31. October 2009 by student.

Today marks the day 5 years ago that one of my best friends took her own life. At the young age of 15 she decided that her life wasnt worth living; or was it?! Jamie was found in her private bathrooms bathtub with her wrists slit. There was a note left near the bathroom sink. She said that she didnt want to die but that she didnt see any other way to end the pain that she was enduring. (her mother dying from cancer and her father left when she was only 2 years old) Jamies story is one that i will always remember. Most people when they think of teen suicide have mixed feelings but you dont know how much it really hurts untill you experiece it first hand. Like i did. With Jamie we knew why she did whay she did to an extent but many other familes have no anwers and never will.

Now many will ask? Didnt you see the signs? Considering that we were 16 years old and her mother was dying it seemed only “normal” the way that she was feeling. As any other child would feel after loosing one parent and on the verge of loosing another. Although Jamie never talked about killing herself she was a very depressed young girl. I never want another friend to have to go through what my friends went through. Belive it or not but teen suicide is a growing problem is America today. I would just like to inform you on how you can help someone that you know that may be suicidal, and make you aware of some of the outragious statistics.

My Research has found the following:

According to the Center for disease and control

All suicides

• Number of deaths: 33,300
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 11.1
• Cause of death rank: 11

Firearm suicides

• Number of deaths: 16,883
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 5.6

Suffocation suicides

• Number of deaths: 7,491
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 2.5

Poisoning suicides

• Number of deaths: 6,109
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 2.0

There were also 594,00 documented cases of emergency department visits for self inflicted injury.

Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2006, tables B, 18

From 1991 to 2003, suicide rates were consistently higher among those 65 years and older compared to the younger age groups. The suicide rates in this age group declined from 19.70 suicides per 100,000 in 1991 to 14.22 suicides per 100,000 in 2006. The suicide rates also declined among those 10 to 24 years from 9.24 suicides per 100,000 in 1991 to 7.01 suicides per 100,000 in 2006. Suicide rates among those 25-64 years declined from 15.07 suicides per 100,000 in 1991 to 13.43 suicides per 100,000 in 2000. From 2000 to 2006, the suicide rates among the 25-64 year age group increased to surpass the rate of those 65 years and older in 2004 and again in 2006.

There are many signs that can be indicators that someone is going to try and commit suicide. The following is just a few.

• depressed mood;
• substance abuse;
• frequent episodes of running away or being incarcerated;
• family loss or instability, significant problems with parent;
• expressions of suicidal thoughts, or talk of death or the afterlife during moments of sadness or boredom;
• withdrawal from friends and family;
• difficulties in dealing with sexual orientation;
• no longer interested in or enjoying activities that once were pleasurable;
• unplanned pregnancy; and
• impulsive, aggressive behavior, frequent expressions of rage

Again i would like to point out that some people do not show any signs at all and still have suicidal tendencies.

I would like to make it clear that there are other options besides suicide. There are many programs that are designed to help people that are in need.

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30. October 2009 by student.

