The dangers of using cell phone while driving

Definition of the Hastert Rule

Definition of the Hastert Rule The Hastert Rule is an informal policy in House Republican leadership designed to limit the debate on bills that dont have support from a majority of its conference. When Republicans hold a majority in the 435-member House, they use the Hastert Rule to forbid any legislation that doesnt have support from a majority of the majority from coming up for a vote. What does that mean? It means if Republicans control the House and piece of legislation must have the support of most members of the GOP to see a vote on the floor. The Hastert Rule is much less rigid that the 80-percent rule held by the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus. The Hastert Rule is named for former  Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, a Republican from Illinois who served as the chambers longest-serving  speaker, from 1998 until his resignation in 2007. Hastert believed the role of a speaker was, in his words, not to expedite legislation that runs counter to the wishes of the majority of his majority. Previous Republican speakers of the House followed the same guiding principle, including former U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich. Criticism of the Hastert Rule Critics of the Hastert Rule say its too rigid and limits debate on important national issues while issues favored by Republicans get attention. In other words, it puts the interests of a political party over the interests of people. Critics also blame the Hastert Rule for spiking House action on any legislation passed in a bipartisan fashion in the U.S. Senate. The Hastert Rule was blamed, for example,  for holding up House votes on the farm bill and immigration reform in 2013. Hastert himself attempted to distance himself from the rule during the government shutdown of 2013, when Republican House Speaker John Boehner refused to allow a vote on a measure funding federal government operations under the belief that a conservative bloc of the GOP conference was opposed to it. Hastert told The Daily Beast that the so-called Hastert Rule wasnt really set in stone. â€Å"Generally speaking, I needed to have a majority of my majority, at least half of my conference. This wasn’t a rule  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ The Hastert Rule is kind of a misnomer.† He added of Republicans under his leadership:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If we had to work with Democrats, we did.† And in 2019, amid the longest government shutdown in history, a congressman referred to the policy as the stupidest rule ever created - named after somebody who is in prison that has allowed a minority of tyrants in the Congress. (Hastert served 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to violating federal banking laws. He admitted breaking the law to pay hush money to a teenage boy he had sexually molested in the 1960s and 1970s when he was a wrestling coach.) Nonetheless, Hastert is on the record saying the following during his tenure as speaker: On occasion, a particular issue might excite a majority made up mostly of the minority. Campaign finance is a particularly good example of this phenomenon. The job of speaker is not to expedite legislation that runs counter to the wishes of the majority of his majority. Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute has called the Hastert Rule detrimental in that it puts party ahead of the House as a whole, and therefore the will of the people. As House speakers, he said in 2004,  You are the party leader, but you are ratified by the whole House. You are a constitutional officer. Support for the Hastert Rule Conservative advocacy groups including the Conservative Action Project have argued that the Hastert Rule should be made written policy by the House Republican Conference so the party can remain in good standing with the people who elected them to office. Not only will this rule prevent bad policy being passed against the wishes of the Republican majority, it will strengthen the hand of our leadership in negotiations – knowing that legislation cannot pass the House without significant Republican support, wrote  former Attorney General Edwin Meese and a group of like-minded, prominent conservatives. Such concerns, however, are merely partisan and the Hastert Rule remains an unwritten principle guiding Republican House speakers. Adherence to the Hastert Rule A New York Times analysis of adherence to the Hastert Rule found all Republican House speakers had violated it at one point or another. Boehner had allowed House bills to come up for a vote even though they didnt have support from a majority of the majority. Also in violation of the Hastert Rule at least a dozen times over his career as speaker: Dennis Hastert himself.

Impact Of Demand For Company Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Impact Of Demand For Company Product - Essay Example The ability for economic growth and a decline in employment would provide more individuals and households that wouldn’t be as limited in buying specific products. There would be the ability to invest in different types of products while looking at other needs which can be added to daily living. More important, there is the ability to create a different amount of spending with the more that individuals are employed and able to work with the product. The combination of increase with the national income as well as the flexibility which most would have for providing new options in products would help Dairyland to have more supplies while factoring in a growth for demand for basic products as well as items that are known within the corporation but not as popular. Even though this would provide advantages for the company, there are also some restrictions on the demand. The inflation would also create a rise in the prices with Dairyland. Currently, there is a direct association with the products that are based on the ability to offer low and wholesale prices. The inflation would automatically increase the number of prices for the products. Even though the demand would increase from one perspective, there might be the need to change the pricing. This would become a disadvantage as it is the main way in which Dairyland can create and associate with the products that are available in the community. For this particular aspect to work, there would be the need to diversify the products or find ways to decrease debt and other costs within the corporation. Even though there is more demand for the supplies offered, the company costs will increase. The demand for more products also increases the need to meet the demand for supplies. There is also the need to increase and diversify the costs according to the demand.

