Is Vaping Really Worth It?

The bars in the graph show the percentages of
students that said they'd used each product in the
past 30 days.

       In today’s society, when walking around the local mall or going to a high school party, seeing a cloud of smoke in the air isn’t uncommon. Students today do not seem to understand the consequences of vaping. Vaping is another form of electronic cigarettes that inhales certain gases into a person’s lungs. Companies started producing vapes to help adults who are addicted to smoking cigarettes. They believed that creating an electronic cigarette would help people stop smoking, and for some it did. Unfortunately many younger people are purchasing these e-cigarettes. Teenagers of all ages have begun to use vapes both in and out of school, causing administrators lots of frustration. Purchasing vapes from other students or even selling them in school is quite common, as well as students using the vapes on school property. By spreading the idea that vaping is the new trend and makes you look cool, the number of students vaping has skyrocketed. Students continuing to vape both inside and out of school could result in many issues such as getting kicked out of school and sports teams, bathroom issues, and health problems.

If an athlete is ever caught vaping or having a vape on them, severe consequences are bound to take place. While A.J Vega, an Ohio high school student, was playing basketball at the school court, a vape pen fell out of his pocket on to the cement. Standing nearby was his coach who asked if the vape belonged to him. A.J admitted that the vape was his, and was suspended for the entire football season. By making a foolish decision to vape, A.J could no longer take part in the sport he loves. Many students in schools who are caught vaping in the bathroom or in class are usually suspended for a given time, but still end up vaping again. School administrators are trying to figure out a way to prevent or even stop vaping, but seem to lack the knowledge of how students sneak the vapes in. Many kids will disguise their vape as a flash drive, and some will even stash them into their shirts or pants. By taking part in vaping, many students are risking their education as well as being part of a sports team.

The most popular spot for students to vape inside the school building is of course the bathrooms. Teenagers will make stops in between classes or during lunch to purposely vape in the school restrooms. Francis Thompson, a Connecticut principal, noted how “In the past year or so we’ve noticed an increase in the number of students going to the bathroom and they are spending more time. What we found the common denominator was: They were vaping.” (NBC News Teen Vaping is ‘Rampant’) By doing so, many students who don’t vape are suffering from the consequences. Many students in the Wilmington High School have been caught vaping, which has resulted in more than half of the boys bathrooms being locked throughout the entire school day. This has caused many disruptencies with both male students and teachers. With only two to three bathrooms opened, boys can’t find a bathroom quickly, making them late for class. A WHS male student says it takes him “about five to ten minutes” to find a bathroom. That’s five to ten minutes of class time wasted trying to find a bathroom. He also says that whenever he returns to the class after going to the bathroom, his teacher gets mad and asks why it took him so long. Students who vape in the bathrooms also cause the bathrooms to constantly smell like fruit, and some Juul pods have even been found on the floor. Those who vape in school bathrooms are causing issues for other people as well.
         Vaping can lead to many dangerous health issues that shouldn’t be occurring when you’re a teenager. When toxicologist Irfan Rahman asked young vapers of their health issues, many responded with reports of bleeding mouths, throats, and bloody sores that take a long time to heal.  Overtime,
research has shown that vaping at a young age can cause vapers cough, which is similar to chronic bronchitis. Some major health issues resulted from vaping include lung disease, increased heart rate and blood sugar, bronchitis, type two diabetes, and even cancer. These diseases could end up being fatal, but yet students still think that it’s enjoyable to vape. Teenagers do not seem to be aware of the medical issues that result in vaping. When Dr. Kirsten Hawkins, a pediatrician, was asking a twelve year old patient if he vaped, she “found it fascinating that he did not realize the risks associated with a nicotine assistance device.” (NBC News Teen Vaping is ‘Rampant’) Students need to become aware of the health risks that could affect their future as an adult, and that vaping causes devastating health problems.

          Vaping at a young age is a huge issue inside and outside of school. By continuing to vape, many students are risking their chance at a successful future as an athlete or scholar, causing issues with the school bathrooms, and are exposing themselves to harmful diseases. In order to educate kids on how harmful vaping is, they should be taught at a young age that vaping and Juuls are bad for them. In health class, teachers could spend a couple classes explaining to young children what vaping is and why it is bad for you. As for older students, I believe that harsher consequences should be set to ensure that students will stop vaping in school, and that health teachers should expose them to more risks of vaping. If students continue to vape, the issues already occurring could potentially become worse.




