Socrates as One of the Well-known Philosophers Assignment

Socrates as One of the Well-known Philosophers - Assignment Example He was a member of the Athenian army and given the fact that he was always questioning the manner in which his community run is an issue that always got him in trouble. He pushed the youth to oppose the local government to a point that they had even lost trust in the local system and is one of the charges that he was set to face. Socrates was accused of collaborating with outside armies in a manner that he would even snitch on his local government. Socrates was very fast to defend himself against these changes. Regarding the first accusation, he responded by asking whether it was only he that had made the mistake of derailing the youth. He sought to show that the fact that he was the only person with the ability or rather the strength to speak aloud regarding these issues did not mean that he was the one on the wrong. It only showed how much fear that people had of the government that they did not have the attitude to handle this. The premise that he uses to explain this is by talking of the horse analogy (Barlette, 2010). When Socrates brought in the issue of horses, he made it as an analogy to explain his point. He seeks to prove that the majority may indeed be the ones responsible for a negative influence on the youth and that he is responsible for uplifting them. He shows this by stating that the trainer of the horse is the one person that does the animal well and that other people that ride the horse may harm it. In this case, the accuser, Maletus, states that he alongside the judges is the ones responsible for a positive influence on the youth. Socrates defines his role in the Athenian society appropriately. He states that it is his job to deliver these people. According to Socrates, the government at the time was using resources badly and not even appreciating the efforts made by the soldiers. He knew that this was his role from the fact that people feared the government.

MENTORING PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MENTORING PROJECT - Essay Example The beneficiary allows the European Commission, the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency and the National Agencies to make available and use all data provided in this report for the purposes of managing and evaluating the Youth in Action Programme. All personal data collected for the purpose of this project shall be processed in accordance with Regulation (EC) NÂ ° 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies. Data subjects may, on written request, gain access to their personal data. They should address any questions regarding the processing of their personal data to the Agency (National or Executive) in charge of the management of their application. For projects selected at national level, data subjects may lodge a complaint against the processing of their personal data with the authority in charge of data protection in their country at an y time. For projects selected at European level, complaints may be lodged with the European Data Protection Supervisor at any time. The beneficiary declares having informed the promoters and participants in its project on the provisions and practices regarding data protection applied under the Youth in Action programme Beneficiary Name, stamp (if available): Legal representative Name in capital letters: Place: Signature: Date: Part I. Project identification and summary (cont.) Type of Activity Please tick the box corresponding to the project for which you are submitting this final report. This project was of the following type: (tick one box only)  National Youth Meeting  Trans-national Youth Seminar Please specify the main target (only for National Youth Meeting):  debating relevant topics to the Structured Dialogue or EU policies  preparing the official youth Presidency event  organising activities linked to the European Youth Week  enhancing dialogue and cooperation between formal and non-formal education areas Relevance to the general objectives of the Youth in Action Programme Please tick relevant box(es). The project:  promotes young people’s active citizenship in general and their European citizenship in particular;  develops solidarity and promotes tolerance among young people, in particular in order to foster social cohesion in the European Union;  fosters mutual understanding between young people in different countries;  contributes to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the capabilities of civil society organisations in the youth field;  promotes European cooperation in the youth field. Relevance to the priorities of the Youth in Action Programme Please tick relevant box(es). Permanent thematic priorities  European Citizenship  Participation of young

Anxiety Among Alcoholics and Non-Alcoholics Essay Example for Free

Anxiety Among Alcoholics and Non-Alcoholics Essay Abstract Alcohol is one of the most widely used drug substances in the world. For many people, drinking alcohol is nothing more than a pleasant way to relax. People with alcohol use disorders, however, drink to excess, endangering both themselves and others. In the mental health area alcoholism is caused mostly by depression, anxiety and stress, on the other hand it also leads to depression and stress. The present study aims to compare depression and anxiety among alcoholics and non- alcoholics. It was assumed that depression and anxiety may be the risk factors for alcoholism. A sample of 100 people (50 alcoholics and 50 non-alcoholics) was randomly selected from Delhi. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to collect data on depression and anxiety. t-test was administered to compare two groups. The result of the study showed that alcoholic group was higher on depression as well as anxiety than the non alcoholic group, and it was also found that there is no clear cut casual relationship between alcoholism and depression and anxiety. Alcoholism is perhaps most strongly associated with antisocial personality disorder and drug abuse, but its relationship to other forms of psychopathology has become increasingly evident. In particular, investigations of alcoholic samples indicate a strong co-occurrence of alcoholism with diverse form of anxiety and depressive disorder (Barbor et al, 1992; Chambless et al, 1987; Hasegawa 1991; keller 1994; Nunes, Quitkin Berman, 1988; Penick, 1994; Schuckit, Irwin Brown, 1990). ______________________________________________________________________ *Associate professor, Deptt. Of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh **Research scholar, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. According to Nijhawan (1972) Anxiety, one of the most pervasive psychological phenomenons of the modern era refers to a â€Å"persistent distressing psychological state arising from an inner conflict†. Depression can be defined as â€Å"a state of mind, or more specifically, a mental disorder, characterized by lowering of the individual’s vitality, his mood, his desires, hopes, aspirations and of his self-esteem. It may range from no more than a mild feeling of tiredness and sadness to the most profound state of apathy with complete, psychotic disregard for reality.† (Mendelssohn, 1963). Alcoholism can lead people into serious trouble, and can be physically and mentally destructive. Currently alcohol use is involved in half of all crimes, murders, accidental deaths, and suicides. There are also many health problems associated with alcohol use such as brain damage, cancer, heart disease, diseases of the liver, depression anxiety and other mental disorders. Results from community surveys and epidemiologic samples indicate that substantial comorbidity also exists for depression, anxiety and alcoholism in the general population (Regier et al, 1990; Helzer Pryzbeck, 1988; Kendler et al, 1995). The high co-occurrence of these syndromes, therefore, represents a significant clinical and public health issue that is likely to affect a substantial proportion of the general population. Although the comorbidity of alcoholism with anxiety and depressive disorders has been extensively documented in both clinical and epidemiologic investigations, the specific mechanisms underlying these associations remain a source of debate. One widely accepted hypothesis is that these forms of comorbidity reflect a causal relationship of alcoholism with anxiety and depression. Support for a causal association is based partly on observations that alcohol is commonly used to self- medicate symptoms of negative affect, and so, alcoholism often develops as a secondary diagnosis to anxiety and depression (Meyer Kranzler,1990; Hesselbrock, Meyer Keener,1985; Lader,1972; Merikangas et al,1985). The 18-month follow-up of participants of the Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000 survey (Singleton Lewis, 2003) provides an opportunity to determine whether excessive alcohol consumption and abnormal patterns of use are risk factors for incident anxiety and depression in the general population. The study also examined the reverse relationship, considering whether anxiety and depression are risk factors for the development of abnormal patterns of alcohol consumption. However, evidence for a causal relationship is not unidirectional as alcoholism is often observed as a primary disorder, and the presence of problem drinking itself may generate severe anxiety or depressive syndromes (Mendelson Mello, 1979, Nathan, OBrien Lowenstein, 1971; Schuckit, Irwin Smith, 1994; Stockwell, Hodgson Rankin, 1982). Heavy alcohol consumption has been implicated in the development of anxiety and depression (Schuckit, 1983). Many cross-sectional studies have identified considerable comorbidity between anxiety and depression, and alcohol abuse. For example, data from four large community based epidemiological studies (n422 000) in Europe and the USA consistently demonstrated a two- to threefold increase in the lifetime prevalence of anxiety and depression in those with DSM–III or DSM–III–R alcohol abuse or dependence (Swendsen et al, 1998). If anxiety disorders and alcoholism are casually related, there should be a high rate of alcoholism among patients being treated for anxiety disorders. Two studies (Torgersen, 1986; Cloninger et al, 1981) of the prevalence of alcoholism in patients being treated for anxiety neurosis were identified. These investigations suggest a lifetime population prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence of approximately 14%. The survey of the relevant literature made it quite obvious that much of the studies show a prevalence of depression and anxiety among alcoholics. However, previous studies have also pointed out the possibility of alcoholism as risk factors for depression and anxiety. At the same time, literature does not provide any clear cut direction towards the casual relationship between alcoholism and depression and anxiety. Thus, despite the strong association of alcoholism with anxiety and depressive disorders, no universal consensus has been reached regarding the specific mechanisms