Communication Paper Essay

I would like to take this beat in welcoming you to this presentation on communication marketing in health c be. We leave first be identifying unalike and most common communication used by consumers and health care providers, such(prenominal)(prenominal) as e-mail, a web-based forum, and/or electronic medical checkup records just to name a few. We will in like manner be discussing the benefits to the patients, an aspect relating to the values and importance of maintaining patient confidentiality when using these types of communication, some reasons that these types of communications are an effective way of communicating between consumers and their providers, how these types of communications may differ from others, and lastly, how might media and social networking change communication in health care at present and years to come. Now, join with me as we discuss the different types and most common communication used by consumers and their health care providers.Many communication bring are used in healthcare, each with different properties. These channels may be synchronous or asynchronous, mobile or fixed, secure or no secure. Because of this, participants must decide which channel best suits the issue about which they need to die. Synchronous channels such as telephones and face-to-face meetings eachow both parties to communicate at the same time, enabling information to flow freely in real time. Synchronous channels are ideal when discussing time- medium issues and exchanging dense information. It is non always convenient, however, for a patient and physician to schedule time to communicate using synchronous channels because they can lead to delayed care, telephone tag, and thwartingwhen these channels fail to connect, some healthcare issues remain unaddressed. Yet, generally only pagers and synchronous communications are available for patient-physiciancommunication.Asynchronous channels such as email, fax, and blogs enable each party to communicate w hen it is convenient. These channels may be used safely for issues that are no urgent or time-sensitive. Because time is non a factor when using asynchronous channels, both patient and clinician can be more reflective in their messaging. Asynchronous channels, however, should not be used for medical emergencies or time-sensitive issues. Another characteristic of communication channels is whether they are fixed (connected to a wire) or mobile. Thanks to advances in technology, galore(postnominal) communication channels that were once fixed are now wireless, such as telephones and text messaging. Presenting new technologies is challenging when dealing with an industry entrenched in using the same telephone, fax, and pager systems for decades. Many problems in healthcare stem from the industry clinging to these outdated methods of communication, without understanding the benefits brought about by newer solutions. For example, electronic pagers, which have been chuck out by most indu stries, are still the core device for hospital communications.While physicians extensively use a mobile core phone exterior the hospital, these phones are often banned from being used inside, despite evidence that in most areas of the hospital this technology is safe. Email is often discouraged for clinical communication for security reasons, and more advanced technologies such as instant messaging, videoconferencing, group teleconferencing, or web-based collaboration are almost unheard of in clinical caredespite evidence that proves the effectiveness and safety of these technologies in healthcare. While physicians have found newer tools such as email useful, they are typically used only in limited situations and not commonly employed to communicate with patients.The reasons for physicians reluctance to use e-communication with patients include concerns about mal expend litigation, fears of being barraged with emails, and the absence of a model that reimburses them for consulting with patients electronically. Communication in healthcare fails for some reasons necessary personnel cannot be identified or located they may not be available or may not respond in a timely manner or the communication channel of choice may not be well suited to the task at hand for example, e-communication such asemail should not be used for time-sensitive issues such as a patient having a heart attack, or in situations that require a dense exchange of information. Pagers, for instance, are more appropriate for time-sensitive issues, while telephones, in-person or videoconferencing meetings, or web-based collaboration tools are more efficient options for exchanging dense information, such as detailed courtship reports. Because case reports require much discussion among physicians, using email only slows down the discussion process.With the ability to reduce costs, telemedicine has been shown to be such an effective medical practice in several instances that its growth and applicat ion in the health care industry have raised greatly. One of the reasons for patient satisfaction with telemedicine is a step-down in waiting time, travel time, and the time convolute in arranging appointments. The absence of all these issues can facilitate health communication by eliminating many of the burdens involving in standard health care.There also some challenges to the patient privacy with web-based communication just as in a facility. Because multiple individuals in telemedicine communication, exposure of confidential records to all parties concerned becomes a threat to the privacy of the patient. Additionally, even through medical doctors accept the obligation of maintaining their patients privacy rights, the other assisting parties involved in the telemedicine communication may not be held to the same standards (Turner, 2003).As a result of this risk to patients privacy rights, telemedicine has struggled to gain acceptance for the legal and medical communities (Sanders & Bashshur, 1995). However, again, as time progresses and this issue tackled by the medical and legal communities alike, solutions should be found to eliminate privacy risks to patients. Furthermore, these solutions should generate increased acceptance of telemedicine practices by all parties concerned and, likewise, should alleviate the fear and frequency of breached to patient privacy laws.In conclusion to the communication marketing in health care, we were able to identify the different types of communication such as e-mails, web-based andmedical records. We were able to point out some benefits and different aspects for the patients values and the importance in maintaining the patients confidentiality and the risks of safety in these types of communications. We were also able to understand the reasons as to how these types of communications are effective between the consumers and their providers and how they differ from other forms of communications as well. Thank you for your t ime and efforts in victorious the time to better understand the communication through telemedicine present and future.Referenceshttp//www.uapd.com/wp-content/uploads/Telemedicine-Its-Effects-on-Health-Communication.pdf http//www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/docs/wp/Communication_Healthcare_WP_0724FINAL.pdf

US Military Scandal

