“A Good Man is Hard to Find”: Comparing Flannery O’Connor’s Literary Te

â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†: Comparing Flannery O’Connor’s Literary Technique to Grotesque Medieval Literature Upon initially reading Flannery O’Connor’s work, one would have no problem recognizing her use of shocking, violent, or despairing themes. It may not be as easy, however, to completely accept or understand her style. According to Patrick Galloway, one must be â€Å"initiated to her trademarks when reading any of her two novels or thirty-two short stories (1).In many of her works, she paradoxically uses styles that are grotesque and brutal to illustrate themes of grace and self-actualization. As O’Connor herself says, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace† (qtd. in Hawkins 30).Although at times disturbing, O’Connor’s paradox is an effective literary technique, deepening the meaning of her stories.Flannery O’Connor’s short story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† can be used as a tool to become ‘initiated’ to this unique style. Few critics would deny that â€Å"A Good Man† is a grotesque story: A grandmother and her son’s family on vacation are ruthlessly killed by an escaped convict.Some O’Connor critics are taken aback by this grotesque aspect because the family and elderly woman seem so innocent.People do not want to imagine their quiet and delicate, â€Å"gray-haired† grandmother standing in the face of a murderer, so they sympathize with O’Connor’s Grandmother as well (Bandy 2).This gruesome scene does not, however, serve as senseless violence.Beyond the disturbing imagery is a story that makes poignant religious and philosophical claims (Galloway 6).Pat Galloway analyzes this technique as the way O’Connor’s characters receive t... ...arterly 34 (Sum 1993): 383-397. Wood, Christopher. Albrecht Altdorfer and the Origins of Landscape. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. Works Consulted Bloom, Harold, ed. Flannery O’Connor. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Hagen, Susan. â€Å"Team Teaching Middle English Literature With Flannery O’Connor.† http://panther.bsc.edu/~shagen/oconnor.htm (10 Nov. 1999). McMillen, Jenny. â€Å"Short Story Reviews.†http://www.geocities.com?Athens/Troy/2188/reviews.html (10 Nov. 1999) Owens, Mitchell. â€Å"The Function of Signature in ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find.’† Studies in Short Fiction 33 (Wntr 1996): 101-106. Schilling, Timothy. â€Å"Trying To See Straight: Flannery O’Connor & the Business of Writing.† Commonweal 122 (Nov 3, 1995): 14-15. Sloan, Gary. â€Å"O’Connor’s ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find.’† The Explicator 57 (Wntr 1999): 118-120.

Beauty and The Bluest Eye :: Bluest Eye Essays

Beauty and The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye contributes to the study of the American novel by bringing to light an unflattering side of American history. The story of a young black girl named Pecola, growing up in Lorain, Ohio in 1941 clearly illustrates the fact that the "American Dream" was not available to everyone. The world that Pecola inhabits adores blonde haired blue eyed girls and boys. Black children are invisible in this world, not special, less than nothing. The idea that the color of your skin somehow made you lesser was cultivated by both whites and blacks. White skin meant beauty and privilege and that idea was not questioned at this time in history. The idea that the color of your skin somehow made you less of a person contaminated black people's lives in many different ways. The taunts of schoolboys directed at Pecola clearly illustrate this fact; "It was their contempt for their own blackness that gave the first insult its teeth" (65). This self hatred also po ssessed an undercurrent of anger and injustice that eventually led to the civil rights movement. The characters in this book as well as the time period mark a time in American history that played an important role in the ideas of equality and freedom. All of the elements on which this country were founded upon were twisted so they no longer applied to blacks and other minorities in this country. The life led by Pecola as well as others like her good or bad is a part of history that was experienced by many Americans in all parts of the country. While it is questionable whether total equality has been reached in this country, many ideas have changed for the better. This book is significant because it shows a different side to American literature as well as life. Morrison points out what has changed and what has stayed the same. While people are generally equal, there are still prejudices in the idea of what is beautiful and who is worthy.

