Church Visit Essay Example For Students

Church Visit Essay Catholics go through a cycle of events in their spiritual lives known as the seven sacraments. Although all Catholics can not partake in each sacrament, the majority receive the Holy Eucharist and are baptized as children. The sacraments are the rites of passage in the Catholic faith. Some of the sacraments require proper preparation and knowledge of the ones faith. The seven sacraments include Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and the Holy Orders. Faith ties the people of God together. We are united through our belief in faith. I see the sacraments as the acceptance of faith in God and of our faith. With all the diversity that exists among Gods people, faith in God and To Chrisitan, Jesus Christ is the being that connects us all as one. He played many roles when he was on this earth and is the incarnation of God. In essence, He is God infleshed. While he was on the earth, some viewed him as a healer. I believe that receiving reconcili ation and the anointing of the sick would require an individual to accept Jesus as the ultimate healer. The Eucharist accepts that Jesus had the ability to turn bread and wine into himself for his people. Receiving the Eucharist is the acceptance of the Last Supper and the symbolic meaning along with it. Jesus Christ is referred to as the anointed. At baptism we are anointed with holy oil to welcome us into the Catholic faith. In confirmation we again, confirm and renew our faith and individually commit to the vows our godparents had spoken for us. Again we are anointed with holy oil, symbolizing the truth of Jesus Christ, the anointed one. The sacraments are a rite of passage among the Christian people. We are all tied to one faith and the sacraments are the links that we tie it all together. Sacraments sometimes required preparation. In preparation of a sacrament, we are taught the underlining faith of Jesus Christ. Through our sacramental practices, we accept and acknowledge the faith of Jesus and who he was. Sacraments bring people of the church together in celebration. These gatherings are common ties among people of faith and their acceptance of God and Jesus. What do catholics and fundamentalist believe about the bible comparison2000-07-04Conversations about the differences and similarities between Fundamentalist and Catholic beliefs usually end up being more like heated debates than conversations. A major difference between the Catholic and the Fundamentalist is how they see the Bible. The source of the Fundamentalists faith is the Bible. But what do the Fundamentalists believe about the Bible? This is the question I am trying to answer for myself. I will present my understanding of the Fundamentalists view of the Bible along with my Catholic view of the Bible. My mission is not to offend, but to open a dialogue between the two views. I know from experience that this is a very touchy topic. The best way to go about conversing with someone of different beliefs, I believe, is to see their belief in its best light. I believe it is important to develop a sense of respect for the variety of ways people experience the divine in the lives. Keep ing that in mind, I give you my interpretation of the Fundamentalist and the Catholic view of the Bible. Both Catholics and Fundamentalists agree that the Bible is a divinely inspired, infallible, and authoritative means for people to know Christ. There are some distinctions between the Catholics and the Fundamentalists view of the Bible. Both Catholics and Fundamentalists believe the Bible to be inspired by God; they believe the Bible to be the Word of God. Fundamentalists place most of their emphasis on God as the author of the bible. They do not pay much attention to the human side of the Bibles authorship. Fundamentalists believe in total word-for-word inspiration of the Bible. The Catholic Church does not teach that God merely dictated words to the human authors of the Bible. To the Catholic the Bible is the Word of God and the work of human beings. Catholics are encouraged to look for the meaning a human writer of a book of the Bible was trying to get across. To really underst and what the writer is telling us, we must know something about the time in which he lived his mode of thinking, and the manners of expression people of his time used. It is difficult to accept the Fundamentalist view of word-for-word inspiration for several reasons. There are no books of the Bible that are the original, autographed works of the authors. Christianity existed hundreds of years before the Bible itself was completed. Many translations of the Bible are not translations at all, but more like interpretations or paraphrases. Translators might imagine what the original author would have written if he had been writing in Modern English, rather than just translating the actual words the original author had written. Fundamentalists and Catholics believe the Bible to be infallible, or free from error. Catholics do not consider the Bible necessarily grammatically, mathematically, or scientifically infallible. Only the message of the Bible is considered to be without error. Funda mentalists take the idea of the Bibles infallibility a step farther with their confidence in Martin Luthers theory of sola scriptura, Latin for scripture alone. The Bible is the Fundamentalists only standard of authority in religion. To the Fundamentalists the Bible is