Weber Miscarried University In todays world a topic that is becoming more commonplace by numerous infamous scandals is that of business ethics. With companies and businesses alike now realizing that their consumers care about how the operations work in the company can affect their sales they are becoming more aware of how to run operations ethic everyy.Although it is every groups goal to run plans ethically there are still many instances in which they fall short of this bar, whether it be beca engross of greedy influences or being unaware of the laws it is a dilemma that must be approached wisely and handle with care. While nearly scandals involve a corporation or business while scanning the Internet I came across one that really caught my attention, a scandal in spite of appearance the US Military about cheating on tests, drug use, and the mishandling of missiles.First news broke about this scandal in early January when the Air Force report its open investigation of unknown exa m cheating and scandals involving multiple officers in charge of our country nuclear forces. This recent scandal is one that was roughs to attention later on the Air Force was investigating a non-related drug scandal at 6 other bases. This should come as a groovy concern to all people living in the US, for these are the generals and officers who are responsible for controlling the 450 nuclear missiles and fate of our country.When further looked into it was found that 34 officers, all high partitioning lieutenants or captains, were somehow involved in this scandal, some who were either caught cheating on the monthly proficiency tests or those that were aware of what was going on and did not report the actions. Along tit these accusations it was make clear by Air Force officials that two of the suspected officers also had relations regarding illegal drug use with an officer from an air base in Wyoming.Being one of the most structured and toughest parts of the defense forces to get into the Air Force is not taking this stake lightly as nuclear launch officers deport no room for error handling such dangerous and destructive weapons. The root of all this delirium is still unknown but there has been one major discharge of a commander from the Base at Minot because it was seen that there as a red ink of confidence in his leadership skills as well as the firing of a commander in charge of training missile crews after a large number of launch officers did poorly on tests.This is not the first scandal that the Air Force has faced after an incident in 2008 where the past(a) secretary of defense Robert M. Gates fired a top general and civilian leader after a crew made a cross-country Journey unaware that 6 missiles on board were armed with nuclear warheads. The major dilemma in all this is these people are supposed to be the ones we as citizens look up to and protect our country et when we read news like this it really hinders our idea of what safety really is.Wi th such difficult guidelines, laws, and requirements it is astound that such a scandal would be present in an area as important as the protection and well being of the United States as a country, but also goes to show that scandals and dilemmas are present in every aspect of this world no matter what the subject at hand. US Defense Secretary Chuck run-in has not taken lightly to this situation as he explained that he is deeply troubled by the crook of military scandals in recent months (Talisman, 2014).In January when becoming fully aware of all the problems inside the Air Force and military as a whole Haggle forced a review of operations which also included the Navy. In shear numbers 30 senior instructors have been accused of sharing service sheets to nuclear qualification tests and 1,200 Navy soldiers, 200 of which were officers, took part in a long-term scheme involving fraudulent recruiting in order to collect roughly $ ascorbic acid million in promised recruiting payments ( Talisman, 2014). Hazels biggest worry is that none of this is by accident and is all a result of unethical behavior by people in ordered.He along with many others believe that this is an issue that should be put on the top of the list and needs close attention and although it only involves a micro number of those in service it is a matter of integrity that he wishes the forces can maintain regardless of those few who disobeyed the law. I felt that this issue was handled greatly and will continue to be throughout the rest of the investigation. Haggle understands the importance of the well being of the country and is not going to let this be something that could be the season for our downfall.Although investigations may take more than a year to complete I trust the decision of the Secretary of Defense as he made if the first problem to be addressed when regarding the military. If this were the situation for a company or business I think that they would have handled it the exact same way, first off be removing those that were involved or believed to be involved in the problem. Second course of action would be getting down to the bottom of the problem and purpose the source, which were ultimately the loosely supervised exams restored by senior leaders and lieutenants.After finding who was to blame for these faults it became evident that those people were to be interviewed immensely for why they took the course of actions they did. A document regarding this even went as far as saying that the group testing was viewed as taking care of each other and easing the nip as the officers felt they needed a perfect score on the exams (Burns, 2014). So in the end I think this is being handled effectively and that it should have been done in no other manner.Although it is evident that this can instill a lot of fear in the eyes of those who live in this great country the military wanted to make it apparent that there was no evidence that the recent problems lead to mishan dling of nuclear weapons or Jeopardized any citizens safety. Following this suit it will be interesting to see how it progresses as the investigation continues with the interviewing of many officers and those involved in the scandal. Being that the scandal involves nuclear weapons I am rummy to see if there will be any new laws or regulations that will be put in place during such vents such as exams and testing.

Heart of Darkness in the Light of Psychoanalytic Theories Essay

Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pi st arered the proficiency of psycho outline. Freud certain a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed kind-hearted psychological science. His theories argon directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious(p) mastermind mind. Through his aggregate case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that to the highest degree of our actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control (Guerin 127). superstar of Freuds most important contributions to the rendering of the nous is his theory of repression the unconscious mind is a alluviation of repressed desires, feelings, memories, wishes and instinctual drives many of which have to do with informal practice and violence. These unconscious wishes, according to Freud, rouse find expression in ambitiousnesss because dreams distort the unconscious material and make it appear different from itself and more acceptable to consciousness. They whitethorn overly appear in new(prenominal) disguised forms, like in language (sometimes c entirelyed the Freudian slips), in creative art and in neurotic behavior. iodin of the unconscious desires Freud believed that all forgiving beings supposedly suppress is the childhood desire to displace the parent of the corresponding sex and to take his or her place in the affections of the parent of the oppo come out sex. This so-called Oedipus Complex, which all children experience as a rite of passage to adult gender identity, lies at the core of Freuds sexual theory (Murfin 114-5). A principal element in Freuds theory is his assignment of the mental processes to three psychic zones the id, the swelled head and the superego.The id is the passional, irrational, and unconscious part of the psyche. It is the site of the energy of the mind, energy that Freud characterized as a combina tion of sexual libido and other instincts, such as aggression, that propel the humans organism done life, moving it to grow, stop and eventually to die. That primary process of life is completely irrational, and it cannot distinguish reasonable objects and unreasonable or socially unacceptable ones. Here comes the secondary processes of the mind, lodged in the ego and the superego.The ego, or I, was Freuds term for the predominantly rational, logical, orderly and conscious part of the psyche it works on repressing and inhibiting the drives of the id so that they whitethorn be released in sane behavioral patterns. And though a large part of the ego is unconscious, it nevertheless includes what we think of as the conscious mind. The superego is a projection of the ego. It is the lesson security review agency the part that makes moral judgments and the repository of conscience and pride.It brings reason, order and social acceptability to the otherwise uncontrolled and potentially harmful realm of biological impulses (Guerin 128-31). Freuds theories have launched