Sunday, January 26, 2020
Funding on Flat Per Diem Rate
Funding on Flat Per Diem Rate 1. According to the case scenario this report will discuss funding on flat Per diem rate in comparison with funding on DRG basis and there positive and negative aspects. Flat per diem rate funding is defined as a prospective payment method in which a provider is reimbursed at a definite rate depending on the number of days a covered patient is hospitalised. To decide the cost by Per Diem method, number of days a patient is hospitalised are multiplied by per diem rate. In case previous data is not available then the providers and third party payers consider factors including volume of services provided, length of stay and how severe was the patient illness. The advantages of per diem are due to the fact that as payment is made on daily basis the hospital benefits by increasing the length of stay and also enhance the number of inpatient admission. (2) Due to the hospital incentive involved more attention is given to patients and when after treatment of primary diagnosis is complete they shift to secondary diagnosis treatment. The disadvantages of per diem are that as payments are made daily this method is not cost effective for the patients. (2) There is an increase in number of admissions and also the length of stay of patients. The Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) system is a classification in which patients are grouped on basis of comparable diagnosis, treatment, utilisation of resources, cost and length of stay.(WHO 2007) The merits are due to reason as DRG providers are recompensed on a fixed rate there is a cogent motivation for cost containment. (2) It is beneficial as the Length of stay and hospitalisation is reduced. (3) Earlier they were used for inpatients but now they are also used for ambulatory patients.(CISS 2005) The demerits of DRG are the patients which require services for long term but are discharged early. (2) Though this system is speedy but in some cases the patient recovery is not up to the mark as a result there is an increase in number of readmissions.(Casto, Layman Association 2006) 2. This report provides instances of DRG split and identifies the most recent version of AR-DRG used in Australia. The instances where DRG had been split according to age and complexity involve cases of viral illness, bronchitis and asthma for the former and cases of diabetes, injuries for the later. T63A Viral illness Age>59 or W CC T63B Viral illness Age E69A Bronchitis and Asthma Age>49 W CC E69B Bronchitis and Asthma (Age49 W/O CC) E69C Bronchitis and Asthma Age K60A Diabetes W Catastrophic or severe CC K60B Diabetes W/O Catastrophic or severe C X60A Injuries Age>64 W CC X60B Injuries Age>64 W/O CC (Ministry of Health 2009/10) Splitting of AR-DRG in recent version of Victoria was in AR-DRG D06Z Mastoid, sinus and complex middle ear procedures which was split into Vic-DRG D06A Mastoid procedures Vic-DRG D06B other sinus and complex middle ear procedure.(Department of Health 2014) Most recent version of DRG being used in Australia is version 6.x for grouping the patients and establishing cost. The coding for diagnosis and the procedures utilised ICD-10-AM Eighth edition. AR-DRG version 6.x is the prescribed grouping for admitted patients of acute care for ABF (Activity Based Funding) in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Release of version 7.0 was due in July 2013 but will be enforced for ABF till July 2014. AR DRG v6.0x reinstituted ten DRGââ¬â¢s from AR-DRG v5.0.The DRGââ¬â¢s which were added were malignancies of breast, mental health and maternity. MDC 09 There was a split for malignant and non malignant diseases MDC 14 Supplementary Patient Clinical Complexity Level split (PCCL) MDC 19 A split for PCCL and age, split for mental health legal status MDC 20 PCCL split for alcohol intoxication and withdrawl. Patient Clinical Complexity Level- Is an evaluation of accumulative effect of patient comorbidities, complications and for each episode they are calculated. Complication and Comorbidity level- It is the seriousness of diagnosis and values vary for medical and surgical episodes.(IHPA 2014a) 3. This report highlights the issues associated with coding practises involving rate of occurrence, causes, ramifications and solutions. The problems associated with coding practises are known as DRG upcoding and are coding errors which occur when a patient event shifts to a DRG which has a higher restitution. In case of public hospitals it may be due to misconception between the doctor and the coder whereas in a private hospital it may be intentional. The causes of DRG upcoding are due to Careless attitude when a coder is more concerned regarding productivity and standards are not given preference as a coder goes through huge medical records without paying much attention. (2) Sometimes after using codes repeatedly a memorised code without checking is entered and this is the reason for an error. (3) Inappropriate documentation may lead to error. (4) Encoder pathways are used by clinical encoders in the process of coding to determine DRG allocation and code. When an erroneous coding pathway occurs it results in allotment of an incorrect code. (5) False selection of primary diagnosis due to scarce knowledge of coding terminology and principles. (6) Missed secondary diagnosis Due to DRG upcoding errors which occur because of misinterpretation between the doctor and the coder massive losses are caused to government.(Luo Gallagher 2010) During an investigation of Leukaemia and Lymphoma AR-DRGââ¬â¢s at a Sydney teaching hospital 242 episodes disclosed a level of miscoding which was considered mainly due to undercoding of comorbidities and complexities created an error rate of 15% in the DRG.(Reid, Allen McIntosh 2005) The solutions involve Inspection of original medical records. (2) Previous data should be compared to observe percent of elevated cost of DRG. (3) The most dependable method is code audit in which a knowledgeable health manager codes the original chart once again thereby comparing the codes which were deposited by the hospital with new codes. (4) It is a resource intensive procedure therefore it is conducted after a long time and very less patients are scrutinized.(Luo Gallagher 2010) 4. This report will discuss the issues regarding use of average as a measure of central tendency and approaches in reference to AR-DRG regarding long stay of patients. The value of mean in a dataset can be defined as sum of values of each observation which is divided by the number of observations.(Statistics 2013) Mean value as the characteristic value can be deceptive as it may mostly rely on extreme values For instance if there were five patients in a ward with fractured leg 40+20+21+23+25/5 = 26 When all the observations are weighed equally the forty year old patient will cause an increase in the measure of central tendency and is not representative of the data which is available. When data is available with less number of variables with uncommonly small or large numbers then in such cases median is used as a measure of central tendency. During calculation of median the values in a group of numbers are classified from highest to lowest. Median is mostly used for demographic data with outliers or extreme values. When there are odd number of observations then the middle number is taken as median whereas in case even number of observation where an average of middle two values gives median.