Hello, my last post...the journey of this module has been enlightning, specially knowing other peoples view in the lecture discussions and reading understanding and views of the issues evolved in the world on their blogs. Overall its been fun to the lecturers thanx for making it fun.

Some last thoughts, if anyone reads:

Life is worth livin, so y take 4 granted evrytin u hv..remember sum1 is cookin cleanin n doin wrk at age of 10, sum1 out dere is livin wid a illness/disabilty, gals in afganistan r under da risk of being killed evryday if dey go to school..imagine u r life not being u r life..soooo get over it, ur life has given u a lot n u have been given da chance dnt waste it.

In response to Laura Gambles post of Choclate

I agree with Laura chocolate is very yumm tasty as i did gain lot of weight when I was in my teens and its been hard shifting that weight off. So I do not understand why there is sooo many different brands and different choclate products out there isn't 1 or 2 enough to cause health issues (not directly). These things should be eaten in moderation but kids do not understand that and they will find it hard to control themselves and companies tend to make it cheap.

Deception in any nature is not right, we all know relationship it can harmful for both partners but what about when people lie to sell something which is done all the time. we always kept from the truth and many a times lied on the facts of that product. Deception is one of the most controversial aspects in psychological research. The definition of the word deception is not always clear and is defined differentially by different people. An example of this is Hey (1998) who pointed out that ‘there is a world of difference between not telling participants’ things and telling them the wrong things’. On the other hand Adair, Dushenko and Lindsay (1985) define deception in psychological research as: the provision of information that actively misleads participants regarding some aspect of the study. Christensen (1977) defines deception in psychological research as an explicit misstatement of fact. Should a person be lied in name of research I feel its fine because something comes out of it and its not much harmful in these cases. But what when harmed in the name of research is it right?????????

In Response to Megan Rattigan's post on stalking

I agree with you megan stalking is terrifying cant imagine the fact of being stalked. Although stalking is a relatively new crime in the sense that it is prosecutable but I feel not enough is being done to help the victim. There has been research, but it shows a little about the impact of stalking on the victim, the research has done very little to help the victims. There has been no issue of making the public [possible victims] aware that stalking behaviour is a criminal offence and this is having implications upon the victim, in that they are not demanding protection. In the national criminal statistics “stalking” is under harassment and even those arrested under the Acts implemented to combat stalking, it can not be clear whether those arrested have been for stalking behaviour.

STALKING

Just the thought being stalked scares me, being in such situation must be very daunting but why do people, what is stalking. Actions which can be described as stalking still can be legal such as calling on the phone, sending gifts or sending emails. Stalkers usually frighten the victims vandlising, damaging property, making physical attack and “following them on the street” which is most common. Victims of stalking are normally terrified which placed them under risk and left with longterm pysical and psychological scars. Many a times victims live all their life being scared whole and unable to go out on their own and sometimes not even anyone else. Sometimes victims blame themselves especially in the cases where ex-lover is the stalker. Some people end up changing employment, residence address and phone numbers which also leads isolation for the victim if they psychologically affected. According to the latest British Crime Survey, one in 10 women in Britain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6300291.stm . Most women tend to target women, where as men generally stalk women. Psychologists believe people who are generally pschologically ill such as psychotic, depression, schizophrenic or related illness – tend to be stalkers.

Prostution

For me prostitution is a indication a woman who sells her body for money, to me it doesn’t mean a girl in a bar talking to a guy and letting him buy her drinks. If she has not offered with the word how much you paying and that she is willing to sell her body that man has no right to assume that she was just there because she has let him buy her drinks. This point stands also for any situation which is the other way around. Its like anything you buy, it should be clear what you are paying for before you start spending your money. A person who is paying should be clear they are getting what they want that is why brothels have paying systems and rules regulations. It’s a person problem if they didn’t get what because they didn’t ask before.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/prostitution

Cannabis plant at home

Cannabis plant seeds

I thought drugs were illegal in any way but apparently found something shocking when researching around the issue of illegal drugs. Cannabis (also know as marijuana) is the botanical name of a genus of annual flowering plants in the Cannabis family. There are over 150 species and 10 genera included in the Cannabis family. Besides cannabis, the humulus genus, of which the hop plant is part of, is also a member of the Cannabis family. When cultivated under the correct conditions, some species of cannabis (indica and sativa) can produce fairly large amounts of a chemical known as Tetrahydrocannabinol (a cannabinoid commonly called THC). Cannabis plants that are grown for their THC content are referred to as marijuana plants. A person can buy seeds of cannabis and everyone knows how easy it is to grow a plant and enough information all over on how to grow this particular plant. Here is a link of person who was jailed as a result growing marijuana at home and for sale: http://cannazine.co.uk/cannabis-news/europe/republic-man-jailed-for-growing-cannabis-in-attic.html .

