Why God Cannot Exist Using Descartes Arguements Essays -

Why God Cannot Exist Using Descartes' Arguements Philosophy 300 Sam Black God Cannot Exist Using Descartes' Argument Steve Cara JIBC/SFU Cohort #1 May 25th, 2000 Descartes sets about proving the existence of God through his meditations on knowledge in an effort to prove the skeptics of his time wrong. He first determines that human knowledge is based entirely too much on unproved presuppositions. He argues that this makes it difficult to distinguish between truth and error, since we cannot recognize true knowledge. Descartes proposes that the quest for knowledge must be based upon universal doubt. Specifically, he proposes the following in relation to his universal methodic doubt: 1. In order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life, to doubt, as far as possible, of all things. 2. We ought also to consider as false all that is doubtful. 3. We ought not meanwhile to make use of doubt in the conduct of life? 4. Why we may doubt of sensible things. 5. Why we may also doubt of mathematical demonstrations. 6. We cannot doubt of our existence while we doubt, and this is the first knowledge we acquire when we philosophize in order. Descartes proceeded to strip away his knowledge base in order to determine the one indubitable fact, Cogito, ergo sum. From this absolute knowledge of his own existence, he set about deducing the existence of God through ontological argument. ? In our minds, the idea of God is one of an infinitely perfect Being ? An infinitely perfect being must have existence, otherwise it would not be infinitely perfect. ? Therefore, God exists. In proving the existence of God, Descartes set the groundwork for determining that God created man. He further postulated that God, being infinitely perfect and not a deceiver, could not have provided man with the deceptive powers of knowledge. Therefore, man's mental faculties are determined to be trustworthy provided we separate what there is of clear and distinct in the knowledge from what is obscure and confused. Using this reasoning, man must discard all previous knowledge which is doubt-ridden, all sensory-based knowledge (as perceptions can be misleading), and all intellection. As a result, skepticism is removed and valid knowledge possible. Descartes primary purpose was the defense of human knowledge against the attacks of the skeptics. He was justified in excluding preconceived notions, presuppositions, and traditions in determining the limits of knowledge. Descartes discarded the ability of the mind to know truth and the human abilities of contradiction and sufficient reason. In doing so, he made a solution to the problem impossible. As it relates to his theory of the existence of God, Descartes universal doubt refutes his own conclusion as to God's existence. Descartes formed an idea of God as an infinitely good being. He would have had to discover this idea within his own mind. According to his principle of universal doubt, he cannot simply know whether his conception of God is correct or incorrect. He would have, as a matter of his own principle, considered it as false until proven otherwise. Therefore, since the idea of God is in doubt, the trustworthiness of man's reasoning must also be doubtful and Descartes cannot escape his own real doubt. Descartes uses a process of reasoning, a mathematical formulae, in attempting to demonstrate God's existence. If his reasoning is of demonstrably doubtful validity, how can Descartes demonstrate God's existence? The validity of Descartes reasoning is supposed to flow as a consequence of the infinite perfection of God; and God's infinite perfect is made certain through Descartes' reasoning powers before he has even proven that these reasoning powers are valid and trustworthy. Descartes assumes the very thing beforehand which he intends to prove afterwards. (Begging the question). Descartes accepts the trustworthiness of his faculties in demonstrating the existence and infinite perfection of God, and that is illegitimate. A doubtfully valid faculty will produce a doubtfully valid argument which will, in turn, produce a doubtfully valid conclusion. The entire argument for God's existence is therefore nullified by a suspect reasoning process. Since he proves the reliability of his reason and process by means of God's veracity, the proof of his reliability cannot be established beyond doubt. Thus, Descartes attempt to vindicate the validity of human knowledge failed, because, by rejecting the reliability of his own powers

What Is Mental Health Essays

What Is Mental Health Essays What Is Mental Health Paper What Is Mental Health Paper Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person understands his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Both physical and mental health are the result of a complex interplay between many individual and environmental factors, including: * family history of illness and disease/genetics * lifestyle and health behaviours (e. g. , smoking, exercise, substance use) * levels of personal and workplace stress * exposure to toxins  * exposure to trauma * personal life circumstances and history * access to supports (e. g. , timely healthcare, social supports) * coping skills When the demands placed on someone exceed their resources and coping abilities, their mental health will be negatively affected. Two examples of common demands are: i) working long hours under difficult circumstances, and ii) caring for a chronically ill relative. Economic hardship, unemployment, underemployment and poverty also have the potential to harm mental health. What is mental illness? Mental illness is a recognized, medically diagnosable illness that results in the significant impairment of an individuals cognitive, affective or relational abilities. Mental disorders result from biological, developmental and/or psychosocial factors and can be managed using approaches comparable to those applied to physical disease (i. e. , prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation). What is psychological safety and health? The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines psychological as of, relating to, affecting, or arising in the mind. The concept of psychological safety involves preventing injury to the mental well-being of workers. A psychologically safe and healthy workplace is one that promotes workers mental well-being and does not harm employee mental health through negligent, reckless or intentional ways. For example, a psychologically safe workplace would be free of excessive fear or chronic anxiety. What is the difference between a mentally healthy workplace and a psychologically healthy workplace? Nothing psychologically healthy workplaces and mentally healthy workplaces both describe the same high-functioning, respectful and productive workplace. The term psychologically healthy workplace is often used when talking about preventing psychological injuries (e. g. stress-related emotional conditions resulting from real or imagined threats or injuries). The term mentally healthy workplace is often used within the context of mental health promotion and is viewed as a strategy used to reduce risk factors for developing mental illness. How do psychosocial risk factors in the workplace affect employee health? Workplaces have traditionally looked at workplace health from a strictly occupational health and safety perspective. To have a complete or comprehensive approach, workplaces should also consider measures that may impact the mental health of worker. There is strong evidence that certain features of the workplace can affect employees mental and physical health. These factors include demoralization, depressed mood, anxiety, burnout, etc. These factors increase the likelihood that an individual will experience increased stress, which in turn increases the likelihood of developing or worsening a mental disorder. Psychological health problems can range widely, from mild psychological difficulties such as low mood, sleep difficulties, or excessive worry to severe psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression. Because milder psychological health problems are far more common in the workplace, they account for a larger percentage of the negative impacts on employees and employers. Mental distress that has not reached the level of a diagnosable mental disorder can still be a source of considerable suffering. It is possible that workplace factors may increase the likelihood of the occurrence of a mental disorder, make an existing disorder worse, and impede effective treatment and rehabilitation. On the other hand, a supportive work environment can reduce the onset, severity, impact and duration of a mental health disorder. See the OSH Answers Mental Health Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Workplace for more information.

