Ocean Pollution

By: Marina S.

 

 

Did you know that more than 10 million tons of plastic pollutes the ocean per year? Have  you ever considered how much all of that plastic affects and harms the ocean and the things living in it? Ocean pollution even affects humans! 

The most common thing that pollutes the ocean is plastic. Plastic and styrofoam compromise 90% of the ocean. 100 million marine animals die every year from just the plastic in the ocean, but it doesn’t stop there; 100,000 marine animals die every year from getting entangled in all of the plastic. Did you also know that plastic takes 500-1000 years to decompose in the ocean?

            What is ocean pollution? Ocean pollution is all of the plastic and trash that goes into the ocean. Ocean pollution can be caused by many different things, some as small as tiny microplastics to fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Natural events like storms can cause ocean pollution. After storms the water travels to the ocean, but it takes along the oil in the streets that is caused by cars. Oil spills can last years in the ocean. Ocean mining also causes pollution because when humans drill for substances deep in the ocean it creates harmful sulfide deposits.

How is ocean pollution harmful, and what are its effects on humans and animals? Ocean pollution is very easily mistaken as food by animals, which is then transferred into humans when the animal is being consumed. Consuming all of those toxins can affect the human’s health. One of the many toxins in the ocean is mercury. If mercury is exposed to humans, it can increase heart disease and Dementia. If it is exposed to unborn babies, it damages their brains, reduces their IQ, increases risk of autism, ADHD, and other learning disorders. Ocean pollution affects animals even more. Animals can entangle themselves in the debris and get hurt. Pollution also causes there to be less oxygen in the ocean, and low oxygen can kill the animals.

             Littering and poor waste management also take part in causing ocean pollution. Some ways to prevent ocean pollution are to use less plastic; learning to properly dispose of trash and plastic can also make a big difference. Chemical fertilizers also cause pollution, and using less of them can help make the lives of many humans and animals safer. Fishing  properly could also result in a safer environment for ocean animals.

            We need to stop polluting the ocean. Think about how many human and animal lives are being affected by ocean pollution and how worse it’s going to get in the future if we don’t stop now.

           

           

 

 

Global Warming Effects

    By: Veronica S.     

 

 

Picture this:  you’re a thousand years in the future, but instead of the world looking prosperous, it’s nothing short of a wasteland. Droughts have become commonplace, and devastating wildfires start at the drop of a dime. A surplus of plants and animals you’ve grown to love have all gone extinct, and the world is in shambles. This could very well be our world if we don’t do something about global warming. Sounds familiar, right?   Sure, you hear about global warming and climate change all the time, but a vast majority of people don’t quite understand the scope of how many things will be affected. There are many disastrous consequences of global warming that have already started to occur!

            Natural disasters come in a copious amount of forms, but did you know that there is a direct link between climate change and the rate at which natural disasters occur and how destructive they are? In a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, they stated that the temperature of the U.S is likely to increase by 10 degrees fahrenheit by the end of the 20th century! In a separate article by Rebecca Lindsey and LuAnn Dahlman, they stated that the average rate of increase per decade since 1981 has been 0.18C/0.32C; that’s more than double the rate of increase since 1880! More droughts and wildfires have started to occur due to the drastic increases in temperature. However, that’s not all; thanks to ice melting all over the world, the water level has already started to increase.

Okay, so things will get hotter and wetter, but what does that have to do with natural disasters?  you might be wondering. Well, ponder no longer, because while this may seem like it has nothing to do with natural disasters, “Human Health” states, “Floods are the second deadliest of all weather-related hazards in the United States, accounting for approximately 98 deaths per year.” Also, the Union of Concerned Scientists states, “Warmer air and oceans are producing more extreme hurricanes, with record-breaking amounts of rain and wind.” Not only this, but that same article also states that due to climate change, major Hurricanes like Hurricane Harvey have gone from occurring every hundred years to every sixteen, and thanks to the rise in sea level they’re more destructive and are wreaking more havoc than ever before!

            Not only are people’s lives in jeopardy due to global warming, but so is the economy. The natural disasters triggered by global warming have already cost billions of dollars. A study conducted by Columbia University stated, “In 2017, Texas’s estimated losses from Hurricane Harvey were $125 billion;” this hasn’t even scratched the surface when it comes to covering the financial peril that numerous amounts of people will be in due to the food shortages that may potentially be triggered by climate change. An article by the Union Of Concerned Scientists states, “Hotter temperatures and droughts will make corn, wheat, and other staple crop supplies less stable, leading to price spikes and food shortages. The roughly 800 million people currently living in extreme poverty will be most affected.”

Climate change will also be a detriment to health on a worldwide scale. Due to global warming, there may be shifts in flowering time, which will lead to more pollen and a much more hazardous time for people with asthma. Climate change could also potentially affect waterborne and foodborne diseases by making them more potent. Mental health will be influenced by climate change as well. Scientists have found that people have higher levels of anxiety and might even get ptsd, which stands for post traumatic stress disorder, after experiencing natural disasters. A study by “Human Health” found that even suicide rates increase with the temperature! Climate change will even affect the health of other living beings, such as plants and animals. In an article by the Union of Concerned Scientists, they declared, “Only a small amount of warming will kill 70 to 90 percent of the world’s coral reefs; up to half of plant and animal species in the world’s most naturally rich areas could face extinction.”

