Sad and Sleepy

A study was conducted on 262 high school students. It was found that the average high schooler gets 6 hours of sleep on week days and 8 hours on weekends. It's no wonder that half of the students in the study were "excessively sleepy." It was also found that 30% of those teens had strong depression symptoms and 32% had some symptoms of depressions. And on top of that, the sleepiest studients were 3 times more likely to also have depression symptoms.

It is not clear whether sleep deprivation is a deciding factor in depression or if depression causes sleep deprivation. And the study was only done on one high school so there is not enough evidence to prove either theory. Also, another cause of sleep deprivation is high stress. This can come from too many activities plus homework, and keeping in contact with friends all of the time using cell phones, facebook, etc.

I think that it is possible that sleep deprivation and depression are not connected at all. There is not enough studying done on the issue to really know for sure if those two occurances have anything to do with each other.

Furthermore, it could be those specific students in that specific high school that seem sleepy and depressed. It may not be the trend of teenagers everywhere to be depressed and sleepy. The only way to find this out is if more studies are conducted in other high schools. Studies could also be done on adults too. There could be a connection between sleep deprivation and depression in them as well.

However, studies may not be necessary at all. Maybe we could just sit down and think about it. I almost think that neither one (sleep deprivation or depression) is the cause of the other. I think maybe the root is somewhere else. High stress could be the cause of both sleep deprivation and depression. Maybe instead of forcing teenagers to get more sleep and giving them happy pills, parents and teachers should do their best to bring the stress levels of teenagers down a notch or too. Colleges could lower their acceptance standards and not expect kids to be A students as well as football players or student council members. Parents could stop putting so much pressure on their kids to succede in life and also monitor how much cell phone and computer time their teenager is allowed every night. Parents could make sure that their teens go to bed on time as well as ensure that the thoughts of the day do not keep them up at night. And teachers could work harder on helping kids succede without breaking them.

Then maybe high schoolers would sleep more and be less depressed. And we wouldn't have to conduct studies of their behavior to understand how to fix an outcome of stress and pressure.

Article Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/09/sleep.deprivation.depression/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Picture Source:

http://neuronarrative.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/when-its-learn-or-lose-sleep-on-it/

What Do You Say to Taking Chances?

Kyron Horman is just seven years old. He’s a second grader at an elementary school in Oregon. He hasn’t been seen since 8:45 a.m. on Friday, June 4th.

The morning of the incident, his school was having a science fair held before school so that working parents could attend. Portland School’s spokesman Matt Shelby said to CNN, "You had a situation with lots of parents and friends coming through the school, going class to class." Kyron’s step mom reported that she last saw him walking down the hall on the way to his classroom. Kyron never made it to his classroom. 90% of the students at his elementary school were questioned and no one saw Kyron after 8:45.

People have been very helpful. Tips are coming from all over and the community has their support for the family. Shelby said that counselors have been made available to anyone at school that might need someone to talk to over the incident. Police are working very hard to find Kyron. Even Portland Police bureau's air unit is out there looking for the boy.

I really do hope that he is found. Just seven years old and all that innocence…. One could say that the school should have held their science fair at a different location than the school. Some place with more room for people to walk around so that everybody would be less cramped. It would have been a lot harder for Kyron to disappear if there hadn’t been a packed hallway for him to get lost in. Also, one could say that there could have been better security. Visitors could have been stopped at the door and only admitted if they were a parent or a guardian of a child attending that school.

However, I do not agree with these ideas. Security may have done no good at all. It may not have been a stranger that took Kyron away, it may have been a family member of his or a parent of another child attending that school. And he may not have been stolen at all. Kyron could have run away.

Also, the school chose to hold the science fair at the school before school started because they wanted parents to attend. And what’s the point in having a science fair if parents can’t come?

The situation is awfully sad. But there’s really nothing that could have been done different unless all trust was abandoned for safety issues. If humans abandoned all trust, we’d all be in padded rooms with no life what-so-ever. I feel terrible that this boy is lost; however, life without risk is no life at all. Unfortunately, life may have been lost for this little boy.

Article Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/06/08/oregon.missing.child/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Picture Source:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/200902/stress-decreases-risk-taking-in-older-adults

Following up on my last article…

President Obama met with Arizona Gov. Brewer about their opposite views on the solution for illegal immigration. Basically, they came away with the conclusion that… they don’t agree. :-) 

Obama feels that immigration is a federal issue. It affects the whole United States and he feels that if each state can decide what to do about illegal immigration, then the country will be extremely divided and it will cause major problems for us in the future. He is asking Brewer to stop making immigration decisions and allow congress to decide together what is best for the U.S.