Classroom Door Decorations - Ideas for All Seasons

Classroom Door Decorations - Ideas for All Seasons Your classroom door is the first thing people see when they walk past your classroom. To make sure your door stands out, take the time to create a unique display that represents your students or your teaching style. Create your classroom door decoration display by yourself, or enlist your students to help. By adding a little color and imagination to your classroom, you will have your students beaming with excitement. Fall Sweet Back to School Display A fun and tasty way to welcome your students back to school is to create a door display titled Off to a SWEET Start. Create giant cupcakes and write each students name on each one using sprinkles and glue. For the background, buy pink wrapping paper or use a colorful plastic table cloth. Mount a few colorful, edible lollipops for the students to eat later, and you have yourself a sweet back to school door display. Winter Happy Holidays To create a fantastic winter door display, have each student trace and cut out a medium sized green star. Then have each student place a photograph of themselves on the center of the star. Next, have students decorate stars with craft supplies such as sequins, glitter, markers, pom-poms, rhinestones, ribbon, etc. Once stars are completed, display them in the shape of a Christmas tree with your star in the center. Use red wrapping paper for the background, and brown paper for the stem of the tree. For an added touch, place Christmas lights around and/or throughout the tree. Spring Look at our Garden Grow After a long winter, spring into the season with a cute door decoration that will have the students and faculty beaming when they walk by. Have each student create a flower out of colored construction paper. On each pedal have them write something they have learned so far throughout the school year. Then place their photo in the middle of the flower and on the stem write their name in glitter. To create the backdrop use blue paper to represent the sky, yellow paper to represent the sun and green paper to use as the grass. Mount the flowers all around the grass in various sizes and title it Look at our Garden Grow. Summer End-of-the-Year Display A fun and unique way to end the school year and lead into summer vacation is to enlist the help of your students to create a picnic display. To begin have each student decorate a paper plate with a photo of their self and a favorite memory they have from the school year. Mount the paper plates on a checkered table cloth background and title it _____ Grade Was †¦ A Picnic! For a fun (and gross) touch have students create little ants to place around the classroom door. Additional Ideas Here are a few other ideas I have seen in the classroom, around the internet or made up on my own: Cruising into a New School Year - Create a sea blue backdrop and mount boating and sea items.We are a Class to Tweet About - Mount birds or write Twitter phrases about your students.You Make our School Pop - Create a HUGE popcorn bag and write students names on the kernel.Welcome to the Best Place to Bee - Create a bee hive and place students names on each bee.Mrs._____ Class is Souring to New Heights - Create a HUGE hot air balloon and place students names on each balloon.Hopping into ______ Grade. - Create paper frogs and place each students name on one. Looking for more ideas? Here a few creative bulletin board ideas to try in your classroom.

