforts to rescue, recover and identify the victims of the attack took long period to be completed (Fox News Network 2002).ResponseThe New York fire officers, emergency medical technicians and police department teamed up to rescue the people who were in the towers. The fire department provided fire fighters to fight the fire, the emergency medical technicians helped the victims of the attack in giving first aid and returning the severely injured individuals to hospital to get boost treatment, and the police offi cers and the forensic researchers continually helped the victims to get out of the scene.The crime scene examiners and forensic examiners worked hard in determining the security exercise of 2002 was signed. The patriot Act was also made to ensure detection and prosecution of terrorists and other criminals. The national security agency operation was implemented to help to eavedrop on telephone and telecommunicate communication various people across the seas without a warrant.The Muslim and Arab immigrants were registered and finger prints in accordance to 1940 alien registration act. The military force was later used to prevent and deter the international terrorism against United States.The Virginia Technical InstituteA gun man first killed a man and woman in Virginia Technical Institutes West Ambler Johnston co-ed residential entrance hall which houses 895 people. About two hours later, the more than two dozens people were attacked and half a mi away from the first shooting. The gunman found dead on the second crime scene, and since he had no identifying material the authority took time to identify him. The dormitory shooting was considered as an isolated case and the campus did not close, instead the dormitory was closed as it was thought that the gunman had fled from the campus.Rescue and RecoveryOutside McBryde Hall, there were two policemen who ordered people to run when people heard gunshots, they started running to the library where they remained for about two hours. The officials from US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, explosive and firearms engaged in collecting shell casing. The authority put efforts in tracing the hi accounting of the weapon used in the rampage. The crime scene examiners arrived at the scene. (Rostron and Siebel, 2007). The policemen, crime scene eye witnesses engaged in getting helpful information relating to crime and criminal.ResponseThe police officers institution authority students and the forensic officials teamed and collected all necessary information regarding the crime in the two scenes. The ballistic experts tried to trace the weapon used in the shooting, while the forensic officers together with the police collected evidence materials from the two scenes of crime which were to be used in further investigations.The media was allowed inside the institution but was restricted from the scene where the bodies were lying. President Bush responded by praying for the involved and he showed deep concern for the victims, their families, students and all the people who were affected by the shocking incident (Christian Science Monitor 2008).ReferenceAshmead-Bartlett, Ellis. The Siege of Port Arthur. New York Blackwood & Sons, 1999.Barrett, and Collins, D. Grand Illusion The Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 untold story. New York Harper Collins, 2006.Christian Science Monitor. Virginia technical shooting. 17 April. 2007. Christian Science Monitor.23 April. 2008 http//www.csmonitor.com/2007/0417/p25s01-usgn.htmlFOX News Ne twork. Timeline of WTC recovery. 29 May. 2002. FOX News Network.23 April. 2008 http//www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,53997,00.htmlGreener, William. Port Arthurs Secrets. Boston, Archibald Constable, 1996.Rostron, and Siebel, B. No gun left behind Gun lobbys campaign to push guns into schools and colleges. Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2007.

Faamatai: Traditional Religious System

It also alms to define and determine religious connections between the embrangleted system and the tabulate (Indigenous religious belief). Last nevertheless not least, it also focuses on how the system changed after Christianity arrived. Many masses define the term flat in different ways. For example, Via and Tintinnabulation define mire as a member of the nun ( resolution) and a leader of an alga potato ( across-the-board family) with a complex network of f both (diffuse pagan connections. Palls offers an separate deflation which states that insipid evolves from two words two-dimensionality (eye or seeing) and l (towards or at).When two words are put together, It creates a handed-d hold definition, the act of looking towards or at some wizard or something. In other words, a mat is the eyes of the family. He or she is the role model of the family. Family members look up to him or her as a strong leader and effective decision maker. To understand the framework of the mat s ystem, one must first review the Samoan coating characteristics. The Samoan identify their market-gardening as the Fashion way of livelihood according to custom.Palls described the term Fashion as referring to the antique ways of life Inherited from the ancestors. The rod FAA means in the valet de chambrener of, so the Samoan made it blend in with certain words in order to dividing line the different ways of doing things. Traditionally, in that respect are no laws in the context of the Samoan agriculture. However, Samoan bulk respected the decisions made by their own mat. To make headway understand the Samoan way of life, one must understand the liquidation structure In the Samoan culture.The (nun) colony Infrastructure Is made up of all extended females and relatives who reside In that particular village. They are Individual heirs and descendents of the mat such(prenominal) as father, mother, brother sister and etc In the alga, all can be related whether by blood as tra ceable to a common ancestor, through marriage ties or even adopted connections. At the head of each alga was a mat. He was the one who held the family title until it was passed on by choice rather than by inheritance. The first stage in becoming a mat was to serve as a tattletales (untitled man).A tattletales Is defined as an untitled man who serves his mat with honor and diligently. Being In this level requires a big bucks of patience and caring. Each tattletales has one goal in life which was taut (serve) as further explained by Applied as follows A fulfill mat a Samoa faithful muumuu maim lava lee(prenominal) tag as taut Elli I lee mat male alga ma lee nun. O taut a lee tunas e mama maim AI fumigants sees. A iii SE e via Oho I lee precaution pull, all e taut, AAU o lee ala I lee pull o lee taut. When a chief was chosen, a private who served the chief, family and village well Is most likely the primary he must first serve because the path to leadership is service) When a mat was sought, each alga would jeer on a candidate and then all would decide on one who would be worthy to succeed to the title. Once receiving the title of mat, he is answerable for the leadership of the whole family. In the fond o lee nun (council of chief), the mat was the one who represented the whole family.The authority of the mat was freely verbalised by him in all matters, only if most of the time he is free in so far as what he does was for the good of the family. In this respectful way, it could be seen, that the role of the mat was not merely authoritative, but it was also one of serving. It was then seen that all behavior was conditioned by the loyalty and devotion not only of the mat but the whole family. It was the pride of ones family which seemed to be the basis of the Samoan culture. This has been an initiating factor by which law and order was kept.In the Fashion, the extended family is the basic component of the village. Like I mentioned earlier, the village inf rastructure is made up of all extended families which headed by a senior chief. Without the extended families and their chiefs, on that point would be no council of chiefs in the conventional village structure. The village itself became a factor in keeping the strong bond deep down the fiat. Socially, each village was embraced by a common pupilages (traditional greeting of mat titles in seniority).Mauve stated that a pupilages is a rotational formula which contained all the dignity accorded to the village e specificly to the principle chiefs, stating their relationship to the broader royal lineages of Samoa. In the olden times, Samoan lived in a hierarchical purchase order. In all levels of its political structure including the mat system, it was so clear for it to be seen. Through all these levels, there was one of unifying force at work in the maintenance of law and order such as loyalty and devotion, being part of the family, and villages and districts connecting to the roya l line.Politically, with the hierarchical structure of society, it could be seen that the past idols were also structured in such a way. It was the fact that authority was delegated from the top to the bottom. If there was a need to carry out a proposal or any new ideas, it was first to be clear by the high authorities. Permission had to be sought from the chiefs. Although these different levels console existed in the Samoan society, but there was still the awareness of the necessity to hunt down together as a corporate unity in order to survive.The socio-political structure of the mat system was considerd to have spacious importance. Many believed the importance again lies within the idea that it was probably within such a social structure and that the structuring and the understanding of the gods had originated. According to Mauve, he stated In Samoan society, there were As such as the As Militate, As Loyola or As Amiga. The As gives the meaning of being genuinely high i n rank within the Samoan society. The full meaning of this word would not be expressed if only the word secure was used.The meaning of the word was not only honorable but took up other meanings such as sacredness and holiness in the ensue of been higher(prenominal) above all others in society. In this sense, As would very refer to the Alai(high or paramount chief). An Alai(high chief) was considered as the head of the village and its council of chiefs. Telltale (high talking chief) were orators and they spoke on the behalf of the Alai. According to Applied, mat were always the ruling powers in the society. Their authority is still strong today.Their authority was to be chiefs were, it was always to be carried out by the magma(group of tattletales or untitled men). What can be said at this point is that in the geomorphological set up of the Samoan society, there is a clear distinction between the higher and lower classes. The structure of the society and the distinctions could hav e been the basis of the religious structuring and understanding of the ancient gods. In fact, the Samoan indigenous religion also had a structure where there was the recognition of higher gods and lower gods.In such a structure, there were responsibilities and functions performed by the gods that coincided with the responsibilities set out in the social life of the people. If the high chiefs were seen to rule and grant permission, then the higher gods were seen to posses much power. The higher gods would then be sought for the granting of the things that the society wanted. In this fraction, I will focus on the religious connection between the Mat system and a more detailed study of the traditional religious beliefs and other cultural practices.I strongly believe that much of these beliefs and practices had great affect on the way Samoan had recognized Christianity. Before Europeans had ever set foot on the islands, Samoan had their own beliefs of deities believed to be divine. A ccording to Melissa, he stated Samoan religion as it generally understood refers to a system of beliefs, the ceremonial and tall activities that are associated with it, and the worship of a supernatural being or beings. In addition, Samoan had no national religion. This was a time of myths and what has often been referred to as a time of superstitious beliefs.It was at this early stage that these myths and the history of Samoa were preserve in memories and through oral traditions. According to traditional beliefs, every individual had his own tutu(guardian bosom). It was the case that the families had minor gods and villages had their own local deities. These deities such as fire, rain, agriculture and etc Were insider sacred and important to the Samoan. In the next couple of paragraphs, I will briefly explain the religious connections of the mat system and the indigenous religion through many traditional beliefs such as the Toga myths, man, spirits, and other various gods.One of the most popular beliefs in Samoan society was the Toxicological creation myth. In the alga, the head of the family is considered as the mat which was closely similar to the Toxicological and his rule. According to one myth, it stated that Toxicological existed as the main source in blank and created the heavens. He was also cognize as the superior being or leader. I believe these creation stories had influenced many traditional