Slavey Then And Now :: essays research papers

Slavery: Then and Now When we think about slavery many things come to our mind. There are many different ways one can describe slavery. If you were to look it up in a dictionary it would say that a slave is â€Å"one who is owned and forced into service by another,† this was the definition given in the Webster’s Dictionary. But then again if you were to look it up in the Oxford Dictionary the definition given here is of one who is an â€Å"obsessive devotee.† On the whole slavery can have different meanings to different people. The meaning of slavery has a different meaning today than it did years ago. As Alex Haley wrote, slavery was difficult to explain years ago because it was going on at the time. Today when someone says the word slavery more than half of the people would think of plantations and people being forced to work the land and being mistreated. But what do you say to a little child who comes up to you and asks you want slavery is? In today’s society we can take the word slavery and put it to the modern days. Would one say that slavery only existed years ago when plantation owners would buy people to force them to do hard labor and mistreat them, or would one mention about the slavery that goes on in today’s society? What about the people who are forced to do hard labor like many years ago? Many people do not realize it but indeed we do have modern-day slavery. What is today’s modern day slavery? There are several things that can be put into today’s slavery. This is one problem that is often over looked in today’s society. It may not have as much impact as it did years ago, but if we stop and think about it, this problem is still as harsh and crude as it was years ago. I would think that up to some extent the problem has grown now because it is in fact often overlooked. For example in Sudan, as a result of an Islamic vs. Christian civil war, women and children that are mostly black and Christian are captured in raids. They are later sold as chattel slaves in â€Å"modern day slave markets†. Now the question that I have is, â€Å" Does a human life have a price?† Well according to these people it does, and the price that they decided to put on a human life has been as low as fifteen dollars.

The Death Penalty Is Dead Wrong :: Capital Punishment

Why the Death Penalty is Dead Wrong Most people argue that the death penalty is not a form of cruel and unusual punishment. However, this is extremely inaccurate. Electric chair victims can take up to 14 minutes to die, maintaining full consciousness as their flesh begins to scorch and burn off. During lethal injection, "even a slight error in dosage or administration can leave a prisoner conscious but paralyzed with pain, serving as a witness for his own demise." The following is an eye witness account of an Arizona gas chamber execution given by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens: "When the fumes enveloped Don's head he took a quick breath. A few seconds later, he looked again in my direction. His face was red and contorted as if he were attempting to fight through tremendous pain. His mouth was pursed shut and his jaw was clenched tight. Don then took several more quick gulps of the fumes. His body started convulsing violently and his skin turned a deep red...the viens in his temple and neck began to bulge until I thought they might explode. After about a minute, Don's face leaned partially forward, but he was still very conscious. He was shuddering uncontrollably and his body was racked with spasms. His head continued to snap back. His fists were clenched tightly. After several more minutes, the most violent of the convulsions subsided. At this time, the muscles along Don's left arm and back began twitching in a wavelike motion under his skin. Spittle drooled from his mouth. Don Harling took exactly ten minutes and 31 seconds to die. Approximately three months later, he was found innocent." And it wasn't the first time. Amnesty International sites that "from 1900 to 1985 over 350 people sentenced to death were later found to be innocent of the crimes charged. Some excaped execution by only minutes, but 23 were actually executed. Within the last 20 years, 54 Americans under sentence of death have been released because of evidence of their innocence." Unlike a life imprisonment, death offers no second chance. If new evidence surfaces after the person has been executed, it's too late to do anything about it. The death penalty doesn't save tax payers any money, either. Many people have the misconception that criminals should not be allowed to "rot in jail" wasting tax payers money. However, a study conducted by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) concludes that tax payers pay an average of $3.2 million dollars per each death penalty case -- enough to sentence someone to 120 years in a maximum security facility. The death penalty is also not a detterent to crime.

Psychological gambling Essay

Abstract: Few studies have explored the relationship between gambling and health status. Both compulsive and pathological gambling are disorders related to obsession-compulsive disorder. The data supports the notion that gambling does affect with non-gambling health problems. The purpose of this article is to provide the information between gambling behaviors and substance use disorders, health associations, screening and treatment options for problem and pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is an addictive and stress proposing disorder. More research is needed to investigate directly the biological and health relations associated with the different types of gambling behaviors and to define the role for doctors or therapists in the prevention and treatment of problem and pathological gambling. There are many types of gambling that people indulge in today. People of all ages have been seduced by gambling. Gambling is done every day, so as it continues to grow, so does the debt of the American people. Attractions such as online casinos with jackpots equivalent to ten years salary and simple sports booking, makes it more common today than it was yesterday. Gambling is hard to resist because it offers a feeling of hope, and defines that thin line between reality and fantasy that ends with a mental payoff. The main question with this concern is; is it all about the money? It couldn’t be all about the money, unless the general public was extremely stupid. The odds of winning the lottery are lesser than the odds of someone being struck by lightning (1 in 649,739) or than someone being killed by a terrorist attack abroad (1 in 650,000). (7). It has been said, â€Å"If you bought 100 tickets a week your entire adult life, from the age of 18 to 75, you’d have a 1 percent chance of winning the lottery†. (7) Now, a number of psychological studies have been done which indicate that the desire to play the lottery has more to do with the inability or unconcern of a person to calculate the total sum of their own money over time spent of these dollar tickets. The hope and fantastic feeling they receive is worth more than the dollar they give the 7-11 clerk at that time. Casino games create a different sensation. Whether it be cards, slots, or dice games after being seated in front of it for an hour or two there will generally be a win, some kind of win. Usually that win is small. It serves the person, or the brain, with a sort of reward. The reward entices the person to want to continue their game so to get another reward (7). The basis for this affirmative award is biological. Research done at the Massachusetts General Hospital has showed similar brain activity induced by prize money to food and drug rewards. The scientists measuring this brain activity compared it with giving a cocaine addict an infusion of cocaine. (2) An experiment was set up wherein the brain activity of the subjects was measured while they gambled. â€Å"Each subject was offered one of three spinners: a ‘good spinner’ offered them a chance to earn $10, $2. 