Brewer feels that immigration affects Arizona and Arizona should be able to make its own decisions on what to do about illegal immigration. She thinks that she has made the right decision for her state and that she will defend her decision as far as court.

Obama says that he is willing to continue to talk about their disagreements but is not willing to go to court against her. He does not wish to put his “thumb on the scales when these kinds of decisions are made.” Basically he doesn’t want to get involved in a legal battle over this whole thing.

I agree with Obama that the issue of immigration is a nationwide issue and no one state should have the power to make decisions about it without consulting the other states. If each state had their own idea of what to do about illegal immigration, then everyone inside its borders would be affected differently. It would be confusing and unfair, especially to the people that are legal citizens but are suspected of being illegal. There has got to be a way to encompass the whole United States on this issue, rather than just Arizona coming up with a solution that may endanger the above mentioned people’s rights.

 

But that’s just my opinion. Maybe things will actually have to be settled in court before we can really know for sure if decisions like that can be made on a state level.

I do have to say that I am glad to see diplomatic conversations taking place between two sides of a debate. This is what our country is all about. Two sides on an issue, meet in the middle with a compromise that is good for everyone involved. This system is very important to our way of life and is really cool to see it in action. I guess they did play nice. We will just have to wait and see what happens now.

Article Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/03/obama.arizona.governor/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29 

Picture Sources:

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/tags/fighting/default.aspx

http://www.consumer-action.org/english/articles/how_to_complain_guidelines_for_resolving_complaints 

Children, Play Nice

Arizona governor Jan Brewer is meeting face to face with President Obama on Thursday to discuss Arizona's controversial new immigration law. The law states that any person being investigated for a crime or possible legal infraction must produce proof of citizenship if asked for it. An officer may ask for proof of citizenship if they have "reasonable suspicion" that they are not a legal immigrant.

 

Many people feel that this law promotes racial profiling, that a person can be pulled over for a burnt out headlight and then have to all of the sudden prove that they are American because they look Hispanic. They feel that this is not fair and it violates the rights of American citizens: equality, privacy, persuit of happiness, etc. I believe that this is the side that Obama is leaning towards.

 

Supporters, however, feel that this is a good way to crack down on illegal immigrants. They say that an illegal immigrant doesn't have to be Hispanic and that "reasonable suspicion" has nothing to do with race. They say that illegal immigrants are endangering the rights of American citizens and this problem should be taken care of. This is the view point of Gov. Brewer.

 

Obama has called the new law in Arizona "misguided." Trying to help Gov. Brewer's immigration concerns, he announced his plan to send 1,200 U.S. troops to the American-Mexican border to try to keep illegal immigrants out of our country in the first place.

 

Gov. Brewer feels like Obama has not communicated with her about his plans for Arizona. Obama feels like Gov. Brewer has not communicated with him about her plans for the United States.

 

I think that the new Arizona law is wrong. In my opinion, it does promote racial profiling. How else would an officer have "reasonable suspicion" that someone is an illegal immigrant but by the way he/she looks? And it is very hard to make sure that this type of racism does not occur. What about the legal American citizens that have to produce their proof of citizenship all of the time because they look Hispanic or Japanese or Middle-Eastern. American citizens come from all of those places. We cannot be harassing those people just because they happen to look like the sort of people that would be here illegally. It does violate U.S. citizens' rights.

 

I also think that Gov. Brewer and Obama really do need to sit down and really talk about their intensions. They need to work it out face to face instead of Gov. Brewer going behind Obama's back and making him wonder about what laws could affect his country. They need to compromise instead of Obama sending 1,200 U.S. troops over to the border where Arizona might have a huge problem with that. They need to play nice and stop fighting like little kids. I am glad they are meeting on Thursday because they need to act grown up about situations like these.

 
Article Source:
 
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/01/obama.arizona.governor/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
 
Picture Sources:
 
http://www.filipinafianceevisa.com/News15.htm
 
http://www.leadingparent.com/news/index.asp?newsId=38

Melting Pot

A CNN Article is written by Christian Lander. A Canadian immigrant, he shares his opinion on our view of those that enter our country. He states that immigrants started as white Europeans but today are from all over the world. He hints that we should be more accepting of immigrants because everyone here was an immigrant to begin with.

