`simplicity

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Thursday, April 19, 2007

Case study of automobile and changes it has brought about

definition
A self-propelled passenger vehicle that usually has four wheels and an internal-combustion engine, used for land transport.

Case study: United States

Introduction
* Over the years, the automobiles have developed into a type of transport
* cleaner, safer, more reliable and more economical than horses
* some claim the car is a marvel of technology
* while others claim that it lead to serious consequences

effects on social lives
PROS.
* quality of life is better
* automobiles made traveling more comfortable and affordable
* able to travel long distances
* made places more accessible
* with better accessibility, more recreational activities will open up

CONS.
* less communication
* experience stress when they are stuck in traffic jams
* much time is lost
* because of automobiles, people seldom walk to get to their destinations, thus obesity problem has increased significantly

changes in courtship customs and sexual norms
* automobiles used for dating by 1920s
* received complaints about "night riders" who parked their cars along country lanes
* by 1960s, about 40% of marriage proposals took place in them

changes in people's attitudes
* individuality increased for automobiles' owners
* middle-class men prone to delay marriages to save enough money to buy an automobile
* delay in couples having children or having fewer children due to the expenses
* may lead to higher divorce rates
* with automobiles, people can now go wherever they like thus there may be a decrease in church attendance and family outings during weekends

* car is a symbol of social status and prestige as it is a luxury good
* people use it to flaunt wealth
* lead to discrimination towards the lower income people

* as men earn more than women on average, they are able to afford automobiles compared to the women
* women will be despised, they have no status
* leads to gender discrimination

environmental changes
* automobiles are a major source of carbon dioxide
* and carbon dioxide is the main source of global warming
* leads to many serious consequences eg. Rise in water level…
* the construction of more roads increase the consumption of natural resources and also increase air and land pollution
* people will be breathing in exhaust fumes which are bad for health
* with increasing number of automobiles, increases accidental rates

bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_the_automobile_on_societies#Social_status

`simple girl__
|9:33 PM|

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Monday, April 9, 2007

Motion: Traditonal family is no longer necessary for social effectiveness

Definition
The traditional family consists of a father who worked all day to support the family while the mother and children just live on the breadwinner.

Proposition
* if only one person brings in income, it is insufficient to support family
* especially in countries with big families
* leads to poverty
* cant even afford the basic necessities
* children cant afford to go to school
* causes literacy rate to drop
* besides, if only one person were to work in each family, income generated in country will be lesser
* without traditional family, there will not be discrimination against the women
* this is because traditional family emphasises on women being a "puppet", liberation not given to them, they are not allowed to voice their opinions
* country will be incompetitive compared to other countries

Opposition
* traditional values will be preserved
* values like respect the seniors, honesty eg. can be instilled into children
* without the traditional family, children will not have good upbringing
* plus, there will be miscommunication among family members
* as a result, divorce rates wil increase
* crime rate will also increase as children without traditional values will do crimes like stealing...
* old people will also be abandoned
* increase number of social workers, volunteers, homes needed
* expenditures will increase
* statistics state that children growing up broken families don't socialise well with others
* those children will grow up divorcing their spouses too

Note
* didnt grow up in traditional family--->lack of traditional value--->high crime rates
* but those who grow up in traditional family may contribute to the crime rates too

`simple girl__
|8:46 AM|

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Friday, April 6, 2007

Discuss the view that children always suffer when both parents work.

In a typical family, the father has always been the sole breadwinner. On the other hand, the responsibility of the mother is to maintain the household. However, as years pass, women are gradually being accepted by the society. This led to the fact that women are given equal job opportunities as the men. This dramatic shift has caused both parents to work. Today, the mothers of nearly 76 percent of children over the age of 5 are in the workforce. Some may think that parents work to support their children but others argue that children are neglected in the process. As a result, there are controversial views on whether children suffer when both parents work.

If only one parent were to work, the stress on him to support the family will be too much to withstand. It is only when both parents bring in income, can the financial burden be reduced. Giving the family a good life is important. Parents could no longer earn sufficient money just to make ends' meet. They have to provide children with decent lives for example good education. Without proper education, children are bound to suffer in future. They may be discriminated by the educated and they will not stand a chance in getting job opportunities. Furthermore, with more income, the family will be able to afford better and newer things for their children.

In fact, the children do not suffer when both parents go to work. Rather, it is the parents themselves who are suffering. This is because the main purpose parents dedicate long hours to their work, is to provide their children with the best of everything. They have to tolerate complaints from their bosses at work just to keep their jobs safe. Even at home, they have to listen to unpleasant words from their unappreciative children. On the contrary, children only know how to stretch their hands out for more pocket money. Parents work harder than their children yet the latter enjoy much more than their parents. So aren't the parents suffering instead of their offsprings?

To achieve those luxurious lives, parents will have to sacrifice the time spent with children. Children may be taken care by either maids or by the workers in childcare centers when parents are working. If the maids that parents have hired harbour any bad intentions, children will be in a dangerous situation. This is well supported by recent cases whereby many children have been abused by maids. For older children, they will find their home a place for lodging only. They will tend to hang out with friends rather than face an empty house each time they go home. With the amount of “freedom” given to them, there will also be a high possibility that they will end up mixing with bad companies and ruining their futures.

In addition, without much interaction between parents and children, they will not be able to understand one another. Conversations will be limited to only a few sentences each day. Skills like cooking, sewing will be lost since parents do not even have the time to interact with the children, let alone passing on those skills. Children will grow up knowing nothing. There will also be a loss of values.

There are pros and cons when both parents work. The only solution to ensure that children do not suffer is that parents should try to spend quality time with their children and instill values in them. Only when both parties understand one another, will the children be independent and will the family be a happy one.

`simple girl__
|11:02 AM|

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hold me TIGHT; and NEVER let go*