29. February 2012 by Mr. Andoscia.

Good job with the blogs so far. Remember, substantiate your posts with data. The rule of thumb is that for every opion or claim being made you should have three social facts to substantiate it. Don’t get too crazy with the categories. Just check the one that applies to you. If you are in Intro, check Introduction to Sociology.

 Social problems people: Examine the claims being made about your particular social problem.

Intro people: Apply some of the theories that we discussed in class.

Be sure that you are posting your own work. If you post an article that you got somewhere for the sake of conversation, that is fine, but be sure to cite it and to add you input so I can give you points.

Posted in Mr. Andoscia | 2 Comments »

28. February 2012 by student.

I reviewed an article titled; “An Indefensible Punishment”. The title implies that the article is going to be discussing how the death penalty might be indefensible for some people. On September 25, 2011, this article appeared in the New York Times. The paper also has a website that can be found at nytimes.com. As I read the article, I found that the author is against the death penalty since he says nothing good about it.

Since this article was written by an unknown author it’s nearly impossible to find what other articles he has written. The death penalty is a hot issue and can sometimes be the center point of political campaigns. One of the first questions that would cross people’s minds is if capital punishment actually deters crime. Many people believe that if a criminal knows that they might be facing the death penalty if they commit a certain crime they will be less likely to commit it. The fact is that having a death penalty does not necessarily prevent criminals from committing a crime. For example, even though the state of Texas has the toughest laws regarding capital punishment, Texas still has the highest crime rates. This statistics come straight from the Department of Justice and the National Crime Index.

One of the most talked about issues regarding the death penalty is if the methods of execution are cruel and unusual punishment. I personally don’t believe in the death penalty, Not because it’s not fair or cruel, I just believe that the only person that has the right to take someone’s life is god. Man shouldn’t have the power to do so. Since man has taken attributions like this one many innocent lives have been taken in the count of the death penalty. For example, just recently, Troy Davis, an American citizen convicted of murdering a police officer in 1989 was executed by lethal injection last week in Georgia. It was said that you could see the pain he was going through as the liquid was running through his body. In addition, back on December 14, 2006, Angel Diaz was another prisoner that was sentenced by the method of lethal injection in Raiford, Florida for shooting the manager at a strip club in 1979. His arms developed very unusual blisters due to the fact that the first injection of anesthetic was not injected properly. This caused Diaz to feel his organs failing one by one, and the Florida medical examiner stated that this would have been one of the most painful ways to die. People that support the death penalty say that because of the crimes that he committed, he deserved to die in the worst way possible. Others say that this violated his rights. From this harmful event, the death penalty was removed from the state of Florida.

The thesis to this article is very clear; you can see how this author states his opinion on the death penalty. He doesn’t seem to agree with it. He believes this method of punishment is no good due to all the flaws that it has. In the article you can see how he states that the decision of sentencing someone to death can be driven by reasons like race and or class. You notice this when he says “Those biases are driven by race, class and politics, which influence all aspects of American life. As a result, they have made discrimination and arbitrariness the hallmarks of the death penalty in this country.” Even the title states the thesis and the feelings of the author “An Indefensible Punishment “ in my opinion the article is written based on all facts since he is trying to show us how the death penalty is cruel and unfair.

The supporting details are arrange carefully to show his point of view and how is unfair. All of the author’s support is in the form of facts of things they have been wrong with the death penalty and flaws of the system. He does use facts and some statistics to back up his claims. He talks about how 17 people have been falsely accused and have been killed. The author also explains how some people that are accused of committing a certain crime don’t have the money to afford legal counsel. And if a lawyer is assigned to represent them, they may be poorly equipped for the job.

The author shows some cons on the topic. He talks about how the cost of sentencing someone to death is more expensive then noncapital cases. The truth is that having someone in jail for a life time cost more than having someone sentenced to death. For each prisoner that is in jail, is thousands of dollars each year. Over the course of a person’s entire life, if they entered the system when they were young, costs could exceed over one million dollars per prisoner. This might seem like much for an average tax payer. Supporters say that having a death penalty can help reduce the cost. This is a lot of money compared to the $40,000 to $60,000 that it takes to execute a convicted person. On the other hand people who oppose the death penalty say that this financial burden on society is worth the cost, rather than having the possibility of executing an innocent person.

In addition, the author’s tone is disappointed and light. He is explaining to the reader the facts behind the death penalty. His attitude is calm but he does want to get his point across on the subject. He wants to make sure the reader is well informed on the subject and see how sentencing someone to death can sometimes be indefensible. He says “It is time Americans acknowledged that the death penalty cannot be made to comply with the Constitution and is in every way indefensible.”

Posted in Social Problems | 4 Comments »

27. February 2012 by student.

I just read an article about an 11 year old girl who died after a fight in school, as I realize that this is an exception to the norm this behavior is unacceptable. After looking at the data that between 1992 and 2006, 116 students were killed in 109 separate incidents—an average of 16.5 student homicides each year (CDC 2008) I was shocked.Many of the statistics claim that violence and bullying in schools is in a decline since 1992. However the more recent numbers have been more stable. In Florida alone there was a 17% rise in the expulsion rate for children bringing firearms to school between 2002-2004. The subsequent article I read was about hazing at a University of Florida fraternity, which I don’t think is a concept that shocks many people. But it made me wonder. Are these the same guys who are being bullied or bully others in school that it as they become older this behavior is acceptable and normal. Also, how does a student attend school and concentrate and try to excel if that have to wonder if the student next to them is carrying a gun. In an era of Columbine and university shootings what are we doing to prevent student violence? If anything? Are the numbers really declining or are we just becoming more numb and because of the rise of weapons and firearms more students are too scared to admit their being bullied?

Posted in Social Problems | 3 Comments »

23. February 2012 by student.

Edison State College is becoming a bigger and bigger college.  One thing that is making it bigger is the new on campus housing.  It will be ready for the 2012 fall semester.  This I believe will get more people to come to the Lee campus but places further away.  It’s about time to have on campus housing at Edison.                  The on campus housing will be ready for the 2012 fall semester.  This means people will be able to live on campus.  This will help to get more exposure for this wonderful campus.                  I believe that more people will come to this campus from further away.  They will be able to save money on gas.  This could help to bond or start relationships between people.  However, people may use the housing for privacy as well. 

                People have been waiting for on campus housing for quite a while.  This is another giant step in making Edison State College a place to get a great education.  People will have all the necessities to be able to live on a campus and enjoy themselves.  Also, they could have a roommate if they want to as well, because there will be rooms with 2 beds in them. 

                I believe that student housing was a terrific idea.  I would also love to do the housing, but I only live between 5-10 minutes away from the campus.  Thank God we finally have some student housing.  This is a significant peace of making Edison State College a great place to spend your college life. 

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

22. February 2012 by student.

I JUST  COME ACROSS THIS STORY TWO DAYS AGO.By JANINE ZEITLIN, Sunday, January 22, 2006 NapelsNews.com

Marcia Roberts is haunted by her only child. She used to watch “Unsolved Mysteries” in her East Naples apartment in hopes of triggering her mind into unlocking what happened to her son. He’s been gone more than two years. And she doesn’t know where he is, or was. If he’s alive or dead. But her answering machine has remained the same since the questions started:”Whatever is now covered up will be uncovered and every secret will be made known, Matthew Chapter 10, verses 26 through 28.” Terrance Williams has been missing since January the 12th, 2004. The family would like to thank you for your continued prayers and your thoughts and acts of kindness.” And she won’t change it until she finds answers. And she will never stop looking. And she will never stop praying. “My mind just wanders and I wonder if that’s good or not. I pray every night. I know God is tired of me,” she says. And she will never give up.

The night he slipped from her life — Jan. 11, 2004 — Marcia said she picked him up from a Bonita Springs Pizza Hut where he worked as a cook and drove him to a friend’s house. A day later, the last person confirmed to see him alive was a Collier County sheriff’s corporal — the same man last spotted with Felipe Santos, a 23-year-old Mexican laborer just three months before. The corporal said he gave both men rides to Circle K convenience stores in North Naples within four miles of each other.

What happened between Jan. 11 and when Williams ran into Cpl. Steven Calkins, a nearly 17-year Collier Sheriff’s Office veteran on Jan. 12, gnaws at his mother. Times, lies, inconsistencies and a story that doesn’t jibe keep running through Marcia’s head. Three witnesses told Sheriff’s Office investigators they saw Calkins wave over Williams near Naples Memorial Gardens, a North Naples cemetery, between 9 and 10 a.m. Williams was driving a 1983 two-door white Cadillac with an expired plate and registered to someone else. He could have been picked up or cited for six violations, sheriff’s investigators said. Shortly after noon, Calkins said, they met at the cemetery along 111th Avenue North when he spotted Williams having car trouble. Calkins didn’t call in the traffic stop as required. Calkins blames the time discord on confusion and memory problems. Instead of taking him to jail, the corporal said he gave him a ride to a Circle K near Wiggins Pass Road on U.S. 41 because Williams said he was late for work and looked nice and “clean-cut.” Calkins called a friend in dispatch, asking him to run information on an abandoned vehicle, even though he later said he had met Terrance by then.Telephone call: 01-12-04/ 1249 PM.

To read the entire article, go to http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/jan/22/still_no_answers_about_men_last_seen_deputy/
This story reminds me of a time, when black men were lynched and no one was ever prosecuted for it. These families deserve answers! They have been trying to get national press on this story for years, to no avail. I have been on the phone with the FBI, Reverend Sharp ton, reporters, the NAACP and anyone else who will listen. This can’t go on in our America anymore. No matter what your race, this should outrage us all! I’ll be on the Tom Joyner Show in the morning trying to bring some light and attention to this and help these families. Also, I’ll be following up with you in the near future to discuss our next plan of action. Please help me give Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos something that many people don’t think the poor or disenfranchised have… A VOICE!! You’ve helped me do a lot of things, but none as important as this.

Talk to me! Tell me what you think.
If you have any information at all about these cases, please contact the following office:
Tampa FBI Office:
866.838.1153 (24/7)

Posted in Introduction to Sociology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

19. February 2012 by student.

Congress agreed today to extend a payroll tax break through the end of the year for millions of Americans, despite the objection of some Florida lawmakers that the country shouldn’t add another $90 billion to the federal debt.The measure, which passed with solid majorities in the House and Senate, is part of a package that also continues payments to the long-term unemployed and prevents a large cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors.But the bill does not extend a provision giving taxpayers in states without an income tax, such as Florida, the ability to deduct the sales tax when they itemize on their federal returns. It won’t affect Floridians this year because the 2011 tax year falls under the old law. Lack of action would affect sales tax payments made this year.Lawmakers say they’re not too worried because they have until the end of the year to extend the deduction, in place since 2004.

The payroll tax reduction will save around $80 a month for people earning $50,000 a year and will save high-income workers a maximum $2,200 for the year.

The Senate approved the legislation 60-36, with both Florida senators — Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Bill Nelson — voting in favor. The House adopted it 293-132, with Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, and Rep. Sandy Adams, R-Orlando, voting against it. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it.

The Congressional Budget Office says extending the tax break will add another $89.3 billion through 2022 to a federal debt that’s now a record $15.3 trillion. That’s because the package does not cover the cost of the tax cut.

Republican leaders in the House initially had insisted the tax cut be financed by savings elsewhere in the budget, but they dropped that demand.

Adams was among lawmakers who voted against the bill because it will add to the debt, which many GOP lawmakers promised to cut when they campaigned in 2010.

“I came to Washington, D.C. to make a difference, to change the trajectory of our nation’s spending, and to put our country back on a path to economic prosperity,” the freshman lawmaker said in a statement. “While millions of families across the country are tightening their belts in this economy, it’s time that the federal government is held accountable to the American people by acting responsibly with their hard-earned money.” What do you guys think?

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

19. February 2012 by student.

For Israel, chaos is ultimately a good thing. It means that the Islamists and other hostile forces will be too distracted by infighting to focus any attention on fighting Israel.One year after the ousting of Hosni Mubarak as president of Egypt, what conclusions can we draw regarding the ongoing wave of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa?

Around this time last year at the Herzliya Conference, the Israeli historian Prof. Martin Kramer lambasted the Obama administration for taking the view that the “status quo” in the region was no longer sustainable, and even went so far as to accuse the U.S. government of “throwing Mubarak under the bus.”

Yet Kramer’s critique was off the mark even then, for the fact is that the “status quo” - that is, the apparently stable order imposed by strongmen that prevailed in the Middle East and North Africa prior to the outbreak of the so-called “Arab Spring” - was never sustainable. The unrest that has come upon and now characterizes the region can be compared to a tidal wave: It is simply unstoppable.

The United States could no more have saved Mubarak than President Nicolas Sarkozy could have saved the former Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, whom the French government was eager to see retain power even as mass protests erupted in Tunisia. By promulgating the notion that the Obama administration threw Mubarak “under the bus,” Kramer was inadvertently echoing the thoughts and intellectual legacy of a scholar whom he rightly took to task in his book “Ivory Towers on Sand”: Edward Said.

The writings of Said - especially his best-known book, “Orientalism” - have unfortunately disseminated a patronizing view that in the Arab world, responsibility both for what goes wrong and for setting things right rests on the shoulders of Western powers.

What led to Mubarak’s resignation in Egypt was not that the U.S. government had somehow abandoned him, but rather that the military, feeling the heat of mass protests, carried out a de facto coup. The same is true of Ben Ali in Tunisia, although there the military has now chosen to withdraw from politics.

In any case, a widespread problem with analysis of current developments in the Arab world is a tendency to impose false dichotomies. For instance, on the subject of Egypt’s future, too much ink has been wasted on asking whether that country will emerge as a full-blown Islamist state or a healthy democracy. In fact, it is time to appreciate that a new norm will be dominating the region: chaos. Too often, commentators overlook demography, economy, tribal affiliations and climate change in their assessments of current and likely future trends.

For example, in Egypt, the ongoing protests in Tahrir Square have brought the economy to a grinding halt. Besides considerable decreases in tourism revenue and deleterious labor strikes, Bedouin tribes are stirring up trouble in Sinai, having taken over the Aqua Sun holiday resort - once a favorite destination for Israelis - at the end of last month with demands for a ransom of $660,000.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

16. February 2012 by student.

`State Bills Are Targeting Abortion.       I came across this article in the News-press, About the State bills targeting Abortion, some bills would block public or private insurance coverage for abortionsOthers would ban abortions twenty weeks after conception, and others would requirePregnant woman’s to have ultrasounds before having abortions. I disagree on How legislators would want to restrict access to abortion. What happen to freedom of choice? What happen to constitutional right to privacy? In my opinion abortion should remain accessible because it’s a woman choice and privacy.      If these restrictions are passing, abortion will go underground and unsafe abortionswill occur. It may cause serious harm to the woman’s health, in some cases possibly death. The most important reason women have consider abortion is to end unwanted pregnancy, caused by rape, or incest. There may also be birth defects or danger to the woman’s health. There is also the knowledge that they are not financially able to support or care for the child.        In January nineteen seventy three, United state supreme court decided on the case of Roe and Wade. It was a step toward women rights a verdict that set all abortion cases. There are two sides to the abortion topic pro-life which is those who are against abortion and the one pro-choice those who believed it is the woman’s right to choose if she wants to have an abortion. That was the first time court recognizes the constitutional rights to privacy. In Florida the republican are willing to abandon every other principles to erodeabortion rights. They will tell doctors what to do, force expensive and unnecessary regulation on abortion clinics, and restrict the ability of private insurance companies to offer abortion coverage. However it is interesting to see these people who are so emphatic on protecting the fetus does not even care about what happens to children after they are born. On the most basic issue, abortion is not really about abortion but about the right of women in society.                                                                                             

Sources:www.google.comThe New- Press Of Fort Myers:

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

16. February 2012 by student.

       What is a homosexual? A person becomes a homosexual ultimately by choosing to be with the same sex activity, this is in contrast to innate characteristics such as gender and ethnicity. What is wrong with a person being homosexual? In Genesis chapter 1v 2 Jesus question about marriage he referred that male and female complementing each other that is Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. These days people twisting things around as of where man vs., man and females vs.  Females are getting married.            Research has shown 1/3 percent of teenagers that suicidal are gay. It is a sad situation to witness one tenth of the population is homosexual. Andrew Lansdowne points out that homosexual activity are notoriously disease prone. In addition to disease associated with heterosexual on life expectancy of a group of homosexual men.  In Canada in the early 1990’s it  indicated  that they could expect eight to twenty year less lifespan,  due to the fact of these disease such as Anal Herpes, Hepatitis B, Intestinal Parasites, Kaposi’s Sarcoma and  the most deadly one Aids.

According to 2007 Massachusetts youth risk survey, a lot of the gay, lesbian, heterosexual are age group in their 20’s. They fall into peer pressure. They came out looking for acceptance and love.  Studied show that homosexuals have substanciatially greater risk of suffering from psychiatric problem than heterosexual we have witnesses higher risk of suicide, depression, bulimia, antisocial personality disorder and substance abuse. In my research I found that

The first study was on male twins who had served Vietnam (Herrelet All 1999) it concluded that average male homosexuals were 5.1 times more to exhibit suicide. Writing this paper; I read about a story that really touches my heart.  I would like to take a moment to share his story to the class.      Bill Clayton was a fourteen years old boy who came out as a bisexual; peers did not understand his declaration of sexual orientation. Unfortunately he was brutally rape by a twenty years old man in his local area. That was just the beginning of his violence, and harassment of his life.          After his rape he started with downward spinal into depression.  After the anti-hate-Rally they did at a local area after his rape:  at the age of 17 Bill overdosed himself. His mother found him unconscious on the kitchen floor. After his death Bill was rejected as an organ donor because of his sexual orientation and the assumption that gays are at high risk for HIV.     Suicide prevention programs can be effective in diminishing risk factors and especially in building protective factors, yet few target risk and protective factors relevant to homosexual youth. Those who have contact with youth and are trained to recognize at risk youth and refer  Allen, Dan. “Does Teen Pride Save Lives?” Advocate 919 (2004):   Li Kitts, Robert. “Gay Adolescents and Suicide: Understanding the Association.” Adolescence 2005Naples Daily News Paper………2011

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 3 Comments »

13. February 2012 by student.

Since the beginning of time people have always applied some sort of face paint. Whether this be for a religious reason or for social status it had been done. Well, as I walk around today I see that the age girls begin to wear makeup have gotten younger. I see many young girls ages 10 and 11 wearing rather heavy makeup. Studies have shown that many girls start wearing makeup at a younger make then they did even a few years ago. Why is it now acceptable to have 10, 11, and 12 year olds wearing makeup? Being able to wear makeup used to be more of a rite of passage into woman hood, but instead it has become something that young girls need to wear in-order to fit in and feel pretty. Wearing makeup has many psychological effects on the girl. Some of these include her not feeling confident in herself when she doesn’t have makeup on. Another effect would be that the girl is pushed into growing up faster then she needs to. Wearing makeup is the precedent to many other things that girls should wait to wear/do until they are older. Letting your daughter wear makeup at what age is a personal choice, but today many girls are picked on and made fun of if they don’t start to wear makeup until they are a bit older.  I would also like to say that wearing makeup is not always a bad a thing for the girl. It can sometimes be a confidence booster for the girl to wear cover-up or foundation if she is really self-conscious about a scar or injury that has occurred. Again it is up to the parents to decide but children should have to start wearing makeup at 10 in order to “fit in” or “look pretty”.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »