Covenants of the Old Testament Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Covenants of the Old Testament - Research Paper Example Whether it is one covenant expressed in different contexts and hence different forms, or it is different covenants with different persons, depends to a certain extent on individual interpretations† (Poon 42). God has made covenants with certain persons in the Hebrew Bible and some of these covenants could be unconditional or could clearly depend on the loyalty or fidelity of the human partner. God established covenants with notable people in the bible like Noah, Abraham, Moses and David (Brueggemann 91). It is important to note which of the covenants that God established with these persons in the Hebrew Bible that is unconditional and the ones that are conditional. In the book of Genesis, God made a covenant with Noah after he (God) had used flood to destroy the people of the earth except Noah and his family. According to the bible, God told Noah that, I solemnly promise you and your children and the animals you brought with you- all these birds and cattle and wild animals- tha t I will never again send another flood to destroy the earth. And I seal this promise with this sign: I have placed my rainbow in the clouds as a sign of my promise until the end of time, to you and to all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, and I will remember my promise to you and to every being, that never again will the floods come and destroy all life. For I will see the rainbow in the cloud and remember my eternal promise to every living being on the earth. Gen. 9:8-17 In the covenant that God made to Noah, it is clear that God did not like the fact that he had to destroy the people that he created with flood and due to the love that he had for Noah and his family, he had to establish this covenant with Noah and his generation. God promised not to open the floodgates of heaven and use water to destroy the world again. He promised that he would not destroy humans and animals with flood as he told Noah that the rainbow that appea rs in the cloud is the sign of the covenant that he (God) made with Noah and his generation. The rainbow shows that, to every covenant, there is a sign. The rainbow is also a reminder to man of God’s promise never to use flood to destroy the world again. This covenant could also be referred to the covenant of the preservation of life (Harris & Platzner 14). God gave Noah this covenant to assure him of his steadfast love for the human race. However, it should be noted that, the covenant that God made with Noah is an unconditional one as it did not in any way depend on the fidelity of the human partner. At this point, it is also pertinent to take a look at the covenant that God made with Abraham, who was a descendant of Noah. Abraham was a man of faith; he was a man that walked with God. As a result of Abraham’s faithfulness, God had to establish a covenant with him. God bestowed a great blessing upon Abraham that has made people to be blessed through him. In the fifteen th chapter of Genesis, God tells Abram (as his name was called then) that, â€Å"I have given this land to your descendants from the Wadi-el-Arish to the Euphrates River. And I give to them these nations: Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim. Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites.† (Gen. 15:18-21). This was the covenant that

Addiction Wrecks Essay Example for Free

Addiction Wrecks Essay Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease that affects the brains reward, motivation and other related systems. It is a relationship you have with an object or substance. Most addicts come to depend on that object or substance to meet emotional needs. Individuals struggling with addiction are unable to control their actions and make rational decisions about their behavior. There are two main forms of addiction, physiological and psychological. Psychological is an emotional dependence on the feeling a drug or action gives you. Physiological addiction goes beyond mental cravings. One becomes physiologically addicted to a substance when your body has marked a physical need for increasing doses. Drugs such as heroin, cocaine, nicotine, and alcohol are physiologically addictive. There are many warning signs and symptoms of physiological addictions; tolerance you need more and more to get high. Withdrawal: which has symptoms such as; sweating, tremors, tension, anger, irritability, becoming impatient, and rapid heart rate. Those symptoms appear when you quit using the drug or substance. There is no standard time it takes to become addicted, many say consistent use over a 30 day period but there is no magic number. No matter what once an addiction is forms it is extremely harmful. â€Å"In 2005 scientist found the so called addiction gene, a brain receptor that, in certain forms, makes people more susceptible to drug and alcohol addiction†. (Winters 8) Many believe that the disease is hereditary however no one is doomed from birth many factors beyond genetics play in, such as psychological factors; failure in parental guidance, unstable family environments. Psychological vulnerability, depression, stressed tense and unhappy life styles. Although knowing the gene exist is most useful in providing preventive treatment that isolates that particular receptor and potentially decreases a person’s change in becoming addicted (pg. 9) Many children develop addictive behaviors because it is a learned behavior. A big part of how you act is determined hoe your parents act, you learn by watching and interacting with them. Unfortunately people who are raised in addictive families learn addictive