Symposium 2012: What are the biggest social issues in America today?

Sydney: Given the state of the economy it would be hard to argue that unemployment is not the major social issue facing America today. High unemployment destroys families, leads to addiction and mental illness as well as homelessness and puts a huge strain on the welfare and health systems. Education is also a big social … Continue reading Symposium 2012: What are the biggest social issues in America today?

Symposium 2012: With the recent Sandy Hook school massacre, is it time to reconsider the issue of gun control?

Sydney: The answer to this question is a resounding yes and it is heartening to hear that the President is keen to make changes. However, this is something easier said than done. The NRA is one of the most influential political lobby groups in the United States and they will not allow changes to the … Continue reading Symposium 2012: With the recent Sandy Hook school massacre, is it time to reconsider the issue of gun control?

Do We Have A Moral Obligation To Help Others (Part I)?

From Thinking Outside The Boxe's Sydney Correspondent: Most people, when considering this question, would form an image in their mind of helping an old lady across the road, or coming to the aid of someone who had fallen over. These are examples of situations that we might experience throughout our lives, either as the person helping, … Continue reading Do We Have A Moral Obligation To Help Others (Part I)?

Do We Have A Moral Obligation To Help Others (Part II)?

From Thinking Outside The Boxe's Sydney Correspondent: The second part of this article will examine the extent to which we should help our fellow countrymen and women, and those of other nationalities. This assumes that we have a moral obligation to help them. And based on the first part of this article I believe the answer … Continue reading Do We Have A Moral Obligation To Help Others (Part II)?

How Opinion Became More Important Than Fact and The Future of News (Part I)

From Thinking Outside The Boxe's Sydney Correspondent: Over the past 50 years or so, and more particularly in the last twenty, we have witnessed a shift in society which has resulted in the majority of us being more interested in, and placing greater emphasis, on opinion rather than the facts. This article will trace the … Continue reading How Opinion Became More Important Than Fact and The Future of News (Part I)

How Opinion Became More Important Than Fact and the Future of News (Part II)

From Thinking Outside The Boxe's Sydney Correspondent: The first part of this article touched on the fact that there are now many online celebrity news websites, and indeed the world wide web has been a fertile breeding ground for the growth of opinion and the decline of fact. Now every person with access to the internet … Continue reading How Opinion Became More Important Than Fact and the Future of News (Part II)

Is There a Bigger Threat From Cyber Terrorism or Biological/Chemical Terrorism?

From Thinking Outside The Boxe's Sydney Correspondent: If there is one word that has been misused more than most over the past decade it is “terrorist”. After all one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. Large scale and devastating terrorist attacks such as the one that occurred on 9/11 and high profile terrorists such as Osama … Continue reading Is There a Bigger Threat From Cyber Terrorism or Biological/Chemical Terrorism?

From Thinking Outside the Boxe's Sydney Correspondent: The internet was developed by Bob Kahn and others as far back as the early 1970's when it was known as ARPANET. Submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from the Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group The definition of the term “internet” … Continue reading

Should We Clone Humans For Organs?

From Thinking Outside The Boxe's Sydney Correspondent: For many years humans have been fascinated with the idea of creating new life. In fact Frankenstein (introduced by Mary Shelley in the eponymously titled book) was first published in 1818. This demonstrates just how old this fascination is. “Dolly” the sheep was the first mammal cloned from … Continue reading Should We Clone Humans For Organs?