Tilling the garden again (Genesis 1-3 rediscovered)

There are two sections to this study. Firstly, a detailed exegesis of 10 selected verses from the creation stories of Genesis 1-3. I shall use them to re-assess the creation event and the relationship between creator and created. I shall argue that that is not simply the result of creation, but the order and form that is creation. I will argue that we need to seriously re-assess the very understanding upon which we have based so much of our decision-making when it has come to dealing with the created order. I look at dominion, God's commandments in the garden, and the true nature of the banishment; was it a fall set in notions of evil, or was it simply a failure simply to live up to the potential of the relationships that made up the garden? The second section moves on with this exegetical model, taking its re-assessments and setting them in the light of Jesus. How is Jesus' proffered salvation linked to his role in creation? What difference does his life make? I look in detail at the Eucharist, arguing that it is a cosmic event that restates the relationships of creation, setting out again the unfulfilled potential harmony of the cosmos. This I, then, develop into a new world-view that sets out the idea of ultimate harmony and shows how that harmony is as much part of our lives now as it is the framework for the final eschaton. This has political ramifications for the Christian community, which I outline in my conclusion

The Copenhagen Accord and the future of the international climate change regime

This paper analyses the environmental integrity, the nature and the political relevance of the Copenhagen Accord. According to the first two parameters, the Copenhagen Accord is not satisfactory. From a political point of view the conclusion is slightly different, albeit not positive. This paper concludes arguing that after the Copenhagen Conference the future of the international climate change legal regime is likely to be more fragmented, the Accord being one further piece of the global carbon puzzle

Executive Orders: Promoting Democracy and Openness in New York State Government

This joint report outlines 11 executive actions Gov. Andrew Cuomo can take to open up New York State government, increase the accountability of state agencies and reduce barriers to voting. The orders are centered on the basic goal of empowering the citizenry with more and better information about what its government is doing, and how it is spending tax payer dollars

Insights into the impact of clinical encounters gained from personal accounts of living with advanced cancer.

Aim To describe the impact of interactions with health care professionals revealed by people’s accounts of living and dying with cancer; to explore reasons for the observed effects; and thus, to consider the implications for practice. Background The importance of practitioner–patient interactions is enshrined within professional values. However, our understanding of how and why the consultation impacts on outcomes remains underdeveloped. Stories recounted by people living and dying with cancer offer important insights into illness experience, including the impact of contact with health services, framed within the context of the wider social setting in which people live their lives. From our recent study of distress in primary palliative care patients, we describe how people’s accounts revealed both therapeutic and noxious effects of such encounters, and discuss reasons for the observed effects. Method A qualitative study with a purposive sample of 19 primary palliative care patients: (8 men, 11 at high risk of depression). In-depth interviews were analysed using the iterative thematic analysis described by Lieblich. Findings Living with cancer can be an exhausting process. Maintaining continuity of everyday life was the norm, and dependent on a dynamic process of balancing threats and supports to people’s emotional well-being. Interactions with health care professionals were therapeutic when they provided emotional, or narrative, support. Threats arose when the patient’s perception of the professional’s account of their illness experience was at odds with the person’s own sense of their core self and what was important to them. Our findings highlight the need for a framework in which clinicians may legitimately utilize different illness models to deliver a personalized, patient-centred assessment of need and care. The work provides testable hypotheses supporting development of understanding of therapeutic impact of the consultation