Global warming is not something to be taken lightly, and it’s time for people to start opening their eyes and realizing that global warming isn’t just something that we can brush off and deal with later, and that if we don’t take immediate action it will only get more grave with time. Its effects on the world have already started to become painstakingly obvious. Everyone and everything will be affected from natural disasters, to the economy, to even people’s health, both physically and mentaly. Its effects on the world have already started to become painstakingly obvious, but it’s not too late to stop it.

 

 

Nuclear Weapons, Man’s Most Powerful Weapon of Mass Destruction

By: Jai M.

 

 

 

Do you like the thought of toxic, lethal radiation in our atmosphere and in our soil? Do you like the thought of that lethal radiation staying in the atmosphere for thousands of years? Well that is the disturbing truth of the most powerful man-made object in the world: the Nuclear Bomb.

Scientists predicted that if there were to be a nuclear war, and 100 nuclear weapons were used, it would cause tens of millions of climatic changes, not to mention the significant amount of deaths and/or extinctions that the war would cause. Even though it is highly unlikely that a nuclear war will happen in the near future (but it is still possible), nuclear tests are still a huge threat to the environment. The U.S. alone has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests underground, underwater, or in the atmosphere in the past eighty years, and it is steadily increasing the amount of radioactive material in the atmosphere. After atmospheric testing in the 1960s alone, radiocarbon levels in the atmosphere were up by 190%.

            Nuclear weapons have also become more powerful and more dangerous. The only time nukes were actually used in war was in 1945 in World War 2. Both “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” were nuclear bombs made from Plutonium and were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. These two bombings killed well over 200,000 people. Just the Nuclear tests from 1954 to 1980 were equivalent to 29,000 Hiroshima sized nuclear explosions. That is petrifying.

Considering the amount of damage nuclear weapons can do, and how much it affects humans and the Earth's environment, the truth gets worse. The U.S. alone has 5,800 nuclear warheads ready to be launched at any moment. Just process that number: 5,800 modern nuclear warheads. One warhead alone could kill an estimated 1.2 million people and injure an additional 2 million people. All of these nukes are stashed around the U.S. in secret hiding places such as in nuclear submarines, in nuclear silos, secret military bases, and in some aircraft carriers. All of these nukes can receive the order to launch at any moment and can reach countries that are halfway around the world. That’s hard to even imagine.

Nuclear bombs are not just a big explosion that blows up. It has many complex stages to cause maximum destruction. Milliseconds after the initial explosion, there is a massive fireball in the sky, followed by the massive mushroom cloud above where the fireball was. Next, a shockwave travels at a speed of 300m/s, which is close to the speed of sound, not to mention all of the radioactivity of which people can get exposed. It can also cause severe radioactive burns called Beta Burns.     

Scientists use “Millisieverts” as a way of measuring how much radiation is in one's body, and how much radiation one has been exposed to. After the attacks on Hiroshima and Nakasaki, people were getting diagnosed with 50 to 100 millisieverts 20 weeks after the explosion. That same amount of millisieverts can increase one’s chance of dying from cancer in one’s lifetime by 25%. Some parts of Hiroshima and Nakasaki are still unsafe to travel to this day from the threat of possible radiation exposure since 1945 because the radioactive materials stay on Earth for thousands of years before fully decomposing. The whole nuclear blast range has a good chance to be contaminated with radioactivity that stays there for generations. Keep in mind, the nuclear weapons used in World War 2 happened almost eighty years ago, and Hiroshima and Nakasaki are still contaminated with radioactive waste. Just take some time to imagine what a nuclear bomb could do in today’s world. That is terrifying to think about. 

That is the petrifying truth of how strong nuclear weaponry can truly be. It can not only kill millions of lifeforms, but it has long term effects on the Earth’s environment. Countries and people need to start to focus on lowering the amounts of nuclear testing and the possibility of a nuclear war. The world already has enough major problems, and stopping nuclear use is one step closer to making the world a safer and better place.

 

 

The Uprise of Teen Depression

By: Nethra C.

 

Swirls and bursts of morose emotions flood your brain. Panic washes over you like a giant wave. As a teen, have you ever felt sad or stressed? These feelings are normal for any human being, but exhibiting these emotions daily can spiral down the unhealthy path of teen depression.  In recent years, teen depression has become more prominent than ever. Adults must rise to this situation before more and more loved ones are lost to suicide and despair. If we don’t take charge today, future generations could cripple from constant mental health issues.

About 20 percent of teens experience depression before adulthood. Furthermore, many keep this issue to themselves and never reveal anything to any adults. Perhaps, this number could be substantially more. Only 30 percent of teens facing depression are being treated! San Diego University professor Jean Twenge reveals that five times as many teens are dealing with depression-related issues than those observed during the Great Depression. Many kids who go down this route also face suicide. The rate of suicide of teens has tripled since 1960. It’s the third-leading cause of death of adolescents and second-leading among college youth.   

