Greek Winter Solstice Celebrations in Honor of Poseidon

Solstice (from the Latin sol sun) celebrations honor the sun. At the summer solstice in late June, there is no dearth of the sun, so celebrants just enjoy the extra hours of daylight, but by the winter solstice in late December, the days are much shorter as the sun sets earlier. Winter solstice celebrations often include two activities related to the failing sun: producing light and enjoying the cover the darkness provides. Thus, it is common for winter solstice celebrations to include candle lighting, bonfire creation, and drunken debauchery. Poseidon and the Winter Solstice In Greek mythology, the sea god Poseidon is one of the most lascivious of the gods, producing more children than many other gods. Greek calendars varied from polis to polis, but in some Greek calendars, a month around the time of the winter solstice is named for Poseidon. In Athens and other parts of ancient Greece, there is a month that roughly corresponds with December/January that is named Poseidon for the sea-god Poseidon. Despite the fact that the Greeks were the least likely to sail during these months, they held a celebration in Athens called Posidea to celebrate Poseidon. Haloea and Womens Rites At Eleusis, there was a festival called Haloea on the 26th of the month Poseidon. The Haloea (a festival for Demeter and Dionysus) included a procession for Poseidon. The Haloea is thought to have been a time for merriment. There is mention of a womens rite in connection with this holiday: Women are provided with wine and food, including cakes in the shapes of sexual organs. They withdraw to themselves and exchange scurrilous banter, and are teased with suggestions of promiscuity whispered in their ears by the priestesses. [p.5] The women are thought to have stayed secluded throughout the night and then to have joined the men the next day. While the women were off eating, drinking, and sounding much like the women of Lysistrata, the men are thought to have created a big pyre or a bunch of little bonfires. Poseidonia of Aegina The Poseidonia of Aegina may have taken place in the same month. There were 16 days of feasting with rites of Aphrodite concluding the festival. Like the Roman festival of Saturnalia, the Poseidonia became so popular it was extended so that Athenaeus makes it 2 months long: In sum, the celebrants feast to satiety, then turn to lascivious teasing. What is the ritual purpose of such conduct? It obviously suits Poseidons mythical reputation as the most lustful of gods, who far surpasses Apollo and Zeus in the number of his liaisons and his offspring. Poseidon the seducer is god of springs and rivers[...] Source Poseidons Festival at the Winter Solstice, by Noel Robertson, The Classical Quarterly, New Series, Vol. 34, No. 1 (1984), 1-16.

Drug Testing the Less Fortunate - 1023 Words

Should drug testing be a necessity for all state and federal aid programs? Drug testing welfare recipients have been a major issue across the United States for a few years now. Many indicate that if working class people are subject to a test prior to hire or randomly during the duration of employment, why should those that don’t have to work for money not have the same treatment? The government estimated that random annual drug testing for welfare recipients would cost each taxpayer an additional four-thousand dollars per year. They say there is no punishment for failing a drug test, but is there. The lack of free money, food or health care to me seems like a punishment. I will briefly give a history of the attempts to reform the public assistance program and the need for drug testing. In the early 1980’s Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1985 made individuals who have three or more convictions for certain drug-related offenses permanently ineligible for various federal benefits. In 1996, Congress is when the thought process of drug testing for public assistance started. However, the years, these programs have been denied repeatedly. At the National Conference of State Legislatures reported in 2011 thirty six states put forth proposals around drug testing of public aid and food stamp (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP) recipients; however, only three states enacted legislation; Azizona, Flordia, and Missouri. In 2012, twenty-eight states setShow MoreRelatedCan Welfare Actually Be Harmful?1555 Words   |  7 Pagescareer training and drug testing possibly assist countless individuals in escaping the government entitlement trap and while doing so help reduce the nation’s debt? Let’s look at the history of the U. S. w elfare system. 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Yes, drug prices reflect a fair and competitive market. Pharmaceutical companies are in the business to provide treatment/cures to diseases that were considered killers just a few years ago. The high cost is misinterpreted as a greed endeavor. However, what the public fails to understand is that for every ten projects there is one that will provide suitable results. Those eleven projects will cost billions of dollars in Ramp;D. Not to mention that the life cycle of a drug has only 7 yearsRead MoreThe, Three Dimensional Printing Of Tissues1727 Words   |  7 PagesBioprinting, three-dimensional printing of tissues, will have a positive impact in the medical field through assisting patients in need of transplants and scientists in drug development wit hout the use of humans or animals. Bioprinting will evolve as time goes on, facing legal and ethical questions in the process. Bioprinting, is the process of creating tissues through a three-dimensional printer. 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Training and Development Free Essays

