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Monday 15 June 2009

Trusting in the Power of the Internet to Make Money

Essay topic: Earn Money through Internet

Picture yourself in a supermarket that runs 24 hours a day and 7 hours a week. At any given minute, there are a number of customers lining up for the cashier and many others browsing through merchandise on display. There are no off-peak hours, days off or non-working holidays.

This is exactly how the internet works. Because almost all parts of the world can access it, there is never a dull moment in the world of online businesses. While one side of the world sleeps, the other side is wide awake going about their daily transactions. It is through this that a new breed of entrepreneurs have quickly and rather easily amassed huge amounts of income even with every little capital to start with.

Keep in mind that we are now living in a world where there is always a need for speed and simplicity. More and more people pay their bills online rather than at their local banks. Research is done through the use of search engines rather than in libraries. All sorts of items are purchased with one click of the mouse rather than commuting to actual stores. Today, transactions done over the internet are growing at an increasing rate because of the simplicity and convenience it offers.

If you allow yourself to trust in the power of the internet, even you can become wealthier than you have ever imagined. All it takes is some hard work and perseverance. You don't even need much capital to begin. It may take you some time to adapt to the online culture of business. Once you do adapt, however, you can reap all the benefits that the internet has to offer and make money online at levels you never thought possible.

Making Yourself an Expert within Your Online Business’

Essay topic: Making Yourself an Expert within Your Online Business

Source:http://moneymakerinfo.blogspot.com

If you have an online business, you should already know the value of establishing your reputation within your niche. In order to make money online, you need to make your target audience realize why they should trust you and patronize your online business. Establishing yourself as an expert in your niche is the best and most effective way to achieve this.

To establish your reputation in your niche, you need to have the ability to answer your target audience’s questions, address their concerns, and provide them with useful information. This means that you truly have to build your expertise on your niche before you can actually become an expert. You can easily do this by reading through forums, books, and magazines.

Going through forums is a great way to build your expertise. Simply find a forum that caters to your niche and you will find a community that is already composed of your target audience. Take the time to read through their posts and determine what the issues and concerns of your target audience are. Also, try to observe their language to determine how best to communicate with them.

Even though they can be a valuable source of information, forums are not enough because they are easily accessible to your target audience. Replicating the information you gathered from those forums will not be enough to become regarded as an expert within your niche. This is why you should also spare enough time to read through relevant books and magazines.

Although many may regard books as obsolete, they can be very valuable to online business owners who want to establish themselves as experts in their own niches. Books often contain basic information that would serve as the foundation of your knowledge on your niche. If you read the right books and allow yourself to absorb the provided information, you will surely know more about your niche than most of the other people online.

Because they contain current information and “hot topics,” magazines can also be very valuable to online business owners who are determined to be experts in their niche. Keep in mind that magazine editors take a lot of time researching and studying what topics their readers are currently most interested in. You can leverage that fact and follow the trends of magazines available in your niche.

Establishing your online reputation as an expert in your niche shouldn’t be difficult at all as long as you keep your interest in continuously learning more about your niche. Use everything you learn whenever you directly or indirectly communicate with your target audience and they will quickly regard you as an expert in your niche and patronize the offerings of your online business.

Some ways to drive traffic to your website

Essay topic: Some ways to drive traffic to your website


You've developed a new Web site. Congratulations! How exciting! Now all you have to do is sit back and watch the business roll in, right? Not really.

Web sites, unlike other marketing tools, have to be publicized. When you write a radio commercial, you pay a radio station to run the ad. When you design a brochure, you give it away. But when you publish a Web site, you must promote it to drive in business.

An excellent way to lead people to your site is to use a specialist. But, even if you hire a search engine positioning specialist to help place you among the Top 10 on Yahoo, there are still many other ways you can promote your site... and they're effective and free!

Links
A study by the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) gives us proof. On one site they observed, 84 percent of visitors came in via links from other sites. Be sure you trade links with as many people as you can. You might consider a "Helpful Links" page on your site devoted to just his purpose. One word of caution—be sure the links are appropriate. Arrange to exchange links with companies that are reaching the same target audience. For example, if you are a lawn care company you might exchange links with a landscaper. Another effective idea to incorporate links into your site is a "Testimonials" page.

We all love to receive "praise letters" on our email. Ask permission to use these as testimonials on your Web site. We should be just as liberal with our praises. When you appreciate a product or service, be sure to write a note of thanks. Mention in the letter that the person (or company) is free to use your kind words as a testimonial if they will simply include your name and Web address.

Signatures
Another site observed by the GIT indicated 35 percent of visitors were brought to the site via signature files on email messages they received. Often times this feature is overlooked due to lack of knowledge.

A signature file is a feature most email programs (even free ones) offer. You may type in a message and that statement will be added at the bottom of every email you send. This saves you the time of having to type in the message repeatedly. Usually this feature is found under the heading of "Options" in the email program. One note: be sure to include the "http://" before the Web address so a link will be created for people who receive plain text emails as well as html.

Write Ups
In one instance, 62 percent of visitors came to a site through articles in newspapers and magazines. When sending out your press releases be sure to include your Web address along with other contact information. The same applies for interviews on the radio or public addresses/seminars you may offer.

Other Ways
The most simple of all ways is to tell people. Mention it in conversation. Bring it up when others discuss Web sites they have visited.

Include your Web address on all your business cards. Make it bold. If your business derives most of its revenue from sales made on the web site, be sure the Web address is on the front of the card.

When printing letterhead, include your Web address. Most Web addresses don't take up much space and can be easily incorporated along with the company's physical address and phone number.

Don't forget to mention your Web site in all your advertising efforts. Whether it be a promotional video, television commercial or brochure, make it a point to position your Web address where it is visible. For radio commercials, include it in the copy. A great way to work it in is when providing other ordering information. For example: "...visit us at 1234 Oak Street or log onto www.ktamarketing.com."

Be creative! Always remember to include your Web site information in everything you do and your efforts will pay off in additional hits!

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Would you rather be virtuous or happy?

The quest for a happy life engrosses every human being. But every- one tends to define happiness in a distinctly individualistic fashion. Philosophers and thinkers have attempted to define a happy life. The Hedonists have a simple notion that happiness consists in the gratification of physical appetites. There are others who believe that happiness is attainable through the acquisition of material goods. The more intellectually inclined tend to think that happiness lies in the pursuit of literature, arts and philosophical thoughts. Emotional satisfaction which is to be found in human relations - love for one's parents, wife, children, etc., and friendship - also gives one happiness. To R. G. Ingersoll, "Happiness is the only good", but to Shelley it is something elusive; he sings:



Ye seek for happiness - alas, the day!

Ye find it not in luxury, nor in gold,

Nor in fame, nor in the envied sway ...

The definitions are varied, But all of them suggest that happiness is a state of mind and that different people derive happiness in different ways. To some it is physical gratification or emotional satisfaction; to many it is intellectual. There are many who believe in the saying, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die". But the be-all and end-all of life does not consist in eating and drinking and that happiness cannot be derived from these two elemental activities. There are also people whose mental make-up is such that they derive a lot of happiness if they arouse jealousy in others and 'feed fat' the grudge and hatred they have against their enemies.

One would wish to be happy and at the same time be virtuous. One need not make a choice between being happy and being virtuous. That is to say, one would like to lead a virtuous life that would give happiness too. No one can be perfectly happy. Life is a mixture of joys and sorrows. There is the fact of the existence of suffering too. Unhappiness or pain accompanies the experiences of birth, illness, failure to satisfy desires, separation from friends and loved ones, old age and death. Even the more fortunate are unable to ward off old age and death. This is a basic truth about life which is mentioned in all the religions of the world. The Buddhist philosophy speaks of suffering as a universal problem of life in a world that is finite and changing. A second truth which Buddhism upholds is that suffering is caused by desires or cravings. These desires tend to grow or increase as we attempt to satisfy them. A man wants ten thousand dollars, then he wants a hundred thousand, then a million, and his wants do not cease. This kind of desire is the real cause of unhappiness, but it is encouraging to know that it is within our control, and that something can be done about it. If men rise above desires and ally themselves with values to which these desires are irrelevant, they may find a serenity unaffected by any of the calamities that befall them.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

"No one in his senses would choose to have been born in a previous age. "Do you agree?

What does the statement, "No one in his senses would choose to have been born in a previous age", imply? It implies that the previous age was dull in comparison with the present age and that the thrill and excitement of living in the present age would not have been there in the previous age. By the present age we mean the twentieth century, especially the second half of the century. What has made this period so thrilling and exciting? What did the previous age lack in comparison with the present?

Till the Industrial Revolution the previous age must have been pretty drab and dull. Our forefathers did not have the benefits of fast-moving vehicles like the airplane, the car or train. The benefit of electricity and its uses was also not there. People brave and adventurous as they were - moved from place to place by bullock carts and sailing boats; for light they had to depend on lamps and candles. Their knowledge about the world was limited.

But since the second half of the nineteenth century there has been and explosion of scientific knowledge; there has also been an explosion in technical education, which A. N. Whitehead describes as "the greatest invention of the nineteenth century - invention of the method of invention". Interaction between science and technology has greatly accelerated the pace of technological development. The scientist has furnished the technologist with basic information and experimental proofs and the technologist has come up with new techniques and precision instruments such as the computer.

There has in other words been a technological revolution. Since the Second World War, the progressive miniaturisation of components such as transistors and of electrical circuits has revolutionised communications. It has facilitated the design of compact computers, and the expansion of cybernetics and automation. Miniaturisation has made possible not only intercontinental ballistic missiles, but also the space programmes of the superpowers which provide satellites for the transmission of radio and television signals and for surveying the earth's resources.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

"A civil government, even a weak one, is anytime preferable to a strong military government. "Do you agree?

Governments are necessary; without governments there will only be chaos. This is why Thomas Paine says, "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil." Paine in his writings pleads for the rights of man; he knows that any government will have restrictions imposed on the citizens' exercise of absolute rights in the interest of order, harmony and peace in society. Even the best of governments will have to do this. Curbing the rights of man, according to Paine, is an evil. But since governments are a necessary evil, they should be tolerable ones. Paine is convinced that "in its worst state" government is "an intolerable one".

Which form of government is the most tolerable? In the modem world monarchies have practically ceased to exist, even in the states where the heads of states are monarchs. Great Britain has a monarch, but the monarch is only a figure-head, and the country is one of the strongest democracies in the world. Nepal, a state ruled by a monarch, has also a form of democratic government. Today people all over the world clamour for democracy; this is most pronounced in states that have been under single-party (mainly Communist) rule. The modem world sees in democracy the most tolerable form of government. This is because it knows that "no man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent."

There are three basic types of government seen in the world today. These are the Western-style democracies, the people's democracies, and military dictatorships. The Western-style democracy may be called 'liberal democracy'; it is found throughout western Europe, in North America, Australia, New Zealand, India, Israel, etc. People's democracies are modelled on the former U.S.S.R. government, and constitute single-party rule. Under the people's democracy, the government is all-powerful and is a form of dictatorship. Military dictatorships - which are the worst form of government - have come into being in some of the Third World countries where the fragility of governments could not resist the might of the military craving for power.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com
Arts have an important place in modern society; in fact, these have had a great influence on his existence right from the dawn of civilization. While man generally concerns himself with the bare necessities for survival, he has never considered the mere continuation of existence a sufficient goal. Man is in part a creature who thinks and decides, but he is perhaps primarily a being with feeling, with a wide range of responses. His emotional reactions and feelings need to be cultivated and refined along with his thoughts, if he is to become mature. These reactions and feelings belong to the realm of aesthetic experience. It is man's aesthetic sense that enables him to make judgements, favourable or unfavourable, on artistic works, that is, on what he hears, sees, and reads. Aesthetics holds surprises and insights for the inquiring mind. Beauty in some form is recognised by men everywhere.

How are aesthetic experience, beauty, and the arts related? Aesthetic experiences are basic and fundamental to art, and that which does not have aesthetic value cannot be termed art. That is to say, the arts express beauty which is satisfying to our senses. In much contemporary as well as traditional aesthetic theory, art is what is beautiful, and what is not beautiful is not art.

Definitions of beauty are many and varied. It has been defined as 'truth', 'the expression of an ideal', 'harmony in diversity', and 'an intrinsic quality of things themselves'. The modem trend in the interpretation of art, however, is not in full agreement with the traditional identification of art exclusively with beauty. If an artist is endeavouring to give certain experiential qualities in an artistic form, then he must be free to express the ugly as well as the beautiful.

According to modern interpretation, the artist portrays things as he 'sees' them, and so in many instances he must express the misery and the injustice, the ugliness and brutality, which are part of his vision of life. Some works of art are not beautiful, and some beautiful things like landscapes are not works of art. The possession of beauty, however, may be taken as the criterion of art that is likely to continue to appeal to man.

The purpose of art, all agree, is to bring immediate pleasure and satisfaction by revealing certain experiential elements of reality; it can also fortify us in various ways to meet the practical demands of life. Aesthetic response to music, for example, may be therapeutic. It may stimulate or soothe us; it may change the rate of the heartbeat, ease digestion, or affect other bodily processes. Aesthetic experience may help renew our spirits, exciting us and giving us courage and enthusiasm for some strenuous task. The power of aesthetic experience in its different forms to create various moods, from patience to a spirit of sacrifice, is well known.

Aesthetic experience and response may help create a social bond between diverse individuals and groups by arousing sympathy, developing understanding, and producing a desire for harmonious relationships. The presence of beauty, whether in nature or in art objects, tends to make our lives qualitatively richer
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

Discuss the meaning and importance of freedom in the light of this quotation.

Every animal including man is born free. All animals in their natural state, except man who is precluded by civilization to be in his natural state, are free. Some animals lose their freedom only because of man's needs and deeds. The world is 'open' and not 'closed' in its natural state; every animal - man is not exempted - desires novelty, spontaneity and genuine creativity, which are the hallmarks of freedom.

Man, though born free like other animals, is in chain everywhere. This is because of the restrictions and restraints which he imposes on himself and which are imposed on him by others. For example, no one is expected to appear naked in public in the name of freedom. There are social norms to be followed. Different occasions demand different customs. Man, living in a society, has to follow certain customs, conventions and traditions in the interest of harmonious existence; he cannot take the stand that he is absolutely free and that he can do things in his own way.

Man, in the process of his change from primitive tribalism to civilized existence, has chained himself more and more to rules and regulations. Unlike other living creatures, he is capable of thinking and is intelligent to devise ways and means of exploiting his fellowmen. This exploitation leads to his keeping them subdued and enslaved. Imperialism in the past and neo-colonialism and neo-imperialism today have only been instruments of suppressing the aspirations for freedom of the exploited. A classic example of suppression in the modern world is witnessed in the policy of apartheid and racial discrimination practised in South Africa.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

What is healthy eating?

Paradoxically, while people in some parts of the world are over-fed, there are millions in other parts that are under-fed. One group needs to watch their diet while the other has to struggle for one square meal a day. Nutrition is the business of all, whether the over-fed or the under-fed. Healthy eating ensures healthy living. And a healthy man is a happy man, and the reverse may not be true.

Our ancestors ate what was available. Many foods available to them were obtained for short seasonal periods. Today we eat what we like, and eating has become a fashion and a hobby. We suffer from gourmet's diseases, and, generally speaking, we are aware of the consequences of unhealthy eating, i.e., eating what we like to eat and not what we need to eat. The human body may be likened to a machine made up; of many component parts working together to perform different functions. Healthy eating consists in eating food items that contain essential nutrients to ensure the proper functioning of this human machine. Over-eating can disrupt the functions while under-eating can impair them. We have heard of famine-stricken countries where people suffer because of the lack of calories. Their struggle is to have sufficient food.

In affluent countries the problem is one of imbalance - too much in the way of calories and the lack of specific vitamins and minerals. Healthy eating ensures a balanced diet. What the human body requires for its proper functioning are essential nutrients that include protein, fats carbohydrates, water, vitamins and minerals. The shortage of one of these leads to malfunctioning; extreme deficiency of nutrients can result in death. Vitamin C deficiency leads to easy bruising and bleeding from the gums and vitamin D is required for healthy teeth and bones. Vitamin B complex deficiency can impair the production of energy and the break- down or formation of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the body, often causing anaemia. It is said that without vitamins to add to our mineral framework we would all be like exhibits in museums.

Fats are a source of our energy. Polyunsaturated fats not only provide calories but also help the biochemical reactions in the body. Essential fatty acids are vital for healthy living. Saturated fats with which cholesterol is associated are often the cause of heart disease. Apart from their energy-related roles, fats help in the building of body tissues. The internally stored fat provides extra energy. Subcutaneous layers of fat, those under the skin, insulate the body. Moderate deposits of fats cushion internal organs like the liver and kidneys. But food high in fats can be harmful and high fat diets are linked not only to obesity but also to heart disease. To eat healthily one must control the fat intake, particularly if the life-style is inactive.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

Is space exploration worthwhile?

The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 26, 1986 and the subsequent disasters spread gloom across the world. There was the need to look into the future and consider if astronauts be sent up in future and what should be the goals. Is space exploration worthwhile? There are compelling reasons why we should continue to go into space and explore it. The possible spin-off is real.

Temporary setbacks should not deter the space program. There cannot be unimpeded advance in any field of human endeavour. The fact that man has achieved outstanding success in space exploration is sufficient reason why the program should be continued, and the nature of the success achieved so far justifies space exploration. In 1957 the Russians launched Sputnik into space, followed a month later by the launching of the first animal, the dog Laika, into space. In January 1959 the Russians successfully flew Luna I past the moon. Two months after, the American Pioneer 4 flew by the moon. Though the Ranger missions missed their target and the first Apollo spacecraft, sitting on the ground, caught fire, the space program had taken off. On July 20, 1969 Americans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon while Michael Collins orbited around it. The space program achieved spectacular success in July 1975 when the Apollo astronauts linked up in orbit with two Russian cosmonauts. Explorations by nature are hazardous; people have always died. Setbacks are the price we pay for advances.

One of the main considerations for going into space is to take advantage of its resources. There are staggering quantities of minerals for the taking - minerals on the Moon, in the asteroid belt and on other planets. There are the resources of vacuum, solar power and zero gravity. We have now communications satellites and they have linked up the world, and our planet has become talkative. There are asteroids to tap for minerals. Of the more than 2,000 of these flying mountains that revolve round the sun many are made up of pure nickel-iron alloy. There are those asteroids containing carbon compounds. Apart from availing ourselves of these metals, other spin-offs are possible. Asteroids may contain clues to the mystery of the formation of planets. These carbonaceous asteroids are to provide resources for making oil, synthetics and even food.

Space exploration is worthwhile for another reason: to satisfy our instinctive urge to explore. Throughout time man has expanded by exploring unknown regions. Exploration led to the discovery of the New World and the arrival of Europeans in the Indies, and these explorations have had dramatic consequences. Explorations thrill scientists and space buffs; the benefits are shared by the whole world, and the urge to explore is satisfied, only to be aroused again. Contacts yet to be established will be beneficial. Wealth and enlightenment are to follow. Let us hope that the success of future exploration will not lead to exploitation of any kind.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

'The shrinking earth'. What are the main ecological threats responsible for this in the Third World?'

While the world shrinks owing to modem means of communication and transport, the land available for our habitation also shrinks, posing a problem which, if not attended to now, can threaten food production. Agricultural land is disappearing fast and soil is being eroded or exhausted. Deserts are marching and forests are disappearing. The world, particularly the Third World, is being threatened with food shortage and over-population and the ills associated with these.

Many areas are in danger of desertification. The Sahara in about ten years has moved south by 100 kilometres. The Thar desert in Rajasthan in India is marching at the rate of half a mile a year. Deserts have eaten into the Horn of Africa and much of the south-west of the continent, and they are moving without interruption. It is said that an area bigger than Great Britain is disappearing every year. All this means that previous agricultural land is being turned to desert. Soil is being eroded, exhausted or blown away. It is believed that if the present trend continues there would be very little farm land per person by the year 2000.

The chief agent of this depletion is man who is indifferent to the sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems. Land is laid waste by the impact of his activities. As population increases, cultivation is pushed to new areas, thereby accelerating the process of depletion of arable land. Pastoral nomads and their cattle are other agents of this destruction. The land system cannot maintain these animals and it breaks down under severe strain. This means that the animals of the pastoral nomads eat vegetation far more quickly than the earth can regenerate it.

Another factor responsible for this shrinking is deforestation. It has . been estimated that half the forest area in developing countries has been denuded between 1900 and 1965 for cultivation purposes. It is feared that, if Brazil's forests are cleared at the prevailing rate of 62,500 square miles a year, the Amazon forest will be soon destroyed, thereby depriving us of a quarter of the world's oxygen supplies. A report of the Food and Agriculture Organization says that 86% of wood cut in developing countries is burnt as fuel. Deforestation decays the soil and reduces its capacity to feed and employ people. It also reduces rain, thereby causing droughts. The rain that falls in the area runs off to rivers, taking with it the top soil suitable for cultivation. This process can result in the silting of rivers which in turn can affect the irrigation system. The long-term effect of deforestation is desertification. It is said that in Java only 12% of the island has now tree cover. The Indonesian government has reacted to the problem by reforesting and outlawing shifting cultivation. I'll fares the land where denudation is indiscriminately practised.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

What is the relationship between freedom, rights and duties?

Freedom is a nebulous, abstract concept It admits of different and conflicting interpretations. The concept is nevertheless the very essence of human existence; for the exercise of an individual's freedom may result in the subjugation of another. Freedom or the exercise of it can degenerate into licence or tyranny.

Freedom, according to some, is the absence of social control. Thoreu, for instance, believes that the best government is the least government'. He nevertheless admits the necessity of some government. There are, however, others who denounce all forms of social control; they may be described as anarchists. According to them `freedom' is unlimited. They little realise that anarchic freedom will lead to chaos and that the law of the survival of the fittest will prevail. This will result in a primitive situation where the strong are free and the weak are enslaved.

There are, on the other hand, many who view unlimited individual freedom with suspicion. They believe that any deviation from the restrictions imposed on the individual will shake the foundations of a stable society. But they little realise the fact that lack of individual freedom will take away all initiative from the individual resulting in the society remaining static instead of being dynamic.

Neither anarchic freedom nor total denial of freedom is good to society; the first leads to chaos and disorder; the second results in a static society which will ultimately collapse under the deadweight of its own rigidity. In either case it is evident that freedom is a social concept; even though it is the individual that exercises freedom or that is denied freedom, the consequences are inevitably social in nature.

C.E.M. Joad compares man's situation to that of a pack of porcupines huddling together with a felt wrapping around each one of them so that their quills will not hurt one another. That is to say, freedom is to be exercised by individuals within the limits of the law; the law brings into effect social control. Lack of social control and unlimited exercise of freedom result in the actions of one proving uncomfortable for another. On the other hand, if there is too much of social control, individual freedom is denied, and there is stagnation all around. Individual freedom, therefore, has to be exercised in such a way that the rights of others are not trampled upon.