underlying these associations. The present study aims to identify depression and anxiety among alcoholic and non-alcoholic peoples. Method: Sample: sample of the present study consisted of 100 subjects (50 alcoholics and 50 non alcoholics). The alcoholics were identified through survey from different living areas (including rural, urban and semi-urban) of Delhi and 50 alcoholics were randomly selected for the study. In the same way the non-alcoholic subjects were also selected randomly from different parts of Delhi. The age range of the subjects was between 25 to 50 years. Tools: â€Å"Beck Depression Inventory† BDI -2nd was designed by Beck, Steer Brown (1996). This self report scale has shown to document levels of depression. BDI -2nd edition contains 21 items, each answer being scored on a scale value of 0 to 3. The cut offs used are 0-13 Minimal depression; 14-19 Mild depression; 20-28 Moderate depression; and 29-63 Severe Depression. Higher total scorer indicates more severe depression symptoms. â€Å"Beck Anxiety Inventory† was designed Beck, Epstein, Brown, Steer (1988). This self report scale has shown to document levels of Anxiety symptoms in a valid and consistent manner. BAI contains 21 items each answer being scored on a scale value of 0 to 3. Each symptom item has four possible answer choices: not at all (assigned value =o); Mildly (it did not bother me much) (assigned value=1); Moderately (it was unpleasant but I could stand it) (assigned value =2); and Severely (I could barely stand it) (assigned value =3). The values for each item are summed together to yield an overall or score for all 21 symptoms that can range between 0 and 63 points. A total score of 0-7 is interpreted as a minimal level of Anxiety, 8-15 as ‘mild’, 16-25 as ‘moderate’ and 26-63 as ‘severe’. The BAI is psychometrically sound. Interval consistency ÃŽ ± =.92 to.94, for adults and test-retest (one week interval) reliability is .75. Procedure: The test for depression and anxiety were administered on the subjects individually after establishing the rapport with them. Each and every item was explained to the subject, and then he was asked to respond truly for the item. Thus data was collected for depression and anxiety from alcoholic and non-alcoholic people. t-test was applied to find out the significance of difference between the Mean scores of different groups. Results: TABLE-1 Showing comparison of Mean for depression and anxiety scores between the alcoholics and non-alcoholics Variables| Groups| N| Mean| Std.deviation| t | df| P| depression| Alcoholic Nonalcoholic| 50 50| 35.7600 17.1000| 10.17913 6.15530| 11.092| 98| .01*| Anxiety| Alcoholicnonalcoholic| 50 50| 38.0800 18.3200| 11.55261 6.18570| 10.662| 98| .01*| *Significant at .01 level of confidence TABLE-1 further shows the results obtained by the comparison of alcoholics and non alcoholic group for depression and anxiety. The obtained results show that the mean depression score (M=35.7600) for alcoholic people is higher than the mean depression score (M=17.1000) for non alcoholic people, and the difference between the two means (t=11.092) is statistically significant at .01 level of confidence. Consequently it reveals the findings that alcoholic people have higher depression than the non-alcoholics. The TABLE-1 also shows the results of the comparison of alcoholic and non-alcoholic people on anxiety. The mean anxiety scores (M=38.0800) of alcoholics is found very much higher than the mean anxiety scores (M=18.3200) of the non-alcoholics and the two means difference (t=10.662) is statistically significant at .01 level of confidence. It indicates that alcoholic people have higher anxiety than the non-alcoholic people. Discussion: The basis of the above results may safely be concluded that the alcoholics are highly depressed and extremely anxious than the non-alcoholic people. However, the high prevalence of these anxiety and depressives’ symptoms does not necessarily mean that these alcoholic individuals will demonstrate the long term course or require the long term treatments associated with DSM-III-R major depressive and anxiety disorders. The temporal nature of the association between Depression Anxiety and alcohol is difficult to determine from studies, which uncertainty arising as to whether alcohol is a risk factor or a form of self –medication. The finding of the present study support the findings of Hartka et al, (1991) that reported a significant correlation between baseline consumption of alcohol and depression at follow-up based on data from eight longitudinal studies. However, in this analysis control of confounders was limited to age, gender and interval between measurements. Overall, our findings are contradictory with those of Wang Patten (2001) who observed no excess morbidity among those who drank daily, those who drank in binges (more than five drinks), those who had more than one drink daily, and among drinkers in general. Alcohol dependence was not considered. Similarly, in a randomly selected community cohort with follow-up at 3 and 7 years, Moscato et al (1997) found no excess incidence of depressive symptoms among those with ‘alcohol problems’ (defined as a DSM–IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence or abuse or drinking more than five drinks a day on one or more occasions per week). It may safely be concluded on the bases of previous literature and result of the present study that there is no clear cut casual relationship between depressive and anxiety disorder and alcoholism. In the similar way our findings of the study show that the alcoholics are more depressive and anxious than the non alcoholics. Though it does not show any clear cut picture either alcohol is risk factor for depression and anxiety or depression and anxiety is a risk factor for alcoholism. References Babor, T., Wolfson, A., Boivin, D., Radouco-Thomas, S., Clark, W. (1992). Alcoholism, culture, and psychopathology: A comparative study of French, French Canadian, and American alcoholics. In: Helzer, J., Canino, G. (eds): Alcoholism in North America, Europe, and Asia. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 182-195. Beck, A.T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., Steer, R.A. (1988). â€Å"An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric Properties, Journal of Consulting and clinical Psychology; 56:893-897 Beck, A.T., Steer, R.A., Brown, B.K. (1996). Beck Depression Inventory 2nd Ed.). San Antonio. Tx; Psychological Corporation. Chambless, D., Cherney, J., Caputo, G., Rheinstein, B. (1987). Anxiety disorders and alcoholism: A study with inpatient alcoholics. J Anxiety Disord; 1:29-40. Cloninger, C.R., Martin, R.L., Clayton, P., Guze, S.B. (1981). A blind follow-up and family study of anxiety neurosis: preliminary analysis of the St Louis 500, in Anxiety: New Research and changing Concepts, Edited by Klein, D.F., Rabkin, J. New York, Raven Press, Hartka, E., Johnstone, B., Leino,V. (1991). A meta-analysis of depressive symptomatology and alcohol consumption over time. British Journal of Addiction; 86: 1283-1298. Hasegawa, K., Mukasa, H., Nakazawa, Y., HK., Nakamura, K. (1991). Primary and secondary depression in alcoholism-clinical features and family history. Drug Alcohol Depend; 27:275-281. Helzer, J., Pryzbeck, T. (1988). The co-occurrence of alcoholism with other psychiatric disorders in the general population and its impact on treatment. J Stud Alcohol; 49:219-224. Hesselbrock, M., Meyer, R., Keener, J. (1985). Psychopathology in hospitalized alcoholics. Arch Gen Psychiatry; 42:1050- 1055. Keller, M. (1994). Dysthymia in clinical practice: Course, outcome and impact on the community. Acta Psychiatr Scand; 383(Suppl):24-34. Kendler, K., Waiters, E., Neale, M., Kessler, R., Heath, A., Eaves, L. The structure of the genetic and environmental risk factors for six major psychiatric disorders in women. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1995; 52:374-383. Lader, M. (1972). The nature of anxiety. Br J Psychiatry; 121: 481-491. Mendelson, J., Mello, N. (1979). Medical progress: Biologic concomitants of alcoholism. N Engl J Med; 301:912-921. Mendelssohn, V.P. (1963). Depression in incyclopedia of mental health. Vol.II, Franklin Walts, Inc. Merikangas, K., Leckman, J., Prusoff, B., Pauls, D., Weissman, M. (1985). Familial transmission of depression and alcoholism. Arch Gen Psychiatry ; 42:367-372. Meyer, R., Kranzler, H. (1990). Alcohol abuse/dependence and co-morbid anxiety and depression. In: Maser J, Cloninger C (eds): Comorbidity of Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press: 283-292. Moscato, B., Russell, M., Zielezny, M. (1997). Gender differences in the relation between depressive symptoms and alcohol problems: a longitudinal perspective. American Journal of Epidemiology; 146: 966-974. Nathan, P., OBrien, J., Lowenstein, L. (1971). Operant studies of chronic alcoholism: Interaction of alcohol and alcoholics. In: Roach, P., Mclssac, W., Creaven, P. (eds): Biological Aspects of Alcohol. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press;. Nijhawan, H. K. (1972). Anxiety in school children. New Delhi : Wiley Eastern Private Limited. Nunes, E., Quitkin, F., Berman, C. (1988). Panic disorder and depression in female alcoholics. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry; 49:441- 443. Penick, E., Powell, B., Nickel, E., Bingham, S., Riesenmy, K., Read, M. (1994). Comorbidity of lifetime psychiatric disorder among male alcoholic patients. Alcohol Clin Exp Res; 18:1289-1293. Regier, D., Farmer, M., Rae, D., Locke, B., Keith, S., Judd, L. (1990). Comorbidity of mental disorders with alcohol and other drug abuse: Results from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study. JAMA; 264:2511-2518. Schuckit, M. (1983). Alcoholic patients with secondary depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140: 711-714. Schuckit, M., Hesselbrock, V. (1994). Alcohol dependence and anxiety disorders: What is the relationship? Am J Psychiatry, 151:1723-1734. Schuckit, M., Irwin, M., Brown, S. (1990) .The history of anxiety symptoms among 171 primary alcoholics. J Stud Alcohol; 51:34-41. Schuckit, M., Irwin, M., Smith, T. (1994). One-year incidence rate of major depression and other psychiatric disorders in 239 alcoholic men. Addiction ; 89:441-445. Schuckit, M., Tipp, J., Bergman, M., Reich, W., Hesselbrock, V., Smith, T. (1997). Comparison of induced and independent major depressive disorder in 2,945 alcoholics. Am J Psychiatry; 154:948-957. Singleton, N. Lewis, G. (2003). Better or Worse: A Longitudinal Study of the Mental Health of Adults Living in Private Households in Great Britain. London: Stationery Office. . Stockwell, T., Hodgson, R., Rankin, H. (1982). Tension reduction and the effects of prolonged alcohol consumption. Br J Addict; 77:65-73. Stockwell, T., Smail, P., Hodgson, R., Canter, S. (1984). Alcohol dependence and phobic anxiety states. II. A retrospective study. Br J Psychiatry; 144:58-63. Swendsen, J., Merikangas, K., Canino,G. (1998). The comorbidity of alcoholism with anxiety and depressive disorders in four geographic communities. Comprehensive Psychiatry; 39:176-184. Torgersen, S. (1986). Childhood and family characteristics in panic and generalized anxiety disorders. Am J Psychiatry; 143:630-632 Wang, J. Patten, S. B. (2001). Alcohol consumption and major depression: findings from a follow-up study. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry; 46: 632-638.

