27. April 2009 by student.

It seems that with the fixation body image, many people who are insecure with their own image are resorting to desperate means of trying to fix it. The most common desperation is often some sort of eating disorder. These disorders include bulimia and anorexia.An eating disorder is defined as: “An eating disorder is an obsession with food and weight that harms a person’s well-being. Although we all worry about our weight sometimes, people with an eating disorder go to extremes to keep from gaining weight. There are two main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia.”  Common problems that are associated with eating disorders are:-Stomach problems, heart problems, dry scaly skin, and several other major health problemsAs you can see, resorting to an eating disorder to improve your own body image is never a good idea. These consequences speak for themselves in this situation. 

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27. April 2009 by student.

Today’s TV programs seem to have become more accepting of shows that are much more revealing than in previous years. This can be seen as a problem because children watch these television programs and are then influenced by them. Television viewing is a major activity and influence on children and adolescents.  Children in the United States watch an average of three to four hours of television a day.  By the time of high school graduation, they will have spent more time watching television than they have in the classroom.  While television can entertain, inform, and keep our children company, it may also influence them in undesirable ways.”Time spent watching television takes away from important activities such as reading, school work, playing, exercise, family interaction, and social development.  Children also learn information from television that may be inappropriate or incorrect.  They often can not tell the difference between the fantasy presented on television versus reality.  They are influenced by the thousands of commercials seen each year, many of which are for alcohol, junk food, fast foods, and toys.”"Violence, sexuality, race and gender stereotypes, drug and alcohol abuse are common themes of television programs.  Young children are impressionable and may assume that what they see on television is typical, safe, and acceptable.  As a result, television also exposes children to behaviors and attitudes that may be overwhelming and difficult to understand.”   Children in today’s society are viewing these programs and are being influenced by them. I believe that TV providers should think twice before deciding to show a program simply because they are interested in profits alone.

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27. April 2009 by student.

Technology is something that has really evolved in the last 20 years. Now a days we have cell phones, laptops, IPods, texting, and so many other types of technology. We are constantly in the know of what is going on with everyone’s lives. With the advent of texting came the opportunity for people to text someone a question and get an almost immediate response. We can get online and see if someone is in a relationship according to Facebook and Myspace.  We can listen to our music and watch movies on the go with our IPods. We have become a society that is so dependent on these things that I am not sure many people would be able to survive without them. We have become a country that wants answers to questions right away; we do not want to have to wait for anything. If we have a question we want the answer right away. We do not know how just sit and enjoy the silence. We constantly need some type of something to keep us entertained. The other day my parents kicked me out of the house for an hour while a realtor came and showed our house to some perspective buyers. I decided it would be a good day for a drive so I got in my Jeep, rolled down the windows, cranked up the music and just drove. I live in a beautiful city, and I often times take that for granted because I am so busy with life. My phone was nearly dead when I started my drive, and I really did not feel like talking to anyone so I just shut it off. It was nice to just enjoy the sun and the cool breeze without constant texts and phone calls. When I got back home and turned on my phone I had two missed calls, some voicemails and a bunch of texts that were sent and then resent because I did not respond. I even had a text asking if I was still alive. It made me realize how much we rely on our phones. I could not even have my phone off for an hour without getting bombarded with things. There are some days that I just wish my phone would break so that I would not have to talk to anyone because honestly 95% of the texts and calls I get are completely pointless. Our society as a whole has become one which is so dependent on these things. We have so many different ways to communicate and socialize that we often times forget the most basic form of communication. Sitting down with someone and having a conversation with them. I think that technological advances have made it harder for people to know how to properly socialize. They all speak in crazy computer talk such as, “lol, brb, jk, omg…” They often times do not even realize they are doing it because it has become such a big part of their life. I believe that while technology has been a good thing; it has also had some negative effects on our society as a whole.

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27. April 2009 by student.

According to U.S. immigration facts found on http://www.ethnicharvest.org/index.htm, 5,000 immigrants who are unauthorized arrive in the United States daily. Although 4,000 are caught just after crossing the U.S.- Mexico border, 1,000 illegal immigrants manage to make it through to America which they now call their home.

Illegal immigration has brought many arguments and disputes among Americans who hold different views on the topic. To put it simply, one is either for giving illegal immigrants access to American rights or against the fact that they are even in America.

