Emily, Cody And Lucas Were The Ones At Home - 873 Words

When I enter the home the first thing I noticed was that only Emily, Cody and Lucas were the ones at home. Benjamin, Logan and Drew were out with their therapist for the afternoon. Emily and Cody we re upstairs playing but after about 5 minutes Ms. Orbach and I heard a door slamming. We went upstairs to check on them. At some point Cody no longer wanted to play with Emily and this made Emily very upset. Ms. Orbach told them to come downstairs and play and they are not allowed to play upstairs by themselves. Once they were downstairs in the living room Cody went to the dining table to color and Emily was playing with her dolls on the floor. Lucas was moving between the two of them. Ms. Orbach and I then began our conversation about the second parent mentor. I explained to her the reason for the second parent mentor. They would be another set of eyes into the house , so we can get more things done throughout the day. It would also be someone there to help supervise the six children. Since they break off into different sections of the house. I explained it to her in a way that it is about getting more help versus pushing her to do it all on her own. She told to me, she is not the one, who said no to the second Parent Mentor, It was the Judge during one of her court dates. Her husband s lawyer also made some comments to the Judge. He did not think it was a good idea for her to have a second Mentor. After the judge heard what the lawyers had to said the Judge agreed she

Internet Addiction Ushering in a Generation of the Socially Inept Free Essays

How long does a year take when it’s going away? This was a question asked by Dunbar to a very highly disciplined soldier right before explaining, rising in almost furious passion, how fast life goes and that the only way that can slow it down is the slow, tedious, and overall unpleasant aspects of life. Granted this conversation took place in a work of fiction; however, how Dunbar insisted that he spend most of his time on base shooting skeet simply because it made his life seem to pass slower does draw parallels to how we distract ourselves today. Unlike in the 50’s when Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Addiction: Ushering in a Generation of the Socially Inept or any similar topic only for you Order Now Heller first introduced us to his pleasantly insane world that was Catch-22, today we have the amazing expanse of information and entertainment known as the Internet as well as the multitude of mediums for accessing it: computers, tablets, cellphones, televisions, even the very confines of our car can read Facebook updates. But with this quickly growing rise in demand for technology, status updates, and quick amusement, there is also a growth in research on a literal addiction to the Internet and technology. Many in the social sciences worry that we may be looking at a dependence on the superficial global connection, one that I fear may leave us with an incapable generation of social media dependents. Internet addiction is seen as an impulse-control disorder, much like other addictions such as to gambling or sexual activity, where users are unable to resist urges or impulses to access the Internet. In a recent study done by Dr. Kimberly Young of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, it was found that out of the nearly four hundred surveyed that were categorized as Internet dependent a resounding number had experienced academic, relationship, financial, or occupational problems that could be directly linked to excessive Internet use (Table 1).    One of the most alarming of these were those whose real relationships were affected with plenty sad and at times disturbing anecdotes of people becoming too absorbed in the lures of the online community; for example, one mother had forgot about some of the more basic needs of her own children such as picking them up from school or making them dinner (Young 1-5). The academic arena is one that has been most recently seen affected. When surveyed at the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom, about 39% of students 11 to 18 years old said that texting had taken its toll on their ability to proper write English. Probably more concerning was the 59.2% that openly admitted to plagiarism, â€Å"inserting information straight from the Internet into schoolwork, without actually reading or changing it, and then, shockingly, a third of those said that they considered that acceptable schoolwork (Goodwin). Then you have Californian psychologist Larry D. Rosen who referred to the â€Å"Google effect,† what he described as â€Å"an inability to remember facts brought on by the realization [sic] they are all available via Google (â€Å"Rise † 8). What we see here can be construed as just laziness on part of this generation, a stereotype that I would agree with if not for the overwhelming evidence that suggests that this issue runs so much deeper, namely how we interact with each other when we are offline. The detrimental effects that dependence on the Internet has on people is further outlined in the report â€Å"Technology Overload: Explaining, Diagnosing, And