Cultural Differences between United States and Italy Essay Example for Free

Cultural Differences between United States and Italy Essay All societies provide for certain broad areas of social living. Wissler (2000:99) identified these as universal patterns of culture, such as speech, material traits, art, mythology and scientific knowledge, religious practice, family and social systems, property, government, and war. Even within these broad areas of social living are a number of common elements. Moreover, cultures between countries differ because of the great variety of solutions people in different societies evolve in solving life problems. Amongst the important factors which give rise to cultural differences are the kind of environment within which the society lives, the human and natural resources available within this environment, the extent and intensity of exposure the society has to other people from which they can borrow ideas, and their cultural heritage. This paper intent to figure out the differences between the United States of America and Italy in terms of history, languages, Ethnical diversity, culture, superstitions and religions. II. Discussion A. United States of America The United States developed and grew from 13 English colonies on the Atlantic coast into an independent republic that eventually extended to the Pacific, with Alaska and Hawaii among its states. Although the original 13 colonies were British, several other nations took part in the discovery, exploration and settlement of the territory that became the United States. Both France and Spain once controlled more of North America than did Great Britain. Dutch and Swedish colonies existed temporarily on the Atlantic coast. Thus the beginnings of the United States, like its later development as a nation, involved contributions by people from many lands (see Graff, H. America: the Glorious Republic (2 volumes; Houghton Mifflin, 2001). North America was inhabited by Indians and Eskimos long before the first Europeans arrived. White men came into contact with the Indians from the very beginning, but the Eskimos were not greatly influenced by the white man’s civilization until the 20th century (see Link, A. S. , and others. American Epoch: a History of the United States since 1900, 9th edition (2 volumes: Knopf, 1999). There are various religions existing in the United States such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Unitarian Universalism and Hinduism while others claimed that they don’t have a religion. Amongst the religions mentioned, Christianity has the greatest number as surveyed in 2001. On the other hand, English is the de facto national language of the United States. Spanish language has also been taught as â€Å"non-English second language† (see Boorstin, D. J. and R. F. The Landmark History of the American People, revised edition (2 volumes; Random House, 1999). B. Italy Italy is a country in the southern Europe. Jutting southward from the Alps into the Mediterranean Sea, Italy consists mainly of a slender boot-shaped peninsula and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Ital is bordered by France, Switzerland, Austria, and Yugoslavia, and the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian, and Ligurian seas. It completely encircles two tiny, independent states: San Marino, east of Florence, and Vatican City, in Rome. The name Italy was first used by the Greeks for the southern tip of the peninsula, where they established colonies as early as the eighth century B. C. Gradually, as the peninsula came under Roman rule, the name was applied to everything south of the Alps (see Coppa, F. J. , editor. Dictionary of Modern Italian History (Greenwood Press, 2000). Italy has contributed greatly to western civilization. For hundreds of years it was the center of the far-flung Roman Empire. It was in Italy that Christianity first flourished in Europe and became powerful force. Rome has long been the seat of the papacy and the world center of the Roman Catholic Church. The Renaissance, the period of enlightenment that ended medieval times, began in Italy and during this period Italians contributed greatly to the intellectual and artistic development of the Western world. Italy still preserves much of its noble past in its cities, museums, and ruins, attracting more foreign visitors than any other country in the world (see Guicciardini, Francesco. The History of Italy (Princeton University, 1999). The Italians, an Indo-European people, were settled in theItalian peninsula by 1000 B. C. In the eighth century B. C. the Etruscans (or Tyrrhenians), who came probably from Asia Minor, founded Etruria on the west. To the south was Latium, established by the Latins, an Italian tribe, with Rome as its strongest city. Farther south were Greek colonies (see Guicciardini, Francesco. The History of Italy (Princeton University, 1999). By the middle of the sixth century B. C. the Etruscans dominated central Italy, including Rome. Greeks and Romans cooperated in driving back the Etruscans. Raids by Gauls, who had crossed the Alps and settled in the Po Valley, helped weaken Etruria, and it rapidly declined (see Coppa, F. J. , editor. Dictionary of Modern Italian History (Greenwood Press, 2000). In the fourth century B. C. the Greeks made several attempts to conquer the Italians, but in the third century the Greek colonies fell to Rome. From that time until the collapse of the Roman Empire, the history of Italy coincides with the history of Rome (see Coppa, F. J. , editor. Dictionary of Modern Italian History (Greenwood Press, 2000). III. Conclusion United States and Italy has many differences in terms of culture and history. However, these two countries were able to experienced invasion from other countries that tried to colonize them. References: 1. Coppa, F. J. , editor. Dictionary of Modern Italian History (Greenwood Press, 2000). 2. Guicciardini, Francesco. The History of Italy (Princeton University, 1999. 3. Graff, H. America: the Glorious Republic (2 volumes; Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 4. Link, A. S. , and others. American Epoch: a History of the United States since 1900, 9th edition (2 volumes: Knopf, 1999. 5. Boorstin, D. J. and R. F. The Landmark History of the American People, revised edition (2 volumes; Random House, 1999.

