Flacco & Terry & The Special Olympics

Joe Flacco is the quarterback of the Ravens. He was on the 98 Rock Morning Show Tuesday. He will be doing the Polar Bear Plunge at Sandy Point State Park on January 24. He was involved with the Special Olympics in Delaware and now will be involved at Sandy Point State Park. Ravens’ offensive tackle Adam Terry took the plunge last year and he has invited Flacco to attend this year. Terry is a “season super plunger.”

I think this is a great cause for Terry and Flacco to be involved in. Many people look up to them and they can influence others to join. The Special Olympics are sports oriented and it is great to have Ravens’ football players there to be involved. Candace Whiting is a Special Olympics Athlete from Fredrick. She asked, Flacco to go in with her “five times.” She says, “For them to come and be apart of it. It’s huge.” I think Terry and Flacco are great role models. I watched a video in class called, "When Billy Broke His Head" which shows how physically and mentally disabled people are mistreated. The Special Olympics is a great association that gets people like Billy Golfus involved.


What do you think about the event?

watch at http://www.wbaltv.com/video/18010666/index.html

"Teacher Charged With Assault, Sex Offense"

I read an article called, “Teacher Charged With Assault, Sex Offense.” This article would make many parents concerned about sending their children to school. Police say, “Harford County sheriff’s deputies arrested a North Harford High School history teacher on suspicion that he has an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old female student,” which is terrifying for parents who have kids going to public and private schools. It is also scary because Harford County is not far from where I live.
Investigators said, “Brian Norman, 34, took the girl to a mall on several occasions and had conversations on the phone and through AOL instant messaging. The victim also said Norman slapped her on the buttocks lat month.” He is 34 years old and he touching a young girl. Teachers are not supposed to have relationships with students and cannot go out with each other outside of school.
Police said, “They found numerous firearms during a search of his Forest Hill home last month. They also said he threatened school officials.”

They said,“ Norman was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with second-degree assault, fourth-degree sex offense and threatening an employee of the Board of Education. He was released on $25,000 bond.”

It really makes me mad that this man is out on bond. He is walking our streets. He does not live far from Anne Arundel County. The fact that this man is a teacher is scary. Parents do not know who they are sending their kids to school with all day long. These people are strangers and they are teaching your kids. He has guns and has threatened a school staff member. Can you imagine if there was a shooting in school with your kids there? This article is going to make parents want to home school their kids. This is seriously wrong. The man was touching his student sexually. I think teachers should be checked on more thoroughly.

How does this make you feel?
Read the article at http://www.wbaltv.com/news/17985347/detail.html

"Bigger Daycare Puts More Stress On Kids"

I read an article called, “Bigger Daycare Puts More Stress On Kids.” It was posted November 14, 2008. Researchers say, “The stress hormone cortisol usually peaks in people in the morning, then decreases through the day.” Researchers have also found that “some preschoolers’ cortisol levels rise through the day when they are in full-day childcare.” Maybe there is a problem with the classes being too long and too crowded. Researchers found that “Children in classes of 10 or less were more likely to show the normal decrease, but those in classes with closer to 20 others tended to show a rise.”
Researchers conducted a study among teachers and students with questions. They took fluid samples from the students to test hormone levels. They discovered, “The study of 191 preschoolers at 12 places also found that children who are clingier with teachers had more stress. Researchers surveyed students and teachers, and collected saliva samples from children.”
They noted that, “The study appears in the November/December 2008 issue of Child Development.”




I think in bigger class room settings that the children feel like they cannot get enough attention from a teacher. The teachers are probably too busy with all 20 children and cannot give each child one on one attention. The children can also be feeling social anxiety from being around so many children. I also think that the children’s full day is too long. Children do have a short attention span. They also may feel separation anxiety from their parents so some cling to the teachers.

What do you think about this research and the results? What do you think causes their stress?

Read the article at
http://www.wbaltv.com/health/17979504/detail.html#

Washington Post "Study First to Link TV Sex To Real Teen Pregnancies"

I recently read an article in The Washington Post called, “Study First To Link TV Sex To Real Teen Pregnancies”. The author who wrote the article is Rob Stein. The article was released Monday, November 3, 2008. The lead researcher of the study is Anita Chandra. Chandra said, “Watching this kind of sexual content on television is a powerful factor in increasing the likelihood of a teen pregnancy.” She also said, “We found a strong association.” The study is published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association said, “We have a highly sexualized culture that glamorizes sex.” She also said, “We really need to encourage schools to make abstinence centered programs a priority.” Stein said, “But others said there is no evidence that abstinence centered programs work.”

The researchers conducted a questionnaire for more than 2000 teens from age 12-17 from 2001 to 2004. Researchers found that, “Based on a detailed analysis of the sexual content of 23 shows in the 2000-2001 TV season, the researchers calculated how often the teens saw characters kissing, touching, having sex, and discussing past or future sexual activity.” Chandra said, “Sexual content on television has doubled in the last few years, especially during the period of our research.” Teens followed along with shows such as “Sex and the City, “Friends”, and “That ‘70s Show.” Chandra said, “they included dramas, comedies, reality shows and even animated programs on broadcast and cable networks.”
So what can society do about this issue? Researchers recommended that, “parents spend more time monitoring what their children watch and discussing what they see, including pointing out the possible negative consequences of early sexual activity. Programmers should also include more-realistic portrayals of the risks of sex, such as sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.”

I personally agree with the results of this study. I have defiantly seen more sexual content on television. I also know many girls who are currently going through unplanned pregnancies. I have friends who are both male/female and they constantly joke and talk about sex. They talk about sex so casually. They do not seem to think of it as personal private information. They are so opened to talk about their sex lives. I defiantly see how teen pregnancies are becoming so common because of the way television and peers portray sex. I have male friends who make fun of other males who are virgins. If you are a male and you are a virgin than they think you are weird. If you are a guy who has many sexual partners than you are glorified as a pimp. If you are a girl and you have had many sexual partners than you are considered a slut . This is not a good message for people and it is not good pressure on people either.

I do not think Abstinence should be taught in schools. Abstinence is a moral issue and also a religious issue. I think people are going to have sex and the abstinence programs are not working. People should learn how to be safe. I also agree that the consequences should be talked about more. It is up to parents, friends, and the society to better influence these young teens. Teens should see more of the negatives aspects of sex. T.V . is making sex out to be a trend.


Do you agree with this research? How would you change things?