Dealing With Techno-Addiction† by Nada Kakabadse, a professor of management and business research at University of Northampton in the United Kingdom. His commentary was hardly optimistic: â€Å"Being hooked into ICT [information and communication technology] devices and ignoring ‘offline’ social interaction can lead to chronic insomnia, relationship break-up, job-loss, premature burn-out and accidents as a result of inattentiveness to daily detail.The harm to both the individual and society is immense. Idolatry of ICT gadgets such as the PDA, BlackBerry, mobile phone, has serious consequences, especially when ‘online’ behavior begins to interfere with an ‘offline’ life. † (Claburn) Vesile Oktan revealed in another report on the effects that Internet dependence had on students at the Karadeniz Technical University in Turkey on their ability to cope and control emotions. While his findings did indicate that Internet addiction was a reliable predictor in poor emotions management, he also point out previous studies that supported this such as young people with virtual gaming addictions had low self-control and discipline. He went on to discuss how this addiction could be a behavioral pattern that compensated, however inadequately, for failures in life (Oktan 3-5). A very similar examination from Greece only showed consistency; when comparing a younger demographic (ages 12-18) to their respective parents over the course of two years, it was found that without preventative initiative Internet addiction grew in the children. The biggest predictor variable for this addiction was parental bonding rather than actual security as many parents underestimated their children’s involvement (Siomos). These two reports show a consistent connection between how people interact outside the digital world and how they both are affected and effect how one develops uncontrollable cravings. What the spectacular resources the Internet has to offer surely can’t be refuted as invaluable. The ability to quickly and effectively communicate with each other over vast distances and almost instantaneously is a recent luxury that we at times take for granted. The use of the Internet and its many outlets does make for a good distraction in much of the same way Dunbar made use of the shooting range in Catch-22 even though he detested actually doing target practice. Unfortunately, in this situation, what we can take for granted also has its capacity to consume and entrap us with its ease of access and being easily relatible unlike standard social situations when offline where one has to make compromises (Young 5). Many experts would rather not classify this issue as an actual addiction, citing that it is more of a means to an end such as how gambling addicts will switch to the Internet poker rooms when they can no longer get their fix from actual casinos or vice versa (Ritchie). I firmly believe that this is a real problem in society that will eventually prevent many people from achieving success as this continues to monopolize their time, effort, and mental processes. I would almost go as far to say that I have my own difficulties with this; case and point: I would readily say that this essay would have been completed in a timely manner if it had not been of the constant distraction from reality that the Internet provides. I will conclude with an anecdote that very clearly displays where many undiagnosed individuals are going if this issue is not given proper attention. I challenge you to read this and reflect on other well researched and described addictions such as with alcohol, gambling, and sexual activity. Then I pose to you a question: if we are dealing with a very similar problem with a medium that is as vast as it is accessible, long could a life take when it’s going away? â€Å"When Johnny’s grandmother died unexpectedly, the family was devastated. Fifteen-year-old Johnny seemed to be coping well, but would continue to spend at least six hours a day playing online role-play game [sic] World of Warcraft; sometimes up to 10 hours at the weekend. It was not until months later, after he had cut down on his gaming, that the impact of the death really hit home. Johnny went to visit his grandfather and was horrified to relearn that his grandmother had gone and would not be coming back. â€Å"He did acknowledge it, but was so immersed in World of Warcraft at the time that when he got off the game, he was shocked and very upset that she wasn’t there, says Dr. Richard Graham, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist who subsequently treated Johnny for his gaming addiction. â€Å"The time Johnny spent gaming had steadily increased over the years until he was spending every available hour on his Xbox. He completely lost all interest in school and his grades inevitably suffered. It was only after a couple of months of treatment that Johnny started to re-engage with the people around him. ‘That emotional impact had been frozen in time,’ says Dr Graham. ‘Even when there was a death in the family, something as crucial as mourning didn’t take place.'† (Ritchie) How to cite Internet Addiction: Ushering in a Generation of the Socially Inept, Essay examples

