Obama Calls for Increased Oversight of Oil Markets

Alex Beroza
Posting #3
Leaders
Helene Cooper
Obama Calls for Increased Oversight of Oil Markets   4/17/12
1 Page
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/obama-to-call-for-increased-oversight-of-oil-markets/?ref=politics

On Tuesday, the President called for an increased surveillance on oil
markets, and the illegal things that happen everyday in the oil
industry. These illegal deals and happenings have led to market
speculation that as a result leads to increased prices at gas pumps.
The Republican Party has been blaming the lack of oil production and
drilling from the United States as a main reason why our gas prices
have been going on the rise lately. But Obama has countered by saying
that we only hold 2% of all the worlds oil preserves, and that no
amount of drilling will make a noticeable difference for our economy. He even went on to say that we have increased our drilling by a noticeable amount and that this still really isn't the answer. Instead, Obama has produced an idea to make it harder for Wall Street speculators to drive up oil prices based on their predictions. This in my opinion is a good idea, and is backed with evidence that more drilling is really not a viable long-term solution. This 52 million dollar policy will also help further balance the gap between the super rich, and everyone else, which I believe is vital for the recovery of our economy.

The Most Powerful Young People In The World

Liana
Current Event #3
Leaders
Introducing The Most Powerful Young People In The World
By Steven Culbertson
Huffington Post, 4/20/12
1000 words

With the presidential race going on, obviously we are well aware of leaders in our country. But leaders are not only those who are on television every day, and leaders do not have to be over the age of 50. Power does not necessarily come with age. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both began their amazing work as teens, and every Olympic athlete began as a child. In honor of Global Youth Service Day, a day for youth to get out and do positive work for their communities, and for the world, YSA is unveiling the list of The Top 25 Most Powerful and Influential Young People.
This list includes 16-year-old Dylan Mahalingham, a social activist from Massachusetts. He created Lil' MDGs, an organization that uses social media and the internet to further the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Using the resources established by his organization, Mahalingham is changing the world for poor children around the world. He proves that youth can hold power and sway in the world as well as adults. In addition, he shows that if anyone puts their mind and their heart to something, they can achieve their goals, no matter their age.

Emily
Current Event #3
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Rent-Control Challenge
Topic: Leaders

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a challenge to the constitutionality of New York City’s rent regulations. Three of the apartments are subject to New York’s rent-stabilization regulations, meaning that the government sets the maximum permissible rent increases and generally allows tenants to renew their leases indefinitely. The regulations subjected them, they told the Supreme Court, to the “unconstitutional burden of involuntarily and permanently renting a part of their residence to tenant-strangers whom the Harmons must subsidize for the rest of their lives. ” The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment says that private property shall not “be taken for public use, without just compensation. ” The Supreme Court has said that government regulation of private property can be “so onerous that its effect is tantamount to a direct appropriation or ouster. ” But the court has upheld rent regulations, most recently in a unanimous ruling in a 1992 case concerning a mobile-home park in Escondido, Calif. The justices reasoned that regulation of the terms of a lease did not amount to the sort of complete government takeover of property that is barred by the takings clause. The panel added that the couple retained important rights under the regulations: they could in some circumstances reclaim the apartments for their own use; they could demolish the building so long as they did not replace it with housing; and they could “evict an unsatisfactory tenant. ” All of that meant, the panel said, that the city’s regulations did not amount to “permanent physical occupation of the Harmons’ property. ” New York City’s rent regulations cover almost half of the city’s roughly 2. 2 million rental housing units. (Another million units are occupied by their owners. ) Last month, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed a bill extending the regulations for another three years by re-declaring a state of housing emergency. In urging the justices not to hear the case, Harmon v. Kimmel, No. 11-496, state and city officials defended the rent regulations as a necessary response to a housing shortage and as a way to prevent “rent profiteering.

 

Where are Women's Jobs?

Eric Cheng
Current Event Posting #3
Topic: Economy
Title: Where have all the women's jobs gone?
Author: Tami Luhby
Publication: CNN
Date of Publication: April 19, 2012: 6:13 AM ET
Length of Article: 554 words

 The title speaks for itself, where have all the women's jobs gone? Studies showed that adult women who were employed was lower than it was two years ago. Heather Boushey, senior economist said,"Even though we are seeing some recovery, we have not seen it in a recovery of jobs for women." Woman were lucky during the recession only accounting for only one-quarter of the jobs lost but the men were struck hard from devastation in the construction and manufacturing industries. Experts say that it is unclear whether there will be a rebound in the future. Due to government cuts in government aid, women with kids are forced to quit because no one is overlooking the kids. "They are more economically at risk," Entmacher said. "It's harder for them to get back on their feet because they have fewer resources."Women lost 396,000 public sector jobs during the recovery, according to the law center. s 69. 1% of the jobs cut, even though women represented only 57. 2% of the public workforce at the end of the recession. s employment has stabilized somewhat in recent months. The way the recovery has played out has also hurt the segments of female workers.  
This shows that women still have it hard in this world. As women go through tough decisions everyday, they are burdened with the fact that they cannot find jobs. The economy has hit them hard and the solution is far from achieved. The statistics might not increase but also not decrease, so women have to look for every opportunity to find a job. Let's just hope that the numbers will soon show declivity.

Current Event Posting #3

Skylar

Education
Yes, I Took My Ninth Grader on a College Tour (and It Was Worth It) by Dave Marcus
NY Times 04/17/12
666 words

Dave Marcus, the author of "Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges - and Find Themselves" became very intrigued with Oyster Bay High in early April of 2012. Upon some research, Marcus learned that the school, located on Long Island finds that getting a child interesting in college at a premature age is essential to success. Principal Dennis O'Hara has established a program in which eighth graders from a Oyster Bay High feeder school are bussed around to several colleges that have some sort of representation of Oyster Bay graduates in their student body. The students are not flooded with information on the names of the schools, their particular histories or the GPA required to obtain admittance to the schools but more so, they are given an idea of what campus life is like in general. The students watch sports games, eat cafeteria food and socialize with college students that grew up in Oyster Bay. The idea that Marcus picked up on the most from O'Hara's program was the importance of giving a student an incentive. Using an analogy of relating college life to desert food, Marcus explains that you have to show the kids the desert first if you want them to eat all their dinner. Essentially, if you want a student to apply themselves in high school, you have to show them what treasure awaits at the end of the tunnel. Now convinced that O'Hara is a genius, Marcus waisted no time in signing up his ninth grade son for a tour of a somewhat local (12 hour drive) college known as Paul Smith's College. He picked this college because it appealed to his son's taste for wildlife and it offered an alternative outdoor learning environment. Completely convinced that this his son would be ecstatic after visiting Paul Smith's College about the rest of his time in high school, Marcus was sadly mistaken. His son had hardly any interest extending beyond the campus's pizza menu. It seemed to Marcus that this college tour made his son no more motivated to do well in high school then before. In the end, Marcus learned the best lesson of all, that its silly to try and force the future on kids when they still have so much more time to be just that, a kid. I have to agree with his final consensus. Going to Gunn, I am well aware of the stigma that "every grade counts!" starting in the eighth grade though it really is not true for everybody. Everyone's path is different and at eighth or ninth grade a student is between the ages of 13 and 15. Most boys haven't even reached puberty by then, and how would you expect a boy with braces who hasn't even exceeded 100 lbs to want to make decisions about the rest of his life?

Obesity-Linked Diabetes in Children Resists Treatment

Monica Chan
Current Event #3
Health
Obesity-Linked Diabetes in Children Resists Treatment by Denise Grady
1 page
4/17/12

Obesity is a disease that is affecting more and more Americans each year. However, rates are increasing more rapidly in children than adults. Researchers have discovered that along with obesity is linked a form of Type 2 diabetes. Before the 1990s, this form of disease rarely occurred in young Americans. Now, the disease has become so common that it is getting harder to treat, specifically in children. The reason why the disease is so hard to control in teenagers and children is still unknown but researchers say that hormones and puberty may play a part. Studies showed that within a few years, the oral medication for Typed 2 diabetes stopped working in half the subjects for children. After these pills stopped responding, daily shots if insulin had to be injected in order to control the blood sugar level. This baffled researchers even more since oral medication worked better for adults. Doctors say that the easiest way to solve this problem is through diet and exercise, but we all know that is easier said than done.

Life Stressors Increase Obesity Risk in Young Girls

Katerina
Posting #2
Health
Life Stressors Increase Obesity Risk in Young Girls
By Leslie Wade
Publication Name: CNN Health
Date of Publication: April 16, 2012
Length: 674 words

A study was done by Shakira F. Suglia, Epidemiologist and Assistant Professor at Columbia University in New York which showed that life stressors increase obesity risk in young girls. Suglia and fellow researchers studied records from the Fragil Families and Child Well Being Study which took mother-child pairs form twenty major cities in the United States. Out of the 1,605 preschoolers, 60% were found to have experienced at least one stress at home being it domestic violence, hunger, moving frequently or living in a shelter, a father in prison, a depressed mother or one who abused alcohol or drugs. How come only girls are affected and not boys? Studies show that boys are more physically active than girls and that girls are more emotionally attached to their mothers and are more likely to mimic their actions. If a mother is depressed or there is violence in the home, she may not be emotionally available to take care of her child, making the child confused and yearn for that emotional comfort and support. Children that yearn for comfort and attention will usually reach for the food that they know they are not suppose to eat because they do not get as much of it, like fatty, sugary foods. Cakes, cookies, chips, and ice cream become the child's comfort food and emotional support. Another reason why girls are more prone to obesity than boys is that girls tend to internalize their behavior more than boys. Girls often withdraw, feel depressed and sad. Boys more often externalize their behavior by becoming aggressive, impulsive, and having trouble sitting still.
 The researchers in this study did not look into the reasons for the differences in weight gain between boys and girls; they simply found that it existed. They say more studies are needed to further explore these sex differences. Suglia says that when pediatricians talk to families about obesity prevention, the discussion needs to go beyond eating habits and exercise. Doctors should ask about home life and offer families referral services and programs to help them cope with the stressors in their life.

Google more popular than Apple, Facebook

Sam

Post #3

Tech.

by Doug Gross

CNN

500+ words

according to a new poll, over 82 percent of American have favored Google in the very years. This result comes from mostly adults. Google has many reasons to be called to the top. Follows the fast-changing fashion of the modern society, Google has expanded from the biggest search engine to the biggest internet service empire. within a year, Google had announced large services like Google+ and Google Play, and it also improved the functions of Gmail and many other features. on the hardware field, Google is making unrealistic ideas to reality. It's Project Glass shows great ambitions toward ruling the future high tech. market. Google also kept its marching in the mobile device market, one of the hottest markets, and the numerous unveils of the new Android systems and devices also reveal Google's preparation for taking over the market in the post-Jobs period.

If we turn the time back five years ago, when the competition was not very fierce, and the technologies hadn't gone too far, was the world a better world? 5 years ago, Google was a great company, a great search engine. Today it is everything. it has what Apple has, and it has what Facebook has, but the most important is, that it has what we want on the society, things like information, speed, products, services, and some new ideas. And they are why Google has the most favors form the majority.

Awake or Knocked Out? The Line Gets Blurrier

Taylor  Current Event Posting #3
Health
Awake or Knocked Out? The Line Gets Blurrier by James Gorman
NY Times 04/12/12
800 words


Scientists are still trying to figure out how the brain drifts in and out of consciousness and what is functioning in the brain during those times. Researches have used anesthesia in brain scans to see what happens in the brain when people fade in and out of consciousness. Researchers Harry Scheinin, Dr. Alkire, and Jaakko W. Langsjo of the University of Turku in Finland have found that the brainstem and other less mature parts of the brain are the first ones to become active. The more complicated parts, such as the neocortex wake up later. There has also been another study led by Adrian M. Owen of Cambridge University that stated that though a patient is unconscious doesn't necessarily mean they aren't unresponsive. “Patients under general anesthesia can sometimes carry on a conversation using hand signals, but postoperatively, they deny ever being awake. Thus, retrospective oblivion is no proof of unconsciousness.” says Dr. Alkire of the University of Turku.
In conclusion, the medical field still has a lot of researching to do in the subject. Experiments with anesthesia and other drugs of the sort will be taking place. There is not a clear line between the conscious and unconscious and questions on the level consciousness still remain. 

US Veterans and Their Reception

Michael Z Posting #3

Topic: Civil Rights

Posting #3 US History 1 period A

"A Different Reception for Today's War Veterans"

  Today's wounded warriors have something previous generations did not: the empowerment of social media and a reality culture marinated in deacdes of self-help movements seeking to draw meaning and lessons in the trials of others. "Our servicemembers really have stories that can relate to a big world out there," says Army Infantryman J. R. Martinez, a native of Shreveport, La., who was badly burned in Iraq. "We all go through wars-military, economic, relationships. The one thing that really connects us all is adversity." Martinez says his most memorable moment came when a young woman wrote him that a speech he had given kept her from commiting suicide.  Jonathan Shay, one of the Veterans Administration's leading clinical psychiatrists on combat trauma, says healing soldiers can benefit by telling their stories to trusting listeners. Anderson says living in the moment became his recovery philosophy. He gives 30-40 speeches a year. He acted in the movie "The Wrestler" , appeared on CSI: NY, and wrote a book, "No Turning Back". He is now national spokesman for the veterans' aid group, USA cares. He says, "Why settle for a normal life when you can have an extraordinary one?"

  40 years ago, wounded veterans came home to a very different America. In his autobiography Born on the Fourth of July, paralyzed Vietnam Marine veteran Ron Kovic describes a self-destructive spiral as he fixated on the hospital in 1968. "Their face changes- the eyes, the voice, the way they look at you," says Kovic's character in the movie, played by Tom Cruise. Kovic found a public voice in the antiwar movement. Therapists, veterans and oral historians say the shock of 9/11, the memories of Vietnam and the accessibility of social media have created a very different environment for returning troops. "Our country (was) attacked on our own soil," says Stephen Tolman, a Nashville agent who books speaking engagements for Army Spc. Robert Jackson of Orlando. Tolman says 9/11 led to a broad consensus that "no matter where you were politically, that these veterans were defending and protecting all of us." Jackson lost both legs and was severly burned in Iraq in 2003. Two of his uncles- both veterans of the Vietnam war- inspired him to go into public speaking. "The most rewarding thing I have been able to do is learn how to relate my story, injury and experience and transform it to a message that will touch those that may be struggling with an illness or divorce or just the stress of life, or even those that just want to hear an interesting story." says Jackson, the father of six.

  He has named his public speaking company The Right to Bear Stumps. It symbolizes what some say is another difference of these wars. "Amputees- they don't  cover it up," says Dick McLance, Anderson's mentor at Pride Mobility, the Pennsylvania-based wheelchair manufacturer for which Anderson is a national spokesman. "In previous wars, guys that suffered amputations always covered it up."

   Wounded Vietnam veteran Dave Roever, himself a successful public speaker, says he has trained about 500 wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in public speaking at Eagles Summit ranches in Colorado and Texas. Telling their stories, he says, helps wounded vets "offload a lot ofo stress that before became a disorder." One of Roever's pupils, former Army sergeant Brian Fleming, 27, of Fort Worth, was burned over his face and nearly half his body when the military truck he was riding in was blown up by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2006. Fleming gave his first speech to 2,000 people while still in burn bandages. Afterward, he says, a young woman approached him, delared, "if you can get through what you have gone through, I can get through this." "That was a game-changer," Fleming says. "All of a sudden, all of the pain I had gone through had helped someone else." His message includes a survivior's defiant humor. His Texas license plate bears a Purple Heart and the vanity insignia: "NICETRY" "A guy blew himself up trying to kill me, and he was the only one who died that day," explains Fleming.

  As a minority in American population, the reaction of the public and civilians to the unnamed heroes are slowly changing for the better. As the next century progresses, and as more war veterans are becoming confident in sharing their injuries and experiences, civilians and soldiers are once more united under the American flag. Veterans are beginning to be able to hope for normal lives again, with the improvement of social media and as the public's reaction to their reentry into the world outside of the battlefield.

 

Sony Chief Unveils Plans to Revive Company

Grace
Current Event Posting #3
Sony Chief Unveils Plans to Revive Company
Author: Hiroko Tabuchi
Publication Name: New York Times
Length of Article: 876 Words

     Lately, Sony's chief executive, Kazuo Hirai announced new goal for Sony. It was announced that the new goal for Sony was to revive the company because of the unprofitable televisions lately. There has been rise in company rivals such as apple, manufacturers from South Korean, and China. Also, due to unprofitable business, there has been cut about 10,000jobs. This is interesting to know what's going on between companies especially Sony. In my opinion, Sony has been one of the leading companies of electronics but since there are a lot of other companies rising and making much more profit and advancing further for the devices it is true that it would be hard for some companies especially Sony. Because there are a lot of companies advancing their electronics further, Sony is also planning to advance their electronics further to make more profit and bring back job opportunities that was once lost. It'll be interesting what other devices from Sony will develope and bring new surprises to people. It's amazing to know how far we are going with our skills to develope such electronics. Overall, I hope to see what Sony can come up with to increase their profit.

 

Brain Tumors Linked to Dental X Rays

Darrion Yang

Posting #3

Health

Brain Tumors Linked to Dental X Rays

Elizabeth Landau

April 10th, 2012

CNN

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/10/brain-tumors-linked-to-dental-x-rays/?hpt=he_c2

Length of article: 2 pages.

The journal "cancer" published this week the dental X rays have been linked to brain cancer. The specific type of cancer is known as meningioma. The tumors start in the layers of tissue surrounding the brain and put pressure on the brain itself. Generally there is a 20 to 25 year lag time in between radiation exposure and the cancer. Although it has been linked, it cannot be proven that dental xrays do cause cancer. Dentists have spoken against this, saying that the studies were not well done and need further verification. However, radiation is known to cause tumors, so this is not a surprise to many people. Usually, the people who get these tumors are older folks, who were exposed to older technology. When they first came out with dental x rays, the radiation dosage was much higher. The mean age to get this affliction is close to 60, showing that it is much more common in the previous generation then the current one. One reason for this is possibly because people are taking x rays too much. it it recommended that one get their teeth x rayed once every two to three years. Unfortunately, many dentists with try and get people to have thier xrays taken. X rays generally will add a small amount of money to the bill, so dentists prefer this. Hopefully, people will listen and begin to take xrays every few years, instead of taking one whenever they see the dentist. People who have been getting regular x rays cannot do much to help themselves, but this should serve as a warning. Only get x rays when one is actually injured.

Kid who sold kidney for iPad helps police arrest five in organ trading scam

Andrew Posting #3

Topic: Health

Title: Kid who sold kidney for iPad helps police arrest five in organ trading scam

Author: Mike Wehner

Publication Name: Yahoo News

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/kid-sold-kidney-ipad-helps-police-arrest-five-191527813.html

Date of Publication: April 10, 2012

In June of last year, a 17-year-old Chinese boy had sold his kidney for $3500 USD so he could chip in for a new ipad 2. His kidney was apparently sold for around $35,000 USD. The young man known as "Wang" was questioned by his mother who knew that he could not have afforded an ipad 2. Today, Wang is in a hospital suffering from renal deficiency due to the shady kidney removal operation. However, his involvement in the underground organ black market has allowed the police to identify the 5 perpetrators involved in the illegal operation. Two of the perpetrators are surgeons at a local hospital and are now facing charges. The third man identified was in charge of organizing the operation. He allegedly took most of the profit to pay off his gambling debt. Information about the remaining two criminals remain unreleased. A majority of public opinion in first world countries about this incident describe it as appalling. Some commentors blame this incident on the over-value of material objects. While others proceed to scrutinize parental guidance and education in developing countries. However, few of these people can truly empathize with the boy named Wang. Despite the complete idiocy Wang may have demonstrated. The boy most likely suffered from psychological irrationality due to his poor background. Having seen the many modern conveniences and gadgets brought to China's developed areas, the boy most likely developed an extremely strong coveting to experience some of these modern "wonders". The boy weighed his choices and consequences on an unimaginable scale, which we may consider to be illogical and unreasonable.

Baboon Reading Skills

Shreya Rao
Period A
Posting # 3
Topic: Science
Title: Baboon Reading Skills: Research Shows Baboons can learn to spot real words
Author: Seth Borenstein
Publication: Huffington Post
Date of Publication: 4/12/12
Article Length: 1 page

Experts have experimented with baboons which shows that baboons are able to pick up the first step in reading  which is being able to recognize recurring patters and determining which combinations are words and which are just gibberish. Baboons and other monkeys have been known to be good pattern finders and is similar to the way we humans do in the process of learning to read.  It is still far from actually being able to read because they do not know the meanings of the words.  According to one study, in 300,000 tests given to six baboons, they were able to distinguish between the real and non-real words 3 out of 4 times and were rewarded with food for every time they got an answer correct.  These experiments were conducted in France but the researchers used English words to create the tests because it is considered the language of science.  These baboons did not just learn to identify these words by trial and error but were able to recognize which letters had a tendency to go together which helped them to improve as they continued through the test.  The key to the success of this experiment was that these baboons were not forced to a computer testing station to complete these tests but were able to choose when they wanted to take the tests by having access to computer booths which were open throughout the day.  This type of experiment setup gives researchers more trials in a shorter period of time.  Researchers are baffled at how these monkeys solve problems in their head without language.

Kyle

Current Event Posting #3

A period Sanderson

4/12/12

Topic: North Korean Rocket breaks up in flight

Published by: CNN

Date published: Friday, April 13, 2012

Original Article Author: Tim Schwartz
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/12/world/asia/north-korea-launch/index.html?npt=NP1

The Korean's failed rocket launch and their reactions

          Recently on CNN, an article about the North Korean's attempt at launching a long-range rocket into the atmosphere failed. They were attempting to get it to orbit the earth successfully and release a satellite that was attached to the rocket. As a result, the rocket broke into pieces as it entered the atmosphere, and then fell into a body of water (ocean) near Korea. Many of the Japanese authorities have been denying that there are any negative impacts of the failed launch, and have been under question by the local media. Many of the nations in the UN have been trying to find a way to put the environmental problems caused by this and make North Korea clean it up. Furthermore, the fact that North Korea failed to launch a missile showed many of the nations that the North Korean missile program (that was a potential threat before) was entirely exaggerated. As such, they are seen as less of a threat by the US, along with many other nations, since they couldn't even get a satellite orbiting the Earth. As the North Koreans tried to hide their humiliation, the North Korean scientists were all trying to figure out what went wrong and how they could fix it. The missile itself was called the North Korean Taepo Dong-2 missile, and we had to track it down to retrieve it. Eventually, many US officials asked the North Koreans why they wanted to send the satellite into orbit. They responded that it was for researching purposes, and that they could use it as a satellite for constant communication for camera shots out in orbit.
          As many officials in the US are commenting, they continue to make jokes about North Korea. They say that they have an "unblemished track record of failure", and proceed to bash on why North Korea is not a major country in the world today. Furthermore, to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again soon, the U.N. council is meeting friday to discuss this incident, and will ask North Korea to stop violating safety regulations. As North Korea should know by now, their unprecedented actions are isolating them as an island. Their country is being avoided by many countries to avoid conflict, and they are like Japan during the ages of exploration (kept to themselves). Statistically, many of North Korea's previous rocket attempts have also failed, and this just adds to their tarnished record. In 2006, another missile that they launched failed in the first 40 seconds into flight, which shows major flaws in design.
        In my opinion, they should really stop trying to design rockets to make them appear as a threat. Perhaps they should take the peaceful path and just go along with what the other nations are doing. Symbiosis between nations can be good for the overall society, especially in a progressive one like the one we live in in this status quo!

Awake or Knocked Out? The Line Gets Blurrier

Name: Daniel F
Posting: 3
Topic: Health
Title: Awake or Knocked Out? The Line Gets Blurrier
Author: James Gorman
Publication: New York Times
Date of Publication: 4/12
Article Length: 804 words

Experiments done by Michael T. Alkire, Harry Scheinin, and Jaakko W. Langsjo at the University of Turku in Finland show that deciding whether a person is conscious or not is far from a simple manner. There are important consequences, for example, when is a patient 'brain dead' and when can their life support be terminated? What is going through the brain during surgery?

First of all, there is the problem of defining what it means to be conscious: does it mean just some brain activity, the ability to respond to a command, to carry a conversation, or is it more? The experiments done place people under anesthesia, and examine what the people who were supposedly 'unconscious' were able to do. With modern technology, they were able to determine how the brain is active under anesthesia.

What they found was surprising: investigators showed that a person could respond to a simple command to open his eyes when the higher parts of the brain were not yet turned on. Earlier research has also suggested that consciousness is not a simple state that is either on or off. In 2006, for example, Adrian M. Owen, of Cambridge University in England, reported in the journal Science that a patient who was apparently in a vegetative state showed signs of conscious activity in her brain when asked to imagine playing tennis and other movement.

The standard measure of unconsciousness is that a subject or patient does not respond to commands. By that standard, when a subject responds, he’s conscious.

In Dr. Scheinin’s study, when unconscious subjects on this drug were told to open their eyes, they responded. Then most of them drifted back into apparent unconsciousness, without their brain’s neocortex turning on. Only the brainstem, the thalamus and one part of the cortex were active.

And in the broad view, there’s that problem of memory that Dr. Alkire wrote about: if even the patient has no recollection of surgery experience, was he really aware?

In conclusion, the problem of consciousness remains a grey area and is hard to simply define in terms of 'on' or 'off'. Various levels of consciousness may mean that patients can have experiences under anesthesia, even though they may not react or remember them.

Putting brakes on stuck pedals

Jenna Melville

Posting #3

Topic: Technology

Title: Putting brakes on stuck pedals

Author: Joan Lowy

Publication Date: April 13, 2012 (Boston)

Publication Name: Boston Globe

http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012/04/12/override-systems-proposed-for-stuck-gas-pedals/DH5Sk1PR2oSYzDOoSC1FGK/story.html

Length of article: 2 pages

Although there is only a proposal for a law, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been thinking about adding a override system to cars. This system would activate when the gas pedal and brake are applied at the same time or if the accelerator system disconnects. It would be required in any new car weighting less than 10,000 pounds. Toyota recalled 2.17 million vehicles that were obstructing the gas pedal or were trapped by mats/carpeting. This invention will minimize the risk of accidents, and lower the amount of accident deaths. But the proposal doesn't address the issue that drivers accidentally use the accelerator when they mean to break, which is a bigger problem for other drivers and pedestrians. The NHTSA still hasn't made a decision about regulations for vehicles for this reason, and we may not see an answer in a while.

All in all, it has come to the NHTSA's attention that many cars have been victim to crashes due to faulty gas pedals. They are trying to do something to fix it, but they haven't made a decision yet. Boston Globe doesn't know when they will make a decision on this matter.

Tony Jin
Current Event #3

Politics
Santorum Suspends Campaign, Clearing Romney's Path
Written by Tom Cohen, 4/10/12
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/10/politics/campaign-wrap/index.html

1826 Words.

Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has suspended his presidential bid on April 10, 2012. Previously he had been the second favorite among the Republic Party, after Senator Mitt Romney. Despite his avowing to continue fighting, and confidence in a comeback in May, he has suspended his campaign, most likely for good. Even after his suspension, he still holds the support of the conservative amongst his party. That is why Romney is so desperate for Santorum to revoke his earlier criticisms and instead step in behind the now virtually unopposed candidate for the Republican nomination.

There has been an especially nasty bashing amongst the fellow party members, but if Romney garners the support from his ex-competitors, he may have a chance against Obama for the presidency in the election later this year. This is quite important because the next president will still be faced with the issues of the recession and the war in Iraq. The next few weeks will be critical for him because the currently split GOP does not stand a chance against the democrats. Though both candidates take fairly similar stands on these hot points, Obama still holds the advantage because he is popular with the public, and because he is currently in the White House.

"Really? Constant Stress Makes You Sick"

James.  Post #3

Topic: Health

"Really?  Constant Stress Makes You Sick"

by Anahad O'Connor

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/really-the-claim-constant-stress-makes-you-sick/

Date published: April 9th 2012

Length of article: 1 page

Scientists have known for a long time that psychological stress can increase illness.  Diseases linked to stress are colds, flu, heart disease, and allergies.  It has recently been discovered in research that the link is through the hormone cortisol.  What cortisol does for your body is release a burst of energy at times of stress.  The body's immune system reacts to infection by creating inflammation related to sneezes, coughs, or fevers. Too much inflammation is harmful and cortisol keeps the immune response under control. 

When a person is stressed, he or she has high levels of cortisol and the body responds by becoming less sensitive to it. A body resistant to cortisol has higher inflammation and therefore more severe symptoms of illness.  Carnegie Mellon researchers found that healthy adults in stressful situations who had been exposed to cold viruses had the most resistance to cortisol, and developed colds.  They also showed more inflammation and stronger cold symptoms.  

This article is important because inflammation is linked to several different diseases, so scientists are seeing a strong link between stress and many illnesses.  The article is meaningful for the population at Gunn because we often find ourselves in situations that are stressful.