CITATIONS
"Schools Respond to the Rise of Student Vaping | Edutopia." 29 Jun. 2018, https://www.edutopia.org/article/schools-respond-rise-student-vaping. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.




"Teens have figured out how to be sneaky while vaping in school." 29 Apr. 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/04/29/teens-have-figured-out-how-to-be-sneaky-while-vaping-in-school/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.






"Concerns explode over new health risks of vaping | Science News for ...." 25 Apr. 2017, https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/concerns-explode-over-new-health-risks-vaping. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.






"Father sues school after son suspended from football team." 27 Oct. 2017, https://usatodayhss.com/2017/father-sues-school-after-son-suspended-from-football-team-for-having-vape-pen. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.




"Is teen vaping really an epidemic? These experts say yes - NBC News." 15 Sep. 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/teen-vaping-really-epidemic-these-experts-think-so-n909891. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018




"Teen vaping soars past cigarette use | Science News for Students." 28 Apr. 2016, https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/teen-vaping-soars-past-cigarette-use. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.







"Side Effects of Vaping: New Studies and Researches ... - Vaping Daily." https://vapingdaily.com/what-is-vaping/vaping-side-effects/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.









"Up In Smoke—The Truth About Vaping - Toledo Parent." 31 Jul. 2018,

Schools Serving Waste

By: Sophia Maynard

        Do you ever wonder where your styrofoam tray goes after you dispose of it in the cafeteria trash can? School food services across America have been using these disposable, styrofoam lunch trays for years. This styrofoam is not recyclable and is extremely harmful to the environment. In 24 United

States cities, they have banned styrofoam lunch trays and have replaced them with dishwashers and reusable, hard plastic trays. Wilmington has a similar program, but there is a slight problem; they only have enough hard plastic trays to serve two out of three lunch periods, requiring the use of throw-away styrofoam trays. Our school system should purchase more hard, plastic trays to completely eliminate the use of styrofoam in the school lunch program. Doing so will ultimately provide a healthier, more environmentally friendly and cost effective school lunch experience.

        Styrofoam is extremely bad for the environment because it cannot be decomposed. Approximately 31.8 million children in the United States buy lunch at school everyday; that’s 5.7 billion styrofoam

trays that are thrown away each school year. When styrofoam ends up in landfills, it sits there for decades. Dr. Andrew Weil, MD states “The styrene foam containers blow away, often into the ocean, where they don’t disintegrate.” When consumed by wildlife, it blocks their digestive system and leads to starvation and death. Schools should not contribute to the mass amount of pollution and instead teach students to use environmentally friendly materials.
        Styrofoam is made out of synthetic, polystyrene foam beads that are fused together. Polystyrene is a carcinogen and when heated, it can emit harsh chemicals that are not healthy for humans or animals. An experienced scientist at the Environmental Working Group, Olga Naidenko, says “Trace amounts of styrene as well as various chemical additives in polystyrene migrate into food, which increases significantly in hot liquids,” When tested on rats, scientists discovered the chemicals in the styrofoam caused lung tumors. They determined that these chemicals can also lead to diseases like leukemia in humans. Serving hot food on these harmful trays is not conducive to healthy eating. We should not have to be worried about ingesting chemicals while eating school lunch on styrofoam trays. Purchasing safe, reusable, plastic trays is a healthier alternative that will keep students away from the dangerous effects of styrofoam.
        Across the United States, many school districts have been making changes to resolve this styrofoam issue. New York public schools mandated a ban on styrofoam trays after realizing they used and disposed of 850,000 trays each day. So, why hasn’t Wilmington High School taken the action of buying more reusable plastic trays to completely eliminate the use of styrofoam? Their reason being,

that they run out of the reusable ones each day which results in the use of styrofoam for the third lunch period. You might be thinking: “Why don’t they buy more plastic trays?” Although the reusable plastic trays are more environmentally friendly, they are also significantly more expensive in upfront costs. Due to budgeting, Wilmington public schools cannot buy enough reusable trays for every student. However, the hard plastic trays are approximately $5 each and the disposable, styrofoam trays are approximately 5¢ each. This means that it would take about 100 days, or half the school year, to pay off the costs of the plastic trays. The Wilmington Public Schools food services should make it a priority to fund for these environmentally friendly lunch trays, as it will be less costly in the future.
        After learning about the effects of styrofoam in the environment and in the lunch services program, I strongly believe that purchasing more plastic, reusable lunch trays will help save the environment, keep students safe, and would be more cost effective for the school. This will reduce the amount of styrofoam found in landfills and keep the earth clean. The positive effects of eliminating styrofoam lunch trays at Wilmington High School vastly exceeds the negative argument.