Starbucks Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Starbucks Corporation - Essay Example Schultz’s II Giomale bought Starbucks and transformed it to what it is today, â€Å"the premier roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee in the world, operating in more than 50countries† (Starbucks Corporation 2). In 1998, Starbucks acquired Tazo, a tea company based in Portland, Ore. and in 2003, it acquired Seattle Coffee Company, which includes Seattle’s Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia coffee brands (Starbucks Coffee Company 2). Starbucks Corporation is based in Seattle, Washington, USA. In the US, Starbucks operates 4,084 licensed stores and 6,705 company-operated stores; and in Canada, the U.K., China, Germany, Thailand and in other countries 3,890 licensed stores and 2,326 company-operated (Finance.yahoo.com 1). Starbucks’ mission is â€Å"to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time† (Starbucks Corporation 1). Organizational Structure On top of the organizational chart of St arbucks is its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Howard Schultz. The units directly under the CEO are Marketing, Finance and Administration, Legal and Compliance, Supply Chain Operations, Partner Resources (HR), Public Affairs, Americas, Global Development, Channel Development, Seattle, China and Asia Pacific, EMEA (Europe/Middle East/Africa), Competitive Intelligence and Strategy (The Official Board.com 1). Under the Americas are the licensed stores and the regions of Northeast/Atlantic and Western/Pacific. Global Development includes Development and Greater China, International Development and Support and US Development (The Official Board.com 1). Starbucks has three reportable operating segments which includes the US, International and Global Consumer Products Group (CPG). Another operating segment is the Seattle’s Best Coffee. Products Offered The products offered by Starbucks include more than 30 blends and single-origin premium Arabica coffees, handcrafted beverages compos ed of freshly-brewed coffee, hot and iced espresso beverages, Frappuccino coffee and noncoffee blended beverages, smoothies and Tazo teas (Starbucks Corporation 2). Aside from beverages, Starbucks also offers fresh food which includes baked pastries, sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and fruit cups. Their stores sells merchandise such as coffee and tea brewing equipment, mugs and accessories, packaged goods, music, books and other gift items (Starbucks Corporation 2). Other countries such as Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, UK and U.S. offer consumer products such as coffee and tea, both whole bean and ground (Starbucks and Seattle’s Best Coffee brands), Starbucks VIA ® ReadyBrew, Starbucks ® K?Cups ® portion packs, Tazo ® tea filterbags and tea latte concentrates (Starbucks Corporation 2). Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Starbucks ® bottled Frappuccino ® coffee drinks, Starbucks Discoveries ® chilled cup coffees, Starbucks Doubleshot ® espresso drinks, Starbucks Doubleshot ® Energy+Coffee drinks and Seattle’s BestCoffee ® Iced Lattes, Tazo ® bottled iced and juiced teas are sold at Starbucks’ stores (Starbucks Corporation 2). Some outlets also sell Starbucks ® Ice Cream: Super?premium coffee and coffee?free flavors. The product mix of a Starbucks store varies depending on the location and the size of the store

Na Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Na - Essay Example The main characters are described in the House behind a Weeping Cheery as people who come to America for freedom only to realise that it was a living hell in the cells. They find themselves slaves, predators and blood suckers. However, in the book, A Good Fall: their personal life is explained as being uneconomical. It argued that it is their own way of doing things in the prisons. The two books differ on personality of individuals as some choose freedom while others find themselves entangled in the freedom arena. The characteristics of the third eye in the book, the crossfire are evident. One of them is that the third eye is observant. He is able to observe that people still stick to their old ways of life. He quotes, â€Å"still thinking of your boyfriend or girlfriend ten years after breakup†. This statement shows a lot of observation and keenness is part of the third eye. He is also courageous as he shuns away the immoral things in the society. He is able to counteract a bullying boss at work and warning about procrastination of activities. This is simply to tell how the third eye is determined to bring things in order. The third eye is also a freedom fighter. He broadly fights the immoral things that take place in the society. The oppression from the governments, bosses and general administrators. The third eye is in frontline to explain the things that take place in the prisons where prisoners are

Issues Analysis- Indigenous People Essay Example for Free

Issues Analysis- Indigenous People Essay As the British arrived on the land of the aboriginal people they hoped to absorb the aboriginal people into their culture to work in the new colony. The aboriginal people tried to avoid the settlers but as the land became more occupied contact became unavoidable. Governor Phillip wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict so he treated the aboriginal people with kindness and ordered his soldiers not to shoot any of them. He captured many aboriginals and one of them was Bennelong. He wanted them to learn English and act as translators between the Indigenous groups and the British. There were clashes over the land and culture of Aboriginals and the British. Phillip ignorantly ordered his soldiers to fire at the Aboriginal people as he has already tried to civilise them and assimilate them into the British culture and society was not working as he had hoped. The Aboriginal peoples saw that the British settlers were putting up fences clearing the land, restricting access and introducing different animals; so they started to think that the British were invading, this lead to retaliation from the Aboriginals. By 1797, attitudes and policy toward the Indigenous peoples had changed. No longer did the government decide to assimilate the Indigenous peoples, but rather have a new policy and that was to ‘keep them out’. In 1800 Governor King had reported to the British government the number of Aboriginal people killed in fighting was far greater than the number of British people killed. The common response from the government to the Aboriginal resistance was to send expeditions of solders to punish any groups that threatened settlers and farms. These soldiers hunted and killed groups of Indigenous people that were thought to have been stealing stock, food and generally harassing the settlers. Government instructions after 1800 were to fire at all indigenous peoples until they were far away from British settlements. As the British settlement gotten bigger, the Indigenous peoples lost more and more of their land and many of their family members. They became more reliant on the British settlers to provide them food, shelter and water. As their traditional life was slowly eroding, many Aboriginal people started living on the outskirts of towns or started working as servants or slaves for the British settlements. The inability for the Aboriginal people to succeed in this era it caused a change in the European view of the time, that Indigenous peoples were inferior, and were unable to look after themselves or the land. However not all contact was violent with the British settlers and the Aboriginal people. At times there was friendly contact and peace. Some Aboriginal peoples voluntarily became part of the British society. There is also plenty of evidence that groups of Indigenous peoples helped Europeans when they were in trouble and this was quite often, as life for British settlers was extremely hard in the early years of the colony. British colonisation of Australian started in Sydney in 1788. The rapidly occurring consequences within weeks of the first colonists arrival was a wave of European epidemic diseases such as smallpox, chickenpox, influenza and measles. These diseases affected the largest population densities where these diseases could spread easier. The next consequence of British settlement was water resources and the management of land. The settlers viewed Indigenous Australians as Nomads with no civilised concept of land ownership, who could be charged from the land wanted for farming. The aboriginals would easily migrate elsewhere. The impact on the aboriginals was fatal as there was loss of traditional lands, water resources and food sources, as the communities were affected by European diseases. The spiritual and cultural cohesion and well-being was affected because of the communities being forced away from the traditional areas. The settlers brought sexually transmitted diseases, and indigenous Australians had no tolerance and therefore greatly reduced fertility and birth-rates. Settlers were responsible for introducing the alcohol, opium and tobacco, and substance abuse has remained a huge problem for Indigenous communities. The result of disease, loss of land and violence reduced the Aboriginal population by an estimated 90% between 1788 and1900. Smallpox alone killed more than 50% of the Aboriginal population. Up to 3000 white people were killed by Indigenous Australians in the frontier violence. Most Indigenous people became a significant source of labour. Most of the work was unpaid, instead they survived on the rations that the workers received such as forms of food, clothing ad other basic necessities. In many areas of Australia Christian missions donated food and clothing for the indigenous people and opened schools and orphanages for Indigenous children. In some places of Australia colonial governments provided some resources. In 1914 around 1200 Aboriginal people answered the call to arms as the war was desperate for new recruits. Many Indigenous people claimed they were Indian or cook islanders to avoid the laws of no indigenous people being in the defence force. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Indigenous_Australians#The_impact_of_British_settlement There are many health promoting strategies today such as ‘Two Ways Together: NSW Aboriginal Affairs Plan 2003-2012’, ‘COAG Agreement, they set six gaps for closing the disadvantage gap between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people’, CEO performance agreements. Resetting the relationship with Indigenous Australians is important and this partnership must be respectful. It takes both parties to make a difference. Recent research by Reconciliation Australia indicates that Australians have a strong desire to better understand the Indigenous peoples. Acknowledging Indigenous disadvantage is a national responsibility that will require the engagement of the Australian Community. The government has committed to working in partnership with Indigenous Australians, businesses, state and territory governments and community organisations. http://www. skwirk. com. au/p-c_s-56_u-415_t-1040_c-4006/british-aboriginal-relations-1788-1820/qld/sose-history/first-australians-and-the-european-arrivals/settlement-1788-1850.

Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Essay -- Kubla Khan Samuel Taylo

â€Å"Kubla Khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge â€Å"Kubla Khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a poem about the creative powers of the poetic mind. Through the use of vivid imagery Coleridge reproduces a paradise-like vision of the landscape and kingdom created by Kubla Khan. The poem changes to the 1st person narrative and the speaker then attempts to recreate a vision he saw. Through the description of the visions of Kubla Khan’s palace and the speaker’s visions the poem tells of the creation of an enchanting beautiful world as the result of power of human imagination. The second part of the poem reveals that although the mind has the ability to create this paradise-like world it is tragically unable to sustain this world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is believed that â€Å"Kubla Khan† was created by Coleridge when he was in a deep sleep that was induced by the use of opiates which were prescribed for dysentery. He fell asleep while reading Purcha’s Pilgrimage about building of Kubla Khan’s palace and garden. When he woke up from experiencing the dream in which he created the poem he began writing it down. He was part way through writing the poem and was interrupted by a person from the nearby town of Porlock. After this interruption he was unable to complete the poem because his access to the dream was lost. The unfinished work was not published for three decades. Much mystery has enshrouded â€Å"Kubla Khan† and it’s meaning due to the circumstances of it’s creation. The poem itself is as mystical and interesting as the story behind its creation. The poem begins with a mythical tone, â€Å"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/ A stately pleasure dome decree.† The poem does not give specifics to nature of the construction of the palace. It just states that Khan decreed the palace be built and then begins describing the palace. The poem’s method of creating a vision of the â€Å"pleasure dome† is similar to the biblical tale of the creation of the garden of Eden. As Eden was created by the word of God, the â€Å"pleasure dome† created was by the power of Kubla Khan’s â€Å"decree†. The use of the word â€Å"decree† implies that it was Khan’s will that created the pleasure dome. The wonderful kingdom of the ancient Kubla Khan and the setting that surrounds it is described with heavenly, dreamlike vividness. The kingdom that Kubla Khan creates is described as â€Å"stately pleasure dome.† The word â€Å"dome† is symbolic of completion... ...lost and is a mythical heaven. This woman is described as Abyssinian. Abyssinian literally refers to the inhabitants of a place in Northern Africa, but use of word â€Å"Abyssinian† also implies the word â€Å"abyss†. The speaker must revive the heavenly song, sung by the maid, inside himself to â€Å"build that dome in the air.† Just as the sacred river from the abyss makes possible of the creation of Kubla, the heavenly song of the Abyssinian makes possible the creation of the speaker’s â€Å"pleasure dome†. The speaker then speculates on reaction of people over his creation. He states that â€Å"all should cry, Beware, Beware!/ His flashing eyes his floating hair/Weave a Circle round him thrice/ And close your eyes with holy dread,†. The reaction of awe and terror that people have to the speaker’s heavenly vision demonstrates the power that the speaker feels is contained in that vision. â€Å"Kubla Khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge reveals the awesome power of the imaginative poetic mind. This poetic mind has the ability to create kingdoms, paradise, immortality, and the sacred. This poem reveals the terrifying magnificence of the visions of imagination and the impact of these visions amongst humanity.

