Moving On With a Disability :: Papers

Moving On With a Disability 'Disability' something that disables a person, a physical incapacity caused by injury or disease. To me the word was somewhat closer to home. I am going on fourteen and am seated in a wheelchair permanently, I always have been. Cameron is the name, walking is the game. The wish more like. Being stuck in a wheelchair is very infuriating and when I am in that mood, just don't try and get me out. Talking of going out I don't. Well very rarely. I stay in my room most of the time with my books and my tutor. It is where I want to be. It is no-one's fault I am in this way and there is nothing anyone can do about it. I need to face facts; I am glued to the chair. " Good morning Cam!". He stood there like he did every morning at 9am sharp, but DiÃÆ'Â ¡z was not a sharp man. Messy struck me as more of the correct word. My tutor was in his mid thirties with short, brown hair. He hadn't shaved. Stubble the colour of cigarette ash clung to his jaw. His big round glasses bounced as he walked. His clothes were shabby and he often wore the same items for days running. DiÃÆ'Â ¡z was a good friend; my only friend and he shared my love of books. He often brought me a book from his collection. They were about all sorts but I liked the detective ones best. I wished I was Sherlock Holmes. Mind you I wished I could walk too but as Mum always says, ' Life does not come on a silver plate.' Well it should come on a gold one, that's what I think! I don't think you can understand what it is like not to be able to do something that everyone else can. I definitely don't think I can explain it! When I wake up, I cannot dress myself. How would that make you feel? Incompetent maybe? That's how it makes me feel. Everyone else can dress themselves, why can't I?

Critical Review: with No Direction Home: Homeless Youth on the Road and in the Streets by Marni Finkelstein

In this critical review of Marni Finkelstein’s ethnography â€Å"With No Direction Home: Homeless Youth on the Road and in the Streets† I will analyze and evaluate some of the strategies and methods used by this author. One primary issue I will discuss is the sample population. Finkelstein may have set the population limitations to strictly for this ethnography. Her limited observation location and time is also a major issue. She chose to study a transient population that, very likely, primarily comes out at night. Yet, she limited herself to one primary location and she only went there in the daytime. I will discuss the lack of follow up to the individual interviews as well. While she discovered some fascinating information about this subculture, she did not find what she stated she initially set out to find. Finkelstein’s goal was to study â€Å"gutterpunks† (Finkelstein, 2005), but what she actually studied were the substance abusing homeless youth of Tompkins Square Park. In her original hypothesis she wanted to learn about â€Å"alternative youth subcultures, especially those revolving around music† (Finkelstein, 2005). She does not seem to have accomplished this goal. There was little talk about music in the ethnography, on her part or the part of the kids. Was it because she found that there was no relation to music or because she did not specifically try to find youth involved with the music. It seems like she basically settled for just plain old homeless drug addict and alcoholic kids, which would be great if her goal was not more specific to finding â€Å"gutterpunks. † The ethnography is also based on an extremely small sample size. According to Finkelstein’s own numbers, she only interviewed 50 youth over the period of the two summers. That seems like an extremely low number of participants for which to base an entire ethnography. I would think that over a period of two summers- let’s call that 6 months- a researcher would have the opportunity to encounter hundreds of potential candidates to provide informational interviews. Part of the trouble may have been that she limited her participants ages to being between 15-20 years old. I believe that this restriction left out a great deal of potentially vital informants and information. It may have substantially limited her population size. For example, the 25 year old, named Scratch, who had been on the streets for 10+ years, would have been a cornucopia of information. But, all she did was use him to refer her to other kids in her required age group. The street culture in Tompkins Square Park did not have age limitations. I’m not sure that Finkelstein should have either. It’s important to note that all of the kids involved were heavily dependent on drugs and alcohol. Also important to note, is that she was paying her participants. This combination may have created unintended consequences. It’s possible that the kids were willing to tell vivid and imaginative stories to Finkelstein in hopes of being interviewed again and, thereby, being paid again. Many of the youth were willing to admit to prostitution in order to earn money for drugs or alcohol. Is it possible that they would prostitute lies about their own lives for the same end? Is it possible that they never really left New York? Did they just move into shelters in the winter? It’s impossible to know for sure. These kids are caught up in the culture of lies and delusion surrounding drugs; that is to say, who says they aren’t just verbally fantasizing with Finkelstein and passing it off as the truth. The location limitation was also unfavorable for this kind of ethnography. If one is going to write ethnography about a transient population, they should become somewhat transient themselves. Traveling with the youth would necessarily be required in order to get a full picture of their culture. The stories from the kids may have been accurate and detailed, or they may have been fabricated, but, either way, it is not the same as having experienced it personally. In order to fully understand and appreciate a subsistence strategy, one must subsist from it, if only for a brief period. She might have considered a more interactive participant observation model to more fully experience their culture. Finkelstein should have gone out into the park when more kids were out and about. She mentioned that she only when out in the daylight, â€Å"I would try to get to the field site early before the kids were either too drunk to be interviewed or completely passed out in the grass† (Finkelstein, 2005). Because these kids are alcoholics and drug addicts, it is very likely that much of their life takes place after sundown and before sun up. I imagine that they have quite a tolerance and are relatively functional for much of the early part of the evening. â€Å"Drugs and alcohol were a major part of the kid’s lives† (Finkelstein, 2005). I can certainly appreciate her concern for personal safety, but if th is is the population she wanted to study she might have made more of an effort to be around when the activities were in full swing. She only mentioned being at one party in the book. I have to believe that there were countless similar activities during her research, of which she was not a part. I have gathered from the ethnography that Finkelstein interviewed each kid only once. From that interview, she sprinkled quotes throughout the book. She mentions a few times in the book that she would interview kids and then never see them again. For accuracy purposes, and to get an idea of the level of honesty from her informants she should have conducted multiple interviews with the same kids. This would have been more likely if she was willing to spend more time in their â€Å"natural habitat. † Follow up on the interviews with the youth should have been done. Talking with the family or schools of the kids would have added much needed detail to the ethnography. Since she was paying the kids, perhaps she could have paid more for verifiable information about their previous mainstream lives. Then followed up on the information provided and reported her results. It would have been nice to have a section on what their families and teachers said about how the kids were before their lives on the street. Perhaps, verifying or debunking some of the information the kids told her. It’s not only important that the kids are on the street, but why. What lead them there and are the youth truthful overall? It would have been interesting if Finkelstein could have interviewed ex-Tomkins Square Park kids for her book. Do they ever get out? Do they move on to other arenas for homelessness as they age? Clearly, in Chapter 9, the kids have plans for the future. It’s also clear that their plans are of then just a shared illusion. They don’t currently have the means or the wherewithal to accomplish the goals they’ve set out. The kids, like Jeff and Joyce, clearly have plans to buy land, but no real idea of the amount of money it requires. I am sure there are people that did grow up and out of this subculture. I would like to have heard from them on how they got out and what became of their lives. I can’t say that have the answer on how to find them either, but it would have been interesting. Finkelstein did make macro conclusions from individual or micro level research. But she does come up with some interesting information about the small group of Tompkins Square Park youth she interviewed. This should not be disregarded, as homeless youth often are. It was eye opening to pear into this culture and community. The homeless kids often had a common bond because of prior abuse. (Finkelstein, 2005) They also bonded out of shared needs. Whether those needs be drugs, alcohol, or food, they were willing to share with those they knew were in the same situation. When they would panhandle they would pool their money with other youth. If one got some food, he or she would share it with another who was nearby. This happened specifically when Finkelstein bought some pizza for a youth named Tommy. Although he was starving himself, he effortfully walked across the street to give half of it to a girl who was panhandling. Tommy did not know the girl; he just knew they shared the common bond of being homeless. The Tompkins Square Park youth considered themselves apart from mainstream culture. Yet, they required it for survival. If they were truly apart from society they would have been growing or hunting for food. They would have traveled from place to place on foot. That simply did not happen. Wasting of food by mainstream society allowed them the opportunity to dumpster dive for food. Caring people would sometimes buy them food. Modern modes of transportation allowed them to travel around the country in quick fashion. The kids panhandled and begged for money. They participated in this ethnography because they were getting paid to do it. While the youth would like to consider themselves apart from mainstream, the reality is that they are just one part of it. What one has to keep in mind always, is that these are not highly idealistic youth as much as they are kids caught in the fog of drug and alcohol addictions. From the drugs and alcohol came the extreme level of violence. These youth walked around with weapons, usually a knife or things called â€Å"smileys. † The smiley would be made from a bicycle chain which sometimes had lock on it too. This weapon appears to have the capability of causing some pretty disfiguring injuries. These kids have no qualms about deploying these weapons. In fact it seems to be a regular event. This level of unreported violence is definitely one area where they keeping themselves separate from mainstream society. The question for me is: Are they reverting to more primitive behaviors because of the lack of civilized structure or is the alcohol and drug use the main problem. Finkelstein’s ethnography is a remarkable piece of anthropological work. It s also possible to learn from some of her mistakes. She states that her objective is to study the relationship between music and this subculture of kids on the street. She never makes any further reference to that issue. How did the music play a part in this culture? She stated that the size of the street kid population is substantial, approximately 100 million worldwide, but she only had 50 youths in her study. She interviewed them only once without and any follow up with the youth themselves or their families, school, or other organizations. Furthermore, she studied a transient population from one single location, primarily Tompkins Square Park. It would seem appropriate to have traveled with this population to get a real sense of their culture. Did they act in California as they acted in New York? Did they really travel at all? A main concern is that this work is based on personal stories from youth who are deluded by drugs and alcohol. There is no real verification of the facts presented. From these personal stories Finkelstein makes claims about all homeless youth, when she should really just be discussing Tompkins Square Park youths.

Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned

According to certain people, violent video games should be banned; they feel that violent video games are the source of today’s violence amongst children. I strongly disagree with them. Video games, like movies, music and any other form of art, are there to entertain people and to enjoy, not restrict. What most people fail to realize is that the video game industry, like the film industry, is heavily regulated with a strict code of parental guidelines already in place. Even the game consoles to play these violent games have parental controls.What I fail to understand is that some parents believe its okay to give their children 18+ rated games even though they are well under that age, and say that these games are the sources of violence between children. If parents would not let a 10-year-old watch 18+ rated horrors movies, then why would parents let a 10-year-old play Gears of War, or Grand Theft Auto with its gang, crime and sexual content? Today, the debate to ban violent vi deo games is drastically increasing in popularity.Video games that have violence in them such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, or Gears of War, might be banned for showing mature content. Video games sold in the United States reach retail sales of twenty one billion dollars a year. If they are banned, the economy can lose a tremendous amount of profit, and not to mention almost every mature adult around the world would be extremely furious. When people say that video games are very influential on the youth of today, they are probably right.However, the youth of today probably shouldn't be playing violent video games to start with, just as they shouldn't be watching violent movies. Violent video games have an age rating on them for a reason. If parents want buy their under aged children violent video games, then they should not complain that the video games are causing their children to become violent. Before complaining, they should actually pay attention to the age ratings posted on the games themselves and not ignore it, and then to make things worse; try to ban the games that other people might enjoy playing.Today’s game consoles (Sony's Play station 3and Microsoft's Xbox 360) are both aimed at mature adults, with the consoles having parental controls, and age warnings on the game boxes. Personally, I couldn't think of anything worse if violent video games get banned. The last thing that I want to do is go into any store and only be able to buy games that are aimed at 3-year-olds, such as Kung fu Panda or Dora the Explorer.In conclusion, I can say that violent video games have become one of the most favorable forms of entertainment to any teenager or adult around the world in the 21st century. And if they were to get banned, many people would get extremely furious. Violent video games are aimed strictly at mature teenagers and adults (as indicated on the game box itself), not children. Parents that complain that some video games are too violent and should be banned should stop and think; because after all, they are the ones who bought their kids the violent video games.

Carbon Dioxide Essay

Carbon dioxide is the main pollutant that warms our planet Earth. Living things produce carbon dioxide when they breathe. However, carbon dioxide is considered to be a harmful pollutant when linked with any vehicle, trains, power plants, as well as other various human activities that involve burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. Studies have shown that In the past 150 years, such activities have released enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher than they have ever been before. One of the most obvious consequences of carbon dioxide emissions is gray, muggy smog hanging over large cities. Smog creates many harmful health effects to human beings, it can cause anything from minor pain to deadly diseases such as lung cancer. When an area becomes covered in smog, people feel the effects immediately. But there are many different kinds of pollution, some visible, some invisible – that contribute to global warming. Generally, any substance that people bring into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on living things and the environment is considered air pollution. Other greenhouse gases include methane—which comes from such sources as swamps and gas emitted by livestock—and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants such as hairspray, until they were banned because of their deteriorating effect on Earth’s ozone layer. Another pollutant associated with climate change is sulfur dioxide, a component of smog. Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and causes Earth to cool. Volcanic eruptions can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling that lasts for years. In fact, volcanoes used to be the main source of atmospheric sulfur dioxide; today people are. Indus trialized countries have worked to reduce levels of sulfur dioxide, smog, and smoke in order to improve people’s health. But a result, not predicted until recently, is that the lower sulfur dioxide levels may actually make global warming worse. Just as sulfur dioxide from volcanoes can cool the planet by blocking sunlight, cutting the amount of the compound in the atmosphere lets more sunlight through, warming the Earth. This effect is exaggerated when elevated levels of other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap the additional heat. Most people agree that to put a harness around global warming, a variety of measures will need to be taken. On a personal level, driving less, (carpooling when you can, using mass transit systems as much as possible) recycling, and conservation reduces a person’s â€Å"carbon footprint†: the amount of carbon dioxide a person is responsible for putting into the atmosphere. On a larger scale, governments are taking measures to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. One way is through the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement between countries that they will cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. Another method is to put taxes on carbon emissions or higher taxes on gasoline, so that people and companies will have greater incentives to conserve energy and pollute less.

Greek Mythology: the Story of My Father and His Son Essay

My father was not a very good man. He was an alcoholic, womanizer and physically abusive to his wives (he was married twice) and his children. He had a genius mind, with a simpleton’s attention span. If he were to be given an evaluation today, he may be on the autistic spectrum, maybe leaning toward Asperger’s. He would sit on his throne and eschew orders like he was ready at any moment to wield the lightning bolt and kill us all. He was the Zeus to my Ares, and despite everything I loved him fiercely. I defended him even when he wouldn’t defend himself and since I have a fiery temper (anyone can ask my wife, the only fire extinguisher I will ever need), we often clashed like titans. It is a good thing we shared the mutual love of exploring ancient Greek myths and figures, as we could have been reading about ourselves. My Zeus died in 2008. When I was young, my father and I were forced by the courts to spend weekends together after he and my mother divorced. She was tired of Zeus, and bashed his head in with a frying pan while I watched wide-eyed and silent. During these visits, my father would at least pretend to be sober enough to entertain the product of his first wild, young marriage. He had a huge collection of books, pictures and slides of Greece and the mythologies which could appear to anyone else to be funny since we are 150% Italian. I would stare in fascination at these pictures of places, pretending I was there; and the people, pretending I was them. Eventually my father would finish whatever was in his cup and come find me, furiously afraid I was destroying his collection and threatening ghastly vengeance on me if I had. What he did do was make me want to look more. Eventually I could read, and instead of chasing me out of his office would actually spend time with me in there, most of the time sleeping it off I realize now. But as I read on through the months I began to worry less and less I would be beaten for exploring in there if I was careful, and began to ask him questions about things I didn’t understand. Why did the stories talk about so many gods, when my Catholic education taught me there was only one? What did this have to do with the stars and sky, and what was up with all the monsters? I think he figured humoring me was a way out of actually having to take me anywhere and would answer me, grabbing volumes and flipping the pages. I crept into within arm’s length and we spent many hours going over all sorts of what a child’s mind would find unfathomable. Our favorite was a bright orange tome titled Greek Mythology, and had such chapter titles as The Monster-Killers. How interesting that one is. I would still see Zeus all the time, as I tried his patience as a child does, or whenever he felt like it. As I have said, he wasn’t a very nice man. My mother knew it, my friends knew it, even the dog knew it I think. I was desperate for male influence as my mom after her divorce moved us in with her mom, who was a widow living with†¦her mom. So as a father now I can see how I would take even the worst interaction over none at all. I always had a temper, my mother telling me I was like my father when she was exasperated of me†¦when in fact I see myself now as the Ares to his Zeus. As they were father and son so were we. So on the weekends he would come and get me that lessened as he built his second family, that is what we did. Saw a couple movies of his choosing and then would retreat to his house on Wellington Dr. to let me loose in the office. The older I became the looser his grip on the office collection, but I knew Zeus was watching and if I ever dog-eared a page I furtively looked around before smoothing it back, praying as a child does he wouldn’t find out. The older I got, the less I saw my father as happens as one goes through the teens and beyond. I would still bring up our favorite interest when I talked to him, asking if he found any new books or saw any specials on TV. â€Å"Sure kid. â€Å", he would tell me while I knew that the only one looking and watching was me. I collected every National Geographic on the topic, have many DVD’s of documentaries, and even went to a convention a few years back where I saw some artifacts like pottery and coin rubbings. That temper of mine got me in quite a few scrapes and when I would tell the Old Man about my latest exploits he would laugh at me and usually one-up me. You can’t compete with Zeus I guess. After my son was born came his three sisters and any free time I have to devote exclusively to reading the Myths. I love them as much as I ever have, and the family knows it. They despair if I ever come across something new on Netflix knowing what comes next. But I never told them about the link to my father, I guess some things just stay put until the right time. My wife just thought it was something I always liked for no special reason. She didn’t like Zeus, whom she distrusted immediately. She has good radar. She also knows how to put me in my place when I start to get fiery, I have children of my own who can push my hot-button for sure. But I have never done more than yell because Zeus taught me that no one benefits from it. Back to my son. He discovered the Percy Jackson books by Rick Reardon, and the eventual movie. These books are Greek Mythology with a modern spin but still as factual. He loves, loves  them. In fact, as he read more he wanted more. So I found books like the Treasury of Greek Mythology by National Geographic, and we in turn spend many hours reading together. I think he is smarter than me, and certainly more computer literate so he finds new â€Å"stuff† all the time for us to check out. The boy who sometimes I can’t look at, because he looks back at me with Zeus’s eyes. In those eyes I see someone who hurt me so much, in a body I know loves me unconditionally. The boy who has Asperger’s. Dominic is 10 and still the age where I know what I am talking about. Zeus died in 2008. He left this world as he came in, drooling from the drugs they gave him in a futile attempt to save the liver which had finally given up on him. He had people bringing him alcohol to the hospital right to the last day. No one said no to Zeus. I will never forget that last image I have of the powerful god. So in a way with my son, the Myths are helping to fix the broken bond my father and I didn’t have. In his will he left nothing to no one, his words almost exactly. But he had one thing in safe deposit box. A faded orange book by John Pinsent, titled Greek Mythology. In it was a picture of him and me – Zeus and Ares, probably taken by my mother†¦marking a severely dog-eared page.

Research Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Challenges - Essay Example These factors identify my weakness in developing research questions. Data analysis is another key challenge that I would face because of the involved technical approach and tools. Qualitative data analysis’ subjective approach that relies on a researcher’s background knowledge towards rational opinions is particular problem that I would face. I also lack experience in the research method’s application of software for data analysis and this would limit my ability develop my conclusion and recommendations. I would address the challenge of constructing good research questions by researching on strategies for conducting literature reviews and understanding other researchers’ approach to developing problem statements. I would also share my reviewed literature and problem statement with peers and my supervisor for identification and correction of possible mistakes and inconsistencies. I would further review qualitative research articles to understand authors’ approach to subjective data analysis besides consulting with an experienced researcher on the qualitative analysis technique. I would also attend training on software applications for qualitative

Sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sports - Essay Example For example, the 100 Metres race is known to be dominated by black people. White people shy away from it because they assume that they do not have the energy to run as fast as the blacks do. On the other hand, white people dominate swimming more than the black people do. White people are known to spend most of their time in water. This creates the perception to blacks that whites are best at swimming, and other races in the sport cannot replace them. This essay will explain the effects of race in sports, and how it affects the performance of participants in different fields of sports. Most people and participants know the effect of race on sports. In various universities in the USA, there are certain sports that are mostly practised only by people of a certain racial identity. This has a lot to do with the economic condition of people who belong to the African American community; which is historically underprivileged also due to preconceived notions and prejudices. There are many rea sons for this, the primary one being the historical one where they had access to formal education for a short period due to slavery. Even today, there are many prejudices that are associated with race in the minds of people of all races. Sport is seen as one of the main ways African youths can escape the poverty of the places they were born. For the eradication of such beliefs, education is considered as the best remedy. People like Booker T. Washington (Washington, 2006) also suggested this. There are, however, problems that have occurred during the implementation of this policy. Many African Americans secure admissions to good colleges because of their skills in sports, and this often makes them to neglect other aspects like their education. Due to the oppressive circumstances, they have to go through; many see this as the only avenue that is open. This discussion is about those sections of the African American community that is economically underprivileged, and not those that hav e achieved a high social status in their lives. The importance of this difference must be understood, and affirmative governmental action should be taken to account for the differences that are engendered by class distinctions, while at the same time being aware of the handicaps that racial oppression has created in the society. Interest in sports has also to do with history and the challenge that the African American community took up for attempting to rival the other races that had oppressed them for long. Sadly, this took on the form of a machismo that had the corollary of leading to the oppression of African American women at the hands of African American men. It is important to look at this lack of strategic essentialism, in an analysis of the importance of sports in the development of certain unhealthy social trends amongst people of the African American community. Sport has led to the achievement of many laurels for the United States of America. However, it has led to the pol arisation of several communities based on essentials that has stemmed from historic stereotypes and inequalities. In Stuck in the shallow End: â€Å"Education, Race, and Computing, UCLA researcher† Margolis Jane outlines the history of swimming in the USA to show how blacks have been affected by inadequate access to swimming facilities and lessons. She asserts â€Å"In most cases of discrimination, typecasts and systems of beliefs about dissimilar ethnic gender groups genetic makeup and