Texting While Driving Satire

I text while driving. I try not to, but I do. And I know what you're thinking. I get it. You think I'm careless. You think I'm reckless. You think I'm dangerous. You say I'm an accident waiting to happen; that I'll probably get killed one day; that I might even kill you. I tell you now, I understand. But I don't care. I have places to be, text messages to send. At times I've been brilliant, multitasking to perfection; typing ‘Brobdingnagian' while making a double lane change in Austin rush-hour traffic.Other times I've swerved, or barely hit the brake in time, only to throw my phone in the backseat and make that same promise to never again send a text message while operating a vehicle. Okay, so I care. But despite caring, I've found that there isn't a scare, short of an accident, that will deter me from texting while driving. Not even the law. And being that I'd rather not die, or kill you, all in the name of an anecdotal text that just as well could have been typed while in pa rk, I've since developed a set of rules.These rules, when followed, have been as fool-proof as directions for walking while chewing a piece of gum (excuse the triteness). I no longer swerve. I'm no longer forced to slam on my brakes. And for the past eight months, my â€Å"Texting While Driving Protocol† has saved both our lives. Rule 1: Predict the Future. Know how the road will unfold as you divert your attention to your phone. As â€Å"10 and 2† drivers, we're already required to predict the actions of and be accountable for all objects in and around our path (i. e cars, pedestrians, cyclists, animals).Compare and Contrast Driving in the Winter and Driving in the SummerWe're regular clairvoyants. And sure, we have laws which aid us in predicting those intended actions of others, but that only further supports my next point: It is not required that our senses be entirely engaged at all times for us to â€Å"trust† while on the road; that to look away from the road for x amount of time, as long as a driver can account for all future events that may unfold within the distance travelled during x, is no less safe than looking both ways before one walks across a street, which also requires a level of anticipation.Rule 2: Reestablish your whereabouts after each written word. This means you must LOOK UP after each word you type, and predict 2-3 more seconds of future before typing your next word. Rule 3: Use shorthand. Yes, shorthand. The same shorthand that has been slowly killing language since man's invention of time and his subsequent inventions to save it. But this lax variation of language will keep you in the 2-3 seconds per word range. And I know, you're a writer with high grammatical standards. You punctuate all of your texts. How dare I suggest you replace â€Å"tonight† with â€Å"2nite†?Just remember: Life > Language. Rule 4: Hold your phone as close to the top of the steering wheel as possible. This will allow for gre ater access to your peripheral vision, and may help you catch any unforetold objects. But not too high! Unless the law is still on your side. Rule 5: Do NOT text while making a turn. Not only is it tougher to sense the position of your vehicle in its designated lane, but you also lose any advantage gained by holding your phone in its peripheral position. With these rules in mind, I guarantee that you will be a better driver.

Mental Illness

The social construction of mental illness Key Words * Career: The gradual change in people as a response to a label e. g. mental patient. * Learned Helplessness: learning how to be dependent. * Life-course model: suggests that the accumulation of social events experienced over a whole lifetime, not just individual important events, influence people and their mental state. * Presenting culture: a term used by Goffman to refer to how people like to portray themselves to others. * Schizophrenia: a form of mental illness where people are unable to distinguish their own feelings and perceptions from reality. Self-Fulfilling prophecy: predictions about the behaviour of social groups that come true as a result of positive or negative labelling. * Social Capital: refers to a network of social contacts. * Social constructionism: the approach which suggests that mental illness exists because people believe that it does. * Social realism: a sociological approach which suggests that mental illne ss does really exist. Summary Mental illness is the less fortunate twin to physical illness. The NHS is not funding enough support for mental health patients and the attention paid to it is minimal.Mental health is a major problem in society with one in seven people claiming to have had mental health problems at some point in their lives. Social Trends 2007 (Self and Zealey 2007) said that about one in six British people aged 16 to 74 reported experiencing a neurotic disorder in the seven days before a national survey on mental health. When looking at which group is most likely to suffer from high rates of mental illness, the poorest and most excluded are majorly overrepresented. Defining mental illness Social Realism: A general term used to describe the approaches of sociologists who accept that there are distinctive sets of abnormal behaviour that cause distress to individuals and those around them. * Pilgrim and Rogers (1999) accept that, at different times and in different cultu res, there are variations in what is considered as mental illness. * Although mental illness may have different names and sometimes not be recognized, it does actually exist as a real condition. * Similar to the bio-medical approach which believes that symptoms can be scientifically diagnosed and categorized.They see treatment as allopathic (cure orientated through the use of drugs, shock treatment and surgery etc. * They recommend that sufferers be isolated from wider society. Social constructionism: * Have been very influential in sociological approaches to mental illness and start from the argument that what is considered as normal varies over time and from society to society. * Greater extremes of behaviour have been seen as normal in some societies and symptoms of madness in others. Labelling perspective: Labelling theory examines how the labelling of mental illness occurs in the first place and what effects it has on those who are labelled. * Thomas Szasz (1973) argues that th e label ‘mental illness’ is simply a convenient way to deal with behaviour that people find disruptive. He is particularly critical of psychiatrists for diagnosing children with ADHD and calling it a disease. He says that giving a child a drug for a mythical disease is a form of physical child abuse because the child has no say in the matter. Labelling theory therefore rests firmly upon a social constructionist definition of mental illness. The effects of labelling * Scheff (1966) said that whether someone becomes labelled or not is determined by the benefits those others might gain by labelling the person ‘mentally ill’. So, those who become a nuisance are far more likely to become diagnosed as mentally ill as someone who causes no problems. * Once labelled, there are a number of negative consequences for the person because it is then assumed that all their behaviour is evidence of their mental state. Erving Goffman (1961) followed the careers of people wh o were genuinely defined as being mentally ill. He suggested that once in an institution people are stripped of their presenting culture. Criticisms of the labelling perspective * Gove (1982) suggests that the vast majority of people who receive treatment for mental illness actually have serious problems before they are treated so the argument that the labels cause the problems is wrong. It may explain the responses of others to the mentally ill, but cannot explain the causes of the illness.Foucault’s perspective on mental illness: * He explains the growth in the concept of mental illness by placing it in the context if the changing ways of thinking and acting which developed in the early 18th century. * During the enlightenment more traditional ways of thinking were gradually replaced by more rational and disciplined ways of thinking. He argues that as rationality developed into the normal way of thinking, irrationality became to be perceived as deviant. * Having mad people in asylums isolated mad people away from the majority of the population.They symbolized the fact that madness or irrationality was marked out as behaviour that is no longer acceptable. Structuralist perspectives on mental illness: * Virde (1977) explained the fact that some ethnic minorities are more likely to develop mental health problems by arguing that the sorts of pressures and stresses that can cause people to develop mental illness are more often experienced by people in an ethnic minority. * Nazroo is critical of this approach. He points out that people of the Bangladeshi origin who are victims of racism have lower levels of mental illness than the general population.He concludes that mental illness cannot just be caused by racism and deprivation. * Brown et al (1995) explained that women are more likely to lead stressful lives because they have the dial burden and triple shift. * Labelling theorists (Chelser 1972), say that women are more likely to be seen as mentally ill b ecause the defining of illness is mainly done by males. * Link and Phelan (1995) reviewed all the evidence and concluded that research pointed out a relationship between low levels of deprivation and mental illness.Social capital (Putnam 2000) argued that people who have extensive and strong levels of social networks are more likely to be ‘happier’ than those who don’t. Check Your Understanding: 1) The two sociological approaches to explaining mental illness are social realist and social constructionist. 2) Social realist bases itself on the idea that there are distinctive sets of abnormal behaviour that should be treated; they are very similar to the bio-medical approach.Social constructionist believes that definitions of mental illness can vary over time and in different cultures. 3) Labelling helps us understand that some people may live up to the label they have been given and can strip mental health patients of any self-dignity as they have no say in what ha ppens to them as they have been given the label of someone who is mad. 4) A structural explanation is closely tied to the social realist definition of mental illness; they accept the reality of mental illness and set out to discover what social factors help cause them. ) Busfield says that it is true that some groups are more likely to find their behaviour defined as mental illness, compared to the behaviour of other groups however al of those groups experience higher levels of stress so mental illness would be higher. 6) They are more likely to show cultural characterises that are not seen as normal in a wider society. 