BOWING BEFORE CHRIST-NODDING TO THE STATE? Reading Paul Politically with Oliver O'Donovan and John Howard Yoder

This thesis offers a close reading of two Pauline texts, Philippians 2:5-11 and Romans 13:1-7. Inspired by recent scholarship it asks whether Paul can be read in a politically relevant way. An interaction with the works of political ethicists O’Donovan and Yoder precedes the exegetical part to focus more sharply on relevant issues. In all their distinctive emphases both ethicists hold that the primary result of Christ’s Lordship is the church, which is (socio) political in a broad sense and governed by Christ. Christ’s Lordship is reflected but not mediated by the church and even less so by the state. Political authority with its use of temporal power is still needed by the church. The Christ-event indirectly affects political authority, re-locating and re-enlisting it. The church is both to grant the state some autonomy and to engage it with its evangelical ethos. Like O’Donovan and Yoder, Paul uses the metaphor of Christ’s Lordship with all its variable potential in a resolutely ecclesial way. He portrays the church as a socio-political body constituted and sustained by Christ’s Lordship, which nevertheless does not strive to be fully politicized and still needs structures of political authority. Unlike O’Donovan and Yoder, Paul sees political rule to be unaffected by the Christ event. While Paul’s narrative arguably shifts the center of hope and loyalty to Christ, this is not used to engage political rulers either positively or negatively. The latter’s task is unchanged and given approval as an abiding aspect of the divine work. While it does not match the height of God’s deed in Christ as embodied by the church, it shows the Christ believers that their ‘good’ is perfectly compatible with the demands of political rulers

Heart valve replacement with the Björk-Shiley and St Jude Medical prostheses: A randomized comparison in 178 patients

In 178 patients, a randomized prospective comparison between the 60° spherical disc Björk-Shiley (BS) and the St Jude Medical (SJM) heart valve prostheses was performed. Four-week perioperative mortality was zero in the BS (n = 84) and 4.3% in the SJM group (n = 94). During a mean ( ± SD) follow-up of 52 ± 20 months or 778 patient-years, late cardiac mortality per year was 2.4% in the BS and 2.2% in the SJM group. The yearly thromboembolic rates were 1.4% in the BS and 2.0% in the SJM group. There was no mechanical valve failure or haemolytic anaemia. Paravalvular leaks and major bleeding complications occurred at low rates in both groups (1.1% and2.2% per year in BS; 0.7% and 1.7% per year in SJM). Functional results were similarly good with 96% of patients with BS valves and 95% of patients with SJM prostheses being in NYHA classes I and II, respectively. We conclude that heart valve replacement with mechanical prostheses can be performed with equally good results using either the Björk-Shiley spherical disc valve or the St Jude Medical bileaflet prosthesi

Die Schweiz auf dem Weg zu einer tiefgreifenden Dekarbonisierung

Die Schweiz kann ihre CO2-Emissionen aus dem Energieverbrauch bis zum Jahr 2050 um 4 Tonnen pro Einwohner reduzieren und damit die Vorgaben des international angestrebten Ziels einer globalen Klimaerwärmung von 2°C einhalten. Eine detaillierte Analyse mit ver-schiedenen Szenarien im Rahmen des Deep Decarbonization Pathways Projects konnte auf-zeigen, dass die damit verbundenen Kosten für die Wirtschaft verkraftbar sind

Pathways to deep decarbonisation An overview of Swiss climate policy and existing simulations of decarbonisation strategies

This report gives an overview of Swiss climate policy and existing simulations of decarbonisation strategies. Report on results from Task A and B in the DDPP related mandate from FOEN

Strategies for the effective reduction of aircraft noise exposure at airports : preparation of an integrated, effective and practice-orientated aircraft-noise reduction concept

Exposure of the population to aircraft noise is still a severe problem. In this study, instruments and measures are investigated with which aircraft noise exposure might be reduced to a tolerable level. These investigations are carried out exemplarily for three types of airport: an airport with a large volume of freight and night-flight operations, a medium-sized airport and a regional airport. Initially, short- and long-term objectives for noise exposure are deduced. Measures for noise reduction are then identified and their impact (noise reduction and consequential decline in health risks and annoyance) and legal feasibility assessed. The measures are subsequently consolidated in strategies (that is, packages of measures). The efficiency strategy comprises measures that are easily implemented legally; namely, an increase in takeoff and landing charges, introduction of noise-optimized approach procedures and reduction of noise limits for establishment of protection zones in accordance with the German Aircraft Noise Protection Act (Fluglärmgesetz). In the effectivity strategy further measures are implemented, in particular a night-flight ban. Long-term noise abatement objectives cannot be achieved with the short- and also long-term measures under investigation. A possible solution could be a drastic reduction in permissible noise limits for new aircraft

Nora and Cece: A Contemporary Adaptation of Jane Austen\u27s Sense and Sensibility

Inspired by Amy Heckerling’s 1995 film, Clueless, which translates Jane Austen’s Emma into a contemporary teen comedy, my modern adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, entitled Nora and Cece, seeks to address the issues Austen tackles in her novel regarding courtship and romance in a modern American setting. In my screenplay, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood become Nora and Cece Carpenter, teenage girls living in a small Bostonian suburb. The sisters navigate the world of high school dating, complicated by their gossipy circle of friends and the ever-growing presence of social media in their daily lives. Drawing on both personal experience and popular culture, I examine current standards and practices in romantic etiquette, exploring these ideas through my characters and their interactions with one another