Monday, 29 April 2013
Fundamentalism and Ford: Church v State
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/northernireland/ethics/ethics_20130428-1054a.mp3
According to Lord John Alderdice, leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, religious fundamentalism is an attitude which can affect all religious beliefs. Alderdice sees fundamentalism as more than just strict, conservative religious views and more as a frightened way of thinking which creates boundaries around groups. This way of thinking affects Christians, Jews, Muslims and all other religions and it is based on the idea of the inerrability of the scriptures. Groups and communities feel threatened and attach themselves to what they believe is certain.
In the case of Northern Ireland politician David Ford, fundamentalism showed its ugly head when Mr. Ford felt compelled to step down as elder of his Presbyterian church, where he and his family have worshipped for over twenty years, after voting in support of same sex marriage eight months ago. His decision to step down was made in an effort to try and reduce any offense his views towards same sex marriage may have caused the congregation.
Opinion:
I agree with John Alderdice's view that religious fundamentalism is the result of group fear. The extent to which fundamentalism is expressed may have to do with the situation in which the particular group finds itself. Sometimes these fundamentalist ideas are expressed in the form of terrorism by oppressed groups, such as in the case of Muslim fundamentalism. Many other times fundamentalism is expressed in more insidious ways by bullies, or groups who try to keep their believes and ideologies intact, an example could be much of prejudices and discrimination that we find in the West. These bullies have in general more power, through either financial means, a powerful religious hierarchy and political power and usually those three things work together to create a strong belief system, which will be defended at all cost. In either case any kind of fundamentalism, whether religious, political, financial, Eastern or Western is an obstacle to individual and collective freedom. We have to constantly ask ourselves in which way are we allowing ourselves to be conditioned, and if it is possibly leading to some kind of fundamentalism?
Crime doesn't rise in high immigration areas – it falls, says study
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/28/immigration-impact-crime
Research by the London School of Economics shows that areas with higher numbers of immigrants do not have higher crime rates than other areas. On the contrary it has been shown that places with large numbers of eastern European immigrants show a fall on property crimes such as theft and shoplifting.
There are several reasons for the lack of crime in densely immigrant populated neighborhoods. According to professors Maria Fitzgerald and David Wilson, immigrant populations have little money to spend on the "night time economy", and immigrants often lack the financial means to indulge in alcohol, a major culprit in street violence.
Another possible reason for the low rate of violence in immigrant neighborhoods is globalization, since the quick access of information via internet makes it clear that crime is not acceptable. Also, the average immigrant attracted to London are hard working, entrepreneurial types.
Places where asylum seekers from the1990s have settled did show to have problems with criminal activities. The solution to this problem may be in creating job possibilities for asylum seekers, but authorities are weary of this possible solution since it may send mix messages to potential asylum seekers.
Opinion:
I was surprised by the fact that immigrant neighborhoods in London did not show a higher crime rate than neighborhoods with more homogeneous populations. However I do see that at the present time immigrants may have different possibilities regarding work and other information due to the computer technology which is now available on a large scale, which may provide access to a wider range of jobs and as result prevent potential crime. It is also possible that because of technology potential immigrants are better screened and some of the less desirable characters are kept out of the country.
Globalization may also make it easier for immigrants to integrate and get to work quicker, since more and more people have access to all parts of the world through the internet and as a result can have a better understanding of what to expect when immigrating to another country, creating a better situation for the immigrants in which they may feel less isolated and more connected to their new situation and as a result less likely to fall into criminal activities.
Research by the London School of Economics shows that areas with higher numbers of immigrants do not have higher crime rates than other areas. On the contrary it has been shown that places with large numbers of eastern European immigrants show a fall on property crimes such as theft and shoplifting.
There are several reasons for the lack of crime in densely immigrant populated neighborhoods. According to professors Maria Fitzgerald and David Wilson, immigrant populations have little money to spend on the "night time economy", and immigrants often lack the financial means to indulge in alcohol, a major culprit in street violence.
Another possible reason for the low rate of violence in immigrant neighborhoods is globalization, since the quick access of information via internet makes it clear that crime is not acceptable. Also, the average immigrant attracted to London are hard working, entrepreneurial types.
Places where asylum seekers from the1990s have settled did show to have problems with criminal activities. The solution to this problem may be in creating job possibilities for asylum seekers, but authorities are weary of this possible solution since it may send mix messages to potential asylum seekers.
Opinion:
I was surprised by the fact that immigrant neighborhoods in London did not show a higher crime rate than neighborhoods with more homogeneous populations. However I do see that at the present time immigrants may have different possibilities regarding work and other information due to the computer technology which is now available on a large scale, which may provide access to a wider range of jobs and as result prevent potential crime. It is also possible that because of technology potential immigrants are better screened and some of the less desirable characters are kept out of the country.
Globalization may also make it easier for immigrants to integrate and get to work quicker, since more and more people have access to all parts of the world through the internet and as a result can have a better understanding of what to expect when immigrating to another country, creating a better situation for the immigrants in which they may feel less isolated and more connected to their new situation and as a result less likely to fall into criminal activities.
Friday, 26 April 2013
Computer kids: Does your child need a digital detox?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/10010478/Computer-kids-Does-your-child-need-a-digital-detox.html
As ridiculous as the idea of a child needing a digital detox may sound, it is a fact that many children now a days are addicted to their digital screens and have developed physical and psychological problems as a result of their addiction.In England parents are spending up to 16,000 lbs. for a 28 day digital detox program for their child. Computers and other digital toys and machine have taken over the baby-sitting rol of the t.v. Parents who have been conscientious about not letting their children vegetate for hours in front of the television seem to have succumbed to the digital trap.Psychologists warn about the consequences of over indulgence in digital gadgets, such as a sedentary life style, higher blood pressure as a result of being online, increase in the production of dopamine which is connected to the development of addictive behavior, while neuroscientist are studying the impact that the modern digital world is having on children’s brains.
Opinion:
It’s interesting that people may be surprised by digital addiction in children, since it is the adults who have created this digital world in which their children now traffic. I think that there is little hope for digital sanity in our youth when the adult population has been the first to succumb to this addiction. Putting a child on a digital detox is a symptomatic approach to a deeper problem, which will not be solved by merely putting the child on a temporary digital diet. To approach digital addiction in a constructive way we need a change in world consciousness and not merely the blind leading the blind.
As ridiculous as the idea of a child needing a digital detox may sound, it is a fact that many children now a days are addicted to their digital screens and have developed physical and psychological problems as a result of their addiction.In England parents are spending up to 16,000 lbs. for a 28 day digital detox program for their child. Computers and other digital toys and machine have taken over the baby-sitting rol of the t.v. Parents who have been conscientious about not letting their children vegetate for hours in front of the television seem to have succumbed to the digital trap.Psychologists warn about the consequences of over indulgence in digital gadgets, such as a sedentary life style, higher blood pressure as a result of being online, increase in the production of dopamine which is connected to the development of addictive behavior, while neuroscientist are studying the impact that the modern digital world is having on children’s brains.
Opinion:
It’s interesting that people may be surprised by digital addiction in children, since it is the adults who have created this digital world in which their children now traffic. I think that there is little hope for digital sanity in our youth when the adult population has been the first to succumb to this addiction. Putting a child on a digital detox is a symptomatic approach to a deeper problem, which will not be solved by merely putting the child on a temporary digital diet. To approach digital addiction in a constructive way we need a change in world consciousness and not merely the blind leading the blind.
BBC Panorama 2013 North Korea Undercover (Documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbIvUQakU74
This BBC documentary gives us a glimpse into the mysterious world of North Korea.This is an issue which seems to be a source of concern to Western countries lately due to North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons and its leader's belligerent attitude towards the west. The documentary is made undercover and gives the British public a perspective as to why North Korea could be a potential threat to England as well as to the rest of the western world showing a militaristic, well armed and brainwashed country who is at the mercy of a power hungry leader not unlike Adolph Hitler.In a typical fashion to many other BBC documentaries, this documentary presents a bold but non-sensationalistic view of the bleak situation in North Korea. It exposes the viewer to North Korea’s oppressive system, the Korean's people's constant state of alert and threat of war, and to Kim, the country’s megalomaniac dictator, who's regime keeps the country in a state of fear, poverty and trepidation. Many Koreans have their human rights violated and end up in concentration camps in the North Korean Gulag system.
Opinion:
The documentary portraits a post Orwellian society which seems to be everybody's enemy. Their isolation, political extremism and eccentric actions makes North Korea into a country that is far removed from the rest of the world and which to a certain extent still doesn't get taken very seriously. The West seems to continue to be more distracted by the threat of Islamic terrorism, which seems more present and boisterous, than by the almost facetious threats of North Korea Kim-Jong-il. North Korea is a country under the grip of a madman and although he seems to have complete control over every aspect of life in that country, it seems almost inevitable that sooner than later his ways will lead to his downfall and that of his system.
This BBC documentary gives us a glimpse into the mysterious world of North Korea.This is an issue which seems to be a source of concern to Western countries lately due to North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons and its leader's belligerent attitude towards the west. The documentary is made undercover and gives the British public a perspective as to why North Korea could be a potential threat to England as well as to the rest of the western world showing a militaristic, well armed and brainwashed country who is at the mercy of a power hungry leader not unlike Adolph Hitler.In a typical fashion to many other BBC documentaries, this documentary presents a bold but non-sensationalistic view of the bleak situation in North Korea. It exposes the viewer to North Korea’s oppressive system, the Korean's people's constant state of alert and threat of war, and to Kim, the country’s megalomaniac dictator, who's regime keeps the country in a state of fear, poverty and trepidation. Many Koreans have their human rights violated and end up in concentration camps in the North Korean Gulag system.
Opinion:
The documentary portraits a post Orwellian society which seems to be everybody's enemy. Their isolation, political extremism and eccentric actions makes North Korea into a country that is far removed from the rest of the world and which to a certain extent still doesn't get taken very seriously. The West seems to continue to be more distracted by the threat of Islamic terrorism, which seems more present and boisterous, than by the almost facetious threats of North Korea Kim-Jong-il. North Korea is a country under the grip of a madman and although he seems to have complete control over every aspect of life in that country, it seems almost inevitable that sooner than later his ways will lead to his downfall and that of his system.
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