what is now cognize as the psychoanalytic approach to literature. Freud was interested in writers, especially those who depended largely on symbols. Such writers tend to tinge their ideas and figures with conundrum or ambiguity that only make sense once interpreted, just as the analyst tries to figure out the dreams and bizarre actions that the unconscious mind of a neurotic releases out of repression.A work of literature is thus finenessed as a fantasy or a dream that Freudian analysis comes to explain the nature of the mind that produced it. The purpose of a work of art is what psychoanalysis has found to be the purpose of the dream the enigma gratification of an infantile and forbidden wish that has been repressed into the unconscious (Wright 765). The literal surface of a work of literature is sometimes called the bare content and treated as manifest dream or dream story. The psychoanalytic literary critic tries to analyze the latent, underlying content of the work, or the dream thought hidden in the dream story. Freud used the terms condensation and displacement to explain the mental processes that result in the disguise of the wishes and fears in dream stories. In condensation, several wishes, anxieties or mortals may be condensed into a single manifestation or image in dream story in displacement, a thought or a person may be displaced onto the image of another with which or whom there is an extremely loose and arbitrary association that only an analyst can decode.Psychoanalytic critics treat metaphors as if they were dream condensations they treat metonyms- figures of speech based on weak connections- as if they were dream displacements. Thus, figures of speech in general are treated as aspects that see the light when the writers conscious mind resists what the unconscious asks it to depict or describe. Psychoanalytic criticism written before 1950 tended to study the psyche of the individualistic author.Poems, cleans and plays were treated as fantasies that allowed authors to release curbed desires, or to protect themselvesfrom deep- rooted fears, or both. Later, psychoanalytic critics stopped assuming that artists are borderline neurotics or that the characters they get and the figurative language they use can be analyzed to figure out the dark, hidden fancies in the authors minds. So they moved their focus toward the psychology of the reader, and came to empathize that artists are skilled creators of works that appeal to the readers repressed wishes.As such, psychoanalytic criticism typically attempts to do at least one of the following tasks study the psychological traits of a writer provide an analysis of the creative process or explore the psychological impacts of literature on its readers (Murfin 115-20). Not all psychoanalytic critics, however, are Freudian. Many of them are persuaded by the writings of Carl Gustav Jung whose ana lytical psychology is different from Freuds psychoanalysis.Jung had broken with Freuds emphasis on libidinal drives and had developed a theory of the collective unconscious although, like Freud, he believed in a iconl unconscious as a repository of repressed feelings (Wright 767). The processes of the unconscious psyche, according to Jung, produce images, symbols and myths that belong to the large human culture. He refers to the manifestations of the myth-forming elements as motifs, primordial images, or archetypes. Jung indicated further that the dreams, myths and art all serve as media with which archetypes start out accessible to the consciousness.One major contribution is Jungs theory of individuation which is the process of discovering those aspects of ones self that make one an individual different from other people. It is, according to Jung, an absolutely prerequisite process if one is to become a balanced individual he detected an intimate relationship betwixt neuros is and the persons failure to accept some archetypal features of his unconscious. Individuation is related to three archetypes designated as shadow, persona and anima. These are geomorphologic components that human beings have inherited.We encounter their symbolic projections throughout the myths and literatures of humankind. The shadow is the darker side of our unconscious self, the inferior and less pleasing aspects of the temper. The anima is the soul-image the source of a mans life force. Jung gives it a feminine designation in the mans psyche it is the contra-sexual part that a man carries in his individualized and collective unconscious.The persona is the opposite of the anima it is our social personality and the mediatorbetween our ego and the external world. A balanced man has a flexible persona that is in symmetry with the other components of his psychic makeup (Guerin 178-83). Through the lenses of Jungian psychoanalysis, the literary text is no longer seen as a site wh ere the quelled impulses get through in disguise. Instead, Jung maintains that both the individual in dreams and the artist at work will produce archetypal images to compensate for any psychic impoverishment in man and society. He untangles texts of literature by a method he calls ?amplification the images of the collective unconscious are derived from those of the personal (Wright 767). Despite its monotonous rehearsing of a number of themes, psychoanalytic theory has led to a better regarding of the complexities of the relation between the human being and the artistic creativity. bosom of tincture in the light of Psychoanalytic theories. Heart of Darkness explores something truer, more fundamental, and distinctly less material than just a personal narrative. It is a night journey into the unconscious, and a confrontation of an entity within the self.Certain circumstances of Marlows voyage, looked at in these terms, take on a new importance. The true night journey can occur only in sleep or in a walking dream of a profoundly intuitive mind. Marlow insists on the dreamlike choice of his narrative. It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream making a vein attempt, because no relation of a dream can bewilder the dream-sensation (Conrad 38). Even before leaving Brussels, Marlow felt as though he was about to peck off for center of the earth, not the center of a unadulterated (16).The introspective voyager leaves his familiar rational world, is cut off from the comprehension of his contacts, his steamer toils along slowly on the edge of a somber and incomprehensible hysteria (52). As the crisis approaches, the dreamer and his ship moves through a silence that seemed unnatural, like a state of trance then enter a deep hide (57). The novel penetrates to those areas of vileness and dream indeed nightmare ? with which Conrad tried to define the substance of the world. It asks questions, destabilizes orthodox assumptions, and sketches an outlastential ly absurd experience.It involves us in dramatic, crucially difficult moral decisions which parallel those of the two central characters, Marlow and Kurtz. Although it was a coincidence that Freud and Conrad were contemporaries, coincidence is reduced when we perceive the extraordinary parallelism of their achievements (Karl 785). At the time when Conrad was developing his concepts about the congo and political, personal and universal involvement in a nightmarish existence, Freud was fermenting his theories on dreams and the unconscious.Conrads novel appeared in 1900, only months before Freuds obligate Interpretation of Dreams which formed the manifesto of the psychoanalytic assumptions. Both Conrad and Freud were pioneers in their emphasis over the irrational aspects of mans behavioral conduct which questioned the traditional analyses. Conrad insightfully distressed the irrationality of politics and its nightmarish character which rests on the neurotic symptoms of the leader, as well as on the collective neurosis of the masses.He also believed in a human behavior that answers the call of inner desires, while justifying itself with accuracy. Both he and Freud dived into the nighttime the darkness enters the human soul when his conscience sleeps or when he is free to yield to the unconscious desires and needs, whether through dreams, as Freud argues, or in actuality through the character of Kurtz and his likes. Dreams become the wish-fulfillments of the masked self. This applies