What can we learn from the Romans about health care?
A few weeks ago in class, Professor M told us that the life expectancy and infant mortality rate in Italy are better than America's. This tells me they must be doing something right. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Romans and their good health is the fact that they walk everywhere. Rome is like any other major city in the fact that most of its residents have no use for cars. They rely on the Metro, buses and there own legs to get them to places. When you live and work in the city, having a car doesn't make much sense. Not only are the Romans walking everywhere, the city itself is full of hills, making their walks much more demanding than other places.
Another positive aspect of Roman health care (and Italians in general for that matter) is the quality of their food. They very rarely use preservatives, making their food much fresher than ours in the U.S. All of the food prepared here is used fresh daily.
While they may live longer, there are still things that Romans could work on to improve their health. First thing is quitting smoking. Many Romans still smoke, and it is a well known fact that smoking is unhealthy for you. Just the other day walking through Termini (The main train/metro station in Rome) I saw 3 or 4 kids no older than 12 smoking cigarettes in the middle of a train station. They could make an effort to enforce the law and make the cigarettes harder for young kids to get.
On a side note, the lack of driving Romans and Italians seem to do may be directly related to their longer life expectancy. The roads in Italy and Rome are fairly compact and difficult to navigate. The apparent disregard for the speed limit does not help their odds. Just something to think about.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
HUm 225 Week 3
The Last Supper is probably one of my favorite works of art of all time. I enjoy it because there is so much going on in the picture, its detail really makes the viewer look at the painting if you want to understand what is going on. The Last Supper was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci from 1495-1498. It is currently located in the Santa Marie delle Grazie in Milan. It is 460cm x 880cm on canvas (Wikipedia).
There is alot of iconography in The Last Supper. In the painting, Jesus is having his last meal with all of his apostles. The picture is depicting the apostles reactions directly after Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him. If you look at the reactions of the apostles you will see looks of shock, anger and disbelief. The person whose reaction interests me the most is Judas. Judas, as we all know, was the apostle who sold Jesus out to Pilot. If you look at his reaction, he is the only one who is not showing some sort of emotion. Da Vinci also put his elbow on the table. This is just a basic observation, but I was always told, and still am, that having your elbow on the table is rude. I believe this is Da Vinci's way of showing that Judas knew what was going to happen, and that it may have been planned.
There is alot of iconography in The Last Supper. In the painting, Jesus is having his last meal with all of his apostles. The picture is depicting the apostles reactions directly after Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him. If you look at the reactions of the apostles you will see looks of shock, anger and disbelief. The person whose reaction interests me the most is Judas. Judas, as we all know, was the apostle who sold Jesus out to Pilot. If you look at his reaction, he is the only one who is not showing some sort of emotion. Da Vinci also put his elbow on the table. This is just a basic observation, but I was always told, and still am, that having your elbow on the table is rude. I believe this is Da Vinci's way of showing that Judas knew what was going to happen, and that it may have been planned.
325 Week 3
Does history contribute to faith?
The blog topic this week, to me is very interesting. When I have thought about Jesus' life, I always think of my faith, what I have been taught about Him and what I know about my religion. I have never really thought of Jesus from a historical perspective. Its hard to remember sometimes that other people may not believe that Jesus is our Savior or our God.
My answer to this question is yes, history does contribute to our faith, however it is not the sole reason we believe. History is the basis for all religions. This is obvious after our class discussion. During class, Professor M brought up the fact that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have some common elements, such as Abraham. History, gives us proof that the elements of our faith (regardless of which one you believe in) really did exist. It is called history because it based on factual events and persons.
History gives faith a starting point. It allows us to start somewhere and then we form our own beliefs from there. For example, there is plenty of historical evidence that Jesus existed, very few people will deny that. However, as Peter says in his first letter, Christians believe that Jesus is our Savior and that we should be obedient to Him. Other religions view of Jesus however are very different. For example, when He was alive, the Jews considered Jesus a heretic, and eventually put him to death for his teachings. The conclusion I have come to is that faith is rooted in history, but perception, judgement and individuality form your faith.
The blog topic this week, to me is very interesting. When I have thought about Jesus' life, I always think of my faith, what I have been taught about Him and what I know about my religion. I have never really thought of Jesus from a historical perspective. Its hard to remember sometimes that other people may not believe that Jesus is our Savior or our God.