the single source for inspiration, and they will not look to any extrinsic source for authority. The Catholic belief about God and his teachings can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a statement of the Churchs faith. The Fundamentalist believes he needs no Church to interpret the Bibles meaning because the Bible is clear in its meaning; it interprets itself, and that the Holy Spirit directly interprets the Bible for him. Catholics believe that the Bible does have authority, but that this authority comes from the Church guaranteeing its infallibility. The strongest argument for this would be the fact that the Church wrote the Bible. The Church also defined the Bible by deciding which books made up the B ible as a whole. The Fundamentalist ideas that the Bible is clear, interprets itself, and that the Holy Spirit interprets it directly to him can all be seen as inadequate substitutes for an authoritative, teaching Church. The Bible is not clear. 2 Peter 3:16 reads, . . . there are many things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do other scriptures. The Bible does not interpret itself, except for example, when a New Testament author quotes or makes a reference to an Old Testament passage. This happens on numerous occasions. In the Gospel of Matthew (2:11), Jesus says, Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. These words come from the Old Testament Book of Malachi (3:1). Anyone can claim guidance by the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by the rise of the cult followers of religious leaders such as David Koresh and Jim Jones. However, to rely on personal or private standards of interpretat ion can lead to misunderstandings or even tragic results. The Bible denies itself as being the only source of authority. Again I refer to 2 Peter, verses 20-21, Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit under the influence of God. This idea of the Bible not being meant to be interpreted by man alone without the teaching authority of the Church is evident by the hundreds of different Protestant denominations all claiming to be the truth of the Bible. The teaching authority of the Church is needed to guide people in their understanding of the Bible to avoid the unfortunate and often confusing consequences of arbitrary interpretations. The Fundamentalists view the Bible as the single source for inspiration. Catholics look to the Church as a guide in interpreting the Bible. By understanding the Bible as the Word of God as writte n by man to be interpreted in light of the time, manner and mode of thinking in its creation, the Catholic religion allows for a clearer understanding of its meaning. The Purpose of a Liberal Arts Education EssayAs a child, I was quite confused about the concept of religion. For me, religion was believing in God and praying- nothing more, nothing less. As I grew older I realized the reason of my state of confusion- I was practicing two different religions. My mother was raised a Catholic while my father had been raised a Protestant in the United Methodist Church. I was christened in the Catholic church and I attended a Catholic institute for my first year of school. I studied and took part in the Catholic teachings at school as well as attended mass with my family on Saturday nights. The next morning, I would also attend church with my family in a completely different building- the United Methodist Church. I never really questioned this religious lifestyle but I did take note of the differences between the two customs of worship. A couple of years later, my mother converted to a Protestant and I have been a member of the United Methodist Church ever since. Now that I am older, I can significantly see the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism. Whenever I step into a Catholic church, the first thing I notice is the structure of the building and the artwork that adorns the ceilings and walls. The building is very spacious and contains rows and rows of seats that accommodate a large crowd. I noticed that in behind each row of seats were padded bars on which people kneeled during certain parts of the service. In contrast to the United Methodist Church, there are a number of statues that surround the church including a statue of Mary. A very large, wooden crucifix with Jesus on it is positioned in the center of the front wall- the focal point within the church. Throughout the church, a number of intricately designed stained glass windows allow the light from outside to enter. The lighting in the church is quite dim. From this, a solemn and humble setting is felt. Ive been to a lot of Catholic masses and it seems as i f the worship at one church is as identical as the next one. The people seem to simultaneously say and perform gestures (the sign of the cross) without even thinking. I noticed how concentrated the older people were as they participated in the worship. The service also contained a lot of music. A choir situated in the back of the church began the songs and the people would repeat the verse. I thought the choir sang very harmoniously. I very much enjoyed the parts of the service when the choir would sing. I believe that the most important part of the worship service was the Eucharist. The people who took part in the Eucharist looked very concentrated and serious. After receiving the blood and body of Christ, these people prayed intensely on their knees. I did not participate