10. December 2009 by student.

One of my biggest pet peeves is someone going out to dinner and not tipping the server or people who leave you pennies/religious cards. I understand times are tough and people can’t afford to tip a whole lott, but if your going to go out to dinner & not tip a server then stay home. How do you think the server (him/her) will feel? They bust there butt working and actually having a job not claiming well-fare. Also If you put yourself in the shoes of a waiter or waitress they may also have a family or life to care for. Most servers make around and average or 4-6 dollars an hour and with other taxes coming out of their pay checks (fedral, state). Every time a customer pays with a credit card and leaves a tip on their credit card there are taxes on them. Customers all don’t understand that server’s tip out a bartender(s) , buser(s) and some occasional tip out a host(s), but you don’t tip out based on tips its actually based off the server sales. So for example I had a party of 15 and a check over 200$ a lady didn’t like something she ate the manager paid for her bill but yet she told the rest the table not to tip me at all.

Which made me end up tipping the bartender out from my pocket since I only had that 1 table while I was working regardless that I didn’t make any money that night I tip the bartender five dollars and luckily we didn’t have a buser to tip out. I understand occasionally I’ve had table or togo customers that told me they just couldn’t afford tipping me but they were super thankful and told my manager how wonderful their serve was which helps out to. I’m not saying I would love every customer to do that, but it was appreciated a lot more then getting no tip and customers being rude. Its also sad to say but when religious church customers come in usually once a month for a tip each servers receives a religious card for their tip. (I`m not against any religious) I just would much rather have cash/ credit card tip then a piece of paper or at least both if they feel they must  give us a religious “keep god in your faith” card “ “Praise the lord” card.

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10. December 2009 by student.

In the past, we as humans had no evident control of our surroundings, intellect was at its infancy, and we were unable to comprehend the creatures around and how important they were to us and the Earth. Now, with the ever increasing need to expand, we are driving the species here on Earth to extinction at rates 10 to possibly 10,000 times faster than 5 past cataclysmic events which also brought on extinction. We as the human race must find a way to complete a species inventory to ultimately understand better ways to save endangered species from permanent extinction.http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/overview.html

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10. December 2009 by student.

               We are facing a global crisis. More and more species are facing extinction mostly because of human activities and not natural causes.   Most causes of species extinction are from habitat destruction, pollution, increases in human population, resource consumption, and urban development.   Florida Panthers live in the Everglades and are listed as an endangered species both under the ESA and the state of Florida.  It is vital now more than ever to save our local species because once they are gone they are gone forever!  The Florida Panther population has grown from as little as 20 cats in the 1970s to 100 panthers right now, which is great news!  The US Fish and Wildlife Service will only feel successful when there are  three colonies of 240 panthers that  thrive in a natural environment but with the current space of 3500 square miles (Everglades), this may not be possible.  Scientists believe the area has reached maximum capacity for the large felines Florida Panthers.                   

It would take a lot to ensure that the Florida Panther does not become instinct.  Floridapanther.org discussed 3 very important steps that would benefit this species survival!

• Step 1 would be to maintain, restore, and expand the Florida panther population and its habitat in South Florida and, if possible, expand the known occurrence of Florida Panthers north of the Caloosahatchee River.  
• Step 2 would be to identify, secure, maintain, and restore habitat in potential reintroduction areas within the panther’s historic range, and establish viable populations of the panther outside south and south-central Florida.
• Step 3 would be to facilitate panther conservation and recovery through public awareness and education!

Sources

:http://floridapanther.orghttp://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2006/r06-008.htmlhttp://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/panther.php

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9. December 2009 by student.

In the United States, approximately 79 million babies were born during the Baby Boom Period. (1946-1964)

Lately, the numbers of babies born has been increasing… again.

In 2007, the total number of births in the United States surpassed the record number of births previously reached in 1957(peak year of babies born). The total number of births in the U.S. in 2007 totaled 4,317,119

Studies show that the increase has been due to the amount of teenage pregnancies and the increasing hispanic population.

Bucking the trend in many other wealthy industrialized nations, the United States seems to be experiencing a baby boomlet, reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years.

The nearly 4.3 million births in 2006 were mostly due to a bigger population, especially a growing number of Hispanics. That group accounted for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. births. But non-Hispanic white women and other racial and ethnic groups were having more babies, too.

Experts believe there is a mix of reasons: a decline in contraceptive use, a drop in access to abortion, poor education and poverty.

I believe the same. I’ve known many friends and other random people who been pregnant and the main reason was because of not caring and lack of contraceptive.

I believe that everyone(teenage girls) should become more aware of consequences before thinking about having unprotected sex.

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9. December 2009 by student.

As if we didn’t have enough things to worry about on the road we now have texting while driving.  The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has concluded you are 23 times more likely to be in a collision if texting while driving.  When you combine this with young inexperienced drivers it creates a recipe for disaster.  Everyday in 2008 over 800, 000 people were texting, making calls, or using a handheld cell phone while driving in the United States.  Distracted drivers kill over 6,000 Americans every year.  Texting takes the drivers eyes off the road which is where they need to be.  Texting is becoming more popular then just simply talking on the phone.  If you are only talking on the phone you can atleast keep your eyes on the road only increasing your risk of crashing by 1.3 times that of a nondistracted driver.  Past research indicates that driving while talking on the phone is as dangerous as driving drunk.  Then when you compare this to the statistics that tell us how much more dangerous it is to text it can be a scary thought.  The worst part is that in studies teens and adults all agree that texting while driving increases their risks when driving but still continue to do it.  Texting while driving should be illegal for all.  Using your phone at all as a newly licensed drivers should also be illegal.  They are the most inexperienced and likely to crash therefore they need all their focus on the road.

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9. December 2009 by student.

Heatwaves unpublished. Hurricane overwhelming. Dried endless where there was plenty of water. Devastating floods. Extinction of thousands of species of animals and plants. Fires. Melting of the poles. And all sorts of natural disasters that are beyond human control.
For decades, researchers warned that the planet would feel in the future the impact of man’s carelessness with the environment. At the turn of the millennium, the warnings were no longer needed - the disasters caused by global warming have become realities present in all continents of the world. The challenges have become two: to adapt to the brink of new and more dramatic natural disasters, and seek solutions to mitigate the impact of the phenomenon.
In times of global warming, a new international body made the pages of newspapers and magazines across the earth - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established by the UN to get international consensus on the subject. His expected reports were highlighted by bringing the main causes of the problem, and point to possible paths that can reverse some of the points table.

In 2007, the panel wrote and published three texts. In the first of February, the IPCC has blamed human activity for global warming - something that has always been known, but had never been confirmed by an organization of this size. He also warned that maintained the current growth levels of air pollution, the global average temperature will rise 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The following report, submitted in April, dealt with the catastrophic potential of the phenomenon and concluded that it could cause mass extinctions, rising seas and devastation in coastal areas.
The surprise came in the third UN report, released in May. In general, he says that if the man caused the problem, can also solve it. And for a relatively low price - just over 0.12% of world gross domestic product per year by 2030. Although opposed by environmentalists and green NGOs, the number deserves attention.
The 0.12% of world GDP would be spent by both governments to finance the development of clean technologies, and by consumers, who need to change some of their habits. The ultimate goal? Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, which prevents the dissipation of heat and heats the atmosphere.
Global warming will not be contained only with the publication of the IPCC reports. Not with his conclusion that it comes so expensive to reduce emissions. Although they are good starting points to guide the actions, the documents do not have the power to require either nation to take action. To obtain meaningful results, the effort to reduce pollution need to be global. The failure of the Kyoto Treaty, to which the United States, the largest emitters of CO2 in the world, not join, illustrates the problems facing attempts to curb global warming.

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9. December 2009 by student.

“The Centers for Disease control report that suicide is the third leading cause of death, behind accidents and homicide, of people aged 15 to 24. Even more disturbing is the fact that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for children between the ages of 10 and fourteen.” This is quited from the Teen Suicide Statistics website, and clearly states how and why teen suicide is a major social problem.

These high teen suicide statistics are seen world-wide, not only in America. In the age group of 15 to 24 in Russia, the deaths from suicide are 32 out of 100,000. In Japan, there are now small internet cults that teen are joining, forming pacts to enact their mass suicides together (MSNBC.msn.com). World-wide, there are nearly one million teen suicides a year; more than homicide and war victims combined.

With the staggering numbers of teen deaths occurring mostly in more civilized and advanced countries, it has been recognized that teen suicide is a social problem. However, the Global Annual Teenage Statistics reports that the fatalities could rise to 1.5 million by 2020. If teen suicide rates are soaring, then the tactics we are using to prevent it are obviously not as effective as needed.

