17. April 2010 by student.

Texting and driving happens daily. Every minute of the day, there is someone texting a friend back, slightly swerving to the left, and looking up just in time to swerve back into their lane. It happens to all of us, and it happens so much, most of us arent even fazed by our “almost” accidents because we werent paying attention. But, for alot more people than you would think, texting and driving turns deadly. Heres the Facts:

-56% of teenagers who volunatirly answered this question, said that they do talk on their cell phones and drive.

-13% of teenagers who voluntarily answered this question, said that they do text and drive.

-48% of teenagers 12-17 say they have been a passenger in a car when the driver was texting.

- 52% of 16-17 yearolds admit to answering telephone calls while driving.

-34% of 16-17 yearolds admit to texting and driving

-Cell and text message use in vehicles, contributed to more than 1,000 car crashes in 2007., involving 16-17 yearolds.

-60% of teenager drivers who admitted to “risky” driving, admitted to texting behind the wheel AS WELL.

-21% of FATAL car accients involving 16-17 were because of cellphone usage.

- The amount of fatal car accidents due to cellphone usage is expected to grow 4% a year.

-50% of 18-24 yearolds text while driving.

- 1/3 of all people under the age of 24 text and drive.

- Teens say that  texting is their number one distraction while driving.

The statistics yell it right in our faces, texting and driving is dangerous and not only dangerous to you, but to others driving aound you. But teens still continue to text and drive regardless of the warnings that they are handed. Maybe some teenagers need to take a second look at the major risks of texting and driving to get a better understanding of the real danger they are placing on themselves and others.

 -Of talking on the phone, dialing, or reaching for the phone, texting is the MOST dangerous of them all to do while driving.

-Teens on the phone are 4x more likely to get an accident than an adult.

-For every 6 seconds of drive time, a drver sepnds 4.6 seconds focusing on sending or receiving text messages.

 - 4/5 car accidents are due to distracted drivers (INCLUDING drivers who text)

- You are 6 times MORE likely to get an accident texting and driving, then driving under the influence.

-People who text are 23% more likely to be in a car accident

- Texting while driving shows a 400% increase of time spent not paying attention to driving

-2,600 people die each year as the result of cellphone usage while driving.

- An estimated 330,000 others are injured as a result of texting while driving.

Personally, i have known people who have gotten into car accidents, or almost gotten into car accidents, due to text message usage in the vehicle. Most of the people i know do text and drive, though a slim few are strict n following the law and keeping their phones away from them well driving. Because cell phones have turned into an everyday access to life that everyone seems to have in the Unites States, people are used to having their phones on them at all times, including while driving. Because the technologies in America are becoming so vital to our lives, it really is hard for some people to ignore texts and calls whle they are driving. There is no blame to be put on anyone in this type of situtaions, except on the people who actually text and drive. We all know that it is unsafe, and we all know that it causes injuries and even death. So lets start following the law! Save lives, one ignored text at a time.

 Check out AT&T’s commercials to promote driving without texting.. depressing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoLSqTkZ4XE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRB6v3wLZXY&feature=related

Posted in Introduction to Sociology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

17. April 2010 by student.

We all see beautiful men and women portrayed in the media. We see magazines, movies, television shows, commercials, billboards, you name it. Their all “perfect” people, who in turn make others want to be as perfect. But what happens when that perfection the these celebrities and socailites portray, is actually fake. What happens when even the rich and the famous can’t realistically look how they need to look? Photoshop happens. Photoshop is an internet program used to disguise imperfections on ones body. You can change tones and colors, skininess or valumptiousness, long hair to short hair, acne to clear faced. This program can create the ultimate godly image of everyones inner desires. Yes, photoshop and other image altering programs are useful in making these celebrities look their absolout best, but what children and teens and even adults don’t understand is that these people are NOT perfect. They are made to look the way they do through computer programs. This causes a great amount of damage to people who strive to look the celebrities, when it is absoloutly impossible. People all over the world are effected by the media and the images that the media portrays. Rail thin, large chested, petite butted, flat abbed, shining toothed, beautiful haired women do not happen naturally, usually. But teenagers don’t seem to understand that, when they see their favorite actress or singer or hero, looking absoloutly perfect. So they strive, ad others stive to accomplish a goal of perfection, which does not exist. Because of the media and the images that these children and teenagers are seeing, they have low self esteems and are becoming increasingly unhappy with their body images, starting as early as elementary school. A recent study conducted by the NAtional Institute of Media & Family quoted this:

The numbers say it all, and the lack of positive body image that these girls have, is all based on fabrication. Recently, celebrities like Brittney Spears have been releasing their “untouched” photos to show people that no one is perfect, and imperfections are beautiful. In Spears’ untouched picture you can visually see cellulite, bruises on her claves, a larger than perfect butt, and a normal sized waist. In the photoshopped picture, her hair is brighened, her skin tone evened, her stomach flattened, her buttox made smaller, her celulite removed and her bruises removed. What is so heartbreaking to me about this story, is that Spears was posing for a children/teen clothing line. So ofcourse, when the kids go to the store to buy some of Spears’ endorsed clothing, they are going to see a perfect impression of the woman, when in actuality, she has imperfections just like anyone else. The incidents of “unretouched” photos are becoming more and more as celebrities desire to become more and more perfect. I hope that somehow the message can be sent across the united states that individuality and uniqueness is in, and trying to look like jessica alba is out…and nearly impossible. Girls and even boys all over america are being pressured by the media and celebrities to be something that in unattainable, perfect. The only way to stop this brain washing is to let people know and make people aware that no one is perfect, and that individuality is a good thing. After reading this, tell a friend! Spread the word.

-Check out the mind blowing pictures that Britney Spears released here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/13/britney-spears-reveals-un_n_535981.html

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

People fear progress. Especially progress in the world of science; presently, a main cause of this fear of scientific progress is the controversial topic of cloning. Much of this fear is based off of myths created by the religious communities who are uneducated on the subject to begin with. Images of deformed animals, thousands of wasted embryos, and even our very own 21^st century version of Adolf Hitler, have been planted in many people’s heads; despite the benefits of cloning, the scientific community is finding it very difficult to eliminate these science fiction horror images from the fear bank of society. This one topic has had the power to cause a small war between religious individuals and scientists who are simply experimenting with the unknown in an attempt to better the human race. The majority of society has formulated a negative opinion about cloning due to common misconceptions and myths.

            Basing an opinion off of rumors, myths, and misconceptions is never helpful, especially when those opinions lead to fear of progress. Much of society’s beliefs about cloning are based on myth, causing a reaction of widespread fear that is unrealistic. One myth about cloning is that clones are created instantly and are the same age as the original, basically an identical twin. This is extremely off base because when performing reproductive cloning “scientists transfer genetic material from the nucleus of a donor adult cell to an egg whose nucleus, and thus its genetic material, has been removed,” (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml) meaning the clone has the normal gestation period of any other embryo. Reproductive cloning, however, is not the most beneficial or the most common type of cloning, it is rarely successful and is very expensive; the cost and low success rate make reproductive cloning impractical for the lack of significant benefits to humankind. Another common myth is that, in the future, cloning will be used to create the “perfect” race. This myth combines idea of genetic engineering with another widespread misconception about cloning; that there is only one type of cloning, reproductive. First off, reproductive cloning is still very uncertain and much more research is necessary for its success, and even with the ability to perform genetic changes or “enhancements” to reproduced beings, the chance of that clone actually surviving the process is very low. Therapeutic cloning, or “embryo cloning,” is much more common and beneficial to the human race. The goal of therapeutic cloning is “not to create cloned human beings, but rather to harvest stem cells that can be used to study human development and to treat disease” (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml). The fear that has arisen from these myths is unnecessary; a main cause of fear in general is the lack of knowledge about the topic to begin with, if more people were educated on the idea of cloning and the reasons for it there would be less opposition to this amazing scientific breakthrough.

            The scientific community views cloning as a way to make medical advances and help the future of the human race. One of the ways that cloning can be beneficial is through the cloning of animals. Everyone is searching for a way to end world hunger, right? Well, why not just clone a bunch of cows and ship ‘em off to the more desperate and hungry parts of the world? The religious community has a reason; they say that cloning animals, people, and whatever else, is a way of playing God. Cloning is basically a way to create life which is unnatural and therefore, unholy. Even therapeutic cloning is seen as bad because when stem cells are harvested from the embryos, it kills the embryo. Despite all of the benefits that stem cell research can produce, this is still viewed by the religious community as a form of abortion and murder. Scientists in the field of cloning use propaganda to attempt to convince society of the benefits of cloning; they enunciate the positive affects that it could have on current issues and ways that they could be solved through further research in the field; while the religious community supports their own side of the argument by speaking of the killing of embryos, the high failure rate of the clones to survive, and how it is just a way of “playing God.” Propaganda from each community is necessary in keeping some sort of balance on the opinion of cloning, except when the propaganda includes myths that are unrealistic.

Stem cell research, or therapeutic cloning, requires embryos in a certain stage of development and these embryos usually come from abortions. Abortion clinics will either sell or donate the fetuses that would normally go to waste or be discarded. There are many people who are opposed to the idea of abortion, saying it is just a form of murder because from the time that fetus is in any stage of development it is a human being. What they don’t realize is that the people who want an abortion will find a way to have one and if it is done at a clinic, where the embryo can be donated to science, it will not go to waste and it could benefit the human race in the long run. Abortion petitioners use many different methods to scare women into not having an abortion, and unfortunately sometimes it works; as a result, one more unwanted child is born when instead, that fetus could have contributed more to humanity in death, than it ever will in life.

            There are many good aspects of cloning: the end of world hunger, a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, endless medical breakthroughs etc. But what are the downsides? Animal cloning has already become possible, for example, “[Scotland] cloned a lamb (that they named Dolly) from the DNA of an adult sheep. Subsequently, scientists have cloned other animals in the same manner” (Kendall, 2008); however, many attempts so far to create actual clones through reproductive cloning have failed, “Not only do most attempts to clone mammals fail, about 30% of clones born alive are affected with “large-offspring syndrome” and other debilitating conditions. Several cloned animals have died prematurely from infections and other complications,” (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml). Typically, if a cloning procedure is successful, the life of the clone will only be half of that of the original; this is due to genetic deformities, which result from the cloning process. Many physical deformities have resulted as well. There has also been very little in the way of “medical breakthroughs” due to stem cell research: although, if there were more supporters for experimentation in cloning these problems would be dealt with. Any scientific research requires lots of funding, experimenting is expensive, and with more supporters and donors, the research required to fix the major problems pertaining to the creation of a healthy clone can progress faster.

“There are no United States federal statutes against cloning. Congress failed to pass legislation in the 1997-98 session,” (http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/article.php?id=305), but there is still too much fear and lack of support by the general public for extensive research to continue. There are many ethical boundaries that cannot be crossed in the research process and since there are no federal regulations, it is the scientist’s discretion that keeps the research in line. There is an obvious line that cannot be crossed and that is human experimenting. The low survival rate, the many possible deformities, and the lack of knowledge about full brain development of the clones would make human testing a very risky procedure. Since only animal clones have been created it is difficult to tell how well the brain developed in comparison to the original, and with the higher capacity of a human brain we have no way of knowing how developed the resulting clones brain would be until the clone was created; if the human clone was deformed, had an underdeveloped brain, or any other such physical or mental disabilities, the uproar from the community would be great enough that further research might even be stopped. The scientific community realizes these risks and understands that human testing is not an option at least until there is substantial evidence that the experiment would end successfully.

When it comes to certain degenerative diseases, there is a lot of hope riding on therapeutic cloning. It is thought that, in the future, stem cell therapy can be used as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, and multiple sclerosis to name a few. In fact, a form of stem cell treatment is already in use today; leukemia is treated through bone marrow transplants, which is a form of stem cell treatment. There is still too much research to be done for stem cell treatments to be used as a cure for the other disorders listed above, and with “pro-life” activists working so vigorously to prevent stem cell research it may take some time for cures to be developed. The main argument is that a human embryo is already a life and destroying it is unethical, even though, in the long run, the research could do much more good for the human race.

Furthermore, since the overall view of cloning is a negative one, the future of research in the field looks bleak. Many people don’t understand that the assumptions made about cloning are false and not based on fact. Unfortunately, this seems to be the main problem in today’s society; we base everything on what we hear. Human beings have the impression that conformity is the best way to approach a situation, an idea, or anything else in society, and this is simply not correct. As a race, we will never be able to progress in any way if we are not able to accept new things into our daily lives, we must learn that progress is nothing to be afraid of and that it really is the only way to maintain our existence. As we grow, we must be able to expand our knowledge base and our inability to accept a new concept such as cloning is an indicator that our future on this planet does not look bright. From a religious standpoint, maybe cloning should not be looked at as “playing God,” what if God led us to this discovery in order to help our race. From a scientific standpoint, as long as ethical decisions are made and genetic engineering doesn’t come into play there seems to be no harm done to the human race.

In the long run, cloning can either go one of two ways; the experiments could get out of hand, leading to some of the fears becoming a reality, or everything can go smoothly and cloning could be very beneficial to our race. It really is up to modern society to decide which route to take, but the decision should not be based on myths and propaganda from uneducated individuals. When it comes to a decision this influential to our future, everyone must take a step back and face reality by backing up their assumptions with facts because we only get one shot at this and denying progress without reason is not the best way to approach any situation; especially one that will undoubtedly change our lives forever.

 Works Cited

Kendall, Diana. (2008). Sociology In Our Times. Belmont: Thomson Learning, Inc.

Center for Genetics and Society. (2008). Failure to Pass Federal Cloning Legislation, 1997-2003. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/article.php?id=305

Human Genome Project Information. (May 11, 2009). Cloning Fact Sheet. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

                  “Obesity in children increases the more hours they watch television”( Media use and Obesity Among Children”). “Children in the United States spend an average of over three hours per day watching television. Not only does this use little energy, it also encourages snacking.”(“Obesity in Children”). Children who consume more calories than they use will typically become over weight. If the child’s diet does not change over time the child will then become obese. “Twenty five percent of children in the US are overweight and 11% are obese” (“Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention”). “Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat. Obesity is present when total body weight is more than 25 percent fat in boys and more than 32 percent fat in girls” (Liane).  When a child is obese it is more than likely due to one or more of the following: genetic factors, dietary habits, and physical inactivity. Genetic factors are a major cause of Obesity among children. A child with an obese parent, brother, or sister is more likely to become obese.

                    Genetic factors significantly influence how the body regulates the appetite and the rate at which it turns food into energy (“Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention”). “Family members share not only genes but also diet and lifestyle habits that may contribute to obesity. Growing evidence points to heredity as a strong determining factor of obesity. In one study of adults who were adopted as children, researchers found that the subjects’ adult weights were closer to their biological parents’ weights than their adoptive parents’”(“Obesity”).

                     “The environment provided by an adoptive family has less influence on the development of obesity than a person’s genetic makeup” (“Obesity”). Genetics alone does not cause obesity among children. The child must also have a high calorie intake as well as having an obese genetic background. For example, if a child has obese parents, yet the child eats healthy, and exercises regularly the chances of the child becoming obese are low; and a child who has obese parents, eats unhealthy, and does not exercise will have a higher risk of becoming obese.             

                   Dietary habits are another major leading cause of obesity among children. Obesity occurs when a person’s calorie intake exceeds the amount of energy he or she burns. Many children eat when they are not hungry, and they eat based on the way they feel whether it be bored, sad, or angry. Binge eating or excessive eating is another dietary habit that can lead to obesity. When kids like a certain snack they can feel full; but because they enjoy the flavor they will continue to eat it, although they are no longer hungry. Excessive or binge eating often occurs while children are watching television. Patterns associated with obesity are eating when not hungry and eating while watching TV or doing homework. Deanna Heminger a single mother of two, explains that “many kids will eat while watching television and not realize how much they are eating, because their minds are pre-occupied. She also says with both kids in sports she has little time to cook, there for they eat fast food and take-out often” (Heminger). “Americans tend to have high-fat diets, often putting taste and convenience ahead of nutritional content when choosing meals” (“Obesity”). Socioeconomic status is also a dietary issue. Children who grow up in homes where families do not have money to buy good nutritious foods have a high risk of becoming obese. When parents can only afford fast food dinners full of calories chances are their children will eventually become overweight or obese. Parents that are on a set budget tend to go to the grocery store and buy whatever foods and snacks are on sale; even though the cheaper foods are high in fats and sugars.

