Engaging Millennials: The Quest to Revive their Participation and Commitment at Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, Gastonia, NC

There are times when a church can have the look of success, but the zeal of that ministry is slowly diminishing. The older generation continues to do their best to keep ministry viable and moving, but there is a younger generation who does not see the importance of committing to anything beyond the Sunday morning experience. Through a series of Bible studies, sermons, outreach and moments of fellowship, this project engages the millennial generation and discovers ways to move them toward some level of commitment and participation within the Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, Gastonia, NC. It is becoming more and more evident that we are dealing with a different generation of believers. This millennial generation loves God, but they do not care for tradition or routine. They are more tasks driven than program driven. Therefore, we must provide opportunities for them to serve based upon present need versus long-term desire

Populism and Patents

Lawyers and other commentators often remark that American courts, and particularly American juries, are prejudiced against large corporate entities. Existing empirical research attempting to confirm this suspicion is contradictory and suffers from a number of shortcomings. In this Article, Professor Moore reexamines the issue by reporting the results of research on an original dataset of over 4000 patent cases and more than a million patents. The results cast substantial doubt on the hypothesis that individuals and corporations are treated identically in jury trials of patent property rights. In jury trials of patent cases between corporations and individuals, the individual won 74% of the time, with the large corporation winning in the remaining 26% of cases. Corporations and individuals won at nearly equal rates with judges. Marshaling a range of other evidence, Professor Moore explains that these results are likely to understate the degree of bias, placing a floor but not a ceiling on the impact of anti-corporate prejudice. Moreover, analysis of patent cases permits the exploration of a related phenomenon—the heroic iconization of the American inventor. As the injured tort victim is sympathetic, the American inventor is idealized for her ingenuity, productivity, and creativity. The individual inventor puts a face on the corporate entity, humanizing or personalizing the party. Hence, even corporate versus corporate litigation has an individual component and therefore an opportunity for bias to impact decision-making

Judges, Juries, and Patent Cases - An Emprical Peek Inside the Black Box

The frequency with which juries participate in patent litigation has skyrocketed recently. At the same time, there is a popular perception that the increasing complexity of technology being patented (especially in the electronic, computer software, biological and chemical fields) has made patent trials extremely difficult for lay juries to understand. These developments have sparked extensive scholarly debate and increasing skepticism regarding the role of juries in patent cases. Juries have participated in some aspects of patent litigation since the enactment of the first patent statute in 1790, which provided for such damages as shall be assessed by a jury. The enactment of the Patent Act of 1870, however, which gave equity courts the power to award common law damages, spawned an era in which patent cases were almost exclusively decided by the bench. This pattern has changed only recently - and the change has been dramatic. In 1940, 2.5 % of all patent cases tried in district court were heard by juries. From 1968 to 1970, the figure was almost unchanged at 2.8%. By contrast, from 1997 to 1999, 59% of all patent trials were tried to juries. This surge in jury requests has prompted a flurry of recent litigation over the right to a jury trial in patent litigation

The Necessity of the Terrible Good in the Works of C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams

Through characters like Eustace, Psyche, and Orual, and others, Lewis reminds us that transformation from what we now are is a necessity if we wish to know God. We must relinquish the lies we blindly wear and be stripped to the bone; ironically, we have to go under the water so that we don\u27t drown or die of thirst. Pauline, of Charles Williams\u27s Descent into Hell, was not yet prepared to accept the terror of good (107), but she learns that the Lord does things in the midst of a fire (93). Pauline\u27s salvation lies in relinquishing her fear to a friend and simultaneously facing her doppelganger, her double. That courage leads to her freedom from fear. Thus, a study of Lewis\u27s and Williams\u27s treatments of the fierceness of good clarifies that the terrible good is a purgation necessary to free the shrinking soul for its deepest soul work

The Use of an Integrative Wellness Care Plan in Primary Care

Background: The United States health care system has a segmented approach to patient care when it comes to primary care delivery. Many individuals demand new models of healthcare and choose to integrate non-traditional methods into their health regimen beyond what is typically offered in many primary care settings. This project surveyed a group of patients receiving care at an integrative clinic and explored satisfaction with services based on an Integrative Wellness Care Plan. Materials and Methods: An Integrative Wellness Care Plan (IWCP) that combines standard primary care services with integrative therapies was reviewed, and a six-question survey was developed to evaluate the patient experience. An invitation to participate in a survey was emailed to 52 patients. Each survey participant was screened to ensure that at least one previous clinic appointment incorporated the use of the IWCP. The response rate of the survey was 38%. Content analysis method of data analysis was utilized, and findings were categorized into major themes. Results: Themes identified through analysis of qualitative data suggest that patients are highly satisfied with their integrative primary care experience and believe this model of care supports wellness and achievement of individual health goals. Conclusions: Survey responses suggest patients are highly satisfied with the IWCP and value the provision of integrative care as an adjunct to typical primary care services. Respondents mention preferring this model of care over traditional primary care

Sucking Life: The Principle of Hell in C.S. Lewis\u27s Screwtape Letters

Screwtape’s training of Wormwood in the art of deception exposes the tempters’ desire to consume “the other” completely into the self. This insatiable appetite to devour is revealed to be the ruling principle of Hell, where one must eat or be eaten. As competitors, Screwtape and Wormwood can never comprehend the reality of Heaven, which exists by the opposite principle. If the rule of Hell is to consume the other, the rule of Heaven is to serve and celebrate the other. In The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis succeeds in depicting the choice to succumb to appetite or submit to a service that is perfect freedom

Getting Our Tutors Back on Track: An Examination of the Perceptions of Small Group Instruction and Engagement Strategies and the Professional Development Required

Research has shown that teachers and tutors are facing what they are calling the COVID-19 slide, a decline in achievement gains made during the previous school year and school closures due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. There is not only a loss of learning, but also a substantial impact on children’s development. Teachers and tutors are now facing such prolific deficits that they are trying to find solutions to provide more assistance for those struggling students. One solution is tutoring. This literature review offers information on the increased need for tutoring programs over the past few years and discusses the need for customized professional development webinars in the areas of classroom management and small group teaching strategies for professional tutors in order to increase their level of efficacy. The history and impact of tutoring programs and successful tutoring programs are explored as well as the current demand for tutoring and the deficiencies in the area of professional development available to tutors. As part of the proposed program, teachers and tutors were presented with a pre-survey to obtain their perceptions of the effective components of professional development. A webinar on classroom management techniques and a webinar on small group teaching strategies that will increase student engagement were offered along with a post-survey to evaluate the effective components of the professional development webinars the tutors’ experienced. The data revealed that the webinars included more than just the participants’ top three components from the pre-survey and also included strategies that would benefit their practice