Man requires a high degree of integrity and social consciousness for the proper and legitimate exercise of his freedom. In The Fear of Freedom Erich Fromm argues that a low level of social consciousness makes man misuse his freedom by either oppressing his fellowmen or by running away from the exercise of freedom.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

"Man's economic and social activities have always. been conditioned by his physical geographical environment. " Discuss this statement.

It is very difficult to say exactly what is covered by the term 'economic and social activities'. The term has to be understood in the context of man's economic activities and of his social activities. That is to say, though economic activities and social activities impinge on each other and are interconnected, those two types of activities have to be considered separately for the purpose of discussing whether they have always been conditioned by the physical geographical environment.

The term 'economics' is derived from the Greek oikwnene - 'household' - and every housewife performs an economic act when she decides how to spend her family budget. Even Robinson Crusoe on his desert island had to allocate his time between fishing, planting crops, or building his house and how to ration the limited supplies he had salvaged from his ship. Robinson Crusoe, however, lived in a very simple economy. Until Man Friday appeared, he had to do everything himself. Today economic activity is specialised and co-ordinated through markets in all but the subsistence economies in the least developed parts of the Third World where families grow their food and make what else they need.

In economic terms a market is not only a particular place where people buy and sell, such as a fish or fruit market, but also includes all those who are in contact with sellers and buyers of particular goods and services and can bring them together.

What is important to note is that any economic activity aims at production of wealth to meet man's needs. In his primitive days man hunted and found food for himself; food to him was wealth, and that was what he needed. He depended on his environment for the kind of animals he could hunt for food. Later, when man began to till the soil, he cultivated only those plants that the soil of the region in which he lived was suitable for. So, he grew rice, wheat or other cereals, depending on the nature of the soil where he pursued his agricultural activity.

As years passed by he found that certain items which he did not have he would be able to get from other places through a system of barter. That is to say, his economic activity got linked with the economic activity of people from other regions because of the scarcity of certain items he was in need of. The barter system gave way to selling and buying for money.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com

Sunday 14 June 2009

"Man's economic and social activities have always. been conditioned by his physical geographical environment. " Discuss this statement.

It is very difficult to say exactly what is covered by the term 'economic and social activities'. The term has to be understood in the context of man's economic activities and of his social activities. That is to say, though economic activities and social activities impinge on each other and are interconnected, those two types of activities have to be considered separately for the purpose of discussing whether they have always been conditioned by the physical geographical environment.

The term 'economics' is derived from the Greek oikwnene - 'household' - and every housewife performs an economic act when she decides how to spend her family budget. Even Robinson Crusoe on his desert island had to allocate his time between fishing, planting crops, or building his house and how to ration the limited supplies he had salvaged from his ship. Robinson Crusoe, however, lived in a very simple economy. Until Man Friday appeared, he had to do everything himself. Today economic activity is specialised and co-ordinated through markets in all but the subsistence economies in the least developed parts of the Third World where families grow their food and make what else they need.

In economic terms a market is not only a particular place where people buy and sell, such as a fish or fruit market, but also includes all those who are in contact with sellers and buyers of particular goods and services and can bring them together.

What is important to note is that any economic activity aims at production of wealth to meet man's needs. In his primitive days man hunted and found food for himself; food to him was wealth, and that was what he needed. He depended on his environment for the kind of animals he could hunt for food. Later, when man began to till the soil, he cultivated only those plants that the soil of the region in which he lived was suitable for. So, he grew rice, wheat or other cereals, depending on the nature of the soil where he pursued his agricultural activity.

As years passed by he found that certain items which he did not have he would be able to get from other places through a system of barter. That is to say, his economic activity got linked with the economic activity of people from other regions because of the scarcity of certain items he was in need of. The barter system gave way to selling and buying for money.

From what is said above it is clear that man could pursue his economic activity in his early history only with the help of what was available or what could be made available to him from his environment. This is by and large true today too. The resources available in a country determine its economic activity. For example, in the Gulf countries the main economic activity centres round production of oil. India which has extensive land remains primarily an agricultural country; this is so with countries like China and Russia. In India itself, depending on the environ- mental conditions that vary from region to region, the agricultural activities present a diverse spectrum. For example, in Bengal and Kerala rice is produced whereas in the Punjab wheat is grown; so also, in many parts of Maharashitra and the Uttar Pradesh sugar cane is grown. This variety is due to the differences in climatic conditions and the character of the soil.
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How could a scientist defend the view that science has failed mankind in view of the large number of problems created?

Science has created problems for mankind. Science is a blessing all right, but it is not an unmixed blessing. Science has made life easier and more comfortable. Science has made it possible for us to communicate with each other readily and quickly and it has made travel easy and fast. Machines have enabled man to save hours of manual labour. But science is responsible for the present-day arms race and the threat of nuclear war under which mankind exists today. In view of the threat of total annihilation of mankind posed by nuclear advancement, there is the fear that science has failed mankind. How can a scientist defend this view?

It is a fact that science has given us the spirit of objectivity and positivism that is necessary for the development of human knowledge. But it is also a fact that this spirit, when carried to unreasonable lengths in an unimaginative manner, militates against the original intentions. The scientific method thus becomes misused. The spirit of positivism is exaggerated to such lengths that anything that is not proved by crude laboratory experiments is dismissed as superstition. A complacent world believing in the creation of man by God was shaken when Darwin came out with his theory of evolution and the origin of the species. Science makes us forgot that there is "much in philosophy than dreamt of in heaven and on earth."

The scientist would say that the most diabolical use of science has been in the cause of promoting the baser human instincts and that it is politicians and statesmen who are to blame for this. Man uses science and technology for purposes of aggression; he uses the discoveries of science to win wars. In the past men used only bows and arrows and swords to fight with one another. But today thanks to science, he ha. at his disposal guns, planes, ships, submarines, missiles, etc. The race for weapons has led him to the discovery of nuclear weaponry. He can even carry on biological and chemical warfare. In the Vietnam War harmful bacteria were used among peasants to spread diseases. Chemicals were used to destroy acres of food crops. This is an instance of how scientific knowledge can be abused.

The monopolisation of knowledge and machines has led to the subjugation of one class by another and of a poorer nation by a richer nation. The mass-produced consumer items have captured the market, thanks to machines. This has resulted in the craftsmen and weavers going out of job.
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"Material progress is meaningless if it does not go hand in hand with moral and spiritual progress." Comment.

The word 'progress' generally unfolds before our mind's eye worldly achievements in terms of money, prosperity, physical comforts and amenities. Worldly achievements constitute our material progress. Usually every one of us aims at material progress - economic prosperity, professional success and more money accruing from it, etc. But is it enough that we achieve only material progress? Has material progress any meaning if it is not accompanied by our moral and spiritual progress?

Most of us crave for progress and work for it. But the kind of progress that we work for is only material progress and worldly success. We are over-enthusiastic about repeating spiritual slogans and doctrines, but are not keen on practising them. We pray to God, not for spiritual regeneration, but for worldly success. We are like Claudius in Hamlet; our souls remain below; our words go up. Our feet are on the rungs of the ladder of worldly success with our eyes turned upwards and with our mouths watering for the bunches of ripe grapes. Actually, our religious protestations, prayers and practices are only a means to an end; we seek God's intervention to help us in our worldly success - in our material progress. We do not pray for the betterment of our souls. We are down- right hypocrites even when we pray. We do not pause even for a moment and ask ourselves: "What does it matter if we gain the whole world but lose our souls?"

Material progress alone is not enough; it should go hand in hand with spiritual progress. Then only can we become developed, well-integrated individuals. As Carl Jung says: "Out of the fullness of life shall you bring forth your religion: only then will you be blessed."

It is not that material progress is not at all necessary; it is not that we should take to asceticism, austerity and poverty, and live like sages. We should achieve material progress; we should enjoy the fruits of science; affluence and prosperity should be achieved, and we should work for prosperity. But prosperity should not blind us to 'the fruit of the spirit'. Our prosperity should help us evolve ourselves into spiritually mature persons.
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What qualities, in your opinion, make a book a "Best Seller"?