Impact of IT on Individuals, Communities and Society

Impact of IT on Individuals, Communities and Society Since its inception, IT has had a substantial impact on the world. The ability to access information at the touch of a button has transformed the way we learn. Education and Training have never been the same, before the dawn of the internet. However, all of this is not as amazing as it first seems. Malicious users roam the far reaches of the internet trying to steal peoples bank details, child pornography sites hidden behind proxies and VPNs deep in the dark net, even illegal drug and weapon sales. Online Shopping Online shopping is an amazing invention since its initiation in 1979 by Michael Aldrich. Michael Aldrich connected a 26 coloured consumer television by a telephone line to a real-time transaction processing computer. He called his new invention teleshopping, this is the forefather to our online shopping today. It even allows people who cant leave their homes, such as disabled people, elderly people, single parents and so much more. However, this godsend isnt as brilliant for local shop owners as it is for consumers; it can leave local economies decimated as people that used to be loyal customers move to services like Amazon and ASDA Direct. Not all is how it seems. Although online shopping can be accessible by many people, a lot of people still dont have access to it. 21.6% of UK residents dont have regular access to the internet. This has become a problem for many rural areas of the UK that seem to be neglected by ISPs (Internet Service Providers), low income areas also seem to have a smaller percent of online activity. In 2015 the UK government tried to combat this issue by passing a bill that was intended to provide everyone with at least 15 mbps (megabits per second) internet access for free. As of February 2017 the bill has disappeared. Free time The way we spend our free time has changed drastically over the last couple of decades. From the dawn of social media to the invention of complex graphically intense video games our choices of media consumption during our free time has vastly increased since the very first commercial computers were produced.   Websites like Twitter and YouTube have become the places where most will spend their free time. This has caused content creators commonly referred to as YouTubers, to make a living. Some even become millionaires. Video games have also become one of the most popular forms of peoples pass times, over 33 million out of the UKs 64 million residents play video games on a daily basis. Thats roughly 51% of the total populous, over half! So its no surprise that the British games market is worth a whopping  £4.193 billion as of 2015. Streaming websites are also among the most popular for internet users, they account for roughly 60% 70% of web traffic. They stream videos and other media like music to their users, some of the most frequently visited websites for streaming include: Netflix, Amazon Prime video and music, Spotify and Crunchyroll An anime streaming site. Communication Communication within the IT industry has shaped how we all communicate on a daily basis. From Emails to Short Message Service (SMS), daily communication has vastly changed from the days of letters and telegrams; this is thanks to the wide adoption of computers and mobile devices. This has only improved as technology has advanced to the internet vastly improved what mobile devices could do thus allowing us to communicate in better and faster ways. With the invention of 3G (short for 3rd Generation, in reference to it being the 3rd iteration of wireless mobile technology).   Users could surf the web from their devices. This newly found technology paved the way for smartphones, has the technology improved with H/HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) offering a theoretical 7.2 mbps connection speed and later H+HSPA+ (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access) offering an insanely fast theoretical speed of 168 mbps. Legal Impacts The legal impacts of IT have always been up for debate, whether it was the ability to copy games from cassette to cassette or the sudden unlimited access to bountiful amounts of information that came from the incredible creation that is the internet. In order to protect peoples data and information, many governments around the world implemented improved copyright and plagiarism laws. In the UK this law is called the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1998. Law lays down foundations to help copyright and patent holders to take legal action again those who steal their works. Hacking, Fraud and other malicious acts also came along with the dawn of commonly available personal computers. The UK government passed the Computer Misuse Act 1990, this bill outlined the dos and donts when it comes to computer use; accessing a computer without permission is considered a crime under the Computer Misuse Act.   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Ethical Impacts The ethical impacts of IT mainly from the constant documentation of our information from services such as Google and Amazon has been a heated topic for several years. Should we allow such services to store our personal information and information about items we like or search most often? Although there are many benefits in allowing such information to be stored which can help to form algorithms to better improve our online experiences with search engines and online shops. This can allow services such as Amazon target specific advertisements to be shown to us based on our interests and to have products recommended to us based on our past purchases. However, if this information were to reach the wrong hands, such as a fraudster, it could be extremely dangerous to the users whom data has been stolen. Another ethical question that comes to play with the use of IT is for those who dont have access to high-speed internet that may of us take for granted. For instance, many people who live in rural areas of the UK dont have access to broadband due to the vast distance between them and the telephone exchange. In some cases, even trying to install cables for rural areas are just impossible due to the high cost and low reward aspect of the area. For a broadband company it is more profitable to place expensive high-speed cables in densely populated urban areas since the vast amount of customers would allow the companies to recover their investments much quicker. There are solutions to this however, many mobile communication networks have started providing 4G internet access to those who cant get access to the internet or who have rather weak connections. Most of the time these solutions are cheap and quick to set up however the 800Mhz (megahertz) frequency band, previously used for analog ue television, used by most telecommunication companies although has far reach due to its small wavelength this has the negative effect of not having the ability to transmit as much data as a fibre optic cabling. Life before computers As much as it is hard for some of us who have grown up with and around this amazing technology, we must not forget that computers have not always been around. Even earlier versions of cameras have been around longer than computers. Video games, Instant messaging, Email, DVDs, Cassettes, Laserdiscs: There was a time when all of these werent even thought of. A time of newspapers and radio, vinyl disc and Classic music and Jazz. Going outside to play with friends, working for a sixpence, 240 pence to a pound, before the days of post decimalisation. I asked my Nan about what it was like growing up, what she would have liked to do when she left school. Getting a job as a typist working for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) was one of the flashiest jobs for women to get, everyone wanted it. Sustainability The sustainability of our modern technological position has been a question for many centuries. What can we do to help preserve our environment and sustain our current lifestyle? Recycling our old hardware and reusing the precious metals inside them can help us since it uses less energy to regain these metals than it does to mine and refine them. Another advantage to this is that metals are also a finite substance and we only have a set amount of it. Moving to a more sustainable energy source to power our homes and electronics is also a vital way to be stainable. Solar, wind and nuclear energy are the current candidates for us to replace our dependent on fossil fuels. All three of these present a positives and negatives but one thing they all have in common is their amount of pollution they produce or lack there of. PAGE 1 OF YOUR BLOG: Understand the impact of IT on individuals, communities and society. Impacts Social Impacts How we spend free time. Effects on local communities PAGE 2 OF YOUR BLOG: ECONOMIC IMPACTS Employment structure and working practices. Sustainability. PAGE 3 OF YOUR BLOG: Legal impacts Ownership, copyright and plagiarism PAGE 4 OF YOUR BLOG Ethical impacts Privacy of information PAGE 5 OF YOUR BLOG Activity from page 23 Life before computers investigate and write up in your own words.

An Analysis Of If Men Could Me Essay -- essays research papers

From your perspective (male or female) how valid are the speculations offered by the author of â€Å"If Men Could Menstruate† Nothing With out a woman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A hypothesis on a hyperbole is the best description one can render onto this piece by Gloria Steinem. The ideas present in the essay â€Å"If Men could menstruate† are so drastic and ridiculous, that it demands a second reading. These same ridiculous thoughts on this unique subject matter are generally quaint but for the greater part they evoke thought on the reality of society. Boarders, languages and oceans separate the planet physically; class distinctions, religion, color and gender separate it mentally. Man in all his glory cannot justify or gratify himself unless some other party recognizes a superior, therefor; it obviously becomes imperative for men to be seen by other as superiors. Based on this reasoning it is safe to imply that distinctions are a man made concepts that are used to promote his superiority be it in class, color and gender. Gloria Steinem uniquely presented a true and accurate stance on gender distinction based on the fact that any and almost every thing has been used to promote male superiority and female inferiority. The society today is not one that lends itself to the topic of a woman’s menstruation; quite frankly it is revered as taboo. A woman’s Menstruation (her period) is seen by males as an obstacle and is considered very dirty sexually. The menstrual cycle as perceived...

