Rebuttal Argument—Aquarela

Needs a Title

In ‘‘Breaking Down the Wall of Silence’’, Allice Miller affirms that again and again the child’s share of the blame is looked for and found, with the result that only extremely brutal cases is the term “child abuse” mentioned, and even then with reservations, with the broad spectrum of psychic mistreatment is disputed or even totally denied. In this way the victims’ voices are silenced almost before they are raised, and the truth, the whole objective truth, of the facts remains in obscurity.

Today parents are striving to be more conscious of their children and attitudes. The social services, health workers, and schools are more trained and supportive than earlier. However, there is still one thing that most people are not aware of: the physical effect of emotional abuse and its impacts in the future. Recent research shows that emotional abuse and neglect cause some neurological issues that lead to various problems, such as cognitive disorders and socio-emotional disruptions. Indeed, emotional abuse’s impact is not a new theme in the psychology field.

For Dodge, Pettir and Battes, the lack of affection when interacting with the child can trigger insecurity, hostility, aggression, and vulnerability in their social relationships. The consequences of family neglect can be diverse and lasting. Family neglect can facilitate children’s early contact with the most diverse risk environments, leaving them vulnerable to various forms of violence, affecting their mental and physical health. But also, when exposing children to risk, there can be relatively small physical consequences, such as rocks and small cuts, and even serious consequences, such as hemorrhages, bone fractures, and, in some cases, even death. In the long term, the consequences can be severe, such as neurological impairment, damage to physical health, and several complications that favor fragile health.

A physical consequence of family neglect pointed out by Kummer is the so-called deviation or conduct disorder. This disorder is characterized by persistent patterns of socially inappropriate, aggressive, or challenging conduct, violating social norms or individual rights.The family and social environment play an important role in the development and maintenance of conduct disorder. Oppositional and disobedient behavior is associated with aggressive and negligent parents and siblings, divorce from parents, large families, young mothers, low socioeconomic status, only one caregiver, etc.

Conduct disorder is more frequent between 12 and 16 years old, almost 4 times more common in males. Approximately 20% also have some learning disorder, such as difficulty concentrating, expressing themselves orally or writing or memory, resulting in performance below the school average. In adolescents with conduct disorder, it is possible to identify a low responsibility in the orbitofrontal area, which is responsible for processing reward stimuli. It can be the cause and consequence of learning history in which punishments for bad behavior prevailed instead of reinforcement for good behaviors. Similarly, the cerebellar amygdala responds less to stimuli of intimidation and fear. It may be both the reason for not avoiding aversive stimuli that most would avoid or for getting used to living in an intimidating and threatening environment.

These violations do not meet the child’s social expectations, go far beyond childish pranks or adolescent rebellion, and continue to happen regularly. The diagnosis of conduct disorder is based on the presence of excessive manifestations of aggression and tyranny; cruelty towards other people or animals; destruction of the assets of others; incendiary behavior; theft or theft; sexual abuse; carrying weapons; repeated lines; low school attendance and escape from home; abnormally frequent and serious disobediences. These violations do not meet the child’s social expectations, going far beyond childish pranks or adolescent rebellion, and continuing to happen regularly for six months or more. If these behaviors persist after 18, it is diagnosed as Antisocial personality disorder (Psychopathy / Sociopathy). 

As a consequence of this, children can, for example, demonstrate antisocial behavior at school, and when the school contacts parents, they do not admit that their child has difficulties for fear of being commented on in the local community. They often prefer to deny the facts, neglecting to help their “protected” children with indifference.

In his book Emotional abuse and neglect (psychological maltreatment): A conceptual framework, Glaser mentions that investigations in different countries reveal that neglect, compared to other types of abuse, is associated with greater damage to the child’s development, especially if experienced chronically. In his work Child abuse and neglect and the brain – A review, Danya Glaser shows considerable evidence of brain damage resulting from experiences of abuse and neglect. Among neglected children, among other consequences, a reduction in brain volume has been observed and biochemical, functional, and brain structure changes.

In Towards an Ecosystem Theory of Child Neglect, Lacharité, Éthier, and Nolin report that the consequences of negligence towards children can be manifested on the physical plane, which can cause children’s mortality; in the exposure to other forms of mistreatment, in the restriction of relationships provided to the child, in the family, and in the living environment, in their social environment and the plan of developmental sequelae. These numerous negative consequences generated by neglect make clear the need to look for ways to develop intervention programs that provide, in the first instance, the early identification of children living in situations of neglect and that, afterward, mitigate or contain their negative effects, as well as how, if possible, change the family situation, in terms of the care spent.

Emotional abuse is one of the most difficult forms of child abuse to diagnose. Although the research mentioned above affirms that neurological problems may be led by emotional neglect, it is not considered as harmful as physical abuse is. Since its damage is not as visible as a punch mark and its consequences are not necessarily immediate, emotional neglect tends to be ignored. Generally, it is detected when associated with other severe mistreatment conditions such as physical and sexual abuse. Although the suspicion is confirmed, professionals’ intervention and/or the legal system occurs more cautiously. As emotional abuse does not cause visible physical harm and parent taboo interrupts the diagnosing process, most cases are missed and not intervened.

However, according to research done in the Minnesota Mother-Child Project, emotionally neglected children showed the most dramatic decline in scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development between maltreated groups. The participants’ age range was from 9 months to 24 months, which proves that the results of emotional neglect may be found before adolescence or middle age. According to the scale, which is an assessment instrument designed to measure motor, cognitive, language, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior development in babies and young children, emotionally abused preschoolers have more difficulty handling stressful situations than other kids; they tend to react angrier compared to non maltreated and physically abused children. It means that it is possible to recognize emotional abuse and neglect in the early years of life; therefore, it can be predicted.

The consequences of family neglect can span generations, as parents who have been abandoned tend to abandon their children or neglect them.

Posted in Aquarela, Portfolio Aquarela, Rebuttal Essay | Leave a comment

Causal – Mhmokaysure

Why Can’t Young Drivers Drive

This danger however stems from a plethora of smaller decisions made leading up to an ultimately dangerous combination. Taking into account that the standard for getting a license is sub par in the United States, it is also important to see the issues that young drivers bring upon themselves when driving. It is well known that seatbelts are very effective in reducing serious injuries when involved in an accident. For some reason however, the same age group involved in the largest percentage of car accidents is also the age group which is least likely to be wearing a seatbelt while driving. When younger children drive with their parents, it is almost guaranteed that the parents make sure their children have their seat belt fastened. In fact, in a survey conducted by McCartt, Shabanova, and Leaf, they found that “The restrictions most commonly imposed by parents were no drinking and driving (90%) and no driving without using a seat belt (73%)”. Being the second largest concern however does not stop these young drivers, which contributes to the larger proportion of fatal accidents in young drivers compared to other age groups.