                        “In the popular myth, immigrants arrive as huddled masses yearning to be free and most of the women wear scarves around their head. They move to the Lower East Side or some other suitably "ethnic" community, they change a last name, they learn English and within one generation they are welcomed into the country as ethnic Americans and granted that wonderful privilege of checking the white box on the census.

                        The reality is that America has a long history of welcoming immigrants who will never be able to check that white box on the census, and unfortunately that means America also has a long history of discrimination against those people regardless of their status in the country. Just one example would be the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II contrasted against the treatment of German-Americans.

                        But all of that was in the past right? Well, ask yourself this: Who is more likely to get pulled over and forced to show his papers in Arizona today? A first generation Canadian immigrant, or a 10th generation Mexican-American?

                        What I hope this census will force the country to deal with is the fact that white immigrants like me will never again make up the majority of people that come to this country...”

                       The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Christian Lander.

I most definitely agree with this opinion. Every person living in America besides Native Americans is an immigrant. We all came from someplace else. There shouldn’t be discrimination of any kind just because some of us were here first. What difference does that make? It shouldn’t make any at all.

My ancestors were from Germany. If I am considered American, then so are the people whose ancestors came from Japan or Mexico. And if my ancestors were allowed to make a home out of America, then others should be allowed as well. America is a melting pot of cultures, let’s keep stirring.



Article Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/29/lander.who.am.i/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Picture Source:

http://iron.lcc.gatech.edu/~ntrivedi6/blog/?tag=melting-pot

How Many Text Messages Did You Send Today?

A CNN article tells about a recent study taken by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. It shows that teenagers send an average of 100 text messages each day. If you count twelve hours in a day, they send about 8 messages an hour which is like one very seven minutes. Basically, they text ALL the time.

            "Texting is so functional and efficient," said Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at Pew, when asked to explain the survey results. "It's convenient and fits into those small spaces in daily life. You're not talking about much, but you're telling people you're connected to them (CNN)."

Lenhart is correct in saying that texting is a way for us to communicate. It is definitely a convenient way to keep in touch and I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t use it. I am just as guilty as any other teen of sending many, many text messages in one day. We also tend to text more than call. Teens make or receive about 5 calls a day. Compare that to 100 text messages. I also think it’s safe to say that we text our friends and call our parents. It’s just what we do.

But how do we send so many texts in one day when half of the day we are in school? And the other half we are in a sport or doing our homework or spending time with family or friends…? The answer is that we text ALL the time. Whenever we have a spare second we whip out our phones and text someone. I know I do it. And I can’t be the only one because I have people to text every time I have a spare second.

I’ve got to say that Lenhart’s light-hearted view on the topic makes me a little worried. Texting should not be an all day occurrence. Sure, it’s a way to communicate but it should not be a way in which we live our lives. Our phones should not be a medium for experiencing life. They should be stuffing, not the turkey.

Put your phone away every once in awhile and go live a little. Be a real person, not a name on someone else’s cell phone display screen.



Article Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/20/teens.text.messaging/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Picture Source:

http://www.candrugstore.com/blog/2009/05/is-texting-causing-more-problems-than.html

Connecticut Bishops say “Hush”

Connecticut State Rep. Beth Bye sponsors a bill would that lift the statute of limitations on sex abuse victims in Connecticut. Currently, a victim has 30 years after their 18th birthday to file charges. The new bill would lift this.

Bye supports the bill because it allows any age group to have access to the courts. Also “anyone older than 48 who makes a sex abuse claim against the church would need to join an existing claim filed by someone 48 or younger.” (CNN article) This is to make sure that “frivolous” lawsuits do not take place.

Connecticut Bishops however have spoken up against this bill. They worry that it would open cases in which "key individuals are deceased, memories have been faded, and documents and other evidence have been lost." (Letter written by Connecticut Bishops) Basically, they don’t want to dig up old skeletons.

I understand that the statute of limitations was put into place to save money. It is so hard to find evidence of a rape that happened over 30 years ago. A lawsuit based on little evidence takes a lot of time and effort and it might not be worth it at all. But any person should have a right to go to trial. This new bill protects this right while saving the extra expense. If a person older than 48 has to join an existing claim, it combines two cases in one. They can still have their case heard but it doesn’t cost twice as much.

I do not agree with the Bishops’ concern. If a person was abused it is not the victims fault and they should not stay quiet about it just to protect the reputation of the person that did it. That person is responsible for his actions. If the victim wants their claim to be heard then it should be heard.



Article Source:



http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/11/connecticut.abuse.bill/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29



Picture Source:



http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/050933-2009-05-30-how-a-bill-becomes-law.htm