Training and Development University of Phoenix HCS/341 Training and Development Training and development in today’s health care setting is an imperative process that must be engrained within an organizational structure. The organization’s Human Resource (HR) department must ensure that every employee in the organization is correctly trained to perform the job duties that are assigned. Managers must accurately measure each employee’s competencies in order to strategically plan and implement training and development programs geared towards the progression of the corporation. We will write a custom essay sample on Training and Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now This paper will explain why training and development are vital in healthcare, the importance of measuring competencies, as well as describe the processes for tracking and evaluating training effectiveness. Training Education Many people often correlate training in conjunction with development, although, these terms are to some extent analogous, both terms bear two different meanings. (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, Cardy, 2010). In the book â€Å"Managing Human Resources†, the term training is defined as â€Å"The process of providing employees with specific skills or helping them correct deficiencies in their performance† (Gomez-Mejia et al. 2010, p. 246). On the other hand, development is defined as â€Å"an effort to provide employees with the abilities the organization will need in the future† (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010, p. 246). In the health care setting, training and development of each health care professional is essential to improving the delivery of medical ser vices for patients and their families as well as organizational and personal growth. Medical litigation seems to be one of the biggest issues affecting healthcare today. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which is an agency of the U. S. Department of health and human services, one of the most common root causes of medical error is the lack of training and education (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2010). The AHRQ states: Organizational transfer of knowledge can include deficiencies in orientation or training, and lack of, or inconsistent, education and training for those providing care. This category of cause deals with the level of knowledge needed by individuals to perform the tasks that they are assigned. Transfer of knowledge is critical in areas where new employees or temporary help is often used. The organizational transfer of knowledge addresses how things are done in a particular organization or health care unit. This information is often not communicated or transferred. Organizational transfer of knowledge is also a critical issue in academic medical centers where physicians in training often rotate through numerous centers of care. ([AHRQ], 2010, Chapter 2) In order to reduce these common issues affecting healthcare, HR departments’ responsibility is to implement proper training regimens geared toward supporting the organization’s goals and missions. Certain training techniques are geared toward focusing on the skills needed to perform job duties. Some of the types of trainings include: skills, retaining, cross-functional, team, literacy, customer service, etc. (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). By receiving essential required training, health care professionals would then be able to effectively deliver quality care, furthermore, improving individual and organizational performance in efforts to achieve business and personal growth (Bureau of Labor statistics, U. S. Department of Labor [BLS, DOL], 2009). Measuring Competencies Measuring competencies is an extremely important process for HR. Accurately evaluating the validity of each employee’s goes a long way in ensuring protection for the organization as well as the individuals receiving health care. Managers must conduct a Task Analysis, which is an examination of the job or duties to be performed (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). A properly conducted job analysis should contain all the necessary information needed to understand job requirements and should be used to identify knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to execute job functions (Gomez-Mejia et al. 2010) . Once the analysis is completed, the KSAs are then used to determine what kind of training is needed for the organization (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). By accurately evaluating each employee’s competency level, HR is then able to develop strategic plans that will advance growth for the organization as well as the individual. Measuring competencies is also vital to make certai n all staff members have the proficiency to abide by the standards and requirements set by government agencies. If competencies are not measured correctly, liability and ethics issues may arise which can result in costly litigation battles that may impede an organization’s growth. Tracking Evaluating Training Effectiveness The process for tracking and evaluating training effectiveness takes place in the evaluation phase of the training program (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). In this phase, evaluation of training effectiveness is assessed through a four-level framework method (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). The book â€Å"Managing Human Resources† illustrates the process of the evaluation phase and the classification of the four-level framework system. The book states: Level 1 refers to the reaction of the trainees, and it may consist of ratings on a satisfaction scale that assess how happy trainees are with the training. Level 2 refers to how much the trainees learn, and it may be assessed with a skill exercise. Level 3 refers to the trainees’ behavior, and it may be measured by observers of the work operation. Level 4 refers to the results, which are generally assessed through the financial measure of return on investment (ROI). Results, the highest level of measurement, seem to be the most desirable way of assessing the success of a training program. (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010, p. 264) This evaluation process in then followed by four levels of evaluation employed by Garrett Engine Division (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). The Garrett Engine Division evaluation process measures performance before and after the training for both trained and untrained employees (Gomez-Mejia et al. 2010). HR must also conduct performance appraisals, which is the identification, measurement, and management of human performance in the health care organization to make certain employees are receiving effective training (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). Conclusion In summary, quality training, education, and development is imperative for the success of any healthcare organization. In order to achieve optimal development an d growth for the organization and the employees, HR must implement proper training and development programs within the organization’s structure. Competency assessment is vital in the process of building an employee’s career development plan, in addition to reducing organizational liability issues (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). Therefore, accurately measuring competencies and training effectiveness through an evaluation phase and performance appraisals prove to be beneficial in a variety of ways, ranging from operational to strategic purposes (Gomez-Mejia et al. , 2010). References Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2010). Efforts to Reduce Medical Errors: AHRQ’s Response to Senate Committee on Appropriations Questions. In AHRQ’s Patient Safety Initiative (Ch. 2). Retrieved from http://www. ahrq. gov/qual/pscongrpt/psini2. htm Bureau of Labor statistics, U. S. Department of Labor. (2009). Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists. In Occupational Outlook Handbook (2010-11 ed. ). Retrieved from http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos021. htm Gomez-Mejia, L. R. , Balkin, D. B. , Cardy, R. L. (2010). Managing Human Resources (6th ed. ) [Adobe Reader]. doi: ISBN: 9780136093527 Mays, S. , Swetnich, D. , Gorken, L. 2002, March). Towards a Unique Patient Identifier []. Health Management Technology, 23(3), 42. doi: ISSN:10744770 United States Department of Labor. (2009). Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists. Retrieved from http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos021. htm Wager, K. A. , Lee, F. W. , Glaser, J. P. , Burns, L. R. (2009). Purpose of Patient Records. In Health Care Information Systems. A Practical Approach for Health Care Management (2nd ed. , pp. 8-9). [Adobe Reader]. doi: ISBN: 9780470387801 How to cite Training and Development, Papers