in this part of the service because I didnt feel comfortable for the United Methodist beliefs about Communion are quite different from the Catholic beliefs. It was not hard for me to follow the sequence of the wo rship service. I had been to other churches before and I pretty much knew what came next. I participated as much as I could in the service. I sang and I prayed but I was not able to recite the short phrases and make the gestures within the service. I did not feel lost nor confused but I did feel as if other people knew that I wasnt Catholic because I didnt fully participate in the service. Unfamiliar surroundings can never really be comfortable. I did not feel as welcome as I thought I would be. It seemed as if the people were there just to worship God and didnt exactly acknowledge anyone else. I wasnt really encouraged to participate, instead I felt I should try to participate. I didnt receive the warm reception that I see at my church. In some ways, I felt out of place but I didnt let that feeling get in between my time with God. Between the Catholic church and the United Methodist church, I saw more differences than similarities. The structure of worship is quite similar but the manner at which it was performed is very different. The only prayer used in both churches is the Our Father. The arrangement of the building is also similar as well as the music played. Another similarity is the Priest of the church and the Pastor of my church are both male, however I have been a member of a church where the Pastor was indeed a female. After understanding both worship services, I am able to appreciate religion more. Nowadays it seems as if people go to church for the wrong reasons and others dont even go at all. For me, church is a very important factor in my life. I go to church not only to talk with God, that can be done basically anywhere. I go to church to be with my family and friends- to be a part of a community of people. I feel as if my own faith is strengthened when I see my family praying together. In addition, experiencing a different religion enables me to learn about the different teachings about God which leads to personally enlightening my spiritualit y. Catholics vs. Episcopalians, is there truly a distinction? When I recollect on my religious tradition, Catholicism, I ponder on just how different it is in practice and theology from that of protestant traditions. When examining I came to compare how deeply Catholics and Episcopalians are divided on questions of political and religious leadership? Through research I have concluded that Catholics and Episcopalians are vastly separated in political and religious leadership and this factor is the foremost distinction between the two traditions. Since the establishment of the Episcopalian Church we can see the link between the Church of England and further with the Roman Catholic Church as stated, It was part of the Anglican Communion, formally organized in Philadelphia in 1789 as the successor to the Church of England in the American Colonies. In points of doctrine, worship, and ministerial order, the church descended from and has remained associated with the Church of England. The hist ory of the church began with the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Va., in 1607. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online) The establishment of the Episcopalian Church was in fact for political and religious leadership freedom from its ties with The Church of England and in conjunction freedom from the Catholic Church. The differences in church organization are prevalent and are the main distinction between the two traditions. The Episcopalian organization is described as; In the organization of the church, each self-supporting congregation (parish) elects its lay governing board (vestry) for temporal affairs and its rector as spiritual leader. Congregations that are not self-supporting (missions) are directed by the bishop of the area. In a given area the parishes and missions make up a diocese, headed by a bishop. All clergy and laity representing all congregations meet annually in convention to conduct the business of the diocese. The convention elects the bishop to serve u ntil death or retirement. The dioceses and mission districts belong to the General Convention, which meets triennially. All bishops are members of the House of Bishops, and the House of Delegates is made up of equal numbers of clergy and laity. The Executive Council, the administrative agency of the General Convention, is headed by the Presiding Bishop (elected by the House of Bishops), who also presides over the House of Bishops. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online) In contrast the Catholic Churchs political and religious leadership is organized in a manner that follow a distinct order. This order can be grouped by papal authority, the Roman Curia and the college of Cardinals, the college of bishops, ecumenical councils and the priesthood. Catholics also hold the Vatican as the capital for Catholicism and place it as a global leadership source. The study of these two traditions consisted of two visits to St.Johns Episcopal Church and two visits to St.Thomas Moore Catholic Church. The c omparison of these traditions stimulated interest in me due to two factors. First, I am Catholic and have been raised in the Catholic tradition, which stimulates much interest in the Episcopalian tradition. This will allow me to play both roles as an insider when I attend Catholic Church and as an outsider in the Episcopal Church. Secondly, until this religion course I was unaware of the details in the Episcopal Church and wanted to further examine the tradition. In preparation to visit St.Johns Episcopal Church I felt a discomfort due to unknown rituals, physical appearance of the church and its location in the downtown area. I thought a good method of visiting the church would be to invite an Episcopalian friend of mine. He agreed to visit the church with me and addressed the concerns I had in visiting the church. As I soon learned the issues I was concerned about, should not have been a concern at all. I found that the rituals were almost identical to that of the Roman Catholic f aith. Rituals such as spoken prayers, hymns that were sung and receiving communion were done in an almost duplicate manner. I was fortunate enough to visit St.Johns Episcopal Church on two special occasions. On my initial visit they had baptism of newborn infants. This was performed in the same manner as the Catholic method with the exception that Catholics do not perform baptisms during the regular Sunday mass. On my second visit it was Saints Sunday in both traditions. This experience almost leads me to conclude that there was no difference in practicing rituals. Both traditions reflected on given Saints during the mass and explained how one should try to follow the examples of these Saints. The appearance of both churches truly enhanced my experience as a visitor. Visiting these local churches reminded me of the pulchritude I witnessed visiting Catholic churches in Spain this past summer. Both churches are laid out similar in that they are in a T shape. The pulpit was located in the middle where everyone is allowed to view the priest at the pulpit, although if you are seating along the sides, you would have a side view of the mass. The method in which the pews, windows and ceiling were constructed were also arranged similarly. The two noticeable differences were the way the choirs were seated and the absence of a statue of Jesus on the cross. The choir in the Episcopal Church was seated to face each other and was significantly larger in quantity than that of the Catholic Church. After researching why the Episcopalian Church does not have a statue of Jesus on the cross, I was unable to determine the reason, however I thought that it is a notable difference. Being raised in a middle class family, I was accustom to attending church in a casual style wearing jeans and a nice shirt. My expectation of the attire at this particular Episcopal Church followed was correct, formal dress. Everyone in the church was in formal wear, males wore suits, and females wore lon g dresses. This dress phenomenon I do not believe is linked to a particular faith, more to the social class that makes up the church members. One aspects that Catholics seem to appraise more than Episcopalians is the Virgin Mary. It is not that Episcopalians do not recognize the Virgin Mary, however they generally do not hold the caliber of importance as Catholics. In my visits to the Catholic Church, I found statues of the Virgin Mary and people praying over her statue. Other ritual practices which I noted to be different was how Catholics have confession and pray the rosary. Though Episcopalians do not practice confession, it should also be noted that the Catholic Church as changed the magnitude of confession in the late twenty century. I have found that Catholics are adopting the protestant way of belief of forgiveness which has the general idea that God gave us Jesus to have a one-on-one relationship with God through Jesus therefore eliminating the need to confess to a priest. T his argument is quite controversial and will continue to be a topic of discussion for decades. When discussing the use of the rosary to a Episcopalian friend of mine he stated that the tradition does not practice the use of a rosary. This coincides with not having confession, since praying the rosary is often something done after confession. In concluding I would have to say my experience in surveying these different traditions was extremely educational. It is interesting how much one can learn by exposing themselves to other traditions and learning unfamiliar aspects of ones tradition. The research conducted led me to affirm my statement that there is a strong divison on political and religious leadership between these two traditions. However, I must say what intrigued me the most was how similar a protestant tradition is to the Catholic tradition and the only separation being the leadership and politicsThere are several Methodist churches with the United Methodist Church being the most common of all the Methodist churches. The Untied Methodist Church has a certain way of running things, just as every church does. Here are the top ten guidelines to being a United Methodist: 10. We are a church that encourages a strong pulpit. The people come expecting to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed powerfully. 9. We are a church that encourages a strong , warmhearted personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is it at the heart of everything we do. 8. We are a worldwide church. You can find a United Methodist church, mission, school. hospital or clinic in many villages, hamlets, towns or cities around the world. 