Online tourism information management system

Introduction Nowadays, tourism Is one of the most Important Industries globally for many social, economic, technological, and geopolitical reasons. It presents an actual high quantitative and qualitative growth dynamics and potential, with substantial contribution to the global economy and employment, as it is the largest Job provider on the planet. Information is very crucial in tourism sector so it has been among the first to exploit new technologies and innovations. 1. 1 Background of the project Tourism Is one of the major contributors In the economy of Cube City.The city appends to be one of the most popular destination for travelers In the Philippines. Cube City Is largely known as Queen City. Cube has plenty of tourist attractions that encourages tourists to enter and explore the city. Some tourists may have a difficult time traveling in the city due to a lack of virtual representations of the city that may lead to an enjoyable stay. Tourists should have a virtual tourist guid e in traveling inside Cube Island to assist them in every destination they ought to go.To assist Tourists in traveling inside Cube, the researchers proposed to develop an inline tourism information management that allows tourists to search their preferred destination and the system will locate it via map. The system will also provide list of accommodations and transportation guides for the tourist In order to provide an easy way traveling in Cube. Also, the system will provide website links of hotels, restaurants, car rentals, and beach resorts companies so that tourists will be able to reserve online. 1. 2 Project objectives 1. . 1 General objectives This study aims to develop an online tourism information management for tourists in Cube to provide an interactive virtual tourists guide that may assist tourists in traveling in the city. 1. 2. 2 Specific objectives Specifically the study aims to: system; To analyses data gathered; 2) To create a system design based on the data gather ed; 3) To develop the proposed system; 4) To test and evaluate the developed system; and 5) To implement the developed online tourism information management system. 1. Significance of the project This project is significant in promoting tourism in Cube and to provide tourists a reliable information that may assist them traveling within Cube. This part of the project discusses about the benefits of creating the system to the following: Students The students can benefit from the system because it will provide additional knowledge in their chosen field. This will also help students in their further projects. Tourists The tourists can benefit from the system because it will provide a decent information and guide for traveling and staying in Cube.Local government The Local government can benefit from the system for it will help to directly boost tourism in the place. Not only that, this will increase the number of people employed. As a whole this will improve the local economy for it wil l become more industrialized. Business The businesses such as hotels, restaurants, beach resorts, and malls can benefit from the system for it will help gaining more customers that can rapidly increase their respective profits. 1. Scope and limitations of the project This project mainly focused on providing travelers and tourists a virtual tourism information management system that would allow them to search their destinations on a virtual map. The proposed system would make tourists find a simpler way to get information and guidance traveling in the city. The project aimed to develop an online tourism information management system to help boost tourism in Cube and to assist travelers and tourists in traveling in Cube.With the proposed online tourism management information system, the user can search and locate their desired destinations. Provided by website links of hotels, car rentals, restaurants, and beach resorts company, they can make reservations directly in a minimal time fr ame in these companies. Moreover, the system will provide a more efficient and interactive way of giving information and assistance to the users n terms of traveling in Cube. The proposed system will provide an overview of the region and its attractions. The weapon is user friendly when it comes to LU design. Assist tourists traveling in Cube.The system does not include online reservations and payments instead it will provide website links of companies that has these kind of transactions to help tourists find accommodations. Chapter II Review of related literature One of the essential factors to consider to have a better view of the project and to have a better evaluation on the project's functionalities, related literature, studies ND works should reviewed, analyses and studied. According to Chou (2004), Tourists need new sources of information in order to help them plan their trips and choose between alternatives tourist destinations.Because it is an information-rich industry, it depends on finding and developing new means to distribute travel and hospitality products and services, marketing information to consumers and providing comfort and convenience travelers. Tourism Management According to Upon (1993) and Sheldon (1997), Technological progress and tourism have been going hand in hand for years. Since the sass, Information Communication Technologies (Acts) have been transforming tourism globally. Developments in Acts have undoubtedly changed both business practices and strategies as well as industry structures (Porter, 2001).The establishment of the Computer Reservation Systems (Cars) in the sass and Global Distribution Systems (Gigs) in the late sass, followed by the development of the Internet in the late sass, have transformed the best operational and strategic practices in the industry dramatically (Bilabials, 2003; business [email  protected], 2006; Emmer, Tack, Wilkinson, & Moore, 1993; O'Connor, 1999). If the past 20 years have seen an emphasis on technology per SE, then since the year 2000 we have been witnessing the truly transformational effect of the communications technologies.This has given scope for the development of a wide range of new tools and services that facilitate global Tourism as an international industry and as the biggest provider of Jobs on the planet boasts a greater array of heterogeneous stakeholders than many other industries. The energetic growth and development of the industry are perhaps only mirrored by the growth of Acts. The accelerating and synergistic interaction between genealogy and tourism in recent times has brought fundamental changes in the industry and on our perceptions of its nature.The significance of crossing the new information threshold of universal, ubiquitous communications access has brought the entire tourism industry to the new levels of interactivity, propelling management by wire. Increasingly, Acts play a critical role for the competitiveness of tourism organizations an d destinations as well as for the entire industry as a whole (UNTO, 2001). Developments in search engines, carrying capacity and speed of networks eave influenced the number of travelers around the world that use technologies for planning and experiencing their travels.Acts have also changed radically the efficiency and effectiveness of tourism organizations, the way that businesses are conducted in the marketplace, as well as how consumers interact with organizations (Bilabials, 2003). There have been many new entrants among the players on the tourism stage, shifts in market share and balance of power, changes in political perceptions of tourism, and a growing recognition of the importance of tourism to an ever-increasing number of national and regional economies.Innovation Trends on Tourism Tourism firms operate in a business environment where innovation is important for their survival (Sorensen, 2007). Thus, the adoption of innovative methods that will aid every country to promot e and support its tourist product, from regional and national tourism organizations to various tourism enterprises can ensure the quality levels and the diversification of services that will lead to the increase of each country's share in international tourism demand. The main modern trends constitute the reference base for the analysis of the current situation in Greece.Destination Management Systems (DMS) The development of DMS can substantially support and enhance the competitiveness of tourism destinations and specifically of the small and medium tourism enterprises (Kigali, 2009). Chem. & Sheldon(1997, p. 159) defined the DMS as an inter- organizational system that links tourist products, suppliers and offers, with consumers and intermediaries in order to enable easy access to complete and up-to- date destination information and allow reservations and purchases.Consumers and demand dimensions Increasingly, Acts enable travelers to access reliable and accurate information as req uired by conventional methods (O'Connor, 1999). Acts can assist in the improvement of the service quality and contribute to higher guest/traveler satisfaction. Acts place users in the middle of its functionality and product delivery. Every tourist is different, carrying a unique blend of experiences, motivations, and desires. To an extent the new sophisticated traveler has emerged as a result of experience.Tourists from the major generating regions of the world have become request travelers, are linguistically and technologically skilled and can function in multicultural and demanding environments overseas. The development of Acts and particularly the Internet empowered the â€Å"new' tourist who is becoming knowledgeable and is seeking exceptional value for money and time. They are less interested in following the crowds in packaged tours and much more keen to pursue their own preferences and schedules.Increasingly, package tours are losing market share in favor of independently o rganized tourism facilitated by dynamic packaging. The contemporary/connected consumer is far less willing to wait or put up with delays, to the point where patience is a disappearing virtue. The key to success lies in the quick identification of consumer needs and in reaching potential clients with comprehensive, personalized and up-to-date products and services that satisfy those needs. Gradually new, experienced, sophisticated, and demanding travelers require interacting with suppliers to satisfy their own specific needs and wishes.Living in a hectic life, consumers in the developed world often have short periods of time to lax their batteries and also to engage in their favorite activities. Leisure time will increasingly be used for â€Å"edutainment†, I. E. The exploration of personal interests for both their personal and professional development. Travel and holidays are one of the most expensive items purchased regularly by households around the world, and it represents a significant proportion of individual's annual budget. The Internet has changed tourism consumer behavior dramatically (Mills & Law, 2004).Prospective travelers have direct access to a much rater wealth of information provided by tourism organizations, private enterprises and increasingly by other users/consumers. From information search, to destination/ product consumption and post experience engagement, Acts offer a range of tools to facilitate and improve the process. Customers search for travel-related information, make online air-ticket bookings, online room reservations, and other online purchases themselves instead of relying on travel agencies to undertake this process for them (Morrison, Jinn, O'Leary, & Lapping, 2001).Due to the popularity of Internet applications, most tourism organizations such as hotels, airlines, and travel agencies have embraced Internet technologies as part of their marketing and communication strategies. Information Search is a significant part of the purchase decision process and was revolutionized as a result of the Internet. Acts not only reduce uncertainty and perceived risks but also enhance the quality of trips (Fodders & Murray, 1997).The more research undertaken on a trip and the more information found, the better customer needs can be met and served. A well-informed consumer is able to interact ere requirements and to take advantage of special offers and reduced prices. According to Snigger, Mugged, Smelling, and World (1990), the four major factors that influence information search in the tourism context are the composition of vacation groups, the presence of families and friends at the destination, prior visits to the destination, and the degree of novelty associated with the destination.Cursory and McCauley (2004) developed a comprehensive theoretical model that integrated all psychological/motivational, economics, and processing approaches into a cohesive hole for understanding tourists' information seeking beha vior. Virtual communities are gradually becoming incredibly influential in tourism as consumers increasingly trust better their peers, rather than marketing messages. The most cited definition of a virtual community was firstly given by Rheingold (1993, p. 8) as â€Å"a virtual community is a group of people who may or may not meet one another face-to-face, and who exchange words and ideas through the mediation of computer bulletin boards and networks†. A Virtual Travel Community makes it easier or people to obtain information, maintain connections, develop relationships, and eventually make travel-related decisions (Steeplechase, Mills, & Kiang, 2007). Pogo and Fisheries (1998) stated that participation and attitude are the primary dimensions of consumer behavior in the virtual communities.Since many travelers like to share their travel experiences and recommendations with others, Was have become one of their favorite areas to post their travel diary. Additionally, online tr avelers are enthusiastic to meet other travelers who have similar attitudes, interests, and way of fife (Wang, You, & Fisheries, 2002). As such, better understanding WAC users' behavior and motivation can assist tourism practitioners and policy makers to establish, operate, and maintain Was in a more efficient way.This, in turn, facilitates consumer centric marketing or relationship marketing (Minnie, March, & Bilabials, 2006). Was, however, may be at risk of losing members if their members are not satisfied with the content, design, security policies, and repercussions for non- compliance with community rules (Allison, Accrual, Moss, & Stuart, 2005; Wang et al. , 002). The emergence of Web 2. 0 or Travel 2. 0 brings together the concept of social networking/virtual communities and applies it to the tourism industry.Trapdoors (www. Trapdoors. Com) is amongst the most successful social networking/virtual community in tourism that facilitates the reviewing of all hotels around the wor ld and brings together individuals in discussion forums. The system provides users with independent travel reviews and comments written from Trapdoors members and expert advisors and provides a powerful platform for interaction between peers Wang & Fisheries, Bibb). User satisfaction is a major factor for evaluating a travel organization.By analyzing Was' content, travel organizations can understand their customers' satisfactions and behavior, and undertake corrective actions to improve their offering. They can also increase brand awareness and strengthen brand association through the assistance of Was. Despite Was' large potential impact on the tourism industry, Prince (2000) stated that research on the topic is still at an infancy stage when compared to other geographical and physical communities.Recommender System receiving indications about what options are better suited in a specific case for specific individuals (Greeter, Mitch, Hang, & Fisheries, 2004; Arsenic & Varian, 1997) . According to Rich (2002), a recommender system can provide valuable information to assist consumers' decision-making process. A recommender system can support travelers in a complex decision-making process by identifying better customer requirements and by correlating those to other consumers and their preferences ( Fisheries, Worthier, & W ¶beer, 2003; Rich & Worthier (2002) and Rich Worthier (2006)).Personality has been related to the selection of vacation destinations, the choice of leisure activities throughout the vacation, and other travel- related decisions. According to LOL, Lorenz, Ashland, & Location (2004), when implementing tourism recommender systems, textual summary is used to classify the database item in themes or categories of the ontology. Although different recommendation technologies have been applied to tourism, Arabians and Rich (2005) argued that the existence of different business models present application challenges.