Why do all these things happen? And why is depression particularly affecting teens nowadays? To support this, school may be a major cause of mental health concerns. Excessive homework, exams, bullies, relationships, and pressure to do well cause lots of stress on kids. The staff from the Discover Mood and Anxiety program state, “modern-day lifestyles… less exercise, and no casual and unstructured technology-free play, less sunshine and more computer -- factors into the equation.” As technology gets advanced, many things in the world will solely rely on devices. Kids are sucked into technology and forget to do essential practices like exercising and going outside. According to Stanford Children’s Health, “a stressful home environment… and violence can lead to depression.” Trauma at home generates a big source of mental health predicaments. This includes divorce or death of parents, furthermore abuse and neglect as well. Unfortunately, once these issues cross a certain line, kids climb into deeper and darker levels of depression. According to https://www.mhanational.org/depression-teens-0, symptoms include hostile, aggressive behavior, substance abuse, destroyed relationships, and suicide. The Mayo Clinic Staff states, “It affects how your teenager thinks, feels and behaves, and it can cause emotional, functional and physical problems.” It’s repulsive how these circumstances can befall right under our noses. 

Fortunately, hope is not lost. If parents and teachers frequently intervene in a child’s life, serious mental health conditions can easily be prevented and terminated.  However, this doesn’t mean nagging or bothersome reminders. Preferably, adults should make kids feel comfortable speaking out and kindly approach them. According to Jill Suttie Ph.D., a psychologist, there are five different ways parents can help prevent depression in teens. Parents should implement continual care and support, teach strong emotional and social skills, encourage positive relationships,  and stimulate them to seek purpose in life.

Additionally, parents need to group in associations or unions and operate to change the school system and conditions. This could include talking to many teachers or the school board about reducing the daily workload on students. Molly Galloway from Lewis and Clark College says, “Because homework tends to act as a stressor in students’ lives, their bodies must find a way to respond or react to this stressor, chronic stress can induce negative physical, mental, and behavioral outcomes.” Moreover, parents could opt for a special program for specific bullies, or give out stricter rules and enforcement. Stopbullying.gov says, “Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, social, emotional, academic, and mental health issues.” This act will positively impact every kid in the school and prevent them from experiencing distress. 

Even once teens have already fallen under depression, there are still many things parents can do. They should resort to medical solutions and professional help. For example, parents can take teens to mental health screenings to determine a kid’s conditions. Mental Health America announces, “Psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, medication” can drastically improve mental health in teens.  Most kids exhibit clear warning signs for attempted suicide. These include: “Obsession with death, giving away belongings, irrational, bizarre behavior.”  If all adults are somewhat educated in these matters, they could prevent many lives from being lost. 

We never know what goes on in the mind of a fragile teenager. Substantial numbers of teens are being lost every day due to depression and suicide. Families and schools must stop taking this point nonchalantly! All adults must collaborate to intercept and stop mental health obstacles from destroying our younger generations. Next time you go to school, check in on your classmates;  ask how they’re doing. Raising this topic at home and at school can cause others to become aware as well. If we all want to be healthy 20 years in the future, everyone needs to play their small role in stopping this noxious hindrance.

 

 

 

 

The Unknown Side of Obesity

By: Judah J.

 

           

            America, land of the free, home of the obese. Out of 141 countries, America ranks 12th. Yay, right? Yet another victory for America. However, this high placement is extremely negative. America did not place 12th in rights, nor gun ownership, rather obesity. 36.2% of our population is obese. Two in five Americans suffer from obesity. Isn’t that tragic? Approximately 300,000 Americans die annually due to issues related to obesity. Obesity has several negative effects: reduced quality of life, shorter life expectancy, mental issues, and the list goes on. However, although these effects may be obvious, the causes may not meet the eye. Obesity is caused by more than excessive eating, culture and influential socio-economics being two of the main causes.

            It is important to take the several causes of obesity into consideration when talking about obesity. Americans become obese through a diverse set of reasons, such as unhealthy eating rather than excessive eating (although excessive eating remains a large cause). In several cases, Americans have no choice but to consume unhealthy foods. In 2019, 10.5% of American households were food insecure at least sometime during the year. It is oftentimes that cheap processed foods are more affordable compared to healthy whole foods.

Redlining and segregation have forced African Americans and Latino Americans into areas of poverty and low income. Due to the lack of money in these areas, residents have been left with no other choice but to purchase cheap, and often unhealthy foods that can be easily found. Cheap sugary drinks such as grape soda are marketed in these areas of poverty and are known to negatively affect the health of consumers. This is where the stereotype of “grape drink loving blacks” originated. These areas are known as food deserts. European Americans weren’t subject to redlining, segregation, and other socioeconomic government tactics used to diminish American citizens. So although European Americans have a high obesity rate, their obesity isn’t affected by malicious government tactics, rather other causes. Asian Americans have the lowest obesity rate, 17.4%. The large majority of Asian Americans are first and second generation immigrants, meaning that Asian Americans weren’t subject to segregation and other pre-segregation socio-economics that would force them into poor areas. Notice the correlation between poverty and obesity? Poverty plays a factor in the high obesity rates of African Americans, as well as Latino and Hispanic Americans. The high poverty rates of these communities are also affected by socio-economics that were diminished during times of segregation, as well as sometime after. A few examples being court bias, which unreasonably jailed minorities, unequal education, and as mentioned previously, redlining. It was difficult for minorities (African Americans and Latinos) to succeed in a country where majorities didn’t allow them to. In simple terms, the more poverty there is in a select demographic, the more obese the demographic becomes.