7. We are an open, inclusive church. Our members come from every culture and every socio- economic group and all are embraced. We have more Asian American and Native- American members than any other denomination. We are second in number of Hispanic- American members. We have more African- American members than several other denominations combined. In addition, we have been at the forefront in encouraging women to give strong leadership in the church and therefore we have more women clergy than any other denomination. 6. We are a giving church. Every person who joins the Unites Methodist Church promises to serve God and support the church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service, and that pledge of loyalty enables us to give generously to benevolence and mission efforts. 5. We are a church with a family spirit. That family spirit enables us to be there for each other in our joys and sorrows from the cradle to the grave. 4. We are a church that owns and operates many colleges, hospitals, childrens homes for the elderly; plus we operate the oldest church-owned publishing house in the world. 3. We are a church that reaches out with deep compassion to help hurting people. Our UM committee on Relief is quickly on the scene all over the world wherever there is a natural disaster or any kind of pain or heartache to provide aid and love and care. 2. We are a church with a great social creed that has been an inspiration to all Christendom. 1. We continue Christs ministry of preaching, teaching, healing and caring. It seems that of all the denominations, the Methodist religion is very accepting. They have homosexual ministers, black ministers, and female ministers. This can be very rare in other denominations. At the General conference not too long ago, the UM church apologized to the blacks for the discrimination they suffered. This is also a rare finding in a church The Methodist religion is different from many others. It seems that its goal for humanity is for everyone to have their own individual relationship or bond with Christ, they prize this more than anything. Even though they are very non discriminating they still have their own set of rules to go by, just as every church does. The Methodist religion is very interesting and somewhat different than what most relig ions are. Bibliography 1. Academic American Encyclopedia. Groiler Incorporated. Danbury, Conneticut. Copyright 1996. 2. http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/data1/dg/methodist/methchap.h tml.pages 1-4. September 28, 2000 3. http://showcase.netins.net/web/unsource/undoct.html. pages 1-9. September 28, 2000 4. Pamplet: Whats So Great About Being A United Methodist? 5. The United Mehtodist Church on Normandy. 6. Youth Ministry Director at the UM church on Normandy. Personal Interview. 19 October 2000 7. The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 13. World Book Copyright 2000

Tupac Shakur Essays (1374 words) - Gangsta Rappers,

Tupac Shakur Tupac Shakur Tupac Shakur was a very influential person in 20th century USA. He was born on June 16, 1971 in Brooklyn New York, and died on September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas Nevada (unknown author, no title, no page, letter code C). But his family moved around a lot while he was a kid (Bastin, J.D.). He eventually ended up in the Bay Area California alone and spent his first two years there homeless (unknown author, no title, n.p., letter code D). He grew up with only his mom and loved her very much. He even wrote a song called Dear Mama to his mom and thanked her for how she tried her best at raising him. His public career started when he joined the seminal Bay Area rap ensemble (u.a., "original area," n.p.). He started as a tour dancer but then started rapping live (u.a., "original area," n.p.). From there he released a couple albums and then was offered to be in some movies. He became friends with a couple of popular rap artists like Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre (Placid n.p.). He made some songs and music videos with them that made it big on the Billboard charts. This really helped his popularity. He released a double CD with the songs on it and a lot of his own songs and sold millions of copies (u.a., n.t., n.p. letter code D) More people were influenced to buy his CD. People listened to the music and did what he said he did. So Tupac was influencing all of these people. Tupac was rich and famous now. He was showing off his own style now and didn't need his popular friends. This is the time that many people saw the real Tupac and loved him. He was now very influential to fans. They wanted to be just like him. He starred in more movies and could be who he really was. He did a lot of interviews that showed his beliefs. He said self esteem and self respect was very important and said "I feel as though I am a shining prince just like Malcolm and feel that all of us are shining princes, and if we live like shining princes, then whatever we want can be ours. Anything." (Patrick, Tony, n.p.) And when he says all of us, he means all men. He also said he doesn't care if someone is white or black. And no one can be judged by their skin. "So just because it's Black don't mean it's cool, and just because it's White don't mean it's evil."