Mock Trial Recap and Response

After watching and experiencing the two trials on date rape and sexual harassment, I was not pleased with the result of the case I participated in. I disagree with the jury's decision on declaring David Jones not guilty. I strongly felt that Susan Williams was the victim of the alleged rape, and that David should not get away with such a terrible act. In Susan William's witness statement it is clear that it was rape since she told David "No, I don't want to", and soon after forced her to have sex with him. When Susan said no, David refused to listen and pulled her back ripping the back of her silk shirt. I believe that this is rape since Susan did not consent to having sexual intercourse with David, and therefore in my opinion he should have been declared guilty. It is quite evident that rape is an act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person, which is clearly the heinous act that David performed. Susan expressed a wide variety of emotions and developed signs of "Rape Trauma Syndrome", which was clear evidence that David had raped her. However, in the case of Elise Roberts vs. District of Columbia I strongly agreed with the verdict. I felt that Kevin Murphy should indeed have been found guilty. In this case Elise Roberts was frequently sexually harassed by one of her coworkers, Kevin Murphy in their workplace. Kevin Murphy had put up promiscuous posters of women on the wall in her office. This is a very clear act of sexual harassment since Kevin Murphy is putting Elise Roberts in an awkward and uncomfortable position when attending work on a regular basis. The group that presented this case continually brought up how Elise Roberts had missed many days of work. I felt that this was completely irrelevant to the fact that Kevin Murphy had sexually harassed Elise and made her feel uncomfortable. I feel that men in our society need to realize that forcing sex upon a women is a heinous act. Men need to learn that rape can affect women for the rest of their lives. Women will continue to express a wide variety of emotions after being raped and it can change their relationships with other people. Women may tend to become more distant and they may not trust their family or friends as well. Men don't realize that it can change a woman that bad and make them feel very insecure and unhappy with themselves. I have never heard of any cases of rape in teens that attend Deerfield High School. At our high school, I think that boys will tend to tease girls yet having no intentions of sexually harassing them. I believe that boys will try to get girls' attention in a harmless manner. In my opinion, our high school does a good job of making sure students are in a happy and safe environment. Students during free periods are watched by security guards who make sure that everyone is acting first class and not immature or malicious in any sort of way.

            Mock Trial Self Assessment: As playing the role of a juror during the trial of Elise Roberts vs. the District of Columbia, I found it very intriguing that we got to choose the verdict, and it was all based on our opinion of the case. I found it very challenging to keep up with all the information that the team provided us with about the case that they were presenting.  I think I could have listened for the main ideas of the case rather than jotting down everything I heard. Next time, I think that I should pay attention more carefully to the testimonies that were stated. As playing the role of a lawyer and witness was very intriguing as well since I got to get a feel what it feels like to question a witness in a courtroom. I felt it was challenging to ask questions that were in depth and not just a yes or no question. I think I performed well because I asked questions with a very analytical answer. Next time, I would speak louder and not as rapid.  In the case that I took part in, I felt that Chelsie did an excellent job with the opening statement and provided the jury with very specific important details. However, I felt that Effie was not very specific in his answers when I questioned him on the witness statement of Randy Miller. I felt that everyone participated equally, even though some people had more tasks than others.  I felt that the people doing cross-examination had to really work hard in order to get their facts straight about the case. I felt that everyone was prepared and had practiced their material before we performed the trial. My group had practiced our trial multiple times during the work days that we had received. Outside of school, I had practiced my direct examination multiple times in order to know everything I would be asking without only looking at my packet. Overall, I felt my group did a fabulous job preparing for this mock trial, however there were things I would do differently for our next mock trial.

Blog #5: Don't Eat This Book- Fast Food and the Supersizing of America

While reading the book, I realized that another source which influences the consumption of fast-food in the U.S, is the television advertising industry. It is an amazing fact that T.V. advertising accounts for $60 billion a year. The average American child between age two and eighteen spends about two and a half hours a day watching television. More than half of American children over eight years of age have a T.V. in their bedroom. Therefore, I learned that the fast food chains have the perfect opportunity to target the children through television advertising. Studies have shown also that children who watch four or more hours of T.V. a day are most likely to become obese. I believe that television advertising should be minimized during the afternoon hours when children have returned from school.

Blog #4: Don't Eat This Book- Fast Food and the Supersizing of America

I found it fascinating how the fast food chains in America are trying to target the minds of children, in order to promote sales of their products. Susan Linn, a psychologist and associate director of the Media Center at Baker Children's Hospital discusses how marketing to children has increased dramatically since the 1970's. She claims that children influence how their parents spend their hard- earned money. Linn feels that kids coax their parents into buying snacks and foods which they see on advertisements on the television. Advertisers have figured out that they can influence children into believing they need a toy from the Happy Meal at McDonalds.

Blog #3: Don't Eat This Book- Fast Food and the Supersizing of America

I learned that another contributor to the obesity crisis in the U.S. is the overconsumption of soft drinks. It has recently been discovered that the average American teenager drinks two to three 12-ounce soft drinks a day. This is equal to twenty to thirty teaspoons of sugar every day. Researchers like David Ludwig of Children's Hospital in Boston, feel that consuming soft drinks increases the risk of obesity by at least 50%. Besides the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, soft drinks containing sugar are also bad for the teeth and bones. It seems that the Phosphoric acid in soft drinks pulls the calcium out of bones and teeth, which can cause bone loss later in life.

Blog #2: Don't Eat This Book-Fast Food and the Supersizing of America

I discovered that a big contributor to the obesity epidemic in the U.S. is the rise of the fast food industry. Before 1970, fast food joints were rare. Unfortunately, fast food places are present everywhere we go now- in shopping malls, airports, hospitals, and even colleges. An interesting fact is that in 1970, Americans spent about $6.2 billion at fast food joints. Thirty-four years later, we have spent $124 billion in fast food restaurants. The fast food industry decided to increase the size of its portions, and began selling value meals. This was a tactic to increase sales, and it was successful.

Blog #1: Don't Eat This Book-Fast Food and the Supersizing of America

I was apalled to learn that the United States is the fattest nation on earth. At the present time 65% of Americans are overweight, and 30% of Americans are obese. Statistics show that during the 1990's, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds. Because of obesity, the U.S. has created a market for extra large car seats, giant chairs, and super-heavy-duty bathroom scales. It is an interesting fact that obesity in children has risen quickly since the 1960's. The rate of obesity has doubled in children in the last 20 years. I found it intriguing that obesity rates decrease as the level of education increases. Perhaps this is due to the fact that lower income individuals do not have access to health education and information. The problem with obesity is that illnesses resulting from obesity will kill 400,000 Americans this year. This is because obesity can lead to many health problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes. It seems that obesity has become an epidemic in the United States.

Abortion

1. I believe that the arguments presented by the national right to life movement provide better support on the abortion issue than the arguments presented by the pro choice supporters. First of all, the broad majority of abortions performed today in the U.S. about 93% are done for elective reasons. That is, most abortions in the U.S. are performed for social, not medical reasons. Therefore pro choice supporters do not have a valid reason for supporting abortions because they believe that if a woman "doesn't feel ready at the time" she should have an abortion. Statistically, the pro life supporters are winning the debate, because the number of U.S. abortions has been declining since 1990. The risks involved with the medical techniques such as RU 486, used to perform an abortion, have influenced me to support the pro life movement. In France, several women suffered heart attacks from the RU 486 technique.

2. As a 17 year old high school student, I support the pro-life movement. I feel that abortion is unethical and against my religious beliefs, since I believe in Catholicism. According to the medical facts presented in the article, a fetus's heartbeat begins at 22 days from conception. I believe that parents have the right to know if their daughter is having an abortion because the daughter might have medical issues that she is unaware of. For example, the girl might have a heart problem, and having an abortion might lead her to a life threatening situation. Therefore parents should have the right to consent to an abortion because they are responsible for their daughters health and well being.

3. I believe that the father of the unborn child should be notified of the women's decision to have an abortion if he was involved in a relationship with the woman prior to the pregnancy. I also believe that the father should have a right to consent to the abortion because he was emotionally involved with the woman prior to the pregnancy.

4. I agree with the Illinois law that restricts young women's access to abortion services by mandating parental notice. I feel that it is crucial for the young women's health and well being to obtain parental consent prior to an abortion procedure. The only thing that I would change regarding Illinois Law on Abortion is the requirement for a woman to have a spousal consent prior to an abortion. It is the women's choice to inform the husband if she decides to have an abortion procedure done.