Roald Dahl Essays - Food And Drink, Willy Wonka, Fiction

Roald Dahl Everything in Dahl's books includes either scary fiction or adventure. In 1973 Dahl was awarded for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The book in its time was very popular for children. Between 1980 and 1990, over eleven million of his children's books were sold in paperback form-considerably more than the total number of children born there in the same period. I will discuss Roald Dahl's life, his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and how you can apply his stories to you life. Dahl's life was filled with tragedy because of all his family's deaths and hard-ships. In Dahl's childhood he was always in some kind of trouble. If someone was mean to Dahl he planned a way to get back at him. Dahl was in kindergarten from 1922-1923. The school's name was Elmtree House. From 1923-1925, Dahl went to Llandaff Cathedral School. He started to go to that school from seven years of age until he was nine. He went to St. Peter's from age nine to thirteen (1925-1929). His final school was Repton and Shell. He went there from age 13-20 (1929-1936). It may seem odd he Dahl went to the school until he was twenty, but you have to keep in mind this was an English school. Each day on the way to and from school, seven years old Dahl and his friends passed by a sweet shop. Unable to resist the lure of "Bootlace Liquorice" and "Gobstoppers"- the children would pile into the store and buy as much candy as they could with their allowance. It is memories like this that contribute to Dahl's work. This specific memory is much alike his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a boy named Charlie is very poor. Charlie hears of a contest concerning golden tickets. Willie Wonka made the contest where there is a golden ticket hidden in five chocolate bars. After buying several chocolate bars, Charlie gets the last golden ticket in a chocolate bar he bought. After entering Willie Wonka's great Chocolate Factory, many children were disobedient. Actually, all the kids were disobedient and did exactly what Mr. Wonka told them not to do. Charlie felt bad, about not obeying Mr. Wonka and gave back an "Everlasting Gobstopper" that Mr. Wonka gave him, because he felt bad he didn't deserve it. For his sincerity, kindness, and for being quick to say sorry, Mr. Wonka gave Charlie the chocolate factory. God does not like disobedience. God clearly states he will bless those who obey and there will be a curse for those who disobey. There is always the chance for forgiveness, though, if you ask. By asking for forgiveness, Charlie was given the factory. This should be a strong example that by doing the right thing, your decision may affect others. Obeying those in authority is simple. All you have to do is listen. God wants us to obey those in authority. God also wants those in authority to obey him. God should always come first. I hope I have strongly brought across to you that of which I wanted to convey. I merely wanted to help you understand Roald Dahl's life, his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and how you could apply his stories to you life. Roald Dahl's books are much like the Children of today. Many children today like candy and adventure.