7) They use the idea that women have more responsibilities than men and that the defining of mental illness tends to be dominated by male health professionals. Mental Illness The social construction of mental illness Key Words * Career: The gradual change in people as a response to a label e. g. mental patient. * Learned Helplessness: learning how to be dependent. * Life-course model: suggests that the accumulation of social events experienced over a whole lifetime, not just individual important events, influence people and their mental state. * Presenting culture: a term used by Goffman to refer to how people like to portray themselves to others. * Schizophrenia: a form of mental illness where people are unable to distinguish their own feelings and perceptions from reality. Self-Fulfilling prophecy: predictions about the behaviour of social groups that come true as a result of positive or negative labelling. * Social Capital: refers to a network of social contacts. * Social constructionism: the approach which suggests that mental illness exists because people believe that it does. * Social realism: a sociological approach which suggests that mental illne ss does really exist. Summary Mental illness is the less fortunate twin to physical illness. The NHS is not funding enough support for mental health patients and the attention paid to it is minimal.Mental health is a major problem in society with one in seven people claiming to have had mental health problems at some point in their lives. Social Trends 2007 (Self and Zealey 2007) said that about one in six British people aged 16 to 74 reported experiencing a neurotic disorder in the seven days before a national survey on mental health. When looking at which group is most likely to suffer from high rates of mental illness, the poorest and most excluded are majorly overrepresented. Defining mental illness Social Realism: A general term used to describe the approaches of sociologists who accept that there are distinctive sets of abnormal behaviour that cause distress to individuals and those around them. * Pilgrim and Rogers (1999) accept that, at different times and in different cultu res, there are variations in what is considered as mental illness. * Although mental illness may have different names and sometimes not be recognized, it does actually exist as a real condition. * Similar to the bio-medical approach which believes that symptoms can be scientifically diagnosed and categorized.They see treatment as allopathic (cure orientated through the use of drugs, shock treatment and surgery etc. * They recommend that sufferers be isolated from wider society. Social constructionism: * Have been very influential in sociological approaches to mental illness and start from the argument that what is considered as normal varies over time and from society to society. * Greater extremes of behaviour have been seen as normal in some societies and symptoms of madness in others. Labelling perspective: Labelling theory examines how the labelling of mental illness occurs in the first place and what effects it has on those who are labelled. * Thomas Szasz (1973) argues that th e label ‘mental illness’ is simply a convenient way to deal with behaviour that people find disruptive. He is particularly critical of psychiatrists for diagnosing children with ADHD and calling it a disease. He says that giving a child a drug for a mythical disease is a form of physical child abuse because the child has no say in the matter. Labelling theory therefore rests firmly upon a social constructionist definition of mental illness. The effects of labelling * Scheff (1966) said that whether someone becomes labelled or not is determined by the benefits those others might gain by labelling the person ‘mentally ill’. So, those who become a nuisance are far more likely to become diagnosed as mentally ill as someone who causes no problems. * Once labelled, there are a number of negative consequences for the person because it is then assumed that all their behaviour is evidence of their mental state. Erving Goffman (1961) followed the careers of people wh o were genuinely defined as being mentally ill. He suggested that once in an institution people are stripped of their presenting culture. Criticisms of the labelling perspective * Gove (1982) suggests that the vast majority of people who receive treatment for mental illness actually have serious problems before they are treated so the argument that the labels cause the problems is wrong. It may explain the responses of others to the mentally ill, but cannot explain the causes of the illness.Foucault’s perspective on mental illness: * He explains the growth in the concept of mental illness by placing it in the context if the changing ways of thinking and acting which developed in the early 18th century. * During the enlightenment more traditional ways of thinking were gradually replaced by more rational and disciplined ways of thinking. He argues that as rationality developed into the normal way of thinking, irrationality became to be perceived as deviant. * Having mad people in asylums isolated mad people away from the majority of the population.They symbolized the fact that madness or irrationality was marked out as behaviour that is no longer acceptable. Structuralist perspectives on mental illness: * Virde (1977) explained the fact that some ethnic minorities are more likely to develop mental health problems by arguing that the sorts of pressures and stresses that can cause people to develop mental illness are more often experienced by people in an ethnic minority. * Nazroo is critical of this approach. He points out that people of the Bangladeshi origin who are victims of racism have lower levels of mental illness than the general population.He concludes that mental illness cannot just be caused by racism and deprivation. * Brown et al (1995) explained that women are more likely to lead stressful lives because they have the dial burden and triple shift. * Labelling theorists (Chelser 1972), say that women are more likely to be seen as mentally ill b ecause the defining of illness is mainly done by males. * Link and Phelan (1995) reviewed all the evidence and concluded that research pointed out a relationship between low levels of deprivation and mental illness.Social capital (Putnam 2000) argued that people who have extensive and strong levels of social networks are more likely to be ‘happier’ than those who don’t. Check Your Understanding: 1) The two sociological approaches to explaining mental illness are social realist and social constructionist. 2) Social realist bases itself on the idea that there are distinctive sets of abnormal behaviour that should be treated; they are very similar to the bio-medical approach.Social constructionist believes that definitions of mental illness can vary over time and in different cultures. 3) Labelling helps us understand that some people may live up to the label they have been given and can strip mental health patients of any self-dignity as they have no say in what ha ppens to them as they have been given the label of someone who is mad. 4) A structural explanation is closely tied to the social realist definition of mental illness; they accept the reality of mental illness and set out to discover what social factors help cause them. ) Busfield says that it is true that some groups are more likely to find their behaviour defined as mental illness, compared to the behaviour of other groups however al of those groups experience higher levels of stress so mental illness would be higher. 6) They are more likely to show cultural characterises that are not seen as normal in a wider society. 7) They use the idea that women have more responsibilities than men and that the defining of mental illness tends to be dominated by male health professionals.

