Culture and Society

In this era of easily accessible communication, the desire to stay socially connected is more prevalent than ever. While owning a mobile phone was once considered a novelty reserved for the elite few, we now live in a culture where not owning a mobile phone is considered an extremity. The use of mobile phones has shifted the way we communicate to each other, ... Read more..

The source of our thinking about food goes back to the early philosophers. Famous philosophers in the Western tradition were definitely talking about food. But the way it was dealt with was to basically marginalize its importance. Food and matters of the body were considered mundane. Plato, one of the founding philosophers of Western thought, complains that ... Read more..

by Rotem Dan Mor A little while ago I guided a tour of second year students from the institute for democratic education (where I study) to the area where the Separation Wall is being built between the Palestinian community of Beit Suriq and the Jewish-Israeli community of Mevaseret Zion. The subject of the tour was the environmental effect of the wall in t ... Read more..

What is gambling? "Staking money on uncertain events driven by chance. The major forms are wagering (racing and sports) and gaming (casinos, gaming machines, keno and lotteries)." The term "Problem Gambling" includes, but is not limited to, the condition known as "Pathological", or "Compulsive" Gambling, a progressive addiction characterized by increasing ... Read more..

Many people nowadays lead isolated lives, especially with the range of convenient services and opportunities available for people to remain indoors and away from the world. Television, cable, internet, computers, mobile telephones, all enable us to remain 'connected' with people without actually leaving our homes. However, with this freedom of information a ... Read more..

Chri$tma$ is here again! Shopping centres are full of decorations and bustling shoppers. Kids are finally enjoying school now that the pressure to be productive has diminished during end of year activities. Holidays are planned, camping gear or caravans are dusted off. A time where family members are drawn together often from around the country to catch u ... Read more..

Celebrating difference is, in my view, one of the most critical challenges we humans need to face. I say this because it seems to me that intolerance is at the heart of many of the issues we struggle with today, both personally and globally. If we could move from intolerance to acceptance, I believe the world would be a very different place. 'Difference' si ... Read more..