The Day of Silence + Class Board Speeches = ?!?!

I have always been an avid supporter of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual) rights. I am a believer in homosexual marriage and I believe love is a powerful emotion that no one has the right to control. Whether that love is between a man and a woman or two men, love is the same emotion in everyone. Although I unfortunately have had conflicts with being in GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) at our school, I have always participated in the annual Day of Silence. The Day of Silence, in April of every year, is a movement against anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying, and harassment in schools! Supporters of GSA everywhere do not speak for the entire day, demonstrating their acceptance of LGBT equality with straight men and women everywhere.

I read through the day of silence website prior to April 14th, and immediately I knew it was a cause I was willing to support. I have a few gay friends, and it hasn't changed anything I think about them, or the way I act around them. My mom has a few homosexual colleagues that I have known over the years and many of them are like family to me. So when I hear stories of harassment against homosexuals, or anyoen who LGBT for that matter, I am immediately dumbfounded and embarassed, frustrated and confused!

So in my support, I bought a Day of Silence t-shirt and awaited the day. I read up on some LGBT harassment and it drove me even more to participate. According to one article, "Students who know of a school policy specifically prohibiting harassment based on sexual orientation are 19% less likely to be harassed based on sexual orientation and 25% more likely to feel safe at school." So schools are taking action.

This is why I became so angry: as a member of student government, I was required to give a campaign speech last Friday for the entire class. The class board speeches were scheduled on the Day of Silence. After appealing to the head of Student Activities, I was still upset to find that no one was willing to change the date of the board speeches. I was upset that I was not going to be able to be silent to support my feelings about LGBT rights and equality.

And although you may think to yourself, why, if my opinions about gay rights are so strong, did I still make my speech? Because if I become a member of student government, I will be put in a leadership position. With this power, I can then take the responsibility to create a more welcoming and equal environment in our school.

So yes, my Day of Silence was anything but silent. However, my opinions stay where they are. The Day of Silence was and still is an amazing cause, and I hope that in the future I can help make our student body aware. And maybe, just maybe, even the majority of GBN can be silent one day of the year.

The video below is a Public Service Announcement for the Day of Silence. Hopefully if I have not made my opinions clear or convincing, this video will persuade you that the Day of Silence is a good cause!

Space Shuttle Discovery Makes a New Launch Today

Today, the space shuttle Discovery was launched! I would never have realized this had happened unless I had happened to read the headline on CNN. com today. I believe the simple fact that I had heard nothing about the space launch says a lot about the prominence of space travel in our society right now.

Discovery was launched this evening for the international space station. According to the article from CNN, Discovery is bringing supplies to the space station. On this past Wednesday, a hydrogen leak had been detected on the ship, which delayed the initial launch of the shuttle. All repairs are going well so far.

Discovery is also bringing the supplies needed to expand the crew on the space station, which NASA is planning to double from 3 crew members to 6. Supplies are also being brought to repair a machine on the station that converts urine into drinkable water. (WHAT! Who knew there was a machine that does that! Seems a bit unsanitary...)

According to another news article, the crew being sent to the space station are going to install more solar-energy equipment.

I remember that when I was younger, space launches and space travel, as well as other dealings with NASA, were highly publicized within my school and within the news. Why has universal knowledge of what is going on in space research declined so rapidly in recent time? It makes me sad that there are so many fantastic achievements and updates in the world of space travel and engineering, and that the nation is distracted from such accomplishments. 

Images found 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10196685-76.html

and

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH.space/03/15/shuttle.launch/index.html

Divorce is Deadly?

A new study has shown that divorces can actually hurt a women's health. However, the study has shown that it only affects middle aged women, not men, and only women of that age group. Health concerns that have been linked to marital trouble include high blood pressure, excess belly fat, and other health risks that promote a woman's risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.

In this study, a professor from the University of Utah professor took 276 couples and tried to discover whether the main cause for these health problems was depression directly caused by marital troubles. The research showed that middle age women are more likely to become depressed than other women. The only health effects that were found in the men of the couples were the depressive emotional conditions, which hadn't affected their physical health.

The study also did not prove that getting a divorce would allow a woman to escape the health risks of marital trouble, for divorces often cause further depressive symptoms.

This article discusses the symptoms of depression, which plagues over 14 million Americans today. The symptoms of high blood pressure, anxiety, and other moods were common results of the study done about marriages.

