26. April 2012 by student.

Animal hoarding is defined as:

This definition comes from the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, an independent group of academic researchers based in Massachusetts. The full definition and more info can be found at vet.tufts.edu/hoarding.

Animal hoarding is considered a mental impairment and usually happens after a person experiences a loss or some tragic event in their lives. Therapy can help, but it usually comes after the large number of aniamals have been discovered. In most cases thes animals are living in horrid conditions and malnutritioned.

It is likely that up to a quarter million animals—250,000 per year—are victims of hoarders. What’s more, records kept by ALDF indicate that in the last four years, the number of reported hoarding cases has more than doubled. In terms of the number of animals affected and the degree and duration of their suffering, hoarding is the number one animal cruelty crisis facing companion animals in communities throughout the country.

Local Humane Society’s can go bankrupt from one individual case of animal hoarding. The homes in which these animals live often have to be condemmed. The nusiance and cost to local authorities is ongoing in severe cases.

Hoarding is very difficult to prevent, but it can be stopped. There is a need for public education and for communities to know how to recognize the basic signs of hoarding: the keeping of abnormally large numbers of animals, the failure to provide proper nutrition and care, and serious neglect. In the short term, neglected and abused animals need to be removed from a hoarder’s property, but only long term changes to animal law can prevent hoarding.

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

25. April 2012 by student.

Many people have broken free from political oppression and bondage. However, there is another kind of bondage that can be worse than political is the bondage that comes from being an addict.  Alcohol, tobacco, and other substances have enslaved millions.  All addictions create dependence and a certain degree of tolerance.  Thus, it becomes extremely difficult for addicted people to break away from the cycle that has captured them.  For this reason, those trapped need support from professional care, family, church, and friends.  When people hear the word “addiction,” they usually think of an illegal substance such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or any other drugs that can be found on the street or over the counter.  Majority of people do not consider that uncontrollable alcohol can be just as harmful as illegal drugs, not only on the body, but also on the mind and spirit as well.  Substance abuse such as alcohol can be even worse than taking illegal drugs.  Reckless drinking can destroy a person’s life as well as the lives of those around them.  When people become both physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol, they become an alcoholic and suffer from a disease called alcoholism (Becker & Semrow2006).  Alcoholism somehow affects us all, parents, siblings, friends, or even personal encounters with strangers.  In fact, alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, quiet, withdrawn, or depressed.  They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused (Buljan, 2010).

In order for society to have a better understanding of the impact of alcohol, society must know what is an addiction and some of the factors that attribute to addiction.  Alcohol has both short and long-term effects, which might increase ones risk of addiction.  Some of the short-term effects consist of hangovers or binge drinking.  Long term-effects of alcohol abuse can result in relationship issues, financial difficulties, and legal problems.  One of the most common and severe mental disorder is alcohol dependence.  Drug dependence is a persuasive need to continue taking a drug to bring pleasure or to relieve anxiety.  Drug dependence can be very powerful and difficult to overcome.  The body adapts to the continuous use of a drug that produces dependence, leading to tolerance and to withdrawal symptoms when use stops.

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25. April 2012 by student.

This is William L Robishaw from Social Problems on Thursday Nights Class and I am going to talk about how women don’t get pay as well as men in the workforce field because of various reasons. The average women with a higher degree will not make as much as a average  male with a higher degree  is 2 million dollars over their lifetime.  It doesn’t show up in one large sum it is over period time like 20 or 30 years and it is hard to see on a day day basis. So in some work situations women have to prove themselves to get a raise or promotion but males our give a raise on potential not on performance. Many people believe that women make less because they drop out for children, stop working full time, and left the workforce for a while but come back later when pay rates are lower. This is all false they make less because they are simply are women. That is discrimination in a lot different way but just but it simply plain old discrimination.  This needs to be addreass to the public as a social problem so as a country we can fix it because it is wrong on all levels

The website where I got the information to support my social problem  http://www.womensmedia.com/money/95-gender-wage-gap-are-you-paid-as-much-as-a-man-if-he-had-your-job.html

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25. April 2012 by student.

As previously mentioned in other blogs, prescription drug abuse has increased exponentially here locally and across the nation. With that increase has come an influx of babies being born to these addictive drugs. These babies absorb the drugs ingested by their mothers through the umbilical cord and after birth have to go through a long and painful withdrawal process, on top of the other possible side effects from being born to addicted mothers. Nationally, the number of newborns discharged from hospitals with withdrawal symptoms increased 56% from 1995 to 2008. In Lee County there has been an 800% increase from 2005-2011. Very little research exists on the long-term consequences for the child but most symptoms include screaming, vomiting, shaking and jerking, some experience seizures, difficulty sleeping and have trouble breathing and eating, and sneeze uncontrollably. These symptoms are difficult to endure for grown adults who have chosen to pick up drugs and have to experience that consequences, but for a newborn child, well, I can’t even imagine. On average it costs about $1,200 per day to keep these infants in the hospital in order to administer drugs such as methadone to relive some of their symptoms and then to wean them off the methadone. All together this process can take weeks. In Virginia a new program is being developed in order to alleviate the medical costs from hospitals stays and to provide the babies with a more loving, nurturing environment during this difficult time. “The goal is to have the infants discharged from the NICU within five days. That allows time for the newborn to be stabilized on an appropriate methadone dose under the watchful eye of the doctors and nurses. It also provides time for the adult responsible for caring for the child to learn the guidelines of the program, including how to give the baby the methadone and record the infant’s withdrawal symptoms.” After the child is placed with their respective parents, they sign a contract and then the methadone is prescribed and dosage is monitored carefully. Symptom withdrawal sheets are filled out through the day and shared with the caretaker in charge. They must make weekly appointments with this caretaker. A recent national survey found that only 55% of hospitals with physician training programs for neonatalogy had a written protocol for treating drug-exposed newborns. In January of 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its policy for drug-exposed infants for the first time since 1998, citing the rising number of infants born addicted, as well as lack of scientifically proven ways to best treat them. However, the goal of these policies is only focused on finding the best combination of drugs to wean the baby quickly and get the out of the hospital. It is my belief that these outpatient procedures need to be considered in our local area, I also believe there must be more responsibility to ensure that the mothers get help themselves. Drug-addiction is not something that just goes away once the person stops using, it is a lifetime process of recovery. Also, drug testing for pregnant women should be a requirement and if drugs are found in the system of the pregnant individual and proper protocol should be put in place. If this plan is not followed, legal action needs to be taken. This is child endangerment and should be treated as a crime.

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25. April 2012 by student.

 China is the both the largest consumer and producer of coal in the world, producing three billion tons of coal per year; 1/3 of the world’s coal. China has built the modern, extremely efficient coal plants before the US, though the average energy efficiency is less than the US, the gap between them is closing. The down side of the massive production, however, is that Chinese coal miners account for 4/5ths of the world’s coal-related deaths; 150 times higher than the US, 250 times higher than Australia, and 10 times higher than the Russian Federation.

In 2010, the Chinese government claims to have halved the average death toll by shutting down 1000 dangerous mines, bringing the number down to a preposterous six per day. 2,657,230 people are said to work in state owned coal mines, though 80% of the country’s 16,000 mines are unregulated. Unofficial estimates gauge twice the number of actual deaths being released by the government; since 2002 the official death toll has gradually decreased, while the coal production nearly doubles in the same period. The majority of noted cases of coal-related deaths happens due to mine fires, gas explosions, or similar mining and processing disasters; but many more people die from air pollution related to coal burning. Pulmonary disease is a particularly deadly disease in China. Pulmonary disease is attributed to 26% of the deaths in China in 1988 (China’s recent statistics aren’t readily available).  In cooperation with the government, World Bank found that approximately 750,00 people die prematurely in China each year; the government had asked the researches to soften the conclusions.

In 2001, China was responsible for 10% of the world’s global carbon emissions, but in 2004 they were responsible for 14%. There’s currently a large argument about the fines for carbon regulations being too low, and China would need to spend much more money on waste treatment than it would have spent paying the fines. China also doesn’t have a cap on the carbon emissions due to an agreement that they signed stating developing nations aren’t required to cap their emissions, which puts the poorest, small island nations at the most risk of global warming’s effects. Green Peace, World Wildlife Fund, and The Energy Foundation, on the other hand, published a report detailing the nearly $270 billion GDP loss due to deaths, and recommended that China increase the tax on its coal to 23% to reflect this.

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25. April 2012 by student.

Facts about Bullying

• Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 15% and 30% of students are bullies or victims.
• A recent report from the American Medical Association on a study of over 15,000 6th-10th graders estimates that approximately 3.7 million youths engage in, and more than 3.2 million are victims of, moderate or serious bullying each year.
• Between 1994 and 1999, there were 253 violent deaths in school, 51 casualties were the result of multiple death events.  Bullying is often a factor in school related deaths.
• Membership in either bully or victim groups is associated with school drop out, poor psychosocial adjustment, criminal activity and other negative long-term consequences.
• Direct, physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school and declines in high school.  Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.  The U.S. Department of Justice reports that younger students are more likely to be bullied than older students.
• Over two-thirds of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective.
• 25% of teachers see nothing wrong with bullying or putdowns and consequently intervene in only 4% of bullying incidents.
• 56% of students have personally felt some sort of bullying at school. Between 4th and 8th grade in particular, 90% of students are victims of bullying
• A victim of bullying is twice as likely to take his or her own life compared to someone who is not a victim.
• Schools with easily understood rules of conduct, smaller class sizes and fair discipline practices report less violence than those without such features.

A bully is someone who directs physical, verbal, or psychological aggression or harassment toward others, with the goal of gaining power over or dominating another individual.  Research indicates that bullying is more prevalent in boys than girls, though this difference decreases when considering indirect aggression (such as verbal threats).

A victim is someone who repeatedly is exposed to aggression from peers in the form of physical attacks, verbal assaults, or psychological abuse. Victims are more likely to be boys and to be physically weaker than peers. They generally do not have many, if any, good friends and may display poor social skills and academic difficulties in school.

It is time to face the fact and stop blaming violent outbreaks on television, video games or even the music. Recent school shooting show signs of the victims’ being frustrated with other students picking on them and bullying them causes in turn vengeful violence. Bullies as well as the victims are more likely to be violent and begin fighting in school. Bullies having a lack of respect for others are more likely to resort to violence as a problem solver because they do not worry of what may come out of such actions. We need to start making a difference with such things as Early Interventions having the parents, students and even the teachers getting involved. This whole thing with 1 in 4 teachers thinking that its ok and that there is nothing wrong with bullying and not only will they not intervene 96% of the time but there are more and more stories reaching the media’s attention of teachers partaking in such forms of bullying as emotional bullying, name calling and verbal abuse. This is a major situation considering these are the people that the students should feel safe to go to with problem…Then who are they supposed to trust? Parents get involved and talk to your kids before you find out too late that your child was a victim!

Work Cited

http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/bullying_fs.aspx

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-school-bullying

-Amethyst

Posted in Mr. Andoscia, Social Problems | 1 Comment »

25. April 2012 by student.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/04/19/no-license-no-insurance-no-problem/?intcmp=featuredmedia

      Drunk drivers affect thousands of innocent people each year and the numbers show no sign of decreasing with the current laws and regulations that we are placing among habitual offenders. I think it is about time we start cracking down on this issue. One third of traffic fatalities in the US are caused by people that are driving under the influence. Even with the ‘zero tolerance’ laws which makes it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to drive with a BAC of .02 g/dL or higher and restrictions for those of age tolerating a BAC of no higher than .08 this alone with the consequences throughout the states just isn’t enough to bring down the astronomical numbers that are found when researching the effects of drunk driving. Statistics show that an average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before first arrest. So how many more times do you think they are on the road putting you in danger until another arrest or even while waiting pending charges for the first. The loss of a license and/or restrictions on the driving abilities of a convicted drunk driver are shown in numbers not to have a very great affect on the individual, 50 to 75% of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license. So what is the answer if there is one? I believe that all convictions should have a regulation on having an ignition interlock device installed into their motor vehicle minimizing the access and ability for an individual to get behind the wheel and drive while intoxicated. ‘Can’t drive drunk if your car won’t start’ Withers says. (See “You can’t drive drunk if your car won’t start“) Look at a couple stats on states that are putting this into affect:

      New Mexico’s 6-year-old law requiring ignition interlock devices for all convicted drunken drivers, including first-time offenders, is credited with a 35 percent reduction in drunken-driving deaths.

      Arizona, with a similar law, has reduced drunken-driver deaths by 46 percent since 2007.

      The Centers for Disease Control recently reviewed research on interlock devices and concluded they reduce re-arrest rates by 67 percent. The CDC now recommends the devices for every convicted drunken driver.

The IID or the Ignition interlock device is a mechanism like a breathalyzer that is installed on a vehicle’s dashboard. Before the vehicles motor can be started the driver will have to exhale into the device; if the drivers result is greater than the programmed blood alcohol concentration level the device will prevent the engine from starting. All expense for the product can be deemed in court to be charge by the convicted for the device to be installed. So the next time a convicted individual thinks about enjoying a beer at the bar they will just have to stop and think about how they will be getting home instead of endangering innocent lives as they have done in the past!

Work Cited

http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/08/28_drunk-driving.html

http://www.madd.org/statistics/

http://www.carinsurance.com/Articles/DUI-ignition-interlock-laws-insurance.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-65728110

-Amethyst

Posted in Mr. Andoscia, Social Problems | 1 Comment »

25. April 2012 by student.

 The Indian Road Network only began in 1995, but is planned to spend seventy billion dollars by 2013.  Yet this isn’t even half of the $1.7 billion estimation by Goldman and Sachs, required by 2020 to meet the country’s needs, a $500 billion of which would be allocated to the project. The network is currently plagued by issues; the truck shipments cost double that of Japan, as the speeds and current ordinance make the fuel consumption extremely poor, and cause travel times double that of even China. While many current reports on the subject note the antiquated views of the country’s government on the issue, and the fact that the road network requires greater funding for infrastructure and expansion,  very few have reported it from a sociological perspective; India’s infrastructure requires much more work before any of the construction should even begin.

The majority of the roads in India today are small rural roads, and the road laws on them hasn’t changed since the country inherited them during its independence in 1947, and the country had little purpose for them until the late 1980s, long after the major world powers. The economic liberalization beginning in the 1990s transformed India to one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and in 1995, the country began to make use of the National Highways Authority of India created in 1988. Recently, private roads such as the Ganga Expressway have been delayed for three or more years due to litigation and bureaucracy; and maintenance or modernization on older roads has been consuming much of the funding initially intended for expansion.

The primary issue as of now is the efficiency of freight trucks. Fuel consumption and speeds make shipping much less lucrative, and cause fuel consumption to skyrocket. The ratio of highways to person in India is much lower than any other modern country, at .069 kilometers per thousand person, in comparison 1.4 km/1000 people in the US and .49 km/1000 people in Japan, causing a much more congestion on the roads. Combined with the poor road laws, this drastically reduces speed to an average of 40 kph, half the average road speed of 80 kph. The cost per mile for a truck to travel in Japan (a country with extremely inflated fuel costs) is $.037, half of the $.07 it is in India due to the road conditions and slow speed.  Despite this, road transport of goods contributes 4.7% of the GDP, five times the amount of the much more developed railways.

The majority of the issues currently effect nearly the entire population of India. The lower and working classes have no choice but to pay more money due to the shipping costs. The upper class citizens and business owners are required to pay more to have their products shipped, and run risks of having products arrive late. The roads also pose problems for courts and government officials, as they cause many lawsuits and require an exorbitant amount of bureaucracy. India is also just recently becoming a major consumer of automobiles, and the lack of infrastructure in the roads makes driving difficult and time consuming, reducing mobility of its citizens.  In some cities, the air has become so polluted by the traffic that people are suffering noticeable problems; in Bangalore, nearly half of the children suffer from asthma linked to engine emissions.

Studies also show that the Indian road network hinders the GDP by one to two percent, the equivalent of $16-$32 billion dollars and equivalent of losing ten million new jobs every year. India is currently giving incentives for other countries and private businesses to invest in the $80 billion program to create roads and expressways. These incentives are said to include “mega projects”, though the reports have not revealed many details.

Posted in Social Problems, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

25. April 2012 by student.

Domestic violence in the United States is rising. Although no one can say with complete certainty why, many experts believe the current financial crisis is the contributing factor to this rise. Domestic violence is defined as violence or physical abuse directed toward your spouse or domestic partner; usually violence by men against women. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined and everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. Not only has there been a steady incline for the past 3 years of the number of domestic violence incidents funding to local shelters have been decreased by government cutbacks. Sue Else, president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, said: “The ‘Mary Kay Truth About Abuse’ survey confirms for the third year in a row that the economy is affecting cases of domestic violence and the situation is becoming worse nationwide. While the economy does not create domestic violence, a downturn can exacerbate the frequency and severity of abuse. The demand for domestic violence services continues to increase significantly, yet at the same time, funding sources are down. We applaud companies like Mary Kay for stepping up and strongly urge others to do their part to help end domestic violence.” Domestic violence is a serious issue, not only does it affect the victim but it also affects the children if they are involved. In addition to the fact that no children ever needs to see that many of these children will grow up to be abusers or stay in abusive relationships themselves. Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually. It’s also easy to believe that if it doesn’t affect you personally then it’s probably not that big a deal but intimate domestic violence issues cost the U.S. Over $5.8 billion a year. After doing research for my blogs I’ve researched school shootings, bullying, alcohol abuse, and now domestic violence, I’m starting to see a trend that all these things are intertwined. Bullying generally occurs by children who learn this behavior at home, and in turn the children that are bullied come to school with guns, and a lot of alcohol and drug abuse is occurs in people who grew up in dysfunctional families such as these. I believe the issue starts at home, we need to teach our young boys that being a man means controlling your temper in a healthy manner and teach our young women that this is not a healthy ideal for a relationship and the signs of abusive relationships and how important it is to get out early.

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

24. April 2012 by student.

I have been in countless debates and been lectured countless time about this subject,which get kinda boring after awhile. My stance on Lowering the drinking age to 18 is that it should be done, and i have a couple reason why.

I had my first drink before i was 21, like most people nowadays. I used to go out partying and had my share of drunk fun and regrettably had nights i blacked out on floors. But the up side is that i got that behavior out of my system early, so when i did turn 21, i really wasnt into getting drunk or was that into going to parties and such. I feel that would be the case for most teens as well, once they do it a couple of times it loses it allure and just becomes something of the norm.  Lowering MLDA 21 to 18 would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to drink alcohol safely in regulated environments with supervision. Prohibiting this age group from drinking in bars, restaurants, and other licensed locations causes them to drink in unsupervised places such as fraternity houses or house parties where they may be more prone to binge drinking and other unsafe behavior. This would be a better choice than having underage drinking at house parties, where things can go horribly wrong. 18 is the age of adulthood in the United States, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and join the military - which includes risking one’s life. I think the decision is easy, change the Drinking age to 18, lose the allure and the sense of taboo over drinking and kids will just get tired of it

Posted in Social Problems | 2 Comments »