beliefs and logics. For instance, if one of your parents is an alcoholic you learn growing up that the way to cope with a bad day is to come home and have a few drinks to numb the pain. Pure pressure may also lead you into an addiction. There are different stages that lead to addiction; first experimentation it’s marked by someone wanting to do something only a few times to see what it’s like such as gambling or a sex experiment. Then there is casual use, doing something occasionally or just a few times a month. Abuse is the third stage that leads to addiction, abuse is when someone continues to abuse an object or substance regardless of the negative consequences or desire to quit. Dependence is next, using or doing on a regular basis. Increased tolerance levels and mild withdraw. Last you become fully addicted, an over whelming compulsion for an event or substance on a continuous basis. Once you become an addict it becomes the most important thing in your life above family and all. Addiction wrecks your life including your physical health, personal relationships and overall job performance. The worse the addiction the more the addict isolates him/her self from people who can help and the longer the illness progresses the less the addict feels like they cant turn to others. Most of the time the addict doesn’t realize there is a problem and are in denial. Addicts go to extreme life threatening behaviors because they lose control of their own actions. Alcohol is the most widely abused drug in the world. Technically a depressant, alcohol provides a drunken high that often allows people to forget their troubles. Extreme alcohol craving can also result from genetic vulnerability. Studies show that adult children of alcoholics are 3-4 times more likely to become alcoholics themselves (Kuhn 19). No one is doomed from birth; many factors beyond genetics play in such as psychological factors. Alcohol effects how the body works, when drinking all the time the body adapts its self to having alcohol in the blood stream and then comes dependent on it and needs it for stability. Marijuana usually know as the gateway drug is made from leafs of a cannabis plant and is usually smokes. State of intoxication from marijuana is also known as being high, usually people feel relaxed and their senses are heightened (Kuhn 3). Marijuana causes psychological dependence. While under the influence of marijuana sense of time is distorted and simple task seem to take longer to accomplish. Some effects of smoking marijuana are increased heart rate, slowing reaction time, memory loss, and slowing reaction time. These effects are noticeable in just a few min and last a few hours. The most lasting and harmful effect of marijuana is the physiological changes in neurotransmitters and structures in the brain, leading to the loss of motivation and cognitive impairments. Drug addiction is one of the most visible and common addictions today. One of America’s biggest battles today is on narcotics. The most common used narcotics are Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxy-cotton, which are all made with opium. Opium is a reddish-brown heavy scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used as a narcotic and in medicine as an analgesic. When opiates are introduced to the brain the body stops producing its own endorphins, which leads to tolerance and addiction. Narcotics cause an initial rush followed by a 4-6 hour high, during the high the user feels relaxed however after these phases wear off the user crashes and produces the desire for more of the drug. If the user doesn’t get more of the drug they go into what is called withdraw. Withdraw happens when the user does not have more of the drug within 8 hours after the user comes down. Symptoms of withdraw are tearing eyes, chills, sweats, nausea and increased heart rate. These symptoms can last 3-4 days if the user doesn’t have more drugs. The severity of withdraw depends on the severity of the addiction. Addiction and drugs don’t discriminate. They don’t care whose life they ruin or who they kill. Addiction doesn’t care what kind of home you came from or how responsible you parents are. Addiction can and will affect you if you let it. If you already find yourself in the vicious cycle of addiction there is a way out and always a road to recovery if you truly want it. It won’t be easy; it will be long night of no sleep and hard days of wanting to give into those painful cravings. However if you as an individual want it bad enough you can achieve sobriety. Step 1 is admitting you have an addiction. Confront what you have been ignoring and be honest with yourself. Second is to seek help, support groups with others who are in your same situation and can help you reach your goals of sobriety. Probably the most important is treatment or a rehab facility to keep you safe why you reach your maximum potential on your road to recovery. Recovery is a constant struggle; it may take many months’ even years for you to confidently say you are a fully recovered addict. However it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. You learn how and why you were addicted and how to work out many of the problems you were previously trying to avoid. The knowledge you learn can give you confidence in confronting an addiction urge may it ever appear again. If you’re struggling with addiction, get help! Talk to a friend, teacher, counselor, neighbor, you’re not alone. Addiction is one of the biggest problems in today’s society. Start today by taking the first step to make a life changing decision. You can overcome it and there are people and facilities out there that are willing able and ready to help addicts.

