Lavender :: essays research papers

Lavender   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lavender is a mystery that unfolds in a way not atypical of other mystery stories, but sets itself apart by defying certain characteristics and conventions. There are many details to the plot (mainly to the descriptions of the characters) that are unexpected and deny the reader a chance to confirm their stereotypes about who a detective is, how they should act, and what they should look like. Specifically, in the role of the unconventional protagonist (detective?), Easy Rawlins is so surprisingly human, honestly cowardly, and unromantically realistic that the story seems plausible to the point of disappointment that the characters aren’t actually real.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Easy somewhat reminds me of Walter from â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†: He’s an intelligent black man living in a big city, he has problems with his marriage and he works a blue collar job (also, I could see Sidney Poitier or Danny Glover, both of whom have played Walter, playing him in a film version instead of Denzel Washington, who took on the part of Easy in the film adaptation of â€Å"Devil in a Blue Dress†). Many of the characters in â€Å"Lavender† appear in other works by Walter Mosley (this is the first one that I’ve read however). In this story Easy learns of his friend Mouse’s death, which he is somewhat responsible for (though it is not explained in Lavender, I’m guessing it is in an earlier tale). I wonder if he still would have helped EttaMae find Willis if he hadn’t felt obligated to because of his part in her husband’s (Mouse) death, and because of his discovery of Bonnie’s alleged infidelity. My guess is probably not since Easy seems to be rather self absorbed (but to be fair, who isn’t?)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willis is an amusing character in that I can relate to him easily. I too love playing music, and I’ve fallen for the wrong kind of girls before, though none as appropriately named as Sin. Mosley’s employment of creative and nuanced names for his characters is interesting. Willis for example, chooses the alias Little Jimmy Long, a name that suggests to me that while he may be poor, young and naà ¯ve; while he may be â€Å"†¦a poor black child in a white man’s world.†(181), his talent and personality will take him to greater heights (I’m somewhat alluding to Etta’s comparing the success of Louis Armstrong to â€Å"†¦a string of black boys’ graves goin’ around the block.

Deaf Culture

Deaf Culture in America CAPSTONE PROJECT By Heather Velez Liberal Arts Capstone LIB-495-OL010 Dr. David Weischadle April 19,2013 Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to answer the major question, what is Deaf culture? There are three sub-questions that will assist in answering the major question: (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? With these questions answer, it will give a better understanding as to what Deaf culture is and that it is indeed a culture.The methodology of my research is based off of internet, books, and a survey. My methodology of this paper is clear and simple. It was hard to find a lot of credible sources that should be used in this paper. A survey of one question to the general public in order to prove a point and purpose of this paper. Gallaudet University website has amazing sources to use and also helped guide in choosing the right books/websites to do the research. In this paper there will be a lot of different terms that will confuse the readers.I will take the time now to go over a few of the terms that will be used in this paper. * ASL (American Sign Language) * Deafhood (Deaf Culture, Deaf pride) * ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) * Bi-Bi (Bilingual-Bicultural) * CODA (Child of Deaf Adult(s)) * NAD (National Association of the Deaf) I With my research I have found a lot of interesting discoveries. Not only were the books and internet research but with the survey I conducted of one simple question, what is Deaf culture? After asking this question to 50 people I have received some interesting answers that were very surprising.This research has taught me a lot of interesting concepts and issues that are being faced today in the Deaf communities. II Table of Contents Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 Literature Review †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦ 3 Methodology †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 Results †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 Discussion of Results . †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 20Work Citied †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 21 III 1 Introduction In this paper I will be discussing Deaf culture in America. The word culture is always interesting and has always been debated on.When people think of Deaf culture they only think of the language that is shared among the Deaf communities. Just like other cultures, Deaf culture is more than just a language shared among others. Deaf culture has been debated on in such that it isn’t a culture and it’s still being debated on today (Padden and Humphries). This paper is intended to educate others about Deaf culture and how it is most defiantly a culture. Most people have not heard of Deaf culture and let alone have met someone Deaf. I hope that this paper will educate those who are unaware of Deaf culture and become more accepting.Deafness is known to be abnormal in the business world. Business professionals tend to miss read the Deaf communities because of thei r lack of speech and hearing loss. A lot of Deaf people in general are looked at as someone with a learning disability or might of psychological problems. In a professional setting things are done differently between the â€Å"Hearing Culture† and the Deaf culture. In Deaf culture it is alright to turn off and on the lights to get everyone’s attention in a room; this is not okay for a hearing professional (signmedia).There is a huge gap in knowledge among the general public on Deaf culture (Padden and Humphries). The way Deaf people act in their daily lives may confuse others. Because the general public might think the way Deaf people act is taboo; they think Deaf people have learning, psychological disabilities because it is not normal for 2 them. A lot of people don’t understand how Deaf people have a culture and might make assumptions that Deaf culture doesn’t exist (Wilcox 2-5). My job is to answer that major question; what is Deaf culture?There are a lso questions that arise such as, what constitutes Deaf culture? There are two other questions that are very important into explaining the importance of Deaf culture, which is, how has ASL (American Sign Language) impacted the Deaf community and what are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? This topic is very important to me because I was raised in the Deaf culture. My entire family is Deaf and have faced many of these questions that hearing people are unaware about. I feel that it is my job to educate when I have the chance to do so.By being able to educate at least one person, I have done my job. I do not think there is enough information out there to reach everyone’s awareness of Deaf culture. While investigating this topic I will be trying to ask at least 30-50 people; Deaf and hearing, about what they think Deaf culture is. I am very curious as to how many understand Deaf culture and how many Deaf people actually know what Deaf culture is. Dea f culture has been suppressed for many years that even the Deaf people might not know what really makes up Deaf culture.I also what to get the Deaf people’s take on what they think are the major issues that are being dealt with today and also how they think ASL has impacted their communities (History). I know that everyone will have a different take on these two questions and it is always interesting to see the different answers. I know that these questions and the answer that I get back will make the paper a whole lot more worth reading and understanding from a Deaf person’s perspective. 