The reason I want to talk about immigration is because I believe my present and past views on illegal foreigners living in America represent most of the views of young adult s in America. Because of the influence of my father growing up I subconsciously viewed illegal immigration as completely intolerable. My father is and always has been prejudice against illegal immigrants. The arguments he makes primarily have to do with American’s paying tax money to support illegal immigrants and allowing them sometimes free access to health care and education. And, although I understand where he’s coming from I believe there’s another side to the argument that many American’s are either ignorant of or choose to ignore. The usually unknown side of the story is the knowledge of the personal lives of illegal immigrants. The knowledge of their hardships and the limitations that keep them from living a life that is only dreamed of yet can be attained if they were only citizens of the United States. For American’s have rights that Illegal immigrants do not solely because they were born in America. And that’s all. It’s by the land that each person’s mother gave birth to him or she on that determines his or her way of life. Birthplace determines people’s opportunities and access to education, health care, and freedom which all furthermore determines people’s ability to make their hope s and dreams a reality. How, therefore, can many American’s form the foundation of their views against illegal immigrants primarily upon birthplace? I believe if they were born in Mexico rather than America their mindset which shapes their views would be quite different.

http://www.myimmigrationstory.com/ reveals the personal stories of different illegal immigrants from Mexico who came to America in order to live a better life. In these stories hardships are shared as each journey to America and fight to stay in America. One girl blogs about her journey which started at the age of two when her mother sneaked her across the U.S.-Mexico border. Returning to Mexico as a teenager she expresses the shock of the fact that education there is only optional and most had to drop out of school in order to work where they only earned fifty dollars a week. Like the story of this teenager, many express the struggles of living in Mexico but also the determination and dreams that each have which allow them to succeed in America where opportunity is given.

From a sociological perspective illegal immigration is most noticeably characterized by social conflict as well as social stability or instability.

Social conflict arises because of two main aspects: the battle for power and the battle for status. Status is determined by social stratification which is defined by which group has more control over basic resources. It’s obvious that American’s have more control over basic resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care than illegal immigrants do. The control of these basic resources determines who will have access to these resources. In this case America decides how much or how little access illegal immigrants have to basic resources. The main issue is that American’s do not want to lose power to illegal immigrants. Because of American’s rights as citizens they want the power to control what illegal immigrants either receive or don’t receive such as health care, education, and jobs.

Social stability encompasses the way of life in a society. Because illegal immigrants have a more distinct culture than American’s, American’s fear the dominance of their culture over the American culture. The group that started off as subordinate is on the pathway to dominance which will bring change in American and, therefore, instability.

The fight for power and the fight for dominance over illegal immigrants thus exist among the American people. Yet while power and dominance are the concerns of American’s, a life of opportunity and success are the concerns of illegal immigrants. And although many arguments based off of the amount of rights that should be given to illegal immigrants as well as equality will continue to exist, the opportunity to give illegal immigrants a better life will also continue to exist. Illegal immigration has brought many challenges to America yet our decision to ethically fight through these challenges holds the power to change the lives of thousands of illegal immigrants for the better giving each opportunity and success.

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27. April 2009 by student.

With rehab shows gaining popularity such “Intervention” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” addictions in our culture are becoming more and more apparent. Some which were obviously noticeable before such as drugs and alcohol. But with the introduction of the internet and mass multi online role playing games (also known as MMORPGS) the emersion of potentially life crippling new vices have surfaced in our society.

Video games have always had a bad rap for violence and supposedly turning our nation’s youth to nothing more than mindless zombies. However what about games like World of War Craft, they seem innocent enough with their graphics being as realistic as a Disney movie. What is dangerous about these games is they offer an illusion of a healthy social life. Those who do not have healthy social lives or have recently suffered from a socially traumatic experience such as a death of a family member or a bad break up turn to these MMORPG’s just as some would alcohol or drugs. It offers an escape which many normally find through the traditional outlets of substance abuse. The effects are just as life altering. Many people become absorbed in these MMORPG’s substituting their social life for a virtual social life, leaving behind their friend’s families and jobs. This removal from society promotes detrimental social health and in severe cases can cause social anxiety, depression, and obesity. Many people however do not realize the seriousness of this growing problem. Many people already have lost their jobs and ruined their lives with little or no concern from family members while travelling down this path to social destruction.

The reasoning behind this is that the product is mass-produced and marketed as any other game out there. The only difference is the popularity of these games, having a rating of teen, means that anyone over the age of twelve is fair game. With more than ten million people playing it is used more than any illicit drug, and more acceptable than any other outlet.

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27. April 2009 by student.

