Ebola: Threat of overreaction?

Lately a new fatal virus has been spreading through Africa at a rapid pace. This virus is known as  Ebola haemorrhagic fever or Ebola for short. This virus that is believed to  originally come from fruit bats is spread between people from body fluids like blood. People may have been come affected first from animals. Once you get Ebola you might not even know you have it for another three weeks. Some symptoms to look for our fever,intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, nausea and sore throat. Then comes the ,vomiting, diarrhoea, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Of course you could have a different virus with just similar symptoms.  There has only been eight cases of ebola in the US. According to CDC there has been 8997 cases with 4493 casualties.

The US has nothing to worry about. We have some of the best medical treatment in the world and we shouldn’t be as worried as we are. The reason West Africa is having so much trouble with Ebola is because of their lack of health care and that the people there aren’t as hygienic as here in the US. I believe we shouldn’t as worried about Ebola. I don’t think the news should be covering Ebola as much as they do and focus on other virus like enterovirus D68 which has been paralyzing kids and is an actual realistic worry in the US. So yes I do believe that Ebola is an overreaction but it is still a dangerous disease. We must be careful, but we most likely won’t have anything to worry about.

~Kyle

Ebola vs. the Enterovirus: Which Should Scare us more?

Currently in America, two diseases have been taking over the news, and the lives of many people, lately. These diseases are Ebola and the Enterovirus. If you are anyone like me, you try to figure out a way to make sure these illnesses came no where near you, but do you really know what we are running from? They might have blown up in the news, but there is a lot that we need to bring to light about these epidemics in order to fully understand what they are, and which one is the bigger problem.

The definition of Ebola is “an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by a filovirus ( Ebola virus ), whose normal host species is unknown”. I am positive you don’t understand this, so let me break it down for you by giving you the facts. Lets start at the very beginning. The Ebola virus was first found in 1976 on the banks of the Ebola River and was suspected to have originated in bats. Smaller outbreaks have occurred over the years, but this is the largest yet. Reasons its so deadly is because it shuts down the immune system first, and can kill within a single week. With only a 50% survival rate, it makes sense why people would be so scared. But think about this. When was the last time you came in contact with someones bodily fluids? If your answer is never, then you’re in luck because you can only catch this virus by touching these things. Also, if you are a US reader, your chances of catching this are extremely low, so take a breather. Even the flu kills more than Ebola. Just be careful around those bodily fluids, okay?

The enterovirus however, is a different story. The definition of the enterovirus is “any of a group of RNA viruses (including those causing polio and hepatitis A) that typically occur in the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes spreading to the central nervous system or other parts of the body”. Kinda confusing? Let me explain. This virus was first identified in California in 1962, and hasn’t reappeared until now, meaning less people have developed an immunity to it. In the most mild cases, symptoms mimic those of the common cold including fever, runny nose, muscle aches etc. More serious cases can cause patients to have difficulty breathing and would lead to the patient having to be hospitalized. Some cases have also shown paralysis, but that is not very common. Scared yet? Its about to get worse. This disease not only has the symptoms of the common cold, but spreads like one. That’s right. Getting sneezed or coughed on, or by touching the surface previously touched by an infected patient can all cause a person to catch the virus. Because of this, the majority of hospitalizations have been with children. Nevertheless, teenagers are also at an inclined risk because of weak immune systems. However, as bad as it may seem, the Enterovirus season lasts from mid-May through mid-November, so its havoc has almost come to a close. Just make sure to keep clean, and prep for flu season.

In my opinion, I am more scared of the Enterovirus. This is because the symptoms are much like the common cold, so I feel if I caught this virus, I would probably think I just have a regular cold before I realized much too late that I actually have an extremely deadly disease. Also, because it is spread like a common cold, it seems extremely easy to catch. Plus, because I am a teenager and my immune system is weak, I have an increased risk of having a serious case. Lastly, unlike Ebola, the Enterovirus has made it into the state in which I live. Don’t get me wrong, the Ebola virus is a scary thing to think about, but overall, I think that based on the data I found that the Enterovirus is one I am most afraid of.

~Dagny

Fall is Here and it’s Taking us by Storm!

Get out your over-sized sweatshirts, your jeans, and Uggs! That’s right it’s time for FALL! Fall is the time of year to be stylish yet comfortable. For example a regular fall outfit for me would be a pair of my favorite black leggings, and an oversized sweatshirts with my tan UGG boots. I feel great, and I look great too! Fall can mean many things to a person. Cuddling by a warm fire, carving pumpkins with friends, or getting a new outfit! Fall also means Halloween! Halloween goes back to the middle ages, when poor people would beg for “soul-cakes” or a sweet treat, and pray for dead relatives to come back. Trick-or-treating however became popular in the 1800’s when children played pranks and then asked for candy. I’m guessing they didn’t get much! But by the 1950’s though, it turned into good old family fun and getting candy, like we know today. Another thing to think about that is on every kid’s mind is “What am I going to be this year?” The pressing question is one I know everyone thinks about at least once during fall! I know I do! So when you are thinking of what you’re going to be for halloween think of these few questions to help guide you:

-What haven’t I been yet?

-What have I been wanting to dress up as but never got around to it?

-What’s my favorite T.V show?

-Who’s my favorite character or actor/actress?

-Who’s my favorite singer?

Well I hope those few pointers helped! So, when you are preparing for the on coming fall season, remember to stay warm!

~Bre

Should Cheshire High School Have a Gymnastics Team?

  Gymnastics is a sport that many people are involved in or want to be involved in. That is why many towns have a high school gymnastics team for girls to participate in. High school gymnastics teams are a good idea because it offers another opportunity for girls in high school to get involved. High school gymnastics teams have a couple practices after school each week and several gymnastics meets on weekends as well as week days. However the gymnastics practices do not interfere with academics. Anyone is allowed to come and cheer on the high school gymnasts at their meets and show their school spirit. These are only a few of the many benefits that come with having a high school gymnastics team.

You do have to have a few specific skills to make the team as you would for any other school sport. However the required skills are rather simple so it’s not too hard for most gymnasts to make the team. Girls on high school gymnastics teams enjoy it because they get to be with their friends, they learn how to work as a team, and high school gymnastics is more about getting into it and trying your hardest rather than winning. This helps because there is not as much pressure as there would be when you are on a normal competitive gymnastics team. It is also convenient for parents because the practices are right after school so they don’t have to leave work early to bring they daughter to practice and it is also free. Some girls don’t have the chance to do gymnastics because it can be very costly and their parents might not be able to drive them. I think Cheshire High School should have a gymnastics team because it teaches girls to work as a team, it’s convenient for students and parents, and it gives girls another opportunity to get involved.

~Gabby

The College Football Playoff: A Trial Run For the Ages

 

For many years, NCAA Division I college football fans have been begging for a playoff system in the “postseason,” and this year, their wish is being granted. Starting this season, Division I FBS college football will have a mini “playoff” at the end of the year, with the four best teams in the nation (as voted upon by a selection committee made up of experienced officials) playing in a semifinal, followed by the championship game for the two winners. Leading up to the playoff, starting on October 28th, weekly rankings will be created by the same committee, listing the best 25 teams in the country in order. The old system, which was made up of one championship game in which the two teams were selected by a computer program, is different from the new system, in which the selection committee does it all without any help from computers. They only use necessary data and  their own personal observations/opinions to make their decisions. I have called this a “trial run for the ages” because if this new system doesn’t pan out well, it will most likely be reverted back to the previous method, much to the dismay of pretty much everyone.

I am a big fan of the college football playoff for most of the same reasons as everyone; it is more fair, exciting, and we get to watch more football. As I previously stated, unlike the old championship scenario, the teams involved in the playoff will be selected by real, experienced people, not computers. This allows unimportant and irrelevant information to be excluded from the decision, which wouldn’t be possible with computers. For us, we just get to watch more great, high-powered football as well. The semifinal games will be played on New Year’s Eve and New Years’ Day, and I don’t know one college football fan that wouldn’t like to end the old year and kick off the new one with exciting and well-matched football. Plus, this new popular system will increase revenue for the NCAA and all of the schools involved. For example, schools that make the playoff will be able to make merchandise for making the semifinal, possibly moving on the championship game, and then potentially winning it all.

Personally, I feel that this new, intriguing system will be a great thing for college football, and it will only continue to grow in these coming years.

~Mark

The Causes and Effects of Bullying

I know you’ve heard this before, but bullying is a huge problem for many people all around the globe. Bullying is when one person or a group of people make rude comments towards another or harasses them repeatedly. Cyberbullying is when someone is harassing someone via text messaging, tweeting, IMing, or even video chatting.

Why Does the Bully bully?

There could be many causes for people to feel the need to bully someone. It could be that they were feeling annoyed or angry that day and needed to take their feelings out on someone else, or because there are things going on in the bully’s personal life that they think no one can understand, so they push people who are trying to help them away, and a last cause could be because they think that making fun of someone will get them into the “popular crowd” or make them look cool. Trust me, bullying someone will get you nothing.

So What Happens to the Victim?

When someone is thinking about harassing someone, they don’t think about how their words would impact the person they’re bullying. If the bullies’ words have a negative impact on the victim, it will be harder and take longer to brush off. Most bullying leads to stress, depression, low self-esteem, and, sadly, suicide. And what hurts me the most is that once the bully has seen how bad their words and actions have impacted him/her, they then start reaching out. Doesn’t make sense, right? If in the end you’re going to start feeling bad about what you did, why do it in the first place?

Bye-standers

Bystanders. Yes, I know I spelled it wrong up there, but you’ll see why in a second. Bystanders are people who witness the conviction happening, but do nothing about it. If you see something happening, tell an adult, teacher, guidance counselor, or the principal. Doing this won’t make you a tattletale, it will help stop the interrogation from continuing on. Please don’t stand there and watch without doing anything after. You could be the key to ending the problem, so why don’t you do just that?

~Emily

Aerial Gondolas May Come to New York

The traffic in Manhattan is part of life there. It is slow moving and packed to the brim, whether you are on roads or the subway. A new idea has surfaced which could possibly change this. The idea consists of setting up multiple high-speed gondolas to move people along quickly. This is expected to help remove a lot of traffic, but at what costs? If you look at just money, it will cost roughly $100 million to complete. Critics argue this, as well as saying that it only helps the few who can afford waterfront housing, because of where it connects.

In my opinion, I think this is a good idea. I haven’t been to Manhattan, but I have been to other parts of New York. If Manhattan is as crowded as those places, then this is crucial in my opinion. It may be costly, but it also saves lots of money for the working class who drives to work, because they won’t be stuck in traffic wasting gas. It is a very innovative idea, one which has a lot of potential. I think it should be done, but let me know your opinion in the comments.

~Nick

Hockey, the Game of Excitement

The sport ice hockey is a very competitive game. I love this games, but it has many different rules. The basic object of this activity is to get the puck, which is a small black disk, into the opposing team’s net. There are rules that come with this sport and many positions. The rules can extend to many different levels for example, something simple like you have to wear a mouthguard or as confusing as offsides. Here I am going to teach you how to play the game of ice hockey.

Let’s start with the basics, which is the equipment. You would normally think that a hockey player looks like someone who is going on a camping trip in the middle of Antarctica. But really it’s for your own safety. What you need the most is a mouthguard, skates, knee pads, hockey pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, a helmet, and of course a stick. Everything is pretty much straight forward, and protects the body part that is in the name itself. There are also clothes that you might need to consider. The hockey socks that go over the knee pads are very important. They normally go by the color of your team that you are on. Also the jersey that you put over your shoulder pads and elbow pads is important because you can represent your team as well as your socks do too. This hockey equipment will help you not only stay on your feet when skating, but it will protect you from harsh injuries.

The second thing that is very important about a hockey game is the rules and the concept. There are three main rules that you must follow at all times or your team will suffer the consequences. The first rule is offsides which is when any player without the puck, from the other team skates over the defending team’s blue line when they are the first person from their team crossing the line. This might sound confusing but trust me, you will understand it better once you watch a game or play a game. When I was younger it took me some time too. The second big rule that everyone must follow to keep the game fair is icing the puck. Which means when a player from one team in their own zone shoots the puck all the way down to the other side of the ice and pases the other team’s goal line. However, if a team is on a penalty kill (when they have a player who got a penalty), then they could shoot the puck down into the attacking team’s zone and it wouldn’t be called for an icing. I think that this is really helpful because it is an advantage for you to regroup. The last main rule that is important to obey in hockey is always to wear your mouthguard. This is because there has been many incidents where kids forget their mouthguard or just don’t bother wearing it, and they fall down and injure themselves. Mouthguards are definitely not my favorite thing in the world, but I learned that it’s only there to protect you. The concept of the game is to get the puck into the opposing team’s net which would count as one goal each time you score.

The last thing that I want to go over is the positions of the players. There are four positions all together but there are only six players on the ice at once. Which is the one goaltender, the two defensemen, one center, and two wingmen. One of the most important positions is the goaltender. Which in my opinion, you have to be the most focused and ready for anything that may come at you. The goaltender’s job is simply not to let any pucks go past him/her into the net. The second positions is the two defensemen. They are the last players that have to stop the other team from getting to the net. They have to not only defend their zone, but they have to defend their net, and not let anyone by them. After them, is just the other team against the goaltender. I play defense and I personally like it the best because it gives me a good view of the ice. The next position is also very important which is the center. There is only one player who plays center while on the ice. He/she is like the quarterback on the ice, the center leads the attack by carrying the puck on offense. They have to play not only defense but offense at the same time. This position does the most skating through his/her shift. Last but not least is the two wings. There is one left wing and one right wing (just like how there is one left defenseman and one right defenseman). They are the two players who score the most or get the most assists. Due to the fact that they are always the first players to go into the opposing team’s zone.

I hoped that I helped you understand a little more about the game ice hockey than you did before you read this. Thank you for reading.

~Meaghan

 

 

Global Warming – Effects on the Polar Bears

 

Global Warming has been, and still is, a huge problem throughout the world. Global warming is an increase in the Earth’s average temperature regarding the greenhouse effect caused by increased carbon dioxide levels and other pollutants. Global warming has affected many animals, mostly the polar bears, because it makes their natural habitat a lot warmer than its supposed to be. This causes their resources, such as food, water, etc, to decrease because of the temperature. Once the Earth is rid of their supplies, the animal starts to die out because they have nothing left to help keep them alive.

Polar Bears Not So Polar

The main animal that global warming has affected the most is the polar bears. With the sudden increase in temperatures, the polar bear’s ice is melting. Ice is where the polar bears hunt and live in. With the ice melting, this is forcing them to swim to get to longer lasting ice. The only time polar bears are really supposed to swim is when trying to get food- seals. With them swimming longer to get to ice, this can lead to them drowning. See how many effects there are to global warming? It’s dangerous and we need to stop this from happening.

Goodbye Global Warming!

In my opinion, the world needs to stop looking for remedies to make people immune to the cold. That’s just not going to happen. Our world is so focused on getting the answers to problems we already have the answers to, that they don’t see the real problems right in front of them. Our scientists today need to start experimenting with global warming and trying to find a solution to it. I want my children to be able to go to the aquarium and see a polar bear. Not look at the home screen to my computer and say “Mommy, what’s those cute, fuzzy animals?” To which I reply with, “Oh, those? They’re the cute polar bears that our scientists never tried to keep alive.”

~Emily

Benefits of Learning a New Language

Even though learning a new language may seem like a very hard thing to do, there are many benefits to learning a new language. Learning a new language can provide brain growth, helping your brain in necessary areas. It can also help with your memory- children who grow up in a bilingual environment have better memories than children who grow up only learning one language. If you grow up in a bilingual environment, speaking two (or more) languages can improve your listening skills because the brain has to work to figure out the different languages. Lastly, knowing two different languages can improve the first language. It can improve the first language by drawing your attention to the rules and format of the language.

In my opinion, all people should start to learn a new language. Knowing two (or more) languages can help with brain growth, memory, listening skills, and improving the first language. For me, learning another language doesn’t just help me- I think it’s fun! It has also helped me learn about a new culture. Although it might be easier to learn a new language by growing up in a bilingual environment, I believe that learning a new language will benefit you in many different ways.

~Audrey