3 Deaf culture is very important to the Deaf communities.Deaf people have for many years fought to have their culture recognized, but still to this day Deaf culture is still being questioned as a culture. I hope that this paper will show those who read this that there is more to Deafness than what meets the eyes. I hope that I am able to help others understand Deaf culture and have a new respect for the Deaf communities around us (Padden and Humphries). Literature Review Rev. Jesse L. Jackson once said, â€Å"The problem is not the students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. In 1988, the rally that went on at Gallaudet University, Deaf President Now, set off major awareness of the Deaf communities in the United States. This was the beginning of what would change how people perceived the Deaf communities to be. Although, this was 25 years ago, the Deaf communities are still trying to get the awareness out (Deaf President Now). The Deaf communities are still trying to educate the United States that they are not to be perceived as people with disabilities and are unable to do much, but perfectly able bodies that can do just about anything but hear.With that being said, the 1988 rally at Gallaudet University paved the way for other Deaf communities in the United States to raise awareness and try to educate others which remains a dif ficult task to this day. With no language and no culture, there is only isolation which Deaf people will no longer allow (Deaf President Now). Deaf culture has been questioned from time to time. It wasn’t until the rally at Gallaudet University 25 years ago that a light was shone on deafness as a whole. 4 Although Deaf culture was formally recognized in 1965, people still didn’t know much about it (J, Michelle).The definition of culture explained by Dictionary. com: 1. The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, ect. 2. That which is excellent in arts, manners, etc. 3. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of certain nation or period: Greek culture. 4. Development or improvement of the mind by education or training. 5. The Behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture. (dictionary. com) The debate still is whether or not Deaf citizens have a culture.Given the definition above of what constitutes a culture, Deaf culture consists of all of these. The Deaf culture in America, like many other cultures, have a shared language; American Sign Language (ASL) (Padden and Humphries). ASL is used for Deaf people to communicate with one another and also to communicate with hearing people who know of the language. ASL is a visual/gestural language; there is no vocal component to the language. ASL is not a universal language, but other countries do have their own signed languages such as Italian Sign Language, and British Sign Language (J,Michelle).The use of ASL shares an identification and unity with other Deaf members in communities. Dr. Barbara Kannapel has observed Deaf communities to understand their values, rules, and traditions. She has concluded the following: Deaf communities are supporters of the 5 primary sense of vision for communication at school, in their homes, and in their communities (About American). They value the Deaf children that enter the world as the future of their Deaf culture, it is important to them to have Deaf children to pass on their language.Continuation of Deaf culture goes through the traditions of their films, folklore, poetry, literature, organizations, and school reunions. These traditions are very important to the Deaf communities and those who have children must pass on their traditions, otherwise they will be judged within their communities (About American). Deaf culture has been looked at as arbitrary because most of their language, ASL, cannot be translated into English. Even though Deaf culture has been somewhat acknowledged, the Deaf people are still fighting to be recognized and respected (J, Michelle).ASL is a complete and refined language. ASL contains its own grammar, culture, and syntax. The standardized Sign Language can date back in the early seventeen hundreds which supports the ASL’s origins. A SL isn’t a written form of language and cannot be written into English. When translating ASL it is completely different from the English language (J, Michelle). Abbe de l'Epee was from Paris and developed the Old French Sign Language in his Deaf school in 1754 (History). This was the first time that Deaf individuals had a school they could attend and allowed to learn. This was the frame work in the making for ASL.Meanwhile, in America, Martha’s Vineyard the birth rate of Deaf people where astonishingly high. The Deaf people that lived in Martha’s Vineyard had a genetic code that caused deafness at birth. While there were so many Deaf people living in the area the Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) was created and used in so many households that had Deaf members. Another great man 6 named, Thomas Hopkin Gallaudet is accredited for the promotion of signing methods in America. He later partnered up with Dr. Mason Cogswell to research methods for Deaf chi ldren in Europe (History).Once Thomas had reached American the first Deaf school was opened in 1817, â€Å"American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. † It was at this very school that ASL was born and where all different Sign Languages could influence the making of ASL. Today this school is now known as, American School for the Deaf. The children that attended this school later graduated and moved on to opening their own Deaf schools in the United States, influencing the language to thousands of Deaf children and adults. American Sign Language wasn’t always accepted and had some difficult time being accepted within society.Near the end of the 1800’s the use of oralism was imposed on the Deaf. He didn’t believe that ASL was a language that should be used. He believed the Deaf were being lazy and could learn to speak. With this movement it had hindered the growth of ASL in many Deaf communities across America. Deaf individuals couldn’t use their hands to communicate anymore and had to try their best at speaking for what they wanted. This completely crushed the education and language they were destined to have. They no longer could understand anyone let alone themselves, no language meant isolation (History).Carol Padden and Tom Humphries are co-authors of the book Inside Deaf Culture. In chapter 6, they show the similarities with the past silent films to the modern day silent Deaf theater. There is no difference within the two but for some reason with the modern society that we live in, its taboo for silent Deaf theater. People do not 7 understand Deaf people in general enough to understand and appreciate the Deaf theater. Deaf theater is part of Deaf culture, when learning the language you have to be able to show gestures which are used in silent films and Deaf theater (Padden and Humphries 123-143).Deaf people have been pushed in so many different directions with so many people making changes on what they should be doing. The bot tom line is; no language and no culture there is only isolation which the Deaf people will no longer allow. With all of these milestones in the history of the Deaf culture, there is only more to come. Abbe de l'Epee was a great man that gave a â€Å"voice† to those Deaf people who were silenced by their communities (About American). With the help of Thomas Gallaudet, Gallaudet University would have never set off the major awareness about deafness to America.Gallaudet University was the place that paved the way for many Deaf Americans to stand up and educate those around them of their language and culture (Deaf President Now). Methodology This research paper is on the topic of Deaf culture in America. The major question that I will be researching is what is Deaf culture? This paper will also be exploring these sub-questions in order to conclude the research paper; what constitutes Deaf culture, how has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community, and what are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today?This topic is very detailed and so many unexplored areas. There will be a few different ways in researching this project. There will be a survey asking the general public and Deaf communities a simple question of, what is 8 Deaf culture. This question will allow me to be able to show the major differences between the two different communities. This research will also be using the Gallaudet University website to do most of my research. With the help of Gallaudet University website, other sources were found. Gallaudet has done so much research on topics today that Deaf communities are facing and also on Deaf culture.Gallaudet is the best source to receive and find information on this topic and very reliable. I will be answering the following sub-questions: 1. What Constitutes Deaf Culture? Using the dictionary. com for definition of culture shows what is involved within a culture. This definition will better show the true meaning o f culture and show that Deaf culture is indeed a culture. Knowing the definition will help others understand Deaf culture. There will be a one question survey asking a mixture of Deaf and hearing people this question to get an idea as to how many know about Deaf culture or the definition of culture. . How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? Looking through the history from signgenius. com, will give a better understand how American Sign Language has impacted the Deaf communities. Gallaudet University has also published an article called â€Å"About American Deaf Culture† which gives you an insight on the impact it has caused. 