Essay Compilation Anti-social Networking

There were days when Apple and Blackberry were merely fruits. But today, almost everyone who is living in a metropolis owns their products. It had started out with a good motive: to ease the process of communication. Thus, various platforms that provide short message services and chatting have been established in this new era. However, people are now indulging in excess of this and negative implications of this new way of communication are now evident. The most obvious, and yet most severe, consequence of online communication is that people are less able to socialize. In this context, to socialize means to know about people and to know people better. Without connecting face-to-face, we will not be able to read others emotions, tone and body languages. In a long run, we may not be able to express our own emotions through natural reactions such as our facial expressions, but rather have ourselves confined to the cold cyber-world. Victims who are subjected to such changes may not be aware of the other parties inner thoughts and feelings because they are not able to read the others physical expressions. Moreover, with merely friend at a click away on the net, new social networks have slowly eroded the true value of friendship. Psychologists and other experts are starting to take a look at a less sensational but potentially more profound phenomenon: whether technology may be changing the very nature of kids friendship. In the past, one may share memories of ones childhood with a few close playmates, whereas now, one could have thousands and thousands of friends on Facebook, many of whom they may not even know. The youths of the new era put more emphasis on quantity rather than quality --- a change that has redefined and weakened the very nature of the bonds of friendship, a change that has caused the death of best friends. Moreover, the issue of Internet anonymity is still a major problem on the net itself. In the 4 th Century BC, Plato argued that morality comes from full disclosure; without accountability for our actions, we would all behave unjustly. The internet not only allows people from all walks of life to interact with each other, but it also serves as a platform for deception and crime. Without connecting face-to-face, we will never be sure who we are talking to. In this the contemporary society, social networks and messengers may just be the perfect platforms for insensitive and unjust actions. Cyberbullying, hacking and scams are not uncommon. Users of social networks may be disappointed, frightened or even develop negative assumptions about strangers. They would be more reluctant to place their trust in others, or even interact with others. It seems that the new era of online messaging and communication has given people an antisocial lifestyle; users of social networks could have ones world caged to the colorless cyberspace, enslaved and ensnared.

Education is right, not a privilege. Do you agree?

Londons young activists pulled off a chaotic celebration when thousands of them decided to party down the streets. Holding flashy boards and signs, these activists marched through the metropoliss roads and avenues, their souls hungering for justice as their financial burden hardened and their wallets lightened. Though intellectually gifted, many do not truly understand the meaning of education. Education exists, merely because mankind wishes to pass down its knowledge, and hopefully, one of the more talented generations could further explore the unknown regions in these areas. Of course, they also do not realize what a right is. Naturally, a right should be equally applied to anybody regardless of their status, wealth or birth, or any additionally social and political attachments. A privilege is somewhat different, because it only applies to a certain group of people, either on birth or otherwise. I believe that ideally, education should be a right. Although in reality, it can only be executed as a privilege. Education is not a right, simply because the process of academic exploration has to be supported by financial foundations. In the United Nations Development Programme Report 2009, the literacy rates in African countries such as Mali and Niger were ranked the lowest among all other countries. These countries lack the manpower, infrastructure and a sound education system for its people, but most importantly, they lack budget. Public education in Mali is in principle provided free of charge and is compulsory for nine years between the ages of seven and sixteen. However, Malis actual primary school enrollment rate is low, in large part because families are unable to cover the cost of uniforms, books, stationary supplies, and other fees required to attend. As the more financially handicapped members of the global family, their literacy rates were as low as 26.2%, in comparison to their wealthier siblings like UK and Japan who scored 99.0%. Education is not a right, simply because it is a privilege for the intellectually gifted. Keeping in mind the ultimate aim of education is for the younger generation to effectively inherit the knowledge of their predecessors, it would be inefficient to regard all students as equals. According to the US current population survey, only 22% of the total population is enrolled in universities; only 1 out of 4 Americans are given an opportunity to continue their studies. Globally, meritocratic principles of education are widely accepted as a norm, because limited resources dictate that students with limited potential are filtered out of the system, so as to prevent the loss of talents and the waste of resources. Some may seek further debate on the issue. They may argue that education is a selective right for the top scorers who have proven themselves worthy of sponsorship. Their argument is that by sponsoring these intellectuals, the government is in fact sponsoring the academic marathon of development and thus ensuring the progress of mankind. However pompous and self-assured they may sound, they do not realize that a selective right is in itself contradictory and in reality, a privilege. Just like the young activists who protested against the unjust raising of tuition fees, they should be more concerned with the tragedy that African children are not receiving proper education; they should be more concerned with the late bloomers who were not given an opportunity to further pursue their studies. At the end of the day, these activists could only see as far as their wallets are concerned.