Habits of the Heart Essay

most is Brian Palmer. He is a successful businessman and is a top level manager in a large company. He got divorced from his first wife because of wrong priorities. When they were still married, he dedicated his time in working for his family. He was under the misconception that the role of a father and husband is to provide his family all the things that they need and for him to be a better father, he should also provide their wants. He thought that if he will earn money, which is more than enough for them, his family will live happily. However, he realized that money and work is not everything. He did not realize the toll that his being a hard working father is affecting his children and his relationship with his wife. After his divorce with his wife, their children chose to live with him. This made him realize that he is not as bad a father that he thinks he is. He might have done something to deserve this love from his children. The divorce gave him time and space to think and reflect on the things that had happened in the past and what he had done wrong for this to happen. It was not easy for him or his kids but as soon as Brian Palmer had decided to be happy with his children, that was turning point of their lives. He had changed his priorities and he had also changed his goals. Now that he is married to his second wife, who also had children with her first husband, he has devoted his life to his marriage and to all his children. He also had reestablished his priorities and he had learned that family comes first. He also learned that love is not buying his wife and children things; it is sharing. Love is sharing in terms of his time, efforts, and even thoughts. This shift of priorities had made him happy and his family happy. Although Brian Palmer’s situation and my situation are not exactly the same, I could say that I can relate with him since we now value the same thing – our family. It is a common mistake for people to dedicate their lives in their work to the point that they sacrifice their time which is supposed to be spent for their family. They often defend themselves that they are doing this for the benefit of their family. They think that by providing everything for their loved ones, they are showing their love for them. This is the common misconception of people. I can relate more to the children of Brian Palmer because I came from a broken family. When I was still young, things were going smoothly. My father had a high position in their company and my mom was starting her own business. They were busy but they still found time to spend with me and my brother. Until, things gradually changed between my parents and us, their children. It started when my parents started to miss special occasions, like my birthday or my brother’s graduation in elementary. It also pained us to see them fight at times. At first, I did not understand why they were fighting over money or why I feel awkward when I they kiss me on the cheeks. I soon realized that I now seldom see them together, except when they’re fighting. It was hard for me and my brother to grow up without our parents when we need them. It came to the point where I hated special occasions because it was just a reminder that I was alone and that I don’t have my parents to celebrate with me or to just be with me. It came to a point where my parents have considered getting divorced. My brother got very depressed that he was needed to be brought to the hospital. It was an eye opener for my parents. They got the chance to see each other and stop and talk a while. They got the chance to reflect and ask themselves, â€Å"how did we get here? † After that incident, my parents decided that family should always come first. This brought a new light to our family. With our parents’ support, my brother slowly recovered from his depression. From that time on, our parent’s lives became happier and they now got the time to be with us. I also became happy and now I could say with pride that my parents love me and I have a happy family. The character that I can relate the least is the character of Margaret Oldham. She is a psychiatrist and is trained to listen to people’s drama in life. This in turn made her flexible to the personalities of people around her. This in turn gave her the tolerance that she needs to fit in the world where diverse personalities exist. She was raised in the stable and has a strong sense of discipline. A strong sense of discipline is something that I am not very accustomed with. During the time when I felt alone and that my parents were not in good terms, there was nobody to discipline me. I was under the impression that I could do anything and everything that I wanted as long as I am not doing anything which is against the law. Margaret was an achiever in school and in her profession. I was not very good in academics since my parents did not set any standards for me. Unlike other parents, they tell their children to achieve the best in school for them to get better jobs and that education is something that they can give their children, which cannot be taken away from them. I, on the other hand, was not very aware of this. Education was something I thought was just a stage in life that I have to go through and that it is something that I should also experience for me to be â€Å"normal† among my peers. I disagree to her belief that people should not expect that a person could make them â€Å"magically happy† because when my parents finally realized their mistake on us and decided to reconcile and have a better family life, I was â€Å"magically happy†. I was blissfully happy to see that my parents were now willing to try their best to catch up on us and know us better. However, I could say that she is right in saying that people should communicate more on what they need and feel to be able to be happy. I think, it is through communication that people can understand one another and be aware of the feelings of other people. She also stated that as an adult, one should accept his/her personal responsibility; that everybody is responsible for themselves. I agree to her in a way because we are responsible of our acts and it is up to us to make decisions for ourselves. However, we should also acknowledge the impact that we have on other people’s lives. Our actions and decisions could affect the people who care for us and are dear to us. In making decisions, we should also consider the effect that the decision could give to others. She believes that a person’s fulfillment involves deep self-knowledge, a wide tolerance of the differences among people, and the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life. I must admit that I am not well aware of these responsibilities as a person before, but after I read Margaret Oldham’s character, I must say that it had opened a whole different perspective in my life. It made me realize that there are more things to learn in life so why spend it in self pity.

Case Study on Adolescent Sexual Abuse Essay

Elias is a five year old Mexican American male who has recently been referred to the community counseling center due to the exposure of sexual abuse by his stepfather. Elias was a client of this community center approximately 18 months earlier. Elias had been referred for poor impulse control and hyperactivity. At that time he was diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He also met with the agency psychiatrist who had prescribed Elias Focalin. His cased was closed after only a few sessions due to the family’s inconsistency and withdrawal from services. At this point in time Elias has been attending his sessions with his mother and baby brother. Stepfather’s whereabouts are unknown and he has not had any contact with the family since the abuse was exposed. Elias has returned to taking Focalin, since he failed to continue taking his medication after withdrawing from services. However, there have been no changes noted in his behavior since he has begun to take the medication. The psychiatrist believes that this may be due to the low dosage he has prescribed Elias and because of such, the psychiatrist has opted to slowly increase the dosage and closely monitor any changes. The clinician notes that Elias is extremely hyperactive and exhibits minimal impulse control. Other than his high levels of restlessness, Elias shows no observable signs or symptoms of reaction to the sexual abuse. When clinician has attempted to process with Elias about the abuse or his feelings about the abuse, Elias has changed the subject or ignored the clinician all together. Mother states that she has noticed no changes in his behavior since the abuse was discovered. Practice Effectiveness Questions  The special population in discussion is children, the social problems in focus are sexual abuse and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which leads the target client group to be children who have experienced sexual abuse and have been diagnosed with ADHD. Our client is Elias who is a child, who has experienced sexual abuse and is diagnosed with ADHD. For the purposes of this discussion our practice effectiveness questions are: 1) What are effective interventions for children who have been sexually abused? and 2) What are effective interventions for children who have been diagnosed with ADHD? Search Description Procedures The databases utilized for this search were: Google Scholar, Social Work Abstracts, Child Welfare Information Gateway, Academic Search Complete, Professional Development Collection, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, SocINDEX with Full Text Sociological Collection, Academic Search Premier, and JSTOR. It was also helpful to review the journal entitled Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment for relevant articles. While searching the aforementioned databases, the following keywords were utilized: ‘sexual abuse and ADHD’, ‘sexual abuse and interventions’, sexual abuse and co-morbidity’, ‘ADHD and co-morbidity’, ‘children and sexual abuse’, ‘sexual abuse and interventions. ’ All articles selected were peer reviewed, found in scholarly journals, and published within the last ten years. In searching for relevant articles regarding treatment of sexual abuse, most articles addressed interventions designed to treat perpetrators of child sexual abuse; a few articles were uncovered that discussed treating adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Fewer still were articles that identified interventions for children who are recent or current victims of sexual abuse. In order to find information relevant to our target client group, we began pulling sources from reference pages of relevant articles which provided more focused research relevant to treatment of children who have experienced sexual abuse. Results The result of our exhaustive search of available literature led us to identify eight articles to focus on. Out of these articles, four dealt specifically with children who have experienced sexual abuse, two focused on abuse of children which included physical abuse along with sexual abuse, two were focused primarily on ADHD, four focused on co-morbidity of either post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or ADHD and sexual abuse, and four specifically discussed treatments and interventions. Half of the selected articles were literature reviews while the remaining four were reporting from the standpoint of a primary source on research studies of treatments and interventions. The research studies varied in their sampling and control or comparison groups; only two studies were able to utilize a true experimental design with random assignment of study participants to control and experimental groups. The literature reviews provided an extensive overview of relevant studies and interventions from a secondary source standpoint. The eight identified sources provided an assortment of research-based perspectives as well as a sampling of evidence based on authority by those who reviewed the literature and discussed their findings in literature reviews. Research Findings Description of Articles In the article Sexually Abused Children Suffering from PTSD: Assessment and Treatment Strategies by David Heyne, Neville J. King, Paul Mullen, Nicole Myerson, Thomas H. Ollendick, Stephanie Rollings, and Bruce T. Tonge states that sexual abuse of children is a major societal problem because of its high prevalence and devastating impact on the victimized child. Children who have been sexually abused often demonstrate anxiety, depressive moods, improper sexual behaviors, nightmares, social withdrawal, sleep difficulties, anger, shame/guilt and school problems. The authors did diagnostic interviewing with their participants. The authors interviewed thirty six children and sixty nine percent were primarily diagnosed with PTSD. Within the thirty six children four of the children with full PTSD had no other diagnoses. Nine had one co morbid diagnoses, ten had two co morbid diagnoses, and two had three co morbid diagnoses. PTSD is not always prevalent and at times other emotional and behavioral problems are prevalent. In fact, many studies confirm that on clinical evaluation a large proportion of sexually abused children meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD (Heyne, at el. , 2003). This particular article showed that often there are other diagnoses that go along with PTSD but in an article by Peggy T. Ackerman, Roscoe A. Dykman, Jerry G. Jones, W. Brian McPherson, and Joseph E. O. Newton, did research on groups that have been affected sexual, physically abused, or both. The article Prevalence of PTSD and Other Psychiatric Diagnosis in Three Groups of Abused Children (Sexual, Physical, and Both) was a study done with children that are sexually and or physically abused. Fortunately, many children who are victims of horrifying events do not develop PTSD or other psychiatric disorders (Ackerman at el. 1998). Very little is known as to why some victimized children do and others do not develop