21. April 2010 by student.

When one mentions the term “overpopulation”, the United States doesn’t usually come to mind. It is true, however, that the United States is one of the most “overpopulated” nations on Earth. Some would argue that there is 3 times as many people in China and India, so why aren’t those countries the most overpopulated? The answer is simple; overpopulation refers only to the number of individuals in comparison to the total amount of resources at their disposal. If you gave the amount of water the average American uses in a day to an average man in China, the water would last the Chinaman nearly 2 weeks. The same is true for gas and electricity. It would not be incorrect, using this as evidence, to propose that 380,000,000 people in the United States are actually WORSE for planet Earth than nearly the rest of the world combined! The total amount of fossil fuels produced by China, Saudi Arabia, and India combined don’t equal the amount used by the United States. The answer; reduce, reuse, recycle! Reduce the amount of water, electricity and gas you use every day. Reuse instead of throwing away, don’t buy new clothes, throw away things that can serve alternative purposes, etc. Recycle any and all materials that fit the bill! Ask your local sanitation crew for a recycle bin and they will happily bring one for you and show you how to sort your recyclables. Together, we can help save the Earth’s resources!

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21. April 2010 by student.

For a while now I have been watching movies and finding myself getting very annoyed. I can’t stand sitting there and literally five minutes in there is a naked woman pole dancing. Ok, so it was only one movie that it happened five minutes in, but it seems that every movie that is made these days is made with naked women in them. Do you ever see a man completely naked? I have seen only 2 movies in the past few months where I have seen a males private parts but in a majority of movies being put out a woman will be able to show off her assets. If I think back I can think of atleast nine movies with female nudity while I can only think of two with complete male nudity.  I was watching a movie with my boyfriend and of course, a woman is showing her clevage to the world! Next movie we watch? A guy gets naked and all I saw was his butt cheeck. Only one. Im not saying I want to see more naked men, but I just don’t want to see as many naked women. Showing a man’s chest, as nice as it may be, is not the same as showing a womans cleavage. Also, if I want to see a naked woman, I can look at myself, I dont need to go watch a movie.  At first it was ok to deal with, but then movie after movie of seeing naked women I had enough.

I thought about it while I talked it over with my best friend. I came to the conclusion that if naked men were put into movies, the movie sales would drop. Sure many women would love to see their favorite actor naked on screen but men would stop going to see movies.  Men are so scared of their sexuality. When they see two women making out its “hot” but when its two men its “disgusting” but what is the difference? They are both kissing the same sex. Men are scared to sit through a movie if a naked guy is on screen becasue then they will think somebody will think they are gay. Its all about their image. Of course, becasue the world does revolve around money, regardless what people say or think, the movie producers will not stop putting naked women on screen.

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21. April 2010 by student.

A long time ago, adultery was not acceptable in society. Today the sin of adultery is viewed much differently because almost every other person is affected by it. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman all provide examples of how society has changed their views on adultery depending on time in history, and social class.

In The Scarlet Letter, which is set in a puritan perspective, Hester Prynne was charged with adultery and her punishment was that she was banished from town and was forced to wear a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest at all times to show that she was an adulteress. Even with these consequences, and knowing how her town had looked at her, she wore her letter proudly, and lived her life around all of the criticism she got for it. This contrasts sharply with the play, The Death of a Salesman because unlike young Hester, Willy Loman never admits the adultery crime he has committed and keeps his sin hidden away from the world, fearing what others might think of him. This is ruined when his son, Biff catches him in the act. Yet even still, he respects his father and lives with the heavy secret in order to make sure his mother is not hurt by it.

However, in F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby adultery is not much talked about nor frowned upon. For, Gatsby lives in a world where social class is everything. Though Gatsby’s friends don’t think much of his situation, nor the woman who helps him to be an adulterer. No social action or social put down is shown towards Gatsby, whereas poor Hester had to endure the pain of everyone hating her. It seems as though higher class, does not pay as much attention to it, as say, the puritans did. The death of a Salesman is in the middle class, hence us not really knowing about how society feels towards Willy Loemans situation.

I myself have been affected by adultery. Though I have never been a victim of a direct situation, I have personally seen the pain and troubles it can cause others. Some years ago, my aunt was in fact a victim of adultery. Her husband of 4 years had been cheating on her with 2 different women. She found out the hard way, by having to come home to one of those women in her own bed. She went through serious depression and tried to get therapy sessions to help her cope with what she had found out, but it was barely enough. It was hard but she got through it and is now happy again. But I will never forget the hatred and disgust I felt for the my “uncle” when he had done what he did.

Adultery is a sin, no mater how society will look at you. Whether it goes un noticed or un talked about in a rich upper class society or completely made for everyone to know, in a cruel puritan mindset, its still exists, and is still a problem, that hurts many innocent individuals, especially in todays society, where it seems to be a common “mistake.”

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21. April 2010 by student.

               This is perhaps one of the greatest things that this generation will face.  On one hand you have the environmentalists saying that human caused global warming is happening, and as a result, will face economic destruction if we do not change course.  On the other side, people are saying that humans are not responsible for the slight rise in temperature over the last century and that if we enact major CO2 cuts our economy will be destroyed.  So who is right? Is there a balance?  Are we really causing global warming?  While that is highly unsure, one thing is for certain: the human caused global warming theory is rapidly collapsing.  Despite this, Democrats and environmentalists would like to believe that the consensus is in on global warming so they could pass their Marxist Cap and Trade bill.  However is it happing?  Short answer: No.  Long answer:

                The hockey stick graph, the one showing temperatures steadily decreasing from 1000 to 1900, and then rapidly rising, is incorrect.  For one thing, it did not represent the Medieval Warm Period, and the Little Ice age.  Even more shocking, two scientists found a fatal flaw with the program that Michael Mann developed to make his chart.  It only used data that exemplified the ‘hockey stick effect’, suppressing all other data that did not.  When the two scientists put in completely made up, random data, the program produced a hockey stick graph. 

                The truth is that since 1998 temperatures have not increased, but rather decreased slightly.  How is this possible despite us pumping “massive” amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere during that time?  If this does not convince you that we are not to blame, one must look further in the past.  Prior to the greatest phase of world industrialization, the Earth exhibited a similar warming trend, and cooled off between 1940 and 1965 during a time when emissions were increasing at their greatest rate.  Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other Northeastern cities have all shattered their snowfall records last winter.  Las Vegas got over 5 inches of snow the year before.   According to the US National Snow and Ice Data center in Colorado, Arctic Sea Ice has increased by more than 26 percent since 2007.  Now, more and more scientists are coming to the conclusion that the Earth will be in a cooling trend for at least the next 30 years.  So if our CO2 emissions are really to blame, how is this possible?

                The ‘gold standard’ in climate science, the IPCC, has recently received and F by a group of 40 auditors across the world for their Nobel Prize winning 2007 report for not being peer reviewed.  The IPCC claimed that the report was 100 percent peer reviewed.  Out of the 44 chapters in the report, 21 were given and F, four were given a D, six were given a C, five a C, and eight an A.  What this basically details is that, the report is not thorough, and thus contains many falsities. 

                In another example of the theory of global warming crumpling, a respected paper on future sea level rise was forced to be retracted due to containing errors that undermined the results.  Another study showed that 90 percent of climate monitoring stations, whose data is used in the temperature records, located in the United States are improperly situated.  They violate the Government’s 100 foot rule of being in areas that will affect the temperature, with the result being a higher temperature.  Another study found that a major reason why Earth’s temperature has increased is because of urbanization.  In areas that have more blacktop and buildings there is going to be a higher temperature. 

                The Global Warming theory is collapsing right before our eyes.  Everyday new evidence is coming out disproving it.  Recently NASA admitted that their temperature observation is worse that the IPCC’s, which is currently discredited due to the climate gate scandal.  It is time for the truth to get out in the open, and for news organizations to stop suppressing evidence that comes out contradictory to the claim.  It’s time for a fair, honest, and open debate. 

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21. April 2010 by student.

            Many of us do not see bullying as a major problem in today’s society. According to Safe Youth.org, “Almost 30% of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 13% reported bullying others, 11% reported being the target of bullies, and another 6% said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves”. Personally, I have seen kids being bullied my whole life; throughout elementary school, middle school, and up until the last day of high school. Just about in every school, bullying is prevalent in one form or another; it is nearly impossible to escape from. Bullying truly is a form of abuse. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, A bully can be considered as: “a blustering browbeating person; especially : one habitually cruel to others who are weaker.” That is a pretty broad statement. Bullying can be broken down into three basic forms; physical, emotional, and verbal. All three can have severe effects on the victim’s life.

            What exactly are the effects of bullying? There are many effects of bullying; one major effect is stress.  According to My Child Safety “The stress from being bullied can create problems for children at school. Students may be fearful of attending school, riding the bus, using the bathroom or being alone in the hallway.” Not only that, but it is also said that bullying can cause the victims grades to actually drop in school, due to the act of being in constant fear. Some other major and common effects of bullying include depression, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, physical illness, and in some cases, even suicidal thoughts (My Child Safety).

            One major case of bullying that recently took place happened in South Hadley Massachusetts. According to USA Today, fifteen year old Phoebe Prince “committed suicide after weeks of bullying on Facebook and at her high school…The Boston Globe reports that Prince killed herself in January two days before a dance at South Hadley High School. School officials said her death followed a wave of bullying aimed at Prince and some fellow students”. Nine students who were involved in the bullying against Prince are being charged with accusations such as statutory rape, violation of civil rights, and criminal harassment.

            Phoebe Prince’s death is a perfect example on how bullying can cause such severe effects. Bullying is a form of abuse, and something needs to be done prevent other acts like this from happening again.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bully

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/03/nine-teens-indicted-in-connection-with-bullying-suicide-of-15-year-old/1

http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/bullying.asp

http://www.mychildsafety.net/           

 

           

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21. April 2010 by student.

do you thinks that marijuana should be legalized?

April 20 2010 CBS poll: just over half oppose legalizing pot as many rally for marijuana, and less than half of american support making pot legal.  44 percent of Americans support the idea, and 56 oppose it.

I am not 100 percent support the idea, but it’s logical. If they can make cigarette legal why not marijuana. i don’t like the smell of cigarette at all, but i like the smell of marijuana. if drinking while driving is illegal, so i think smoking while driving should illegal too. what makes me mad is they know that smoking cigarette is bad for your health, so why they ligalize it. so they should ligalize marijuana as well or illegalize both. that’s what i think.

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21. April 2010 by student.

As Americans, we try to enforce positive quotes and mottos, to guide us in the right direction. Growing up, we hear and learn about sayings such as “In God We Trust” and “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. As kids, we are taught the meaning behind these quotes and how these words make a difference in our lives. We are taught that “all men are created equally”, and that race or sex does not matter. However, I’m confused. If this is what I was raised to believe, why is it that same-sex marriage isn’t aloud in every state of America?

        Growing into the young lady that I have become, I have come to realize, that our country is full of pansies. Even though this may not be the most appropriate word to use, I find it to be the most suitable. The leaders of our country are expected to live by the Charters of Freedom. This includes the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. So why is it, that someone who stands by these documents, is allowing prevention of gay marriage? Take Sonny Perdue, Governor of Georgia, for example. He is someone who was elected to be, not just a leader, but also a representative for our country. He took on a position that expects him to stand by what our country believes in – that “all men are created equal”. Yet, he is governing the state of Georgia to act against these beliefs, and prohibit marriage between persons of the same sex.

  If one were to research for legit reasons as to why same-sex marriage should be prohibited in the United States, they would struggle. Through out the time I have spent researching about gay marriage, I have come to find that politically, there are no civil reasons for preventing homosexuals to marry. The majority of the time, religious views are brought into context. However, I want to understand how allowing same-sex marriage affects us politically. It seems that the only proof American candidates can go by, is family statistics. They check statistics such as, “Out of Wedlock Births”, “Birth Rate”, and “Marriage and Divorce Rates (Gay/Straight Marriages).” Even though using these statistics would be reasonable they give no reason for why America shouldn’t allow gay marriage. The rates prove nothing about how promoting gay marriage harms the institution of marriage in general.

 Benjamin Franklin stated, “They who give up essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.” Benjamin Franklin, not only was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, but he also helped write the Declaration of Independence. If one of the most well-known and respected political leaders in the history of the United States fought for civil rights, why do we question his leadership? Why do we let his hard work, along with the work of many other previous leaders, go to waste?

Even though, this is a serious issue going on in the United States, I do have hope. Considering our country elected its first non-Caucasian President this year, I know one day the issue of same-sex marriage will be put to rest. Until then, I will continue to fight for my belief that all men are created equally.

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21. April 2010 by student.

Alcoholism can be defined as drinking alcoholic beverages at a level that interferes with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities. Nearly 17.6 million adults in the United States are alcoholics or have alcohol problems. It is a serious disease that destroys lives. It can take over one’s lifestyle and turn them into a completely different person; a person that no one ever wants to become. As an alcoholic, one can bring many dangers to themselves. They increase the risk of cancer, and damage the liver, brain, and other organs in the body. However, not only do they bring danger to themselves, but can also bring danger to others. Alcohol-related crashes kill every twenty-two minutes and one of every fifty drivers is drunk. As an alcoholic, one goes through a long process. Alcoholism is a process that begins with becoming an alcoholic, being an alcoholic, and putting an end to the lifestyle of an alcoholic.

There are many factors that contribute to the development of alcoholism. One of them is the social factor. One’s surroundings in their social life can truly affect that stress level that they endure. Stress is a major term when it comes to alcohol. The majority of alcoholic situations are created from stress. Many people don’t know how to cope with overwhelming situations, so they use alcoholic beverages as a clutch. This then starts alcoholism.

There are many signs that can declare someone an alcoholic. One obvious sign is the excessive drinking. It’s normal for someone to have a drink here and there on weekends and party nights. However, when the person finds themselves to be craving alcohol every day, to a point where they drink alone, that’s when it can be stated that they have a problem. People, who drink to the point that it interferes with their social life, work life, and health, need to contact a doctor to discuss the issue. Another sign is denial. Alcoholics, when confronted, usually deny the fact that they have a problem. They try to ignore the fact that they have a disease that must be treated.

Once realizing they have a problem, the person would then have to fix it. This means rehab. The person has to be put through emergency treatment and cared for everyday until restored back to their normal selves. The main issue when an alcoholic goes through treatment is withdrawal. There are four phases that a person goes through when withdrawing from alcohol. The first phase is the tremulous stage. This is when the recovering alcoholic will have a tremor of his or her hands. If they hold his or her hands straight out, shaking can be easily seen, showing the beginning signs of withdrawal. Normally this is also accompanied by anxiety and restlessness. The second phase is seizures. The person’s body will uncontrollably shake and they will lose consciousness. The third phase that follows seizures, is hallucinations, which affects 25% of people withdrawing from alcohol. The final and most dangerous stage of withdrawal is delirium tremens. Only 5% of people withdrawing from alcohol experience DT’s and it is a stage of pure confusion. They become completely disoriented, with a rapid heart rate and high blood pressure. Recovering from alcoholism also requires therapy as well. Yet with good counseling and a helpful treatment center, each alcoholic can recover successfully.

Recovering from alcoholism is never easy. It is a long, hard process that no one ever wants to go through. Encouragement and faith is key, especially for those who are supporting a recovering alcoholic. With mental strength and a hard core, one can fight through this disease. As hard as it sounds, it is possible.

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21. April 2010 by student.

Is sex addiction a disease?

For me absolutely not. it is not a disease, because sex is biologocal need that keep us healthy. some people want to have sex all the time they just can’t stay without it for a second, so that doesn’t mean that he (she) is a sex addict or he (she)  is sick and needs to go to rehab that’s pathetic. it’s like you say if smeone eats a lot he (she) should go to rehab to get better. sending someone who can’t spend  one or two days without having sex to rehab it’s like putting someone who eats a lot in a room for two days without food. if your partner cheats that doesn’t mean that he is sick or whatsoever, the thing is something just doesn’t work between you two, something is lacking. let’s take an example of Tiger woods situation, everybody keeps on saying that he is a bad guy he cheated, and he has to go to sex rehab for me this whole tabloid situation is just nonsense. what the sex rehab is going to do for him? keep him in a house for several weeks without having sex, that even makes it worst. you can’t heal a sex addict. sex is an addiction that everybody is addicted to. we all are sex addicts there is no distinction. if sex addiction is a disease, so everybody in the entire world is  sick. for me, what i think Tiger is wrong about is that if you are not ready to get married to be in a commited relationship just don’t get married or don’t start a family because marriage is a commitment, once you’re commited to somebody, there is certain things you shouldn’t be doing and i agree with that, besides he didn’t do nothing wrong. we all cheated. cheating is a mistake and at the same time it is an experience. we should make mistake to learn that’s what life is all about. i have my girlfriend, so if i cheat on her it’s because something is lacking and the same way around she cheats on me it means that there is something she wants and i can’t give it to her, so she has to go get it from someone else it doesn’t mean that she is a slut. if your wife cooks something that you don’t like what would you do? you go out to the restaurant to get what you feel like eating, so is that a bad thing? absolutely not.     boys and girls my advice to you all is: if you are not ready to settle down just don’t and before you get married get to know your partner, live together for a period of time to see how it’s going to work out, and if you notice that it won’t work out don’t get married. just that simple. that’s how i feel and if someone doesn’t agree with that, i am sorry.

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21. April 2010 by student.

Those of you in Andoscia’s introduction to sociology class probably recall “the meatrix” video he played for us. The video Andoscia played, along with two others posted on the site, talk about the animal product industry and the trouble it raises in today’s society.

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