            Diamonds have been a symbol of wealth and love for ages.  “Diamonds are forever” and “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” have been said and heard by everyone.  However, the means to get these minerals are devastating to both humans and the environment.            To mine a diamond, most of the time the method used to called strip or open pit mining.  This extracts dirt and rocks to get to the diamonds underneath.  What is done with the overflow? It is wasted and the land areas around these sites are harmful to the ecosystem.  Forests may be destroyed and pollution of the air and land occur.  There is also a way to mine diamonds in the ocean.  Not only does this cause water pollution but in order to get to the diamonds, a man-made wall must be built and then sand must be bulldozed and pumped out.  Although these diamonds are very harmful to the environment, it is still not as controversial as a “blood diamond.”            A conflict diamond (a.k.a. blood diamond) is a diamond that comes from forces that use diamonds to gain military power in undeveloped countries.   These “forces” are usually rebels that abuse other humans and force people into slavery by making them search for diamonds in places such as Africa.  Not only can digging by hand for diamonds be hard labor, but these poor people are physically abused by these rebels.  There was a great conflict in Sierra Leone (West Africa) in the late 90’s which the movie Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio is based on.  For eight years these rebels not only forced people to search for billions of dollars worth of diamonds, they also lead out methodical amputations of limbs and killings of innocent people brought into slavery against their wills.            Most of the world has become aware of blood diamonds.  The United Nations General Assembly became aware of the issue and put up a resolution to stop the connection of diamonds and wars in areas such as Sierra Leone.  They put up measures to ensure you are not buying a conflict diamond such as certificates among countries that export diamonds, audits, monitoring how countries obtain their diamond supply and new, harsher laws against those who fail to follow the new restrictions.            In my opinion, although it does help to be sure your diamond is not a blood diamond; I believe any diamonds that come from the earth are bad.  Just because diamonds are mined safely for people in places such as Canada, this is still very harmful to our environment.What is the solution to this problem? Lab created diamonds.  These diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically identical to mined.  This is also true for other mined gems such as rubies and sapphires.  What are the positives of deciding to purchase lab diamonds?  First of all, the quality is the finest because the gems are grown in controlled environments.  You cannot get a perfectly cut mined diamond but you can get a perfectly cut created diamond.  They also have the best clarity.  They are durable (lab diamonds cut through glass like mined) and a good business will offer warranty and replace lost diamonds at little or no charge.  One of the best things about these diamonds is the price.  Savings can reach from 60-75%.  A three carat diamond on diamondnexuslabs.com ranges from $800-$1200.00.  A three carat diamond solitaire on zales.com is around $40,000.00!  These lab rings and jewelry are gorgeous and you cannot tell the difference.  They are environmentally safe (all you green parties out there) and people are not killed in the process of obtaining them.  They are an obviously perfect solution to this social problem.http://www.onlinejewelryearrings.com/diamond-guide/laboratory-diamonds-217/www.stopblooddiamonds.orgwww.diamondsforafricafund.orgwww.enviroliteracy.org 

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30. October 2009 by student.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1467857/nadya_suleman_and_her_14_children_receiving.html

There are some women who do not make enough money  to finance many children (I am not talking about only one or two but many), however they get pregnant  (being natural or I.V.F or ICSI or IUI, it doesn’t matter how ) and then expect help from government or people.

I know that we are free to do with our bodies whatever we want, but when we do whatever we want with them and this would affect another human being (as bringing babies to this world without a financial stability) then, I think we are in the wrong track. People with low resources should understand that bringing a person to this world without a financial support (such as WIC) would affect them in the future. It would lower their possibilities to go to college and get a better life, unless they have already planned out how to support their child during his college life.

Those who are to bring people to this world should consider their circumstance and think about the future.

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/the-trouble-with-twin-births/?scp=2&sq=Nadya%20Suleman&st=cse

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30. October 2009 by student.

http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/278/Nature-Homelessness.html

I will just make a thing clear: you might find this new blog a little contradictory with the first one but is not. This blog is simple and so is the idea about home shelters and ghettos communities.

Homeless and ghetto communities shouldn’t receive financial aid from the government, at least not if they are planning to live off of it for the rest of their lives. I know the government gives special help to  homeless people, I know they can receive food stamps and many other things as (Medicaid) health care and medicine and welfare too. Not that I’m saying that we shouldn’t help people in need but those who we help, should also help themselves by trying to get a job and studying.

There are a lot of people who only live off of  government help and they never do anything to progress themselves. They are just there receiving and receiving and never trying to better themselves. Should we justify the place in which they are living or their scarce resources as their reason why they are not successful? No, I have heard much time about Ben Carson ( http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/car1bio-1 ), who was raised by his single mother and faced economic difficulties, but this didn’t stop him from success. He tried hard and didn’t allow a single excuse about the place in which he was born. This man was born in poverty but he found success in his studies. And he is NOT the only example.
So if homeless and ghetto communities would like some help from the government, this help shouldn’t be forever.

To wrap this up, I just want to say that veterans, and people with mental and health problems they are the ones who really should deserve help.

