In 2008, 2764.4 youths on 100 000 were charged with criminal offenses in Quebec alone. Those are just the ones who were found guilty. Imagine all the ones who were accused but were either found innocent or who got away. Some crimes are more serious than others, of course, but still the amount of crime committed by our youth is insane. What could drive these kids to do such things. What makes a person commit murder, steal money and objects, lie to people around them, rape someone, and kidnap those who can't defend themselves. It's awful when you hear adults do it, but it's even worse when it's a kid. What makes kids grow up so fast and do things even adults shouldn't do? More importantly, what should Canada do with its young criminals? Should they be tried as adults for the crimes they've committed? Should they get away with just a slap on the wrist because they're not "mature enough to understand what they've done"? Where's the line that separates being tried as an adult and being tried as a minor?

Without a doubt, i believe that no teenager should be tried as an adult, no matter the severity of the crime, because they're just that, teenagers. They're kids; kids who sometimes haven't matured enough to realize the severity of what they've done. Sometimes, emotions take over, as it does with any person, but kids don't always know how to control their emotions, nor should they be expected to. Now, this does not mean that they should get off with nothing but a slap on the wrist, but being sentenced to a lifetime in prison or even being sentenced to death in some countries is not the appropriate punishment for a child. Why should they have to suffer their entire lives for a mistake they made as a kid. For some, that could be as long as 75 years punishment.

In cases like these, when children kill their parents because of abuse, you can't help but feel bad for the kid. Most of the time, it's the only way the kid knows to stop the pain he's suffering. How can you feel ok with locking those kids up for life? If a kid gets put in prison with adults, instead of being put into a juvenile detention center, they will be influenced by all the adult criminals around them. Having that company around them could turn them actually evil. They will never learn; they will only get worse. Being around people who have sometimes come acustom to evil could make this teenager leave the facility with the same fate. Most of the time, when children are put in prisons with adults and then they get out, they often find themselves back in there in no time.

I read an article that explained why kids kill their parents and the article explains that most of the time, kids kill their parents because they have been seriously neglected or abused by them. It's almost like self defense; like a cry for help, in the most serious way.

When watching When kids get Life, i kept feeling the need to help these kids. Yes, they'd done awful things in their lives, but in most of the cases, they were just trying to fight the pain that the person caused them. When a parent abuses you, betrays you, how can you feel ok? A parent is a person who is supposed to protect you from the dangers of the world, not be the danger in your life. As horrible as it is to kill someone, especially your parent, i can see how they would end up doing such a thing. When your parent is the problem, there's no one to help you. The only thing to do is to get rid of the problem completely.

Now, of course murder is not the only crime juveniles commit. The number of teenagers that steal is so big that you can't even begin to count. Kids steal sometimes to fit in with crowds or because they are forced to do so, as a sort of initiation or something. Often, kids steal because they don't have enough money to buy the things they need to live. Although it's still wrong, sometimes it can't be controlled. Kids do stupid things when they feel desperate. What happens to those kids? They get the same punishment as an adult does. An adl should know better. An adult has had a lifetime of enperience to teach them better. An adult doesn't have to steal. They can get jobs; get responsible. Often, kids can't. How can you treat them the same?

Laws show that minors are not responsible. They can not drink until they are 18, they can't get married until they are 18, they can't vote until they're 18. In some countries, they can't do these things until 21. The law can't pick and choose. It's that whole thing of having your cake and eating it too. They can't stop kids from doing all sorts of things until they're a certain age because they're still kids and thentreat them as adults the second it works for them.

This is why kids should not be tried as adults are. They should not be given the same punishment as adults are. I'm not saying they shouldn't be punished, because they should. Depending on the severity of the crime, they should be sentenced to different punishments. If the crime is extremely severe, like murder, they should be put in juvenile correctional centers and monitored, made sure they get whatever proceeded them to commit the crime is gone. If the crime is minor, like theft, they should be given community service or something along those lines. I feel that is the appropriate punishment for youth offenders.

Everything you need, right at your fingertips

There is an infinite amount of things to do with a computer, be it for social purposes, for business purposes, for entertainment purposes and plenty of other things. Over the past few decades, our society has changed in an extreme way. We've gone from mainly reading and playing games for fun to watching TV and movies, using the web. Of course, reading and playing games is still part of our "curriculum", but we are offered so much more these days. It's crazy what you can do with the Internet, and there's just a modicum of things that we are limited to.

Socializing is definitely a huge part of the Internet world. We are offered hundreds of sites dedicated solely to helping us connect with others; sites such as facebook, myspace, and twitter. With the help of these sites, it is easy to talk to your existing friends or make some new ones. For example, i know some people who's best friends are people they met online. Instant messaging is also a very common way to talk to your friends and family. People use programs such as msn, aim, yahoo messenger, etc. A program called Skype has recently become popular in our society. Skype is an instant messaging service that uses web cam and microphone to made video calls from your computer instead of typing. For example, my grandmother lives in India, so speaking to her on the phone would be very costly. Instead, we send each other messages on facebook and talk by msn and email. The Internet has found an easy way to bring people together, and for a fraction of the cost!

Since the web explosion, education has also changed. Now, text books needed for classes are available online for a fraction of the cost, and without having to carry around all that extra weight with you. As well, university courses are available online for anyone who wishes to take. You can watch lectures online, download material, take exams, etc. It is so much easier to get educated than it used to be. You may not get a degree from it, but you'll be learning just as much.

Like i mentioned before, the Internet give us so much more to entertain ourselves with than they had growing up 30 years ago. There are thousands and thousands of sites dedicated to playing games online, we can read books online, we can watch movies and TV shows online and much more. For shopaholics, for instance, there are sites of all their favorite stores where they can browse and buy right off the Internet at a click of a button. For some, this may not be safe, but that's for them to judge. As well, there are web sites where artists all over the world can post their art work and have others view them, make comments and give feedback. This way, not only famous artists have the chance to share their masterpieces with the world. It's also a great way to get discovered.

As far as the business world is concerned, the web is creating a drastic change. Businesses now can have their own websites, with products, promotions, advertisements, etc. Restaurants can post their menus online and have printable coupons to bring in more business. The social networking sites are actually very beneficial to businessmen and women. They are now able to advertise their business as much as they want and it won't cost them anything. Now, the stock market is online, so people can invest right from the comfort of their homes. Everything can now be done on the Internet if one has a credit card and regular people like you and I can check their bank accounts online and order cheques in an instant.

Travel has never been so simple. You need to book a flight out as soon as possible? Go online and you'll be done in minutes. You want to research the best places to go on vacation with your family? Browse websites, check out the packages they offer and even book the entire trip from the comfort of your own living room. Driving down south with the kids and don't know how to get to your destination? Print out a map from the Internet so you don't get lost. There's no waiting in line at travel agencies. There's no waiting hours in an airport just to find out the flight is sold out. And the best part? Booking online often costs you less!

In a few decades, once computers take over, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. will all become paperless. This means cutting down less trees, which means 1 point for environment. You can now apply for jobs online and get notified when positions open up. If you're expecting a baby, get all the information you need from all the websites available to you. You can even check out baby names and find out what every name means. You can research doctors and pharmacists. You can order groceries online and have them delivered right to your house. Everything you need on a daily basis is at your disposal. For you lazy people out there, this is your utopia!

So, were you skeptical about the Internet? I bet you're not anymore. What can be scary about having everything there for you? Of all the things to worry about, being part of a web-dependant society is low on the list.

The Atheist Camel: Can't believe this post

So, I was reading a post on the blog I'm following called The Atheist Camel. This post spoke about how some Christians believe that Anne Frank's fate was to die and go to hell because she did not believe in Jesus. The Christian doctrine says that: The only way to the Father is through the Son. This means that the only way to get into heaven is to believe in Jesus. So, because she was born into a Jewish family, she was condemned to hell from birth. Some argue that if she wanted to get into heaven, she should have gone against the religion her parents, grandparents and so on followed and become a Christian. When I read that, I could not believe the audacity. I was so shocked that I thought I should share this with all of you. If you want to read about it more in detail, visit his blog. You can just check out this post, or the blog itself. It's really interesting. Here's the link to the post for those of you who are interested. http://atheistcamel.blogspot.com/2009/10/anne-frank-had-it-coming-jesus-said-so.html

The Internet: Helpful or Hurtful?

I recently watched a few videos of people who spoke about the effects of the internet and how useful it is. Some argued that the internet was very useful in many aspects of our lives, while others insisted that the internet is a hindrance.

Don Tapscott, for instance, spent his entire presentation defending our generation and the way we use technology. He brought up some great points, many of which I completely agree with. He brought up that now that we use the internet frequently, we have access to a lot of information we didn't have access to before. When a big even happens in the world, we will know in a matter of seconds thanks to news sites, blogs, or even twitter, where people can report things they’ve seen or heard. We are able to interact with people from all around the world and share knowledge, information, thoughts and opinions. We can meet people who share the same opinions as we do and talk about topics that interest us with those we have things in common with. There are so many things we could do now that we have the world at our fingertips. The internet not only lets us read information that others have posted, but it lets us post our own information and write about anything we desire. People who want to become writers can write for anyone who wishes to read it. Those who paint can share their art with the world and they can get feedback on their work. The net also gives teachers and students opportunity to contact each other, post assignments, etc. It makes it easier for teachers to teach and students to learn. Teachers can show videos to the class about what they are teaching to back up their lesson. Students who learn better visually can have the opportunity to understand easier. Teachers have so much that they can use for their lessons. So, there is so much we can do now that we have access to the internet, and I haven’t even mentioned the half of it.

On the other hand, some argue that the internet gives us access to things that we maybe should not have access to. For instance, children who use the internet have easy access to every site possible, including sites that are completely inappropriate for them. As well, the media often gives children and teenagers bad examples to follow. They show models who are way too thin and unnaturally beautiful. This makes them think that they should look like them, when, in fact it is almost impossible. It gives adolescents access to photos and articles about celebrities doing often stupid things, which is exposing some to topics that they should not be exposed to. The internet is a big reason why children know things much earlier. Moreover, Evgeny Morozov brought up the fact that the internet gives the government opportunity to get information from people. They follow some people on facebook, twitter, etc and can find out everything about them, who they talk to, what they think and what they are planning to do. They have the means to stop them from spreading news the government doesn’t want out, not by preventing them from sharing the information, but by contacting them and getting them on their side. They can almost control people by using the internet.

To every subject, there will be at least two sides, but the hard part is to choose which one you’re on. So, although there are many negative aspects to the internet, I do believe that it doesn’t more good than bad in our society.

Don Tapscott Lecture - Grown up Digital

I recently watched Don Tapscott's lecture, where he spoke about assumptions people make about Generation Y. Often, people assume that we, as a generation, are lazy and do not know as much as those who did not grow up with the Internet. Many people think that because we spend so much time online, that we know less about the world. Tapscott based his lecture on these assumptions and made it a point to prove them wrong. He used various examples to back up his position.

What i liked the most in his speech was when he mentioned that kids from the net generation (generation y) now have authority over adults because of their knowledge about technology. He says that there has been a power shift between adults and teens. Teens now have the upper hand because they are now the experts about something. Instead of always being taught by parents, teachers, etc, they are teaching them how to use certain technologies like the computer, cellphones, the Internet and more. Sometimes, adults know how to use the basics of these fairly new technologies like Facebook, Myspace, twitter, msn, etc. They're teaching them new ways to communicate. For once, they're experts at something that's actually useful for the rest of the world. They can't be talked down to because they, on average, know more than their superiors.

I agree with his position 100%. There are so many things that my parents now ask me for help with. I'll be sitting in my room and my mom will be talking to her sisters in Toronto and ask me to come in to help her with her webcam. Even though the only wrong with it is that she hasn't turned the volume on, she often feels like she doesn't know how to do it herself. So, yes, I do believe that there has been a shift in power between parents and children because of this revolution in the technological world. Although in most cases, the teenagers have the upper hand when it comes to the use of technology, it is also really helpful.

Now that more and more teachers are using the Internet in their classes, it has become easier for students to access their homework and projects or to even communicate with their teachers. For example, when I miss school, I can check the wiki homework tracker for sociology. For my other classes, I can go on our school website, sign in and send messages to my teachers. I can also access files that they have posted on the site such as project outlines, class notes, homework corrections, etc. The teachers also post all our marks for tests and assignments on this site, so that if at any time we want to see how we did, it's accessible. As well, last year, I had an assignment due in English on a day that I was sick, so when I got up, I sent my assignment to my teacher. This way, I didn't have to hand it in late.

So, yes, teenagers do spend a lot of time online, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. We use the online community and they technological world to our advantage. Everyday, we are recruiting more and more people onto our team. The whole world is at our fingertips. All you have to do is click.

Really Cool Video!

I came accross this video the other day and thought it was really cool. Just thought i would share it with you guys.



Everyone in the communications program at University de Quebec A Montreal(UQAM) making a video to the song I Got a Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zcOFN_VBVo