Nonsensical National Pride

Pray for Japan. Catastrophe hit Japan on the 31 March 2011 as a ground-shaking disaster engulfed this highly economically developed metropolis. Followed by a wall waves, Japans death toll raise to an unbelievable ten thousand, turning the once charming tourist destination into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. News from Japan jumped from webpages to RSS, from SMS to Facebook status update. And within an hour after the devastating hazard, much of the world was informed. Being sympathetic and morally upright, many volunteered and more donated. It was truly a prestigious moment as most human beings turned to help those in pain and suffering. Well, except for few groups of haters who existed anonymously in Chinese online forum, seeking every single opportunity to denounce and defame this poor nation in disaster. These indifferent and insensitive trolls attempt to persuade netizens to stop helping Japan by posting highly inflammable comments involving events like the Nanjing Massacre and the invasion of Japan. Ah. Chinese Nationalists. Though the answer may be apparent, thorough examination of the issue prestigious is always essential for better understanding. Bad chemistry was long embed in the relationship between this two Asian giants. Two nation-states, though lived side-by-side, possess distinct and different cultures. The real conflicts only occurred in recent times when the Japan opened its doors to tourists, in particular, Chinese tourists. Their loudness, clumsiness, and their insensitive behavior of littering are highly perturbing for the Japanese, who are usually quiet, neat and led an organized lifestyle. Criticizing comments flooded Japanese social networks, like eGenki and Mixi, Complains greatly condemned the image of a typical Chinese, thus having their reputation plummeting to the bottom. Cultural gap widened as stereotyping developed. Fueled by their dark history, both countries are incapable of appreciating each others culture, history and identity, or worse, escalating in a hatred for on another. These negative commentaries culminated to a new height during recent times, as insensitive trolls drops invalid arguments into various forums, attempting to stimulate nationalistic feelings among Chinese, ravaging their unsound anger upon the suffering victims of earthquake. Since cultural issues are brought up, historical influence of the matter is inevitable. The infamous, and yet notorious, deeds done by the Japanese during World War II (WWII) laid foundation for hatred and violence between the two countries. National educations of both countries perceive the matter from different aspects and perspective, in which are often bias and one-side. Having the purpose of developing young nationalists, both countries selected, and created, some pieces of information from WWII. Their actions have proved to be successful, though the side-effects are much more devastating. Their hatred for each other has gone beyond the historical conflicts, but rather a defense for ones identity. The identity, in which was influenced by ones culture and history, forcefully defines a Chinese as nationalist who would take every single chance to attack the Japanese. This applies to Japanese too as their history was twisted by the government. Moral values and ethnics are ignored

as nationalistic identities are prioritized. The flaming and bombing will never end as generations of youths stood up for what they think is right. This war without a purpose, and a revolt without a cause, is immoral and nonsensical to me. History is history, it existed as a matter for us to learn and improve on. Many are indeed falling into the bottomless pit of historical hatred and identity. Being modern men who have liberated themselves from into the new era of morality and humanity, both parties should learn to judge by ones moral values, and not to be blurred by the toxic fumes of history.

Forever Online (and Forever Offline)

Unknown to many, deeply buried under our buildings, roads and rubbish bins, lies countless numbers of fiber optic wires. Besides transmitting Gigabytes (and more) of information across the globe twenty-four-seven, these tons of strangling ropes tied geeks to their computer table, leaving them enslaved and ensnared in the virtual cyberspace------forever. Some revolted and many more disagreed. In fact, it is really hard to tell whether you are an internet addict, or you have simply indulging in this technology. Many netizens treats internet as a daily necessity (it seems that Maslow has to correct the anachronism in his theory). Gluing ones eyeballs onto the display monitor has gradually become a trademark of the metropolitans. South Korea, one of the world's most electronically-connected societies, has up to 2 million web addicts out of its seemingly small 50 million populations. A pandemic that infected 4% of a countrys population is no joke. Psychologies and researches see the cause to be profound, but there existed a common ground------escapism. An utopia is always more alluring than the cruel reality. One could be a mighty alchemist who advances through jungles in search of the sacred elixir of life; one could be a well known pet trainer who has clinched the top prize always. In fact, the cyberworld offers more pleasurable experiences than reality does, way too many. To unleash their anger from the reality and to fulfill their inner most desire to success, the desperate may turn to use the cyberspace as a stress ball, though it could be more addictive than expected. But the argument does not stop here. A countering example emerged: In May 2010, a 41-year-old South Korean man was sentenced to two years in jail after he and his wife left their baby daughter to die of malnutrition while raising a virtual child on the Internet. If we assume addict are addicts because the cyberworld offers them what reality cannot offer, then their addiction should be cured, naturally, once the initial dream is accomplished in real life. The couple has a child, a human life. Not some programmed animations that only react to mouse clicks. This intrinsic evil signals the dangerous aftermath of internet addiction: addicts are now turning this alternate reality, into their reality.

The Modern Cult

We all love to gossip. As the internet wrest the role of propagation of information from the traditional media, avid followers of celebrity celebrate their new gained power to stalk their favourite sensation. Their forums and fan pages are replete with the places they visit, the food they consumes, and even their underwear preferences. Every nuance of their activities is tracked. A plethora of followers are so steeped in that they even treasure their idol as their private and virtual lover, unwilling to let go. The cult of Justin Bieber, the teenagers favourite sensation and star, proliferates across the globe and lured millions of boys and girls into worshipping his highness. Indeed, his attractive figure fulfils the voracious appetite of many. His halo, formed under interminable takes of flashes, further compounds his allure. It will not be surprising to hear that these frenetic follows are now attacking the girlfriend of their dream lover, Selena Gomez. The actress sparked outrage amongst fanatic Bieber admirers when pictures of her emerged larking about on holiday with the dream lover. The loved-up couple is currently on a romantic break in Maui, Hawaii, and has been spotted kissing and cuddling on the beach. The hapless Selena had to face bizarre and aggressive verbal attacks on social networking site Twitter. "Stay away from Justin paedophile," one laconic and irate fan wrote, while another added: "I'm gonna kill ya in the night underneath your smell bed." If there is one thing Id loathe in this world, it would be to make caustics remarks of another eminent figure anonymously on the internet. Celebrities are indeed virtual hero of our world, but their mighty power could only save the world on the television. Fanatic and irresponsible actions of these mindless followers would shame a toddler. These ominous comments would firstly have an irreversible psychological impact on the victim herself. Being a teenager of merely 18 years old, to be overwhelmed by thousands and thousands of hater messages is clearly not a pleasant experience. To further compound her problem, she is also a major celebrity and a public figure. Her reactions would be tracked and reported to her supporters and fans. How paradoxical is it to think that the fans of a pair of lovers would possibly confront each other due the news of their idols being together. However incongruous and threatening their remarks, I do not blame the fans. This multi-million industry needs subjects like these; loyal and frenetic, and of course, affluent and willing to devote their life savings to support their idol.

F as in Fat Here is yet another excuse for the housewives who wish to escape the domestic drudgery of meal preparation, and to embrace the fashion of junk food consumption. The new research in biology and human nerve system suggests that delirious fans of Mc with voracious appetite for French Fries may have a hard time consuming just a few of them. Fatty foods trigger the body to produce a natural feel-good chemical similar to the effect of marijuana, which encourages overeating. This new study set to be published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that chemicals called "endocannabinoids" produce a drug-like feeling that can drive one to gorge on fatty foods such as chips and fries. This article came just in time as another annual report, namely the US national obesity survey, emerged with data similar to our own prognostication and stereotyping. US has gained much weight since its independence and its rapid economic development. Ah, our all time favorite. Fast food, a sumptuous and nutritious supper could be served forthwith; a fine meal that could be ready anytime. Committing the sin of gluttony, the inane Americans may push the responsibility to the Gods work, accusing him of creating this finger licking good that is irresistible to many; reprimanding him for creating the chemical that sparks off an interminable desire to engulf while willingly stuff patties down their throats. Many simply do not realize the long term applications of junk food consumption. The insidious and furtive impact of these carbon hydrates stealthily corrodes ones healthy, damaging the bodys chemical equilibrium. The effect could be incipient in its early stages, but as Jeffrey Levi, executive director for Trust for America's Health warns, You add a pound or two every year and after 10 or 20 years, it becomes a significant thing, and that's sort of what the country has done." But is that all? It is just the simple reaction of chemicals in our biological system that escalates the obesity rate? Examining the data, the highest obesity rates are in the South, large swaths of which are poor and rural, and where fried foods are eaten in abundance. Following Mississippi, the most obese states are Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee and Louisiana. Naturally unable to afford high quality and sumptuous candle light dinners, the dregs of the skid rows have little choice in their choice of food. With little profession in cookery, these indigent families finally turned to this sordid industry. Sadly, it seemed that even among the exemplary and developed countries in this world, poverty is a problem that many authorities failed to alleviate.

The Threat of Technology

The technology race accelerated by scientific developments is carrying us to the future. Technology, being the application of scientific knowledge, promises robot servants, moon colonies, easy space travel, disease-free lives and many more. However, the future is always undefined. Technology that exist today and look promising may either flourish or wither on the vine. Everything comes with a price, and I believe we have begun paying for what we are currently indulging in. Rather to discuss the issue on a micro scale (like the article attached); I would like to point out some of the threat of technology on a macro scale. Technology sure brings benefits to the civilization, but at the same time, it brings ethnic issues. A controversial theory of technological determinism points out that the current technology should be, and must be, fully exploited to further progress the human civilization. However, can scientist really do so? Can scientists really use human beings to replace guinea pigs for experiments? Can scientists really send their biological weapons for human testing? Or can they mass produce test tube babies for scientific research? These issues concern the ethnic and moral principles of humanity. We cannot simply mobilize these technologies simply because we are capable of doing so. Science and technology have thus not only helped man in his progress and prosperity but also have become instruments for destruction. Technology equipped mankind with knowledge of about the rules of the world, which in turn can be used to destroy the human civilization. The world has seen the infamous example of the invention of nuclear weapon, an instrument so disastrous that its first ever use in war, and in the history of mankind, wiped out nearly a quarter million people in Japan during the World War II in 1945. A considerable number of scientists who were connected with the atomic bomb project have publicly expressed their apprehension of the consequences of their own creation. According to Dr Allison of the University of Chicago, All of us who worked on the atomic bomb have a momentary feeling of elation when our experiment met with success, but that felling rapidly changed to a feeling of horror, and a fervent desire that no more bombs would be dropped. The threat of a nuclear war hovers in the air. And this is also a curse of science and technology. There is no doubt that technology has improved mans life. However, technology acts more like a double-edged blade to us; we pay a heavy price for the benefits technology has bestowed on us. The threat acts on all scales and are imminent.

Art serves as enrichment to our modern way of living. Discuss.

National Geographic Magazines most recent printing, appropriately titled 7 billion, discussed the issue of world over-population. By the end of 2011 there is going to be 7 billion people on Earth. It says. In 2008, for the first time, there are more people living in cities than rural areas. It further elaborates. For the first time, I finally found a definition to our modern society. As we further advances through time, much traditional ideas are slowly eliminated and the modern way of thinking dominated the mankind. We now lived in concrete buildings, buried in tons of work and led a hasty life. That is the way of life we wallowed in, busy and fast-paced. Time became something that is so meticulous, that we now calculate them in seconds (with infinite numbers of decimal places behind). Whereas 100 years ago, time were merely differentiated using vague time units like morning and afternoon. As Technology progresses into a new era, information is now easily available online. Computer and digital media have people informed and propagated. Whereas 100 years ago, information is transferred in between one another through idle chatting, in which could be exaggerating and inaccurate. In contrast to the scientific breakthroughs we have in this modern society, art has made commendable achievements. Modern art now takes many forms, including performance art, martial art and painting art. What differentiates ancient arts forms from modern arts is that modern arts are no longer confronted to sketches of human anatomy, but rather to convey emotions and feelings. No artist could truly define modern art, but nevertheless, they all had similar purpose and motivation: to propagate certain ideas and express various feelings. It is no doubt that science advances our society, but what could art do. Many would answer that is serves as a form of entertainment. Well, then we are talking about art being an enrichment to our modern way of living. Our modern way of living could be restricting, but different forms of art could serve the purpose of entertainment, healing or to express certain critical or controversial views. They painted our decolorized modern world with sparks of creativity and sensation, thus enlivened our souls and enriched our way of living. Concerts, performance, art galleries and even the addictive Korean drama series that your grandma watch everyday served as a form of entertainment. Their plots had you crying, and their jokes had you amused. Beautiful music notes and decent painted portraits had the workaholics alleviated from their stressful workplaces. It is like being in another space and time. Indeed, art serves as a temporary escape from the real world by bringing its audience to an utopia through physical means. Art appeals to ones five senses such that he or she will be much affect by the message it contains and thus has his or her feelings aroused. Art not only served as a form of entertainment but also a way of stress management that enlightened our dry modern world. Not known to many, treatments and healing of patients sometimes does not require medicine or surgery, especially when dealing with patients with psychological illness. Since the human brain is too complicated to be analyzed, it would be unsound to have it given a physical treatment. This is when art therapy comes in. Psychotherapists and clinical psychologists use art therapy for difficult patients. The Diagnostic Drawing Series, for example, is used to determine the personality and emotional

functioning of a patient. The end product is not the principal goal in this case, but rather a process of healing, through creative acts, is sought. The resultant piece of artwork may also offer insight into the troubles experienced by the subject and may suggest suitable approaches to be used in more conventional forms of psychiatric therapy. In a similar way, placing art pieces in your own house may serve the same purpose. Since the owner will come across that art piece every single day, it may serve as a way to alleviate human suffering from work or study. Of course, the power of art is not limited. We all know that humans appeal more to their sight and hearing than any other senses. More artist mixed their emotions and views to their music and craft and thus conveys a certain view of the world that is sometimes controversial. Lady Gagas Top hit Bad Romance, Cranberries controversial video Zombie and more locally, the boards of white elephants that were placed around Buangkok MRT Station. Graffiti that were drawn on the walls or even simple sketch from unknown artist serve to bring certain issue to the front stage. Art became a platform for people to express their inner self through physical means. People could unleash their inner feeling through art and thus enriched our restricted urban life. Art is a language, like any other language it serves to communicate and convey, but yet so different art is a unique language that projects feelings, emotions and ones inner self. In this highly statistic and scientific world, art might just be an easy way to temporarily escape from our tiring world.