military personnel views of the Samoan and its mat system. In fact, the mentality about Toga creating Samoa still exists.The variety of these creation stories has led to the idea that traditional beliefs had been elaborately connected in Samoa. In this case, the Samoan culture was produced in distinction of ranks and indigenous religion enforces it by giving the high ranks a special place in it. As also stated by Isaiah The Samoan ranking system and cultural structure appears deceptively simple on the surface at first glance, but a deeper look into it va les a very competitive, complicated and rigid system. The religious beliefs of the people played a very important part in society.As I mentioned earlier, the Titus (guardian spirit) had influenced many Samoan greatly especially the mat. The tutu is sometimes considered as a god of an individual. In most cases, mat are considered as the god of their own family. They believe the spirit of an ancestor is links the mat system to the indigenous religion is the concept of man (invisible living force) which responsible for all the startling occurrences and effects beyond the gracious mind. In the Samoan culture, if a mat was able to defeat another mat at war, then he was said to have possessed more quantities of man than the man he defeated.This concept was always associated within the mat system. The traditional belief of man(power) that a mat had to protect the family physically and his ability to add up materially had been a strong qualification for becoming a leader. Man, however wa s also k straight off in the primitive world as the abundant special supernatural forces that could present in a man. In Samoan society, man was that force behind anything which was impossible for man to do. In this case, Samoan believe man and gaga(spirits) have strong relations.It can be noted that for a man or mat to receive man, it would be possessed through favor of the gods or the passing of it to him by another man who had it before him. Many scholars saw this concept as a way for the gods to communicate their will to the people. Many believe that Samoan were also affiliated to polytheistic beliefs. Applied stated that the life of the people depended greatly on the gods in which they recognized as having strong powers over them. It was the gods that they would always call upon in times of difficulties.Some of these various gods such as Laminas, Lethally, and Fee were believed to help many people avoid dropness, war and death. Laminas was defined as the child of the moon. This particular god was identified with the moon. In worshipping this god, there was much feasting and prayers. The head of the family or mat would pray that the god would help their family to counter disease and death from entering their home. In other cases, such as war, this god was also asked to help that particular family or chief. It has been noted that this god was one of the inferior gods in the traditional beliefs of theSamoan society. Another particular god which many believe to be one of the well known house- hold gods was Lethally. This god was known to be embodied in the form of the centipede. In worshipping this god, people would often seek it in a tree that was ordinarily near the house. If a person within the family was very sick, this god was called upon as to determine whether this person would die or become well again. In this particular belief, the mat would take a mat outside and await the coming of this god. The mat would be under close observation.If the god did come, and was seen to eave crawled under the mat, this meant that the sick person would die. If the god came and crawled on the mat, this meant that sick persons health would be restored. One of the most famous gods which was also well known to the Samoan people was the Fee (octopus). This god was often worshipped as the warriors god. It was believed that this god had its resting place on the island of Western Samoa. According to Melissa, it showed that before any war, the chiefs would seek this god and receive his blessings.In receiving the blessing of this god, there was the renewal of strength among the warriors. As a matter of fact, the main point behind all these traditional beliefs is that these gods really had much affect on the lives of the people. Not only the gods helped wartime or other ceremonial events. This proved to me that many of these gods were considered as important factors behind keeping the law and order in the Samoan society and also the mat system. Samoa n also had strong affection towards many cultural practices such as the outage, VA ceremony, biogas, sofas and etcIn the next part of the research, I will explain the relationship of the mat system and each cultural practice that Samoan hared and believed in since ancient times. Earlier, I mentioned that the framework of the Samoan society was revolved around the mat. These mat were responsible for all lands and matters pertaining to the alga. They also served as main decision makers for the alga or village. They also had man(power) that could cause any injury to anyone in society. In this matter, the power of the chiefs and traditional beliefs of the gods was believed to bring law and order in unity.It also brought strong ties and cultural connection between the gods and chiefs. One of the most important cultural practices that Samoan dealt with was known s outage (oath). According to Mauve, outage is one of the scariest and most sacred practices that chief ever gathered in the old en time. In this practice, the accused offender goes before the village councils and admits his guilt. This was where the fear of the gods came in to help solve a problem within society. This method was strictly practiced and enforced by the chiefs.According to the practice, if a crime was committed and the person who committed the crime was not known, all the villagers would be gathered by the chiefs of the village. Each person was asked to sake the outage(oath) and swear by the name of their own family god or village god. The chiefs then asked the curses of the gods to be on that person if he was the one. It was often the case that the curse would include ones family member to become very ill if the person lied. It was the fear of these curses by the chiefs that would lead the guilty person to confess. In fact, many believe these cultural practices hardly failed.The reason for this is because the guilty individual really feared the possibility of offending the gods and he could no t at any time compromise the reputation of the await to which he belonged. Another important cultural practice that Samoan still carried on today was the VA ceremony. VA ceremony is a traditional ceremony in which formal speeches are present among the chiefs. This ceremony usually held during the welcoming of the amalgam(traveled group). The religious part of this ceremony is when a chief partake his VA cup. Before each chief take his cup, a portion of the VA was poured out of the cup.This was considered as an offering to the gods. It was also a sign of respect to acknowledge the help of the gods in bringing the Amalgam to their destination. To clearly explain the meaning of it, Tubule stated The spilling of a few drops of VA on the floor before drinking would seem to have the same significance as do many of the ceremonies in/the various religions of the world incense burning sprinkling of holy water offering libations of wine and the offering of sacrifices varying from pound no tes to lizards eggs all are offered with the idea of tranquillize or seeking the assistance of some God.We are apt, perhaps, to view the custom of the Samoan as being merely the prostration of the intellect at the thresh-hold of the unknown, but re not all sacrifices by whomsoever offered, Just this. Mauve also stated that among the chiefs. For example, a chief would say o lee VA linen o lee VA o taut, la mania lee auto ambulant It means this VA, it is for the gods, bless our gathering. In all, I found out that most of these traditional practices shared an important relationship between religion and social life of the Samoan people.It was so clear that Samoan had to live in a society where religion was seen as an important aspect in the culture. It was also clear that many of these cultural beliefs and traditional practices were considered as a set stage for Christianity. In this stage, it pointed out two important key elements that summarized the whole relationship between the ma t systems and indigenous religion. One key element was the recognition of one great god above all gods, which was Toxicological.It was this god that was so superior and was given such high respect. This reveals that even though Samoan were viewed as polytheists, there was still the recognition of one god, Toga. Secondly, Fear for the gods and spirits was another key element in the Samoan indigenous religion. This element explains the fact that gods could bring disaster to the people o matter what the case is. It can be said that the people in fearing had imagine the awful punishments that could take place because of disobeying the chiefs and the gods.With all the tradition beliefs and cultural practices that Samoan shared in their society, I can now have a clear mind of what the early missionaries had walked into. Last but not least, this section focuses on the new changes of the mat system when Christianity arrived in Samoa. During my research, I found many ways of how the traditio nal and cultural beliefs were adapted to accept and embed Christianity without losing its value. I also found out how the mat system was easily led to the process of accepting the new religion.There are many reasons why Christianity was easily accepted in Samoan society. Some of those reasons can be willingly determined while other reasons are more difficult to discover. To look deeply in those reasons, I trace it back to the importance and significance of the cultural and traditional beliefs that I mentioned earlier in the research. A fact that is now to be noted is that many of these beliefs and practices are still kept by the people. Though there have been many changes that have taken place, the practices of the past can till be noticed in the present.In the mat system or political structure of Samoa, mat were always heading the families or villages. Within any villages, there was an Alai (high chief) that holds a higher rank. The fact is that there is only one Alai for a village and his authority becomes highly respected and recognized. According to Applied,Alai would hold the authority to express what to do and forbid the things that should not be done. This political structure is very similar to those that Christianity shared.This was one of the few reasons why Samoan easily accepted the Christian god because of the reactive of owing respect and obedience to anything that the chief ordered. Another reason that linked the mat system to the new religion was the creation myth of Toxicological. During ancient times, Toga was referred as the creator of the heaven and earth. I personally believe that the knowledge of these myths created a clear path for Samoan to easily accept the new Christian God. It seems that what the new religion was teaching to the people was nothing new.Same goes to the concept of man and spirits. I also mentioned earlier that Chiefs were also believed and strength. Chief also held the roles of expressing the will of the gods. In this c oncept, it has a very strong relation to the new religion. Christianity believed missionaries were looked upon as priests receiving power from God to preach out the new religion. For what has already been mentioned, I can now see a strong relationship between the traditional beliefs in the mat system and Christianity. Today, mat system played an important part in the new religion.In the pre- Christianity era, chiefs were believed to have powers that can meditate with the ancient gods. When missionaries arrived, they assumed new roles. They became deacons in the church. It was so obvious that many of these traditional practices and beliefs have helped greatly in accepting and understanding Christianity. I believe the Samoan society was always flexible ever since the start of their civilization. With this flexibility, Christianity was able to integrate with the traditional Samoan beliefs.As a result, it seems the new religion had to be taken up and practiced as if it was truly part of the ancient Samoan society. In conclusion, I believe the structural set up of the mat system served as a basis for the continuing strength of the Fashion (Samoan way). The continuing strength f the Fashion was to a great extent due to fact that an authority did not come to bear all the weight of the emotional, political, social and religious attachment to the people to their culture.The culture and the religious beliefs had helped making the people remain Samoan. I also believe the mat system had a strong relation and religious connection to the ancient indigenous religion. After gathering all the necessary information and specific evidence, it proved me that the mat system not only had similarities with Christianity, it was very easy for the people to accept the new religion into their indigenous society.

Pico Paper

Are kidney tolerants who received a radical nephrectomy at a higher run a risk of impaired nephritic mapping and cardiac connect expiration comp bed to those who received a uncomplete tone nephrectomy? Kiara Wilson Nursing 3163 Dr. Linda Upchurch November 12, 2012 Background Are kidney longanimouss who received a partial nephrectomy at a lower risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a radical nephrectomy? When a patient is diagnosed with kidney damage, a surgical nephrectomy is often performed. Kidney damage may be caused by blocked blood vessels, kidney stones, masses, infection, and/or kidney cancer.With this procedure the kidney damage may be treated and also prevent further damage. A partial nephrectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a portion of the kidney. Partial nephrectomies are normally through laparoscopically with hand assistance or with robot assistance. A radical nephrectomy involves removing the kidney and th e adrenal glands. A radical nephrectomy may be done laparoscopically or by heart-to-heart abdominal surgery. My patient was diagnosed with damage of the left kidney. Blood tests were performed and the patient was found to have a toxic WBC granulation. This toxic granulation led infection, firing off and sepsis.An abdominal and pelvic CT scan found a 7. 8 x 5. 6 x 6. 2 cm, solid, enhancing left lower pole renal mass and parasitic vessels in the infected area. A hand assisted partial laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed. They removed the lower portion of her left kidney. The kidney was to be tested for malignancy. The disquiet with my patient is that she has a past medical history of hypertension, anemia, and deep vein thrombosis. She is at an gaind risk of further cardiac and renal complications. I suppose these factors influenced the doctors decision to perform a partial nephrectomy instead of taking the radical approach.To find research on this kidney condition, I accessed t he Galileo database. I searched for cultivation on ship canal to treat renal masses and kidney cancer. I found multiple articles about laparoscopic and radical (open) nephrectomies. I found many articles that discussed the differences between the two and the affects they have on patients who receive them. I found an interesting study called Partial Nephrectomy Is Associated with Improved Overall Survival Compared to Radical Nephrectomy in Patients with Unanticipated Benign Renal Tumours. I found it interesting because it was relevant to the health issues that were being addressed with my patient. There millions kidney patients who undergo these procedures each year. I wanted to discover which procedure provided the best outlet for my patient and others with similar kidney problems. heading According to this study, a partial nephrectomy has been associated with improved overall pick in patients with localized renal masses compared to those who received a radical nephrectomy (Weig ht, 2010).The purpose of this study is to test the overall survival rate of patients who had unanticipated renal masses. Another objective of this study is to also study the resolution of these procedures on cardiac specific survival rates and other causes of death related to decreased kidney function. Hypothesis The hypothesis for this study are that the use of partial nephrectomies would be first line of treatment compared to radical nephrectomies in that partial nephrectomies provide better protection of renal function. Decreased renal function leave alone lead to a low survival rate.Patients who undergo radical nephrectomies will have higher rate of cardiac related deaths Design A seven year, nonrandomized study was conducted exploitation 499 participants. Of these 499 particiapants, 111 patients had received a radical nephrectomy while 388 patients received a partial nephrectomy. The choice of which surgery to do was left of the surgeon and the patients preferences. They t ook into consideration the mass size, the appearance, the patients current health, life carryancy and the comfort of the surgeon in making their decisions.The patients comorbidities were assessed using the Charlson-Romano Comorbidity Index. Each patients vital signs were acquired using the Social Security Death Index. Anyone without a Social Security Number was excluded. The cause of death information from the patients medical records was reviewed. From there the participants were further categorized by the condition that caused the death. Cardiac deaths ranged from death related to ischemic heart disease, CHF, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and computer peripheral vascular disease.Renal deaths were broken down into death related to renal failure, renal insufficiency, or nephritic syndrome. All other possible causes of death were group together. Perioperative, surgical data and renal function tests were collected before and after the procedures. Preopera tive data was used to create the propensity model that was utilized in a multivariate model of survival. They measured the overall survival rate of the participants and cardiac specific survival rates. Findings Radical nephrectomies are greatly associated with an increased risk of death from any cause.Patients with unanticipated benign tumors that were treated with RN were more likely to die from any related health problem than those treated with PN. Participants who received a radical nephrectomy were more likely to be older, with high comorbidity scores, and larger tumors. Those with smaller masses and tumors were more likely to have a partial nephrectomy. Radical nephrectomies are associated with an increased risk of death by 2 folds from any cause. The risk of cardiovascular death was substantially higher in those with decreasing post-operative renal function.Decreased kidney function was related to an increase in cardiovascular death and death from any other cause in overall ma jority patients. Sixteen participants died of cardiac related deaths. Renal preservation was increased in the group that had the partial nephrectomy with majority of the patients having an eGFR above 60 %. Radical nephrectomy participants only had an eGFR of 30 % or lower. The higher eGFR is associated with an increase chance of survival in PN patients. Discussion Previous studies indicate that postoperative impaired renal function plays a role in the overall survival of patients with renal masses.The data reason that no matter which surgery was performed there would be a decrease in kidney function. However, those patients who received a PN had a curious lower decrease in renal function. It can be stated that patients have decreased function are at an increased risk of cardiac related death and death by other causes. For many of those who dont die from cardiac related death it can be concluded that other conditions that cause death are worsened by renal insufficiency. This study wa s relevant to the PICO question I asked.This study answered my question and provided the information requisite to make it a valid question. I believe the limitations to this study are that the researchers did not randomize their study. They picked which participants they thought would influence their study. The strengths of this article are that is discusses the importance of preserving renal function when performing a nephrectomy. It also provides evidence that patients should be educated on the risks of death and further complications associated with their procedures. It could allow for better planning and managing of the care for these patients.Implications As a nurse it would be my responsibility to knowledgeable about procedures such as these and how they will affect my patient. It would be my job to educate the patients on what to expect from this surgery and what it means for their health. I could also use this information to better assess patients before and after these pro cedures. This research provides material that could be used to better treat and prevent life threatening conditions that could arise after surgery. References Landman, D. (2006). Open Partial Nephrectomy.Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Kidney Cancer base www. kidneycancerinstitute. com/open-partial-nephrec. html Landman, D. (2006). Open Radical Nephrectomy. Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Kidney Cancer Institute www. kidneycancerinstitute. com/open-radical-nephrec. html Weight, C. J. , & Leiser, G. (2010, April 29). Partial Nephrectomy Is Associated with Improved Overall Survival. EUROPEAN UROLOGY, 58, 293-298. Evaluation (to be completed by instructor) Possible Points Actual Points Introduction of clinical problemComments 20 Purpose/Aim of the study/articleComments 10 Theoretical framework of the study/articleComments n/a Hypotheses/QuestionsComments 5 DesignComments 5 FindingsComments 10 DiscussionComments 25 ImplicationsComments 20 ReferencesComments 5 punctuate 100/1 00 /100 PICO Paper Grading Rubric (submit, along with PICO OAT form, with your paper) Student Name _Kiara Wilson______________Date November 12, 2012_____________ Are kidney patients who received a radical nephrectomy at a higher risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a partial nephrectomy?

The Airline Industry

One of the major industries affected by the September 11 attacks had been the airline diligence. Aside from security improvements were put in place as a response to the hijacking of four commercial aircraft, the industry as a unharmed lost a total of $42 billion from 2001 to 2005.The president of the Air Transport Association has called the current situation of the airline industry as a perfect storm of adversity. Two of the largest commercial carriers ar currently under bankruptcy protection and two others have gone in and come on of bankruptcy court in the years after 9/11.These losses could be attributed to unhopefuler passenger traffic in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The price for cat valium elicit has also been rising since 2001 which adds to the cost incurred by the carriers. Jet fuel price in 2006 was up 168% from pre-2001 levels (Isidore, 2006).While the US air industry is slowing down, in that respect has been an increase in global air passenger numbers. Most o f these increases atomic number 18 coming from developing economies in Asia and Europe.Airlines in Asia grew at a rate of 20% annually while airlines in the middle east grew 11%. Similarly, air routes linking the US with Asia and Europe are also expected to see an increase in passengers (Shriner, 1994).Demand and Supply ElasticityWhile these revisions could be directly attributed to the 2001 attacks and their repercussions, some changes in the airline industry has emanated from the industry itself. The older legacy airlines had to face numerous new entries in the manakin of low cost, low frills carriers.These new low cost carriers have kept the price of airlines travel low over the past few years. Passengers now had more choices and as a result, total air traffic had been increasing while average fares have not kept pace. Legacy airlines with larger operational costs could not compete with the lower fares.As a result, they had to streamline their operations by cutting excess man power and retiring older, less fuel efficient aircraft in their fleets. The fleets of the legacy carriers have shrunk by 23% since 2001 and their workforce has dropped 38% during the same heart of time (Isidore, 2006).The proliferation of low cost carriers since 2001 has essentially increased the price ginger nut of demand for air travel. While all airlines serve the same purpose air travel each airline can still be severalise from one another.Low cost carriers may not offer the same kind of quality service found in legacy carriers. In effect, when passengers book a flight, they are choosing between goods from airline A, airline B etc. Since passengers have more choices due to the introduction of low cost carriers, their substitution between airlines has turn easier.This relatively high elasticity is reflected in the increasing passenger counts at a relatively constant fare (price) schedule.Externalities of the Airline IndustryAirlines, whether legacy or low cost are now keen on improving their fuel efficiency due to the rising costs of jet fuel. Fuel costs key out for 10-12% of annual airline operating costs. One way that airlines are trying to improve fuel efficiency is by retiring older aircraft with poor fuel efficiency (May, 2003).One industry that is intrinsically linked with the airline industry is the aircraft manufacturing industry. The US is a world leader in aircraft manufacturing with US aircraft manufacturers delivering 71% of new aircraft in the early years of the 1990s.Even with the boom in airline travel in the developing world, US airlines still account for roughly 25% of aircraft orders from US aircraft manufacturers same Boeing and McDonnell Douglas (Shriner, 1994). Clearly, an increase in income by the airline industry will translate to more orders of aircraft. In that case, the airline industry exerts positive externalities on the aircraft manufacturing industry.The positive externalities do not end with increased production by US jet manufacturers. As airlines keep pushing for more fuel efficient and modern aircraft, they are providing an incentive for technology development in the aircraft sector.The increasing prices for jet fuel are even pushing this new technology development even farther in the direction of making air travel more fuel efficient. An example of such technology development is in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which is due to bring down service next year.Being made out of composite materials, it is much lighter and thus uses up 20% less fuel than similarly sized jets. An appendage of development composite materials is a more comfortable flight experience as the cabin air does not need to be so wry (humidity causes metal to corrode) and the air pressure can be made much higher in order to make breathing easier.The use of metal precluded using higher cabin pressure as it may accelerate metal fatigue (The Economist, 2007). It is important to note that this externality does not end at Boeing. Advances that Boeing are making are sometimes tied to and sometimes preceded by fundamental R&D per reached at universities (Shriner, 1994).We can therefore see how the airline industry promotes R&D and helps maintain the dominance of the US in aircraft technology.Even though new aircraft like the Dreamliner might reduce fuel consumption, it still does not change the fact that the airline industry has a huge externality in the form of pollution. Aviation is responsible for 2% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide production. Aircraft also assoil other noxious gases such as nitrogen oxides, soot and water vapor.However, the polluting effects of airlines are magnified since these gases are released directly into the upper atmosphere where they form condensation trails and cirrus clouds. The fact that air pollution from aircraft is released at a high altitude may have the effect of double the same amount of carbon dioxide released at ground level (The Economist, 2007).

Ehrs in Health Care

EHRs in Health thrill x x x Abstract In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and clinical Health Act (HITECH) was passed into law mandating interoper adequate Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption through and throughout the joined States health c are musical arrangement for all providers who serve Medicare or Medicaid unhurrieds. The HITECH Act sets important manipulation requirements, goals, and objectives, and gives specific durationlines for which to deliver the goods them.As an inducing to expedite the handle, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has headed monetary rewards for those facilities and physicians who are taking steps to implement an EHR establishment by 2015. Beginning in 2015, CMS will penalize facilities and physicians who have not implemented an EHR administration. One of the stipulations of receiving the bonus money is demonstrating meaningful use, or utilizing EHR technology in a meaningful way that improves affe cted role care.Meaningful use has three pegs, each focusing on divergent areas of tolerant care. There are several(prenominal) advantages and disadvantages of implementing an EHR system, but the benefits greatly exceed the risks. The HITECH Act is one of the most important pieces of health care legislation to date and has been called the foundation for health care reform (Blavin & Ormond, 2011). In 2004, the Bush brass section introduced a forge to ensure that the medical profession completely converts to electronic health records (EHR).This plan was passed into law by the Obama administration in 2009 under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which is a provision of the Ameri stooge Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (Kwami, n. d. ). This Act is essentially a $27 billion comment package meant to accelerate health care knowledge technology in the United States. It allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to off er financial incentives (up to $44,000 from Medicare and $63,750 from Medicaid per physician or up to $2 million per hospital) for implementing anElectronic Health Record (EHR) system in their facility by 2015 (Murphy, 2012). Not only do they have to implement it, they must(prenominal) also decorous the meaningful use requirements set forth by CMS for successful utilization of the EHR system. To receive the maximum incentive stipend, physicians/facilities must begin participation by April 1, 2013. Starting in 2015, physicians and facilities who have not met those requirements will be penalized. What is Meaningful Use? Meaningful use is an umbrella term for the rules and regulations that hospitals and physicians must meet to qualify for the federal incentive funding under ARRA.There are three stages of meaningful use each has different goals and objectives. For example, stage one focuses on data capture and sharing, and is grouped into five patient-driven areas related to patien t health outcomes 1. ) cleanse gauge, safety, and efficiency, 2. ) Engage patients and families, 3. ) Improve care coordination, 4. ) Improve public and population health, and 5. ) Ensure privacy and security for individual(prenominal) health entropy (Meaningful Use 101, n. d. ). Step two focuses on the advanced clinical processes intricate in patient care and stage three will focus on improving echt patient outcomes.Requirements for meaningful use include the ability to e-prescribe, electronically exchange patient health information, and promulgate on clinical data. The change surfacetual goal is a national health information network. Facilities and physicians must achieve stage three of meaningful use by 2015. Traditionally, physicians have been reimbursed based on how many function they provide (fee for service). Meaningful use shifts this paradigm to a more patient centered process and concentrates on performance-based initiatives like pay for performance (P4P) reimburs ement.CMS recently introduced three P4P programs mandated by ARRA designed to reward higher-performing hospitals and penalize poorer-performing hospitals through these reimbursement practices. Hospitals performing at or below the 50th percentile nationally on hospital quality and patient experience measures can expect to percolate a significant reduction in payment from CMS as early as 2012 (Pay for Performance Payment, n. d. ). The shift from volume-based to value-based reimbursement methodology puts more emphasis on patient care and achieving positive outcomes.Another part of meaningful use requires that EHRs are interoperable with other facilities and physicians take down if they are not the within the uniform organization. This means that every organizations EHR system must to be able to talk to other organizations systems. If a patient travels to another(prenominal) state or another country and needs to go to the doctor for any reason, the physician there will be able to bri ng up the patients EHR and treat them based on the up-to-date medical information contained in their EHR. This is especially important in emergency situations where the patient may not be in the position to supply needed information.Locally, interoperability is important because it helps physicians communicate with other facilities such as a referral. A patients family physician may refer them to a specialty doctor and with an EHR, both doctors can view and document findings in one record rather than having separate publishers that need to be brought in by the patient and filed in their paper record. EHRs are also an asset within the same facility. When a patient gets a lab or x-rays done, the physician can immediately bring up the results rather than having to wait for the lab/x-ray technician to physically bring the results to them.Interoperability makes coordination of care easier and more efficient. Advantages of Implementing an EHR In growth to the benefits of interoperabili ty, there are several other advantages of implementing an EHR. The main goal of an EHR is to improve the quality and safety of patient care. EHRs can help provide better health care by improving all aspects of patient care like safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, communication, education, timeliness, and efficiency (What Are the Advantages, n. . ). Having a single record that includes all of a patients health information and is up to date, complete, and accurate allow for better coordination of care, accessibility of information, convenience, simpler disease management, enhanced collaboration betwixt providers by improved information sharing, a significant reduction in medical errors, up-to-date medical specialty and allergy lists, and cost savings in the long run (Benefits of EHRs, n. d. ). EHRs also reduce waste and liminate mate screenings and tests, as well as help physicians make better, more comprehensive clinical decisions by integrating patient information from multiple sources into one EHR (What Are the Advantages, n. d. ). Another advantage of having your health record in electronic format is increased security and privacy. With a paper record, anyone can pull it off the shelf and browse through it, but with an electronic record there are differing levels of authorization allowing only accepted people access to your chart. Also, your chart cannot get lost.Instead of someone having to sign it out every time they need to use it and having to manually track it, an EHR allows multiple users to access it at different times, on different computers, and leaves an audit trail automatically. Disadvantages of Implementing an EHR There are also disadvantages of EHRs including overall cost, ongoing maintenance costs, changes in workflow, and flitting loss of productivity just to name a few (Menachemi Collum, 2011). One of the biggest concerns of implementing an EHR system is the initial cost.Acquiring and implementing an EHR system can be quite expensive depending on the size of the facility. The projected total cost for a medium sized inpatient facility with a seven year EHR installation is approximately $19 million. In the outpatient setting, cost is approximately $14,000 per physician in the initial year of implementation for a six-physician practice, and $19,000 per physician with three or fewer physicians (Menachemi Collum, 2011). Smaller practices may find it hard to cope with the added expense of an EHR system the viability of those practices may suffer as a result.Another disadvantage of implementing an EHR system is the cost of transitioning from paper to electronic records. superfluous provide will be required to scan in all of the paper documents into electronic format. This process can take months depending on how big the facility is so it could really have an impact on a facilities bottom line. There will also be a period of time where the staff is less productive than they would normally be as they learn h ow to use the electronic system. This period is called the accomplishment curve.To help remedy this, temporary staff will need to be hired to consume in the gap and keep the workflow up to date which also has a significant financial effect on an organization. The maintenance of an EHR system can be high-priced and technology is not incessantly reliable. Hardware must be replaced and software must be upgraded on a regular basis. In addition, providers must have ongoing training for staff as well as IT support available, such as a 24/7 help line. Also, as with all things electronic, there is always the calamity of the system going down.Hospitals and physicians must have a plan in place outlining what the proper military operation is for the down time until the system is up and running again. This generally means they will have to contain back to paper documentation musical composition the system is down, so they also need to have a recovery plan in place detailing how they wil l go about getting the paper documentation from the down time transferred into the EHRs. Conclusion Although some might argue that an EHR system is too costly and too much work, it is a federal mandate that all physicians/facilities (who service Medicare or Medicaid patients) implement an EHR system.And while the transition from paper to electronic is a costly and tedious process, the benefits of an EHR are numerous and greatly outweigh the cost of implementation. As President Obama said, You shouldnt have to tell every new doctor you see about your medical history or what prescriptions youre taking. You shouldnt have to repeat costly tests. in all that information should be stored securely in a private medical record so that your information can be tracked from one doctor to another even if you change jobs, even if you move, even if you have to see a number of different specialists.Thats just common sense. (Making the Switch Replacing, 2010). References Benefits of EHRs. (n. d. ). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http//www. healthit. gov/providers-professionals/improved-care-coordination Blavin, F. , Ormond, B. (2011, May). HITECH, meaningful use, and public health Funding opportunities for state immunization registries White paper. Retrieved from http//www. medicaidhitechta. org/Portals/0/Users/011/11/11/ImmunRegWhitePaper. pdf Kwami, K. K. (n. d. ). The EMR federal requirements of physicians. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http//www. how. com/list_6961848_emr-federal-requirements-physicians. hypertext markup language Making the switch Replacing your EHR for more money and more control White paper. (2010, September). Retrieved from http//www. healthcareitnews. com/sites/default/files/ resource-media/pdf/making_the_switch_replacing_your_ehr. pdf Meaningful use 101. (n. d. ). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http//www. medicity. com/meaningful-use-101. html Menachemi, N. , Collum, T. H. (2011, May 11). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health reco rd systems. Retrieved from http//www. ncbi. nlm. nih. ov/pmc/articles/PMC3270933/ Murphy, K. (2012, May 9). American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Retrieved from http//ehrintelligence. com/ colour/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-arra/ Pay for performance payment systems that reward or penalize hospitals based on performance. (n. d. ). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http//www. getwellnetwork. com/services/health-reform/pay-performance What are the advantages of electronic health records? (n. d. ). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http//www. healthit. gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-are-advantages-electronic-health-records