I enjoy the winter months while living in New England and it does seem that over time our winters have become less severe. I believe that global warming shows solid evidence that it is actually a problem that we as humans deal with. But, I believe that this is not something that we have caused ourselves but that the earth goes through phases of cooling and heating and right now we are in a warming phase.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Global Warming
According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press 57% of adults-reached on cell phones and land lines-think there is solid evidence that the average temperature on earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades. This research was conducted September 30 through October 4 and some 1,500 people were surveyed. In April 2008, 71% said there was solid evidence of rising global temperatures. There has been a decline in the proportion of Americans who say global temperatures are rising as a result of human activity, such as burning fossil fuels. Currently 37% percent of the Americans surveyed believe this, down from 47% last year.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Internet and Civic Engagement
The following information is from pewinternet.org.
-Those who use blogs and social networking sites as an outlet for civic engagement are far more active in traditional realms of political and nonpolitical participation than are other internet users.
-Half of those who are involved in a political or community group communicate with other group members using digital tools such as email or group websites.
-Those who make political donations are more likely to use the internet to make their contributions, however, large political donations are much less likely to be made online.
-Some 37% of internet users aged 18-29 use blogs or social networking sites as a venue for political or civic involvement, compared to 17% of online 30-49 year olds, 12% of 50-64 year olds and 10% of internet users over 65.
-Those who use blogs or social networking sites politically are much more likely to be invested in other forms of civic and political activism.
To view other information and data charts regarding this subject visit: pewinternet.org
Friday, October 9, 2009
President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
In an attempt to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism, President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. This is according to yahoo.com. The nomination comes just 9 months into Obama's presidency and has shocked many around the globe. "He got the prize because he has been able to change the international climate," Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said. Some around the world objected to the choice of Obama, who still oversees wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has launched deadly counter-terror strikes in Pakistan and Somalia. But the Nobel Committee has countered this argument, saying they are trying "to promote what he stands for and the positive processes that have started now."Myself, like many Americans, can only ask what has Obama really accomplished to recieve this very prestigeous award. At the same time, I feel as if this could be a good thing for America and the rest of the world. People can argue that Obama may be increasing the numbers of troops overseas, but this is only because something needs to be done to bring peace into the areas of the world that need it the most. I truly believe that with this prize, Obama will feel obligated to do everything in his power to promote what the prize stands for.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
politics1.com
The following websites are among the hundreds of websites that can be found on politics1.com.
This website offers information on a variety of things such as culture, entertainment, gadgets and politics.
By using hard facts and reliable information this website declares "eRumors" such as exploding cell phones as fact or fiction.
-ojr.org (Online Journalism Review)
The OJR is dedicated to promoting the success of good journalists and the different types of journalism.
This website offers any and all information on Chicago's culture.
News and views from around the world are offered on this website that may not be offered in mainstream media.
Degrees of Access
The following are observations from the slideshow below.
-Urban and suburban populations have nearly the same percentage of users with 74% and 77% respectively.
-Surprisingly, only about half of the people on the internet use a high speed internet connection at 55%.
-It seems as if cell phones are a bigger priority to the population because even people with a low income have a high percentage of owning cell phones at 63%.
-Men and women populations use the internet at the same percent of 73%.
-Teenagers and twenty-something year olds have the highest percent of users in their population at 90%.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Men vs. Women on the Internet
According to pewinternet.org, the following shows how men and women use the internet differently.
Although men are slightly more intense internet users, women tend to use the internet more for communication purposes. Women use e-mail to keep in touch with friends and family regarding news and events or even sharing a joke.
So, while women are more inclined to keep in touch with the internet, men are more likely to be using the internet to conduct business. Men use the initernet to pay bills, bid in auctions and trade and manage stocks. This does not include making online purchases for products. In which men and women use the internet for purchasing equally.
Men also use the internet to obtain information more than women do. In this sense, men are more likely to use the internet to gather information for things such as hobbies, read the news, as well as downloading and listening to music.
Women use the internet to gather information, but on subjects such as health and religion. Gathering information is a more interactive process for women and are more likely to share and obtain information through support groups and, as already stated, through e-mail exchanges.
Both man and women share the same view on the internets strongest characteristic, efficiency. The internet is a way to save time on tasks that would otherwise take longer, such
as paying bills or making purchases. But, men tend to use the internet more aggressivly and reach vaster topics by using search engines more confidently.
Although more men are participating more in online activities, women are quickly catching up. The reason men are ahead of women in internet usage is because men tend to be more tech savy. But, as the internet improves, it is a sure thing that women will become more confident in their internet usage and will be sharing the internet with men equally.
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