Works Cited:

"How Styrofoam is Bad for the Environment - Green Living - LoveToKnow." 

        https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/How_Styrofoam_is_Bad_for_the_Environment. Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.



"Polystyrene foam is bad for your body and the ... - Baltimore Sun." 16 Feb. 2017, 

        http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-styrofoam-bill-20170216-story.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.



"It's not easy to replace foam lunch trays with ... - Washington Post." 8 Dec. 2012,

        https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/its-not-easy-to-replace-foam-lunch-trays-with-greener-options-school-officials-say/2012/12/08/8c26121a-25cc-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_story.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.



"Is Styrofoam Safe? - Ask Dr. Weil." 

        https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/balanced-living/healthy-living/is-styrofoam-safe/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.



"Styrofoam Really Is Bad for Your Health | Bottom Line Inc." 5 Sep. 2013, 

        https://bottomlineinc.com/health/diet-nutrition/styrofoam-really-is-bad-for-your-health. Accessed 21 Oct. 2018.



"Getting styrofoam out of schools - Cafeteria Culture." 

        http://www.cafeteriaculture.org/foam-trays-out-of-schools.html. Image. Accessed 21 Oct. 2018.



"Coastal Cleanup Goes #FoamFree — Plastic Pollution Coalition." 11 Sep. 2017, 

        https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/2017/9/11/costal-cleanup-goes-foamfree. Image. Accessed 21 Oct. 2018.

Rise and Shine!

By: Katie McLaughlin

          Is there anything you dislike more than the sound of your alarm dragging you out of that deep, dark slumber that probably just started a few hours ago? If you’re like me, you’ve tried all kinds of different sounds for that alarm on your phone. When in reality, they’re all saying the same thing: GET OUT OF BED! Sleep is fuel for the brain and is crucial to succeed. Sleep deprivation impairs students’ ability to pay attention, solve problems and cope with stress. Trying to go to bed at a reasonable hour seems unthinkable for some students who participate in after school sports or activities, have homework, and need to eat dinner in a small period of time. Moving the school’s start time an hour ahead would allow the students to get that extra hour of sleep they need to be more alert and ready to learn in school. There are many factors that contribute to a student’s ability to excel in school:good study habits, smart and engaging teachers, self-discipline, and most importantly, the right amount of sleep. Without the appropriate amount of sleep, a student is less capable of maintaining successful study habits.

          Having an early start time can be beneficial to both teachers and families. Students have more time for extracurriculars, after-school jobs, and it works better with the parents’ schedules to have the children go to school earlier. Changing the school time could result in struggles with transportation and make it harder for families to adapt to the change. Schools are able to save up to 30% on transportation when they have an early start time. If the start times changed, it would affect all the schools in the district by forcing them to change times to make the schedule work.
          The American Academy of Sleep Medicine states that teens, ages 13 to 18, should regularly sleep eight to ten hours to have good health. “Early school start times make it difficult for adolescents to get sufficient sleep on school nights,” states Dr. Nathaniel Watson, lead author and AASM past president.

The teens that fail to get eight to ten hours of sleep are more likely to become overweight, not engage in physical activity, perform poorly in school and suffer from symptoms of depression. Being sleep deprived impairs a teen’s ability to be alert, pay attention and retain information. Without reasonable sleep and rest, overworked neurons  can no longer function to coordinate information properly causing a loss in our ability to access previously learned information. Students that go to schools with an early start time can struggle in their first period classes because they do not get much sleep and cannot focus to retain the information that’s being taught.

          Driving is the leading cause of death in teenagers. Many students drive themselves to school and not getting enough sleep each night can lead to drowsy driving. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that driver fatigue causes 100,000 crashes each year. “Sleep isn’t a priority for teens, and it typically isn’t made one by parents or schools” says Jodi Mindell, PhD, Director of Graduate Program in Psychology. Driving while being overtired can be dangerous for the driver, passengers, and other drivers on the road. While tired, you could have a delayed reaction if something happened or you could accidentally doze off behind the wheel. In terms of risk, drowsy driving is similar to drunk driving.
          The school start time should shift one hour later, to allow students to receive more sleep. Even though it would be a drastic change in the district and home lives, it is more beneficial. The students will be less dependent on caffeine, able to excel at school and drowsy driving will be less common. If schools synchronize their start time with the students' body clocks, it would provide them with the ability to achieve their highest academic potential.

Works Cited:

"Consequences of Insufficient Sleep ...."

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences. Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.

"Later School Start Times: Benefits & Cons - National Sleep Foundation."

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/backgrounder-later-school-start-times. Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.

"Schools Start Too Early | Features | CDC." 30 Jul. 2018,

https://www.cdc.gov/features/school-start-times/index.html. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.

"What Is the Advantage of Having School Start Early? - Classroom ...."

https://classroom.synonym.com/advantage-having-school-start-early-4526.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.

"Download Wake Up Call! Understanding Drowsy Driving and What ...."

https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/2017-02/Drowsy%202016-U.pdf. Accessed 21 Oct. 2018.

"Why High School Should Start Later | Nyack News and Views." 6 Jul. 2017,

https://nyacknewsandviews.com/2017/07/high-school-start-later/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2018.

President Prejudice

Imagine a perfect world, where everyone was not only equal but treated to the same extent and respect. Why should you be able to pink slip people for no reason other than for who they are? President Trump has just put a damper on moving in the right direction by banning transgenders from serving in the military. It has always been a constant fight for the minorities but it is unsettling that we can move so far back when the country has improved significantly. The LGBT communities are the traditional targets and have the most attention drawn to them. Although Trump’s ban was trying to ‘help’ the military, the reasons behind it were unjustified because of the problem with military readiness, costs for their health care, respect and trust with fellow marines.         

The LGBT community put in vigorous efforts to obtain transgender rights to serve in the military, but with only three tweets from President Trump all of their hard work was shattered before them. On July 26th, Trump established a ban stating that,  “(...)the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. (...)Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” Even the wording of the tweets would send chills down one's spine by saying they will not be “accepted or allowed”, and that the government cannot be “burdened.” This statement got answered by an overwhelming tsunami of support. People were fighting Trump on the tweets, every news channel and talk show were talking about it, even the troops were outraged. The reasons stated by Trump for this ban are myths. Trump’s main points were “military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion.” The problem surrounding military readiness should not even be considered an example for this ban. There are over 15,000 transgender people serving in the military today and only 0.4% of Americans serve in the military. So removing such a large amount of special trained, ready to serve and committed people, does nothing but increase preparedness, quite the opposite of Trumps reason.

Healthcare was also an important reason behind the ban against transgenders serving in the US armed forces. Trump claims that health care costs will increase immensely if transgenders continue to serve openly, and provides no facts to prove whether it is true. Studies have shown that transition related healthcare would cost the Defense Department only 0.005-0.017% of the healthcare budget. Which as you can tell is a very low percentage, so Trump tried to map the easiest route against transgenders and use it to his advantage, which was the costs of medication. Singling out trans troops is wrong especially if it is irrational like Trump’s examples. It costs more for viagra than transition related healthcare in the armed forces. Transgender people are in fact deployable, their hormone medications are available down range and are easily accessible because other troops take the same medicine for different reasons. Healthcare for transgenders is not a major issue. They are being singled out for their ‘complex’ medications which is unfair and wrong. Transgenders simply want to transition to the gender that fits them and will continue to serve with honor no matter the situation or cost.

The last big point that President Trump covered was with the unit cohesion. Unit cohesion is the bond of soldiers and their will and commitment to each other and the task at hand. Studies have shown, and by actual experience, that soldiers, marines, airmen, etc. are not only serving with their units but they are doing the job sufficiently. This proves the troops have no problem working together as a tight unit with others. Just because some members serving are transgender should not and does not affect the people or how the different units function. They also become lifelong friends and will stand side by side fighting for our country. The troops were outraged by the ban against their fellow service members stating “You deserve to be here. If you go, I go.” That statement alone proves yet again that Trump is wrongfully reasoning for this ban. Commanders pulled the troops together, ensuring that they would have each other’s backs and would not give in to these bigoted ways. The US needs to keep the talented service members and not have them discharged based on their gender identity. The families deserve so much better; they are our friends, service members, co-workers and much more. They still want to serve in a country that turned it’s back to them which takes a lot. We should be proud of their service not tear them down.

President Trump’s ban was truly a step in the wrong direction for transgenders worldwide. It is understandable that Trump was trying to better the military but ultimately his reasons were prejudiced and not honorable. The problems transgenders cause with military readiness, lethality and unit cohesion, all three can be solidly supported to be false. A strategic solution that will benefit the US armed forces greatly is to repeal the ban altogether. At times of bigotry like this we need to band together and have each others backs no matter what.  We as Americans need to do all that we can to stomp out the hate.

"Transgender Military Ban: Fact-Checking Trump's Claims | Time.com." 27 Jul. 2017, http://time.com/4877230/trump-transgender-military-ban-myths/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

"Trump's Spiteful Transgender Ban is Bad for Military Readiness." 4 Aug. 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/trumps-spiteful-transgender-ban-bad-military-readiness-646376. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

"Mattis Puts Hold On Transgender Ban For Current Military ... - NPR." 30 Aug. 2017, http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/30/547258742/mattis-puts-hold-on-transgender-ban-for-current-military-service-members. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

"How the Military Became the Country's Largest ... - Priceonomics." 28 Sep. 2016, https://priceonomics.com/how-the-military-became-the-countrys-largest/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

"58% of Americans support the right of trans troops to serve ... - PinkNews." 28 Jul. 2017, http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/07/28/58-of-americans-support-the-right-of-trans-troops-to-serve-in-the-military-openly/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

"Response to Transgender Military Ban - St. Peter's Church." 27 Jul. 2017, http://www.stpetersphila.org/blog/2017/07/response-transgender-military-ban/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

                                                          

Repealing Dreams, By: Evie Burton

“The term American should not be defined with a document or the lack of one, it is more so the willingness to contribute to the country and help whenever is possible” says Giovanni Amalo, a 23 year old, who moved from Mexico to the US when he was three years old. Imagine someone telling you that you have to leave America, your home, the place where you feel safe, and go to a different country forever. 800,000 children, known as “Dreamers” who immigrated illegally were shielded under DACA for 5 years. Heartbreakingly, Trump has taken this protection away, and Dreamers are now faced with deportation.  Dreamer’s parents made the decision for them to entered the US illegally, because of this they should continue to live their lives here, enjoy the opportunities that were granted under DACA and not be punished.

June 15, 2012 marked a change in luck for Dreamers across America, DACA was issued, by President Obama.  “They are Americans in their hearts, their minds, every single way but one, on paper” said Barack Obama on the day DACA was issued. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and was created as a way to grant some protection for these innocent children. Obama worked hard for this program, but when President Trump decided to terminate it, it was like all Obama's hard work went down the drain. The Dreamers are scared about what will happen next, Will they get deported? Will they have to go back to the country that they have barely any memory of?

     Dreamers can range from a couple months old to only a few years old when they moved away so have little to no memory of their native country. They had no influence in their parents decision to immigrant. “Its sad that we are being penalized for the decision our parents made.” says a young women CNN interviewed. When Dreamers grew up here, the United States becomes where their lives and memories are. Since the Dreamers did not make the decision to move and they had barely lived and grown in their home country than they should not have to suffer the consequences. It is wrong and upsetting that Dreamers are taking the blame for their parents decision. Adults who deliberately chose to come to the US without legal status should take responsibility for their actions, but children shouldn’t be blamed for being brought along. Even if the children were old enough to understand the situation that doesn't make it a crime, the crime is sending a immigrant children back to where they don't belong.

When a family comes from a different country it is because they either felt, unsafe, or are seeking more opportunities. They will make the decision to do what they think is best for their family. Families believe America will give them what they need to succeed in life or provides them with a safe environment. The parents with young kids are the most determined. They were seeking better opportunities in America not just for themselves, but for their young children who they believed should have a chance at a better life. Sometimes in a immigrants home country there is poor education, but America has excellent education. Many illegal immigrants granted with DACA have gotten so far in life, so much farther than where they would have if they were still in the previous country. 92% of all DACA recipients are pursuing educational opportunities and 70% of them are employed while going to school. 83% are going on to their associates or bachelor degrees and 17% are going on to advanced degrees. All of these highly educated DACA recipients could go on to do amazing things in this world, but now all these Dreamers aspirations are soon going to be crushed, if the termination of DACA does not change.