Reflections on Night, by Elie Weisel Essay -- Reflection Essay

Night, by Elie Wiesel, is an autobiographical novel which tells the story of Eliezer, a Jewish teenager from the small Transylvanian village of Sighet. He is 15 when transported to Auschwitz, Buna, and finally Buchenwald with his father during World War II. Eliezer loses his faith, argues with God, and is sustained only by the need to care for his father. As well as the appalling memory of the Holocaust resurrected in this novel, Night bears with it the unforgettable implication that this atrocity must by no means be permitted to occur again. However, what if it is possible that these horrors could be carried out again in present day? Furthermore, have we really learned enough from this tragedy to be sure nothing like the Holocaust could ever happen? I believe after the world has witnessed the wickedness of the Holocaust during World War II, it is very unlikely that such a mass slaughter of innocent people could ever happen again. Nevertheless, that does not mean that I think it is i mpossible for any group of people to try and make history repeat itself. My first reaction when reading this book was simply â€Å"How could the world have not known about the crimes being committed by the Nazis?† In the novel, Elie Wiesel describes his first night in Auschwitz as â€Å"†¦life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke†¦the faces of the children†¦the flames†¦silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live†¦never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself.† Amazingly, the world had no notion of what the Nazis were doing, and didn’t stop them until over 11million people were killed. This was because the Nazi party did not make it known to t... ... them responsible? Not to mention the people of Germany who supported Hitler and allowed their Jewish friends and neighbor’s be subjected to such oppression. Could they also be responsible? I suppose there can never be a right answer to this issue. In conclusion, Night by Elie Wiesel is a spectacularly written and thought provoking novel. Not only does it tell of one young man’s struggle to survive, but it tells a story for all of those who suffered and died in the Nazi death camps. It brings up maddening thoughts that cause the reader to think and truly understand the outstanding terrors upon those not worthy of the Aryan race. Most importantly, it teaches the reader of the lessons of the tragedy that took place and how we must never allow another Holocaust to ever happen again which is what I believe is the main proposal Elie Wiesel tried to convey in his novel.

The Lottery: Litterary Response

The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is a compelling story about the human race and how it is affected by its surrounding traditions. When the 27th of June arrives, a village is overtaken by a two hour lottery, which includes the picking of stones, a black box and ends in a fight for the â€Å"winners† life. One of the prominent themes in this story is human hypocrisy. Although most of the characters are shown through their words and actions, one particular person stands out: Mrs â€Å"Tessie† Hutchinson.At the beginning of the story, Tessie heads towards the town square, stating that she â€Å"forgot what day it was† to her neighbour Mrs. Delacroix as they both chuckled softly. Soon enough, phrases are shared between Tessie and her soon to be rivals: Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie†, (Mr. Summers), â€Å"Your in time, though†, (Mrs. Delacroix). Throughout the story, Mrs. Hutchinson doesn’t seem to mind the fact that so meone, close to her or not, will be stoned to death.Her attitude at the start of the lottery is calm and cheerful; Tessie is unaffecyed by what the outcome of the lottery might be, since she thinks that she wouldn't be in that situation. When it is her family's turn to pick up their lottery ticket and finds out that her husband got the â€Å"winning paper†, her character completely changes. Mrs. Hutchinson starts to lash out at Mr. Summers, the lottery director, saying that â€Å"you didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair! â€Å".Tessie's character evolves by a simple change in the lottery: her family becoming the center of it all. She tries to find ways of getting out of this situation, like including her eldest daughter Eva and her husband Don, in her family, but, little does she know that â€Å"daughters draw with their husbands' family†. Tessie continues to state that â€Å"it isn't fair† and I think we ought to start over. I tell you it wasn't fair†. When each member of her family takes turns to pick out their papers, Tessie becomes hesitant as her turn arrives.Her time is up as she is revealed as the â€Å"winning ticket† holder. She becomes upset and desperately tries to change everyones mind by saying her most famous last words: â€Å"It isn't fair† Tessie now realizes that she is in the once ignored position that all the other unlucky winners ahve been in the past and, soon enough, her â€Å"luck† comes to an end as she is stoned to death. Hypocrisy is a very big part of our society; everyday, someone is saying or creating false assumptions of an appearance of virtue or religion.They might indicate that it's wrong to practice a certain religion when they do it themselves . Even if hypocrites are a part of this world, we can learn that not everyone is as they seem. The second prominent theme is sacrifices. This village is run by a very old tradition which incl udes the sacrifice of a human being to please the gods, who will send down fresh food and crops to them. Everyone in the village, including the children, take part in this sacrifice, wether or not they fully understand why thay are doing this.Little Davey is handed a stone at the end of the story so that his mom can be stoned. He is a little boy, so he doesn’t understand what’s going on. Since he has been brought up in this society, he might start to accept that fact that at least he will have plenty of food on the table every day, even if the total number of people has gone down. This story shows us that the traditions we practice are still being questioned as a part of our society today. Such as imitating fath , going to church every Sunday because everyone else does.What happened in The Lottery was a necessary sacrifice in their struggle for the meaning of this ritual. If this sacrifice didn’t hurt or kill the person it was being done to, there wouldn’ t be any meaning to it. The villagers woulnd’t have sacrificed many innocent beings to please such gods. This all turns toward us: our inability as human beings to question such monstrosity is still an unanswered question above our heads. Shirley Jackson is trying to tell us that sacrifices have been around for centuries and aren’t uncommon, but our thoughts about them are common.A young child might ask,†What gods are we pleasing? †,and, â€Å"Are you sure we are doing the right thing? †, but they would still get the same answer: â€Å"because the bible said so† or , â€Å" We’ve been doing this for centuries†. The Lottery illustrates that we are living in a world where you are ostracised for believing in nothing at all and being brainwashed into believing in another. The first technique present in this story is symbolism. Two items are used during the lottery: a black box and stones. In a way, the black box holds each and every persons destiny and fate.The fact that it is black is a symbol of what they ahve witnessed every year: death. Every year, the lottery is taken place and, at the same time, death makes its mark. It comes back to take whoever’s been left behind. Like the old saying â€Å"It is always darkest before dawn†, death hangs over them until they have pleased the gods; until they have a lifetime supply of crops. This story brings us into the darker side of the lottery. The side where not everything is as it seems. If it weren’t for the color of the box, it would have been harder to interpret where the story was heading off to.The second items where the stones: â€Å"the young boys begin to gather their stones and make a pile in the corner, guarding them like their most prized weapon†. The stones symbolize the beating of a person, in this case. Someone is going to get beaten to death by these stones, which is an important part of the lottery. At least in the eyes of twisted beings. The second technique present is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is found at the beginning of the story, where we are being introduced to a somewhat pleasant event that is about to take place.The fact that the lottery in this village takes less than two hours and, in others, two days, gives us an indication that this lottery is bigger than it seems; it isn’t some regular event, but a sinister one. While reading this story, a novel that shares one of the themes comes to mind. â€Å"Nothing†, a book by Janne Teller, tells the tale of a boy named Pierre Anthon who has known, for a long time, that nothing matters, just realized that nothing is worth doing and decides to leave his classroom, climb a plum tree and stay there. His friends and classmates try, with every attempt, to get him down but he won’t budge.So to prove to Pirre Anthon that there is a meaning to life, they set out to build a heap of meaning in an abandoned sawmill. Their plans slowly st art to take a defferent turn when their heap of meaning includes the scarification of a beloved neighbourly dog, Cinderella. They give up all their special belongings to find out what the meaning of life really is until it gets out of hand; they get upset towards Pierre Anthon for making them go through great lengths to discover the meaning, that they lash out and end up killing him.There is a primary connection between both stories: the sacrifice of a human or animal to obtain food or to re-discover the meaning of life. Globally, sacrifices and traditions have been around for entiries. They’ve shaped the cultures that are present in this generation, such as one ancient tribe of our civilization: the Hurons. Many decades ago, they used to have a special way of thanking the gods for the food they received. Every year, the leader of the tribe would dress in elaborate, colourful clothing and lead a family up a sacred mountain.There, the leader would dress the middle child, a gir l, between the ages of six and nine, in clothing similar to his. If the middle child was a boy, he wouldn’t be sacrificed; the family would wait until they gave birth to a girl. The family of the child would then sit in a circle around a large fire as the leader recites prayers to the gods. The child is then laid on the wood of fire and burnt alive. To this day, you can still hear the cries of the little girls, but those cries are memoirs of their lives. Memoirs on the sinister sacrifices that took place