9. December 2011 by student.

Gambling addiction is a serious problem that destroys millions of lives every year. Pathalogical gambling is no less dangerous than a drug or alcohol addiction. Gambling addictions have the power to strip individuals of everything they hold dear, including morale as well as will to live. Serious cases of gambling addiction can have wide spread and devastating effects on the both the addict and their loved ones. A gambling addiction can start just like any other addiction. Just like drugs or alcohol it all begins with one high. Only with gambling that one high is just one win. The progression of gambling addiction can vary greatly depending on several factors. One part of how a  gambling addiction seems start is based towards the kinds of games played. Many people who play more strategic and what they call skill games like poker tend to move at a much more slower rate than those who play quick, immediate gratifying games like slot machines or video poker. These players will progress at a much faster pace normally. Gambling addiction has 3 main stages. They are the winning stage, the losing stage, and the depression stage. A gambling addict will experience these three stages through they’re progress towards pathological gambling. The winning stage of gambling addiction is often considered to still be “fun”. Gambling begins to be a part of life as the gambler starts to enjoy the high or escape that gambling gives to them. The gambler also begins to talk about his or her gambling experiences more often, as winning streaks, or a big win become justification for more gambling.The behaviors we see of someone in this first stage are small subtle signs of a decent into a compulsive gambling addiction. The losing stage of gambling addiction is when problems begin to become more obvious and the euphoria of winning has now begun to diminish. The depression stage of gambling addiction is the stage when the gambling addict sees more extreme depression and anxiety. This comes from mounting financial pressures and continued gambling loses. The gambler will become increasingly isolated from friends and loves ones and they will be desperate to have a change of luck with their gambling. While gambling may have been the escape to begin with, once it has become the very source of depression and anxiety, many addicts begin to drink or abuse drugs as an “escape” from their first escape. It is at this point everything becomes the equivalent of a nightmare. My solution to this problem would be the obvious. If we know someone we think has a problem it would be best to address it during the winning stage. Although the signs may be subtle if we have any inclination of a problem it would be best to address it then. Casinos should also be aware of repeat customers, people who show up everyday and do not know when to stop. Although there are hotlines for help a great way to regulate this would be to have casino security head and dealers know what they are looking for. For families this can be very hard to point out because everything seems great if the person comes home winning. Generally in dog tracks and casinos it is normally a very family environment in the sense that everyone knows the dealers and the security heads because they are always rotating tables and positions. These employees must be made aware of how to search out a pathological gambler and know when to tell them it is enough. Giving month long suspensions could help with people who refuse to listen as well as working with other local casinos. Suicide is a very serious issue and for it to come from something so minute as gambling I feel like it is safe to say casinos could be taking much bigger steps to helping moderate this social problem.

Michael Simons

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9. December 2011 by student.

Last week Chicago Newscaster Robin Robinson did the world a favor and told us that Santa wasn’t real. This as you can imagine caused uproar the size of Texas. What the big issue was that she said Santa didn’t exist and this could’ve offended parents and upset their children. I’m ok with that. It’s understandable that you want to maintain your children’s innocence as long as you can. But the part of this tale that really “grinds my gears” is the fact she had to apologize on air after she had made what she felt was a true statement that had validity. Granted the forum might have not been the best choice but the point being why sorry? What did her saying sorry do for anyone? Did the children’s belief of Santa return once those words were uttered? Did mom and dad get to skip that potentially awkward discussion? I was happy when my mom told me the TRUTH. Truth is an important thing and for someone to fill their children’s head that a make believe man, comes down the chimney and drops off presents when in reality its mom and dad working two jobs and saving money to put presents under the table. BTW Ms. Robinson’s statements were made during the late news (9:45pm to be exact), we all know how many young children are up sitting up watching the news at that time.

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9. December 2011 by student.

I dont think its fair Govenor Rick Scott is requirering a drug screen for those undergoing welfair recipitents. This plan is an attempt to save the states money. Whom is applying is required to pay for their test, which is roughly twenty to thirty dollars. As it is the unemplotyment rate is high. who has extra money to pay for a test. their applying because they need assistance. It is said those who pass their test, the state has to re emberse their money. Its proven the plan isnt working. About two percent of welfair recipitents have failed. So really is the state saving money? The state will owe about 28,800-43,200 mounthly in reimbursements to those who test drug free.  This just shows welfare users in Florida are less likely to be drug users. My personal opinion I feel like he is saying poor people are more likely to use drugs. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/08/24/303133/drug-testing-welfare-recipients-could-line-rick-scotts-pockets-but-it-isnt-saving-florida-much-money/

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9. December 2011 by student.

Cell phones are fastly becoming one of the most accident prone devices in our country. Most adults who drive admit to have engaged in distracting driving behaviors. According to a HealthDay poll from November, 2011 we see that more than 2,800 American adults who responded to the poll gave the following results. Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. That is enough time to travel the length of a football field. While teenagers are texting, they spend about 10 percent of the time outside the driving lane they’re supposed to be in. About 6,000 deaths and a half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers every year. Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old. Over 1/3 of drivers have sent or received text messages while driving, and 18% said they do it regularly. 36% percent have read a map while driving, and 10% do it “sometimes” or “often.” About 13% of adult drivers have surfed the Internet while driving. Results of the poll showed that younger drivers were more likely to engage in distracted driving. Men were more likely to drive while drowsy, drive after drinking, read a map, use a GPS system, and use the Internet. Approximately 86% of drivers said they ate or drank while driving at some point, and 57% said they do it “sometimes” or “often.” Although some of these statistics are hard to be stopped many have ways to fix them. Aside from the obvious answer that we should all be more responsible I think there is a great solution to solving one of the biggest problems, the use of cell phones in a car. One of my few ideas to eliminate the use of cell phones start with mandating when we can use it. All cell phones come with a optional GPS tracking device. This is something that can be checked or unchecked on modern day android phones. With phones being as savvy as computers now I think it isnt hard to ask these cell phone companies to leave GPS tracking on phones without an option of removing it. The next step will be to automatically shut GPS tracking off of our cell phones when the phone see’s that the car has been in motion for more then 2 miles. The next step would be very similar, all phones will automatically covert to airplane mode once in motion for more then 2 miles. Airplane mode will prevent any calls or text messages from coming in aside from emergency calls, it will also disable GPS, and Internet surfing. There are few ways to make people stop using their phones while they are driving directly but I do feel that this is one that should be considered. Another solution to help mandate this abuse of the privilage to drive would be to not allow for a driver to have an android or iphone if they are caught texting or web browsing while driving. With that said I think all states should have it illegal to drive and talk unless it is on a headset or bluetooth. We have many states like New York who already follow the policy to ticket those caught talking on their phones while driving but becuase of the people who just dont care we need to start to remove that privilage from those who make it dangerous to the people around them. This would not be a hard concept to follow. If someone is ticketed for texting or web browsing online, or even swirving while talking on the phone, these people would have their cell phone carrier notified with the police report and their accounts would be suspended for atleast a year. With the way we are so absorbed in technology these days I think it would be safe to say that if someone was removed their precious phone for this long they would hopefully learn from their mistakes.

Michael Simons

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8. December 2011 by student.

Rick Scott decided to make drug testing welfare recipients a fixture in his legislative agenda upon being elected Governor of Florida. The majority-Republican state legislature pushed through the bill no problem, which meant that all those applying for welfare benefits had to undergo a mandatory drug screening. The point of the bill was to save the state money, but even those savings are disputed.

A federal judge in Orlando issued an  injunction on the law in late October, which halted the need for drug tests to apply for welfare. Her decision was based on the 4th Amendment ban on illegal searches and seizures. She believed that the state had not provided reasonable suspicion or probable cause, both necessary for such a process to occur.

This is just another example of the classism of Rick Scott’s administration. Who made the distinction of public services strictly welfare? What if all those receiving Bright Futures money or grants or Medicare were drug tested? The people who are being required to pay for these drug tests (between $25-$45 a piece) are living around the poverty line, and have families to support. Asking them to pay for a drug test when that could mean less food for their families is an awfully classist sentiment.

The best part about this entire process has been that approximately 2% of those tested have failed. That means that statistically, welfare users in Florida are less likely to be drug users than the general population. The myth of the drug-addled welfare queen that Rick Scott and his administration like to believe are the source of waste in government has once again come to light.  Ultimately, the law will most likely be struck down as unconstitutional (just as a similar law was struck down in Michigan), but the offensive and classist nature of the law shows just how concerned those in power are with the well-being of the less fortunate.

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8. December 2011 by student.

Another reason that unemployment is so high is because companies are downsizing to manage the economic crisis today and keep operations at minimal costs. These companies are downsizing personnel and the first thing they do is cut high paying jobs in the majority held by experienced people mostly over 45 years old. Many employees over 45 years old are being laid off and replaced with young, freshly graduated out college people; because young college graduated are being paid less because they don’t have the experience. The mature group will face age discrimination in some point and will have difficulties competing to get jobs. A great number of people under this category are considered underemployed. According to a poll conducted by Gallup.com, Underemployment is at 18.1%, an increment of 1% from last year. Underemployment is defined as people working part-time willing to work full time and people that are “overqualified” or “over educated”. In addition, these employees, with high education and vast experience are struggling to support families, and to save for retirement. Furthermore, many people are dipping their hands in their retirement funds to help make up difference in income and  in most cases, they may have to work until the day they die. 

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8. December 2011 by student.

Some estimates show that nearly 1 in 4 women will be a victim of sexual violence at some point in their lives. For some, it is the most tragic experience of their lives. That’s why earlier this year I was stunned and appalled when I read a New York Times article discussing the gang rape of an 11 year old in Cleveland, Texas.

The New York Times article discussed how the 11 year old victim was allegedly raped by 18 men (ages ranging from middle school to a 27 year old) in an abandoned trailer. The author of the article, James C McKinley, had the audacity to write in a paragraph attempting to shift blame from the rapists to the 11 year old victim.

“Residents in the neighborhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said.”

The way someone dresses is not a replacement for verbal, non-coercive consent. Besides that, she’s 11 years old and her mother was quoted saying in the NY Daily News that she still enjoys teddy bears and you could easily tell she was 11 years old. Mr. McKinley selectively left out any pertinent quotations like that, but instead relied upon casting the blame onto the victim and later in the article, her mother.

It’s no surprise that in our culture, the media continues to perpetuate this rape culture. Facebook continues to maintain pages on its website that promote rape culture and hate speech towards women. The actions of the media effectively normalize rape culture and victim-blaming at the emotional expense of the victims.

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8. December 2011 by student.

The ever rising oil price in the United States has led to many drastic changes in an American’s day to day activities.  The social problem of the rising oil price has led many to debate the use of oil and other alternative fuel types.  According to the VTPI(Victoria Transport Policy Institute), who’s goal is to show options to the people on how they can save money or switch their fuel source states, “Between 2003 and 2008 average U.S. gasoline retail prices more than doubled, from $1.77 to $4.10 per gallon, and high prices are expected to continue due to growing international demand and rising production costs.”  Even while using my Android application to find the cheapest gas in town, I am still stuck paying $3.50 a gallon in Fort Myers Florida.  I can’t complain because I know my parents in New York are paying way more then I am.  Even with the efforts of car pooling and phone applications to try and keep costs down when spending your hard earned money on gasoline, companies have expanded their research and have made cars that run on electric and gas, propane, and cars that run strictly on electric.  The Nissan Leaf, is a great example of a new energy source, it is a car that costs around $35,000 and runs strictly on electric.  Although the concept of running a car on only electric is one that may not be as widely accepted at first, but I think this is a great start on a path for change.

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8. December 2011 by student.

I went and researched stories that are geared towards my generation and in the media recently/currently about how tv stations are creating shows about people with disabilitys. The first look was at a girl shown on MTV’s True life named Alyssa; her disability was that she was born with Tourette syndrome. “Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics” (NINDS). The True Life episode followed her for a time period showing how she reacted during her everyday life, from random embarrassing out-bursts in public or muscle twitches that make it difficult to do daily activities like eating simple foods or brushing your teeth. Her case is so severe that she decides to go into an experimental surgery that places electrodes in her brain in a generator in her pelvic region which, when done, may improve her symptom of Tourette’s up to 70% percent. Following this episode much later another episode of MTV’s True life released called “This is Me Now” which covered and went back to previous stories of true lifers showing how their lives are different/changing. Alyssa was shown and discussed how she was often stared at, name called and brought down because of her disorder, but being on true life has also created more people to continue to taunt at her self-esteem, yet it’s also introduced her to people she’s helped out and motivated to look for cures by being on True Life.
Another example I saw was TLC’s show “Little People, Big World.” The show takes you into the lives of Parents Matt and Amy Roloff who are only 4 feet tall!! They’re raising their also “little” son and interesting enough two average size growing kids (boy and girl) up, All blood-related. The show carries on over different seasons. All seasons show the family at their best and worst moments and how they are going about their lives. I felt that “Little People, Big World” was a positive example on disabilities in society because I showed them overcoming obstacles and facing society in everyday life. But the family itself always stays positive and looks up. Some people will take these shows as a positive outlook, but then some people become negative about the situation feeling as if the shows were making fun of there disabilities.

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8. December 2011 by student.

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration recommended that Plan B be sold as an over-the-counter item without age restrictions. Currently, those 17 years of age must ask the pharmacist at their local store for the pill. Those under 17 must obtain doctor’s permission before having access to the pill. The FDA believed that Plan B was safe and should be available for all those of child-bearing age. That was until the Obama administration decided to get involved.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius decided to invoke her veto power over the FDA’s recommendation. She believed that the underage people who would be using the drug might not have the “behavioral maturity” to understand how to use the drug. Sebelius basically has no faith in those of child-bearing age to be able to read and correctly use Plan B.

This represents more of the same injection of politics into something with sound science behind it. All major medical organizations (AMA, ACOG, AAP) that deal with these types of issues have supported the removal of age restrictions on Plan B. They believe it should have the same availability as Tylenol. A Bush-era policy hated by reproductive rights activists has just been reaffirmed by the Obama administration when one of the clear mottos was sound science over rhetoric and politics. Reproductive rights are too often subject to those which have no right to legislate against them. Bodily autonomy is something that every person has and that right is so frequently challenged by those wishing to implement more controls over behavior.

Plan B helps curb teenage pregnancy, which leads to abject poverty for those that undergo it.  Teenage pregnancy and poverty are two social problems that are inextricably linked to each other. It baffles me as to how this administration would choose not to allow for a safe, scientific method of emergency contraceptive to be shelved outside of the pharmacy where those who need it can gain access to it.

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