Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example This essay "Childhood obesity affected by advertising" outlines the connection between junk food advertisement and the level of children obesity. Young children are easily hooked when a product is displayed with the endorsement of role models or cartoon characters that they literally worship. For children who are not keen about cartoons, there are advertisements that portray peers of their own age, which is something that no child can resist following. Advertisements achieve success in their mission of penetrating children’s most basic desires. On the flipside, a child who has to grow strong with lots of physical activity gets relegated to the menial position of a couch potato and in the bargain compromises his or her potential for proper development and becomes obese. Considering the case of children that fall in the age group of 6-11, 22% of Mexican American kids are found to be overweight, 20% African American kids and 14% of non-Hispanic White kids also fall under the same category. â€Å"The childhood obesity epidemic is a serious public health problem that increases morbidity, mortality, and has substantial long term economic and social costs. The rates of obesity in America’s children and youth have almost tripled in the last quarter century. Approximately 20% of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5 (5.0% to 12.4%) and ages 6 to 11 (6.5% to 17.0%)†

What can literature, music, cinema, theatre or art bring to the study Essay

What can literature, music, cinema, theatre or art bring to the study of International Relations - Essay Example The field of International Relations (IR) is a body of knowledge that deals with political activities that are intertwined among various key state players. According to the research conducted by Polat (2012), through International Relations, individuals are able to comprehend the kind of relations that exist between various states. In this case, International Relations refers to the study of the interactions between the members of the field of International Relations, which are the nation states. International Relations can also be defined as the study that scrutinizes the relationships between countries and the responses displayed by these countries as a result of the interactions between the states. It would appear that no country can subsist on its own. In this case, it is imperative to appreciate the power relations between the nations in the International Relations. International Relations, according to Mandaville (2003), is a body of knowledge that highlights the factors that inspire the connection between the countries in the world. In simple terms, International Relations refers to an understanding of the interactions that are present between different countries in the International arena. This includes reviewing the flow of information from one country to another, the manner of responses by each party, and the outcomes that spring from the entire relations process. These implications vary from political, social and economic implications.

Television broadcast Essay Example for Free

Television broadcast Essay 1. The pressure announced on last nights television weather broadcast was 29.92. Explain how this was measured and give the units. Would this be considered an unusually large or low pressure value? A pressure announced on the weather forecast of 29.92 is an average measurement. It is measured with a barometer and in the United States the units of measure are inches of mercury, or inHg. This is what meteorologist are referring to in their forecasts. 29.92 inHg is a measurement within the normal range. This may be referred to as air pressure, atmospheric pressure or barometric pressure. They are all the same thing. Low pressure readings are associated with stormy weather and precipitation, while high pressure readings are indicated by clear and calm weather. Here is Portland, Oregon, where it rains 9 months of the year, we experience normal pressure readings of 29.92 inHg or slightly higher or lower. It only changes when we have exceptionally worse or better weather. 2. If the earth did not rotate, how would you expect winds to blow with respect to high and low pressure centers? With no earth rotation, winds would blow in straight lines. They would move from a huge high pressure region, the side in direct sunlight, to the lowest pressure region. This would be the dark side of the earth. The side the sun never touches. Cold air from the dark side would then be pulled back to the sunny side in straight lines to be warmed and then pushed back again. The dark side would be in a constant state of stormy weather, while the sun side would experience beautiful clear, calm, sunny days. If it didn’t get cooked by the sun, that is. 3. If the pressure gradient force remained the same but the earths rate of rotation decreased slightly, would you expect the speed of the geostrophic wind to increase, decrease or remain about the same? If pressure gradient winds remained the same but the earth’s rotation slowed geostrophic winds would increase. The Coriolis force is a force based on the earth’s rotation. Because the earth spins objects in the atmosphere do not move in straight lines. The earth’s rotation causes them to veer of course. This is the CF. Pressure gradient winds (PGF) along with CF balance out geostrophic winds. If the earth slowed, the CF would decrease, so geostrophic winds would have to increase to maintain this balance. 