Thursday, September 23, 2010

Americans consume massive amounts of junk food for many reasons. Junk food tastes good. For many working families it saves time on meal preparation.  There is a temptation on almost every corner and some people do not have the will power to drive by the fast food restaurants and not buy something.  Junk food is cheap.  Some people just don't know what foods they should be eating.  Some people were raised eating junk food so they continue to eat that way.  

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Stealing?

I thought there was only one way to define stealing.  Taking something that doesn't belong to you.  A friend views it differently.  The cashier yesterday gave me to much change.  When I returned it, my friend looked at me as if I had lost my mind.  They asked me why I gave the money back.  I told them I couldn't keep it because it was stealing.  They said it was the cashier's mistake and I should have kept it.  When I talked to other friends and family members I got mixed reactions.  Some said I should have kept it and others said I did the right thing.  How we define stealing has a lot to do with how we are raised, I guess.  I was surprised that my friend told me to keep the money because they had a strict Baptist up-bringing.  I thought they would have the same view about it as I did.  I was not raised in a home with religion but my parents had firm views about what they believed was right and wrong.  What I call stealing my friend believes it is just profiting off of someone elses' mistake. 
     

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Should prostitution be legalized?

What makes prostitution illegal?  In today's society both men and women have multiple partners.  The only difference is the exchange of money.  Some say that making prostitution legal would only promote the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, but a promiscuous lifestyle does the same thing.  Prostitution has been around as long as mankind.  Women could not find many jobs outside the home in the early days.  Many turned to that profession to care for themselves and their children if they were left with no husband.  Women turn to it today for the same reasons.  Is it morally wrong, that is a matter of opinion.  Should it be illegal, I don't think so.  What someone else chooses to do is their own business. 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Do television programs provide a realistic picture of life in America?

American television does not depict a realistic view of life here.  Most television shows are about rich or middle class individuals when in reality America has more lower income families.  Shows that portray interracial or homosexual couples are not common, but that lifestyle is.  There are many shows that represent American teenagers as promiscuous but that is an unfair image.  Not all teenagers behave that way.  If a foreigner was watching American television to get an idea of what life was like here he would have an unrealistic view.   I believe that he would think we were immoral, not tolerant of alternative lifestyles and poverty was not a problem here.  America needs more shows that give a practical depiction of the common individual. 

Thursday, September 9, 2010

If I could live life as an animal, I would be an eagle.

If I had to live life as an animal I would be an eagle.  I could soar above trees and mountains.  I would be able to travel anywhere.  Rivers and lakes would not get in my way.  I could reach my destination in a third of the time it would take an animal on the land.  I associate freedom with flying.  Freedom of spirit and the restraint of gravity.  Furthermore, the eagle is a beautiful animal.  It is majestic, with its white helmet of feathers.  The eagle is a fierce and stealthy predator.  Characteristics that only add to its elegance.  Beautiful, strong and free, I could not imagine any other animal I would aspire to be.    

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Heredity or Environment, Which Has a Greater Effect on a Person

Heredity and environment have an equal effect on a person.  Heredity can effect everything from the food you eat, to the holidays you celebrate, your morals and your beliefs.  Environment  has an equal impact.  The environment effects your behavior.  The way you dress and the activities you participate in, the way you behave in social situations can be shaped by your environment.  Most people want to do what is socially acceptable.  Furthermore, your personality and abilities are shaped by both.  Whether you are athletic or are artistically gifted depends on the traits you were born with as well as the experiences you were exposed to.  It can not be all of one and not the other.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Automobiles, Good or Bad

Has the automobile been harmful to our society?  The invention of the automobile has benefited and harmed our society.  It had a dramatic impact on the lives of everyone from the common farmer to the wealthy business man but it also polluted the planet.  Do the benefits out way the negative effects?

What are the positive aspects of the automobile?  It cut down travel time.  If you wanted to go on vacation or deliver your produce to the market it now took half the time.  The invention of the automobile led to other inventions, like the tractor. 

The negative impact has been on the planet.  The pollution caused by the automobile ruins the air quality especially in large cities.  Although there are ways to recycle used parts from cars the rest of it sits in dumps.  The drilling and transportation of the oil used in automobiles has lead to oil spills that have killed animals and polluted our oceans.  Even though scientists are trying to figure out new ways to power the automobiles it may be to late.