McDonald's Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

McDonald's - Assignment Example This led to the development of the current marketing strategy that addresses the 5 core areas. They changed the McDonald’s restaurants to accomplish updated, branded and more natural dining environment. They added more natural foods such as salads, carrot sticks, fruits and healthier drinks with real ingredients. In as much as the Company has taken up this marketing strategy, there is a more serious challenge. First, the baby boomer trend that propelled the company to success is nonexistent. This is because they now watch their calories more than they are concerned about convenience and speed. The brand of the company is also not associated with a healthy diet. The company can change the images used in advertisements from sodas and hamburgers to salads and other healthy items. In addition to that, they can acquire a company that is already branded with the new trends. Change in consumer preferences has seen McDonald’s face stiff competition from other corporations such as Panera Bread and Chipotle Mexican Grill that offer foods with fewer calories (Love, 2012). Customers are even willing to pay more in these places. However, McDonald’s still has a lot to offer especially in emerging new

Social Development Theory Essay Example for Free

Social Development Theory Essay As a parent, I would agree more with Vygotsky’s theory concerning child development rather than Paiget’s. Though children do progress at different rates, I believe that they are capable of more learning at an early age than Piaget’s theory allows. Piaget also states that learning should supersede social development in all cases while Vygotsky’s theory allows for social development to be as important and in some cases more important than intellectual learning. While a child may be extremely intelligent, it will be difficult for them to function in society without having a strong foundation socially. Much of our society is based on social interactions and how well we as people handle ourselves in certain situations. A child who is not properly socialized will have a very difficult time knowing how to deal with their peers in a social situation. To ensure that my child has a very balanced background both intellectually and socially, I would first make sure that they attend school in a traditional setting, whether in a public or private school. Children need to learn, but they also need the company of other children and to be able to consult their peers concerning a shared experience. It is important for children to share in social activities as well as to be able to experience different things from each other and with other children. Another exercise would be to encourage my child to participate in a cultural activity such as dance classes, martial arts, or playing an instrument where they can receive personalized and community education, as well as team activity, such as a local sport. This would give the child a shared experience as well as a productive outlet to channel their energies and a positive adult role model outside of the family unit. Children should be socialized not only with other children but also with adults in a structured, formal setting that allows them to have a positive relationship with both adults and children socially. Works Cited Santrock, J. W. (2007). A Topical Approach to Lifespan Development, 3rd Edition. Dallas: McGraw-Hill.