3. What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? 9 Gallaudet University archives will be assisting in answering this question and also the National Association for the Deaf.This question will have a long list of items, but this paper will be touching upon the most important topic of today. Once all of these sub-questions are answered, the goal is to get the general public to understand the Deaf community better and understand the meaning of Deaf culture. This research in hope will make others more interested in researching more on their own and answer more of their questions. I have already started to ask questions to the general public and to Deaf communities as I go along. I am collecting my answers and putting them into similar answered piles to make up some kind of percentage I could use in my paper.I am also researching the Gallaudet University archives for facts on each topic. I will be using the facts I find from Gallaudet University and from the questions that were answered by the people to confirm my findings in my paper. Results This paper is intended to answer the major question, what is Deaf culture? This question is also followed by three sub-questions to help answer my major question. (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today?These sub-questions will also in the end answer many other questions that might arise when reading this paper. The plan is to educate others who are unaware of this topic. Culture has been defined in a way that many believe deafness couldn’t possibly be 10 in its own category of culture (J, Michelle). This paper will be explaining that Deaf culture is indeed a true culture and should be respected just as much as other cultures. What Constitutes Deaf Culture? In order to answer this first question, what constitutes Deaf culture, we need to first look at the definition of culture.The definition is explained by Dictionary. com: 1. The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, ect. 2. That which is excellent in arts, manners, etc. 3. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of certain n ation or period: Greek culture. 4. Development or improvement of the mind by education or training. 5. The Behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.Just like any culture in the world, Deaf culture consists of social beliefs, values, behaviors, literary traditions, and art which are explained above in the definition (About American). A Deaf house hold will have the same way of communication and how they are able to live within a hearing world. Flashing lights will be the first thing noticed within a Deaf house hold. They flash their lights to get attention of another family member or their alarms, doorbell, and telephone are connected to some kind of flashing device. American Sign Language (ASL) is also shared within the Deaf culture.This language is very important to the way they communicate. This language is very visual 11 and abstract, it’s important to have every detail laid out in the language i n order for a Deaf person to understand what is being said (Padden and Humphries 123-126). ASL shares no similarity to English grammatically; it doesn’t share any aspect of English in any way broken, gestural or even mimed. English uses the subject-object-verb while ASL uses topic-comment syntax. Sign language has been developed specific to their communities and isn’t universal (Nakamura).There are also small communities set up all over for Deaf people to come together and share information or just to have great conversations. These communities are very important to the Deaf culture because there are not a lot of Deaf people living in one area, in order to meet and learn information from each other they have little communities set up and have monthly gatherings. These communities are much like the ones you will find in small villages and tribes but in large industrial societies (Wilcox 2-5). How has American Sign Language Impacted the Deaf Community?To start out with a nswering this question I would like to give a little background on ASL just so there is a more understanding as to what ASL is and how it impacted the Deaf communities in America. ASL is a complete and refined language. ASL contains its own grammar, culture, and syntax. The standardized Sign Language can date back in the early seventeen hundreds which supports the ASL’s origins. ASL isn’t a written form of language and cannot be written into English. When translating ASL it is completely different from the English language (J, Michelle).Abbe de l'Epee was from Paris and developed the Old French Sign Language in his Deaf school in 1754. This was the first 12 time that Deaf individuals had a school they could attend and allowed to learn. This was the frame work in the making for ASL. Meanwhile, in America, Martha’s Vineyard the birth rate of Deaf people where astonishingly high. The Deaf people that lived in Martha’s Vineyard had a genetic code that caused deafness at birth. While there were so many Deaf people living in the area the Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) was created and used in so many households that had Deaf members (History).Another great man named, Thomas Hopkin Gallaudet is accredited for the promotion of signing methods in America. He later partnered up with Dr. Mason Cogswell to research methods for Deaf children in Europe. Once Thomas had reached American the first Deaf school was opened in 1817, â€Å"American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. † It was at this very school that ASL was born and where all different Sign Languages could influence the making of ASL. Today this school is now known as, American School for the Deaf.The children that attended this school later graduated and moved on to opening their own Deaf schools in the United States, influencing the language to thousands of Deaf children and adults. American Sign Language wasn’t always accepted and had some difficult time being accepted within society. Near the end of the 1800’s the use of oralism was imposed on the Deaf. Linguist believes that ASL wasn’t a language that should be used. They believed the Deaf were being lazy and could learn to speak. With this movement it had hindered the growth of ASL in many Deaf communities across America.Deaf individuals couldn’t use their hands to communicate anymore and had to try their best at speaking for what they wanted (History). This completely crushed the education and language they were destined to have. They no longer could understand anyone let alone 13 themselves, no language meant isolation. With this isolation came frustration. They were looked at as disabled and unable to function. No one thought anything of a Deaf person, they pushed them in the back of the classrooms and allowed them to sit there all day until school was finished (History). What are the Major Issues within the Deaf Community Today?There is one major issue that is hitting home for just about all Deaf communities in America. Deaf schools are closing throughout the entire United States. There were 63 Deaf schools in the United States; that is no longer the case (U. S. State). Currently there are about 12 different Deaf schools in the United States that are in jeopardy of closing, 9 of these schools are in New York alone. The cause of these schools closing is the proposal of saving money for each state. These schools are government funded even though they are private schools. The government officials are trying to cut down budget by closing these schools.They are also proposing that these students from the Deaf school attend the mainstream schools that are in their area. They think it’s as simple as that but it really isn’t. It is hard for a Deaf student to get an interpreter that is willing to stay throughout the entire school year with them (NAD). The advantages of a Deaf school are the following: 1. Exposure to Deaf culture. Chi ldren who are sent to Deaf schools are exposed to the culture and language. It is important that they are exposed to understand who they are and to provide self-esteem. 