Friends, Australians, Global Citiziens, Lend me you're ears.

I come here to ask you the question - are we deluding ourselves when we say our world is getting smaller?

Yes, today we can hop on a plane and go accross the world in a few hours, when previously it took months, and before that years. However yesterday we had to go around the world to hear and see someone. The mail sevice was slow, and letters got lost all the time.

Today we can listen to eachover's voices, read eachovers writings on homepages like this, emails, newsgroups, and the old fashioned letters.

However tomorrow - that is a diffrent picture. We will be able to see who we're talking to, the way technology is going. We will be able to communicate instantly despite the fact we're on other parts of the world. Will we need to travel all those distances? Physically?

I put to you this proposal - the world is getting smaller re: communications, but shall soon get larger physically. After all when we have instant visual communication, business confrences might be common place without buying a plane ticket.

Virtually our world is getting smaller. Physically our world is getting larger. It's just a pity if you can't afford it.

Michelle Dennis: bennet@geocities.com
HomePage : http://geocities.datacellar.net/Athens/8563/

Our nation, the United States of America, is said to be a world power, a leader, where the streets were once thought to be made of gold. As I look around today, I see no evidence of this. I can drive through a small mid-Ohio town, and see kids wandering the streets when they should be in school, I see gangs, violence, drugs, alcohol, poverty, anguish, torment, and other indescribable things.

This is only the beginning. I drive 20 minutes to Columbus, and see the same problems, except worse. The prostitution runs rampid near campus, as well as drug deals, fraternity houses full of underage students getting smashed and stoned beyond belief.

Where I went to school, the teachers and faculty members didn't care enough about the well-being of each and EVERY student to stop students from coming to school drunk, or stoned, from violence, from sexual harrassment.

Who is the victim? All of the school children who are in this hole, one of remorse, stupidity. This is supposed to be a "learning place" when instead it is nothing more than a local hangout that is forced upon hundreds.

I view most of my secondary education a waste. The teachers had no authority, the students left class whenever they wanted. What, they didn't do the homework? What a surprise (not really) It was actually more surprising when someone DID do the homework.

Now my younger sister is in the same school. She is threatened by other students - both mentally and physically. The threaten to hurt her, deface her personal belongings, deface her new car (keying it) without abandon. When confronted by the administration about it, they claim it was all a joke, and no repremands are made. Then they turn around and do it again. Is this what youth is turned to? acts of stupidity and violence to one another?

I truly believe that schools were better off 15, 20, or even 25 years ago when the teachers actually CARED what happened... when the punishment wasn't "go home for the week," it was "bend over, i'm gonna swat you until you can't sit down with a hickory stick." When the kids were afraid of repremand, they learned. In my class? no way. I think we repremanded the teacher, not the other way around...

Streets paved with gold, this so called "land of opportunity." This is the land where you get ahead by NOT being courteous, NOT being the nice guy. You get ahead by lying, cheating, stealing.

Is this the gold that was once sought after? No, it wasn't. The gold was the chance to make it alone, to be able to go into business, for personal venture, or just for pleasure.

Just the other night, President Clinton said that we must increase our spending for weapons, so that we (the USA) could help to save the world... and to ban chemical warfare weaponry. INCREASE spending on the army to DECREASE world violence?

To pay back our debts to foriegn banks? (this i can agree with) But how can we do this, if this country is already $4 Billion in debt?

This land is supposed to be the "promised land", but the only promise I can see in the future is that this country is going to fall to its knees, and wither away. Americans have become the laziest people on Earth!

Entertainment, getting ahead in life, luxery. This is what Americans strive for now. What do some other people in the world hope for ? --to stay alive, to be able to support their families. So next time you are out playing golf with your buddies because you called off sick, think about it. What is this going to lead to?

What kind of future can we expect if this is the way the country is going now? I'm afraid to know.... can anyone tell me what is to look forward to?

Randy Jones: rj171196@oak.cats.ohiou.edu
HomePage : http://geocities.datacellar.net/Paris/6347

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