Voting Participation in the U.S. Presidential Elections

Introduction Recent studies of political attitudes and voting patterns in the United States presidential elections demonstrate that voter loyalties and voting trends have undergone a major shift since the original large-scale voting studies were initiated in the 1940s and 1950s (Guterbock, 1980).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voting Participation in the U.S. Presidential Elections specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the American context, the presidential elections are often a hotly contested affair between the traditionally business-oriented Republicans and the labor-oriented Democrats (Gelman, Kenworthy Su, 2010). However, as suggested by Gonzalez (2012), U.S. presidential elections are won on a number of platforms other than the philosophical leanings of the candidates or party interests. In this regard, it is important to evaluate the determinants of voting participation in the U.S. presidential el ections not only to assist political parties to polish their campaigns during the electioneering period, but also to inform policy decisions at the party level. While it is a well known fact that most Americans consider themselves as Republican or Democrat, a strand of existing political literature (e.g., Newman, 2001; Pasek et al., 2009; Weisberg, 2007) demonstrates that presidential election results are paradoxically predicated upon a multiplicity of factors other than partisan voting. While these studies exhibit rekindled interest in the existence of factors outside party identification that are intrinsically involved in determining the results of the presidential election (Holbrook McClurg, 2005), less attention has been devoted to examining the mechanisms by which these factors activate or deactivate partisanship and mobilize core supporters toward voting for a particular presidential candidate Wildavsky, 2011). Interestingly, many of these studies tend to deal with individual factors to understand voting patterns in U.S. presidential elections though common practice demonstrates that a number of factors are involved in efforts to shape the voting discourse and trajectory. The present study aims to fill this research gap by analyzing four possible determinants of voting participation in U.S. presidential elections: media, religion, social economic status and level of education. A comprehensive review of these factors is presented in the subsequent sections.Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Available literature demonstrates that the media (print, electronic, Internet) has an agenda-setting capacity or â€Å"the ability to influence not what people think, but what they think about† (Newton Brynin, 2001 p. 225). This view is reinforced by Gonzalez (2012), who acknowledges that most modern media platforms have the capacity to prime or frame is sues in a manner that leads the audience or users to think about them in one way rather than another. Extending and supporting the work in this nascent area of research, Newman (2001) claims that victory in the U.S. presidential election often goes to the candidate who wages the best marketing campaign using available media platforms not only to make an emotional connection with the people, but also to project an image of honesty, compassion and toughness in the minds and hearts of the American people. Other scholars note that â€Å"both candidates and voters have increased their use of the Internet for political campaigns† (Robertson, Vatrapu Medina, 2010 p. 11). Presidential candidates, according to these authors, have adopted many Internet-based tools to communicate with voters, collect contributions, foster community and organize political campaigns, whereas voters have adopted Internet tools to relate to the presidential candidates, engage in political discourse, follow activist causes, and share information. The relationship between religion and the U.S. presidential elections has been investigated by a number of scholars. In his seminal work on religious identity and the U.S. presidency, Gonzalez (2012) found that â€Å"the relationship between religion and the presidency impacts both the viability of candidates and the manner in which decisions are made in the voting booth† (p. 568). In the 2012 presidential elections, for instance, Republican candidate Mitt Romney suffered considerable stigma from the American voters due to his close association with Mormon religious doctrines (Gonzalez, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voting Participation in the U.S. Presidential Elections specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Manza and Brooks (1997) are of the opinion that in the U.S political landscape, religious-oriented cleavages may have been a more fundamental fact or for understanding the social roots of voter alignments than the class cleavage owing to the fact that Americans normally claim higher levels of church membership and attendance at religious gatherings and hence are more likely to believe in God and claim that religion is of substantial importance in their lives. Social economic status has been shown as a possible determinant of voting participation in the U.S. presidential elections. A study by Southwell (2004) shows that unemployed and economically-disadvantaged