The Impossible Love

She knew she loved him, but he was a taken man. They spent every morning together listening to the city life outside the window of their condo. Every night they would watch T.V together, and he would sometimes let her cuddle up close to him. After he got off of work they would go on walks for hours, he would talk, and she would listen to his every word. Thursdays were especially good days; bath day, and he would give her a bath using only the finest soaps for her gentle skin. As the days went on, their relationship began to dwindle, and he became distracted by the new baby. She knew the relationship would never last, as he was a married man, and she was his dog.

~Do certain children's toys create social or emotional or other problems?~

I think there certainly are children's toys out there that do cause social and emotional problems. I know that video games, and similar games on the internet are becoming very popular amongst the teenagers, and really everyone alike. In my opinion the game Call of Duty can have a negative affect on individuals who play it because it can become addicting, which results in the player continuing to play, and choosing to sit behind the computer screen instead of going out with some friends. I also think this game is very violent which can imprint negative, dangerous, or violent ideas into the players mind, and result in the same type of actions.

     

If a person spends most of their time inside playing video games, and not communicating with actual people, in person, it could result in social problems, and not knowing how to effecting communicate with others. Being that this game involves a lot of killing, as the player is in control of a gun, or other such weapons. I think that this can cause emotional damage as some of these games are pretty graphic. Now I know that not all children's games are like the Call of Duty, but I think that if a child is allowed to spend more time with their video games, or other toys, and are not spending time with their friends, or other kids their age, that it may result in social, emotional, or other problems. I respect those out there that do choose to endulge, and enjoy playing these games :0)

To what extent should bilingual education be offered in public schools?

I recieved my Elementary education from St. John's Baptist Catholic School in Jordan, Minnesota. Here I studdied many different subjects and learned quite a bit. When recalling all the subjuects that I studdied, I remember that a second language was not as enforced as I would have hoped it to be. To my knowledge, we were given two, maybe three years of spanish classes. In these classes our teacher did her absolute best to learn the information to us all, but as I was not in the place to take my calsses very seriously, I retained very little when the class was over. I did not recieve any second language education in Middle School, which was for my 7th and 8th grade years.

When I started High School as a Freshman, we were required to take Spanish I, and this I was very happy with, my teacher was able to get through to me, and I enjoyed learning about the culture. However, once you had completed one year of spanish, that was the only requirement. I think that learning a second language, especially Spanish is becoming increasing important. I think that second language education should be as enforced as any other subject in school. I think it to be a very crucuial tool for any chosen proffesion, as our communities are becoming more and more diverse. I would like to see more focus on second languages because I believe it will result in a more well-rounded individuals, and also, it promotes communication with classmates of other ethnicities, and even in their native languages. I will be exposing my children to at least two other languages, other than english, and I will suggest that they take other languages on top of that.

Should homosexuals be permitted to serve in the armed forces?

I absolutely think that homosexuals should be permitted to serve in the armed forces. Refusing them this right, is like refusing an African American the right to go to school and get an education. If you did not allow them this right, it would be treating them less of a human being. We live in the country where all men are created equal, and all should be allowed to exercise their rights. I think about whether or not I would want to serve in the armed forces, and very quickly I know my response, No. There is no desire inside of me, that wants to serve in the armed forces. So, if someone else wanted to take my place, and they happen to be of a homosexual orientation, go right ahead! This also brings me to ask the question, do we think being homosexual is a disease, or in any way a faulty genetic that might keep someone from performing to their optimum in the service? Our orientation makes no more judgement on our character, than the color of our skin. I also want to ask if this question is directed toward the population that consider themselves lesbian? When did our sexual orientation come to be a judgement of our physical abilities, or whether or not we are worth being allowed to participate in certain activities? This makes me think of a famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr. I feel this quote really resonates with this discussion question.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
-Martin Luther King Jr.-

Should News Paper Reporters Be Required To Reveal Their Sources?

It's 7:00 in the morning, and you make your way to the kitchen to heat the pot of coffee. Right as you are turning on the stove, the mail man walks by, tossing your daily Newspaper at the base of your front door. You continue your routine and go outside to grab the Newspaper so you have something to read while you eat your breakfast. On the front page, you see the headline of an article that speaks of an amazing new discovery: "Loose Weight Without Working Out!" Taken by the title of the article, you sit down with your cup of coffee and enjoy yourself some light reading. The article goes on to explain how scientists have discovered a new chemical combination, that when ingested, will begin to eat the access fat on your body. You are directed to take the pill daily, and will see results instantly. The best part about this discovery, is the fact that you will not have to work out to see results. The question is: do you quick run out and buy the first bottle of the new pills that you can find, or do you instead do some research to see whether the information is credible, if the source of where the report got her information is someone of significance. I would say, from my aberration of friends and family members taking pills like this, that many people would be in the car, at the store, and in the checkout line, before they even finished the article about the amazing new discovery. This brings to one of my points, that people listen to what they want to hear. The Newspaper is just honoring the laws of supply and demand. What the reader wants, the Newspaper will produce. Do you really think its a coincidence that with a large amount of our population being overweight or obese, and having many health problems, that the Newspapers and Magazines are filled with articles and advertisements promoting new healthy ways of living, or easy ways to loose weight fast? They are giving us what we want. People don't want to read the truth, because the truth most times is too hard to handle. Instead, they tweak the truth to make it sound more appealing to the reader. I believe that until WE start demanding accurate information, or credible information in our Newspapers, then we can trust what we read and not have to worry about whether or not what is in the Newspaper is actually supported by fact.  

The Man With The Golden Voice

I thought the video was a beautiful sight of a mother, Julia,  and son, Ted, reuniting for the first time in 10 years. I really appreciated the fact that his mother wanted to keep him in touch with his faith and help him to revitalize his hope and belief. It truly did pay off and it just goes to show you that with a little hope and faith, Anything can happen! I was pretty disappointed to discover, as I read on, that big name TV shows were intervening with the Julia and Ted's reconnection, just so they could make a big story out of it. I do not know what Julia's intentions were, upon reuniting with her son, but from the video I saw true emotion and happiness in their faces and in their eyes. After all the conflict of the two TV shows wanting to get their hands in on this terrific reconnection, Ted has flourished being given a few commercial gigs, and now having a major airing of a KRAFT mac and cheese commercial. I think that with all that has happened to both Julia and Ted, there shows signs of light being at the end of the tunnel.

Should Pornography Be Restricted By Law?

When I think of pornography, I think of the internet and how it makes pornography very accessible to just about anyone. Anyone who owns a computer, has the option of looking up pornography at any time of the day, for as long they want, on as many sights as they want. I believe pornography can become addicting, and I think people are easily influenced by what they witness on the internet. I think there could be restrictions on it, and I think that might be a healthy thing, but I cant imagine how we would go about restricting it. Being that it is so accessible, how could we begin to set limitations on who can obtain it? It could be restricted in all stores, so that people would no longer be able to purchase it at local gas stations. It could also be banned from movie stores, so that customers could not rent the videos whenever they wanted. This brings me to ask the question: What about the Internet? How could we keep people from viewing pornography on the internet? The internet is something that is free, something that is available at our very fingertips. I have heard that in China and Japan, internet sites such as Google are banned amongst the community. Is it possible that we could do the same to pornographic sites? Although I think it should be restricted, I don't think it ever will be restricted. I believe pornography portrays sex in a superficial way, and can lead people into thinking that what it portrays is real. I support the restriction, and I hope it can become less of a problem amongst our population.