50, or nothing; an ‘intermediate spinner’ offered $2. 50, $0, or -$1. 50; and a ‘bad spinner’ let them win nothing or lose, -$1. 50 or -$6. † (3) The brain activity was measured with a high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging, otherwise known as an fMRI, while they were spinning for six seconds and after then after they had spun. The results showed that the brain activity proved to be strong, moderate, and low in accordance with the level of spinning – good, intermediate and bad. The proportions always demonstrated the expected brain activity. The scientists performing this experiment came to the conclusion that money serves as the same type of reward to humans as does drugs and food; it sets into motion a reward mechanism in the brain providing relative stimulus to the amount of reward or loss which is taking place. â€Å"The similarity suggests that a common brain circuitry is used for various types of rewards. â€Å"(3) Considering the conclusion of this experiment to be true, there still remains an unsettling question pertaining to gambling and brain circuitry. Why do some people gamble more than others? At first I searched for some demographic conclusions to support a hypothesis that some group of people gambled more than others. However, there simply isn’t much discrimination when it comes to gambling. The National Opinion Research Center, a government based study, showed that there is no gender gap in terms of gambling: the 1998 statistic showed 49% women and 51% men gamble in general. (1) The consensus showed that all different ages gamble. Some specifications were made like people between thirty and sixty tended to gamble with more money than the younger and older, but that seems natural because that range probably gains the most salary. It also specified that those under eighteen tended to play less in casino, lottery and horse races but that is because they were not allowed in. Thus, those under eighteen were showed to make more wagers outside of a gambling facility than the other age groups. Depending on the game, there seemed to be a pretty even distribution of race among gamblers. The bottom line being; the desire to gamble does not depend on any specific background or gender or age or culture. It depends on the human desire to gain monetary pleasure, to get something for little to nothing, to be rewarded via dollars rather than food or drugs. The demographic statistics and equalities listed above still do not account for why some crave gambling more than others. Distinctions have been made among gamblers. The categories are as follows: non-gambler, low-risk gambler, at-risk gambler, problem gambler and pathological gambler. (1) The desire to gamble becomes increasingly more prevalent and obsessive as the levels progress. A pathological gambler, according to the DSM-IV criteria is constantly preoccupied with gambling, increases the amounts of money spent over time on gambling so not to achieve a tolerance, cannot stop gambling, gambles as an escape, attempts to ‘break even’ after having lost money, lies constantly to friends and family about gambling, sometimes commits illegal acts to support gambling, risks significant relationships, jobs, or education for gambling, and uses the financial help of others to be ‘bailed out’ of some situation caused by gambling. (1) Why are these people so obsessed with gambling that it takes over their lives? It has been hypothesized that pathological gamblers have dysfunctional reward pathways. â€Å"When the pathways function correctly, one important result is a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that can stimulate pleasurable feelings. † Pathological gamblers have been proven to have lower activity in an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters. This may create a problem for serotonin distribution. Also, researchers have identified a greater amount of certain genetic configurations in pathological gamblers, a variation which may be responsible for the deficient reward pathway. (4) The medication prescribed to some of these pathological gamblers who were tested increased their serotonin levels and seemed to have positive effects in the way of their resisting the urge to gamble. Many equate the pathological desire to gamble with a problem in the decision-making area of the brain, a constant lapse in judgment so to speak. The areas of the brain associated with the decision-making process are the middle frontal, inferior frontal and orbital gyrus. (4) While this neurological analysis may offer some understanding to why people gamble for reward purposes, it does not explain the bigger relationship between human beings and gambling. Gambling does not necessarily need to involve money; it can instead be translated to a risk. People gamble everyday whether it be the tasting of a new food or skipping an important business meeting. It seems that gambling is a part of life necessary to perpetuate the human species. Diversification, a part of natural life, involves adapting to different environments and niches. Say a bee only acquired nutrients from one specific flower, never venturing out to samples other types of pollen, what would happen? Suppose one winter that specific type of flower failed to survive, or some sort of spontaneous extinction occurred, all the bees who fed off this flower would become extinct as well. The same sort of thing may occur if a person moved to a different country, wherein the food looked completely different. In order to stay alive, that person would have to take a chance on a new type of diet. Human beings, as well as a majority of the remaining Animal Kingdom are inclined to diversify and adapt to new surroundings in order to stay strong and able to perpetuate their species. The same notion of adaptation for survival applies to drastic temperature changes and the effect it has on the body. (5) â€Å"Although shell temperature is not regulated within narrow limits the way internal body temperature is, thermoregulatory responses do strongly affect the temperature of the shell, and especially its outermost layer, the skin. † The temperature of the environment is directly related to the thickness of this shell. If the shell is needed to conserve heat, it may expand to a several centimeters underneath the skin’s surface, however, if the environment is warm, then the shell will tend to only be about one centimeter thick. This shell of warmth protects people in the case that they wish to change environmental settings, or so the same species can survive in all different locations. The complex nature of the human body responds well to their desire to gamble, to diversify, to extend their minds and risk. Whether it be monetary, behavioral or just plain desire to risk, humans are drawn towards the new and the chancy.It is the danger of loss and the thrill of life that keeps us breathing. Works Consulted: 1)Alvarez,A. The Biggest Game in Town. New York: Chronicle Books, 2002. 2)Brunson,Doyle. Doyle Brunson’s Super System. Cardoza Pub, 1979. 3)Dostoeyevsky,Fyodor. The Gambler. New York: Viking Press, 1966. 4)http://www. norc. uchicago. edu/new/gamb-fin. htm 5)http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2001/05/010524062100. htm 6)http://www. sciam. com/article. cfm? articleID=0004400A-E6F5-1C5E-B882809EC588ED9F 7)http://www. gnxp. com/MT2/archives/001309. html 8)http://www. reflection-idea. com/psychics. html.

Hephaestus, the Master Craftsman

Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire, is most revered for his master craftsmanship. In works of art he is usually depicted as a middle-aged smith working in his forge, often making a thunderbolt for Zeus. Born of Hera alone, he was cast down as a baby from Olympus by his mother for his defective ugliness and fell for a whole day before he hit the ground. Nine years after he was thrown from the heavens, he returned to Olympus and became one of the twelve Olympian Gods. With Zeus’s favor, he was able to marry Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who sadly never returned the love he gave to her.Hephaestus was loved by the mortals for his kindness and he had an important role in Athens alongside Athena. Nearly every weapon, piece of armor, or building of any importance was crafted by Hephaestus. Hephaestus, rejected by his mother for his ugliness, helped countless mortals and gods, married Aphrodite, and rose to Olympus to become the master craftsman honored by all. Hephaestus is the god of fire but only in its positive and useful aspect. This also includes everything that is accomplished by fire. Therefore, any fire that destroys or damages is not attributed to him (Berens 73).He, being a smith, is the protector of smiths, both goldsmiths and blacksmiths and jewelers. Also as a master builder he is the god of builders, masons, and carpenters (Graves 15). He is also considered to be the god of volcanoes because this is where it was believed his forges were located. Inside his forges, he uses Cyclopes as his helpers because they have a natural talent for forging (Bolton 178). Not only is Hephaestus a smith, he is also an architect, craftsman, and an artist (Bulfinch 13). In fact, he is known as the master craftsman (Hansen 185).He makes nearly everything that the gods want from their weapons and armor, to their homes, palaces and chariots (Hamilton 36). Hephaestus is an ugly god. He is often illustrated with grotesque facial features and malformed legs but with massi ve upper body strength. Usually he is shown wielding a hammer and working on a weapon or object of some kind (Berens 76). In other depictions of art, items often associated with work, such as an axe, a mule, and a pilos, otherwise known as a workman’s hat, are used to represent him (Hansen 186). Hesphaestus is also represented by the quail.This bird’s strange dance in the springtime is seen as similar to how Hephaestus hobbles when he walks (Graves 15). Several stories exist on how Hephaestus was born. While all stories agree that he was born to Hera, the goddess of marriage, they differ on when he was born and whether he had a father at all. Some say that he was born to Hera, alone, because she wanted to give birth to a child by herself after Zeus solely gave birth to Athena (Martin 88). However, this is contradicted by the story that it was Hephaestus that helped Zeus give birth to Athena by splitting Zeus’s head open to allow Athena to pop out.Therefore, Hera could not have been jealous of Athena’s single parent birth since Athena hadn’t been born yet (Berens 21). This leads to the rumor where Hera had Hephaestus long before being married to Zeus (Martin 88). But the easiest explanation is that Zeus was indeed his father, and he was born before Athena (Bulfinch 15). After Hephaestus was born, Hera realized that he was ugly and crippled, and to rid herself of such an embarrassment, she threw him off Olympus (Graves 86). He plummeted into the sea, and immediately he was saved by the sea-goddess Thetis.Thetis took him to an underground cave where she and an oceanide Eurynome took turns caring for and raising the young god (Hansen 183). For nine years he remained hidden in his secret, underground home. By the end of the nine years he was already an expert craftsman. He made elaborate items of jewelry, much to the delight of his caretakers (Martin 89). He also made useful objects like clasps, pins, and cups (Hansen 184). While Hephaestus was living with Thetis in the underwater cavern, she told him stories of his birth mother, Hera. After hearing these stories, Hephaestus desperately wanted revenge on his mother for throwing him off Olympus.He began to work non-stop in his forge, leaving only for ambrosia and nectar. Some time later he emerged with a shining black and gold throne, his first masterpiece. Displayed across the entire throne were different scenes depicting the stories of the gods. He requested that Thetis take the throne to Hera up on Mount Olympus as a gift. When the throne was placed in front of Hera, she admired it for a long time. After she sat down, she realized that she could not move. Invisible bands of force held her in place. She yelled frantically, trying to escape but with no success.The other Olympians quickly came to her aid but none of them could release her either. They soon came to the conclusion that a god had made the throne, but they did not know who could have made it (Mar tin 89). Thetis, who happened to still be there, explained to the gods who made the throne. Ares immediately volunteered to fetch Hephaestus, and set off at once for the underwater cave. When Ares arrived, however, Hephaestus fought him off using flaming brands. Ares returned to Olympus empty handed and Hera began to fear that she would spend eternity stuck in a chair. Luckily for Hera, Dionysus decided he would give it a try.He gathered an excessive amount of wine and traveled to the cave. He made no sign that he was trying to take Hephaestus to Olympus. Instead he gave Hephaestus the alcohol and soon had him so drunk that Hephaestus couldn’t even walk. Dionysus then called upon his satyrs and donkey to escort Hephaestus back to Olympus in a grand parade of flute-playing and cymbal-smashing satyrs. Once they arrived at Olympus, Dionysus declared, on behalf of the drunken Hephaestus, that Hera could go only if Hephaestus was allowed to stay on Mount Olympus. Every god favored the agreement so Hephaestus unlocked the throne, setting Hera free.From then on, Hephaestus the smith was one of the twelve Olympians (Martin 90). Many people wonder how Olympus’s ugliest god became the husband to the most