Impact of passive smoking - specially childern

We already heard enough about how smoking causes your body to dysfunction in many ways leading to many harmful diseases known to humankind but why passing it on to others, person wouldn’t give someone poison and just carry on normal. You as a person already decided to harm yourself, its your body so it is your decision what you do but shouldn’t other people have the right over smoking like you, although smoking ban was announced in 2007 but not much changes been seen in peoples attitude. Exposure to secondhand smoke is called involuntary smoking, or passive smoking. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. This mixture contains more than 4,000 substances, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals and many of which are strong irritants. Secondhand smoke is also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). This smoke can damage one’s health even if one isn’t a smoker. It is the third major cause of lung cancer. Research shows that the secondhand smoke that many people are exposed to is enough to prove fatal. Researchers have identified carbon monoxide and nicotine in environmental tobacco smoke to increase the risk to health.

There is a two-fold problem due to passive smoking. First, infants and young children suffer maximum amount of health risks. For young children, the major source of tobacco smoke is smoking by parents and other household members. Children whose parents smoke are among the most seriously affected by exposure to secondhand smoke, being at increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Maternal smoking is usually the largest source of ETS because of the cumulative effect of exposure during pregnancy and close proximity to the mother during early life. Second, the environment is effected irreversibly. Smoking in a public place pollutes the air and it can result in damage to health in a number of ways. Combustion by-products from smoking tobacco have produced substances, smoke included, that contaminate indoor air. The problem affecting a person, who is in a contaminated environment, may result in coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, muscular aches, chills, headaches, fever and fatigue. A child goes through this all shouldn’t they be given a chance to actually decide till they grow up, in some cases a child can die also if they are too young. Some statically info about how many cases http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_smoking .

Secondhand smoke is a serious health risk to children. Asthmatic children are especially at risk. Passive smoking may also cause thousands of non-asthmatic children to develop the condition each year. It has been postulated that passive smoking causes more frequent and more severe attacks of asthma in children who already have the disease. The worst affected are the developing lungs of young children by exposure to secondhand smoke. Hence, they are more likely to have reduced lung function and symptoms of respiratory irritation like cough, excess phlegm, and wheeze. Childhood exposure to ETS is also causally associated with acute and chronic middle ear disease. It leads to buildup of fluid in the middle ear, the most common cause of hospitalization of children for an operation. Passive smoking causes artery damage that only partially heals. The artery lining is still not as healthy as the arteries of people who had never been exposed to smoke.

The medical impact of passive smoking is tremendous. A number of diseases and conditions result from this. First, the carbon monoxide competes with oxygen in the red blood cells. It not only reduces the amount of oxygen in the heart, it also makes the heart use oxygen less efficiently. During childbirth and infancy, low birth weight and ‘cot death’, better known as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), are common outcomes. Adverse impact on learning and behavioural development, meningococcal infections, neurobiological impairment, cancers and leukaemia may occur in various degrees in children. ETS has enhanced the incidence of childhood cancer dramatically. Also, a significant increase in food allergies has been observed in children exposed to secondhand smoke.

The aforementioned facts provide the most definitive evidence to date of the health effects of ETS or passive smoking on non-smokers. It is now known that exposure to ETS causes a number of fatal and non-fatal health effects. Heart disease mortality, sudden infant death syndrome, and lung and nasal sinus cancer have been causally linked to ETS exposure yet people carry on to smoke around people who are non-smokers and also harm there bodies heavily, if a person is . While the relative health risks are small compared to those from active smoking, the diseases are common and the overall health impact is large. In view of the considerable health impact of passive smoking, particularly on the young, measures to restrict smoking in indoor environments should be a major public health objective.

http://www.stopsmokingtoday.com/dync/13/Passive_Smoking.html
http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/secondhandsmoke/a/secondhandsmoke.htm
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Smoking-The-Facts.htm

