Steering Clear of Allergic Reactions (Food Allergies)

Steering Clear of Allergic Reactions (Food Allergies) Food allergy is a prevalent health condition wherein the body mistakenly identifies certain foods as harmful. According to the Food Allergy Research and Education or FARE, approximately 15 million Americans have food allergies and the numbers are continuously rising. Steering clear of foods that can trigger allergic reaction can be tough, thus it is important to educate yourself on what causes the allergy and how to avoid them. Following are several tips that can help avoid mild to life-threatening allergic reactions: Know the allergens There are numerous foods that can cause allergic reactions, however, 90% of all recorded food allergies are because of eggs, milk, fish, crustacean†¦show more content†¦It is best to consult a doctor or an allergist in planning, so you will be able to consider all likely allergic reactions and what should be done in an emergency situation. A good allergy action plan includes when to take the medication, when to increase medication, and when is it necessary to call a doctor. Wearing a medical bracelet or necklace is also important, especially if you’re going out. This will help responders to quickly identify your condition and history during an emergency. Cook your own food instead of dining out Eating out can be risky for a person with food allergies since most restaurants and food chains don’t usually provide detailed ingredients lists for the food they served. Food preparation is also done in an open kitchen, wherein cross contact and contamination usually happens. The best way to avoid an allergic reaction is to cook your own food instead of dining out. Try to enroll in cooking classes to learn a variety of dishes and to learn more about local and fresh ingredients. Bring your own meals There are certain times that bringing your own food is much safer than risking your life in eating food prepared by other people. There are some establishments or events that don’t offer allergy-safe food, thus it is best that you’re ready when such situation arises. Keep medications on hand Always have allergy medications on hand at all times, like antihistamine or epinephrine injector. These medicationsShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesyou carried all your food, water, sleeping bags, and tents. Last night you discovered that somebody had accidentally cracked the large water container. Now you are stuck with no water. Although there is a stream nearby, you wouldn’t normally drink from a stream, and you remember that your packets of water-sterilization tablets are in 3 the pocket of your other coat—the one you left at home at the last minute. The three of you are thirsty and have only dehydrated food left, except for four

The List Of Core Corrupt Acts - 1345 Words

The following is the list of core corrupt acts, classified by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: bribery, embezzlement, theft, fraud, extortion, nepotism, favoritism, and clientelism. However, it is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list. Progressive development could enlarge this list to include other acts in the future. Since, bribery is frequently found and seen as â€Å"popular† among white-collar employees, like higher government officials, I am going to address to this kind of a corruption. Bribery perhaps is the most widespread form of corruption. In the opinion of Santoro and Strauss (2013), bribery is the giving, offering, soliciting or receiving of any valuable item to influence or sway the actions of those with power or officials in discharge of legal or public duty. In other words, it is giving or receiving something of value to influence a transaction. A crime is considered completed when the demand side receives benefit from the supply side (who pays the bribe). Bribery always involves at least two primary parties. Both raise serious ethical and legal issues and involve a breach of trust and duty of both parties. Sometimes bribe is offered willingly and sometimes it is received forcibly. Sometimes you bribe an officer for getting an undue advantage and sometimes you have to pay this compulsory fee for obtaining your right. The government that is run by corrupt officials is the worst of all forms of government. The government is responsibleShow MoreRelatedThe Rev engers Tragedy Essay818 Words   |  4 Pagesthe tonality of their works to suit the audience of the time. Middleton chose to present his English audience with a play set in a foreign European location. The Jacobean English believed the Italians and Spanish especially, to be corrupt and untrustworthy. He then chose a range of heavily allegorical names, derived from Medieval morality plays. He used names such as Ambitioso and Lussurioso to ensure that the audience would understand exactly what type of person they were Read MoreThe Corruption Of Politics And Politics1715 Words   |  7 PagesGood governance ensures that the priorities of the state conform within the public’s interests (Stapenhurst and Kpundeh, 1998, p. 492). At its core is the accountability of politicians to its constituents (Ibid.). Once accountability weakens in political institutions, corruption can take place (Lederman, Loayza and Soares, 2001, p. 1-2). Canada prides itself as one of the top countries with the least perceived level of public corruption (Transparency National, 2015; Atkinson, 2011, p. 448). EvenRead MoreThe Security of Our Memory1201 Words   |  5 Pagespossibilities. The first introduced a 2-day time delay between the times when subjects were presented with a short list of related words (e.g. thread, pin, eye, sewing) all of which corresponded to non-presented words (such as needle). The aim was to see whether the aspect of delay in comparison to a previous study aggravated false recall when the test immediately succeeded the presentation of list. The second study tested the hypothesis that false recall may be reinforced by multitrial recount of incidentRead MoreEssay about Anti-War Elements in Joseph Heller’s Catch-221153 Words   |  5 PagesCritics often refer to Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 as an anti-war novel. At its core, the novel has a disparaging view of war. The main character, John Yossarian, believes that war is madness. He is astounded that men lay down their lives for vague concepts such as country, patriotism, and honor. However, unlike the typical anti-war novel, Catch-22 doesn’t focus on the most dismal aspects of war; Heller masterfully crafts an effective satirical style of addressing war. Corruption, confusion, andRead MoreDemocracy Outweighs The Other Forms of Goverment Essay1288 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernance i.e. efficient management of public affairs and resources compared to all other forms of governments. This is due to a mechanism of checks and balances and regular elections . There is a famous saying by Lord Acton, Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely† To counter the threat of absolute power that leads to corruption, democracy provides a very strong mechanism of checks and balances. In a democratic country, the different institutions keep an eye on the executive that performsRead MoreAnalysis Of D O Renewals1167 Words   |  5 Pages many dissimilarities between the A part of core DO policies which are traditional, versus their counterpart s Side-A, have markedly lessened since 2011, which has led to fewer exclusions and more augmentations--effecting a positive environment for today s renewing companies. Looking Back Ahead: Observing and Seriously Considering the Progression Along with the impact of the regulatory and enforcement environment, initiated by the Dodd-Frank Act, signed into law on July 21, 2010, the SEC notRead MorePhl 323 Code of Conduct1676 Words   |  7 Pagesthe United States. The Border Patrol’s Mission Statement (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2014) makes it clear that the Border Patrol serves â€Å"the American Public with vigilance, integrity and professionalism.† In addition, the agency lists as a core value that of service to country, noting that the American people puts its trust in the Border Patrol to protect their home. Because the Border Patrol has a duty to protect the citizens of the United States and its borders, the Border PatrolRead MoreThe Election Year Is A Great Leader Of Our Country Essay1472 Words   |  6 Pagespresident is because of the releasing she did with private government emails. While Hilary Clinton was the Secretary of State she released over 30,000 confidential government emails to the public. When the government officials learned of this criminal act they demanded she turn over all of the printed emails at once. It took Clinton an extremely long amount of time to hand over these documents and when she finally did, she had already deleted half of them. During her court trials on August 22, 2016 theRead MoreCreating Security Polices And Controls1097 Words   |  5 PagesAutomatic software installation on clients PCs without client interaction c. Configuring Internet Explorer choices for clients including security zones. d. Configuring system settings, for example, mapped network drives and consents to view PC browse list e. Configuring settings, for example, disabling PC shutdown choices and the capacity to run task manager. by using group policy. So, in our project we created home directory that is mapped via group policy. Firewalls A firewall is a protection thatRead MoreRiordan Manufacturing Hrms Integration Project1743 Words   |  7 Pagesthe current HRMS with the goal of integrating the disparate tools and centralizing all HR information into a single application. Request for Project Plan Before approving project funding, Hugh McCauley has requested a detailed project plan that lists all tasks, resources, schedule and budget required to complete the HRMS development and implementation project. The project must be completed in approximately six months to begin using the new system in the second quarter of next year. Phase 1: Define

Social Inequality And Gender Inequality Essay Example For Students

Social Inequality And Gender Inequality Essay One branch of social inequality that was always vibrant in my life was when it came to employment. As much as our society believes and fights for gender inequality and fairness, it is still an issue that has yet to be resolved or disappear. This being said, how come only the inequalities are heavily leaning towards the female gender? What opportunities or education are women being held back in? One of the popular common environments with inequality is said to be that any job that is dominated by men. This sort of environment creates rife with frat boy nepotism where women are sometimes not taken as seriously. Frat boy nepotism in the sense that in this situation, males within themselves are given preferential treatment, favoritism based upon their relationship, their â€Å"manly relationship† for lack of a better word rather than an objective evaluation of ability. Another domain with employment inequality is the front lines. Some women aren’t allowed to fight on the front lines in some countries. Levels of inequality and issues arising from these have been the subject of much research. Before engaging in this discussion of employment inequality, the origins must be understood. During earlier days, people were all sharing a common social standing but as the world evolved, society became more and more complex and the male gender was seen to be elevating higher than the female gender. Before modern days, men hunted while women stayed at home and took care of the housework. As societies evolved and things changed, the division of labour took place leading to job specialization and stratification. People began to value certain jobs more highly than others. Manual labors became the least respected members of society while those who engaged in â€Å"high culture,† such as art or music, became the most respected. However, as society evolved, things changed and became more stratified. Women were put in the category of art and music and men in the manual labor category. Furthermore, art and music wasn’t and sometimes in this present time, isn’t as respected or highly valued as manual labor. Women are seen to be categorized with emotional, soft, sensitive, passive jobs and careers while men are seen to be categorized with â€Å"manly†, aggressive activities. Moreover, this isn’t simply an out of the blue categorization; it starts in the family, in their early ages. â€Å"A relatively neglected factor is the role of stereotypes, reinforced by social and cultural norms, which underline certain expectations about gender. Consequently gender stereotypes reinforce social status and gender hierarchies: for example, surveys and experiments show that women are generally perceived as more communal and loyal, whereas men are described more as protectors and competent. Of course not everyone subscribes to these stereotypes, but there is evidence that men and women who behave in ways that contrast with these traditional stereotypes – such as career women or stay-at-home dads – are likely to be evaluated negatively by others. A lifetime of exposure to what women should be, how they should behave and who they should represent drives and reinforces unconscious and unseen biases.† In simpler words, when a child is born, family and friends tend to the baby according to the gender. If it is a girl, they are offered girly toys such as a kitchen, dolls and their toys usually lean towards the color pink. On the other side, if it is a boy, they are offered play hammers, or labour toys and their toys lean towards the color blue. From this age, males and females have a socially constructed idea of what they should be doing and not doing or how they should act because of their gender. This crosses over in their education when choosing a major or a work field. Females will be drawn more towards careers involving feelings or more â€Å"feminine† per say such as nursing or teaching and males will be drawn towards careers such as engineering or joining the military, careers that seem too â€Å"unfit† for a female. One example of the unconscious bias is the way people view men in the society. They are seen as leaders, not women and if you are a mother, your ch ances of getting a job is greatly reduced due to stereotypes. .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e , .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .postImageUrl , .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e , .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e:hover , .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e:visited , .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e:active { border:0!important; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e:active , .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udde6cb442bd27363ce7da4049fbaca2e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Essay on Social Inequality of HealthThis separation lingers over and is mainly felt in the employment field. Seeing as females are to be with the â€Å"easier† jobs they are paid less than men who are said to be doing the â€Å"hardest† jobs. Some of these â€Å"easy† jobs are seen as being a nanny for example and some of these â€Å"hard† jobs are seen as being a corporate lawyer. Inequality is heavily felt in these sorts of domains due to the heavy domination of men in those fields. Women will be less likely to be seen in those departments due to social construction or due to the fact that it’s more of a â€Å"man’s† caree r and if they dare to enter, and here the word â€Å"dare† is used mainly to emphasize the importance of the act, they are still not seen or paid equally as a male and this is due to various reasons. Although it’s not only women that suffer in the work field, so do men. Men are said to be discriminated against by large companies and institutions which encourage women to take jobs men typically do so as to satisfy a certain policy or percentage of female bodies in their company, and then don t require them to actually do the same work, leaving men to fill in a workload gap that didn t used to exist. This usually tends to happen in fields such as engineering or any other sort of labour work. Despite this, women are still the ones held back the most. Women have not always been in a stronger position to lead, change and shape the economic and social landscape. The 21st century has seen a dramatic shift in traditional family dynamics. Statistics offer insights into current patterns and behaviours but I noticed that they do not address why the skills and talents of women are not being fully utilized. Encouraging women to participate in the labour market is vital to ensure economic growth at both micro and macro level. One of the reasons as to why females aren’t paid equally as a male is said due to their inability to accomplish the task at hand as efficiently as a male would leading to a, sometimes, drastic wage gap. A woman is said to be able to easily tell whether or not they are being discriminated against in hiring and promotion. All they have to do is count the men with lesser skills and credentials doing jobs they still aspire to. Although, some women often do not know when they are being victims of employment inequality and often don’t complain and so the problem continues. As stated above, men overcrowd high paying careers such as engineering while women dominate lower-paying fields like education and social service careers. However, women are more likely than men to fall off the career track when they have children. They have to take time off and say to â€Å"lose skills†, or sometimes tend to opt for less-demanding jobs so they can spend more time at home. Most fathe rs, in contrast, manage to go through parenthood without needing any time off or any harm to their careers. Another reason leading to gender inequality in the employment field is often the one mostly overheard in offices: â€Å"women are not the primary bread winner and the men are therefore men deserve the higher pay rate not the women†. However, what if the woman is a single mother or divorced or simply an independent woman hoping to pay her bills with that job. These situations are sometimes not taken into consideration when pay rates are decided in such fields. These gender wage gaps are not about men choosing to work more than women, comparing men and women who all work full time, men nearly always earn more than women. Studies have shown that it has close to nothing to do with average differential occupational choices between men and women.

Ronald Reagan Domestic And Foreign Affairs. Essays -

Ronald Reagan: Domestic And Foreign Affairs. Ronald Reagan: Domestic and Foreign Affairs I have decided to write my research paper on the topic of Ronald Reagans Domestic and Foreign Affairs. The reason that I choose this topic was because I have always been personally interested in Ronald Reagans time in office and the national crisis he had to deal with. Reagan was awesome when it came to foreign policy because he knew how to negotiate with foreign leaders and their countries to get what he wanted. There were several instances during his time in office that he had the chance to use his ability to get the country out of danger. Domestic Affairs is another part of Reagans presidency that was very important. He was able to take the country, which seemed to be in an economic slump and turn their economic status around. The economic growth of the United States is still holding true today. There is only one question that I wanted to answer with this paper. Was Ronald Reagan an effective leader when it came to domestic and foreign affairs? Domestic Affairs From the day that Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, in November 1980, he had a huge task ahead of him, to develop an economic plan or policy to implement into the national economy. President Reagan felt that he needed to base his economic program on the basis of supply side economics (Encyclopedia Britannica, Britannica.com, 2000). This theory is a very complex idea that President Reagan developed himself, so many people gave it the name of Reaganomics (Encyclopedia American, gi.grolier.com , 2000). The theory of Reaganomics called for a significant reduction in all forms of taxes and an adequate cutback on governmental spending so there will be more money in the hands of the American citizens. The main goal of the supply side economic theory is to give a boost to the United States economy, which would cause the economy to expand. This economic expansion and boost would occur through citizens who would spend the extra tax money on products and services in thei r geographical region or who would invest money into businesses in their area. The only problem for the government using this theory would be the initial revenues that the government would lose from the tax cuts. In theory the economic growth would eventually increase taxable incomes, this increase in taxable incomes should cause the governmental revenues to grow in the long run. With the idea of Reaganomics in mind President Reagan persuaded Congress to pass the Economic Recovery Tax Act, which is the first major step in his plan. This Tax Act called for a 25 percent tax cut that was implemented over a three-year period (David Mervin, 1990, 133-7). The only problem with this tax cut is the fact that it mainly benefited the upper - income taxpayers and large corporations. The reason that these groups were targeted is because there is more of a chance that they will invest their money in business programs that will promote economic growth. After this tax cut took effect the American people in the lower - income tax brackets were not pleased with the results. They seemed to be faced with an increase in their tax rates even though most of them were in the income categories below the national average. On the other end of the spectrum the people that were in the upper tax brackets were experiencing significant tax cuts. The largest tax break that the upper class experienced was about 6 percent. The second part of Reagans plan was to cut government spending on a variety of different programs. I have listed some of the most significant and recognizable programs: job training, college loans, medical programs, child daycare centers, and nursing homes (Encyclopedia Britannica, Britannica.com, 2000). The main reason that Reagan targeted these programs was because he felt that they made individuals more dependent on governmental support and in turn was weakening the structure of American families. President Reagan, after long speeches and deliberations, persuaded congress to lift some of the many regulations that were placed on industries. The main objective of this deregulation was to help the industries save money as well

Decleration of Independence essays

Decleration of Independence essays Rafi Jacobs A.P. American History Report About two months ago I still thought that the Declaration of Independence was something written a few hundred years ago, and was very famous, but had no real historical value. I just thought it was a nice thing, and after it became famous was adapted as a work of art. And to be honest I didnt even know what signifagance it had and how much it really did for out country. But after reading the Declaration of Independence, by Carl Becker, I found out what it really meant. In this report I will not only prove that I read the book, but show what affect it had on our country, the independent Unites States of America. Actually, the decleration wasn't even the officiol act of seperation from Great Britian. That was done on June 7th, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee, on behalf of the Virginia Delegation made three resolutions, one that declared the United Sttes should be free and indipendent states, and there should be no connection between them and Great Britain. It was voted in on July 2nd, 1776. However, on the 10th of June in when they decided they should write a decleration of indipendence, and they appointed Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. At first Thomas Jefferson ask John Adams if he could write it. He replied "First, you are a Virginian, ought to be in charge of buissness, next I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular, reason number three, you are a ten times better writer, Mr. Jefferson." When writing this document, they had to be careful not to do a few things. First, they didn't want this to sound like a rebellion. They tried to make it sound like it was a moral and justified thing to do. The goal was to make this rebellion a justified act. Rebelling against a king is seriose. So they had to be careful. They couldn't just make this against their own king of Britian, instead they wanted it to ...

Augmentative Suffixes in Spanish

Augmentative Suffixes in Spanish Augmentative suffixes - word endings added to nouns (and sometimes adjectives) to make them refer to something that is large - are less common than the diminutive endings, but they nevertheless provide one way that the Spanish vocabulary can be flexibly expanded. And just as the diminutive suffixes can be used to indicate that something is endearing (rather than small), so can the augmentative endings be used in a pejorative way to indicate that something is awkward or otherwise undesirable. The most common augmentative and pejorative suffixes (feminine forms in parentheses) are -à ³n (-ona), -azo (-aza) and -ote (-ota). Less common ones include -udo (-uda), -aco (-aca), -acho (-acha), -uco (-uca), -ucho (-ucha), -astro (-astra) and -ejo (-eja). Although nouns usually maintain their gender when put in an augmentative form, it isnt unusual for the words, especially when they come to be thought of as words in their own right, to change gender (especially from feminine to masculine). Theres no way to predict which ending (if any) can be attached to a particular noun, and the meanings of some suffixed words can vary from region to region. Here are the main ways in which these endings are used: To Indicate Something Is Large When used in this way, the suffixes can also indicate something is strong or powerful or has some other quality often associated with size. Examples: mujerona (big and/or tough woman), arbolote (big tree), perrazo (a big and/or mean dog), librazo or librote (big book), pajarote (large bird), casona (large house), cabezà ³n (big-headed person, literally or figuratively), cabezota (stubborn, stubborn person). To Indicate Intensity Such suffixes indicate that something has more of the inherent quality than such objects usually have; the resulting word can, but doesnt have to, have a negative connotation. Sometimes these endings can be applied to adjectives as well as nouns. Examples: solterà ³n (confirmed bachelor), solterona (old maid), favorzote (a huge favor), un cochazo (one heck of a car), grandote (very big), ricachà ³n (filthy rich, filthy-rich person), grandullà ³n (overgrown). To Form New Words Sometimes words with augmentative endings can take on meanings of their own and have only a loose connection with the original word. Examples: padrote (pimp), ratà ³n (mouse), tablà ³n (bulletin board, thick board), fogà ³n (stove), cinturà ³n (belt), camisà ³n (nightgown), serrucho (handsaw), hacer un papelà ³n (to make a spectacle of oneself), cajà ³n (drawer), cordà ³n (shoelace), lamparà ³n (grease stain), llorà ³n (crybaby), humazo (cloud of smoke). -Azo to Indicate a Blow or Strike The suffix -azo can be applied somewhat freely to nouns to indicate a blow or strike; coined words using this suffix are sometimes found in journalese. Words formed in this way are always masculine. Examples: hachazo (blow or chop with an ax), martillazo (blow with a hammer), puà ±etazo (punch with a fist), cabezazo (head butt), codazo (jab with the elbow), plumazo (the stroke of a pen), huevazo (a blow from a thrown egg), misilazo (missile strike), sartenazo (a blow from a frying pan).

Discussion broad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Discussion broad - Essay Example Based on the Output KPIs under the second objective, help grow membership, strength of brand identity is considered. However, under attitudinal and behavioral KPIs, there are no measurement tools to show the relevance of the target output KPI, strength of brand identity. In this case, the use of survey questions to identify what effect brand strength has on membership is recommended. Additionally, the behavioral KPIs should show change in page views based on recognition of brand strength. The current lack of attitudinal and behavioral KPIs indicating the role and influence of brand strength on membership merits the recommendation of a survey to showcase the associated impact of brand strength on membership growth (Paine, 2011). Under the third communication objective, the Boston IABC website, a recommendation for Output KIPs targets the number of individuals sharing a common goal that can yield to stronger relationships among chapter members. By simple counting or use of metrics in terms of percentage, output KIPs should be able to show how effective calendar events are at bringing certain members together. Additionally, under the attitudinal KIPs, focus group analysis should be considered to indicate how much of current chapter members attend similar events and how many members have distinct tastes for events. Under the Behavioral KPIs, metrics should be used to determine the rate of change in return visitors. While event registration and activity on social media can be used to strengthen relationships, the rate at which members register for the same calendar events as well as rate of attendance for certain events over others is essential in determining how successful the communication objective is (Paine ,

Social networking is effecting students grades Essay

Social networking is effecting students grades - Essay Example The social networking regimes have therefore hurt the cause of education more than anything else and the ones who have been hit the hardest are the students themselves. This raises an interesting proposition altogether – why not regulate the usage of social networking by the students so they can concentrate more towards their studies and less on how to mingle with friends, acquaints and the like? There seem to be no answers to such issues. The students need to understand that the social networking elements and tools have been affecting their educational realms and now is the time to realize what is hurting them the most. The sooner they will wake up to such conclusions, the better it would be for their respective selves. However, what is unfortunate is the aspect of non-realization that social networking is providing them more worries than anything else, and now is the time to understand that they have to find a way to move ahead with the social linkages that they have develop ed over the Internet. What is even more worrying is the fact that these social networking tools have involved within them gaming elements that have literally taken away the concentration levels of the students, and given them an alternate path in the wake of spending their lives, their own way (Hitch, 2011). The social networking understandings within the students’ grades have been proven as true with the passage of time. The teachers, instructors and even parents have raised their voice against the tyranny that these social networking elements have created, which have literally impacted the students in more ways than one. There seems to be a great amount of anarchy within the related ranks, and the undue credit for the same does rest on the shoulders of the social networking websites, tools and programs. Since the social networking domains do not consider how the same would be taking charge of the students and their related folds, they are trying their best to introduce new and novel applications, programs and features. This will ensure that the social networking will remain as pivotal for the sake of the students, much more than what education does for their own good. This is a very unfortunate happening but it is taking place for a number of reasons that can be deemed as wrong more than anything else. The social networking does more harm than offering any solace to the young ones who are bound to go wrong in the face of severe competition that they receive at the hands of their colleagues and friends, as well as the technological mastery that the social networking websites and tools have to propose, day in and day out. Therefore how social networking is being manifested by the elders within the society is something to write home about (Sarachan, 2011). This has been made apparent through the different procedures that they have adopted to keep away the perils that come attached with the social networking elements and realms within the society. It is f or this reason that social networking is now being seen as a very dangerous metaphor within the terrains of the society as the students are the worst sufferers at the end of the day. In the end, it would be proper to state that the social networking issues should be tackled at the earliest. This will help resolve the disputes and conflicts that have come to the fore. It will also restore the confidence of the parents within their young ones who are

Economics The Russian Experience Essay Example for Free

Economics The Russian Experience Essay The economy of the Soviet Union was based on a system of state ownership and administrative planning which meant that the state was the single decision organ in economic matters. The economic growth was guided by what was then called Five Year Plans crafted by the national decision makers appointed by the state. This approach made it easy for the resources to be harnessed to achieve set objectives. The economic set up concentrated more in building capital goods, machine manufacture and the chemical industry. The economic setup was top down model that offered little option for feedback to move to the decision makers. This made it hard for the decision makers to assess the effects of their decisions with a view to eliminate destructive ones. It therefore made it hard for the decision makers to abandon earlier decisions that failed to work or that produced negative results. (http://www. answers. com/toic/history-d-the-soviet-union-1985-1991). The economic setup, otherwise called communism, often resulted into the problem of over or under production of goods. The system paid little attention to the production of consumer goods and this led to black markets thriving. This black market had a counter effect on the economic agenda of the planners. The system was also very bureaucratic delaying issues that required urgent decisions. This scenario led to a back logging of decisions, which overwhelmed the decision makers with time. Middle level managers began to agitate for freedom to deal with customers and suppliers directly for them to more effectively respond to the economic laws of demand and supply. This agitation built up to eventually break the Soviet Union because the decision makers and the political leaders of the time failed to respond to these demands responsibly. (http://www. answers. com/toic/history-d-the-soviet-union-1985-1991). The economic setup of the Soviet Union had made some big gains, which enabled them to become industrialized faster than other economic fronts. Failure to respond to arising issues was what contributed to its downfall. Strong institutions had already been setup such as the agricultural sector, foreign trade as well as the financial sector. All capital goods were collectively owned with little exceptions. Individual property ownership was minimal. The ownership controversy also contributed to the Soviet Union breakup. Since then Russia has had to undergo intensive reform program to enable them to respond to the largely capitalistic world economy (Moszczynska, undated) A key sector that is the focus of the reform process is the financial sector. The Russian economy is reliant on oil and the fluctuations of prices affect the economy adversely. To alleviate such adverse effects, the financial sector needs reforms because it offers smoother transition into the envisioned economic setup. A challenge facing Russia and other countries as they transit from command economy to the free market economy is imbalance created by foreign trade. These countries have begun to import goods that were in short supply but on the other hand exports have began to decline. This slows down the recovery process since exports spurred growth previously. When the exports are more than the imports, a country is performing well economically and this is reverse for these former Soviets. Consumption growth had for a time led to an increment is real wages but productivity growth has stagnated those gains. This again is due to the heavy reliance on the oil industry for economic growth (Barnard, 2000). In addition, there is little investment outside the oil and metal industries. This means that as much as the motive is to create wealth for the citizenly, there cannot be much success if no considerable investment is made. In fact investments in other areas has been declining over time. The investment climate in Russia is still hostile which slows down the ability of the reform process to spur growth. The economic system only favor large business establishments leaving small and medium sized enterprises struggling. The government’s authorization requirements are stringent while corruption has been rife. This has led to more resources being allocated to large firms. With the medium sized enterprises grounded, no much growth can be achieved. The banking system is also inefficient since it only lends to the large establishments. The reform of the banking sector has largely depended upon political climate but a legal framework is needed to effectively reform this sector. A better framework to regulate the banking industry has to be put in place (Kahan, 2001). The reform process of the Russian and other former Soviet countries are on the right track. There are enough challenges in the implementation process of the proposals but they are gaining ground. Under performing areas have shown indications of growth. The recovery process, though, calls for political will among the leaders to drive the process. No much progress would be realized if political will is lacking. The effects of the Cold War need to be eliminated from the fore. The Russian economy has great potential and if the strategies respond appropriately to upcoming issues, the Russian economy would perform better. The Russian economy performance had put Russia ahead of other countries. It was not entity based on wrong principles. The major problem was the bureaucratic system that had been set that made it difficult to respond to rising issues. If the economy is to acquire the envisioned status it once had, it has to respond to arising issues.

The Unnamed Wife in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- Sir Gawai

The Unnamed Wife in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the green knight’s wife plays a pivotal role in the story. Yet, she is never given a name and it is unclear what motivates her actions. She could simply be following her husband’s orders to seduce this visiting knight. She could be under the tutelage of Morgan le Fay. Or she may be acting under her own guidance and using her sexuality to carry out her own desires or gain power. In light of this uncertainty, the unnamed wife’s role in the bedroom scene is also hard to decipher. As a woman she should be submissive, and yet it is Gawain who is forced to defend himself against her advances to which he eventually submits. The multiple readings of the wife’s role also inform the notions of Christian and pagan in the story. Female power and sexuality are aligned with the wife, Morgan le Fay and paganism, while Gawain seeks protection and chastity from Mary and Christianity. Despite the power the wife may gain from pagan traditions, she could also be perceived in a Christian, patriarchal context as a sexual object who is commanded by her husband’s authority. As a result the green knight’s wife represents the duality of Christian and pagan and its prevalence in medieval society. In the bedroom scenes the wife appears to be playing the role of a submissive woman, but is in fact using her position to dominate Gawain, who is limited by his pledge to the Green Knight. The wife tells Gawain, â€Å"My body is here at hand, Your each wish to fulfill; Your servant to command I am, and shall be still.† Here the wife is literally submitting her body to Gawain to use as he desires. Yet, she is making this proposition in order to entice him to... ...ere her true allegiance lies. On the other hand, her position in this story provides insight into medieval society. Her antics with Gawain in the bedroom scenes reveal that her position as lady of the house is superior to Gawain’s as a knight. This situation further illuminates medieval gender roles especially when examining the lady’s relationship with her husband. Even if he may use her as a sexual pawn, she is able to assert herself thought the tactics she uses to persuade Gawain to break his oath. She is also intrinsically linked with Morgan le Fay and pagan traditions. This bond is balanced by Gawain’s connection with Mary as a figure for guidance. The wife’s position in this story epitomizes the dualities of medieval society. The conflicting social and gender roles and Christian and pagan traditions are somehow able to operate in this complex society.

Health Information Exchange: Benefits and Concerns Essay

Health Information Exchange is the electronic transmission exchange from one health care professional to another. Health Information Exchange allows health care professionals and patients to appropriately access and securely share patient’s medical information electronically. Our industry is been working hard in the process and development of this new process, for the benefit of the patient and healthcare professionals. Some individuals with access to HIE are physicians, nurses, pharmacists, medical assistants, medical biller and coders and so forth. It is important to have an understanding about different health care professionals having access to the patient medical record. HIE benefits include: Provides improvement for quality and safety of patient care by reducing prescription and medical errors. The education and orientation to patients’ involvement in their own health care. Increases efficiency by eliminating unnecessary paperwork. Provides caregivers with clinical decision support tools for more effective care and treatment. Eliminates redundant or unnecessary testing. Improves public health reporting and monitoring. Creates a potential loop for feedback between health-related research and actual practice. Facilitates efficient deployment of emerging technology and health care services. Provides the backbone of technical infrastructure for leverage by national and State-level initiatives. Provides a basic level of interoperability among electronic health records (EHRs) maintained by individual physicians and organizations. Reduces health related costs (The benefits & risks of health information exchange & health information technology. (n.d.). The first step in EHR implementation is to conduct an assessment of your current practice and its goals, needs, and financial and technical readiness. Your practice can design an implementation plan that meets the specific needs of your practice. Eligible health care professionals and eligible hospitals must use certified EHR technology in order to achieve meaningful use and qualify for incentive payments. It is important in an EHR when working in the implementation process to involve, training, mock â€Å"go-live,† and pilot testing for system improvement. (HIE benefits) The final phase of EHR implementation includes successfully attesting to demonstrating meaningful use of EHRs, and reassessing what you have learned from training and everyday use of the system implementation to continue improving workflows that achieve the individual practice’s goals. The process and steps to follow on an HER system, most health care providers are covered entities, and thus, need HIPAA responsibilities for individually identifiable health information. Your leadership especially emphasizing the importance of protecting patient health information is vital to your privacy and security activities. HIPAA requires covered providers to designate an individual for both a privacy and a security officer on their staff and delegate the responsibility of security system in a practice. Documentation shows why and where you have security measures in place, how you created them, and what you do to monitor them. Create a paper or electronic folder for your practice medical records. The Center of Medicare Services advises all providers that attest for the EHR incentive programs to retain all relevant records that support attestation. These records will be essential if you ever are audited for compliance with HIPAA or an EHR incentive program. (Anthony, R. (2013, September 19). Cms and ehealth.) Risk Analysis Plan compares your current security measures to what is legally and  pragmatically required to safeguard patient health information. The risk analysis identifies high priority threats and vulnerabilities on EHR. You or a security risk professional can conduct your practice’s risk analysis, but you either way you will want to know what to expect. Often, basic security measures can be highly effective and affordable. Using your risk analysis results, discuss and develop an action plan to mitigate the identified risks. The plan should have five components: administrative, physical, and technical safeguards; policies and procedures; and organizational standards. (Health information exchange: Is your privacy protected?. (2012, July) Every practice should develop a Risk Management Plan. It is the practice responsibility to develop written and up-to-date policies and procedures about how your practice protects e-PHI. All these records should be retained on all outdated policies and procedures for future audits on your practice. For the security of patient health information (PHI), your workforce must know how to implement your policies, procedures, and security audits. HIPAA requires you as a covered provider to train your workforce on policies and procedures. Also, your staff must receive formal training on breach notification. (Health information exchange: Is your privacy protected? (2012, July) Your patients may be concerned about confidentiality and security of health information on an EHR. Emphasize the benefits of EHRs to them as patients, perhaps using patient education materials available in the Privacy & Security Resources section. Do not register and attest for an EHR Incentive program until you have conducted your security risk analysis (or reassessment) and corrected any deficiencies identified during the risk analysis. Document these changes/corrections. Providers participating in the EHR Incentive Program can be audited. When you attest to meaningful use, it is a legal statement that you have met specific standards, including that you protect ePHI. Work with your EHR vendor(s) to let them know that protecting patient health information and meeting your HIPAA privacy and security responsibilities regarding electronic health in formation in your EHR is one of your major goals. Involve your practice staff and any other partners that you have to help streamline this process. HIPAA privacy regulations Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (â€Å"HIPAA†). The Privacy Rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals’ health information—called â€Å"protected health information† by organizations subject to the Privacy Rule — called â€Å"covered entities,† as well as standards for individuals’ privacy rights to understand and control how their health information is used. Within HHS, the Office for Civil Rights (â€Å"OCR†) has responsibility for implementing and enforcing the Privacy Rule with respect to voluntary compliance activities and civil money penalties. HITECH The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was signed into law on February 17, 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. Subtitle D of the HITECH Act addresses the privacy and security concerns associated with the electronic transmission of health information, in part, through several provisions that strengthen the civil and criminal enforcement of the HIPAA rules. Standards & Interoperability The work promoting the adoption and uptake of health information technology is the key to ensuring the goals of the HITECH Act. But work being done to ensure that the technical standards and specifications are in place to support this technology is also critical to the development and success of a fully functional nationwide health IT ecosystem. Some of the Risks of HIE include: Identity Theft Although health information benefits from all the security measures developed in other economic areas such as defense and finance, it has the same risks these other areas have experienced. Identity theft can occur with both paper files and electronic files, but a breach of electronic files may affect more records than a breach of paper files. Errors Just like a paper health record, if the health care provider does not enter the correct information, that information remains in the health record until it is corrected. Electronic information can provide checks and balances that  paper health records cannot. Hackers Electronic health care information benefits from the security measure developed by other industries. Health care is the last frontier of information technology, so anti-hacking security measures from other economic areas are already used. However, hackers will continue to try to break security codes just like they do in other electronic systems. Encryption Covered entities must encrypt protected health information when it â€Å"is a reasonable and appropriate safeguard.† When the HIPAA Security Rule was implemented in 2002, encryption was high in cost and challenging to use. The result is that many covered entities still do not encrypt their data. With the enormous amount of personal medical information that will be moving around electronically as HIE gets underway and spreads, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) needs to make encryption a requirement and set standards for its use in all practices. Personal mobile devices Smartphones, tablets and USB drives are ubiquitous. Health care providers often use their own unsecured devices to record and transmit unencrypted work-related health information. The speed with which such devices have been adopted is well ahead of policies that govern their use. According to a number of recent studies, the vulnerability of mobile devices is already playing a significant role in medical data breaches. The cloud That is, remote servers where more and more businesses are moving their data—will be essential in an era of electronic health information exchange, if for no other reason than the staggering quantities of data that digitizing the medical records of the entire U.S. population will create. Health care providers may also want to host their patient portals on cloud-based servers. Patient portals are websites where patients can access their medical records and exchange email with their providers. Cloud services are developing more quickly than laws or regulations can address. As a patient you’re unlikely to know where your medical records actually reside. And you’re forced to rely on the security practices of others to  protect the privacy of your information. The Privacy Rule gives you, with few exceptions, the right to inspect, review, and receive a copy of your medical records and billing records that are held by health plans and health care providers covered by the Privacy Rule. Only you or your personal representative has the right to access your records. A health care provider or health plan may send copies of your records to another provider or health plan as needed for treatment or payment or as authorized by you. However, the Privacy Rule does not require the health care provider or health plan to share information with other providers or plans. You do not have the right to access a provider’s psychotherapy notes. Psychotherapy notes are notes taken by a mental health professional during a conversation with the patient and kept separate from the patient’s medical and billing records. The Privacy Rule also does not permit the provider to make most disclosures of psychotherapy notes about you without your authorization . Because HIE’s primary purpose is to improve the quality of medical care, your health care providers’ priorities are to gain and allow access to a comprehensive record of your medical history. When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalizes its â€Å"accounting of disclosures† rule, providers that maintain EHRs will have to account to you for all disclosures of your personal health information that it makes for purposes of treatment, payment, and business operations for three years prior to the date of your request. (Health information exchange brief examines privacy and security concerns. (2012, June 13). Until HHS’ rule is final, you can get an accounting that goes back six years prior to your request, but this DOES NOT include disclosures for treatment, payment, or business operations. Therefore the disclosures you are currently able to get may seem largely incomplete and irrelevant to the purposes for which you want them. You also have access to your own medical records (apart from psychotherapy notes about you), but you must request them directly from your providers. It is not possible to request your records through an HIE. It has to be in person from the practice you are requesting medical records from. However, your doctor should be able to give you—or will soon be able to give you—what’s called a Continuity of Care Record (CCR) after each visit. The CCR is a summary of the most relevant and up-to-date facts about your care and treatment with that provider. A CCR can be helpful for you, and can also  provide a current snapshot of your medical status for the next doctor you visit. A CCR may be transmitted either on paper or electronically. HIE is a tremendous tool to utilize in the healthcare industry. However, different challenges still existing now days. Effective and Affordable Technology is a big issue and the primary problem. HIE required costly network, connections hardware, software and so forth. Some practices including hospitals can’t afford the cost of technology. Providers are trying to save in cost of information transmission and are always looking for inexpensive vendors. Practices are also working on overcoming these obstacles, but are very hard to overcome. HIEs can support care management by making it possible to generate patient reports for use at the point of care. It may also be easier to identify patients who are not following a prescribed care regimen or not meeting its goals, and to measure how well providers are delivering recommended care. This all goes along with the government’s goal of shifting the health care payment model from one of fee for service to payment based on outcomes; that is, not just whether you saw a doctor but whether you benefited from seeing her. The goals of HIE are to improve the quality of care and make delivering it more efficient and cost-effective. Once electronic medical records are available everywhere, for all patients, though, it is inevitable that more people will want access to this data. It is a goldmine for medical research and all kinds of statistical analysis, for example. Conclusion HIE will continue providing planning and implementation within health care organizations. We must comply as HIM professionals providing the best of our knowledge to contribute in this process. Also we need to follow HIPPA policies and procedures in our place of employment and commit ourselves to meet our goal which is providing the best on patient care. The more we work as a team; at the end of the road it will be easier on us to have our job done and accurate at the end of the road. Avoiding errors is also our responsibility as an HIM professionals. Let’s not focus on productivity, which is important, but also let’s put ourselves in the patient’s situation. We are also patient’s and we like to have things done the right way. References Rhodes, H. (2013, August 05). Seven unintended consequences of electronic HIE. Retrieved from http://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/reports HIE benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/health-information-exchange/hie-benefits The benefits & risks of health information exchange & health information technology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nchica.org/GetInvolved/CACHI/HIEbenefits-risks.htm Anthony, R. (2013, September 19). Cms and ehealth. Retrieved from http://www.cms.gov/eHealth/downloads/Webinar_eHealth_September19_CMSeHealthOverview.pdf Health information exchange: Is your privacy protected?. (2012, July). Retrieved from https://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fsC6/CA-medical-HIE Health information exchange brief examines privacy and security concerns. (2012, June 13). Retrieved from https://www.cdt.org/pr_statement/health-information-exchange-brief-examines-privacy-and-security-concerns

Journal Topics for The Crucible Essay

As you read the play over the next few days, choose any 3 of the following topics and respond to them in a google document or on paper. Each response must be at least 250 words. You must include references to the text and provide support for all of your claims. Please use your best writing- no grammatical/spelling/capitalization errors- divide ideas using paragraphs etc. Each journal entry is 20 pts. You may do one more extra credit. Again, we are working on providing detailed support for your claims. Be specific! 1. Based on what happens throughout Act I, write a brief character description of Abigail Williams. What positive qualities does she seem to possess? What negative qualities does she possess? If she were a Westwood student, where might she â€Å"fit in† in terms of classes, activities, sports, etc.? Or would she? Explain. 2. What types of persuasive techniques does Abigail use to win Proctor’s affection in Act I? What arguments does she present, and what emotional tactics does she employ? Does she build a persuasive argument, or do you find problems with it? Explain. 3. At the end of Act I, Tituba, Abigail, and others accuse some of their neighbors of afflicting them. Give examples of individuals or groups today who accuse others of causing their problems. How would you evaluate their accusations? 4. Consider: how is the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor similar to an ice cream cone 5. Explain how Mary Warren’s character changes over the course of the first two Acts. How was she portrayed at the beginning of the play? How is she portrayed now? To what do you attribute these changes? 6. Puritan society pressured individuals to adhere to strict standards of conduct and belief. To what extent do you think society expects you to conform today? Is conformity always a bad thing? Always a good thing? Explain. 7. Almost a century after the witch trials, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided to make a clear separation between church and state. How might the court proceedings in Act III have differed if that separation had been in place in 1692? In current events following Sept. 11th, is there still a clear separation between church and state? Explain. 8. Explain how the storyline might be different if there were no Governor Danforth. How does his presence in the play affect the storyline? If he were removed, how might that affect the play overall? 9. Mary Warren is subjected to intense peer pressure from Abigail Williams and the other girls. How would you compare the intensity of the peer pressure she faces with that extended on young people today? What reasonable advice might you give Mary Warren for coping with the peer pressure she faces? 10. In Act IV, how does Elizabeth take part of the blame for her husband’s lechery? Is she justified? What does John’s response to Elizabeth tell you about his character development? 11. Think of a 20th-century person who suffered or died for his / her beliefs, and compare this person to John Proctor. 12. The Crucible was first produced in 1953, during Senator Joseph McCarthy’s congressional investigation to root out suspected Communists in the State Department, the entertainment industry, and the U.S. Army. In his pursuit of Communists, McCarthy sometimes accused individuals on the basis of flimsy evidence and innuendo. In what ways do you think The Crucible is a criticism of McCarthy and his ways? Given current events, what can this play teach us about identifying and prosecuting individuals suspected of terrorist activities? Support your opinion with details from the play.

What is the iconography of Angkor Wat Essay Example

What is the iconography of Angkor Wat Essay Example What is the iconography of Angkor Wat Essay What is the iconography of Angkor Wat Essay Essay Topic: Empire Falls An iconography is a term used in history that is used describes a branch of history which involves the study, interpretation, identification and description of the contents of images. In simple terms the term iconography is derived from a Greek word which literally means the study of image writings. The iconography of the Angkor Wat is therefore, a description of the history, the images, the architecture and the features of the Angkor wat temple found in Cambodia. The Angkor Wat is a type of a very complex temple found at a place known as Angkor in Cambodia (Latinis, 2003, 367). This temple was initially constructed by the king who reigned those days Sir Suryavarman back in the 12th century. It is one of the best preserved temples in the city and it was merely constructed to be used as the king’s state temple and the capital city.However, it one of its kind and it has remained to be the most significant religious site since its construction. The Angkor Wat temple is located wi thin the midst of other temple structures within the Capital city of Cambodia. The initial features of the temple including the design and construction were first launched during the 12th century at the eve and reign of king Suryavarman Initially the design and construction of the temple was dedicated to the Vishnu and it was actually established to serve the king as his main capital city and state temple (Bernard, 2006, 412). Up to today there has been no architectural inscriptions or foundations associated with the temple that have been found. In addition, the original name of the temple remains unknown to many. The name Vrah Vishnulok might have been an assumption to the original name of the temple that was put forward by a reliable deity.After the fall and death of king Suryavarman II, the construction work of the temple also collapsed leaving the bas-relief unfinished and even undecorated. The Khmer kings there after indulged into a massive construction and building and took th e temple up to its toll by engaging populations which were working   for the state   as virtual slave laborers .In addition, the military conquests highly supported king Khmer   thus expanding his empire and power. After a period of 27 years after the death of king Suryavarman the traditional enemies of Khmer known as Cham invaded his territory leading to his collapse (Latinis, 2003, 369). After some time he was succeeded by sir Jayavarman VII who later restored the empire and consequently established the temple as his capital city and state temple.At the eve of the 13th century, the king Sir Javarman VII decided to transform the empire from Hindu to Buddhism. The process of transforming the empire from Hinduism to Buddhism was relatively easy for the king since majority of the civilians were tied of the constant political clashes resulting to the frequent down falls and collapse of the territories. However, these people were hungry for a change and the desire to have a consta nt faith to rely on that offered tranquility without the urge and desire for power and material gain. As a result of this conflict Angkor Wat was finally transformed from Hindu to Theravada use by the Buddhist (sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html).The architectural, design and the plan of the temple is a unique one that can however, not be described on paper using a pen. Its refinements, decorations and towers are beyond the human comprehension. The standard design of the temple plus the unique combination of the temple Mountain and addition, the empire’s state temple were features that were highly influences by the Chola, Orissa and the Tamil Nadu people of India. It was also believed that the temple represented the Mount Meru of Kenya which was highly accorded as the original homeland for the gods.The central quincunx forming the towers is a clear representation of the five peaks forming the mountain, including the moat and the walls which surround the ocean and t he mountain ranges. The style of the temple is a classical representation designed by the Khmer architectures. During the 12 century, majority of the architects in the Khmer empire had become skillfully oriented in using and shaping the sandstone for construction purpose as the only available resource for buildings and constructions. The most prominent and most visible features of the Angkor wat temple are made up of sandstone blocks. Laterite was however, used in most cases for making the hidden structural areas and for the outer walls (Bernard, 2006, 415). However, the agent that was used in the process of bidding blocks together has never been identified till today although some experts’ belief in some slaked lime and resins to have been used.The design of the Angkor Wat has drawn much praise for the harmony and organization of its features which can only be matched with the ancient architects of the Roman Empire. Consequently, the precise arrangement of its portions and f ine balancing of its elements greatly signifies the works of unity, power and style. The elements forming its structure greatly symbolize the Ogival, which were some sort of redented towers which were shaped like the lotus buds. There were galleries that were half shaped that were used to broaden the pathways consequently with axial galleries which mainly connected the cruciform terraces and the enclosure which also appeared along the axis of the temple. The style also encompassed typical decorative features especially on the pediments and the bas- relief. The Angkor Wat sanctuary is however,   believed to be   static, conservative and less graceful. The temple has got unique complex features which are beyond human comprehension.The walls are great surrounded by moat and aprons of open grounds. The entrance to the temple is by use of an earth bank entrance that appears to the east and a sandstone causeway directed to the west. At each cardinal point there are gopuras towers. The western region is estimated to be the largest with three ruined towers. Towards the southern end of the temple there exists another tower which forms a statute of Vishnu which is said to be the central most shrine of the temple. Between the towers there exist various galleries forming two other entrances on either sides of the gopura. The galleries take the form of square shaped pillars forming the outer walls. The pillars and the ceilings are carefully decorated with lotus with dancing figures appearing on the face, prancing animals and balustered windows. The outer walls are however, large enclosing a large mass of land which was said to be the space occupied by the city and consequently the king’s royal palace (sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html).The central structure of the Angkor Wat is built on a terrace that is placed on a higher level than the city. It is however, constructed using three rectangular galleries  Ã‚   which are raise towards the central mos t towers with each level appearing at a higher level than the previous one. It is believed that these galleries were specifically dedicated to the Kings Brahma, Vishnu and the Moon respectively. Majority of these features in the temple are set facing east leaving enough space to be occupied by enclosures. The temple is preciously decorated with predominate features forming the bas – relief and friezes.The inner walls of the gallery form a large scale series of scenes mainly referring to the Hindu episodes and epics. These scenes have been branded as the greatest scenes of linear arrangement of stone carvings. It is also believed that very high profile skills were used in the construction of the temple. Stones which appeared as smooth polished marbles were used. They were skillfully and carefully laid down to form the base without mortar held together by very strong joints that were hard to get. Tenon joints were also used to hold the blocks together with gravity and dovetails (Latinis, 2003, 374). Generally the monument was built of pure sand stone just like pyramids of Egypt.Great transformations have been made today making the site a tourist resource center. Many of the indigenous resources that were hard to find have been robbed out while others decaying gracefully with time. However, the Angkor wat temple remains to be one of its kind till today.Work CitedAngkor Wat, Cambodia. Retrieved on 15th May 2009 from, sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.htmlBernard Timothy. Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia from Angkor Wat to East Timor. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol.37, 2006; pp.410-426Latinis Kyle. Anqkor Wat:   A Royal Temple. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol.34, 2003; pp.365-380

How to Write a Science Fair Project Report

How to Write a Science Fair Project Report Writing a science fair project report may seem like a challenging task, but it is not as difficult as it first appears. This is a format that you may use to write a science project report. If your project included animals, humans, hazardous materials, or regulated substances, you can attach an appendix that describes any special activities your project required. Also, some reports may benefit from additional sections, such as abstracts and bibliographies. You may find it helpful to fill out the science fair lab report template to prepare your report. Important: Some science fairs have guidelines put forth by the science fair committee or an instructor. If your science fair has these guidelines, be sure to follow them. Title:  For a science fair, you probably want a catchy, clever title. Otherwise, try to make it an accurate description of the project. For example, I could entitle a project, Determining Minimum NaCl Concentration That Can Be Tasted in Water.  Avoid unnecessary words, while covering the essential purpose of the project. Whatever title you come up with, get it critiqued by friends, family, or teachers.Introduction and Purpose:  Sometimes this section is called background. Whatever its name, this section introduces the topic of the project, notes any information already available, explains why you are interested in the project, and states the purpose of the project. If you are going to state references in your report, this is where most of the citations are likely to be, with the actual references listed at the end of the entire report in the form of a bibliography or reference section.The Hypothesis or Question:  Explicitly state your hypothesis or question.Materials and Meth ods:  List the materials you used in your project and describe the procedure that you used to perform the project. If you have a photo or diagram of your project, this is a good place to include it. Data and Results:  Data and results are not the same things. Some reports will require that they be in separate sections, so make sure you understand the difference between the concepts. Data refers to the actual numbers or other information you obtained in your project. Data can be presented in tables or charts, if appropriate. The results section is where the data is manipulated or the hypothesis is tested. Sometimes this analysis will yield tables, graphs, or charts, too. For example, a table listing the minimum concentration of salt that I can taste in water, with each line in the table being a separate test or trial, would be data. If I average the data or perform a statistical test of a null hypothesis, the information would be the results of the project.Conclusion:  The conclusion focuses on the hypothesis or  question as it compares to the data and results. What was the answer to the question? Was the hypothesis supported (keep in mind a hypothesis cannot be proved, onl y disproved)? What did you find out from the experiment? Answer these questions first. Then, depending on your answers, you may wish to explain the ways in which the project might be improved or introduce new questions that have come up as a result of the project. This section is judged not only by what you were able to conclude  but also by your recognition of areas where you could not draw valid conclusions based on your data. Appearances Matter Neatness counts, spelling counts, grammar counts. Take the time to make the report look nice. Pay attention to margins, avoid fonts that are difficult to read or are too small or too large, use clean paper, and make print the report cleanly on as good a printer or copier as you can.

Learning resource on health and well-being Essay

Learning resource on health and well-being - Essay Example In an effort to make this program effective, schools and tertiary education facilities are constantly being encouraged to adopt a strong curriculum which not only caters for the child’s intellectual improvement, but also all aspects revolving around his/her life based on the four key pillars which include: Good health and nutrition is essential to a human development. Schools and generally all learning institutions have much to impact especially when it comes to a child’s health development. While most schools put more emphasis on intellectual growth, the health status of the learner should not be compromised. In most cases learning institutions are expected to provide at least two to three nutritious meals daily to ensure that the children get the strength to move around and concentrate in class. After all no one can learn on an empty stomach. Through this attempt, children are also evaluated and checked by health practitioners to ascertain their health and general nutrition. As such children are guaranteed of a balanced diet both at home and in school. They are also guaranteed of proper medical care which also happens to determine the general performance of the child. As part of creating a healthy society, this resource centers on ensuring that school-going children and youth are at least provided with a balanced diet at school and at home to ensure that they gain both physical and intellectual health (Department for Education and Skills, 2012). One of the most important reasons why children fail to perform as expected is due to their state of mind. According to a recent report the number of school drop-outs in the UK alone stands at an average of 120,000 students each year. While a substantial number of students drop out of school due to financial challenges, it is certain that a greater number leave school due emotional health problems. Although teachers are tasked with the general evaluation of the learner, in most

Family In Later Life Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Family In Later Life Research Paper - Essay Example Widowhood in the later life leaves the surviving spouse to undergo a normal process from grief to acceptance; the challenges associated with widowhood are likely to open new opportunities for increasing and maintaining social relationships. Widows/Widowers and the Efforts of Overcoming Grief Widows are generally associated with â€Å"isolation, loss and vulnerability† (Walker, 1993, p. 34), especially the post feminism era. With the women almost completely dependent on men, widowhood seems to be the worst thing that can happen to a woman, especially in the presence of young children. However, the changing views of women’s roles in the contemporary society made widowhood less burdensome for the surviving spouse, but contemporary views do not spare widows in the process to acceptance. The first challenge for a widow is coping with grief, where older people are seen to cope better than their younger counterparts (Bryant, 2003). According to Balkwell (1981), there seems to have a reaction pattern following a spouse’s death where initially, surviving partners undergo â€Å"shock or bewilderment...and may refuse to believe that the spouse is dead† (p. 120). ... Bureau of Census (1993) indicated that 80% of women between the ages 65 and 75 are already widowed compared to 39% of widowers in the same age bracket (as cited in Bryant, 2003). The issue of sex or gender related to acceptance of death seems to receive contradictory comments from psychologist through the years. Kail and Cavanaugh (2008) stated that men generally have problems with social relationships after the death of the spouse. Moreover, they were seen to be â€Å"more vulnerable† than women because (1) they are the ones who would initiate dating, â€Å"which is awkward after being married;† (2) retirement and the loss of contact from workmates; (3) there are less widowers in whom they can relate to; and (4) they lack familiarity with the things women do such as house hold chores (Balkwell, 1989, p. 120). On the other hand, women are perceived to be more efficient in coping with widowhood, but it depends on the kind of coping mechanism she uses. Lopata (1973) label ed three types of widows: the modern woman, the lower class urbanite, and the social isolate (as cited in Chambers, 2005). Each of the three types possesses unique qualities in which Lopata (1973) based their names. The modern woman would have to be the most familiar, where the widow is generally passive but is â€Å"willing to re-engage.† Such characteristic is also evident for women who belong to the lower class urbanite only that they generally seek emotional counsel to family and friends, and not from outside peers such as at work. These qualities are the opposite to what â€Å"social isolates† have. As the term suggests, women belonging to this category do not engage with socialization and basically are withdrawn even to people whom they have closer connections (Chambers, 2005, pp. 27-28). In contrast

We dont choose a life, we live one. Discuss this statement in the Essay

We dont choose a life, we live one. Discuss this statement in the context of tourism and yourself as a tourist - Essay Example As such, it is important to reveal the reasons which contribute to one choosing certain destinations while discriminating others, which in the context of tourism are understood as the place and space factors. To elaborate on this, the following text will evaluate two popular tourist destinations, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and using the place-space factors distinguish between which of the two would be more suitable as a tourist destination. One of the crucial determining factors for a whether a destination will attract large numbers of tourists is the environment and natural resources available. These include the landscape and climate of a place. As is the obvious, tourism is all about changing the norms of daily life and escaping from the hustles of everyday. As such, people will prefer to travel to distant away places which have a climate or appearance totally different from theirs. This is to say that if one is accustomed to living in the western chilly countries and they wanted to relax, the most suitable place for them to find their calm or change of atmosphere would be finding warm or sunny destinations. On the other hand, people accustomed to the hot climates would opt for chilly mountainous destinations such as those which have snow-capped mountains or experience snowy weather. The other determining factor which many may consider is the condition of the built environment. The built environment here refers to everything created by the hands of people. Apart from just visiting interesting destinations, tourists require amongst other things the ease of travelling, the comfort of living, security, shopping bases, and entertainment areas to mention but a few. In fact, these facilities can themselves become tourist attractions when they offer mega supplies of rare items and services. The best example is the festivals of visual and performing arts hosted by mostly the Asian

Exorcism in religion and psychology

Exorcism in religion and psychology Contrary to what may seem to be common sense, nowadays the beliefs in paranormal are still very prevalent in the society. Indeed, the revival of the interest and acceptance of such phenomena as poltergeists, ghosts, and devil took place in a quite secularized modern society dominated by the scientific thinking and medical worldview (Milner, 2000). However, it is not that surprising. It could be assumed that the possibility of the belief in the existence of such phenomena is rooted in the peoples understanding of the functioning of the world with religion being one of the sources that provide this kind of information. Some modern scientists propose that religious and spiritual phenomena consist of multiple factors like inherited or developed neural circuitry of the brain, pro-social tendencies selected through evolution, and the general biology of the human mind which generates the specific cognitive processes like religious beliefs (Fayard, Pereau, Ciovica, 2009). This kind of biological predisposition for spirituality and religion might explain why similar phenomena such as possession by the spirits as well as the subsequent healing and expulsion of these spirits are found in many different cultures and religions around the world despite the existing significant differences in ideology and practice. Furthermore, it may also explain why the belief in such paranormal phenomena is still alive in the society even when many old religions and beliefs were extinguished or substituted by science, and modern religions like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and etc. The revival of the interest in exorcism in the mainstream Christianity was evoked by the rise of the interest in the occult in the society in general such as the fascination with New Age movements which are interested in learning more about the occult (Milner, 2000). Acknowledging all the risks involved in the exorcism, the Christian church was afraid that vulnerable individuals might be hurt by the ritual performed by the healers who lack proper training, beliefs, and resources despite their good intentions, if such are present(Milner, 2000). Furthermore, fascinated by the enthusiasm, spirituality, and mass appeal of various Charismatic and Pentecostal movements that put the emphasis on various occult practices including exorcism, the mainstream Christianity tried to incorporate such practices into their worship in part in response to the demands of the society and due to the perceived threat to the authority of the mainstream Christianity (Milner, 2000). As a result, the issue of e xorcism was brought back to life, however in the light of science. Exorcism defined Despite the revival of interest in exorcism for many people including the ones involved in the Christian ministries, it still remains a bizarre and frightening ritual that came from the past targeting the vulnerable individuals who could be traumatized by this practice (Milner, 2000). For instance, within the legal system traditionally exorcism is defined as physical act of holding down the individual while facing the spiritual, psychic and physical opposition from him. It might be even recognized by the court as the false imprisonment, if exorcism is performed without the consent of the individual (Koploy, 2010). On the other hand, in certain religious groups this ritual is considered to be fundamental to faith just like baptism or marriage (Koploy, 2010). Furthermore, due to the fact that exorcism is very closely connected to the belief system and basic religious experiences, it might be seen as a indirect way of controlling and leaning peoples minds (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). It is very hard to describe the actual ritual of exorcism because the practices as well as the beliefs in demons and spirits vary greatly even within the branches of Christianity (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). However, every incidence of exorcism regardless of the religion within which it is performed includes common elements and can be assessed by the following criteria (Versteeg Droogers, 2007): demonological criterion the nature of the evil: personal or impersonal, spiritual or human; etiological criterion the explanation of the problem, spiritual and natural causes; diagnostic criterion methods of finding the cause: discovering spirits and other medical causes; tropical criterion the experience of reality by the people involved in the ritual: direct or metaphorical; ritual criterion: the structure of the ritual, the people involved in it, and other treatments scientific or spiritual that accompany the exorcism. In the Christian perspective the exorcism is the violent and dangerous battle between the person performing the ritual and the devil inside the individual (Milner, 2000). Therefore, the possessed individual may express uncontrollable anger, strange noises, supernormal extrasensory perception and strength, may uncontrollably call the name of Jesus or devil and have a strong desire for drugs, alcohol, and abnormal sexual practices, be subject to violent rages and be able to speak in language they never knew before (Milner, 2000). Furthermore, they might be unable to perform certain religious practices such as praying, reading Bible, and participating in meditation. In addition, the possession affects the social life of individual due to the rapid deterioration of their relationships with other people and outbursts of panic, terror and envy (Milner, 2000). However, the main danger of such practice as exorcism is not the lack of the acceptance in the society, but rather the too much emphasis on it, which may escalate into a full blown paranoia of attributing everything that is contrary to a specific understanding of the world and religion to the work of devil (Milner, 2000). This misunderstanding may result in tragic occurrences such as abuse, violence, criminal activity, suicide or homicide (Milner, 2000). Furthermore, looking from the psychological perspective, the focus on the devil as the cause of the behavior and demonizing what is not demonic encourage people to ignore the psychological and physiological needs and characteristics of the person and may lead to the diffusion of responsibility or even encourage people to deny that they are in fact responsible for their own actions and behavior (Miquel, 2010). Thus, the presence of devil becomes a very quick and simple explanation and may distract the attention from various psychologi cal, medical or social problems (Milner, 2000). Demon possession Being the result of the problem, it is hard to explore exorcism from both religious and psychological side without taking into account its primary cause, demon or spiritual possession. The word possession within the field of psychology usually refers to the belief that the persons mind and body can be controlled by another personality (Stevenson, 1995). That personality might be represented as the deceases person or an evil spirit. This idea was accepted almost universally till the 16th century and was almost always linked to witchcraft (Stevenson, 1995). However, even after the 16th century when the first skeptical work on witchcraft and magic started to appear, such beliefs remained prevalent in the society. The literature indicates many ways of differentiation among the states of possession such as ritual non-ritual, good evil, or voluntary involuntary, but no single classification is yet developed (Stevenson, 1995). The research shows that the incidents of possession are even though infrequent, but not that uncommon as people usually think. For instance about 2% of general Canadian population reported having experiences a possession (Bull, 2001). Furthermore, even though the general religious affiliation declined in the last century, the cases related to vampires, werewolves, and demons have not ceased (Bull, 2001). Despite the fact that such instances are highly influenced by the traditional culture, the beliefs in paranormal and supernatural are common in the modern society and that many of them arise from the direct personal experience (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Scientists agree that spiritual possession is a more cultural phenomenon (Miquel, 2010). This suggests that the existence and identification of this phenomena depends not only the perception and the beliefs prevalent in the society, but also on the interpretation given by the typical members of this culture (Miquel, 2010). Therefore, it is understandable that while working with the Christian clients the reports related to demonic encounters may even increase. For instance the survey of the 343 Swiss Protestants patients showed that about 38% of them believe that evil spirits or demons may be the cause of their psychiatric illness and around 30% of them actually tried the healing prayer or exorcism (Bull, 2001). The frequency increases even more if the individuals with the Dissociative Identity Disorder better known to the general population as the Multiple Personality Disorder are assessed. In one study around 29% out of 236 individuals with this diagnosis indentified their other per sonality as a demon (Bull, 2001). Interestingly enough, the tendency to attribute mental illnesses to the work of devil and possession exists in our society from the Stone Age (Ward Beaubrun, 1980). Even though this etiological theory advanced a lot, it is still evident in the modern society. One of the disorders proposed in DSM-IV-TR for further research and possible inclusion in upcoming DSM-V is Dissociative Trance Disorder (2000). The defining diagnostic criterion for this disorder is the presence of a single or episodic altered state of consciousness in which the identity of the person is replaced by another altered identity usually attributed to the spirit or deity (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). However, such diagnosis is valid only if this experience leads to distress or dysfunction. Therefore, it could be said that within the framework of religion, not all possessions are pathological and require some kind of treatment. Furthermore, the possessions experienced during the specific ritual ceremonies may even have a valid individual and social function (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). However, in some countries such as Italy possession disorders where another identity is identified as a demon appear to be quite widespread. In one survey done in the 1990s 46% of respondents said that th ey believe in devil (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Furthermore, there was a higher incidence of various paranormal and magical phenomena among this group of respondents. The fact that the majority of the majority of respondents who reported these beliefs and the incidents of encounter with paranormal were women might possibly be explained by the fact that women are considered to be more religious than men (Spilka, 2003). In addition women are also more likely to have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is often associated with the demon possession (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). However, some researchers indicate that the belief in paranormal, magical and spiritual phenomena is not pathological unless it interferes with the functioning of individual on both interpersonal and intrapersonal levels (Ward Beaubrun, 1980). Furthermore, possession may even be seen as the culturally appropriate coping mechanism because it offers the way to escape the stressful reality and reduction of guilt by transferri ng it to the evil entity that possessed the individual (Ward Beaubrun, 1980). Exorcism in Christianity Within the Christian tradition, exorcism often belongs to the broader category of ministry called deliverance (Milner, 2000). It includes dealing with such paranormal phenomena as poltergeists, ghosts, and devil. Therefore, the term deliverance derived from the line of the Lords Prayer deliver us from evil is the preferred official term for exorcism in Christianity (Milner, 2000). However, deliverance may apply to both people and places or things, while the term exorcism still traditionally is used only in connection to people. The existence of such practice is defended by the Bible, which describes Jesus healing abilities, one of them being to cast out demons (Koploy, 2010). Thus, the main task of the person performing exorcism is defined as to confront the demon that possessed a person, and restore the victim of possession to life making the person again whole with self, community, church, and God (Milner, 2000). This description allows seeing that the ritual of exorcism is meant t o bring not only religious, but also psychological and social benefits. However, due to its nature the ritual of exorcism can be easily abused, if not carefully controlled. Therefore, churches had to develop the guidelines for diagnosing the need for this kind of interventions in the cases involving the paranormal as well as for the way to carry them out (Milner, 2000). The control is executed by normalizing and medicalizing the primary cause of the exorcism which is demon possession, as well as bureaucratizing and rationalizing the procedures of exorcism. Furthermore, the revival of exorcism in the secularized and scientific society is risky because it raises many issues about the proper balance between the etiological explanations that emphasize the role of the paranormal and spiritual activity or the role of the material and physical factors. These tensions may lead to the reduced cooperation between the medical professionals and spiritual healers (Milner, 2000). Thus, exorcism may become one of those battle fields, where the ideas of medicine, psycho logy or science in general clash with the ideas of religion eliminating each other from their own worldview. However, according to the famous psychologist David G. Myers, this should not necessarily be the case and both religion and psychology may complement each other by addressing different sides of the same issue (1991). Some members of the church involved in the healing ministry try to take an approach that helps to ease the tensions. They still believe in possibility that the devil can be present inside the person, but they also accept other psychological and physical explanations of the condition (Milner, 2000). The healers try to normalize the process of exorcism making it anything but bizarre to the society and develop a healing model that would correspond to the treatment of the whole person which is emphasized in the modern medicine. The actual process of exorcism includes the involvement of doctors, therapists as well as the healers at every level. Thus, such regulations make an exorcism the last option of healing if neither medical nor psychiatric or psychotherapeutic approaches work (Milner, 2000). The healers are trying to make exorcism a highly regulated and infrequent procedure used together with medical diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Furthermore, they emphasize the idea that the task of the person doing exorcism is not only to cast out demon, but to help the person recover in religious, physical, psychological, and social spheres (Milner, 2000). Therefore, the medical, psychiatric or psychological help remains essential even after the exorcism is performed. As one of the authors stated, The results are important, not theories (p.262). Furthermore, the healers tend to distinguish between the possession syndrome, when people due to other medical, psychiatric or psychological factors falsely believe to be possessed, and the actual possession, when the devil is involved (Milner, 2000). Thus, now it is not uncommon to meet an expert in spiritual healing who also has education and professional training in psychotherapy or counseling (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). Exorcism in psychology In the field of psychology of religion, exorcism received some attention in the light of research done on other topics such as cults, Satanism, and even conversion (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). It is known that some experiences such as religion can create and sustain a community because they provide a common purpose for existence, help to define the identity of the group as well as legitimize the community and its goals (Singleton, 2001). Thus, religious experiences are very important elements of the religion, faith, and culture (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). The supernatural experiences of evil and the encounters with the devil are quite obvious examples of such religious experiences. For instance 80% of the Australian Protestants believe that evil spirits are active in this world and 65% of them have no doubt about it (Singleton, 2001). Even though the actual percentage of such people varies according to the doctrines of specific Christian denomination, it still could be said that the b eliefs in the devil are very widespread. Furthermore, Christians believe that both physical and spiritual parts of the body can be subject to the attack of the devil, thus allowing for the physical as well as spiritual healing (Singleton, 2001). However, despite the prevalence of these beliefs in the society, the literature on psychotherapy generally describes exorcism as being not therapeutic for psychiatric patients and even harmful (Bull, 2001). The fact that exorcism is a part of the religious healing practice leads to the view that it is not scientific or psychological and thus could be dismissed as not feasible treatment. In the literature concerning the Dissociative Identity Disorder points out that those performing exorcism are prone to confuse the other protective or self-destructive identity of the person with the presence of the demon (Bull, 2001). Only small percentage of authors actually considers the possibility of implementing exorcism as a treatment option for the disorder. However, the extremely negative and deteriorative outcomes for the exorcised patients found in several separate studies even lead to the idea that exorcism should never be used in therapy (Bull, 2001). The main two objections for its use a re formulated as the lack of psychological or medical understanding of the disorders by the members of the church performing the exorcism as well as the lack of cooperation of the patient during this process (Bull, 2001). However, the therapists with the Christian background, such Friesen and Mungadze, who acknowledge both the presence of the demon as well as the disorder, see exorcism being a helpful treatment in addition to the psychotherapy for some of the patients having a particular religious background (Bull, 2001). They allow the possibility that the psychological disturbance may coexist with the spiritual disturbance, which could be a defining justification for the application of both psychological and spiritual treatments. Even in the same studies that found the negative outcome to be associated with exorcism some positive outcomes were also reported (Bull, 2001). The differentiating factors in these situations were whether the exorcism was couples with psychotherapy and whether the patient felt coerces to participate in exorcism. For instance, even Allison, one of the pioneers in treatment of dissociative identity disorder had mentioned that he has too much experience of the demon possession , exorcism, and positive outcomes to completely dismiss this possibility (Bull, 2001). Furthermore, medicine and science alone are not capable of fully explaining human abilities. Therefore, it is proposed that both the neurobiology of the individual as well as the context of culture significantly contribute to the development of complex human abilities and the ability to relate to God among them (Fayard, Pereau, Ciovica, 2009). This implies that spiritual or religious experience does not exist apart from our physical reality and daily life in the immaterial spiritual reality. Thus, both religion and science can work hand in hand in order to increase the wellbeing of the individual. Bull proposes the phenomenological model of application of exorcism to the treatment of certain disorders such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (2001). According to him, current treatment of this disorder includes the usage of the perception of the patient without taking into account and questioning the reality or truthfulness of what the patient reports. Therefore, the same approach might be used while applying the exorcism as a treatment. This allows to avoid the clash between the religion and psychology by dismissing the delicate question about the actual existence of demons that is so puzzling for some secular therapists and to work within the belief system of the patient in order to use the beliefs otherwise considered irrational and delusional for the benefit of the patient (Bull, 2001). In addition, this also allows keeping the personal biases of the therapist at minimum. Thus, the religion practices and beliefs being the part of the culture and cultural identity of the perso n, the incorporation of such beliefs in the therapy might be seen as a simple culture-sensitive therapeutic approach. Furthermore, taking into account the idea that the patient is coming from the religious background that acknowledges the belief in the existence of demons and views the problem as caused by the foreign evil entity possessing the mind or the body, gives the therapist one more psychological tool for helping the patient (Bull, 2001). Such beliefs and worldview propose the idea that if the patient believes that something was put into the mind or the body, then it can be expelled. This technique showed to improve the overall social functioning of the individuals diagnosed with the Dissociative Identity Disorder (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Thus, the therapist may help the patient to apply their own spiritual resources while fighting the psychological or psychiatric diseases or at least coping with it (Bull, 2001). However, some research also indicates that religious coping strategies may be helpful for patients who identify themselves religious leading back to the issue of working within the belief system of the patients (Wildman McNamara, 2008). The same approach is suggested not only in the cases of psychotherapy but also in family therapy or counseling (Bull, 2001). In addition to the beliefs, the actual term exorcism might also be concern while adopting this approach. Due to the negative depiction of this ritual in the popular media such as in the famous film The Exorcist, this term may evoke a negative reaction. Therefore, for the sake of the comfort of the patient it can be substituted with more appropriate terms like the one preferred by the church which is deliverance or spiritual warfare (Bull, 2001). Furthermore, the therapists are even advised to use the same work describing the perceived foreign evil entity inside the patient that the patient uses (Bull, 2001). The therapist should not only identify the evil spirit that possesses the patient, but also ask the patient to tell if he or she believe in the any higher force that is more powerful than the one inside them in order to use this reference in the further treatment trying to expel the foreign evil entity (Bull, 2001). Assessing this approach from the perspective of the Christian healers, it should be said that it does not contradict the scripture. The Bible shows many episodes of exorcism. However, there are no strict guidelines regarding the symptoms, places or the ways to perform it. Furthermore, the patients from the Judeo-Christian background that perceive themselves being possessed also believe in the power of God who can help to expel the demons (Bull, 2001). However, the personal and professional skills of the person performing exorcism are no less important than the skills of the psychologist because they both provide the guidance during the exorcism necessary to achieve the regenerative outcome (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Conclusion The presence of extensive literature on exorcism and demon possession in the fields of theology, anthropology and sociology where spirit possession is considered to be a classic topic, and the lack of it in the fields of psychology of religion or psychiatry shows that these phenomena are not very well researched (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). Even though such incidents are not very common, they are also not as rare as society perceives them to be. For instance, about 10% of the patients in India who are diagnosed with dissociative disorder not otherwise specified actually have a possession disorder (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Thus, studying the psychological significance of exorcism within the Christianity or any other religion and the ways it can be applied for the benefit of the patients in combination with other medical or psychological treatment may bring some substantial results. However, as Wildman and McNamara state, while doing an empirical study in the field of religion the resea rchers should be very careful considering the social implications of their research (2008). Even the unbiased study on religion still occurs in the specific social and cultural context. Thus, the results of the ideologically neutral study might escalate and have a profound effect on the social policies, laws, and both religious and non-religious self-understanding of individuals (Wildman McNamara, 2008). Handling such controversial topic as exorcism and its application in medical, psychological or psychiatric treatment which brings together the issues of religion, medicine, psychology and psychiatry requires even more carefulness because it possesses both the benefits and the problems of each field.