Swimming Competitions An overview

Swimming Competitions An overview FINA is the Federation Internationale de Natation the world governing body for swimming. FINA writes the rules for Olympic-type watersport. All of the FINA sports are: pool swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming, open water swimming, and masters swimming. FINA has recognized national governing bodies in each country that carry out FINAs regulations and directives, and have each country votes on membership on the FINA board. Among FINAs objectives are the promotion of swimming and the organization of world championships and other FINA competitions.   http://swimming.about.com/od/gues7/qt/FINA.htm The British Governing Body British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (ScottishSwimming) and Wales (Swim Wales). British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games http://www.swimming.org/britishswimming/about-us/about-british-swimming/about-british-swimming/1747/ Speaking about the build up to the 2012 Olympics British Swimming Chief Executive David Sparkes said: â€Å"Preparations for all of our sports are right-on-track to build on the success that the aquatics team enjoyed in Beijing and our legacy programme is also taking shape. â€Å"We are confident that we will not only see British success in the pool but we will also see swimming moving to a new level with more people swimming more often and having more fun in the pool.† Olympic History It was at the 1896 Olympics where swimming was introduced as a sport, which was held in open waters. At that time there were only two events, which were the 100 meters and the 1500 meters and only involved men competing. Following the popularity of the sport at the Olympics, more freestyle events were introduced, shortly followed by other strokes such as backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and also the individual medley. The first time a pool was used instead of the sport taking part in open waters was at the London 1908 games where it was built inside the athletics track. It wasnt until the 1912 Olympics where women were allowed to compete in this sport and this was only due to a group of people that is now known as the international Olympic committee that made it possible. The Olympics have developed so much now that there is a total of 34 swimming races, 17 of which are for men and 17 for women. The latest event which has been added to the competition is the 10km Marathon Swim whi ch only took place for the first time at the Beijing Olympics 2008. 2012 Olympics At the 2012 Olympics in London the swimming events will take place in the newly built Aquatics centre over a period of 16 days from the 28th July to the 12th August. There will be a total of 850 athletes competing for 34 gold medals. It has been confirmed by the International Olympic committee that there is an unchanged swimming programme for the 2012 Olympics and will follow the competition schedule of that at Beijing 2008. Events Freestyle 50m freestyle men/women 100m freestyle men/women 200m freestyle men/women 400m freestyle men/women 1500m freestyle men 800m freestyle women 4x100m freestyle relay men/women 4x200m freestyle relay men/women Backstroke 100m backstroke men/women 200m backstroke men/women Breaststroke 100m breaststroke men/women 200m breaststroke men/women Butterfly 100m butterfly men/women 200m butterfly men/women Medleys 200m individual medley men/women 400m individual medley men/women 4100 medley relay women/men Marathon Marathon 10k men/women Aquatics Centre The new Aquatics centre already dubbed the ‘Wembley for swimming will play home to the swimming events, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo and the modern pentathlon for the 2012 Olympics. â€Å"The venue was designed by acclaimed international architect Zaha Hadid. It features a spectacular wave-like roof that is 160m long and up to 80m wide, giving it a longer single span than Heathrow Terminal 5.† London 2012 The aquatics centre will hold a maximum capacity of 17,500 seats for both the swimming and diving and is said to be the gateway to the whole of the Olympic park. There also plans in place for the venue to be used after the games by turning it into a permanent leisure facility for the community. ‘In legacy the Aquatics Centre will play a major role in building a more active and healthy community in the East End of London and will act as a focal point in relation to healthy activity, combating obesity and improving health British Swimming Key Athletes Michael Phelps Last Olympic Games Michael Phelps took his total to 14 gold medals which is the record for anyone competing at the Olympics. 8 of these medals came from the last Olympic Games held in Beijing where he also broke 7 world records and 1 Olympic record. This year Phelps has gone from being described as probably the best Olympic athlete ever to being scrutinised by the public for being pictured smoking a marijuana pipe. Follow this release Phelps has doubted whether he will even swim in 2012 or decide on retiring early. Phelps quotes â€Å"â€Å"Yeah, there are still goals that I have in the pool, 100 percent. But Im not going to let anything stand in my way. If I decide to walk away, Ill decide to walk away on my own terms. If its now, if its four years, who knows. But it is something I need to think about and decide what I want to do.† http://www.dailystab.com/michael-phelps-considering-dropping-out-of-2012-olympics/ If Phelps does decide to compete in the 2012 Olympics it will be interesting to see how he bounces back from this and whether he can live up to the expectations people put on him and the high standard of performance that the people have come to expect. Rebecca Adlington Rebecca Adlington stormed to success at the previous Olympics become Britains first Olympic swimming champion since 1988 and also the first British swimmer to win two gold medals since 1908. This was from competing in both the 400m freestyle and also the 800m freestyle, where she also broke the world record. In 2009 the IOC announced its plans to keep the swimming schedule the same as it was in Beijing, following ideas that the 800m for women was to be removed and replaced by the 1500m so that the events would be the same as the mens. This therefore is good news for Adlington as if the GB team qualifies for that event in 2012 she will be able to defend her title.

