29. April 2011 by student.

The argument in the “Employers May Regulate Body Art on Their Employees” the author, Louis Pechman states that employers have the right to mandate what tattoo art is acceptable or unacceptable. That they have all the right to clearly state if or what you may have visible can be used to fire or hire their employees based on there tattoos or piercings. The main part of the article I focused on because it was hitting close to home is the section on tattoos.  They state that an employer has the right to develop their own dress code as long as it is not discriminatory against religion, race or gender, because tattoos and piercing are body modifications and not something natural or directly tied to a race, religion or gender, then it can be justified to not allow them to be visible.  Tattoos and piercings are not protected under the First Amendment because “the tattoo is nothing more than ’self expression,’ unlike other forms of expression or conduct which receive First Amendment protection.”. In the simplest form the author agrees and believes that because tattoos and piercings are voluntary art they do not closely tie to any race, religion or gender and are deemed unnatural. Thus making them free will to regulate under dress code specifications for employers and may be changed after or before any hiring or firing of employees.

            There are a lot of problems with giving so much right to employers to choose why they may or may not hire someone based on personal decisions. Though tattoos and piercings are a visible form of expression: so is their hair style, necklaces, bracelets, facial hair or makeup style. What were to happen if a customer were to complain against someone’s beard or spiky hair? What if someone found a woman wearing earrings offensive to their religious beliefs? Would these companies then make facial hair or earrings  “offensive” and against dress code? Where do we draw the line on these areas? Its easy for one to say a eyebrow piercing or heart tattoo on a forearm is not “normal” or  “average” Then again, it may be completely normal in one area of the country or world and not another. Then one can argue health reasons and offensive tattoos. Of course almost anyone can agree that a lip piercing may be considered unsanitary in a food service establishment and can be respected with suitable proof from the health department.  And of course most can agree that a huge swastika on someone’s visible part of their arm or a picture humiliating a religions god or religious figure to be offensive. These should and would be protected as offensive under the First Amendment. So what about a nose ring in a office job or a family crest tattoo? No one can argue unsanitary reasons and no one can argue it to be offensive against a specific family. Is it really fair to discriminate someone because of a personal choice in life? Would it be ok for me to not want to hire someone because they drive a pink car, which I don’t agree with? Any discrimination against someone choices should be protected under freedom of speech no matter if it comes from a paper you write, something you voice physically from your mouth or a jar of peanut butter tattooed on your neck. It’s easy to assume something is going to be offensive because it is not normal. With the growing changes in our time shouldn’t laws be changing too? We should always decide to let people express themselves.  We already allow it, but we pick and choose what part of our first amendment we want to consider free speech and not. Offensive language and art against race, gender or religion is protected already as offensive so why not just apply that theory to expressive art on our bodies? 

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29. April 2011 by Mr. Andoscia.

All blogs and comments up to this point have been graded.

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29. April 2011 by student.

When a fight breaks out in the school’s hallway, the mall or any public area, what is the first thing most the teens do that are witnesses? Run and get a teacher, call the cops, break it up?? NO. The quickly gather to the front of the circle which has surrounded around the two teens and start filming a video from their Ipod which they will later upload to YouTube. So true. And so, so very sad. Domestic violence, or any violence at that is so incredibly damaging and destructive.

It is soo easy for a bystander to turn the other cheek when they witness a boyfriend beating up on his girl but just a few minutes later the witness will forget about the instance altogether. But what about that young girl? Who is going to help her? She obviously doesn’t have the means or the will to help herself. For every act of domestic violence committed, there is a means to prevent it.   More than half of all domestic violence cases never get reported. A women is beaten in the United states every 9 seconds. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9 WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT- This is obviously a huge social problem, and how can we the people have let this escaleded THIS far, 9 seconds far?  Now what- what can we do? Well, for one I think we need to implement a preventive education program in schools. We shoud also establish hefty punishments for batters. We need to teach everyone the warning signs and how to point them out. We also ALL need to do our part, and REPORT IT. Whether you are the  vitctim, the witness or the friend she confided to, we are ALL responsible for this problem, and we all need to work to push this “9 second business” out the door!

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29. April 2011 by student.

      Teenage sexual activity is a major problem confronting the nation and has led to a rising number of STDs, emotional and psychological problems, and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Thus, many parents and educators tend to turn towards Abstinence educational programs, or virginity pledges. Abstinence-only sex education is a form of teaching sex education that emphasizes abstinence from sex, and often excludes many other types of sexual and reproductive health education, particularly regarding birth control and safe sex. This type of sex education promotes sexual abstience until marriage and avoids discussion of any use of contraceptives or education about them.

The Bush administrations abstinence-only programs did not only champion the message of “no sex before marriage,” but also ensured that the only mention of contraceptives was in reference to their failure rate. When this happens, teen knowledge of contraceptives declines, and therefore, so does the will to use them. Considering that nearly half of all American high school-aged teens have had sex at least once, and that a sexually active teen not using any contraceptives has a 90 percent chance of getting pregnant within a year, it is no wonder that the pregnancy rate has increase.

So abstience only education is teaching teens that sex is bad? No, we are actually not teaching them about sex AT ALL.  In fact, we are not  even providing them with the appropiate amount of sexual and reproductive health education, which can be really damaging to a young teen, because everyone needs to know “what’s down there?”   Right??

   Sexual urges along with everything else that comes with puberty is NORMAL. Why must we deem it as shameful? Why create an even heavier burden on the young shoulders of these teens by throwing them out to the wolves of the sex-enriched society and media with no education- no guidance?? Everyone has their own god given right to choose whether or not to participate in sexual activity, but if we simple teach them nonononono, the truth of the matter is, they just aren’t going to listen. It’s just unrealistic. But rather we give them some options that they can work with, maybe some good ol’ education!! Condoms= effective! Birth Control = cheap!  both together= no babies! Okay, maybe not that bluntly, but you get the picture.

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29. April 2011 by student.

Governmental assistance is being abused and misused by far to many people. Unfortunately there are too many loop holes to the systems that we have in place to help the less fortunate. There are many people that could use help that are ineligible, due to income received the prior year, because they work to much, or they simply do not have enough children. People are being told they work to much to receive help for child care. There are many people that abuse the system by moving from county to county so that they continue getting help. This is just one of the many ways people work the system. This is not only a social problem this is an ethical problem. Who should receive help and who should not? Should people pay for others who are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. As we continue to pay for those who continuously misuse the financial help and benefits given to them; we have allowed those trying to better their lives left to fend for themselves. This abuse has also placed a negative connotation to asking for assistance for a short period of time. With the growing number of people losing their jobs or taking lower paying careers, more people need help to get back on their feet. How do we plan to assist everyone?

Dominique Marceau (Edison)

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29. April 2011 by student.

Capital Punishment is a big debated social problem.  Capital Punishment which is also known as the death penalty, has multiple reason why people think it should stay and why it should go.  One of the biggest reasons why some would say it is a necessary penalty for criminals is in such cases as rape or worse murder.  People believe that because the death penalty is offered in some states, for such crimes as murder, it will help keep people from committing crimes.  After looking at some graphs and charts online of the murder rate of states with the death penalty and states with out the death penalty, it shows that the murder rate had substantially declined over the years.  But so had the states that had not had the death penalty.  In fact after looking at the graphs it showed that states that had not had the death penalty had a fewer number of murders then those that did have it.  By looking at these graphs, I question, does the death penalty really make a difference in whether or not the the crime rate would go down because of it? Or could it be that people are starting to realize it is getting harder to commit crimes, as new technology arises?  The argument against the death penalty, says that executing someone for committing such a crime, such as murder, doesn’t make us any different from the criminal then.  But I say, if that’s how one were to think, and we just let the murder free, whats to stop him from committing another murder.  There are sick, twisted minds out there, that don’t care about lives.  Getting rid of that murderer, is just getting one sick mind off the streets and sending a message out to the others.  People also like to argue that more poor people get sent to the death penalty then rich, because they cannot afford good lawyers, or one at all.  Well if you look at charts for where most of the money goes to, it would show you that the rich are steadily getting richer and the poor are steadily getting poorer.  along to that, is the ratio of poor to rich is 16:1 in the U.S.  Showing there are more poor people then there are rich.  Which in return could mean that the reason more poor people are getting the death penalty then rich people, is because there are more poor or average people.  I say we should get rid of the death penalty.  Specifically my reasoning is because we are in an economic crisis.  We need every sent we can hold on to, to keep this country going strong.  The price for the death penalty is much more expensive, then life without parole. Mainly because to go through with the death sentence there is such a long and complex judicial process for capital cases.  This process to to ensure that innocent men and women are not put on death row.  So through this process one could be proven innocent, and not even go through with the death sentence.

According to deathpenalty.org, they say

“More than 3500 men and woman have received this sentence in California since 1978 and NOT ONE has been released, except those few individuals who were able to prove their innocence.

California could save $1 billion over five years by replacing the death penalty with permanent imprisonment.

California taxpayers pay $90,000 more per death row prisoner each year than on prisoners in regular confinement.”

Now multiply that by 36 (34 states, plus U.Ss Gov’t, and U.S. Military)…. yea that’s alot of money the U.S. could save for other expenses… such as our $14 trillion+ deb.

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29. April 2011 by student.

            The brightest smiles, beautiful complexions, nice hair, and the most curvaceous or masculine bodies… do celebrities really look like what they appear in the spotlight? Celebrities do not really look like what they appear to be on television or magazines. They fool the public eyes into thinking that their naturally beautiful in multiple ways. Celebrities change their appearances through make up, surgery, hair extensions, and by doing major photo editing to their pictures.            Makeup performs the exact tasks that it sounds like. It enhances physical appearance. Makeup is a facial cosmetic that makes people up, or in other words put them together. Makeup is an easy way to fool the public eye because it can hide blemishes, moles, skin discolorations, dark circles, scares, and any other imperfections that you can possibly think of. Celebrities have the option of waking up in the morning looking one-way and stepping out into the spotlight looking extremely different.             Celebrities can also undergo plastic surgery into changing their appearances; Plastic surgery is a cosmetic repair that is performed to improve, repair, replace, restore, or to replenish a part of the body that a person may not be comfortable with. Celebrities can easily reconstruct their body parts by transferring a little tissue here and adding silicones there. Plastic surgery is an easy fix for most celebrities because they can afford it. For many, spending thousands of dollars at a plastic surgeon’s office is nothing more than pocket change.            Hair extensions also play a major role in celebrity’s false appearances. Do you honestly believe that all celebrities have gorgeous hair? Think again… Celebrities are just able to afford the finest hair extensions and wear them well. They can make their hair appear longer, fuller, or even a different color. Celebrities also have special hair stylist that fix their hair up every time the wind blows it the wrong direction.            If makeup, plastic surgery, and hair extensions did not pull the prank, celebrities can always relay on photo editing. Celebrities can touch up their pictures in many shapes and forms. They can make their waist smaller, make their shoulder broader, slim out their legs, elongate their necks, enhance the size of their breast, and fix many other things that they see as imperfection. There are so many things that you can do with photo editing, that you can make yourself look very different at the end of it.            Celebrities are always eager to go the extra mile in order to make their selves look presentable to the public eye. They are able to hire a whole team designated to do just that. Celebrities have personal makeup artist, personal hair stylist, and designers to keep them looking top notch at all times. This is only while there in the public eye of course; when they go home and all of the extra’s come off they look just like ordinary people. Can you believe it? The celebrities that many people are trying to portray so happen to look just like them.            If everyone had as much money as celebrities, and had the connections that they all had; we would all look like celebrities. The fact is celebrities do not, will not, and could not ever look as good as they do while there in the spotlight. Celebrities now that when they get home and take the act off, is when their actually themselves. When they are in the spotlight and all made up it is their job. Just remember that celebrity’s looks can be very deceiving, just be careful that you are not the one being deceived.

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29. April 2011 by student.

Sex Education in schools is always a controversy because of personal family values. Family values relates to religion which religion can be discussed in schools as long as the teacher doesn’t talk about his or her personal religious beliefs and it is from a historical aspect. Sex education in schools should be somewhat the same. It should be a loud to be taught on all aspects. Teachers should teach abstinence, along with the consequences that come with having sex and ways to prevent sex if they do choose to have sex. No matter what their family views are and no matter what their parents decide to teach them it is ultimately up to them to have sex or not, so isn’t it better that they know ways to protect themselves and know the consequences? If parents choose to teach their child that abstinence is the right thing and teach them their family values than that is great it is up to the parents to teach them that, but aren’t schools supposed to educate children? Leaving things out wouldn’t necessarily be limiting the child and wouldn’t be allowing the child to make their own decisions. Parents, guardians and teachers are there to point children towards the right direction and give them the right information so that they can make decisions. If they are blinded by the real world and they aren’t given the right tools to make their own decisions then it is more likely they will not make the right decisions or protect themselves like they should because they weren’t taught. Sex Education including prevention, abstinence and consequences need to be taught in schools starting in fifth grade at least.

“Although only 13% of U.S. teens have ever had sex by age 15, sexual activity is common by the late teen years. By their 19th birthday, seven in 10 teens of both sexes have had intercourse.

The United States continues to have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world—more than twice as in Canada (27.9 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2006) or Sweden (31.4 per 1,000).

In 2006–2008, most teens aged 15–19 had received formal instruction about STIs (93%), HIV (89%) or abstinence (84%). However, about one-third of teens had not received any formal instruction about contraception; males were even less likely to receive this instruction than females (62% vs. 70%).

Many sexually experienced teens (46% of males and 33% of females) did not receive formal instruction about contraception before they first had sex.

About one in four adolescents (23% of females and 28% of males) received abstinence education without receiving any instruction about birth control in 2006–2008.” http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Teen-Sex-Ed.html  

“The main rise in the teen pregnancy rate is among girls younger than 15*The United State spends $7 billion each year due to the costs of teen pregnancy.”

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29. April 2011 by student.

Human trafficking is known as the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person through a use of force for the purpose of exploiting them. Human trafficking is an issue that not many were aware of until movies like Taken and Human Trafficking surfaced. Many were shocked and disgusted to know that this was occurring. Many people are in disbelief that human trafficking is actually real and occurring this very moment. Human trafficking, while unbelievable, is very real and affects a great amount of people.

There are currently an estimated 12.3 million people being forced into labor and sexual servitude. The two main types of trafficking are labor trafficking and sex trafficking.

 Labor trafficking involves victims being forced to work against their own will. They work against their own will becaused they are being threatened and/or punished. A form of labor trafficking is bonded labor. This occurs when a victim owes money to an individual and the victim is forced into labor as “repayment” for the money borrowed. This is the least known form of human trafficking and also one of the most common. Effects of labor trafficking are traumatic. They include scars, headaches, hearing loss, cardiovascular, respiratory problems, shock, disorientation, confusion, anxiety disorders and feelings of helplessness, shame and humiliation. These are long-lasting effects that no human being should have to endure.

Sex trafficking is commercial sex due to force or coercion. Victims are lured into sex trafficking by traffickers, parents, husbands, or boyfriends. They promise their victims they will be sent to a good job, on a vacation, or simply sell their victims to traffickers. Victims may also be kidnapped by traffickers and sold as sex slaves. When victims are held by traffickers, they are starved,
confined, beaten, physically abused, raped, threatened and forced to use drugs. Effects of sex trafficking are devastating. They include drug and alcohol addiction, broken bones, concussions, burns, vaginal/anal tearing, traumatic brain
injuries, sexually transmitted diseases, miscarriages, menstrual problems, disassociated ego states, shame, grief,
fear, distrust, hatred of men, self-hatred, suicide, anxiety, depression and insomnia.

You may be wondering how on earth parents could sell their child or a husband could sell his wife as a sex slave or into forced labor. The answer is for money. Everything involved with human trafficking is all for money. Can you believe that lives are being taken, people are being abused, and they are being held against their own will with no way out all for monetary gain? The human trafficking “industry” makes 5 to 7 billion dollars a year. The price of a human life should be much higher than that.

Human trafficking is a serious issue that must be brought into light. Many people believe that human trafficking does not affect them, but they are wrong. Human trafficking exists in every country. Yes, even in the United States. 18,000 to 20,000 victims are trafficked into the United States every year. The question is what are we doing about it ? The U.S. Department of State guides anti-human trafficking efforts and has enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. The purpose of this act is to combat human trafficking by punishing traffickers, to protect victims, and to prevent trafficking from occurring. Their efforts are successful, but we need more support for victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is wrong and it needs to be prevented.

Facts & statistics from :

http://www.humantrafficking.org/uploads/publications/2007_TIP_Report.pdf

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_labor.pdf

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_sex.pdf

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29. April 2011 by student.

The day has finally come!  For years, students, parents, and teachers alike have disapproved of fcat; soon it will be over completely.  A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is pressing ahead with a plan to replace the test with a series of standardized end-of-course exams.  The first of these exams will begin this year with math and science and continue to involve all of the courses in four years.  Students who were interviewed to comment on the topic all gave positive comments saying that it would be “more fair” than the fcat.  End-of-Course exams are looking to test the student on how well they performed in a particular subject that they actually took, rather than expecting the student to know information that they may never have known.  This new change in testing has come about due to the lack of reasonable and influential data being collected from  current testing.  Lawmakers say that they want to keep better track of how the students are learning and the fcat was just not giving them the information.  With the suggested quality of the new tests, the data might truly end up showing how substantially underscoring the education system really is in Florida.  However, I can safely say for everyone who has ever taken the fcat, that the riddance of the fcat and the unveiling of a new system is a welcome relief to all. 

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