The 9/11 attacks brought into the public sphere the debate of the surveillance security system to protect our society from other attacks they could occur (or not) in Western countries. Since that moment, governments around the Western Countries started to put cameras in our streets with the aim to protect our security. By doing so, they also started to violate the human rights of privacy and freedom.
Since Al Quaeda terroristic attaks, The United States Government, started to stablish a “terror state” feeling that make people agree with their decission to mantain society under “security” surveillance. What do they fear? A hypothetical incoming attack foretold by they leaders? In my opinion, they live under the pressure of fear, which is worst than an atack. And after all, is it true that these kind of security methods (surveillance cameras, surveillance trough the Internet, cell phones surveillance...) make us be safer? In my opinion, the answer is a categorical no.
The country security cannot never be based on its population surveillance, neither on the reduction of their liberties. On the contrary, it should be based on the protection of human rights and freedom.
When we are under surveillance, we are treated as we were potential criminals, but are we? This kind of treatment makes people feel uncomfortable (at least a great number of citizens), angry with the “enemy” who is observing us, producing some reactions that don’t have to do with the “security” purpose: bandalism attacks against the surveillance monitors, demonstrations in favour of our freedom (sometimes peaceful, sometimes not), confrontations between citizens and governments, etc.
Finally I would like to remark the ridiculous and obvious contradiction within the USA security system. The US Government allow people to buy weapons to protect themselves. But why they need weapons when they are already supposed to be safe with the surveillance system government have implanted on their territory? Maybe the surveillance system is not a security one but a control system.
martes, 26 de mayo de 2009
Grades
Education is one of the most important values we have in order to mantain our society. Education provides children the capacity to became independent human beings. Due to the importance of education when you are a child, it is a very often discussed the better way to improve childrens capacities. In almost every country (at least in the European Union), grading is the way chosen to evaluate children’s proficiency. Still, grading children is a issue that differs very much from one country to another. As well as in Spain, children are grading since they enter school, in Sweden they are not until they reach the 6th grade.
In my opinion, grading is not the best way to evaluate and, after all, improve the educational proccess for children. I believe that both, teachers and parents, they are responsible for children’s education. They have to try to make children aware of the importance of education, and reward them when they are doing the best. Grading them, instead of be viewed as a reward for they efforts, in my opinion, is watched by children as a punishment. When they are so young, marks could make them feel if they were under a kind of pressure they are not yet used to. I think that become prepared to be graded is a time issue that needs teacher’s and parent’s efforts to work properly.
On the other hand, some people argue that children have to be graded as soon as possible to make aware them of education is a good only for them. They are the only responsibles of their own education, and they have to do it the best as they can, so they have to be conscious of that since they are very young.
From my point of view, children’s responsability is not only based on the idea they have to get the best mark on an exam. I think that the goal of children’s education is make they want to study because they have realized that education is the only thing is going to make one person different from each other in this world plenty of competitiveness. That education is not just a grade, it is a opportunity they cannot waste if they want to be a complet and a free person.
In my opinion, grading is not the best way to evaluate and, after all, improve the educational proccess for children. I believe that both, teachers and parents, they are responsible for children’s education. They have to try to make children aware of the importance of education, and reward them when they are doing the best. Grading them, instead of be viewed as a reward for they efforts, in my opinion, is watched by children as a punishment. When they are so young, marks could make them feel if they were under a kind of pressure they are not yet used to. I think that become prepared to be graded is a time issue that needs teacher’s and parent’s efforts to work properly.
On the other hand, some people argue that children have to be graded as soon as possible to make aware them of education is a good only for them. They are the only responsibles of their own education, and they have to do it the best as they can, so they have to be conscious of that since they are very young.
From my point of view, children’s responsability is not only based on the idea they have to get the best mark on an exam. I think that the goal of children’s education is make they want to study because they have realized that education is the only thing is going to make one person different from each other in this world plenty of competitiveness. That education is not just a grade, it is a opportunity they cannot waste if they want to be a complet and a free person.
Climate Change
Climate Change is one of the most important problems our society has to deal with. Everybody has heard about it several times, but not enough people konw exactly what it is, or at least, they don’t know what to do to deal with it. The information people have about it is not enough clear, and what it is worst, it is contradictory.
While ecologists alarm about the Climate Change’s consecuences, some politicians don’t care at all about it, and some others suggest few personal solutions to fight with it (recicling at home and using public transport are the most popular). So, what are people supposed to do?
In my opinion, international policies should be executed by all the governments in the world, since Climate Change is an issue that affects every part of the planet, not just one city or one country. These policies should be more efficient that those we already have. I mean, it is not just to take the bus instead to have your own car, not only to throw the glass in a different container than the paper, when factories still continue polluting with dangerous fumes or when governments don’t invest in the development of renewable energy.
I believe, that what society really needs is a common campaign to stop the disastrous consequences of the Climate Change. A international campaign to develop new kinds of renewable energies, new alternatives to slow the use of oil down and new policies to control the pollution by factories. If governments are willing to cooperate between them, people will be prepared to do their better. People will feel more confident if they see their governments trying to safe the world as the same time as them. At least, they will feel supported by their governments, they will see they are not alone on this fight.
While ecologists alarm about the Climate Change’s consecuences, some politicians don’t care at all about it, and some others suggest few personal solutions to fight with it (recicling at home and using public transport are the most popular). So, what are people supposed to do?
In my opinion, international policies should be executed by all the governments in the world, since Climate Change is an issue that affects every part of the planet, not just one city or one country. These policies should be more efficient that those we already have. I mean, it is not just to take the bus instead to have your own car, not only to throw the glass in a different container than the paper, when factories still continue polluting with dangerous fumes or when governments don’t invest in the development of renewable energy.