                   Physical inactivity is a leading cause to obesity as well. “Obesity is greater among children and adolescents who frequently watch television, not only because little energy is expended while viewing but also because of concurrent consumption of high-calorie snacks. Only about one-third of elementary children have daily physical education, and fewer than one-fifth have extracurricular physical activity programs at their schools”( Summerfield, Liane). Children use automobiles and other automated transportation, including elevators and escalators, rather than walking or climbing stairs to get from place to place. The time children spend playing outside has decreased over the past few decades, and physical education programs in the schools have been reduced or eliminated.

            Obesity is a serious issue among children in America. “Obesity has become a pandemic, with more than a billion people affected worldwide. Over the past 30 years, the frequency of overweight children, defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 85th percentile for age and sex, has tripled”( Miller, Rosenbloom and Silverstein). Children that are obese don’t always grow up to be obese adults. It is possible to treat obesity, as a parent be supportive. The child’s feelings about himself or herself are at least partly determined by the parent’s feelings. Let the child know that you love and accept him or her at any weight. Be sure to encourage the child on a day to day basis. Don’t ever criticize an obese child about his or her weight. Be sensitive to the child’s concerns about appearance and social relationships. The goal with obesity among children is to slow or stop weight gain. The idea is to allow the child to grow into his or her body weight gradually, over time. This may take a year or two, or even longer, depending on the child’s age, weight, and growth pattern. Obese adults may do extreme dieting or fasting to lose weight, but it is very dangerous for children to use those strategies. It is important to slow or stop the weight gain not put the child on a harmful diet. Children will eventually grow in to their bodies and like mentioned before obese children do not have to become obese adults.

Works Cited 

“Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention.” Nutrition Journals.2005. Dehghan. 3 November 2008 <http://www.nutritionj.com/content/4/1/24>

Heminger, Deanna. Personal interview. 10 November 2008

Jennifer Miller, Arlan Rosenbloom and Janet Silverstein. “Obesity: Special Feature.”

     The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 89 (2004): 4211-4218

    3 November 2008.  < http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/89/9/4211>

“Media use and Obesity Among Children.”  National Institute on Media and      the Family. National Institute. 3 Nov. 2008.      <http:/www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_tvandobchild.shtml> 

“Obesity.” 1998-2007. T. J. Clark & Company. 8 November 2008.     < http://www.tjclarkinc.com/d_genetic_obesity.htm>

Summerfield, Liane M. “Childhood Obesity. ERIC Digest.” Washington DC: ERIC  

     Clearinghouse on Teacher Education, 2003-2005. 3 November 2008. 

     <http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9218/obesity.htm>

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

While it is important for us to become aware of global problems and crises like war, AIDS etc…, many people fail to acknowledge that poverty is also a major social problem in North America. Regardless of our personal situations, it has an effect upon all of us. To meet the most serious victims, we don’t need to live in inner cities, remote rural areas, and second or third world countries; it is right under our nose. Most of our programs are not effective because they only target the symptoms. It’s a total fiasco and disservice when the system provides a welfare check to an able body for a long period of time. America has been dubbed “a land of opportunities” which is a result of education, hard word and self discipline.

Anyone can climb the ladder of success if they desire to sweat like every successful person has done and continues to do. Poverty often creates a domino effect leading to more social problems. To some experts the “poverty line” is defined as less than 50% of the average annual income for an area. Such families have very limited resources to devote to health care, transportation, recreation, and ultimately extremely little security for the future.

Most victims run to destructive behaviors that cost taxpayers billions to keep them behind bars. Poverty is an issue which often tends to form a dividing line of public opinion. It has a vicious cycle that must be broken. We spend a lot of money coping with the problem without fixing it, so it is money that will have to be spent over and over again. Poverty fuels the need for expensive services such as healthcare expenditures, shelters, prisons, orphanages and a range of other programs. These cost us billions of dollars each year. This doesn’t even take into account the extra money citizens spend privately insuring themselves, arming, and seeking to protect themselves from the negative repercussions of having to live in a world where a good portion of the population suffers from serious physical, economic, social and psychological deprivation and disadvantage. Investing in education and creating jobs would supply a sense of self-esteem and self-worth to this cripple situation, which would consequently minimize the flux of poverty as we evoke hope from our next generation.

