25. February 2010 by student.

As we all know in the United States there is a minimum wage. Right now this is at $7.25 per hour (http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/index.htm). This wage is defiantly not enough to support any single independent person completely. If a person works a 50 hour work week they will make $362.50 before taxes. In a year this person will make $18,850 if they worked every single week 50 hours. The average cost of living in the US is about $95 a day (http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-the-average-cost-of-living-in-america). If you do the math this is about twice what the minimum wage 50 hours per week person can make. Even with the most extreme of rationing and cost saving a single person cannot live on minimum wage alone. So why don’t we have a minimum wage where a person can support themselves? I purpose a minimum living wage. A federal standard that all INDEPENDENT people should make no matter where they work. To acquire this standard a person would have to prove independence some way to the govt. and their employer. This wage should be intended for the 30 something year old who has no other choice than to work at publix and not the kid who is trying to make some extra cash. It seems like a lot of the people on welfare and unemployment need these programs because minimum wage just doesn’t cut it and they need federal help. So why not give people an adequate minimum salary that they can truly live on rather then just hand them money because they are lacking funds.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »

24. February 2010 by student.

An ATM technician discovered a skimming device on one of the ATMs at a local Fort Myers Bank of America. He contacted the Fort Myers police department after making the discovery. Skimming devices copy credit card information held on the card’s magnetic strip into memory, then transfer that information onto counterfeit credit cards. Skimming devices can copy the information in a matter of seconds. Making it impossible for the victim to know they’ve had their information stolen until fraudulent charges have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Detectives do not know how long the device may have been in place and have no suspects.

This case just goes to show you that even though your money is put into a bank it is still not totally safe. If someone has the knowledge to install this device without the bank even knowing, then who can you really trust. I know that you can always trust yourself.  So maybe the cash under the mattress is a better plan then the use of computers. But what do I know.

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24. February 2010 by student.

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24. February 2010 by student.

A 16 year old high school student got arrested for threatening other scholars, and breaking into his school website, changed his grade completely. Do you think that student should be punished? do you think he should be sent to jail? opinion is matter,……… 

i’ve heard worst story than that, but i’ve never heard something like that before. students nowadays are so over thinking and sometimes they did things you’d never imagine they would think of doing, overall i think we should accept the world as it is. Lets see

i think that student is very smart because if you break into a shool website like that to change your grade, what else can’t you do. what i was wondering myself is: how did he do that? how did he know the password, where did he find it or figure it out? overall that’s called Pirate that’s how i called people like that. what he did was totally sinister, but i think that kid deserves fa second chance, and he needs guidance. maybe he is not a good student, but there is something he is good at blatantly. I am just saying 

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23. February 2010 by student.

Most of the individuals that qualify for unemployment are usually on the poorer side of the economy.  Yet, at the same time, with the recent recession, many are not.   One for example, is my father.  My father was in the Coast Guard for 28 ½ years and retired as an E9, also known as Master Chief Yeoman, the highest ranking as a Yeoman in the Coast Guard.  When he retired, almost 2 years ago now, he found a job right away working for a Cruise Line.  Then one Monday morning, they told him to get a box, pack up, and leave.  Since then, he has been actively seeking for work for over a year, with no solutions.   Since then, our family income has significantly gone down, even though he is still receiving a retirement pension.  Equally, since he is receiving a retirement pension, it is unfortunately too much to qualify for unemployment.  But is that fair?

                    According to Floridajobs.org regarding unemployment, it states, “Any individual who is currently unemployed or partially unemployed can file a claim.  Two determinations must be made on a claim to determine eligibility.  The first determination will advise the individual if you have had sufficient work and earnings in Florida to establish a monetarily eligible claim.  A monetarily eligible claim does not necessarily mean that you are eligible to receive benefits.  The second determination pertains to the separation from the last or possibly next to the last employer.  The reason for separation from the last employer, possibly the next to the last employer and other eligibility requirements must be examined to determine if you are eligible to receive benefits. This second determination will not be issued until the claim is filed and the claimant has actually certified for weeks of unemployment.”  Claims are only the beginning to applying to receive unemployment.