A 'best seller' is a book whose copies are sold in thousands. There is an inner urge in the reading public to buy such a book. The general reading public are normally averse to spending money on books. As a result, most of the books just gather dust in the shelves; they do not sell at all unless the sales are pushed up through advertisements and other forms of media publicity. But there are exceptions; those exceptions sell like hot cakes as soon as they are published and continue to sell for years to come. The question is: Why do these books, just a few in number, sell well?

The Bible is one of those books that are sold in large numbers. What is the reason for the Bible to be a best seller? The Bible is sacred to the Christians, and there are many Christians in the world; every Christian home will generally have a copy of the Bible. The Bible tells the story of the Jews, and of the birth and death of Christ, the Saviour. Besides, the Bible contains holy teachings which, though more honoured in the breach than in the observance thereof, are sacred to the Christians. If the reason for the abundant sale of the Bible indicates anything, it is this: a book whose content is sacred to thousands and thousands of people becomes ipso facto a best seller.

If the religious character of a book boosts up its sales, it may so happen that the non-religious, blasphemous character of a book also can increase its sales. We have the classic example of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. To the devout Muslims The Satanic Verses is an irreligious book written with the obvious intention of attacking Islam and its founder Prophet Mohammed. The devout Muslims raised a hue and cry against the book and its author; the book, they say, is for burning. A top religious leader made a call for the 'liquidation' of the author of the book. All this arouses the curiosity of the reading public; everyone who hears about the book desires to have a copy. The book becomes a best seller. It is the controversial nature of the book that makes it a best seller.

It is not religion alone that makes a book controversial; political commitments, socio-political compulsions and prejudice and perceptions arising from loyalties to one political system or the other also do. For example, Pastermack's Dr. Zhivago and Alexander Solzhenitayn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch gained popularity enough in the West to become best sellers because of the controversial nature of the books and of the implicit criticism of Stalinist Russia contained in them. In other words, the controversy generated by the novels was primarily responsible for the sale of the books soon after they were published. The international recognition won by the books also accounted for their popularity.
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"Reading is seeing by proxy" (Spencer). Is reading a substitute for experience?

Robert Southey has written a poem in which he speaks about the companionship books have given him. He says:

My days among the dead are past,

Around me I behold,

Where'er or these casual eyes are cast,

The mighty minds of old:

My ne'er failing friends are they,

With whom I converse day by day.

The poet says that books are his never-failing friends; in their company he derives delight, and seeks relief and solace while in sorrow. The poet's words in praise of books show that reading is a panacea for personal ills as well as for empathetic understanding and for vicarious pleasure.

Wise men all over the world have extolled the value of reading. Bacon has this to say: "Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man," Lamb loves to lose himself in other men's minds. That is to say, he likes to enjoy himself in the company of books, which as Milton has described, are 'the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." In the words of Emily Dickinson

There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away,

Nor any coursers like a page

Of prancing poetry.

Spencer's observation, "Reading is seeing by proxy", underscores the importance of reading in a man's life. He sees the value of reading as a means to experience what the writer of a book has experienced himself. That is to say, the reader sees what the writer has seen personally from the book written by the latter.

Books are of different kinds; some give us useful information and knowledge; some give us the personal experiences of their authors; some are imaginative renderings of experiences. What we call creative literature belongs to the third category. When we refer to reading, we have invariably in mind the reading of imaginative literature. In other words, by `reading' we mean reading novels, plays, poems, short stories, travelogues, autobiographies, etc. Imaginative literature is certainly different from books that are intended to pass on matter-of-fact, useful information and knowledge. The second category of books dealing with personal experiences such as autobiographies and travelogues is more akin to imaginative literature; for the books belonging to this category are 'the precious life-blood of master-spirits'. Both categories of books, namely, imaginative literature and literature based on personal experience, give us what the writers have 'seen' for themselves.

The word 'seen' is placed within inverted commas because seeing is experiencing not only through our physical senses but also through our mind's eye. What the poet imaginatively conceives is his experience; perhaps what he imaginatively conceives is based on personal experience. Wordsworth's poem on the daffodils or his sonnet, "Upon Westminster Bridge" are imaginative renderings of personal experiences. The point is when we read imaginative works we are lost in the worlds created by the writers and experience with them their experiences. Our own experiences are only second-hand, and therefore, vicarious. This is what Spencer means when he says, "Reading is seeing by proxy'.


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"In order that economic development and progress can take place, a country must industrialise". Discuss

Industrialisation is the application of scientific knowledge to man's economic, agricultural, and other wealth-generating activities. In other words, it is the conversion of the 'know-why' of science into `know-how' for industry; it is the practical application of man's inventiveness in the improvement of his well-being and the increase of his wealth.

Industrialisation depends on four essentials: the right idea, the right method of putting it into effect, the right moment in time, and availability of the right materials. Machine invented with the help of scientific know- how are used for quicker and easier production of wealth. Therefore, it is only sound commonsense to say that the economic development and progress of a country are dependent on its industrial growth.

There was a time when countries depended entirely on agriculture. Before the Industrial Revolution, Great Britain too was an agricultural country. Had it not been for the wealth she was able to amass from her colonies, she would not have become a wealthy nation depending on agriculture alone. America at first had an economy rooted in agriculture. With the invention of machines and with the advent of industrialisation, she made use of machines even for her agricultural activities, apart from setting up factories and manufacturing articles for sale.

Before machines were invented, the articles required for use by man were handmade. These articles were not produced in bulk. But machines helped man to produce articles in large numbers.

Today machines are used virtually in all spheres of life. Agriculture, especially in Western countries, is highly mechanised. There are machines to plough the land, sow seeds, hoe and weed. Pesticides are often sprayed by aeroplanes and helicopters. Fertilisers produced in bulk in factories are used for the healthy growth of plants. All these facilities afforded by mechanisation double our agricultural production; this means increase in economic wealth and prosperity.


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Work is the only route to happiness. Discuss.

The ideal put forward to young people has, traditionally, been 'mens sana in corpore sano', and this implies a proper balance between work and play. Yet to achieve happiness, that coveted but elusive state of total fulfilment, requires more. It is true that mankind in general, though with exceptions, has a built-in instinct for work. The vast gulf separating humanity from its physical origins, the animal world, is due to millennia of cerebral and physical activity. Yet there are other equally powerful instincts in the human make-up. The desire, in most cases, to form life-long emotional attachments; the instinct, again in most cases, to start a family; the making of friendships; the search for a fulfilling occupation, to name the most obvious.

In some countries there are a privileged few who are born into possessions, money and position, so the need to work in the normal sense does not apply to them. Yet it is noticeable that these people generally find some worthwhile occupation. This may be anything from estate management to patronage of some charitable institution to participation in the pop scene. This again indicates that to follow some kind of occupation, whether useful or not, is a genuine instinct.

History supports this view, and literature has produced many sayings expressing the value, perhaps the necessity of work. 'Satan hath some mischief yet for idle hands to do'; 'our best friend is work' (Collin d'Harleville); 'to youth I have but three words of counsel - work, work, work' (Bismarck); 'sow work and thou shalt reap gladness' (Proverb); 'work won't kill but worry will' (Proverb).

For most of us work is both a necessity and source of fulfilment. We need a regular income, just as our country needs part of the wealth we create and claims through taxation. The fulfilment of the instincts mentioned in Paragraph 1 cannot be achieved without money. The right use of money is of course important; Charles Dickens made the point that to live sixpence below one's income led to happiness; to live sixpence above led to misery.

The definition of work is wide, ranging from manual labor to the highest forms of intellectual activity. We are not all suited to every kind of work. I would be of little use as a manual worker, since my skills in that direction are limited. Conversely, not all manual workers could do my work. Among other things, I write a little. I was once asked 'What motivates you to write?', the questioner expecting some high-falutin answer. I was tempted to answer 'Money!' In fact the best writers have all taken this view. Only the second rate prattle about artistic fulfilment .