4. Explain why it is much more difficult to measure snowfall amount than rainfall amount. Rain is measured by the amount of liquid contained in the measurement device. Whatever is amount of liquid is in the device, is the  measurement. However snow, has various factors that can impact its measurement. First of all snowfall measurement is based on how much liquid there would be if the snow was melted into liquid form. There are several factors that can impact how much snow is measured in a device. Wind can move snow from high points to low points and vice versa. The surface on which the snow is falling onto can also impact a measurement. The length of time the snow has been on the ground and how compact it is can also effect measurements. Measuring in several places and then using an average can give a more accurate total. Meteorologists usually forecast snow amounts giving a range of totals due to these factors which make it challenging to give an exact forecast. 5. Would you expect to find a subsidence inversion to be associated with high or low pressure? What effects might a subsidence inversion have on weather conditions at the ground? Subsidence inversions happen in areas of high pressure. A mass of cold air sinks slowly and is heated by adiabatic compression lower in the atmosphere. This causes this type of inversion. Subsidence inversions are high in the atmosphere and never reach the bottom because of turbulent mixing. The top of a subsidence inversion can usually be indicated by a smoky or dusty looking layer that has a distinguishable line. This line marks the top of this inversion. Effects can include low visibility and poor air quality. References Ahrens, C. D. (01/2014). Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 7th Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved fromhttp://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781305439733

A report on dry bulk shipping

A report on dry bulk shipping Shipping is indubitably one of the fascinating industries in the world. It requires vast knowledge and skill to cop up with the day to day operations because of the complexity of the industry and its dependence on world economics. Dry Bulk ships carry dry cargoes in bulk from one port to another and can be categorised into handysize,  handymax,  panamax,  capesize, and very large bulk and ore carriers according to their sizes. The performance of the bulk shipping market depends on the demand for and supply of bulk shipping services, as well as the characteristics of the market structure. The importance of shipping cycle in case of dry bulk carrier is that they plays a vital part in the economics of shipping industry by managing the investment risk in an industry ,where there is large uncertainty about the future (Stopford,2009) Section 1 Literature Review One of the major aspects affecting the future of dry bulk shipping is the quality and the safety perspective. Nominal freight differentiation between quality and other tonnage has been observed occasionally and much services has been paid to promoting the need for younger and safer ships (Tamvakis  and Thanopoulou,2000) Another factor that can influence maritime flows of dry bulk commodity is seasonality patterns .Spot rates for bigger vessels shows higher seasonal variations compared to smaller vessels, although differences in seasonal fluctuations between sectors are removed as the contract duration increases.   (Kavussanos and Alizadeh,2001) Investing in shipping industry has an entirely new aspect by the introduction of private equity and the development of a hedging strategy, now this can be treated as a portfolio optimization problem. The freight futures provide a comparatively novel medium for hedging risk in  dry bulk  shipping markets. New uprising financial strategies in dry bulk shipping in future can revolutionize the entire market.( Cullinane,1995) Duration analysis done by Bijwaard G.E and Knapp.S provides an insight to the effectiveness of prolonging ship lives and the empirical data solidifies the idea about the life span of dry bulk carrier. Life span is an important aspect in predicting the ship cycle(Bijwaard and Knapp,2009)Scrapping of ship is done at a particular time and this is done when the ship is retired from the current use or when shipping cycle demands it. Gain and losses after the scrapping of a ship . entirely depends on the market condition. Demand of Dry bulk shipping is always related to the scrapping industry.