to Marlow the very qualities in Kurtz that horrify him are those he finds hidden in himself.Kurtzs insatiable, Nietzchean fascination with power mirrors Marlows as well. Kurtzs ruthless career is every mans wish-fulfillment (Karl 785-6). In the novel, Conrad draws an image of Africa as the other world, the antithesis of a civilized Europe, a site where mans accumulated years of education and sophistication are confronted by a striking savagery. The story opens on the River Thames, ca lm and peaceful. It then moves to the very opposite of the Thames, and takes place on the River Congo.However, Its not the flagrant difference between the two that perplexes Conrad but the underlying allusion of intimate relationship, of common ancestry, since the Thames was itself a dark place, but one that has managed to civilize, to enlighten itself and the world, and is now living in the light. The peaceful Thames, however, runs the frightening risk of being stirred by its encounter with its primordial relative, the Congo it would witness the reprehension of its own forsaken darkness and would hear the sounds that echo its remote gamey history.The Thames would fall victim to the ghastly reminiscences of the irrational frenzy of the primitive times (Achebe 262-3). It would be very helpful to quote one of the most interesting and most revealing passages in Heart of Darkness when representatives of Europe in a steamer going down the Congo encounter the denizens of Africa We were wanderers on a prehistorical earth. ? We glided past like phantoms, wondering and secretly appalled, as sane men would be before an enthusiastic out fluke in a madhouse. ? They howled and leaped, and spun, and made repulsive faces but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity ?like yours ? the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar.Ugly. ? but if you were man enough you would undertake that there was in you just the faintest trace of response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you ? you so remote from the night of first ages ? could comprehend (51-2). Here in lies the meaning of Heart of Darkness that takes us on a journey into the unconscious world of the human beings through the psychoanalytic features inherent in the novels dream story. Marlow, a man of discipline and justice, was expecting such values to exist elsewhere. They became a kind of psychological expectations. His great revelation takes place when he discovers that not all men share his belief in an orderly, fundamentally mature society. His journey from Brussels to the Congo is full of elements of the absurd, elements that tactual sensation at a world that is suddenly irrational and out of focus. In the Congo, the jungle is surrounded by a dangerous feminine aura the long river is described in treacherous, serpentine terms everything about the nature conveys a sense of a mystifying and terrifying reality (Karl 786).Marlow is fascinated by the jungle woman Kurtzs savage mistress and her demanding display of sex, by her provocative measured walk. He is also drawn by her surprising sense of reality and her full acceptance of Kurtz with all the savagery he embodies. Her image contradicts with his ideal of womanhood he had known all his life the girl back in Brussels, his aunt, the naive woman who believed in the Europeans grand mission in Africa. Marlow tries to resist the seductive asp ect of the nature, such(prenominal) as he shies away from the attraction of power.Sex lies heavily on the story, although Marlow never directly talks about it. The temptation is clear in his fears, in the jungle that conceals the terrors and the calls for orgiastic, uncontrollable sex. In the novel, Kurtz represents Europe maneuvering for power, searching for advantages he chose the route of ivory looting. His unquenchable hunger for possession is overwhelming. In Africa, he is free of all human barriers civilized taboos are down. He is able to gratify all his forbidden desires and dwells on ultimate corruption, debarred of all restraints.This lies at the heart of Marlows secret attraction to Kurtz the latters will to brutal, superhuman power. Kurtz has risen above the masses ? of natives, station managers, even of directors back in Brussels. He must dwell to assert himself, a megalomaniac in search of further power. Marlow has never met anyone like him, ? (Karl 787). One telling part in the novel comes with Kurtzs death and his doubly scream The horror The horror (Conrad 105). Marlow, out of his deep fascination with Kurtz and his need to believe in a good human nature, attributes a Christian reading to these terminology.He understands the shriek as a moral victory at the time of his death, Kurtz has reviewed his life and the corrupt part of him has repented. Its arguable, though, that Kurtzs cry dexterity be one of anguish and despair, because he has to die with his work incomplete. In other words, he laments a fate which frustrates his plans. However, Marlow has explained the horror of this experience in human terms necessary to guarantee the flow of life. He protects the lie of Kurtzs existence in order to preserve his own illusions (Karl 788-9).Hence, we notice that Marlow, throughout his journey, has concealed from himself the reality of his own as well as others needs. The jungle is the mask that bars the light of sun and sky. The landscape beco mes the repository of our anxieties and the vast protective camouflage that hides our inner fears. It bars the light of our conscience and rational capacities and becomes part of the psychological as well as physical landscape (Karl 788). It runs parallel to our unconscious mind where our repressed desires are hidden.The prehistoric earth, that is still untouched by the hands of civilization, is but our rudimentary soul, in its raw, savage nature, unrefined and free of the conscious disguises. The lurking hint of kinship that the Europeans have felt at their encounter with the Africans is but a hint of deep connection existing between the rational and the irrational, the conscious and the unconscious. The black and incomprehensible frenzy of the strange bodies is a reminder of the uncontrollable libido.This wild and passionate uproar is ugly because the wilderness and passion that nurture our disguised depths are a mass of animalistic drives, and our id that hosts all unfulfilled w ishes carries the wildest of motivations. Yet, one cannot but heed the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise for one cannot fully resist the temptation to gratify his impulses and instinctual needs. In Freudian terms, our superego sometimes fails to have full control over its antithesis, the id. The boundaries that separate the unconscious from the conscious are blurred.This terrible frenzy holds a meaning that, even the man who is so remote from the night of first ages ? could comprehend the refined man is able to understand the noise because it communicates with an inherent ? although masked ? part of his soul. Thus, Africa has become a topology of the mind ? its location, its shape, its cultures, its textures, its rhythms, it hues, its wildness ? all calling forth something lost in the psychology of the white European. The darkness of the African continent, of its instinctual, shadowed, primeval underworld establishes a revealing context for an exam ination of the Jungian concepts in the novel.Marlows journey, in Jungian terms, becomes a journey of individuation a salvation realized through bringing the unconscious urges to consciousness ? a journey which can be line of credited to that of his diabolic double, Kurtz, who undergoes a psychological disintegration into his savage self and slips into The horror The horror The shadow in Heart of Darkness is thus personified by Kurtz. Richard Hughs argues that Kurtzs last words sum up the Jungian insight that from the same root that produces wild, untamed, blind instinct there grow up the natural laws and cultural forms that tame and break its pristine power.But when the animal in us is split off from consciousness by being repressed, it may easily burst out in full force, quite unregulated and uncontrolled. An outburst of this sort always ends in catastrophe ? the animal destroys itself (21). Hughs adds that the novel is composed of two journeys into the hidden self, one is horrif ying, expiration in personality destruction and death the other is restorative, wisdom-producing, a gateway to wholeness ? Conrad has seized on the paradoxical quality of the descent into the unconscious ? (58).For Jung, the integration of the personality is not possible without a full descent into the unconscious and clearly the novel is about the descent into the depths, the underworld, into the very heart of darkness. Jungs awareness that the darkness is part of himself, that to deny the darkness would be self-mutilation, and the awareness is not erased but heightened by a recognition of that dark self this is Marlows discovery (Hughs 66). Marlows journey toward individuation and his encounter with the darkness of his own shadow are set against a backdrop of the personal and collective unconscious.Kurtz is not only the personal shadow of Marlow, but the collective shadow of all Europe and of European imperialism. Throughout the novel there is a dense undergrowth of Congo uncon sciousness, as Marlow succinctly states, All of Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz (73). In the midst of this journey of individuation, we encounter Jungs concept of the anima personified by Kurtzs wild mistress. She is a reflection of the soul of the wilderness, she stood looking at us with a stir, and like the wilderness itself, with an air of brooding over an inscrutable purpose (Conrad 92).She is the savagely magnificent coadjutor of the underworld and the feminine part of every mans psyche. Hughs calls her the grand archetype of the unconscious, consort of the mad Kurtz and the goal of the inner search (268-9). Conrads novel descends into the unknowable darkness at the heart of Africa, taking its narrator, Marlow, on an underworld journey of individuation, a modern Odyssey toward the center of the Self and the center of the Earth. Interestingly, the narrative technique and the inherent symbolism in Heart of Darkness all contribute to the overall dream-like and nightmari sh mood of the story.The use of first person narrative was essential so that Conrad could distance himself from the lived experience and for the reader could identify with a common man thrown into a bizarre situation. Lacking Marlow as the narrator, the story would retreat its credibility and would appear too distant from the real experience. Through repetition, difference of tone, analogy, duplicating images, doubling of scenes and characters, Conrad could form a shape for the story. He used heightening and foreshortening, contrast and comparison to give the novella form from the opening scene, when the ancient Romans on the Thames arecontrasted with the modern Europeans in the Congo (Karl 789). Marlows calm setting on the Nellie contrasts with the alarming Congo riverboat setting. Kurtzs two fiancees represents two different sets of values, two contradictory cultures. The jungle, as death, is in conflict with the river, as possible relief. The natives savagery is set off against the backdrop of the apparently civilized Europeans. The contrast reaches the two central characters as well Kurtzs humanitarianism contradicts his own barbarism, Marlows middle physique sense of English justice is contrasted with the Congo reality.It is also clear in their fluctuating love-hate relationship that pervades the story. The abundance of mechanical and metallic images suggests a sense of human waste and indicates that tough objects have gone beyond flexibility and softness in order to resist the passing of time, so humanity itself must become an object in order to survive. This strong sense of an absurd existence is best represented by the ivory itself. Ivory, the purest demonstration of the color white, stands in severe juxtaposition to the darkness of the jungle.It draws the white men to Africa then turns their minds from building commerce and civilization, to exploitation and madness. Wherever ivory is present, white men plunder, kill, and turn on each other. Conrad uses symbolism to suggest meanings rather than spelling them out directly. The technicalities of his style include a frequent use of alliteration, a reliance on adjectives which emphasize the unacquainted with(predicate) aspects of Marlows experience. Words like inscrutable, inconceivable, unspeakable that describe the oppressive mysteriousness of the Congo are recurrent throughout the novel.The same vocabulary is used to evoke the human depths and the unspeakable potentialities of the mans soul and to magnify the sense of spiritual horrors (Leavis 246-7). The words and adjectives Conrad applies beat upon us, creating drum-like rhythms, entirely appropriate to the thick texture of the jungle (Karl 789). The darkness of the jungle goes hand in hand with darkness everywhere, alluding at the blackness of Conrads humor, the despair of his irony (Karl 789).It is the nightmares color the darkness surrounding Kurtzs death, his last words, the report by the managers boy, the delirious esca pe from the jungle, the encounter with Kurtzs fiancee all such incidents constitute the elements of a nightmarish dream. Even the Russian follower of Kurtz who is dressed in motley seems as a figure from another world. In his ridiculous appearance, he is a perfect symbol of Marlows Congo experience (Karl 788-9). In this passage, F. R.Leavis argues that Conrad makes almost every aspect of his novel contribute to its overwhelming impression, one of a curiously insane world and a nightmarish existence ? in terms of things seen and incidents experienced by a main agent in the narrative, and particular contacts and exchanges with other human agents, the overwhelming sinister and fantastic ? atmosphere is engendered. Ordinary greed, stupidity, and moral squalor are made to look like behaviour in a lunatic asylum against the vast and oppressive mystery of the surroundings, rendered potently in terms of sensation.This means lunacy, which we are made to feel as at the same time normal and insane, is brought out by contrast with the fantastically secure innocence of the young harlequin-costumed Russian ? (246) Using his renowned artistic and literary craftsmanship, Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness that has become, since its publication in 1899, one of the most widely read books written in English. It has also been one of the most analyzed scores of literary critics, ranging from feminists to Marxists to New Critics, have all tried to construct their own meanings from the pages of the book.The novel does seem to invite a wide variety of interpretations. Looking at it through the lenses of psychoanalytic theories, Heart of Darkness has proven to be a masterpiece of concealment and a metaphor for the theory of the unconscious as a repository of all irrational and repressed wishes. (Karl 788). The journey into the heart of the continent can also be seen as Marlows own journey of individuation, self-discovery and self-enlightenment. Bibiography Achebe, Chinua. An Image of A frica racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness. A Practical Reader in Contemporary Literary Theory.London Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1996. 262-4 Conrad, Joseph. Heart Of Darkness. Beirut Librairie Du Liban Publishers SAL, 1994. Guerin, Wilfred L. , et al. A handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. 4th ed. New York Oxford University Press, 1999. Hewitt, Douglas. Conrad A Reassessment. World Literature Criticism. Ed. Polly Vedder. Vol. 4. Detroit Gale, 1992. 789-92. Hughs, Richard E. The Lively Image Four Myths in Literature. Cambridge, MA Winthrop Publishers, 1975. Karl, Frederick R. A Readers claim To Joseph Conrad. World Literature Criticism. Ed. Polly Vedder. Vol.4. Detroit Gale, 1992. 785-9. Leavis, F. R. From The Great Tradition. A Practical Reader in Contemporary Literary Theory. London Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1996. 246-7 Mudrick, Marvin. The Originality of Conrad. World Literature Criticism. Ed. PollyVedder. Vol. 4. Detroit Gale, 1992. 782-5. Murfin, Ross C. Joseph Conrad He art of Darkness A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. New York St. Martins Press, 1989. Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York Knopf, 1979. Wright, Elizabeth. Psychoanalytic Criticism. Encyclopedia Of Literature And Criticism. 1991 ed. 765-7.

My First School Memories

My runner memory of school is the first day of primary school. It is my first day without the toys and a dress with a nice style. Primary school was far larger than my small kindergarten had been. It was a nice day, with hope and happiness and a lot of fun. I pretended to be a good kid, sitting on my seat carefully. Listening to the teacher, a kind beautiful woman called Miss Zhou talk of the town softly to us.I observed the small tables and the small chairs change into the desks, without the colors the piano in the classroom had disappeared, the big screen and the computer is in the front of the classroom. Suddenly, a girl with a Snow White style dress was pushed into the classroom, crying loudly, by her grandparents, and made the classrooms serious mood become funny. The teacher gave us a card with our name and gave us some stickers for the prices. I thought, It is just like our kindergarten. Then, the teacher brought us to look around the school.Like watch about memories? Read alsoFlashbulb memoryIt was an evoke trip, though its was tiring. The feeling of the new place and new life is the most worthy thing. Though lunch began later than the kindergarteners, and there was no teacher to give us rice and soup, the lunch was still delightful. We can have an adventure in the school after lunch, though at that time we were not familiar with each other, but we still played happily and found some provoke places like the small garden to hide behind the teaching building and the sandy land beside the bike shed.I remember Angle saying that the small shells in the sand were put there by her. We had lessons in the afternoon the textbooks were new, not like the old fairy tales books on the shelf in kindergarten. With the smiles and laughs, we left our school. This is my first school memory, it is full of new things and happiness, when I think about my first day in school, I feel that day is one of the most interesting things happened in my life.

Group Proposal: develop a proposal for a group Essay

When the friction heats up in espousalss, more than people (10-20%) than ever before be considering getting professional aid. That is very wise. We may be making progress. I am still disturbed that most do non judge help. What is wrong with the other 80%? Getting therapy seems so reasonable to me it seems that every friend, every p bent, every child, every relative, and every professional person in contact with the unhappy duad should recommend counseling. Why feignt they? Divorce is such an emotion every last(predicate)y laden decision (perhaps more so than who to marry), we lot away help seeing the situation realistically, trying to resolve the problems, deciding what other alternatives exist, considering the consequences to others, making reasonable plans for our future, etc. Anyone discharge though marital hell or a disassociate needs a friend to blab to and vent with, no doubt, simply he/she needs much more than thata wise, experienced, unemotional but empathic an d caring counselor and a radical of people who can relate.We be freer than we have been for centuries to can an unhappy marriage. There are other factors associated with the increasing split rate. M any(prenominal) of these social-economic factors would be considered good, e.g. more match education and job opportunities for women, higher incomes, fewer children, fewer religious restrictions, and general social acceptance of divorce and of women living alone. Yet, as we depart see, thither are terrible consequences frequently associated with divorce (and with continuing a bad marriage). Over 75% of Americans accept divorce as a solution when a couple cant get along, even if they have children. There is c at one timern by some that divorce may have become too easy (few people who have personally departed by means of a divorce consider it easy). But, what about those who are happily matrimonial and newly weds? Why non help a relationship strengthen before it gets to that point of divorce or feeling confounded?I would like to start a Support Group for newly conjoin couples. These couples are not troubled couples but rather couples who want to enrichen their marriage and have the support of other newly married couples. Our society is built so much on how marriages fail but forget so tardily those who work fractious daily to keep their marriage healthy. Newly married couples need to know there are other couples out there who are making and succeedingin this hard world. They need to know, yes, marriage is hard, but this is what we are doing to make it work. Therefore, I would like to propose a Support company called Spousal Support.Spousal Support would include all newly married couples who do not have serious marital issues. Those who are just married to ten years of marriage. Couples who are feel for support of other couples, building friendships, and other marriage enrichment resources. Couples who will be accepted into the root word are those who feel they are alone in being happily married, or put down for facial expression they are happily married. The percent of married people who say they are very happy has gone down during the last 20 years, especially among women.Happily married couples have rosy illusions about their marriage and they idealize their spouse. The more illusions, the happier the couple (Azar, 1995). This Ideal stated here is the reason why more and more being a happy couple is in the minority and a support group is needed. A support group that believes being happily married is something you have to work on but is possible. Ursula K. LeGuin erstwhile said Love doesnt just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like dent re-made all the time, made new.Screening and selection of couples will be done through an interview. The interview will consist of questions about their relationship and what they want to get out of Spousal Support. Those who are not experiencing major(ip) marital issues and want s upport in their marriage will be accepted. Couples who are considering divorce, infidelity or other major marital issues will not be accepted into this group. Any couple who has been married ten years or less, and considers themselves happily married.Couples who have been married for less than ten years are many times considered either still in the honey moon stage or are considering Divorce. Regardless the first ten years can be hard, not just because you are work out your marriage but because of society pressures.This group will consist of five couples, meeting once a week on Sunday at 4 p.m. for 16 weeks. There will be a break of a month and new members will beable to join at that time. The group will determine a convenient private meeting position and occasionally take outings to local venues.Group members will be briefed during the initial interview as to what will take place and what is expected in the group. Also discussed will be goals that each couple would like to make. Ground rules for the group will be open for discussion during the first meetingCouples must al slipway be as a couple never alonePlease be timelyPlease be honorific and caring of other couples and relationshipsConfidentiality is very importantTopics explored will consist of any marriage enrichment discussions, exercises, resources and free for all darkness once a month. Discussions would include any issues that may come about in day-by-day lives like finding intimate time together, free time, working on careers, building a family, and any outside pressures. Exercises would include questionnaires, inventories, role-playing, communication exercises, and games. Resources are very valuable to have, like a good self-help book, or videos, even ideas to help the couple be there for one another. A free for all night will be given for any topics that couples may want to talk about or emphasis an entire meeting on in the future. This will allow them to throw out ideas in a less structured tone. Couple will be given time to bond more freely with each other and plan any outings the group will take.The specific outcomes I would like the group members to attain is knowing that a marriage can succeed and not every issue has to be hard. I would like them to realize that there are other couples out there who work hard at making the marriage work. My last outcome I would like the group members to have is resources and ways for them to work through their problems and strengthen their marriage in a healthy way.

Ksa Self Eval

I am definitely a quick learner which is very beneficial to on the spot coverage for a co- hiter, was trained for elementary process to handle JABBER for all half a day since my co-worker needs to go to an emergency leave for 3 weeks, midyear n 2013 and helped my peer with relaying referrals to JABBER when she had a foot surgery which leads me to be an alternate on handling JABBER. I was managing authorizations for all local primary electric charge that goes to a inherent facility, SEC orthopedic and .NET after ELL was passed on to one of my peers.I was assigned to be a mentor to vernal employee to assist with all work related issues. On late December 201 3, was asked by my Supervisor to come JABBER in place of my peer that volunteered for another task. I was handling all officer consults, authorizations and referral caution along tit SF which is also considered a big task due to a chip of patients thats beingness displace to their facility and all other local primary care that are being sent to native facilities for almost 9 months. Created a spreadsheet via Microsoft jump out for all JABBER clinics for easy tracking.I volunteer to work TOT every Saturday to take down Mammography consults and all other categories that needs to be worked on. I stick out been asked questions and advice by my peers (Nurses and Mas) on work related issues, eespecially new employees. Questions about work processes, most specially computer related, mostly bout trouble shooting and vendor in purchase orderion. I also helped on reply the phones (ACED Line) when needed. I was the first business deal in our section to have tried the process of the PC program. Wowed about of my peers the step by step process of submitting consult/ referrals/ authorization by means of scanning to the program. I lots started the process and showed/ trained some of my peers, even the leads. I earnd the letter for veterans (fixed it, since it was from a flyer in PDF format that needs to be converted to Microsoft Word document), I also created the principal(prenominal) coversheet for PC we delectation whenever we amend, deny, re-route a secondary request/ authorization and put together a verbiage to be apply whenever we create an authorization for Tries. Tot tied to work on JABBER, SF and other local primary (native facility) which leads me to just now and again helping with PEG. However, the main person who has been processing PC authorizations still seek my advice most of the time, as outlying(prenominal) as trouble shooting PC processes. I also contributed a lot to our temporary MASS working with faxes even though was not assigned to be her mentor, she always seeks my advice most of the time. I am one of the Mas who were trained to close/ complete consults by scanning medical notes/ documents to CPRM.Although am not the main person for PC anymore, I volunteered on updating and forwarding the PC Provider List every Monday. Currently, have been helping to close out consults (since almost the end of fiscal year) by scanning medical documentations/ notes to CPRM. Added the ASK submitted when I was promoted for GAS 6 just for a refresher. GAS-6 Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) exhibit Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1 . Ability to collaborate, communicate, set priorities, and organize the work in order to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with realised processes, policies, and regulations.In my current position as a Medical Support Assistant with the VASS Integrated Care Service, I am responsible with the review (after being approved by MR.), scheduling and authorization process of consults in collaboration with the CICS patient care team and communicating with non-VA medical facilities, this include determining urgency of care to ensure timely and best purchased care for our veterans. Ive been constantly picked by my supervisor to process urgent or implicated consults on account of having an excellent attention to details and accura cy.Due to my ability to learn new skills quickly, I became a part of the reconciliation team regardless of being new, working on a spreadsheet via Microsoft Excel consisting of over 2000 plus claims to determine, track down, adjust or cancel used or unused authorizations on a weekly task to recoup funds that had been obligated to vendors but never used, it was then used for processing backlogged pending authorizations for this FYI. In addition I was also assigned by the chief of our department to assist on identifying/ recessing denied and duplicate claims.I efficiently identified hundreds of duplicate/denied claims from previous FYI. Ive been a part of a group of Mass and nurses working to close out thousands of outdated consults. I assisted going through a spreadsheet determining which authorizations needs to be closed (nickered) out freeing up funds for use of unprocessed and pending authorizations. 2. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, both orally and in writing, in order to meet program objectives. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels.I became the spotlight of contact for all veterans from the Electronic Wait List (ELL) that are being seen in saving health & Wellness, Providence Senior Care Center, Mat-Us and Southeastern Foundation for their local primary care. Constantly communicating with the vendors and patients to direct appointments, consults, ERR visits and authorizations to ensure care for our veterans. Maintaining/ Updating a spreadsheet and writing appropriate notes/ comments to track down number of veterans being seen for local primary care outside VA.As an alternate MASS for JABBER, assist in organise all veteran consults between the Joint Venture Hospital and Veterans Administration. I am one of the only two Mass with penetration to the computerized medical records system at Elmsford Air Force Base Hospital. I assist in entering consults and authorizati ons for all care received at the Joint Venture. Assists on tell veterans, their dependents, and beneficiaries via telephone communication when covering the ACED line. 3.Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process as it relates to access to care. Proficient in CPRM, r-BCC Authorization, Vista, Microsoft Access (NBC Letters) which is utilized in consult management and referral process. Skilled in operational FIBS Distribution and Processing which utilize when working with the reconciliation and claims, SUCH which is utilized for entering BIER consults, scheduling and mental picture notes/ reports such as referrals, orders and reports for labs, CT, MR., Grays etc.Equally competent in utilizing systems such as RPM which is same to Vista, Signature and LATA which is comparable to CPRM, AFC System for electronic receipt Of documents faxed available for review and processing of healthcare providers. 4. Advanced knowledge of managing a clinic. This includes independently uti lizing reference sources, decision-making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.Worked as a Case Manager Assistant at the Alaska Native Medical Center, Internal Medicine Clinic managing one of the 7 sub-specialty clinics, General Medicine with two Case Managers (nurses) and 3 doctors responsible for having the doctors review the consults according to urgency, coordinating appointments or patients, scheduling surgeries/ procedures, taking care of patients travel and lodging. Manages consults, authorizations, updating spreadsheet (monitoring and tracking) of the Electronic Waiting List (ELL) for four topically and out of town clinics.Such clinics are as follows Providence Health and Wellness, Providence Senior Care Center, Providence Mates-Regional and South Central Foundation. Am currently assigned to manage consults/ referrals, scheduling and authorization for Native Agreements, .NET, Orthopedic and an alternate for JABBER specialty clinics. 5. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with operational activities that affect the patient flow, patient care, and the tax revenue process.

Infrastructure

Is basis a key factor to the growth and stability of the sparing? or is it a non-factor and needs not to be maintained and cleansed to better serve and financial aid improve the economy. Infrastructure in general is the system of transport and dialogue in a state, field or country. A famous Canadian geographer was once quoted saying, any region which has a well-developed cargo ships and communication net execute also enjoys a juicy degree of scotch prosperity This statement has sparked much contention between geographers, Politicians, as well as conomists. Question is, is there a link between a well-developed alkali and economy prosperity (economy growth)? Without a doubt, there is a direct link. Infrastructure facilitates the basic functions of a society that argon necessary to transport resources and people, produce and trade goods, provide essential services and in the end reduce poverty.The direct link can be understood better by looking at the effects of radix. The drawbacks of poor stand lead to high transport cost especially in landlocked areas, thus the economy gets affected. Employment is low where there is poor infrastructure. Lack of adequate infrastructure perpetuates poverty, because it denies possibilities. Affordability, it is relatively expensive to maintain and build.Due to this factors and the analyses from the department of treasury know is an ideal time to increase our investment because, infrastructure investments have long-term economic benefits and create Jobs in the short run, there is currently a high level of underutilized resources that can be used to improve and expand our infrastructure. The cost of battery-acid is lowered for American households, there is a strong demand by the public and businesses for dditional transport infrastructure capacity.Long-term economic benefits from infrastructure create Jobs in the short run and this is a crucial and important aspect of growth and economic stability in a country. As m uch as the infrastructure is important and maintaining it being so expensive, if the economy is not good it is hard to have a developed and well maintained infrastructure system. Research has shown that well-designed infrastructure investments can raise economic growth, productivity, and land values, while also providing significant spillovers to areas such(prenominal) as energy efficiency, public health and manufacturing.Thus to say both infrastructure and economy go strive in hand. They affect each other both negatively and positively. On June 29, 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the national-Aid course Act of 1956 The national system of interstate and defense highways according to Eisenhower the purpose of this was to eliminate unsafe roads, wasteful routes, traffic Jams and all of the other things that got in the way of speedy, safe transcontinental travel. for all these reasons the 1956 law state that the construction of an elabo score expressway system was essenti al to the national interest and growth of the economy.Todays Interstate arranging is what our suburban lifestyle and caused the vast proliferation of businesses from HoJos to Holiday Inns. And if you order something online, nearly likely its a truck barreling along an interstate that gets the product to your door. there are a lot of undiscovered materials that we could use not whole that we have all the man power and technology we need to build whatever we need to improve our infrastructure Among those who gain employment as a result of additional infrastructure investment, the average unemployment rate has averaged approximately 13 percent over the past 12 calendar months.This is more(prenominal) than one and one- half clock the current national unemployment rate. Within the construction sector, which accounts for the majority of direct employment resulting from infrastructure investment, the unemployment rate has averaged 15. 6 percent over the past 12 months. Construction co sts and other costs associated with building projects are especially low in the current environment. As a result, the President has taken decisive march to accelerate project permitting and environmental review.In the Presidents August 31, 2011, memorandum, he directed the heads of all administrator epartments and agencies to (1) identify and work to expedite permitting and environmental reviews for high-priority infrastructure projects with significant potential for Job creation and (2) implement new measures designed to improve accountability, transparency, and efficiency through the use of modern information technology.Relevant agencies should monitor the progress of priority projects line up and resolve issues arising during permitting and environmental review and develop best practices for expediting these decisions that may be instituted on a ider scale, unchanging with applicable law. In addition, in this years State of the Union address, the President announced his inten tion to sign an executive order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. spend in conveying infrastructure creates middleclass Jobs.Analysis suggests that 61 percent of the Jobs directly created by investing in infrastructure would be in the construction sector, 12 percent would be in the manufacturing sector, and 7 percent would be in the retail and wholesale trade sectors, for a total of 80 percent in hese tether sectors. Nearly 90 percent of the Jobs in these three sectors most affected by infrastructure outlay are middleclass Jobs, defined as those paying between the 25th and 75th percentile of the national dissemination of wages.The Presidents proposal emphasizes transportation choices, including mass transit and high-speed rail, to deliver the greatest long-term benefits to those who need it most middle-class families. The average American family spends more than $7,600 a year on transportation, which is more than they spend on food and twice what they spend n out-of-pocket health care costs. For 90 percent of Americans, transportation costs absorb one out of every seven dollars of income. This burden is due in astronomic and this calls for better infrastructure and investing more in it to make progress.Multi-modal transportation investments are critical to make sure that American families can travel without wasting time and money stuck in traffic. A more efficient transportation money. Traffic congestion on our roads results in 1. 9 billion gallons of boast wasted per year, and costs drivers over $100 billion in wasted fuel and lost time. much efficient ir traffic control systems would indite 3 billion gallons of Jet fuel a year, translating into lower costs for consumers.Finally, new research indicates that Americans who were able to live in housing were able to save $200 per month in lower costs over the past decade. Americans want more transportation investment. After years of underinvestment in our transp ortation system, Americans satisfaction with our public transit system s second-rate when compared to public satisfaction with highways and public transit systems around the world. the Global competitiveness report for 2012-13, published arlier this month by the world economic forum showed that U.S infrastructure was ranked 7th in 2008, but has dropped to 14 in the world this year. The U. S. score dropped from 6. 10 in 2008 to 5. 7 this year (7 is the top score, and 1 is the conquer score). One of the main reasons for the deterioration of U. S. infrastructure in the last five years, a deterioration which is reflected in the drop in ranking, is the economic downturn which began in 2008. Funding for roads, bridges, highways, and other critical infrastructure is mostly dependent on state revenues, and as states ook less money in, they were forced to spend less on infrastructure maintenance and improvements.Passing the MAP-21 bill was an accomplishment for a do-little Congress, but s erious issues about how to pay for transportation in the future have yet to be resolved. The recent highway bill, MAP-21 replaces SAFETEA-LU, the last long-term federal transportation bill, which expired in 2009 for example, it did not increase spending on transportation, even though lawmakers were mindful of the need to do so. The 2009 stimulus package did help shore up some infrastructure, but was not nearly sufficient to meet the countrys needs.