Arguments about the superior sex usually always start off as a friendly conversation but very often escalate to a heated debate very quickly. Men and women love to try to prove that they’re better and do so in almost every category possible. Arguments vary from who’s smarter all the way to who can make a better sandwich. One topic that always seems to be brought up is who’s the better driver, males or females? Most women will argue that men drive way to aggressively while most men say women drive too cautiously. One race has to be superior but which one is it?

Driving ability can be determined by a couple simple things. One of the things that can be looked at is who gets into more accidents? For this category woman have the upper hand, by a land slide too. In the year of 2013, men were responsible for 71% of total motor vehicle deaths compared 29% for women.  This is consistent throughout the years too as men have been involved in more motor vehicle deaths dating back to 1975 (www.iihs.org). These statistics can be connected to the aggressive nature that is usually described for mens driving habitats.

The next set of data to be looked at is who receives more traffic tickets. Traffic tickets are a great way to gauge who is following the rules of the road. Men also dominate this category, and not in the good way. Whether it’s reckless driving (3.41 to 1 ratio), DUI (3.09 to 1 ratio), or speeding tickets(1.75 to 1 ratio) men have a higher rate in every category (www.statisticbrain.com). This data shows that women drive more cautiously and have higher respect for traffic laws.

The last set of data to look at is cell phone use while driving. Picking up the phone while driving imposes a huge threat on the road and is proven over and over again to be a huge distraction to the driver. In a study done by The US Department of Transportation, it shows that women do indeed pick up the phone more frequently then men do. From this study we can conclude that men do a better job of staying concentrated on the road and ignoring distractions.

Looking at accident causalities and traffic violations it appears that women are the clear cut winners in this debate; however there is one major flaw in this data. The flaw of those data sets is that they don’t take into consideration time spent on the road. According to a study done by Arbitron, men drive on average 136 more miles weekly than women with a ratio of roughly 1.57:1. By spending that much more time in cars men have much higher exposure to accidents than women do. That exposure could be a main reason why men appear to be worse drivers in those statistics.

Taking all of this date in and adding the exposure factor it’s hard to make a clear cut decision but I do believe one is superior to the other. As a male it pains me to say this but from these data sets I deem females as the superior drivers. Men do spend much more time on the road but not enough time to overcome the massive amounts of car accidents and traffic violations they receive compared to women. So next time you’re set to take a long driving trip, maybe the girl in the car should drive.

Images

http://www.askmen.com/dating/dating_advice_600/669_arguing-in-a-relationship.html

http://classroomclipart.com/clipart-view/Clipart/Safety/talking_on_cell_phone_while_driving_jpg.htm

Bibliography

“General Statistics.” Highway Safety Research and Communications. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

“Male and Female Driving Statistics.” Statistic Brain, 25 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Tacinelli, Glen. “The National In-Car Study.” Arbitron, 2003. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Utter, Dennis. “Passenger Vehicle Driver Cell Phone Use.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1 July 2001. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Nothing starts a day off better than a fresh cup of coffee. As a frequent coffee drinker I’ve been settled into this ritual for a few years now but standing at only 5’6 I wondered if this habit of mine had anything to do with my height. For as long as I can remember people always told me that coffee stunted people’s growth and because of that you should wait until your an adult to drink it. Could drinking coffee at an early age stunted my height? I really didn’t know, so I thought it’s time to find out.

Coffee’s relationship with stunting kids growth all starts with the amount of caffeine in that cup of coffee. In a single cup of an 8 ounce cup of coffee there is anywhere between 80-135 mg of caffeine, that is more than any other energy drink. (http://www.math.utah.edu) That’s a lot of caffeine and back when they though caffeine was a risk factor for osteoporosis, it’s very easy to see where this claim came from. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle. This occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the removal of old bone.(http://www.mayoclinic.org) Looking at the symptoms of that it’s obvious why people said that. If caffeine cause osteoporosis, and coffee is one of the most caffeinated drinks, it only makes sense that coffee makes all aged bones weak causing them to not grow properly. It makes so much sense I have to be correct, right?

Actually no, I’m not right at all. The claim that caffeine causes osteoporosis has been proven to be a type 2 error on many levels and as of recent been rejected by multiple studies. According to ClevelandClinic.org caffeine has absolutely no affect on men with osteoporosis and the affect with women is still under speculation. Rheumatologist, Johnny Su, stated “While several studies have shown those relationships, the data overall are not entirely conclusive”. Even with these statistics still up in the air, doctors and scientist can still agree on one thing, its fine in moderation. Su also stated “If you drink those beverages in low amount – less than 400 milligrams – that’s probably OK”. Less than four hundred milligrams just means less than four cups of coffee a day and since the average female only drinks 1.9 cup
s a day, this shouldn’t be very difficult (www.zagat.com).
More evidence to show that coffee doesn’t stunt growth can be seen in a study that tracked 81 adolescents. The study was done by the Penn State Young Women’s Health Study in 1998. They put the adolescents into three groups, each group with a different level of caffeine intake per day. Their results found that there was no difference in body bone mineral gain during the ages 12 to 18 or of hip bone density at age 18 with all three groups. They concluded that dietary caffeine levels didn’t effect bone gain or hip bone density. This research can be further looked at here, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

The study overall was carried out very well but there are some things to point out. The study was observational and not a double blind placebo since they were assigned to each group and a specific type of person was selected. Since only white females were tested an argument could be made that caffeine only doesn’t effect that type of person. However we can prove that wrong because of Su’s studies that show caffeine has no affect on men’s bones and the affects on women’s bones are still under speculation. The study’s high caffeine group had a mean of 77 mgs a day which is much lower than the 400 mg amount that Su said women shouldn’t go over. So we still have no hard evidence about what occurs when over 400 mgs is consumed by women.

Looking at this data it seems safe to say that caffeine has no effect on the bones, especially in moderation. If a kid wants to have a cup of coffee or two, let them, it’s not affecting their growth. We believe that the only reason that myth came about was because of the connections to osteoporosis. With various new findings showing that caffeine(especially in moderation) can’t be proven to be linked to osteoporosis, there is absolutely no reason to even think caffeine stunts growth. So I guess my coffee drinking habitats as a teenager had nothing to do with my height after all. Looks like I’m going to have to keep on sipping.

Pictures

http://www.risk.net/operational-risk-and-regulation/feature/2015703/comprehensive-risk-control-self-assessment-methodology-iii

“Coffee Consumption Statistics.” Zagat. Web. 21 Oct. 2015. – https://www.zagat.com/coffee-trends

http://www.dailytimesgazette.com/coffee-offers-more-benefits-than-just-keeping-you-awake/21937/

Bibliography

“Coffee Consumption Statistics.” Zagat. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

“Effects of Caffeine.” Effects of Caffeine. University of Delaware, 1 Oct. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

“How Much Caffeine in Drinks.” University of Utah. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

Lloyd, T., NJ Rollings, K. Kieselhorst, DF Eggli, and E. Mauger. “Dietary Caffeine Intake Is Not Correlated with Adolescent Bone Gain.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 17 Oct. 1998. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

O’Connor, Anahad. “The Claim: Drinking Coffee Can Stunt a Child’s Growth.” The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2005. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

“Osteoporosis.” Diseases and Conditions. Mayo Clinic, 13 Dec. 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

“Sodas, Tea and Coffee: Which Can Lower Your Bone Density?” Health Essentials. Cleveland Clinic, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

College students are known to be some of the busiest people around. Trying to find time for a social life, sports/exercise, and sleep all while maintaining good grades almost seems impossible, but it’s something many college kids face. When they are
attempting to do this and find themselves in a situation with a big exam the day and no prior studying, an all-nighter seems almost inevitable. With no where else to turn, these students often turn to “study drugs” to solve all their problems. Although it may solve their short term problems by giving them the boost they need to get through the night, they’re only hurting themselves more in the long run. 

The most two popular “study drugs” are known by the names of Adderall and Ritalin. Both are drugs prescribed to kids who suffer from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and that speed up the transmission of electrical and chemical signals throughout the central nervous systems. They speed up the transmissions by increasing the brain activity of norepinephrine and dopamine. The drugs help increase focus and motivation while reducing fatigue and hunger. (http://www.healthline.com)

The night before the big test, these “study drugs” might seem like the perfect answer. They’ll get you through the night with great focus but college students usually don’t know what they’re actually giving up for those late night studying hours. Natalie Rich, the alcohol and drug intervention specialist at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, explains how the drug causes exhaustion and depression. “People who use these drugs only on occasion to study are much more likely to crash once the drug has worn off,” Rich continues to say “The crash can cause exhaustion and depression because the body’s energy supplies and dopamine have all been used up.” The more commonly used the drug is the worse these crashes may become. The National Institute on Drug Abuse also states that Adderall can cause hallucinations, impulsive behavior, paranoia, and irritability. Those extra study hours may have been beneficial; however I don’t think the other outcomes will help out as much. (www.hercampus.com)

The long term effects that come with the consistent use of these drugs may be even scarier, mainly addiction. All drugs post the threat of addiction but study drugs in particular posy a high potential for abuse. They are classified as a schedule 2 drug, abuse of these types of drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence (http://www.drugs.com) . No user ever intends to get addicted to the drug but it may very well happen, for example Richard Fee. Fee was an intelligent, talented student-athlete at Greensboro College. Fee started off buying adderall off his friends until he falsely convinced doctors he himself needed a prescription. Once Fee completed undergraduate school he moved back home to study in preparation of his medical school exam. Poor scores on the exam lead him to take higher doses which lead to mood swings and the other health effects mentioned above. This all continued to add up until the one November night where Fee could no longer take it and proceeded to hang himself from his bed room closet. The death of Fee shocked many and left his loved ones devastated (http://www.today.com). This is just one example of how addiction to these types of drugs can greatly effect the user and their loved ones.

These side effects are often slept on by students and overlooked. In a survey of 1800 students done by Alan DeSantis, a professor at the University of Kentucky, 81% of students interviewed “not dangerous at all” or “slightly dangerous”. (www.cnn.com) This is just another reason the abuse of the “study drugs” is a growing problem. Students ignore the health risks and just take the pills based off what their friends tell them. “Dude it’s sick, you’ll be up all night” “Just wait until the night before, pop an adderall and get all your studying done easy”. Those are common things said about adderall that might persuade the student to take adderall and completely ignore the actual facts about the drugs.

No one is saying a college kid has it easy, there are many other ways to get work done then cramming the night before with a “study drug”. Something as easy as setting your week up ahead of time with something like a planner might be enough to prevent you from cramming as a whole. If that’s not your style and you still want to get that late night cram try something like coffee which can give you that same energy boost without any of the additional side effect!

Images

http://www.hightimes.com/read/adderall-americas-favorite-amphetamine

http://scitechdaily.com/the-algorithmic-approach-to-the-mathematics-of-cramming/

Bibliography

Flam, Lisa. “Dad’s Word of Warning: Adderall ‘changed’ My Son.” Today.com, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

Gladu, Alex. “Using Study Drugs To Get Better Grades: Why You Should Think Twice.” Her Campus Media, 18 Apr. 2015. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

“List of Schedule 2 (II) Drugs.” Drugs.com. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

Morris, Susan. “Adderall vs. Ritalin: What’s the Difference?” Ed. Susan Bliss. Healthline Networks, 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

Yanes, Arianna. “Just Say Yes? The Rise of ‘study Drugs’ in College – CNN.com.” CNN. Cable News Network, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

Each high school morning for me was the same routine, wake up, eat breakfast, shower, spend about 15 minutes deciding what to wear then hop in my car and drive to school. Once I got to school I’d notice the same things everyday, the same cliques wearing the same outfits. These outfits clearly showed who was a part of each group; which it is always good to be able to express who you are, but they also cause much drama. Things such as people getting picked on for dressing one way, or people often unfocused on school and only caring about how they look. It made me think, could all this go away if my school, just decided to implement school uniforms? I gave this question a deeper look.

As more and more public schools switch to school uniforms, more and more studies are being done on the subject. Virginia Draa, a researcher at Youngstown State, examined test scores and attendance, graduation and suspension rates at 64 high schools in Ohio’s eight largest public school districts(http://www.cleveland19.com). Of the 64 high schools only six had school uniforms, so those were the ones she looked at. She concluded from these studies that school uniforms address problems with discipline and attendance in a school building.

In these studies she found that the graduation rates for the schools that implemented uniforms rose nearly 11% from the p
re-uniform years. That is a substantial amount especially since the schools in the same areas mean graduation rate dropped 4.6%. Mean ex
pulsion rates also dropped by 0.6% in that time for schools who implemented school uniforms. These numbers seem drastic and if that’s all we looked at it’d seem like a very easy decision to be made; however there are some other variables that need to be taken into consideration.

The biggest variable that could cause these statistics is the parents of the kids in these areas. What if the parents were the reason for the uniforms in the first place? If the parents are the ones who pushed for the rule that shows they are very likely to be involved in their child’s school performance. They’ll push their kids to do well which could be the sole reason for the increase in school performance. On the other hand what if the reason the other schools didn’t get uniforms is because the parents don’t care about what their kids are doing in school what so ever? Those kids who are not pushed by their parents may not see the same value in school as those who are causing their graduation rate to be lowered.

Another thing is the way the study was carried out. Draa carried out a correlational study and as from class we all known that correlation doesn’t always mean causation. Also the study only focused on six schools of the 64 she contacted which is a very small scope. Since only six were focused on, it increases the probability that chance was involved.

As seen above there are multiple flaws in this study conducted by Draa; however, there are also many other studies that back up Draa’s findings. One can be found in the Long Beach Unified School district with a study done by Pacific Standard (http://everydaylife.globalpost.com). Long Beach one of the first school’s to mandate uniforms, saw a decrease in student crime by 36%, decline in student fighting by 51%, and a decline in sexual offenses by 74% by implementing school uniforms. Also a survey conducted by Lands’ End School Uniform (http://www.naesp.org) showed that 85% of school leaders believe that uniforms improve classroom discipline and 86% believe uniforms have made a significant, positive impact on peer pressure. Those are a few of the many studies that back up the work of Draa.

“School uniforms are one step that may help break the cycle of violence, truancy and disorder by helping young students understand what really counts is what kind of people they are.” Those were the words of former President Bill Clinton after Long Beach unified school district implemented school uniforms (http://everydaylife.globalpost.com) and after doing much research on the topic I agree with him. Although I do not believe school uniforms improve grades, as these studies did not have strong evidence for that, I do believe that they reduce disciplinary issues. With the students all wearing the same cloths it’d become very difficult to figure out who was in which clique based off their appearance, students wouldn’t be harassed, which protects many students as much as it helps keep kids out of trouble. So remember next time when your little sibling complains about their new school uniform, it’s only gonna help take out some drama and other distractions from their life.

Pictures

http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/Boys-school/p/sm/1064125233.htm#1064125233

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Smart-Sarahs-best-behaved/story-19482025-detail/story.html

Bibliography

Bowen, Sherry. “Should Kids Wear School Uniforms? – EduGuide.” Eduguide.org. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

Greenwood, Beth. “Does the Way Your Kids Dress Affect How They Do in School?” Everyday Life Global Post. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

“Study Says School Uniforms Might Help Attendance, Graduation Rates.” Cleveland 19 News, 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

Tucker, Kaylen, and Molly Hawkins. “National Survey of School Leaders Reveals 2013 School Uniform Trends.” NAESP, 30 July 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

“What are you drawing”

“A liger”

“What’s a liger”

“It’s pretty much my favorite animal, it’s like a lion and tiger,bred for its skills in magic”

(Lines from Napoleon Dynamite can be found at http://www.script-o-rama.com)

Everybody may be familiar with this scene in Napoleon Dynamite, but does anyone actually really know what a liger is? They actually do exist, and I can tell you one thing, they might be good for their skills but I’m not sure about the magic part.

Ligers come from breeding a male lion with a female tiger. This can only happen domestically though because lions and tigers do not exist in the same regions of the world. The first appearing of a liger came in South Africa during the 1930’s. The two species were put into the same cage and since both have very different habits it was expected for two animals to fight. But to the surprise of many, instead of fighting these two animals mated  and as a result, behold your first liger. Now, if you mate a male tiger with a female lion you will have a completely different species in a tigon.

The liger is no baby compared to their parents. In fact, they actually dwarf them. The liger is the world’s largest cat standing at nearly twelve feet tall on their hind legs and weight up to a half ton, which is almost double the weight of a wild lion or tiger. On the other hand, their sister cat is much smaller, the tigon is one third the weight of the liger. (http://ligerfacts.org)

The liger looks just like their parents but as mentioned above. Their color can be anything from white to gold to brown, with spots, strips or neither. Their teeth measure about 2 meters long. Unfortunately, these ligers have low fertility because the males are totally infertile and have a shorter life span. Which leads me to my main point, the breeding of ligers is completely inhumane.

The cameo made in Napoleon Dynamite pushed the liger breed into the limelight and increased breeding dramatically. They are breed that is only bred as an attraction to bring people to the zoo. Since it’s not made to happen, these cats are usually born with many birth effects and usually die very young. The few female ligers that are fertile are put at a great risk in delivery children since their offspring are so large, they very often need C-sections or die in the process of birth.

The title of “World’s Biggest Cat” is something cool to have, but the zoo’s that breed them may think differently. Once these cat’s get to a too dangerous size the zoo’s often “dispose” of them. Depression is also a very common thing in these animals as they often have conflicting behavioral instincts they are unsure which to follow. They’re prone to things such as cancer, disease and arthritis. They eat up to 45 kilograms of food per sitting and zoos often can’t reach this requirement which leads to hunger in these animals. (http://bigcatrescue.org)

When I first decided to do a blog on ligers, I thought “Wow, this is such a cool animal, I can’t wait to actually learn about it!” I was completely wrong. The more and more I looked into this animal I only discovered how mistreated it was, and how inhumane it was to create such a bread. This is something that is only, done to attract customers to the zoo’s to see a “freak animal” and nothing more than that. All we can do it raise awareness for the ligers and that’s all I hope this blog does.

Pictures from

http://firestormfan.com/2011/04/01/bwana-beast-liger/ (1st picture)

http://ligersandtigons.weebly.com/ligers-and-tigons—ligers-intresting-facts.html (2nd picture)

Bibliography

Hess, Jared, and Jerusha Hess. “Napoleon Dynamite Script – Dialogue Transcript.” Napoleon Dynamite Script. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

“Liger – Meet the World Largest Cat.” The Liger. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

“Liger Facts | Big Cat Rescue.” Big Cat Rescue, 11 Feb. 2015. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.