2. The environmental learning that surrounds the children is essential to their 4 language. Communication is very vital to any person in the world, being able to speak the same language in school provide a better learning experience. 3. Deaf schools prevent children from falling into education and social gaps. They are able to learn important life skills just like every other child. 4. Deaf schools that are closed translate into job losses for those that are Deaf teachers. These Deaf teachers are less likely to be hired into a public school (Stop Closing). Another issue has also risen in the year of 2003. This may not be an issue for the general public but it has become an issue for the Deaf communities.Before explaining this I do want to take the time to share the true passion the Deaf have for their culture. It is true that many Deaf people wouldn’t do anything to change their life, such as being able to hear. They love and accept who they are and embrace their Deafness and their culture (J, Michelle). With that being said, scientists have been able to identify 30,000 genes that make up the human being, this also including genes that cause Deafness. In the mix of all of the new findings colleges and universities all over were starting to offer American Sign Language courses.American Sign Language courses are among the fifteen most popular taught languages across the United States. With this genetic information doctors and scientists are approaching their goal in being able to identify and correct the gene for Deafness. With this possibility it will most likely eliminate Deafness and American Sign Language. This is a big blow to most Deaf communities across the United States because their culture is very precious to them (Padden and Humphries 163- 15 166). They are not looking to be â⠂¬Å"corrected† they are looking to be understood by others.This is causing a lot of doctors to do more examinations of them instead of understanding them at all. Deaf people do not want to be looked at as some kind of science experiment. Each year there are thousands of Deaf children that are getting implanted with a cochlea implant; this helps the eardrum to react to sound. With these implants they hinder the learning process of language because these children are not taught ASL, they are forced to talk instead. These implants are also a big problem when it comes to needed an MRI or even a lifesaving defibrillator.An MRI or defibrillator could cause the implant to explode and kill the person instantly (163-166). From the above questions stated, there is much to research and so many more questions that may arise. With the research presented in this chapter, the conclusion is somewhat vague but is the building block of what to come in the next chapters of this paper. Again to r einstate the meaning of the word culture once again; culture consists of social beliefs, values, behaviors, literary traditions, and art (J, Michelle). Deaf culture also has the same categories that are stated above.Survey A survey was conducted by myself of 50 different people. This was only a one question survey, what is Deaf culture? The survey was with 25 people from the general public and 25 people from the Deaf communities. It’s important to have asked the same question to the Deaf communities because not every Deaf person were exposed to the Deaf culture or even use American Sign Language (J, Michelle). The results of this survey are: 16 20 people answered with, â€Å"Deaf culture? Is there such a thing? † 5 people answered with, â€Å"Deaf culture? I never heard of it. † people answered with, â€Å"A group of people, meeting together once a month. † 10 people answered with, â€Å" Deaf culture is when history and traditions are shared and passed down to the next generations. † 10 people answered with, â€Å" Traditions, history, stories, and beliefs are passed down and shared with Deaf families. Having Deaf children passes down these traditions that are shared. † Some of these answers have the full idea of what Deaf culture is and others are unaware of Deaf culture. This goes to show that there are a lot of people out there that do not know what Deaf culture is or even that it exist.I hope that this paper will create curiosity and learn more about it. Summary There is a huge gap in knowledge among the general public on Deaf culture (Padden and Humphries). The way Deaf people act in their daily lives may confuse others. Because the general public might think the way Deaf people act is taboo; they think Deaf people have learning, psychological disabilities because it is not normal for them. The purpose of this paper is to educate others that are unaware of the Deaf culture here in America (J, Michelle). Education is power and once people understand more, they are more accepting.The major question is; what is Deaf culture? In order to make this a 17 successful paper and to be able to answer this question there are the following sub- questions. (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? These sub-questions help understand and answer the major question. Research wasn’t only based on internet, books, and journals; I also took it upon myself to question 50 people. The question that was asked is what is Deaf culture?When asking this question I have found some interesting answers and it also supports the purpose of researching this paper. The methodology of this paper is clear and simple. Finding a lot of credible sources satisfies my research paper and also having a one question survey to the general public and Deaf communities in order to support the purpos e of this paper. The Gallaudet University website has amazing sources to use and also helped guide in choosing the right books/websites to do this research. Gallaudet also gets a lot of their research and studies from these two authors, Carol Padden and Tom Humphries.These two authors are very knowledgeable in Deaf culture and how the communities are run; they have taken the time to study the Deaf communities in order to write their books. What really motivated me to do this research is a quote from Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, â€Å"The problem is not the students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. † (Deaf President Now) This quote is sums up the realization that the general public in America are unaware of Deafness and the culture that Deaf people share. In 1988, the ally that went on at Gallaudet University, Deaf President Now, set off major awareness of the Deaf communities in the United States. This was the beginning of what would 18 change how people perceived the Deaf communities to be. Although, this was 25 years ago, the Deaf communities are still trying to get the awareness out. The Deaf communities are still trying to educate the United States that they are not to be perceived as people with disabilities and are unable to do much, but perfectly able bodies that can do just about anything but hear (Deaf President Now).With all my research I want to be able to share a brief summary as to how I was able to answer these sub-questions I created in order to answer the major question. My research was pretty extensive and it took some time to break it down enough to give a direct answer to each sub-question. What Constitutes Deaf Culture? Dictionary. com has provided the definition of culture in order to answer the important question, what is Deaf culture? Giving the definition of culture is a great base to start off of. Being able to understand the definition will give a better understanding of how Deaf culture fits in the same criteria of any culture.Deaf culture has been debatable by many as to whether it was considered a culture or not. Just by putting the definition of culture and explaining all the components that make up a culture and how Deaf culture has the same components, already answers the major question but it’s still only half the answer. I have also asked a single question to 50 people on what they thought Deaf culture was. This also supported the fact that the general public is not knowledgeable in this topic. 