Not All Access is Created Equal Essay -- Definition Technology Essays

Not All Access is Created Equal Access n. 1) the ability, right or permission to approach, enter, speak with or use; admittance; 2) the state or quality of being approachable; 3) a ways or means of approach; ~ v. 9) to make contact with or gain access to; to be able to reach, approach, enter; 10) Computers. to locate (data) for transfer from one part of a computer system to another, generally between an external storage device and main storage Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd Edition Unabridged Language is a continuum. New words enter any given language upon contact with other cultures. Language is not static. It expands and contracts to allow or disallow change. The above excerpted definitions are reflective of what â€Å"access† can mean when this second edition of the dictionary was published in 1987. The first edition published in 1966 did not include the definition designated in number ten dealing with the technology arising in our computer age. Even that 1987 definition of computer access is outdated. However, we can derive from the preceding explanations a comfortable basis for determining what â€Å"access† means to computing technology in schools, the workplace and at home. Access, to those of us who use computers, means that we have a tool making communication and work tasks easier. Access, by implication, means to many of us that anyone has the ability to acquire the same information or perform the same tasks based on the availability of c omputers within a school or workplace or home. Accepting this notion is of course absurd. Not only does the definition of a word change, but the environment in which it exists is also in flux. Access does not ever the mean the desired object is avai... ...l in the hands of the educators. We become adept at manipulating the materials and the technology we have on hand to create the most productive and stimulating and thought-provoking exercises possible. We can bemoan our lack of access or simply use the technology we have. But I contend that access still has its ups and downs. Sometimes because information links and word processing are so accessible we become desensitized to the personal and emotional act of communication. We have traded hands-on-experiences for virtual reality – handwritten letters for abbreviated emails – summer games of kick the can for solitaire on a green screen. The world has shrunk because of technological advances so that we know more about cultures around the globe while at the same time we have surrounded ourselves with machines that help us maintain personal distance and anonymity.

Exaggerated Global Warming Essay

Global warming is worldwidely experienced climatic phenomenon; but the question is, is it really that serious? Global warming has been a major issue as a result of industrialization as well as human progress since the past few decades. The cry to bring global warming to an end has been carried on by private in addition to international organizations since the initiative was first put forward. Global warming occurs as a result of devastating factors that negatively affect the climate. There are numerous sources that give details about the causes and effects of global warming. Each and every living organism has been negatively affected by the current global warming. This paper will evaluate various sources in order to demonstrate the dangers of global warming. Introduction Gupta asserts that global warming is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth (p, 4). These climatic conditions differ as a result of various reasons; both internal and external. Changes to climatic conditions and thus global warming can occur as a result of natural, for example volcanic emissions and solar activity, or man-made circumstances, such as deforestation. The issue concerning global warming in the United States has in the past few years generated heated debates in the political arena. The former U. S. Vice President, Al Gore, an anti-global warming crusader, through the U. S. National Assessment of Global Warming as pointed out by Harmon, convinced a lot of people that global warming manifest an evident and current danger to the United States (p, 29). However, Al Gore’s report was termed as a misrepresentation claiming that it portrayed deliberate scientific deceit for the purpose of political agenda (Johnston para, 7). Many people, according to Johnston, claim that Al Gore failed the movement for climatic change and that his negligence resulted in an irreplaceable harm to the climate (para, 8). All in all Al Gore notes that global warming is an overwhelming danger currently facing the United States and the world at large. Gore asserts that left uncontrolled, global warming will tremendously affect the future of humankind (Harmon p, 36). Exaggerated Global Warming Global warming occurs as a result of a combination of numerous factors. The solar variation theory, according to D’Silva, states that the suns energy has been increasing day by day over the past sixty or so years (para, 1). This theory states that the sun may now be acting as a major cause of global warming. Studies, as illustrated by D’Silva, have revealed that the amount of sunspots in a particular area directly affects the amount of time taken by the nearby earth to cool (para, 1). The sun acts as the main source of energy to the earth. The earth takes in a very large percent of the earth’s solar flax. As a result of this flax, the earth, land, and ocean’s atmospheric temperatures increase drastically (Sinha p, 89). Orbital forcing, as Sinha states, is the other factor believed to be a natural cause of global warming (p, 90). The slow tilting of the axis of the earth is also believed to have some negative effects on the climate. This tilting causes the sun to be positioned at different angles than normal, thereby causing it to hit the icebergs. The most significant cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect (Sinha p, 91). Green house effect is the increase in earth’s surface temperature as a result of infrared radiation from the atmosphere. Green house effect has led to an in crease in the atmospheric temperature by about 24%. Increase in carbon dioxide is the main factor that results in greenhouse effect (Gupta p, 8). Methane is the other gas that is linked to global warming. The other factor that may lead to global warming is solar variations; these are the changes that occur in the quantity of radiant energy emitted by the sun. Rapid industrialization is the other factor, in addition to natural causes, that result in an increase in global warming presently. Global warming is believed to have first been experienced about 8,000 years ago with the start of agriculture (Maslin p, 40). Forests were cleared, a factor that increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Industrialization is believed to increase the release of gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, which lead to global warming to the atmosphere. Forests are cleared in order to establish industries. Cutting down of trees results in an increase in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere as trees contain a very high quantity of carbon. Burning of fuel fossils is the other humankind activity that increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and, thus an increase in global warming. Over the past two decades the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that results in global warming has increased by about 80% (D’Silva para, 5). Although global warming is believed to cause numerous negative environmental effects, it is hard to link specific conditions to global warming. It is also hard to tell whether the link between the global warming and the tremendous global effects attributed to it are true. The former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, was highly criticized for publishing work that many claimed over exaggerated the effects of global warming for political gains (Harmon p, 41). However, the effects of global warming are dangerous and real. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters (Roleff p, 54). Increase in global temperatures result in a wide range of changes including rise in sea levels as a result of thermal expansion of the ocean, along with melting of the land ice. The numbers as well as the patterns of climatic phenomenon predictions are changing at a very high rate as a result of global warming (Maslin p, 45). The total power of hurricanes has increased as a result of global warming; this is due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Extreme changes in temperature and patterns of prediction increase the frequency, duration, and magnitude of other climatic events such as floods, tornadoes, heat waves as well as draughts (Roleff p, 68). Hurricanes as well as other storms are likely to become more and more intense if the current rate of global warming is not checked (Gupta p, 16). Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Some species are moving from regions experiencing adverse effects of global warming to cooler regions. This if left unchecked will result in tremendous changes in the ecosystems. Global warming is also believed to cause diseases, which had been eradicated in certain places, to return with severe consequences (Schneider p, 57). On average, precipitation has increased across the world. Schneider notes that the amount of fresh water drastically reduces with increase in global warming (p, 75). This leaves a lot of people as well as animals which rely on it for drinking water and power production without a source. Scientists predict that heat waves, hot extremes in addition to heavy precipitation will become a common phenomenon (Roleff p, 51). Scientists argue that the sea will become more acidic as a result of taking up more carbon dioxide (Schneider p, 79). Global warming, as asserted by Kriengsak, causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world (para, 1). Kriengsak argues that tornadoes and hurricanes in addition to other storms result in bullions of dollars in damage, disease and control of conflicts that may arise (para, 4). Global warming, according to Roleff, is also believed to be the major cause of extreme cold weather that has recently afflicted the eastern and southern regions of the United States (p, 87). This is believed to be as a result of movement of cold polar air masses to the southern regions. Global warming is also attributed to heavy snow falls. This is due to the fact that higher temperatures results in more evaporation of water in addition to higher humidity content in the atmosphere, and therefore to heavier snows incase the warm, humid air comes across cold air masses moving to the southern regions from the polar regions. The real exaggeration of global warming as a result of man-made related factors must be somehow greater than a factor of two, due to the fact that most of the rise in atmospheric temperature occurred before 1940, but carbon dioxide in addition to other green house gases entered the atmosphere after 1940 (Maslin p, 65). This may lead to a conclusion that the effect of green house can only be accountable for only a few proportions of the observed rise in temperature. Exaggeration of global warming for the last few years, as argued by Maslin, is important as it acts as a resource of the forecasts of a devastating global warming in the next century (p, 112). Conclusion It can therefore be concluded that global warming, which is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth, is a real danger to not only the united states, but also to the rest of the world. Private as well as international organizations have been in the forefront in the fight against global warming. The former vice president of the U. S, Al Gore, though was highly criticized, clearly illustrated the effects of global warming to humankind. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters. Global warming has also resulted in an increase in the total power of hurricanes due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. Global warming causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Work Cited: D’Silva, Roy. What Causes Global Warming? N. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/what-causes-global-warming. html Gupta, KR. Global Warming, ISBN 8126908815: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2008 Johnston, Robert. Falsehoods in Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, 2006 viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. johnstonsarchive. net/environment/gore. html Kriengsak, Global Warming: The Economic Risk Factor, n. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://blog. nationmultimedia. com/print. php? id=1693 Maslin, Mark. Global Warming: Causes, Effects, and the Future, ISBN0760329656: Voyageur Press, 2007 Roleff, Tamara. Barbour, Scott. and Swisher, Karin. Global warming: opposing viewpoints, ISBN 1565105125: Greenhaven Press, 1997 Schneider, Stephen. Global warming: are we entering the greenhouse century? ISBN 0718828151: James Clarke & Co. , 1990 Sinha, PC. Global Warming, ISBN 817488954X: Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. , 1998 Harmon, Daniel. Al Gore and Global Warming, ISBN 1404217614: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008

Ethics of Welfare and Government Assistance Essay

Patrick Cassidy PHL 215 3/23/10 Ethics of Welfare and Government Assistance When the topic of welfare is brought into an ethical discussion most individuals would surely see it as an ethical act that genuinely helps those in need. This is true to an extent, but is it possible that welfare does more harm than good? Most would argue that the hand out of money to those less fortunate is being socially responsible. The question that drives this ethical issue is where does social responsibility end and personal responsibility pick up? This question is difficult to answer because every family in need is in a different situation. Government benefits are supposed to be used as a crutch for families to get back on their feet, but about†¦show more content†¦On the other side of the coin, psychological egoism would suggest that all people who qualify for government benefits would try to collect these benefits. That is where psychological egoism falls short of defining exactly how human s behave. Social stigmas associated with government assistance keeps some individuals from applying. This shows that selfishness takes a backseat to pride and dignity when placed against these moral values. The real problem with government programs like welfare, food stamps, and free lunch is that the line between assistance and benefits is very dull. For example, a man who makes enough money to support his family may still qualify for welfare. If the person solely spends their welfare checks on alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling is it really helping them prosper? The reality is that every person has different tolerance for assistance. Welfare that may feel like warranted assistance for one family could be seen as excess unearned benefits for a different family. That is where the psychological egoism perspective of all actions being driven by self-interest falls apart. It also does not hold up against thoughts of compassion. 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