Do You Know What Your Kids Are Playing?

Today's parents are increasingly working harder and are spending less and less time with their children. It is easier to sit children down in front of a video game than to interact with them after a long day at work. Xbox and Playstation have now become hyper realistic in their graphics and images, especially when it comes to violence. Severed limbs, brutal beatings with inanimate objects, and executions are common place in today's video game environment. Games like "Grand Theft Auto" depict such violence. For example, there is a scenario where one can pick up a prostitute, "conduct business", and then run her over with a car to get your money back. It may seem benign or even humorous to an adult observer, but it is that indifference to life can have a major impact to a child who's moral values have not yet been set and who cannot fully comprehend fantasy from reality.

Recent studies in the Psychological Bulletin state that children that are exposed to violent video games show less remorse and virtually no empathy. They also show an increase in aggressive behavior. (Anderson, Shibuya, Ihori, Swing, & Bushman, 2010) The study went on to say that not only children, but young adults who play violent video games will be more prone to resolve a conflict in a violent manner after playing violent video games. In fact, video games have a greater impact than both violent movies or television. What's worse is the online community. I have personally played video games online and have been subjected to abusive language that I wouldn't even be comfortable repeating in front of my best of friends during casual conversation.

What this tells me is that it is imperative that we, as adults, need to monitor what our children are playing. The government has put a rating system in place, much like a movie rating. Parents should take these ratings seriously and limit violent exposure from video games if they want to help their children grow into a balanced adult.

Anderson, C. A., Shibuya, A., Ihori, N., Swing, E. L, & Bushman, B. J. (2010). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WY5-4YJRMGV-1&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%237177%232010%23998639997%231783411%23FLP%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=7177&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=12&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=ce3e5def3142796fcf87efbd27d97a5c&searchtype=a

teacher cutts are for idiots

On June 9th 2010, Montgomery County stated a budget that would cut 250 teachers from there school system... Explaining that it wasn't the budget they wanted, but the budget that they could afford... What they failed to explain, is that the County is laying off the experienced teachers
( teachers that have been in the school system for 1o-2o years) because they cost to much to keep in there budget. This is what this budget is basically saying:

-250 teachers gone
-1 student added to every classroom because of the increase in population at schools
-Newer teachers are ridiculed because there students aren't passing state tests
- The county Wants Better teachers, but are eliminating good ones cause they can't afford them.

Please explain how this is helping the public school system.. Its amazing to see how hypocritical congress and politics are when it comes to education. Yes they say it needs to be better, but aren't willing to do what is necessary to improve education.

If you really want to improve education, now listen up... Put more money into it! If you can't find it, try cutting military funding and pulling out of the two wars America can't afford. Or perhaps improve teacher salaries and promote being a teacher, instead of scaring them half to death with standardized testing, and stating that teaching is for people that can't due.

Americans won't due any of the above to help education, but will continue to complain, and say that education is going down to the tube. But its fun to watch these people examine education and think that standardized testing is the way to improve education....

Campaign Caps

There is a big controversy going on Capitol Hill on whether or not a limit of fund raising should be initiated for campaigning. It has come to the point where whoever raises the most money will win the election. IS this true? I don’t believe it’s entirely true but it may inhibit the candidate to “get out there” so to speak. Obama Raised 468 million and McCain only raised 224 million (Times, 2010) in which Obama slaughtered McCain in votes. Could the amount of money Obama spent be a key factor in McCain’s struggle? Or the incompetent Sarah Palin as a running mate? Questions of this magnitude establish that it’s not entirely true that whoever wins is the one who raises the most money. Does a president win for what he stands for or money? Did Obama win because of money or the popularity amongst the lower/middle class and was this due to political campaigning. The answer is “kind of” in which his slogans were everywhere and cost money that attracted his audience, and well McCain didn’t really have to campaign since Sarah Palin is an idiot, and most of her key remarks would be channeled on an news broadcasting channel anyway causing publicity and popularity. Although presidential campaigns are a lot different in which receive fund-raising and receive nationwide supporters, but local official candidate Meg Whitman is a different story. Meg Whitman Spent 119 million of her own money for her campaign, (which is the most money ever spent on a campaign in which was her own money.) (RICHMAN, Meg Whitman spends $119 million on own campaign; most ever in U.S. race, 2010) Is this wrong to use your own money as leverage to tackle your opponent? Having supporters and fund-raising for your campaign is different from using your own money for governor positions and state elections. Due to the locality of elections candidates aren’t going to have the supporters as a “candidate for Presidency” and seems unfair to other runner up candidates. With recent candidates trying to buy out an election such as Bloomberg in which bought his election, (net worth of campaigning of 109 million of his own money), and Meg Whitman spending 119 million, there should be a level cap on campaigning.

Smoking Hookah!!

Have you ever smoked Hookah? If no, than good. but if yes.. then read this article.

Hookah was invented in the Middle Eastern Countries many years ago. For the past centuries people have been smoking Hookah without knowing how harmful it can be. even though the water is suppose to filter the smoke, however it does not do the job. did you know that smoking Hookah once is equivalent to smoking one pack of cigarettes. and one more thing... did u know that Hookah is actually more harmful to your teen an lungs than cigarettes. well if you did and you are still smoking it, then you must be out of your mind. but if you didn't know, then stop smoking.

teenagers today are smoking too much Hookah, with the new Hookah bars that opened in Maryland, the teenager are now smoking more then usual. even though smoking Hookah feels good, and the smoke is flavored and thick.. but it still has more harm than any other type of smoke. in many states the laws require the person smoking to be over the age of 18, however since these devices are now sold everywhere, any one could gain access to smoke Hookah when ever they want.

smoking Hookah increases the risk of lung infections, also it increases the risk of mouth cancer, lung cancer, and many more diseases. So is it really worth the risk? of course not. just because you like smoke coming out of your mouth does not mean that you should not be aware of the risks and the consequences of smoking too much.

so if you are Smoking... STOP... and if you are wondering what it feels like to smoke, then try it once... But DONT GET ADDICTED!!!

The New Cell Phone Law is a Blessing to Marylanders

On Friday, October 1, 2010 the new cell phone law goes into action. The new law will prohibit all Maryland drivers from using a cell phone without a Hands Free Device while operating a motor vehicle. In addition the new law would prohibit "a holder of a learner’s instructional permit or provisional driver’s license who is 18 years of age or older from driving a motor vehicle while using a handheld telephone".  The fine for a first offense would be $40 and subsequent offenses would be $100. (Maryland Senate Bill 321)

     With this new law hundreds of Maryland residents will be saved from auto accidents and slow drivers.   All to often I find myself behind a driver in the lane going 10 miles under the speed limit, only to pass them and see they are on the cell phone.  It has been said that texting and talking on the cell phone impair your driving as bad as a drunk driver.  To often I have had close calls with people merging into my lane and not being aware because they are chatting on the phone.  The new law will allow for those  busy people who can't put the phone down to use hand's free devices. 

     This is a comprise, because some States do not allow even hand's free devices.  I hope that in the near future the roads will be come safer for everyone and the accident rate will decrease because of the new law.  To often I have driven pass accidents involving families or children only to think, was this a drunk driver or cell phone user.   With the new cell phone law going to effect I hope enforcement is quick.  I myself have to go purchase a ear microphone this weekend and I encourage others to do the same.  Who knows you might save a life or at least save the fine of $40 bucks.

Motorcycle Safety

Recently while driving down the interstate, I drove by one of those billboards and it read "Motorcycle Safety: Share the Road". This simple statement started me thinking on what exactly was required of me as a vehicle driver to share the road and what exactly are the responsibilities of the rider.

As a vehicle driver the responsibilities seemed like common sense. The list is one that they drill into your head from the start of your driving career. All of my ideas need to be completed more often and with more caution with motorcycles present obviously but all are very simple and usually part of your normal driving routine. The list contained things like defensive driving, checking your blind spots, keeping safe distances from the vehicles around you and of course, watching out for motorcycles.

When it came to thinking about the responsibilities of the rider, I was stumped. One would think that they are probably the same as if your were on four wheels instead of two but after seeing an abundance of riders out on the roads lately, I'm starting to think that isn't the case. How are we supposed to safely share the road and prevent an accident when their driving is so sporadic? Over the past few months, I cannot tell you how many times I have seen riders barreling down the center lines or weaving in and out of traffic all while driving at ridiculously fast speeds. I have also seen some texting/talking while riding, tail gating and doing tricks on their bikes.

With all I have seen lately, I am having a hard time figuring out if the majority of motorcycle accidents are really due to an outside party or the negligence of the riders themselves. Maybe it's half and half but I really don't know. I do know that in order to keep riders safe we really need to make an effort on all parts to eliminate these potential hazards.

America is Ignoring the Traffic Jam Nightmare

America is Ignoring the Traffic Jam Nightmare

    The majority of America citizens deal with it every weekday in every major city in the country.  From 8am to 10am and 3pm to 6pm we deal with the frustration of moving from point A (usually work or home) to point B (again work or home) in the slow dragging, break light infested traffic jams. For the last 30 years we have added pavement on top of pavement in adding road expansion but the traffic never flows.  Americans both its citizens and policy makers continue to ignore that the majority of us are pulling our hair out everyday, but no one says anything.. Day after day we bite our lips and get to our location at 10mph, if you are lucky.  It is time for America to find a solution.  High speed rail, flex hours, telecommute are just a few of the solutions we pretend don't exist.  America is no longer a factory 9 to 5 driven society, the work is all technology and can be done from any computer.  Today, we spend the majority  of the work day in front of a computer screen, tapping on a keyboard.  These task with proper self management can be done from office satellite stations or from the comfort of our home.  With the increase of accidents, road rage incidents and pollution it is time America wake up and make some major changes.  What will it take for us to open our eyes and realize the problem?  Will it take what recently happened in China where the traffic jam was so bad cars didn't move for days. Before this happens I hope we start to find real solutions to our traffic jam problem and start to make smart decisions in moving cars through the concrete pipelines to our destination.

Reform Needed

Recently a good friend of mine, a pre-law student with exceptional grades and no criminal record was arrested for marijuana possession in his vehicle. His friend had left it behind and he knew nothing about it, yet currently he faces criminal charges in court and potentially one year in prison. It is a common fact that both the judicial system as well as the correctional system are both overloaded to capacity. Current marijuana laws primarily affect males between the age of 18-25, usually first time offenders and productive members of society. By tainting their record the system creates a situation in which a productive individual finds it hard to seek employment/apply for school.

Marijuana has been found to have medical benefit, yet is scheduled by the d.e.a as a substance similiar to heroin. Schedule 1 narcotics are classified to have no medical benefit and a high addiction potential, yet all medical studies point to the contrary. The AMA has endorsed medical marijuana for patients in need, yet the government continues to waste countless dollars targeting college students and ordinary citizens who turn to a vice no different than alcohol. This is the time for comprehensive marijuana reform, for the sake of the countless American families forced to experience the judicial system with no just cause, as well as to decongest the judicial and correctional process. Possession of marijuana brings no harm to society, and an individual has the right to bring proximate harm upon themselves, without big brother locking them up

Sports

When I was six years old I wanted nothing more than to play football. I begged and begged, yet got nowhere close to persuading my mother to allow me to play. One day she suggested I play lacrosse instead of football, so I tried it and fell in love with the sport. Fast forward to my sophomore year of high school, I was on the varsity lacrosse team practicing for the first playoff game, listening to the encouraging yelling from my coaches. “Run faster!” “Attack the groundball!” “Don’t be afraid to get hit” were among the more common phrases shouted across the field at toward any variety of players. When practice ended the team captains had a meeting with the team, they told us the story of our rivalry with Centennial High School, and how it was our responsibility to knock them of the pretty little pedestal that they thought they were on. Everybody walked out of the locker room with an overwhelming since of urgency, and importance riding on the following day’s game. Our game didn’t start until 7:30 so we had a long break before we had to be back at the school to board the bus. Three friends and I decided to walk to my house and order a pizza, which was delicious. Anyways, I played guitar for a few minutes while I waited for my friend James to get off the phone. On our way back to school, I realized I was chewing on a guitar pick. I was extra careful about where I was stepping, to make sure that I would not trip and fall and end up swallowing it on accident. This is when my friends decide it’d be a great idea to run the rest of the way to school, eventually; somehow, I ended up swallowing the guitar pick. When I got to school I explained to my coach what had happened and how I think it was stuck somewhere in my throat because it hurt very badly. His immediate response was “don’t be a pussy, put your pads on.” So after weighing everything, the hyped up importance of the game, and my coach’s thoughts, I put my pads on and played almost the entire first half until I got blind sided by a kid that was twice my size. By this time the guitar pick had traveled to the esophageal muscle, which is in-between the esophagus and the stomach, and gotten lodged in there. When I was hit, the impact caused the pick to dig into the sides of the muscle; I can’t even put what I felt into words. I sat out the rest of the game, rode the bus back to school, and walked home before I could get in touch with my mom and tell her what had happened. Even after we got to the emergency room I had to wait 4 hours to get into surgery.

When we watched the YouTube videos in class last week about the gymnast, and the pageant girls I got really angry. I’ve had first hand experience with modern day sports and how players are treated and the pressure to perform. Every sport has been enveloped by the American drive for winning, and violence. From professional football all the way down gymnastics for toddlers our culture has affected the innocent fun that we experience while playing sports.

What's Gender Gotta Do With Love?

Love is love. No matter which way you look at it, you can’t help who you fall in love with, whether it be with a man or a woman……What baffles me though is the fact so many people are against same sex marriage. A substantial amount of people are what we call homophobic. What’s even funnier is homophobes seem to think homosexuality is like a disease. They want you to stay far away so you don’t infect the straight, or get away and go get cured.
Your sexual orientation should ultimately depend on you and what your preferences are, I don’t believe it should rely on passages from the Bible to dictate whether its “allowed “ or not.
Somehow, somewhere in this country, were all supposed to be equal, man is supposed to be equal….yet were not…Before March 9^th, 2010 (which was the first same sex marriage performed in our nation’s capital), openly same sex couples, who are your normal taxpaying citizens were fighting for their basic rights in which they were denied based on out dated and unconstitutional ideas.
An argument that was proposed for being against same sex marriage was the teaching of it, that marriage in society is something extremely major that is taught in schools and if same sex marriage was legalized that we would then have to teach our children that same sex marriage is equivalent to opposite sex marriage, but what do your genitals have to do with marriage? Isn’t marriage supposed to be about love and commitment and to support one another till death do they part? The morals and foundation of what marriage means is what should be taught, not just “boy marries girl cause that’s how it’s supposed to be,” (let’s not forget because society “says that’s how its supposed to be”)
Same sex couples deserve just as much dignity and respect as a straight couple do, and all in all, I am obviously saying I am 100 percent for same sex marriage, I just want to know why its looked so down upon even though its slightly more accepted…its 2010 already, things are changing, I think it’s time to get over it! :)

Performance-enhancing drugs in sports

It was 1985 when Barry Bonds made his debut in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He finished his debut year in 6th place for the NL Rookie of the Year award, and slowly declined for the next three years. Then; in 1990, he shot out of the gates and was in the running for NL MVP 15 years straight, winning 7 MVP titles.

The picture to the right (on the left) shows Barry Bonds when he was first made his debut into the league. The picture on the right shows Barry Bonds 15 years later.

Now we can all agree that performance-enhancing drugs are used in every sport, worldwide, by men and women of all ages. Well-known players such as Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Ben Johnson, Marion Jones, and countless others all have been caught using some sort of performance-enhancing drugs. However; Major League Baseball has started implementing steroid testing, but also allowing "immunity" to whoever comes out and admits to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Now, this brings up the argument that players such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds have lost credibility and no longer play due to the fact their reputation was shot after being tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. However; Alex Rodriguez was granted immunity and still is mounted on a pedestal in New York and still chasing records even after admitting to the use of steroids. Many critics argue that Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa should be stripped of their awards and records due to the fact they were later on caught using steroids. But not many are arguing that Alex Rodriguez should be stripped of his 600 home runs record, or saying that he shouldn't be allowed to play.

I understand that the athleticism in sports has gotten to the point of being the best of the best. There's no denying that, but I believe everyone who is caught using performance-enhancing drugs should be stripped of their records, and banned from their respective sports indefinitely. Taking performance-enhancing drugs doesn't mean you're going to go out there and set Major League records. Skill and genetic capabilities are still required, however; who is to say that the use of performance-enhancing drugs didn't play some major role in someone's Major League record run?

The rules are there for a reason, and anyone caught using the drug should not be granted "immunity" just for owning up to it. They will get caught eventually, and I believe it's just the league being lazy and not wanting to go through the hassle of finding illegal users. If that's the case, then could the greatest hitter of all-time (Pete Rose) been granted immunity if he admitted to gambling on baseball games? Could Brian Cushing been granted immunity and not be suspended for 4 games of the 2010 season if he just owned up to it in the first place? There are many flaws in the system of sports today, some of which probably wont be fixed in our lifetime, but some sort of progression is needed.

What are your thoughts on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League sports?

special education

Imagine your a student with a disability, forgotten and thrown into a school where you don't learn mathematics, English or even science do to the thought of not having the mental
capacity to learn... Your constantly bombarded with the thought that you aren't good enough, so you live your life in a place where you eventually die. Well this how life was for a person who had a mental disability until 1975 where all children with disabilities had to be offered a free appropriate education. This allowed students with disabilities to be recognized as people of the United States, equality was almost reached. Well, it was about 20 years later when parents of students with disabilities were not offered the same education as mainstream. Well, they come up with some things that could work... partial Inclusion, where kids with mental disabilities are in the mainstream class are pulled out during class to receive extra help. Well the teachers and parents realized that the special education students were being stigmatized by being pulled out... So the special ed committee decided to go to full inclusion, and receive there accommodations in the classroom.

However, is stopping something that supports special ed students because they are afraid of being portrayed as dumb and receiving extra help? Is that not the true problem? How can America integrate people with disabilities when they are afraid of being who they are in front of mainstream students. yeah, its simple to ignore the stigmatization of special ed students, and move to a program that doesn't stigmatize special ed students or mainstream students. If you want equality, do it right and get rid of the stigmas against a population through education. The realization that special ed students aren't dumb is necessary, or all efforts of equality doesn't exist.

Over the summer I worked at Rockville High School, giving students with IEP's and 504 plans accommodations( special ed services). More than half of the population of that summer school that had these plans denied extra help because they were afraid to look dumb, or felt dumb for requiring extra help on whatever subject they had. Keep in mind most of these students failed the course once already, but still denied the extra help. I asked one of the students "why don't you want me to help you, I can tutor you." The kid said " because I am not dumb." I told the kid, " I have two students one with a learning disability, and one without. they study, but they use different techniques to study for the test." However, both of them score the same on the test. I put the tests in a bag and pick out both of them, would you be able to see the difference? The kid said "no". I told him exactly, certain kids learn differently than others, its not that your dumb, but because you learn differently. I thought to my self, was this child just now learning that he is not stupid at the age of 17?

The flaw of special education system isn't that they aren't caring about the special needs kids, but are lacking the education towards the mainstream students. Once the stigma against special ed is gone, the integration can begin.

Pros and Cons of Animal Testing

Animal testing may seem all bad but we have good reasons as to why we do it. We would not be as medically advanced as we are today. In the past before medical advancements occurred, people died from the common cold, tooth cavities and even cuts . But the testing of animals has furthered our knowledge if antibiotics and simple biology of organisms. Due to the genetic makeup of animals, we can closely examine the causes and effects of medicine, so that we don't harm people when giving them the drug or vaccine. But at what price will medicine go to advance human life? and is it worth it? Some would argue absolutely yes, but some people would say that it is wrong.

Some of the cons in the debate on animal testing is that we constantly breeding animals just for testing but we are giving them no home or no loved ones. Completely keeping them away from society and the real life. They should be given is not only cruel and unfair, but is not how life should be treated. With the continuance of animals testing, animals will suffer through becoming blind or grow tumors, etc.

I personally believe in both parts of this, animal testing is a very cruel thing but it helps us further our knowledge in fighting virus' and cancer. I have a loved one that was recently been diagnosed with breast cancer but has been through all the radiation and the doctors have said they have taken everything out but it may grow back. Without the animal testing these medical procedures would not have been created to this day and the cancer could have killed her. It is wrong to hurt and take away animals from having a happy life. Humans would not live as old or make it through harsh things like this without animal testing. In conclusion I believe that animal testing has its pros and cons.
What do you feel about Animal Testing?

Freedom of Religion except in New York?

I will never forget hearing my mother screaming as I called her the morning of September 11th, 2001. She had just gotten off the elevator at her office, as I was informing the receptionist that I needed her to keep my mom there and not to let her leave because I was coming to pick her up. She was screaming because my brother worked at the Pentagon. I raced down I-95 trying to pick her up as fast as I could, while frantically calling my brother's cell phone. I couldn't get through, all circuits were busy. I certainly knew my mom was in no shape to be driving, plus I wanted us to be together when we woke my dad up to tell him about the shocking things that were happening to our country. We had to tell him that we didn't know if my brother was alive or dead. The office my brother worked for was in constant contact with all their employee's families keeping them update on any information they had to give us. No one heard from them for five hours after the plane hit the building. To sit there with my parents watching the horror of that day playing over and over on TV, waiting and not knowing if I will ever see Chris again. I just remember sitting with my parents wondering if Chis is gone how are we going to get through this together. We are so fortunate that Chris is alive and I am so grateful. The outcome certainly could have turned out different for our family as it did for so many who did lose their loved one. My heart will always go out to them, and I think of them often. That is why so many people are so upset and emotional over the proposed Mosque to be built so close to where the terrorist attacks happened. I too, find myself going back and forth on how I feel about this issue. The constitution is the principals in which our country is founded, and I do hold that in very high regard as a citizen of this great county. My hope is that those who are proposing building the Mosque have some compassion and decide to build it a little further away out of respect. In the end, freedom of religion should prevail. Without our constitution we would not have a country.

Need Some Exercise

A poll of more than 1,000 people commissioned by Cancer Research in UK showed that four out of five people are not doing enough exercise to stay healthy, and one in four do not exercise at all. Only on in five people meet the government recommended levels, this means exercising five times a week for atleast 30 minutes. This situation has become so bad that we could be losing lots of years of our lives through increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke according to the book (Our Greatest Threats: Live Longer, Live Better by William Muir Manger.)

Coronary artery disease is a condition where fatty deposits build-up in the arteries tht supply the heart muscle. These plaques form commonly in a condition called atherosclerosis. Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease. About 7 million Americans suffer from coronary heart disease and 500,000 Americans die form it each year. It is much more common in older people and in males.

A stroke is a sudden interruption in the blood supply of the brain. Most strokes are caused by an abrupt blockage of arteries leading to the brain. Because stroke occurs rapidly and requires immediate treatment, stroke is also called a brain attack. Stroke has many consequences, including death. The effects of a stroke depend on which part of the brain is injured, and how severely it is injured. Strokes may cause sudden weakness, loss of sensation, or difficulty with speaking, seeing, or walking. Since different parts of the brain control different areas and functions, it is usually the area immediately surrounding the stroke that is affected. Sometimes people with stroke have a headache, but stroke can also be completely painless. According to the book (Freedom of Disease by Morgan Kash), we can greatly reduce the risk of getting coronary heart disease and stroke by exercising, which reduces the plaque composed of cholesterol and fat that build up on the inner wall of the coronary arteries.

Our Greatest Threats: Live Longer, Live Better by William Muir Manger

Freedom of Disease by Morgan Kash

Language Barriers in the United States

Have you ever found yourself asking for directions only to be answered with, “No speak-a Spanish?” -- well, I have. Whether I’m watching the news, reading instructions for a new appliance, or just walking around the mall I’m constantly reminded of the growing Spanish presence. Even when searching for a job, many opportunities are missed for those who are not bilingual, as the need for translating is becoming necessary for means of communication to immigrants that don’t speak English or refuse to learn.

In recent years, it seems the trend of translation seems to have caught on like wildfire with more companies offering English to Spanish translation services. Now, wherever there’s English, there’s bound to be Spanish offered along with it. Though, this may seem like a very welcoming gesture and great customer service, these efforts actually helps eliminate the need for immigrants to learn English which is not always a good thing. For example, in instances where translation services are flawed or not readily available, it can be frustrating and disabling for immigrants that haven’t learned how to speak English to communicate at a business or get to their destination.

An article I read mentioned a woman that arrived at an emergency room complaining of back pains. When asked by the nurse if she had been sexually active, the woman answered yes but her family member translated “no”, as it is frowned upon for young women to be sexually active in their culture. Because of this, no pregnancy work up was done. She returned later with complications from an ectopic pregnancy. Family members stepping in to translate may result in changed information, to protect or better suit their relative. Many hospitals are pushing to hire more bilingual employees and some even offer professional medical linguists, which often costs more than the actual procedure. Though these services are offered, patients run into more problems when they go to the pharmacy only to find that their prescription drug instructions are only given in English as most pharmacies are not willing to translate for fear of giving the wrong information and being held liable for it. When someone does not understand how to take medications it can be lethal, as directions can be missed on how/when to take it, what substances to avoid and what reactions to watch for.

Even though the federal government has not declared an official language, English remains the most commonly spoken language nation-wide. Though this is a great nation of opportunity and freedom, the United States has become too accommodating of everyone’s wants, such as being able to speak one’s own native language and the need for a common language has been pushed to the side. I feel that if a person is immigrating to a country in search of a better life, the least that he/she can do is learn to communicate effectively in the region’s language.