(Henderson 2009) In case of a long stay outlier a basic amount of mean inlier cost is assigned to each event. For every outlier day a per diem is calculated by two ways 1. In AR-DRGââ¬â¢s in which the duration of stay was methodical and wide to allow regression analysis the length of stay regression coefficient was per diem and it did not included the same day episodes. 2.For the remaining AR-DRGââ¬â¢s cost were divided into variable and fixed and a mean variable cost related to per day of patient was the basis for per diem cost.(IHPA 2014b) 5. This report will discuss about the about the comparison of peer hospitals. It also highlights the hospital areas and type of patients where benchmarks were not followed and the average Australia wide DRG. For genuine comparison of hospitals within Australia the jurisdiction explores and executes approaches for the same. The jurisdiction accomplishes approaches which can assist the range and quality of data. A fair comparison among hospitals are carried out by peer groups independent of socio economic status of patients, size of hospital and the facilities provided. Hospitals are compared on the basis of efficiency, the healthcare staff including the number of doctors and number of beds in hospital. Case Mix Index (CMI) and category of hospital whether it is generalised or specialised are also considered. There were certain cases where the areas of hospital could not maintain standards and led to a hospital acquired infection in patients which are also known as Nosocomial infections. The most common infections were caused due to bacteria because of a lack of proper hygiene methods. In Australia approximately 200,000 cases (Cruickshanck and Ferguson 2008) of hospital acquired infections were reported and it became the commonest complexity affecting patients in hospitals.(welfare 2012-13) The ABF models are not able to reimburse hospital for the treatment of patient with major trauma in terms of cost. In case of trauma patients establishment of a DRG can be complicated due to the multiple injuries patient has suffered. Studies were conducted in many trauma centres worldwide. After research it was found that incidents of trauma had a cost of $178.7 million in 2008-09 in the state. The true cost for the trauma centre was $134 per day. Among the causes road trauma and violence were the major reasons. The increased cost was associated with injured body parts, length of stay, brain injury and whether the patient was admitted to intensive care unit.(Association 2014) References Association, A.H.a.H. 2014, Activity based funding models can disadvantage trauma centres. Casto, A.B., Layman, E. Association, A.H.I.M. 2006, Principles of healthcare reimbursement, American Health Information Management Association Chicago. CISS 2005, The Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) to adjust payment mechanism for health system provider. Department of Health, V., Australia 2014, Casemix funding history. Henderson, J. 2009, Health Economics and Policy. IHPA, I.H.P.A. 2014a, Admitted acute care. IHPA, I.H.P.A. 2014b, DRG Inlier/Outlier model. Luo, W. Gallagher, M. 2010, Unsupervised DRG upcoding detection in healthcare databases, Data Mining Workshops (ICDMW), 2010 IEEE International Conference on, IEEE, pp. 600-5. Ministry of Health, N. 2009/10, Costs of Care Standards. Reid, B., Allen, C. McIntosh, J. 2005, Investigation of leukaemia and lymphoma AR-DRGs at a Sydney teaching hospital, Health Information Management Journal, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 54-9. Statistics, A.B.O. 2013, Measure Of Central Tendency. welfare, A.I.o.h.a. 2012-13, Australian Hospital Statistics 2012-13. WHO 2007, Technical briefs for policy makers, vol. Number 2.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Brain & nervous system
Brain is the part of the nervous system that is enclosed in the skull. All vertebrates have well-developed brains; most invertebrates do not have true brains. Instead, they have groups of nerve cells called nerve nets, nerve cords, or ganglia. The human brain is an extension of the spinal cord, and with it makes up the central nervous system. It contains billions of neurons, or nerve cells, each with more than 10, 000 synapses, or connections to other neurons. No two brain cells are alike. The brain cannot regenerate new brain cells but it can bypass dead or damaged cells to form new synapses between existing cells.The brain receives information from all parts of the body and sends out instructions to the bodyââ¬â¢s various organs and systems. The information and instructions travel through the brain in the form of nerve impulses, electrical signals that elicit chemical changes. The impulses travel along the neurons and move from one neuron to the next across the synapses by means of chemicals called neurotransmitters. It is through nerve impulses that the brain controls such activities as voluntary and involuntary movement (Zoeller, 2003).The brain is connected with the sense organs, muscles of the head, and internal organs of the body by 12 pairs of cranial nerves. Some of the cranial nerves, called motor nerves, carry impulses from the brain to various parts of the body. Others, called sensory nerves, carry impulses from the body back to the brain. Most pairs of cranial nerves contain one motor and one sensory nerve; a few pairs contain sensory nerves only. The brain consists of two types of tissue: (1) nerve cells, or gray matter; and (2) sheathed nerve fibers, or white matter. The sheath is composed of myelin, a fatty protein that protects and insulates the fibers.A large number of blood vessels carry nourishment to the brain. The brain extracts certain substances from the blood and metabolizes them (that is, produces chemical changes in them) to produc e energy. Glucose, its main source of energy, is metabolized by a chemical reaction with oxygen carried in the blood. The human brain is more complex and has more functions than the brain of any other animal. It is the seat of consciousness and the coordinator of the nervous system. Thought, memory, imagination, and other mental processes are functions of the brain.Specific areas in the brain are responsible for language and emotions. The brain is the seat of sensations. All voluntary and some reflex muscular movements are initiated and regulated by the brain (Colzie, 2006). In addition, various parts of the brain control such automatic functions as heartbeat, temperature regulation, digestion, and breathing. The brain of the average human male weighs about 3 pounds (1. 4 kg); the human female, 2. 7 pounds (1. 2 kg). At birth, a babyââ¬â¢s brain weighs only 11 to 13 ounces (310 to 370 g), but it grows rapidly during the first years of life.By the age of seven, a childââ¬â¢s br ain has reached nearly its full weight and volume, after which its growth is slow. The brain of a human male is fully grown by the 20th year, that of a female somewhat earlier. After the age of 20, the brain loses about one gram (0. 