people are less likely to take part in voting, whereas their employed and rich counterparts derive much satisfaction from participating in presidential elections. This author further explains that persons experiencing financial difficulties are â€Å"less likely to participate in elections because the stressful nature of economic adversity forces a preoccupation with personal economic problems and makes the individual withdraw from political or community matters as a re sult† (p. 237-238). Guterbock (1980) used ecological data from the Midwestern city of Middletown to demonstrate that although there is a perceived weakening of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and electoral choices, a considerable number of eligible Americans continue to vote along class and racial lines. According to the researcher, wealthy people and those in white-collar occupations continue to vote for Republican candidates to maintain the status quo, while middle class (working class) voters and immigrants vote for Democrat candidates because the policies projected by the Democratic Party are perceived as more responsive to their interests. Lastly, a number of research studies have investigated the relationship between a voter’s level of education and his or her voting participation in the U.S. presidential elections. Although the results are not conclusive, Coley and Sum (2012) â€Å"reveal a startling stratification at the nation’s poll ing stations, from a voting rate of 3.5 percent for voting-age high school dropouts to 80.5 percent for well-off, advanced-degree holders between the ages of 55 and 64† (p. 2).Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These authors found a significant association between the level of education and civic engagement (e.g., participating in elections), leading to the conclusion that the nation’s less-educated, lower-income eligible voters have willingly disenfranchised themselves form the voting process. One Canadian study analyzing the last federal election found that â€Å"the voting rate among people with a university degree was 78% compared with rates of 60% or lower among those with a high school education or less† (Uppal LaRochelle-Cote, 2012 para. 12). These figures demonstrate that education may have a ‘positive effect’ on voting patterns not only in the U.S. but also internationally. The present study is interested in testing the following hypotheses. The first hypothesis is that voters with high media exposure (TV) are more likely to participate in U.S. presidential elections than voters with low media exposure. The second hypothesis is that voters with a solid religious orientation are more likely to determine the outcomes of the U.S. presidential election than voters with a secular orientation. he third hypothesis is that social economic status is a strong predictor in determining the probability of voting in the U.S. presidential elections. The last hypothesis is that voters with low levels of education are less likely to take part in presidential elections than voters with high levels of education. Methods The data for this study were extracted from a larger database known as the General Social Survey (GSS), which is basically a nationwide survey intended to capture the demographic, behavioral and attitudinal views of Americans on a wide range of issues. The GSS is a probability sampling national survey completed through personal questionnaires targeted at non-institutionalized individuals over the age of 18 years. Information from the GSS official website shows that â€Å"the 1972-2012 GSS has 5,545 variables, time-trends for 2,072 v ariables, and 268 trends having 20+ data points† (General Social Survey, 2013 para. 2). The 1996 data set was used in this study, and the sample size drawn for analysis consisted of 1,419 Americans. Data relevant to the dependent and the independent variables were used to test the hypotheses. Questions were posed to the participants and the responses entered into the corresponding categories in line with a quantitative approach. However, some items were not operationalized and required the respondents to give their responses in an open-ended manner. These responses were later operationalized by the researcher around underlying themes and then analyzed quantitatively using the IBM SPSS Statistics program. While the ordinal level of measurement was mostly used when values for the responses represented categories with some intrinsic ranking, the nominal level of measurement was used when values for the responses showed no form of intrinsic ranking, whereas the scale level of meas urement was employed when values for the responses represented ordered categories demonstrating a meaningful metric (Balnaves Caputi, 2001). For this study, the independent variables include respondent’s highest level of education (measured using ordinal level by ranking participants against the intrinsic categories for educational achievement), TV hours and Internet hours (measured using scale level by stating the number of hours respondents use per day watching TV), respondents income for the last year (measured using ordinal level by entering the respondent’s income for the last year into predetermined intrinsic categories), and belief in life after death (measured using nominal level as a â€Å"YES/NO† response). The dependent variable is whether the respondents voted in the 1996 U.S. presidential election. As already mentioned, the sample size for this study is 1,419. Quantitative techniques were employed to analyze the data with the view to testing the st ated hypotheses. Descriptive statistics (frequency distributions and cross tabulations) were used to demonstrate the frequency of occurrence and the relationships between the dependent and independent variables. Chi-square tests were also done for purposes of identifying which frequencies and relationships could be considered statistically significant. The results are presented in the following section. Results Table 1 shows the cross-tabulation of the number of number of hours per day respondents spent watching TV and if they voted in the 1996 presidential elections. It is imperative to note that over two-thirds (67.9%) of respondents who spent a minimum of two hours per day watching the TV voted against only 118 (25.1%) who spent the same number of hours but did not vote. Similarly, 205 (67.9%) of respondents who spent 3-5 hours watching the news voted in the 1996 general elections against 23 (27.6%) who spent similar number of hours but did not vote. The Pearson Chi-Square test s howed a df of 45 and two-sided significance of 0.290, while the Spearman Correlation Coefficient showed an approximate significance of 0.082. Consequently, the level of occurrences and relationship is significant enough to prove that voters with high media exposure are more likely to participate in voting than voters with low media exposure. Table 1: Hours spent watching TV and Participation in 1996 General Elections Hours per day watching TV (n=880) Did Respondent Vote in 1996 General Election Voted Did not Vote Ineligible Refused to Answer Total 0-2 hrs 319 (67.9) 118 (25.1) 33 (7.0) 0 470 (53.4) 3-5 hrs 205 (64.3) 88 (27.6) 25 (7.8) 1 (0.3) 319 (36.3) 6-8 hrs 33 (55.9) 23 (39.0) 3 (5.1) 0 59 (6.7) Over 8 hrs 17 (53.1) 15 (46.9) 0 0 32 (3.6) Total 574 (65.2) 244 (27.7) 61 (6.9) 1(0.9) 880 (100) N.B: Row percentages are presented in parenthesis Table 2 shows the cross-tabulation of perceptions of belief in life after death (to demonstrate religiosity) and if res pondents voted in the 1996 presidential elections. From the cross-tabulation, it is clear that out of 521 valid cases of respondents who voted in the 1996 presidential elections, 449 (86.2%) believed in life after death (religiosity) while only 72 (13.8%) of those who voted said there was no life after death. The Pearson Chi square and linear-by-linear association showed a weak relationship between the independent and dependent variable (0.003 and 0.004 respectively at 0.05 significance level) but the high occurrence of those who voted in the 1996 election and demonstrated a faith or belief in life after death proves that voters with a solid religious orientation are more likely to determine the outcomes of the U.S. presidential election than voters with a secular orientation. Table 2: Belief in Life after Death and Participation in the 1996 Presidential Elections Belief in Life after Death (n=807) Did Respondent Vote in 1996 General Election Voted Did not Vote Ineligible Total Yes 449 (86.2) 181 (78.3) 40 ( 72.7) 670 (83.0) No 72 (13.8) 50 (21.7) 15 (27.3) 137 (17.0) Total 521 (64.6) 231 (28.6) 55 (6.8) 807 (100) N.B: Column percentages are presented in parenthesis Table 3 demonstrates the cross-tabulation between the social economic status (measured by income for last year) of respondents and if they voted in the 1996 presidential elections. From the cross-tabulation, it is evident that of the 573 respondents who participated in the 1996 presidential election, 105 (18.3 %) earned a salary of up to $12,999 per year, 341(59.5%) respondents earned between $12,500 and $49,000, and a further 127 (22.2%) earned $50,000 or more per year. The Pearson Chi-square and linear-by-linear association (both at 0.000 at 0.05 significance level) demonstrated no significant association that could have given credence to the hypothesis in symmetric measures. However, the cross-tabulation analysis proves that social economic status (as measured by respondents†™ income for the previous year) is a strong predictor for participation during presidential elections. Table 3 Respondents Income for Last Year and Participation in 1996 Presidential Election Income for Last Year (n=905) Did Respondent Vote in 1996 General Election Voted Did not Vote Ineligible Total Under $3,999 38 (6.6) 20 (7.1) 20 (39.2) 78 (8.6) $4000-6,999 24 (4.9) 16 (5.7) 9 (17.7) 49 (5.4) $7000-12,499 43 (7.5) 34 (12.1) 5 (9.8) 82 (9.1) $12,500-19,999 70 (12.2) 62 (22.1) 6 (11.8) 138 (15.3) $20,000-29,999 90 (15.7) 65 (23.1) 3 (5.9) 158 (17.5) $30,000-49,999 181 (31.6) 58 (20.6) 5 (9.8) 244 (26.9) $50,000-89,999 100 (17.5) 22 (7.8) 2 (3.9) 124 (13.7) $90,000 and above 27 (4.7) 4 (1.4) 1 (2.0) 32 (3.5) Total 573 (63.3) 281 (31.1) 51 (5.6) 905 (100.0) N.B: Column percentages are presented in parenthesis Table 4 shows the cross-tabulation analysis of the respondents’ highest level of education and participation in the 1996 presidential elect ion. The Pearson chi-square analysis and linear-by-linear association both demonstrated that there was a significant relationship between level of education and participation in presidential voting (Pearson Chi-square = 103.702, df-6, p =.004; linear-by-linear association = 93.526, df = 1, p = 0.000). The Lambda measure of association revealed a strong association between variables (0.774). Table 4: Educational Level and Participation in 1996 Presidential Election Educational Level (degree) (n=1366) Did Respondent Vote in 1996 General Election Voted Did not Vote Ineligible Total Less than high school 95 (10.8) 99 (25.1) 32 (36.0) 226 (16.5) High School 441 (49.9) 218 (55.3) 45 (50.6) 704 (51.5) Junior College or More 347 (39.3) 77 (19.5) 12 (13.5) 436 (32.0) Total 883 (64.6) 394 (28.8) 89 (6.5) 1366 (100.0) N.B: Row percentages are presented in parenthesis The cross-tabulation above demonstrates that out of the 883 respondents who participated in the 1996 president ial voting, 778 (89.2%) had a high school degree and above. This analysis together with the measures of association and significance proves that voters with low levels of education are less likely to take part in presidential elections than voters with high levels of education. Discussion The findings of this study demonstrate that media exposure, religion, social economic status and level of education are important determinants of voter participation in the U.S. presidential elections. Consequently, the present study reinforces findings of other studies that have evaluated individuals attributes (variables) and found them to have a significant influence on voting behaviors and patterns. In this study, media exposure has been found to be positively associated with a high likelihood of participating in presidential elections. This can be explained in terms of the capacity of media platforms to set the agenda of political campaigns with the view to influencing what the voters think ab out (Newton Brynin, 2001), and also in terms media’s capacity to prime or frame political issues in a manner that will lead the audience to see the need for casting their vote on the election day (Gonzalez, 2012). Through priming and framing of issues in Television channels, candidates are able to not only project an appealing image to the audience, but also create an emotional bond with viewers (Robertson et al., 2010, hence sustaining the audience’ desire to participate in elections. This study has also demonstrated how religious orientation is critical to informing voter decision to participate in presidential elections. However, as insinuated by Manza and Brooks (1997) that religious-oriented cleavages may have been a more fundamental factor for understanding the social roots of voter alignments than the class cleavage, the present study found both variables to be equally important in influencing voter participation in U.S. presidential election. In social class, this study reinforces the findings of other previous studies (e.g., Guterbock, 1980; Southwell, 2004) that economically disadvantaged Americans are less likely to vote than their well-off counterparts. The level of education has also being shown as a strong predictor to voting participation during the presidential elections, with findings demonstrating that eligible voters who have been unable to graduate from high school are less likely to vote than high school graduates and diploma/degree holders. Although the voting pattern (3.5% for eligible high school dropouts to 80.5% for well-off, advanced degree holders) demonstrated by Cole and Sum (2012) has not been replicated in this study, the view that uneducated voters are less likely to participate in elections than more educated voters has been well reinforced. There exist some limitations to the present study. First, the use of secondary data has brought difficulties in operationalizing some variables such as religion. The researc her had to rely on evaluating if respondents believed in life after death to determine their religious orientation. However, common knowledge demonstrates that not all people who believe in life after death are religious and not all religious people believe in life after death. The case of missing data values also presented a challenge during data analysis. Additionally, it can be said that some of the variables used are limited in scope and therefore could not be relied upon in a rigorous scientific research. Because presidential elections are a closely contested affair in the United States, it is imperative for policy makers and political players to know the factors that determine the participation of voters in the election. Knowledge of such determinants (media, social economic status, religion, and level of education) will not only help in prioritizing campaign needs for political parties, but also in ensuring that effective strategies are employed to woo voters to participate i n elections. It should be remembered that presidential candidate Mitt Romney lost considerable number of votes due to poor understanding of religious orientation as an important underpinning in U.S. elections. It is therefore suggested that more research needs to be done to analyze the dynamics of these determinants and how they are played out in party politics. References Balnaves, M., Caputi, P. (2001). Introduction to quantitative research methods: An investigative approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Coley, R.J., Sum, A. (2012). Fault lines in our democracy: Civic knowledge, voting behavior, and civic engagement in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/s/research/19386/rsc/pdf/18719_fault_lines_report.pdf Gelman, A., Kenworthy, L., Su, Y.S. (2010). Income inequality and partisan voting in the United States. Social Science Quarterly, 91(5), 1203-1219. Retrieved from http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/research/published/ssqfinal.pdf General Social Su rvey. (2013). Retrieved from http://www3.norc.org/gss+website/ Gonzalez, M.A. (2012). Religion and the US presidency: Politics, the media, and religious identity. Political Theology, 13(5), 565-585. Guterbock, T.M. (1980). Social class and voting choices in Middletown. Social Forces, 58(4), 1044-1056. Holbrook, T.M., McClurg, S.D. (2005). The mobilization of core supporters: Campaigns, turnout, and electoral composition in United States elections. American Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 689-703. Manza, J., Brooks, C. (1997). The religious factor in U.S. presidential elections, 1960-1992. AJS, 103(1), 38-81. Retrieved from http://as.nyu.edu/docs/IO/3858/The_Religious_Factor_in_U.S._Presidential_Elections.pdf Newman, B.I. (2001). An assessment of the 2000 US presidential election: A set of political marketing guidelines. Journal of Public Affairs, 1(3), 210-216. Newton, K., Brynin, M. (2001). The national press and party voting in the UK. Political Studies, 49(2), 265-285. Pa sek, J., Tahk, A., Lelkes, Y., Krosnick, J.A., Payne, B.K., Akhter, O., Tompson, T. (2009). Determinants of turnout and candidate choice in the 2008 U.S. presidential election: Illuminating the impact of racial prejudice and other considerations. Public Opinion Quarterly, 73(5), 943-994. Retrieved from https://www.stanford.edu/dept/communication/faculty/krosnick/docs/2008/2008_poq_pasek_determinants.pdf Robertson, S.P., Vatrapu, R.K., Medina, R. (2010). Off the wall political discourse: Facebook use in the 2008 U.S, presidential election. Information Polity: The International Journal of Government Democracy in the Information Age, 15(1/2), 11-31. Southwell, P. (2004). Economic voting in volatile times. Journal of Political Military Sociology, 32(2), 237-247. Uppal, S., LaRochelle-Cote, S. (2012). Factors associated with voting. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2012001/article/11629-eng.htm Weisberg, H.F. (2007). The one thing you need to know about voting in American presidential elections. Retrieved from http://www.rochester.edu/college/psc/conferences/niemi2007/pdf/Voting%20in%20Presidential%20Elections.pdf Wildavsky, A. (2011). Presidential elections: Strategies and structures of American politics. New York, NY: Rowman Littlefield Publishers. This research paper on Voting Participation in the U.S. Presidential Elections was written and submitted by user Brylee Franklin to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Are the Effects of the Digital World and Internet on Our Modern Life Style Negative or Positive

Are the Effects of the Digital World and Internet on Our Modern Life Style Negative or Positive How do you feel when your laptop requires repairing, your Internet connection is broken, and your iPhone is left at home? Such perspectives seem to be too dangerous for you? If it is so, you are a representative of a modern digital nation which lives in our digital world.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Are the Effects of the Digital World and Internet on Our Modern Life Style Negative or Positive? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What are the main peculiarities of this world? Why do the representatives of the digital nation differ from the people of, for instance, the 1970th 1980th period? The information is the main concept of the digital world, and the value of the information technologies is the main peculiar feature of the digital nation. Today it is impossible to imagine our society without the Internet, mobile phones, and other technologies which give us the opportunity to access to the great amounts of the information at any place and at any time. New conditions of life which depend on the development of the information technologies create a new pattern of the public’s life style. It is possible to say that the effects of the digital world on our modern life style can be considered as predominantly negative because the progress of the information technologies involves the changes in the typical life style of many people, influences their activities, their consciousness, and relations with the other persons. The debates on the influence of the Internet on the young people’s minds develop since the time when the Internet became such an ordinary part of our everyday life as the television. Nevertheless, it was rather difficult to predict such an expansion of the Internet round the world and determining Web as the giant database or a library which can function as cinema, theatre, and museums at once. According to Adam Gopnik, â€Å"the Internet is just a loud and unlimi ted library in which we now live – as if one went to sleep every night in the college stacks, surrounded by pamphlets and polemics and possibilities† (Gopnik). It is only several years ago researchers began to speak openly about such issues as the negative effects of the Internet on the public’s minds and to develop the necessary investigations. The results of their researches accentuate the fact that every time when we use the Internet connection in order to find the necessary information or to participate in the virtual reality we experience the great impact which is provided by the information from the Internet. This impact is considered as negative because our brains begin to function atypically in order to cope with a lot of the information of different kinds. This controversial information along with the discussion of many other provocative aspects is presented in the project created by Rachel Dretzin and Douglas Rushkoff which and known as Digital Nation ( â€Å"Digital Nation†).Advertising Looking for assessment on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, those processes which can be observed in our brains when we are involved in the virtual reality are still not examined properly, but those findings which are available to the public provide rather pessimistic perspectives on the question of the influence of the Internet on our minds, intelligence, and consciousness. In his article â€Å"The Information†, Adam Gopnik also focuses on the fact that â€Å"the Internet breaks down our capacity for reflective thought† (Gopnik). Thus, a lot of the information which is offered in the Internet is given as the facts which do not stimulate the public’s critical thinking. Moreover, people are always at risks to perceive the information which is not reliable without analyzing its main points and credibility. The other aspect of t he influence of the Internet on the public’s minds is the special physical and moral state which is often the result of the everyday involvement in the virtual life. Thus, Adam Gopnik emphasizes the fact that many people when they describe their state while using the Internet are inclined to depict it in such words as â€Å"disassociation and fragmentation† and moreover, he states that â€Å"life was once whole, continuous, stable; now it is fragmented, multi-part, shimmering around us, unstable and impossible to fix† (Gopnik). Paying attention to those effects which the Internet has on the people’s minds and consciousness, it is not surprising to accentuate the numerous facts of the public’s addiction from the Internet. Today many young people choose to spend all their spare time in the virtual reality which provides them with virtual friends, a lot of emotions and feelings. The level of the social activity of those persons who spend their days in front of their laptops is low because almost all their interactions take place in the space of the Internet. Are their any dangerous effects in such a behavior or we should not worry? Ben Turner concentrates on the psychologists’ investigations and concludes that there is â€Å"a link between the disinterest in public participation in local and national affairs and the increase of instances of Internet addiction† (Turner). The Internet addiction hides a lot of risks for young people which are connected with the character of their social interactions, real communication, and being aware of themselves as the part of the real society, bit not the virtual reality. The Internet addiction can be considered as the abstract notion which will not be associated with us, but with somebody else. Nevertheless, according to the data from Digital Nation, today many young people in such a developed country as South Korea have to get rid of the Internet addiction (â€Å"Digital Natio n†). The Internet addiction is interdependent with the feeling of the catastrophic loneliness which is typical for those people who made the Internet the major part of their life. In spite of the fact they spend much time communicating online with the help of chats and social networks, the feeling of loneliness which is the result of the real communication’s lack is too painful for them. Many young people are inclined to check their e-mails and Facebook instead of communicating with the members of their family.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Are the Effects of the Digital World and Internet on Our Modern Life Style Negative or Positive? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When they reject the real interactions with real emotions they create their own illusion of communication in the Internet. The Internet communication is effective for solving business matters, but it is rather unsuccessful for perso nal relations. Sharing interests in music and movie with our virtual friends, we become more and more distant from our relatives and real friends. In the most dangerous cases this situation can lead to the public’s isolation. To conclude, it is necessary to state that the rapid development of the digital world provides a lot of issues for our modern digital nation. To overcome all the provocative and controversial aspects of this process, it is significant to pay attention to the negative effects of the situation. It is impossible to imagine our life without the Internet, but it is possible to avoid the extremes in involving it in our life style. â€Å"Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier†. PBS Frontline. 2 Feb. 2010. Video. Web. Gopnik, Adam. â€Å"The Information†. The New Yorker. 14 Feb. 2011. Web. Turner, Ben. The Internet’s Effect on Relationships: Detrimental or Beneficial? 18 Mar. 2010. Web.

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Controversy analysis - Essay Example The research question that interests me much is the one that tries to explore the positive and negative effects of abortion (Do the pros of abortion outweigh the cons of abortion to support its legality?) The most interesting thing observed a legal limit of 24 weeks that is safe for abortion. The most convenient time is said to be 12 weeks after conception. This is further explained in that the longer the pregnancy is, the harder the process of abortion becomes. 1. What is something interesting you read in the first article that you didn’t know before? The most interesting thing learnt on the first article on abortion is that most of the modern methods of abortion are safe and do not cause health issues such as infertility and mental health to the person involved. This is as compared to the traditional methods which caused even death of both the mother and the fetus.These methods also give the option to terminate pregnancies, which are viewed to have abnormalities. 2. What is something interesting you read in the second article that you didn’t know before? Both heterosexuals and homosexuals should be given equal rights .this is further explained in that sexual orientation is more determined by nature rather than nurture. Individuals in both do not have any control in the way they are sexually oriented. Both of these topics (abortion, gay rights) are controversial since they seem to go against the rules and regulations of morality in the society. They are usually not easily accepted in the society as they seem to go against the norms or what people view to be right or wrong. Few people can go publicly advocating them or confess to involve in any of the two. The age at which an individual can undergo the process of abortion without exposing her to health problems, the views that teenagers have on abortion and reproductive health and how they

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Words and word studies Essay Do a word study on the Hebrew word Bara (`create`) as it is used in the whole book of Genesis. Does the word always refer to `creation out of / using nothing`? In the search of the Hebrew term ‘Bara’ in the entirety of the book of Genesis, there were eight particular instances that the term created (Hebrew Bara) was mentioned. Most of the time when the term created was used, the writer is implying about how God undertook the task of creating by using nothing in particular save for his godly powers to create things out of nothing. But in Genesis 6:7 the writer seemed to have hinted about how God made man from earth when it indicated that And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. The term face of the earth refers to the soil that covers the land area of the planet. Here, readers are inclined to think that man was made from dust or soil (ergo the belief that when the body of a man dies, it returns to original form dust since it will become mere dust once the process of decomposition is complete). Can the word mean this in Genesis 1:1? Yes, the use of the term ‘Bara’ or create in the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis refers to the display of God of his power to produce material and tangible things without using other things existing already so that the process of creation is undertaken. When discussing the ability of God to create, Christian religious tenets have it that God creates out of nothing due to his absolute power that cannot be explained by the science and logic of man, ergo making Christianity a religion hinged on faith alone even when scientific or empirical explanation is not available (example of that is the creation of the world, which many scientists hypothesized to have started from an activity occurring from something extant already, which is still unsettled even up to now). Now look up Isa. 45:18 and find the Hebrew words behind Gods creative activity in that verse. Look up these words (there are two) in the Hebrew dictionary you are using, and then find any occurrence of them in the whole book of Genesis In Isaiah, three other forms similar to create is found; the term formed (yatsar), made (asah) and established (kuwn). The term formed was mentioned three times in the book of Genesis in the verses seven, eight and 19 of the second chapter in the book, referring to his forming of man and the beasts that roamed the earth. The term made or make was found more often in the book of Genesis, nearly present in all of the chapters of the book, generally because asah is a primitive root along with kuwn, which was mentioned in 41:32, 43:16 and 43:25 of the book of Genesis. Do either of these words refer to `creation out of / using nothing`? If not, do the authors of Genesis and Isaiah have different theology? Like what was mentioned earlier in the paper, not all of the terms that pertain to God’s creative activity points to the idea that God did not use any other thing to assist him in his creation; there were instances like the creation of man and woman wherein God used earth to create man and used man’s ribs to create a woman, references to the use of tools of God during particular times of his creative process which does not decrease the ability of God’s power for creation (i. e.God can make man and woman even without the use of earth and the man’s ribs). But was a necessary act since the creation and the symbolisms that surround it has an important socio-religious meanings in the overall theology, belief and practices of the early Christianity all the way to the more modernistic form of the faith. 2) Do word study on the term `unmarried` in I Cor. 7 The term Unmarried, or the Hebrew agamos is found in the seventh chapter of the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. It appears that ‘gamos’ is the root word that is supplemented by a prefix a that connotes negativity (ergo agamos for unmarried, the negative version of married, which is positive). As the English translation implies, this term is used as reference during the time of St. Paul for individuals who is still without a legal wife or husband and has not yet undergone the ritual of marriage. Try and use the context to define what `unmarried can mean – During the time of St.Paul when he wrote to the Corinthians, the prevailing practice is to take a lawfully wedded husband or wife, consistent with existing laws and religious practices. This does not guarantee however that people during those times were not vulnerable or susceptible to the temptations of extra marital affairs, and because of that, St. Paul focuses his discussion on marriage and sex in the context of what is allowable in the eyes of god through the accepted practices of the Catholic religion. The term unmarried refers to a person who is without a partner, and all unmarried individuals are encouraged by St. Paul to abstain from unlawful and taboo forms of sex from other people – may they be married to other people or similarly unmarried. Unmarried as a social name tag is reserved for those who are not ‘married’, and by married one refers to the actualization and consummation of the rituals of marriage of union of two people. Does I Cor. 7 allow for remarriage after divorce or not? – Divorce is a practice that is prohibited in the Roman Catholic belief and practices, and because it is not allowed, so is the idea of remarrying after leaving one’s partner whom God joined in the sacrament of marriage. St. Paul speaks of this in I Corinthian 7: 11-12, saying that And unto the married I command, [yet] not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from [her] husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to [her] husband: and let not the husband put away [his] wife. There is an indication in Chapter 7 of the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians about remarrying for those who are already widowed. In I Corinthians 7:8-9, it says that I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. Here St. Paul tells the unmarried and the widows that it is alright for them to remarry, encouraging them to remarry instead of engaging in sexual acts that is not allowed in Christian doctrine that may be the reason for the burning of their souls in Hell. Works Cited: Blue Letter Bible. 26 April 2008 http://cf. blueletterbible. org/lang/lexicon/lexicon. cfm? Strongs=H22t=KJV. King James Bible With Strongs Dictionary. 2001. 26 April 2008 http://www. htmlbible. com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/index. htm.