An Analysis of Araby in James Joyces Dubliners :: Joyce Dubliners Araby Essays

There are many statements in the story "Araby" that are both surprising and puzzling.   The statement that perhaps gives us the most insight into the narrator's thoughts and feelings is found at the end of the story.   "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger. (32)"   By breaking this statement into small pieces and key words, we can see it as a summation of the story's major themes.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At this point in the story, many emotions are swirling about in the narrator's head.   His trip to the bazaar has been largely unsuccessful.   He was late arriving, was unable to find a gift for Mangan's sister, felt scorned by the merchants, and suddenly found himself in a dark room.   These surroundings left him feeling both derided, and with a sense that this eagerly anticipated trip had been in vain.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many other situations caused him to feel driven and derided by vanity.   His reflections of the "charitable" life of the priest who occupied the narrator's house before the narrator make us wonder if the priest led a life of vanity.   His early obsession with Mangan's sister now seems in vain.   "I had never spoken to her ... and yet her name was like a summons to my foolish blood. (4)"   He feels ashamed and ridiculed by his earlier inability to communicate with Mangan's sister.   He sees how distracted he was by his anticipation of the bazaar.   He recalls that he " had hardly any patience with the serious work of life. (12)"   The narrator is embarrassed by the time he had wasted, and the ease with which he became distracted.   The near total worthlessness of the bazaar at the time the narrator arrives is an extreme example of vanity.   Not only does the narrator feel ridiculed by the vanity involved in this situation, he also feels driven by it.   The simple conversation he carries on with Mangan's sister regarding the bazaar drives him to direct all his thoughts toward the glory that will be the bazaar.   A sort of irony can be found in the fact that something that he devoted all his "waking and sleeping thoughts"