John Knowles A Separate Peace and Struggle for Power :: Knowles Separate Peace Power Essays

John Knowles' "A Separate Peace" and Struggle for Power John Knowles' A Separate Peace depicts many examples of how power is used. In A Separate Peace, two opposing characters struggle for their own separate might. Gene Forrester, the reserved narrator, is weakened by his struggle for power. While, Phineas was inspired by his own power within. The novel conveys how peace can weaken or inspire during a mental war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phineas, a natural rebel, is known as the best athlete in school. For example, he and three others come to look at a tree, which is considered among the Upper Middler students at Devon an impossibility. Phineas demonstrates his supreme power by stating that the tree is, indeed, a "cinch" (p. 6). No Upper Middler had dared to do the unthinkable, vaulting off a tree to land in a shallow river. Phineas is the first to do this. This single statement tells us much about him. He doesn't mind taking risks, enjoys intimidating others, and over exaggerates. It tells that he is very strong and powerful to be able to do what others can not do. The denotation of power is "the capability of achieving something." Not only is Phineas achieving something from jumping off this tree, he is achieving power by gaining the respect of fellow classmates. Phineas' spontaneity inspires many others to be like himself and jump off the tree. Another example of Phineas' power is his character establishing scene of disrespect to the school by wearing his pink shirt and the Devon School tie as his belt. We here, again, see him as the spontaneous individual who "can get away with anything" (p.18). Phineas' nature inspired Mr. Patch-Withers, a teacher at Devon. Phineas has an eloquence about himself, allowing him to get by with so much. Phineas "might have rather enjoyed the punishment if it was done in some kind of novel and known way" (p.20). Even with negative actions, Phineas can enjoy a situation if it presents something new and different. It is this spontaneous and contradictory nature which Gene cannot understand and which ultimately contributes to his attempting to destroy Phineas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gene Forrester, after being gone for fifteen years, returns to the Devon School to recollect his past memories of the summer session when he was sixteen years old. As stated before, Phineas was considered the best athlete in school, but Gene tried to compensate by being the best student in school. Gene's continuous competition with Phineas weakened his personality, hence causing Gene's rebellion on Phineas. Gene begins to think that his purpose is "to become part of Phineas" (p.

