TEENAGE
PREGNANCY
Teenage pregnancy is never looked up upon. From the age of 13 to 19
is the age of most teenagers being pregnant. People in society always
think that it is a horrible outcome of something that teens should
have never gone and done. Many parents think that a teenager being
pregnant is their own fault and they should not be responsible for
it. Studies said that teen pregnancy occur because parents don’t talk
to their children about the topic of sex. Parents are scared and are
uncomfortable about the fact of talking to their kids about have sex.
Pregnancy is
something which some teens say is a night mare. Teenagers don’t know
what to do when they are pregnant and are scared because their parents
never talked to them about sex. When teenagers found out that they
were pregnant, they point fingers to their sexual partner because they
think that they did something wrong, for example, they didn’t wear
protection of they didn’t take the birth control pill. IN some cases
teens don’t wear protection because they think that it cant happen to
them
Teenager
pregnancy is actually looked up upon on some cultures. IN some
cultures teens are getting married as young as 14 or 15 and getting
pregnant. Parents in these cultures actually think that when they get
pregnant is a good think, so that the ext generation can go on and
they have someone to carry their family name down the line. IN other
cases, some teens do want to get pregnant. Nine percent of unmarried
teenagers wanted to get pregnant for their own reason.
There are also many risk
factors that young teenagers should watch out for. One factor that
teenagers didn’t keep in mind is the fact that they are having sexual
intercourse and they aren’t using protect. But the point is that
teenagers should not have intercourse because all the contraception
for examples condoms, birth control pills isn’t a hundred percent
effective.
The question
in people’s mind is “Why teenagers have sex, add do so without
effective methods of contraception? Some reasons are that teenagers
become sexually mature before they reach the stage of emotional
maturity. Teenagers are growing up with single parents, listen to
music and want TV and motion pictures often transmit and overt
messages that unmarried sexual relationships are accepted and is
common to everyone. Another reason why teenagers have sexual
intercourse is because school, home and in other community places
don’t offer education about responsible sexual intercourses.
Some other
risk factors for teenage girls are early dating behavior. Early
alcohol and drug use such as tobacco products can influence teenage
girls to have sexual intercourse. Another factor is dropping out of
school, lack of support groups or new friends can cause teenagers to
turn bad. Lack of involvement in school, family or activities give
very little hope for young girls to be successful. Another factor is
that girls grow up in an area where teenage pregnancy is a normal
thing plants the idea that if they have sexual intercourse and do get
pregnant would be a normal thing. Many other factors such as growing
up under poverty or being a victim of sexual abuse or assault or even
having mothers who gave birth to babies when they are under 19 can
give an image to an adolescent that pregnancy is a normal thing.
There are
programs now that help reduce teenage pregnancy. Programs tend to
focus on an approach to the issue of teen pregnancy, or these programs
use a combination of approaches. There are knowledge based programs
that focus on teaching adolescents about their bodies and the body’s
normal functions. This program also give adolescents detailed
information about protection.
There are many
symptoms for pregnancy and there are also signs and tests. Pregnancy
symptoms are missed period, fatigue, breast enlargement and breast
tenderness, abdominal distention, nausea or vomiting and light
headedness or actual fainting. Having a missed period doesn’t always
mean that you are pregnant. Missed period can mean that your hormones
are not right and it just a once or twice thing. These signs don’t
always mean that you are pregnant. To be sure that you are you should
take tests in a clinic or a hospital.
Teenagers may
not say that they have had sexual intercourse. One sign is that your
weight change, it is normally a weight gain but because of all nausea
and vomiting a young teenager can get a loss in weight. A pregnancy
test of urine and serum HCG are usually the test that you can take to
be sure if you are pregnant or not. Another test to confirm the dates
for pregnancy is the pregnancy ultrasound.
Sign are
usually obvious to a person that she is pregnant. The sign or morning
sickness and missed period should be enough to let the adolescent know
that she is pregnant. But the most positive way to make sure that you
are pregnant is to go to the doctor and get tested and to get
information if you are and to see what are the factor that you need to
watch out for.
If the
adolescent doesn’t want to baby she could have an abortion or just
giving up the infant for adoption is another option. Abortion can
only be done if the adolescent is unmarried and it is legally
obtained. This means that having an abortion can be done without
parental consent. In a case of married teens consent from the husband
maybe needed to get he abortion.
Giving up the
infant is another option. Majority of pregnant teens choose to
continue their pregnancies and keep their infants until their due
dates and they send their infants for adoption.
To ensure
healthy babies the teens should get adequate prenatal care. Smoking,
alcohol use, and drug abuse is strongly discouraged. Nutrition,
exercise and sleep are important to both the baby and the mother.
Contraceptive information and services are also important.
Information about delivery is also important to the teenagers.
High rates of
illness and death for both the mother and infant is complications for
adolescent pregnancy. Another complication is that teenage girls are
emotionally and physically not ready to have a healthy baby. Compare
to grown women their changes of having a healthy baby are slim.
Teenager’s
infants are 2 to 6 times more likely to have low birth weight than
mothers whose age is 20 and up. Another complication factor is that
prematurely and intrauterine growth retardation has a great role in
the infants that are born from teenagers. Another great risk for
inadequate growth, infection, or chemical dependence, is from the
smoking, alcohol use, or drug abuse from the mother. Inconsistent
nutrition or multiple sexual partners may also have an impact of the
new born.
There are many
articles about teens and the baby they didn’t want. There was an
article about Amy Grossberg and Brain Peterson and their baby. In
1996 Amy gave birth to a healthy baby in a motel room. Both Amy and
Brain didn’t want the baby so Brain wrapped the infant in a garbage
bag and threw him in the dumpster. As months pasted by, they have
been in denial about having a baby and the fact that Amy was
pregnant. In this case teenage pregnancy is not looked upon and many
teenagers do find that the only way to hide the fact that they were
pregnant or that they had a baby is to kill the infant.
Teenage
pregnancy in different people points of view maybe a good and a bad
thing. But if a teenager do get pregnant they have many factors to
look out for and have to do. There are signs and test for teens who
want to know if they are pregnant. There are also complication and
treatment that the teens can get. The most important thing when
you’re pregnant is to ask yourself if you want the child or not. If
you do, you have to be sure that you don’t smoke, drink or do any
other substances that may harm your child. Teenage pregnancy isn’t
looked up upon but in some cases because of the lack of sexual
education, it may be too late for the teen to learn about it. |
High School
Diploma Required!
High school is four
years of useful time. High school prepares you for college and your
future success. Many teens use these four years to help them become
better prepared for the future. Others like Jay Mathews find it a
waste of precious time when you can work and still make money. Mathews
States, “Some can just survive in this environment”. For instance,
look at Bill Gates and Abraham Lincoln they are successful and self
educated. Yet, these examples are one in a billion, not everyone has
this opportunity. Being rich without a high school diploma is like
winning the lottery. Students without a high school diploma might need
more than a miracle.
However, one exception is Bill Gates. In his junior year, Gates left
Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had started
in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Bill Gates at age
thirteen found his interest in computers. As a young adult he devoted
his time to computer programming and later became successful. Gates
explains that, “when he was growing he didn’t have many problems
because he got everything he wanted. His mother was a middle school
teacher; his father an attorney. I grew up very wealthy but being
wealthy isn’t everything” With this realization, he knew that hard
work and discipline are the keys to success.
The two examples
that Mathews identified were from two different decades. Abraham
Lincoln is another one of the exceptions to this rule. Lincoln had to
struggle for a living and for education, yet he still became the 16th
President. Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge
while working on a farm, one of his responsibilities included
splitting rails for fences. In addition, he was a captain in the Black
Hawk War, spent eight years in the Illinois Legislature, and he rode
the circuit courts for many years. His law partner said, "His ambition
was a little engine that knew no rest”. Although Lincoln was self
educated he was determined and through his efforts he became the
President. Also, despite many obstacles he abolished slavery.
“Why do you want to
Drop out of school?” ,this is a common question for teens that think
about dropping out. Most high school dropouts are related to family,
peers, disabilities and economical problems. High school students may
drop because their family needs money to pay bills, in order for them
to have a roof over their heads. The death of a family member or
friend can lead students to be stressed out or depressed. Peers are
another reason for student drop out. Being over weight, short or even
being too tall may be a reason to be teased . As a result, students
may have low self esteem . Students with disabilities either physical
or mental are also picked on, or put down. Many other students choose
to dropout to get away from working too hard. Stubborn students don’t
understand that knowledge is power. Others realize that staying in
school will help them to achieve their goals.
High
school is one of the greatest steps to becoming successful .High
school may have obstacles, which every one can overcome if they
desire. Life, as well, has obstacles which every one must overcome to
live in this society. Without trying you are not going to get anything
out of life. High school is very important, it prepares you for future
challenges.
The consequences of
living and growing up with out the proper education may lead to many
disastrous events. According to USA Today, students who do not attend
school are outside in the streets. On the street, young adults often
become mobsters, hoodlums, gangsters or even drug dealers. Kids with
no life may do graffiti, consume drugs, and get pressured to doing
many other illegal activities. All of the people mentioned above make
the society very corrupt. Young girls may become pregnant. Too many
young mothers may abandon their babies. As a result, the abandoned
children are faced with the same problems as their parents. If there
were more Community Centers, Military Cadet Corps, and after school
recreation centers it would help adolescents stay away from the
streets. These activities could discipline them and give them places
where they can go. Than there might just be a lot less corruption. An
example of this would be during the 1930’s during the Great
Depression. From 1930 -1935 President Theodore Roosevelt came up with
a new deal which gave unemployed people jobs to keep them busy from
protesting or making the Bonus Army. The Bonus Army was a veteran
military personal who protested and wanted more money. The (CCC)
Civilian conservation Corps provided young people with jobs such as
fixing bridges painting walls cleaning up streets, this made society
to be better and keep young people off the streets away from drugs and
out of problems.
Without
a High School diploma the average amount of money the person can get
through out their lifespan is about less than a million, according to
the Daily News. Studies have found that young adults with low
education and skill levels are more likely to live in poverty and to
receive government assistance. High school dropouts are likely to stay
on public assistance longer than those with at least a high school
degree. Further, high school dropouts are more likely to become
involved in crime according to the child trends data bank society.
Most teens don’t understand that a High School diploma is the Pass
Port to success. There are very few jobs that can be found that pays
well without a high school diploma. Yet, manual labor is required such
as busting your chops for ten dollars an hour. Teens don’t realize
that as time passes by more technology is being born. Even to be a
Sanitation employer you must have at lest 2 years of college, although
they make more than N.Y teachers they just study to make pick up
garbage. The new technology that is being created today may start
taking over many jobs, for example the industrial revolution. Many
farmers lost their jobs to machinery. In fact, many teens believe that
going to work now will make them rich later, by them saving up. Going
to school will make them a pauper. Actually going to school will make
them more educated and sophisticated.
Believe it or not a
high school diploma is very important. It may not seem as important
to the students within the United States. To foreigners it’s their
dream degree. Being that foreigners have little money and cannot
afford to pay for their education, they dropout of high school and
decide to work. This situation is understandable, but what excuse can
a student give when they are in the U.S. and their education is free.
Yet when foreigners still come to the U.S. some of them still drop
out. The statistics of Hispanics dropping out of high school is
really high.
A new study by the
Department of Education examines school dropout rates over the past 30
years. Overall the numbers are encouraging. Dropout rates are
declining for African-Americans and whites, but one group, the group
with the highest dropout rate of all, has remained largely unchanged.
Seventeen-year-old
Marina has seen this phenomenon in her own family. “Almost everyone in
my family went to school ‘til the sixth grade and just dropped out,”
she says.
Over a quarter of
Hispanic kids ages 16 to 24 have dropped out of school. That’s more
than twice as many as any other group. Some kids say it’s a cultural
difference. “People from our culture, like Mexicans, Hispanics, they
take the easy route – just drop out instead of working hard,” says
18-year-old Omar.
But many
Hispanic kids are dropping out and working hard. Tammie
Roach, the academic coordinator of an alternative school says, “A lot
of our students feel they could serve themselves and their families
better if they go out and get a full time job as opposed to coming to
school.”
Sixteen-year-old
Jose has seen it happen. “My friend just dropped out because his
brother dropped out and started working, making money – not big money,
but he liked it, and so he followed his brother,” he says.
There are choices
out there for kids who need help, Hispanic or otherwise. Roach says,
“Normally I see broken spirits – students who want badly to get a
diploma, who want badly to be successful, because they have the same
kind of dreams and hopes that other students have, but they don’t know
how to set themselves up to be successful.”
Considering myself
as someone that attempt to drop out I can say that things are very
difficult. There are a lot of things that one as a teen should think
about before making a decision that we could regret. All I know is
that I’ve made the right choice, I am in school and I have one more
year to go. The fact that I am getting my high school diploma makes
me feel like I have succeeded and I am happy to say that I will not be
part of the percentage of Hispanic drop outs. I really don’t want my
younger sisters see me as a quitter. What I want is for them to look
up to me. If I dropout I believe that it would cause a chain reaction.
Without me going to school every year I would not be able to cultivate
my learning skills to help others like they have helped me.
|
Should FCC Be Able to Regulate Radio or TV Programs?
Currently a government agency called the
Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) has been trying to shut down
some of the funniest radio programs on air using their “indecency” as
an excuse. The FCC was established in 1934, and has been charged with
regulating interstate and international communications by radio,
television, wire, satellite and cable. Many of the services provided
by the FCC are beneficial. The censorship aspect of their rigid power
is not. The FCC has been abusing their power to control the radio and
satellite waves. They are not only violating the freedom of speech of
radio broadcasters but are also violating your rights to hear what
these broadcasters have to say.
On April 8, 2004 the FCC charged $495,000 in
fines at Clear Channel Communications for 18 different occurrences of
indecency on the Howard Stern show. The fines represent the maximum
allowable for each act and are a blatant attempt by the FCC to force
Howard Stern off the air. Chillingly, the FCC was successful in
forcing Stern off the air. The offense Stern is guilty of is
discussing his new anti-Bush campaign and urging his viewers not to
vote for President Bush on air, while playing gag noises. Clear
Channel decided to permanently drop Howard Stern. They said, "Mr.
Stern's show has created a great liability for us and other
broadcasters who air it," said John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear
Channel Radio, in a news release. "The Congress and the FCC are even
beginning to look at revoking station licenses. That's a risk we're
just not willing to take." So now the government has the power to
force a hugely popular disc jockey off the air because they don't like
what they hear.
A comedian named George
Carlin (Dogma, Scary Movie 3) did a routine, which was restricted by
the FCC because he read aloud a poem called “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg
(1926-1997). “Howl” is a deeply dark poem about starving artist going
crazy and voicing their opinions against government control and
meeting the demands of a brutal world. An FCC chairman attacked Carlin
for reading the poem, which was, quote “deemed obscene and spread
unwanted propaganda.”
The only part of Ginsberg’s’ poem aloud to be read does not allow the
listener to fully understand the meaning of the poem because it is
judged to be obscene and rude.
But industry lawyers said the different
outcomes showed the commission's arbitrariness. ''The agency's
decisions now tend to be so ad hoc by their very nature,'' Mr. Sanford
said. ''It's hard to find a common thread or say, “This is the line.''
It has become hard, even for the experts, to tell what is or isn’t
indecent.
These are some of the decisions that have stirred debate:
·
On Oct. 12, the commission proposed to fine
169 stations for broadcasting the April 7 episode of Fox's ''Married
by America,'' which it said involved party goers licking ''whipped
cream from strippers' bodies in a sexually suggestive manner'' (Fox
noted that none of this occurred on camera) and showed a man in his
underwear being ''playfully spanked'' by two female strippers.
·
In August, the commission
denied a complaint against NBC's ''Will & Grace'' for an episode that
the agency said showed two women kissing and then rubbing against each
other to simulate intercourse. The agency also denied a complaint
against an episode of UPN's ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''
One good thing about this
whole ordeal is that adults all over are gathering and doing all they
can to stop the FCC from regulating what we hear on the radio. There
are protests and petitions being signed all over. One popular petition
being signed states the following:
·
Every adult American has the right to watch
the TV shows they want without government interference;
·
Every parent has the right to decide what TV
shows their children watch;
·
Every adult should have access to
easy-to-use parental controls and information about program content;
·
Every parent needing help using those
controls should receive it; and,
·
Americans' favorite programs and freedom to
decide for themselves are threatened by government control.
Another organization
formed to help protect your freedom of speech against the FCC is the
Center of Democracy and Technology (CDT). CDT is urging bloggers and
other Internet users to sign a set of principles calling on Congress
and the Federal Elections Commission to keep troublesome federal
campaign finance laws from hindering the online political speech of
individuals. “The principles, developed in collaboration with the
Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet (IPDI) of George
Washington University, respond to a recent proposal by the Federal
Election Commission (FEC) that considers extension of burdensome
campaign finance laws to the Internet. CDT and IPDI have launched a
web site to promote the principles and to allow bloggers and other
users to educate the FEC on the diversity of independent political
commentary online.”
The FCC is worried
that certain things people say or certain things people do will offend
someone greatly. You cannot curse because it offends the children, you
cannot make jokes because it offends the homosexuals or the Mexicans
or the African Americans etc. But what the FCC does not seem to
realize is that every person is different and someone is always going
to be offended because that is what the human race has grown to be:
one great group of offended individuals. And regulating what these
individuals listens to or watch will not solve the problem, it will
just make them more agitated than before.
The really astounding thing about this
censorship is that every computer, television and radio already comes
with a device to protect its viewer from offensive material. It’s
called the off button. Those who do not wish to hear or view offensive
material are not obligated to, but (as Supreme Court Justice points
out) the FCC violates the rights of those who do wish to hear or view
the broadcast. The American citizen does not need the government to
tell him or her what he or she should watch. It is an individual’s
choice. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that censorship, like
charity, should start in the home. Unlike charity, King added, it
should stay.
An individual should have the freedom of
expression on the airwaves, radio waves or Internet. The individual
should be able to choose the words he or she feels would best express
him or herself. The censorship of the FCC is in direct violation of
our liberties mainly because decency is in the eye of the beholder. It
is even stated in your very own constitution “Congress shall make no
law abridging the freedom of speech, or the press”. Radio stations are
made for the public, so why not let the public form a foundation in
which we can work together and vote on what programs we would like to
hear and when. The government has an obligation to protect our
children, but this is no longer about protecting them. The FCC is
strengthening regulations on broadcasters not to protect the children,
but to silence the adults. Today you allow them to make quiet the
radio broadcasters, after that they will go after the Internet, pretty
soon they will be controlling what you read. The Golden Age of
Democracy is coming to an end. We must choose now whether we want a
controlling government today or a destructive tyranny tomorrow.
Works Cited
Articles:
1. Excerpt from the upcoming book CYBER RIGHTS, by Mike Godwin (Random House, forthcoming in 1996, Publisher: MIT Press)
2. The New York Times, By Stephen Labaton, December 23, 2004
3. TV Watch, Jack Balkin, First Amendment Professor, Yale Law School
-
TV Watch, Petition:
http://www.televisionwatch.org/site/c.dqLSI7OCKlF/b.509825/k.122/Who_We_Are.htm
-
(CDT) Center for
Democracy and Technology:
http://www.cdt.org/
-
Howard Stern links:
http://www.howardstern.com/archive.php
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Excerpted from the upcoming book CYBER RIGHTS, by Mike Godwin (Random
House,
forthcoming in 1996)
The New York Times, By Stephen Labaton, December 23, 2004
|
Same Sex Parenting (text
not available except Works
Cited)
Works
Cited
Gierach, Ryan. “Sam-Sex
Parenting Study Shows Gender Role Differnces.
Lesbian News.
Jun2001, Vol. 26 Issue 11, p22, 1/2p. May2005
http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&an=4726170
Logue, Patricia M. “The
Rights of Lesbian and Gay Parents an Their Children”
www.aaml.org/Articles/2002-2/
Rights%20of%20Lesbian%20-%20Logue.htm -
296k
Arlene Istar Lev CSW-R, CASAC “Lesbian and
Gay Parenting”
May2005
members.aol.com/tjfronczak/lesgayparenting.htm
|
Cybernetic Death
The Internet
is a powerful teaching tool for millions of people. The vast
knowledge attainable from the Internet is astounding, yet most people
don’t think twice about the destructive nature the Internet
possesses. While most people who use the Internet do so for
information sharing and other harmless activities, some are more
engaged in the cybernetic world than many people realize. The
Internet can become their home, a place where they can shed the
normality of everyday life to become someone extraordinary. These
people learn to express themselves to people why will never know, to
trust in their opinions, and to follow their actions.
You can
literally do anything on the Internet, from researching car loans to
searching for the perfect love. Yes, such freedom to do whatever you
want can be exhilarating but could it also is dangerous? For some
people it can, the Internet can be the source of the wrong kind of
support. While some people may wonder what kind of support could be
negative others already know the answers all too well from the tragic
loss of loved ones.
During the
past years increasing number of people has been using the Internet for
destructive purposes. The new trend of suicide is now through
Internet sites that explain in details how to and offers chat groups
for people to plan, meet up and commit suicide together. As studies
indicate suicide leads to and estimated 30,622 deaths annually in the
United States alone. (Caruso) Although the Internet is not the major
cause of suicides, it is just a matter of time before it becomes a
major tool used to aid in suicides.
A common
question many people may ask is “Why would people go online to commit
suicide?” The answer to that is simple. It isn’t easy to commit
suicide and those who attempt it can fail and end up with major
injuries. Rather than risk the pain, and often having their family
and friends beg them not to do it, these people seek accomplices to
support them and encourage them. The Internet is the best place as it
offers anonymous web chats and to find partners. Through websites
that support suicide people can make dates, details and even plan
“suicide parties” where everyone commits suicide together in someone’s
home, or on the web via web cam.
Suicidal
people often have a tendency to hurt not only themselves but anyone
around them they could. They feel it is their duty to bring to an end
the pain of as many people as they can. The see it as euthanasia, or
a mercy killing, not as the murder which is a more violent act bent on
hurting someone for personal pleasure or extreme hate. The effects of
the Internet on suicides is not well know, however, over the course of
the next few years chances are that there will be an alarming increase
of suicide pacts.
Depression is
a leading cause of suicides, but in the new era, suicide cults and
peer pressure are growing as causes. Both of which can be found
through the Internet. 51.1% of all suicides results from a firearm of
some sort, 20.2% of suicides results from handing or suffocation, and
17.0% of suicides results from poisoning. (Caruso) Suicide cults are
groups of people who believe in suicide for religious or other
reasons; they usually commit suicide at the same time. Suicides by
peer pressure are when friends encourage behavior that leads to the
suicide of the person.
How do people
react to suicidal people on the Internet? Sadly this question does
not entail a happy answer, many people feel that people who mention
suicide are joking, bluffing, or trying to get attention. Sometimes
they are, sometimes they aren’t, but regardless of whether or not they
are, the fact remains. If someone tells you they want to commit
suicide, get them help immediately. Unfortunately this rarely
happens, for some obscure reason, people seem to think that people on
the Internet are trained actors, perhaps it’s the amount of time we
spend watching television that has blurred our perception of reality
and fantasy?
January or
2003 is a month Nancy Russell would never forget. At 1 p.m. when she
went to awaken her son, Brandon Vedas, she discovered he was dead. It
wasn’t after a few weeks after his alleged suicide that they
discovered the truth the Internet played in the final moments of his
life. Brandon was a computer technician who spent most of his free
time surfing the Internet, however, on the night of January 11, he
entered a chat room he frequently visited, this would be the last time
anyone saw him alive.
He had invited
all his friends to watch him take drugs, which had been prescribed, to
him by various doctors, which was most likely attained by falsifying
symptoms so he could legally get drugs to become high. Through the
web cam he had, they watched him, offering supportive statements such
as “eat more that’s not much” and “I wanna see if you survive or if
you just black out” as he popped more and more pills which were
supposed to help for depression. Some people did try to him our,
begging him to stop or asking other people to get help, with
statements of “i really love you man its sad to see you die like this”
as he lapsed further into a coma which would eventually take his
life. What happened when Brandon lost consciousness? The spectators
logged off as if that was a normal day of watching a television
drama. Through the words of ‘Smoke2k’, who turns out to be a
teenager, the sickening statements of “it’s been fun watching this
stunt” and “might not want to do that you could really get him
arrested” when other online spectators tried to get help; but the most
sickening statement has to be the “good night” at the end as he logs
off further ignoring the fact that he had assisted in the death of
another person.
In Japan
online Suicide pacts, is responsible for 18 deaths since February 2003
to June 2003 including the 4 deaths on June 10th of 2003.
While Japan is “plagued by an astronomical suicide rate,” the estimate
of just over 30,000 suicides shocks experts. (Huus) These recent
suicides have been linked to the Internet where information on how to
kill oneself by carbon monoxide poisoning emitting from a coal burning
stone. The websites advocates the philosophy, “If you are going to do
it, don’t hurt yourself – do it right” (Huus)
In February of
2005, a mass suicide attempt, which was to take place on February 14,
was dubbed the “Valentine Day Suicide”. It was organized on a web
site chat group, and the leaders of the ‘party’, 26 year old Gerald
Krien, was trying to coordinate around 32 people to commit suicide in
his home in Oregon, if they couldn’t make it online via web cams.
Authorities got wind of this pact when a woman who was planning to
kill herself and her two children. Although it is not known if the
whole party is a hoax, authorities did not take any chances, arresting
Gerald and seizing his computer where he had allegedly coaxed women
committing suicide together.
Whether or not
the people who were planning to go through with the ‘party’ are still
thinking about going through with it is uncertain, authorities are
making every possible effort to locate and try to protect these
people. People will always wonder what would have happened if the
woman did not alert authorities. Chances are they would have gone
through with the planned suicide, and as sad as it may be, innocent
people would have been hurt in the process. As Klamath County Sheriff
Timothy Evinger said,
“The scary
part is with just a name and intent on the Web, you can draw in people
worldwide,” Evinger said. “It doesn’t surprise me that we could be
just scratching the surface ... the tip of the iceberg here.” (CNN)
Although
Evinger would not disclose how the suicides were to be carried out, we
can reasonably assume they would probably take the most common
methods, whether it be firearms, hanging, or poisoning, the outcome
would be the same. Family members and friends grieving for their
loved ones, forever wondering what they could have done to prevent the
disaster from occurring. According to Caruso, “each suicide
intimately affects at least 6 other people. (estimate)” Does this
give people the right to prevent a person from taking their own life?
While no one can honestly say, it does give us a reason to try and
stop people who think suicide is the way out; we need to show them how
much they really do mean to people, and their death will do nothing
but deepen the misery of their loved ones who already struggle knowing
they cannot help enough or don’t know how to help.
The alarming
growth of Internet Websites that promote suicide as the answer to
everyday problems is astounding. As the use of the Internet continues
to grow, people will find more and more ways to harm themselves under
the watchful eyes of others. The website administrators are
assistants in murder; they prey on people that are having emotional
problems and exploit them in the worst possible way. Medical and law
enforcement personals need access to personal information granted by
suspected suicidal people in order to prevent the death and ultimately
help them realize there is much more reasons to live than to die. The
last words Brandon Vedas spoke were, “I told u I was hardcore.” Let
us not make the same mistake he did; let us prevent suicide in every
form possible.
Bibliography
http://www.msnbc.msn/id/3340456/ Huss, Kari. “Japan’s chilling
Internet suicide pacts” June 10 2003
Article on Japan’s recent suicides in the Fuji Mountains
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/10/valentine.suicide/ “Man held over
alleged Internet suicide plot” February 11 2005.
Article on Valentine’s Day suicide pact.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F02%2F09%2Fwsuic09.xml&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=108966
Craig, Olga. “Chatmates watched internet suicide” news.telegraph.
September 2 2003.
Article on Brandon Vedas online overdose. |
Child Trafficking a Brutal act if the 20th Century
In the 1800’s
there was slavery (shackles, whips, human cargo ships, and auctions of
people), but now in the 20th century there is Human
Trafficking; A new form of slavery. Child Trafficking is part of this
“new slavery”; which is the transportation of children for illegal and
inhumane purposes. Some of there reasons are prostitution, forced
labor, exploitation, and even for the child’s organs. Many people
know of these criminal acts but still fail to fix it. Many news
businesses and even police forces have only basic information.
Though, even they fail to stop it. There are many organizations of
traffickers that get away with this everyday crime around the world.
Like in South Asia, Indonesia and even in Europe.
Many people
find it hard to believe that some 27 million people, 10 million being
children are enslaved all around the world. They are being beaten,
tortured, mutilated and rapped; and losing all human rights in the
process. (Spencer Crew 22)
Children are
trafficked to work in sweatshops as bonded labor in the “three D-jobs”
dirty, difficult and dangerous. CIA reports about fifty thousand
women and children are brought to the United States every year under
false pretense as forced to world as prostitutes, abused laborers or
servants (Kavita Chowdhury news).
A catholic
Sister Clare Nolen has gone on missionaries and seen things that are
shocking and disturbing. Girls, boys and women are taken to other
countries channeled into the sex industry. Asia, many pimps buy girls
for three hundred dollars and buy virgins that go from three thousands
to five thousand dollars. The girls are delivered to pimps in the
United States for about Twenty Thousand dollars. Sister Nolen has met
girls and women who have had thoughts about suicide daily and live in
permanent gynecological pain. Many of them are prisoners kept in
isolation. These girls were duped, coerced, beaten, raped, drugged
and threatened (this is there everyday or week routine). Cistone, who
runs a refugee center in Rome states “what breaks my heart is to be
propositioned by children six and seven years old, …. If you go to
Bosnia on Business, many places assume they should send you a sixteen
year old girl or boy to your room….Has the trafficking of human really
got this intense where people just send you a child prostitute?” In
Eastern Europe, it is typical for criminals to videotape their gang
rape of a young girl, show her the tape and threaten to send it to her
parents unless she submits to Sex Slavery. (Long, Laren 17)
In 1998,
fifteen children from Benin were taken from their home country. Boys
and girls from the age of eleven to eighteen. They were brought to
Cote d’ Ivore where they worked on coffee and cocoa farms, as street
vendors, domestic workers and helpers on construction sites. They
were promised four years of labor for one million FCFA, which is like
sixteen hundred U.S. dollars. These children were poor and need to
make money for their family. They spent four years in slavery without
family and friends. When in the long run in return for four years
they were given fifty thousand FCFA, which is sixteen hundred U.S.
dollars. They were deceived and who profits in the end, these
traffickers that are still hard to catch in action. (Powel Savo 2)
A women who
remains unnamed lost her child at the age of two years old. Hereby
was kidnapped and she was looking for her child for about four years.
This worried parent did not give up but she worked so hard to find
her. All the cops could say to her that she could just wait till
signs of her child come up. But this mother was not about to let go of
her child that easy. Then she got word that traffickers had taken her
and are selling her. The cops go on it and were able to her daughter
back and she was lucky to be found. For the fact that many are not so
fortunate to survive and to be found while in that dirty business or
prostitution. (Marianne Kearney 28)
Many things
contribute to the cause of this “great evil”. Whether it is natural
disasters, poverty, and just homeless (no family) are big factors.
IN recent
news, the Tsunami hit in Indonesia caused a terrible aftermath.
Children were one third of the casualties; and those survived are
suffering the worst effects. Many of these children after the wave
hit, about thirty-five thousand children have lost one or both
parents. Thousands of children without protectors (parents) and are
in danger from human traffickers. They view this as a great
opportunity to prey and get “new fresh meat”. Sometimes these
traffickers get these children by adoption and therefore adoption has
been suspended in several countries. There is also at the moment
child protection officers making here faces visible in villages so to
keep these criminals away. (New York Times 34) This is just recent but
many natural disasters like the Tsunami hit make it a great target to
get more children for trafficking.
Poverty plays
a big roll as well. Most of the trafficking done is in these
countries that are poor. Sister Nolen serves the poor in 61 countries
and agrees that poverty fuels prostitution (Long, Karen 17). A
country or person having no money makes it easier for the traffickers
to take advantages and use them like animals. Many of these
traffickers see that since these people are not cared for or in
desperate need to make money for survival. They take advantages and
do what they want with them, using them and making a profit off these
poor children. Poverty is perhaps the most crucial and major grounds
for the start of trafficking. In return for money children propose
their bodies for sex or are forced to do so.
Having no
family or home is similar to poverty but is a big cause for
trafficking just as much. Since these kids have no one there to watch
over them and protect them, traffickers use them to their advantage.
When they take these girls and boys, no one speaks up for them. Kids
who are alone are weak and are easy preys for traffickers’ business.
During the
1800’s, Guardian Angels Campaign states that a young girl at the age
of seven was sold into prostitution to benefit her father’s heroin
habit. After she was drugged, she was forced to have sexual acts for
no money, and refusal would lead to abuse. Later she was diagnosed
with HIV. All this was due to a messed up father and poverty.
Though this
problem has been going on for quite a while, very little is being done
to stop this criminal act. Little by little things are progressing
but not enough to stop it completely. You know the Tsunami hit in
Indonesia, Ricky Martin and others are going over there to show people
the crime that’s going on over there. This trip is meant to open
peoples’ eyes and find ways to stop trafficking from happening. (The
New York Times 24). There are many other organizations that try to
help these children like Child Trafficking.com; their mission is to
unite with many other anti-trafficking organizations and put there
information together to help these kids who are in greater risk
everyday.
Many police
forces such as Tijuana, San Diego; an office provide services to
people who have been exploited by child pornography, prostitution and
forced labor tings.( Anna Cearly B-1) In San Diego county, Sheriff
Bill Kolender and other law enforcement officials are creating a
regional task force to prosecute those who buy or sell people for
sexual exploitation or forced labor (Mark Arner B-4:2) Girls who
survive are helping stop this form occurring anymore, a sixteen year
old said “I want to prevent children from going thought the same
trauma that I have undergone delivering drugs, alcohol and leading
this worse life possible:
Many
organizations like these can try to make difference buy I believe that
the only way we can nip this in the butt as a while is to stop
contributing to this trafficking of young girls and boys. People must
come together as a whole to stop this because a small number of people
can’t do much but a great number of people can help reduce the numbers
of children that are trafficked. A way to stop children before they
even get to the point of a child prostituting is to fix or help broken
homes. Don’t forget about the children who are homeless and leave
them on their own to survive but assist them, maybe event take them in
by giving them a home. If we were to help them, then maybe so many
kids wouldn’t be taken and abused.
|
Big "Cracks" In Airport Security
Airplanes use to be
such a pleasant way to travel; it gets to your destination fast and
like a way never before but now, there is a new “fear of flying”! On
September 11, 2001, boarded a plane for their last flight were 19
hijackers, they were ready to take control of commercial airplanes and
smash them into buildings. Unfortunately, they were successful; they
had hit their target which was the two towers of The World Trade
Center and on the Pentagon. US intelligence also believes that the
plane that another plane which had crashed in Pennsylvania was
directed at the US capital itself. This attack on American soil since
the 1993 bombing was warning that the world has become a different
place. After September 11, 2001 the world has gone under a world wide
terror alert, especially in America where millions of dollars are
spent each year on homeland security. Despite all this action taken by
the government, there are still security breaches every so often.
“More than three years after 9/11, airlines and airports still have
"gaping holes" in security against terror attacks, the pilots' unions
said yesterday. (Richard Sisk, Daily News)” For example in 2001, the
American shoe bombing incident was a fright to the nation, Richard
Reid passed airport security carrying a shoe bomb without
complications but luckily a passenger had suspicions and look him
down, this just proves how unreliable the screeners and the employees
are. Homeland security is either lacking training or lacking the
technology that enables the scanners to things such as bombs. More
safety regulations are needed to be done to protect our homeland and
currently we simply do not have enough.
So what have the country done to protect us from another flight
attack? Let’s analyze this, since the 1970’s, it’s been a fact that
“hijackings and bombings became the method of choice for subversive,
militant organizations around the world. (Tyson and Grabianowski)” In
July, 5 1972, Pacific Southwest 737-200 landed in San Francisco,
onboard were two Soviet hijackers wanting to negotiate, in result, the
two hijackers were killed by the FBI (Airsafe.com: Fatal Boeing 737
Events). Airport security has been tight since then but the recent
attacks of 9/11 proved that security could be better. Before 9/11,
airports had standard security measures such has high concrete walls
surrounding the boarders of the airport to prevent intrusion and metal
detectors have already been in place. New security measures such as
random body pat downs, shoe checking, more restricted items that are
disallows to be carried onboard by passengers, bomb sniffing dogs are
just some of the new sights around. But I’d like to focus more on the
technologies and the policies used to enforce this stricter airport
security. Newer highly sensitive screeners have in installed on major
airports throughout the world. The government has now permitted Air
Marshals who are armed police onboard planes just incase trouble
occurs. In the future, authorities say that they will also have arm
pilots with pistols to protect the cockpit and increase the thickness
of cockpit doors in order to prevent intrusion.
All these
new technologies and heighten security but is it still enough? Let’s
go to statistics now, The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
has reported a staff shortage meaning that there are less people to
administer the screeners and checkpoints. Now this can be a problem
because less workers means a slower process but this can also cause a
rush therefore staff workers will not check with enough effort. The
government is installing new CAPPS II screeners capable of screening
chemicals but not all locations have them yet, the speed of
implementation is very slow in small town airports. Also, with the low
budget and the shortage of security personnel, the government is
rushing the training of the TSA and the Air Marshals. The lack of
training has proved negative, “A recent investigation by the DHS's
inspector general found 753 reports of air marshal misconduct during
an eight-month period in 2002, including sleeping and being drunk
while on duty”. The Washington Times reports that “Federal air
marshals protect less than 5 percent of daily U.S. flights, and that
numbers are declining. (Audrey Hudson)” This logically means a
potential hijacking can be successful 95% of the times if attempted.
Under all this pressure about security, the staff and security
officers are not forgiven, they have to go though checks themselves
but still there are loops! All persons that enter the airport premises
are required to wear their ID badges and undergo the same security
checkpoints as an ordinary traveler. Even under this new policy, still
there have been people caught with impersonating airplane pilots or
employees that have gotten past the checkpoints and near planes.
Senator of California, Barbra Boxer says "If they can go ahead and
change their names and get phony ID, we're way behind the eight ball.
We'll never catch them". In a CBS investigation, they got tickets and
passed security on 3 different airlines in different locations, this
is what CBS Los Angeles reports: “The tickets and fake ID gave us
access beyond security checkpoints and onto several flights. The
license was looked at almost 20 different times and never detected as
a fake. (CBS NEWS)” Security displayed in this case is far from
perfect. While researching for this paper, I found a website on the
Google with the site description “Free fake identification resources
for download. We have uk,us fake ids student ids,fake drivers licenses
and everything you need to make a fake id.” How hard is it really to
get fake ID’s? Very easy I’d say.
Other legislative initiatives that went into effect since 9/11, like
the controversial “Patriot Act” which congress passed in 2001, just 5
days after the attacks. This new legislation enables surveillance and
privacy laws to be changed so the government can basically find out
anything about you. This had many people saying the government went
too far in trying to protect the American public.
In a survey I conducted
with Murry Bergtraum High School students, I questioned “If the
Patriot Act can help reduce airport scares, prevent fraud and prevent
terrorism, would you allow the government to use this policy even
though it puts a threat on your privacy?” In the questionnaire, 20
people responded, 12 saying they would not let the government use this
policy if it cost them their privacy and 8 saying they would give up
their privacy if it protects them from any fatal airplane crisis. This
concludes that 60% of people disapprove of the Patriot Act more or
less. Also, this poll may not be truly accurate because students are
expressing what they are told by others and or by the media, however
this information somewhat resembles the American peoples opinions.
Clay Bennett, a cartoonist who has expressed his feelings of the
general public view on this concern displays this art on this website.
|
Source:
http://www.claybennett.com/pages/
behind_bars.html |
In this cartoon above,
Bennett feels that the government isn’t doing to protect the Americans
and winds up grounding Americans to prevent fatalities instead. This
correlates with the whole airport security in a way that the FAA is
increasing its strict standards on travelers but at the same time
restricting many of their freedoms.
|
Source:
http://www.claybennett.com/pages/
security_fence.html |
In this cartoon, Bennett
depicts exactly what the Patriot Act is doing to the American public,
removing their privacy for more security.
A strive for perfection is what the FAA and the airlines industries
are trying to achieve but I believe we will never get there. No system
can be perfect; this was proved on 9/11 and even after that with fake
ID’s and impersonations of airline pilots. Despite new laws and
policies, nothing can be really done to pin point the terrorists are
but only to do their best in finding them before they gain access into
our planes. In my research I found it very easy to get access to fake
ID’s and pilot uniforms that look exactly alike to the authentic for a
couple of hundred dollars. Since the 1970’s security and concerns of
hijackings really sparked up and even more after 9/11. The improved
security is much better then it was before but it’s not enough to stop
a terrorist. In CBS’s investigation, the crew was allowed the purchase
of tickets and access to 3 airports without any trouble which is
really a scary thought knowing that they might have been potential
airplane hijackers. The effectiveness of airport security has
dramatically increased but still has many problems that await
solutions.
Works Cited
Richard Sisk. “Pilots
Blast Anti-Terror Effort” Daily News. March 11, 2005. NEWS; Pg.
14.
Tyson and Grabianowski. “How Airport Security Works”
Howstuffworks.com.
<
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/airport-security.htm >
Airsafe.com “Fatal Boeing
737 Events” 11 February 2005
<
http://www.airsafe.com/events/models/b737.htm >
Audrey Hudson. “Airport
security - a work in progress”. The Washington Times. Feb. 23, 2004
<
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040816-011237-9757r.htm
>
CBS NEWS Los Angeles. “Airport Security Fails Test” CBS US Edition.
Feb. 27, 2002.
<
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/02/27/national/main502381.shtml
>
Clay Bennett. “US Patriot Act Cartoons” CLAYBENNET.COM
<
http://www.claybennett.com/pages/behind_bars.html >
<
http://www.claybennett.com/pages/security_fence.html > |
The Impact of Environment
on Children's Well Being Missing
|
Is History Made by a Few Individuals?
There was a vivid scene during the
1960s: walking around the college campus and/or on the street, young
adolescence carried a high-lighter, a pen, a notebook, and a
voluminous novel obviously at their side. You might wonder what
book that was. Inevitably the book would be either The
Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. Both novels were the
outstanding masterpieces of critical philosophical thinker, Ayn Rand.
Ayn Rand has been firmly believed in her strong conviction which
advocates “self-interest, creation, and individuality as supreme
virtues”. In other words, altruism is an evil element while
egotism (concerned with one’s own welfare and enjoyment without
interfering with others’) is a good virtue. In both popular
novels, Rand demonstrates and justifies her belief with powerful
punches.
In The Fountainhead, Rand depicted an independent and creative
guy, Howard Roark, as an indisputable hero. Concerning only with
his own design and erection of buildings, Roark had been encountering
countless obstacles. People, including critics from every field
of society, severely decried his novel innovations, claming that he
was “an anti-social, evil, and dangerous monster” (Rand).
However, Roark did not care so much about what others say; the only
thing he cared in his life was to design and build—nothing else really
mattered to him. As a surprising consequence, more and more
folks began to recognize his remarkable design of buildings. He
succeeded in the end because he had a great number of projects to plan
and erect with his endless and colorful creativity. With certain
resemblance, Rand lucidly asserted the similar bliss of intense
individualism in Atlas Shrugged.
Although there had been numerous people who criticized Rand’s ideology
based on first- and second-handers, particular figures selected from
many aspects consisting of science, religion, and politics of history
could be utilized to justify the integral validity and celebration of
“selfishness”. Since some creators emphasized on their own ideas
regardless what others
might think of them,
they tended to devote more valuable contribution to the world.
Furthermore, our far-flung human history had been actually created by
a few significant individuals who had been contributed their own novel
and meaningful concepts/actions. It was those who had made
crucial differences for the rest of human beings while encountering
countless Gordian Knots. Scientists like Albert Einstein and
Charles Darwin, religious figures such as Martin Luther and political
and social leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. were all marvelous
examples to prove and justify Rand’s strong conviction--a few
individuals had determined the course of human history.
If we take into account of the outstanding scientist Albert Einstein,
he had been independently contributed much time and energy to the
physics field. Although he was “a slow learner--learning to
speak much later than in average” (Albert Einstein’s Biography) when
little, he was tenacious to keep up his diligent study.
Preferring self-teaching, Einstein later dropped out of college.
However, he did not give up learning. While working in a patent
office in Berne, Switzerland, Einstein published a series of papers
based on his novel thinking of physics. His first paper on the
“quantum theory of light” (Albert Einstein’s Biography) was awarded to
the 1921 Nobel Prize. An excellent justification for the
existence of atoms, Einstein’s second paper was based “on a
statistical paper on Brownian motion” (Albert Einstein’s Biography).
Because he denounced Hitler’s extreme racially political ideas prior
to and during the WWII, Einstein abandoned his job at the University
of Berlin and left Germany for the US. Several years later, he
wrote a letter to President Roosevelt about the potential development
of an atomic bomb. By 1946, he became “the chairman of the
Emergency Committee for Atomic Scientists” (Albert Einstein’s
Biography). Though Einstein had encountered many obstacles along
the way, he eventually succeeded in his innovations and achievements.
Let’s assume that Einstein had not dropped out of college and followed
the same path everybody else had gone through, could the development
of atomic bombs still be possible? Most likely not. If
Einstein had not focused on what he loved and
did independent
exploration, people nowadays might haven’t even heard of the word
phrase “atomic bomb”. Therefore, “selfishness” sometimes made
people more concentrate on things they enjoy doing and eventually
succeed.
Similarly, Rand’s ideology of “self-centered” could be applied to
religious figures. As a prominent monk during the 15th
and 16th century, Martin Luther was a valiant and
independent reformer. Like Howard Roark and Albert Einstein,
Luther had also met particular Gordian Knots yet did not quit his
explorations. When he was caught in a terrible thunderstorm, he
“screamed out a vow, ‘save me, St. Anna, and I shall become a monk.’”
(Whitford). Amazingly he had survived. Nevertheless, it was a
difficult decision to make since his parents had been expecting him to
become a remarkable lawyer. Luther ultimately decided to become
a monk because he thought that he should keep promises made to God.
In his lectures, Luther had sought self-assurance, further
understanding “righteousness as a gift of God’s grace” (Whitford).
After he “had discovered the doctrine of justification by grace alone”
(Whitford), he wrote Ninety-Five Theses in which he thoroughly
criticized church’s sale of indulgence. Luther was told, however, to
resign his position by the Papal Legate, but he refused to do so
because he wanted to know the reason for his resignation.
Hopelessly, “Luther’s refusal to recant set in motion his ultimate
excommunication” (Whitford). Burning the bull of repel
information, Luther escaped the excommunication and continued giving
lectures until his death. Later, it was due to Luther’s bold and
unprecedentedly critical suggestions to the Church, many diverse
branches of Christianity, such as Puritanism and Evangelicalism had
been emerged. Again, all these different versions of
Christianity would never have taken place if Luther had not kept his
own promise to God; the Church might never reformed and improved
itself if Luther was not “selfish” enough to bravely seek the
self-assurance from God. Luther’s unconformity justified that
history was made up by courageous individuals who firmly kept their
strong convictions.
Martin Luther King, Jr., as a valiant and creative leader during the
Civil Rights Movement, was also an excellent example to show Rand’s
conception. In 1957, Dr. King and other African American
clergymen established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC), which was a Civil Rights organization that advocated
nonviolent protest (Cyaton et al 950). There had been numerous
black leaders, such as Marcus Garvey during the end of 19th
century, who promoted violence and returning back to Africa. It
was a difficult step taken to use a passive means as a fighting weapon
for the gaining of equality. However, Dr. King had done a
fantastic job; he soon became an international symbol of nonviolent
protest. In August 1963, he organized a grand March on
Washington, D.C. where he had given the most famous speech “I Have a
Dream”. More than 200,000 demonstrators and speculators
meditated in the mind. Continuing peaceful strikes for years,
finally Dr. King’s painstaking and tenacious endeavor paid off--the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the
Twenty-fourth Amendment (Cyaton et al 950) were all passed by US
Congress, granting the African American the political and social
equality. Perhaps today’s American society would still be
segregated if Dr. King did not stand up for his belief. As one
can see, although Dr. King had been working hard for the Civil Rights
of the African American, he was individualistic because he had
introduced a new ideology despite of what the critics might think of
him. He continued with bravery and confidence. No wonder
he would ultimately succeed.
As an outstanding biologist, Charles Darwin can be another significant
creator in this world. Having discovered numerous natural
theories, also known as Darwinism, based on his own curious
observations of nature, Darwin had published a dozen of remarkable
books. In The Variation of Animals and Plants Under
Domestication (1868) (Charles Darwin’s Biography), he explained
thoroughly about hereditary traits. Darwin further stated his
novel ideas about evolutions in
The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871)
(Charles Darwin’s
Biography). Not only he had created these famous early works,
but also he had written particular excellent books later, consisting
of
The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species
(1877), The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the
Vegetable Kingdom (1876) (Charles Darwin’s Biography) and so on.
As a child, he was not given many opportunities and had been denounced
to develop his keen interests since his elementary school emphasized
on literatures only. Soon he was recognized by an
aristocratic young captain, Robert FitzRoy, in Cambridge University of
London, and then had the chance to go on a voyage. Though he had
been seasick, he had overcome it by making observations to sea views
and creature that soon would contribute to the scientific discovery.
As described in his biography, “He seemed to relish danger and was
sustained in the considerable discomfort by a lively curiosity.”
(Charles Darwin’s Biography)
If Darwin had not been individualistic and “self-centered” enough to
follow hobbies he was intrigued in, we, might still possess
insufficient knowledge about our past and even about ourselves.
In other words, Darwin’s immeasurable devotions were praiseworthy
because of his strong conviction in individualism which led to his
immerse contribution to the people of the world.
Obviously, all these valiant and creative first-handers discussed
above had played quite significant roles in human history.
Although they all had experienced countless Gordian Knots along the
way to success, they had never given up their firm beliefs.
Depending only on themselves, they stroke on in searching of answers
to questions they had had in various types of adventures and
explorations. As an inevitable consequence, they all succeeded,
just like Howard Roark, with their honorable and remarkable
achievements. In a sense, they were the true sacrificing
contributors. They needed nobody except themselves to survive.
They depended on themselves to do works they enjoyed. And those
words and knowledge eventually became quite valuable and beneficial to
the society. All these ideas were what Ms. Ayn Rand had been
promoted.
Some folks, nevertheless, might ask that how come the world is still
not perfect since there has been a great number of independent
creators existed? A good question. The answer would be
that compared to the dependent second-handers, first-handers are way
fewer. There are countless “looters” and “parasites” who still
inhabit on the achievements of the creators in our society. If
everyone were to become an innovative creator, our society would
progress extraordinarily. Don’t you think so? Then the
entire world would be just like what Ayn Rand has imagined in her
beautiful and romantic mind. As you can clearly discover,
independent first-handers who hold firmly “selfish” individualism are
extremely needed at any time anywhere. Why? It is because
they mark our far-flung history with their notable achievements and
contributions!
Works Cited
Ø
Anonymous.
“Albert Einstein's Biography”
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Anorexic Teenage Girls
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that is common among many. Even
though anyone can get this disease, teenage girls are at a higher risk
due to the many negative influences that are directed mostly towards
the female body. Although many psychological experts have spoken out
on the devastating impact the disease has on mental and physical
health, there are those few things that most ignore and are unaware
of.
This is a disorder in which the irrational fear of becoming obese
results in severe weight loss from self-induced starvation. With this
fear in mind symptoms such as cold hands and feet, dry brittle skin
and a distorted body image result. These teenage girls begin to see
something that is not there, they would then build up on that. Even
though they already have this fear and how to deal with it mapped out
in their minds – the question remains, what is it that helps keep them
constantly focusing on this false ideology? The fact of the matter is
that there are other things that contribute to them giving in to this
fear, having an excuse to lose weight in the first place. These things
make it easier for them to find something wrong with themselves and
continue in their unhealthy ways. They don’t even have at least a
little positive influence which would help them to understand and
agree that they are perfect how they are and in their own way. The
influences are mostly negative except for those who want to help them,
if they know that there is a problem.
Negative influences are everywhere and it is difficult to prevent them
from existing because some are even top secret and if one bad
influence is gone another still remains. The media for example
includes television, magazines and newspapers, all these things
portray a certain image of the female body and how it should be. This
image usually being a tall thin like, long legged figure that teenage
girls would like to resemble. I t would be difficult for these
teenagers to get away from the negativity because as soon as they open
a newspaper, magazine or turn on the television there this image would
be, again and again. Being thin is not bad it’s the way in which it is
conveyed that makes teenage girls believe that their body is all
wrong, must be changed and should be as the media says. Also the fact
that they show A-list actresses all the time, people that teenage
girls look up to and admire such as Jessica Simpson, Lindsy Lohan or
Nicole Richie they see that they are thin and they would want to be
the same way.
Another negative influence that provides peer pressure is websites
that are for anorexia, meaning that it is encouraged. These websites
are supposed to be top secret but some members that want help come out
and talk about what they are all about. Among many there is one in
specific called “Pro Ana”.
“Pro Ana” is a website in which one becomes a member and must never
let anyone know of its existence. The only way for people to know
about it is to into deep research about it, in able to be involved in
it. This website includes something called the “Thin Commandments”,
you must abide by these commandments or according to the influence of
the other members you must punish yourself. For example if you eat at
a time you are not supposed to, eat a certain type of food that you
should not eat or even eat at all if it is full blown anorexia,
one of the rules would be to hurt yourself by cutting or burning of
the skin. This type of rule would be used to help teach anorexics a
lesson- the lesson being to refrain from eating. The main purpose of
this website is to help you and other members reach a goal weight.
When that goal weight is accomplished the next goal is zero. In one
certain case one anorexic female said that the goal was zero, to
disappear because she has no worth. This is the attitude of anorexics,
and what they come to be, what they are unfortunately lowered to after
the guidance of these negative influences.
Statistics show that after many examinations anorexics would weigh at
about 5-10 and 10-15 pounds less then their healthy weight for their
size as opposed to non-anorexics who weigh 2-5 pounds below or above
their healthy weight. With this in mind at a 5’ frame the normal
weight is 100 pounds and 5 pounds added for every inch after that. So
at 5’1”, 105 pounds would be normal, and at 5’2”, 110 pounds and so
on. Anorexics on the other hand would weigh at 5’10”, from 87-98
pounds.
Being that with all the negativity that exists to the anorexics these
are all positive because they use it to their advantage. Because of
these things anorexics are able to come up with excuses not to eat,
aside from the fact that they are against food and afraid of eating.
Although the media doesn’t expect to be contributing to the “needs” of
anorexic teenage girls they are, and do. This does not help the
treatment of anorexics in fact it helps to provide for the
continuation of this disease.
Moreover, anorexia does inhibit the everyday lives of these teenagers.
It is implicated in producing stress with family and in school, while
making them depressed and making them feel inferior. Still anorexics
go into a state of isolation and believe that they should deal with
this issue on their own. This makes them push people out of their
lives and even having a boy friend or finding love is of no option to
them. They think that they want and need no one.
Anorexia in teenage girls is much more strenuous since everywhere they
turn they see something that instead of helping them overcome their
fear of obesity, contributes to it. In turn this adds to their
self-induced starvation. All these negative influences make it seem as
though patents are being made for anorexia in able to supply it set
out certain terms for it. Things would be different for anorexic
teenage girls if they had positive influences that would push them
from wanting or feeling the need to be anorexic in the first place.
Anorexic’s behaviors don’t get any better but worse with bad
influences. They need something that would help them understand that
they are beautiful in their own way and that there is no need to have
to be like anyone else because everyone is different. Difference makes
people unique while uniqueness makes everyone special. |
Abortion: Morally
Incorrect
There have been
many cases of which young girls or even older women have dealt with
rape or unwanted pregnancies. The society that we live in does
not assure us of what can happen the moment we walk out that door in
the morning, or who we might even be living with at home. While
some women claim abortion is an "easy option" for an unwanted
pregnancy, teenage pregnancies put their lives at risks as well as
their future, for example there can be many ways that a young women’s
body may not be ready to have a child, and in this case which abortion
is at times performed for this reason, and may sometimes cause
emotional problems towards all women, such as growing up with the
thought of killing a human being like themselves. But abortion
is not what the solution should be.
Having a child is often looked upon as a wonderful experience with
infinite rewards, but not everyone thinks this way. More and more
females are having a procedure done called an abortion. In this
process the pregnancy is terminated. Many women are not ready for a
baby and see this as a way out. Although one can be sympathetic when a
woman becomes pregnant unexpectedly, having an abortion performed is
not the right answer. This procedure was legalized in the 1973 Supreme
Court cases of Roe vs. Wade, and Doe vs. Boston. An average or 4,000
babies are killed through abortions each day, which amounts to 1.4
million babies a year.
Abortion also involves many health risks. 28/39 studies show
that abortions increase risks of breast cancer. It can cause
bleeding, hemorrhage or inflammation.
National statistics
on abortion show that 10% of women who undergo this procedure suffer
from immediate complications.
Religion
plays a major role in abortion being morally incorrect for many
reasons.
People who are opposed to abortion and the right to have an abortion
are called "pro-life." People who are pro-life believe that abortion
is the murder of an unborn child. They believe that life begins at
conception, therefore the life of the unborn should also be
considered. Many people also argue that abortion is an unsafe
alternative, believing that certain laws are unjust may not be what
the majority wants to believe, but people know what is really right
and wrong. People also seem to apply the different aspects of
abortion according to the situation of the women having one.
"Through
sonograms and other technology, we can clearly see that unborn
children are members of the human family as well. At eleven
months it clearly seen that a child has a life now has developed all
its organs and begins to only mature and develop features. From then
on the baby breaths, swallowed, digested, urinated and had bowel
movements, slept dreamed, and awakened, tasted, felt pain from touch
and was able to learn new things just like any other person. They
reflect our image, and they are created in God's own image".
Religion
plays a major role in abortion being morally incorrect for many
reasons. Some
people believe that abortion is based on religious belief.
“Politicians
and political parties should not discuss abortion and there should be
no laws restricting abortion, because abortion is a religious issue,
and for a politician to get involved in it would be mixing religion
and politics.”
Religion affects
most of the intensity of the abortion debate. Modern government is
separated from organized religion.
In the
western world, the teachings of any one religion should not and do not
dominate the laws of the nation. However “the morals and beliefs of
the people are what create the morals and beliefs of the government,
and often, these individual morals are influenced by religion.”
Religion shouldn't be eliminated in any political decision, because by
affecting many individuals, religion also affects society.
Abortion-on-demand laws give one person (the mother) the legal right
to kill another (the baby) in order to solve the first person’s social
problem. Who are we to determine someone else’s lives, abortion
is like killing any other person because there is a point when we are
all considered human and that is when we start developing in our
mother’s womb.
Works Cited
Abortion and religion -- <http://www.abortioninfo.net/facts/religion.shtml
Jay,Johansen
Googlesearch.com Abortion and religion
<http://www.religioustolerance.org/abortion.htm
Yahoosearch.com
Abortion and parents <http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/adolabor.htm
Lexis-Nexis --
abortion and politics, teenagers and rape, abortion and teens; laws
and abortion
Mary
Cunningham Agee, Articles of Speeches “THE HEALTH RISKS OF ABORTION
PANEL PRESENTATION FOR FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL”
http://www.nurturingnetwork.org/HealthRisks.htm
Jeanne,Kaufmann. “Parental Consent for
Abortion” http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/adolabor.htm
February 2004
Womenshealth.com, search abortion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade
Ken Wear .ABORTION: REASON Versus EMOTION Ken
Wear, Posted Nov. 1999
DAVIS
Joanna. “Abortion and Women” Lexis Nexis posted May 17, 2005
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