Within the past few years MySpace and Facebook have become the social axis of high school and college students everywhere. With the introduction of these massive networking sites we are experiencing a transmission of culture in a fashion different than any we’ve known.

Normally the way which culture is transmitted is generally through the media or through person to person interaction. These sites allow our generation to be friends with anyone in the world and share nearly everything about us.  This has greatly shortened the gaps between subcultures spanning the globe. If a band out of England were to become popular before the existence of MySpace it would completely rely on the media and word of mouth to spread to the masses. However, with MySpace people are able to upload their favorite music to their pages share it with their friends who have similar music tastes. This allows subcultures to spread and evolve at a faster rate than before as well on a much larger scale. In other words, when the Goth subculture in Europe is beginning to change, that transformation is also felt expressed elsewhere in the world just as fast as people can post bulletins and update their page. With the growing popularity of these sites the changes occurring are happening faster and faster. The faster the changes happen the greater the pressure is to become more immersed in their respective subcultures.

Not only does MySpace and face book allow a greater evolution of culture it also aids in the blending of cultures. Subcultures in our society are usually very exclusive, excluding members which who are not inclusive in their respective subculture. With the introductions of social networking sites you can browse through whoever has a public viewable profile, thus removing the exclusiveness of subcultures. People of other subcultures can view and incorporate various aspects into their own. This can be seen with the immersion of metal ideals such as piercings and music into prep culture. This can be plainly seen by walking into any local Hollister. If you look at the media sold in the store it is reminiscent of mainstream indie and metal bands a few years back. Even in mainstream Rap culture the immersion of rock can be seen in the fashion of artists such as Rick Ross and Little Wayne.

Lip piercings, skinny jeans, pumas along with many other aspects of metal culture have been incorporated and been made acceptable by mainstream society. The reasoning I believe behind this is that the metal culture is heavily based upon MySpace. Having a lot of friends isn’t seen as being popular it’s seen as nearly a requirement. The phrase “MySpace famous” is more than just that it is an achievement sought after for a sense of social achievement. The relationship one has with their “friends” isn’t as personable as it used to be. It is seen more as a score and the one with the highest number is seen as higher up in the rock social network. This pressure pushes the culture to spread faster blending cultures and bringing our world closer together.

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27. April 2009 by student.

With the recent state of the economy the unemployment rates have skyrocketed. With recent studies showing more than 3.5 million Americans are homeless, almost half of them being children. With the government giving “corporate bailouts” to already padded pockets, who is helping those who are truly in need?

 Tent cities are popping up all over the country, some holding as many as twenty thousand people.
In my opinion this recession is beginning to be more and more reminiscent of the depression during Hoover’s administration. In my hometown of Port Charlotte it’s hard not to notice the over abundance of “war veterans” at nearly every busy intersection. However it is not the war veterans that are really suffering, it’s the single moms and dads across the nation that are trying to support their family. In today’s economy being a single parent is a next to impossible feat, with jobs scarce and the cost of living not getting any cheaper, many are having to get multiple jobs in order to prevent joining the growing homeless population.  This leaves these families with few options. Some are lucky enough to have relatives in the area to watch their children while they work their sixty to seventy hour work weeks. However, children less fortunate are forced to raise themselves. This can have an impact on their social development as well as their academic life. This lack of parental supervision and guidance can lead to deviant behavior. What is worst however is the children whose parents have already lost their jobs. It is estimated that nearly 1.4 million high-schooler’s will not graduate due to the pressing economic conditions.

The Republicans have recently enacted a 45 billion dollar aid to help assist the growing homeless population. This I believe is the direction we need to be headed in. Giving money to already rich and careless corporate executives is not going to fix our economy, or make sure that 1.5 million children get an education. What will however is a change in thinking on how to fix our economy.

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27. April 2009 by student.

Gay marriage has been an issue of controversy for quite some time and has gained a reasonable amount of media attention after being on the ballot in the last election. Having personally voted for to support it I found the ballot worded in an extremely vague fashion. Many others felt the same, some even accidently voted to oppose it.

Many states however saw this injustice and even saw it as unconstitutional, which I believe it is. I believe that people should be able to get married no matter what. The idea of “marriage” is originally a religious idea; however the union between two people has been around since the beginning of human existence. Even in the time of the Romans being gay was seen as being more admirable than being straight.

So why ban something which has been socially acceptable since the dawn of humanity.  This country was founded on the idea of freedom. We have the freedom of speech and the freedom to follow whatever religion we want. So why not allow people to have the freedom to be with whoever they want. In my opinion it is cruel and unjust. People said they we took a great step by electing our first black president. However, our society is still intolerable of the union of two people of the same sex. In my opinion we still have a lot of growing to do as a country and we should stop being so concerned with other people’s lives and worry about our own.

Works Cited

http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/wedding/a/wheremarriage_2.htm

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27. April 2009 by student.

A few weeks ago I saw an article in the Naples News about a push to legalize marijuana medically in Florida. This really caught my attention for a few reasons. The first being the numerous amount of people with medical conditions which could be alleviated, the second being the large positive impact it has had on California’s economy.

Having known many people who have suffered from eating disorders and cancer I support this push for that reason alone. Though there are many of the medications on the market to help with nausea due to chemotherapy. The prices and side effects of these medications can cause more damage than help with some having costs of more than twenty five dollars a pill. If a plan was put into action similar to that enacted in California it would allow people to either purchase it from dispensaries or grow it themselves. This both gives patients a safe outlet to obtain their medication but also gives the option of growing it themselves if they can’t afford it. This naturally occurring herb could also alleviate many other less serious conditions such as depression or insomnia. Once again medications normally prescribed for these conditions can have extremely adverse side effects ending in suicide or accidental death. The most famous of these instances is the recent death of Heath Ledger. His autopsy revealed that he died of a drug overdose of medications for depression, anxiety, and insomnia.  All are conditions which could be alleviated through the use of marijuana. This is not the only case of death resulting in adverse reactions to medication. In the united states alone nearly 106,000 people die every year due to prescription medications, marijuana however accounts for no deaths whatsoever.

Not only would this provide an alternative to dangerous prescription medications it would also help positively impact our economy. The medical marijuana bill passed in California generated nearly 200 million dollars in revenue. The same has been projected to be gained in Florida if this bill is put on the ballot and passes in 2010. This could generate thousands of jobs across Florida, something which is greatly needed in Lee County which has one of the highest unemployment rates in Florida. Another way this could positively impact our economy is by decreasing the number of people who go to jail on charges involving marijuana each year. These crimes are generally victimless and cost tax payers money to keep them incarnated each year. By medically legalizing marijuana the power would be taken away from the drug dealers and would be controlled largely through the government.

I believe this is a great idea and would benefit Florida economically while reducing crime and potentially benefitting the 1.7 million seriously ill people.

Works Cited

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/apr/05/poll-political-action-committee-pushes-medical-mar/

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_Heath_Ledger_die

http://www.consumerlawpage.com/article/drugs_that_kill.shtml

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27. April 2009 by student.

Facebook. Almost everyone you know has one. For me it has been a great way to reconnect with old friends who have moved away, friends from summer camps, and kids from mission’s trips I have gone on through the years. I check my facebook at least twice a day, and it never fails that when I sign in I have the same friend request from my mom. I click deny every time, not because I am a terrible daughter and I am doing crazy things while I am at college, but because MY MOTHER IS ADDICTED TO FACEBOOK! She spends hours upon hours on her facebook daily. She is that person who does every stupid quiz and sends all those ridiculous applications to everyone on her friends list. If you tell her this she will deny it up and down but it is true. My mom does not even know how to have a normal conversation because she spends so much time on Facebook. She updates her status every 20 minutes and spends ridiculous amounts of time on Facebook chat. I understand it is a good way to talk to old friends, but seriously enough is enough. When I come home from school on the weekends I will go into the office to tell her about my week and she will be too busy “talking” to her friends to listen to me. She is not the only one who is addicted…my dad also has a Facebook and they will sit in the office on their laptops and Facebook chat with one another. It is ridiculous.

This past weekend she had a high school reunion/party at our house, and I was able to see her true addiction. First of all she had her computer out in the kitchen opened up to Facebook so that whoever wanted could come and change their status. The crazy thing was that a lot of people actually did. Then her friends would walk in and immediately talk would go straight to Facebook. What so and so put as their status. Who was coming to the party according to the Facebook invite. There was even a woman who came in and before I could introduce myself she says, “Oh, you’re Jenn.” I was really confused but apparently she and my mom are Facebook friends, and she knows all about me even though I have never met her. This whole party was basically a gathering of all the adult Facebook addicts. Even today at lunch all the gossip was about who uploaded what pictures and oh did they reply to my status. It was insane.

I understand that Facebook is a way for people to reconnect with old friends, but there comes a point where you have to stop. Spending hours upon hours on Facebook is a tad ridiculous. Some may not see this as an addiction, but I do.

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