(Patrick, Tony n.p.) If he judged a man, he judged them by what they do to or how they treat others. Tupac wasn't racis! t against any body. And he showed that. I've seen him treat everyone equal that I see him with on TV or even on movies. This is an influence because since people want to be like him, they will follow his beliefs. And if Tupac believes in non-racism, then the people will believe in that too. This is a big difference from him and other rap artists. A lot of others are racist to different people, and the different people then don't like him, don't listen to his music, don't see his movies, and aren't influenced by him. Almost all races listen to Tupac's music. I've known Mexican, White, Black, Asian, Indian, and even Pakistani people who listened to his music and are influenced and are moved by him. I've even saw a show in Singapore about music here and a Singaporean kid said he listens to Tupac. Tupac has a lot of self-values that he follows. He even said it's hard sometimes, but he keeps it up. He said "To me it's really troubling because I look over what's successful - Marky Mark, Hammer, Vanilla Ice, New Kids on the Block selling twenty-two million copies, and I want that so badly, but I can't do that. I would be wrong to do that, knowing what I know and having the brain that I have, for me to even go and write some simple shit would be wrong even though I would get paid and I would get more people's money." (Patrick, Tony, n.p.) This means that Tupac has a strong will and values. He resisted the temptation to write some easy rhyming words and get peoples money. He instead followed his values and worked up to his potential. He says he also believes in Karma (Bastin, J.D., n.p.). That what comes around

Rewards and Opportunties essays

Rewards and Opportunties essays I think that politicians would want to advocate themselves as well as the society which we live in as mostly middle-class because to a certain extent we are and that is where the votes come in. Also it is the standard to be middle-class because it is comfortable and therefore it should seem ideal as if no one should complain. Though it seems as if Mantsios is giving us a lot of data and observations, through this information we see that he clearly is bias against the wealthy when he insinuates that they control the money and the power. He says, People are poor because they have no money and no power to acquire money. The wealthy are rich because they have both. He goes on to say that our pride is a false pride and criticizes the system of education in the united states saying that it leaves much to be desired and is far from egalitarian. Throughout the essay he focuses on the inequality in America and uses irony to emphasize it. 2. Mantsios makes an interesting assertion regarding the media. He claims that the media perpetuate stereotypes which have an influence on our society. I believe this is true and further that the influences are not only substantial but extremely significant. The media (like wealthy individuals) determined how they tell the story of the life we are living today. This gives them control. It is obvious that the media have an influence on us and our beliefs. So, as Mantsios claims, television is such a huge network in the united stated and essentially presents a view and an accurate one at that of where everyone is in terms of class. It also stereotypes categories as to middle class, and minorities. It classifies different American families and indirectly encourages Americans to try and place themselves within specific categories. So in a sense I think that the media is hurting the problem which affects America. The decreasing middle-class size. ...

hitler and germany essays

hitler and germany essays Adolf Hitler, one of the 20th century's most powerful dictators, was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary. He first became interested in politics after witnessing a large protest by German workers. Finding the outbreak of World War I as an opportunity to show his loyalty to Germany, Hitler volunteered for the Imperial Army. Later faced with fierce resistance from the British and French armies and an economy in ruins, German generals requested armistice negotiations with the Allies in November 1918. Hitler and the German soldiers found it impossible to swallow defeat (History Place). Because he believed that the Jews betrayal caused their defeat, Hitler acquired a hatred for socialism and came to equate it with the Jews. He held that the superior Aryan race would be the final victor and would rule the world, but to win this struggle, Germany would have to be ruled by a dictator and would have to have hatred for all other inferior races, especially the Jews. It wa s then that his extreme dislike for the Jews developed (Encarta). After the war in March 1918, Hitler was employed by a Munich army to keep tabs on the racist German Workers Party, later changing its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). After speaking at a meeting held by this organization he amazed the crowd with his speech in outlining the political platform of the organizations Twenty Five Points, which included the union of all Germans, the exclusion of citizenship of anyone other than a German, and a strong central government, thus gaining recognition as a prominent leader. Hitler seized the moment and announced he would return on the condition that he was made chairman and given dictatorial powers. Hitler and the Nazis created a plot in which they would kidnap the leaders of the Bavarian government forcing them at gunpoint to accept him as thei ...