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Modern methods of transport have transformed our world into a village. Is this a blessing or a curse?

In some respects the topic-statement is true. Modern transport, especially by air, allows people to circle the globe in a few days, or hours, if an aircraft such as Concorde is used. Thus we have learnt to look upon distance as nothing. I can get to Paris from south-east England quicker than I can get to central London. So, the world has become a village? If so, the comparison ends there. In no respect does the world resemble a village community. Those who support the one-world movement no doubt share a great ideal but are, in fact, flying in the face of history, of present facts, and of any likelihood in the near future. Modern travel merely underlines the differences between races and nations. Rather than broaden the mind, travel confirms national prejudices. It may well lead to a greater international understanding, but to understand does not mean to agree, or to forgive. Modern travel may allow great athletes to meet every four years in friendship to discover the medal winners, but it would be naive to suppose that the Olympic Spirit had anything to do with the reality of international affairs or could possibly have any effect on them.

Of course modern transport cannot be blamed for the state of today's world. Like atomic energy, it is neutral, and the blessing or the curse results from the way in which it is used.

First, the benefits. Before the invention of the electric telegraph, news of a natural disaster in, say, an eastern country could only reach the west by steamship, so that by the time help reached a stricken area, it was too late to be of much use. Today, information by satellite, both in reports and pictures, is instantaneous. Response time is correspondingly quick. Modern transport planes can carry food, water and medical supplies to where they are needed in a matter of hours.

So the modern jet aircraft can help enormously in relief work. It has also proved of great benefit both to the business world and to tourism. Within certain weight-limits, it can be used for overseas trade worldwide, and the vast extension of available markets is largely due to the modern aircraft. And where business has to be done in person there are no real delays.

The aircraft has extended foreign travel, once the prerogative of the rich, to those of average income levels in most countries, and tourism has become a major world industry. The aircraft and the helicopter both have important search and rescue roles. Ships in distress can be readily located and given help. The helicopter has several roles, apart from its use by the police for searches and traffic control. Many lives have been saved in mountainous areas and at sea by speedy removal to hospital, by immediate attention by paramedics; a jet plane can carry a suitable human organ half across the world when a transplant is urgently needed.

Modernized and high-speed rail systems are likely to prove of benefit to many countries from the travel and trade points of view. To take Europe as an example. Tariff barriers in the EEC have now come down, and Europe, including Britain, has become a free-market area. In 1994, England will be linked to Europe by a channel tunnel, and Paris or Brussels will be reached as quickly as by air. Already, goods to and from Europe, and indeed worldwide, are transported in standardized containers, which are picked up and moved rapidly in heavy lorries to their destinations along new networks of motorways. The motorways also greatly ease long-distance car travel. At sea, modern oil tankers carry their vast burdens worldwide.


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Science can never provide a final answer or things, it is only a way of studying them. Do you agree?

It is somewhat rash to assume that the only role of science is to answer the question 'How?'. That was true in the days of Newton, when an educated person could have a grasp in outline of all human knowledge. Science then filled some of the gaps left by the deliberations of the philosopher and the theologian. Since then, it has far outstripped the contributions of both. Philosophy has degenerated into historical study, and has no modern contribution to make. Theology has made no advance since the Middle Ages. The mantle of seeking answers to man's most fundamental questions has fallen on science. Whether these questions will ever be answered is an entirely different matter, but there is no other way ahead. So the topic-statement is fundamentally wrong.

By science, of course, is meant physics, which is fundamental to all studies - chemistry, biology, astronomy, indeed all macro and micro investigation. Physics has identified the laws which keep the universe in a state of equilibrium, and today seeks a unified theory to account for the space-time continuum necessary to the existence of that equilibrium, and the various other dimensions beyond the four known which are postulated. So science moves towards the first philosophical question, Is there a unified theory, or are events ultimately random? The answer to this question, if ever found, leads to the far more fundamental question, To what extent, if any, is God (the Creator) limited by his own creation? The determinism of Laplace is now seen to be totally beside the point, and belongs to a mechanistic view of the universe which can no longer be sustained. Today, science is moving rapidly towards a chaos theory which takes into account God's freedom of action plus the predictable results of laws already known to us, and also unpredictable events.

It is interesting that whereas the old scientific determinism either limited to the Creator's function or precluded the necessity of a Creator, or saw the Creator as totally detached from his creation, science today is begin forced into a belief in God. It also moves towards an acceptance that the scientifically unknown area, the God - mankind personal relationship, is not only feasible, but likely. So science has become much more than a way of studying things. Whether science can get beyond this point is a matter of conjecture. At a shrewd guess, science may well establish the possibility of eternal life , without being able to advance any more proof than could the old-time theologian. World religions have always said that such a belief depends on revelation and personal faith, and it may well be the Creator's intention to keep it that way. Faith, at least, would be greatly devalued if it could ever become the subject of scientific proof, whatever that may be.

Another answer, again stemming from the chaos theory, is to the co-existence of good and evil. If there is a Creator, it follows that evil, at least as understood by humanity, must have been allowed to enter the world-scene at some point, but deliberately. Redemption from its consequences is another result, and history is the record of the struggle between the two forces. This, says science, although leading to apparently random results, such as the little child stepping under the bus, or a death from cancer, is not random at all. All the same, it may stem from 'chaos', if this is seen in conjunction with a belief in the indestructibility of the human personality. So, say the faithful, 'God not only creates, He cares', and science today is not disposed to reject this possibility, the two approaches may converge on the same point. The processes of the universe are incredibly diverse and complicated, so why should the possibility of life after death be ruled out?


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Work is the only route to happiness. Discuss.

The ideal put forward to young people has, traditionally, been 'mens sana in corpore sano', and this implies a proper balance between work and play. Yet to achieve happiness, that coveted but elusive state of total fulfilment, requires more. It is true that mankind in general, though with exceptions, has a built-in instinct for work. The vast gulf separating humanity from its physical origins, the animal world, is due to millennia of cerebral and physical activity. Yet there are other equally powerful instincts in the human make-up. The desire, in most cases, to form life-long emotional attachments; the instinct, again in most cases, to start a family; the making of friendships; the search for a fulfilling occupation, to name the most obvious.

In some countries there are a privileged few who are born into possessions, money and position, so the need to work in the normal sense does not apply to them. Yet it is noticeable that these people generally find some worthwhile occupation. This may be anything from estate management to patronage of some charitable institution to participation in the pop scene. This again indicates that to follow some kind of occupation, whether useful or not, is a genuine instinct.

History supports this view, and literature has produced many sayings expressing the value, perhaps the necessity of work. 'Satan hath some mischief yet for idle hands to do'; 'our best friend is work' (Collin d'Harleville); 'to youth I have but three words of counsel - work, work, work' (Bismarck); 'sow work and thou shalt reap gladness' (Proverb); 'work won't kill but worry will' (Proverb).

For most of us work is both a necessity and source of fulfilment. We need a regular income, just as our country needs part of the wealth we create and claims through taxation. The fulfilment of the instincts mentioned in Paragraph 1 cannot be achieved without money. The right use of money is of course important; Charles Dickens made the point that to live sixpence below one's income led to happiness; to live sixpence above led to misery.

The definition of work is wide, ranging from manual labor to the highest forms of intellectual activity. We are not all suited to every kind of work. I would be of little use as a manual worker, since my skills in that direction are limited. Conversely, not all manual workers could do my work. Among other things, I write a little. I was once asked 'What motivates you to write?', the questioner expecting some high-falutin answer. I was tempted to answer 'Money!' In fact the best writers have all taken this view. Only the second rate prattle about artistic fulfilment .


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E60: Modern methods of transport have transformed our world into a village. Is this a blessing or a curse?