(Knapp,2008) The Government is proposing that the UKs CO2 emissions should fall by at least 80% by 2050 . Release of exhaust gases and particles from oceangoing  ships is an important and growing provider to the total emissions from the transportation sector. New strategies like slow steam, alternate fuel and new logistic approach like jumbo ore carriers etc will be used in future to make the shipping sector more eco friendly(Eyring et al,2010) Research Hypothesis Marine flow of dry bulk goods in 2050 will be largely influenced on numerous factors and the background study done above concretes this statement. From the background study done above following hypothesis are made. The changing investment strategy like private equity and development of hedging strategy in worlds dry bulk shipping can promote the ship owners to invest in new ships and it can also attract new ship owners to the industry .If the scrapping doesnt goes in proportion with the production ,it could affect the supply and demand of dry bulk goods and there would be frequent interference of shipping cycle The design, tonnage and operation of dry bulks ships in 2050 can vary a lot from the present. Carriers like jumbo ore carriers and trend to containerisation can be the future of dry bulk shipping .Seasonality and size issues at present might be totally vanished in the future. Developed countries like United Kingdom are concentrating more on environmental issues caused by shipping industries and UKs target to reduce CO2 emission by 80% in 2050 can have great influence in marine transportation of dry bulk commodities. This is mainly because in future government may bring controls to ships having co2 emission more than 80% which can result in restricting ships entering into UK ports. Now this can lead to change in the flow of dry bulk goods in and out of UK. Both the demand for shipping services and shipping rates in 2050 will be positively related to the shipping cycle. Section 2 Data Analysis Origin of the data used in this research was mainly collected from Thomson Reuters Datastream, OECD.stat, Shipping Intelligence Network by Clarksons Research and United Nations Statistics Division.The other data source used in this research is Lloyds Shipping Economist The Shipping Intelligence Network according to Clarksons Research is one of the top on line commercial shipping database and almost all related data required for this research like Baltic Freight Index and the fleet size were collected from this source. Data required for shipping cycle are collected from Thomson Reuters DataStream which is according to their webpage the largest financial database in the world. Some data were also collected from OECD(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and United Nations Statistics Division The data for the supply and demand are accessible from a centralised table called Supply and Demand Data in Lloyds economist. The data required for supply and demand of dry bulk carrier were collected from those tables for the current analysis of the bulk carrier market The time series that were taken from Lloyds shipping are stated below Total demand and supply of bulk carrier fleet in million DWT Total size of bulk carrier fleet adapting slow steaming strategy Total number of bulk carriers order book in million DWT The number of bulk carriers order book should be taken serious as there is an interval of two years from the order to the delivery. The data for supply and surplus of the fleet following slow steam strategy is either laid up or in-active are calculated in tons of dead weight To analyse the dry bulk shipping cycle it is useful to study how the key variables in this market have developed over time. It is very difficult to find the accurate measures of cycles ,representing the demand for shipping service and hence it not easy to find a relationship between dry bulk shipping and shipping cycle in general .To measure the freight rates in dry bulk shipping BFI(Baltic Freight Index) can be used (Glen and Rogers1997) Even though the BFI (Baltic Freight Index) ceased to exist when Baltic Exchange Dry Index was introduced, till today it has been calculated and reported by Clarksons Research Shelley (2003), As demonstrated in the Figure some striking changes are recorded in the freight rates of dry bulk shipping in recent years. The BFI reached at its maximum level in October 2007, followed by a dramatic fall in 2008.Figure(b) shows that the volatility of the freight rates have increased significantly after 2002-03 If a Comparison is done between figure 1 and figure 2 some similarities can be observed like increased freight rates in 2003-04 are matched by increasing total bulker sales and similarly the vice versa in the year 2005 and 2008 and hence a co-relation between freight rate and bulker sales can analysed from the above figures. Figures also expose a trend in increased volatility in total bulker sales during the period 2003-2008.c(Clarkson,2010) The augmented volatility in current years point towards that the fleet is almost equal to the current capacity limit. During the high capacity period, demand shocks have a great impact on freight rates. This can be a logical explanation of the hugely increased freight rates in the recent periods of boom in the world economy GDP for OECD, USA, Japan and China can be used to determine shipping cycles. The GDP of OECD is used as a alternative variable for world production, while the GDP of the US, Japan, and China represents the economic activity and demand for shipping services in three very important countries in world trade.