Dna: The Thread Of Life :: essays research papers

DNA: The Thread of Life The "thread of life", is deoxyribonucleic acid, otherwise known as DNA. It is the spiral shaped molecule found in the nucleus of cells. Scientists have known since 1952 that DNA is the basic substance of heredity. This was hypothesized, and later confirmed by James D. Watson and Francis Crick. They also know that it acts like a biological computer program over 3 billion bits long that "spells" out instructions for making the basic building blocks of life. DNA carries the bodies genetic code, controls the development of an embryo, is capable of duplicating itself, and is able to repair damage to itself. DNA can be manipulated to change all kinds of things. All DNA molecules consist of a linked series of unites called nucleotides. Each DNA nucleotide is composed of 3 subunits: a 5 carbon sugar called deoxyribose, a phosphate group that is joined to one end of the sugar molecule, and one of several different nitrogenous bases linked to the opposite end of the deoxyribose. There are 4 nitrogen bases called adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine. In DNA adenine pairs with thymine and guanine with cytosine. Medicine's ability to diagnose continues to exceed its ability to treat or cure. For example, Huntington's Chorea is an inherited disease that develops between the ages of 30 and 45, can be diagnosed before any symptoms appear. This can be hard for both the individuals with the disease and their family. There is a 3 billion dollar project underway right now called the Human Genome Project, a 15 year program to make a detailed map of every single gene in human DNA. With automated cloning equipment to steer scientists through the DNA, scientists are finding human genes at the rate of more than one a day. This may not sound like very much but as technology increases the rate at finding them will increase. Since January 1993 to January 1994 scientists have located the genes for Huntington's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, and the "bubble-boy" disease. Scientists are expected to find the first breast cancer gene any week now. Even with the best tools of today, the progress is full of surprises. Human DNA is not like that of plants, in which the trait of color of a flower is determined by one gene. Even the color of a human eye can involve the interaction of several genes. Some complex genes, such as cystic fibrosis, can go wrong in any number of places. Scientists have already accounted for 350 places where the cystic fibrosis gene mutates, and more are being uncovered

Biopure Hbs Summary

Andrew Walters 3/22/12 Biopure Biopure Corporation specializes in blood substitutes for transfusion patients, both in the veterinary market and the human market. However, in 1998, Biopure faced the monumental decision of whether to begin selling Oxyglobin, a blood substitute, to the veterinary market or to wait until Hemoglobin, a blood substitute for the human market, became available for sale. The problem is whether or not the company should launch Oxyglobin before Hemoglobin is FDA-approved or wait until after Hemoglobin is approved and released into the human market.I would recommend that they release Oxyglobin immediately rather than wait for Hemoglobin’s FDA-approval. The reasoning behind this decision follows from an analysis of both the veterinary blood substitute market and the human blood substitute market. I would recommend this because Hemopure is still at least 2 years away from FDA approval, Blood substitute competitors have a more established brand and more mone y; success of Oxyglobin would help Biopure compete against these factors, and failure of other drugs makes introduction of Hemopure a financial risk.There will be many decisions that will have to be made as a result of this. Biopure executives will have to make is what price to charge per unit of Oxyglobin. The veterinary market is small and price-sensitive. The two surveys that Biopure conducted in 1997 to test the sensitivity of the animal blood substitute market found that 25 percent and 80 percent of veterinarians would try Oxyglobin in noncritical and critical cases, respectively, if the product was priced at $150.Therefore, Biopure should charge $150 per unit of Oxyglobin. In conclusion, I recommend that Biopure introduce Oxyglobin into the veterinary blood substitute market at a price of $150 per unit in order to gain respect and brand awareness in the blood substitute market and to provide a source of income for Biopure while they await FDA approval for Hemopure. (Ref. http: //hstrial- laurendecker. homestead. com/biopurecasestudy)