                    Also according to Floridajobs.org, they explain the minimum requirements to qualify for unemployment. “To establish a monetarily eligible unemployment compensation claim, a person must have worked and earned wages during the first four quarters of the previous five completed quarters prior to filing a claim.  This period of time is called the “base period.”   The base period changes every three months at the beginning of each new quarter starting in January, April, July and October. To qualify monetarily, a person must:

·        Have been paid wages in two or more calendar quarters in the base period;

·        Have total base period wages of at least 1-1/2 times the wages in the quarter having the highest earnings;

·        Have at least $3,400 total wages in the base period. “

These are only the minimum requirements though.  There are many other qualifications and requirements that are involved.  Overall, my point is, is this fair?  Even though my father is receiving a pension and it is something to live off of while unemployed, it essentially is not enough to maintain the lifestyle we lived while he was employed.  Should we have to give up what we had just to make ends meet because of some qualifications on paper? 

Works Cited

State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. State of Florida, Agency for Workforce Innovation. 2010. Web. 22 February 2010

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23. February 2010 by student.

                 Currently, a big topic at many US Universities and Colleges is to have the drinking age lowered to 18.  The schools believe that by outlawing drinking from students that are under 18 is causing more problems.  They also believe that if the drinking age was changed to 18 that they would be able to regulate the use of alcohol, so students would not become overly intoxicated.  The Universities also believe that this would also cut down on the number of college campus alcohol related deaths and injuries.  Also the campus officials would also be able to better monitor alcohol use. According to a Times Magazine article titled: Teenage Drinking, “in studies through the 1990s by the Harvard School of Public Health, the percentage of college students who reported binge drinking within the previous two weeks remained steady at 44%. (Binging was defined as five drinks in a row for boys and four for girls.)”.  Also in the article that state how in 1997 MIT chose to avoid a lawsuit by paying out 6 million dollars to the parents of a freshman who drank himself to death at a fraternity initiation.  After seeing this and many other cases like this college administrations rather bow down and lower the drinking age then having to worry about these accidents, deaths, and lawsuits.  They also see it as they can use the money they save on law suits and things and use it towards educating students on how to drink safely. 

                What about do parents think about lowering the drinking age to 18?  Well surprisingly, many parents agree with lowering the drinking age.  They see that ever since the drinking age has been raised to 21 that drinking has led to the rise in teen death, injuries, school problems, teen pregnancy, sexual assault on teen girls, juvenile crime, rebelling against the government and parents  and drinking too much which is the cause of adult drinking problems.   It is also very often that parents will supply their teenagers with alcohol so that they are doing it and being monitored when doing so.  Most parents these days that have children from the ages 15 to 20 see that lowering the drinking age will help stop these issues because they know how things were back in college and how the drinking age was raised.  Then you have the younger parents that were not allowed to drink till 21 and you see two different views.  You see the parents that saw the horrible effect alcohol on their friends and believe that if the drinking age was lower they wouldn’t have drank as much because it was accessible to them.  Then you have the one’s that saw these horrible things and think that the rules should be enforced more and that drinking at such young age leads to brain damage and alcoholism in young adults.  So as you can see depending on when the student’s parent grew up shows different views on the drinking age.

                The students however have a very different take on the subject.  Students believe if they are allowed to vote at the age of 18 and have a say in our world why can’t they drink?  Along with this responsibility to vote comes the responsibility of jury duty.  Also young man question if they are forced to join the selective service, for possible drafting for the war, again why can’t I drink?  So at the age of 18 you trust students to take on major responsibilities such as voting, jury duty, and going to war, which are all adult responsibilities then you tell them you have to wait 3 years to drink.  How does that make any sense, I can do anything and start my life without even going to college but I cannot drink till 21? Students also agree that if the drinking age was lowered they most likely wouldn’t drink as much as they do.  Their reasoning is that if it is accessible I won’t have to binge on it because I do not know when I will get the chance to again.  You also have in college you fraternities and sororities and other groups on campus that are made up of a wide range of ages.  This leads to younger students being in situations with drinking and are being pressured to drink and consume alcohol. 

                So with these three different views and the facts presented you can see how lowering the drinking age is best for everyone.  There will always be those horrible tragedies but they will happen whether or not the drinking age is 18 or 21.  But I believe that in the end lowering the drinking age will lower  death rates of college students, which will benefit the Universities enrollment, parents still having their children, and students going on and doing great things in the future. 

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22. February 2010 by student.