Blinded by Pride: A Study of Othello and Young Goodman Brown Essay

â€Å"Pride cometh before a fall† according to the well-known biblical adage and the two characters about to be discussed each has pride powerful enough to have blurred their judgment. Therefore, excessive pride has caused irreparable damage, thus the fall, in each of the two title characters. The fall may have come in different forms but the emphasis is on isolation in both cases. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, the main character becomes isolated from his neighbors because of his pride. His suspiciousness of everyone else has led to his downfall. Meanwhile, in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello† the main character’s pride is linked to his insecurities. Othello’s noble self-pride is sometimes extreme that he believes Iago’s whispers about infidelity on his wife Desdemona’s part. The imagined infidelity is hurtful, isolating Othello from Desdemona. At the same time, it confirms Othello’s belief that people consider him inferior and that nobody can truly love a Moor as black as he. Even other people such as the villain Iago, believes that: â€Å"I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor– put money in thy purse† (1. 3. 342-344). Excessive pride can sometimes make a person feel superior to and patronizing towards others. Goodman Brown believes that he is chaste and good compared to his fellowmen because of what he believes he has witnessed. Because of this vision of himself being separate from the others’ downfall, he regards others with distrust and disdain. After all, other people are sinners in his eyes. â€Å"A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream. On the Sabbath day, when the congregation was singing a holy psalm, he could not listen because an anthem of sin rushed loudly upon his ear and drowned all the blessed strain (Hawthorne). It can be said, on the other hand, that in the case of Goodman Brown pride has been mixed with paranoia and hallucination that may have resulted from consorting with the Devil. Nevertheless, in consorting with the Devil, Goodman Brown has already demonstrated pride. He thinks that he can cross towards the dark side and come back into the light anytime. In dealing with the Devil, he has rejected God and â€Å"Faith† in both its meanings: his wife and his faith in God. Moreover, Goodman Brown must have thought of himself as special in order for him to think that when he has sinned, the reasons and consequences for him are different from those placed upon the others whom he has learned to be suspicious of. Being proud of oneself can sometimes be noble and right. However, this same pride can be twisted into something that dwells merely on self-preservation and suspicion. Hatred, suspicion and a diffident belief that nobody can truly love a Moor have resulted into Othello’s self-destruction and his desire to destroy the one he believes do not really reciprocate his love. The loving words turn into calculating plans for murder, all because of the word of one person: â€Å"Ay let her rot, and perish, and be calm to-night; for she shall not live. No, my heart is turn’d to stone† (4. 1. 178). He also displays pride by immediately accepting his rushed judgment. It seems to be an example of excessive pride for Othello to believe himself to be such a good judge of character that there is no need to investigate into the veracity of the accusation. This fast judgment may also have sprung from Othello’s self-esteem. If there were mere suspicions before then Iago’s accusation has actually become the validation that Othello needs in order to boost his self-esteem. He has find a companion whom he thought to be trustworthy because this other person is not afraid to tell him things that some people may be afraid to speak of with him because of his high position. Othello may have believed that others are just afraid to offend him by not revealing to him that he is difficult to love. Then, here is Iago who talks about his wife’s treachery. Though he initially seeks evidence that will prove his wife’s adulterous liaison, when presented the alleged evidence from the very same accuser his mind has become readily made up. Since the presence of excessive pride in Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† has been established, it is the time to look at the fall, or the ultimate result of pride in the life of the main character. It must be recalled that his first move is to leave his wife Faith as well as his faith in God the night he decides to take a walk in the woods. â€Å"As nearly as could be discerned, the second traveler was about fifty years old, apparently in the same rank of life as Goodman Brown, and bearing a considerable resemblance to him, though perhaps more in expression than features† (Hawthorne). This resemblance may be a sign that deep within Goodman Brown’s pious surface, there is a person who longs to venture into the dark side. It can also mean that the Devil is flattering him in order for him to succumb further into temptation. And so he does, but not in a way that is clear to him. He thinks that he has escaped evil because the Devil has let him see evil everywhere and in everyone, and he has not, from what he can remember, joined their â€Å"coven†. †¦elders of the church have whispered wanton words to the young maids of their households; how many a woman, eager for widows’ weeds, has given her husband a drink at bedtime and let him sleep his last sleep in her bosom; how beardless youths have made haste to inherit their fathers’ wealth; and how fair damsels†¦ have dug little graves in the garden, and bidden me, the sole guest to an infant’s funeral† (Hawthorne). Goodman Brown has no idea that the Devil has polluted his thoughts and has destroyed his faith by giving him a corrupted view of the world. He can no longer see goodness in any person and has thus lost contact with everyone else. Goodman Brown perceives even the most devout actions as mere pretense and at worse, blasphemy, performed in order to mask sin and evil. Because of this distress, he even doubts his own memories from the forest. However, unlike Kaye in the Snow Queen who in the end loses the splinter from his eye, the perception of evil has become too strong for Goodman Brown that it has affected his relationships with everyone. When he finally dies, â€Å"they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom† (Hawthorne). For Othello, his fall is more tragic. It is quite unlike the quiet destruction of Goodman Brown’s soul. Because of excessive pride, the Moor has murdered his own wife. Instead of humbling himself and not minding the possibility of being a laughingstock and a cuckold, he should have confronted his wife directly about the matter and believed what she has to say. The marriage can still be saved but his wounded ego cannot. It is this ego’s demands that he has listened to along with the slanderous lies uttered by Iago, who only seeks to destroy Othello for promoting someone else not him. Meanwhile, Othello does not know that his anger and murderous energy have been directed wrongfully. If only he has known that it is Iago who is a villainous, two-faced liar. If only he has realized this and the fact that his wife is innocent early enough to save both him and his wife from the tragedy that ultimately strikes them. It is too late when he finally confronts Cassio, his wife’s suspected lover: â€Å"O the pernicious caitiff! How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief that was my wife’s† (5. 2. 323-324)? The man in question has finally had the chance to explain why such evidence exists in his hands. Finally, Othello discovers his folly and how he â€Å"threw a pearl away richer than all his tribe† (5. 2. 352). The Moor realizes that he has thrown away a woman who loves him truly, but whose love he is suspicious of and is therefore not worthy of. In the two texts, excessive pride is shown to be an evil in itself. Before Goodman Brown has taken a walk with the Devil he must have been a proud man already. This is the weakness that the Devil is able to identify and play with. This ends up into a lonely life and death for the title character. In Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello†, excessive pride prevents the main character from thinking clearly, exploring the situation and saving his and Desdemona’s life from the violent end they have suffered. If the moral of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is to see your own faults and weaknesses before condemning others’, â€Å"Othello† reminds the readers of the value of setting aside the ego in order to make the right decisions. Moreover, if Goodman Brown and Othello have not isolated themselves from others, they may have seen the truth and see through the lies.

Descartes Free Will Essay

In Meditations on First Philosophy Descartes attempts to explain the cause of errors in human beings. Descartes says that error occurs â€Å"since the will extends further than the intellect† (Descartes p. 39). That’s because our intellect is something that is finite; it is limited to the perception of only certain things. Whereas our will, ability to choose is not limited; it is has an infinite capacity. Therefore we sometimes attempt to will things which we do not have a complete understanding of. Descartes’ argument, as I will briefly describe, is quite sound, if you agree to all his conditions (being that the intellect is limited and the will infinite). I am not, as of yet, sure if I necessarily agree to the later of his two conditions. I will strive to evaluate different discernments of what will is, and if it is truly free. Then apply it to his argument. But first let me explain Descartes’ argument on the causation of errors. Descartes’ discussion begins in saying that â€Å"errors depend on the simultaneous concurrence of two causes: the faculty of knowing that is in me and the faculty of choosing† (Descartes p. 38). I will first tackle the faculty of knowing, or intellect. Descartes says that it merely perceives and understands ideas, which can later have judgment passed on them (see Descartes p. 38). The intellect is limited and finite because it can occur in different degrees. While some people have a simple understanding of a language others have a mastery of its grammar and syntax. But no one can have a mastery of all the mysteries of the universe. Then there is the faculty of choosing, as Descartes calls it, or rather the will. Descartes says that he â€Å"experience[s] that it is limited by no boundaries whatever† (Descartes p. 38). It is seen as infinite because unlike the intellect is does to adhere to different grades. It exists merely as a matter of being able to do or not to do something; to affirm or deny something proposed by one’s intellect (see Descartes p. 38). In some cases one’s will is unable to make such a decision, Descartes says, not because of a fault in the will but rather because the intellect is lacking complete knowledge of the situation (see Descartes p. 39). It is here that one should be indifferent to passing judgment. If in such a instance indifference is not the outcome an error is most likely to occur. Descartes says that this error will occur only when both work together because alone they cannot produce error. That’s because intellect, in and of itself, only perceives ideas which one knows and error would only occur if one tried to perceive ideas he did not know, which is impossible. The other, the will, in that it acts of itself, is only a utility of choice which alone cannot error. Therefore error and sin occur when both intellect and will work with each other. It is the disproportion between the limit of the will and the intellect that causes blunders. The will, as I’ve stated, is a limitless aspect of ourselves and therefore can pass judgment on any proposition brought forth. But the intellect can only clearly perceive and understand very few propositions. As Descartes says it is where I â€Å"extend it (the will) to things I do not understand† (Descartes p. 39) that error is caused. That’s because one is, instead of acting indifferent, passing judgment on things that are not clear in the intellect. A person can easily then turn away from the good and truth given to our intellect by God and partake in sin and deceit (see Descartes p. 39). The finally area that Descartes adds is that in some instances a person can pass judgment on things that aren’t understood and not produce an error. In those cases the person has still acted in an incorrect manor, but it is just be chance that the correct choice, or judgment was made (see Descartes p. 40). It is here that I have concluded Descartes’ argument and will now attempt to seek answers to my own questions: If the will is in fact as free as Descartes speaks? If it is actually comparable to that of God’s? And if it’s ideal state is the same as that of practical use? The first aspect I would like to navigate through is the constraints placed on the ability to choose. One does not have the opportunity to choose freely in an organized society, community or institute. There seems to always be a restriction to the actual amount of choices one has. If Descartes was correct in his assumption of complete freedom of choice and will every option would be available to someone at any given time, in any given situation. But this is not necessarily the condition. There are a few different examples that one can view to comprehend this facet of my argument. Take for instance, perhaps an extreme but an occurrence none the less, people born of poverty do not have the ability to choose to acquire certain things. It is impossible simply by the fact that they do not have the means to get it. There is no choice of purchasing a fifty dollar object if all one has is twenty dollars. I feel though that perhaps Descartes was speaking of another free will, a non-materialistic aspect. Another example one can then try to explain is how in many middle eastern nations individuals are born into a society where one religion is forced upon them. They must live to follow this religion or risk outcast by the community or even death. In such a decision one does not have the opportunity to choose to not follow the religion because, although