The View of Personal Responsibility for Health

The View of Personal Responsibility for Health INTRODUCTION The connection between freedom and responsibility progressed as a topic on healthcare issues for individuals, families, society and environment. It also includes the factors about the functions of healthcare workers and other contributors that affect health, like issues on how to implement government programs, wherein in other settings there is lack of support from the community members. And the question lies on who is to be blamed when health problems arises. People should remain liable for their own choices, and there are identified factors which are outside the human control where in people become sick caused by environmental predicament. And the outcome of these problems at times they put on the faults to society. Despite of the impressive disagreement, there are assertive evidence why this health responsibility has been lowered to the framework of family and society, within the background of political as societal affairs that functions as one of the providers of healthcare in an y setting. The article â€Å"Responsibility for health: Personal, Social and Environmental gave me a question about who are really responsible for our own health? I contemplate all the factors involved, and in my own proposition, we are responsible for our own actions and health consequences. Justifying the case of those people who are physically challenged or mentally incapacitated. On their case support from the community, aside from the family is needed, that is why the government has a fund and program for that sector or member of the community, it is part of the government to provide the necessary steps for them to be back on the right track of healthy living, which cannot be given by themselves, and the healthcare workers will be on their side to perform the health plans for them. But for those who are able and have a clear mind on what is going on, then the decision to have a better health lies on their own hand. It is our own choice for whatever we want in our lives, we are accountable for our own health, we have the agency to exercise whatever judgement we make as our choice for personal health and safety, and we do recognized the bou ndaries wherein our body will be at risk or can still tolerate the elements or substances that, are being advised to consume minimally or avoid completely. And for me the social side, there responsibility is only for us to be warned about the good or bad effects of any substance available, and to provide support in times health concern arises. Its main responsibility for health is to promote and implement programs that can provide optimum health to individuals. Being funded by the government both nationally and locally, its focus mainly to avoid and eliminate potential health risk, and detection of any possible occurrence of any health issues that will affect the individuals and community as a whole. Health funds derived from taxes were used by health government organization. The benefits include in the public health are the free hospitalization within 24 hours emergency and clinic interventions, laboratory test, dental and immunization, and also subsidy for prescribed medicines. The government also provide assurance that health practitioners are registered with them and fully competent in the practice of their profession. Environment can only be responsible when both personal and social fails to perform the responsibilities they should be doing, such as pollution. Hazardous waste materials must be disposed properly and possible health effect or consequences should be eliminated. All programs for the maintenance of clean environment must be strictly implemented and the rule for a clean surroundings must be enjoyable exercised by the people involved. An environmental health issue can only be experienced due to lack of function and concern to health programs, of both individuals and the society itself. Our greatest hope for minimising the burden of preventable disease and death around the world is through Health behaviour change. Tobacco smoking, less active lifestyle, not healthy diet, and alcohol consumption together account for almost one million deaths each year in the United States alone, for example. The World Health Organisation has cautioned that the global scattered of the tobacco widespread could claim one billion lives by the end of this millennium. The rising frequency of childhood corpulence could place the New Zealand at risk of rearing the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst generation of youngsters to live sickly and die very young than their parents, and the widespread prevalent of fatness among youngsters and mature individuals threatens surprising worldwide health and economic charges. The leading behavioural risks factors are non-compliance to prescribed medical examinations and preclusion and illness management activity, unsafe sex, drug application, family and gun foul play, worksite and motor vehicular accidents) say unequal charges in low-paid jobs and less privileged racial and ethnic populace, as well as in scarce-resource societies all over the globe. Taking these behavioural dangers and distinctions, and the behaviours associated to universal health risks, such as influenza virus outbreak, water scarceness, more harmful ultra violet exposure, and the obligation to guard the health of mother earth itself, will be crucial to global health in this century. There are clinically proven studies for most major behavioural health threats, enclosing tobacco smoking, not healthy diet, unbalanced lifestyle, too much drinking, and diabetes care guidance. There are similar research study instructions for the health care system switches and procedures needed to make sure their efficiency. New society application procedures propose another research study recommendations for a wide array of populace-level, education-, workplace-, and society-based agenda and non-private procedures to develop jab rates and bodily activity requirements for youngsters and mature ones, enhance diabetes self-care guidance, minimise dangerous sun vulnerability, stop second-hand smoke inhalation, eradicate youth tobacco consumption and help mature smokers to quit, minimise workplace and motor vehicular accidents, and reckless drunk driving and family and gun foul play. The restricted power of even our most effective distinct health behaviour precautions, based on studies emphasizing intrapersonal and interpersonal factors of health behaviours, clearly resulted to an exclusive reliance on distinctly oriented precautions would not be enough to reach our critical populace health and health care objectives. These deficiencies led to a basic â€Å"paradigm shift† in our comprehension of what the goals of efficient precautions wanted to be, not just everyone but the full contexts in which they work and live. This movement catalysed the increase of environmental models of health development that have guided the improvement of influential precautions in non-private health and health care facilities. Similar movements in the models and schemes of public health and clinical health advancement opened the way for even wider populace models that link health goals and public health groups, societies, clinical and health care professionals. The Chronic Car e Model proclaimed by the Institute of Medicine and the related structure raised by the World Health Organization as examples. And these structures stimulated works to polish and pertain paradigmatic and principles to interpret efficient clinical and public health programs into application and procedures, enclosing the scattering of innovations model, society and association change principles, and socio-marketing and communications principles. Mega parallel increases in what we have educated about the patterns, procedures and limitations of non-private health improvement and health care quality development from the past three decades describe the basic assumption of this and prior versions of Health Behaviour and Education that an exchange varies between proposition, investigation, and application is crucial to efficient health literacy and advancement. The major principles and examples of health literacy at many levels are: personage, interpersonal, peer groups, society, non-private policy; and in a wide array of settings and populace. Analysis is one of the new exertions to comprehend quickly about â€Å"what generates† by estimating grassroots labours in schools and societies over the nation and the planet to carry out agenda, policies, and ecological shifts to restrain the increase in children obesity as an example as a whole. CONCLUSION: In general, to balance the responsibility between the society and the family, both must recognize its functions to health programs. The society must provide the necessary things for the implementation of care, this involves the healthcare benefits that are subject to be distributed to each member of the society, like medical check-up, free medicine, clean food and drinking water, sanitary project to eliminate pollution, immediate response in any infectious cases, and maintain the ability to identify potential problems. And for the family, the society needs the whole support from each member; the family must participate in all health programs and be open to discuss any health issues. Individual in the family must observe health practice, it includes healthy diet and avoidance of any substances that considered as health risk, and all kinds of vices that affects healthy living. And on the other side of family healthcare protection, it is important that they should acquire health insuran ces for them to be assisted in finances regarding health concerns. Insurances provide financial support and it elevates the burden from expenses in health problems. For environment issues, proper sanitation and garbage disposal must be observed to avoid environmental difficulties. The effectiveness of any government health agenda rest on the assistance of each individual, and family member of the community covered by the program. A clean environment will produce a healthy individual and a happy family, this will stand as the symbol of safe and wholesome society. In addition, to balance all these factors, the government must provide training and proper education regarding health practice, support its workers through proper funding, remuneration and provision of entitled benefits. Individuals and businesses that contribute support for health standards must be supported. In return to this, compliance to taxation program should be followed, individual members of the family and the socie ty as a whole must support government regulation regarding its health programs. REFERENCES: Brownell, K. D. (1991). Personal responsibility and control over our bodies: when expectation exceeds reality.Health Psychology,10(5), 303. Minkler, M. (1999). Personal responsibility for health? A review of the arguments and the evidence at century’s end.Health Education Behavior,26(1), 121-141. Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., Fisher, E. B. (2008). Ecological models of health behavior.Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice,4, 465-485.

Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot - God Isnt Coming Essays -- Waitin

Waiting for Godot - God Isn't Coming  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett's existential masterpiece, for some odd reason has captured the minds of millions of readers, artists, and critics worldwide, joining them all in an attempt to interpret the play. Beckett has told them not to read anything into his work, yet he does not stop them. Perhaps he recognizes the human quality of bringing personal experiences and such to the piece of art, and interpreting it through such colored lenses. Hundreds of theories are expounded, all of them right and none of them wrong. A play is only what you bring to it, in a subconscious connection between you and the playwright. One popular interpretation of Waiting for Godot relates it to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, as related in the New Testiment. There are significant "clues" and "evidence" to make this connection, and as the main tenant of the Existentialist movement, which grew out and of WWII experiences of not only Beckett, but all the other great Existentialists, Camus, Sartre, and Ianesco. It also developed using the writings of Hegal, Schopenhaur, and Nitchze. The main philosophy of Existentialism can be summed up in one statement - "How can one reconcile one's existence with a world devoid of order, norms, or divine guidance." Thus, there is an implied aspect of religion and the questioning there of in any Existential piece, as this is a facet of human society that helps us deal with the Existential Dilemma. First and foremost is the title itself. Waiting for Godot. Who IS Godot? VLADIMIR: (Softly) Has he a beard, Mr. Godot? BOY: Yes Sir. VLADIMIR: Fair or... (he hesitates)...or black? BOY: I think it's white, Sir. (p. 59 A) Look at any portr... ...that believe in the divinity of the self, and I believe Beckett, by this statement and others in other plays, feels that way as well. Godot will never show up. Estragon and Vladimir must find him for themselves, rather than letting him come to them. They must take action and make the world around them exist, a world with more than a dead or dying tree. This is the Existential solution. To exist in a world devoid of reason, one must create that reason, else be doomed to endless years of waiting for enlightenment to come, which it never will, appearing only on the horizon of tomorrow's forever. Beckett is telling us to get up off our butts and exist. God isn't coming, and if you want to wait forever for him be our guest, but the rest of us are going to be human BE-ings. Work Cited Beckett, Samuel. The Complete Dramatic Works. London: Faber and Faber, 1990.

A new media and its impact Essay

The more time you spend in India, the more you realize that this country is one of the world’s greatest wonders a miracle with a message. And the message is that democracy matters†. India is one of such paradises on earth where you can speak your heart out without the fear of  someone gunning you down for that, or, it has been until  now. Article 19 of the Indian Constitution provides freedom of speech as the fundamental right embodied in part III. This Art. give fundamental right to every citizen to enjoy freedom of speech without hurting the other. Even if the situation of Indians is a lot better than that of their fellow citizens of other nations, the picture is not really soothing or mesmerizing for Indians any more. This observation is being made with regard to the exercise of the right of freedom of speech and expression in the context of social media. Social media in present world have become an important part of individual’s life. Almost all the people in the world are becoming part of social media even judges have also been influenced by this social media. This Social media sometime affect the judgement of court. Judge as a human being also use social media i.e. Facebook, Tweeter blog etc. Fundamental right to speech and expression has been hampered by the arbitrary use of the so called cyber laws of the nation,  particularly Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. This section gives arbitrary power to police to arrest person by interpreting this section for their use. Because of this arbitrariness the section 66A of IT act is unconstitutional and should be stuck down by the court of law. Before delving into the issue in details, it is but desirable to first understand the concepts of social media and freedom of speech and expression. SOCIAL MEDIA Social media comprises primarily internet and mobile phone based tools for sharing and discussing information. It blends technology, telecommunications, and social interaction and  provides a platform to communicate  through words, pictures, films, and  music. Social media includes web- based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as â€Å"A group of internet -Based application that build on the ideological and technological foundation of Web 2.0, and allow the creation and exchange of user- Generated context. † â€Å"Web 2. 0† refers to Internet platforms that allow for interactive participation by users. â€Å"User generated content† is the name for all of the ways in which people may use social media. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION Freedom of speech and expression is broadly understood as the notion that every person has the natural right to free ly express themselves through any media and frontier without outside interference, such as censorship, and without fear of reprisal, such as threats and  persecutions. This  is  because  freedom  of  expression is not absolute and carries with it special duties and responsibilities therefore it may be subject to certain restrictions provided by law. The following are some of the most commonly agreed upon definitions of freedom of expression that are  considered as valid international standards: â€Å"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. †1   â€Å"Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either  orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice. †2 Similarly, Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India also confers on the citizens of India the right â€Å"to freedom of speech and expression†. The freedom of speech and expression means the right to express one’s convictions and opinions freely by word of mouth, writing, printing,  pictures  or  any  other  mode. In the light of Moon’s argument, the importance of freedom of speech and expression while using social media can be better understood. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION AND SOCIAL MEDIA/INTERNET The Internet and Social Media has become a vital communications tool through which individuals can exercise their right of freedom of expression and exchange information and ideas. In the past year or so, a growing movement of people around the world has been witnessed who are advocating for change, justice, equality, accountability of the powerful and respect for human rights. In such movement, the internet and social media has often played a key role by enabling people to connect and exchange  information  instantly  and  by creating a sense of solidarity. Emphasising the importance of internet, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in his Report, which was submitted to the Human Rights Council, stated that the internet has become a key means by which individuals can exercise their right to freedom and expression and hence, internet access is a human right. Report further stressed that States should ensure that internet access is maintained at all times, even during times of political unrest. Describing new media as a global network to exchange ideas and opinions that does not necessarily rely on the traditional mass media, the Committee stated that the States should take all necessary steps to foster the independence of these new media and also ensure access to them. Moreover, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right and Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right also provides for freedom of speech and expression even in case of internet and social  media. Thus, it is seen that freedom of speech and expression is recognized as a fundamental right in whatever medium it is exercised under the Constitution of India and other  international documents. RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION The freedom of speech and expression does not confer on the citizens the right to speak or  publish  without  responsibility. It  is  not  an  upbraided  license  giving  immu nity  for  every possible use  of language and  prevents punishment  for those  who abuse  this freedom. Article19 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right imposes restrictions on the following grounds: (a)For respect of the rights of reputations of others (b) For protection of national security, or public order, or public health or morals. As per Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India, the legislature may enact laws to impose restrictions on the right to speech and expression on the following grounds: (a) Sovereignty and integrity of India Security of the State (c) Friendly relations with foreign States (d) Public order (e) Decency or morality (f) Contempt of court (g) Defamation (h)   Incitement to an offence CYBER LAWS OF INDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA Although there is no specific legislation in India which deals with social media, there are several provisions in the existing so-called cyber laws which can be used to seek redress in case of violation of any rights in the cyber space, internet and social media. The legislations and the relevant provisions are specifically enumerated as under: The Information Technology Act, 2000 (a) Under Chapter XI of the Act, Sections 65, 66, 66A, 6C, 66D, 66E, 66F, 67, 67A and67B contain punishments for computer related offences which can also be committed through social media viz. tampering with computer source code, committing computer  related offences given under Section 43, sending offensive messages through communication services, identity theft, cheating by personation using computer  resource, violation of privacy, cyber terrorism, publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form,material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form, material depicting children in sexually explicit act in electronic form, respectively. Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 Of all these provisions, Section 66A has been in news in recent times, albeit for all the wrong reasons. Section 66 A of Information Technology Act 2000 which provide for the punishment for sending offensive messages through communicatio n service provide three years punishment and fine or both for sending message of grossly offensive or menacing character. For example: Fake profile of president by imposter, fake profile had been made by imposter in the name of formal President Hon’ble Pratibha Devi Patil, on social networking website, Facebook . In another case of Bomb Hoax mail case, A 15 year-old teenage of Bangalore in 2009 was arrested by the cyber-crime investigation cell (CCIC) for allegedly sending a hoax e-mail to a private news channel. 66A. Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc. Any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or a communication device,— (a) any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or (b) any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will, persistently by making use of such computer resource or a communication device, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine  shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine. Section 66A which punishes persons for sending offensive messages is overly broad, and curbs freedom of speech and expression and violates Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. Justice Bhagwati in Maneka Gandhi case3 said that a law should be just, fair and reasonable. Formal Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J. Chelameswar, noted that the wording of Section66A is not satisfactory. It is made very wide and can apply to all kinds of comments. The fact that some information is â€Å"grossly offensive† (s. 66A(a)) or that it causes â€Å"annoyance† or â€Å"inconvenience† while being known to be false (s. 66A(c)) cannot be a reason for curbing the freedom of speech unless it is directly related to decency or morality, public order, or defamation (or any of the four other grounds listed in Art. 19(2)). There is no clear explanation of those words in this section. The expressions used in the Section are â€Å"vague† and â€Å"ambiguous† and that 66A is subject to â€Å"wanton abuse† in view of the subjective powers conferred on the police to interpret the law. It give excess power to administration for example: On February 6, 2013, Sanjay Chaudhary was arrested under section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act for posting ‘objectionable comments and caricatures’ of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Minister Kapil Sibal and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on his Facebook wall. However, the incident that rocked the nation was the arrest last November of two young women, Shaheen Dadha and her friend Renu Srinivasan, for a comment posted on Facebook that questioned the shutdown of Mumbai following the demise of Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray. Looking at the construction of that word of Sec 66(A), it unintentionally prevent organisations from using proxy servers. Furthermore, it may also prevent remailers, tunneling, and other forms of ensuring anonymity online. This doesn’t seem to be what is intended by the legislature. According to Government of India, section 66A, introduced in the 2009 amendments to the IT Act, has been taken from Section 127 of the U. K. Communications Act, 2003 it has already read down by HOUSE OF LORDS on the grounds that Parliament of U. K. could not have intended to criminalise statements that one person may reasonably find to be polite and acceptable and another may decide to be ‘grossly offensive and regard that section as U. K. ’s worst provisions MEANING OF TERM â€Å"GROSSLY OFFENSIVE† In Director of Public Prosecutions v. Collins4 case before House Of Lords, arising out of racist references in messages left by a constituent on the answering machine of a British MP, the House of Lords laid down a seminal test for determining whether a message is ‘grossly offensive. ’ Justices must apply the standards of an open and just multi-racial society, and that the words must be judged taking account of their context and all relevant circumstances. † The House of Lords added that â€Å"there can be no yardstick of gross offensiveness otherwise than by the application of reasonably enlightened, but not perfectionist, contemporary standards to the particular  message sent in its particular context. † Most importantly, the House of Lords held that whether a message was grossly offensive did not depend merely on the degree of offence taken by the complainant but on whether it violates the basic standards of an open and just multi-racial society. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEC. 127 OF U. K. COMMUNICATION ACT, 2003 AND SEC. 66A OF I T ACT Section 66A (a) refers to the sending of any information through a communication service that is ‘grossly offensive’ or has ‘menacing character’. In the U. K., Section 127(1)(a) makes the sending of ‘matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character’ an offence. The punishment for the offence in Section 127(1) is a maximum of six months’ imprisonment or a fine of ? 5,000 while Section 66A imposes a much more serious punishment of imprisonment up to three years and a fine without limit. Therefore, Section 66A(b) of the IT Act is not the same as Section 127(1)(b) of the U. K . Communications Act, 2003 in terms of scope of the offence or the punishment. PUNISHMENT – ARTICLE 14 ; 21 OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION Punishment under this act appeared to be violative of Article 21 (right to life) and Article 14 (non-discrimination/equality). This law is not consistent with the notions of fairness while it imposes an equal punishment for different intensive offence. Section is unreasonable and arbitrary in nature. Punishment for this purposes disparate belonged together in a single clause is quite astounding and without parallel (except in the rest of the IT Act). That’s akin to having a single provision providing equal punishment for calling someone a moron (â€Å"insult†) and threatening to kill someone (â€Å"criminal intimidation†). There is no countervailing interest in criminalizing false and persistent â€Å"insults†, etc. , that will allow those parts of this provision to survive the test of ‘reasonableness’ under Art. 19(2). Constitution of India is much stronger than that of the unwritten constitution of United Kingdom. In India, Judiciary has the power of judicial review, whereas in United Kingdom parliament is consider supreme. Putting those two aspects together, a law that is valid in the United Kingdom might well be unconstitutional in India for failing to fall within the eight octagonal walls of the reasonable restrictions allowed under Art. 19(2). That raises the question of how they deal with such broad wording in the UK. SECTION 66A – ARTICLE 19 OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION Section 66A of IT act violates Art. 19 of Indian constitution. This section is against the fundamental right to speech and expression. Right under Art. 19 is not absolute right. Art. According to the government, section 66A is the reasonable restriction that is imposed on freedom of speech and expression but Under Article 19(2), restrictions on freedom of speech and expression are reasonable if they pertain to any of the listed grounds, such as sovereignty and integrity of India, etc. But under Section 66A, restrictions have been placed on freedom of speech and expression on several other grounds, apart from those mentioned in the Constitution. Therefore it is violates Art. The current equivalent laws in USA is US Federal Anti-Cyber-Stalking law, this law prohibit harassment or stalking legislation. This act awards punishment up to one year or fine of up to $ 1000. In Australia, the Stalking Amendment Act (1999) was introduce to include the use of any form of technology to harass a target as forms of â€Å"criminal stalking. † In Poland Stalking, there is Polish Criminal Code 2011 which including cyber stalking as a criminal offence, this act awards six month punishment SOCIAL MEDIA – JUDICIARY Improved communications technology and social media, such as Twitter, Google + and Facebook, are changing the face of journalism. Media like affecting all the institutions of the Government also affect the Judiciary. It completely overlooks the vital gap between an accused and a convict keeping at stake the golden principles of ‘presumption of innocence until proven guilty’ and ‘guilt beyond reasonable doubt’. Media itself does a separate investigation, builds a public opinion against the accused even before the court takes cognizance of the case. By this way, it prejudices the public and sometimes even judges and as a result the accused, that should be assumed innocent, is presumed as a criminal leaving all his rights and liberty unredressed. Results in characterizing him as a person who had indeed committed the crime, it amounts to undue interference with the â€Å"administration of justice†, calling for proceedings for contempt of court against the media. Other than this, Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media are causing difficulties for judges who are trying to administer fair trials. For example, what rules should there be, if any, on whether judges tweet during a case? Should courts be able to monitor the social-networking contacts of attorneys during a trial, and what about witnesses or even parties? Should there be limits on all use or just limits on what is said? The questions seem endless, and the answers certainly are not easy. Should judges or their campaigns be able to use Facebook and have â€Å"friends† that may be potential parties before the court or attorneys appearing in court? Is it appropriate for judges to have a personal Facebook page separate from a professional one, or is that activity unbecoming the judiciary?. Right now there is a patchwork of rulings on these issues but, for the most part, no definitive rules exist. If there are no rules, it can become a treacherous terrain for media-savvy judges to navigate. Some of the people are totally against the blog of judges but some other advocate that and see it as a way to educate the public about the court function. CONCLUSION It is clearly evident that social media is a very powerful means of exercising one’s freedom of speech and expression. However, it is also been increasingly used for illegal acts which has given force to the Government’s attempts at censoring social media. Where on the one hand, the misuse of social media entails the need for legal censorship, on the other hand, there are legitimate fears of violation of civil rights of people as an inevitable consequence of censorship. What is therefore desirable is regulation of social media, not its censorship. However, the present cyber laws of India are neither appropriate nor adequate in this respect. An analysis of the existing IT laws shows that there is unaccountable and immense power in the hands of the Government while dealing with security in the cyber space. Even then, it is not sufficient to check the misuse of social media. Section 66A certainly does not engage in the delicate balancing required to pursue the legitimate objective of preventing criminal intimidation and danger through social media without going no further than required in a democratic society to achieve that end. The drafters of Section 66A(b) have equated known criminal offences in the real world with acts such as causing annoyance and inconvenience that can never constitute an offence in the real world and should not be offences in the virtual world. Therefore, the legislative restrictions on freedom of speech in Section 66A (b) cannot be considered as being necessary to achieve a legitimate objective. Section 66A should not be considered a ‘reasonable restriction’ within the meaning of Article 19 of the Constitution and must be struck down as an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech. If political speech, that is, criticism of politicians and exposure of corruption continues to be punished by arrest instead of being protected, India’s precious democracy and free society will be no more. Hence, a specific legislation is desirable to regulate social media. However, there are many practical difficulties which may arise while doing so. There is a very thin line which demarcates the enjoyment of one’s right and the violation of the enjoyment of else’s right in the process. In social media, the exercise of freedom of speech and expression by one may result in the invasion of privacy and defamation. The provision should be made in accordance with the reasonable restriction provided under article 19(2) of Indian Constitution. While persistent false communications for the purpose of annoying, insulting, inconveniencing, or causing ill will should not be criminalized (if need be, having it as a civil offence would more than suffice), doing so for the purpose of causing danger or criminal intimidation should. A provision is needed to penalise hoax bomb threats, then the provision clearly should not be mentioning words like â€Å"annoyance†, and should not be made â€Å"persistent†. The act should define the punishment according to the malic intension of the offender, less punishment should be awarded for less intensity of offence. Media should not be allowed to call a person as an accused before a court of law held that person as an accused. A blog or a Facebook account should be made in the name of Courts, to provide information on legal issue.

Do viruses help essays

Do viruses help essays Just like bacteria viruses are one of the microbes that are winning the match against the humans. Viruses were the toughest one to tackle for the scientist. The shape, contents and their protective shields were the most challenging part of the fight. There are many ways one can treat cancer, but for AIDS doctors prescribe a cocktail of drugs in which some are enzyme inhibitors, protein inhibitors and while some are RNA inhibitors. This is not it in the cocktail there is more to the list. As the technology increases and the knowledge of our scientist about the DNA, RNA, Viruses, Bacteria, and other interesting things we are a step closer to the destruction of the virus. The hardest part of the virus is that it mutates a lot. Just like bacteria viruses do get resistant to drugs we take against them. For example if one catches cold or flu the doctors prescribe Amoxicycilin or something similar to it. If the patient doesnt finish the dosage there is a likelihood for the cold virus to get resistant to Amoxicycilin resulting a second drug intake. Pharmaceutical industries are trying to take a new approach to make antiviral drugs. One recently developed shows remarkable effects on the herpes virus. The recent antiviral drug indirectly attacks the virus making it hard for the virus to develop resistance to. Until today what the antiviral drugs did was they interfered with the production of the essential protein by the viruses. Viruses are also denoted as parasites, meaning that they infect a host as its life support. To fight the war against the viruses University of Pennsylvania Medical Center researches took the herpes simplex virus for experimental purpose, they found out that by inhibiting certain set of cellular enzymes they can successfully stop all the viral activity which causes the host to become sick. These enzymes are called cyclin-dependent kinases, or cdks. This enzy ...