Russian Revolution and its affect

https://sputniknews.com/russia/201702251051038503-russia-revolution-impact/

Social media/technology making us less social

I feel social media has created so many ways to communicate and be social but has made us less confrontational when it comes to face to face talk.

http://www.debate.org/opinions/has-social-media-made-us-less-social

There's an example of how for somebody social media has made him more social

People don't need to go out any more

People used to need to go out with their friends to find out about their lives but now they can find out from their computer screen without any real human contact or conversation. People no longer need to be able to communicate properly with others due to the fact that the internet is doing it for them. And also the ability to use internet phones to check social media sights has turned places like coffee shops and cafes into non social areas. Instead of approaching strangers to be entertained in new situations people are just pulling out their phones and checking their social media so that they can feel connected to others without actually being connected to others.

Heres another argument in that people don't go out.

Is google making us stupid?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuC8Er2qdbk

I wouldn't say google/the internet is making us "stupid" but its definitely making us more lazy. At minute 1:20, the student seems to agree that it makes us stupid but also makes us smarter. Going to have to agree with his reasoning in that the internet provides us with so much information, how could we get dumber.

Sorry for such delayed responses btw :/

Technology can help make Long Distance Relationships seem Close

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170214104249.htm

The article discusses the benefits of using technology to help long distance couples seem close with one and other. What is your opinion on the article? Do you think technology is good or bad for relationships?  

Technology & Romantic Relationships

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-petite/technologys-adverse-effec_b_7238390.html

Let me know your thoughts! How does technology affect your romantic relationships? If you don't have any, how has it influenced your romantic pursuits? If you don't have any, how has it influenced your platonic relationships?

Women's Oppression & the Industrial Revolution

Women's Oppression & the Industrial Revolution

http://web.clark.edu/afisher/HIST253/lecture_text/WomenWorkingClassIndustrial%20Revolution.pdf

During the height of the industrial revolution, many working-class women found themselves in an extreme oppressed society, where the only the lower-class (or the poor) were in need of income to survive.  Women working during this era found themselves segregated and demeaned from society due to the fact that the middle-class found women in the work force to be demoralizing and degrading.

The pay scale for women was far less than their male counterparts.  And even lower for women with children.  Single women had five options of obtaining work during this era; domestic service, factory work, street-selling, manual labor, agricultural work, mine work, and prostitution.  Women with children had lesser options and were often paid less due to the fact that there was an assumption that they were married and therefore did not need the money as much as a man who support their families.  Most working mothers would bring their children in to work with them in factory positions, often working long hours with very poor conditions.  Child labor laws were not in effect until 1832, which only deemed that children under nine are no longer allowed to work and others above that age cannot exceed a 12-hour work day. 

Men during this era, only worked four - five days a week and would waste their money on drinking.  Because men were not as reliable and were paid more, women were exploited and were used to fill most of the factory positions, working longer hours; approximately 16 hours a day, 6 days a week.  Reform came in many ways throughout the years, which changed working conditions and eventually offered women the ability to obtain an education and gain access to higher pay jobs; however, as we know to this day, women are still paid less for same positions held by men.  So remains the injustice in women's oppression on the subject continues, as Congress refuses to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act rejected several times by the Republic Party in 2014.  This Act would have forced employers to address the difference in pay for each gender and help eventually close that gap.[1]  

                “. . . . female discrimination is still playing a huge role in America.  There are more than one circumstance in which women are on the end of sexual, financial, and social oppression though the law states discrimination to both sexes are illegal.  However, this is just more evidence to support the fact that the society we live in are turning a blind eye to the oppression faced by women.” (Ghaninejad, 2015)

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[1] http://shsrattler.com/4207/opinion/women-still-face-oppression-today-in-u-s/

  

Do Violent Video Games have an Affect on Kids?

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/07/137660609/its-a-duel-how-do-violent-video-games-affect-kids

This article discusses the affects that violent video games have on kids. Are kids more aggressive and/or desensitize to real world problems or are there other factors that affect the empathy of kids. Do you agree or disagree with the article? And what are your opinions on the topic?

Negative effects of technology on kids

"Negative Effects of Technology on Kids"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUO4Bsv8tYA

In this YouTube video regarding the negative impact on children in our society in relation to what leads to the lack of empathy in today's generation is quite revealing.  It is documented that approximately 20-25 acts of violence are displayed on television programs each hour.  A research study was conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation Survey - AC Neilson Company which reported that by the time a child finishes elementary school, they would have witnessed 8,000 murders before entering middle school in the USA.

It is to no surprise that with the total amount of violence children are exposed to on a daily basis, that most are so desensitized that they can't even comprehend what it is like to show compassion or empathy to others. 

In reference to yesterday's class, dated February 8, 2017, I wanted to provide the following link mentioned by Prof. Williams regarding this generations Pop Culture and the effects of how technology has an impact on our daily lives.  Here is the video of Justin Bieber's song: Love Yourself.  This is my first time I've watched the video, for anyone else who has never seen this video, it is provided within the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyEuk8j8imI&list=PL7cJWYlMnhfxKAbFqMBItmVmjZGCmxhIp

Is Technology Killing Our Empathy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOhXJPO7PjE

This TedTalk gets into technology (specifically social media) and how it is meant to deepen our empathy gap & diminish our ability to relate to others. It also dives into the lack of empathy vs. the rise of narcissism. Let me know what you all think!

-Julie

Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is a scientific revolution that changed the way we grow and consume foods in agriculture.  The development of this biotechnology started with the Recombinant-DNA (rDNA) technology, which is the introduction of one organism artificially introduced into the genome of another organism and then replicated and expressed by that other organism[1].  This was created through the collaboration of two scientists Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen in 1972 and after from the original gene-splicing experiment first introduced by Paul Berg in 1971. 

Approximately forty-three years later, most agriculture is cultivated by implementing the scientific method of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) that had once allowed farmers to grow pest-resilient crops that can grow much larger and sustain a longer shelf life than years prior to the use of this technology. 

In 1999, over 100 million acres of farms around the world were farmed with these genetically engineered seeds. However, by 2003, it was discovered that certain pests had already become immune to the genetically engineered toxins produced by these modified crops.[2]  Further, the need to introduce a stringent form of toxic bacterium in order for these crops to survive is now under way. 

It is important to note that in 2011, the same toxins were found in the blood of a pregnant women who showed evidence that she had passed the same toxin to her unborn child.  Since both humans and animals are being fed genetically engineered crops, it is likely that we are consuming a significant amount of GMO’s from the animals we feed on and the vegetables we eat, quite possibly enhancing the number of toxins we consume from GM foods in our diets per day. 

With the height of the population growing at an astounding rate, projected to grow to 9 million people by 2050[3], the need to cultivate genetically modified food sources will continue to advance in many other facets of our daily diets.  And although there have been numerous accounts of animal cases that have documented severe, if not fatal side-effects to GM food consumption[4].  The FDA continues to allow these GM foods to be produced and has recently approved a recent application from AquaBounty Technologies for AquAdvantage Salmon[5]; this will be a new form of genetically engineered food source that alters the DNA of Atlantic Salmon which will allow it to grow faster, thereby yielding the company a high profit margin on the length of time it takes to raise and sell these genetically modified salmon in the marketplace.  

Which brings me to ask this question: “Is the FDA really looking out for your best interest?”  If you google this very question or “Is the FDA Corrupt?”  You will find many articles and documented regarding this very topic.   But I will leave that up to you to decide for yourselves. 

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[1] https://www.chemheritage.org/historical-profile/herbert-w-boyer-and-stanley-n-cohen

[2] http://gmoinside.org/gmo-timeline-a-history-genetically-modified-foods/

[3] http://www.prb.org/Publications/Lesson-Plans/HumanPopulation/PopulationGrowth.aspx

[4] http://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-education/section1/

[5] http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm473249.htm