Critically review one concept or practice that has been applied in one Essay

Critically review one concept or practice that has been applied in one aspect of tourism management ( - Essay Example To ensure the survival of travel agents, technology must become a significant tool featured in the forthcoming business strategy ascertaining their competitiveness. Therefore, technology is a threat, while at the same time, an opportunity since it is necessary for travel agencies in readjusting to the latest realities. As a result, re-intermediation through the Internet, along with Interactive Digital Television, brings about the potential opportunities for innovative participants who utilize the up and coming tools. Therefore, after reading the two journals on the argument for and against disintermediation of the distribution channel in tourism, this article examines the leading Internet trends regarding the travel industry (Josà ©, Salastiano & Josà © 2008, p.79). Furthermore, it puts into consideration strategies applicable by travel agents in ensuring their future survival. For a long time now, tourism and technology have proved to be a couple that is highly compatible. The character of service distribution spins around the concept of intangibility, as well as perishability, thus, the manner whereby communication of information happens to be extremely beneficial. In the past, in the tourism sector, this task has vastly been assumed by the travel agent operating as the brokers of information between services’ supplier and consumers. Therefore, travel agent was the early beneficiary of advancements in technology like the CRS and GDS. In the recent past, advancements in Internet distribution and particularly e-commerce, are threatening to assume the responsibility of these systems. The function of the travel agent was acting as a go between, as well as retailer, whereby they were selling travel services for a commission on behalf of principals. They also had an enormous function as advisers for consumers, as well as providers of

Reagan's Economic Policies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reagan's Economic Policies - Term Paper Example Besides, presidential policies are sometimes informed by the desire to discover new idea or to carry on the legacy of the American founders.1 Policies by respective presidential candidates greatly determine if they will win the elections or not; in other words, the electorates vote for a particular candidate based on the belief that his policies will propel America to greater heights of prosperity, as well as promoting national and international safety and security. Throughout the American history, the persons who have graced presidency have had various policies that have had positive and negative impacts to the country. It is well-known fact that these policies have been entrenched in the country’s history and defines each presidency that has existed. This paper will consider the President Ronald Reagan’s policies and actions concerning economic policies and his policies on the air traffic strike in particular. President Ronald Reagan was in office between 1981 and 198 9. He took office in 1981 in the wake of the worst recession since the Great Depression and he was determined to turn around America’s economic fortune. This desire was evident in his inaugural address where he articulated his intention to make the government work. In the address he said â€Å"In the days ahead, I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity.†2 His economic policies became so endeared within the broader America’s economic policies; these policies actually earned the tag of â€Å"Reaganomics.† These policies were aimed at attempting to change the United States economic policy’s course. The economic policies were contained under the Reagan’s Program for Economic Recovery of 1981 which had four main policy objectives: to reduce the government spending growth; to reduce regulation; to reduce inflation through the control of the growth of the money supply; and to reduce the marginal t ax rates on income from capital and labor. These policy objectives were expected to increase investment and saving, balance the budget, reduce interest rates and inflation, restore healthy financial markets, and increasing economic growth.3 It is imperative to understand the historical context that informed Reagan’s economic policy. This historical context not is critical in understanding what exactly was motivating President Reagan towards pushing for his economic policies. As it will be seen from the historical context, Reagan was consciously working within the Constitutional provisions and he was seeking to advance a particular great cause which was to rejuvenate America’s economy. Prior to the administration of President Reagan, the economy of the United States had experienced a decade of increasing inflation and unemployment which was popularly known as â€Å"stagflation.† His immediate predecessors had favoured stimulus that were resulting to money supply expansion. Reagan’s approach to stagflation that was facing the United States was to depart from his the approach used by his immediate predecessors.4 Reagan intended to reduce the growth of government. His policies was based on the supply side economics theory which states that tax cuts encourages expansion of the economy to eventually widen the tax base. To achieve this, he stated his intention of increasing defense spending while at the same time reducing taxes. He enacted lower rates of marginal tax in

Comparison of Associate Degree and Bsn Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Associate Degree and Bsn Essay There are three pathways to become a Registered Nurse (RN) the first is a diploma nurse which consist of one to three years training in a hospital these nurses are strongest clinically since the training is usually hospital based. The other two choices are the Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) and the Baccalaureate Degree Nurse (BSN) all of these graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensing exam. This paper will discuss the differences in the competency levels between the ADN and BSN. The Associate Degree Nursing program provides an efficient, economical pathway to becoming a registered nurse. Graduates are competent in clinical and proficient in technical skills required to practice safely in multiple settings and to fully assume the RN role. Associate Degree Programs began in 1952 at Fairleigh Dickinson University. This type of nurse is usually educated at community colleges and completes training in twenty to twenty-four months after pre-requisites are met. The facts would suggest that ADN has less theory and more clinical training and according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing-Fact Sheet â€Å"Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce† is less likely to notice a critical change in patient condition. The BSN completes their four years of education at the University level training is more focused on patient outcomes and nursing theories. Receiving more theoretical training they are better prepared for management. Also multiple studies show that due to their assessing, critical thinking,communication, leadership, case management, health promotion and their ability to practice across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings the BSN trained RN has a lower mortality rate and better survival rates for patient resuscitation. (AACN Fact Sheet 2011) At the University of Pennsylvania it was found that surgical patients in Magnet hospitals had 14% lower odds of patient death, 12% lower failure-to-rescue rates when compared with non-Magnet hospitals. This improved outcome was attributed to the higher proportion of baccalaureate prepared nurses on staff. The Journal of Nursing Scholarship published an article in January 2011, researchers found that nurses with baccalaureate education levels had an impact on lowering patient mortality and failure-to-rescue rates. (AACN, 2012) To date it is not sure why advance training improves patient safety and saves lives RNs report a transformative experience when returning for their Baccalaureate degree with changed perspectives about nursing practice and finally seeing the big picture. Post BSN RNs noticed changes in the way they practiced nursing and in knowledge and professionalism they also reported becoming better patient advocates RNs reported noticing subtle changes in their perceptions which included changes in thinking, reasoning and questioning skills. (Whats all the Fuss; http://www. nsna. org/careercenter/fuss. aspx). Having a BSN opens more employment opportunities in 2005 the Department of Veteran’s Affairs began requiring all new hires to possess at least a BSN degree. (AACN 2013). And soon many more hospitals will be requiring the BSN degree. In time we may even see the passing of the ADN. As one of the most dynamic professions nursing requires us to keep our educational knowledge current and progressive to continually meet the ever changing needs of patients to provide excellent care. In 2007 the American Association of Colleges of Nursing based on the Institute of Medicines (IOM) report, â€Å" To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System†, found that most errors were due to system and process problems and felt that BSN and higher educated nurses were better prepared to find solutions because of the curriculum emphasis on leadership and management. (AACN, 2007) The BSN prepared RN has the educational knowledge to excel in leadership and management, wellness and community nursing. The need for higher education is required as the nurse role increasingly becomes more autonomous and as society depends more on the RN to complement the Physician shortage our nation is facing. The baccalaureate degree also leads to higher level graduate degree programs, which greatly benefits the health system. Overall in my opinion each type of nursing degree diploma, ADN or BSN contributes in its own way to the workforce environment. By bringing different aspects of nursing, they all provide quality patient care and become leaders in the workplace. Yet, ADN programs offer an affordable means to access the nursing profession and  offer the nation its largest population of RN’s. For those with adult responsibilities it gives one of the most flexible ways to earn their degree by use of LVN to ADN to BSN ladder of education. References: 1. (2011). Conceptual foundations: the bridge to professional nursing practice . (5 ed. ). Pageburst. 2. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/EdImpact. pdf Fact Sheet: The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice 3. Fulcher, R. , Mullin, C. M. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. aacc. nche. edu/Publications/Briefs/Documents/2011-02PBL_DataDrivenNurses. pdf 4. AACN. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/publications/position/bacc-degree-prep The Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing as Minimal Preparation for Professional Practice 5. Orsolini-Hain, L. (n. d. )Retrieved from http://www. nsna. org/CareerCenter/Fuss. aspx What’s all the Fuss? Working Towards a Baccalaureate or Graduate Degree in Nursing 6. Robert, R. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-fact-sheet 7. Rosseter, R. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce.