Monday, September 30, 2019

Jewish Resistance to Nazi Occupation

Emmery Cary Mr. Harvey Social Studies Research Paper 10 November 2012 Jewish Resistance From early 1930s to middle 1940s, Jews in Germany, Poland, and other parts of Europe faced discrimination from Hitler and the Nazis. They were sent to ghettos and later concentration camps and extermination camps. In the ghettos, Jews had to live in small homes and consumed small amounts of food. In addition, disease and death were rampant. Living conditions were worse in the concentration camps. In contrast to common belief, not all Jews accepted such unreasonable and unequal treatments of the Nazis.Consequently, Jews resisted in various forms. Resistance by the Jews could be as simple as planning uprisings and escapes. They disguised themselves as Aryans (non-Jewish people). They organized secret schools and religious services, hid Jewish books, and wrote diaries about life and death. The effort to preserve their traditions was a kind of spiritual resistance. (Fidhkin 8) Resistance took forms wi thout weapons. For many, attempting to carry on a semblance of â€Å"normal† life in the face of wretched conditions was resistance.David Altshuler writes in Hitler’s War against the Jews about life in the ghettos, which sustained Jewish culture in the midst of hopelessness and despair. (Grobman) Underground newspapers were printed and distributed at great risk to those who participated. Praying was against the rules, but synagogue services occurred with regularity. The education of Jewish children was forbidden, but the ghetto communities set up schools. The observance of many Jewish rituals, including dietary laws, was severely punished by the Nazis, and many Jews took great risks to resist the Nazi edicts against these activities.Committees were organized to meet the philanthropic, religious, educational, and cultural community needs. Many of these committees defied Nazi authority. (Grobman) The Jews did not care that these actions were against the rules. They felt they needed to keep their race and religion alive and they did whatever they needed to do peacefully. Some Jews thought differently though. Many Jews thought they needed to use violence to beat the Nazis. Nazi-sponsored persecution and mass murder fueled resistance to the Germans in the Third Reich itself and throughout occupied Europe.Although Jews were the Nazis' primary victims, they too resisted Nazi oppression in a variety of ways, both collectively and as individuals. Organized armed resistance was the most forceful form of Jewish opposition to Nazi policies in German-occupied Europe. Jewish civilians offered armed resistance in over 100 ghettos in occupied Poland and the Soviet Union. Also in Eastern Europe, Jewish units fought the Germans despite minimal support and even anti-Semitic hostility from the surrounding population, thousands of Jews battled the Germans in Eastern Europe.Jews resisted when the Germans attempted to establish ghettos in a number of small towns in eas tern Poland in 1942. As the Germans liquidated the major ghettos in 1943, they met with armed Jewish resistance in Krakow (Cracow), Bialystok, Czestochowa, Bedzin, Sosnowiec, and Tarnow, as well as a major uprising in Warsaw. Between July 22 and September 12, 1942, the German authorities deported or murdered around 300,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. SS and police units deported 265,000 Jews to the Treblinka killing center and 11,580 to forced-labor camps.The Germans and their auxiliaries murdered more than 10,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during the deportation operations. The German authorities granted only 35,000 Jews permission to remain in the ghetto, while more than 20,000 Jews remained in the ghetto in hiding. For the at least 55,000-60,000 Jews remaining in the Warsaw ghetto, deportation seemed inevitable. In response to the deportations, on July 28, 1942, several Jewish underground organizations created an armed self-defense unit known as the Jewish Combat Organization (Zydo wska Organizacja Bojowa; ZOB).Rough estimates put the size of the ZOB at its formation at around 200 members. The Revisionist Party (right-wing Zionists known as the Betar) formed another resistance organization, the Jewish Military Union (Zydowski Zwiazek Wojskowy; ZZW). Although initially there was tension between the ZOB and the ZZW, both groups decided to work together to oppose German attempts to destroy the ghetto. At the time of the uprising, the ZOB had about 500 fighters in its ranks and the ZZW had about 250.While efforts to establish contact with the Polish military underground movement (Armia Krajowa, or Home Army) did not succeed during the summer of 1942, the ZOB established contact with the Home Army in October, and obtained a small number of weapons, mostly pistols and explosives, from Home Army contacts. In accordance with Reichsfuhrer-SS (SS chief) Heinrich Himmler's October 1942 order to liquidate the Warsaw ghetto and deport its able-bodied residents to forced la bor camps in Lublin District of the Generalgouvernement, German SS and police units tried to resume mass deportations of Jews from Warsaw on January 18, 1943.A group of Jewish fighters, armed with pistols, infiltrated a column of Jews being forced to the Umschlagplatz (transfer point) and, at a prearranged signal, broke ranks and fought their German escorts. Most of these Jewish fighters died in the battle, but the attack sufficiently disoriented the Germans to allow the Jews arranged in columns at the Umschlagplatz a chance to disperse. After seizing 5,000-6,500 ghetto residents to be deported, the Germans suspended further deportations on January 21.Encouraged by the apparent success of the resistance, which they believed may have halted deportations, members of the ghetto population began to construct subterranean bunkers and shelters in preparation for an uprising should the Germans attempt a final deportation of all remaining Jews in the reduced ghetto. The German forces intend ed to begin the operation to liquidate the Warsaw ghetto on April 19, 1943, the eve of Passover. When SS and police units entered the ghetto that morning, the streets were deserted. Nearly all of the residents of the ghetto had gone into hiding places or bunkers.The renewal of deportations was the signal for an armed uprising within the ghetto. ZOB commander Mordecai Anielewicz commanded the Jewish fighters in the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Armed with pistols, grenades (many of them homemade), and a few automatic weapons and rifles, the ZOB fighters stunned the Germans and their auxiliaries on the first day of fighting, forcing the German forces to retreat outside the ghetto wall. German commander SS General Jurgen Stroop reported losing 12 men, killed and wounded, during the first assault on the ghetto.On the third day of the uprising, Stroop's SS and police forces began razing the ghetto to the ground, building by building, to force the remaining Jews out of hiding. Jewish resistance fighters made sporadic raids from their bunkers, but the Germans systematically reduced the ghetto to rubble. The German forces killed Anielewicz and those with him in an attack on the ZOB command bunker on 18 Mila Street, which they captured on May 8. Though German forces broke the organized military resistance within days of the beginning of the uprising, individuals and small groups hid or fought the Germans for almost a month.The Germans had planned to liquidate the Warsaw ghetto in three days, but the ghetto fighters held out for more than a month. Even after the end of the uprising on May 16, 1943, individual Jews hiding out in the ruins of the ghetto continued to attack the patrols of the Germans and their auxiliaries. The Warsaw ghetto uprising was the largest, symbolically most important Jewish uprising, and the first urban uprising, in German-occupied Europe. The resistance in Warsaw inspired other uprisings in ghettos (e. g. , Bialystok and Minsk) and killing centers (Tr eblinka and Sobibor).The Jews didn’t break even after being tortured and killed by the Germans. The Jews fought the Nazis until their death. In every ghetto, in every deportation train, in every labor camp, even in the death camps, the will to resist was strong, and took many forms. The Jews were fighting with the few weapons that would be found, individual acts of defiance and protest, the courage of obtaining food and water under the threat of death, the superiority of refusing to allow the Germans their final wish to gloat over panic and despair.To die with dignity was a form of resistance. To resist the demoralizing, brutalizing force of evil, to refuse to be reduced to the level of animals, to live through the torment, to outlive the tormentors, these too were acts of resistance. Merely to give a witness of these events in testimony was, in the end, a contribution to victory. Simply to survive was a victory of the human spirit.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Ancient Chinese Inventions and Contributions

Ancient Chinese Inventions and Contributions Humanities 111 Professor Abstract The following paper will show the contributions from ancient Chinese culture is amazing. There are many inventions and contributions that trace back to ancient Chinese culture. The top ten inventions and contributions continue to keep giving in today’s society. Ancient Chinese has contributed to helping jobs to exist, fight wars, and contribute to the overall public lives with their inventions and contributions.We as people living life and going about our business never really take the time to think about where and who has invented the joys we experience on a daily basis. One example is our very own boy scouts, go on a big jamboree every year. They normally go camping and hiking. A compass is used during this time frame. If you were to ask the average boy scout, who invented the compass? Many could not tell who or when was the compass invented. Ancient Chinese four most useful contributions or inven tions created were gun powder, the compass, paper making, and printing.These four inventions are very unique in their own way. I will explain why these four are the most useful inventions created by ancient Chinese. One of the few destructive inventions of ancient Chinese civilization was that of gunpowder. The discovery of gunpowder led to the invention of firearms and revolutionized battlefields in the Asian Continent. Chinese alchemists, whom were searching for an elixir of life, accidentally discovered the explosive property of gunpowder sometime around 9th century AD. By the end of the 10th century, Asian powers had introduced grenades, crude bombs and firearms onto battlefields.Use of cannons and bigger fire arms also became prevalent. (Yinke Deng, 2005) The compass was one of the most important technological developments in ancient China due to the fact that it promoted and aided exploration that was initiated by Chinese rulers. The development of the compass made China the f irst imperial power in the world. The Chinese empire was indeed termed as an imperial power until the end of monarchy in China and the royal place was also known as the Imperial Palace. The exact era or dynasty during which the Chinese invented the technology of paper manufacturing is uncertain.It is certain that the technology led to many more advancements as it facilitated scholars, philosophers and writers of Chinese civilization. Paper that was invented in ancient China was not only used as a medium of writing, but creative Chinese innovators also used it as a raw material for manufacturing bags as well as paper currency. Paper making can be traced down to the Han dynasty, which ruled from 202 BC to 220 AD, when court official Cai Lun set out to the task of making paper. He deployed mulberry, bast fibers, and waste material such as old rags and hemp waste. Yinke Deng, 2005) Lun also made use of fishing nets to bind the materials together. Some archaeological findings however, su ggest that paper in ancient China may have been invented during the 8th century BC. The invention of printing is regarded as one of the most important inventions, due to the fact that it made books cheaper. Cheaper books ensured an educated society. Many dynasties of courtiers and scholars from ancient China contributed to the development of the printing press. Printing technology started evolving sometime around 868 BC, with the printing of the first printed book titled The Diamond Sutra.The book was printed with the help of the wood block printing. It had become a very advanced technology by the end of the Song dynasty. Writer Shen Kuo, who was also a courtier of Songs, promoted the use of printing for the spread of knowledge. Bi Sheng, who was an artisan, invented the movable ceramic printing. Inventors like Hua Sui also attempted to invent the metal castings and rollers for movable printing. There are eight to ten useful inventions and contributions from the ancient Chinese that are still in use today.The ten ancient Chinese useful inventions or contributions are paper currency, row crops, deep drilling for gas, fireworks, gun powder, the flame thrower, the parachute, the wheel barrow, rudder, and the compass. Chinese inventions have contributed to mankind in many ways. Many of their discoveries start out in one form and can branch out to three or more end products. The four inventions or contributions from the ancient Chinese that have had the most impact on many countries and even changed the course of history to a certain extent were paper currency, gun powder, the parachute, and deep drilling for gas.I believe them to be the most ingenious and innovative of inventions. Paper currency changed the ways of handling money. The times of having to carry gold coins and precious metals to purchase goods and services were over. Before paper currency lugging gold and precious metals around was risky and hard to conceal. Paper currency is lightweight, discrete, a nd still exists in society today. As well as currency, the ways that gun powder has changed society are many. Gun powder has contributed to the gun, fireworks, and explosives of many types.The usage is wide ranged and without the use gun powder wars would have been a lot harder to win and a lot more primitive in style. It is hard to imagine the civil war without the use of musket guns and cannons. The invention of the parachute have also helped in many ways. Parachutes have saved many pilots’ lives. When an air plane fails in the sky or during a war when a plane is shot down, pilots can parachute to safety. Parachutes have facilitated the United States troops with fighting wars on enemy territories. Deep drilling for gas has helped many countries to better utilize their own resources.Deep drilling for gas has helped the United States in the fight to go green and help the environment. The deep drilling for gas technique has given many Americans jobs in the past and present, an d it is responsible for a considerable amount of America’s income. The ancient Chinese have invented and contributed to the discovery of many things used in society today. The one invention I cannot live without is paper currency. Money is what makes the world go round. I use money every day for many different reasons. On a daily basis, I use money (paper currency) to purchase gas, lunch, and beverages.On a weekly basis I use paper currency to rent DVDs, go to the movies, take my wife out to dinner, and get my haircut. It has changed and facilitate the world drastically. Paper currency is in circulation from many different countries and all vary in value and designs. References Yinke Deng. (October 2005). Ancient Chinese Inventions. China. China Intercontinental press Suzanne Morgan Williams. (January 1997). Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China. Berkley, California. Pacific Press. (2008). Invention of Paper. Retrieved from http://www. culture-4-travel. com/i nvention-of-paper. html.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Media Reaction Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media Reaction Project - Essay Example The report objective is to investigate whether race played any role or influenced administration of capital penalties to defendants. Racial bias is not constitutionally right and should be eradicated at all cost possible. The paper main focus is correlated to the racial profiling and prosecution as taught earlier in the semesters. The paper focuses on the judgement that was mainly influenced by the race of the defendant in the case of Furman Vs the state of Georgia. In this dissertation, we mainly base on the case of Furman and try to figure out the unfair justice that was administered to him by the Jury. Furman indeed committed a crime as he had entered in a private home without permission most probably to steal. Unluckily for him, one of the family members of that house while stealing found him in the act. He wanted to run away but on his attempt, his gun tripped and fell down. The weapon was stuck it went off shooting the family member. The state treated the case as homicide instead of manslaughter base on the circumstatences that he murder occurred. Furman was guilty even before the case started and he was sentenced to the death by the famous Georgia death penalty for homicide. Furman was mentally ill and a black American. He had five votes for him and four votes against him. Instead, the court decided to apply other statutes an act that was unconstitutional. The court never considered the fact that Furman was not sane this reveals the poin t of racial discrimination in the case. He was not given chance for a fair trial for the logical thing was for the judge to instruct that a medical examination be carried out on him and determine the state of his mind to stand trial. I decided to use the case of Furman as it has solid evidences that show that the prosecution judged against him was unfair. Analyse the jury decision in totality, how the voting was done and their concluding

Friday, September 27, 2019

Merit system raises vs. Performance raises Essay

Merit system raises vs. Performance raises - Essay Example Key steps are the main reason to have resulted in the expansion and estimated increase of the annual monetary value contrary to the reduction of annual monetary in the field (Bernanke, 2006). Firstly, the expansion of services of the Agency to South Carolina, secondly, the acquisition of Family Resources, Inc. of Beaufort, SC, which also resulted in staff increase. Finally, it is the strategies that are followed to sensor the environment for needs and adapt to provide solutions following even a restructure in organization hierarchy or proper use of information (Choo, 2001). Growing Home Southeast complied with the former by monitoring client needs to increase productivity and acquiring new skills. Growing Home Southeast is recommended to adopt the merit raise program to further increase productivity. The merit pay program is based on salary increase according to employee productivity and effectiveness (Silva, 1998). As one increases so does the other. Salary increments are not removed if productivity reduces employees therefore, are constantly motivated to achieve high performance. Bearing in mind such a payment program, it is implied that the selling product is appealing to the customer; not even the best marketing approaches can guarantee effective purchases of an indifferent product. Merit pay system is a performance-based system falling under this wider category.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Global support for trade , mixed with some doubts Article

Global support for trade , mixed with some doubts - Article Example Firstly these countries started trading a long time ago and the negatives of trade have started to show prominently along with its positive. Its human nature that we give importance to the negatives more than the positives even if the positive points are more in number. Secondly terrorism has developed a negative mind frame in every person, which is very obvious due to the terrorist activities that have happened recently hence people of the developed countries have started to think that any contact with the outside undeveloped countries might bring in terrorists and terrorism in their own country. The second aspect of the article is that capitalism has been the preferred mode of running the system of the country. Majority around the World agreed to the fact that capitalism is a more authentic mode. In the same way people also emphasized that environmental protection should be given priority even if that slows down the process of development of a country, I agree with this statement as education around the world is changing the way we think and saving environment should be our first priority. Another important problem that has arisen due to Globalization is of migration. People tend to migrate to developed countries for a better living standard. Another reason for people migrating are the wars going on around the globe. The migration problem has lead to the implementation of harsher immigration rules by some countries. The overall population around the World is against immigration. The article also covers the area of culture, which is how many people in different countries think that their culture is superior to other cultures. From my point of view every person has the right to decide whether his or her culture is superior to that of others. In this sense the Americans were most culture oriented and the majority thought that their culture is superior to other cultures unlike residents of other countries. This is due to the high development and standard of the U.S. residents. The article also checked out the relation between wealth and religious beliefs. This was an obvious result, as people don't normally associate closeness to religion by their wealth. It is not necessary that a rich person would be religious and it comes from rational thinking. Coming to homosexuality, most of the people said it can be tolerated but can't be accepted. This was an expected result as people don't usually interfere in the matters of others in the Western Countries and all types of freedom are given to people. This is another factor why people of Western Countries think that their culture is superior to other cultures because it minimizes boundaries. Countries that are developed and do not face any major problems or threats to their economy favored immigration and were happy to have people coming from all over the world to work in their country. This is because under developed countries find it hard to cope with the immigrants and the government itself looks to avoid immigrants hence it tightens up the immigration rules. Talking about democracy and dictatorship, it is obvious and proved many times that democracy is the best policy but in certain situations when the stability of the country is at stake people thought that dictatorship was the best policy. People mostly rejected this idea of democracy being the Western way of doing things by the fact that it does work everywhere, which has been proven time and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Graduate Labour Market in UK Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Graduate Labour Market in UK - Research Paper Example Therefore, the studying abroad presents the graduates with a lot of employability options which is not available to the other group, thus this shows that studying abroad for at least one semester proves to be a better choice than spending the whole university career in the domestic country. However, on the other hand, there may arise some disadvantage too, that is, when exposed to another culture, the graduate may imbibe some qualities from that culture and when those aspects might not always be understood by the native employer. Despite this shortcoming, it is still seen that employers seek graduates with an international perspective, and prefer those who have studied abroad. Introduction: England, right from the early stages of human civilization, has been blessed with a lot of facilities that other parts of the world have not been. The country, with all its power, has spread its civilization and language across the globe, albeit through colonizing several parts of the world. Howev er, a fact remains that even in modern times English education qualifies a person with the prospect of employment in every part of the world. On the other hand, with the advent of technology relating to various fields, the concept of qualification for getting employed has changed drastically. Where earlier employment has remained focused more on primary and secondary sectors, the past few years have witnessed a transition where most significance is accorded to tertiary or the service sector. This means that notions about employability have changed in the modern day and so have the concepts about the skill sets required for attaining employability. After the phenomenon of globalization has blurred geographical boundaries and the integration of cultures occurred, the concept of employability took a new turn. In addition, the multifaceted developments in the fields of â€Å"economic, political, technological and social spheres† have modified the â€Å"composition of labor suppl y and the types of labor required by contemporary firms† (Chapter 4 n.d. 90). On the other hand, recent years have seen â€Å"rapid expansion of higher ‘tertiary-level’ education† globally (CentrePiece 2007: 7). Therefore, this in itself points to the relation between development and employability, that is, the more technologically advanced the world becomes, the more it calls for the highly skilled workforce to use this technology. With the advancement of technology, quality education has become available to all nations across the world and even third world countries became capable of accessing education at relatively cheaper rates. Thus, in an environment, where access to education has become viable for everyone, the monopoly in quality education became irrelevant. More importantly, so far the service industry is concerned, several norms changed to make it compatible with consumers hailing from a variety of backgrounds. In a situation, where tourists and businessmen from a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds visit England, the employees in an English firm needed to modulate their services to accommodate their expectations.  Ã‚  

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Business - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the company should maintain its hiring policy in relation to child labor regardless of the environment the business is operating in. In every entity, the extent to which a business can make profits is limited by the ethical framework in which the business is operating in. Ethical concerns override the selfish ambitions of the company to make profits. When a company accepts to employ children in foreign countries against its policies portrays a bad image for the company. It shows the company is only focused on making profits without considering other issues that are of greater concern. Companies with high ethical standards have always excelled because ethics is non-current asset to the business. For instance, Ford Motors was named the most ethical company of the year in 2010 (Ramsey, 2011). An analysis of financial performance of Ford Motors shows that it is excellent. From a pretax profit of $6.6 billion in 2010 to a pretax profit of $8.8 billion in 2011, it shows the company’s financial performance is growing steadily (Ramsey, 2011). This is interesting comparing how the company was struggling during the previous three years from 2010. The good financial performance is attributed to good public image. If a company compromises and chooses to endorse child employment, it will only help to taint its long-term image. Therefore, any company with long-term goals to prosper should not gamble with this issue. In addition, there are so many complexities that are leading many MNCs into child labor. One of the main reasons over time has been the level of competition. Stiff competition is driving many corporations to adopt unprofessional means of dealing with competition. One of these means is the direct cutting of operational costs of these companies. Corporations looking for lower operational costs are opting for child labor as a means of cutting down on costs (Pimpa, 2011). This is a bad approach by companies. Whenever companies adopt direct

Monday, September 23, 2019

What made me choose to become a mental health couselor Essay

What made me choose to become a mental health couselor - Essay Example such a wide variety of factors which can negatively impact the emotional stability of today’s global citizens, there must be effective and thoughtful counselors available through which to discuss social and self-related issues and assist people in need to ensure they receive help and/or a rational voice to offer suggestions on how best to make life more satisfying. It is quite common to witness that many people have a very difficult time adjusting to the many complications and expectations which are placed upon them, both by peers or colleagues as well as social acquaintances. There are many social protocols which demand that people act differently than who they really are when in public situations, therefore they never seem to get the opportunity to really reflect who the person is on the inside. When dealing with basic lifestyle complications, coupled with social rules and in-crowd regulations associated with what is considered acceptable behavior, it is not unrealistic that a person will begin to lose the necessary internal balance to lead a healthy, emotionally-sound adult life. These basic stresses, it would seem, also strongly impact the male psyche leading to a considerable amount of domestic abuse and violence against women. When men are being forced to simply comply with inferior business leadership (such as a poor manager or inferior colleague), these frustrations can build up over time. Add to the professional stress a home life which is riddled with bill payment issues or other frustrations caused from an inability to stretch one’s imagination and creativity, it is likely they will lash out at the nearest thing which sometimes involves asserting this aggression against women because they are weaker. In many respects, violence stemming from men is likely this group attempting to assert their dominance over the weaker since they do not have the opportunity to accomplish this at work or socially otherwise. To lash out in the employment environment

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Fundamental Elements of Kimpton Hotels' Strategy Essay

Fundamental Elements of Kimpton Hotels' Strategy - Essay Example Kimpton has many unique programs like the Global business program, Kimpton In Touch, Kimpton Cares, Women In Touch, Earth care program, LGBT, Shop Kimpton Style etc. The Company also takes pride in its commitment to social responsibility and leads the hospitality industry in ecological practices through its innovative Earth Care programs. In order to woo ladies, Kimpton had launched the Women In Touch program. Its features include offering comfortable and safe environments, in-room fitness and wellness options and other essentials catered to suit women. The Company is expanding rapidly and among the companies, newest properties are the Hotel Palomar in Washington D.C., which opened in July 2006, and the Hotel Palomar Dallas, which opened in August 2006. Additional projects are underway in Southern California, Texas, Florida and Virginia.   Currently, Kimpton develops, owns and manages more lifestyle hotels than any other company in the United States. Kimpton's unique combination of style, four-star service and fine dining experience along with its constant focus on top line sales and bottom line results; have established the company as the first choice for many businessmen.   The fundamental elements of Kimpton Hotels strategy are care, comfort, style, flavor, and fun. They try to ensure that these five elements are present in all the group hotels that they own. â€Å"Kimpton's signature elements are care, comfort, style, flavor, and fun. These elements come through in everything we do.† 1   As part of these five pillars, all Kimpton Hotels are thoughtfully appointed and managed to help guests maintain and enrich their lifestyles on the road. Each is individually designed to reflect the energy, personality, and pulse of its distinct location, history, and architectural style.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Why God Became Man Essay Example for Free

Why God Became Man Essay Strauss’ background of having been a teacher for several years, a great Pastor from 1939-1963, and a well-known author of the at least 19 biblical books; by far gives such a strong foundation, of his thorough knowledge of Gods purposes for and on the earth as a Man! In the article WHY GOD BECAME MAN Strauss in the onset attempts to reveal the incarnation of the person of God, not only being Son, He also was God, who became a fleshly being. Strategically, Strauss compiled his article by beginning to define and defend the incarnation to set up a foundation to examine God’s reasons for coming to us in human form. Through John 1 we see God’s reality being transformed into a man. The Word for the Old Testament people wasn’t just enough now we have the word walking among us, which now is within us. The incarnation through Strauss article is proven to show his readers the importance of why God Himself had to experience are temptations and order to really know what we as humans feel. The fall of man, in Genesis 3 can only depict but so much but it gives great detail and solidifies the quality of Gods sovereignty but His un-acceptance to sin. Therefore; the second Adam comes in the person of Jesus which is also God in demonstration on how to live but not being unaware of the human feelings. Satan is defeated forever salvation is now available according to Hebrews 2:9,14-15. Finally the process of restoration to humanity through the work of incarnation is being set into motion; and Jesus throne is now what we strive for because we have been given the invitation to sit at the right hand of the father God along with Jesus ephesians 1:20. The incarnation is and was created to have direct access to the Father, through the Father Jesus who is God; though, this can only be seen through salvation and the Holy Spirit of truth again found as read in John 14. However; throughout the article Strauss displays this on and off orthodoxy riddled with odd rhetoric and contradicting statements. He attempts to stay on topic while addressing everything from evolution to anti-Semitism. It’s hard to follow his train of thought because he is repetitively backtracking to make his premises fit his conclusions. In one breath he says that salvation is possible by merely looking at creation and in the next breath he is saying that Jesus Christ came that we can know God more. I believe God’s greatest desire is that all men would know Him, not just with lip service but with a heart of servitude, love, and commitment to His will. I believe He reveals this through Paul in Philippians 3:10 when he exclaims that oh he might know God in His resurrection and become one with God in His suffering and to be shaped in His death. Paul’s cry was a sacrificial one because He was able to grab ahold to the person of God, and all God had provided for Him on the Earth and in Heaven. So now we understand that through the incarnation God has given us through His divine power everything we need for life and godliness; therefore we have no excuse not to look to the example He set before us.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Caste System as a Form of Social Stratification

Caste System as a Form of Social Stratification The caste system is one of the oldest forms of social stratification and even though it may be prohibited by the law, the political divisions continue to exist in the minds of the people leaving many oppressed. Before the caste system, India had four groups or divisions already established: the Negrito, Mongoloid, Austroloid and Dravidian. It was during the Aryan invasion around 1500 BCE when the caste system was created. The word  caste  derives from  the Portuguese  word casta  , meaning breed, race, or kind. In this system, the citizens are divided into categories or castes. Varna, the Sanskrit word for color, refers to large divisions that include various castes; the other terms include castes and subdivisions of castes sometimes called subcastes. Among the Indian terms that are sometimes translated as caste are jati, jat,  biradri, and  samaj. There are thousands of castes and subcastes in India. It follows a basic precept: All me n are created unequal. Each category or jat has a special role to play in the society as well as a unique function: this structure is a means of creating and organizing an effective society. The caste system in India is primarily associated with Hinduism but also exists among other Indian religious groups. Castes are ranked and named. Membership is achieved by birth. Castes are also endogamous groups. Marriages and relationships between members of different castes, while not actually prohibited, face strong social disapproval and the threat of ostracism or even violence. To illustrate, in a notorious case in August 2001, a Brahmin boy and a lower-caste girl were publicly hanged by members of their families in Uttar Pradesh, India for refusing to end their inter-caste relationship.  [1]   The first of the four basic Vedic books, which are considered the source of Indian wisdom, is the Rig Veda- a collection of over 1,000 hymns containing the basic mythology of the Aryan gods. The Rig Veda contains one of the most famous sections in ancient Indian literature in which the first man created, Purusa, is sacrificed in order to give rise to the four varnas. The varna of Brahmans emerged from the mouth. They are the priests and teachers, and look after the intellectual and spiritual needs of the community. They preside over knowledge and education. The varna of Kshatriyas emerged from the arms. Their responsibility is to rule and to protect members of the community. They are associated with rulers and warriors including property owners. The varna of Vaishyas emerged from the thighs. They are the merchants and traders and those who look after commerce and agriculture. The varna of Sudras emerged from the feet. They are the laborers. Castes or subcastes besides the four mentioned include such groups as the  Bhumihar  or landowners and the  Kayastha  or scribes. Some castes arose from very specific occupations, such as the  Garudi   snake charmers or the  Sonjhari, who collected gold from river beds. Each caste is believed by devout Hindus to have its own dharma, or divinely ordained code of proper conduct. Brahmans are usually expected to be nonviolent and spiritual, according to their traditional roles as vegetarian teetotaler priests. Kshatriyas are supposed to be strong, as fighters and rulers should be, with a taste for aggression, eating meat, and drinking alcohol. Vaishyas are stereotyped as adept businessmen, in accord with their traditional activities in commerce. Shudras are often described by others as tolerably pleasant. The existence of rigid ranking is supernaturally validated through the idea of rebirth according to a persons karma, the sum of an individuals deeds in this life and in past lives. After death, a persons life is judged by divine forces, and rebirth is assigned in a high or a low place, depending upon what is deserved. This supernatural sanction can never be neglected, because it brings a person to his or her position in the caste hierarchy, relevant to every transaction involving food or drink, speaking, or touching. The Rig Veda mentions how the four varnas were created but it does not mention the concept of untouchability. The idea of an Untouchable caste à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is not in the Vedas or the law books, which list only four  varnas.  [2]  It is a part of the system that has been created by society itself. Untouchables are the fifth group. They are considered unworthy that they fall outside of the caste system. In 1950, the term Untouchable was eradicated under Indias constitution, and untouchables are now formally referred to as the Scheduled Castes. Gandhi referred to untouchables as Harijan, which means people of God. Politically active untouchables feel that this term Harijan might evoke pity rather than respect, and prefer the term Dalits, which means, oppressed. Dalits are descendants of the ancient Dravidians of India who lost their language and were subjugated due to the linguistic and socio-cultural oppression by the perpetrators of the caste system. While Dalits in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil, their brethren in other parts of India speak different Dravidian or tribal dialects or languages that arose due to mixtures of Tamil, Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic, such as Hindustani (Hindi). As an Indian is born into the caste system, they are supposed to stay with that caste until death. What a person in each of these varnas can and cant do, is prescribed in detail in the laws of Manu, written by Brahman priests at least 2,000 years ago. The laws of Manu are inscribed in Indian culture. Umashankar Tripathy, a Brahman priest, says, Manu is engraved in every Hindu  [3]   Untouchables or Dalits obviously live also by a certain set of rules. The occupations of people in caste systems are hereditary and dalits perform jobs that cause them to be considered impure and thus untouchable and for little or no pay at all.   They are restricted to occupations such as landless farm workers and peasants, and forced into washing clothes, beating drums, cutting hair, cleaning latrines and sewers, working as a leatherworker (they work with animal skin which makes them unclean), street cleaners, and manual scavengers. Manual scavenging refers to disposal of human waste by hand, using only the most basic tools, typically a brush, a tin plate and a wicker basket. Scavengers also dispose of dead animals. Millions of Dalits work even as slaves. They mostly have no opportunities for better employment. Dalits live in the most congested and cramped slums in villages, towns and urban areas consisting of huts or ghettos which are damp and cramped. They live in the most insanitary conditions with no access to public health and sanitation amongst open sewers and open air toilets. There are no state sponsored public housing rights or public health rights in India. Most Dalits are forced to live in isolated areas. Even after death, grave sites are segregated. The best housing is reserved for the upper castes; the government provides separate amenities for each neighborhood, which are segregated on caste lines. Dalits are usually left with the worse of the amenities or none at all. Over 85% of Indian Dalits own no land and are dependent on landlords for work or land to rent; those that do own land may find it difficult or impossible to enforce their rights; workers rarely receive the statutory minimum wage. Furthermore, in past decades, Dalits in certain areas (especially in parts of the south) had to display extreme deference to high-status people, physically keeping their distancelest their touch or even their shadow pollute otherswearing neither shoes nor any upper body covering (even for women) in the presence of the upper castes. In northern India for example, untouchables had to use drums to let others know of their arrival. Even their shadows were considered polluted. In the south, some Brahmins ordered Untouchables to keep at least 65 feet away from them. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public places. The higher-caste people do not accept food or water from the untouchable because it would transmit the pollution permanent and inherent in the person of the untouchable. Thus, untouchables are not allowed to drink from the same wells, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls. They are not allowed to touch people from the four varnas or caste groups. They are not allowed to enter houses of the higher varnas especially in which the chula (the small earthen stove) is located.  [4]  In public occasions, they were compelled to sit at a distance from the four varnas. They are also denied education, freedom of expression, and many other rights the higher classes have. Dalit children do not have access to education due to the lack of mandatory and universal primary and secondary education in India. Even in rural areas where there may be schools, Dalit children are ostracized, oppressed and stigmatized from attending school. Thus, few Dalit children progress beyond primary education and they are often made to sit at the back of the class. Nearly 90 percent of all the poor Indians and 95 percent of all the illiterate Indians are Dalits, according to the International Dalit Conference. Dalit Children are also subjected to atrocities such as sexual abuse in rural areas, physical abuse and murder just as adult Dalits are. They have a high level of malnutrition and ill health. Some are ordained into temple prostitution as a part of religious rituals for exploitation by non-Dalit men of the village or town. Dalit women do all the back breaking work society expects Dalits to do, such as manual scavenging, farm labour, stone breaking, etc., and in addition they have to bear domestic responsibilities as mothers and wives. Dalit women suffer double discrimination as Dalits and as women. They are exposed to sexual abuse at the hands of the so called caste Hindu men and also men who work or state authorities such as the police. They are frequently raped, gang-raped, beaten and tortured or forced to walk through the streets naked as punishment as an act of reprisal against male relatives who have committed some act worthy of upper-caste vengeance. Atrocities such as rape of Dalit women in police custody, bonded labour and physical abuse are common in India. The chastity of women is strongly related to caste status. Generally, the higher ranking the caste, the more sexual control its women are expected to exhibit. Brahman brides should be virginal, faithful to one husband and celibate in widowhood. By contrast, a sweeper bride may or may not be a virgin, extramarital affair may be tolerated, and, if widowed or divorced, the woman is encouraged to remarry. For the higher castes, such control of female sexuality helps ensure purity of lineageof crucial importance to maintenance of high status. Among Muslims, too, high status is strongly correlated with female chastity. Many thousands of Dalit girls are forced into marriage to temples or local deities in south India, often before puberty, sometimes in payment of a debt. They are married to temples under the guise of the religious practice Devadasis, meaning female servant of god. They are then unable to marry and become unwilling prostitutes for upper-caste men, many eventually being sold into brothels. The  Badi  Jat is regarded as a prostitution subcaste. Women and girls are routinely trafficked into brothels. Perversely, and hypocritically, untouchability does not seem to apply to prostitution and customers are mainly men from the upper castes. If, because of any reason, there was a contact between an untouchable and a member of the Varnas, the Varna member became defiled and had to immerse or wash himself with water to be purified. In strict societies, especially among the Twice Born (the three top Varnas) the touched Twice Born also had to pass through some religious ceremonies to purify himself from the pollution. If the untouchable entered a house and touched things of a Varna member, the Varna members used to wash or clean the places where the untouchable touched and stepped. A twice born Hindu is a male member of one of the three upper castes who has completed the thread ceremony. The thread ceremony is a Hindu initiation ceremony, similar to a Christian confirmation or a Jewish  Bar Mitzvah. A thread is given to the boy and it is thereafter worn over the left shoulder or around the waist. The thread has three strands, representing the three  gunas  (qualities):  satya  (truth);   rajas  (action); and  tamas(inertia). Sudras  and Dalits are excluded from the thread ceremony and cannot become twice-born. Horrific and unbearable are just a few words that come to mind when thinking of the abuse towards Dalits. More than 160 million people in India are considered achuta or untouchable. Human rights violation against these people known as Dalits is extremely prevalent although obviously illegal. Laws have been passed to prevent the abuse of the Dalits and NGO groups have been established to protect these people. However, that doesnt limit the crimes. The enforcement of laws on both local and nationwide scale designed to protect the Dalits is lax if not nonexistent in many regions in India. Often times, especially in rural areas, where the practice of untouchability is the strongest, police officers even join in the abuse of the Dalits. Nearly 50 years later, another event gave rise to a mass of conversions by the untouchables. A man from their class became educated, and then dared to try and watch a festival that the upper class men took part in. The untouchable was soon discovered and called a dirty untouchable and then killed. When the dead mans family tried to report the murder to the police, the police turned them away because they were untouchables. Eventually the police gave in and investigated the murder, later convicting a young man, but that did not satisfy the people. They were tired of being treated so poorly, and soon decided to abandon the Hindu religion and chose a new one. Other headlines about crimes victimizing the Dalits are as follows: Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers; Dalit tortured by cops for three days; Dalit witch paraded naked in Bihar; Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool; 7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash; 5 Dalits lynched in Haryana; Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked; Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits. Fear of public humiliation, beatings, and rape keep Indias Untouchables in their place. Statistics from Indias National Crime Records Bureau indicate that in 2000 25,455 crimes were committed against Dalits.  [5]  Every hour two Dalits were assaulted; every day three Dalit women raped, two Dalits murdered, and two Dalit homes torched. Majority of crimes go unregistered, because the police, village councils, and government officials often support the caste system, which is based on the teachings of Hinduism. Many crimes go unreported due to fear of reprisal, intimidation by police, inability to pay bribes, or simply because people know that the police will do nothing. There will be no punishment for the criminals; no justice for the victimized. Amnesty estimated that only about 5 percent of attacks are registered  [6]   Hundreds of thousands of Dalits have already renounced Hinduism, generally by conversion to Buddhism or Christianity, sometimes in mass ceremonies.  Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, a Dalit leader, lawyer, and politician,  famously led several hundred thousand Dalits in converting to Buddhism, saying I was born a Hindu, but I will not die one. Conversion is not a panacea, however, and converts to other religions, especially Christianity and Islam, have suffered continued discrimination. Some converts have lost reserved occupations on the grounds that they are no longer members of scheduled castes and converts are not counted as Dalits in the Indian census. Amidst the oppression and hardships, Dalits still have social life which is expressed through dance and music. Theyre dance and music are full of fiery spirit, spontaneity and humour without the inhibitions and rigid classical structure that characterizes Hindu music and arts. Dalit songs celebrates life but laments their life conditions, while frankly exposing the realities of life, in a style full of humour and sensual zest, by using simple instruments and vocals. In modern times, Dalit poetry and writing by social and political activists have taken centre-stage amongst the educated activist community. Despite the harsh treatment that the untouchables are receiving, there have been certain attempts to help them. The elimination of untouchability became one of the main planks of the platform of all social reform movements of India. Reform movements and humanitarian acts such as those started by Buddha, Ramanuja, Ramanand, Chaitanya, Kabir, Nanak, Tukaram and others were established but they hardly had any effect on the peoples treatment on the untouchables.  [7]  The Hindu state also enacted laws to punish those who rebelled against their intolerable conditions. The social oppression of the untouchables had religious sanctions. The British listed the poorest (principally Dalit) subcastes in 1935, creating detailed lists of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The 1948 Indian constitution, thanks to its architect  Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, reinforced this classification, for a system of affirmative action called reservation. The concept was that these measures would help the poorest to escape poverty and oppression. Reservation is an attempt by the Indian national government to redress past discrimination. The constitution reserves 22.5% of national government jobs, state legislature seats, seats in the lower house of the national parliament and higher education places for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Unfortunately, this policy has not been implemented in full. Less than half the national government quota had been filled in total in 1998 and less than 15% of reserved public sector jobs. An unspoken policy discriminates in favor of upper castes, particularly Brahmins. Dalit representation in university teaching posts is less than 1%. New economic forces, education and nationalist movements had different impacts on the treatment of the people on untouchables. Because of new economic forces, railways and buses were introduced, thus, bringing touchables and untouchables together. Modern industries established in India recruited their labor supply and labor market from both touchables and untouchables, who further worked at the machines in physical proximity to one another. The workers also fought together during labor strikes.  [8]  Because of education, whether liberal or technical, their economic conditions somewhat improved and different sections following different occupations began to merge, on class basis, with groups of other castes following similar occupations. The new bonds were based not on caste but on common occupation and class. This very slowly began to dissolve the mass of the untouchables into groups such as factory workers, teachers, clerks, merchants, mechanics, or manufacturers. New economic bonds between the touchables and untouchables following the same economic activity started weakening the prejudice of untouchability.  [9]  Finally, nationalist movements also contributed to the benefits received by the untouchables. For example, the Swaraj struggle demanded the democratic alliance of all castes and communities in India whose vital interests lay in the political independence of the country. The nationalist movement contributed towards the dissolution of old distinctions. The social reformers were moved by humanitarian and national considerations when they crusaded against purely social evils.  [10]   The Untouchables is a topic that touches on many sensitive issues relevant to every society; not only to the Indian society. One prevalent issue that the Untouchables have driven out is that of being an outcast. Perhaps many of us, if not all, can relate to the feeling of being unable to belong and just longing to fit in. Perhaps in high school, we tried out many roles and sought the group we most felt at home in. For the Dalits, life is high school taken to the worse extremes. From birth, they are ostracized. They are placed outside of society; and seen as less than human. They are given roles that they must play, and follow a certain set of rules for the rest of their lives, or suffer the consequences. In our society, to be treated as an outcast in this manner is simply unimaginable. It would seem as though one would go through life apart from society; apart from people. It would be as though one isnt a person at all; that one would be less than a person; less than even an animal. This sense of inequality was seen many times over history, in many different societies, and many are still relevant in todays society. Divisions were brought about by differences in gender, creed, and race, to name a few. Wars have been waged; rallies have been set into motion; and lives have been lost, with regard to all these issues. With all that has happened in our worlds history, Indias society learned nothing to deter from inequalities problems. The Dalits are maltreated and discriminated against. The maltreatment for Dalit women are even harder hit. Their people experience the never-ending cycle of poverty. The caste system was built and based on the idea that each caste or jat has a special role to play in the society but shouldnt an individual have the right to choose what role he/she will play in the society? Is the caste system the best way to achieve an organized and effective society? It is understandable that breaking away from the caste system would be difficult or something very hard to get used to. India has lived through all these years with the mentality that all men are unequal and there will always be untouchables or Dalits. It has become a part of their lives and is embedded in them. There is very little pressure for change, especially within India: it is said that the majority has an interest in perpetuating caste discrimination.  [11]  Protests by Dalits themselves are rare: for many Dalits, day-to-day survival may be a higher priority.  [12]  To quote Human Rights Watch: The solution lies in concerted international attention to assist national governments in this important and long overdue work.  [13]   If you take a look at our society, even without the caste system, you will see that this never-ending cycle of poverty is also a major problem in the Philippines, and one question still stands, that is, How can one break free from poverty? Poverty is a problem, because those experiencing it, the poor, are marginalized. They can barely afford or sometimes cannot afford basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. Yes, in India, as well as the Philippines, there have been programs, laws to aid and support these people. However, it is in the implementation of these laws that fail to solve the problem. For most Western people, the single action that has the best chance of making a difference would be to raise awareness of the problem, repeatedly bringing it to the attention of individuals, politicians, media, diplomats and above all the Indian government.  [14]  The lack of will to change and unity among people (in India, as well as the Philippines) is one important problem in breaking away from poverty and making a change. Therefore, the caste system or these political divisions continue to live in the minds of many, leaving millions of untouchables or Dalits trapped in a world of oppression and poverty. Change is something much called for in the Indian society, in our society, and in many others around our world today. We can study the oppressive Dalit cases time and time again. We can feel disgusted, depressed, and down reading about them, and we can wonder, can their lives ever change? It isnt enough to read and wonder, in order for change, action is a must. In retrospect, there isnt much radical action one can take for the Dalits when still in second year college in the Philippines. However, we believe there is much we can do in the future, for our society, as well as others. In the words of Mahatma Ghandi, be the change you want to see in the world.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Design Of A Psychological Experiment Essays -- essays research papers

Design of a Psychological Experiment Psyc 100 (0110-0129) Fall, 1996 Dr. Sternheim Report #1 (10 points) Problem: Suppose you are a psychologist who is interested in the effects of caffeine on the eye-hand coordination of students enrolled at UMCP. Design an experiment to test the hypothesis that caffeine enhances a student's ability to hit a baseball. Describe your experiment by answering the following questions: 1) What are the independent and dependent variables? The independent variable would be the caffeine. The results of the students' hitting of the baseball would be the dependent variable. 2) What are the experimental conditions and what are the tasks for the experimenter, the participants in your experiment, and any other people you might ask to help? The experimental condit...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Sleep :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Sleep Sleep is my favorite thing in life. My first waking thought is usually "when will I be able to sleep again?" But why do I love to sleep? What goes on behind my closed eyelids and what does sleep do for me? As early as 350 BC, Aristotle pondered the state of sleep: "With regard to sleep and waking, we must consider what they are: whether they are peculiar to soul or to body, or common to both." Researchers are still engaged in investigating the complexities of sleep. To answers these questions, I turned to the Internet for help. After an exhausting search, weeding through web pages designed for the average insomniac looking for a quick fix to his/her troubles, and technical research papers discussing the specifics of neurobiological functions, I found some helpful writings. What is known is that sleep is founded on patterns of bodily functions and brain activity. While we are asleep, our brains exhibit distinct and separate stages of activity. This paper will discuss the basic pattern s and stages of sleep within humans and the functions of each stage. This introduction to sleep will serve as the basis for further research later in the semester. Sleep follows distinct patterns throughout the day. Circadian rhythms are daily cycles of biological activity which mediate many of our metabolic functions. Blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and hormonal secretions ebb and flow throughout the day in a cyclic pattern, often referred to as the "biological clock". These rhythms are controlled by the superchaismatic nucleus region of the hypothalamus, which relies on both internal timing mechanisms within specific neurons as well as outside influences to set this clock. The biological clock is kept running by "zeitbergers", that is, any input to the brain such as daylight, the smell of food, or temperature change. Sleep cycles follow our circadian rhythms. It has been found that the natural hormone melatonin plays a large part in mediating sleep. As darkness falls, enzymes in the brain stimulate the release of melatonin from the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin induces sleep by influencing the superchiasmatic nucleus. The release of melatonin is halted when daylight arrives, and we experience wakefulness. Other mediators such as seratonin, prolactin and prostaglandin have also been linked to the sleep cycle, but their exact role is unclear. Upon falling asleep, the brain and body go through five stages of sleep in one sleep cycle.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Digital Divide Essay -- essays research papers fc

Some say the Internet is the savior for the world. It will bring all the people of the world together for universal peace. The great equalizer the educator the cash cow, the greatest communication infrastructure ever. The World Wide Web is the single greatest evolution of technology in my lifetime the â€Å"end all and be all† of killer applications for the Personal Computer. Well what if you have never used a computer, maybe you have never seen one in real life. Would you know how to turn it on, let alone log on to the information super highway? I bet not. America was founded on the idea of equality for all her citizens. The price of a computer is the same for all consumers but that doesn’t make it affordable for all. So what do we do when equality is not enough? Only 41.5% of us households have the Internet in their homes. (In Class Charts I) Most people turn to other locations for example school, work, community centers, libraries or web cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s for access t o the Internet and computers. By no fault of their own the Infrastructure is simply not completely in place to allow access to every citizen. Is universal access to the Internet something the government is prepared to provide or something we as independent citizens will do? With the concern concentrated on technology Infrastructure we can bridge the Digital Divide. The Digital Divide is the poverty line of the twenty-first century. It is the term use to describe the separation between the people who have access to, knowledge of, and training on, new technology from the people who have little to no access and no technical knowledge of technology. The term Digital reefers to the format used by computers called binary code. Binary code is compiled of ones and zeros (1001110001) it is a basic computer language. When technical gurus began to talk about codes and servers you might become confused but what if the term’s disk drive, modem, upload download, e-mail was just as confusing. This is a reality for a large section of the population. The distribution of our technological knowledge and access to the technology is not demographically balanced. This division is not based solely on economic factors, cultural and education factors also play major roles. This Digital Divide is a fixable problem and in fact the divide has begun to close. The Digitally Divided population have a similar demographic, usually they ... ...hink of millions of students all being trained on Acme software and Acme systems when they get a good job and purchase there own computer chances are they will stick with Acme and that is how capitalism is supposed to work. So I would say to Acme take a risk on our poor and uneducated they need to have a level playing field. Works Cited Casillas, Ofelia; Los Angles Times; August 4, 2001; An Assist by Magic Johnson. URL http://latimes.com/news/local/la-000063338aug04.story In Class Charts Digital Divide Lecture, John Decker, December 4, 2001, URL http://courses.sdsu.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_57_1&frame=top Johnson, Carrie; Washington Post; December 11, 2001; Microsoft Revises Private-Lawsuit Offer; URL http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22672-2001Dec10.html Linn, Allison; Los Angles Times; November 26, 2001; Microsoft Settlement Plan Criticized; URL http://latimes.com/technology/wire/sns-ap-microsoft1127nov26.story Newman, Morris; Los Angles Times; January 25 2001; Cyber South Central; URL http://latimes.com/technology/la-000007046jun30.story NTIA National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 2000, URL http://www.digitaldivide.gov/

Monday, September 16, 2019

Saddam Hussein

Very few political leaders of the modern world can stand up to a comparison with Nazi Germany’s Hitler. Saddam Hussein was one who certainly didn’t have to try too hard. Considering the painful beginnings he has had, Saddam Hussein had gone a long way in proving himself as a leader the world will not forget soon. Hussein had his strengths, convictions and the will to win, all of which worked in his selfish favor. However, contained in these very traits were his veiled weaknesses which ultimately led to his unceremonious ending. One may need a comprehensive overview of Saddam Hussein’s personality traits to render an understanding of what thrived underneath all his brutalities. The dark contours of Saddam’s temperament were etched before he was born on April 28, 1937, to his recently widowed mother, who was too distraught to be keen on having him. Spending his early years under the charge on his maternal uncle, Khyrallah, and later his mother and an abusive step-father, Saddam clearly did not have a conventional childhood, a fact that had a far reaching impact on his mental constitution. He grew up with a distorted self-esteem, which crippled his capacity for empathy with others and produced what has been described psychologically as ‘the wounded self’, a condition which, in Saddam’s case, let to strive for compensatory grandiosity, a steely resolve to never subject himself under a superior force (Post 2003, 2). Saddam’s was often referred to as the ‘mad man of the Middle-East’ equating him to a lunatic battling with psychotic disorders. However, according to Jerrold Post, there is no evidence that he had any such ailments. Rather, Saddam was a rational calculator who often miscalculates (Post 2003, 6). He was not an impulsive actor but rather was judicious and patient. All his inhuman actions then become all the more horrifying for they are results of delicate deliberation and planning. Saddam had a natural inclination for traumatizing his surroundings, from which he drew thrill and satisfaction. Saddam’s obsession with violence was the most terrifying side to his multi-faceted personality (Thomas 02). This obsession with violence certainly did not command accolades from his own people, many of whom have suffered untold miseries under his tyranny. Saddam’s personality traits adhere to the makings of what is called malignant narcissism (Post 2003, 6). He strived to exalt his personality by making Iraq an extension of his being. Also, to give him the religious sanctity that was essential to win over Islamic extremists, Saddam ordered Iraq’s genealogists to create a family line that links him to Fatima, the daughter of the prophet Mohammed (Thomas 02). He had elevated himself to the level that level of holiness where many religious minded people wouldn’t dare question his integrity and actions. Saddam had no constraints of conscience whatsoever. No question of morality ever crept into his mind as he went executing his ‘enemies’. Saddam also had an inherent unconstrained aggression, which he uses as an instrument to attain his goals. Force and violence were his only trusted weapons, and he never wavered to employ them. Saddam Hussein was also seen to have a strong paranoid orientation (Post 2003, 7). He always saw himself as surrounded by enemies for no good reason. Completely oblivious of his role in creating his own enemies, Saddam righteously eliminated his targets. This paranoia illustrates itself even in his conduct of foreign affairs, which let him to believe that Israel, The US and Iran have been in league with the purpose of eliminating him. Adding to these traits, Saddam was also burdened with certain vanities, which invariably would drive him to destructive behaviour. Underneath the vicious and terrifying persona, there was a side of him that was vulnerable and extremely egoistic. It is this political personality assemblage such as insatiable ambition for unlimited power, lack of conscience, unconstrained aggression, a paranoid outlook and obsession for violence which made Saddam the man the world loathed. It is also these very traits that sowed the seeds of his failure. Saddam Hussein Very few political leaders of the modern world can stand up to a comparison with Nazi Germany’s Hitler. Saddam Hussein was one who certainly didn’t have to try too hard. Considering the painful beginnings he has had, Saddam Hussein had gone a long way in proving himself as a leader the world will not forget soon. Hussein had his strengths, convictions and the will to win, all of which worked in his selfish favor. However, contained in these very traits were his veiled weaknesses which ultimately led to his unceremonious ending. One may need a comprehensive overview of Saddam Hussein’s personality traits to render an understanding of what thrived underneath all his brutalities. The dark contours of Saddam’s temperament were etched before he was born on April 28, 1937, to his recently widowed mother, who was too distraught to be keen on having him. Spending his early years under the charge on his maternal uncle, Khyrallah, and later his mother and an abusive step-father, Saddam clearly did not have a conventional childhood, a fact that had a far reaching impact on his mental constitution. He grew up with a distorted self-esteem, which crippled his capacity for empathy with others and produced what has been described psychologically as ‘the wounded self’, a condition which, in Saddam’s case, let to strive for compensatory grandiosity, a steely resolve to never subject himself under a superior force (Post 2003, 2). Saddam’s was often referred to as the ‘mad man of the Middle-East’ equating him to a lunatic battling with psychotic disorders. However, according to Jerrold Post, there is no evidence that he had any such ailments. Rather, Saddam was a rational calculator who often miscalculates (Post 2003, 6). He was not an impulsive actor but rather was judicious and patient. All his inhuman actions then become all the more horrifying for they are results of delicate deliberation and planning. Saddam had a natural inclination for traumatizing his surroundings, from which he drew thrill and satisfaction. Saddam’s obsession with violence was the most terrifying side to his multi-faceted personality (Thomas 02). This obsession with violence certainly did not command accolades from his own people, many of whom have suffered untold miseries under his tyranny. Saddam’s personality traits adhere to the makings of what is called malignant narcissism (Post 2003, 6). He strived to exalt his personality by making Iraq an extension of his being. Also, to give him the religious sanctity that was essential to win over Islamic extremists, Saddam ordered Iraq’s genealogists to create a family line that links him to Fatima, the daughter of the prophet Mohammed (Thomas 02). He had elevated himself to the level that level of holiness where many religious minded people wouldn’t dare question his integrity and actions. Saddam had no constraints of conscience whatsoever. No question of morality ever crept into his mind as he went executing his ‘enemies’. Saddam also had an inherent unconstrained aggression, which he uses as an instrument to attain his goals. Force and violence were his only trusted weapons, and he never wavered to employ them. Saddam Hussein was also seen to have a strong paranoid orientation (Post 2003, 7). He always saw himself as surrounded by enemies for no good reason. Completely oblivious of his role in creating his own enemies, Saddam righteously eliminated his targets. This paranoia illustrates itself even in his conduct of foreign affairs, which let him to believe that Israel, The US and Iran have been in league with the purpose of eliminating him. Adding to these traits, Saddam was also burdened with certain vanities, which invariably would drive him to destructive behaviour. Underneath the vicious and terrifying persona, there was a side of him that was vulnerable and extremely egoistic. It is this political personality assemblage such as insatiable ambition for unlimited power, lack of conscience, unconstrained aggression, a paranoid outlook and obsession for violence which made Saddam the man the world loathed. It is also these very traits that sowed the seeds of his failure.

An Explanation of the Causes and Effects of the Enron Accounting Scandals

From the 1980s until now, there have been a lot of accounting scandals which were widely announced on by media. The result of this situation is many companies were bankruptcy protection requests, and closing. One of the most widely reported emulation of accounting scandals is Enron Company. Enron Corporation is one of the largest energy companies in the world. Enron was founded in Houston, Texas, America in July 1985 by the consolidation between Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth of Omaha, Nebraska (â€Å"Enron and Enderson: The story†, n. d. ). According to Sridhanran, Dickes & Caines (2002, p. ), Enron’s rank number is the seventh in the United States by Fortune magazine in April 2002.Their businesses were sale of nature gas, electricity sector, water, metal, broadband and newsprint. Enron has been altered from the old economy company to the new economy company and focus on HFV (Hypothetical Future value). The profits were grown by buying electric at stable prices fro m the suppliers and sale the different prices for customers. When the falsehood of their profits was opened, the investors withdraw the capital. Enron start collapse (â€Å"Case study: The collapse†, n. . , pp. 1-2). Definitions Accounting scandals are political and business scandals using illegal accounting systems and fraud in the financial statements. According to Hanson (2002, p. 1), Enron accounting scandal is the most important common failure in the banks during the 1980s in the United States. This leads to changing in business and the law. When Enron was bankrupt, the economy of America was dropped, and many employees were lost their jobs. Outline and Limitations The assignment will explain two main reasons and two effects of Enron accounting scandal.The assignment will conclude with review the Enron accounting scandal and giving the lessons for another company. The Causes of Enron Accounting Scandal Business Fraud A business fraud is one of the most important reasons which made bankruptcy of Enron. Firstly, limited partnership companies were opened by CFO Andy Fastow. He used many partnership companies such as J. P. Mogan Chase and Merill Lynch to hide their enormous debts and losses from investors. They borrowed the great amounts of money from financial institutions to buy many assets; this led to wrong view about Enron condition.It helped the stock price increase (â€Å"Enron accounting scandal†, 2009). In addition, the financial strategy, the business consultants and the accounting techniques are wrong choice of Enron. They used established investment money to build securitization abilities. According to Buondonno, David, Pufky and Rollings (n. d. , pp. 11-12), Enron has distorted the financial statements using the complex methods. They used fake companies (SPEs) to move money between different banks and created false financial statements. This led to misunderstanding of shareholders about the real financial statements.Moreover, Enron predicted the future market of energy price. As a result, the sale prices of Enron known as mark-to-market, which control the energy trading business and the reports which they want to show. Furthermore, Enron used wrong accounting system. They used mark-to-marked trading which is greatly hard to change to another system. The reports were shown losses or gains on the stock and security price at the end of the year. Enron was able to use SPE (special purpose entities) to trade in legal time or illegal time so that income could change to correct with investor expectances.Lastly, Enron had a huge negative dollar cash flow from bank loans. They needed to pay around two million dollars per day by cash. A Corruption and a Lack of Accounting Techniques According to Buondonno, David, Pufky and Rollings (n. d. , pp. 18-20), Management level and accounting level were forgotten in Enron situation. Endrew Fastow, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Enron used his power to corrupt by using his knowledge into the agreements and making the bonuses from the agreements. Endrew and his wife got benefits from Enron to buy Chewco where his wife is owner.He controlled subsidiary companies to buy stock and hid debt for Enron. Enron did not follow the accounting rules. Every mistake in accounting needs to note and describes for shareholders know, and writes on the financial statements. In 2001, Accountants cannot combine Chewco into the Enron’s financial statement. This lead to misunderstanding report which show the financial statement of Enron such as a decrease Enron income and an increase Enron’s reported debt. In addition, Enron tried to make maximize profits by break the law.Therefore, dishonesty in the financial statement, corruption and a lack of knowledge and skills of accountants are the causes of the Enron’s bankruptcy. The Effects of Enron Accounting Scandal on Employees and shareholders When Enron was bankrupt, the most affected people are Enronâ₠¬â„¢s workers and shareholders. Many people lost their jobs, their whole pension and all of the shareholders lost their money (Dunder,n. d. ). According to Raver (2006, p4-5), Enron stocks prices were increased nearly double in one year by many ways such as legal and illegal way.The stock price was increasing so fast, many Enron employees bought Enron stock as saving money, and also their pension are in Enron’s stock too. When Enron was failing, Enron’s stock price was decreasing until no longer value, many Enron workers lost all their money, their jobs and also their pension lost too. For this reason, they almost have nothing; they only have social security funds. The suddenly decrease of the value in Enron stocks influenced the retreat savings of thousands Americans who are not Enron employees. Many Americans saved their money in the index funds.Enron’s stock was formed by the different sources of investment, such as the state pension plans, university and oth er non-profit foundations (Sridharan, Dickes & Caines, 2002, p. 4). Therefore, when Enron scandal was happened, this entailed many effects on workers, shareholders and Americans who are not Enron employees. They lost their money, their jobs and their future. The United States and the Stock Market Enron accounting scandal helped American improve their knowledge of business and accounting. This leads to changing in the U. S. aw to protect people from the business fraud (Raver, n. d. , p. 4). They fortified retirement security of American, and limited on selling stocks for employees (Sridharan, Dickes & Caines, 2002, p. 8). Moreover, the stock market was affects by the Enron accounting scandal, Enron’s stock was $80 per share. When the Enron accounting scandal was discovered, the price of Enron’s stock fell down less than $1 (â€Å"Enron stock prices†, n. d. ). Conclusion The Enron accounting scandal is one of the biggest problems of cheating in accounting in Ameri ca.It changed the most American life, and people behold themselves to know the answers of cupidity and break the law in business. The Enron accounting scandal has many reasons such as business cheating, the corrupt of the power person and inexperience of accountants. For this reasons, Enron bankruptcy had many effects on Americans social such as workers, shareholders, the American economy and the law. The lesson from Enron accounting scandal were found by many ways such as the conflict of interest between two roles played, employees’ protection, changing in business managements, and ethics in business, cautious investment.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Arthur Andersen

ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP CASE STUDY DUE: Sunday, May 12, 11:59pm 1. Discuss the environment, strategic, and organizational changes that occurred over the life of Andersen in the context of figure 11. 1. 2. Evaluate Andersen’s claim that their problems on the Enron audit were due to a few â€Å"bad partners† in the organization. If you disagree with this claim, discuss what you think were the root causes of the problem. 3. Suppose you were Andersen’s managing partner in the early 1990s.Would you have done anything differently than the actual management (assuming you knew only what they did at time)? 4. Discuss the relationship between what happened at Andersen and multitask principles agent theory. 5. Discuss the relation between the â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† elements of a firm’s corporate culture in the context of this case. 6. Do you think that the problems at Andersen were unique to them or did they exist at the other big accounting firms?Supp ose you were top partner at one of the major accounting firms at that time of Andersen’s demise. What actions, if any, would you take in response? Explain. 7. In 2000, the SEC proposed new regulations that would limit consulting work by accounting firms. This proposal was not passed by Congress. Do you think that the legislators were trying to act in the public interest when they failed to pass this proposal? Explain. 8.The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the primary professional association for certified public accountants. It has developed a Code of professional conduct that sets standards of conduct for CPAs. People can file complaints about ethical conduct of a CPA with the AICPA, which can levy sanction and other penalties against its members. Do you think the unethical conduct at Andersen (and possibly other accounting firms) was the fault of the AICA for not setting and enforcing higher ethical standards among its members?Explain. 9. The Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002 established a new five –person board to oversee financial accounting in publicly traded corporations. The board is appointed by the Securities and Exchanges Commission. Prior to the creation of this board the industry relied primarily on self-regulation through the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Do you think the establishment of the new oversight board was a good idea or should the profession have continued to be self-regulated?

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Health Care Policy, Law and Ethic Essay

As a Chief Nursing Officer, I’m responsible for one of the state’s largest Obstetric Health Care Centers. I just received word of some fraudulent behaviors in the center. To mitigate this type of behaviors I must evaluate how the healthcare Qui Tam affects health care organizations, provide four examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations, Devise a procedure for admission into a health care facility that upholds the law about the required number of Medicare and Medicaid referrals, Recommend a corporate integrity program that will mitigate incidents of fraud and assess how the recommendation will impact issues of reproduction and birth, and Devise a plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws. After completing my evaluation on Qui Tam I will be able to provide a proper protocol to handle or prevent future issue and grow awareness on how fraudulent behavior affects the health care center. Qui Tam is Latin for â€Å"he who brings a case on behalf of our lord King, as well as for himself†. Qui Tam allows a private citizen (relator, whistleblower) to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the government, as well as himself, against a defendant who may has knowingly committed fraud or criminal act in which the government was victimized (Showalter, 2012). The private citizen need not have been personally harmed by the defendant’s conduct (Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General, 2010). The government can choose to take over the prosecution, but if the government declines the private citizen can proceed alone. How Healthcare Qui Tam affects health care organizations. Healthcare is a multi-billion dollar industry and has attracted those who want to defraud health insurance companies and the government (Showalter, 2012). Based on the healthcare industry monetary value it has become the fertile soil for white –collar crimes that end in criminal convictions and financial penalties (Showalter, 2012). The punishment for payment fraud and abuse is shared with the abuser and the organization. When an employee is involved in act of fraud and abuse management, officers as well as the organization is held accountable. They share in the punishment even if management, officers or the organization is aware of the abusers actions. . One way to minimize exposure to fraud and abuse is to have a strong corporate compliance program in place. Developing a strong compliance  programs will ensure an organization’s adherence to federal and state regulations such as false claim act, anti-kickback statues, the Starks self-referral laws and HIPAA. Using go vernment regulation as the bases of an organizations compliance program will help significantly in the effort to prevent fraud, abuse and waste within the organization (Showalter, 2012). Healthcare Qui Tam along with state and government regulations has pushed organizations to develop new or stronger compliance programs in the hopes to prevent fraud, promote integrity and improve billing accuracy. Not only has it push health care organization to create compliance program to protect the company these policy also include process for an employee to anonymously report and undesirable conduct they may see. Companies have also created their own fraud and abuse compliance departments that are responsible for educating the staff of any federal and state regulations and created requirement for and standards each depart must to abide by. This department will also be responsible for the investigation of any reported behavior. These measures are put in place to prevent any possible fraud and abuse acts with in the organization. Examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations. To remedy abuse associated with ghost billing, up coding, unbundling, and billing for inadequate or unnecessary care the government put in place the false claims act. During January 2009 through 2012 the justice department used the false claim act to recover more than 9.5 billion dollars in health care fraud cases. Below is an example of a False Claim Act Case. Example of FCA Nelson v. Alcon Laboratories, No. 3:12-cv-03738-M (N.D. Tex.) †¢Complaint filed : September 14, 2012 †¢Complaint unsealed : July 16, 2013 †¢Intervention status : Declined †¢Claims: False claims to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and the federal defense procurement programs in violation of the Civil False Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C.  § 3729 et seq. †¢Name of Relator: Michael Nelson and Steve Gonzales †¢ Defendant’s Business: Pharmaceutical manufacturer †¢Relators’ Relationship to Defendant: Former employee †¢Relators’ Counsel: Bell, Nunnally & Martin, LLP †¢Summary of case: Alcon Laboratories allegedly failed to adhere to FDA regulations in manufacturing, packaging and delivering nonprescription and prescription eye care products sold to the U.S. government under Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other insurance programs held by a variety of military and federal employees and their dependents. Alcon even provide the eye care product to the U.S. Department of Defense †¢Current status: The U.S. declined to intervene in the case: relator may proceed on their own †¢Reason to Watch: This case was viewed similar to United States ex rel. Eckard v. GlaxoSmithKline and SB Pharmco Puerto Rico, which was settled in 2010. This case involved both civil and criminal allegation, but the focus was on failing to comply with the FDA’s regulations regarding manufacturing practices and product quality. This case resulted in a guilty from the defendant, a civil settlement of $600 million, and a criminal fine of $150 million. Anti-Kickback Statue is a criminal statute that prohibits the exchange or offer of an exchange, of any value or form, in the efforts to induce or reward the referral of federal health care program business. This statue was creates to establish penalties for individual and entities on both sides of the prohibited exchange. If convicted the violator can be fined up to 25,000 and sentenced up to five years. In lieu of the fine and the jail time the violator(s) can be excluded from participating in federal health care programs. Listed below is an example of an anti-kickback statue case. Example of AKS United States ex rel. Nevyas v. Allergan, Inc., No. 2:09cv432 (E.D. Pa). †¢Complaint Filed: January 30, 2009 ( Second Amendment Complaint Filed September 27, 2010) †¢ Complaint Unsealed: December 16, 2013 †¢Intervention Status: Unclear from docket †¢ Claims: The relators assert that the defendant caused the submission of claims for payment for prescription drugs induced by illegal kickbacks in violation of the FCA, as well as analogous false claims statutes of 19 states and the District of Columbia †¢Relators’ Names: Herbert J. Nevyas.; Anita Nevyas-Wallace, M.D. †¢ Defendant’s Business: The defendant is an international biopharmaceutical company †¢Relators’ Counsel: Pietragallo, Gordon, Alfano,Bosick& Raspanti LLP (Philadelphia, Pa) †¢Relators’ Relationship to Defendant: The relators are third party physicians who claim they were offered the alleged inducements by the defendant. †¢ Current Status: Ongoing †¢Summary of Case: The relators allege the defendant violated the Anti-Kickback Statues buy offering ophthalmologists and optometrists to prescribe the defendant’s exclusive chronic dry-eye prescription drug Retasis ®. According to the defendant Allergan offer free consulting services, free acesss to a restricted website, invitation to and payment of expenses related to advisory board meetings and offers to fund independent research. †¢Reason to Watch: The defendant entered into a five year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in connection with a settlement of an unrelated criminal investigation and Qui Tam action. Some of the conducted listed in this case may have occurred while the defendant CIA was in place. Also point out possible compliance issues for pharmaceutical companies seeking to grow their business through relationship with physicians (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014) Example of billing for unnecessary services and ghost billing United States ex rel. Fife v. Lymphedema and Wound Institute, Inc., Civ. No. 04:11-CV-271 (S.D. Tex.). †¢Complaint Filed: September 22, 2011 †¢Complaint Unsealed: November 25, 2013 †¢Intervention Status: The United States intervened. †¢Claims: Defendants allegedly submitted false claims for treatment of lymphedema †¢Name of Relator: Dr. Caroline Fife †¢Defendants’ Businesses: The individual defendants are the executives and owners of the defendant company and its affiliates, whose employees provide physical therapy and treatment for lymphatic disease. The individual defendants also managed and operated a network of sleep-study clinics. †¢Relator’s Relationship to Defendants: Relator is a competing physician and professor at the University of Texas who often treated patients who had  stopped receiving treatments from defendants’ facilities. †¢Relator’s Counsel: Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C. (Houston, TX) †¢Summary of Case: The Relator alleged that the defendant provider used unqualified massage therapist to provide services to their lymphedema patients. Also according to the relator the defendant bill for unnecessary services as well as services and supplies that were never rendered. Lastly, the relator alleged the defendant used similar scheme to inflate billing services that were rendered at their sleep clinic. †¢Current Status: The parties settled the claims related to lymphedema treatments for $4.3 million. Additionally, the defendant company’s founder and CEO voluntarily submitted to a 10-year exclusion from federal health benefit programs and the defendant company entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) as of June 25, 2013 (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). †¢Reasons to Watch: Although the amount of the settlement — $4.3 million — is relatively modest when compared with the $165 million in fraudulent Medicare billings alleged in the complaint, the voluntary exclusion of the defendant company’s CEO from participation in federal health care programs is severe, as an excluded individual will likely find it difficult to continue working in the health care industry (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). Example of up-coding United States ex rel. Oughatiyan v. IPC The Hospitalist Company Inc., Civ. No. 09-C-5418 (N.D. Ill.). †¢Complaint Filed: September 1, 2009 †¢Complaint Unsealed: December 5, 2013 †¢Intervention Status: The United States intervened, but Illinois and the other 12 plaintiff states declined to intervene †¢Claims: Defendants allegedly encouraged the filling of up-coded claims for services in inpatient and long-term care facilities to federal care programs †¢Name of Relator: Dr. Bijan Ouhatiyan †¢Defendants’ Businesses: National hospitalist independent contractor company and its local subsidiaries â€Å"employing physicians and other health care providers who work in more than 1,300 facilities in 28 states.†1 Hospitalists are physicians who assist in directing and coordinating inpatient care from admission to discharge, and only work in hospitals or  long-term care facilities (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). †¢Relator’s Relationship to Defendants: Relator is a former employee/independent contractor of dependent. †¢Relator’s Counsel: Goldberg Kohn Ltd. (Chicago, IL) †¢Summary of Case: Relator alleges that IPC The Hospitalist Company (IPC) engaged in the following schemes to cause its employed hospitalists to bill for the services they rendered at the highest reimbursement levels even though such codes were inappropriate, a practice called â€Å"upcoding.† The lawsuit contends that IPC trained its physicians to bill at the highest levels without regard to the actual complexity of the services provided. Additionally, IPC allegedly tracked the coding statistics of its hospitalists and used the results to pressure hospitalists to upcode their services to achieve productivity and profit goals. As a result of these practices, according to the relator, the medical documentation of the actual work done did not support the billing records submitted by the hospitalists (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). †¢Current Status: Ongoing †¢Reasons to Watch: The defendant has another case (United States ex rel. Ziaei v. IPC The Hospitalist Company Inc., et al., Civ. No. 2:12-cv-01918 (D. Nev.)) with similar allegation, but was dismissed. Our Facility admission Policy, which is in accordance with Medicare and Medicaid referral guidelines. Medicare and Medicare Referral guidelines are based on the Stark law. To prevent any issues or conduct that violates the Stark law our facility will participate in CMS Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS). We will require all qualifying providers to register their NPI with Medicare and Medicare by the deadline date. This system will allow us to submit claims, referral, and review for admittance. This program will catch any potential violations of abuse and fraud. The Physician Self -Referral law is listed below. â€Å"The Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) (42 U.S.C. Section 1395nn) prohibits a physician from making a referral for certain designated healt h services to an entity in which the physician (or an immediate member of his or her family) has an ownership/investment interest or with which he or she has a compensation arrangement, unless an exception applies. Penalties for physicians who  violate the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) include fines as well as exclusion from participation in all Federal health care programs† Corporate integrity program that will reduce fraud and impact issues of reproduction and birth. A Corporate Integrity program is put in place to ensure the organization and the employees would not knowingly violate any laws that control the conduct of the organization operations. Staff will receive training regarding the health care center’s Corporate Integrity Program and all law associated with the program. †¢Code of Conduct Promote and Preserve the organization values Protect the privacy of the Health care centers patients Protect the confidentiality of the patient and the employee information o Avoid all forms of discrimination Act in accordance of all policies and procedures Comply will all law that apply to the health center operations and practices o Disclose all potential conflicts of interest No accepting of gift, goods and services Adhere to all professional standard Ensure consent for service is received and documented Refusal for services are document Patient is informed/education of risk and requires treat for their condition †¢Submission of claims only for services That are actually for service renders For services that the patient or patient represented consented to oFor services that are medical necessary for the patient condition That have appropriate documentation to support the claim All services will be reviewed before billing All billing staff will be trained and certified No claim will be submitted that fall under the Physician Self-Referral law or Anti- Kickback statues Plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws As one of the state’s largest Obstetric Health Care Centers in the area we have an extensive staff. The first policy is to provide excess to patient information that is in the scope of your job. For example the registration staff will not have access  to the patient’s lab results and the lab technician will not have access to member complete medical history. When a staff member signs on to any system that houses patient information they will only be able to view or update information that is within the scope of the job responsibility. This way the patient private medical records are kept private. Education, training and yearly certification of Health Insurance Portability Act and the organization privacy policy will be required fall all staff members. Certification will only be provided to those that achieve at least an 80% on any test that is provided in training. Failure to comply will result in suspicion until certified or termination. For existing employees yearly certification will be done throughout web base training portal. For our new employees training and certification will be part of their new hire orientation and any future required Training will be done through our train portal. The staff can access the training portal at home. This way our staff and complete the certification at the leisure (with in the due date). Also we have the proper process in place to such as authorization and de-identifying Protection Health Information when share and medical or any sensitive information with others. For example there maybe reason why a department must share the type of patient seen or the treatment provided. There should be not reason that patient’s name, address, or any information that may identify the patient be included in the report. We also require the patient to sign an authorization for every year, which will allow us to submit information to insurance companies for payment, medical necessity review, and appeals. We will also have the patient to sign an authorization form allowing us to spe ak with a specific individual, leave voice mail massages and or email the member about appointment and care. Any unauthorized disclosure of private health information the patient will be notified right away. Various federal and state laws, regulations, rules and guidelines govern the use, Disclosure and protection of health information. These include certain provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), certain provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), and any other patient privacy-related laws, regulations, rules and guidelines will be used as the bases of our privacy policies Bibliography Department of Health and Human Services. (November, 27 2013). Physician sefl Referral: CMS. Retrieved 15 2014, March, from Center of Medicare & Medicaid Services: Abhar, S., Grammel, S., McGinty, K., & Willis, S. (2014, February). Qui Tam Defense: MintzLevin. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from MintzLevin: http://www.mintz.com/newsletter/2014/Newsletters/3691-0214-NAT-HL/ Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General. (2010, October 6). False claim Act: office of Inspector General. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from Department of The Interior Office of Inspector General: https://www.doioig.gov/docs/falseclaimsact.pdf. Abhar, S., Grammel, S., McGinty, K., & Willis, S. (2014, February). Qui Tam Defense: MintzLevin. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from MintzLevin: http://www.mintz.com/newsletter/2014/Newsletters/3691-0214-NAT-HL/ Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General. (2010, October 6). False claim Act: office of Inspector General. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from Department of The Interior Office of Inspector General: https://www.doioig.gov/docs/falseclaimsact.pdf. Dunphy, B. P., Kingsbury, S. P., Miner, T. A., Foster, H. S., & Willis, S. D. (2012). Health Care enforcement : 2012 Trends . MintzLevin. Gumbert, J. G. (2003). Qui TamActions Under the False Claims Act. Medical Journal – Houston. Levine, R. H. (2005). Internal Investigations By Healthcare Organizations: Practical considerations. American Health Lawyers association. Showalter, J. S. (2012). The Law of Healthcare Adminstration (6th ed.). Chicago: Health Adminstration Press. Staman, J. (2013). Health Care fraud and Buse Laws affecting Medicare and Medicaid: An Overview. Congressional research Services report for Congress.