While not using the safety equipment on a car is one thing, we also see that the cars that young drivers drive tend to be older, and less safe than other age groups. Almost every teen driver who gets a car is given, or buys, a less expensive older vehicle. This pretty much stems from the common knowledge that young drivers are not good drivers, and are expected to get into an accident sooner than later. In fact, according to McCartt, Shabanova, and Leaf “The crash rate per 100 licensed drivers was 5.9 for the first month of licensure and 3.4 for the second month; the rate varied from 1.3 to 3.0 for the subsequent 10 months”. While many parents do not use this exact statistic, the expectation is there that a young driver will get into an accident. This in turn becomes a large factor when deciding on what car to purchase. Because of this, young drivers tend to drive older smaller cars than other age groups. Well, the effect of this is almost self explanatory. Smaller cars are more likely to sustain more damage in an accident than larger cars, and older cars have less safety gizmos than newer ones. Being almost set up for failure, we see that the car choice made by parents inadvertently puts these young drivers at a higher risk of sustaining serious or even fatal injuries when involved in an accident. Along with the fact that these vehicle choices contribute to the danger faced, a study conducted by Cammisa, Williams, and Leaf also showed that teenagers who own their own car drive more miles, exhibit more risky behaviors, and are involved in more crashes than those who share a vehicle. 

Going back to the young driver themself however, the use of cellphones while driving is possibly the largest issue contributing to carelessness on the road. Arguably the most important device in a teenager’s life is their cell phone, with almost constant use among the age group. This unfortunately translates to cell phone use while driving, leading to an increase in distracted young drivers. In fact, according to the NHTSA “A disproportionate amount of MVCs related to distracted driving involve teenagers: although they comprise 6% of all drivers killed in MVCs, teenagers account for 10% of all drivers determined to be distracted at the time of a crash and 11% of all drivers killed in crashes related to documented cellphone use“. That is not surprising seeing as a nationally representative survey of 1,243 high school students, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that 83% reported engaging in electronic device use while driving at least once in the last 30 days. That statistic seems ridiculous, but is it really surprising? These younger drivers do not go a day without worrying about what is happening online, but do not appear to worry about themselves and others on the roads. Cell phone use while driving is an ongoing problem, taking away critical time needed to react in serious situations, oftentimes being the difference between causing and avoiding an accident among young drivers. Although there have been countless attempts to educate and mitigate the amount of cellphone use while driving among all drivers, it appears that once again the rebellious mentality of the youngest drivers blocks the messages from achieving their goal.

With not one positive coming from what young, inexperienced, and uneducated drivers bring to public roads, there is only one solution: don’t let it happen. Don’t let these drivers have the ability to drive amongst those who have matured and gained the experience to properly and safely operate vehicles. Maybe a reality check and a harsh awakening is what is necessary to prevent the unproportional accident rates that this age group is involved in. Giving it some time, the urge to drive may finally cause these drivers to learn the proper skills needed to safely operate a car. While it may seem extreme, this measure of restriction may finally be the breakthrough needed to prevent the countless innocent lives being lost on the roads we all share. Such a proposition alone may make these drivers think twice before heading out on the road, because they never know, it could be their last trip.

Resources

Ferguson, S. A. (2002, December 24). Other high-risk factors for young drivers-how graduated licensing does, doesn’t, or could address them. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437502000828#BIB2

Matthew.lynberg.ctr@dot.gov. (2020, October 06). Distracted Driving. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/distracted-driving

McCartt, A. T., Shabanova, V. I., & Leaf, W. A. (2002, February 01). Driving experience, crashes and traffic citations of teenage beginning drivers. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457502000064?casa_token=KqGitS-PDJsAAAAA:p5WDIgF-qN7sqDDqEEFSxfeSwZsgcIEB7i-EOVe10VCnh2KRU7LLR-D7TWktJwj240uG6ALf1MU

Office of Highway Policy Information – Policy: Federal Highway Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2008/dl20.cfm

Posted in Causal Argument, mhmokaysure | Leave a comment

End of Semester Grade Conferences

If you haven’t scheduled

Most of you have scheduled your Grade Conferences, but for those who haven’t, I must inform you it’s now too late to have any input into your final grade.

If you have scheduled

The End-of-Semester Grade Conference is your opportunity to achieve consensus with your beloved professor about your overall course grade. Missing your appointment waives that opportunity and also waives your right to dispute your final grade. So don’t miss your appointment. Please.


From the syllabus:

END-OF-SEMESTER GRADE CONFERENCE

In addition to two mandatory “Progress Conferences,” we will meet briefly during Finals Week for a MANDATORY one-on-one Grade Conference. At this final meeting of the semester, you and your beloved professor will come to a meeting of the minds regarding your earned grade for the semester. In addition to helping you understand the rationale for your grade, this conference will eliminate the possibility of disputes after grades are posted.

Students who fail to schedule a Grade Conference or who fail to attend a scheduled Grade Conference WAIVE THEIR RIGHT to dispute the grade their professor determines fair. 

Posted in David Hodges, Professor Posts | Leave a comment

Rebuttal Rewrite – Mhmokaysure

Why Not Let Everyone on the Road

While some may say that limiting the opportunities for youth to drive may further worsen the dangers caused by inexperienced drivers, focusing on improving the steps necessary to acquire one’s license would ultimately result in safer roads. In the article titled “Drivers license requirements and road safety: Evidence from a natural experiment in Mexico”, Cervantes shows the extreme comparison between driver’s license requirements. Comparing the different requirements in different municipalities in Mexico, similar to that of what we see in the United States, he shows a correlation between accident rates and requirements for acquiring a license. Although extreme, it paints the picture that what is done leading up to someone driving has an effect on the driver’s performance on the road. Stating that some parts of Mexico have no prerequisites or tests required to get a drivers license, Cervantes shows that such areas face a tremendous increase in traffic accidents involving new drivers, in his findings saying “We find that abolishing both tests, driving and written, is related to an increase of more than 1,800 RTAs per100k population of ages 15 to 19. This effect seems to more than double the rate of accidents, on average.” While a complete lack of requirements is not the case in the United States, we do however see that some states make it much easier to acquire a license than others. This differing of standards throughout the nation causes unproportional statistics that may not represent the whole of the population. What is certain however is that the lower the entry qualifications are for anything, the more unqualified members will be seen. In the case of acquiring a driver’s license, lowering the standard required follows this trend, resulting in an unproportionally high accident rate among the younger age group.