Getting DACA back can be very difficult as it is a decision put in the hands of Congress. The only solution is for people to speak out, put their worries aside and make things right.  It can be frightening for a Dreamer to step up because if things don't turn around, they are the first ones being sent back. There are so many people that have already been protesting, but “The fight is not over, we've just started.” says a woman CNN interviewed. They need to keep up this hard work and not stop until they get their rights back. The hopelessness and unworthiness hijacking the Dreamers emotions is sickening for empathic Americans to watch. When they finally don't have to live in constant fear of deportation, DACA is ripped away. Hearts break for these thousands of people put in this unfortunate situation.

Works Cited

“Age of Individuals Aproved for DACA.” LA Times, 10 Sept. 2017,  

             www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-pol-daca-future/static/img/daca-age-24.png.

Daca=Lives. 14 Sept. 2017

           www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/.                         

“Dreamer: DACA Allows Me to Live a Normal Life.” MSNBC, NBCUniversal News Group, 2014, www.msnbc.com/jos--diaz-balart/watch/dreamer--daca-allows-me-to-live-a-normal-life-312372291529.

“Dreamers Respond to DACA Ending - CNN Video.” CNN, Cable News Network, May 2017, www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/09/05/dreamers-respond-to-daca-ending-sg-orig.cnn.

Friedmann, Sarah. “How Many Dreamers Are In The U.S.? Killing DACA Would Have Consequences You Can't Fathom.” Bustle, Bustle, Nov. 2017, www.bustle.com/p/how-many-dreamers-are-in-the-us-killing-daca-would-have-consequences-you-cant-fathom-80754.

González, Daniel. “6 Questions Explain What Happens to 'Dreamers' after DACA Ends.” Azcentral, The Republic | Azcentral.com, June 2017, www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2017/09/06/6-questions-explain-what-happens-dreamers-after-daca-ends/635700001/.

Shoichet, Catherine E., and Tal Kopan. “DACA, Dreamers Explained.” CNN, Cable News Network, Nov. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/09/04/politics/daca-dreamers-immigration-program/index.html.

We Are Here to Stay. 3 Sept. 2017, www.can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/data/000/069/264/original/blob.

Tom K. Wong, Kelly K. Richter, Ignacia Rodriguez, and Philip E. Wolgin. “Results from a Nationwide Survey of DACA Recipients Illustrate the Program's Impact.” Center for American Progress, 2017, www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2015/07/09/117054/results-from-a-nationwide-survey-of-daca-recipients-illustrate-the-programs-impact/.

Don't Choose to Abuse, By: Tess O'Connell

Do you have a pet that you love? Imagine if your pet was one of the extremely unfortunate animals who wound up in a slaughterhouse, mill, or on the streets fighting for its life after suffering abuse. For some animals, worldwide, this is reality. They wake up one day, and unknowingly take their last breathe of air. Their pain and suffering however has come to an end, and through death, they have finally found peace. Everyday humans carry out acts of intentional neglect and physical abuse towards animals. That practice must be stopped. Animal abuse is a continuing concern in America, and the people must stop the torture of millions of animals in slaughterhouses, puppy mills, and regular homes.

Each year, almost 10 billion farm animals are killed for food. Animals that innocently walk into farm houses or have never seen grass before are tied up in a barn, waiting to be slaughtered. These 10 billion animals include over 35 million cattle, over 116 million pigs, and roughly 9 billion chicken. As animals enter a slaughterhouse they enter through a blue door, a door that no one besides the animals are allowed to go through. From here they are stunned, which essentially kills their brain as they are then chained by their legs, hung upside down and killed as someone cuts their aorta. This process is inhumane and unnecessary. Animals should not be looked at as lesser than humans. As consumers, we should be more aware of where this meat comes from, and work to reduce this brutal treatment towards animals in slaughterhouses.

In the USA there are roughly 10,000 puppy mills. Only 3,000 are regulated. Each year 2.11 million puppies from puppy mills are sold, while 3 million are euthanized as there isn’t enough room in shelters or homes for these helpless creatures. Conditions in puppy mills include tight cages with thin metal wires that dig into puppies’ paws causing disease and irritation. These dogs are kept in cages all their lives, where they sleep and eat in their own waste until being brought to a shelter or store. The animals barely get fed and are served contaminated water. They are frequently found malnourished and have collars so tight they have have to be surgically removed - as they are embedded in the dogs skin. For female dogs giving birth, conditions are no better. Immediately after giving birth, with no time to recover, they are impregnated again. After the female dogs are no longer able to carry puppies, they are often killed as they offer nothing more to the puppy mills. Puppy mills are breeding facilities that focus on profit rather than the health and welfare of animals. People need to stop buying puppies from stores as they are commonly supplied by puppy mills, and often have illnesses.  Prospective pet owners should adopt rescue animals first to save the beautiful pets that truly need a home.

When people think of animal abuse they most commonly think of pets being mistreated in homes. This issue is more common than not. 70.1% of cases reported include dogs, 20.9% involve cats, and 24% include other animals. Animal abuse in homes sometimes can correlate with domestic assault. In the world, there are 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats, and every minute 20 men and women are assaulted. According to those reports 71% of abusers are said to target their pets as well. Within all the episodes of domestic violence, nearly 1 million animals are killed from the torture they endure. Often animals are also being used to force actions upon people. For example, an abuser may use threatening to hurt a victim's dog as a way to make them act as they wish. Phil Arkow, expert and coordinator of the National Link Coalition, studies this topic and states that, “acts of animal cruelty often indicate the co-occurrence of other crimes or predict future crimes”. To try and prevent these actions of abuse, PAWS (pets and women's safety) was created. These cases are all preventable by thinking before you act. Animals should not be beaten or pushed around in their own homes. People must continue education on this topic to prevent the reoccurrence of abuse.

Animal abuse, in all of its terrible forms, must end. Animal abuse is unacceptable and unfair to animals. In slaughter houses farm animals are gruesomely killed. In puppy mills the dogs live sad lives, infested with bugs and infection. Domestic animals are being put to the curbs, and beaten for doing nothing but being in the wrong home. To prevent this, people can reduce meat intake, adopt their animals and simply think before they act. Luckily in all 50 states there are now laws against animal abuse as cases of it can be reported as felonies. How would you feel if you were constantly being abused, hit, and starved? People all over the world, rich or poor, young or old, can take a stand and care for animals properly and treat them as deserved. Animals do not deserve the brutality they endure. To so many people pets give an extreme amount of love and hope.

Work Cited

"Food | Animal Equality." http://www.animalequality.net/food. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

"USDA's official number of animals killed for food." http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/FactoryFarm/USDAnumbers.htm. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

"Slaughterhouse - Inside The Slaughterhouse | Modern Meat ... - PBS." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/slaughter/slaughterhouse.html. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

"11 Facts About Puppy Mills | DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social ...." https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-puppy-mills. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

"CSI: Animal Abuse | Tufts Now." 18 Mar. 2015, http://now.tufts.edu/articles/csi-animal-abuse. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

"Animal Cruelty Facts and Stats : The Humane Society of the United ...." 31 Aug. 2015, http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/facts/animal_cruelty_facts_statistics.html?credit=mr_050616. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

"The Truth Behind Puppy Mills - Dog Mom Days." 31 Mar. 2015, http://www.dogmomdays.com/the-truth-behind-puppy-mills/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

"Recognizing Animal Cruelty and Abuse - Petful." 30 Jul. 2013, https://www.petful.com/animal-welfare/recognizing-animal-cruelty-and-abuse/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.

The All American Epidemic                                                                                                          Skylar Smith

Media plays a large role in today's society. Americans get their news from organizations that tend to have a strong political bias, whether it be to the left or the right. While some bias has very little effect on the way news is presented, other networks use their political positions create a false narrative. This problem was once again brought to attention by how the media chose to cover the 2016 election. Because media bias is a prevalent problem in America, the public must learn to identify the signs of biased media and keep an eye out for these things when watching the news.

The subject of media bias was once again brought into play during the 2016 election with the reawakening of the term ¨fake news¨. Fake news is a type of yellow journalism which ¨consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or social media¨ -Merriam Webster Dictionary. The way this term is used in the modern day is to imply that any media coming out of an outlet is false or fabricated. Analysis of the 2016 election showed over-coverage of Donald Trump and under-coverage of democratic candidates. The press plays a large role in lifting a candidate up or stopping his campaign before it even starts. It all depends on coverage and too much of the media's attention went to Trump. It is often seen that the press will give the most coverage to whichever candidate has the best story, for example, Obama in 2008 or McCain in 2000. While it's true that the more entertaining the story the higher the ratings, this mentality leaves little room for actual policy coverage. An underwhelming 11% of primary coverage focused on the candidate's policy positions, leadership abilities and personal histories. Varied coverage proved to have a sway over the results of the election. This skewed coverage means many voters will be left uninformed, the general public will be left with a very limited view of a candidate. It is crucial that every voter knows exactly what each applicant has to offer and when news outlets focus their attention more heavily on one particular candidate, it is very unlikely for that to be the case.