beautiful goddess. There are several different explanations on how this happened. One story says that when Hephaestus first saw Aphrodite, he immediately fell in love with her and went straight to Zeus and Hera for permission to marry her. Since they both agreed, they became husband and wife (Bolton 178). Another story states that Zeus gave Aphrodite to Hephaestus in thanks for him forging his lightning bolts (Bulfinch 4).A different story explains that Zeus married them to keep Aphrodite out of trouble. He thought she needed a hardworking and disciplined husband, so he chose Hephaestus (Graves 16). Lastly, one theory says that Zeus set it up as revenge for when Aphrodite refused him as a lover (Bolton 178). No matter how they got married, one thing is alw ays agreed upon. Hephaestus loved Aphrodite, but Aphrodite never returned that love (Hansen 184). Aphrodite never loved Hephaestus because she thought it was shameful to have a crippled and hideous husband (Graves 17).So instead of being a loyal and faithful wife, Aphrodite had many affairs with gods as well as mortals. The most prominent affair was with Hephaestus’s brother, Ares, the god of war. When Hephaestus found out about her affair with Ares, he became especially angry (Hansen 184). Helios came to Hephaestus and told him of the affair between Aphrodite and Ares. Hephaestus’s immediate reaction was of rage and revenge (Hansen 184). He went to his smithy and crafted a pair of invisible and indestructible chains. He took the chains and laid them over top of his bed, checking to see if it was concealed.Hephaestus told Aphrodite that he would be leaving on vacation to Lemnos and pretended to depart. As soon as Aphrodite thought he was gone, she summoned Ares to come . They laid down in Hephaestus’s own bed and instantly became trapped (Hansen 185). Hephaestus then returned to his house and summoned all of the gods to come with him. There, he let them view the humiliated and trapped lovers in bed (Bolton 180). Hephaestus explained to the gods how Aphrodite hated him for being crippled and loved Ares for being attractive. All the male gods commented on the scene and viewed it without disgust.Several of the goddesses, however, did not enjoy themselves as much as the male gods did (Hansen 185). Everyone laughed though, and made fun of Ares and Aphrodite, but some mocked Hephaestus as well (Bolton 180). Finally, with some pleading from Poseidon, Hephaestus let the embarrassed lovers go (Hansen 185). Hephaestus may have had some problems with his wife, but he was very popular among the mortals. He taught them smithing and the art of metalworking (Berens 74). Aside from that, he was known for being very helpful. Orion once came to Hephaestusâ⠂¬â„¢s forge on Lemnos after being blinded.Hephaestus took pity on him and sent a guide to take him to Apollo. Because of his helpfulness, all the mortals honored him, and many of them worshiped him (Berens 73). He has temples on the volcanic Island of Lemnos and Mt. Maschylus (Graves 88). He also has a temple on Mount Etna and in Athens. To enter the temple on Mt. Etna, the mortals must pass fearsome hounds, who serve as guards. These hounds have the ability to smell if people are good or evil. With these special guards, only the clean and righteous souls can enter (Berens 76). His temple in Athens stands alongside the temple of Athena.In Athens he serves alongside Athena as the patron of handicrafts, specifically the guardian of the smiths (Hamilton 37). Hephaestus, being the master craftsman, made a great deal of objects for the good of mankind. Many times he helped heroes on their quests, such as Hercules, Aeneas, and Achilles. For Hercules, Hephaestus crafted several gifts. Fir st, he constructed an enormous pair of clappers that were somewhat like cymbals. Hercules used these to scare the Stymphalide birds (Berens 286). He made a golden breastplate on Hercules’ behalf (Hansen 185).Lastly, he sent Hercules a golden quiver as a gift for when he became famous among the gods (Berens 282). For Aeneas, he crafted an impressive set of armor at the request of his goddess-mother (Bulfinch 155). Aeneas used the armor to defeat Turnus in battle. Finally, to the hero Achilles, he gave a set of impenetrable armor after Thetis, Achilles’ mother, asked him to help her son. Achilles had lost his previous armor and needed a replacement to protect him in his search for Hector. When Hephaestus was visited by Thetis and heard her request, he set all other work aside to complete it (Bulfinch 121).Besides helping mortals, Hephaestus had other responsibilities. As the master craftsman, he solely designed and built the numerous palaces on Mount Olympus. These inclu ded the wondrous palace of Zeus and Hera at the peak of Olympus to the palaces of every other Olympian god to even the majestic thrones that sat in each (Berens 20). Again, being the master craftsman, he built many other things. For mighty Zeus, he made the shield, Aegis and constantly replenishes his supply of thunderbolts (Bulfinch 2). To Artemis he gave armor and arrows to help her on her hunts (Bolton 178).Some of his greatest works were built for Apollo, the god of the sun. These included the magnificent palace of the sun in the east, as well as Apollo’s own Sun chariot (Bulfinch 23). Hephaestus lived through his harsh and misfortunate creation to become a well respected god, loved for his kindness and honored by the humans and gods that he assisted in numerous ways. Ordinary man chose the common quail, whose springtime dance is like his limping walk, to represent him. When he was born, his ugliness caused Hera to cast him off Olympus to rid herself of the embarrassment. Thetis took him in, raised him, and he later returned to Olympus in revenge to Hera. Aphrodite became his wife although her loyalty was to Ares, Hephaestus’s brother, and not to her husband. Hephaestus was honored by having temples in Athens and on Mt. Etna. The most marvelous works known to gods or mortals were created by Hephaestus. Even though Hephaestus is the ugliest god on Olympus, he became one of the most popular in heaven as well as on earth by happily aiding humans and kindly assisting his fellow gods alike.

Effects of Social Media on Young Adults Essay

Looking at the average Millennial, one would see him toting all his smart devices and would wonder if Millennials are ever disconnected – from technology or from each other. The Millennial Generation, more than any other generation, feels the need to be constantly linked to each other. For young American adults aged 18-32, technology is their life; virtual reality has come to supersede physical reality. In what seems like every second of every day, teenagers can be found on their computers, tablets, and cell phones, searching though pages of social media. In fact, statistics prove that they are: an average teenager has 201 Facebook friends and 73% of teenagers are on at least one social network (Thomas). Across Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and Twitter alone it shows how cyber space is endless. According to Social Media Watch, Twitter now boasts that as of May 2, 2013 it has 359 million active users; Facebook still holds the top social media spot with 701 million active users. Thanks to the sizeable growth in online activity, the Millennial Generation has lost touch with interpersonal communication. If not monitored, online social networking will become detrimental to the Millennial generation and following generations’ social and psychological development, as the anonymity of cyber space has been shown to encourage negative behavior, leading to increased feelings of disconnection from others. Each generation spends their childhoods in different ways. As for this century, Millennials find themselves trapped in the world of media, populated by televisions, radio, magazines, mobile phones, laptops and the Internet, which gives young adults access to what most young adults crave, social media. Read more: Speech on social media and its impact on youngsters essay. There seems to be no decline for â€Å"the social networking movement. † Just a few examples of the seemingly infinite types of online networking are: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and YouTube. According to Amanda Lenhart, of New York Department of Health, 93% of young adults go online. (Lenhart). With such a strong amount of people accessing the Internet, the dangers that can come from the massive amount of time spent online must be discussed. Social networking is being used as a new tool necessary for a growing technological society. Teenagers, being a large part of the online generation, have been caught up in the allure of online social networks and the way they have revolutionized how people go about their daily activities. A study showed that 48% of people ages 18-34 years old check Facebook when they wake up (Statistics Brain). This shows how highly young adults prioritize social media. Due to the excessive amount of time spent on these networks and the online freedom that young people have to continuously explore different social networking sites, they are prone to the negative effects it has on their development. While it may seem that social media is required for social survival in today’s society, in actuality it is just a way of communicating with greater ease. With moderation, social networks are vital to American culture. It is when these websites are abused with the intent to bully others, and once they are considered the only hobby for young adults, that they can become increasingly more dangerous. A large problem arises from communication via technology in lieu of face-to-face conversations, and its prevalence over other activities such as reading, sports, or other hobbies that positively shape the mind and body instead of being a catalyst for negative behavior. Social networking is affecting the schoolwork and test results of America’s youth. Researchers have found that the middle-school, high school and college students who used Facebook at least once during a 15 minute period get lower grades overall (Cosby). While they are trying to do homework students have a tendency to attempt to multitask and do their homework while simultaneously on different social media outlets. They claim to be successfully multitasking, but they are unaware of the affect these distractions are having on them. In reality, their efforts to multitask are making the simple task they were trying to accomplish take significantly longer than it ordinarily would. A study was performed at two West Coast high-tech firms to observe how many times employees were interrupted and the impact it had on their work. Each time a worker was distracted from a task, it would take an average of 16 minutes for the employee to return to the previous menial task they were in the process of doing. Even worse, some people forgot what they had been working on all together, showing effects on short-term memory (Sladick). This shows how impactful constantly checking social media or the interruption of a text message can be when working on something as small as writing an email. One of damaging effects of being â€Å"plugged in† all the time is this generation’s struggle to correspond with each other properly. Amanda Lenhart expresses her fear for the generation following her by speaking to the fact that 51% of young people primarily communicate with each other through texting, 42% use social media as a secondary source, and only 29% talk to each other as part of other activities outside of school (Lenhart). With online social interaction being so abundantly available to young adults, most would rather talk to someone over text messages or the Internet and avoid face-to-face contact, because of the stress that can come from talking to someone in person. America’s youth are showing a severe lack in the social skills necessary to be successful later in life, which will be harmful to the future success of American society. There are 30 million messages sent through Facebook every 20 minutes (Statistics Brain). While it may seem like a generation with a constant link to each other, brought on by the enormous quantity of messages sent between them, would have a excessive feeling of togetherness and an abundant number of fulfilling relationship, ironically, it is speculated these messages do not serve the same quality connection that one gets from an interpersonal conversation. A lack of interpersonal conversation ultimately leaves them feeling unhappy. There have been studies that prove the increased levels of Internet use have been associated with higher levels of depression and loneliness (Kersting). These online conversations do not provide people with the person to person bond that humans require to feel successful, but are more along the lines of shallow exchanges that include messages such as, ‘sup? ’ that would only require the simplest of responses, ‘nothing, u? ’. With this being the primary type of communication that they use, young people are unable to see the flaws that come from this type of interaction and how it will lead them to be dissatisfied if it continues to be the majority of how they communicate. The young adults have not learned the proper way to connect with other people nor have they used different conversational skills, or had to deal with different possibly complicated interpersonal situations, and they do not know how to get to know a person from somewhere other than behind the screen. Social media has a profound effect on American culture. The increase in technology brings forth the same idea of ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg? ’ Are the characteristics of the Millennial Generation: the need for instant gratification, the short attention spans, desire to be constantly connected, and the need to regularly multitask, because of the accessibility of technology? Or is the perpetual improvement of technologies in order to keep up with Millennials? Studies have shown a simultaneous rise of narcissism and social media usage in the Millennial generation, which raises the question: is there a relationship between the two? Narcissists are usually unable or unwilling to form connections that require emotional investments, such as face-to-face friendships, but still desire the social admiration and attention that a large number of friendships can offer (Bergman). This is the epitome of a person with thousands of ‘friends’ on his or her Facebook, who frequently participates in extensive, but insubstantial activity online. He or she feels loved, which increasingly fuels their narcissistic behavior. This is only one of the negative side effects that are on the upswing with the increased use of social technologies, others on the rise include aggression, anxiety and depression. The endless use of technology is affecting every part of people’s lives. With so many outlets for people to communicate with, the American culture has developed an addiction to social networking websites. People have been known to sleep with their phones, making different social media site the last thing they see each night, and allowing them to be contacted at any time of the night. Dr. Roseanne Barker, of The Barker Sleep Institute, says, â€Å"Americans are getting a lot of light exposure through electronics and technology during that last hour before sleep†¦ And it decreases the brain’s natural production of melatonin. † Melatonin is the body’s sleep-promoting hormone, she explains, and when phones constantly ring and beep throughout the night, it causes sleep fragmentation and disruption. Barker sees the issue in patients of all ages, but it is increasingly affecting the youth (Meckles). With adults placing technology at such a high place on their priority list, the idea is trickling down to America’s youth. Adolescents see the amount of time people older than them spend on the different types of social media and assume that the same behavior is acceptable for themselves. Studies claim a direct link between the use of cell phones and social networking and medical issues, like seizures and radiation (Meckles). A large problem coming from the hold technology has over people is how it affects their overall lifestyle, in this case their sleeping patterns, which causes an increase in more serious health effects that will affect them in the long run. One might say that social media has transformed the Internet into a tool that has made communication easier and more accessible. These networking sites allow people to communicate with people across the globe, showing them about how the other side lives. But what happened to it being dangerous for young people to engage in communication with strangers? Sure, a young person might think ‘this person is thousands of miles away, he or she can’t cause me any harm, why not add this person as a friend on Facebook? They could never find me in real life. ’ People have a false sense of security through the Internet. They find comfort in the anonymity available to them on social media sites. They feel a freedom from real life and freedom from consequences. Moreover, social networking offers young adults a place that puts a great emphasis on acting immorally. For example, all the different inappropriate themes posted all over the Internet that prompts impressionable young minds to think things that are usually seen as morally wrong are actually normal. Not to mention the danger that comes with certain social networking applications, such as Tinder. An application that uses a person’s GPS location to find people in his or her area and ‘matches’ them. Allowing the user to decide if he or she like a persons picture, if they do, the two people are allowed to communicate with each other through the application. Not only does that promote the importance of looks and allows a person to potentially create a fake identity to attract whatever type of person they are looking for, but it is a slyly built ‘dating’ site designed for teenagers. A person could mistakably be under the impression that it had a similar inconspicuousness that came with talking to a person across the globe, but actually be unknowingly be putting himself or herself at risk with a potentially dangerous person in his or her area. Anonymity causes people to question the validity of anything that is written on the Internet. If anyone is able to write whatever he or she feels on the Internet, then that is more difficult to determine what is true and what is false. This causes people to question everything they read even when the legitimacy is stated and has been proven. A recent study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that the negative comments on science articles affected how people perceived the validity of the science (Rooney). While it may be good that people do not immediately believe the things they read on the Internet, they have started to question verified data. In people thinking nothing on the web is true, they consistently try to disprove this data, and anonymously write scathing things about these studies causing other people who see these negative comments to think the research is not professionally done and therefore invalid. This type of anonymity on the Internet forces societies to take a step backwards. Anonymity on the social networking sites brings forth a major negative that has a serious impact on many young adults: cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can be very damaging to adolescents and teens. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and even suicide. 68% – 97% of online aggression victims also experience offline relational aggression and 24% -76% also experience offline physical victimization. Cyber bullying is a gateway for a bully to start abusing others in person. More than 32,000 suicides occurred in the U. S. This is the equivalent of 89 suicides per day, one suicide every 16 minutes or 11. 05 suicides per 100,000 populations (Kersting). With namelessness on the web, people will say anything they want regardless of how it may impact someone else, because they have no fear of being held accountable for the harm it may cause. Anonymity can be used for offensive or disruptive communication. It is not uncommon for people to anonymously say damaging things about other people. People frequently create fake emails in order to make fake profiles on Facebook, so they can publically say whatever they what to whoever they what free of blame or punishment. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, about half of young people have experienced some form of cyber bullying, and 10 to 20 percent experience it regularly (Bullying Statistics). With the rise of use of social media sites this statistic is growing. As a way to increase awareness, a news station told the story of how someone made a false account and anonymously commented on a boy who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome Facebook saying, ‘You should just go kill yourself. No one likes you, anyway. ‘ The boy, who already faces challenges in school, where kids bully him relentlessly, was smart enough to take this message to his mother and thankfully was given the proper help for him to deal with the bullying and did not take his own life (Finn). Due to the lack of face-to-face contact with the victim, an online bully may not know the effects they are having on the other person. Therefore, online bullies are less likely to feel guilt about the things they have said. In his or her anonymity these kids are more likely to say something even more hurtful through technology then they would normally say to someone’s face (Kersting). These cruel messages are not only free to be seen by any one on the Internet, but they can easily be distributed quickly and to a mass audience, such as a