Others may argue that tightening restrictions and telling teens what to do only causes the opposite result. That may be true in some cases, however taking the proper steps to teach the importance of safe driving may be a step in the right direction. Often the teaching approach is the most important part of passing on information, so if the current way isn’t working why not change it? These young drivers are not being properly taught, resulting in the lack of knowledge and ability on the road. For instance, oftentimes when someone sees another driver perform a risky or dangerous maneuver on the road, they say something along the lines of “that idiot”. Interestingly enough, the rates of fatal accidents among teen drivers loosely correlates with the level of education in the state itself. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, analyst Bailey Peterson finds that the state with the highest rate of teenage fatal accidents is Kentucky, with 3.26 fatal accidents per 10,000 licensed drivers under the age of 19. Comparing this report with the US News’ “Education Rankings”, we see that Kentucky ranked 38th in the country in education level. With such high fatal accident rates in the state, Kentucky also has the highest average insurance rate in the country, showing that the issue is clearly seen by insurers as well. Further supporting this correlation is the fact that New Jersey, which ranks 2nd in the US News’ education ranking has seen a fatal accident rate of less than 0.5 per the same 10,000 licensed drivers under the age of 19. With an increase in education, we can argue that a decrease in youth involvement in accidents is bound to happen. This cannot however happen without changes in the current regulations in place. In particular, the decrease in driver’s education in public schools. Why public schools, funded by taxpayer money, the same money that goes towards public roads, are cutting back on driver’s education funding is a mystery, but it is something that must change for us to see improvement. Instead of students being offered a necessary skill being taught by licensed professionals, parents often have to turn to private driving schools for their kids to be able to learn the fundamentals of driving. Instead of officials decreasing the amount of schools offering drivers education as part of the curriculum, it should be made mandatory in every public school, as eventually these kids will end up on public roads. 

Another factor contributing to the unproportionally high accident rate among younger drivers is the decrease in the desire to drive. Although sounding absurd, with the advancements of technology, the amount of young drivers has been seeing a steady decrease. Teens no longer need to get into a car to reach their friends, as there are now a multitude of other options available. Because of this, young drivers have simply stopped prioritizing getting their licenses in the first place. In fact, data from the Department of Highway Transportation showed that 30.7 percent of 16-year-olds got their licenses in 2008, compared to 44.7 percent in 1988. Washington Post writer Donna St. George cites Rob Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina, and others saying that “graduated” state licensing systems — which have created new requirements for learner’s permits, supervised practice hours, night driving and passengers in the car — are responsible for much of the decline in the number of licensed 16-year-olds.” Aimed at trying to decrease the risks posed to young drivers, GDL standards are an attempt to gradually prepare young drivers for driving in all scenarios.Instead however, it appears as if the increased regulations are turning young drivers away, even though these regulations are still far from the standards found across the world. For instance, drivers in their permit stage in Ontario, Canada are not allowed on high speed roads such as highways. Meanwhile parts of Australia have implemented speed limits specifically for young drivers, independent from those for other drivers. The fact is, we are seeing that the amount of young drivers is decreasing, largely due to not wanting to deal with the current regulations, however when looking on the global stage, we see that the more strict regulations have proven to be more successful. Instead of giving in to the dissent shown among young drivers towards these regulations, enforcing a stricter and more efficient standard across the country is necessary. With time, such regulations would lead to the acceptance and improvement of standard of driving, ultimately leveling the rates of accidents among age groups from the unproportionally large amount seen in youth drivers.

References

Cervantes, L. F. (2012). Drivers license requirements and road safety: Evidence from a natural experiment in Mexico (Unpublished master’s thesis). doi:https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/34857263/Tesis_LuisFCervantes.pdf?1411562168=&response-content-disposition=inline; filename=Drivers_license_requirements_and_road_sa.pdf&Expires=1607731652&Signature=OuAGgIbqItpxySIzbLrsAGMLwqSBrIOy6BT3o7yDP9GufbnLMUhEsimhjkQ~HX8Fw7QOPP~kmCkQt8UXlrrpYuagU-xV9-Gt4xQvNw1yY96-niNLLrIt3H7txcOS~k9gBChMbuOp~GHoOXoyTZW8ul6BdRpbRba7MRr55YOLY2YP3neor82ef9RvJkg03HIjrRbrgJUrpVpBUmDC8~EVz3AvlsnoR3PcBkVbAWSqtP4TctoKOi9aeCNH6fz6JUDDFUDzAs4h8xNq70QBPyFuQJGHF4lAcxEQunEMlAfZZ8WnRITl2Xgoq5w0-lurafJ3Css0h70IOd~4KRk1YnTqdA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA

Peterson, B. (2020, March 19). The Deadliest States for Teen Drivers. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.valuepenguin.com/auto-insurance/deadliest-states-teen-drivers

St. George, D. (2010, January 24). More teens are choosing to wait to get driver’s licenses. Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51b0ce25e4b0e8d244de368b/t/51ffc5b1e4b09bc7c9f70b5b/1375716785735/More teens are choosing ot wait to get driver’s licenses.pdf

These U.S. States Have the Best Education Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education

Posted in mhmokaysure, Portfolio MhmOkaySure, Rebuttal Rewrite | 1 Comment

Research – Mhmokaysure

Young Drivers: What to Do About Them

When leaving the house to drive somewhere, one expects to come back safely. In fact, that is pretty much the goal of driving. Standing in the way of this is the risk of error, more often than not being that of other drivers.A lot of the time, young and inexperienced drivers are the culprits of such error.Combining this new found knowledge, we see that young drivers are more of a risk to the rest of the driving population than any other age group, and simply shouldn’t be driving. 

Almost everywhere in the United States, someone by the age of 17 has already embarked on their first car ride without supervision. Because of this, almost every experienced driver has encountered one of these young drivers due to the low age restrictions for receiving a driver’s license in the country. Not only can one acquire their permit and eventually license at a young age, the requirements to receive one are far lesser than that of other countries. Having acquired my license at the age of 17, the ease of the process was shocking. The first step was to pass a written theory exam, to which the answers are widely available on the internet. Next, came having to spend $300 on a measly six hours of driving practice with an instructor. This however is not a necessary step to getting a license, instead it is only required for those wanting an early learner’s permit. Finally came the big day, the actual driving test which took a whopping five minutes to complete, going over three skills in a parking lot with an examinator who barely looked up from his paperwork. This of course was the case in New Jersey, the only state to conduct its practical examinations in parking lots, and not on the actual roads these new drivers will be traveling on. 

Compare this quick and streamlined process to get everyone on the road at a young age to the rigorous testing and long list of requirements to receive one’s license in a country such as Germany, famous for being home to some of the best drivers of the world. There, students must first pass an eye examination, along with a first aid course in order to begin their theoretical learning. This must be done through a licensed school, in preparation for a two part theoretical exam. Upon completion of the theoretical exam, hopeful drivers must then complete thirty hours of road training in preparation for the practical exam. This exam, unlike the one in the United States, consists of driving on the Autobahn, the world’s fastest highway, driving at night, and finally driving in an urban environment. One mistake on any of these portions results in a failure, forcing further training and preparation for another take. When comparing these two standards, one must stop and think whether the youth in America is truly ready for the challenges of the road.