The Mountaintop by Katori Hall

The Mountaintop by Katori Hall Great theater can emerge from a simple yet evocative question: What if? Katori Hall, winner of the Blackburn Prize for outstanding women playwrights, asks the question: What did Martin Luther King Jr. do the night before he died? Who did he talk to? What did he say? Her play attempts to answer these questions, albeit in an imaginative rather than realistic way. The Mountaintop took home Englands Olivier Award for best play. In fall 2011, the plays poignant message resonated on Broadway, starring featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. About the Playwright Born in 1981, Katori Hall is a young, vibrant new voice in modern theater. Much of her work derives from her experiences in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. According to her official website, her major works include: Hoodoo Love (Cherry Lane Theatre)Remembrance (Womens Project)Saturday Night/Sunday MorningWHADDABLOODCLOT!!!The Hope WellOur Lady of KibehoPussy Valley Her most recent work (as of 2012) is Hurt Village; set in a housing project in Memphis it depicts a returning Iraq veterans struggle to find a position in his disintegrating community, along with a place in his daughters wounded heart. (The Signature Theatre). However, Halls most renowned work to date is the historical/spiritual drama, The Mountaintop. The Plot The Mountaintop is a two-person drama about the last day of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The entire play is set in the Lorraine hotel room, the evening before his assassination. King is alone, trying to create yet another powerful speech. When he orders a cup of coffee from room service, a mysterious woman arrives, bringing much more than a late-night beverage. What follows is a reflective, often funny, often touching conversation in which Dr. King examines his achievements, his failures, and his unfinished dreams. Other Plays About Martin Luther King, Jr This is not the first time that a speculative drama has explored Dr. Kings amazing legacy. The Meeting, by Jeff Stetson, explores the contrasting methods and the common dreams of two dignified civil rights leaders (Malcolm X and Dr. King) who sacrificed their lives fighting for justice. Theme Analysis of The Mountaintop: SPOILER ALERT: Its not easy to analyze the messages of this play without revealing surprise elements of The Mountaintop. So, reader beware, I am about to ruin the big surprise in the play. The mysterious woman who seems to be a hotel maid is named Camae (short for Carrie May which might be code for carry me). At first, she seems to be a perfectly normal (beautiful, outspoken) maid, who is in favor of social change, but not necessarily in favor of all of Dr. Kings methods. As a storytelling device, Camae allows the audience to witness a more personal and irreverent side of Dr. King, one that the cameras and public appearances rarely captured. Camae is also willing to debate with the reverend on social matters, strongly and eloquently expressing her own views on racism, poverty, and the slowly progressing civil rights movement. It soon becomes clear, however, that Camae is not what she appears. She is not a maid. She is an angel, a recently created angel, in fact. Her first assignment is to inform Martin Luther King, Jr. that he is going to die very soon. Here the play shifts its focus. What begins as a behind-the-scenes look at one of Americas greatest leaders (in all his frustration and frailty), ultimately becomes a struggle to accept ones mortality and prepare for a journey into what Hamlet calls the undiscovered country. As one might expect, King isnt happy to find out that he is going to die. In some ways, his dialogue is reminiscent to Everyman, the morality play from 15th century Europe. The key difference, however, is that Everyman represents an average person who has failed to live a saintly life. Dr. King doesnt profess to be a saint (in fact, both the angel and King mention his extra-marital affairs), but he does rightly argue that he has been fighting a just cause and that he is the best person to continue the struggle for equality. During the last half of the play, King experiences the different stages of coping with death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Arguably the best part of these stages is the bargaining portion when Dr. King actually gets to talk to God over the telephone. If The Mountaintop sounds morbid, theres actually a lot of humor and whimsy throughout this play. Camae is a feisty and foul-mouthed angel, and she is proud to announce that her wings are her breasts and that God is a woman. The play concludes with not only acceptance but joy and celebration for what has been accomplished, as well as a firm reminder of the dreams that have yet to come to fruition.