whole student body, leaving the victim with few or no people unaware of the mean, and probably false, comments that are being said about he or she. Making it impossible for the target of the bullying to avoid the negative things that are being said. The ease of access to social allows cyber bullies to attack other people at any time, leaving their victims to feel trapped by the things being said to and about them. It is not like it was for previous generations, where at 3:00 o’clock a person was free from whoever was bullying them at school and could go home to a safe, bully free environment. Social networking allows this generation’s bullies to harass their victims at any time. Because they are attacked round the clock, some victims feel that suicide is his or her only way to be free of the hurt. Someone might argue that for someone who feels suicide is his or her only way to be free of pain that there are plenty of resources to help them. The problem is that a majority of these resources are online, on the very social networking websites where these people are receiving abuse. The resources that will supposedly help them to feel better come from the place that is causing them the most pain, and therefore causes victims of bullying to avoid accessing them. They have the mindset that the social media websites will only cause them pain, making the information unavailable to the people who need it most. In the creation of fake profiles, dangerous people are able to pursue whatever type of target they are seeking. According to Jacob Palme, â€Å"Anonymity can be used to seek contacts for performing illegal acts, like a pedophile searching for children to abuse† (Palme). While there are certain websites that inform people if there is a pedophile living in their area, so they can protect their children from them. There is no such way to warn people of those same hazardous people all over the web, because it is impossible to detect them over the Internet. These dangerous people use anonymity to say what ever they need to in order to get an impressionable person to do what he or she wants. Parents need to have guidelines for how technology is used within the household in order to raise well-rounded citizens that will grow into successful people that will participate in the road to a prosperous society. To have this functioning culture, the community needs children that will grow into adults that are capable of functioning on their own. From a young age, Americas children need to learn about being responsible and not relying on other people or the Internet to gather information For example perhaps have young people share a cell phone that has to be checked out from the parent by the child. This type of rule would require the young adults to be involved in other activities such a reading, sports, or clubs with others and not have the dependence on technology, that so many people ages 18-32 suffer from. Another possible way to monitor social media is have hours of the day where its not allowed. For instance, having to check phones, tablets, and laptops in at night. This will allow kids to connect with people in real life and not just over Wi-Fi. Modern technologies can very well be a double-edged sword, they offer a person an abundance of knowledge at their fingertips, but also can be the cause of intense destruction to another. When improperly used, social networking has an enormous harmful affect on a person’s wellbeing, sometimes even leading to death as stated above. The dependence American culture has on technology is negatively impacting young peoples development. If awareness of the inevitable destruction from the unceasing use of technology does not become more widespread, then American culture has no chance of staying a superpower in the world. People will be in constant fear for what an anonymous person might say about them through social media, hindering them from saying anything at all. The intelligence levels will continue to decline as the use of social media increases and America will be raising a dysfunctional community full of feelings of disconnection and depression. Albert Einstein once famously said, â€Å"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots. † This quote begs the question, has that day already come? Works Cited Bergman, Shawn M. , Matthew E. Fearrington, Shaun W. Davenport, and Jacqueline Z. Bergman. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol. 50. N. p. : Elsevier, 2011. 706-11. Web. 4 May 2013. Cosby, Chris. â€Å"The Effects of Social Media on Teenagers. † SociallyActive. N. p. , 22 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"Cyber Bullying Statistics. † Bullying Statistics. N. p. , n. d. Web. 04 May 2013. . Einstein, Albert. â€Å"I Fear the Day That Technology Will Surpass Our Human Interaction . † Web. 05 May 2013. . â€Å"Facebook Statistics– Statistic Brain. †? 2012 Statistic Brain Research Institute, publishing as Statistic Brain.? 18 May 2012. 29 April 29, 2013. . Finn, Lisa. â€Å"Teen Suicide On The Rise? † The Independent. N. p. , 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 4 May 2013. Kersting, Kristina R. â€Å"Technology and Youth Suicide. † Kids Under Twenty One. PowerPoint. 5 May 2013. Lenhart, Amanda. Teens and Social Media. PEW/INTERNET. N. p. , 10 Apr. 2009. Web. . Lewis, Sarah, Roy Pea, and Joseph Rosen. â€Å"Beyond Participation to Co-creation of Meaning. † Beyond Participation to Co-creation of Meaning. SAGE Journals, 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. . Meckles, Jennifer. â€Å"Sleep Affected by Late-night Cell Phone, Technology Use. † Wbir. com. N. p. , 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 May 2013. O’Keeffe, Gwenn S. , MD, and Kathleen Clark-Pearson, MD. â€Å"The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. † The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. American Academy of Pediatrics, 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. Palme, Jacob, and Mikael Berglund. â€Å"Anonymity on the Internet. † Anonymity on the Internet. N. p. , 30 Feb. 2007. Web. 05 May 2013. Rooney, Ben. â€Å"The Debate Over Online Anonymity. † The Wall Street Journal. N. p. , 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 4 May 2013. Thomas, Taylor. â€Å"30 Statistics about Teens and Social Networking. † TopTen Reviews. N. p. , n. d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

Family Photo Albums

J Lee Matt Schwisow ENGL 101 16 July 2012 Family Photo Albums Every summer on our family vacation my mother would say â€Å"One, two, three, cheese† and snap a photograph. My brother and I always hated being in the pictures and wondered why she still made us be in the picture. So why did my mother insist on making us be in the picture? She wanted us to be able to remember every place we have traveled together and capture the memory. The fact we take photographs is a sign we want to preserve our memories.Memories with family and friends can be remembered by taking photographs. Photographs aren’t just for the sake of taking but they also have great personal meaning and are essential to how we may view our own lives. Naturally a human’s memory does not have the ability to recall all events from the past. Therefore, photographs are representations we use to capture the past and recollect those days. Family albums have played a significant role as a directory of famil y ideology. It is a remembrance of our family history and it holds sentimental ties within us.Viewing photographs of deceased loved ones enables to document their lives as they happened and to remember all the memories they had made. I believe that family photographs are form of cultural and personal artifacts expressing unity or coherence. The unity of my family’s photo album has so much significance clustered into one book. Despite the fact this album may be insignificant to others, it carries so much meaning to myself personally. It is a visual of my past and present life. It shows a way of communication and indicated how my family interacts within each other and our relationship among us.It highlights the most important days of each one of us' lives such as birthdays, family gathering, graduation, wedding photos, and more. Family photo albums represent times of happiness and sadness, but as a whole they are one item that can inform us of our family history in such a signi ficant way. For instance, one can represent something so happy and excited in my life such as birthday party and other one can bring sadness from looking at a photo of past loved ones I lost. One photo that is particularly special to me is a group family shot that was taken at our yearly family gathering back inKorea. Every year we used to go camping in the woods or at least have a big barbeque party for about twenty people gathered up including my aunts, uncles, and cousins. This particular photo symbolizes my family sticking together as one. Although the moments passed me by, these photographs keep the memory alive. I know that whenever I am feeling sad or depressed, I can just look back and remember the good times I had with my family who lives so far away. Nowadays, most people keep their photographs online such as on their personal webpage or Facebook.However, having the photographs printed and keeping them inside our actual real photo albums seems more meaningful and heart tou ching. I believe photographs represent the record of a time offering eyewitness version of history that reflects relationships among people, objects, and events. For instance, before I was born my paternal grandparents passed away and I was never given the opportunity to get to know them in person. I was pleased to see the photos of them in our family photo album that my dad showed me when I was young. Photographs offer proof of past lives and they sustain their power of a personal expression of a time.Family photographs are signifiers of a collective life and it is a constant reminder of a connectedness like kinship or friendship. For instance, in times of disrupted or disconnected relations among people, including times of war, when isolation and displacement become the regulation. At that time the family photograph provides reassurance or encouragement and it reconnects individuals and addresses the lost balance. Personal images, like family photographs, offer an emotional and ev en ideological foundation for memory to remind us of these differences in order to understand the present.I definitely want to share this pleased experience to my own children later in life because I feel that I truly have benefited from knowing about my youth even those events that I do not remember. Even that one particular photo could bring back the memories and that one particular photo could remind us to never forget that event, person, and place and be in my mind and heart forever. Family photo albums may take time and energy to complete but it is worthy and it presents a reward of a book full of memories of your own family. All the events that took place throughout the history of my life are all kept together collectively.It highlights the most important events that have happened to my life so far. Lastly, I believe family photographs are perishable commodities that need to be preserved. After all, you don’t make memories but you live them. A family album is almost a t reasured heritage or legacy that speaks volume about my cherished times and keeping up the unforgettable and valuable memories of a family reunion, a picnic, birthday, get together or any other family celebrations and good times with a well kept family album. Family memoirs, vintage or new, are priceless and cannot be bartered or exchanged for anything.

What's a good solution to the problem of bullying Stopping Mean Girls Essay

What's a good solution to the problem of bullying Stopping Mean Girls From Taking Over the Playground - Essay Example Both authors agree that the problem is made worse by parents who enable their daughters and take pride in their being â€Å"top dog† in schools and the playground. These parents are actually missing the point. Their daughters are not growing up to be empowered individuals because they do not live in a world where a check and balance exists with punishements for grevious acts such as playground or school bullying that leads another little girl to take her own life. Mean girl bullying is a real problem that has yet to find a workable solution. Through this paper, I would like to present certain suggestions as to how the problem might be best dealt with with or without the cooperation of the parents of the bully / mean girl. According to Jessica Bennett, the problem of mean girl behavior has gotten so out of hand lately that, due to the fact that it has already caused the deaths of a number of young girls through suicide, authorities should consider turning bullying resulting in death into a crime. Maybe with a punishment of 10 years in jail (Bennett, Jessica â€Å"From Lockers to Lock-Up†). Due to the behavior of the girls involved in the Pheobe Prince case, she might be suggesting an action that makes sense. However, before judgement is passed upon the mean girl, one should first look at the history of the mean girl in order to find out if she is merely acting out or actually beyond help. Maybe the relational agression that is being displayed has something to do with the family life of the girl. According to sources at the website KidsHealth, most bullies come from: ... families where everyone is angry and shouting all the time. They may think that being angry, calling names, and pushing people around is a normal way to act. Some bullies are copying what they've seen someone else do. Some have been bullied themselves (â€Å"Dealing with Bullies†). Taking a cue from that statement, it is important for school authorities, specially the guidanc e counselors to keep an open line of communication with the mean girls or bullies in order to determine the source of aggression. Since women are more docile in nature, even when with peers of her own age, and tend to be more influenced by their mothers actions, it is quite possible that the victim and mean girl are acting out roles based upon their own mother's actions and advice. In which case, it is important to inform the girls about the repercussions of their actions and the fact that no girl is expected to act in the same manner as their mothers. The school authorities should also ensure that anti-bullying programs are in place in school as well. Perhaps reimposing classes in good manners and right conduct are in order. Such classes teach students the proper way to treat one another and their elders as opposed to the â€Å"Kardashian† type of treating one another or even the â€Å"Gossip Girl† type of friendships. Since most of these girls are easily influenced b y the entertainment media, most specially the reality shows, they should be taught to tell the difference between reality and â€Å"entertainment reality† â€Å"Growing Old Younger† may be the hip word among the girls these days but just because they know how to act mature does not mean they are mature. They are totally unprepared for real life and think that by play acting, in the same manner that the television shows portray, they are actually aging faster (Paul, Pamela â€Å"The Playground Gets Even Tougher†). The Girl Scouts of America actually have an anti-bullying program that could benefit the public and private schools called â€Å"Be a Friend First† (BFF). This program teaches young girls to stand up for one another with bullies and encourages them to become part of the solution to the mean girl problem by using tools that