Posted in Social Problems | 3 Comments »

29. October 2009 by student.

There are many diffrent types of Welfare programs in America.  To name a few; TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food stamps, and various medical assisntance programs. The main reason for these programs is to help those who need help due the economic status of our cournty in these troubling times. There are both public and private programs designed to help the “under-privileged.One of the main problmes that i see with these programs is abuse. There is something seriously wrong when a two -income household can’t get any help with meidcal for themselves or their children, but the “under-privileged” are not working but spend money as if they have it to burn. It makes me mad to see the under-privileged able to live a more comfortable life than some hard working families that are just trying to get by.

The reality is the lower-middle class families are being left to fend for themselves. They’re stuck between not making enough to get by and making too much to qualify for any assistance. It is alomost like they are being penalized for having a job and being a productive member or society. Maybe pride prevents them from being less productive and lowering their income to qualify. Good for them the world needs more of that but pride shouldn’t cause a problem such as this.

To make the situation worse, the lower-middle class family that can’t get by, or barely does get by is paying for the “under-privileged.” The rest of the country is paying more taxes to accommodate or offset the cost of these programs. I understand that there are times when people need some help, I have been there, but to abuse the system is not going benifit anyone and it is going to make more a of problem. Alothough there a basic criteria that applicants have to meet in order to register for assitance but often times get over looked and end up using assistance even when assistance is not needed.  Something needs to be done regarding this issue. To many familes and children are going without the health care they need .

According to WIkpedia; Welfare or welfare work consists of actions or procedures — especially on the part of governments and institutions — striving to promote the basic well-being of individuals in need. These efforts usually strive to improve the financial situation of people in need but may also strive to improve their employment chances and many other aspects of their lives including sometimes their mental health. In many countries, most such aid is provided by family members, relatives, and the local community and is only theoretically available from government sources.http://www.welfareinfo.org/programs/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare

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28. October 2009 by student.

If you took a survey of FGCU not many students, if any, would admit to being a racist and most would likely say that racism doesn’t even exist today. The truth is completely different. So maybe these ignorant people aren’t going around announcing they are racist, but they discriminate against people because of their skin color. There are many different forms of racism from jokes to hate crimes and my personal favorite; the confederate flag.

One argument in favor of the confederate flag is that the flag represents the “rich history” of the south but of all the things in our countries history, you choose to be extremely proud of your ancestors being pro slavery? What about Native Americans who are very important to Florida’s history, or making it to the moon first? My point is that there is so more to be proud of than what I think of as an embarrassing moment in our countries history, The Civil War.

Hard core pro confederate flag advocates say that the civil war didn’t have anything to do with slavery and that it was an economic confrontation. Yeah, economic as in if they lost their slaves they wouldn’t have anyone to do their dirty work for them,  such as picking cotton which was The South’s biggest money maker, there for a serious problem for the economy of the south.

Let’s just say that the civil war really didn’t have anything to do with slavery and it was something to be proud of, the use of it by hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Aryan race turned it into a symbol of racism in today’s society. Before Hitler, The Swastika did not represent hate and murder but rather life, power and strength. What the Swastika used to represent doesn’t matter anymore, what matters is how society views this symbol and relates it to The Holocaust. It wouldn’t be socially acceptable to display a Swastika anymore but why is okay to display the confederate flag? There are many people in The United States with German background but they don’t celebrate the Holocaust as being an important part of their history just like The South shouldn’t be proud of slavery.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 8 Comments »

26. October 2009 by student.

Next year my friends and I will be moving together, therefore we went to take a look at some places we found online. By the end of the day we just had to decide between two places. So, we decided to go back to our second option and take a look around, it was like that that we got into the computer lab that this place offers. As we walked inside the room I noticed that three guys were using the computers and that as soon as they saw us, they started making comments about us and checking us out. After we left the place a really interesting conversation started (to make it a little easier I will write the conversation in dialogues)

Friend: “I won’t move to that place. I don’t like it”

I: “But you were the one who said that that place was a little bit cheaper and nice”

Friend: “I just changed of opinion; I don’t like the place…”

I noticed something was wrong so I insisted and insisted to her to tell me what the real problem was. My friend finally said: “Did you see the guys who where there? Did you hear what they were saying about us and how they looked at us? How they were checking us out? I didn’t like it.” “Hmm” I thought to myself and said: “Did you mean the three black guys who were at the computer?” She said: “Yes, them.” So I couldn’t help but ask: “What exactly annoyed you? The fact that they were checking us out? or the fact that they were black and were checking us out?” So she answered: “I don’t mind them being black, what annoyed me was that they were checking us out, they almost break their neck” I answered: “what if those guys were white? would it still annoy you?” She replied:” Do you know that black people are more likely to commit crimes than white people?” With this I didn’t know what to answer; so, I decided to make some research about race and crime and how they go along.

This is what I found:

Bureau of Statistics: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/race.htm

Federal Burea of Investigation: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/adducr/age_race_specific.pdf

Indeed, apparently race and crime go along. But why is that so? It may because of the historical background?  Ever since their freedom was taken from them, and they were forced to come here to serve others, they were treated violently. They were just used as object, were thought not to have a soul, maybe this grew hate on them, resentment and violence; violence that was thought to them through their “masters” when things didn’t go the way they wanted to. Finally, they were set free but had already been thought how to solve things that were not going the way they wanted, thru the same violence they experienced.

Now, you would ask: What about the other races? What about them? How do you explain their crime? Think of this: Do we really welcome or at least try to be nice to those who come from a different country? Do we tread them kindly? Or the only thing we think when we see in an immigrant is: “Would she/he be legal? Because if not I won’t waste my time, they should all be deported”. Sure thing is that there are many more other things that just historical background for the crimes that occur but is it also how we treat others and how we teach them how to treat us back.

“For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them. ” - Thomas More.

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24. October 2009 by student.

When a teeager commits suicide  everyone who knows the individual is effected. Family and friends  are  in great mental distress, thinking that they could of one more . Even people who do not the know the person who had just died can even experience guilt, thinking if only I had known him I could of done something. So as you can see this problem is a big issue because one suicide can reach out and efect hundreds of people. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds, according to The Center Of Disease Control And Prevention and the sixth leading cause of death for ages 5-14. The most dangerouse thing that contributes to teen suicide is easy access to fire arms in homes. An alarming 60% of all kid and teen suicides are done by guns!

 White males at the ages of 15-24 are at the highest risk for suicide  and most of them are diagnosed with depression.  Studies show that 75% of suicides are related from depression. There are many signs that warn of  teen suicide. Suicide is a permenent solution to a temporary problem. Parents must watch for some common signs which include loss of appetite or change in eating patterns, withdrawel from friends,family or regular activities, marked personality change, over sleeping or insomnia,  and frequently complains of fatigue, aches, and pains which are usually due to the symptoms of depression. If a parent suspects possible suicide, never leave the teen home alone!

What can we do once we may see the warning signs? therapy and medications seem to be the most common and most effective ways of managing the problem.  Therapies can include counseling, cognitive therapy, EMDR, and even hypnosis are sme things parents can try with their teens. Medications are also effective but the problem is they have a suicide risk on all the depression medications. This is because medicine is more of a pseudo science and  docotors and to kind of guess and check which medicnes work and what are either non effective or make the patient worse. Another thing to look into is a drug test because substance abuse and teen suicide is a big common factor.  If this is the case rehab or an impatient treatment centermay be needed along with the listed therapies.

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22. October 2009 by student.