Here is a list, taken from the Focus Adolescent Services, that one may use to recognize a teen that may be suicidal:

• Unhappiness

• Gradual withdrawal into helplessness and apathy

• Isolated behavior

• Drop in school performance

• Loss of interest in activities that formerly were sources of enjoyment

• Feeling of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness

• Fatigue or lack of energy or motivation

• Change in sleeping and eating habits

• Self-neglect

• Preoccupation with sad thoughts or death

• Loss of concentration

• Increase in physical complains

• Sudden outbursts of temper

There are many ways that are available, online, in books, or through a psychologist, for one to seek comfort and help in getting away from there suicidal thoughts. However, if a teen are already decided, for sure, on a suicidal path, they will probably not be seeking help. This is where recognizing the previously stated behaviors are important. More important than recognizing these behaviors, though, is treating them.

As I have said, we need a new approach to preventing teen suicide, because what has been used in the past is not decreasing the fatalities. My approach would be like a Big Brother program. But, instead of a young adult who has been having substance abuse issues, or issues are home, these will be depressed teens with recognized suicidal and/or depressive behaviors. Also, these teens will not knowingly be entered into a program. My program will only work though school and their psychologist, but will need the help of other students and young teens. At the beginning of each semester, there will be a meeting where the school’s psychologist can address all the teens and explain to them the symptoms of suicide and to report anyone with these symptoms to the psychologist. Also, fliers will be posted inside and out of school. Now teens know how to recognized depression and suicidal behaviors. If someone IS reported to display these symptoms, the psychologist will then send out a student from a special team of volunteer students that have learned to help troubled teens cope with their issues. These volunteer students will not expose themselves as someone trying to help, but will befriend and comfort the troubled teens, showing them how to live a happier life through games, sports, and by being introduced to more friends. For teens who continually turn away this unknown help, further assistance must be introduced. If the volunteers cannot befriend the teen, they will report this to the school psychologist, who will obtain a meeting with the teen and/or the teen’s parents. From there, the teen may have to seek major psychological help, depending on their level of depression.

This suggestion to preventing teen pregnancy is my own personal ideal, and only one of many. Other possibilitiesss can be located on websites such as KidsHealth.org, CharityGuide.org, and TheSecondWindFund.org.

Thank you.

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9. December 2009 by student.

There are a few different interpretations of what a mental illness is: the medical view states that it is a disease with physiological causes, and then there is the view that it results from the way mentally ill individuals are treated, and the less popular, it is not a disease but rather a government method of labeling those thought to need isolation and/or treatment.

1 out of every 4 Americans suffers some form of mental disorder in a given year (Barry, 2004). Among patients with any mental disorder, only 20% received treatment between 1990 and 1992 and 32% received treatment between 2001 and 2003. While that is a step in the right direction that number still needs to climb. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. A 2005 study conducted by Kessler revealed that an untreated mental disorder can lead to a more severe, more difficult to treat illness, and to the development of co-occurring mental illnesses. Brian Mitchell, the 56 year old man that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart in 2002 has been mentally disturbed, diagnosed with a delusional disorder and exhibited deviant sexual behavior accompanied with paranoia since adolescence. A psychologist recently testified that Mr. Mitchell is incompetent to stand trial in the abduction case that grabbed the attention of the nation. If treated as a teen this may have all been prevented.

The two-class system of mental health care in the U.S. has contributed greatly to this problem. There is an undeniable link and vicious cycle of mental illness and poverty. Lower social classes are associated with mental illness and typically, more affluent patients with less severe mental illnesses receive higher-quality private care, whereas severely ill patients, often reduced to poverty by their illness, are shunted into budget-starved public institutions (U.S. Congress, 2001). Legislative efforts are underway to reduce some of the disparities in insurance coverage between mental and physical illness but that alone will not solve the problem; we need to tackle the greater problems of discrimination, stigma, and lack of social support.

“Trends in Mental Health Care” Barry, Colleen Nov. 2004

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9. December 2009 by student.