(OECD,2010) The figures are based on data from the Shipping Intelligence Network by Clarksons Research and Thomson Reuters DataStream -2 All quarterly variables, the GDP of OECD, USA, Japan, and China from OECD stat helped us in finding that, these variables are non-stationary, as is the relevant time series for the Baltic Freight Index. The BFI from Clarkson led to the conclusion that all the shipping cycle are co related with the BFI.The sources that are used in this research gave us a larger perspective of the research objective and found out that, identifying the shipping cycle is a difficult process because there is much less previous researches done on this topic. Section 3 Demand and Supply Model for Dry Bulk shipping In present day there are number of models which have been developed to forecast and explain freight rate by examining the factors influencing the demand and supply of the respective services..Tinbergen(1934) model is considered to be one of the oldest econometric application.(Beenstock and Vergottis,1993).In new models the basic concept and idea are similar but the models have become more sophisticated by the application of new techniques . In 1980 a model was developed and presented in Strandenes and Wergeland which was named as NORBULK model. This model is considered to be one of the important econometric technique in predicting the freight rate in dry bulk shipping. The NORBULK model is based on the assumption that the demand for transportation of dry bulk commodities is determined by the freight rates, the trade patterns, and variables reflecting the macroeconomic situation A Graphical illustration of NORBULK model is shown above. From the illustration it is clear that demand and supply of dry shipping services are assumed to be influenced by the freight rate and at the same time equilibrium freight rates reflect the demand and supply of the shipping services. The model also explains the fact that macro economic conditions (the product capacity and cycle situation)influence the trade of bulk commodities which can alter the demand for transportation of dry bulk commodity. The speciality of NORBULK model from other models is that the other models are concentrated on major bulk commodities separately. The relation between trade and aggregated macroeconomic condition is one of the distinct features of NORBULK model. Supply part of the NORBULK model accounts for the size of the fleet, the fuel price, and the freight rates. The shape of the supply curve in a specific market reflects the relationship between the freight rate and the supply of shipping services, while, for instance, changes in the size of the fleet cause shifts in the supply curve. A characteristic shape of a supply curve in dry bulk shipping Ton miles is the measurement for supply and demand in sea transport and this is equal to the average haul multiplied by the tonnage of cargo (Strandenes and Wergeland, 1980) Shipping cycles are not cyclical or regular and hence in true world shipping predicting the shipping cycle are a loose sequence of up and downs and hence predictions in ship cycle is always a tough task. According to Cufley it is totally impossible to predict when the market will move upwards or fall. NORBULK is an example of a model based on the assumption that demand is inversely related to the freight rate. The relationship was estimated to be very inelastic, however. Still, Strandenes and Wergeland (1980) argue that it is potentially important to account for the price elasticity in both supply and demand. There are 10 variables in the demand and supply model which affect the demand for shipping and the supply of ships for the carriage of goods. The variable in the demand for ships are: The world economy, seaborne commodity trades, average haul, political event and transport cost. The variables for supply of ships are: World fleet, fleet productivity, ship building productions, scrapping and losses and freight rates.(Stopford,2010).Difficulty of analysing the above variables is daunting. The world economy is complex and sometimes we have to wait for years for the availability of the detailed statistics for accurate evaluation .Many of the variables mentioned above are highly un predictable and hence the forecasting must be considered as a process to clarify the risk rather than creating certainty. Working of NORBULK model is not focused on a particular commodity and it gives a general result which can be applicable to all the dry bulk carriers. New developed models used in dry bulk shi pping concentrates more on a specific commodity and there is always possibility that when modelling a particular commodity bulk carrier new models might be more accurate than NORBULK model. Assumptions made in developing the model sometimes can be far away from the reality and this can always result in wrong forecasting or prediction. Conclusion: It is always interesting to follow the future development of the dry bulk shipping market. In our opinion to understand the basic forces controlling the development of freight rates and shipping volume both econometric and theoretical analysis are very significant . On analysing the economic market we were able to understand the relations that are believed to exist between factors. We were also able to discover that the reason for shipping cycles to exist are the inelasticity of supply in shipping market which disables supply to meet the demand in the short run. Journals Bijwaard,G.E and Knapp,S (2009) Analysis of ship cycles The impact of economic cycles and ship inspections Journal on marine Policy, Vol 33, Issue 2, pp-(350-360) Cullinae,K(1995) A portfolio analysis of market investments in dry bulk shipping Transportation Research Part B: Methodological(June)Vol 29, Issue 3, pp 181-200 Eyeing,V(et, al)(2010) Transport impacts on atmosphere and climate: Shipping The ATTICA Assessment Report (Dec)Vol 44,Issue 37,pp 4735-4771 Kaussanos,M.G and Alizadeh,A.H(2001) Seasonality patterns in dry bulk shipping spot and time charter freight rates Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review (December) Vol 37, Issue 6, pp 443-467 Knapp.S (et, al) (2008) Econometric analysis of ship demolition market Journal on Marine policy,) Vol 32, Issue 6, pp-( 1023-1036) Tamavakis,N.T and Thanopoulu,H.a(2000) Does quality pay? The case of the  dry bulk market Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, (December) Vol 36, Issue 4,pp 297-307 Books Stopford, M., 2009, Maritime Economics, 3rd edition, London, Routledge pp 64,424-427,512 Section 2 Clarkson (2010) Available from http://www.clarksons.com/services/overview/?serviceId=418 Accessed on 21st November 2010 Glen, D. R and Rogers, P(1997),Does weight matter? A statistical analysis of the SSY capesize index, Maritime policy and management,pp 24, 351-364 Lloyds Shipping Economist magazines London 2005-2010 Available from http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/markets/lloyds-shipping-economist/ Accessed from 18th November 2010 O.E.C.D (2010) Available from http://oberon.sourceoecd.org/vl=6310340/cl=19/nw=1/rpsv/dotstat.htm. Accessed on 1st December 2010 Shelley, T( 2003) Chinas rapid expansion boosts world shipping industry, Financial Times, 25 November, pp 3 Thomson (2010) Avaialble From http://online.thomsonreuters.com/datastream/ Accessed on 5th December 2010 UNStats(2010) Available from http://unstats.un.org Accessed on 7th December 2010 Section 3 Beenstock, M., Vergottis, A., 1993, Econometric Modelling of World Shipping, london, Chapman Hall Stopford, M., 2009, Maritime Economics, 3rd edition, London, Routledge Wergeland, T. (1981). Norbulk: A simulation model of bulk freight rates. Working Paper 12, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Bergen, Norway

Possible Solutions to the Youth Violence Problem Essay -- Solutions Es

Possible Solutions to the Youth Violence Problem The birds are chirping, the sun is beaming down through the clouds, and you can hear the shrieks of excitement from the neighborhood park. Walking down the street, you envision raising your family on this picture-perfect street. As the vision becomes more and more detailed, however, the shot of a gun rings out from the distance. You duck behind a parked car, wondering where the bullet came from and why. Looking around, you are shocked to see a group of adolescents standing around another child, this one laying lifeless on the ground. As you rush over to help, the group scatters, and you notice all are wearing the same sign on their beanie hats. Looking down at the body, you see that there are no shoes to be had on his feet, although there are socks. When the police arrive, it is explained to you that this was an act of youth violence, and one that is common in that part of town. A child was shot to death for wearing a pair of shoes that a member of a street gang desired. This probably does not sound like your street where you live. It does not, however, mean that there are not places out in the world where this is an everyday occurrence. Youth are subjected daily to pressures from their peers, and sometimes these peers might be ones with a stronger temper. Programs have been implemented to help youth who become part of gangs or other types of violence, but have they been enough? One needs to search deeper to determine the causes, but it is the solutions to the problem that is, in the end, of most importance. On a local scene, the Corpus Christi Police Department has a gang prevention program. This program has a presentation in which members of the police... ...this type of violence is growing, there is not as much information available as other forms of violence. Programs, such as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters programs, are in place all over the world. However, the United States youth violence is an issue with no solution. It has stemmed from social and class differences from the time of the first immigrants, and has continued into our modern day society, with money and sexuality as basis for violent acts. Problems not only occur in our neighborhoods, but in those of other countries as well. In order for the problem of youth crime and violence to diminish, it is up to the above-mentioned programs, from local, all the way to a global, international level, to inform citizens and parents ways to help with the problems of the next generation. How can a solution ever be found if ignorance is blamed on behalf of society?

Impact of internet social and political Essay

The internet is less than two decades old but its impact has been felt by almost everyone in the global village. It has not only revolutionized our personal interaction habits but has also impacted greatly on other spheres of our life, most notably the economy. In many societies, the digital technology has not only influenced the political communication but also the whole political systems. Shapiro (1999) suggests that the digital technology has captured the attention of everyone from the media, government and the general public. Although the invention of the internet has brought with it some negative aspects, the digital technology has been hailed as the man’s new road to the better world. This paper will try to discuss some of the aspects of the internet that have continuously impacted on our social and political behaviours as citizens. Computers and the internet have greatly facilitated and expanded the individuals’ capacities in every sector of the society. Gurstein (2000) contends that the new ICTs have impacted almost everyone from institutions to business to organizations to the political arena. The impact has been so great that every sector of our society feels obliged to embrace the information communication technology in order to either improve the running of the government, community networking or to improve the citizen participation in the new information society. Terms such as â€Å"citizen networks†, â€Å"digital cities† or â€Å"e-governments† have become common expressions these days. They simply imply the new ways of interactions that exist between the governed and the government and new ideas regarding the metropolitan policies, through the use of electronic media (Sclove, 1995). The urban settings, built landscape as well as the social setting in our society, has undergone tremendous transformation from the last decade into the new millennium. The citizens have also not been left behind in this era of transformation. What we consider space, time, and our perception of politics as well as what we consider public or private and local or global has greatly changed. The advancement in the information communication technology has largely contributed to the changes in our cities and contemporary societies (Tsagarousianou, Tambini, & Bryan, 1998). There is a new concept that has caught on with most people in our society concerning governance. The term â€Å"electronic democracy† though has been in use since 1960s when most activists introduced a number of communication medias like free radio stations, to make the governments more accountable and responsive to its citizens, has found its way back in the advent of the internet (Sclove, 1995). Internet is currently being used to marshal grassroots groups to support a certain cause by most civil activists. There is also a growing mass of citizen initiatives that help to shape public opinion and thus influencing policies both at the national and local level. The internet therefore has greatly challenged the hitherto monopolies of the most political classes through better communication networks that have empowered the citizens to create a form of democracy in the society (Schuler, 1998). Today, many cities around the globe have created home pages in the internet and forums for interaction with their city residents. Governments around the world both at the local and national level in developed and developing nations alike, have invested in e-government projects through networks that enable citizens access to government structures, engage in online transactions or to get information on government policies. Some of these networks and sites have enable citizens to participate in most decision making regarding the management of urban habitats (Underwood, 2002). The internet has great potential to amass groups of people persuasive to certain ideologies. Many organizations now have websites which they use not only to communicate with their members but to recruit more like-minded individuals into their groups. Indeed the internet has become one of the major tools for lobbying citizens to a particular cause. Such organizations as the Internet Society and Voters Frontier Foundation have been very active in recruiting and educating the public on political issues in America (Tsagarousianou, Tambini, & Bryan, 1998). These groups have greatly contributed to the policy making processes through intensive lobbying. The internet has therefore provided a better platform for the citizens to actively participate in the political arena. This development has actually dealt a big blow to the interest group politics that have gone on over the years (Davis, 1999). The internet has impacted greatly on how we interact these days. Due to its widespread and accessibility, the information communication technology has completely changed the forms of social engagements. Today, there are numerous social networking sites that have increased the speed at which we do interact and organize our social activities. The most notable ones are MySpace and Facebook, which have simply taken the social interactions to the next level. These sites not only make it easier to keep in touch with friends and family members but enable subscribers to find other friends online. The era of information communication has ushered in a new way of keeping contacts with others no matter the distance between us. In a nutshell, the internet has reduced the world to a global village where everyone can be reached simply by a few clicks of the mouse (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008). The social networking sites have also been very important in educating the public on social and political problems afflicting the society. There are groups of people who have formed social forums and recruited individuals with like-minded views on the social and political events in the country. Members would be easily reached through the internet and topics as well as current affairs discussed. These forums have been quite helpful in bringing change in the political and social arenas in our country. It is the emergence of the internet as a political tool that some countries like the Myanmar, Iran and China have censored its usage among their citizens. These countries have restricted contents of political and religious materials that are accessible to their citizens (Shapiro, 1999). Again, a new internet phenomenon has emerged reshaping the politics and political activities in many countries around the global. What has been referred to as the internet activism has caught on in many countries and political players and citizens alike have embraced internet to win masses into their camps and political groupings (Tolbert, & McNeal, 2003). The current United States president Barrack Obama owes much of his political success to the internet. He amassed overwhelming campaign funds that enabled him outmuscle his opponents in the 2008 elections simply by recruiting a greater mass of followers through the internet. The citizens who were eager for change contributed wholeheartedly to this cause through internet donation. What was most remarkable was the overwhelming following Obama was able to attract over a short period of time in politics. Those who contributed included even non-Americans, who found it easier because of the internet. The internet has also provided leisure activities to its users through social entertainment sites. Currently, there are a number of forums that provide games, videos, and cartoons to entertain internet users. The internet has also enabled easy access to news and information. People these days are able to watch and listen to news, book for vacations, get information on weather and many other things of their interest. There are also thousands of blog sites that have not only provided a platform of communication but have enabled most people to interact by sharing views on various happenings around them. The blog sites have also become political tools most citizens use to lobby people onto their way of thinking (Rodgers, 2003). During the early stages of its development, in the early 1990s, the digital technology led to what many considered internet-euphoria. Many optimists believe it was the new dawn to mankind’s participation in social, political as well as economic spheres in his society. These euphoric evaluation has somewhat changed over the years as more people are now becoming more aware of the dangers technological advancement may pose to the society (Engel, & Keller, 2000). There is the issue of lack of internet safety as the social networking sites have proved to be. The critics of internet claim that it may increase cyber thefts or deceits because one may be able to steal one’s identity especially from the social networking sites. The challenges posed by the internet to the political activities have been cited as some propaganda wars between nations which may spill over into real battles (Tolbert, & McNeal, 2003). Conclusion The internet has profound altered our societal operation both in political and social spheres. The citizens will continue to access vital information that would eventually empower them which in turn will reshape the politics and political class that have long governed with their interest-based policies. Again, the internet has proved to be a better social tool in our society because it has made interaction easier than before. However, there are a few challenges that must be overcome to make it safer for every user.

Kingdom of matthias

Kingdom of Matthias is one of the literary works that gives focus to an important part of American history, the great age of democratic revivals in the country. The book is an attempt to find meaning and relevance in the Kingdom of Matthias. The authors of the book, Paul Johnson and Sean Wiletnz assert that the Kingdom of Matthias cannot simply be called an evangelical movement for a closer analysis of the movement will reveal that Matthias’ religious vision does not run in parallel with the new evangelicals of the time. Instead, his religious movement ran largely in contrast and in opposition to the evangelicals of the First and Second Great Awakenings. The book is the authors’ attempt to tell the tale of the national scandal that grew out of the Kingdom of Matthias. The authors weave a tale that integrates the three elements that made the Kingdom of Matthias prominent in American history. That is salvation, sex, and murder. The said literary piece is enjoyable to read despite its gruesome and eerie topic for the authors were able to turn the story into a novel. By using the lives of several characters, Johnson and Wilentz were able to reveal the facets of the evangelical movement through the lives of the said characters. This was vital to the story for it prevented the book from being a mere historical account of events by giving it a personal touch. Recounting the personal tales of each of the characters enabled the authors to tell the events in a story-telling manner. The book must also be commended for its ability to relate the events of the past to those of the present. This is vital especially since the book is often times used by students who want to see the relevance of what they are reading to their lives today. However, there are certain cases when the authors were seemingly exhausting the story too much. By doing so, they were clouding the story with tedium to certain extents. For instance, I do not see the need to discuss and expound on the Matthew’s brothers involvement in the anti-masonic hysteria in Rochester. Since the focal point of the book is a evangelical movement, it should be expected that much of the discussion will be centered on the intricacies of the religion and the beliefs it tries to promulgate. However, the authors were not able to give that much focus on the religious beliefs. Instead, the discussion was centered on how the Kingdom of Matthias was at the edge of religious respectability and how its teachings led to the scandal it saw itself in. Finally, the community played a very relevant role in the novel for the authors defined the lives of the main characters based on how the community reacted to them. In each of the stories that were recounted, the community’s role was largely explored. From the denial of certain evangelical movements of the membership of certain characters, to the reactions of the community to the practices of the Kingdom of Matthias, the authors continuously discussed the role and relevance of the community to the story. Kingdom of Matthias is a historical novel that explores the scandal of the evangelical movement of the same name. It tackles the relevance of how radical evangelism helped shaped the country into what it is today.