17. June 2009 by student.

There are a lot of people who think that the death penalty shouldn’t be legal anywhere in the United States. They say that killing someone doesn’t right the wrong that has been committed against society and/or another individual. They say that executing the offender doesn’t allow him a chance to get rehabilitated and become a productive member of society. All of this may be true, but it also prevents the criminal from killing or raping someone again, ever. Although the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in an era when the death penalty was still widely practiced, it is difficult to argue that poisoning or electrocuting someone to death doesn’t constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”At the dawn of the 21st century, the death penalty is considered by most civilized nations as a cruel and inhuman punishment. 30 countries have abolished it since 1990. However, the death penalty continues to be commonly applied in other nations. China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States and Iran are the most prolific executioners in the world. Indeed, the US is one of six countries (including also Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen), which executes people who were under 18 years old at the time they committed their crimes. While worldwide documents have restricted and in some cases even banned the death penalty, its request is still not against expected international law. Much debate continues in the US as to whether it constitutes an appropriate punishment, at least to the most dreadful crimes. In recent years, the debate has been further fueled by the use of new technologies, which have shown that a large percentage of people sentenced to death are, indeed, innocent. Ninety-five percent of the crime in the United States is committed by five percent of the population. This means that when criminals are rehabilitated and are set free or paroled, that many, if not most, of them will again break the law. If the violent offenders against society such as the first-degree murderers and rapists were executed, then violent crime rates would drop straight into the basement.

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17. June 2009 by student.

Tattooing was once seen as a deviant act by many people.  People of all ages and from all different backgrounds and cultures are finding their own special meaning in tattoos. Once associated only with gangs, tattoos are done between friends sharing common emotions and ideas, and by individuals expressing their own uniqueness. Today, tattoos are routinely seen on rock stars, professional sports figures, ice skating champions, fashion models, movie stars and other public figures who play a significant role in setting the culture’s contemporary mores and behavior patterns. Some people might misinterpret or judge others based on tattoos which might be misleading. Others might think that mutulating your body is wrong  due to different religions. Statistics show that more Americans are getting tattoos. According to the most recent Harris Poll, conducted in the summer of 2003, approximately 15% of Americans (or about 40 million people) have at least one tattoo. The increased popularity of the tattoo is apparent if you compare those findings to the 1936 Life magazine estimate that 10 million Americans, or approximately 6% of the population, had a tattoo. I believe that this number is increasing, and tattoos are being more accepted by the younger generations, rather than by the older generations.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/31975/tattoo_statistics.html?cat=7

http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_facts.htm

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17. June 2009 by student.

Stress, we either all have it now or sometime before dealt with stress. In my opinion though, as college students we have all experienced it. Wether it be the stress of final exams, mid-term projects, student loans, books, and the list goes on depending on your situation. Stress can have some serious side effects that not many people are aware of. For example; it can have a negative impact on your immune system, cause fatigue, acid reflux, hair loss, and an overall decline in your health/well being. Ezinearticls wrote that 75 to 90 percent of all visits made to the doctor are related to stress. However college is not the only thing in life that causes stress. Just for me college is one of my biggest stress right now.

The economy is another stress in many peoples lives around the United States today. 24-7PressRelease/ said that eight out of ten people say that the economy is a “significant cause of stress,” according to statistics released by the American Psychological Association (APA). Since the recession began, 5.1 million jobs have been lost, including 3.3 million since November 2007. For adults they are facing stress problems such as job loss, forclosed homes, loss in savings etc. A co-worker of mine just lost his best friend because the stress of losing his job & home was so bad that he comitted suicide.

While those who are having major stress issues due to the economy, the daily herald reported that 40% of people say their job is TOO STRESSFUL!! So you have those who are stressed about not having a job and those stressed because of their job? Stress is alos a factor for teens. Stress on graduation from high school, apperance, fitting in the popular groups, grades, etc. Like I said in the begining, I think we have all experienced stress. However it effects us all differently.

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17. June 2009 by student.

What is divorce?  To me a divorce mean when it’s the final termination of a marriage between a men and a women. It’s part of canceling the duties and also tasks of a marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony among two persons. Today in order to get a divorce you need the authorization of the judge in a legal route to complete a divorce. When couples get a divorce they usually get an annulment. Annulment is a legal step for declaring that a marriage is void and canceled.  Divorce is usually a retroactive meaning that it never was placed between a man and women was married.             According to Wikipedia, it had state the major legal route for divorce may also engage issues of spousal support, child custody, child support, distribution of property and division of debt. There are six kind of the divorce that a man and women have to go through in other to go with the divorce procedures. There are no-fault divorce, at-fault divorce, summary divorce, uncontested divorce, collaborative divorce, mediated divorce.             According to http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS.shtml it explains the percentage of how many people file for divorces during the certain amount of years.  It stated that there were just about 230,000 marriages in 2005 down from 2,279,000 from the earlier year, even with a total population increase of 2.9 million over the same time. It show that the divorce rate in the year 2005. Per 1,000 people was 3.6 the lowest rate since 1970, and down from 4.2 in 2000 and from 4.7 in 1990.            Overall, I think that filing for divorce is a wrong thing that people should think of doing. I feel like both party should talk about there problem and see if there aren’t another solution to how they can hold there marriages together. I think they should go to counseling and talk about the major issues that is causing there marriage to fail. That why I think that before even thinking about getting married know who the person is and even though from time to time you and that person maybe argue a lot see if getting married is the okay move to make because I think that a lot of people that get a divorce either rush into the marriage without even knowing the person.  

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17. June 2009 by student.

Let me be honest with you, I am not the best driver in the world. As a seventeen year old girl in this society-quite frankly I am probably not the worst one out there. Most teenagers are reckless drivers, as a matter of fact. Take into consideration that teenagers usually LOVE to and tend to text, talk, eat, and do whatever the hell they wish to while driving. I am not saying that adults don’t do this also-but teenagers are more likely to commit to such actions. Nevertheless, teenagers also believe that everything is “A OK” if they participate in underage drinking and then eventually drive home. To put this pretty bluntly- teenagers aren’t so responsible. I am not saying that it is every 13-19 year old that is irresponsible, but the percentage is increasing significantly.  In the United States during 2005, 4,544 teens ages 16 to 19 died of injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes. In the same year, nearly 400,000 motor vehicle occupants in this age group sustained nonfatal injuries that required treatment in an emergency department. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Now what does this tell you about the youth in this generation? That we tend to involve ourselves in frequent car accidents? Correct. Our ability to have a relatively low attention span combined with our keyboard Blackberries will without a doubt-make us wreck. Moreover, compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2005, 10% of high school students reported they rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else. (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)

To promote safer driving- and to reduce the number of accidents/deaths per year in America- I believe the driving age should be increased. Every state is relatively different. Some states have a standard of 14 years-some are 15, 16, or even 17. In Florida, the age to obtain your learner’s permit is 15 years of age and you can receive your license at sixteen after passing a driver’s test or completing Driver’s Ed. All fifty states should agree on one standard age to obtain one’s learner’s permit and then reach a conclusion on just one age to obtain one’s actual license. Increasing the driving age would save lives.  

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17. June 2009 by student.

  The popular TLC reality T.V. show Jon and Kate plus 8 are currently in their 5^th  season.  The show began first as a one hour special to show the world what it were like to be the parents of two sets of multiples.   I started tuning into the reality show every once in awhile.  I thought the show was real and gave insight into the lives of a family of ten.  The show made me laugh and smile.  Recently, after the fourth season ended a few months back the new reality hit T.V. stars, Jon and Kate, have come under pressure from the media and other agencies.  Jon stated in the season 4 finale that he was having a hard time dealing with the fame.  He said that it was hard for him to not be just Jon, but he had to be Jon and Kate pus 8.  Kate on the other hand was dealing with the popularity differently; she said the fame did not bother her.   The couple stated together that they did not know if they were going to continue on with the show.  Well we know now that they did decide to do another season of the reality show, but this season is different.  Jon and Kate’s marriage is not the same as when it ended in season 4.  As a viewer of the show I did not even know anything was going on, they kept it from the cameras.  They also just renewed their wedding vows back in 2008 in Maui to show their children that their Mommy and Daddy loved each other, and were going to stay together forever, and now they don’t even know if the marriage is going to survive.  This is so sad to watch the difference between this season and the last.  It is not the same show.  So what has changed?  Jon has been open with the fact that he quit his job two years ago so that Kate could go on the road and do the book and press tours.  Has the fact that Jon is now a stay at home Dad had something to do with the issues in their lives.  I would say the answer is yes.  Men for the most part are the money makers in the family, and that was the case with this family as well.  Although two years ago they decided to change those roles and it may have something to do with the new developed issues.  Jon now has to deal with the new roles he is facing and having to figure out who he is today. 

It is amazing to walk down the checkout lane at the grocery store and to now see these two reality stars on the cover of every tabloid and magazine.  If you watch T.V., then you know that this family is also covered daily on Entertainment Tonight, Extra, news organizations, and the E channel has now made a special on Jon and Kate plus 8.  The media has gone mad for this family.  It’s weird to have watched this family two to three years ago, and no one but TLC cared who this family was.  Now, with the scandals that the media has presented, the show and this family have become a media bombshell.  Child Labor laws are now being questioned into this families reality T.V. show.  The latest media gossip, is questioning the intentions of Jon and Kate regarding their children and the show.  Child exploitation is being investigated.  I believe that only Jon and Kate know what is best for their marriage and for their family, and the media needs to butt out.    Maybe the reality show needs to be put on hold so this wonderful family can find their way back to each other.  Marriage is hard and it takes a lot of dedication and commitment to make it work.  Hopefully with many thoughts and prayers this family can make it through these hard times together.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 3 Comments »

17. June 2009 by Mr. Andoscia.

Posts have been graded from here down.  I will be grading one more time, tomorrow morning.  Please make sure all posts are completed and posted by around midnight tonight.  Some of you have written great posts and then decided not to put their names on them.  Make sure you get credit for the work that you do.

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17. June 2009 by student.

   Wrongful convictions are becoming more and more prominent in today’s society thanks to new advancements in technology and the use of DNA.  DNA evidence makes it possible for justice to be served and falsely imprisoned innocent people to be set free.  Since 1973, 123 people in 25 states have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence and since 1989 there have been more than 350 people wrongfully convicted and subsequently exonerated in the US. Wrongful convictions are not rare events, they result from systemic defects that can be identified and addressed.  The leading cause of false imprisonment stems from inaccurate eyewitness testimonies.  Eyewitness misidentification occurs in 74% of wrongful convictions.  Another major part in these convictions resulted from invalid forensic science.  False confessions and incriminating statements lead to wrongful convictions in about 25 percent of cases as well. Snitches of course contribute to inaccurate convictions too. Fifteen percent of wrongful convictions that were later overturned by DNA testing were caused in part by their testimony.  It’s not as if these people are spending a night or 2 in jail either. The average amount of time served for wrongfully convicted persons is 12 years.

    The function of justice is to find the truth that what makes these cases so important. Justice is finally being served for these men and women who lost their freedom for crimes they did not commit.  The affect these wrongful convictions have on people is horrible, they lose everything.  If they are exonerated and freed they are still faced with many prejudices.  They are treated like any other ex inmate regardless of their innocence.  In many ways they are still treated as if they were guilty just for having spent so long in prison. They lose their good name or reputation, their careers or any chance at one, friends, even family.  Take for example Martin Tankleff who served seventeen years before being released on 1 million dollars bail for the murder of his parents. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible it must be for someone just to be accused of murdering their parents. This poor guy was found guilty and had to spend all those years locked up knowing he did not kill his parents.  The day his parents were found murdered was the same day he was supposed to start his senior year of high school. Because of his imprisonment he was unable to have many life experiences we might take for granted. This man missed out on high school graduation, college, a career, even the possibility of starting a family. He was denied a chance of having a normal life. Because of this unfortunate reality, the prisoners who can be exonerated are the lucky ones regardless of the obstacles they still may face.

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17. June 2009 by student.

 pregnancy in girls age 19 or younger is considered adolescent pregnancy.Why teenagers have sex, and do so without effective methods of contraception, is a topic of debate. Suggested reasons include: Adolescents become sexually mature (and fertile) approximately 4 - 5 years before they reach emotional maturity. Adolescents today are growing up in a culture in which peers, TV and movies, music, and magazines transmit subtle and obvious messages that unmarried sexual relationships (specifically those involving teenagers) are common, accepted, and even expected. Education about responsible sexual behavior and specific, clear information about the consequences of sexual intercourse (including pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and psychosocial effects) are frequently not offered. Therefore, much of the “sex education” that adolescents receive filters through misinformed or uninformed peers. They also say that teens are more likely to become pregnant if they begin dating early (dating at age 12 is associated with a 91% chance of being sexually involved before age 19, and dating at age 13 is associated with a 56% probability of sexual involvement during adolescence).  Drop out of school, have a mother who was 19 or younger when she first gave birth,  have been a victim of sexual abuse or assault, live in a community or attend a school where early childbearing is common and viewed as normal rather than as a cause for concern. It is said that 13% of all US births are to teen. That 6 in every 10 teen pregnancies occur among 18-19 year olds. Wow who knows what the other 4 is towards. Socially is it accepted? No its not people look down upon them for being sexually active so young. As I look around i see more and more teens expecting. So this could be the new baby boom but towards the younger generation, so it will eventually have to be accepted by the older generation. Times are changing now  and the world is progressing.

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17. June 2009 by student.

The issue of firearms takes a high-profile position in United States culture and politics. I think two of the basic differences between people who are gun-control advocates and the people who are gun-right advocates are the way they view reality and the way they perceive our constitutional rights. The people who advocate gun control also advocate intrusive laws, such as requiring child safety locks, storing guns in safes or strong-boxes and some have even advocated the idea of periodic “surprise” searches of gun owner’s homes, in direct violation of the 4^th amendment, to ensure guns are not available to children. In contrast, most gun owners support not only the 2^nd amendment, but they support the 4^th amendment’s restriction on searches along with all the other guarantees in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Support for gun control in America has been steadily dropping. Currently, the American public strongly opposes attempts to ban gun ownership, and is divided on attempts to limit gun ownership. A 2008 poll revealed that 28% of the population supported a total ban on handgun, the lowest level since the poll was first taken in 1959 (when support for a total ban was 60% of the population). This same poll revealed that 49% of Americans in 2008 preferred more restrictive gun laws, compared to 78% when the question was first asked in the 1990 version of the poll. Such an arbitrary subject has advocates and opponents that are very well known to us all. Martin Luther King said, “By our readiness to allow arms to be purchased at will and fired at whim… we have created an atmosphere in which violence and hatred have become popular pastimes.” Inversely, the Dalai Lama said “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.” I agree that individual gun ownership should be guaranteed, but gun control is necessary and lawful. Said gun control should include mandatory training, testing, and licensing; registration of weapons and ammunition; background checks; and limits on the number of guns purchased at any one time. These laws must be universal. They would not unduly restrict gun ownership rights of lawful citizens, but would make illegal gun ownership much more difficult.

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