Hard Determinism

Hard Determinism Hard determinism is a philosophical position that consists of two main claims: Determinism is true.Free will is an illusion. The distinction between â€Å"hard determinism† and â€Å"soft determinism† was first made by the American philosopher William James (1842-1910). Both positions insist on the truth of determinism: that is, they both assert that every event, including every human action, is the necessary result of prior causes operating according to the laws of nature. But whereas soft determinists claim that this is compatible with our having free will, hard determinists deny this. While soft determinism is a form of compatibilism, hard determinism is a form of incompatibilism. Arguments for hard determinism Why would anyone want to deny that human beings have free will? The main argument is simple. Ever since the scientific revolution, led by the discoveries of people like Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, science has largely presupposed that we live in a deterministic universe. The principle of sufficient reason asserts that every event has a complete explanation. We may not know what that explanation is, but we assume that everything that happens can be explained. Moreover, the explanation will consist of identifying the relevant causes and laws of nature that brought about the event in question. To say that every event is determined by prior causes and the operation of laws of nature means that it was bound to happen, given those prior conditions. If we could rewind the universe to a few seconds before the event and play the sequence through again, we’d get the same result. Lightning would strike in exactly the same spot; the car would break down at exactly the same time; the goalkeeper would save the penalty in exactly the same way; you would choose exactly the same item from the restaurant’s menu. The course of events is predetermined and therefore, at least in principle, predictable. One of the best-known statements of this doctrine was given by the French scientist Pierre-Simon Laplace (11749-1827).   He wrote: We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An intellect which at a certain moment would know all forces that set nature in motion, and all positions of all items of which nature is composed, if this intellect were also vast enough to submit these data to analysis, it would embrace in a single formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the tiniest atom; for such an intellect nothing would be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes. Science cannot really prove that determinism is true. After all, we often do encounter events for which we don’t have an explanation. But when this happens, we don’t assume that we are witnessing an uncaused event; rather, we just assume that we haven’t discovered the cause yet. But the remarkable success of science, and especially its predictive power, is a powerful reason for supposing that determinism is true. For with one notable exception–quantum mechanics (about which see below) the history of modern science has been a history of the success of deterministic thinking as we have succeeded in making increasingly accurate predictions about everything, from what we see in the sky to how our bodies react to particular chemical substances. Hard determinists look at this record of successful prediction and conclude that the assumption it rests on–every event is causally determined–is well-established and allows for no exceptions. That means that human decisions and actions are as predetermined as any other event. So the common belief that we enjoy a special sort of autonomy, or self-determination, because we can exercise a mysterious power we call â€Å"free will,† is an illusion. An understandable illusion, perhaps, since it makes us feel that we are importantly different from the rest of nature; but an illusion all the same. What about quantum mechanics? Determinism as an all-encompassing view of things received a severe blow in the 1920s with the development of quantum mechanics, a branch of physics dealing with the behavior of subatomic particles. According to the widely accepted model proposed by Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr, the subatomic world contains some indeterminacy.   For instance, sometimes an electron jumps from one orbit around its atom’s nucleus to another orbit, and this is understood to be an event without a cause.   Similarly, atoms will sometimes emit radioactive particles, but this, too, is viewed as an event without a cause. Consequently, such events cannot be predicted. We can say that there is, say, a 90% probability that something will happen, meaning that nine times out of ten, a specific set of conditions will produce that happening. But the reason we can’t be more precise is not because we are lacking a relevant piece of information; it is just that a degree of indeterminacy is built i nto nature. The discovery of quantum indeterminacy was one of the most surprising discoveries in the history of science, and it has never been universally accepted.   Einstein, for one, could not countenance it, and still today there are physicists who believe that the indeterminacy is only apparent, that eventually a new model will be developed which reinstates a thoroughly deterministic point of view.   At present, though, quantum indeterminacy is generally accepted for much the same sort of reason that determinism is accepted outside quantum mechanics: the science that presupposes it is phenomenally successful. Quantum mechanics may have dented the prestige of determinism as a universal doctrine, but that doesn’t mean it has salvaged the idea of free will. There are still plenty of hard determinists around. This is because when it comes to macro objects like human beings and human brains, and with macro events such as human actions, the effects of quantum indeterminacy is thought to be negligible to non-existent. All that is needed to rule out free will in this realm   is what is sometimes called â€Å"near determinism.† This is what it sounds like–the view that determinism holds throughout most of nature.   Yes, there may be some subatomic indeterminacy. But what is merely probabilistic at the subatomic level still translates into deterministic necessity when we are talking about the behavior of larger objects. What about the feeling that we have free will? For most people, the strongest objection to hard determinism has always been the fact that when we choose to act in a certain way, it feels as if our choice is free: that is, it feels as if we are in control and exercising a power of self-determination. This is true whether we are making life-altering choices such as deciding to get married, or trivial choices such as opting for apple pie rather than cheesecake. How strong is this objection?   It is certainly convincing to many people. Samuel Johnson probably spoke for many when he said, â€Å"We know our will is free, and there’s an end to it!†Ã‚   But the history of philosophy and science contains many examples of claims that seem obviously true to common sense but turn out to be false. After all, it feels as if the earth is still while the sun moves around it; it seems as if material objects are dense and solid when in fact they consist mainly of empty space. So the appeal to subjective impressions, to how things feel is problematic. On the other hand, one could argue that the case of free will is different from these other examples of common sense being wrong. We can accommodate the scientific truth about the solar system or the nature of material objects fairly easily. But it’s hard to imagine living a normal life without believing that you are responsible for your actions. The idea that we are responsible for what we do underlies our willingness to praise and blame, reward and punish, take pride in what we do or feel remorse. Our whole moral belief system and our legal system seem to rest on this idea of individual responsibility. This points to a further problem with hard determinism. If every event is causally determined by forces beyond our control, then this must include the event of the determinist concluding that determinism is true. But this admission seems to undermine the whole idea of arriving at our beliefs through a process of rational reflection. It also seems to render pointless the whole business of debating issues like free will and determinism, since it is already predetermined who will hold what view. Someone making this objection doesn’t have to deny that all our thought processes have correlated physical processes going on in the brain. But there is still something odd about treating one’s beliefs as the necessary effect of these brain processes rather than as the result of reflection. On these grounds, some critics view hard determinism as self-refuting. Related links Soft determinism Indeterminism and free will Fatalism

Ethics in Business Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics in Business Today - Essay Example Along with this, ethics also helps in reducing employee turnover thereby enhancing the range of efficiency, if maintained properly. Therefore, from the above points, it might be revealed that ethics acts as the catalyst that helps the business to enhance its dominance and supremacy in the market among other existing rival players. So, ethics is extremely essential for any business organization, operating in current scenario. Other than this, ethical policies and behaviors help an organization or business to attract more investors that might enhance the share prices to a significant extent among other rival players. Side by side ethics also helps in recruiting experienced and skilled employees within the organization that may prove effective in enhancing the total productivity of the organization. Thus, recruitment of talented staffs helps in development of varied types of inventive products and services for its customers thereby satisfying their changing needs and demands. This might help an organization in enhancing its brand value and loyalty within the minds of the target customers. As a result, its level of sustainability might get enhanced significantly. Consequently, ethics also helps in enhancing the inner morale of the employees so as to cope up with the inconveniences in turbulent situations. As a result of such type of inner confidence and willpower of the employees, the organization might become able to tackle the effects of the tough situations thereby retaining its previous image and values. However, this might be possible only if cooperation and team work might be maintained among all the members of the organization. Thus, it might be revealed that ethics is that type of inner psychology that might help an organization to develop a strong image and may also destroy its portfolio in the market among others (Plastin, 2013). Other than this, ethical decision making within an organization also helps in enhancing employee growth and their performance t owards the assigned duties and responsibilities. Due to which, the organization might become able to fulfill its target objectives and goals, which is extremely essential for any organization in this era. As a result, the organization might enhance its level of dominance within the market that may reduce the intensity of the new entrants to enter the segment. Along with this, the level of distinctiveness of the organization might also get enhanced thereby amplifying its output and profitability by a significant extent. As a result, the position and reputation of the organization might get improved in this aggressive market among other operating rivals. Hence, according to me ethics is important for any organization or a business for the following reasons presented below: Employee commitment Employee Growth Investor and stakeholders loyalty and commitment Improvement of the confidence power of the shareholders Improvement of the level of customer satisfaction Improvement in the relat ionship with the stakeholders Enhancement of the productivity of the organization Improvement of the level of performance Improvement of revenues and profit margin Improvement of reputation and image of the organizati

Critical Thinking Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical Thinking Reflection - Essay Example Decline in SNAP benefits will translate to the government focusing on other essential economic projects meant to cushion favorable living standards instead of taxing citizens heavily in order to cater for supplementary issues. Mainly, this involves both exploring as well as thinking in such a way the predicament or situation facing a person normally appears different than how it would have had an initial pose. This is encompasses seeking alternatives in a move to obtain solutions after analyzing varied assumptions without hastily resulting to ungrounded judgments. In this case, assumption recognition usually entails lodging adequate scrutiny of varied beliefs, which underlie preferred choices meant to resolve a certain problem. Its application is extremely essential in both practical life and in resolving scholarly matters. Thinking skills such as creative and critical approach usually are helpful in aiding one express idea in a logical manner and contrary to what numerous people may be assuming is the best alternative in resolving a certain issue. Hence, bring about mental inquiry essential in being creative as well as innovative. However, these skills are not bound to one subject or field because one is able to think and solve problems in any way encountered. To ensure my use of critical thinking in future I need to focus on enhancing own critical approach in each aspect without accepting the ordinary way of perceiving situations. Therefore, I must at least get used to working out different problems during the days. Steenland, Sally. Faith in Values: How to Reduce Poverty and Save Taxpayers $4.6 Billion Per Year. Center for American Progress. 19Th March 2014. Web. 21St September 2014.