            Culture and societal standards also play a significant role in the obesity rates of American demographics. Take Asian Americans for instance.  Asian Americans have the lowest obesity rate by far when compared to African Americans, Latino Americans, and European Americans. This is irregular because, in my previous logic, “The more poverty there is in a select demographic, the more obese the demographic becomes.” This means that Asian Americans should have a higher obesity rate than European Americans because their poverty rate is higher (slightly). Although my previous logic is in fact correct, culture can affect the obesity rate of demographics. Asian Americans are largely first and second generation immigrants. This being taken into account, Asian Americans have close cultural ties to their country of origin. East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea typically have a current society that rejects overweight citizens. For instance, Japan has a legal waistline limit on women, 40 years old and up, of 33.4 inches, and a legal waistline limit on men, 40 years old and up, of 33.5 inches. The average waistline of an American male is approximately 40.2 inches, and for women 20 to 30 years old, 37.1 inches. For women 60 and over, 39.9 inches. It’s obvious that Japanese immigrants would be thinner than Americans due to these laws. In Korea, people who are 5’4 and 93lbs match the beauty standards of their society. Koreans eat smaller portions of food on top of dieting to maintain their thin physique. Korean pop-stars and influencers also promote their thin beauty standards. Chinese citizens also partake in trends that supposedly measure one’s beauty, a popular one being the coin in the collarbone challenge, a challenge in which Chinese women attempt to stack coins in their collarbone gap. According to their logic, the more coins you are able to stack in your collarbone gap, the more pronounced your collarbone is, and the more pronounced your collarbone is, the thinner and prettier you are. Trends similar to this promote a thinner beauty standard. Other Asian countries follow suit, however it is of greater importance to focus on China, Korea, and Japan because the large majority of East Asian immigrants come from these three countries.

            Culture can prevent obesity, and culture can cause obesity. Take African Americans for instance. Culturally, African Americans create foods that are often unhealthy, such as Soul Food. Fried chicken and chitlins are two popular foods within the Soul Food category, as well as macaroni and cheese. According to healthline.com in Is soul food healthy?, “Many items commonly associated with soul food are linked to an increased risk of several illnesses, including heart disease. Yet, soul food can be made much healthier by emphasizing the tradition’s nutritious dishes.”  healthline.com also says, “This eating pattern is tied to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, stroke, and mental decline.” This can be interpreted as, “Soul food can be healthy, but only when you make it healthy.” After all, collard greens (a soul food) are a very nutritious leafy green.

            Returning to the general culture of America, fast food franchises promote obesity as well. The usage of bright colors such as the infamous red and yellow in the McDonald’s logo are a prime example. Red is a color of alert, energy, and action. The color red is also used to grab attention; this helps franchises attract customers while passing by their restaurants. The pituitary gland can be activated by the color red, which in turn encourages appetite. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and Burger King are the top five most popular fast food chains in America. Starbucks is the only fast food chain that doesn’t include red in their advertisements. Starbucks utilizes the color green instead, which also encourages customers to buy from them. The color green is a natural color, the color of the earth, and a peaceful color. Coffee shops are known to be calm and peaceful places, somewhere busy people can sit down, grab a coffee, and complete work on their laptops. The dark green in the starbucks logo promotes this idea perfectly.

Drive-thrus play a significant role in the consumption of fast food as well. The addition of Drive-thrus gives customers the convenience of purchasing cheap unhealthy food quickly from the added comfort of their personal vehicle. Drive-thrus also hook customers in. If a customer chooses to purchase fast food from inside a restaurant, they have time to think about whether or not they really want to buy the food. In order to buy from inside a fast food restaurant, a customer must find a parking spot, walk inside the restaurant, and wait in line. This process takes longer to complete than buying from a Drive-thru. All customers have to do when buying from a Drive-thru is enter the line. It is likely that other customers will be in the back and front of a customer, effectively blocking them in. If customers have difficulty exiting the Drive-thru line it is likely that they will buy food regardless of their appetite. Customers do this because they already wasted their time in line, so they buy themselves a treat as a self-reward.

Americans also buy a lot of fast food due to the sheer amount of fast food restaurants in America! Fast food franchises install their restaurants in densely populated areas as they know they will have more customers. The denser the population, the more fast food restaurants there are. This is no mistake. In this scenario, correlation is causation. Nothing is safe from the red wrath; schools utilize the color red in their foods as well. Bosco Sticks, served at FMS, use a white background on their packaging to make their red logo isolated. This effective tactic of isolation catches the eye of students passing by. Mozzarella breadsticks are also unhealthy. Mozzarella cheese is high in fat and the breadsticks are high in carbs. America was built on marketing, and America is continuously fueled by marketing. It is unlikely that we will see a change in these practices; Americans will continue to grow obese.

            As previously said, it is unlikely that we will see change in manipulative marketing tactics. However, there is a partial solution. As opposed to buying fast food and purchasing processed foods, cook your own meals. Cooking, and even growing your own foods (although difficult), isa lot healthier than consuming foods elsewhere. Local grocery stores such as Hannaford, ShopRite, and Price Chopper sell decently affordable foods that you can cook at home. These options may not be available to all Americans, especially those in food deserts, so take advantage of these opportunities if you can. For financial assistance, reach out to charity funds and other organizations that provide money needed to purchase nutritious foods. As always, be sure to get the recommended amount of daily exercise. Go on a walk, take a bike ride, or find a hobby that requires physical activity. YouTube has plenty of free exercise videos that you can watch, whether you’re looking for a short cardio exercise or a lengthy strength training exercise. Remember, the healthier you are, the happier you will be!

            Recognition of the obesity epidemic is growing, but a proper solution has yet to be achieved. In order to put an end to the ongoing obesity epidemic, we as people must unite and discuss actions that need to be taken. Let’s make America healthier.

 

           

           

 

 

 

Procrastination is Damaging

By: Teanne Z.

 

 

Sitting at your desk, legs shaking, hands sweaty, your teacher in your face, breathing down your neck. “Where is it?'' she asks in such a stern way you feel like crying. All you can do is sit there and wait as the regret floods in. Imagine feeling like a disappointment. Procrastination is a brutal thing, not to mention horrible for your future. It can feel so good to just say you’re going to do it later, watch some tik tok and forget all about it. But when it comes time you push it off even longer. Later, later, later. Until you're at that exact position, feeling like you're about to pass out.

I think we all can agree that procrastination is tempting. A lot of people think of themselves as a bad person afterwards, but it doesn’t make you a bad person. A professor in physiology actually says, “It’s not about time management.” So then what is it about? Many things. Most of the time it's because of having the mindset of, "if I don't do it, they can't judge my ability." People who procrastinate because of this are usually very taciturn or reticent, meaning they keep to themselves most of the time. Another cause of this problem is simply just not wanting to take responsibility. Based on a study, about 85 to 90 percent of students procrastinate. Procrastination is usually based on anxiety. To top it off, procrastinators usually blame their failure on lack of time.

Procrastination also has super negative impacts when you're older. According to a study, “one in two adults say that procrastination has had a bad result in their future, and one in five adults say it impacted them horribly.” According to Oxford Learning, “students who procrastinate experience higher levels of frustration, guilt, stress, and anxiety.”  It can end up hurting your career and threaten your happiness. Oxford Learning also says that procrastination can get worse and worse over time. Maybe missing a couple of assignments in middle school can lead to missing bigger projects in high school. It also creates anxiety, which of course is something that you don’t want. The worst of all, missing opportunities, and there's nothing worse than sitting on your deathbed and realising you let life pass you by.

If it's hurting your future that bad, just stop, right? Wrong. “Telling a chronic procrastinator to just do it is like telling a depressed person to just cheer up,” states Joseph Ferrari. Based on a wgu.edu study, procrastinating is so hard to stop because there is a chemical released by your brain. The more feelings you have the more chemicals are created. It’s almost like your brain gets addicted to the chemical. To try and stop you can motivate the person or yourself. Before you can start, because procrastinators commonly feel guilty after, forgive yourself. Let go of the past and focus on the future. Some ways to stop procrastinating are promising yourself a reward and limiting distractions. If you have a friend, sibling or parent nearby, you could ask them to check up on you every once in a while. Another option is trying the “eat an elephant beetle” method. It means to do the hardest  thing as early in the day as possible so you have the rest of the day to relax. One way I personally stop procrastinating is listening to music to try and block out my thoughts. Getting into a comfy position might help too. Sometimes, if I really can’t complete the task because I can’t focus, I’ll do something else productive.

For the sake of our futures, we must stop procrastinating. You do not want to be the person who no one can trust or rely on. We must stand above procrastination. Next time you have something important to do, try some of these methods. I guarantee you, if you stop procrastinating you will have a much healthier and happier life!

 

 

 

Global Poverty

By: Paarth S.

 

 

As you walk into the house, you set your backpack down after an exhausting and tiring day at school. You open the cabinet and grab a bag of chips, as well as a beverage from the fridge. Nothing’s better than being able to relax after a long day at school. Unfortunately, school and food isn’t a reality for many people.

Most Americans don’t realize this, but 85% of people in the world make only $30 per day. Additionally, poverty-stricken people spend 60 to 80% of their money on food, which makes purchasing anything besides food nearly impossible. Statistically, three million children die from lack of proper food and water each year.

Most underprivileged people in the world have little to no education, limited electricity, and are starving. In fact, 70% of people in extreme poverty who are over the age of 15 have little to no education. Electricity is also a major problem for developing countries. Liberia, a country in West Africa, uses less energy than the Cowboys Stadium - a football stadium in the United States. The entire continent of Africa uses only three percent of the world’s electricity. In fact, 1.3 billion people - who account for 22% of the world’s population - lack electricity, as well as water and proper education.

            Poverty undeniably takes a major toll on people’s health. "Poverty is a negative, independent factor that influences lifelong health," says Dr. James Duffee. Poverty is something that can cause major stress, and Duffee explains that major childhood stress leads to illnesses such as diabetes, or cardiac disease. The health of adults is affected by poverty as well. Poverty forces people to work increasingly stressful jobs for extended periods of time. Working a long or stressful job can cause mental illnesses such as depression, which can lead to suicide. These illnesses may not be able to get properly treated, as people living in poverty usually lack access to proper medical attention. This makes treatment for any kind of disease or illness impractical.

Global poverty is a prevalent problem. The lives of many people are changed drastically because of poverty, which affects their health conditions, living conditions, and education. Children who aren’t able to receive a proper education are denied a healthy, prosperous future. So, if you wish that school doesn’t exist or say that school is useless, think again, because more than 1.3 billion people are willing to take your place.

 

 

Don’t Take The Car if You're Not Going Far!

By: Rachael H.

 

How often do you leave the lights on in your house? There is an absurd amount of energy being wasted in the U.S. today. Leaving the lights on when you don’t need to builds up over time. The energy you waste leaving on the lights costs a considerable amount of money, and it ends up harming the environment. A study from 2009 showed that Americans waste an alarming average of 130 billion dollars a year.

According to an article written by Sarah Battaglia, the U.S. is the number one energy-wasting country in the world. American efficiency is 42%, which means that 58% is being wasted. That is more than half of the U.S.’s energy consumption.

When energy is made, usually either coal or another fossil fuel is being used to make it. Natural gases are being used as well, which release methane and other atrocious emissions into the atmosphere. This causes our atmosphere to decay. Some scientists say this helps to cause global warming. That means that all the coal and gases being put into the air to make energy are being wasted. A study by Arcadia says, “Coal, for example, is the second-largest fossil fuel used in the U.S.”  The pollution coming from these fossil fuels is tremendous. When people waste energy they are technically polluting the environment.

If we take a look at the light bulb, the amount that gets wasted is 66.7%. About 14 million people leave the lights on; an example is when you leave for work. Have you ever felt heat coming off of your lightbulb? Then you should know that the heat is also wasted energy. When we leave the lights on for too long or use outdated lights, we end up wasting energy, causing it to make heat. Using LED bulbs can save 25-85% less energy. An article from Energy Central says, “Since the sole purpose of a light bulb is to produce light, all of the energy that goes into producing the heat is a complete waste.” 

The next problem is money wasting. The electricity bill average per month is $111.67. (this can vary depending on where you live). You should also think about all the things you are doing that wastes energy. Sorry, but that's going into your bill as well. There is an abundant amount of ways we can help lower the cost and drop the amount of energy being wasted.

This all may sound extreme, but as I said, there are ways you can be part of making cleaner energy, saving money, and being helpful to the environment. So let's get started!

There is solar energy, which is the most common. This is where we take the sun's rays and use that to make energy. Solar panels help us do that! We can put them on our roofs, and some communities have big fields full of them.

Wind energy is another option! We could use the natural wind to make energy for our homes. You may have seen this before, but there are big spinning poles in the sky. These are called wind turbines. There are ways to have this in our backyard, but there are rules and regulations that go along with it. For example, it would be 30 feet higher than anything within 200 feet of it, including trees.

There is also Hydropower. The U.S. has tons of dams, but did you know that some of these are producing energy too? When water flows through a dam or river, it flows through a system.  That's what makes the energy.

Those who want to help can, even at home, by turning off the lights, not running the AC while you're gone, having clean air filters, not loitering at the fridge, and using LED bulbs. If it is cooler outside, then pop open a window. Overall, about 66% of energy in housing gets wasted.

When we are using transportation we could walk, bike, carpool, and/or combine shopping trips. The amount of energy we waste on transportation is 71%!

The world needs to stop being lazy, especially the U.S. So don’t take the car if you aren’t going far; it's simple. When we can, we should help to not destroy the environment with pollution, gases, smoke, and other fossil fuels; the world needs our help!

 

 

Is it safe?

By: Hailey E.

 

 

It’s hard to imagine a world without wearing masks. It’s also weird to think that's how it used to be; I’m so used to it by now that it will be weird to not have to wear them. The effects of the Covid 19 virus have taken a toll on all of us.  Not going on vacation and not visiting family. One of the biggests effects Covid 19 has had on kids is not being able to play sports. I wish I could be outside with all of my friends, playing the sport I love. I’m guessing a lot of athletes are wishing that as well, to be able to go outside and have fun without the worry of getting a deadly virus. But the real question that we’re all thinking and racking our brains to try and find the answer to is, is it safe? 

Doctors and medical scientists have all shared their opinion on kids being able to play sports during this crisis. Some say no way, it’s not safe, while others disagree and say that we should be allowed to play. Jerome Adams, a U.S surgeon general says, “We know that being outside will likely lower your risk of getting COVID because it’s good for your immune system.” She also says, “The virus is going to be less likely to spread outside than in enclosed indoor spaces. And both heat and humidity have been shown to decrease the amount of time the virus lives.”

When we are allowed to play outside sports, we still have to be safe and take extra precautions. The CDC recommends wearing masks and social distancing, as well as using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol in it very frequently. If we were to play we would have to follow all of these rules very thoroughly to stay safe. This doesn’t include indoor sports, but we would still have to be safe.

Sports teams are doing as much as they can to get back to playing. Indoor sports in our community are not allowing spectators to watch sports in person to limit the spread of the virus and keep players safe. In a Times Union article, the governor announced that there will be capacity limits and negative Covid tests or proof of immunization to begin to allow college sports fans to attend games.

I’m not saying that we should just go out on the field and play without a worry in the world. We would slowly get back into things. It will be hard to follow all of these to keep everyone safe. Hard, but not impossible. I know that some people will be very reluctant to the idea of getting back into sports during a time like this. It’s slowly getting better, and the only thing we can do for right now is get back to our normal lives. We are all very hopeful that we will be back to some normalcy in the near future.  