Works Cited:

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/11/price_of_poverty.html

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

Cloning has seemed to be an issue since it was first brought up into our society when the first cloning experiment done in 1958 by F.C. Steward was a success.

Gene manipulation benefits the world in many different ways even though there have been many speculations on theories involving it. Despite the fact that stem cell research is costing the lives of unborn children, it will help us extend our lives for many years, as well as giving a healthier option other than chemotherapy when it comes to big health risks. By cloning humans it will also be beneficial to people’s health and this will serve as future life insurance.

Xenotransplantation is another important topic to refer to when mentioning possible, effective ways of gene manipulation. While cloning and gene manipulation have been seen as impossible ideas in society, scientists have found several methods to help treat patients with illnesses such as liver, pancreas and heart failures. Xenotransplantation does not have the problems that cloning and the manipulating of genes do. Xenotransplantation refers to any procedure that involves the transplantation, implantation, or infusion into a human recipient of either firstly: live cells, tissues, or organs from a nonhuman animal source or secondly: human body fluids, cells, tissues, or organs that have had ex vivo contact with live nonhuman animal cells, tissues, or organs.

            There have been many obstacles to overcome in order to reach the success of xenotransplantation. Several of these obstacles are preventing hyperacute rejection, preventing acute vascular rejection, facilitating immune accommodation, inducing immune tolerance, preventing the transmission of viruses from xenografts into humans, and addressing the ethical issues surrounding animal sources for xenografts and the appropriate selection of recipients. The reason why scientist began their research on xenotransplantation was because of supply and demand.

According to the most current report from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), more than 86,000 Americans were waiting for organ transplantation at the end of 2004. More than 2,200 children aged 17 years and younger were on this list; 75% of these candidates needed either kidney or liver transplants. Over 26,500 organs were donated, 19,500 of which came from deceased donors. Approximately 7% of transplant recipients are children. In 2004, an estimated 7,000 patients died while on the waiting list for an organ transplant.

Although scientists consider the pigs to be the best donors, because of the several immunological barriers, most transplantations have resulted in hyperacute rejection. Hyperacute rejection relates to the rejection of a new tissue or organ because of the incompatibility with the immune system. The immune system begins to attack the xenografts the tissue or organ was not the original in the human body. Sometimes the body will not reject the xenografts till hours after the transplant. This is what is called delayed xenografts rejection.

Although there are many risks when it comes to cloning, gene manipulation and xenotransplantation there are many ways these three different methods can benefit the human population, not only when it comes to major health risks, but it could also be used to clone plants in order to produce more fruits or more vegetables benefiting the human race essentially taking care of third world countries.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

According to the organization LOVE 146, the estimated that human sex trafficking generally makes is $32 billion annually. This makes trafficking in person the second highest crime in the world. Trafficking in persons is also known as modern day slavery. Victims are forced into labor or sexual exploitation. The majority of the female victims are trafficked into the commercial sex industry. These girls go experience unprotected text, gang rapes, forced abortions and manipulation that can cause severe psychological and physical damage. Most of these women are faced with risks like HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

Commercial sexual exploitation is a fundamental violation of a children’s right since they are treated as not only a sexual object, but a commercial object as well. Some of the primary factors include exploitation of children into prostitution, pornography, trafficking and sex tourism.

Most people are not educated when it comes to how big of an issue human sex trafficking really is. Many people believe this is something that is going on in other countries, but little do they know that many of our own children in the United States are sold into his horrendous market each day.

Everyday, this problem is becoming worse and needs to be taken care of immediately before it is something too big and is beyond anyone’s reach. Thanks to organizations like LOVE 146, this problem is being exposed so more people can become aware and volunteer to help.

Most parents who give their kids away so they could help their family do not even know their child is being taken into the world of trafficking. One of the scariest things about this issue is that once a child is sold into this modern day slavery, it is almost impossible to ever find them again.

Facts:

Two children are sold every minute

Over 1.2 million children are trafficked annually

Over 100,00 U.S children are forcefully engaged in prostitution or pornography each year

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

From the humble beginnings of the nursing profession, its practitioners have been primarily women. In an age when women were not encouraged to pursue a career and employment options were heavily restricted, women could don the uniform of a nurse and begin a respected career. Considered to be natural caregivers from birth, women’s maternal instincts lead them from nursing babies, caring for children, and eventually caring for the elderly.

Although women outnumber men in the nursing profession today, this was not always the case. Men in the military traditionally cared for the sick. In parts of the Arab world, only men were considered capable of public nursing. The first school of nursing, founded around 250 B.C. in India, only accepted men. Men only were considered to be pure enough to touch patients, women were not. They were trained in every aspect of care, including: cooking, bathing, feeding, massaging limbs, assisting in walking and movement, and making beds. For years men were the main medical practitioners, delivering care to patients and nursing the sick back to health.

This trend continued into the Byzantine Empire, the Crusades, and most military ventures. Men were given the task of moving wounded soldiers off the field and taking care of their injuries. Women were rarely on the battlefield, and the task naturally fell to other soldiers and men in general. Organizations were formed during the medieval periods for the purpose of patient care. These organizations were run entirely by men. The Parabolani of Rome was a small group of men who risked their lives by caring for the sick and burying the dead. They were a Christian Brotherhood of the Early Church, who set a precedent for early nursing practices.

Knighthood orders commonly employed professionals who would care for the sick and injured. The Knights Hospitalers of St. John of Jerusalem was arguably the first official hospital for the infirm. The Alexian Brotherhood, founded in the 1400s, continues to combine work for God with care for the sick.

During the American civil war, countless nursing volunteers cared for the soldiers wounded in battle. Both the Confederate and the Union Armies had teams of nurses – male and female – contributing to the war effort. Although mostly the women are noted as nurses, there were hundreds of men who gave much needed medical attention to fallen soldiers. Walt Whitman, a famous writer and poet, left his pursuit of the literary arts in favor of nursing. Even though a number of men such as Whitman ventured into the nursing profession, their numbers would decline in Europe and North America for over a century.

Nursing experienced a dramatic shift with the advent of Florence Nightingale and her reforms, and male involvement in nursing would never quite recover. Nightingale emerged as a leading medical figure during the Crimean War in 1853. Nightingale revolutionized nursing and women’s roles within the profession. Nursing became viewed as a maternal career, rooted in spirituality and Victorian ideals. The nurturing aspects of nursing began to produce an image of femininity, thereby excluding men from nursing. Women were considered to be natural caregivers, and men were simply not endowed with the characteristics necessary for quality care.

It was not until the turn of the century that the nursing population was made of up of women. The organizations formed by female nurses in the 20th century worked to exclude males from the profession, especially during war times. The military history of nurses was played out by women who cared for male soldiers. Up to the Korean War, male Registered Nurses would enlist in the army, or were recruited, but they were never assigned as a nurse.

Because of this change in perspective men were rarely seen in the nursing profession. It would take approximately 100 years to change this gendered view of nursing, and it continues to be a battle. In the 1960s and 1970s, when the workforce started opening for women, men experienced the same growth of opportunities into predominately female professions. Since this time, there has been an increase in demand for nurses, and a consequent increase in pay, resulting in more men applying for entry into nursing schools.

When men were finally accepted into the military as nurses, their numbers had declined in both military and civilian practices. Today, however, men make up a significant portion of practicing nurses in the military. Across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, men are approximately 30-40% of the nursing population.

In the 1960s, male nurses were often excluded from certain duties that were deemed inappropriate for their gender. They were not allowed entry into a delivery room, and sometimes were forbidden to care for female patients. Stereotypes created men as needing care, never distributing it. Women were the caregivers, and men were only featured in textbooks.

Male nurses have also been faced with assumptions on their masculinity. Society concludes that any male who wishes to enter a predominately female profession, in a feminine role, and surrounded by female co-workers, must be a homosexual. Fortunately, as more men graduate from nursing schools these stereotypes are dwindling. As the percentage of men in nursing continues to grow, the stereotypes about their sexuality will most certainly disappear.

Regardless of these current gender issues in hospitals, men have made considerable contributions to the nursing profession in the last century, and throughout history. Their role in nursing continues to change with the times, leaving us only to guess at what nursing will look like in the years to come.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

More women of the baby boomer generation are leaping into the exciting role of home business entrepreneur. Because of this, we are seeing some very interesting statistics:

* The Center For Women’s Business and Research says that there are over 10 million businesses owned by women in the US that generate sales of $2.32 trillion.

* Women now account for 55-60% of new startups.

* The number of women-owned companies has doubled in the last 25 years.

* According to the Labor Department, baby boomers and older make up 54% of the self-employed.

So, why are baby boomer women taking the path of entrepreneurship and what does it take to be an entrepreneur? Let’s start with a definition:

According to Wikipedia.com, an entrepreneur is a term applied to someone’s personality, the type of person, who is willing to take upon himself or herself a new venture or enterprise and accept full responsibility for the outcome.

Yes, there are various reasons women might feel called to start their own business.. economic, or perhaps the desire to take on a new challenge. Many baby boomers have had careers and become experts in their fields over the years. The next natural step is to shed the corporate confinement and rules and step out on their own offering consulting, writing instruction manuals, offering advertising, web and graphic design services, doing speaking engagements, etc. They may also feel they have all the knowledge to start up their own company and can do it better than the company they’ve been employed by.

Other women feel becoming an entrepreneur helps them get past the glass ceiling they’ve been hitting their heads on. They can make more money going out on their own, which becomes an important consideration as they start looking closer at their future retirement.

Yet others want to stop working 9 to 5 and start their own business in a totally unrelated field. They feel passionate about venturing out into their interests in a courageous way. Many women, who are in 2-income households, can now afford to try starting a business while being supported by their partner.

It wasn’t so long ago that women who started their own businesses were something of an oddity. But now, more than ever, women realize they have what it takes.. attitude, experience, the tools, the skills, and the know-how to set successful goals. These business-savvy baby boomer women also know how to find resources, network, and lend sisterly support to one another, both online and off.

We don’t know right now what the self-employed trends of tomorrow will show, but it’s highly likely that baby boomer women entrepreneurs will be well-represented.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

17. April 2010 by student.

The research and the media have similar feelings towards gangs and why people join them. As presented in the media, the major risk factor for joining a gang is poverty. Also very closely related to poverty is living in an environment that provides limited means and are hard to attain in honest ways. This risk factor is related with the Strain Theory and Theory of Social Disorganization. Stain Theory says within a community only a limited number of people are able to attain social goals and means. This causes dissatisfaction when one can’t attain these means or is unhappy with their status. Strain is what causes them to join a gang because they have a difficult time coping with their status, so they attain their means in illegal ways like stealing and drug dealing. The Theory of Social Disorganization is closely related. When the school, family, government, and church fail the child they look for ways to obtain their needs, and the gang is the answer. This causes a conflict between their gang and rival gangs and gangs in general against the system that oppresses them. Another risk factor is the lack of positive role models which is concurrent with the Theory of Differential Association and Cultural Transmission. When a child is exposed to persistent violent and criminal behavior they themselves will conduct themselves in that way. In Cultural Transmission the influence of older generations can have an impact on the child’s gang involvement. When family members have been in gangs and expose that to the child they are more likely to become a gang member as well. Socialization form generation to generation is a major influence. Other contributors are low education levels, peer pressure, and boredom.            

The research agrees with all these factors. In one article in Aggression and Violent Behavior teens are five times more likely to join gangs if the home environment, i.e. abuse or poor parent relationships, is inadequate; they have mental illnesses like hyper activity, and learning disabilities than those teens without these conditions.

            This is where the similarities stop. The research suggests that the gangs themselves are not the problem, but the reasons why gangs form. Arresting the individual gang member that committed the crime is not even a band-aid to the problem. Gangs have the ability to gain more members while the one is in jail. Arresting one member or even a group of members will not lead to the gang falling apart. The media implies arresting the few gang members involved in a shooting, for example, will cause the gang to stop its actions and transform into model citizens. This is not the case and only puts the viewers or readers mind at ease until the next shooting or drug bust. The research says attacking the root of the problem is the best way to effectively fight gangs. Tackling the poverty and poor education is the answer. The media also rarely ever puts white gangs in the spotlight. Latin, Asian, and Africa-American gangs are scattered through the headlines through out the world, but never any white gangs. The research is aimed at discovering why and how gangs operate, and who joins them, and the facts say whites indeed join gangs. Although listening to the media one would never know it. 

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »