I am back....for the time being....:)

I actually did have the intention of continuing this blog, but then life never slowed down enough for me to think straight. See, as soon as school was over for the semester back in the spring, I started a minimester of Earth Science. Three people who I meet through ICC, took it with me. It was horrible and fun mixed together. I was glad to get it over with in 2 1/2 weeks rather than drag it out for 16. My favorite thing that I learned from that class was the names of the two kinds of lava flows: "pahoehoe" and "aa". The class wasn't all that bad, it was just extremely stressful taking a test over material you had just learn yesterday, or taking four different tests in a week. I was able to earn an A in that class, and I was excited once it was over. The next two months of my life was filled with helping with my sister's wedding, traveling to Tennessee with my best friend, being a maid of honor at my sister's wedding, and studying for a Psychology Clep Test. Let me tell you, that is one of the hardest classes to clep out of, but I did it!! With the help of a clep test book, notecards, my sister's mother-in-law, and God's help. When I finished taking the test I looked at my score, and to my horror (at first) I thought I got a 48 (which 50 is passing), and I almost started crying right then and there, but then I saw that it was a 58 and I had passed!!! I was so excited and I couldn't wait to get home and tell my family. About two weeks later, our now family of four went on vacation to Ozarks, MO. It was pretty fun. We went boating, jet skiing, relaxed, saw "Frozen" (the first time for the rest of my family), played games, and all that jazz. Three days after we got home, I started my Sophomore year of College at Illinois Central College. Speaking of school,  I should probably get to my homework....I'll post more later....maybe! ;)  

End original purpose, new purpose

The original purpose for this blog has now come to a close, which was to write a response to something for an English 110 class, but I actually really enjoyed the weeks when I got to chose the topic that I would write about. I liked finding the reasons behind why I believe what I believe, or why most people have a distorted view of something. After my minimester is over with, I might try to continue this blog. I don't know what this blog will turn out to be, I guess time will tell. Well, I should really get back to studying and memorizing rocks and minerals....Earth Science is a blast, not!! lol....:) Be back in a few weeks!

"U.S. Population Hits 300 Million"

In article entitled “U.S. Population Hits 300 Million”, Aida Akl of Washington, D.C, discusses how the U.S. is increasing in population. The U.S. Census Bureau projected that the U.S. population would hit 300 million in October of 2006. There are two main reasons for this increase in population; the birth rate and immigration are both growing.

As the years pass, Mark Mather of the Washington based Population Reference Bureau believes that there will be a major demographic shift in population due to the fact that Hispanic white women tend to have more children than non-Hispanic white women. William Johnson, a Demographer of the Population Institute, says “immigration strengthens America – if kept within manageable limits”.

The next topic that the author discusses is the problems that often come with too much immigration. Joseph D’Agostino, a demographer in Virginia, talks about how people in America feel as though immigration is happening at a very fast pace and not all of the immigrates speak English. He says “and if we can’t all communicate together with one language as Americans, it’s very difficult to see how we are going to have a cohesive society in the long term.” D’Agostino points out that there are some major problems with this scenario of many people coming into America who don’t speak English. One is that those people won’t know Americans rules of law and democracy. However, if our nation cuts down the amount of immigration and the birth rate doesn’t go up, we will not have enough workers along as the population continues to age.

William Frey of Brookings shows that a key element is to strive to make the immigrates feel comfortable, happy, and give them fair chances at jobs. If this trend of population continues, the projection for 2050 is around 400 million people, but will be completely different as far as ethnicity goes.  

I think that this is pretty neat how our nation is slowly becoming more and more diverse and less segregated. I do agree that immigrates should learn our language so they can communicate with others in our nation besides people of their own race. The opportunity that we as Americans have to learn about different cultures as people continue to move here is super unique. Do not pass up the opportunity by letting racism thoughts slip into your head. I hope that by having different races within our country, Americans will become less racial and learn to treat others the same as one would treat someone else of their same race.

Dating with a purpose

“Dating with no intent to marry is like going to the grocery store with no money. You either leave unhappy or take something that is not yours.” This quote by Jefferson Bethke perfectly describes how I look at dating. Many people see dating as a trend that they have to be a part of constantly. They do not seem to care whether or not the person is the right one for them; they just feel the need to be in a relationship all the time. I view dating in a completely different way. I believe people should date with a purpose in mind and that being marriage. Without marriage being the eventual purpose, there is no true intent and a couple ends up wasting a lot of time dating for no reason. Now days, I see many children in 7^th grade or younger dating. If they are not getting married for at least six or seven years, why are they even dating? I believe that teenagers feel the need to have a significant other because our culture has made dating look “cool” and by dating, it may increase your popularity. But over half of the time due to dating without a purpose, hearts are broken, friends are lost, and because break-ups are common with dating, the pattern often continues with marriages, resulting in numerous divorces. I honestly believe if our culture quit putting the pressure on young teens to be in a relationship, we would have a lot less broken hearts and more long-lasting marriages. 

"Show Us the Money"

In the article entitled “Show Us the Money”, the author explains how the nation’s currency texture may change so that blind Americans will be able to tell the difference between certain bills and use money just like other Americans. Written by Cyrus Habib of the Washington Post, this article asks the question, “How can blind Americans become truly independent, achieving the success we deserve and leaving behind the stigma of federal and state aid, without being able to differentiate between a dollar bill and a fifty?” 

Habib illustrated for the readers that many people argue that blind individuals have been relying on others for years, so why change now? Another effect of this money problem is the huge percentage of the unemployed blind Americans. Blind Americans want to be given the chance to live independently, but they cannot do so if they have to rely on someone else to assist them in paying for things. This is a conundrum that requires a solution.  One answer that the Treasury Department suggested was that these individuals should be given credit or debit cards. The problem with this proposal was that that most blind Americans need cash to pay for the things that they do every day, rather than using credit or debit cards. 

I honestly believe that the best solution is to just adjust the texture of the currency so that blind Americans can use it. If this change is made, I feel that the unemployed percentage will go down because the blind Americans will be more free and less dependent on others, therefore will be more confident in searching for jobs. Also, companies who are hiring will see the independent spirit in them and will be more likely to hire them if they are not depending on someone else. 

Is Chivalry Dying??

          “Thank you for paying for the meal.” "Seriously, I can open the door myself!” “Thank you for walking me to my car.” “I am not delicate; I can carry my own stuff.”  With these various conflicting messages going on in our world today, it is no wonder guys are confused about how girls want men to treat them. Back in the day, men were taught to protect and defend women. But as time passes, our culture continues to shape into a society where many women want to be treated as equals among men. I see some of the changes that have come about as a result of this desire as very useful, such as: women earning the right to vote, own property, etc. But I am sad to see how this has made men extremely cautious of performing chivalrous acts. 

               Personally, I enjoy the times when guys open the door for me, pay for my meal, offer to carry something heavy for me, or walk me to my car at night. It is not that I am weak or unable to perform these tasks myself; it is that by doing so, men are showing their respect and honor of women and their willingness to be protective. Honestly, by shutting down chivalry, feminists are creating weak men. Because feminists condemn chivalry, men do not know how to act around women in general and so they give up trying. This scares me to think of what our society will be like if we let feminists continue their current path in making men feel weak and useless. 

“Drug testing needs improvement, not clearinghouse”

                   In the article, “Drug testing needs improvement, not clearinghouse”, (pg. 346-348) the author describes the process of testing truck drivers for drug use and the upgrading this method requires. The author, Jami Jones, explains the claim of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Director of Regulatory Affairs, Rick Craig, who indicates that there are many options of resolving the issue of drug use in truck drivers, but most of these will just cause issues. Privacy, security, and oversight were several of the concerns that Craig noticed with the clearinghouse route.  
              The next possibility that was reported successful is known as “Operation Trucker Check”, which was done in Oregon by the highway patrol there. This trucker check was completed anonymously and the results were shocking, 8 percent higher than the national average. Rick Craig explains that the results were so high due to the fact that some drivers take legal drugs as medication and the test did not account for that possibility. 
             Finally, he describes the biggest problem, which is that the drug free truckers are constantly subject to these different drug tests and are never rewarded for their drug-free position. The answer he provides for this problem is that the drivers who have tested negative for drug use will be tested less often and the other drivers will be tested the same percent as before, but in a smaller group setting. In my opinion, the other two options do not flow as well as this latter one. 
              The clearinghouse plan has many flaws and needs various renovations before it could be put to use. “Operation Trucker Check” also contains some errors and that is why I honestly believe that this last solution is the best of the different plans that were presented because it will reward the drivers that are drug free as well as test the other drivers in a more condensed situation of individuals.