 

 

Our Future

By: Hannah C.

           

 

Imagine a future where our entire way of life is different. Where unpredictable weather, unbearably dry and sweltering summers, and learning about all the extinct animals are normal. What if I told you that in the future, because of global warming, that could be a reality?

            Global warming is known everywhere, but you almost never hear people talking about it even though scientists are referring to it as, “The biggest global health threat of the 21st century!” Climate experts predict that by 2100, global temperatures will have increased by eight degrees warmer.  Considering the increase in temperature recently, that doesn’t seem so far off.  Imagine what two hundred years from now would be like if the temperature continues to increase. Even farther than that too!

First of all, global warming has been affecting the weather. The greenhouse effect is pollution that we've released into our atmosphere acting like a blanket and keeping in warmth from the sun, which in turn makes the Earth get warmer. Evidence of Earth warming includes the fact that we have found 2000 through 2009 to be the hottest decade since an estimated one thousand three hundred years ago. Higher temperatures caused by that effect makes storms and water-related disasters much worse. This costs us extreme amounts of money. In just 2015, ten weather and climate disasters have cost us 1 billion dollars. You might assume that's normal if you didn't know that ranging from 1980 through 2015, the average cost was 5.2 billion from disasters. “Extreme weather events are costing more and more,” says Aliya Haq, deputy director of NRDC's Clean Power Plan initiative.  “The number of billion-dollar weather disasters is expected to rise.”  That once again raises the question what our future will be like if we continue like this.

The weather isn’t the only thing that’s changing because of global warming. Global warming is affecting animals too. Shifting life cycles are when natural events that animals take part in at a specific time start at an unusual time. For example, global warming has caused some species of bird to start migrating at a different time, whether it be earlier or later. Some animals that hibernate are waking up from their hibernation at a later time also. You could brush that off, but shifting life cycles can have dangerous effects. The World Wildlife Fund ran a study that showed this. In that study they found that warblers, also known as perching birds, when immigrating from the United States to Canada, ended up spreading a type of mountain pine beetle, which destroyed copious amounts of balsam fir trees.

This brings us to another detrimental problem, habitat disruption. Habitat disruption is when an  ecosystem undergoes many developments, which usually change the ecosystem so much that the ecosystem no longer fulfills the needs of the animals that live there. Some animals can thrive in another ecosystem, but even finding another ecosystem is difficult. For example, because of warmer temperatures, tundras have been turning into forests. The animals that live in tundras, such as arctic foxes, snowy owls, and caribou, can’t survive in forests. Since they can’t survive in forests, and because they live far up North, they can’t go anywhere else. For the animals that can survive elsewhere, even just finding somewhere to live is difficult. Humans take up a large amount of land, so when animals venture out, searching for a place that fulfills their needs, they are often restricted by land that they originally could have thrived in that’s taken up by humans.

In conclusion, global warming is a serious issue that deserves to be more recognized. The reason this is so important is because animals' lives are on the line. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that if temperatures continue to rise as they are currently on average globally, by 2100 around 20 to 30 percent of species of animals and plants are at risk of extinction. For animals to exist they need plenty of food, which includes plants. Animals may be doing ‘alright’ currently, but evidence shows that in the future it’ll be much harder to survive for many of them.

 

 

 

Homework: How much is right?

By: James G.

           

 

Imagine you come home ready to finally unwind after a day of school. Your relaxation quickly fades away as you remember about the piles of homework school has cursed upon you. You bite the bullet and stay awake until late at night doing worksheet after worksheet. Some schools give too much homework than is necessary, hoping kids will do better when they are assigned a lot of homework.

            A rule of thumb is ten minutes of homework for every grade level. For example, if you were in the eighth grade, you would get 80 minutes of homework every day. If you were in the third grade, you would get 30 minutes of homework. Are schools following the guidelines of the 10 minute rule?

            In the Journal of Experiential Education, they found that many high school students reported receiving over three hours of homework. The ten minute rule says that high school students should get at most two hours of homework. Robert Pressman, PhD, found elementary students were getting up to three times the amount of homework that the ten minute rule states.

            With schools giving so much homework, they are hoping students will do better academically. Is that actually true? In a 2015 study of Spanish students, they found that students who were regularly assigned homework performed better academically. However, when the amount of homework reached around 90 minutes, scores decreased. Another study showed that there was barely any correlation between the amount of homework and how well they did for elementary school students. The amount of homework for middle school students had a positive correlation until the amount of homework was about one to two hours. After that, the performance of students plateaued.

            Effects of too much homework are students being burnt out towards school, stress, sleep deprivation, and obviously, less free time. Students may also be stressed from parents' high standards, many giving them extra homework and tutors. This can overwhelm the child, and they may face chastisement if they can’t fulfill these tasks. Many students also have extracurricular activities, like sports and clubs. These activities give students less time to finish their homework. Kids also get less time for hobbies. Of course, being outside and active is important for their health, but even time on social media can give kids a needed break.

            Not only is the amount of homework wrong, but the type of homework is bad. Lots of homework is in the form of worksheets. You fill them in, turn them in, and the teacher checks them. This is an ineffective use of homework. A more effective way to learn is called the flipped classroom.