So what does this mean? Further studies will continue to research married couples and how marital trouble affects the mind and body. The question is: how can we make these studies more accurate and more applicable to our modern day society? Will we in the future have to take more aspects of marriage into consideration, or possibly incorporate same sex marriages?

And will this affect divorce rates in our modern day society? Science, once again, is coming closer and closer to controlling even the romance in our lives!

Image found: http://www.ktbotanicals.com/images/Depression.jpg

and

http://uscmediareligion.org/images/upload/Marriage.jpg

Flu Shots: Do they really work?

Before this weekend, the only time I have ever gotten the flu was the one year I got a flu shot. Therefore, I haven't gotten a flu shot since, which as been about five years. But today, when the doctor told me that I had contracted influenza, he said ti was because I didn't have a flu shot. Bored and sick at home, I decided to do some research to see how effective the flu shot really is.

This first WebMD article discussed the effectiveness in the 2007-2008 flu season. It said the vaccine was only 44% effective for that flu season and that two of the three components of the vaccination did not match the strains of the influenza virus that plagued most Americans. However, the 44% effectiveness is still better than the 0% effectiveness of no vaccination at all.

The second article I found was extremely helpful. It answered some important, commonly asked questions about the flu vaccination and how it effective it is. The article stated that is important to get a flu shot every year because it reduces the risk one has of getting the flu during the annual flu season, which is usually from November to April. The vaccine takes two weeks to become effective, which may have explained why I had gotten the flu five years ago, I may have been vaccinated to late into the flu season. Also, when asked if one can still get influenza after being vaccinated, the article states, "If the viruses in the vaccine and the influenza viruses circulating in the community are closely matched, vaccine effectiveness is higher. If they are not closely matched, vaccine effectiveness can be reduced. However, it is important to remember that even when the viruses are not closely matched, the vaccine can still protect many people and prevent flu-related complications."

So, moral of the story? Get a flu vaccine. Because, although not always effective, being vaccinated lowers the risk and is better than being completely prone to influenza, like I always have been. 

And if this doesn't convince you enough, take a look at this PSA (public service announcent) From the American Lung Association. (found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRvnL5_og8g)

14 Children: Was it ethical?

When I wake up in the mornings, the first thing I do is go downstairs to eat breakfast. I sit in front of the TV with the Chicago news station on, but I tend to doze off and not pay attention. However, the other day I was intrigued by a certain news story.

Earlier this week, a woman from Southern California gave birth to octuplets! She had six boys and two girls, and it was only the second time in American history that a woman has and octuplets that have lived more than several hours after birth. Doctors are saying that the babies are in good condition, and they are expected to live although they must stay in the hospital for a few more weeks. 

When I heard about this miraculous happening, I was at first overjoyed thinking that the babies survived! However, new information was disclosed to the media and public recently. In this Yahoo news article, the public found out that the woman already had six kids before her recent births!!! This has spun a media chaos and an immediate medical ethics controversy.

Some doctors say that it is not their role to decide how big one's family should be, while others are completely appalled by the fact that a doctor would administer fertility drugs, and plant multiple embryos (yes it was invetro fertilization) in a woman who already had six kids!

I understand both viewpoints. A doctor cannot refuse a patient if the patient wishes to have more children. However, this woman was almost 100,000 dollars in debt, and I can't imagine that will be helped with her new grand total of children adding up to 14. The father has been identified, but it hasn't been disclosed whether he is present in the lives of the children, since the woman lives at home with her parents in a single-story house.

I just honestly hope this woman will be able to take care of children, and if that is the case, I wish them a healthy lifestyle!

And in this CBS news article, the father of the mom of these children only wanted one more kid! So is this really an ethical controversy and can the other doctors of America do anything about it?

Picture courtesy of http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45415000/jpg/_45415810_006788823-1.jpg

My New Music Discovery

Apparently I am extremely behind on the Internet's capabilities. After receiving some extremely generous iTunes giftcards, I am newly obsessed with the growing music compilation on my computer. However, I can never create sufficient playlists of the same types of music.

So, of course, when confused, I allowed myself to Google and find an answer. And what do I find but.. Internet Radio! 

I was so confused yet fascinated. How can there be an Internet Radio and how successful would it be? I was directed to Pandora, a free Internet site that uses the Music Genome Project to create personal playlists. You type in a favorite song or artist, and the site creates a playlist of songs that have common characteristics as the one you searched. After typing in Jack Johnson, the site gave me a complete looping playlist of acoustic chill music that is from artists like Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Matt Nathanson, and others. I am absolutely amazed by the quality of the music and the convenience of the site. 

After talking to some of my other friends, apparently they already knew about Internet Radio! However, although it is evident that I am way behind on my new discovery, I remain dumbfounded.. and completely obsessed!

-Image found through Google images from the following site: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0007GAEVW.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

True Love Becomes Scientific?

My homepage on my Safari internet is CNN.com, and usually I take a few minutes each day to browse any interesting articles. However, the article I found one night is the most fascinating one I have seen yet. 

It states that it has now been scientifically proven that a person can find love with another that indeed lasts a lifetime. They tested couples with brain scans, and detected their levels of passion for their partner. These were the certain chemical reactions that were occurring in the brains of the test subjects.

I can't say if this is a bunch of baloney, because I honestly don't even know! However, if this really true, it does make me wonder what other aspects of our social lives will one day be controlled and detected by scientific means...

Image found through Google Images from: www.lovespeaks.net/images/colourful-hearts-candyheart-love1.jpg

Pink Eye or Make up Residue?

I have been suffering from a mild cold the last week and half, and I have been stocking up on Vitamin C. I have no time to be sick, so I am taking the medication necessary and trying to get enough sleep so that my cold will go away soon! I think I am reaching the last few stages of my cold, because I am coughing more, which means the unhealthy mucus is getting out of my system. However, I awoke this morning to a very scary symptom.

When I woke up this morning, I discovered that I could not physically open my eyelids, because my eyelashes were cemented together with substance. This reminded me immediately of the well known infection pink-eye, or conjunctivities, which I contracted in fifth grade. However, I soon realized that it was just my usual "morning eye boogies" but in a surplus. My mother said I was overreacting, but I wasn't convinced that I was exempt from having gotten this painful eye infection again.

I did some online research and looked up the symptoms of conjunctivitis. It said that pink-eye, or conjunctivitis, usually has the following symptoms:

- red eyes

- swollen, red eyelids

- feeling as if there is a foreign substance in the eye

- an itching or burning feeling

- mild sensitivity to light

- drainage from the eye

I realized shortly that my eye redness quickly faded after using some over the counter eye drops, and the mucus drainage from my eye was normal. I also realized I had been so sleepy the night before I had forgotten to take off my eye make up, which probably caused the surplus and "eye boogies" as I so delightfully call them. 

This short-lived but important experience taught me that it is important to know the symptoms before diagnosing yourself. And if you aren't completely sure, it is the best to notify your doctor, because it is better to go to a doctor and have them tell you that you are healthy rather than to not see anyone and find out you are unhealthy when it is too late! Pink eye isn't serious, but it is easily transmitted and it isn't fun, and I am sure glad I don't have it. 

A New Phenomenon Among GBN Students

There was a short period for me in 6th or 7th grade when knitting was all the rage. Kids would be caught in class with their knitting needles out and would be very disappointed and upset they were being forced to put this exciting new art project away. Colorful scarves (that link shows you the knitting pattern too!) were the biggest thing for the kids, and they were all handmade. They didn't keep anyone very warm, since we were young so there were many holes and mistakes in the knitting process. I wasn't very good at knitting then, and I am still a failure at it now!

Apparently this fad is coming back in style! In the past few weeks, I have seen dozens of students being yelled at by teachers for not paying attention to teachers because they are knitting. Beautifully created (and perfect!) scarves are tied around the necks of both genders, and I feel a little out of place. I did some digging in my basement and found some old yarn and knitting needles from my failed attempt in middle school. 

So far, I am not doing very well, but the Internet is a  HUGE help. Check out this video, it's reteaching me how to knit. I can't start anything substantial, but maybe this will help!

Aha! A Happier Holiday

It is officially December, and I couldn't be more excited for the holiday season. I was talking to my mother in the car, (coming home from Christmas shopping of course!), when we got to discussing a slightly morbid topic. I have heard many times before that suicide rates peak because of the holiday season. This never really made sense to me, because Christmas, winter, and the holidays just make me so cheerful and happy.

Yes the holidays bring certain frustrations, but I still never understood this statistic. So, I did some research, and I found some conclusive evidence that denies the fact that suicide rates increase around Christmas! The most clear and decisive piece of evidence I found was this article  I found from the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center Health Library. It says that suicide rates are linked to the holidays by the media, and actually peak in the spring and slightly decrease in the winter!

Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel! This renewed my strong belief that Christmas is a worldwide happy time of the year! :D The article did say, however, that something called "seasonal affective disorder" is a type of depression linked to winter. But this is related to the dark, cold, winter days, and the not the holidays themselves!

Another article, which was a source of information for the Darnall Medical Center's library, was written in the New York Times on December 27, 2005. It states that a very large study conducted by the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that psychiatric visits decreased in the weeks before Christmas and then rose afterwards. A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, that looked extensively at a 35-year period, found there was no relationship between the holidays and suicides!

So, for now, my mind is at peace, and is no longer cluttered with the morbid thoughts of depressed people during what should be the happiest time of year! 

And check out this video - the media is catching on to the reality of these studies as well! Hopefully the depressing myth of holiday suicides will be extinguished forever! The video was aired in December of 2007 on CNN Morning News.

Advertising Their Cuties on the Internet

The other night I was procrastinating from doing my homework, which is a frequent pasttime of mine. And when doing this, one can usually find me lying on the floor of my bedroom, my eyes glued to a video on YouTube. Am I watching educational videos that are helping me with my schoolwork? Wish I could say that was true, but unfortunately no. On my "Frequently Watched" video lists on the website, you will find my page is loaded withcountless videos of different young children, showing their cuteness to the World of the Internet. Should parents be videotaping their children and putting these cute and adorable videos online? And what is their purpose for doing this? This is what I set out to discover.

Take the following video for example. This is a little girl, posing in her little diapers and a tanktop, standing in front of a mock stage setup. She has a disproportionate acoustic guitar in her hands and a mini microphone stand in front of her. She sings "Hey Jude," the reknowned classic by the Beatles.



It's adorable. But what were those parents thinking? This poor child is what they are using to get Internet fame. There are countless stories of people achieving fame through their accounts and numerous videos on YouTube. For example, violinist Alex DePue found his YouTube fame.

Maybe I am making faulty assumptions, but I can't help to think that the parents of all the cute little kids on TV are making these kids rehearse so th eInternet world will comment on how indescribably adorable their cuties are!

I just feel some sympathy for these kids, because who knows what they will say to their parents when they grow up and find themselves half-naked singing out-of-tune Beatles hits on the Inter net.

Hidden Temples: No Longer a Myth?

I was logging into my email on aol.com the other night when I stumbled upon a fascinating article on the AOL main site. It was about a Mexican archaeologist named Guillermo de Anda and his latest incredible discovery. He found a series of dangerous underground caves that he believes were created by the Mayans to symbolize the "pathway to hell." 

This immediately interested me in the few first sentences as I read on to find more incredible detail about De Anda's discovery. They even compared his findings to the fictional caves the Harrison Ford's character Indiana Jones found in his adventure movies. They said that the caves contained "tottering ancient temple platforms, slippery staircases and tortuous paths that skirted underground lakes littered with Mayan pottery and ancient skulls." So not only was this discovery of a about six caves and underground roads an example of Mayan religious beliefs and sacrificial rituals, but it also showed their creativity and advancements in technology and sculpture. 

Check out some more pictures of the ominous and dangerous caves, as well as the explorer, and read more in the AOL article, and in the CNN article I found about the same recent discovery!

Anxiety and the Stock Market

So every  morning I walk downstairs to eat breakfast before school. And since it is so early in the morning, the only channel I ever watch is the news. And as we all know, the stock market and the economic crisis in America has been the central issue of all news broadcasts. Although this crisis has not yet directly affected me or my family, I know there are thousands, maybe even millions of Americans who are in severe economic trouble.

I also know that I am a giant "stresscase" sometimes, and I can't imagine having to deal with the stress of a nationwide economic downfall. I read an article from CNN about this very topic the other day. In the article, it says that women are twice as likely to be come more of "worrywarts" than men! This is mostly because of the differing hormones in men and women. 

Also, the article tried to inform the reader of when it is necessary to get help from such anxiety. Experts say that one needs to seek help for anxiety issues when their anxiousness begins to interfere with other aspects of that person's life. For example, their work or their relationships. They say if this is happening, then that person should seek medicine, talk therapy, or both.

This was a very shocking statement because years ago I got to the point of stress that I had a peptic stress ulcer in my stomach! So did I need treatment? I doubt it. I was only in seventh grade, and I am very chill about most things now. But this brief research does make me wonder how many people are going to be looking for help in these stressful times in America, and whether or not those people are going to be able to afford the help for the anxiety our economy has brought them!

Cube Competitions!?

I was walking around my obviously unfinished basement over the weekend when I stumbled upon none other than the infamous Rubik's cube. I was immediately captivated, since I had never really faced this puzzle. The Rubik's cube has been portrayed in dozens of movies, and like in "The Pursuit of Happyness" the actors always made the puzzle seem so simple.

However, after nearly an hour of twisting and yelling and getting completely frustrated, I had only completed a full red side of the cube. I deemed it hopeless and abandoned the mesmerizing activity.

And then when speaking to my friend Adeline about how frustrated I had been since I hadn't been able to complete it, she told me her brother used mathematical formulas to figure out the cube and was even in Rubik's cube competitions. I immediately understood that there would be a formula for solving the cube since it obviously has direct correlation to geometry.. but competitions?! There are competitions for Rubik's cubes?! That just seemed absurd.

So of course, I did some research.  And not only are there competitions but there is the WCA, the World Cube Association.  And this association is in charge in creating Rubik's cube competitions all over the world! I immediately envisioned a dark room with two people twisting away at the colorful puzzles. Ha! But after searching through the WCA website, I found there are some pretty intense regulations! For example, the audience (are there really crowds at these events?!) have to be at least one and a half meters away from the competitors. Also, lighting is extremely important. They must be white lights so the competitors can easily distinguish the colors of the puzzles! That is too intense for me. 

So I guess there are thousands of people around the world that find solving this infamous puzzle trivial and completely easy.... but for now I have given up and I am not eager to start twisting away again!

A Very Medical Weekend

My Saturday, to put lightly, was very eventful. Starting with an 8 am gingivectomy, the day didn't exactly start out in good spirits. After six shots of novacaine, I walked out of the dentist's office looking like some sort of swollen walrus. But what I hadn't known at that time was how much more time I was going to spend at a doctor's that day. 

I had a skating lesson that afternoon, and everything was going well. I was doing a "double double" combination jump when my toepick got stuck in a hole in the ice on the landing. All of a sudden, my right ankle bone bent in towards my other leg and I heard a pop. Pain shot up my entire leg and I was sure it was broken.

After a extremely frightening and painful ambulance ride from the ice rink, I found myself lying in a hospital bed doped up on morphine. On the bright side, the doctor said there were no fractures. Then what was the "pop" I heard? Apparently, it was my ligament tearing away from the bone. 

A torn ligament. Great. Sounds painful but I didn't understand what it was and I also didn't understand how my ankle didn't break. The doctor said my ankle didn't break because it had been so supported  by my skating boot. Many people don't understand what goes into the making of a skating boot, but competitive skaters like myself know it is no cheap deal. For example, my skates have extra ankle support which aids the skater and getting more lift on jumps. 

I still didn't understand what tearing a ligament entailed. I did some research and found that "spraining" one's ankle can be a lot more painful than a fracture. Straining a part of your body is stretching a muscle, but spraining something means twisting the foot into a unnatural position causing twisting and tearing of ligaments around the ankle. This usually happens when stepping down one's ankle bends unnaturally to the inside (like me!). This usually injures the "anterior talofibular ligament." And apparently, the greater the pain, the more severe the injury.

So although the doctor says I should be off crutches and walking fine by the end of the week, I am doubtful. But at least my expensive skating boots were good for something!

Hurricane Hitting Home

The Chicagoland area is drenched in rainwater as if Hurricane Ike were coming from Lake Michigan itself! As Techny Road has been overflowing and my neighbor's retention area has become the new cul-de-sac swimming pool, I couldn't help myself from wondering what it is like in Houston, or Galveston, Texas, where Ike is really hitting hard.

And, fortunately, (unfortunately?) that information hasn't been hard to retrieve. My grandparents live in Clear Lake City, right outside of Houston, and were forced to evacuate last week. They are staying with my aunt in northern Texas, but even there the winds are over 50 mph. The power is out for more than 4 and a half million Texans, so it has been hard to find out what damage the hurricane is doing. And because the areas like Galveston are so dangerous, reporters aren't allowed to enter Galveston, or else they are facing "certain death." Head of FEMA states in this video the many dangers that one would face if they chose to stay home. 

But if the reporters aren't allowed in Galveston, how am I seeing streaming footage of Galveston on the news every morning? Did some research, and turns out there are some pretty crazy storm chasers, Mark Sudduth and partner Mike Watkins, who made the dangerous decision to stay behind. They aren't worried, saying there is "zero risk to human life" and that the only thing they are worried about is the "safety of their Chevy." Check out the article, these hurricane chasers are pretty nuts, but they are helping all of the evacuated see the devastation that is happening to some of their homes. Better to know what is going on with your house than be waiting to find out though, right?