psychiatric disorders. Even such basic variables as gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, intelligence, and age at time of trauma, have been inadequately studied. They were in a large children’s hospital in which sexual and or physically abused children were referred. The groups were divided into three, sexually and physically abused and both. Through the finding there were more boys who were physically abused and girls who were sexually abused. Anxiety and behavior disorders were more frequent than mood disorders. In concordance with clinical observation, abused boys, regardless of type abuse, had higher rates of behavioral disorders and abused girls had higher rates of two internalizing disorders: separation anxiety (caregiver reports) and phobic disorder (child report) (Ackerman at el. , 1998). Studies show most clearly that children who have been jointly physically and sexually abused are at greatest risk for psychiatric disturbance. There are many different treatment interventions one can go through to minimize PTSD and attention deficient disorders. Maryka Biaggio, Darlene Staffelbach, Dan Weinstein wrote the article ADHD and PTSD: Differential Diagnosis in Childhood Sexual Abuse which shows different interventions used for victimized children. Treatment interventions for ADHD children predominantly consist of behavior management, social skills training, and stimulant or other medication. Treatment interventions for children with PTSD generally consist of management and alleviation of emotional distress using play, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral therapy modalities (Biaggio at el. 2000). Relaxation techniques and hypnosis have also been effective in treatment of PTSD in children. Misdiagnosis may lead clinicians to use inappropriate interventions for PTSD. Side effects experienced by ADHD children on stimulant medication may include difficulty falling asleep, lack of appetite, irritability, headaches, stomachaches, nausea, dizziness, tachycardia, muscle tics or twitches, slowed physical growth, and skin rashes (Biaggio at el. , 2000). Another undesired onsequence of ADHD misdiagnosis in SAC (sexual abused children) is the failure to address and treat the trauma symptoms of children who actually have PTSD. Given the risk of wrongly prescribing, untreated trauma, and negative impact on self-esteem for children misdiagnosed with ADHD, it is unfortunate little attention has been given to this issue (Biaggio at el. , 2000). Increased attention to clinical decision-making in the differential diagnosis of ADHD and PTSD may lead to more appropriate, beneficial, and timely interventions. Darcie) Allison M. Briscoe-Smith and Stephen P. Henshaw’s article entitled: Linkages between child abuse and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in girls: Behavioral and social correlates, was an excellent source to explore the relationship of sexual abuse and ADHD and begin to discuss the co-morbidity of these events for children. The article described a research study carried out with a sample of 228 females at a summer camp for girls with ADHD over a three year span. Each year cohort groups were created to identify the prevalence of abuse among girls diagnosed with ADHD and those who had not received a diagnosis of ADHD. Out of the twenty-four identified cases of abuse histories, twenty of these girls were diagnosed with ADHD, and of those abuse histories ten were sexual in nature which is much higher than any other form of maltreatment documented by the researchers. All girls who had abuse histories had a co-morbid diagnosis of Oppositional Defiance Disorder. The study found that girls with both ADHD and abuse histories were more likely to display externalizing behaviors and be negatively received by their peers. The study also analyzed the relationship between the prevalence of an abuse history and the rejection from peers and found aggression to partially mediate that relationship. The authors concluded that girls with ADHD were at increased risk of having abuse histories and questioned the accurate diagnosis of ADHD. It was suggested that the girls who had histories of abuse may more accurately be diagnosed with PTSD and/or share a co-morbid diagnosis with PTSD. Judith A. Cohen and Anthony P. Mannarino conducted a research study comparing two interventions to treat children who have been sexually abused; their findings were published in the article entitled: Interventions for Sexually Abused Children: Initial Treatment Outcome Findings. This article was one of few that specifically addressed interventions for children with the focus being treatment of sexual abuse. The sample consisted of 49 children between the ages of 7 and 14 who were randomly assigned to either sexual abuse specific cognitive behavioral therapy (SAS-CBT) or nondirective supportive therapy (NST) for a twelve week duration. The study found that children in the SAS-CBT group improved significantly in social competence and in the reduction of feelings of depression. Also, substantially higher percentages of children involved in SAS-CBT experienced what is considered clinically significant improvements. In regards to deterioration while in therapy, higher rates were found in children who received NST. For the safety of the other children in the groups, children who were consistently displaying repetitive extreme sexually inappropriate behaviors were removed from treatment groups; seven NST participants were removed from the study as compared to two children participating in SAS-CBT. Parental satisfaction with treatment was high in both treatment groups which either treatment modality. The clinical impressions of the authors conclude that sexual abuse specific cognitive behavioral therapy is superior to nondirective supportive therapy in the reduction of depressive symptoms. SAS-CBT was also favored due to the benefit of including parents in treatment (NST did not formally include parents). The authors also concluded that there is value and importance in providing a directive therapy technique in dealing with the effects of trauma caused by sexual abuse. Assessment of Evidence Implications of Evidence Interventions for sexual abused victim’s trauma may include based cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, parental involvement- parent training, behavioral therapy, coping skills training, psycho-education, and prevention awareness. PTSD interventions may include trauma based cognitive behavioral therapy, and play therapy. Attention deficit disorder can also be treated with behavioral management techniques, medication, social skills training, play therapy, parent training, behavioral classroom interventions and summer treatment programs. Many sexually abused children have other diagnosis along with PTSD and several possible co-morbid diagnosis are more than likely behavioral, but often can be confused with PTSD. When looking at interventions and treatments clinicians need to look at the client’s cultural background so that way we do not intrude on their lives.

Zaire and Vietnam - Countries in Turmoil essays

Zaire and Vietnam - Countries in Turmoil essays Zaire and Vietnam Countries in Turmoil After, before, and during the Vietnam War, America has tried to push democracy, or at least democratic ideas, onto other countries. In Africa, Zaire was a country that was heavily influenced by the morals of the U.S. a stable government and a greedy, capitalistic economy, barely held in place, thanks to its exports. According to historians, America did follow through with their proposal of foreign policy a stand-off form of economic and democratic assistance - although it was up to the country whether or not to use this prod in the right direction effectively. The U.S., during the time of the Cold War, felt that anyone against communism was a friend, and therefore promoted Zaire and its leaders, at least temporarily. During most of the 20th Century, Zaire (then called The Republic of the Congo) was ruled by Joseph Dsir Mobutu (Mobutu Sese Seko), a corrupt leader who seized the power for nearly 30 years, until he was later overthrown. The U.S. influence here was visible, in that the country gained independence from Belgium in the mid-1960s. After Zaire received this independence from Belgium, it experienced five years of political mayhem. In 1965, army chief of staff (Mobutu) received his power from a coup. For nearly 32 years Mobutu ran a corrupt, undemocratic administration, concentrating his power in the executive branch and favoring those who were loyal to him. His party, the Popular Movement for the Revolution (MPR), became the only legal political party, and rebels were taken care of. In May of 1997, the rebels led by Laurent Kabila won control back over the country and overthrew Mobutu. Kabila suspended the constitution and declared himself president. This displays that none of the democratic ideals which the U.S. claimed to have put upon its countries in foreign policy. However, Zaire was misruled by ...

BINOM.DIST in Excel

BINOM.DIST in Excel Calculations with the binomial distribution formula can quite tedious and difficult. The reason for this is due to the number and types of terms in the formula.  As with many calculations in probability, Excel can be utilized to expedite the process. Background on the Binomial Distribution The binomial distribution is a discrete probability distribution. In order to use this distribution, we need to make sure that the following conditions are met: There are a total of n independent trials.  Each of these trials can be classified as a success or failure.The probability of success is a constant p. The probability that exactly k of our n trials are successes is given by the formula: C( n, k) pk (1 - p)n – k. In the above formula, the expression C( n, k) denotes the binomial coefficient. This is the number of ways to form a combination of k elements from a total of n. This coefficient involves the use of the factorial, and so C(n, k) n!/[k!(n – k)! ]. COMBIN Function The first function in Excel related to the binomial distribution is COMBIN. This function calculates the binomial coefficient C( n, k), also known as the number of combinations of k elements from a set of n. The two arguments for the function are the number n of trials and k the number of successes. Excel defines the function in terms of the following: COMBIN(number, number chosen) Thus if there are 10 trials and 3 successes, there are a total of C(10, 3) 10!/(7!3!) 120 ways for this to occur. Entering COMBIN(10,3) into a cell in a spreadsheet will return the value 120. BINOM.DIST Function The other function that is important to know about in Excel is BINOM.DIST. There are a total of four arguments for this function in the following order: Number_s is the number of successes. This is what we have been describing as k.Trials are the total number of trials or n.Probability_s is the probability of a success, which we have been denoting as p.Cumulative uses an input either of true or false to calculate a cumulative distribution. If this argument is false or 0, then the function returns the probability that we have exactly k successes. If the argument is true or 1, then the function returns the probability that we have k successes or less. For example, the probability that exactly three coins out of 10 coin flips are heads is given by BINOM.DIST(3, 10, .5, 0). The value returned here is 0.11788. The probability that from flipping 10 coins at most three are heads is given by BINOM.DIST(3, 10, .5, 1). Entering this into a cell will return the value 0.171875. This is where we can see the ease of using the BINOM.DIST function. If we did not use software, we would add together the probabilities that we have no heads, exactly one head, exactly two heads or exactly three heads. This would mean that we would need to calculate four different binomial probabilities and add these together. BINOMDIST Older versions of Excel use a slightly different function for calculations with the binomial distribution. Excel 2007 and earlier use the BINOMDIST function. Newer versions of Excel are backward compatible with this function and so BINOMDIST is an alternate way to calculate with these older versions.

Reflection Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reflection - Term Paper Example In his job, he does the direct service provision, but most of the time, he supervises people who do direct service. The health center provides health care services, where there is a comprehensive primary care service. The interviewee himself works with the segment that looks at the social health care determinants and help patients overcome such challenges of social health care determinants to be able to access healthcare. He works with the youth to solve two problems, one of them is the history of incarceration and connecting people to health care. He is also charged with the duty of overseeing health screening of people in the community and taking then to the health center to receive healthcare. The center deals mostly with the young people, most of whom are of pre-adolescent and adults of between ages 12-24-year-old. The interviewee is in-charge of four different programs that he oversee their provision to this population. The organization started in 1972 that resulted from a movement in the late 60s about creating a big community center. In those days, Worcester was an isolated part of the city that was far from the city. Therefore, it forced people who were sick to take a bus to the hospital. Then the doctors and professors a nearby college organized and created the center. Initially, it was named after a housing project in the area, Great Brook Valley Health Center, but now it is called the Hadron-M-Kennedy Community Health center. The organization has federal state and local funding. People who have health insurance also pay through the insurance. The interviewee specifically works with the foundation that is funded by the state of private funding. The services that the interviewee oversee does not generate any income, so it is fully funded. However, the health center services that the facility provides, charge at least something for the services. First challenge is working with stigmatized people to identify their health care problem