America has the high rates of teen pregnancy, abortion, and new HIV infections. Television and the media are chalk full of sex. “Clean” television shows are becoming harder to find everyday. The television shows are normally not eluding to two married people having sex. Normally they show television characters with multiple partners. The phrase “sex sells” has taken over marketing tactics. Sex is used to sell everything from cars to cheese burgers. Women and men are both sexualized and become objects in media. Children are one internet search away from getting a distorted conception of sex. There is no way to know what they will come across if they search the internet for answers about sex and their bodies. It is everywhere except in education. I went to a Catholic school from the time I was in kindergarten through high school and absence was the only thing I was taught. We all had to get a permission slip signed in order to have the “talk.”  I can remember my friends and I being terrified to even ask questions about it.  When it was introduced to us, the presenter sited the Bible and left us to guess about the science portion of sex. I believe in the Bible but, I think we should have also learned about the anatomy of our body. We were also separated by gender so the girls learned nothing about boys and the boys did not learn anything about the girls. I thought that my peers in public school would have learned about sex. In my Biology class my Sophomore year of college, I learned that less than one third of my class mates had comprehensive sex ed. My class consisted of about one hundred and fifty students that were roughly eighteen and older. This Biology class was the first time two thirds of us had ever learned about sex in a classroom that was not absence only. This was shocking to me to learn. I thought I was one of the few people that had not learned about sex in a class room. No wonder America has more teen pregnancies and STDs than other countries! Leaving young people to the internet and each other to figure it all out on their own is obviously not efficient. There is a lot of false information on the internet. The perspective on sex that the internet provides does not foster respect. I’m not saying we should encourage young people to go out and have sex but, they need to be educated on what can happen if they do choose to have sex. They have a right to learn about their bodies and the bodies of their peers. We learn about all the functions of our body down to the organelles in a cell but we do not learn about sex. It is taboo to discuss sex with younger people even thought it is a function of the body. At some point most people do have sex so, educating young adults on sex is not telling them to go out and try it now but, it prepares them for the future. People should be educated on ways they can protect themselves against STDs. I did not fully understand the severity of some STDs. HIV which later develops into AIDS is literally deadly. When absence is the only thing being taught, the importance of condoms will not be taught. I disagree with passing out condoms to young adults. I think that they should take ownership of the fact that they are having sex and buy condoms at the store. I do believe the importance and proper use of condoms should be taught. Another side of the benefits of sex education is teaching how to recognize consent and abuse. Sexual Education can give children the vocabulary to speak out if they are ever sexually abused. Teaching consent is really important as well. All people in America, not just the younger generation could benefit from learning about how to give and receive consent for sex. This goes back to being able to protect themselves. They need to understand that consent cannot be given in certain situations. For example, when someone is intoxicated or passed out, they cannot give consent. Educating the youth on how to properly respect each other will have an impact on their future behaviors. There are so many benefits that could come from teaching sex education that is not absence only. By teaching children, they are not encouraging them to have sex, they are empowering them with knowledge to protect themselves.

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Crime is at a extreme high in Memphis. It looks as if every time we look at the news in Memphis someone has gotten robbed or killed. People are getting scared and in fear of the unthinkable happening  to them. In my opinion, it is time to put more money into law enforcement and detectives to get some these criminals off the street because we will always need law enforcement. It has to start with with us as citizens and officials who vote on these things. We can make a change if we just get together and come to a compromise on what we need in society. It all starts with us and its time for a change.  If we don’t make a decision to do something it will only get worst. This is what my whole article is pushing for, to make a change. This is how we have to do it. I hope this will  make a difference.

Government of Flint is the main reason behind this bad time in Michigan. The government of Flit, Michigan was paying Detroit for their water. But two years ago they decide to get the water out of the Flint River and it’s been bad ever since. When the city of Flit was using Lake Huron for water it not that bad to fix the water and keep all the bad things away so the citizens of Michigan can drink the water. One day the government of Michigan decide to start save of money and stop paying for the clean water in the lakes and rivers in Michigan. The citizen in Flit start noticing a change in the water on the way it taste, smell, and look. So the water started getting polluted by bad things to the point that it was not safe to drink or use. The city of Flint thought they was doing a good thing by not getting to community to clean the water until the water started killing people. The water got so bad and dirty that it started killing hundreds of people and making many sick. The reason why i think the city of Flint made the decision to pay for the water because the city was going over there budget and started cutting things they think they did not need but did. Another reason why the city Flint start getting contaminated because they wanted to start using Detroit water instead of using tab water. In the contaminated water it had small pieces glass and other types of bad materials in it. The water got so bad that all the children in the city of Flint must get check because lead level was raising and more people was dieing.  When the president of the United States heard about what happen to the city of Flit he quickly call out for a state of emergency in Michigan this pass Saturday. The Nation Guard went to Michigan to pass of cases of water and water filter for the citizen and was in need. The water made a big effect of the city of Flit only because many of business use water to drink of use. The government of Michigan handle this problem with class but many of citizen thought they could have did it sooner. The water was changing colors like a dark brown because the water had iron and lead in the water. The government help out the city of Flit by taking care of the citizen in need. The problem that happen in the city of Flit is a example of local, state ,and federals. This problem in Flit is a example of local, state ,and federal because water is one of the most important thing in the world and it has a big effect on the environment. The city of Flit have been dealing with contaminated water for two years so this been an issue for a long time. So the citizen in Flit feel like the government lied to them because they told the citizen that the water would be uncontaminated and it would be safe to drink. The citizen in Flit city is making a lawsuit to the city of Flit because many of people coming up with lead poison. The citizen says its time for a change because when the government found out about the lead and iron problem in the water they just look over it. Until citizen start posting pictures of the water on social media and famous people start coming to the city of Flit and taste and look at the water themselves. For example Hillary and  Bill Clinton and Mr. Simmons took a trip to the city of Flit to taste the water.  The Federal government is working up a case for the government of Flit and the state of Michigan and Schuette and DEQ has to get their lawyer to support there reason on how the water crisis happen .

I have lived in the city of Memphis my entire life and I have always felt very fortunate as far as the services  provided by the city.  As a practical person I know that there are problems with government run amenities.  There is often a breakdown in communication between administrators and the public they serve as well as between administrators and the field employees.  Waste management is a thing that can easily be taken for granted, but is essential to any civilization.  Memphis city waste management, for me, has been quite decent. Shortly after I moved into my home the latch on my big, green dumpster, that is also provided by the city, broke.  I went to the cities website, Solid Waste Management at http://www.memphistn.gov/Government/PublicWorks/SolidWasteManagement.aspx .  The website is very comprehensive.  Everything I needed was right there.  I called because I wanted to speak to a person and receive some type of confirmation that my request had been received by an actual human being, but if I’d wanted to, the forms for my request could have been addressed on line.

If I have one issue with the way this section of public services is run it would have to be the handling of my trash can.  I never know where it’s going to end up after it’s been emptied.  It’s happened so often that, on Thursdays I only hope it isn’t in the middle of my drive way and is somewhere in the vicinity of the front of my house.  My son complains because he’s responsible for the trash.  He feels it is an intentional act of a disgruntle employee because, “No one wants to be a garbage man.”  Of course that is the voice of youth.  Adults understand the importance of a position with the city, benefits, and job security.  At this point we are living with the random placement of our garbage can.   I’m sure there is recourse, but I don’t believe it’s worth it.  I cannot see the wisdom in ticking off the men responsible for taking away my solid waste.  In class we learned it is called Administrative Discretion.  Which is when a public administrator, such as a trash collector can make a decision as to whether or not he/she can or will complete the task.  I call it retaliation and I do not want to cultivate a power struggle.

I don’t know what the training procedure is for a Solid Waste Management employees or if there is one.  I also don’t know the qualifications and requirements are for the job.  When I went to the website there was only detailed information about police officers and fire fighters.  This brings to mind the question, are these jobs held in higher regard than waste disposal.   A person, if they are blessed, has few needs for the police, and perhaps never for the fire department, but I look forward to trash pickup every week.  I said that to say, that I need my garbage removed as much as any other service.  Yet there is little information about the requirements and training of those involved in the process.

We all know that movie stars, athletes, and musicians are given special treatment on a daily basis. They receive free gifts when they can afford to buy it themselves, roads and intersections are sometimes shut down for their arrival and much more. Even when it comes to the justice system these superstars are given special treatment. This is one place where we should be treated equally just.

These famous athletes, and reality t.v. show stars are the ones influencing future generations and young leaders now. I’m not saying famous people don’t or shouldn’t make mistakes or don’t experience the same ill temptations us normal citizens do, but I am saying if and when they do, justice should be served. Sometimes a slap on the wrist won’t teach us a lesson.

It’s unfair when petty crimes are committed by normal citizens, harsh reprecussions follow, but when a star assaults someone, hardly anything is done. And yes, these superstars can afford some of the best lawyers and definitely put their money where their mouth is, but it does not justify their wrongdoing.

Let us not forget about Alec Baldwin, and Chris Brown. Baldwin is openly homophobic, in a rude, and condescending way. He goes around cursing people out, and always acting outrageously. More examples of what he has done are “roughing up shutterbugs, disobeying flight attendants and raging into his then-11-year-old daughter’s voicemail, “You are a rude, thoughtless little pig.” (According to a blog post on NY Post). As far as we know Baldwin hasn’t been punished for his outlandish behavior besides MSNBC cancelling two episodes of his show.

Chris Brown is probably the most popular, known for beating his girlfriend at the time, Rhianna. Of course he had to live with the turmoil of life, fans, and family afterwards, but in a legal sense he didn’t recieve much punishment. Probation and community service. That’s all. But in contrast, someone attempting to cash a stolen check or having in your possession a single crack rock, this could land you in jail for life without parole.

This is unacceptable. This is the example our kids have to look up to. They must learn that actions come with consequences. Some consequences worse than others. It is okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. Our legal system needs to do a better job at providing fair treatment to everyone, and not granting certain people special privileges over others. This leads to a bad view of the government and makes everyday normal people see the government as corrupt and crooked.

I realize there is more that goes into the law, such as number of offenses and so much more.I can’t even begin to scratch the surface of it. But unfair is unfair. Something needs to be done to make a change in the system.

There is no question that media has become an important part of our lifestyles, and for some, a lifestyle heavily reliant on this media. The “Pew Research Center” has concluded that 65% of adults in America use at least one social media platform in 2015, which is a huge jump from the very modest 7% in 2005. It is this huge following that has made media so powerful and so widely used by franchise giants all around the world. One giant entity being sport on a world scale, over the past decade sport in general has become even bigger than it was before and this is largely to do with the increased use of social media. There have been many discussions about this, as there are many positives of this, but just as many negatives as I will discuss.

Media within the sporting industry has many positive aspects just as it has negative ones. When considering the influence media has on sport, one can look at the various effects it has. For example, the exposure media brings, not only to the sport itself, but also to the players, staff, team owner, etc. Sport has for a very long time, dominated various different countries and continents as the most popular form of entertainment. Furthermore, in saying this, media has helped immensely to promote and share various sporting events around the world. This international sharing of sporting events has a far greater impact on the world than many would assume. These sports promotions and events bring countries together, the love of particular games such as the “world game,” soccer, brings people together by creating a common interest.

Having such a big media presence with each and every sporting event that takes place and on so many various platforms, forces people to use different media outlets to access sporting events. For example, fans are able to access coverage of a particular sporting event through a live coverage feed on the television, a stream on the web or a replay via Facebook or YouTube. This means that most spectators are able to access this entertainment no matter what your socio economic status is. In saying this, media being such a big entity, requires many people to run and maintain their goals and objectives within the sporting world. This intern creates jobs for every community around the world that requires varying levels of qualifications.

Media in sport despite having major positives associated with its presence also has its negatives. Certain actions within sporting communities or activities done by individual players will very often end up on every form of media within a few hours of the event occurring. Whether or not the facts are true or not it makes for a “good story.” These media platforms are the perfect place for “keyboard warriors” to get online and give there opinions and make remarks about specific people. Furthermore, media outlets allow for the fostering of a culture that has huge mental repercussions towards the people on the receiving end of the comments.

Media in sport is a great thing and should continue to grow in the coming years, as it is a great way to bring people together and create entertainment for others. It creates jobs for people all over the world, and reduces the gap in socio economic statuses. In saying this however, more effort should be put into protecting these sportsmen and woman from personal attacks made by the wider community.

Wal-Mart has had a lot of growth and expansion. The stores are mostly located in every busy intersection areas. This is a great sign that says the company is growing. The company also have other services such as assistance with minor car repair and they offer a money center. Some of the Wal-Marts even have restaurants, such as McDonald’s. Basically, Wal-Mart is a one stop shop where you can get everything under one roof. They offer these services so that they can keep the customer satisfied. Customer satisfaction is the most important part of having a successful business.

Some of the recent changes within the Wal-Mart chain is the elimination of the stores. 296 stores and clubs(SAM’s Club) are closing. This means 16,000 employees will be impacted. Wal-Mart is known for having the lowest prices on almost everything they sell. I think this will affect customers when they close, as well as the economy.  I know this will affect me, because every time I go out of town I ask for the location of a Wal-Mart.

   Growing up my family had very little money.  My mother had two children, held a full time job and depended on public assistance programs just to make ends meet.  At the age of fourteen I applied for my workers permit and began my life of employment.  By eighteen I was working three jobs to afford things that I needed and to assist my family.  I knew that I was not internally driven enough to receive scholarships and would not be able to make enough money to afford college on my own.  I also believed that I should never accept a handout unless I was willing to earn it or pay it back.  I made the decision to join the military for five years so that I could receive the Montgomery GI Bill which pays college tuition as a benefit for serving your country.  They also have great programs that pay college tuition while you are serving on active duty to be able to earn your degree while you serve.  The great thing about the military is that while you are receiving all of these benefits you are also being employed, earning a paycheck, free healthcare for you and your family, free housing and a stipend for food.  All of these things are monetary issues that plague families across the country.

  I am not trying to sell the military to anyone, nor am I trying to make anyone else’s life sound better or worse.   I am trying to say that there are many other paths to go to college without expecting the government to give you a free handout. The path that I took is one of many that a person can take to go to college.  I feel that we are beginning to live in a society where the public feels entitled to assistance from the government, which is funded by people who actually pay their taxes, for programs that they themselves can achieve if they work hard or are willing to sacrifice for.  I believe in programs that offer assistance but not handouts or programs that are luxuries not necessities.

  The program that President Obama proposed in his State of the Union Address, offering two years of Community College to everyone, would cost at a minimum 80 million dollars of Federal and State funding over ten years.  Where would the money come from you ask, from tax payers pockets.  Everyday people that are they themselves struggling to keep their heads above the water financially, will be paying for this program through the taxes the government collects every year.  Instead of spending the money on a new program how about improving an existing issue riddled program, our primary and secondary education systems.  Why not spend the money on improving the quality of education, the learning environments and the underpaid and overworked lives of the teachers that give their heart and soul to teach their students the building blocks of education that will assist them throughout the rest of their lives.  Many of the classrooms in public schools are overcrowded, affecting the quality of education and attention that the students receive.  Due to budget cuts many teachers need to pay out of their own pocket or request additional supplies from students that are needed in the classrooms.  There are continuous news reports across the United States on unhealthy and deplorable learning environments in run down public schools that children have to attend. 

  College is not for everyone.  Many would attend because it is “free” that would benefit more by attending vocational training, on the job training programs or internships.  Going to college would delay the individual in getting their foot in the door and learning valuable skills for jobs that do not require degrees.  We have a high dropout rate of students that pay for colleges now in their first two years.  If young adults feel no obligation or responsibility to attend because it is free or drop out, the hard earned taxpayer’s money would yet again be wasted.

  The free two year community college program is a waste of taxpayer’s money.  It creates more issues than it fixes, doesn’t fix existing public educational issues, reinforces entitlement behaviors and can be very detrimental to those that would be better suited for other career paths than college.  The government should spend their time trying to fix the broken public programs we have now instead of forcing new ones on hard working Americans.

Lets face it, we live in a media obsessed society.  Between computers, smartphones, video games, along with magazines, movies and television shows, we all are bombarded with various images on what a “healthy weight” should look like.  We are either too fat or too thin, there is very little in-between.

I am saying this because with all these beauty standards, either consciously or sub-consciously bombarded with, it has given rise to the amount of individuals, both males and females,  with eating disorders.  The lack of treatments available for people struggling with this dangerous disease is tragic.  Treatment is expensive not only because it is a physical disease but also a mental disease as well, and not many people can afford it.

Even with the this new “affordable care act” which is supposed to aid those who need help, seems to look over this type of disorder. Homeless people have places to go, drug addicts have places to seek help, but those suffering from eating disorders and mental health don’t have very many places they can go to seek help.  I think this is a complete overlook of public administration for the benefit of the people.  More treatment options, and payment options I believe should be put in place.  The city can spend tons of money on things that in the line of importance, in my mind at least, are near the bottom of the list of concerns because the amount of people suffering and falling pray to this disease is on the rise and has been steadily for years.  Public administrators should look at this problem and formulate a better way to treat it.