GIUSSEPE

topic: health

life, interrupted: facing cancer in your 20s

Suleika Jaouad NY Times

The articles points out the question that not many people have asked themselves: where is all the 15-40 years old people with cancer going?, what happening to them? and most important what are their chances to survive?.

As its clearly pointed out in the article, this young adults many times are over 18, wich makes them responsable for themselves.

what happens when you have 20 and no job, no insurance and no way to cover the (high) expenses of cancer?

Also pointed out in the article is how the doctors, since they are not expecting this kind of illness in young people, totally miss the symptoms.

Making the cancer spread even more before they start treating it.

Apple Stocks hit over 600$/share

Boot Bullwinkle 1st Post
Economy
Apple Will Spend $45 Billion to Pay Dividends and Buy Shares Back
Jesus Diaz
gizmodo.com


Apple recently hit the 100 billion dollar mark. 100,000,000,000$. They could buy Walmart and then some. With stocks over 600$ per share, the company has decided to give a little back to its shareholders. The company will begin to dole out 2.65$ per share quarterly which comes out to about 1.7% which is better than most savings accounts. When was the last time you earned 10 dollars with 600 dollars in the bank?

They'll also use a meager 10 billion dollars to start share buy back program. Tim Cook, new CEO of Apple Inc. made the following statement about the company's fiscal decision.

"We have used some of our cash to make great investments in our business through increased research and development, acquisitions, new retail store openings, strategic prepayments and capital expenditures in our supply chain, and building out our infrastructure. You'll see more of all of these in the future. Even with these investments, we can maintain a war chest for strategic opportunities and have plenty of cash to run our business. So we are going to initiate a dividend and share repurchase program."

Through their dividends and share purchasing programs, Apple Inc. will be spending 45 billion if their 100 billion surplus. 55 billion is the biggest, sturdiest safety net that I've ever seen, and this economy it's amazing what Apple has done. Better buy some shares before the 600$ mark rises anymore.

Joseph Kony - child soldiers

Wyatt Eberspacher

Topic: World  

Joseph Kony: Brutal warlord who shocked world—Hilary Whiteman, CNN

March 9, 2012

WC: 1,110

 In the light of our recent curriculum of the two World Wars and especially of the horrors committed by the Nazis in the second world war, it is deeply saddening leaders capable of committing horrible acts of cruelty continue in part today. There is man in the world today who continues to rule by an iron fist, and terrify his people. This man is Joseph Kony, the much talked about warlord from a recent viral 30 minute video. He enscrips children into his army and ruthlessly slaughters any malcontents.

Kony came into power because of his position as a spiritual leader to his people. Though Kony is not revered as a god, for now, he is revered as a kind of mystical priest and healer. The people of Uganda supported him much the same way that citizens supported royalty in the middle ages. They support him despite the fact that to punish fathers he sells their daughters into prostitution. He is on the list of the UN's most wanted, and we can only hope his reign is put to rest soon. Kony is a glimpse at the true tradegy and terror that can be created from blind faith and the twisted ambitions of cruel men.

Why the interest in illegal cell-phone Jammers

Chris B. 2nd post
Tech
Why the Interest in illegal cell-phone Jammers
Doug Gross
CNN.com
600 words

Cell-phone jammers have been illegal for the past few years but this past friday we saw a huge rise in google searches on "Cell-phone Jammers". Why is this? It is because in a man in Philadelphia began using them on the busses on a day-to-day basis. The man known as "Eric" said he started using this because he is fed up with these "A lot of people are extremely loud, no sense of, just, privacy or anything," ("Eric"). This caused a boom on google for the search of these cell-phone jammers, prices ranging from less then $40 to more than $1,000. Surprisingly people won't really notice that their cell-phones are being jammed IF they are using them at the time, so if your on the bus not on your cell and a jammer is activated you will not notice and your cell won't being affected. The jammers are still illegal though so "Eric" was arrested for doing jamming these peoples cell-phones.

This is important because it is slowly spreading and it actually might help or hinder our public areas. It will help because, if jammers are used, there will be no more people blabbering away extremely loudly around you in a public place. The downside to the jammers is if someone is making an important phone call or you are expecting a call from your boss to make sure the deal went through. You will then not be able to get that phone call or you will be interrupted, and this is still why they are illegal and should not be used.

Cynthia 02

Health

Opinion: 'Hot or Not?' Trust me, you're beautiful Teddi Noel Mattox

CNN Mrch 4th, 2012

788 words

A very intelligent 15-yearl old freshman at Montclair High School in New Jersey, Teddi, tells us how she feels about how other people expresses about her or others' looks. She says that literally society dresses all of us by saying what is "in" or "hot". Which does not mean that they are correct. Also, Teddi thinks that although a lot of times the comments are nice, it is not always the same case. Furthermore, that people's comments can affect a teenager self-esteem. Now, one of the biggest problems is posting pictures or videos of yourself to be accepted or "liked" by others, without seeing the damage that that does. Undoubtedly, Teddi makes a really good point by saying that we as teenagers are not in a good stage related with looks, and therefore, we are much more vulnerable than any other person. We have all those doubts, and worries, and just one comment good or bad can change our day or even mark our life.

I really liked to see an article like this, especially because it is from a teenager point of view. Maybe that way more girls would feel related to it, and understand that you all are beautiful and you are the one that decides how much by believing on you. I will love to have some kind of talk like this in our school, because many girls would be benefited from it.

http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/04/opinion-hot-or-not/?hpt=hp_bn8

Snoring, mouth-breathing tots more likely to develop behavioral problems

Ameya Rao
Posting #2
Topic: Health
"Snoring, mouth-breathing tots more likely to develop behavioral problems" -- by Ryan Jaslow
CBS News
March 5, 2012
470 words
Snoring, which has long been tied to adult health problems (obesity, heart disease, and sleep apnea), may also cause health problems in children. A study conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and published on March 5, revealed that children who have "sleep-disordered breathing" -- anything from snoring and mouth breathing, to sleep apnea -- are more likely to develop behavioral and mental problems as they grow older. Based on sleep and behavioral surveys submitted by parents during various stages of their children's growth, children who snore between 6 months and 18 months of age are between 40 and 100 percent more likely to develop behavioral and social problems at 7 years of age. Nearly 10 percent of all children snore, and around 3 percent have sleep apnea, which is characterized by long pauses in breathing during sleep. The reason sleep disorders contribute to behavioral problems is thought to be because these disorders block oxygen flow to the brain. This reduced oxygen supply to the brain negatively affects and disrupts the restorative functions of sleep, resulting in problems in the areas of the brain that control for the abilities to pay attention, suppress behavior, and control emotions. It is recommended that parents pay close attention to how their children sleep and observe any sleep-disordered breathing problems that may arise.

Numerous children are growing up all over the world with behavioral problems. These problems can be magnified as the children grow and develop, and eventually ruin their lives by turning them into criminals or felons. One of the chief causes of these behavioral problems in children has been found to be a group of sleep-related problems known as "sleep-disordered breathing." By decreasing oxygen flow to the brain during sleep, these problems distrupt proper mental development in children. It is therefore important for parents to make sure that their children are sleeping soundly and deeply every night; these children, once they grow up, are the future of the world, and we have to put our future world into the safest hands possible.

Observers Slam Russian vote as Putin declares victoryObservers Slam Russian vote as Putin declares victory

 Dmitry Popkov

Posting #2

Topic: World

Observers Slam Russian vote as Putin declares victory
March 5 2012
CNN.com

Thousands of people rallied for and against Vladimir Putin in seperate rallies on monday after the official results showed the prime minister victorious in the election winning back his presidency. International observers claimed that the outcome was never in doubt, however some people believe that there were electoral violations and many concerns about the fairness of the whole election. Putin recieved 63.75 percent of the vote avoiding any runoff in the election. On sunday night, Putin declared victory in the Red square in Moscow, Russia. Thousands of Putin opponents however emerged on Monday and police arrested 250 people. Observers blasted the Russian elections saying that there was a ballot stuffing, they also said that "an outcome of an election should be uncertain, in Russia this was not the case."

This article is important because it reflects what is going to happen in Russias future, if Putin is the right choice for the country, and whether or not the country will grow under this new leader.

Boot Bullwinkle 

Posting: #2

Topic: Health

Brain bank examines athletes' hard hits—Nadia Kounang, CNN

Jan. 27, 2012

WC: 1,135

Sometimes the worst things happen to the best people. That’s the case with 17-year-old Nathan Stiles. Stiles had straight-As and was the star running back for his high school. He sang in the church choir, started on the basketball team, and was homecoming king. He was the best friend, student, son, and role model. Was.

Nathan Stiles played his last game of his life in his senior year finale of the game he loved, football. Nathan died of second-impact syndrome, which means that he suffered another traumatic hit before his brain had the chance to recover from a previous concussion.

Concussions are growing rampant in the United States despite constant efforts to limit their damage. It’s a sad part of the game, which could stand to be eradicated. I don’t want too many rules to change the game, but medical understanding of concussion could be improved, and more adequate safety equipment should be developed.

Nathan’s story is a tragic glimpse of a national tragedy. Thousands of athletes’ deaths can be related to brain trauma, and it is time that this string of accidents is eradicated—especially in youth sports. I hope that soon we will be able to understand and prevent concussions in the future.

For iRobot, the Future Is Getting Closer

Name: Jonathan
Posting #2
Topic: Tech
Title  For iRobot, the Future Is Getting Closer
Publication Name: CNN
Date of Publication: March 2nd, 2012
Author: Christopher Drew
Length: 760 words
IRobot has emerged as one of the nation's top robot makers. It has sold millions of disc-shaped Roomba vacuum cleaners, and its bomb disposal robots have protected soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. In January, iRobot expanded a partnership with InTouch Health, a small company that enables doctors at computer screens to treat stroke victims and other patients from afar.
Mr. Angle, 44, who has been at the forefront of robotics since he was a student. He estimates that the early versions of Ava will cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, high enough that the company is focusing first on medical applications with InTouch Health. InTouch has robots with video hookups in many hospitals, and they have saved many lives in emergencies. Mr. Angle says that he thinks that businessmen could use the robots as proxies at meetings, speaking and watching wirelessly through Ava's headgear and even private chats.
 I think that iRobots are very useful in our society, and that they can help people. InTouch robots can apply not only to medical but also to business. Those robots can make our lives easier as proxies for meetings, speaking and chats.

Airport Scanners Are Safe

Tony Y: Second post
Topic: Health
Title: Airport Scanners are Safe, Government Says
Author: Anahad O'Connor
Publication Name: NY Times
Date of Publication: February 29th, 2012
Length of Article: 565 words

The Homeland Security Department issued a report last week concluding that full body X-ray machines used in airports are safe because they use an extremely low dose of radiation. Full body scanners have been used at 29 airports, which contain about 250 machines, since airport security has tightened. These body scanners are necessary because they are the only way to detect certain plastic explosives. The report says that a passenger would need to be screened 17,000 times in a 12 month period to go over the yearly limits of radiation exposure set by the American National Standards Institute. This means that a person would need to get scanned 47 times every day for a whole year to go over the limit. Every full body scan exposes people to 1.46 microrems of radiation, which is very little compared to dental X-rays, which release up to 15,000 microrems. A flight from New York to Los Angeles would even expose a passenger to more radiation(about 3000 microrems). Still, some are still skeptical that the body scans would have a greater effect on pregnant women, airport workers, and frequent fliers. The report forced screeners to make sure that the machines were calibrated so that passengers would not be accidentally exposed to higher radiation levels. Senator Susan Collins of Maine wants an independent study of the machines to examine the risks they may pose to more vulnerable populations, like the pregnant women.

Full body airport scanners have been controversial ever since they have first been used, and were banned by the European Union because of questions about their safety. It is a very good sign that the amount of radiation they release is not significant enough to be harmful to people. Still, more research should be done to make sure that these scanners are safe for everyone. In the mean time, people can still opt out for a pat-down, but privacy has been an issue regarding both pat downs and the full body scanners. Hopefully, further research will show that these machines are a safe way to detect for potential bomb threats for everyone.

Should Parental Letters of Recommendation be Included in the College Application Process?

Name: Claire H

Topic:Education

Title: College Admissions: Parent Recommendations Welcomed by Some Institutions.

Author: Justin Pope

Publication: Huffington Post

Date: 3/3/12

Letters of recommendation commonly come from unbiased sources. A parent is the most biased source you can get. Some small liberal arts colleges which pride themselves on knowing their students very well allow parents to write recommendation letters so they can get a true picture of the student. Smith college is a prestigious and diverse Northampton, Mass., women's college which allows parental recommendation letters. "We get to this point and say, `You can't be driving the bus, you need to be in the backseat,'" Shaver said. This quote means that the admissions officers know that they cannot get a completely accurate picture of every applicant, but a parental letter is one of the best ways to get a little more insight into the applicant. Perhaps the biggest worry, which Hawkins shares, is "advantaging the advantaged," particularly those from non-English speaking families. These applicants do not have parents who can drop everything to write a letter, or may not even be able to write the letters in English. This discourages the possible applicants from even applying. This process may be entirely biased and allow parents to brag all they want, but it also shows a more in depth look of an applicant who can get lost in a sea of SAT scores, GPA's and other standardized numbers.

This article showed that while some parents look at this as an opportunity to "burst with predictably over-the-top pride in their children's virtues" but it also is a way to be there on a very special day in their child's life. Who knows you better than your parent? no one. This is why a parent is the perfect person to write the perfect recommendation letter.

Mapping Out A New Era in Brain Research

Ren G: 2nd Post
Topic: Tech
Title: Mapping out a new era in brain research
Author: Matthew Knight
Publication: CNN.com
Length: 750 words

A new technology to map out the brain ha been created. Scientists have created a map, or connectome as it has been named was created to be able to map out the movement of water molecules in the brain, giving a more accurate picture of what human brains look like and how they work. The Human Connentome Project has begun trials on healthy human volunteers with the imaging scanner. The machine looks like an ordinary MRI machine but can produce images 10 time clearer. The machine was created by a German engineering company called Siemens. While the machine tracks the water movement throughout the brain it gives us more of an accurate picture of the nerve fibers and the brains neuronal pathways. The machine is raising hopes that brain disorders such as autism and schizophrenia will be better understood in the future and perhaps even cured.
This new machine has proved very helpful in its creation. Although it is not yet perfected there is still great hope for what this machine can provide. Scientists are eager to not just scan healthy patients but those with diseases as well. The poorly understood diseases like autism could be a result of an abnormality of brain connections and it is believed that this new machine will be able to tell. There is much hope for the future with this machine.

BP compensates victims

Chris C    #2
Health
Author: Cain Burdeau
Date of publication: March 4 2012

Title: BP settlement includes new health claims process

BP oil company has reached a settlement in which it will compensate the victims of the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico. In order to find out who receives the compensation, doctors have to trace people's illness's back to the oil spill. Some symptoms of the spill include rashes, diarrhea, nausea, and shortness of breath caused by either direct contact with the oil, or the chemicals being sprayed to disperse the oil. Under the agreement, BP will be expected to pay approximately $7.8 billion. This also includes property damages and loss of wages because of job loss. The spill in the Gulf will have some long lasting effects, so to account for these, BP will also be responsible for continued health compensation for up to 20 plus year. To improve their public image, BP has also promised to give out $105 million to improve the local health care around the area of the Gulf. One victim's lawyer, Steve Herman, states that "because there are so many victims, and each one takes months to determine each cause, the continuous medical compensation will take years to play out." BP's spill has caused the communities of the Gulf many problems, but after being required by the government, they have gone to great financial lengths to try and make things better. 

The BP spill should be an example to all companies that when they make a mistake, no matter how large, they should always make sure they clean up their act and find ways to prevent the problem from happening in the future.

Women on the Engineering Scene

Caitlyn C Post #2

Topic: Tech

Title: Google Exec Marissa Mayer Explains Why There Aren't More Girl Geeks

Author: Bianca Bosker

Publication Name: The Huffington Post

Date of Publication: 9/05/11

Length: 1,475 words

Google Executive Marissa Mayer explains how she began working in the field of engineering while studying at Stanford University. She did not begin at Stanford with the intent to one day become the next Bill Gates; in fact, she wanted to become a pediatric neurosurgeon. Mayer decided to switch her major after realizing that she wanted to take full advantage of Stanford's domineering engineering and computer science programs. In 1999, after her graduation, Marissa Mayer had a plethora of job offers; one of which was at a small start-up company that called itself Google. Nowadays Google employs lots of women, but back in Mayer's first days at the company, she was the only woman. Mayer estimates that a meager 15-17% of Silicon Valley engineers are women. She attributes this small percentage to the fact that young girls are turned off by the narrowly "geeky" stereotype that they so often see in the media. Marissa Mayer believes that if there were more technologically-proficient role models, the stereotype of the female engineer might have room to expand to gradually encompass all types of different women who are not stereotypical computer geeks just crunching numbers. Mayer also thinks that nowadays there are more applications of technology, such as computers or cellphones. These seemingly menial machines can spark interest in young girls who may wonder how the machinery works, and eventually go into the engineering field.

Overall, it is important to take advantage of your surroundings and to take risks. Marissa Mayer is a great example of a strong woman who has maximized her potential and is now a very successful woman. Some advice she has is to "work with the smartest people you can find, do something you're not ready to do, find an environment in which you're very comfortable so you can find your voice, and work for someone who believes in you -- because when they believe in you, they'll invest in you."