“The Lead With Jake Tapper .” The Lead With Jake Tapper, season 4, episode 206, CNN, 7 Feb. 2017.

A good reporter knows how to look at the facts and examine the situation from an objective standpoint. But do they choose to? When a reporter doesn't take an objective standpoint while reporting news to the American public, they are intentionally misleading the public to their side of the argument. An important part of reporting is making sure sources provide reliable information and part of this can be using unbiased and unoffensive terminology instead of slang. For example, when talking about undocumented immigrants, using the term ¨illegal aliens¨ can indicate bias as that is a term which has negative connotations due to the way it has been used in the past. Another major issue with news outlet reporting today is unnecessary focus on opinion based segments like Fox´s Outnumbered. Shows that have people with strong opinions debate over a differing topic, without fact checking or an impartial third party there to moderate. When these shows are watched by the general public, opinion and fact are often confused and they tune out the side they do not agree with. Media focus should be on programs that are meant to be informative rather than persuasive and that is where many organizations have missed the mark today.

Gallup, Inc. “Americans' Trust in Mass Media Sinks to New Low.” Gallup.com, U.S. Institution of Higher Learning, 14 Sept. 2016, news.gallup.com/poll/195542/americans-trust-mass-media-sinks-new-low.aspx.

There have been many studies over the years on how media distribution affects the American public. In the 1920’s Walter Lippmann believed that the public has ¨limited personal experience¨ with the government and thus, the media has the ability to ¨shape public perception of the administration through their stories¨ - Walter Lippman ¨Public Opinion¨, 1922. This changed in the 1930’s as people believed that information was put out in two steps, an individual reads the news then discusses it. Researchers found that people were more likely listen to their friends, and not to people who they disagree with. The idea in the 1970’s became geared towards the “cultivation theory”, created by George Gerbner and Larry Gross. The cultivation theory that stated the ¨media puts out a perceived reality which affects a person's world view¨- Cultural Indicators Project, 1976. Media sets the norms for what is discussed within everyday life. Today, it is widely accepted that media does have a subtle sway over the American public. One way news outlets display bias is through the way articles are framed and primed. Framing is defined as the creation of a narrative or context for a news story while the definition of priming is when media coverage makes the reader liable to a specific perspective. It´s a way of setting the public up to have a negative viewpoint of what was being covered in the story. So, after reading a story about the current epidemic of homelessness across the United States or loss of jobs a person would be more inclined to speak negatively about the nation's economic situation. The whole narrative shifts depending on what the reader is meant to take away from the story.

Gallup, Inc. “Americans' Trust in Mass Media Sinks to New Low.” Gallup.com, U.S. Institution of Higher
Learning, 14 Sept. 2016, news.gallup.com/poll/195542/americans-trust-mass-media-sinks-new-low.aspx.

The hard truth is that no news source is going to be completely unbiased. Reporters have agendas or need to fill deadlines and can get sloppy as they try and finish. The best you can hope for is that everything somehow balances itself out, creating an objective article. Even this piece was biased, from the sources I used, to my potentially negative outlook on the way news is circulated after the media circus that was the 2016 election. The fact remains that while it's hard to find truly unbiased media, the American public can take certain steps to make sure they are getting the most factual information available. The only way to truly protect oneself from biased media is becoming aware of the differences between opinion and fact, something that shouldn't have to be taught, but in today's society is unfortunately necessary.

Gallup, Inc. “Trust in Mass Media Returns to All-Time Low.” Gallup.com, Gallup, 17 Sept. 2014, news.gallup.com/poll/176042/trust-mass-media-returns-time-low.aspx.

“The Impact of the Media.” The Impact of the Media | American Government, Lumen , courses.lumenlearning.com/amgovernment/chapter/the-impact-of-the-media/.

Lippmann, Walter. Public Opinion. Merchant Books, 2013.

Gerbner, George, and Larry Gross. “Cultural Indicators Project.” Cultural Indicators Project - George Gerbner Archive