 There are about 8.8 million gays in the US population.  Everywhere in the US besides Massachusetts gay couples are denied equal rights and not allowed to be married.  This issue is currently a major social issue in our society.  Everyone probably knows someone this affects.    Marriage is a public recognition of a couple’s commitment to each other and for the most part gay couples are unable to make this commitment.  It is because of this they lose out on certain privleges married couples have.  This includes tax filing status, joint ownership of property, insurance benefits and parenting rights.  It can also affect making critical medical decisions while a partner is incapacitated.  I believe children will be affected positively by gay marriage.  Gay couples are going to continue raising children whethere marriage is legal or not.  These families deserve the same benefits and protection as others.  In a study sponsored by the American Psychological Association they found that children of gay unions are just as likely to be well adjusted as children from heterosexual unions.  We should make gay marriage legal so these children can be raised in socially accepted homes.  We are living in a fast paced society and everything around us is constantly changing and adapting.  We alter our norms for marriage and certain things as times change.  Interracial marriage use to be banned in the United States and woman use to be considered property.  We have come a long way since then.  Studies have also shown that younger generations are more accepting of gay lifestyles.  You are not born with homophobia it is taught to you.  We instead need to teach our children to be accepting and tolerant of different lifestyles.  Especially since these people and lifestyles are not going anywhere.  President Obama is a supporter of gay rights.  President Obama said, “We cannot and will not put aside issues of basic equality.  The fight continues now and I’m here with a simple message:I’m here with you in that fight”.  Considering this and the growing support for gay marriage I believe it is only a matter of time before gay marriage becomes legal in the United States.  It is already legal in so many other countries including, Canada, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.  Many of the arguements against gay marriage have a religious basis.  People seem to forget that we are living in a country that gives of freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion.  Gay couples deserve the same equal rights and privleges as straight couples.

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9. December 2009 by student.

 Water Pollution
            The pollution Crisis is a major problem all around the world. It has adversely affected the lives of millions of people and caused many deaths and health disorders. Pollution is contamination by a chemical or other agent that renders part of the environment unfit for intended or desired use. It deserves emphasis that the environment also refers to the place where you live. Natural processes have released toxic chemicals into the environment throughout the history of the earth. Currently, the pollution generated by human activities presents the most serious problem. There are basically 3 types of Pollution. They is air pollution, land pollution and water pollution, water pollution is my biggest concern because it affects more people in south west Florida and our Floridian life style. Many of your intercostals waterways and rivers are affected by pollution.The wastewater and liquids from plants and factories are linked with nearby river water, which are polluted when they release disposal from, Oil spilled from ships pollute oceans around the world. Water pollution infects the water and renders it unfit for drinking and other purposes. It is also a major cause of most of the water-borne diseases. Industrial waste often contains many toxic compounds that damage the health of aquatic animals and those who eat them. Some toxins affect the reproductive success of marine life and can therefore disrupt the community structure of an aquatic environment. Microbial pollutants from sewage often result in infectious diseases that infect aquatic life and terrestrial life through drinking water. This often increases the number of mortalities seen within an environment. Across the nation, the system that congress created to protect the nation’s waters “CAA” clean water act today often fails to prevent pollution. The New York Times has compiled data on more than 200,000 facilities that have permits to discharge pollutants and collected responses from states regarding compliance. Many of these facilities are in Fort Myers and affect our water purity.Across the nation, the system that Congress created to protect the nation’s waters under the Clean Water Act of 1972 today often fails to prevent pollution. The New York Times has compiled data on more than 200,000 facilities that have permits to discharge pollutants and collected responses from states regarding compliance. Information about facilities contained in this database comes from two sources: the Environmental Protection Agency and the California State Water Resources Control BoardAcross the nation, the system that Congress created to protect the nation’s waters under the Clean Water Act of 1972 today often fails to prevent pollution. The New York Times has compiled data on more than 200,000 facilities that have permits to discharge pollutants and collected responses from states regarding compliance. Information about facilities contained in this database comes from two sources: the Environmental Protection Agency and the California State Water Resources Control Board It is high time that we take this issue, of ‘Problems of Pollution’ seriously, or it could have adverse effects on our future generations. Across the nation, the system that Congress created to protect the nation’s waters under the Clean Water Act of 1972 today often fails to prevent pollution. The New York Times has compiled data on more than 200,000 facilities that have permits to discharge pollutants and collected responses from states regarding compliance. Information about facilities contained in this database comes from two sources: the Environmental Protection Agency and the California State Water Resources Control Board 

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