            There is a lot of argument about whether abortion is okay or not. When looking at the history of condom use, it was used as early as anti Egyptian times for protection of disease. However, in the 19^th and 20^th century, women wanted men to start wearing them so they wouldn’t be pregnant as much. Women would drink bleach or stick metal clothes hangers up themselves to abort the pregnancy. These were not the best methods of course since many woman died. This idea of controlling or taking charge over whether or not to be pregnant is not a new idea. However, women today are looked down upon when they do have an abortion. I would never imagine telling anyone other than extremely close, trusted friends that I have had one, hence the reason why there is a screen name attached to this rather than my real name. Religious people try to argue that you are killing the baby and give the stigma that you are a murderer. I understand there are a lot of different types of contraception on the market. However, what happens when the condom breaks or birth control doesn’t work? From the majority of my family, they would feel that it would be better for me to have the baby and deal with it. A good amount of my family is very religious, they are strict Catholics. There is no way that I would be able to make my grandmother who is very firm in her religious beliefs understand that it is something I did for myself so I could have a life. I wouldn’t be able to explain to her that I wasn’t ready, that the condom broke. Nor would I be able to make her understand that it wasn’t the easy way out. The procedure itself was excruciating. Since it was an early term abortion the doctor used the suction aspiration method which is defined according to Michigan Christians for Life (http://www.nonprofitpages.com/mcfl/abtypes.htm) as, “most common surgical method used in first-trimester abortions.¹ In a suction-aspiration abortion, the abortionist numbs the cervix and stretches it open.  He then inserts a hollow plastic tube with a knife-like edge into the uterus and suctions the baby’s body into a bottle. The baby’s body is torn apart.  Since the suction is much more powerful than a home vacuum cleaner, the placenta—well-connected to the uterus’s lining—is also torn away.” The doctor used nothing to sedate me or calm me before putting the equivalent of a high powered vacuum on me to suck the fetus out. That after the procedure I was in more pain than I had ever felt in my life. That at times the pain was so bad I couldn’t walk, I was crawling on the floor to the bathroom. And that my sense of taste was not the same for about a month. And that I am now and was then rack with guilt over the decision. However, I knew that I was in no position to be able to afford to adequately take care of a child. I was barely able to afford myself. Although, I have heard of people using abortion for their methods of birth control, personally I can’t understand this. There are so many other options on the market now for birth control.             Most people who are pro life base their opinions that abortion is wrong on the idea of where life begins. They believe that life begins with the sperm and the egg meeting to create the fetus. Although, I do not disagree with this, I am still pro choice. Personally, I made my decision based on my own feelings. I knew that financially I was not able to afford the child, and did not want to live my life off the state from month to month. Also, at the time I wasn’t mentally ready to devote my life to a baby in the proper way. A lot of pro life people that I have spoken with do agree that abortion does need to be an option for a woman who is the victim of rape or incest. A victim of rape or incest is not given the option to become pregnant, just as a person whose condom breaks. Understandably, there is the morning after pill, but that doesn’t always work. As most people would say, one shouldn’t be having sex unless they are prepared to deal with the consequences. However, if one’s birth control fails, to have or not to have a baby is not one person’s decision. And for me it wasn’t! We weighed the options and discussed it thoroughly before deciding what was best for us.   

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22. October 2009 by student.

This question is spreading throughout the country. From the cover of the magazine, “The Advocate” to the Tyra Banks Show, many people are claiming that yes indeed, gay is the new black. Some are revolting, claiming that being black and being gay are completely different. But do they hold the same place in American society?

Fifty nine years ago, interracial marriage between a “person of African descent” and a “person of non-African descent” was still illegal in many states in America. African Americans weren’t allowed to eat in the same restaurants, use the same bathrooms, or attend the same schools as whites until 1954. African Americans have fought for over a hundred years to have equal rights in America, and although blacks now are legally equal in all ways, they are still not socially equal. However, they have slowly been integrating into American culture, and every day seems to be more widely accepted. This idea is reinforced with the election of President Barack Obama.

But now that blacks are becoming accepted, who are we going to discriminate against? Since our country started, there has always a group of people that the majority of Americans simply don’t like or accept. In the beginning it was the Native Americans. Almost every group in America besides the Caucasian American has experienced this- Italians, Jews, and African Americans. However, over time, all of those different groups of people have been accepted into our society.

Now we are denying homosexuals the right to marry, in the same way that we denied interracial couples the right to marry. What is truly the difference between skin color and gender? Does it really make a difference? We have moved on to target homosexuals as the new subject of our ignorant discrimination, just as blacks were. Both cases are civil right issues. Fifty years ago, the common white person couldn’t think of the day when blacks would be nationally accepted and integrated into American society. Today, heterosexuals can’t imagine the day when homosexuals will be accepted. The truth is that society is constantly changing, and different groups of people will go from being “out” to “in”. Perhaps fifty years from now we will have our first gay president Sounds crazy, right? But that’s exactly what the majority white population would have thought fifty years ago when you said the in 2009 we would have and African-America president, and it happened.

So, are homosexuals taking the former place of African Americans in society? Is gay the new black?

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »