Month: April 2025

Lottery is a type of gambling in which players purchase tickets to win a prize by matching randomly selected numbers or symbols. Prizes are often money, but can also include items or services. Lotteries are generally considered harmless and provide a fun way for people to pass the time. However, they can also be addictive and lead to financial ruin if not played responsibly. In the United States, there are a number of different lottery games available, including scratch-offs, draw-based games, and video lottery games. The majority of lotteries are conducted by state governments. While the primary reason for offering a lottery is to raise revenue for a specific public purpose, some states also use them to promote social causes such as education, veterans’ affairs, and crime prevention. The casting of lots for making decisions or determining fates has a long record in history, and the first recorded lottery to distribute prizes in the form of money is dated to the 15th century in the Low Countries. The original purpose of these early lotteries was to raise funds for town repairs and to help the poor. Modern state lotteries offer an alternative source of tax revenue to the general fund, allowing politicians to reduce their tax burdens without raising other taxes. In addition, they can use the proceeds to fund specific programs that voters have endorsed. This practice is known as “earmarking.” While it may appear to provide voters with a sense of control, critics charge that this process actually deceives them. In fact, the earmarked lottery funds remain in the general fund, and legislators can spend them as they see fit, even though they may not be for the designated purpose. As a result, a lot of lottery proceeds are spent on things that voters do not support, and the general fund suffers a loss in the process. The problem is compounded when the lottery industry is able to increase advertising expenditures and the amount of promotional material used, which results in higher profits. Many lottery promotions are geared towards those who may be more likely to spend money on tickets, regardless of the slim odds of winning. Such campaigns can be particularly effective at targeting lower-income individuals, as they may be more likely to have a fear of missing out. This phenomenon is referred to as FOMO. It can lead to a vicious cycle, where individuals continue to play the lottery despite the low odds of winning in order not to miss out on the potential for a huge windfall. Lottery players are often influenced by psychological factors, such as minimization of losses and concentration on the times they have won. They may also be influenced by their peers, who are constantly talking about the recent winners and sharing strategies for boosting their chances of winning. These factors may contribute to a compulsion to gamble, which can be dangerous for those with underlying psychological problems. It is therefore important for those who wish to play the lottery to carefully consider their finances, budget their purchases and be aware of the signs that they may be developing a gambling addiction.

The Sidney Prize is an award given monthly for journalism that exposes social and economic injustices. Nominations are accepted each month and must be submitted by the last day of the month. The winner will be announced the following month. Winners and finalists are presented with a medal, a certificate, and an STBA seal. Their works are also published in AJL and displayed at the Society’s annual meeting. In addition to the Sidney Prize, the Society offers a number of other literary prizes and fellowships, such as the Leonardo da Vindi Medal, Melvin Kranzberg Dissertation Fellowship, Joan Cahalin Robinson Prize, Samuel Eleazar and Rose Tartakow Levinson Prize, Abbot Payson Usher Prize, Bernard S. Finn IEEE History Prize, Martha Trescott Prize, and the Race and Histories of Technologies Prize. More information on these can be found at the various prize pages. In 2024, the Sydney Taylor Book Award is a special award recognizing an outstanding children’s book in any genre that reflects the values and ideals of the late New York Times and Newsday journalist and columnist Sydney Taylor. The award was founded by her widow, Jane Freiman Schanberg. It honors the legacy of excellence in journalism, and in particular, long-form investigative or enterprise reporting on armed conflicts; local, state or federal government corruption; military injustice; war crimes or sedition; or authoritarian governments. Awarded for the best article in a journal on a topic of relevance to the field of history. The article should display scholarly quality, originality and significance in relation to the history of technology, broadly defined. It should have been written in the past three years, and it should be available for wide dissemination. This prize honors a distinguished scholar who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of historical studies of science and technology through research, teaching, service to the Society and other activities. It is named in memory of the late Dr. Sidney Hook. Named in honor of Professor Sidney Thomas, the award is awarded annually to an undergraduate student for the best paper in art history. Named in honor of the former chairman of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Syracuse University, this award recognizes national distinction by a single scholar in the fields of history of science, undergraduate teaching and the promotion of liberal arts education. The Hillman Foundation was established in 1984 to commemorate Baltimore businessman and humanitarian Sidney Hollander (1881-1972). The Hillman Foundation awards Hillman Prizes in the areas of dance, drama, comedy, music and opera, visual arts, photography and puppetry, as well as its monthly Sidney Prize for journalism on issues that affect people of all ages. The Philip Sidney Ardern Memorial Prize is given in memory of the distinguished Old and Middle English teacher at Auckland University College. It is open to students of English at all levels and for papers on any aspect of the study of Old and Middle English, but not restricted to linguistics or literature.