10. December 2010 by student.

The United States has fashioned a very peculiar education system. For decades, we have tought and molded pupils to learn accordingly and act accordingly and most would agree that an education is extremely important. Then why in 2010 does a list of ‘banned books’ exist? Authorities began removing pieces of literature that were found to be “obscene”. Anything that involved race, sex, culture, drugs was removed from the class room and students were denied access of acquiring such texts through the institution. I understand if this was the case in a private school but this can be most commonly found in any public classroom. From my personal account, in high school I had the extreme fortune of being taught by a teacher I will never forget, Mr. Cook, American History extraodinaire and social activist in some eyes. He always had books readily available in his classroom if kids chose to do some pleasure reading aside from school work. Mr. Cook ensured not only the students but parents as well that we were learning the contexts that were at hand. When assigning books to read he selected books that I have read over and over from the sheer power of what they have to say (that’s why I’ll never forget him) but when some of the students researched the authors and titles they realized that the books were on a banned list. This leads to a question of censorship. Not only censorship of the material itself but censorship of the teacher who wants to share it in class. A great example I note is from Jonathan Kozol’s ‘Savage Inequalities’. Kozol taught in Boston at the time in 1964 to a mostly non- white school with horrible conditions. Kozol was faced with students who were in dire need, to inspire his class room he read to them poems from Langston Hughes and was terminated shortly after. Sure his book has some out dated illustrations but getting fired over reading poems in an educational setting in my opinion is a social problem of censorship and still occurs today.

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10. December 2010 by student.

Even though the teen pregnancy rates have been declining over the last few years, the rates are still high at 41%.  Also there is an average of 4 million teens still contracting STD’s each year.  Now it also comes to my attention that some schools are still only teaching abstinence in sex ed classes.  In this day in age the average teen is having sex between the ages of 16-18, this makes the idea of abstinence look like a distant reality.   Teens need to know the possible risks of having sex, and how to prevent them.  Schools should be teaching the uses of other contraceptives as well as abstinence in health class.  Teens need to know how to effectively use a condom as well as the proper storage for a condom.  And I think the students should be aware of the different types of birth control used today.  Such as the female condom, the shot, birth control, and the nuva ring.  This way when teens do decided to have sex they can know the effective ways to reduce the risk of pregnancy, and STD’s.  As citizens we need to ensure that the future generations get the proper education that they deserve.

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10. December 2010 by student.

If we as a society acknowledge the arguments surrounding the concept of right to life then we should also address one’s right to die. I understand the cultural and religious notions concerning this topic. Some believe that suicide is immoral, unjust, and inhumane. However isn’t keeping someone who has experienced not only physical tragedy but mental anguish do to an illness, series of events, or from a sheer misfortune, ‘breathing and alive’ with life aids and life support against thier will inhumane? One very popularized case was that of Terri Schiavo’s husband and parents court battle from 1995- 2005. Terri Schiavo was diagnosed to be in a vegetative state after a cardiac arrest that sent her collapsing to the ground and cutting of oxygen causeing massive brain injury. She was kept alive from 1990 to 1995 when her husband asked the courts permission to remove her feeding tube allowing her to die. Her parents contested that Terri was still conscious and fought to keep the feeding tube. Terri’s parents and husband must have been aware of the pain and suffereing this kind of support could cause her body and her consciousness but also thier own. With the right to death battle becoming more enthralled in politics and as the media began drawing its biases, politicians didn’t hesitate on supporting either side but specifically those politicians who’s demographic was more evangelically inclined. This was a sure voter-win-over topic in the eyes of ”evangelical politicians”. Terri’s husband began to send letters to state representatives who opposed Terri’s death. As it states in the New York Times article quoting from Angie Paccione, running at the time for state democrate representative, ” He is the human face of government intrusion,” said at a news conference with Mr. Schiavo on July 12, 2006.  I pose the question, if some one has the right to preserve life shouldn’t that person have the right to die? Whatever one’s opinion might be, how does this affect ones freedom of choice?

 For more reading and the source for this blog:  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/washington/16schiavo.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=terri_schiavo 

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10. December 2010 by student.

 Female circumcision, female sexual castration, and female genital mutilation, are all names for a rite of passage found in many parts of Africa, Europe, Canada and even in the United States. It is considered a ritual for the transition into womanhood.     The ways in which the procedure is done can vary from community to community and even can change every time a mid-wife or doctor performs one so, a general description is all that can be truthfully provided. Female Genital Mutilation or FGM as it will now be referred to, is the partial or total cutting away of the external female genitalia and is typically performed without anesthetic (Althaus par1). There are 4 types of FGM. Type one is commonly referred to as Clitoridectomy and is the removal of the clitoral hood, with or without removal of all or part of the clitoris (in-depth par15)      Type two is commonly referred to as excision and is the removal of the clitoris, together with part or all of the labia mainora or inner vaginal lips. This type of FGM is the most practiced form throughout all FGM practicing communities (in-depth par15).      Type three is commonly referred to as Infibulation and is the removal of part of or, the entire external clitoris, labia minora and, labia majora. It is also the stitching of or narrowing of the vaginal opening. This leaves only a small opening to allow for the flow of urine and menstrual blood (in-depth). In the cases were the type 3 HGM procedure is done one of its purposes is to increase the husbands enjoyment although; it has been found that it actually causes intercourse to be more painful for both the woman and the man. Also, when type 3 HGM is done the woman must be unstitched for when she gives birth and then is re-stitched after. Many times she will also be unstitched on her wedding night so that she is able to consummate her marriage (in-depth par5-6). In some smaller Egyptian communities, the women have their legs bound together for 40 days to help the scar tissue form (in-depth par16).       The forth type is Unclassified or Introcision. It can but does not always include the practices from type three FGM but it does involve pricking, piercing, or incision of the clitoris and or labia. In Egypt it was found that type two and type three forms of FGM are the most commonly practiced (in-depth par15-17).      There are many health risks that accompany FGM and, many factors can affect the severity of the procedure. Girls and women who undergo type II and type III are likely to experience more severe health complications. Bleeding, often hemorrhaging from rupture of the blood vessels of the clitoris, and sometimes leading to death, Post-operative shock, Damage to other organs, resulting from the lack of surgical expertise of the person performing the procedure, and the aggressive resistance of the patient when anesthesia is not used, Infections, including tetanus and septicemia, through using unsterilized or poorly disinfected equipment, Urine retention caused by swelling and inflammation are all immediate effects of FGM that girls can experience when they have the procedure done.(In-Depth par28) Some of the longer-term consequences include: Chronic infections of the bladder and vagina:in Type III, the urine and menstrual blood can only leave the body drop by drop the      build-up inside the abdomen and fluid retention often cause infections and inflammation       that can lead to infertility, Dysmenorrheal, or extremely painful menstruation
Excessive scar tissue at the site of the operation ,Formation of cysts on the stitch line
 Childbirth obstruction, which can result in: the development of fistulas, tearing of the vaginal and/or bladder wall, chronic incontinence, and the  Risk of HIV infection.(In-Depth par29)     The reason for FGM is that to the Egyptians and many other cultures it is considered a rite of passage into womanhood. Its purpose is to decrease a woman’s sexual desire and to ensure her virginity until marriage. Typically FGM is done before they begin menstruation at about 10 years of age but has been done to girls as young as 2 in some communities. In most cases the arrangement of the rite of passage is made by the grandmother or the mother of the daughter. It appears as though the consent of the daughters is not required and, many times they are forcefully taken or suddenly awaked in their beds and pinned down. It is typically done in the home but is also often done in tents on the street. Very rarely is the procedure done in a hospital. In some smaller Egyptian towns, all the women in the town gather and all the young girls in the town are circumcised on the same day. What is most interesting is that they are all circumcised by the same practitioner or mid-wife and, they will use the same tool for every girl without sanitizing it. Only certain tools, like a knife or a razor, are acceptable for performing FGM because of the traditional guidelines the mid-wife must follow, it makes it difficult for anyone else to do it. They also, in some smaller Egyptian communities, have their legs bound together for 40 days to help the scar tissue form.  For a long time Egyptian government was hesitant to pass legislation against HGM because, in their culture it was the only way their daughters were marriageable. This procedure ensures that they have ready suitors and that they will receive a satisfactory bride price (in-depth par7). If a girl is not circumcised, no eligible man would ever consider marring her and she would be frowned upon by her community (in-depth par10). Women who do not get the procedure are called derogatory names and often still considered children and are unable to hold any position that a woman typically would hold. An example of the discrimination that can occur and how strongly people feel about FGM in these societies is that in one community, a woman married into a FGM prevalent society. They had two daughters and because she was not from a society that commonly practiced FGM they decided to not have their two daughters castrated. However the husband’s family constantly bombarded them with pleas to have the two girls circumcised and when they refused the sister-in-law vowed that though she may remain uncircumcised in life, they would circumcise her in death (in-depth). By getting the FGM procedure done, not only ensures that the daughter will marry but that she is also socially acceptable.  It is also evident that these cultures are patriarchal societies because the practice of FGM is highly encouraged by men and mothers who are independent of a man more often than not do not have their daughter’s castrated (in-depth par8).[whole paragraph (In-depth)]      FGM is often associated with Islam, The fact that type I is also called the ‘Sunna’ procedure (meaning ‘following the Prophet’s tradition’) is often used as evidence that it is sanctioned by it. However, it is found among both Muslim and Christian populations, and is a cultural practice that was around way before either religion (in-depth par43) (Althaus par20-26). Type 3, or ‘Infibulation’, also known in Sudan and Ethiopia as the ‘pharaonic procedure’, was what was most likely practiced in ancient Egypt (in-depth par43) although it is practiced by these religions it is not found in any of their scriptures, it does however have religious support. Religious leaders take varying positions with regard to FGM: some promote it, some consider it irrelevant to religion, and others contribute to its elimination (Female par17-18). FGM is more of a cultural event rather than a religious one which is why many of the people who practice it fight to keep it alive in their society, because it is a part of who they are as a people.       Over all Female Genital Castration is widely practiced though out African societies such as Egypt and, although it is a large part of their culture, it is highly dangerous and has lasting physical and psychological effects on the young girls in which the procedure is done upon.  Movements are happening that are trying to provide alternatives to FGM and some have taken but it is still a long way off before FGM is no longer as prevalent in Egypt. At 92% Egypt has one of the highest percentages for women who have been sexually castrated due to their cultural and societal beliefs.

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10. December 2010 by student.

With the current economic crisis that the United States is facing along with the rest of the world, the issue of consumer debt and how that has affected our society and economy becomes of great importance. Because of the consumer debt in this country, the current administration is attempting to find solutions to the problem. They are doing this with a verity of bills and legislation that it has or intends to put forth. They also are trying to stimulate the housing market so that people, who have good credit and have not been plagued with consumer debt, can enter our economy easily. However with the current economic condition banks are not lending. This has caused the government to have to institute bills and legislation that require banks to lend to consumers who do have good credit.   According to Diana Kendall in her text book Sociology in our Times overspending in our society is not just a personal trouble but also is a public issue. In the text she states that “personal troubles are private problems that affect individuals and the networks of people in which the regularly associate…their experiences…are influenced and in some situations determined by society as a whole.” What she means by this is that society blames individuals for creating their own problems by accumulating credit cards and with that debt but society overlooks the people whose only way to survive is through credit and thus creating a bigger debt.  This leads us in to the public issue of consumer debt. Yes people are responsible for the amount of credit cards that they posses and how much they spend, but Kendall tells us that the underlying cause for the increase in consumer debt and the decreases in savings in the US can be blamed on our own society(Kendall, 2008). With in her book Kendall references sociologist Robert D. Manning (1999) in which he found that this is largely because the credit card companies begin targeting consumers in their freshman year of college. This leads to the average debt of the undergraduate college student to be around 2,748(Kendall, 2008). This number can easily increase as they grow into adults. This concept of overspending within our society leads to a higher national debt and an increase in bankruptcies (Courts, 2006). Of course not all consumers are in debt, but there are those people who are “shopaholics” and “credit card junkies” who cannot help but continuously shop and then others like kleptomaniacs who steal obsessively. But who hears about those people who are good with their money? In our society we are bombarded with movies about shopping and debt, commercials about shopping and debt, and TV shows about it too. Movies like “Confessions of a Shopaholic” although shows the ugly side of debt, it also glorifies overspending by showing all the beautiful clothing and things the lovely woman was able to have because she had a credit card. Then there is the constant media attention that is paid to the famous celebrities who “have” the money to burn. An article within Kendall’s Sociology in our Times looked into that very subject; the celebrities affect on consumerism. The advertisement industry uses celebrities “stardom” to get people to purchase things that they don’t need. Because of this abuse on the credit industry by consumers and the credit card companies  alike, in may of 2009 congress passed the credit card accountability responsibility and disclosure act or the credit CARD act(Fox 4 News, 2009). This new law is intended to help protect consumers from abusive fees, penalties, interest rate increases and other charges that can lead to the consumer sinking into debt. This law went into effect February 22 2010, but according to Fox some changes won’t be noticed till August 22 2010. These changes consist of prohibitions and restrictions on rate increases. This means that card issuers can’t increase the annual percentage rate (APR) for one year after the account is opened except for some situations. After this one year period the interest rate can be raised but will only apply to new charges and will not affect the previous ones. Another significant aspect to this new law is that it protects young consumers. As stated earlier, credit card companies target consumers in many cases with in their first year of college. At this point in time many of them are only 18. Because of this many young consumers ruin their credit before they are out of college(Kendall, 2008). This new law however prohibits card companies from issuing a credit card to a consumer under the age of 21 unless they submit a  written application that includes the signature of a co-signer who is over 21 or is independent. This fox article cited Alice Beshara, chief of the FDIC’s section that monitors banks for compliance with consumer regulations, to have said that “these provisions are intended to protect college students and other young people from amassing significant credit card debt without the financial resources to pay them,”(Fox 4 News, 2009). According to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System the outstanding mortgage debt of all types of property holders (i.e. 1-4 family residences, farms, multifamily residences) have a outstanding debt of 14,287,340 million dollars. Broken down this equates to 10,772,272 million for 1-4 family residences, 898,852 million for multifamily, and 138,602 million for farms(Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System , 2010). On CNN’s website there is an article by Andrew Torgan that covers interest rates, housing, and a bill that’s intentions are to ward off future economic collapses. In the article, Torgan states that the current economic conditions will likely result in “exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period”(Torgan, 2010). As of late the Federal Reserve has been keeping interest rates down around 0% and  to consumers this very low interest rate sounds like a blessing, some critics worry that “the central bank could be creating new bubbles in financial markets by keeping rates so low”(Torgan, 2010). Part of this worry is that they housing industry is still falling. Ever since the economic downturn the United States has been facing banks are not lending. So consumers can’t take advantage of this 0% interest and thus the housing market is still falling.  Housing starts dropped nearly 6%, and on top of that snow storms pounded much of the East Coast last month, putting a damper on new construction projects. Building permits, which are considered a good barometer of future building activity, fell 1.6%. Regionally, housing starts declined the most in the South, falling 15.5% in February. Construction dropped 9.6% in the Northeast. Heading in the opposite direction, starts rose 10.6% in the Midwest and ticked up 7.9% in the West.(Torgan, 2010). As stated early in this paper, the personal trouble aspect of overspending talked about by Kendall started as just that, personal troubles but, has now grown into a public issue in that no matter what the consumers credit: good, bad or ugly no one is lending. The head of a key banking panel on Monday released a draft bill of sweeping regulatory changes aimed at warding off future collapses in the financial system(Torgan, 2010). The bill, put forth by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., would create a new consumer regulator housed inside the Federal Reserve to ensure consumers get a fair shake with mortgages and credit cards. It would also push banks and financial firms to strengthen capital cushions and create a new process for taking down giant failing companies and preventing future Wall Street bailouts(Torgan, 2010). The bill also includes a version of the controversial rule proposed by former Fed chairman Paul Volcker - and heralded by President Obama - aimed at prohibiting financial firms from owning hedge funds or from engaging in proprietary trading on their own accounts. An interesting section of this bill is that just three pages into the proposal it says that “Large bank holding companies that have received TARP funds will not be able to avoid Federal Reserve supervision by simply dropping their banks.”(Torgan, 2010). Not only have there been hoards of consumer debt in this country but also, debt by some of the largest banks and car companies as well who have had to accept bailout money from the government to stay afloat.  Consumer debt is a huge problem in our society. It affects people not only on an individual level but, when it gets out of hand, can led to wide spread economic turmoil. The affects of consumer debt can be seen with in the United States boarders. Increases in bankruptcy filings and homes being foreclosed on are just some of the obvious affects that can be seen.

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10. December 2010 by student.

For the past thirty years Alaska has been a primary source of domestic oil. Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay and miles of coastline are marked by evidence of oil exploration and production, including oil derricks, gravel roads, and 850 miles of pipe that makes up the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. This drilling has already caused significant environmental destruction in the area; the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, considered one of the worst environmental disasters in history, dumped 11 million gallons of oil into the ocean. As a result of rising gas prices and foreign oil issues in the Middle East, there has been new interest in expanding the drilling in Alaska, specifically to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), part of the National Park System. Over the past twenty years, the question of whether to open the ANWR to oil exploration or not has become a social problem due to the negative eco-impacts and, has brought increased attention to the American political agenda. We should not drill in Alaska at all because of the effects on the native people, the potential ecological problems, and the minimal amount of oil available compared to the excessive cost it would take to create the rigs.       Covering over nineteen million acres in the northeast corner of Alaska, the ANWR is the largest reserve in the National Wildlife Refuge. Because of its size, remote location, and the absence of any roads or campsites, it is also one of the wildest protected ecosystems in the United States. If drilling were to take place in this area, the environmental impact of the project would permanently change the ecosystem of the region, affecting species’ survival and reproduction, migration patterns, and population sizes. The threats oil drilling would pose to the Inupiat and Gwich’in peoples’ way of life could even be considered a violation of international human rights laws. The Gwich’in tribe has lived in this area for 20,000 years and they heavily depend on the herd of Porcupine caribou to survive. According to biologists, drilling would cause serious harm to the herd because they migrate to the plains every spring to reproduce. Drilling in the area would force the herd to relocate to another area where nutrients would not be as plentiful. As a result the caribou could not easily escape insects, like mosquitoes, because they have been confined to a smaller migration route. Miller discusses the biological studies that have been mandated under section 1002 of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or the ANILCA. In this act Miller states that 19 million acres of the ANWR are to be defined as refuge and 8 million as wilderness. However 1.5 million acres were to be put into an “undecided” category and so can be accessed for oil and gas leasing. This causes an immediate threat to Inupiat culture because of the disruption of animal habitats and whale migrations caused by seismic testing, in which arrays of powerful air guns shoot sound waves through the sea floor in search of deep rock formations that might hold gas or oil. According to Dr. Christopher W. Clark, a marine biologist and undersea acoustics specialist at Cornell, “The underwater noise produced by seismic air guns…is among the most intense sounds ever generated by humankind…. The potential harm is enormous.”(Matthiessen par9).  The Author of the article “Inside the Endangered Arctic Refuge” Petter Matthiessen stated that: “For the Inupiat, whose marvelous adaptability and perseverance has preserved their ancient way of life more or less intact in the few small communities found here and there along the 1,400 miles of north Alaska coast, the fundamental basis of their diet and the ancient source of their physical and spiritual well-being as well as ceremony, art, and myth are the large marine mammals—whales, seals, walruses, and polar bears. Of these, the most esteemed at Point Lay was the small white whale called the beluga.” Matthiessen, while visiting the village located in point lay spoke with a member of the tribe, Marie Tracey, whose people are very worried that industrial explosions from both land and sea might deflect the whales from their coastal migration past Point Lay because on their way north, the beluga usually convene for a week or more off a cove called Omalik, some thirty-five miles to the south. As a result of the high financial rewards, many Alaskan politicians are the leading supporters of drilling in the 1002 Area, despite the environmental damage that would result. The state of Alaska earns 80% of its unrestricted general revenue from oil production. Because of this revenue, Alaska has no state income tax, no sales tax, and the lowest fuel taxes in the U.S. The state also has an 18 billion dollar savings account called the Permanent Fund that provides every Alaskan citizen with a check for $1000 every September. Beyond the high revenue, development of the area would provide jobs for Alaskan citizens.           The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, could possibly according to some, be the home of an abundance of natural resources which could prove vital to the long term resurgence of the collapsing American economy. Many experts believe that there is enough oil available for drilling in the refuge to significantly decrease the United States dependency on foreign oil. This decrease in dependency, greatly lowering the cost of oil to American business and the American consumer, would pump much needed money into a currently morbid economy, and also help to allay the current energy crisis facing many regions of the United States. However, there are yet more experts who feel that drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a short term energy solution whose risks greatly outweigh any projected long term benefits to the economy.           The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established by Public Land Order 2214 by the Secretary of the Interior, Fred A. Seaton, on December 6, 1960. According to the land order “The purpose of the refuge is to preserve the unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values that are present in the Refuge.” The laws’ governing the use and development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are written in the Alaska National Interest Lands Act, and therein lays the answer to the question of whether or not drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is prudent. The Act states in section 304-b that “the Secretary may not permit any use, or grant easements for any purpose unless such use or purpose is compatible with the purpose of the Refuge.” This is further delineated in section 304-f-2C where it is written that each agreement for the use of Refuge land shall permit reasonable access to such land by officers of the State for the purposes of conserving fish and wildlife. Furthermore, section 1003 prohibits the production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or any development leading to the production of oil and gas in the Refuge unless authorized by an Act of Congress.        In 1998, the United States Geological Survey estimated the potential petroleum resources available in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. To do this, the U.S.G.S. re-analyzed the original seismic data from the studies which produced the Legislative Environmental Impact Statement, and combined that information with more recent seismic surveys and drilling information from nearby areas. Using this report, the U.S.G.S. concluded that there is a 95% chance of finding 1.9 billion barrels of oil, a 50% chance of finding 5.3 billion barrels of oil, and a 5% chance of finding 9.4 billion barrels of oil. At the present time, Americans use approximately 19 million barrels of oil a day, or 7 billion barrels of oil a year. Therefore, there is a 95% chance of finding a 100 day supply of oil, there is a 50% chance of finding a nine month supply of oil in the Refuge, and there is a 5% chance of finding a supply which would last approximately sixteen months. The ANWR located in the far northeast corner of Alaska, it is the only 5% of the North Slope that is not open to oil exploration, development, and drilling. Environmentalists are fighting to save this 19 million acre comprise, one of the last places on earth where an intact expanse of arctic and subarctic lands remain protected.      Throughout the twentieth century, beginning in the early 1900’s, this area has held governmental interest to people on both sides of the debate. Interest first began with reports of Alaska’s surface oil seeps along the arctic coast east of Point Barrow, which in 1923 was established as the 23 million acre Naval Petroleum Reserve Number 4. After World War 2, the accelerating resource development across Alaska raised concern. A major claim from supporting proponents is that drilling there would decrease US dependence on foreign oil. Although it seems logical for the US to drill on its own turf to decrease dependence on imported oil, that would not be the case in ANWR. Proponents claim that there are 16 billion barrels of oil that can be recovered from the refuge’s coastal plain but the US Geological Survey says that “there is less than a 1 in 20 chance that the coastal plain contains that much oil, and only a portion of it would be economically recoverable”. Recently, the USGS determined that the amount of oil in ANWR reservoirs would not make a dent. The amount that could be recovered economically - that is, the amount likely to be profitably extracted and sold - is roughly 3.2 billion barrels (USGS 4). This sounds like a lot, but in actuality, the US currently consumes approximately 19.6 million barrels of oil a day; which adds up to about 7.1 billion barrels of oil a year and that number is steadily rising. So the 3.2 billion barrels would only support us for about six months. In refute of this, some proponents state that any amount of oil in the refuge would lower oil and gasoline prices at the pump. But really, how could a six month supply, which satisfies only one percent of the projected US demand, have an impact on the price we pay at the pump? It does not.          Proponents try to lessen the severity of the matter by saying that today’s new oil-development technologies eliminate environmental harm to the refuge and by insisting that the Refuge could be developed by disturbing as little as 2,000 acres within the 1.5 million acre coastal plain. Oil development - no matter how carefully it is done - would harm large portions of the refuge. Exploration and production would not be confined to a limited area because the oil is not concentrated in a single, large reservoir. US Geological Survey studies have found that it is rather spread across the coastal plain in more than 30 small deposits. Thus, it would range across as many as 30 something separate fields, affecting wildlife habitats on hundreds of thousands of acres interspersed between sprawling oil facilities and pipelines. Debbie Miller, a volunteer with the Alaskan biologist team and author of “Midnight Wilderness” stated in her book      “I stare at the old drum for some time, picturing how oil and gas development would irreversibly destroy the wilderness before me- hundreds of miles of roads and pipelines, scores of drilling pads and rigs, thousands of oil spills, as in the case of the Prudhoe Bay fields. There would be spillage of toxic drilling muds into the wetlands, piles of abandoned industrial junk, and pollutants: garbage, traffic, and noise…1,000 coastal miles, has already been dedicated for oil and gas development.”      For many summers I traveled to Alaska to visit my dad. One of those summers, we took a trip to Prudhoe Bay. I have seen the miles and miles of Alaskan pipe line that stretches across Alaska’s wilderness and I have seen the glorious wildlife that Alaska has to offer. However, I have seen the trash and the junk that the oil industries have left behind. When children visit Prudhoe Bay, the can join what is called the Polar Bear Club. You jump in the arctic water and, in other places that offer it you can swim. However before we stripped down to our undies the guide warned us “you must be quick, don’t touch the bottom. It is littered with metal from the oil rigs and we don’t want anyone to cut their feet.” As I walked out into the water in the “safe zone” I looked out across the water and could see the rigs out in the distance, dotting the horizon. As I looked into the water I saw the metal that littered the floor. I pointed to it and showed my dad, and he looked at it with a heavy heart.  The damage that occurs is real, and people like Petter Matthiessen and Debbie Miller can attest to that. Drilling in Alaska causes damage not only to the animals and wildlife but also to the people who call Alaska home. The amount of money that it would take to build and maintain the numerous rigs would be astronomical and although supporters of drilling claim that we would earn that money back, it is evident by the U.S. Geological Survey that there is not enough oil to make an impact. As much of a supporter am I for lowering gas prices, I do not support attempting lowering them at the expense of our countries last frontier, the arctic refuge and the people and animals that inhabit it.

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10. December 2010 by student.

Every year there is an average of 435,000 deaths caused by cigarettes, and another 85,000 deaths due to alcohol.  Both of these products are made and sold in the U.S. despite their risks.  But marijuana is still illegal in the United States even though there have been no recorded deaths caused by this product.  Marijuana has been known to have great uses in the medical world.  Marijuana can be beneficial to patients who are suffering from pain from nerve damage, nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders.  It can also greatly increase appetite which would help HIV, AIDS, and cancer patients.  Hemp can also have some beneficial uses, such as making textiles, paper, clothing, paints, plastics, cosmetics, food stuffs, insulation, and animal feed.  Each year 1.9 million pounds of Hemp is shipped into the U.S. from Canada.  This money could be used to stimulate our economy, but is instead going to other nations.  10 billion dollars is spent each year in the fight against marijuana.  Even though it is estimated that U.S citizens spend up to 113 billion dollars on marijuana each year.  If marijuana was legalized it could not only benefit our nations economy, as well as the medical world.  We as a nation need to stand behind the legalization of marijuana so we can all benefit from this plant

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10. December 2010 by student.

The Divorce issue is considered to be unfortunate but sometimes necessary.  However, necessary or not, it still has an enormous impact on the family, especially the children. Children with divorced parents are more commonly face emotional instability, which results in drinking, smoking, dropping out of school, and usually an early age of sexual activity. One of the main issues that arise in children from a divorced household is ability to maintain their own stable relationships. It is indicated that in the United States, person’s whose parents are divorced are more likely to divorce than people whose parents had a stable marriage. Divorce causes some serious psychological issues that many may not be able to connect with unless they too have dealt with divorce. in order to prevent and or decrease the divorce issue, people need to think think and think before getting married to the wrong person, in which they thought it was the right one and end up divorcing. it may not harm the couple or they can care less about it, however it will harm their kids and maybe the kid will get destroyed emotionally so this child maybe will cause to a divorce when he or she grow up and get married. they midget take it as something normal because their mother and father did it before them.

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10. December 2010 by student.

Marijuna  was the most commonly used illicit drug. In 2009, there were 16.7 million past month users. Among persons aged 12 or older, the rate of past month marijuana use and the number of users in 2009 (6.6 percent or 16.7 million) were higher than in 2008 (6.1 percent or 15.2 million) and in 2007 (5.8 percent or 14.4 million.) Hallucinogens were used in the past month by 1.3 million persons (0.5 percent) aged 12 or older in 2009, including 760,000 (0.3 percent) who had used Ecstasy. The number and percentage of Ecstasy users increased between 2008 (555,000 or 0.2 percent) and 2009. In 2009, there were 7.0 million (2.8 percent) persons aged 12 or older who used prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically in the past month. These estimates were higher than in 2008 (6.2 million or 2.5 percent), but similar to estimates in 2007 (6.9 million or 2.8 percent). Among youths aged 12 to 17, the current illicit drug use rate increased from 2008 (9.3 percent) to 2009 (10.0 percent). Between 2002 and 2008, the rate declined from 11.6 to 9.3 percent. As you can see the statistics for drug use is extremely high and is continuing to rise. Drug use is a huge social problem in the world today.  I hear a lot of talk about the pot smokers tell me about how marijuana is a plant and has never killed anyone. Well that is BS. There is a study for this, increased likelihood for accidents is one of the marijuana side effects! Studies show that 6 to 11 percent of fatal accidents are contributed to by marijuana side effects. Other external marijuana side effects include legal problems, work and financial problems and troubles at home.  Over 11 million people smoked marijuana last month. Many may not have severe marijuana side effects from taking the drug but many people will. Marijuana side effects include physical problems like breathing difficulties and deteriorating physical abilities. Despite a popular belief, marijuana side effects speed up the heart, blood and breathing rate. The body is taxed more and this speeds up the aging process just like methamphetamines do. The marijuana side effects from this extra exertion on the body include a higher risk for lung cancer, heart attacks and strokes.  Marijuana side effects also wreak havoc on the brain when the drug is used habitually. The natural chemical balance of the brain is disrupted affecting the pleasure centers and regulatory systems. The ability to learn, remember and adapt quickly to changes is impaired by marijuana use. Depression often occurs with marijuana usage, which feeds into the cycle of more drug use to treat the pain created by drug use. This cycle of addiction is very powerful and users soon find that they cannot stop using the drug even if they want to. Marijuana is perceived today in society that it has little effect on ones health and it can’t kill you or cause addiction. This is a social problem because we don’t need people running around preaching about their addiction being good or has no side effects. We need to do careful research and leave marijuana for the people that actually need it and not for the criminals or degenerates that try to escape their negative outlook on their life. We must make more awareness for this drug. I haven’t even begun to talk about cocaine or heroin. Now thats funny!

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10. December 2010 by student.

War is sadly a major component of society. Humanity has been fighting wars since we have been on Earth. Why can we not live in peace. Why are we fighting such unnecessary wars? Is it really unnecessary? Sadly the fact is, even if we don’t agree going to war or find it unnecessary, we need to protect are country and the constitution. With the current war, we must do something about terrorism, or at least let them know that we are not a country to mess around with. Although there has been some things I don’t agree with, that does not mean this war is unnecessary. Sadly, even after this war we will be in many other just as other countries the same. I’m very ambivalent to the topic of war due to the fact of being a military brat, but I hope one day we find a more peaceful way to work with other nations.

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