There isn’t much known about Jong-un. According to a Web exclusive by Foreign Policy Magazine, Jong-un was born in 1983 or 1984 to Kim’s third wife, Ko Hyong-hui. A memoir written by Kenji Fujimoto, Jong-il’s personal chef from many years ago, gives one of the only accounts of Jong-un and captures the only public picture of him as a child. According to Time, Fujimoto’s book, which was published in 2003, referenced Jong-un as “a chip off the old block, a spitting image of his father in terms of face, body shape and personality.”

Hmm…. That doesn’t sound so promising.

The United Kingdom’s Telegraph reported a few (suspected) facts about Kim Jong-un:
- he studied at the International School of Berne in Guemligen, Switzerland,
- after finishing his studies he returned to the military in Pyongyang,
- he can speak German, French and English,
- he’s overweight,
- he’s diabetic
- and he has possible health conditions from a car accident.

Recently Jong-un has been appointed to the National Defense Commission (NDC) in an unnamed capacity, according to South Korea’s Yonhap. This same news agency reported, in January of this year, that Kim Jong-un was appointed to take his father’s place on January 8, 2010.

Yet, with Kim Jong-il’s recent pancreatic cancer “diagnosis” it could be sooner.

With so little known about Jong-un, it’s difficult to predict the future, but we can’t expect it to be too different. A mind like Jong-il wouldn’t leave the nation that he’s worked so hard to control to someone who doesn’t share similar ideology.

Kimg Jong-un has been described as being very similar to his father. As the favorite son, we shouldn’t expect to see much of a change (for the better at least) if he is to take over when his father dies.

Only time will tell. But, if you’re interested in learning more about the suspected new ruler, you’ll probably have a difficult time finding anything out. As with many other aspects of North Korea, it’s all speculation.

When someone is sexually molested in middle school or high school, say, by a peer for sake of discussion, the blame is hardly (if ever) turned on the victim. Then in college, it’s increasingly more difficult to place the blame. The line of consent is blurred by alcohol, peer pressure and drugs.

College students all over the country are being raped by their peers and feel like they are to blame. I know four personally: three girls and one guy who are all between 20 and 27.

“He told me if my shorts weren’t so short then he wouldn’t want me so bad,” one said to me.

“He said I was flirting with other guys and that after this I would never want anyone else.”

“His friends were making fun of him because I wouldn’t put out.”

“She wanted a baby.”

It’s easy to say that people portray what they want. It’s also safe to say that many people want a lot of sexual attention. Yes, it’s one thing to say that. It’s another thing to say that all people who dress differently than what you think is acceptable are “asking to get raped.”

Nobody wants to get raped. Nobody wants to feel used.

I’m not talking about random strangers either. The people who have told me their stories were either friends with or dating the people that raped them. They shared a friendship and a love for each other, sure, but none of them were willing to do what they were forced to do.

Now, they’re all dealing with their feelings that they brought it upon themselves. One is getting married and dealing with the fact that he is scared to sleep with anyone else. Another has a baby she put up for adoption, which she wishes so badly she could provide for him the life he deserves.

Being sexually abused can also result in sexual impotence and/or a sexist attitude.

Yet, nobody talks about it. Not once have I heard about a rape clinic or rape help in the two colleges that I’ve attended. Then, I have to wonder, if they were there would anyone go?

The shame that America has put on the concept of rape is unbearable. Sure, we think of the person who did it as a “(fill in the blank).” We put them on trial while the person who was really affected tries to deal with the shame and guilt of what has happened, often even blaming themselves above anyone else.

We’re not giving enough attention to this growing epidemic. It’s happening to more and more people every day. It might have happened to you. Or, maybe it happened to someone you love. You may never know.

De-stigmatizing the American concept of rape could not only save a lot of lives but also prevent other problems in the future.

Don’t hesitate to talk to someone if you’ve been raped, no matter how long ago it was. If you have children in college, let them know that you care about them enough to share even the things they’re guilty about. It could save their lives.

Groups like Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) are great places to start. Just call 1 (800) 656-HOPE or click here to talk with someone online.

Unemployment has shot up, with the national average nearing 10 percent, while some metropolitan areas, such as El Centro, Calif., are looking at upwards of 26.9 percent unemployment.  

Jobs are hard to come by, and to make matters worse, jobs that pay enough to make ends meet are even more scarce.

There is, however, one group of people that the media keeps claiming are the beneficiaries of the moment: college students.  Student loans, scholarships, grants and cheap living make lives for these individuals easier, according to the news outlets and general consensus.  

I beg to differ on the matter.

Student loans, as Obama has promised, are supposed to be easier to obtain and more readily available.  With students jumping through enough hoops, money becomes more available and should help.  Unfortunately for students that don’t live off of their parents, what Obama would have us believe is quite the opposite of the truth.

You may say Obama is opening up more grants and scholarships for those who put in community service hours.  Tell that to the struggling med school/chiropractic/physical therapy student who virtually cannot have a job or volunteer hours outside of internships in clinics and hospitals that are required for graduation, on top of attending school and performing the necessary studying to pass the courses.

Banks still don’t have the money to loan, as was demonstrated when Citigroup was dropped from the Dow at the start of June.  Credit cards are seeing higher interest rates and lower spending limits, and the benefits on cards are diminishing.  The housing market is still stale, and those with money are still hoarding it.  Banks are reluctant to shell out any money, even small amounts in comparison to what they’ve received in stimulus.

The catch 22 of student loans is a frustrating issue.  Students go to banks for money when their income alone is not enough to pay for the cost of education, even with grants and scholarships.  The banks, in turn, require students meet a certain income in order to qualify for loans.  Students wouldn’t need to turn to the banks for money if they were making as much as is required to secure a loan, strictly limiting the number of people that even qualify for financial aid from these institutions.

Students that have relied on credit cards meet another problem outside of the income issue.  Having too much credit will negatively affect your ability to gain a loan because you’re capacity for debt is so great.  Having a credit card with a long history of payment is not beneficial, and on the contrary, it will also negatively impact your attempts at securing a loan.  What we have all been lead to believe as positive things for building credit have turned into our financial Achilles’s Heel.

Its a sad situation when the high school dropout can work at McDonald’s and make enough to pay rent, but the college student looking to better him or herself can’t find the money to eat.

Meanwhile, a group of gang members decides to make a drive-by shooting in a rival gang’s territory, killing three innocent victims and wounding others.

In another portion of the country, a man is being sent to death-row, to the electric chair, for a crime he did not commit.

Still, somewhere else, a woman is denied employment because she’s black, not white.

Poverty, violence, justice, human rights, equality and crime are all examples of solid, contemporary social problems that can easily be found within the society we call our own here in the United States.

Only when a problem is recognized by the majority of society as threatening or harmful to the lives and commonly established values of the people, and that action should be taken against it, is the issue elevated to social status.

Certainly, there is significant difference between a social problem and a personal problem. A personal problem arises due to a person’s own choices and the effects those decisions have for that individual alone. An example of this is a person who is consistently late for work because they take it upon themselves stay out late every night. When this person is reprimanded or even fired from their place of work, the problem is considered personal because the individual had complete control of the problem from the very start. This person could easily have decided not to stay out late on nights before work, or at least be home early to prepare for work on the following day. There are little or no outside forces affecting an issue on a personal level.

On the other hand, if this person were consistently late for work due to the manner in which the public transportation system was set up, perhaps a bus only arrives several hours before work starts, or several after, this would lean more towards being a social issue than a personal issue. In this case, the individual has much less control over the forces affecting the time they arrive at work and perhaps it might become necessary for society to move for a better system of public transportation in order to remedy the problem.

Not only are social problems sweeping, but they are interrelated, with damages all the more wide-spreading. Take for instance an example from the video titled, Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Prices. As the title indicates, Wal-Mart Corporation is cutting corners in order to provide its customers low prices on products. However, those corners are coming from the paychecks and benefit plans of its employees.

Two women were focused on in the video, one of whom described the difficulty of raising a family being a single-mother on the wages and costly benefits provided by this corporate giant. Because of the low wages and limited benefits, this woman was forced to apply for government welfare (don’t even get me started on the income disparity between men and women).

In this situation, there are four social problems at work in dire combination: healthcare, welfare, poverty and corporate power. Usually, if a person is living in poverty or under the poverty line, they are more likely to be unable to afford healthcare, and just as more likely to request government assistance. At the head of this issue sits Wal-Mart, but as the video titled, “The Corporation,” demonstrates, Wal-Mart is not the only corporate figure to inflict such serious damage to society. Hundreds of other corporations serve similar functions every day. It is truly a disastrous cycle that these social problems usually take; like a line of falling dominoes, the problems follow each other. One such dangerous and detrimental cycle that could result from this is child abuse/neglect and drug addiction.

Undoubtedly, social problems are much larger than individual issues because they affect a much bigger portion of society. Say for instance, one might call an employee’s issue with Wal-Mart, or any other corporation really, a personal problem, because that individual has the choice to apply to work for another employer, or one that’s not associated with a corporation.

However, there are thousands of corporations in the United States that employ hundreds of thousands of people, so it would be difficult to find a job not working for a corporation. Also, if everyone who worked for a corporation or corporate entity quit their job, this country would immediately fall apart because corporations are many times responsible for the smaller companies we use the services of on a daily basis (e.g. Fox News Corp. controls Roundup weed killer). Corporations also control much of the economy of this country with the stock market and business. So realistically, there is only one way to classify a problem such as this, and that would be as a social one. Personal problems can sometimes be encompassed by a larger social issue, and many times are, but are not social issues themselves.

I will never forget the first time I went to a doctor by myself. It was just after my 18th birthday, and I had the feeling of great independence. From the point of scheduling the appointment, all the way up until the moment I looked at the $120 doctor’s bill, that is. The type of insurance I had didn’t cover the specific procedure I had done, so I was required to pay full price. I didn’t know this beforehand, and it made me think about the fact that if I didn’t have a decent job and generous father to help me out – as many people in this country do not – I wouldn’t be able to pay this bill, and therefore wouldn’t have the healthcare access I needed. I realized at this very moment that the healthcare system in the United States could potentially use some revision and certainly constituted a social problem, not a personal problem.

Social problems surround us day in and day out, providing affects that are sweeping and potentially cyclic with damaging implications. If society doesn’t come together in a collective effort to combat these important issues, there’s no chance that they disappear any time soon.

Ah, those were the days.

Over the years, stress has increasingly become a major part of my life; so much so, that sometimes it’s hard going back to that day at Disney in my mind, recalling a time when I didn’t experience it for a good 24-hour period. From making sure I’m at work on time every day to completing homework and term papers on the right due dates, to being there for friends and family when they need me and then somehow maintaining a personal life (not to mention eating, paying bills and even maintaining a regular hygiene routine), it’s become rather difficult for me to balance my stress.

I know I’m not the only one feeling this way.

Americans are known for living by one never-changing, ever-moving fact of life that has become the root of all stress (in my opinion): time. We’re always moving against it. We never have enough of it. I always hear someone saying it, “There’s just not enough time in a day.” When I was that little kid at Disney World drooling over Mickey Pops, meeting Cinderella and what was in that magic-looking ball, I can remember laughing at hearing adults say that, because days always seemed long to me. I was always rested after a night’s sleep, up early every morning and ready to go. Today, I finally understand the truth behind that saying.

So stress affects most of us here in America, I think we can all agree on that. But what, exactly, are those effects?

Stress wasn’t designed to harm us. It was intended to motivate us for the purpose of survival. More primitively, stress as a response is known as the flight-or-flight reaction. Essentially, it is a normal, physical response to events that make you feel upset or threatened. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic and alert. (It also works well on those last minute term papers you stay up all night to get finished by the morning.)

But beyond a certain point, stress can result in some very negative ramifications. Did you know that researchers suggest that as much as 60 to 90 percent of illnesses are directly caused or exacerbated by stress?

Anxiety or Depressive Disorder. Research has shown a link between high sensitivity to stress and the onset of severe anxiety and depression. As such, chronic stress can destroy the ability to enjoy life, accomplish goals and maintain healthy relationships.

Heart Disease and Stroke. There is also a link between acute stress, heart disease and stroke. The psychological response to stress has detrimental affects on the heart and circulatory system, including an increased heart rate and restricted arteries. Over time, this can lead to heart attacks.

Weight. You’re probably familiar with all the talk about how stress can cause or lead to obesity. This is true, however, it is also true for the opposite. Depending on the person, stress can motivate a person to eat too much or too little, causing severe weight gain or weight loss. The stress hormone cortisol can cause an increase in abdominal fat, while in other cases, anorexia, bulimia and binge eating can result.

Sleep Difficulty. Stress is among one of the main factors related to sleep difficulty. We all know how important sleep is. It allows our bodies to recharge, providing energy to take on new days. When a person experiences chronic stress or overwork, it’s almost impossible to relax mentally and physically, so they get very little of that essential recharge period. This puts the body under even more stress, only adding to the problem.

Concentration and Memory. Chronic and acute stress can lead to problems with concentration and memory. Studies have shown that individuals subjected to stress have a higher difficulty with short-term and verbal memory. Stress also makes it more difficult to pay attention to detail, causing careless accidents and problems with work or academic demands.

Pain. Stress can intensify chronic pain. Emotional distress has also been linked to a heightened sensitivity to arthritis and back pain, while physical tension can cause muscle pains and headaches.

Gastrointestinal Disorders. Stress contributes to such problems as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease. Even if these more serious disorders don’t develop, people under a great deal of stress commonly experience mild to moderate stomach discomfort, nausea, constipation or diarrhea.

Even though it can seem nearly impossible to slow down and try to relieve stress, it’s important for maintaining physical and emotional health and balance.

(Most pertinent and factual information taken from HELPGUIDE.org.)

Sexism is one of the most covert social problems of today, yet it can be found in just about every aspect of life; from television to books and films, and from clothes to toys and even cereal boxes, this matter invades the lives of American people day in and day out, whether we’re aware of it or not. This is precisely why it is such a big deal. This issue attacks us from all angles, something like buck shot, almost impossible to avoid.

From the moment we come into this world we’re given a set gender role, or behaviors considered appropriate for whatever particular sex we are. For example, it is common for a girl to be given a very feminine name and to be dressed in a commonly accepted color for newborn girls – pink. The same thing goes for boys, who are commonly given masculine names and dressed in blue outfits, a stark contrast from the girl’s pink. Even celebratory items such as balloons and decorations make it definitively clear what the infant child’s sex is, like banners that read, “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” It’s plain to see that society is very interested in making sure that these gender roles are set into motion from the very start.

Certainly and undeniably, this sets the foundation for this issue as a social one and not an individual one. Sexism has very little to do with personal, conscious choice since its roots run so very deep. We’re almost hard-wired for sexism.

According to Dictionary.com, sexism is defined as discrimination based on gender, or attitudes, conditions and behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender. This happens all the time, with society usually being completely unaware of it.

Take for instance the age old phrase that many young children use in school while growing up, “You hit like a girl!” This is meant to be highly derogatory, and is usually directed from a boy to another boy during some kind of competitive action. Girls may or may not take offense to this when they hear it, but either way they usually don’t realize, especially at such a young age, that this is a blatant sexist remark. There is no biological advantage that a male has over a female when it comes to hitting a baseball with a bat; however, this point demonstrates how dense this issue is, and how early it starts.

Fortifying my belief in this problem as social and not individual is the fact of how long it’s been in existence. As long as the human record indicates, men have almost always been the dominating figure over women. Very few cultures have adopted structures where the female is the head of the family or social group. I’m sure it’s easy for many people to picture the caveman dragging his mate by her hair into their cave, which is a common sexist depiction of early human life, really meant to convey the fact that men have always – and the underlying “will always” – rule over women.

Social institutions play an important role in the perpetuation of this social issue, and are probably the most important in keeping it alive. Of the countless examples I could mention, some include the income disparity between men and women, with women making 77 cents to a man’s dollar; the fact that many religious groups are headed by men and not women, some even going as far as to forbid women as leaders, such as with Catholicism; and of course a great majority of the media with their persistent portrayal of the sex kitten, femme fetale woman figure that is laughingly supposed to represent the majority of the female population. Each of these examples allows men to comfortably slide into a sexist attitude against women.

Sexism isn’t only concentrated between men and women, in fact a great deal of sexism lies in the discrimination toward gays and/or individuals with gender roles outside of the commonly accepted standards, such as metrosexuals.

Being that this issue affects probably 99 percent of society, it is definitely a problem that everyone, not just some, will encounter at some point in their life.

Attempts have certainly been made to combat this issue, many of which have been very successful, such as the Women’s Rights Movement, beginning in the early 19th century and the spread of homosexual acceptance and gay rights, which really took hold starting in the late 20th century.

Compared to even 10 or 20 years ago, due to these ongoing, incredible thrusts toward sexual equality, it is clear that a substantial amount of improvement has been made in fighting sexism in our society. Women are no longer expected to simply become homemakers, but instead are called to prominent universities and colleges nationwide to earn solid educations and gain important experience that will bring them closer to the top in financial and societal success. Women are now high-demand doctors and big shot lawyers, as well as they are teachers and nurses. With the next presidential election approaching a woman will be running for the highest office in our nation’s government, this being one of American history’s firsts. Also, gays are continually gaining acceptance and recognition within a society that only 50 years ago wouldn’t even have given the issue a second thought.

It’s truly an exciting time for those interested in gender equality.