When you wake up, you might turn on your computer before class to see a news update on Google, Yahoo, Bing, whatever your home page is set to.  You might grab a newspaper, or a coffee at Einstein Bros. while watching one of the many morning shows.  Later in the day you might pick up the latest sports magazine, or Cosmo.  Then you come home and “pre-game” for your favorite show, getting food ready, making sure your comfortable, and finishing all other work before relaxing in front of the television.  Then maybe you will watch a late night show, (whichever one your loyal to), right before you go to bed.  Every day we have some sort of schedule whether we set it or it just happens, and for most people the vast majority of this schedule includes interaction with some form of the media, whether it be newspaper or reality show.  We just don’t realize how much the media affects all of us.  According to a study made by California State University students, over 99% of households in the United States own a television.  The average American will watch over 4 hours of television a day, adding up to an astonishing 9 years of watching television during a 65-year life  (Television).  Now, not everyone watches that much television, and some of you may watch twice as much, but this is an astonishing statistic that many of us have contributed to.  In regards to magazines, according to the Media Information Center, the average magazine reader spends 45 minutes reading one issue.  85% of U.S. adults read magazines regularly, and 87% of those adults purchase a subscription  (Media Info Center).  From Cosmo to Late night with Jimmy Fallon, the media affects us more then we know.  People may wear certain clothes because of what fashion is currently being shown on the latest episode of The Hills.  Friends are torn apart by political news stations like Fox.  Girls are glued to magazines like Cosmopolitan and Vogue, guys to sports and car magazines.  People act like the actors and actresses they see on television and movies because they think it’s cool.  After great comedies like the Hangover come out, people repeat the jokes so much that it makes you wish the movie never even came out.  The media affects us in such a profound way that I can’t even begin to describe it with simple statistics and opinions.  I am not saying I don’t pre-game for my favorite shows and pick up a sports/car magazine every once in a while, but I don’t let the media change me, (at least not to much).  Whether the media’s effect is good or bad, that’s a matter of opinion.

http://www.mediainfocenter.org/magazine/magazinecategories.asp

http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html

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22. February 2010 by student.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. “

-Nelson Mandela

               When we are young, we learn the most about life and who or what is important. Why is gender such an important idea and term in our society?  Why must we conform to these social institutions telling us who were supposed to be and who were not allowed to be?  When walking through toy stores, the toys are organized in a way to reinforce the ideas of femininity, masculinity, or other.  Walk down one aisle, pink overkill.  The next aisle is loaded with plastic muscles, guns, and trucks.  The next aisle is usually shades of yellow for those parents who don’t know the sex of their upcoming child or for newborns and babies, when these ideas are not as important to the parents because the children cannot yet tell which is right or wrong.  But is there a right or wrong?

               Why do only girls get to play with bratz dolls, shopping carts, and easy bake ovens?  The most dominant subjects for female gendered toys or games are beauty and popularity. As young girls and women, we are taught the things that are socially acceptable and “normal” for girls and women to achieve or portray regarding how we are supposed to look or act.  This learning period must also include socialization, which is a lifelong process of learning social skills and standards and acquiring status in society. 

               The most dominant subject for male gendered toys or games that I noticed is sports.  When walking through a toy store, one very noticeable section is trading cards.  Yet, almost every single card has a male pictured on it. Why is that?  Can only men play sports? Obviously not, there are many professional women players and teams out there, but why aren’t they on trading cards? This situation could also be perceived as dominance and subordination.  In this case, the dominant group (males), have defined that the most acceptable roles in sports are only acceptable for males to take part in and that females are the subordinate group because they are “worse” at sports. 

               I believe that toys & games are the main ingredient in our children’s newly constructed lives and play a major part in their futures.  A major part of all of this is marketing as the biggest contributor. It is important to teach our children the values and morals they need to succeed in life, and let them know that life does not revolve around gender alone.  We must learn who we truly are on our own and not by the colors or pictures on a box.

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22. February 2010 by student.

Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): Sleep Deprivation

       Most people find it a struggle or great effort to wake up in the morning. They may also even wish that they could have gotten at least two more extra hours of sleep. Most Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, or not getting enough hours of sleep.  It is can also cause psychiatric or physical symptoms, and may even possibly have an effect on every day rituals or routines (Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, 2006). There are many different types of sleep disorders. Sleep disorders can cause many different symptoms including feeling irritable throughout the day, having problems staying awake, having issues concentrating, having a slow reaction, feeling like taking a nap almost everyday, falling asleep or feeling very tired while driving, having emotional outbursts, or even using caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, to keep yourself awake. Above all, teens probably suffer the most by not getting enough hours of sleep each night. Teenagers today are always on the go either working a job or two, playing a sport, doing extracurricular activities, or on top of all that dealing with their school work. As a former teenager, a normal day usually starts around 6 am and tends to usually end around anywhere between 11pm-12am each night. Constantly being busy and always on the go usually ends up with a lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation. This can also lead to resulting in many possible disorders, which may even possibly affect sleep results.