19 How has American Sign Language Impacted the Deaf Community?Carol Padden and Tom Humphries have extensive knowledge about Deaf communities and how the impact of American Sign Language has made on Deaf communities. In order to answer this question, it required a brief history review. In order to understand how hard it was for the Deaf to communicate without sign language I believe gives another perspective on how important American Sign Language is to the Deaf communitie s. Also This helps answers the first sub-question by adding that American Sign Language is part of their culture because it’s a language that is shared throughout the communities and will be passed down to the generations to come.What are the Major Issues within the Deaf Community Today? The NAD (National Association for the Deaf) has been reporting on the major issues in the Deaf communities. As of the present day there are not enough Deaf schools around. This is a major problem because language skills, social skills, and the exposure the children get to their culture are very important (NAD). These schools are being shut down due to the fact there is very little knowledge as to how important these schools are to the Deaf communities. This topic is very important to mention because it also answers my first and second sub-questions.This issue shows how important it is to preserve American Sign Language along with their culture. Children in this generation are having a hard ti me with being able to be exposed to the Deaf culture because these schools are unable to be open to provide this exposure. In order for schools to stay open the government has to be educated in Deaf culture and their language. Without the knowledge they will continue to make these devastating decisions (Stop Closing). 20 Discussion of Results With this research I have found that the knowledge about Deaf culture in general is very minimal within the United States.We are aware of Deafness but we are not aware of the culture and the language that represents these people. In the books by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, they basically summed up how misunderstood the Deaf communities are. Deaf communities are look at as being disabled and in need of help when that is far from the facts. With this paper and the resources I have provided in it will hopefully prompt others to look more into this topic and educate themselves about Deaf culture. With the three sub-questions that I have choose, (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? 2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? I believe I have answered them all in detail and they all strongly support and answer my major question; what is Deaf culture? In conclusion to this paper, I believe it is safe to say that with more knowledge in this topic the Deaf communities will be able to preserve their culture and be understood more as individual Americans. Deafness is not a weakness it is just a miss component to the five senses. Deafness shouldn’t be considered a disability but as an opportunity. 1 Work Cited â€Å"About American Deaf Culture. † Gallaudet University . N. p.. Web. 2 Mar 2013. ;http://www. gallaudet. edu/clerc_center /information_and_resources/info_to_go /educate_children_(3_to_21) /resources_for_mainstream_programs /effective_inclusion/including_deaf_culture /about_american_deaf_culture. html;. â€Å"Amer ican Sign Language:History. † SignGenius. N. p.. Web. 3 Mar 2013. ;http://www. signgenius. com /american-sign-language/american- sign-language-history. shtml;. â€Å"Deaf President Now. † Gallaudet University . N. p.. Web. 2 Mar 2013. ;http://www. gallaudet. du /Gallaudet_University/About_Gallaudet /DPN_Home/Impact. html;. J, Michelle. â€Å"Deaf Culture Uncovered. † Articlesbase (2008): n. pag. Web. 2 Mar 2013. ;http://www. articlesbase. com/languages-articles /deaf-culture-uncovered-612047. html;. â€Å"NAD Action Alert: Preserve State Schools for the Deaf. † National Association of the Deaf. N. p. , 16 FEB 2011. Web. 3 Apr 2013. ;http://www. nad. org/news/2011/2/nad-action- 22 alert-preserve-state-schools-deaf;. Nakamura, Karen. â€Å"About American Sign Language. † Deaf Resource Library. N. p. , 13 Jul 1995. Web. 3 Apr 2013. lt;http://www. deaflibrary. org/asl. html Padden, Carol, and Tom Humphries. Inside Deaf Culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2005. Print. â€Å"Stop Closing Schools for the Deaf. † Deaf Think Tank. N. p. , 27 Sep 2012. Web. 3 Apr 2013. ;http://deafthinktank. org/stop-closing-schools -for-the-deaf/;. â€Å"U. S. State Residential Schools for the Deaf. † Deaf Education. N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Apr 2013. ;http://www. deafed. net /PageText. asp? hdnPageId=105;. Wilcox, Sherman. American Deaf Culture: An Anthology. Burtonsville, Maryland: Linstok Press, 1989. 2-5. Print.

A dramatic way Essay

After the September 11, 2001 attack the civil aviation system of our nation was given a great deal of congressional attention. The Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) on November 2001. The ATSA created the Transport Security Administration (TSA) within the Department of Transportation (DOT). The TSA was entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring security in aviation as well as other modes of transport. This agency hired a number of people for the deployment of both passengers and baggage. Explosives detection equipment was used to check the baggage. The agency is also working on the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS); this would use national security as well as commercial databases in order to identify passengers who could pose risk for additional screening. TSA also initiated a number of programs and research on the use of technology and information in order to advance security. The Transportation Workers Identification Card program is issued to airport workers after a background check has been conducted on them. Biometric indicators have been incorporated in them so that each worker can be positively matched to his or her credential. Though TSA takes pains to see that bombs and other threat items are not carried into the planes by the passengers on their self or in their baggage, areas such as the air cargo security, general aviation security and the airport perimeter security are still vulnerable, the air cargo is vulnerable as very little of the cargo on cargo and passenger planes are screened. Thus TSA has been advised to use a risk management approach to enhance and strengthen the air cargo security. Prior to September2001, screeners who were hired by the airlines very often failed to detect threat objects on passengers or in their carryon luggage. This could be because of insufficient training and a rapid turnover. In most of the airports the turnover exceeded 100 percent, the skilled and experienced screeners were few mainly because of low wages, few benefits and monotonous work. Moreover before September 2001 people entered the secure areas of airports, including the aircrafts as the limiting controls did not work as intended. TSA’s first and foremost responsibility was according to ATSA that of ensuring security in all modes of transportation. The security screening responsibility was also shifted to TSA. Some of the aviation security responsibility such as security of air traffic control and other computer systems remained with FAA. TSA worked to establish itself and worked at meeting the deadlines set forth by ATSA. TSA had 13 employees in January 2002. A year later it had 65,000 employees. TSA had met over 30 deadlines during 2002 to improve the aviation security. Racial profiling against the ‘young muslim male’ seems an awful idea and therefore it ought to be abolished. Still it is argued and even many minority police are of the opinion that it can be used as a statistical tool. It can be a cost effective way to tackle a certain problem e. g. most people committing X belong to Texas, then if there is a reliable way to identify people from Texas, it would certainly reduce the action X. Still it is not ethical even though police argue that they are not taking action based on any race but that they are using race as a factor to identify suspects. This is discrimination by race and religion and when such discrimination meets approval, we start heading down the slope. Besides this the practical problems are also to be met. It certainly antagonizes the group that is being profiled. The young muslim men in America would not like it and might even flare up, and it might irritate them so that they who might have helped in a terrorist investigation might just shrug their shoulders now. Moreover how many people would it affect? Numerous? Muslim looking men hail from Nigerians to Iranians to Indonesians. The muslims of Central Asia often resemble the Chinese and tree quarters of Arab Americans are Christians. It is also to be noted that even if racial profiling isn’t motivated by bigotry, over a period of time it is very likely to cause racial tension. The civilians would view all young Muslims males suspiciously, which would again inflame racial tensions. Therefore in order to preserve racial harmony an extra couple billion dollar get spent, for the security measure, it is still more worthwhile that creating disillusioned youngsters who in their anger might turn terrorists. Sources Jackson Brain A :Aptitude For Destruction: Organizational Learning in Terrorist Groups and its Implications for†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Brower Jennifer L: The Terrorist Threat and its implications for sensor technologies, Prometheus Inc.Newport . RI02840, USA 3. www. wikipedia. org 4.. Kofi Annan, Secretary General, United Nations, Keynote address to the Closing Plenary of the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security March 10 2005 5. Joan Arehart –Treichel; Terrorists’ Motives Arise From Diverse Factors Psychiatric News March 18, 2005, Volume 40, Number 6 6. Lee Tien, Electronic Frontier Foundation Senior Counsel, Sep. 27, 2001 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 7. Jenkins, Brian Michael: Countering the New Terrorism (199

buy custom Schizophrenia as a Mental Illness essay

buy custom Schizophrenia as a Mental Illness essay Introduction Mental illness is a problem that affects a persons health. It interferes with the way a person think, behave and how they interact with other people in the surrounding. This problem is also referred to as a mental disorder. However, there is a slight difference between mental illness and mental disorder. Mental illness is at times curable after sometime. Mental disorder may be inborn. It is said to cause a lot of problems to the people affected and the people around them. According to a report by the World Health Organization, mental illness becomes severe with time. Depression is one of the worst mental illnesses affecting many people today. This is due to the changing life circumstances. Some of the other types include eating disorder, personality problems, schizophrenia and anxiety. Thesis statement Mental illness is a norm in society just like other diseases and in our paper we will extensively look into schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has lead to alienation of the mentally sick in society and adequate measures should be taken to prevent this illness. Description of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is one of the many mental illnesses and a person suffering from the disease experiences a disintegration of emotional responsiveness and thought processes. It is also characterized by wacky delusions, disorganized thinking and speech, auditory hallucinations and paranoia. These are accompanied by considerable occupational and social dysfunctions of the victims. Some of the contributing factors to this illness are social and psychological processes, genetics, early environment and some prescription and recreational drugs. The disorder is not only cognition but also leads to persistent emotional and behavioral problems, anxiety disorders and major depressions. Some social problems faced by these people include poverty, homelessness and unemployment for a long period of time. Due to the health problems and a high rate of committing suicide by these people with the disorder, their life expectancy is twelve to fifteen years less than the normal person. People with schizophrenia need a lot of support from the people around and a lot of encouragement and understanding. They should not be blamed for their situations. Most mental illness can be treated if the signs are realized in good time. It is said that this illness occurs depending on different situations, and this dictates how it can be treated. It is actually not true that people with mental illness are dangerous. These are just stereotypes that people have. Mentally ill people should not be isolated because they recover more when they interact with people. One of the biggest challenges that people with schizophrenia encounter is stigmatization. People do not want to associate with them because they are afraid of them. Mental illness in this case schizophrenia is said to be caused by stress and for others it may be inherited. With the increased work load and social expectations in society, stress and depression is said to be on the rise. People want to meet so many expectations. They multitask so that they can be able to cope with life changing situations and at the end of it all they cause stress to themselves. People compete to social class and economic empowerment in order to be at a certain level in society thus, ending up to be victims of mental illness. Aspects of schizophrenia Some of the schizophrenia aspects that affect many people are the panic disorder. This is normally caused by fear that something bad may happen. The person lives in fear and thus getting repeated attacks. Panic disorder normally affects women. Women are prone to panic than men. The cause of panic disorder has not yet been identified yet. It is at times mistaken with heart attack. Though heart attack is lethal that panic disorder. It is not predictable and it happens at any time and it takes about 10 to 20 minutes. Others however, take longer. Most of the people with this problem are always living in fear of another attack. This affects the way they lead their lives and some of them are afraid of being left alone either at home or work. Social phobia is also another aspect of schizophrenia. This may be caused by the fear to be in social places with many people. One develops the fear of being scrutinized or being seen by many people. This my be caused by overprotective parents or during adolescence. It normally affects women. This can be a very dangerous illness because the victims look for an alternative way to counter their phobia. They may engage in drugs or other things that may affect them negatively. People with social phobia are always very careful and are afraid of trying out new things when in public. It is characterized by trembling, sweating, difficult in talking and blushing. This phobia can be treated by seeing a psychiatrist for cognitive counseling. The other aspect of schizophrenia that is probably not very common is seasonal affective disorder. It normally occurs during cold seasons like winter and autumn. It however improves in hot or warm seasons, i.e. spring and summer. It is at times characterized by a lot of appetite and weight gain, loose of energy and sluggishness. This can be regulated by doing a lot of exercises, walking during the day to reduce the fatigue and being socially active. This means attending to social gatherings and hanging out with friends. The most common aspect of all mental illness and schizophrenia in the world is alcoholism. This is more of the physical addiction that a person goes through. They are always taking alcohol and do not care what happens to them. This is normally caused by depression or a psychological problem. This problem normally affects teenagers and men. For teenagers, it is all about fitting in to the social peers. They end up being addicts and not being productive in the society. This can only be stopped through total abstinence and avoiding places that have alcohol. History of Schizophrenia Reports of unintelligible, irrational or uncontrolled behaviors of individuals were common before the