            A flipped classroom is where students learn about the material at home, usually through a video, and do problems at school. Basically, you’re flipping the work at home and at school. This allows kids to work at their own pace, rewinding the video as needed. At school, teachers can work with students if they need help.

            Homework is still important for kids to understand the material they learn. However, too much of anything is not good, and homework is no exception. This could be the era where teachers can finally understand how students learn best.

 

 

  Racks vs. Terrariums

By: Wyatt P.

 

 

Does a dozen reptiles dying sound good?  Even if you are a reptile hater, this can’t sound good to you.  The person it happens to could have lost hundreds if not thousands of dollars.   With the rack system, this can happen fairly easily.

Rack systems are when there are vertical tubs.  This does maximize space, but it minimizes other more important needs that the reptile requires.  One of these things is that it minimizes the space given to the animal inside.  It mostly provides little enrichment for the animal to play and have more climbing space.  With all this, if a thermostat fails, the animals that you have on the rack will be cold.  The reason for this is because all the tubs on the rack are connected to one electrical source and thermostat.  This might be good for people with large-scale breeding, but only one in four hundred people do large-scale breeding.  The other negative is that racks are hard to find.

Terrariums, on the other hand, have a lot of good uses.  They are easy to find at pretty much every pet store.  If you go to the reptile section you can find a great range of sizes and types for your individual pet needs.  Racks, on the other hand, are not found at your average pet store, so you would have to get them online.

            Terrariums have good viewing, so you can put all kinds of cool plants and logs to make it look good, and it will also make more enrichment, which will be good for your animal.  You can easily watch your pet at any time.    The terrariums are made out of glass, which makes you able to see your pet at all angles.  The rack system is made out of plastic with a small screen of glass, so it is hard to openly view your pet.

Terrariums are also very attractive. Since they are bigger, you can add cool touches.  With this, you don’t only make it look better, but you also add more enrichment and space for your pet to move and have more room.

Terrariums also are good because they can give all types of enrichment.  Enrichment allows your pet to become smarter, learn how to adapt to change and continue to hunt for food.  With this, your pet will become more open to face challenges.

Terrariums can also come in different sizes for a more diverse range of animals.  Terrariums can come in tall and long sizes, so they are more useful for the climbing geckos.  They are also well ventilated.  Terrariums also allow you to have UVB light for the animal, unlike most racks.

With more keepers talking about reptiles on YouTube, people are listening to them.  The YouTubers are spreading myths and supporting the minimalistic approach.  One of these myths is that if you use real substrate the animal will always get congested.  Though it is possible for them to become congested, there are ways to avoid this health crisis.  You could feed them in a special container.  Also, the wild reptiles live on a substrate, so this makes a more natural environment.

Terrariums need to be used by more people.  The thing about terrariums is they could be used for all reptiles and amphibians.  Racks, on the other hand, can only be used for ground-dwelling reptiles.   This is why terrariums are better for the animal than racks are most of the time.  With terrariums, we will change the industry of breeding and keeping.

 

School Lunches

Emmelyn F.

 

 

Child obesity was skyrocketing, and everyone was worried about the health of the newest generation. The “mystery meat” in the lunchroom was less regulated than the meat in fast food places. Of the vegetables eaten by kids, one third was potatoes. In 2010, this all changed.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 managed to change school lunches for the better. Although the infamous legacy of school lunches never was shaken, lunches were now healthier, and ketchup was no longer a vegetable. Banning trans fats and requiring fresh produce in school lunches was the newest development since the mid-1900s. The cheese puffs and ice cream cups were taken away, and in their place remained pretzel sticks and apple slices.  From 2003 to 2012, child obesity rates were down 40%.

Kids with healthier school lunches have about a four point higher average on tests than kids without as much nutrition, a study stated. Kids can benefit from these new lunches, but the prices on lunches were now higher, and the food was less appetizing.

We took a sample of 67 seventh graders from Farnsworth Middle School. About two out of five kids bought school lunches; out of those 27 kids, 24 said they disliked some or all of the meals.   Seven kids complained about the lack of variety in school lunches and how they should be allowed to pick their own vegetables. In the lunch system, you are given a vegetable based on whatever meal you had that day; you can’t choose.  Five kids complained about the ingredients that weren’t very fresh, two of them joking about the food actually being rubber.

Fruits given to kids could easily pass as desserts; they were being hidden in gelatin or syrup, and they tasted like high fructose wood. The vegetables are raw, nothing being done to make them in the slightest more palatable. Although rules have been passed to ensure more fruits and vegetables make it onto the plates of kids, it isn’t likely they will even want to eat them.

Researchers of the School of Vermont found that many kids were throwing away their healthier lunches. Food waste went up more than 50%, and most of that was the fruits and vegetables the schools were forcing on their plates. If these fruits and vegetables were presented in a more appealing way, more food would make its way into kids’ stomachs instead of trash cans.

“We can do a tremendous amount of good for kids across the country if we change school lunches,” says Ann Cooper, an author, teacher and chef. Hopefully, by making these fruits and vegetables more enticing, serving them cooked or with dips, more kids will buy more lunches and help quash the rising obesity rates. School lunch regulations were last changed 11 years ago; it’s about time we update them again.