Taking this into account, the fact that AAA’s Research Brief titled “Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries, and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age, United States, 2014 – 2015’s” opening statement states that “drivers ages 16-17 continue to have the highest rates of crash involvement, injuries to themselves and others and deaths of others in crashes in which they are involved” is unfortunately not at all surprising. Young drivers have posed and continue to pose a larger risk on the road than any other age group. Driving as most people know requires a large amount of focus, concentration, and mechanical ability to safely and properly operate a motor vehicle. The tasks required to safely drive are much more than simply getting into a car and going, which may be the kind of approach young drivers take. Whether it’s due to inexperience in split second decision making scenarios, or the need to impress others, the age group of drivers who have just acquired their license or permit statistically poses a larger threat to the general public.

Another major aspect behind the disproportionate accident statistics among young drivers is the biological component behind decision making. Critical thinking, and proper risk management are skills that develop over time. It is not something that is commonly found in younger people, although there are obviously exceptions. As a majority however, young adults do not possess the cerebral capacity and development in order to properly assess and react to stressful situations. In fact, authors Figner and Bernd, in their study of risky choices across different age groups, said that “risk taking increases when individuals reach puberty, peaks in adolescence and early adulthood, and decreases again during adulthood” showing that a lack of risk taking capacity related to young age clearly shows in the age group’s lack of driving abilities. With officials not taking into account the lack of development, and failing to conform to the standards set by other nations, the result we see is young drivers in the United States posing a danger to all with whom they share the roads.

While some may say that limiting the opportunities for youth to drive may further worsen the dangers caused by inexperienced drivers, focusing on improving the steps necessary to acquire one’s license would ultimately result in safer roads. In the article titled “Drivers license requirements and road safety: Evidence from a natural experiment in Mexico”, Cervantes shows the extreme comparison between driver’s license requirements. Comparing the different requirements in different municipalities in Mexico, similar to that of what we see in the United States, he shows a correlation between accident rates and requirements for acquiring a license. Although extreme, it paints the picture that what is done leading up to someone driving has an effect on the driver’s performance on the road. Stating that some parts of Mexico have no prerequisites or tests required to get a drivers license, Cervantes shows that such areas face a tremendous increase in traffic accidents involving new drivers, in his findings saying “We find that abolishing both tests, driving and written, is related to an increase of more than 1,800 RTAs per100k population of ages 15 to 19. This effect seems to more than double the rate of accidents, on average.” While a complete lack of requirements is not the case in the United States, we do however see that some states make it much easier to acquire a license than others. This differing of standards throughout the nation causes unproportional statistics that may not represent the whole of the population. What is certain however is that the lower the entry qualifications are for anything, the more unqualified members will be seen. In the case of acquiring a driver’s license, lowering the standard required follows this trend, resulting in an unproportionally high accident rate among the younger age group.

Others may argue that tightening restrictions and telling teens what to do only causes the opposite result. That may be true in some cases, however taking the proper steps to teach the importance of safe driving may be a step in the right direction. Often the teaching approach is the most important part of passing on information, so if the current way isn’t working why not change it? These young drivers are not being properly taught, resulting in the lack of knowledge and ability on the road. For instance, oftentimes when someone sees another driver perform a risky or dangerous maneuver on the road, they say something along the lines of “that idiot”. Interestingly enough, the rates of fatal accidents among teen drivers loosely correlates with the level of education in the state itself. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, analyst Bailey Peterson finds that the state with the highest rate of teenage fatal accidents is Kentucky, with 3.26 fatal accidents per 10,000 licensed drivers under the age of 19. Comparing this report with the US News’ “Education Rankings”, we see that Kentucky ranked 38th in the country in education level. With such high fatal accident rates in the state, Kentucky also has the highest average insurance rate in the country, showing that the issue is clearly seen by insurers as well. Further supporting this correlation is the fact that New Jersey, which ranks 2nd in the US News’ education ranking has seen a fatal accident rate of less than 0.5 per the same 10,000 licensed drivers under the age of 19. With an increase in education, we can argue that a decrease in youth involvement in accidents is bound to happen. This cannot however happen without changes in the current regulations in place. In particular, the decrease in driver’s education in public schools. Why public schools, funded by taxpayer money, the same money that goes towards public roads, are cutting back on driver’s education funding is a mystery, but it is something that must change for us to see improvement. Instead of students being offered a necessary skill being taught by licensed professionals, parents often have to turn to private driving schools for their kids to be able to learn the fundamentals of driving. Instead of officials decreasing the amount of schools offering drivers education as part of the curriculum, it should be made mandatory in every public school, as eventually these kids will end up on public roads. 

Another factor contributing to the unproportionally high accident rate among younger drivers is the decrease in the desire to drive. Although sounding absurd, with the advancements of technology, the amount of young drivers has been seeing a steady decrease. Teens no longer need to get into a car to reach their friends, as there are now a multitude of other options available. Because of this, young drivers have simply stopped prioritizing getting their licenses in the first place. In fact, data from the Department of Highway Transportation showed that 30.7 percent of 16-year-olds got their licenses in 2008, compared to 44.7 percent in 1988. Washington Post writer Donna St. George cites Rob Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina, and others saying that “graduated” state licensing systems — which have created new requirements for learner’s permits, supervised practice hours, night driving and passengers in the car — are responsible for much of the decline in the number of licensed 16-year-olds.” Aimed at trying to decrease the risks posed to young drivers, GDL standards are an attempt to gradually prepare young drivers for driving in all scenarios.Instead however, it appears as if the increased regulations are turning young drivers away, even though these regulations are still far from the standards found across the world. For instance, drivers in their permit stage in Ontario, Canada are not allowed on high speed roads such as highways. Meanwhile parts of Australia have implemented speed limits specifically for young drivers, independent from those for other drivers. The fact is, we are seeing that the amount of young drivers is decreasing, largely due to not wanting to deal with the current regulations, however when looking on the global stage, we see that the more strict regulations have proven to be more successful. Instead of giving in to the dissent shown among young drivers towards these regulations, enforcing a stricter and more efficient standard across the country is necessary. With time, such regulations would lead to the acceptance and improvement of standard of driving, ultimately leveling the rates of accidents among age groups from the unproportionally large amount seen in youth drivers.

This danger however stems from a plethora of smaller decisions made leading up to an ultimately dangerous combination. Taking into account that the standard for getting a license is sub par in the United States, it is also important to see the issues that young drivers bring upon themselves when driving. It is well known that seatbelts are very effective in reducing serious injuries when involved in an accident. For some reason however, the same age group involved in the largest percentage of car accidents is also the age group which is least likely to be wearing a seatbelt while driving. When younger children drive with their parents, it is almost guaranteed that the parents make sure their children have their seat belt fastened. In fact, in a survey conducted by McCartt, Shabanova, and Leaf, they found that “The restrictions most commonly imposed by parents were no drinking and driving (90%) and no driving without using a seat belt (73%)”. Being the second largest concern however does not stop these young drivers, which contributes to the larger proportion of fatal accidents in young drivers compared to other age groups.

While not using the safety equipment on a car is one thing, we also see that the cars that young drivers drive tend to be older, and less safe than other age groups. Almost every teen driver who gets a car is given, or buys, a less expensive older vehicle. This pretty much stems from the common knowledge that young drivers are not good drivers, and are expected to get into an accident sooner than later. In fact, according to McCartt, Shabanova, and Leaf “The crash rate per 100 licensed drivers was 5.9 for the first month of licensure and 3.4 for the second month; the rate varied from 1.3 to 3.0 for the subsequent 10 months”. While many parents do not use this exact statistic, the expectation is there that a young driver will get into an accident. This in turn becomes a large factor when deciding on what car to purchase. Because of this, young drivers tend to drive older smaller cars than other age groups. Well, the effect of this is almost self explanatory. Smaller cars are more likely to sustain more damage in an accident than larger cars, and older cars have less safety gizmos than newer ones. Being almost set up for failure, we see that the car choice made by parents inadvertently puts these young drivers at a higher risk of sustaining serious or even fatal injuries when involved in an accident. Along with the fact that these vehicle choices contribute to the danger faced, a study conducted by Cammisa, Williams, and Leaf also showed that teenagers who own their own car drive more miles, exhibit more risky behaviors, and are involved in more crashes than those who share a vehicle. 

Going back to the young driver themself however, the use of cellphones while driving is possibly the largest issue contributing to carelessness on the road. Arguably the most important device in a teenager’s life is their cell phone, with almost constant use among the age group. This unfortunately translates to cell phone use while driving, leading to an increase in distracted young drivers. In fact, according to the NHTSA “A disproportionate amount of MVCs related to distracted driving involve teenagers: although they comprise 6% of all drivers killed in MVCs, teenagers account for 10% of all drivers determined to be distracted at the time of a crash and 11% of all drivers killed in crashes related to documented cellphone use“. That is not surprising seeing as a nationally representative survey of 1,243 high school students, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that 83% reported engaging in electronic device use while driving at least once in the last 30 days. That statistic seems ridiculous, but is it really surprising? These younger drivers do not go a day without worrying about what is happening online, but do not appear to worry about themselves and others on the roads. Cell phone use while driving is an ongoing problem, taking away critical time needed to react in serious situations, oftentimes being the difference between causing and avoiding an accident among young drivers. Although there have been countless attempts to educate and mitigate the amount of cellphone use while driving among all drivers, it appears that once again the rebellious mentality of the youngest drivers blocks the messages from achieving their goal.

With not one positive coming from what young, inexperienced, and uneducated drivers bring to public roads, there is only one solution: don’t let it happen. Don’t let these drivers have the ability to drive amongst those who have matured and gained the experience to properly and safely operate vehicles. Maybe a reality check and a harsh awakening is what is necessary to prevent the unproportional accident rates that this age group is involved in. Giving it some time, the urge to drive may finally cause these drivers to learn the proper skills needed to safely operate a car. While it may seem extreme, this measure of restriction may finally be the breakthrough needed to prevent the countless innocent lives being lost on the roads we all share. Such a proposition alone may make these drivers think twice before heading out on the road, because they never know, it could be their last trip.

References

Cervantes, L. F. (2012). Drivers license requirements and road safety: Evidence from a natural experiment in Mexico (Unpublished master’s thesis). doi: https://bit.ly/3gQs31P

Delgado, M. K., Wanner, K. J., & McDonald, C. (n.d.). Adolescent Cellphone Use While Driving: An Overview of the Literature and Promising Future Directions for Prevention. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/536

Ferguson, S. A. (2002, December 24). Other high-risk factors for young drivers-how graduated licensing does, doesn’t, or could address them. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437502000828#BIB2

Matthew.lynberg.ctr@dot.gov. (2020, October 06). Distracted Driving. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/distracted-driving

McCartt, A. T., Shabanova, V. I., & Leaf, W. A. (2002, February 01). Driving experience, crashes and traffic citations of teenage beginning drivers. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457502000064?casa_token=KqGitS-PDJsAAAAA:p5WDIgF-qN7sqDDqEEFSxfeSwZsgcIEB7i-EOVe10VCnh2KRU7LLR-D7TWktJwj240uG6ALf1MU

Office of Highway Policy Information – Policy: Federal Highway Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2008/dl20.cfm

Peterson, B. (2020, March 19). The Deadliest States for Teen Drivers. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.valuepenguin.com/auto-insurance/deadliest-states-teen-drivers

St. George, D. (2010, January 24). More teens are choosing to wait to get driver’s licenses. Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51b0ce25e4b0e8d244de368b/t/51ffc5b1e4b09bc7c9f70b5b/1375716785735/More teens are choosing ot wait to get driver’s licenses.pdf

These U.S. States Have the Best Education Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education

Posted in mhmokaysure, Portfolio MhmOkaySure, Research | 2 Comments

Definition Rewrite – Mhmokaysure

Why Young Drivers Suck at Driving

When leaving the house to drive somewhere, one expects to come back safely. In fact, that is pretty much the goal of driving. Standing in the way of this is the risk of error, more often than not being that of other drivers.A lot of the time, young and inexperienced drivers are the culprits of such error.Combining this new found knowledge, we see that young drivers are more of a risk to the rest of the driving population than any other age group, and simply shouldn’t be driving. 

Almost everywhere in the United States, someone by the age of 17 has already embarked on their first car ride without supervision. Because of this, almost every experienced driver has encountered one of these young drivers due to the low age restrictions for receiving a driver’s license in the country. Not only can one acquire their permit and eventually license at a young age, the requirements to receive one are far lesser than that of other countries. Having acquired my license at the age of 17, the ease of the process was shocking. The first step was to pass a written theory exam, to which the answers are widely available on the internet. Next, came having to spend $300 on a measly six hours of driving practice with an instructure. This however is not a necessary step to getting a license, instead it is only required for those wanting an early learner’s permit. Finally came the big day, the actual driving test which took a whopping five minutes to complete, going over three skills in a parking lot with an examinator who barely looked up from his paperwork. This of course was the case in New Jersey, the only state to conduct its practical examinations in parking lots, and not on the actual roads these new drivers will be travelling on. 

Compare this quick and streamlined process to get everyone on the road at a young age to the rigorous testing and long list of requirements to receive one’s license in a country such as Germany, famous for being home to some of the best drivers of the world. There, students must first pass an eye examination, along with a first aid course in order to begin their theoretical learning. This must be done through a licensed school, in preparation for a two part theoretical exam. Upon completion of the theoretical exam, hopeful drivers must then complete thirty hours of road training in preparation for the practical exam. This exam, unlike the one in the United States, consists of driving on the Autobahn, the world’s fastest highway, driving at night, and finally driving in an urban environment. One mistake on any of these portions results in a failure, forcing further training and preparation for another take. When comparing these two standards, one must stop and think whether the youth in America is truly ready for the challenges of the road.

Taking this into account, the fact that AAA’s Research Brief titled “Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries, and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age, United States, 2014 – 2015’s” opening statement states that “drivers ages 16-17 continue to have the highest rates of crash involvement, injuries to themselves and others and deaths of others in crashes in which they are involved” is unfortunately not at all surprising. Young drivers have posed and continue to pose a larger risk on the road than any other age group. Driving as most people know requires a large amount of focus, concentration, and mechanical ability to safely and properly operate a motor vehicle. The tasks required to safely drive are much more than simply getting into a car and going, which may be the kind of approach young drivers take. Whether it’s due to inexperience in split second decision making scenarios, or the need to impress others, the age group of drivers who have just acquired their license or permit statistically poses a larger threat to the general public.

Another major aspect behind the disproportionate accident statistics among young drivers is the biological component behind decision making. Critical thinking, and proper risk management are skills that develop over time. It is not something that is commonly found in younger people, although there are obviously exceptions. As a majority however, young adults do not possess the cerebral capacity and development in order to properly assess and react to stressful situations. In fact, authors Figner and Bernd, in their study of risky choices across different age groups, said that “risk taking increases when individuals reach puberty, peaks in adolescence and early adulthood, and decreases again during adulthood” showing that a lack of risk taking capacity related to young age clearly shows in the age group’s lack of driving abilities. With officials not taking into account the lack of development, and failing to conform to the standards set by other nations, the result we see is young drivers in the United States posing a danger to all with whom they share the roads.

Resources

Figner, B., Mackinlay, R., Wilkening, F., & Weber, E. (2009). Affective and Deliberative Processes in Risky Choice: Age Differences in Risk Taking in the Columbia Card Task. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35(3), 709–730. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014983

Tefft, B. (2020). Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age, United States, 2014-2015. Retrieved 13 October 2020, from https://aaafoundation.org/rates-motor-vehicle-crashes-injuries-deaths-relation-driver-age-united-states-2014-2015/

Posted in Definition Rewrite, mhmokaysure, Portfolio MhmOkaySure | Leave a comment

Rebuttal Argument – Mhmokaysure

While some may say that limiting the opportunities for youth to drive may further worsen the dangers caused by inexperienced drivers, focusing on improving the steps necessary to acquire one’s license would ultimately result in safer roads. In the article titled “Drivers license requirements and road safety: Evidence from a natural experiment in Mexico”, Cervantes shows the extreme comparison between driver’s license requirements. Comparing the different requirements in different municipalities in Mexico, similar to that of what we see in the United States, he shows a correlation between accident rates and requirements for acquiring a license. Although extreme, it paints the picture that what is done leading up to someone driving has an effect on the driver’s performance on the road. Stating that some parts of Mexico have no prerequisites or tests required to get a drivers license, Cervantes shows that such areas face a tremendous increase in traffic accidents involving new drivers, in his findings saying “We find that abolishing both tests, driving and written, is related to an increase of more than 1,800 RTAs per100k population of ages 15 to 19. This effect seems to more than double the rate of accidents, on average.” While a complete lack of requirements is not the case in the United States, we do however see that some states make it much easier to acquire a license than others. Lowering this standard then follows this trend, leading to higher accident rates among young drivers. 

Interestingly enough, the rates of fatal accidents among teen drivers loosely correlates with the level of education in the state itself. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, analyst Bailey Peterson finds that the state with the highest rate of teenage fatal accidents is Kentucky, with 3.26 fatal accidents per 10,000 licensed drivers under the age of 19. Comparing this report with the US News’ “Education Rankings”, we see that Kentucky ranked 38th in the country in education level. With such high fatal accident rates in the state, Kentucky also has the highest average insurance rate in the country, showing that the issue is clearly seen by insurers as well. Further supporting this correlation is the fact that New Jersey, which ranks 2nd in the US News’ education ranking has seen a fatal accident rate of less than 0.5 per the same 10,000 licensed drivers under the age of 19. With an increase in education, we can argue that a decrease in youth involvement in accidents is bound to happen. This cannot however happen without changes in the current regulations in place. In particular, the decrease in driver’s education in public schools. Why public schools, funded by taxpayer money, the same money that goes towards public roads, are cutting back on driver’s education funding is a mystery, but it is something that must change for us to see improvement. Instead of students being offered a necessary skill being taught by licensed professionals, parents often have to turn to private driving schools for their kids to be able to learn the fundamentals of driving. Instead of officials decreasing the amount of schools offering drivers education as part of the curriculum, it should be made mandatory in every public school, as eventually these kids will end up on public roads. 

Another factor contributing to the unproportionally high accident rate among younger drivers is the decrease in the desire to drive. Although sounding absurd, with the advancements of technology, the amount of young drivers has been seeing a steady decrease. In fact, data from the Department of Highway Transportation showed that 30.7 percent of 16-year-olds got their licenses in 2008, compared to 44.7 percent in 1988. Washington Post writer Donna St. George cites Rob Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina, and others saying that “graduated” state licensing systems — which have created new requirements for learner’s permits, supervised practice hours, night driving and passengers in the car — are responsible for much of the decline in the number of licensed 16-year-olds.” Aimed at trying to decrease the risks posed to young drivers, GDL standards are an attempt to gradually prepare young drivers for driving in all scenarios.Instead however, it appears as if the increased regulations are turning young drivers away, even though these regulations are still far from the standards found across the world. For instance, drivers in their permit stage in Ontario, Canada are not allowed on high speed roads such as highways. Meanwhile parts of Australia have implemented speed limits specifically for young drivers, independent from those for other drivers. The fact is, we are seeing that the amount of young drivers is decreasing, largely due to not wanting to deal with the current regulations, however when looking on the global stage, we see that the more strict regulations have proven to be more successful. Instead of giving in to the dissent shown among young drivers towards these regulations, enforcing a stricter and more efficient standard across the country is necessary. With time, such regulations would lead to the acceptance and improvement of standard of driving, ultimately leveling the rates of accidents among age groups from the unproportionally large amount seen in youth drivers.

Drivers license requirements and road safety: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Mexico

More Teens Are Choosing to Wait to Get Driver’s Licenses

The Deadliest States for Teen Drivers

Education Rankings Measuring How Well States Are Educating Their Students

Posted in Portfolio MhmOkaySure | Leave a comment

Enough About You-shadowswife

Original:

Money seems to have a big role in our society; you can’t do much or get far if you don’t have any. Money is valuable in different ways, even when you don’t see it physically. In today’s society you must have faith in the government and in the banking system that your money is being handled in the proper manner; if not, then you would have to hide all of your money under your mattress or around your house. I have no clue what happens in the banks, or how they take care of your money. I always thought money was simple; you either have some or you don’t—that’s it. However, being introduced to this assignment, the Yap Fei, US gold, French francs, Brazilian cruzeros, and debit accounts now seem similar. You don’t actually see your money being transferred. When you get paid, you aren’t handed cash, you don’t receive a physical check, the money’s all directly transferred to your bank account, and you just have to trust that you got more money.

Revised:

Money seems to have a significant role in our society; we cannot do much or get far if we do not have any. Money is valuable in different ways, even when people do not see it physically. In today’s society, people must have faith in the government and the banking system that appropriately handles the money. If not, people would have to hide all of their money under their mattresses or around their house. There is a belief that money was simple. However, being introduced to this assignment, the Yap Fei, US gold, French francs, Brazilian cruzeros, and debit accounts now seem similar. No one can see the transferring of money. When people get paid, they do not receive cash or a physical check. The money is all directly transferred to their bank account, and they must hope that the money was distributed correctly.

Posted in Enough About You, shadowswife | Leave a comment

bibliography—corinnebuck1219

  1. Eschner, Kat. “The Evolution of Petface.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 31 Jan. 2018, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/evolution-petface-180967987/. 

I used this source to explain what ‘pet face’ is and how it came to be what it is today. Pet faces are when breeders intentionally breed for puppy-like features such as big heads, bulging eyes, smooshed faces, and so on. Ultimately as a result, this is now the desired traits that customers want, and the American Kennel Club now require. This is important to my research because it shows the negligence of the disorders and conditions dogs will endure as a result of these unhealthy traits that we have decided for the dog and future generations.

2. Maldarelli, Claire. “Although Purebred Dogs Can Be Best in Show, Are They Worst in Health?” Scientific American, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2014, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/although-purebred-dogs-can-be-best-in-show-are-they-worst-in-health/. 

In this article, we learn about the idea of outbreeding and how it can save future generations of dogs that have detrimental traits. Outbreeding is described as breeding out of the dogs distinct breed. This would then add more genes to their pool since purebred dogs are commonly inbred. Inbreeding can lead to many disorders and deformities. Breeders ignore these facts, and continue to inbred (the mating of direct family such as father and daughter or mom and son) since their desired traits are almost promised through each litter. 

3. Welton, Michele. “Boston Terrier Health Problems: Feeding.” Boston Terrier Health Problems | Feeding, http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/health/bostonterriers.html. 

I used this source to discuss how unhealthy breeds like the Boston Terrier are, and was able to demonstrate my points through statistics. This source helped me paint a picture of the points I was trying to explain. From this article, it’s important we learned how horrible their breeding traits have become, to the point where this breed cannot give birth on their own in many cases. We also learn the disorders they commonly will have, and how low the survival rates are of newborn pups. I find this source to be one of my most important sources since it truly gets its point across in a very factual way that helped me understand and to be able to form my own thoughts and opinions on my topic.

4. David Sargan Senior Lecturer in Molecular Pathology at the Department of Veterinary Medicine. “How to Save Inbred, Short-Faced Dogs Such as Pugs and Bulldogs from Poor Health.” The Conversation, 20 July 2020, theconversation.com/how-to-save-inbred-short-faced-dogs-such-as-pugs-and-bulldogs-from-poor-health-63341. 

From this source, I was able to take away the major claim that we have set the Pug and Bulldogs are breeding for failure, due to breeding practices such as inbreeding. This article demonstrates the effects of these so called “desired traits” and how it affects their ability to mate. The bulldog and pug commonly undergo artificial insemination due to how ignorant breeders were when it comes to the torso, specifically the dogs hips and stance, and how these breeds cannot sustain the wait of another dog for breeding. I learned from this article how detrimental artificial insemination can be to breeds and actually lead to the breeds demise since they cannot produce pups through natural mating. 

5. Brulliard, Karin. “French Bulldogs’ Cuteness Comes at a Steep Cost.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 1 Apr. 2019, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/05/04/french-bulldogs-cuteness-comes-at-a-steep-cost/. 

After reading this, we learn how popular the French Bulldog breed is, and how breeders took this and ran with it. We can see lots of statistics that were very useful. For example, we learned how the frenchies life median was 1.3 years, compared to other breeds averages at 4.5 years old. We also learned that out of 300 vet clinics sampled, 2228 Frenchies were found to have records, and 72% of this breed had disorders. While some of these disorders can be common like ear infections and diarrhea, while the more extreme cases were skin infections in the wrinkles, corneal ulcers, and many types of respiratory disorders. This study significantly helped my paper and displayed the effects of the negligent breeders and how they increase the chances of disorders.

6. Brownell, Matt. “10 Dogs With the Priciest Vet Bills.” TheStreet, 10 July 2011, www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/credit-cards/10-dogs-priciest-vet-bills-html.

From this source, I obtained a list of 10 dogs with the most expensive vet bills. Out of the 4 breeds I am pinpointing throughout my report, 2 breeds have landed themselves on the chart of most expensive vet bills. This relates to my report since it shows how these puppy-like features are not healthy for the dog, and actually cause many disorders and conditions. Most of these illnesses could have been prevented if the dog’s health was taken more into consideration, instead of what people want the dog to look like. I use these findings to show how some of the most popular dogs, which are also some of the most expensive dogs to even purchase, will ultimately suffer from many vet visits, causing stress to the animal and owner. 

7. Brulliard, Karin. “Why Breeding Bulldogs Is Borderline Inhumane – The Boston Globe.” BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 5 Aug. 2016, www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2016/08/05/why-breeding-bulldogs-borderline-inhumane/oXkhn20QASB8dS4bu5pA1N/story.html.

After reading this article, we learn how the Boston Globe thinks continuing breeding how breeders currently are is inhumane. In this, they explain the birth defects such as having a flat chest, skeletal disorders that can result in  problems like hip dysplasia, how unnecessarily wrinkly their faces are which can result in doggy acne and skin irritations, eye problems due to how exposed the eye is, along with an underbite with lots of drooling that can often mean lots of dental trouble, along with the chance of choking on objects.We also learn as well as undergoing artificial insemination, these pups also cannot give birth naturally and will most likely have to have a C- section. We then again see the importance of outbreeding and how breeders tend to ignore the facts. 

8. “Compulsory DNA Health Screening of Breeding Dogs.” 38 Degrees, you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/compulsory-dna-health-screening-of-breeding-dogs.

This source helped me understand what compulsory DNA health screening is, and why it should be integrated in every breeding situation. Genetic testing should be done to prevent future generations from passing on these detrimental genes. This then would prevent “backyard” and improper breeding, but the AKC has yet to address it. Only a few breeds are required for this testing actually, instead of all breeds. This then solidified my case that the Kennel Clubs are not concerned with the animals welfare. 

9. Handwerk, Brian. “Bulldogs Are Dangerously Unhealthy, But There May Not Be Enough Diversity in Their Genes to Save Them.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 29 July 2016, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/bulldogs-are-dangerously-unhealthy-there-may-not-be-enough-diversity-their-genes-save-them-180959963/.

In this source, I again stress the importance of outbreeding which requires a dog to mate with a dog from a different breed. This would increase the genepool and genetic diversity between the animals. In cases like the Bulldog and Pug, we can actually see little to no genetic diversity between a litters mother and father. Due to inbreeding, the dogs are all almost related now, since their genes barely differ from each other. This could lead to the dog’s demise since a big gene pool is required to keep a species from extinction.

10. Harrison, Jemima. Pedigree Dogs Exposed – The Blog, 1 Jan. 1970, pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.com/.

During this source, I learned how pedigrees work, and how companies like The American Kennel Club require their breed representatives to be from a family of previous award winners. A dogs pedigree is the recorded history and family tree of a dog, proving them to be purebred. From this source, outbreeding was again discussed and explained. Breeders think when using outbreeding it will then make the breed contaminated, and making them prone to new disorders and diseases. This documentary challenged both Kennel Clubs in their regard for animal welfare and how they have been ignoring the facts many scientists have proven. This then left the Kennel Clubs no choice but to revisit and change their standards, but not enough to save these breeds.  

11. Foden, Simon. “Dog Traits That Are Detrimental.” Pets, 21 Nov. 2017, pets.thenest.com/dog-traits-detrimental-6226.html. 

This source was useful since it explained many genetic disorders and diseases that could have been prevented. From the head shape to the pelvis, this source goes through all these negative ‘desired’ traits, and how it affected generations, and the generations to come. This source was very useful to explain each disorder, and how they came about.  This source also covered behavioral traits as well that I would like to add, but not too sure if these help my case. 

12. “The Pros and Cons of Artificial Insemination.” DogsLife, 9 Sept. 2015, http://www.dogslife.com.au/dog-news/dog-health/pros-and-cons-of-artificial-insemination. 

Background: First, artificial insemination can be used to store and ship stud semen. This is useful if breeders want to not inbreed, but still want their desired traits. Another positive of artificial insemination is it helps prevent STD’s shared when breeding, and how it can help the stress on both sides between the bitch and stud. On the other hand, or other paw, artificial insemination can lead to the breed’s extinction. Without being able to reproduce and mate naturally, it is making these breeds rely on artificial breeding which is not in any way natural. 

How I Used It: This source was very helpful when explaining the pros and cons of artificial insemination that I used for my research paper, and my rebuttal as well.

13. Staff, AKC. “The Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2019.” American Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, 1 May 2020, http://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/2020-popular-breeds-2019/. 

Background: From this source I learned that French Bulldog is ranked the 4th most popular dog in 2019, the Bulldog number 5th, Boston Terrier is the 21st, and the Pug 31st out of 193 recorded purebred breeds. This relates to my point that these breeds are some of the most popular breeds, some of the most expensive breeds to purchase, yet some of the most expensive breeds to maintain when looking at Vet records. 

How I Used It: I used this source to express how these breeds I’ve listed throughout my research paper, are some of the most expensive breeds, and some of the most popular as well.

14. Staff, AKC. “Hip Dysplasia In Dogs: Prevention, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment.” American Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, 7 Feb. 2020, http://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/hip-dysplasia-in-dogs/.

Background: The American Kennel Club posted to their website the common disease in breeds with bad stance and a small pelvis, hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is when the hip socket doesn’t fully stay in the ball portion of the thigh bone. This disease is very painful and stressful on the dog, as well as expensive for the owners when it’s time to pay for treatments.

How I Used It: From this, I used this article to relate it to my main point of my research, since hip dysplasia can be caused from improper breeding, and how it can be prevented when different traits with the torso and legs are implemented. Not just the breeds I’ve researched, but many breeds unfortunately are prone to hip dysplasia.

Posted in Bibliography, corinnebuck, Portfolio CorinneBuck | 1 Comment

Not Because-shadowswife

1. Coats wasn’t fired because he was using a legal drug, marijuana, for a legitimate purpose for which he had a prescription. He was fired for violating workplace policy.

Coats’ legitimate use of his prescribed drugs got him fired for violating the workplace policy.

2. An employer isn’t able to fire a person who has anxiety because they are taking the correct medication to deal with the issue.

It is unreasonable for an employer to fire a person with anxiety when they were only taking the prescribed medication for it.

3. Employees don’t get fired for going out and having a few beers after work because alcohol is legal, but in Colorado so is marijuana.

Since alcohol and marijuana are legalized in Colorado, employees have the right to keep their jobs.

4. Coats shouldn’t have been fired because he was trying to treat the pain he endured on a daily basis.

There was no reason to fire Coats when he was only trying to treat his ongoing pain.

5. It’s not fair to discriminate against him because he was able to ease the pain of his multiple spasms by using marijuana.

The discrimination towards Coats’ use of marijuana was unfair.

6. Coats wasn’t harming anyone at his job because he was smoking marijuana but he was doing so on his own time and not at work.

Despite not smoking marijuana at work, Coats was still using it outside of his job.

7. Omar Gonzalez didn’t penetrate deep into the White House because of the swift actions of Secret Service agents.

The Secret Service agents prevented Omar Gonzalez from getting into the White House.

8. The Secret Service isn’t being compelled to explain its actions because of the way it  responded to the breach of the White House, but how the breach occurred is under question.

Despite the questionable breach at the White House, the Secret Service does not explain itself and is not accountable to anyone.

9. Secret Service chief Julia Pierson won’t be fired because of her testimony before Congress yesterday. Her incompetence might cost her her job though.

Secret Service chief Julia Pierson’s testimony will not get her fired, but her incompetence might.

10. Secret Service agents didn’t use deadly force against the intruder because he was carrying a knife with a 4-inch blade.

Since the intruder possessed a 4-inch knife, Secret Service agents did not use deadly force against him.

Posted in shadowswife | Leave a comment