04 ounce) of weight per year (Spear, 1995). This study discusses the brain development and how it functions. II. Discussion Brain tissue is very soft and easily injured. It is well protected, however, by the skull and by three membranes of connective tissue, collectively called the meninges, between the skull and brain.The outermost membrane is thick and tough, and fits closely to the inner surface of the skull. This membrane is called the dura mater, which is Latin for ââ¬Å"hard mother. â⬠The innermost membrane is the pia mater, Latin for ââ¬Å"tender mother. â⬠This thin membrane contains a network of blood vessels. These blood vessels supply nourishment to the brain, and carry blood from its interior back to the heart. The pia mater conf orms exactly to the outer surface of the brain itself (Cynader, 1994). Between the dura mater and the pia mater is the arachnoid, or ââ¬Å"spider-like,â⬠membrane.It is a soft, delicate, transparent tissue. The subarachnoid space, between the arachnoid membrane and the dura mater, is filled with cerebrospinal fluid, a clear, colorless liquid composed of protein, glucose, urea, and salts. It moistens the tissues of the brain and protects them from injury. The brain is also protected by the blood-brain barrier, a network of tightly meshed capillaries (tiny blood vessels) that selectively filter out harmful chemicals and waste products while permitting other substances, such as nutrients, to pass directly into the brain (Zoeller, 2003).This barrier prevents harmful compounds in the blood from being absorbed by brain tissue. A. Parts of the Brain The brain itself consists of three main parts: a large forward part called the forebrain; a narrow middle portion called the midbrain; a nd a rear part, called the hindbrain. It contains four cavities (hollow spaces called ventricles). The Forebrain, which is made up mainly a mass of neurons called the cerebrum, occupies most of the skull cavity and accounts for 90 percent of the weight of the entire brain. The surface of the cerebrum is a layer of gray matter called the cerebral cortex.It has many folds, or convolutions, which greatly increase its area. The longitudinal fissure, a deep cleft running from front to back, partially divides the cerebrum into right and left hemispheres. A central band of nerve fibers called the corpus collosum connects the two hemispheres. It contains bundles of nerve fibers called nerve tracts that carry information between the two hemispheres. The corticospinal tract carries impulses from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord. Its fibers cross each other at the region where medulla oblongata (an area in the hindbrain) meets the spinal cord (Sousa, 2006).Thus, the left interprets the s ensations of the right side of the body and vice versa. Each hemisphere performs unique tasks. The left hemisphere is responsible for logical thought, writing, and mathematical skills. The centers of language are also located here. Brocaââ¬â¢s area, situated in the frontal lobe (the forward section of the hemisphere), is responsible for the production of language. Wernickeââ¬â¢s area, situated in the temporal lobe, a section above the ears, is responsible for the comprehension of language. The two areas are connected by a bundle of fibers called the arcuata fasciculus.Damage to these fibers will cause speech impairment. The right hemisphere is responsible for intuition, musical and artistic ability, and analysis of visual patterns. Although each hemisphere is responsible for different functions, one can take over for the other in the event of localized brain damage (Puckett, 1999). The cerebral cortex contains two specialized areas: the somatic sensory cortex and the motor cor tex. They are separated by the central fissure, a deep cleft perpendicular to the longitudinal fissure and extending across the roof of the brain.The somatic sensory cortex receives sensory signals from the skin, bones, joints, and muscles. The motor cortex controls the voluntary movement of muscles. Almost every part of the human body has a specific region controlling it in both the somatic sensory cortex and the motor cortex. Body parts that perform intricate movements, such as lips, hands, and legs, are controlled by large parts of the cortex. Body parts that perform gross movements, such as the shoulders and trunk, are controlled by smaller areas. Adjacent regions in the brain control adjacent body parts (Spear, 1995).The cortex of each cerebral hemisphere is divided into four sections, called lobes: 1. The Frontal Lobe, the forward, upper part of the cerebrum, includes the areas concerned with intelligence, judgment, emotional reaction, and the movement of skeletal muscles. 2. The Parietal Lobe, in the upper, back area of the cerebrum, receives and interprets the sensations of pressure, temperature, and position. 3. The Temporal Lobe, above ears, is concerned with hearing, memory, and understanding of speech. 4. The Occipital Lobe, in the back part of the cerebrum, is concerned with vision and the interpretation of objects that are seen.Each hemisphere contains a mass of nuclei called the thalamus (plural: thalami). It consists of gray matter that integrates a wide range of sensations from the visual and motor cortexes. It also plays a role in emotions. Above each thalamus are two basal ganglia, clusters of neurons that help regulate body movements (Cynader, 1994). Beneath the thalami is the hypothalamus, a mass of nerve cells and fibers that controls the reaction of the body of stress and to strong emotion. It also regulates the bodyââ¬â¢s water balance, temperature, appetite, sleepiness, and heart rate.Below and in front of the hypothalamus is the pi tuitary gland, which is partially controlled by the hypothalamus (Colzie, 2006). The pineal gland, or epiphysis, is a coneshaped organ located beneath the corpus callosum. It is connected by nerves to the eyes and is extremely sensitive to light. In response to darkness, it secretes melatonin, a hormone that is believed to induce sleep (Sousa, 2006). The olfactory bulbs, which govern the sense of smell, are located on the undersurface of the hemispheres. Nerves run from the nose through these bulbs to the cerebrum (Sousa, 2006).The Midbrain contains tracts (bundles) of nerve fibers that connect with other parts of the brain and with the spinal cord. The midbrain also has centers for auditory and visual reflexes, such as the contracting of the pupils (Sousa, 2006). The Hindbrain consists of three parts: (1) the cerebellum, behind and beneath the cerebrum; (2) the pons, beneath the midbrain and opposite the cerebellum; and (3) the medulla oblongata, attached at its base to the spinal cord (Sousa, 2006). The cerebellum, like the cerebrum, has a convoluted surface. The chief function of the cerebellum is to coordinate and regulate movements of the skeletal muscles.(The movements, however, are initiated and controlled by the cerebrum). When the cerebellum is damaged, ordinary movements directed by the cerebrum cannot be carried out. Limb movements become slow and jerky, and speech may become slurred. The pons is a smooth-surfaced bulge between the midbrain and the medulla oblongata. It contains tracts that connect the two sides of the cerebellum, and tracts that connect other parts of the brain with each other and with the spinal cord. Many of the cranial nerves pass through here. The pons controls the motor and sensory nerves to the eyes, jaw, face, and muscles.Together with the cerebellum, it regulates posture and balance (Puckett, 1999). The medulla oblongata is smooth, without convolutions. It contains three important nerve centers: one affects the rate of hear tbeat; one controls breathing; and one produces the constriction of blood vessels to control the volume of blood supply to the tissues. It is also the site where the nerves from the left hemisphere cross over to control the right side of the body and vice versa. Reflex centers of vomiting and swallowing also lie in the medulla. The midbrain, pons, and medulla, oblongata together form a structure called the brain stem.Deep within the brains tem, extending from the medulla to the midbrain is a network of nerve cells and fibers called the reticular formation (Cynader, 1994). The reticular formation regulates the amount and speed of electrical activity in the cerebral cortex. Many sensory nerves feed into it. It is believed to be the seat of consciousness. Ventricles. There are four ventricles within the brain. These cavities are connected to each other and to the hollow core of the spinal cord. The largest cavities are the two lateral ventricles, located in each hemisphere of the cereb rum.Beneath the lateral ventricles is the third ventricle and under it is the fourth. Cerebrospinal fluid is formed and stored in the ventricles (Cynader, 1994). Within the lateral ventricles is the limbic system, a group of structures that controls emotions and behavior, stores memories, and is involved in learning. It contains two masses if gray matter: the amygdale and the hippocampus. B. Chemistry of the Brain Since the early 1970ââ¬â¢s, researchers have discovered that the brain contains more than 50 neurotransmitters, chemical substances that facilitate the transmission of nerve impulses between neurons.They interact with specific receptor sites in the brain to elicit chemical changes. Some circulate throughout the body (Spear, 1995). All neurotransmitters have chemical precursors. These are substances, composed of glucose and amino acids, which are produced elsewhere in the body and are carried in the bloodstream. The precursors are able to cross the blood-brain barrier in to the brain, where they are eventually converted into neurotransmitters (Spear, 1995). The quantities of neurotransmitters in the brain are affected by the consumption of certain foods and also by strenuous exercise.Endorphins make up a family of neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers. They moderate the amount of pain an individual feels. They are composed of chains of amino acids called peptides. Narcotic analgesic drugs, such as heroin or morphine, effectively reduce pain by occupying the same receptor sites and producing the same interactions as endorphins. These drugs are often prescribed for severe pain or when there is a delay or malfunction in the release of the natural painkillers (Zoeller, 2003). Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that functions in storing memories, regulating moods, and controlling body movements.Consumption of such foods as eggs, soybeans, and liver increases its production. All of these contain lecithin, which is converted into choline in th e liver. Choline is a chemical precursor that is converted into acetylcholine in the brain. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter found only in the hypothalamus and midbrain, relieves depression, reduces sensitivity to pain, and induces sleep. Its chemical precursor is tryptophan, which is found in the protein in meat, fowl, and fish. Norepinephrine is another neurotransmitter that helps relieved depression (Zoeller, 2003).Its precursor is tyrosine, which is also found in protein. Strenuous exercise increases the production of endorphins and norepinephrine. It is this increased production that causes ââ¬Å"runnerââ¬â¢s highââ¬âan increased tolerance to pain and a state of euphoria experienced by many long-distance runners. III. Conclusion In conclusion, as I study this subject I have discovered one thing and that isââ¬â brain is like your computerââ¬â¢s body. It receives information from the internal organs such as the heart, intestines and from the sense organsââ¬âthe ey es, the ears, the tongue, the skin and the nose.It makes me think that the brain is the control center of the body. It receives all messages from different parts of the body, interpret them, and tell the parts what to do. Moreover, as what I have understood from the research I conducted, it gives me an idea that the brain is not completely developed even in full-term newborn infants. A great deal of brain development takes place in the first few months of postnatal life; and, in fact, brain growth continues at least until adolescence, and perhaps in adulthood. Some nerve fibers in the brain develop myelin sheaths.Many of these nerve fibers have not become myelinated by the time of birth. The process of myelination continues for years, especially in the reticular formation and parts of the forebrain. Reference: 1. Colzie, Lakesha (2006). The First Three Years and Beyond: Brain Development and Social Policy. Childhood Education, Vol. 82. 2. Cynader, Max S. (1994). Mechanisms of Brain Development and Their Role in Health and Well-Being . Daedalus, Vol. 123. 3. Meltzoff, Andrew N. (2002). The Imitative Mind: Development, Evolution, and Brain Bases. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, England. 4.Puckett, Margaret (1999). Examining the Emergence of Brain Development Research. Childhood Education, Vol. 76. 5. Sousa, David A. (2006). How the Arts Develop the Young Brain: Neuroscience Research Is Revealing the Impressive Impact of Arts Instruction on Students' Cognitive, Social and Emotional Development. School Administrator, Vol. 63. 6. Spear, Norman E. (1995). Neurobehavioral Plasticity: Learning, Development, and Response to Brain Insults. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, NJ. 7. Zoeller, R. Thomas (2003). Thyroid Toxicology and Brain Development: Should We Think Differently? Envir
Friday, January 10, 2020
To Kill a Mockingbird: Significance of the Title
Significance of the title: The title To kill a mockingbird is in a way a symbol of almost the entire book. From part 2 on Maycomb County and its people were all engulfed in the Tom Robinson rape trial. As Atticus and Miss Maudie said ââ¬Å"it`s a sin to kill a mockingbirdâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Mockingbirds donââ¬â¢t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They donââ¬â¢t eat up peopleââ¬â¢s gardens, donââ¬â¢t nest in corn cribs, they donââ¬â¢t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. Thatââ¬â¢s why itââ¬â¢s a sin to kill a mockingbird. â⬠(p. 19) Tom Robinson can be seen as a mocking bird in the sense that he has never done anything to purposely hurt anyone, his only sin was that he tried to help people out of the kindness of his heart. Setting: The story takes place in Maycomb County Alabama in the 1930`s. Maycomb is the typical southern town, small square houses, everybody knows everybody, a feeling of hominess, only one of everything (post office , grocery store, school etc. ) Maycomb County is a bit of a special case because it is rather far from any other towns.When Maycomb was founded it was built a very long way upstream from the ocean on a small river which was unusual back in the day considering boat was the main mode of transportation then. Maycomb is a kind of boring uneventful town the most interesting thing to happen is what Miss Stephanie can manage to come up with and gossip about. The setting of Maycomb county relates to the main theme of the book in the way that Mood: In the first part of to kill a mocking bird Maycomb County is portrayed as a small, quiet southern town, nothing interesting ever happens.The town has a naive, innocent, immature and mischievous feel to it and everyone mostly keeps to themselves and you never really know much about anyone, except for a few characters. In the second part however everything and everyone changes. Once the Tom Robinson case comes to light you can say that everyone sho ws their true colors and who they really are deep down inside. The mood in the air shifts from nice and quiet to harsh, dangerous and hostile, every person in Maycomb is rattled to the bone with this case it will never be the same like it was before. Everyone loses their innocents