I believe, that what society really needs is a common campaign to stop the disastrous consequences of the Climate Change. A international campaign to develop new kinds of renewable energies, new alternatives to slow the use of oil down and new policies to control the pollution by factories. If governments are willing to cooperate between them, people will be prepared to do their better. People will feel more confident if they see their governments trying to safe the world as the same time as them. At least, they will feel supported by their governments, they will see they are not alone on this fight.
domingo, 26 de abril de 2009
LOST Adiction
There is no doubt that television series are part of our daily life as they are taking a shower, brushing your teeth or sleeping. Knowingly or not, we watch TV series few times a day. Maybe you are kooking or having lunch and you have the TV switched on, and a serie is broadcasting on the screen. But in our “stressed” life, sometimes you don’t have time enough to watch your favourite serie or you don’t want to wait a week to watch a new episode. Just one word: The Internet. It provides you the solution. On the web, you can find all the series you can imagine, and as easy as a click you can watch them whenever you want. No advertisements, high definition, subtitles, original version... What else you would like?
That’s the reason I get hooked on LOST. Some friends told me about it, so one day, I decided to try. From the first episode, I realized it was going to be my “drug” in my free time (and sometimes not only in my free time but also when I’m bussy I spend my time watching LOST instead of doing what I’m supposed to do).
I had got bored of the rest of the series: love as usual, mystery as usual, comedy as usual... Why not a serie with a little bit different approach? In LOST you can find all of that but from a new poit of view, in my opinion, a more intelligent point of view.
A brief summary to understand better what I´m talking about: the LOST’s characters have had a plane crashed and they are trapped in a desert island in which very strange things happen they can’t explain. Under such circumstances there’s no place to love, comedy or mystery as usual. And why don’t admit it, who has never dreamed about keeping trapped in a desert island?
I have confessed I’m a LOST addict. But should I think why? It’s because is time for new kind of more intelligent/ interesting series or we are proud of that because it sounds cooler to say you watch LOST than you are a Supermodel fan?
Perhaps there’s no time for more intelligent or interesting series, but just for a new way of life that you express as your behaviour as your dress style or the kind of series, books or music you use to watch, read or listen.
Maybe that’s true and I watch it because is one of the premises to belong to the group of people I identify with... But however it is, I’m going to take my dayly drug: a LOST episode.
That’s the reason I get hooked on LOST. Some friends told me about it, so one day, I decided to try. From the first episode, I realized it was going to be my “drug” in my free time (and sometimes not only in my free time but also when I’m bussy I spend my time watching LOST instead of doing what I’m supposed to do).
I had got bored of the rest of the series: love as usual, mystery as usual, comedy as usual... Why not a serie with a little bit different approach? In LOST you can find all of that but from a new poit of view, in my opinion, a more intelligent point of view.
A brief summary to understand better what I´m talking about: the LOST’s characters have had a plane crashed and they are trapped in a desert island in which very strange things happen they can’t explain. Under such circumstances there’s no place to love, comedy or mystery as usual. And why don’t admit it, who has never dreamed about keeping trapped in a desert island?
I have confessed I’m a LOST addict. But should I think why? It’s because is time for new kind of more intelligent/ interesting series or we are proud of that because it sounds cooler to say you watch LOST than you are a Supermodel fan?
Perhaps there’s no time for more intelligent or interesting series, but just for a new way of life that you express as your behaviour as your dress style or the kind of series, books or music you use to watch, read or listen.
Maybe that’s true and I watch it because is one of the premises to belong to the group of people I identify with... But however it is, I’m going to take my dayly drug: a LOST episode.
Childhood memories
When I think about my childhood, I believe that it was the best time in my life (no problems, no rules, no needs except a lollipop...). But I also think that my great memories are largely dependent on the education my parents gave me. Due to the importance of your parents have on your education, I think that maybe I could not be able to educate a child because I do not know if there is a correct way to do it, and this feeling makes me unhappy and worried.
A mathematical problem, a grammatical one, etc., have just one correct way to solve it, but when we talk about child’s education, there are a lot of factors you cannot control and could have negative consequences on child’s life. I know that I cannot try to explain the educational proccess as a mathematical problem, but maybe I do it because I think that I need a guide to learn how to teach a child to be an adult.
Maybe is also because I think that I would be able to educate a child in the eighties (when I was a child), but not nowadays: this world we live in seems strange to me. I did not try too many things children have nowadays, so I cannot teach a child how to use them, how to interact with them. The Internet, console games, hundred of channels on the TV... How coud I survive without that? I do not know, but I did it. But is a truth that a child nowadays cannot, so what I am supposed to do? Try to keep my child off of that? or understand that I am going to educate him learning at the same time as he does?
Perhaps the only answer to these questions is that I must wait to feel the maternal instinct to guess how I should behave. Is too soon to try to find an answer.
A mathematical problem, a grammatical one, etc., have just one correct way to solve it, but when we talk about child’s education, there are a lot of factors you cannot control and could have negative consequences on child’s life. I know that I cannot try to explain the educational proccess as a mathematical problem, but maybe I do it because I think that I need a guide to learn how to teach a child to be an adult.
Maybe is also because I think that I would be able to educate a child in the eighties (when I was a child), but not nowadays: this world we live in seems strange to me. I did not try too many things children have nowadays, so I cannot teach a child how to use them, how to interact with them. The Internet, console games, hundred of channels on the TV... How coud I survive without that? I do not know, but I did it. But is a truth that a child nowadays cannot, so what I am supposed to do? Try to keep my child off of that? or understand that I am going to educate him learning at the same time as he does?
Perhaps the only answer to these questions is that I must wait to feel the maternal instinct to guess how I should behave. Is too soon to try to find an answer.
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