nineteenth century although evidence in reports indicating this are not there. In 1962, there was a case report which was regarded as the earliest cases in the psychiatric and medical literature of the illness. Emil Kraepelin elaborated schizophrenia as a syndrome that affected young adults and teenagers. Some other terms that were used in the past for the illness included dementia praecox. Emil Kraepelin came up with a distinction of mental disorders and broadly distinguished between mood disorder and dementia praecox. According to Kraepelin, dementia praecox was solely a disease that affected the brain that occurred later in life unlike the other types of dementia. Schizophrenia has its roots in the Greek heredity which roughly means splitting of the mind. Kraepelin came up with this meaning with his intention being to describe the disconnection between thinking, memory, personalit y and perception of a person suffering from the illness. He further described the symptoms of the disease as autism, flattened affect, ambivalence and an impaired association of ideas. The treatment to schizophrenia was renewed in the 1960s with the introduction and development of chlorpromazine. (Kraepelin 1962) Signs and symptoms of schizophrenia Someone diagnosed with this illness may experience delusions that are often persecutory or bizarre in nature, speech and thinking that is disorganized, and hallucinations that entail the victims hearing voices. When an individual experiences disorganized speech, the train of thought is lost and the meaning of sentences is lost due to them been loosely connected and incoherent. These people loose judgment and motivation; have hygiene and sloppy dressing code and they also tend to withdraw from the society. Some other people may even become mute or show signs of purposeless agitation or remain immobile in bizarre postures. The onset periods for schizophrenia are early adulthood and late adolescence. This is where the vocational and social development is high and at its peak. It is worth noting that twenty three percent and forty percent of women and men respectively, who were diagnosed of the disease, began having the symptoms of the condition when they were below nineteen years of age. (Weinberger 2011) Negative and positive symptoms The positive symptoms of schizophrenia are the ones that are present in people with schizophrenia but they do not experience them. They include disordered speech and thought, hallucinations such as auditory, visual, olfactory, and tactile hallucinations, and delusions. These symptoms react very well with medication and can be curred unlike the negative symptoms that require long term treatment. The negative symptoms include poor speech (logia), the lack of aspirations to form relationships, incapability to experience pleasure and lack of motivation. According to research, these negative symptoms are the greatest contributors to functional disability, burden on others and meager value of life. People with these symptoms respond very poorly to treatment. Causes of schizophrenia The environmental and genetic factors play a very big role in the development of schizophrenia. There is also a twenty to forty percent chance of people with a history of the disease in the family to suffer the disease too. It is probable that genes are involved in the spread of this disease to some small extent. One of the major threats for developing the disease is having a first degree relative who suffers or has suffered the disease in the past. These genes include NOTCH4, copy number variations, protein loci and zinc protein 804A. The environment also plays a vital role in the development of the disease. Such environmental factors include prenatal stressors, family dysfunction, the living environment, poor housing conditions, unemployment, immigration, social isolation and racial discrimination. Those individuals who have experienced trauma or abuse in their childhood years are at a very high risk of schizophrenia. Drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, alcohol and cannabis have b een related to the causes of schizophrenia. Infection and hypoxia in pregnant women or malnutrition and stress have a slight risk of schizophrenia in the child later in life. Psychological factors have been said to cause and maintain schizophrenia. Those people in confusing circumstances or under stress have cognitive biases. Some brain imaging technologies such as the functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) have studied the brain and its connection to schizophrenia. It has been noted that those people with schizophrenia have changes in the chemistry and structure of the brain. (Szasz 1988) Other causes of schizophrenia include physical injury to the brain, allergic infection or reaction, hormonal activity or viruses, and stressful events in life. Medication/methods of treatment Treatment will include hospitalization whereby the patient is administered drugs. Antipsychotic or narcoleptic drugs are administered to the patients in order to control the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. These drugs have a sedative action which makes it even more difficult to deal with side effects. The side effects include rapid heartbeat, blurred vision, constipation and dizziness. There are also neuromuscular effects which include muscle shaking and stiffness and sexual side effects. Others such as chlorpromazine have permanent side effects such as muscle spasm and involuntary movement. People are being advised to use the newer narcoleptics like olanzapine, amisurpride and zotepine which not only have fewer side effects, but also improve the negative symptoms that are very hard to control and treat. The drugs may come in different forms: those that are inject able, syrup or tablets and may be taken monthly, fortnightly, weekly or daily. Some people may only take a very short time to get well and come out of medication unlike others who take a long time. Another method of treatment includes Individual therapy. It is known as Cognitive therapy and involves a therapist helping the schizophrenic patient learn ways of coping with stressful thoughts so as to reduce your risk of a relapse. For patients who lack family and social support, they may be helped through intensive case management programs that link to a range of community support services. This is a treatment on its own for patients as it assists in rehabilitation. Supportive and problem-focused forms of psychotherapy may also be helpful for many individuals Conclusion Schizophrenia has a very great impact on the overall well being of a person and causes a great deal of discomfort. It is therefore, paramount that people with schizophrenia are given the full support by the people around. This disorder can affect anyone, of whichever age. It is then required of people to be keen to any signs that are not consistent. It is only when people are cautious that such atrocities are prevented. Buy custom Schizophrenia as a Mental Illness essay

Demetri Martins Humorous Quotes on Life

Demetri Martin's Humorous Quotes on Life Demetri Martin has a relaxed demeanor. You just have to listen to him for a few seconds before you fall off your chair, laughing. Demetri is a gifted artist, but how is he best described? A comic musician? A comic actor? A writer? Now, thats a bundle of talent.   Food If you have a pear-shaped body, you should not wear pear-colored clothes or act juicy. My friend had a burrito. The next day he said, That burrito did not agree with me. I was like, Was the disagreement over whether or not youd have diarrhea? Let me guess who won. I tried to reason with it, I insisted, you know. I was like, I wanna go outside, I like these pants, but the burrito had his way. I like fruit baskets because it gives you the ability to mail someone a piece of fruit without appearing insane. Like, if someone just mailed you an apple youd be like Huh? What the hell is this? but if its in a fruit basket youre like, This is nice! I was making  pancakes  the other day and a fly flew into the kitchen. And thats when I realized that a spatula is a lot like a fly swatter. And a crushed fly is a lot like a blueberry. And a roommate is a lot like a fly eater. I feel stupid when I write the word banana. Its  like, how many  nas  are on this thing? Cause Im like Bana ... keep going. Bananana  ... damn. Word Play I noticed that there are no B batteries. I think thats to avoid confusion, cause if there were you wouldnt know if someone was stuttering. Yes, hello Id like some B-batteries. What kind? B-batteries. What kind? B-batteries! and D-batteries thats hard for foreigners. Yes, I would like de batteries. I think its interesting that cologne rhymes with alone. Saying Im sorry is the same as saying I apologize. Except at a funeral. Some jokes are short and elegant, like a mathematical proof or a midget in a ball gown. I like when good things happen to me, but I wait two weeks to tell anyone because I like to use the word fortnight. I like video games, but theyre really violent. Id like to play a  video game  where you help the people who were shot in all the other games. Itd be called Really Busy Hospital. I went into  a clothes  store and a lady came up to me and said, if you need anything, Im Jill. Ive never met anyone with a conditional identity before. The digital camera is a great invention because it allows us to reminisce. Instantly. I love women, but I feel like you cant trust some of them. Some of them are liars, you know? Like I was in the park and I met this girl, she was cute and she had a dog. And I went up to her; we started talking. She told me her dogs name. Then I said, Does he bite? She said, No. And I said, Oh yeah? Then how does he eat? Liar. A quick way to start a conversation is to say something like Whats your favorite color? A quick way to end a conversation is to say something like Whats your favorite color ...  person? I was on the street. This guy waved to me, and he came up to me and said, Im sorry, I thought you were someone else. And I said, I am. Sort of is such a harmless thing to say ... sort of. Its just a filler. Sort of ... it doesnt really mean anything. But after certain things, sort of means everything. Like ... after I love you ... or Youre going to live .. or Its a boy! I wonder what the word for dots looks like in Braille. Birthdays I wrapped my Christmas presents early this year, but I used the wrong paper. See, the paper I used said Happy Birthday  on it. I didnt want to waste it so I just wrote Jesus on it. It was my  friends birthday  and I was mad at him, so I sent him a card. It said  happy birthday, but I put quotes around the word Happy... sarcastic birthday, douche bag. Everything Else I like parties, but I dont like pinatas because the pinata promotes violence against flamboyant animals. Hey, theres a donkey with some pizzazz. Lets kick its ass. What Im trying to say is, dont make the same Halloween costume mistake that I did. Employee of the month is a good example of how somebody can be both a winner and a loser at the same time. I think that when you get dressed in the morning, sometimes youre really making a decision about your behavior for the day. Like if you put on flip-flops, youre saying: Hope I dont get chased today. Be nice to people in sneakers. My plumbing is all screwed up. Because it turns out, I do not own a garbage disposal. A lot of people dont like bumper stickers. I dont mind bumper stickers. To me, a bumper sticker is a shortcut. Its like a little sign that says Hey, lets never hang out. A drunk driver is very dangerous. So is a drunk backseat driver if hes persuasive. Dude, make a left. Those are trees. Trust me. If I have to move up in a building, I choose the elevator over the escalator. Because one time I was riding the escalator and I tripped. I fell down the stairs for an hour and a half. I used to play sports. Then I realized you can buy trophies. Now Im good at everything.

The Casey Anthony Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Casey Anthony Case - Research Paper Example â€Å"Not Guilty† was the verdict handed down in the Casey Anthony murder trial on July 5, 2011. It’s been four months since the trial, but still current in the minds of mothers, fathers, and concerned Americans. â€Å"After 33 days of testimony, 400 pieces of evidence and more than 90 witnesses, the jury in the Casey Anthony case reached a verdict† After only one day of deliberations, Anthony was found not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. She was convicted of misleading law enforcement. The case appeared to be circumstantial; however, Anthony was seen as a self-centered, loose moral woman who was a cold-blooded killer. The motive, portrayed by the prosecutors, showed she would have a carefree life without her daughter. Did she kill her daughter Caylee? And if so, would it be attributed to Psychological, Sociological, or Biological criminal causation theories or could it be a combination of these theories. Dr. Lionel C.M. VonFrederick Rawlins clarifies the three main theories of criminal causation. The psychological theory shows people committing crimes because of personality imbalances formed in early childhood. These would later show up as antisocial behavior, involvement in drinking, drugs, reckless driving, problems in education, employment and relationships.

Proofs for the Existence of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proofs for the Existence of God - Essay Example There are unanswered questions even today about the importance and existence of God as creator of this universe or the galaxies that astronomers see through their ever more powerful telescope. If it is conceivable that this universe had a beginning and will have an end, then it is logical to assume that it must have had a creator, since nothing can be created out of nothing. While John Leslie in his treatise on the subject of ethically required existences argues that there must be proof of God somewhere in the system of things, St Anslem of old puts the cart before the horse and argues that the importance that religion and mankind gives to God proves his existence (Anslem, 4)1. Explication To my mind, both philosophers are arguing for the existence of God, but each from a different standpoint. John Leslie, in his argument for what he calls ‘ethically required existences’, relies on the tenets of naturalism and prescriptivism to explain his viewpoint (Leslie, 1972:222)2. St. Anslem however takes a more unconventional approach and states that to think of God is to think of the Greatest Power that the Universe has ever known, and undoubtedly since some Power created this Universe and every living and inanimate thing out of nothing at all, that Power can only be God and belong to God. No one can create something out of nothing except God. Therefore it is imperative that we believe in the existence of God, the Creator and Master of All the known universe and its galaxies etc. It is far better to accept the existence of God because each creature in the universe is the product of intelligent design and that presupposes a creator. Main Argument John Leslie starts with the notion that we cannot label anything as intrinsically good or bad unless we know what good and bad is, therefore we are making a judgment that can only depend on prior knowledge or something that is inherent in man’s nature or existence. If morality or ethical behavior is what sepa rates us from the animals or at any rate, the creatures that lie below us on the totem pole of existence, then there is someone or something that put it in our hearts, or minds and our souls, and that could only be God. No wonder it is often said that ‘Conscience is the voice of God in man’. The very fact that we all come into this earthly existence with an inbuilt sense of morality is proof enough of the existence of God, a creator that prefers us to be good and do good, but has given us free will all the same, in order to test our level of obedience to him in this earthly life. To support St. Anslem’s argument, since it is so confusing, I prefer to put forward what has been called Pascal’s Wager to prove the existence of God. Pascal’s Wager induces us to wager that there is a God, rather than there is not. He has very interestingly drawn out parallels whether we believe in God or do not believe in God because we cannot do both. Either we believe i n the existence of a Supreme Being or we do not. But suppose if we did and there is indeed a God that meets us at the Pearly Gates or whatever as we pass into the afterlife. In that case we would indeed be pleased that we assumed correctly that God did exist. Indeed this assumption also makes our moral life on Earth easier as well. We take pains to do good and be good because