Source: www.englishdaily626.com
In some respects the topic-statement is true. Modern transport, especially by air, allows people to circle the globe in a few days, or hours, if an aircraft such as Concorde is used. Thus we have learnt to look upon distance as nothing. I can get to Paris from south-east England quicker than I can get to central London. So, the world has become a village? If so, the comparison ends there. In no respect does the world resemble a village community. Those who support the one-world movement no doubt share a great ideal but are, in fact, flying in the face of history, of present facts, and of any likelihood in the near future. Modern travel merely underlines the differences between races and nations. Rather than broaden the mind, travel confirms national prejudices. It may well lead to a greater international understanding, but to understand does not mean to agree, or to forgive. Modern travel may allow great athletes to meet every four years in friendship to discover the medal winners, but it would be naive to suppose that the Olympic Spirit had anything to do with the reality of international affairs or could possibly have any effect on them.

Of course modern transport cannot be blamed for the state of today's world. Like atomic energy, it is neutral, and the blessing or the curse results from the way in which it is used.

First, the benefits. Before the invention of the electric telegraph, news of a natural disaster in, say, an eastern country could only reach the west by steamship, so that by the time help reached a stricken area, it was too late to be of much use. Today, information by satellite, both in reports and pictures, is instantaneous. Response time is correspondingly quick. Modern transport planes can carry food, water and medical supplies to where they are needed in a matter of hours.

So the modern jet aircraft can help enormously in relief work. It has also proved of great benefit both to the business world and to tourism. Within certain weight-limits, it can be used for overseas trade worldwide, and the vast extension of available markets is largely due to the modern aircraft. And where business has to be done in person there are no real delays.

The aircraft has extended foreign travel, once the prerogative of the rich, to those of average income levels in most countries, and tourism has become a major world industry. The aircraft and the helicopter both have important search and rescue roles. Ships in distress can be readily located and given help. The helicopter has several roles, apart from its use by the police for searches and traffic control. Many lives have been saved in mountainous areas and at sea by speedy removal to hospital, by immediate attention by paramedics; a jet plane can carry a suitable human organ half across the world when a transplant is urgently needed.

Modernized and high-speed rail systems are likely to prove of benefit to many countries from the travel and trade points of view. To take Europe as an example. Tariff barriers in the EEC have now come down, and Europe, including Britain, has become a free-market area. In 1994, England will be linked to Europe by a channel tunnel, and Paris or Brussels will be reached as quickly as by air. Already, goods to and from Europe, and indeed worldwide, are transported in standardized containers, which are picked up and moved rapidly in heavy lorries to their destinations along new networks of motorways. The motorways also greatly ease long-distance car travel. At sea, modern oil tankers carry their vast burdens worldwide.

Yet as with any other advance, all is not sweetness and light. In the case of the jet aircraft, one needs only to mention the spy-plane, the bomber, the fighter, the assault helicopter, all of them potent war weapons, and a curse to millions of helpless people worldwide. The potential for nuclear, nerve gas, chemical and HE bombing is a curse which hangs over all our heads. The need for ever larger airfields means the destruction of tracts of countryside. Noise and oil-pollution make life a burden to those living nearby. In some countries, over-concentration on high-speed and inter-city trains has led to the severe neglect of existing networks and ordinary passenger rolling stock. In smaller countries such as England, there are now far too many cars and traffic jams in the large urban areas, providing an almost unsolveable problem. Ease of travel allows football hooligans and other undesirables to cause trouble overseas. Every improvement in transport facilities helps the criminal as well as the bona-fide traveler, particularly where immigration controls are relaxed. Immigration itself becomes an increasing problem. And at sea? All is well with the oil-tanker until it runs aground in a storm and deposits thousands of tons of oil along the shore-line.

So there is a case to be made of the more leisurely times, to some, the good old days . Modern transport has reduced the world if not to a village, at least relatively to village size. Whether the village will ever become a happy community is another matter.

E59:Science can never provide a final answer or things, it is only a way of studying them. Do you agree?

Source: www.englishdaily626.com
It is somewhat rash to assume that the only role of science is to answer the question 'How?'. That was true in the days of Newton, when an educated person could have a grasp in outline of all human knowledge. Science then filled some of the gaps left by the deliberations of the philosopher and the theologian. Since then, it has far outstripped the contributions of both. Philosophy has degenerated into historical study, and has no modern contribution to make. Theology has made no advance since the Middle Ages. The mantle of seeking answers to man's most fundamental questions has fallen on science. Whether these questions will ever be answered is an entirely different matter, but there is no other way ahead. So the topic-statement is fundamentally wrong.

By science, of course, is meant physics, which is fundamental to all studies - chemistry, biology, astronomy, indeed all macro and micro investigation. Physics has identified the laws which keep the universe in a state of equilibrium, and today seeks a unified theory to account for the space-time continuum necessary to the existence of that equilibrium, and the various other dimensions beyond the four known which are postulated. So science moves towards the first philosophical question, Is there a unified theory, or are events ultimately random? The answer to this question, if ever found, leads to the far more fundamental question, To what extent, if any, is God (the Creator) limited by his own creation? The determinism of Laplace is now seen to be totally beside the point, and belongs to a mechanistic view of the universe which can no longer be sustained. today, science is moving rapidly towards a chaos theory which takes into account God's freedom of action plus the predictable results of laws already known to us, and also unpredictable events.

It is interesting that whereas the old scientific determinism either limited to the Creator's function or precluded the necessity of a Creator, or saw the Creator as totally detached from his creation, science today is begin forced into a belief in God. It also moves towards an acceptance that the scientifically unknown area, the God - mankind personal relationship, is not only feasible, but likely. So science has become much more than a way of studying things. Whether science can get beyond this point is a matter of conjecture. At a shrewd guess, science may well establish the possibility of eternal life , without being able to advance any more proof than could the old-time theologian. World religions have always said that such a belief depends on revelation and personal faith, and it may well be the Creator's intention to keep it that way. Faith, at least, would be greatly devalued if it could ever become the subject of scientific proof, whatever that may be.

Another answer, again stemming from the chaos theory, is to the co-existence of good and evil. If there is a Creator, it follows that evil, at least as understood by humanity, must have been allowed to enter the world-scene at some point, but deliberately. Redemption from its consequences is another result, and history is the record of the struggle between the two forces. This, says science, although leading to apparently random results, such as the little child stepping under the bus, or a death from cancer, is not random at all. All the same, it may stem from 'chaos', if this is seen in conjunction with a belief in the indestructibility of the human personality. So, say the faithful, 'God not only creates, He cares', and science today is not disposed to reject this possibility, the two approaches may converge on the same point. The processes of the universe are incredibly diverse and complicated, so why should the possibility of life after death be ruled out?

Such a belief is an essential corollary to any concept of justice in the Creator's character. This is not justice merely in the sense of retribution. The early Jews believed the Creator got so fed up with humanity that He destroyed them in the Flood, but made a fresh start with Noah's family and the paired livestock! Divine Justice is part of the concept of Divine Love, which postulated creation, with mankind as it's highest sentient form, as an expression of that love.

So the great world religions have this at least in common with modern science; there is a benevolent Creator who offers post-earthly life in some other dimension in exchange for the human response of kindness and observance of a revealed moral law. Justice, therefore, moves into an eternal setting.

A religious scientist will find no essential disharmony between his or her faith and the scientific outlook. The great questions of life have satisfying, if unprovable answers. Some of the inadequacies of religion, such as early church doctrines of the cosmos, and strictly Bible-based theories of the origin of species, have been corrected by scientific investigation without detriment to the central core of belief.

Where science, or more precisely the scientist, inevitably falls short is in the application of an essentially simple moral code to the complex issues raised by scientific advance. Genetic manipulation is a case in point. The whole question of in-vitro fertilization is highly controversial.

