The Effects Our Dependancy on Technology Has on Us

The Effects Our Dependency on Technology Has on Us In the struggle to keep up with today’s ever-changing technology, is society paying too high a price? People seem to want things now. The internet is one of the most widely used technological advancements available, but are the consequences of the internet outweighing the benefits? Technology is changing the way people think, process information and even the way they act. People tend to want to take the easiest, fastest way to communicate, instead of taking a longer more thought-felt approach. Many articles have been written about this very subject. In Ellen Goodman’s article â€Å"In Praise of a Snail’s Pace† she says the way we communicate is greatly influenced by the computer and†¦show more content†¦Computers are necessary and required so the point is moot in saying people can stop using them. It is certainly easier to find a phone number, address, or recipe using the internet vs. looking the m up in a book. Therefore out of necessity and sheer enjoyment people will not give up the ease and quick availability the computer gives us. The Web provides news and important information at a faster rate than the pony express ever did, but the human mind may pay a penalty for the gain. One would think it is possible. If people only take the easy to reach, shiny apples from the tree, they would miss the harder to reach sweeter apples that take more time and risk acquiring. This is like searching for keywords, taking the easiest answers without bothering to read the entire book. Somehow we miss out. In order for individuals to retain their ability to think and also express human emotion to family and friends they must be able to achieve balance much like Goodman’s â€Å"snail mail vs. email†. At the next opportunity to correspond people must decide whether a short to- the –point e-mail is appropriate or whether a longer hand-written letter is appropriate. Tech nology has its place. For people who have experienced life with and without technology they appreciate it. However, they also appreciate a day at the beach without cellphones and a good book for a chance to relax and escape technology if only for a moment. (962Show MoreRelatedPoverty in the Philippines7342 Words   |  30 Pagesunder Annex 5 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement. Japan and South Korea are the other two countries. The exemption will expire on December 31, 2004. The primary objective of the paper is to look at the possible poverty and distributional effects of the removal of the QR and the reduction in tariffs on rice imports. In particular, the paper attempts to analyze the following issues: (a) Do the poor share in the potential gains from a freer market for rice? (b) What alternative or accompanying

Analysis of Arguments for and Against the Institutions Free Essays

The Bretton Woods twins, namely the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, have been the focus of attention for several years already since its inception. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development has been changed to its presently popular name of World Bank. It is the aim of this paper to make a general presentation and evaluation of the argument posed for and against the Bretton Woods institutions in relation to their influence on the sovereign decision making process of the different countries in the global economic arena. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Arguments for and Against the Institutions or any similar topic only for you Order Now During its creation, the IMF and the World Bank has been absorbed with practices of neoliberal economy policies that sought to liberalize the market from the state and minimize government intervention in the premise that â€Å"the state itself was conceived as the problem rather than the solution† (Onis and Senses 2005: 264). It has been clearly pointed out by Onis and Senses (2005) that the effects of strict adherence to the neoliberal practices proposed by the Bretton Woods institutions have led to problems for a lot of countries. Among them is Argentina who has fallen suddenly at the peak of its swing (Onis and Senses 2005). This was followed by a shift of the Bretton Woods institutions to rethinking the neoliberal practices they have imposed as a tight rope to the countries they have bestowed with different programmes. However, it is still stained with uncertainty as to whether their sincerity is real or not in the light of their actions (Onis and Senses 2005: 280). The arguments posed by the authors, Onis and Senses (2005), have been followed by concrete examples from countries that have adopted the neoliberal approaches hailed to be good by the Bretton Woods institutions but did not directly provide as to how and why there were failures on the part of the Bretton Woods institutions than what Stiglitz (2003) had done. Another counter-argument thrown towards the IMF, in particular, is its failure in the East Asian Crisis. It has not adhered to the objectives originally formulated by Keynes when it had begun, which was to adopt policies that are expansionary in nature and to provide for funding to developmental undertakings (Stiglitz, 2003). In fact, they have provided for policies that have been contractionary fiscal policies that either involved reducing public spending, increase in taxes, or adopting both. With regard to objectives, this argument stated by Stiglitz is valid for it has stated the whys of the failure of IMF with regard to objectives. The author also provided the answer to the question â€Å"how† by stating that the IMF has been accountable to a single stream of representatives, who are in turn becoming less and less accountable (Stiglitz 2003: 119). A good argument placed upon the World Bank has something to do with the fact that it has been able to learn from the mistakes of the IMF and was able to discuss the problems that have beset their organization (Stiglitz 2003). The World Bank, unlike the IMF, was accountable to a lot of sectors and, with its leaders, was able to discuss the problems and criticisms that have been pushed their way (Stiglitz 2003). This approach by the World Bank was better than the actions of the IMF, who actually blamed the governments for poor implementation. However, with regard to the aids given by the Bank to the developing countries, there are certain conditions such as policies that would pave the way for the success of the aid given (Stiglitz 2003: 124). Thus, this has rendered the aid more selective. These are among the several arguments placed and there is more coming from the different fields in the academe. These criticisms only show that the institutions formed Bretton Woods left some more room for improvement. In addition to this, these arguments have shown that the courses of action taken by these institutions had impacts that are felt by both the developing and the developed countries. References Onis, Z. and Senses, F. (2005), ‘Re-thinking the Emerging Post-Washington Consensus. ’ Development and Change 36, (2) 263-290. Stiglitz, J. (2003), ‘Democratizing the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank: Governance and Accountability. ’ Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions 16, (1) 111-139. How to cite Analysis of Arguments for and Against the Institutions, Essays

French, Spanish, and English Colonization Essay Example For Students

French, Spanish, and English Colonization Essay The French, Spanish, and English all tried to colonize the Western Hemisphere. The French colonization in America started in the 16th century, and continued through centuries as France created an empire in the Western Hemisphere. They founded most colonies in the east of the U. S. A, and many Caribbean islands. The English were one of the most important colonizers of the Americas, and really had a rivalry against the Spanish. The English began colonizing in the late 16th century and came out on top when all their colonies were built through America. The Spanish really conquered most of the Western Hemisphere, their colonization attempts were started by the Spanish conquistadors, It went from Christopher Columbus arriving in America in 1492 and went on for nearly four centuries when the Spanish Empire expanded in most of present day Central America. The English reached it’s peak of gaining land through colonization in the late 16th century, they established many colonies throughout the Americas, they were very important colonizers of Americas, and had advances in military and economic features, though they were rivals with Spanish colonies. Even with their success, the English had their problems, their colonization attempts caused a lot of problems to civilizations in America, with their military, they caused cultural disruption, and they introduced many diseases throughout every colony. The English had the most advances in their war strategies with their long history of warfare, just like the Spanish. The French, English, and Spanish have something in common; trade was a huge part in their colonial policies, although the English promoted settlement and development more than the French and Spanish. Though the French didn’t have the best military, they were very rich in the trading business. Most of the colonies they colonized were able to export products such as fish, sugar and furs. The French established forts and settlements that are now present day Montreal and Quebec in Canada. The French’s major exploration of America began with the King of France, Francis I. In 1542, Francis sent Giovanni da Verrazano to explore the region between Florida and Newfoundland. They named the land Francesca and Nova Gallia to the land between New Spain and English Newfoundland. In 1534, Francis sent out another man with a voyage to explore the coast of these lands. They tried to establish many colonies through North America, but failed, due to weather, disease and warfare between them and European powers. Spanish colonization of the Americas was the exploration, conquest, settlement, and political rule over pretty much all of the western hemisphere, Spanish conquistadors relied heavily on auxiliaries, for their needs of wealth and trade from the Indians. The cultures of the Indians who lived in America changed violently when the Spanish colonized their land. The Spanish stuck close to their religion, while the Indians had their own, which caused many conflicts. It finally blew over and the Indians adapted to Catholicism, though some still practiced, and were caught and faced consequences. The Spanish might have not been the most important part of the colonization’s in America, but they sure had a lot of impact on the religion and language. The French, Spanish, and English had many advances and drawbacks during this period. While the French had great Military like the English, the Spanish conquered the Indian land with their religion and language, they adapted with the indigenous people of America, unlike the French and English who had many conflicts with them. All colonized great amounts of land and were successful most of the time, although the English dealt with disease more often than the French and Spanish, they also had a great trade and military system. The French succeeded very nicely with their warfare also. Through and through, all of these people did a great job on founding America.