Religion(Sikhism) view on Masturbation

For a start just reading there will be lecture on masturbation didn’t knew what to expect, just coming from Indian culture puts a no no to talking with elders about masturbation, but this lecture I guess gave me a reason to fond out what my religion says about masturbation. Attitude of Sikhism towards masturbation sinful as it comes under the 5 commandments of evil, explained as the five vicious thieves in the Guru Granth Sahib (Holy Book). Masturbation, also referred to as Self-Sex, involves lustful thoughts that inspires or encourages more sexual thoughts and acts, and is therefore not appropriate for a Sikh to engage in. This is mostly seen in adolescence period as they want to satisfy their sexual needs. It is for self pleasure (sexual pleasure using with own or others hands or objects). In the Sikh way of life masturbation is not considered an acceptable option for quenching physical desire. The Sikh of the Guru has the best option to search for and find the TRUE source of satisfaction and fulfilment in life. You are expected master your mind at this age and you are told this will master the world while quite young.

Following the Sikh way of life you are taught how to control such sexual feelings and you are expected not to engage with the opposite gender or even the same sex (as it’s appropriate nowadays). The ways they teach to control by telling a person no matter what your age or situation, a good way to control your sexual energy is by doing a lot of physical exercise. You need to sweat, sweat, sweat. Run, play soccer, basketball, cricket - what ever sport you like. Long cold showers are also good for transmitting sexual energy, and they are great for the nervous system. Do something creative, like painting, writing, or cycling - what ever you like! The important thing is to use some discipline. Do the above things on a regular basis and if you are spontaneously hit with sexual desires, instead of reaching for the computer, go do something I mentioned above. If you are serious about wanting to control this energy, then you will have to discipline yourself into helping yourself. Normally youngsters or even elders are too embarrassed to ask about masturbation.

Now I wonder what the medical world says, are there any side effects to it: According to science, practicing masturbation makes one weak and can lead to both psychological and physiological imbalances. Frequent masturbation and ejaculation stimulate acetylcholine/ parasympathetic nervous functions excessively, resulting in the over production of sex hormones and neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine and serotonin. Abundant and unusually amount of these hormones and neurotransmitters can cause the brain and adrenal glands to perform excessive dopamine-norepinephrine-epinephrine conversion and turn the brain and body functions to be extremely sympathetic. In other words, there is a big change of body chemistry when one excessively practices masturbation. So is it really important for people to masturbate if such problems can occur, is it even important to masturbate but why do people actually masturbate excessively in the first place. Really hmm!

Psychology behind excessive masturbation

Although not really known to anyone properly looking at my Google results unless I look at the psychology (it’s an internet based activity). So from me found loneliness is a prime mover in case of masturbation leading the individual into isolation, fantasy. When real world is harsh and forbidding, one turns to fantasy and when one spends much time in a fantasy world, he becomes enslaved with sexual objects (for that is the way he sees other persons, as objects).
Thereafter he will flee to the unreal but pleasant world of his imagination. This is the beginning of sexual addiction, so well described by Patrick Carnes. So often the habit of masturbation becomes compulsive, that is to say, the person is not able to control masturbatory activity in spite of great efforts to do so. Usually such a person is lacking in insight and needs therapy in conjunction with spiritual direction.


http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Lust_Control
http://www.projectnaad.com/wp-content/uploads/leaflets/sikhism_and_sexuality.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masturbation

Infidelity in relation to divorce

The relationship between infidelity and divorce is undeniable, with nearly a quarter of all divorces directly related to it (Fincham 2003). However, the extent to which infidelity contributes to the origins of marital breakdown that finalise in divorce is a much more complex notion to address. There is no single factor that has been identified that results in divorce­­- only an amalgamation of reasons that contribute to an overall sense of marital breakdown failure (Clarke and Berrington 1999; Glezer 1994; Kurdek 1993; Karney and Bradbury 1995; Ono 1998; Olson and Larson 1989; White 1990). Therefore infidelity alone cannot be singled out as a reason that consistently leads to divorce. There are as many complex reasons for infidelity as there are for divorce but they do not necessarily mirror one another.

There are different varieties of infidelity; the two main areas of discussion are sexual and emotional infidelity in a monogamous relationship. Some distinction should be drawn between adultery and infidelity. Adultery concerns the religious and legal aspects of marriage. Infidelity is a secret relationship outside the primary relationship involving lies to avoid a partner’s anticipated objection. Although sexual infidelity is the most common, many spouses complain of emotional infidelity which involves flirtation or furtive sexual innuendo, but no intercourse.
Although in today’s western society is in increasingly difficult to define infidelity, it is relatively uncomplicated to outline what marriage and divorce both signify to us. One is the legal binding of two people typically within a religious context and the other is the legal means by which you break this contract. The five basic grounds for divorce are the same throughout the UK: adultery, unreasonable behaviour desertion, the parties to the marriage have lived apart for at least two years and both consent to the divorce, the parties have lived apart for at least five years.

The first three grounds are ‘faults’ that can be committed by one spouse against the other, allowing the ‘innocent’ spouse to apply for a divorce. The last two statements are ‘no-fault’
The relationship between infidelity and divorce can be seen in the statistics – with between 20-25% of all divorces being explained through its occurrence. However there are a huge variety of other factors that can accompany this factor in contributing to a final marital break up. Divorce has been shown to result from a wide range of causes (Amato and Rodgers 1997; Burns 1984; Cleek and Pearson 1985; Gigy and Kelly 1992; Gottman 1994; Kitson et al.1985; Karney and Bradbury 1997; Wolcott 1984), and in some research infidelity is shown to be as low as seventh in the rank of grounds for the dissolution of the relationship (Kitson Sussman, 1982). Infidelity within marriage may take place as a consequence of one or more of these issues, and consequently will show the extent to which infidelity is or is not directly related to divorce.


http://www.marriage-relationships.com/divorce_statistics.html

Tattoos

Tattoos: Self-Expression or Self-Abuse

In many primitive rituals it is common to display feats of strength through acts of body modifications such as piercing, tattooing, branding, scarification, implants, and body suspension. These ancient rituals have not been forgotten. They are still being performed today by not only native descendants but also by groups all over the world that refer to themselves as “modern primitives.” For those who are referred to as “modern primitives,” the evidence shows more often than not that it is primarily abusive and destructive behavior. The significance of body modifications of all types had social, political, and religious meanings in ancient times. Body modification was used to prove ones strength and bravery to a tribal chief, to impress the family of an intended mate, or simply for adornment to enhance one’s physical characteristics to make themselves more attractive to the opposite sex. However, body modification goes beyond pleasing man. It holds religious significance and is sometimes a sacrificial act to please one’s god. Ancient cultures preformed body modifications for strict purposes. They were used to please gods, leaders, to gain a mate, or to prove their own self worth and ability to accept pain.

Are the same social, political, and spiritual motives operating with today’s “modern primitives” that engage in various forms of body modifications. In some cases yes, native descendants who are following their ancestor’s cultural history hold the same pride and motivation that was used to perform these acts. On the other hand, the so-called “modern primitives”, which are primarily found in the United States, argue that it shows their personal freedom, that they have the right to use their bodies as they see fit and body modification demonstrates their control. It is also said to be an artistic expression of oneself and or a political or religious statement. However, most of the members of these groups are thought to have self-esteem problems or lack of family guidance. It is clear that the body modification may just be an excuse for their failure to cope problems and stresses of society today.

Does the government have a legitimate role in policing people who engage in body modification? At what point would one get involved. There is a distinction between someone who goes to the mall to pierce their ears and someone who has shark hooks pierced through their back so they could suspend themselves. Obviously a total ban against body modification violates the constitutional right of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. However, one of the main tools the government has to control what someone perceives to be their own personal freedom is whether it harms the general public. These “modern primitives” demonstrations and performances of body modification can risk the safety of the audience and its performers. If the case comes up that a performer was injured to the point where medical care had to be provided at government expense it would affect the taxpayers and therefore harm the general public financially. If it’s not okay for someone to shoot their friend in the stomach if their friend wants to know how it feels, than what makes it okay for someone to suspend and help mutilate another with their consent. It is harming a human being and should be outlawed.

Body Modification has been around for centuries and in some culture is considered to be an amazing experience and those who performed it are held in the highest respect. There are people however, who have a false appreciation for it. It is used as an excuse for their problems and inability to cope with life. There is an art of beauty and talent in some of these modifications but the disturbing mutilations seem to out number them

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/popular-culture-meets-psychology/200907/tattoos-and-body-piercing-adolescent-self-expression-or

Suggestion for Feild Trip

I think a trip to bowling would great where students could be put into teams of 10 and that also means team building, competition and fun hence win win situation.