it may seem available, most choices against the norm bring with them an extreme consequences. Is there really a free will if one knows a consequence to be so evil, or heinous that they really have no choice but to go with the other option. On the other hand if Descartes was strictly speaking of free will in the sense of judgment and affirmation another option arises. One should have the ability to, in a sense, will something even if its not available to him. For example if a person has been convicted of a crime and is going to be sent to prison he can will that he doesn’t have to go. Although here is seems that willing something is almost in a way the same as wishing it. But if it does follow that free will is only involved in passing judgment then a person can will whatever they want in their own mind, it doesn’t mean necessarily that they will receive it. But one again this illustration is somewhat similar to my previous two, in that, if in actuality a choice will provide no outcome is the choice even there and if not it’s a limited faculty. The definition of limitless qualities that Descartes affiliates with the will is something that is questionable as well. Descartes, in a sense, contradicts himself when he says that he can see man’s image and likeness to God in the ability to choose because both are infinite (see Descartes p. 38). But then says that â€Å"the faculty of willing is incomparably greater in God than it is in me† because of the power and knowledge God uses with it (ibid). So I ponder then if the ability to will cannot truly stand on its on, because by Descartes definition it passes certain judgment on something else, and that something in God is greater, how can one be equal to God. How can His infinite ability be greater than man’s infinite ability. By definition there are no degrees of infinite, there is only finite or infinite, limited or limitless. In such a practical aspect I must appeal to my reason and then say that we cannot have an equal will to that of God’s. I say this because God’s willing can partake on any area of knowledge and have a boundless consequence over many things. Where as man’s cannot. As I said, that was my practical deduction of our will in comparison to God’s. I was sure to state practical because I do feel there is a great difference between one’s free will in a practical sense and an ideal sense. Actually in the practical sense I will be so bold as to say one’s will is not free at all. All the examples I have given are practical uses of the will. And all of these examples seem limited for a number of reasons. As I already pointed out, I felt that the comparison between man’s will and God will not be equal because in practice will cannot stand unaccompanied. That is why the will is not free or infinite in a realistic way because it never stands by itself. It relies on other faculties that, as Descartes even says, are limited which in turn make it limited. Therefore when people are faced with choices, like in my examples, not all the options are available because of a lack of knowledge or perhaps a constraint placed on someone from his society. If the will was able to stand alone I would agree that it is an infinite faculty but it doesn’t. Hence I must also reason that the will Descartes speaks of is not the will that can be used in practice but rather it is an ideal will. In this ideal state people would be able to will anything they wanted, although they would most likely not receive it. In an ideal state I would have been able to will that I did not have to do this paper and not receive and F on it, but I very well know that would not have been possible. But the acting of willing alone would be free and infinite. I now must apply what I have learned to Descartes’ original argument of error. Since I have concluded that the ability to choose, or will that Descartes speaks of is ideal, this causation of error would also be ideal. Descartes said that when one should be acting indifferent to things and does not is when errors or correct choices by luck occur (see Descartes p. 39). Ideally this would be true, but in actuality many things lead to errors, and prevention of errors as well. Of course I do agree that in many cases mistakes are made because of people make judgments on things they have lack of knowledge of. But errors and sin can also occur when people have no other choice. For instance if a person is held at gun point and told to do something he may very well be passing a false judgment on something he has total knowledge of and in turn acting in error. From the other side of the argument Descartes says that to prevent himself from ever erring he must follow his feeling of indifference and stick with it instead of attempting to affirm or deny something (see Descartes p. 41). But I must also add to this argument that society does place constraints on things to prevent people from committing errors. Therefore it is not entirely internal. So I will conclude with saying that I have no choice but to say, from my reasoning, that in Meditation on First Philosophy Descartes speaks of a very ideal situation which would, in that state, hold true. But in the practical world one’s perception cannot be so narrow because there are many facets that contribute to what we can do and why we can do them. Works Cited Descartes, Rene. (1993). Meditations on First Philosophy . translated by Donald A. Cress. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Corp.

Anger in America essays

Anger in America essays Anger in America. Detroit Free Press. 17 Oct. 2004, Editorial In the Editorial listed above, the author, who has not signed to the article, discusses the recent problems facing Americans today. A Muslim activist mentioned in the article, Eide Alawan, says that, it is hard to tell what Americans might do when they get angry. With the recent string of events occurring throughout the past five years there is a lot of animosity going around. Alawan discusses the ever growing fear among the Arab American community since the September 11th attacks of 2001. They fear that a reliving of the Japanese Camps back in World War II will occur in the present. Americans, he says, have an ugly history of seeking scapegoats for its troubles. The country suffers from all kinds of tensions including this one. Perhaps the upcoming presidential election is proving to be quite a great deal of stress on the American people. He states that our country seems to be separated in many ways and the best job the next president can do is to reunite this country. We are divided by a number of things including race, politics, ethnicity, and even class. Americans want what is beneficial to themselves before opening the door unto others. Alawan tells readers that sure we have a lot to be angry about; job insecurity, terrorism, the increased traffic, soaring gas prices, and so many other hassles, but it takes so much more energy to be mad about something. Anger comes from misunderstanding and insecurity and the past should have taught us by now, that the future leads to even more regret to add to our problems. The type of anger found in this country is based on something completely different than in others. Anger is brought on by a lot of built up tension. At first one ignores minor details until they all begin to pile on. Eventually, frustration overcomes all. Americans are a nation of people who get angry at lea ...

Reading Comprehension for Students With Dyslexia

Reading Comprehension for Students With Dyslexia Students with dyslexia often focus so much on sounding out each word they miss the meaning of what they are reading. This deficiency in reading comprehension skills can cause problems not only in school but throughout a persons life. Some of the problems that occur are a lack of interest in reading for pleasure, poor vocabulary development and difficulties in employment, especially in job positions where reading would be required. Teachers often spend a great deal of time helping children with dyslexia learn to decode new words, decoding skills and improving reading fluency. Sometimes reading comprehension is overlooked. But there are many ways teachers can help students with dyslexia improve their reading comprehension skills. Reading comprehension is not just one skill but a combination of many different skills. The following provides information, lesson plans and activities to help teachers work to improve reading comprehension skills in students with dyslexia: Making Predictions A prediction is a guess as to what will happen next in a story. Most people will naturally make predictions while they read, however, students with dyslexia have a hard time with this skill. This can be because their focus is on sounding out words rather than thinking about the meaning of the words. Summarizing Being able to summarize what you read not only helps in reading comprehension but also helps students retain and remember what they read. This is also an area students with dyslexia find difficult. Vocabulary Learning new words in print and word recognition are both problem areas for children with dyslexia. They may have a large spoken vocabulary but cannot recognize words in print. The following activities can help build vocabulary skills: 15 Tips for Developing Word Recognition SkillsFlash Cards for Word RecognitionLesson Plan: Using Art to Increase Vocabulary Skills in Students with Dyslexia Organizing Information Another aspect of reading comprehension that students with dyslexia have a problem with is organizing the information they have read. Often, these students will rely on memorization, oral presentations or following other students rather than internally organizing information from written text. Teachers can help by providing an overview before reading, using graphic organizers and teaching students to look for how information is organized in a story or book. Inferences Much of the meaning we derive from reading is based on what is not said. This is implied information. Students with dyslexia understand literal material but have a harder time finding hidden meanings and making inferences. Using Contextual Clues Many adults with dyslexia rely on contextual clues to understand what is read because other reading comprehension skills are weak. Teachers can help students develop contextual skills to help improve reading comprehension. Using Previous Knowledge When reading, we automatically use our personal experiences and what we have previously learned to make the written text more personal and meaningful. Students with dyslexia may have a problem connecting prior knowledge to written information. Teachers can help students activate prior knowledge by pre-teaching vocabulary, providing background knowledge and creating opportunities to continue building background knowledge.

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Personal Statement Example Later my mother told me that she had a disease called dyslexia. That little incident of my childhood had a far reaching impact on my life. After that I knew what I was going to do in life. I wanted to help mentally retarded people and specially the children with dyslexia. In school, I had a clear mind about what I was going to be. So I excelled in my education step by step until I was in high school. There I got practically involved in pursuing my aim. While in High school, I won a social service organizing contest and then I was given a chance to join an exchange trip in Wuhan. In there, we visited governmental welfare organizations. That was a very useful experience as we learnt how a welfare organization runs, focusing on children and mentally handicapped services. Thus for the first time I practically saw how I could help special children. This experience of volunteering in high school to work with mentally handicapped people was very close to my heart and that was what I had alw ays dreamt of doing, but that was also the most difficult thing that I had ever done until that time. It literally made me test my limits because I always wanted to do that and was planning to do that work in future too, but that was the first time when I also saw its challenges. That was the time when I had to practically decide whether to take up that job for good or to just sympathize with the people who were suffering and move on. After a few initial days, I settled down and I knew that was the only thing that I had ever wanted to do. The mentally handicapped people, who seemed difficult to handle in the first few days, became so dear to me that I could not possibly think of a better thing than to keep them happy and to help them live a better life. So I decided to be an occupational therapist. I also did a lot of volunteer work other than that while being in the high school, for instance I worked as an all time project constructor and the biggest project we did was the one in w hich we helped new immigrants from south Asia or Mainland China to fit in Hong Kong’s environment and to help them fight against discrimination that unfortunately prevails all around Hong Kong. I mainly focused on the students and children by providing tutorial classes of English, Maths and Chinese to them and holding events for them to fit in easily in Hong Kong. But even during that I kept my goal in mind and I focused more on the special children and tried helping their families and tied to help them. So I was honored with awards by The Social welfare Department of Hong Kong for winning the social service contest and for 3 years of volunteer service because I had served more than 100 hours in a year. These awards were nothing to me in comparison with those bright smiling eyes of special children that I had worked with. So I decided to stick with my goal. Keeping that goal in mind, I decided to pursue higher education in the USA. During that volunteer work, I aw many people working with the mentally retarded children. There were the teachers that helped those children to learn new things and I was impressed with their hard work and dedication and the patience with which they efficiently dealt with the children. I saw their attendants who helped those children with everything they ever did day in and day out. But the ones who impressed me the most were the therapists who actually worked to change the lives of those children. They helped them in getting better day by day. So I decided to

How Should American Colleges adjust themselves for International Essay

How Should American Colleges adjust themselves for International Students - Essay Example In addition, in the field of policy of the foreign the United States and other more developed countries’ colleges educate many of those who take positions in leadership. Especially in other countries, this in the end may benefit relations between nations (Kegel 1). In addition, International students from international communities who chose to study in America colleges are mostly the bright students in their home nations and are also very motivated and focused students. However, these international students face a merge of challenges from the time they report to college. One of the challenges, for instance, English proficiency may be particularly problematic for most students from internationally. For example, in China, English is not taught through a speaking form but rather more through writing. As a result, many students from China know English vocabulary and grammar better, but have a hard time in conversing in English. International students from the international community mostly have challenges in understanding lectures, taking part in class discussions, writing term papers and taking notes. These students may also have difficulty understanding U.S English accents, idioms, slang, accents, and jokes. More so, international students may h owever think that they are incompetent in English conversational to participate in class (Kuo 1). However to make this matter more complex, the corporate world and community want students to grow and learn during college. Employers, parents of all students, and the public at large expect that college graduates will have gained adequate knowledge and certain abilities, qualities, and skills, including career cognitive and competencies when undertaking practical. They will demonstrate a given high level of competency in critical thinking, working as teamwork, resilience, solving problems and communication. They will be committed to social and personal