All that is on the local scale. On the grand scale the Creator may, or may not allow the discovery of a unified theory of the universe which will provide answers to supplement, rather than displace the answers already provided by the higher religions.

E58:Can telling lies ever be justified?

The old admonition to children, 'speak the truth and shame the devil', runs contrary to what is called the schoolboy's eleventh commandment; 'tell a lie, and stick to it'. The one adage advocates honesty at whatever personal cost. When charged with some illicit tree-felling, the young George Washington is said to have said 'I cannot tell a lie'. Those who advocate moral rectitude always argue that honesty is the best policy. Those who do not say 'get away with wrong-doing if you can'. Thus, as a child you avoid punishment. As an adult, you hope to avoid the consequences of your actions. The one is the result of a strong sense of morality. The other stems from self-interest and indifference to the fate of other people. Silence itself may amount to a lie, particularly when it is meant to shift blame from oneself. Cicero said it is the nature of a scoundrel to deceive by lying , and it may well be argued that truth is an integral factor in the health of society. Justice itself depends on witnesses pledging themselves to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth . The law has severe penalties for those who perjure themselves after taking this oath.

So logically there should be no circumstances in which lying can ever be justified. Yet, we can all think of occasions when to tell the truth would be a very mixed blessing.

This applies especially to those who have access to secrets of national importance, particularly in wartime, or when there is danger of war. In these circumstances another moral issue is raised, and that is where personal loyalty lies. Most would say to one's own country. For others, a strong political belief, based on conviction, is more cogent. So, during the 'Cold War' between NATO and the Communist bloc, people on both sides were prepared to betray their country's secrets. This was generally out of conviction rather than for money, though the spy was usually rewarded in some way, sometimes by asylum and the conferring of honors and position. Such men and women would argue, and some still do, that the ultimate end justifies the means, if the means included lying and deception, so be it.

The same principle applied particularly in the 1939 - 45 war. The allies relied heavily on agents, and the lies which were part of their stock-in-trade. Disinformation was born and played a prominent role on both sides. Some of the deception was very elaborate indeed. Hitler's forces in France were tricked into believing that the invasion would be at the Pas de Calais rather than along the Normandy coast. England created a wholly fictitious army in the wrong place by setting up a subtle system of signaling, designed to be picked up across the channel. German doubts were settled by the planting of spurious invasion plans by agents in France. As a result, the invasion was given a good start. Every patriotic Englishman would say that all the lies and deception were amply justified both by the motivation and in the event. In much the same way, the British Ministry of Information concealed some failures and exaggerated some successes for the sake of morale. It was morale which enabled Britain to counter what seemed to be inevitable defeat.

So, the good of others seems to go a long way towards justifying the lie, and this applies in some personal as well as national concerns. Nobody would applaud the man or woman who lied about extra-marital relations. The more honorable course is not to have any. Yet, it is not always kind to tell the brutal truth about a severe illness such as a cancer to a patient or to his or her relations just as soon as the illness is diagnosed. Treatment may be successful, so unnecessary sadness has been caused. Yet if not, there must come a time when the facts are disclosed. Not to do so prevents the patient from making testatory provisions. It also increases the shock to the family and friends when death actually occurs.

Kindness may be a good reason, if not to tell a lie, at least to be economical with the truth . Another is tact. These two virtues oil the wheels of all social relationships. A lady may have chosen a hat which she obviously loves dearly, but you think it is hideous. Never tell her, even if you cannot bring yourself to say 'Wonderful! Super!' There are ways of side-stepping the issue. Anyway, dress is a matter of opinion rather than of fact, and what does it matter? No good at all could be done by telling the truth , and absolutely no harm done by withholding it.

Source: www.englishdaily626.com

E57:What changes would you like to see in today's society?

Source: www.englishdaily626.comThe term society has no general application. Every country differs from every other, however subtly, so answers must relate to a particular country. This answer relates to England, not even the whole of Britain.

Perhaps the first point to acknowledge is that in comparison with many other countries, England has an overwhelming number of good features. Yet there are several aspects of our society which I would like to see changed. Some of these changes could be effected immediately. Others would take longer. Society does not exist, said Mrs. Thatcher. She was wrong. Society consists of an aggregate of families. The first change I would like to see is the reversal of the current steady breakdown of family life. In Britain, the monarch stands at the head of the state and of the Established Church. In return for the privileges of their position, it has been generally expected of the Royal Family that they set an example to the country, and in the case of the Queen this example has undoubtedly been set. Not so, in the case of most of the other royals. In 1992 the so-called example set by this family has been appalling. This need not be spelled out. The world media have done this very effectively. The Queen herself described last year as an 'annus horribilis'. Many responsible people rightly wonder about the future of the monarchy, and their thinking tends to move in the direction of a republic. In the modern world, there is a strong case to be made for the abolition of hereditary privilege. However, the breakdown of family life cannot be attributed to the poor example of the minor royals. It actually stems from the permissiveness of the 1960s. The result is much suffering caused to children and young people, some of whom leave, or are virtually forced out of their homes, only to live in one of the cardboard cities , or to be put into care, or to join the drug scene and commit crime.

Unemployment, currently standing at 3m plus, is another aggravating factor. The present government has no policy to deal with this, and gives every indication of being quite indifferent to the problem. Interim measures could be taken until the world trade recession eases. Much work is needed on local environmental projects and on the updating of the country's infrastructure, which has been grossly neglected for decades. This could be financed by a modest increase in income tax, a measure which I believe would be generally acceptable. We have an uncaring government, the result being that many once prosperous areas are now centers of poverty and despair. Throughout the country, small businesses are being forced to close at the rate of hundreds per day. This is because the government refuses to impose controls over rent and leasehold increases and to reduce the swinging industrial rate. The net result of all this is that people are reluctant to spend, because they live in fear of redundancy or unemployment and, even worse, house repossession, in cases where heavy mortgages were taken on in better times. The house market is a good indicator of confidence in the future. It has now been at a virtual standstill for five years.
Thirdly, crime, especially violence. Due to the decline in religious faith and the consequent lack of moral training in home and school, crime levels have become appallingly high over the past few decades. Bad social conditions in many areas exacerbate the problem. Prisons are overcrowded, so the judiciary is encouraged to minimize custodial sentences. The fundamental remedy is a return to Christian moral standards, or those of the other great religions, now represented among the large immigrant population. Many of them are setting the native English a good example. The latter offer young people little help, and certainly little discipline at home, and the reputation of teachers in the state sector has never been lower.

Much is being done to stamp out the evils of hallucinatory drugs in Britain. This country would do well to adopt some of the draconian measures which are proving successful in some Far Eastern countries.

In the case of child sexual abuse and violence occasioning actual bodily harm, custodial sentences are now mandatory. This is justified, since such offences have greatly increased in recent decades. At one time, children were safe to roam their own areas without fear of molestation. Today, this is impossible.

Next, housing. Good neighborliness was the prime feature of pre-war terraced housing, now replaced in many cities by tower blocks and complexes of maisonettes. These concrete monstrosities eliminate family identity and encourage crime and vandalism. This is now realized. Much of this post-war building is now being demolished, and domestic architecture is reverting to old patterns. More low-cost or rentable accommodation would ease several social problems.

England welcomes immigrants, and laws have been passed to outlaw discrimination. Most immigrants provide an enriching contribution. Their churches, mosques and temples are acceptable to most people. However, there is a down side. Numbers have to be controlled, and this leads to disputes. A bad mistake was to allow 'ghettoes' to be formed in the early post- war days. An even distribution of this influx should have been made mandatory in the early days. The basis of that is the immigrants, while preserving their social and religious identities, must also accept and respect British traditions. Agitators operate much more easily in areas of dense population, often inciting violence between groups in the wake of violence overseas.

To believe that all these defects in English society can be changed is to live in cloud cuckoo land. All the same, these are the objectives which we must all work for.