Anger Management in the Health Care Workplace Essay

Health professionals carry out stressful activities on a daily basis. Nurses, doctors, and health workers’ environments involve a multitude of tasks, all to be done with amidst the stress of time, communicating with patients, and dealing with life and death situations. Besides individuals, health care work involves effectively integrating with the health organization, community expectations and government support. Breakdown of these systems is part of the health care work and is better to be viewed in a positive light. â€Å"A commentary suggests that conflict is a natural part of the human experience, especially in organizations. The intent of collaboration should not be agreement, but the ability for everyone to express their opinions no matter how disagreeable those opinions may seem. When people feel free to disagree, more ideas are put on the table, which can lead to more discoveries and to quantum leaps in improvement and innovation.† (Caudron, 1999) However, it is imperative to approach conflict management between health professionals using professional tools. The usual response of people under stress while reacting to opponents can be described in four responses. Angered people attack their adversaries by lashing out at them in the aim of either hurting the other party or protecting their interests. Some persons just merely avoid the conflict and start to ignore the other party. â€Å"Modern team-building experts say that the avoidance of conflict is the surest way to non-functional teams.† (Beck, 1998)   Sometimes, there is softening where conflicting parties pretend that everything is ok when its really not. And the last reaction to conflict is resolution where parties are able to resolve the conflict and find a point of unity once again. Health care professionals do not work as a single unit. High levels of teamwork are required in carrying out health care effectively and efficiently. Effective communication will help health professionals cope up with conflicts brought about by stress in the workplace. â€Å"Whether a manager is motivating the staff to increase sales or leading a team through a problem-solving process, effective communication is critical. Supportive language fosters a positive working climate, while negative or evaluative language can cause conflict and defensiveness.† (Aubrey, 1992) Different kinds of conflicts can be found in the workplace. â€Å"Task-oriented conflicts focus on the process the team will use to achieve its goals or its mission. People-oriented conflicts arise out of personality conflicts, struggles for leadership, and just plain rudeness by one member to another.† (Anonymous, 1996) But all conflicts can be resolved in due time with openness and processes to guide the management of conflict. One of these conflict management theories is elaborated by Montebello. Describing the conflict is the first step to resolving it. This step is a sure constructive way in getting all the parties’ help and goal to resolve the conflict. Describing the conflict makes the chaos stop. Conflicts found in health care are usually ridden with lots of emotions that conflicting parties need to take a different point of view first and get out of the situation in order to become more objective of the situation at hand. Once the conflict is described, exploring possible causes is the next process. The listening component is important in this level because parties need to hear out each other’s perspectives and hopefully try to understand the other party’s position. Health workers are good listeners and they will be integral to this part of conflict resolution. When the parties go to the stage where they start to give possible solutions, they get into the negotiating phase. Negotiation must be approached in a positive way. Through negotiation, everyone’s ideas are articulated and either supported or rejected by the parties. This process is crucial because when solutions do not pass through negotiations, they are more likely to fail and therefore the last step, which is to take action, will not be done in committed manner. Taking action leads to the actual solving of the conflict. Health care professionals will be able to work efficiently once more with regular conflict management. Conflict management is like oil to a machine. References: Anonymous. 1996.  How to cope with conflicts within the team. Getting Results †¦ for the Hands – On Manager:   C.  Saranac Lake:  Apr 1996.Vol.  41,  Iss.  4;  Ã‚  pg.  1,  1  pgs Aubrey, Charles A II,  Felkins, Patricia K.  Incentive.  1992. Team talk: How language and listening improve teamwork New York:  Dec 1992.Vol.  166,  Iss.  12;  Ã‚  pg.  51,  4  pgs Beck, Joe. 1998.  The failure to confront   Occupational Health & Safety.  Waco:  Jul 1998.Vol.  67,  Iss.  7;  Ã‚  pg.  20,  3  pgs Caudron, Shari. 1999.  Productive conflict has value   Workforce.  Costa Mesa:  Feb 1999.Vol.  78,  Iss.  2;  Ã‚  pg.  25,  3  pgs

Public sector finance and control Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public sector finance and control - Assignment Example Restricting further council tax band D charge will prompt grant from the national government. A large government grant would be vital in funding most of the services thus reduce the pressure on the local authorities and the tax payers to collect much tax to fund the services. Careful valuation should be done on the properties to ensure that they are in their right band value. There are some instances that properties may be in Band C while their real values correspond with that of Band D. This will be vital in enhancing the efficiency of tax collection on the properties. Discretionary reductions of council on property should be eradicated in order to increase the tax base. Another issue is through the issuance of local government bond to get more finances to fund the services (Burnham & Horton,2013). In United Kingdom, taxation entails payment to the two levels of the government, the local government and the central government. The revenue of central government primarily comes from the contribution of national insurance, fuel duty, corporation tax, value added tax, and income tax. Revenue for local government primarily comes from council tax, grants from central government funds, business rates, and other fees and charges. Taxes are calculated in the tax year which in mostly cases begins on late march or early April and ends on late march or early of the subsequent year (Polito,2010). The personal taxes entail income tax, inheritance tax and council tax. Income tax is the government’s largest source of revenue and makes 30% of the total revenue. Individual Income that is above the personal allowance is taxed basing on a number of bands that entail basic rate, higher rate and additional rate. Inheritance tax is charges on the transfer of property or property value that entails transfer of certain types of trust, gifts offered within a period of seven years upon the death of a property