       One type of sleep disorder includes sleep apnea. It is a known to be a type of state when inhalation discontinues or stops for more than a good ten seconds throughout your sleeping period (Robinson, R. & Frey, R. J., 2006).  Sleep apnea can also be a key cause of being very sleepy during the daytime. It can also even cause many severe harmful effects on a person. There are two forms of this. One form is called obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. This is usually when breathing will stop because due to tissue which is located in the esophagus, resulting in closing or blocking off the air passage. A second type of this disorder includes central sleep apnea, or CSA. In CSA, the center of the brain is in charge for respiration and also to let it send some communication to the different muscles, such as those for inhalation. Also, OSA is very more common than CSA. (Robinson, R. & Frey, R. J., 2006).

    Another sleep disorder includes insomnia, which is known as the incapability to attain a sufficient quantity or value of sleep (
Barstow, D. G., 2006).  Most people with this sleep disorder usually do not feel rejuvenated when they awake. Many people who contain insomnia usually do not feel good when they wake up, and do not start off their day feeling revived. If anything, most people are usually feeling tired. Other effects of this disorder include the inability or difficulty in being able to fall asleep. Also, tossing and turning in bed for long periods of time can take place (
Barstow, D. G., 2006). In addition, it is also more commonly found in elderly people and even females. About 1 to 3 people in the
US experience habitual complexity in being able to fall asleep. Nervousness and anxiety disorders, along with being depressed are also some exceptionally downbeat symptoms (Kindersley, 2004).

       Furthermore, narcolepsy is another sleep disorder which can tend to cause unexpected times of deep sleep. These occurrences can usually happen at very unsuitable times, as well as when a person can be driving, eating, or even talking. Also, narcolepsy typically appears to effect people among the ages 15 and 30, yet this stipulation can also show up either later in life, or even earlier. From the instant these symptoms occur, the disorder is there for life. Narcolepsy affects at least 120,000 people in the
United States (Narcolepsy Disease/Disorder overview, 2007). People who have this disorder usually don’t need more hours or time of sleep; but instead, they tend to need daytime naps because they have a hard time staying awake for elongated periods of time.

       With this in mind, another type of disorder called the restless legs syndrome, or RLS, is an additional one which is associated with movement, feeling, and even sensation. Inhabitants with this condition usually enclose a very distasteful feeling of consciousness in each leg right after they lie down to go to bed. Also, most populace have a tough push to budge their legs or even their arms, which sometimes may even help them feel recovered. However, all this movement makes it more difficult or even impracticable to be able to get to sleep.

      Anonymous , (2008, October 17). Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Retrieved

            November 16, 2008, from eLibrary Web site:           

http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/curriculum/do/document?set=search&urn=urn:bigchalk:US;BCLib;document;158171514

Barstow, D. G. (2006). Insomnia. In The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Vol. 3.          (3^rd ed., pp. 2032-2034)
Detroit: Gale Retrieved November 16, 2008, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=boca72467

Farrington, Jan (2003, November 1). Why teens need more sleep. Retrieved

November 16, 2008, from eLibrary Web site: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/curriculum/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=23&edition=&ts=1B385A65E22C14A5799332C6804208B3_1226892358133&start=1&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B88114458

Kindersley , Dorling (2004, November 1). Insomnia. Retrieved November 16,

2008, from eLibrary Web site: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/curriculum/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=3&edition=&ts=31A9372579949F83F56B9D3A194D4BF3_1226899255950&start=1&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B127038371

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22. February 2010 by student.

Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): The Truth about Autism  

     Some people may have misconception towards other’s behaviors. I know I do. Have you ever thought somebody was just kidding around when they were yelling obnoxiously at a store, randomly bursting out into words and/or phrases, or making weird noises and sounds? Well, according to autismspeaks.org, the odds of being diagnosed with autism are 1 in 150. Autism affects an estimated 10 to 20 of every 10,000 people. It is about 4 times more common in boys as in girls. Also, as many as 1.5 million people in the
US are born with some sort of form of autism. As many as 1.5 million people in this country may have some form of autism. Autism can affect all races, socioeconomic levels, and ethnic groups (Ellis, MD, 2005). Most likely what you may be witnessing may not just be kidding around at all. It might actually be someone who is suffering from autism. Autism is one of the most common conditions in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders.

       Some common signs of autism include, not being able to socially interact as well as others, having difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, and having repetitive or constant behaviors. Also, parents tend to be the first ones to notice if their child is suffering from these symptoms (Dowshen, MD, 2008). Children who are born with this disease may tend to act normal up until a certain age, but then become different especially dealing with any social interactions or engagements. Suffering patients of autism, tend to not be able to look a person in the eye, or even be unsuccessful in responding to their own name. That is why one may not realize what the person is suffering from, and just assume they are either being obnoxious or having an inappropriate behavior on purpose. In addition, children with autism are also not as empathetic as a normal person would be, because they lack the ability to be able to understand people’s facial expressions or social cues. Head-banging, rocking, or biting are just a few examples of what a child with autism might take on in. Different signs of autism may come into view throughout the early years or stages of a person’s life.

        By the age of 3 the disorder is also usually diagnosed. Occasionally, the child’s growth expansion seems to be normal until about 2 years old and then regresses swiftly. Symptoms of autism occur in various combinations, including from mild to severe. For more severe however, medication is to be used. Also, some others signs of this disorder in infants include, a lack of any interesting toys, a lack of response to others, marked reduction or increase in activity level, or resisting cuddling (Swierzewski, III, M.D, 2000). According to kidshealth.org, people who have autism often enclose in postponed language development, show very little interest in the effort of making friends, and preferring to spend time alone. Also, another attribute of autism is called “sensory overload”. Sensory overload is when sounds seem louder, lights seem brighter, or smells seem stronger. Even though many people who suffer from autism also suffer from mental retardation, some of them are of average or have an even higher astuteness for knowledge. Furthermore, people who suffer with a form of autism, called savantism, have skills in specific areas or studies including, music, art, and numbers. People with savantism are capable of performing these skills without having any lessons(Dowshen, MD, 2008). In addition, not everybody with who suffers from autism have the same exact symptoms.       

       The symptoms can vary depending on a person and their condition. There are cases of autism that are mild, or there are cases that may be more brutal. Since autism tends to affect everyone in a different way, it is recognized as a spectrum disorder. Even if there are two people who may suffer or have the same spectrum disorder, it does not necessarily mean that will act the same or even have the same skills on possesses. Children suffering from autism may also live a life with a greater risk in resulting to becoming diagnosed with other diseases, such as: fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder (Autism, 2008). As you can see, autism can help lead the way into other diseases, causing more damage to a person in the future. Almost 20 to 30 percent of children who suffer from autism tend to develop or also become diagnosed with epilepsy by the time they reach parenthood (NINDS, 2009). According to kidshleath.org, people who suffer from schizophrenia may perhaps also show autistic behaviors. What causes autism one might ask? The brain obtains over 100 billion nerve cells called neurons. Each neuron may have hundreds or even thousands of connections that carry messages to many different nerve cells in the brain and even the body.  

       Coming from a personal experience of mine, a good family friend of mine has a child whom suffers from autism. Ever since this child was a baby he has always engaged in many different autistic symptoms, including lack of eye contact, not listening, making random noises or sounds, and not being able to respond to his own name when his mother calls him. At first I was confused about what the boy was suffering from, or what he was possibly going threw, until I learned that it was autism. At an early age, his parents are doing everything the best they can do to try and make his life as realistic as possible, without suffering from this horrible disease. Since autism is not curable, it is certainly treatable, and can be made into a more positive, better situation for not only the person suffering, but for other family members as well. It has been proven that noticing early signs of autism, and treating them as soon as possible, can help have a positive effect or outcome in the long run. Today, there are still no x-rays, MRI’s, Cat scans, or even general lab tests that can be used to verify the identification of autism.     

    The diagnosis of autism is based on scientific verdict as regards to observations of the person’s behavior or actions (NINDS, 2009). A child with autism is not uncommon today, considering each day more and more babies are being born suffering unknowingly with this disease. Though we still do not exactly know what cause autism, we do know that research has told us that it may be included in genetics, hereditary, occur from certain types of infections, or even have problems come about at birth. According to webmd.com, some studies strongly tell us that some people have a genetic predisposition to autism, meaning that they are capable of developing this condition and that it may be passed on in your family.  Some guesses or theories may even suggest that the body’s immune system may inappropriately make antibodies that can attack the brains of children causing autism.      

      March 23, 2009, from WebMD Web site: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/mental-health-autism?page=3Dowshen, MD, S (April 2008). What does autism mean? . Retrieved March 23,

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