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My Definition of Success

Do you know someone rich and famous? Is that person confident, popular, and joyful all of the time—the epitome of mainstream success? Or, on the other hand, is the person stressed, having second thoughts about his life choices, and unsure about the meaning of his life? I am willing to bet that it is the second one. Mainstream marketing and media have effectively brainwashed our society into accepting a false, even potentially dangerous definition of success. Marketers want us to believe that having lots of money, living in a big house, and owning all of the latest cars, fashions, and technology is the key to happiness, and hence, success. This overstated, falsely advertised myth is hardly ever the case in real life. True success requires respect, appreciation, integrity, and patience—all of which are traits that by human nature are genuinely difficult to attain—especially in the face of modern marketers who relentlessly deceive us, control our thoughts, and usurp our independence in order to increase their bottom line.

According to the entries on the word “success” on dictionary.com, there are several definitions of “success.” The first definition is “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.” This definition focuses on traits of human nature such as dedication to becoming the best person one can be. The focus is on internal rather than external goals. The second seems to reinforce the definition marketers want us to believe about success, “the attainment of wealth, position, honors.”

There are thousands of quotations about success written by inventors, politicians, philosophers, and authors throughout the ages. In her article “100 Motivational Quotes that Will…

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…uffington Post.com. 17 Sept 2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lolly-daskal-/100-motivational-quotes-t_b_4505356.html

Donald, David Herbert. Lincoln. New York: Simon

Internet Free Speech Issues and Implications

Internet Free Speech Issues and Implications

Abstract: The issue of free speech has been around since the founding fathers first ratified the constitution of the United States. With the emergence of new technology, especially the Internet, freedom of speech has been redefined and its limits tested. What are the limitations of free speech on the Internet, and how can they be enforced? These are the constitutional questions for the digital age.

Imagine being in your home, a bastion of privacy and comfort, and having someone scream racial slurs at you as you sit placidly in a comfortable chair. Unlikely, you say? Just visit the website of the Aryan Nation or the Klu Klux Klan. In this day and age when anyone can be a publisher by reading a book and clicking a mouse, the Internet is being used as a showcase for marginal and unpopular views that gives them a guise of authority and allows them to reach a wide audience. It is interesting to note that a similar phenomenon has occurred in the past when new types of media have appeared. The invention of the printing press allowed the ideas of the Protestant Reformation to spread quickly and to take hold in Europe. Without Gutenberg’s genius, Luther’s ideas may never have escaped Saxony.

Obscure topics such as methods of quilting used by the Amish at the turn of the 19th century may find expression on the Internet. Enthusiasts who were once isolated can communicate their love for quilting and can post their favorite patterns on a website for all to see and emulate. It is not just bland and acceptable information that creates communities, though. Forming interest groups on the Internet is also possible for bigots, racists, xenophobes and others. For t…

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2.A Gift of Fire, by Sara Baase. Copyright 1997, Prentice Hall.

3. www.epic.org/free_speech/cda/leahy_S213_statement.html : a statement on introduced bills and joint resolutions given during the debating of the Communications Decency Act

4. www.epic.org/cda : updates on the legal battle over the CDA from EPIC

5. www.cybercrime.gov/racismun.htm : A government site dedicated to the issues of cybercrime. This specific page deals specifically with first amendment rights.

6. www.coe.ilstu.edu/portfolios/javendano/landmark.htm : a site containing cases regarding free speech on college campuses

7. www.jmls.edu/cuber/cases/baker.html : page maintained by the John Marshall Law

School

8.www.cybercrime.gov/bombmakinginfo.html : 1997 report on the availability of

bombmaking information, prepared by the United States Department of Justice

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