€œWe see and understand things not as they are but as we Essay

â‚ ¬Ã…“We see and understand things not as they are but as we are.â‚ ¬Ã¯ ¿ ½ Discuss this claim in relation to at least two ways of knowing - Essay Example Empiricism is the theory that knowledge can only be gained from actual perceptions. It is an extension of the Aristotelian theory that human mind is a blank slate (or in Aristotle’s words – â€Å"Tabula Rasa†, an empty tablet) and only experience can bring in knowledge. This was later expounded in the 17th century by a number of philosophers like, Locke. As per this theory, only the sensory experiences allow us to understand the world. Soon it could be seen that experiences and sensations, by themselves, cannot explain most of the things like religion, philosophical concepts etc. It was therefore necessary to add an element of inductive inference from the actual sensory perception to convert it into knowledge. This is, by definition, a deviation from the pure empiricism as the inductive inference that a human being makes is dependent on the habits and beliefs of the person in question. Knowledge thus ceases to be an absolute entity anymore and is dependent on the person acquiring the belief. Rationalism states that reason is the fundamental building block of our knowledge. It does not ignore the physical sensory perceptions but argues that the reason in the human mind is responsible for co-relating the events into knowledge. The most famous exponent of this theory was Rene Descartes. His â€Å"cogito ergo sum† or â€Å"I think, therefore I am† is probably the simplest definition of rationalism – where the process of thinking of an individual becomes the keystone of his knowledge. As Babich and Cohen tells us in regard to Descartes that â€Å"because he assumes that the intellect is naturally the same in all humans, everyone can participate in this knowledge if they can think† (Babich and Cohen, p.53). Rationalism is based on certain specific concepts like the intuition/ deduction theory, the innate knowledge theory and the innate concept theory. The intuition/ deduction theory tells us that knowledge

Role of circulating practitioner in and outside a theatre room Essay

Role of circulating practitioner in and outside a theatre room - Essay Example Through expertise in theatre issues surgeons go as far as seeking assistance from specific scrubs who are well conversant with the procedure to be undertaken hence its adept to train and be able to learn more while on practical theatre situation (Zatlin, 2005, p. 19). This calls for a dedicated person to carry out the roles of circulating practitioner in a theatre. As a second year student, we are obliged to practically face the situation during internship to equip us with the relevant information and skills that shapes our focus and perception of what awaits us after the completion of the studies (Waldie, 2007, p. 39). However, being an scrub does not enable an individual to be certain while handling instruments and disposables within the theatre, this could be confirmed through an incident that happened during a procedure when a scratch pad was misplaced within the theatre hall just to base all blames on me despite being innocent oblivious of the consequences that would follow should I be found guilty of an offence not committed (Wicker, 2010, p. 84). I have to ensure that all the instruments brought to the theatre are sterilized and able to perform the procedure in accordance with the surgeons’ perception being a life saving procedure a lot of care should be taken in order to accomplish the procedure. This includes a confirmation that all the people within the theatre hall are putting on in accordance with the rules and codes of ethics in medics (Wicker, 2010, p. 87).... for the instruments to be brought to the theatre hall, in fact no one is allowed to leave the theatre hall when a procedure is on (Thomson,, 2002, p. 106). I have to ensure that all the instruments brought to the theatre are sterilized and able to perform the procedure in accordance with the surgeons’ perception being a life saving procedure a lot of care should be taken in order to accomplish the procedure. This includes a confirmation that all the people within the theatre hall are putting on in accordance with the rules and codes of ethics in medics (Wicker, 2010, p. 87). Through effective procedure there would be uni-effetive patient recovery and care for instance, the instruments that are supposed to be used only once should not be re used in any way under what come may (Pudner, 2000, p. 53). This is one of the ways through which poor patient handling arises from causing un-expected complications which would be avoided through following procedural implications within the theatre hall (Zatlin, 2005, p. 24). The key function within the practice is that patient care and preoperative environment entirely relies on our practice. It is within the health and safety rules state that accountability and responsibilities under which the duties are to be performed within the theatre. Hence any fault that arises within the theatre must be dealt with beyond reasonable doubt so ascertain that the patient care is maintained within our practice (Waldie, 2007, p. 42). In the process, we have to countercheck the instruments and affirm their states before, within the procedure and afterwards to ensure that the quality of services to deal with both appropriateness and efficiency in reducing harm to the patient under procedure (Thomson,, 2002, p. 123. Disease control and management

Health Care in Haiti Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Care in Haiti - Research Paper Example A leading example has been in the U.S. that has developed to be a liberated system and fight to attain equality. However, Haiti will be this paper’s focus and derive the measures applied within the health care system in the attempt to offer sustainability to Haitians. About Haiti Haiti’s geographical position is found in the Atlantic Ocean in an area within the Caribbean Sea. Haiti has been since plagued by natural disasters that have threatened the sustainability of the population and these have included famous hurricanes in 2008. The economy has failed to offer sustainable measures to the population that strives to live above the dollar daily. Most Haitians are of lower class with the rising inflation within their economy. Food and fuel have been the chief cause of the impoverished lifestyle leading to some venturing to eat the edible clay cookies. The country has been named as the poorest country within the western hemisphere with the threat placed on natural and fab ricated causes. The inability to offer sustainability to the economy has developed the constraints witnessed to provide sustainable solutions within the health care (Farmer 398). ... The health care system has been the refection of the impoverished living conditions subjected upon Haitians. Despite efforts to invent measures that have been invented to improve mortality and life sustenance in vaccination services, the needed health care reforms is still an outstanding problem. The inadequate distribution of resources and, corrupt political, system has been the leading cause of the problem. The measure has witnessed a minimal amount of $85 vested annually to sustain the ordinary citizen, a figure invested by foreign entities and agencies (Whyte). Moreover, public hospitals and the few clinics available within the economy hold minimal qualified personnel with inadequate supply of the needed medical resources. Most of the qualified doctors have fled Haiti for safer environs and working conditions. The attempt has been made by Cuba to increase the number of trained professionals within the system, but the provision is not enough to sustain the reducing condition. The other provision to destabilize health care has been in the perpetrated violence witnessed in protest against the corrupt government, which instilled fear among health workers to avoid their duties. This has led to the development of ignorance that has threatened sustainability as the natives practice traditional measures to solve health problems. Research has indicated that more women are using herbal strategies to solve health problems as compared to contemporary medicine leaving more children without vaccination. Solutions Non-governmental organizations have been established to offer sustainable measures to sustain the Haitian economy. Haiti Healthcare Partners (HHP) had been established in 2006 to find strategies to accord affordable programs to the natives

Key features of the organizational structure and business operations Essay

Key features of the organizational structure and business operations of banks - Essay Example It is also visible that the employees' activity is customer-oriented. All the employees are busy - they work with the clients, advise them how to act better in different situations and are oriented for their needs satisfying. The organization structure of the bank is typical for such business: the employees work under the manager's control, and the staff of the bank fulfills direction functions and is responsible for appropriate functioning of the bank. If I owned this business I would give make the consulting office functions wider, and pay more attention to the quality of the work with clients, as well as to the betterment of connections between the manager and the customers of the bank. In addition to that it needs to note that the bank inside is rather clean and well-maintained: the working process is appropriately organized and meets the highest business standards in the bank field. A car lot I have visited is a large area with numerous amount of cars presented for clients. The employees of the car lot are dressed in special cloths reflected the firm brand. The great amount of consultants provides the functioning of the car lot. ... But those who answer the clients' questions consult them rather well and show much knowledge in the car field. The business has strict organizational structure, but sometimes the functions of the employees are mixed: both the manager and the consultants work with the documentation and don't always pay appropriate attention to the customers' needs, but basically the business process runs rather well. The car lot is rather clean, but sometimes the employees who are responsible for the clearness of the store don't do their duty well: dirt is visible in some places. But if I owned a car lot I would improve the organizational system of my business: I would make the assortment of production wider; the management functions should be more centralized, and the head manager of the car lot should concentrate his activity upon better communication with clients - he should try to satisfy all their needs and pay more time and attention to better organization of the business operations of the car l ot. 3. Court. I have visited a set of courts which are used for business. The employees of the courts are clean dressed and they have all their equipment necessary for the work. The employees' functions are strictly determined, and it is seen that they do their functions rather well. But it needs to note that the manager is not visible in the court - just sometimes he directs the employees' working process, but most part of his time he spends for different kinds of activity which is not directed to the working process functioning. But in spite of that the employees of the court are mostly customer-oriented and do their duties rather well: they help customers to choose the right sport