My answer to this question is yes, history does contribute to our faith, however it is not the sole reason we believe. History is the basis for all religions. This is obvious after our class discussion. During class, Professor M brought up the fact that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have some common elements, such as Abraham. History, gives us proof that the elements of our faith (regardless of which one you believe in) really did exist. It is called history because it based on factual events and persons.
History gives faith a starting point. It allows us to start somewhere and then we form our own beliefs from there. For example, there is plenty of historical evidence that Jesus existed, very few people will deny that. However, as Peter says in his first letter, Christians believe that Jesus is our Savior and that we should be obedient to Him. Other religions view of Jesus however are very different. For example, when He was alive, the Jews considered Jesus a heretic, and eventually put him to death for his teachings. The conclusion I have come to is that faith is rooted in history, but perception, judgement and individuality form your faith.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
SOC 490 Week 2
People come from all over the world to the Cleveland Clinic, yet not everyone in Cuyahoga County is healthy.
This blog topic brings up an interesting point. The Cleveland Clinic is rated one of the best hospitals in the U.S. and yet not everyone in Cuyahoga County is healthy. Many would expect that having one of the best hospitals in the world nearby, majority of the people would be healthy. This is a problem that can be incorporated in to the discussion we had in class last Thursday, and that I have mentioned in my previous blogs.
Having a good hospital nearby does make any difference when the surrounding population makes poor health decisions. I am not implying that everyone in Cuyahoga County makes poor decisions. I am implying that not everyone in Cuyahoga County is reliant on the Clinic for their care. While the CC is one of the best hospitals in the world, it can not guarantee the health of everyone on the basis of location. It is only able to help those who ask for it. Would you expect someone who lived next to Disney World, but refused to visit it, to be constantly happy? The Cleveland Clinic is an organization that does its best to help keep people healthy. However, unless you can prove that all of Cuyohoga County relies on the Cleveland Clinic and that the Clinic is providing them poor health care, how can you just automatically expect them to be healthy?
Also, the Cleveland Clinic
This blog topic brings up an interesting point. The Cleveland Clinic is rated one of the best hospitals in the U.S. and yet not everyone in Cuyahoga County is healthy. Many would expect that having one of the best hospitals in the world nearby, majority of the people would be healthy. This is a problem that can be incorporated in to the discussion we had in class last Thursday, and that I have mentioned in my previous blogs.
Having a good hospital nearby does make any difference when the surrounding population makes poor health decisions. I am not implying that everyone in Cuyahoga County makes poor decisions. I am implying that not everyone in Cuyahoga County is reliant on the Clinic for their care. While the CC is one of the best hospitals in the world, it can not guarantee the health of everyone on the basis of location. It is only able to help those who ask for it. Would you expect someone who lived next to Disney World, but refused to visit it, to be constantly happy? The Cleveland Clinic is an organization that does its best to help keep people healthy. However, unless you can prove that all of Cuyohoga County relies on the Cleveland Clinic and that the Clinic is providing them poor health care, how can you just automatically expect them to be healthy?
Also, the Cleveland Clinic
HUM 225 Week 2
Throughout my past two weeks in Italy, I have visited many museums and seen many beautiful works of art. However this past weekend I saw one that is especially incredible, and has become my personal favorite. The David is a sculpture by Michelangelo, and is currently located at the Galleria dell 'Accademia. David is made of marble and took Michelangelo from 1501-1504 to complete.
The statue depicts David, who is most famous for his defeat of Goliath. The statue shows him as a strong figure who is apparently very deep in thought. One thing that I find interesting about the statue are the hands and feet. They are disporportionate to the rest of the statue. I believe this is meant to show how strong David is. His big hands and feet are a sign to ensure that people remember his strength and how important they were in his victory over Goliath.
The statue depicts David, who is most famous for his defeat of Goliath. The statue shows him as a strong figure who is apparently very deep in thought. One thing that I find interesting about the statue are the hands and feet. They are disporportionate to the rest of the statue. I believe this is meant to show how strong David is. His big hands and feet are a sign to ensure that people remember his strength and how important they were in his victory over Goliath.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
325 Week 2
Rome is exhilarating while oppressive.
Rome is an incredibly exhilarating place, especially for a foreigner. Rome is exhilarating to me because everyday is a new adventure. There is always a new obstacle to overcome. Many times this obstacle is as simple as not being able to speak Italian. It can also be exhilarating while using the Metro. You have to keep a constant eye out for pick pockets, finding the right stop or line, or even just pushing your way onto the crowded train.
Rome is also exhilarating because of the ruins that are here. When you visit these places, you can not help but wonder how these structures are still standing. For example, we bike rode the Appean way on Monday. The Appean Way is the oldest road in Rome. Many of its original stones are still intact. This is an example of how intelligent the Romans were.
Rome can also be oppressive due to some of its history. One example of how it is oppressive is the Colosseum. The Colosseum is an incredible piece of architecture, but represents an oppressive time in Roman history. People were killed there for others entertainment. Thousands of individuals lost their lives for other peoples entertainment.To me, this represents an oppressive time in Roman history.
Rome is an incredibly exhilarating place, especially for a foreigner. Rome is exhilarating to me because everyday is a new adventure. There is always a new obstacle to overcome. Many times this obstacle is as simple as not being able to speak Italian. It can also be exhilarating while using the Metro. You have to keep a constant eye out for pick pockets, finding the right stop or line, or even just pushing your way onto the crowded train.
Rome is also exhilarating because of the ruins that are here. When you visit these places, you can not help but wonder how these structures are still standing. For example, we bike rode the Appean way on Monday. The Appean Way is the oldest road in Rome. Many of its original stones are still intact. This is an example of how intelligent the Romans were.
Rome can also be oppressive due to some of its history. One example of how it is oppressive is the Colosseum. The Colosseum is an incredible piece of architecture, but represents an oppressive time in Roman history. People were killed there for others entertainment. Thousands of individuals lost their lives for other peoples entertainment.To me, this represents an oppressive time in Roman history.
Monday, March 1, 2010
SOC 490 Week 1
Is healthcare a right or a privilege? This is a question that has long been debated. Many people believe healthcare to be a right. That every single person in the world deserves to have free healthcare provided for them. They ask: who has the right or the power to deicide whose lives will be saved or not? There are others that believe that healthcare is a privilege, and that your ability to provide for yourself is directly related to amount of care you will receive.
It is very easy to say that everyone in the world should receive healthcare. Many are quick to say that it’s the government’s responsibility to provide care for its citizens, however ask them if they are okay with an increase of taxes and check their response. It’s also easy for people to say “I provide healthcare for myself, so should everyone else”, however ask them what they would do, or how they would feel if they were terminally ill and dropped by their insurer?
The point is that there is never a clear cut solution to anything, especially when the issue is as large and as complicated as healthcare. The most important thing I believe is that we find a middle ground representing the two sides. I think healthcare can be both a right and a privilege. Everyone has a right to not be dropped by their insurer because they are ill, and if they are working and still cannot pay for prescriptions, then help should be given. However it is also a privilege in the fact that many people take their health, and providing good healthcare seriously. If people are working harder to stay healthy, and using more money to provide care, shouldn’t they be rewarded for their work and be a step ahead of other people?
Bottom line: Affordable healthcare is both a right and a privilege, however if you do things to abuse or facilitate it, they will be reflected."
It is very easy to say that everyone in the world should receive healthcare. Many are quick to say that it’s the government’s responsibility to provide care for its citizens, however ask them if they are okay with an increase of taxes and check their response. It’s also easy for people to say “I provide healthcare for myself, so should everyone else”, however ask them what they would do, or how they would feel if they were terminally ill and dropped by their insurer?
The point is that there is never a clear cut solution to anything, especially when the issue is as large and as complicated as healthcare. The most important thing I believe is that we find a middle ground representing the two sides. I think healthcare can be both a right and a privilege. Everyone has a right to not be dropped by their insurer because they are ill, and if they are working and still cannot pay for prescriptions, then help should be given. However it is also a privilege in the fact that many people take their health, and providing good healthcare seriously. If people are working harder to stay healthy, and using more money to provide care, shouldn’t they be rewarded for their work and be a step ahead of other people?
Bottom line: Affordable healthcare is both a right and a privilege, however if you do things to abuse or facilitate it, they will be reflected."
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