Electronic Health Record Essay

Computer technology continues to make rapid advances in healthcare facilities. Many healthcare facilities have used computer programs for administrative functions such as payroll and billing. Electronic health record (EHR) systems have the potential to transform the health care system from a mostly paper-based industry to one that utilizes clinical and other pieces of information to assist providers in delivering higher quality of care to their patients. EHR (Electronic Health Record) is an information sharing system for both patients and doctors. Electronic Health Record or EMR is a computerized medical record of a patient in a digital form. It provides the opportunity for healthcare organizations to improve quality of care and patient safety. â€Å"The greatest challenge in the new world of integrated healthcare delivery is to provide comprehensive, reliable, relevant, accessible, and timely patient information to each member of the healthcare team whether in primary or secondary care and whether a doctor, nurse, allied health professional, or patient/consume† (Schloeffel et al. 2). EHRs are a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. Included in this information are patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports†. Some of the basic benefits associated with EHRs include being able to easily access computerized records and the elimination of poor penmanship, which has historically plagued the handwritten medical chart. This technology can offer a more consistent method for open communication among physicians, nurses, labs and other clinical staff without relying on handwritten notes stored in a single-location, electronic health records can help with the time it takes to treat someone. Researchers have examined the benefits of EHRs by considering clinical, organizational, and societal outcomes. Clinical outcomes include improvements in the quality of care, a reduction in medical errors, and other improvements in patient-level measures that describe the appropriateness of care. Organizational outcomes, on the other hand, have included such items as financial and operational performance, as well as satisfaction among patients and clinicians who use EHRs. Lastly, societal outcomes include being better able to conduct research and achieving improved population health. Patient information can be accessed from multiple locations with password-protected security, and doctors’ orders can be queued in sequence to match the importance of the procedure to patient care. Electronic medical records contain a vast array of information that can be analyzed and monitored in digital form much more readily than paper records. Health care facility officials review the records regularly for compliance with all regulations and medical protocols, to monitor trends in resource usage and patient care patterns and to look for ways to improve patient care throughout the facility. People should be able to get better quality of care due to the amount of information on hand from every available and viable medical source. Give faster and more efficient diagnosis and treatments for patients. More convenient data trail; paperwork can often go uncompleted but electronically stored is faster and easier therefore it gets done effectively. When medical audits take place all information is readily available making workflow and procedures faster and smoother. The overall benefits that the electronic medical records provides doctors and patients worldwide. The system can Reduce and/ or eliminate the use of paper it can also allows all practitioners to see and update relevant patient data, reduces errors in transcription of paper records from one department to another and should speed the delivery of patient services. EMR technology can make storing and sharing information easier and more efficient not to mention convenient, it should help lessen and/or avoid duplication of testing, prescribing medicines that in combination might be dangerous or seems not to help, and the ability for anyone on the medical team to understand the approaches taken to a condition. Despite the growing literature on benefits of various EHR functionalities, some opponents have identified potential disadvantages associated with this technology. These include financial issues, changes in workflow, temporary loss of productivity associated with EHR adoption, privacy and security concerns, and several unintended consequences. Financial issues, including adoption and implementation costs, ongoing maintenance costs, loss of revenue associated with temporary loss of productivity, and declines in revenue, present a disincentive for hospitals and physicians to adopt and implement an EHR. EHR adoption and implementation costs include purchasing and installing hardware and software, converting paper charts to electronic ones, and training end-users. Training people to learn and use the new system and understand the capabilities of this technology. Making sure that the technology is integrated with widely used systems and computer software with ease. The maintenance cost of an EHR can also be costly. Hardware must be replaced and software must be upgraded on a regular basis. In addition, providers must have ongoing training and support for the end-users of an HER. There are some security matters, which include keeping the information safe from hackers. Privacy and confidentiality of records, such as who should and/or could have access to the important data. The risk of patient privacy violations, which is an increasing concern for patients due to the increasing amount of health information exchanged electronically. To relieve some of these concerns, policymakers have taken measures to ensure safety and privacy of patient data. For example, recent legislation has imposed regulations specifically relating to the electronic exchange of health information that strengthen existing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security policies. In this paper we discussed several advantages and disadvantages associated with an EHR adoption. Many of the benefits accrue to patients and society overall. Providers and other users are also expected to face technological and logistical obstacles on their quest to achieve meaningful use of EHRs. Electronic Medical Record provides easy access and improves quality of care and patient safety. We have the advantages and disadvantages to both paper medical record and electronic medical record. Healthcare providers must first obtain information and carefully review the positive and negative aspects of it. Through this technology today, EMR can transform healthcare delivery in the United States and worldwide. Nationwide implementation of EHRs is a necessary, although not sufficient, part in transforming the US health care system for the better. EHR adoption must be considered one of many approaches that diversify our focus on quality improvement and cost reduction. Works Cited Menachemi, N. , & Collum, T. Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC3270933/ Schloeffel, Peter, et al. â€Å"Background and Overview of the Good Electronic Health Record. † May 2001. Retrieved from http://www. gehr. org/Documents/BackgroundOverview_of_GEHR. htm

The Ethics Of Adult Literacy - 1303 Words

In remaking the website BMTInfoNet there was a need to make sure to explain medical terms and procedures in layman’s words and then have a hyperlink that would lead the reader to a more complex explanation of the medical procedure if they desired (e.g., port implant, bone marrow aspiration). Communication to the reader needed to be clear and understandable as the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) found that† only 12% of consumers have proficient health literacy skills† (CDC, 2010). BMTinfonet set a goal of improving their website readability. Research suggests that Serif, Verdana and Ariel are the preferred font for readers with plenty of white space between words. The preferred font size is 12 with heading 2-4 points higher†¦show more content†¦As the site content was developed it was apparent that age appropriate information was needed for the child receiving the transplant regarding their diagnosis and treatment. Information was also neede d for the siblings of a transplant recipient. Previously, the website gave an in-depth detailed description of adult transplant preparation, but did not give explanations for pediatric patients. Grouping children into age categories (preschool, children ages 6-12, and teenagers) enabled the information regarding transplant basics and preparation to be tailored to a child’s specific developmental level. Creating age groups made the information more concise, and clearly told the parent of a child getting a transplant what actions to take (CDC, 2010). Creating Age Group Categories Research reveals that parents know their child best and it is important to base the level of information regarding the transplant to their developmental level and personality (cancer.gov, 2015). Age group categories were created for BMTInfoNet to make it easier for adults to explain to their children about what a transplant is. Children were divided into Toddlers (12 months to 3 years, Preschool age children (3-5 years old), Children ages 6-12, and teenagers. With the