Due Monday, April 3

Research federal legislation being considered in Congress that concerns immigration and give your opinion.

I want to be a girl

As a man, I was born with two things, a love for women and my penis. Maybe not all men desire women but we all have a penis. That is the beauty of gender, you either one or the other, a man or a woman. It is simple. Usually chromosomes decide gender, but a select few who are unhappy with the hand god has dealt them, take the matter into their own hands getting operations done to change their sex. Not all homosexuals choose to have this operation, but why should they when the media is obligated to let them pick which gender they want to be. I am fine with people undergoing such procedures, not my cup of tea but I get it. Homosexuality is nothing new. It has been around since the ancient Romans. Nevertheless, since when is ok to let lie about your sex? Ever since I was a child, I thought I had to tell the truth about my gender. I was wrong. Political correctness has gone so far now that it has become acceptable to lie in order to avoid offending people. If a newspaper interviews a man who desires to be a woman they must call him and she or vice versa. I do not care about anyone’s sexual preference but do care that the media reports the truth. If that means offending a few gay people in the name of integrity, so be it. American’s have to right to pursue happiness not lie to obtain happiness. As for the media, I understand the importance of tolerance but tolerating lies is not tolerable in my book.

Due Monday, March 27th

The following is a quote from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association stylebook (www.nlgja.org):
"When writing about a transgender person, use the name and personal pronouns that are consistent with the way the individual lives publicly."
I found the link on the Poynter Institute's Web site (www.poynter.org).
Please research other journalism Web sites to find their policies on how to refer to the gender of people for whom this is an issue. Discuss the ethics of these policies and include your opinion.

Tipping Is Everywhere

When it comes to tipping I make sure I reward good service and ignore the bad. Tipping.org claims that tipping is optional, but in today’s world the service industry demands tips. The people working in this industry sometimes make well below minimum wage and rely on their tips to make a decent living. Most waiting jobs pay as little as $2.13 an hour, but on a good night a waiter or waitress can bring home as much a 100 dollars in tips. These tips also give young people a chance to make good money. Strippers are able to make a career on tips, and some of these exotic dancers make up to 90,000 dollars a year. Tips might not be required but they are becoming expected. It is polite to leave 15% to 20% of the bill as a tip depending on the level of service. This means that if your bill at a restaurant is 40 dollars, you should leave a 6 to 8 dollar tip. I try to abide by this unwritten 15% rule and if the service is really good I might fork out 20%. However, generally my waiter only gets what I can spare. Which typically is not much which why I do not eat out to often. Nevertheless tipping is everywhere. It seems anywhere you go someone wants a tip for doing something. Bartenders, bellhops, door attendants, cab drivers, valet parkers, restroom attendants, barbers, tow truck drivers, movers, all want tips. I give what I can but I do not have the money to tip everybody. If I could, I would. Heck if I had the money I go around giving everyone tips. I have never had a job that allowed me to receive tips, but I still see the importance of gratuity. Just use common sense when tipping. Only give a tip when you feel the service is deserving of something extra.

Due Monday, March 20

This week's blog is about tipping. Do some research to find out what the experts say about the customs of tipping. How did it get started and why do some professions rely on tipping while others don't? Who do experts say you should tip and hown much? Do you agree? How does their advice differ from the way you yourself determine how much to tip? Have you worked in a job for which you relied on tips as part of your pay? Include any opinions or stories you have about tipping.