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Abortion Is It Murder - 1524 Words
Abortion is an extremely controversial issue and one that many people can have very strong feelings for on both sides of the debate. Those who support abortion rights argue that it is a womanââ¬â¢s choice what to do with her body. Although, the unborn baby inside a woman is still a person living, and terminating that pregnancy is the same thing as murder. No one should have the choice to commit murder. Abortion is honestly wrong because the laws prohibiting abortion help to keep people from playing God for selfish reasons. According to the ââ¬Å"Guttmacher Institute,â⬠in the United States about 1.6 million pregnancies end in abortion. Women with incomes under eleven thousand dollars are over three times more likely to abort than those withâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦If abortion was illegal it would force poor women to support and raise children they cant afford. There would be a ton of unsafe abortions. It would also force women to give up their dreams and stay home to raise babies that they wouldnââ¬â¢t have to be raising. Worst of all, it would condemn victims of rape and incest to carry and nurture the offspring of their rapist. Abortion is necessary for women to have control over their own bodies and life. One activist said, If I hadnt had that abortion my life would have been a disaster. I wouldnt have made it to medical school. I was married at that point to a very ill man and it would have been terrible to have to have my baby. People who need abortions are in some kind of turmoil and its really a life-saving thing. To ignore the rights of others is selfish. Women should have the right to control the functions of their own bodies. They should not be forced to have a baby if they dont want to. They should be able to decide what happens to them and have a safe way of doing so. Women are in control of their own bodies and lives. Abortion is however considered murder by half of all Americans. Pro-lifers believe that human life begins at the moment of conception. When the joining of the egg and sperm is complete, they are fertilized and known as the zygote. The zygote contains a set of 46 chromosomes which is required to create a baby. Scientists say that at the moment of fertilization the ovum takes onShow MoreRelatedAbortion Is Murder1062 Words à |à 4 Pages ABORTION IS MURDER ââ¬Å"There are nearly 1.2 million abortions performed in the United States each yearâ⬠(Operation Rescue, 2014). That was 1.2 million innocent lives that were ended before they even had a chance to begin. Abortion has been legal for decades now, and it is time to put a stop to all the murdering of unborn children. This senseless killing of an unborn child needs to be recognized for what it truly is, and that is legalized murder. Abortions should be made illegal in the United StatesRead MoreIs Abortion A Murder?3072 Words à |à 13 Pages Abortion is Murder Numerous times throughout the past, a woman has wept herself to sleep or woke up in the middle of the night with horrible panic attacks that she cannot seem to overcome. She lives with such guilt and wonders what life would be like today if only she had made a different choice. Life is full of choices, and unfortunately people sometimes make choices that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The saddest part is that many times we allow other people to influence the choicesRead More Abortion is Not Murder Essay1202 Words à |à 5 PagesAbortion is Not Murder Is abortion murder?à Murder is defined as illegal killing with malice aforethought. Abortion fails this definition for two reasons. First, abortion is not illegal, and second, there is no evidence to suggest that expecting mothers feel malice towards their own flesh and blood. Not all killing is murder, of course. Murder is actually a small subset of all killing, which includes accidental homicide, killing in self-defense, suicide, euthanasia, etc. When pro-lifeRead MoreAbortion is a Murder Essay721 Words à |à 3 Pageson-going subject that has been greatly debated in our society is abortion. Many people argue that because the baby in the motherââ¬â¢s womb is not alive, aborting him or her is not considered a murder. However, others say that as the babyââ¬â¢s heart and brain are the first things to develop, the baby is technically alive and killing it would be a murder. As soon as the baby has a heartbeat, it has life. Abortion has many characteristics of a murder, including the killing of one human being by another, itââ¬â¢s unethicalRead MoreAbortion Is Murder Essay1300 Words à |à 6 Pages The topic of abortion is an extremely controversial issue in todays society, there are many separate views on the morality of it . Abortion is defined as the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy (ââ¬Å"Abortionâ⬠). In other words, it is the murder of an unborn child. Throughout the past there has been several court cases related to abortion, in attempt to resolve the debate. For example, Roe v. Wade declared that unborn children are neither ââ¬Ëpersonsââ¬â¢ nor are they entitledRead MoreAbortion: Murder or Necessity766 Words à |à 4 PagesAbortion: Murder or Necessity Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo before it is viable. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced. Abortion, when induced in accordance with the local law, is among the safest procedures in medicine. However, unsafe abortions (those performed by persons without proper training or outside of a medical environment)Read MoreAbortion Is Not The Murder Of An Infant1507 Words à |à 7 Pagesdifferent perspective on abortion. The first written works of Christianity states ââ¬Å"You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.â⬠In the early Christianity, abortion was prohibited. The early church leader who had agreed on abortion stated: ââ¬Å"that if an abortion was performed to hide the consequences of fornication and adultery, then it was a sin that required penance.â⬠This lit the sp arks between Christians on whether abortion was considered a murder or not. ââ¬Å"St.AugustineRead MoreShould Abortion Be Murder?868 Words à |à 4 PagesAbortion is Murder Have you ever lost a loved one or someone that meant a lot to you? If so, how did that make you feel? Iââ¬â¢m sure you felt heartbroken or lost and you didnââ¬â¢t know what you were going to do. Imagine how you would feel if you were trying to bring a loved one into this world but you couldnââ¬â¢t. It wasnââ¬â¢t because you didnââ¬â¢t want to, itââ¬â¢s was because you were physically not able to. There are many women who want to have kids and make their family grow but because of their health issues theyRead MoreAbortion Is An Act Of Murder? Essay1271 Words à |à 6 Pagesmotherââ¬â¢s womb when the mothers decide to have an abortion. There is much controversy regarding abortion as a whole. Abortion is a procedure that terminates any pregnancy (Dictionary.com). When discussing abortion, some would say the beginning of life started once an infant took his or her first breath during delivery and others would say life began the second they were formed in its motherà ¢â¬â¢s womb. Based on either viewpoint, is abortion considered an act of murder? A pro-abortionist considers life to beginRead More Abortion is Murder Essay506 Words à |à 3 Pagesside of this argument says that abortion should be kept legal for cases in which the babyââ¬â¢s birth endangers the life of the mother. This is an argument that is basically trying to create sympathy among uneducated voters to try to woo them to the pro-choice side of the argument and to elect pro-choice politicians. This is a dirty trick because they are fighting a battle that has already been won, because even in pre-legalized times in states that prohibited abortion such as Texas there were exceptions
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Argument Birth Control Reduces Teen Pregnancy, It Is Not
Argument: Birth Control reduces teen pregnancy, it is not the same as a termination of a pregnancy, and it is something that needs to be covered by insurance because of these reasons. Quote maybe: Legislative proposals that would enable an employer to determine whether or not a woman s insurance would cover the cost of birth control strikes women as particularly bizarre. Is the boss going to take care of the children that are conceived accidentally? Stop treating us like children. Women are grown ups. - Madeleine M. Kunin Intro: All throughout out his campaign, Donald Trump has boosted about finial getting rid of Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama Care. 1. Obama Careââ¬â¢s main goal is to allow everyone to have health insurance.â⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦2. For women to get sterilized, it would cost upward to 6,000 dollars to have the procedure. 3. Unlike what is intended, it does not always work. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/sterilization-women Reason 3: Birth control also goes along beyond preventing pregnancy. 1. Unlike what many may know, but birth control has many health benefits such as, regulation of menstrual periods, decreased menstrual cramps, treatment for acne, treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome, lowered risk of anemia, and a lowered risk for some cancers 2. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 14% of women using contraceptives use them for non-contraceptive purposes. 3. Rachel K. Jones, author of ââ¬Å"Beyond Birth Control: The Overlooked B enefits of Oral Contraceptive Pills,â⬠in her study ââ¬Å"found that more than half (58%) of all pill users rely on the methodâ⬠¦for purposes other than pregnancy preventionââ¬âmeaning that only 42% use the pillâ⬠¦for contraceptive reasonsâ⬠(Wind) http://youngwomenshealth.org/parents/birth-control-pills-parent/ https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2011/many-american-women-use-birth-control-pills-noncontraceptive-reasons Opponents view: Thepillkills.org is a website that states that they expose the truth behind contraception. 1. They state that contraception as a prevention ofShow MoreRelatedFree And Accessible Birth Control1722 Words à |à 7 PagesAccessible Birth Control in the United States A total of 730,322 abortions were reported from the Centers for Disease Control in 2011. This could easily be resolved with proper usage of birth control. But the fact of the matter is that only 62% of women are actually using proper birth control, now this may seem like a lot of women, but there is 158.6 million women in the United States alone so 58.5 million are currently not on any birth control which is a huge amount of women. Birth control needsRead MoreTeenagers and Birth Control1208 Words à |à 5 PagesTeenagers should have access to birth control devices. The most compelling argument against this thesis is the idea that they are not emotionally mature enough to be having sex at all, in that it is a meaningful commitment that should be only taken up by adults who have the ability to consent fully and understand the consequences of their behavior. Additionally, sexual behavior contains a lot of risks of many different natures. There is the emotional risk of engaging in such intimate activityRead MoreTeen Pregnancy And Teenage Pregnancy1456 Words à |à 6 Pagesteenagers (Kristof). Clearly, teen pregnancy is a concern among many people in the U.S. One way to help the teen pregnancy statistics would be birth control. Teenagers should have more access to birth control, particularly LARCs (long-acting reversible contraceptives), and be more informed about it. There are many reasons why this should be. For starters, it would help the child and the mother. It could also help the U.S. not be so high on the list of number of teen pregnancies in the world. Over timeRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy Essays1358 Words à |à 6 Pagespoints out in her article Teen Pregnancy in America Today that everyone - both liberals and conservatives should be able to agree that it is in everyoneââ¬â¢s best interest when teenagers wait before making the decision to have sex, which could result in unplanned pregnancies. She points out that it is everyoneââ¬â¢s responsibi lity to make an effort to support programs, which will educate and give teenagers positive, productive ways to fill their time, which is a stronger argument than blaming the issue onRead MoreEssay on Emergency Contraception871 Words à |à 4 Pagesstill igniting many debates just as it did when it was first introduced to the United States. Emergency contraception continues to be a highly emotional and controversial issue, both for advocates who believe EC will lower the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions, and for opponents who believe that using EC amounts to an abortion. The controversy fueling this debate centers around one of the ways that emergency contraception works. Emergency contraception can prevent or delay ovulation, affectRead MoreKirsten Spears. Mrs. Hohl/4. English 112. Classical Argument.1404 Words à |à 6 PagesKirsten Spears Mrs. Hohl/4 English 112 Classical Argument 9 March 2017 Sex Education: Is Abstinence Really the Only Option? Sex education for American youth has been a topic of discussion across the nation since the early 1980s. Teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease are two major problems throughout the U.S.. Sexually transmitted infections have been an ongoing problem for American people since World War I. To combat the growing teen pregnancy and STI rates, the U.S. established organizedRead MoreTeen Pregnancy And Teenage Pregnancy Rates940 Words à |à 4 Pagesteenage pregnancy rate compared to other races of girls. Black and Latina girls are more than twice as likely as white or indian girls to become pregnant before they leave adolescence.While dramatic declines among Hispanic and black teens (51 percent and 44 percent, respectively) have helped reduce gaps, birth rates remain twice as high for these teens nationally compared with white teens .It varies all across the U.S. and even county by county, the team at the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionRead MorePersuasive Essay On Ab ortion1575 Words à |à 7 Pages ââ¬Å"In her own case, Ms. Brenneman said she was a 21-year-old junior at Harvard when her birth control failed and she had an abortion. ââ¬ËIt allowed me to choose when to become a mother,ââ¬â¢ she said. ââ¬ËAs a mother now, I know I was correct at 21â⬠¦ I didnââ¬â¢t have a college degreeâ⬠¦ I didnââ¬â¢t have an income. I didnââ¬â¢t have a marriage. I didnââ¬â¢t have anything a child needs. And I didnââ¬â¢t want itâ⬠(Liptak, 2016). Brenneman, among the 24% of women who will undergo an abortion during their lifetime by the age of 45Read MoreShould Tennagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control Without Parent Consent?1727 Words à |à 7 PagesShould Teenagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control without the Permission of Parents? KaTrina Bacon English 215 February 2, 2012 Dr.Sharonda Johnson Should Teenagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control without the Permission of Parents? Of all the many controversies that have affected the United States in the past decades, birth control has been one of the more important topics. Some popular birth control methods are the female and male condoms, and the birth control pill. Even though both of theseRead MoreThe Morning After Pill Essay1105 Words à |à 5 Pagesabortion pill, is a solution to the high teen pregnancy rate in the USA. There were 521,826 teen mothers in the United States in 1990 (Adolescent pregnancy 2). The United States also has the highest rate of pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth among teenagers than any other country (McKeown 1). Also, the Untied States spends an unbelievable 7 billion dollars a year on teen pregnancy costs (National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy 1). Not only does teen pregnancy cause problems for the babies of these
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
A Leader Of Ministry Is No Easy Task - 863 Words
Being a leader in ministry is no easy task. We must be aware of Godââ¬â¢s action and be able to point it out to others, guiding them in the faith. We are pastors everywhere we go and in everything we do. We are ââ¬Å"Coworkers with Christ,â⬠taking part in His reign on our lives. God is identified as the creator and the one we look to in ministry. Before the beginning of time, he was here. He created us and He knew our names even before the earth was started. The one who put His plan of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation into place. He created the heavens and the earth, all creatures, and us. God knew Adam and Eve, the first people He made, would give in to temptation. Eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, made creation fall into sin and darkness. He knew that through sending His son Jesus Christ, all of creation would be saved through Him. Then He would proceed to make His new creation. This is Godââ¬â¢s ministry. Everything he does in the world and in us is all for His glory. God executed His unfailing plan of saving the world and its brokenness through Christ. Jesus was sent down to earth as a human to die on the cross by God to carry out His plan of redemption.You are saved through Jesus dying on the cross. Christ is the agent of Godââ¬â¢s ministry. We donââ¬â¢t have to choose God because God already chose us. The only thing that involves you in ministry is the recognition of what God has done and is doing. We are all a part of Godââ¬â¢s story. Trinityââ¬â¢s missionShow MoreRelatedAn Effective Educational Environment Within The Church Essay1594 Words à |à 7 PagesEducation ever wishes to instill an effective educational environment within the church, he must not depend on his own understanding or abilities, he must model everything he does after Jesus. The Gospels are overflowing with accounts of the teaching ministry of Jesus. Furthermore, the most frequently used tittle for Jesus in the New Testament,being used forty-five times, was ââ¬Å"teacherâ⬠, and the tittle ââ¬Å"Rabbiâ⬠, meaning teacher, was used fourteen times. The writers of the New Testament held Jesus ChristRead MoreWhat I Learned From This Experience At The Lenox Road Baptist Church Essay1642 Words à |à 7 Pagestheir spiritual needs. Put simply it means to do what the Savior would do if he were here.â⬠It is truly an honor and a privilege to be able to serve in ministry. Being called to serv e is not something I take for granted because life is too short and what you do in the time God has given to us is important. I would like to reflect on the ministry assignments I have been given over the past few months and talk about the goals that were completed. I will also look at how the site supervisor assistedRead MorePastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically1547 Words à |à 7 PagesBOOK CRITIQUE John MacArthur - Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically Submitted to Dr. David W. Hirschman, in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the completion of the course, LEAD 635 Pastoral Ministry By Paris Marshall-Cole October 4, 2013 SUMMARY John MacArthur and a team of authors from the staff of the Masters College and Seminary combine their pastoral expertise and resources to publish the book, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. This bookRead MoreBiographical Sketch Of Authors By Jonathan Mckee And David Smith Essay1253 Words à |à 6 Pageswrote this book Jonathan Mckee and David Smith. Mckee is the president of ââ¬Å"The Source for Youth Ministryâ⬠and is the author of many books on youth ministry. Mckee also speaks and leads seminars for training other youth ministers. Smith is a veteran youth minister of 15 years, writer of multiple resources on youth ministry, and specializes in equipping other youth ministers to be effective in ministry. Smith maintains a website that offers free resources for youth ministers. Purpose for Writing Read MoreHow Can We Minister More Effectively By Young Latino Catholics And Help Them Increase Their Participation774 Words à |à 4 Pagesimpact of culture truly is on Hispanic teenagers, and how this influences not only their social lives, but also their spiritual and ecclesial lives. How does a Hispanic teenager navigate effectively between two different cultures? This is not an easy task. A rare few that possess enormous resiliency and appreciation for both cultures are able to develop cultural competency in both cultural worlds and become bicultural. However, some adapt to their new culture and, over time, reject their cultureRead MoreThe Biblical Decision Making Model1052 Words à |à 5 Pagesenvironment at current my military and future ministry positions. Currently, I have 16 years of military service. I spent time as enlisted and now as warrant officer and I have been able to appreciate that leading personnel is not an easy task, but leading from the front I gain trust f rom my subordinates and successfully completed the mission. I ensure what I task my troops; I am also able to execute. I like to feel how they feel while they are executing the task, thus, I will not abuse their trust andRead MoreWhat I Chose For This Church Planting Project893 Words à |à 4 Pagescommunity events, and nursing home ministry. This couple would also carry the majority of the office work. The second couple would be assigned the task of reaching the youth of the designated area. With the youth being heavily targeted by gangs and involvement in crime, this task would not be an easy one. This effort would be accomplished via small groups, outreach, and youth oriented services. The third couple would be given the music and/or childrenââ¬â¢s ministry. This would be fulfilled by designingRead MoreChosen People Ministries As A Non Profit Organization1430 Words à |à 6 PagesChosen People Ministries is another non-profit organization whose purpose is to evangelize and d isciple Jewish people around the world. The organization was founded in 1894 by Leopold Cohn, a Jewish immigrant who is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his passion is to share that with other fellow Jewish people. Chosen People Ministries serves Jewish people in sixteen countries across the world. The main focus of the organization is to reach Jewish people for Christ through evangelism and discipleshipRead MoreThe Human Resources Frame And Quadrant1481 Words à |à 6 Pagesrelationships with people, their job consisted largely of handling administrative tasks. An employee better suited for this position would be some who is in the control quadrant because they, ââ¬Å"tend to be organizers and administrators (Cameron, Quinn, Degraff, Thakkor, 2006, p. 33).â⬠As a result of this competency gap, this employee was known for making a large amount of administrative tasks or would be unable to accomplish certain tasks without help. Control quadrants, on the other hand, ar e known to, ââ¬Å"helpRead MoreThe Ideologies Between Leaders And Managers956 Words à |à 4 PagesThere are difference in the ideologies between leaders and managers. Those who find themselves in the positions of leading or managing need to search for qualities of booth ideologies within themselves. Managers often view their position as directing and controlling others towards a common task. Managers tend to be rational, under control, problem solvers focusing on structure, personnel, and recourses (Diffen, 2015). In contrast leaders inspire others by sharing their vision, in turn others choose
Monday, December 9, 2019
And I Lived... free essay sample
She smiles down at me, living in the full pleasure of being alive. I dont yet understand her importance or her influence, but I love her just the same. I take her hand, and we dance across the beach, happily following the shoreline, our windbreakers fluttering against our arms. We laugh, looking for sand dollars, mimicking seagulls, and enjoying sunset at Higgins Beach. Tingling with life, we return to the cottage, our bare nerve ends raw from exposure to the wind-blown sand. Our hair is tangled, the feeling of salt air all through it. I drag the twisted green hose from the flower garden and rinse the salt water off our feet. Soon we are reaching into pockets and rediscovering the treasures found just minutes before. Half a sea urchin tumbles out, and then a particularly shiny lady slipper. Walking up the cottage steps, my grandmother must stop and inspect the clover. We will write a custom essay sample on And I Lived or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Four-leaf clovers hold a special appeal for her, thousands lay pressed in various books, forgotten, the books now returned to countless libraries. We toss our treasures in the sink and then wash them off. When dried, they are scattered about the cottage, placed on window sills, next to lamps, symbolically perched on the TV, the large shells always reserved to be used as soap dishes. The day is done, but the living of it is not. Quickly we rush to change into our pajamas. She was never one for nightgowns. I run a toothbrush over my teeth, and bound into her room, clutching a book in my hand. Jumping on her bed, I see everything has already been arranged: the pillows piled back against the wall, the glass of water on the table, the book on top of the radio. I grin in the familiarity of it all, and she asks what book I have. I tell her, and hand it to her. We sit next to each other and lean back against a dozen pillows. She reads, and I follow along, completely unaware of any other world. All too soon the book is finished, the chapter completed, the paragraph done. I go up to bed while she goes to the freezer for Hershey bars and completes some reading of her own. The new day starts off with a morning beach walk, but today is different. Were going shopping. By late morning we have set off in her little blue car. Heading for the bread store I chat endlessly about school, my Christmas hopes, and favorite books. Grammy is always interested in what I am reading. She too talks about books those she is hoping to write. We pull into Country Kitchen and buy all the day-old bread. Piling it into her car, we discuss which clothing store to traverse. Time to shop. We enter the building, no real goal in mind. No, I dont have one; she does. In her mind she goes through all the people she knows, all the people she hasnt seen for awhile, people she knows who are under the weather. And she tries to find something for them. Something to make them smile; nothing big or expensive or fancy, just a smile she can wrap up and mail them. Heading back to the cottage, we laugh over the foolish things manufacturers are producing. She is excited about the bread. Pulling into the driveway she comments on adding more flowers to the garden. Unloading everything we laugh some more and hurry inside. We throw everything in the hallway and rush toward the day-old bread. Flying out the door, we run down the beach. Stopping halfway to the shore, we stand, and begin ripping into the bread packages. Slices of bread begin to whiz through the air. Seagulls come from the far ends of the beach. Layers of circles of squawking gulls, flying slices of bread, sounds of flapping wings and laughter, the air pushed by bird wings, and there, in the center, my grandmother and me. She thinks nothing of this, except the fun that it is. That there might be questioning thoughts by neighbors, beach-walkers, fishermen doesnt occur to her. And if it does, she doesnt care. My grandmother became a woman that, beyond my love, I have grown to respect and admire. She chose to divorce her first husband in the 1930s. Unheard of. She kept her two children and soon remarried. Qualms about dating when she had children? Never. She wanted to be an author. She wrote newspaper articles at age sixteen. But the big magazines wouldnt publish works by a woman. So she changed her name to Duane. No big deal, thought Gram. She has published dozens of books in just as many languages. Awards, respect, the love and admiration of many. But in my eyes, her greatest trait was her ability to live. Her favorite words were, Lets celebrate. When lengthened, the full sentence would read, Let us celebrate being alive. Never once did she stop living, stop feeling, stop caring, stop being. She hated the dumb television shows, the raunchy books, the items that deaden a person to the world. In short, my grandmother knew what life was, and I, in all my respect and love for her, have learned life from her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)