Advertising Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advertising Research - Essay Example The different academic disciplines help in understanding these differences among the consumers. In this paper, three academic disciplines and their role in advertising research would be discussed. Psychology, perhaps, has the greatest role to play in Advertising research. The main purpose of advertising is to attract the customer and increase awareness of the brand through advertisement. In order to attract the customer, advertisers needs to understand the minds of the consumer. Consumers, nowadays, have placed a barrier around themselves and they have a cynic attitude towards advertising (Nyilasy and Reid, 2009). However, this has not changed anything. Advertisers still use advertising to reach and the customer. Many of the ads that consumers are exposed to make no impact on the product sales but sometimes an ad connects with the consumers and product sales increase directly as a result of the advertisement. An advertising connects with the consumer when it understands the consumer. Thus, understanding the consumer is vital. Psychology helps in understanding the consumer and it plays the role of effectively targeting the right consumer. Often research on a certain topic helps understand the consumer better and this then helps in improving advertising in the future. For instance, an apparel store can conduct a research on the impact on sales after using celebrity branding. This would help the advertisers to understand whether celebrity branding does impact the sales of the product. If it does, the store can use celebrity branding often to improve their sales. Thus psychology helps in advertising research by answering the simple question: Why do consumers behave the way they do? This is then used to make advertising more effective (Reijmersdal, Neijens, and Smit, 2009). Sociology is the study of human behavior within the society. Humans like to consider themselves as part of a group or a community and in order to understand a person, it is important to

Is there a relationship between age and gender with PTSD symptoms Research Paper

Is there a relationship between age and gender with PTSD symptoms - Research Paper Example Approximately more than two thirds of people within the general population may experience an axiological event of trauma within their lives with up to a fifth of persons living in the United States experiencing such an event in any year (Sandro, Arijit, & David, 2005). These events range from rape, motor vehicle accident, physical assault, and natural disasters. Events such as motor vehicle accidents, floods, terrorist attacks are traumatic events which many persons experience within their life and have the potential of precipitating into a wide array of physical and mental health disorders. For instance in a survey carried out united States residents, thirteen percent reported a lifetime exposure to human generated or natural disasters (Davidson, Hughes, & Blazer, 1991). PTSD is one of the most commonly studied and to a great extent, the most pleonastic and debilitating psychological disorder culminating from traumatic events. This has increased interest and attracted attention of p sychiatrists, psychologists, and interested researchers alike and is rapidly taking center stage when it comes to psychological disorders in the medical world. It is the sole intention of this paper to demonstrate how age and gender of persons relates to the occurrence of PTSD symptoms. It will focus on the difference in severity of PTSD symptoms in terms of gender and age. The study will target adult male and female persons ranging from thirty to sixty years and children ranging from six to twelve years. Another group will be included ranging from fifteen to twenty nine years composed of both male and female persons. Literature Review This study has been limited to research studies that were conducted between 1990 and 2008. Within this period there has been research events conducted as relates to PTSD but a profound absence of work that underscores the relationship between the severity of PTSD and the age and gender of persons. Therefore the bulk of the research seeks to investigat e this particular issue and give critical information contributing to the known facts as relates to PTSD. I have singled out pre-existing literature that contains critical information that is of great importance to this research event. One such article is the epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters (Sandro, Arijit, & Vlahov, 2005). It gives reliable epidemiological information that relates to PTSD symptoms and sets stage for a more conclusive and a much wider research effort to develop statistics of PTSD severity symptoms with relation to not only disaster but many other etiologies of PTSD. Although specific traumas have their effects well documented and established, many persons both in research and clinical settings have experienced more than a single traumatic event in their lives (Breslau, Chilcoat, Kessler, & Lucia, 1999). Of these persons, some report symptoms of PTSD that indicate the combined effects of two or more of these traumatic experiences as opp osed to mainly their latest trauma or the severest from of trauma they have been exposed to. There is an increasing amount of literature suggesting that the severity of a persons PTSD symptoms can be predicted by the lifetime number of traumas that an individual has experienced (Norris, 1992). These studies and cumulative trauma literature fail to give significant information