Children with Phones?

 

            According to a survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, the majority of teenagers get their first cell phones when they reach the age of twelve or thirteen. Many believe that it is okay to get their twelve year old children cell phones, some even younger, but why? Children at that age do not need them. Kids under the age of twelve should not own cell phones because they can develop an unhealthy addiction to them that may have many negative impacts on their lives.

            First, children at the age of twelve or younger will become obsessed with their phones and forget about everything that is going on around them. Many get anxious when they forget their phones at home and are too caught up in that fact that their hands are not on a cell phone that they might not enjoy what they are doing at all. This can be a big problem considering that “a Japanese study revealed that children with cell phones often do not make friends with their less-savvy peers” (news.ufl.edu). This study comes to show that when children begin to grow an obsession and “love” for cell phones, they may become more anti-social. At the ages of ten through twelve, kids should be focusing on making friends, not having their eyes glued on cell phones. Also, “a Hungarian study found that three-fourths of children had mobile phones” (news.ufl.com). This number is extremely large; this generation kids will be getting iPhone 5’s at the age of ten. When kids begin to understand that there is more use to a phone than just making calls, such as texting, apps/games, social media, etc., they begin to slowly cut off from the real world. For example, social media. Social media is a very broad topic. When it is broken down, words like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook appear. . Kids do have accounts for such apps like those and that is one of the main ways people in general can get attached to their phones, but being that young can be even more difficult to stop playing on the phone, which can lead to the children not being mentally, emotionally, and socially healthy. Also, as kids, they do not really understand how cruel and mean people can be on the internet and they may get severely bullied online from an extremely young age.

            In addition, kids who do receive cell phones at a young age end up being very anti-social and dependent on their cell phones. To illustrate, there was a girl named Amy Peterson. Her parents had gotten her the first version of the iPhone when she was ten.  Amy constantly nagged her parents to get her it ever since she saw the “magical”, she claims, commercial. Of course, just like anyone else, she was very excited and pleased to have her hands on the coolest new technology. Her parents got it for her, but, made it clear that she only uses it for emergencies, but that message did not really come through to Amy. Once Amy realized that there was more to a phone than just calling, her eyes were constantly attached to her phone. In just one week, she had downloaded about twelve apps and thirty new songs. One issue is that when she had the iPhone, none of her friends had phones quite yet, so she could not call or text them, which strayed her away from them. Amy never got off her phone and her friends did not appreciate that she was so dedicated to her phone, so they ignored her and left. At that point, Amy did not care if she had friends or not, she was convinced that if she just had her phone, she did not need anything or anyone else.  But as mentioned previously, around the ages of ten through twelve, kids should be focusing on friends and enjoy just being a kid and have fun. Amy did not realize that until she was fourteen. Now everyone in Amy’s class has cell phones and since she has all of their numbers, they talk frequently. On the phone that is. They text a lot, as well. Honestly, when they sit together they find it awkward and suddenly feel as if there is nothing to talk about and feel like there has to be a phone attached to their ears to communicate to one another. This story comes to show that, where cell phones may have many advantages, no child at the age of ten or even twelve needs a cell phone. It may, in a way, ruin their social lives.

            Some believe that parents have the right to get their children cell phones, which is true, but do you really want to ruin your child’s social life? This position is weak because there really are not reasons for a ten or eleven year old to get a phone. The most common reason as to why parents get their children cell phones is because most of them say that their kids might have an emergency when they are in school or if the parent is not with them, but there is always a solution. In the matter of an emergency at school, there are always phones at schools in the front office open to students who need it in case of an emergency. Also, at the age of eleven or twelve, I do not really think parents let their kids go to the mall or anywhere else by themselves or with people who do not have phones. Even if they do, there is always mall security or any kind of security to contact. So in any scenario, there will always be a solution.

            To sum up, children under the age of twelve should not own cell phones because they may become obsessed with them and affect their daily lives in an awful way. Children at that age should not be attached to technology and lose the opportunity of living the carefree life as a kid. Next time your kids nag you to get them a phone; will you make the decision to keep them mentally and socially healthy or to teach them to depend on their cell phones?

           

cigarettes legal vs. illegal

Sabreen Alharsha

Ms. Shukairy

Freshman Writing

10/27/13

Cigarettes Legal vs. Illegal

About 8.6 million people in the united states have at least one serious illness caused by smoking. There are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. When burned,they create more than 4,000 chemicals at least 50 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous. (lung.org )The question is, with all these dangerous chemicals in the cigarette why are they still legal? Cigarettes should be illegal because they are harmful.

In other words, smoking-related diseases cause about 443,000 American deaths each year. That means that for every person who dies of a smoking- related disease there are 20 more people who suffer from at least one serious illness associated with smoking. Also smokers die significantly earlier than nonsmokers: 13.2 years for men and 14.5 years for women. Most of the chemicals used in the cigarette are bizarre like arsenic-used in rat poison, benzene-found in rubber cement, Naphthalene-an ingredient in moth balls,and methanol-a main component in rocket fuel. ( lung.org )Many other drugs are illegal and they can cause deaths. Cigarettes can cause deaths to so cigarettes should be illegal ?(weak analogy)

With all of this in mind my father is still a smoker. He's been a smoker for thirty-five years and counting. About eight years ago he developed a disk in his lower back. He recently had a heart attack because the harmful chemicals in the cigarettes clogged his arteries and caused the blood not to circulate to his arms or legs. During surgery they added seven stent into his body to open his arteries. A stent is a piece of metal put in the body to open/ keep the arteries open. My grandfather from my mothers side is also a smoker. He's been a smoker for about seventy-one years. He had a heart transplant from how bad it was. Recently he went blind because of his smoking. He will never be able to see again. They will both be taking medication for the rest of their lives. Also imagine if each box of cigarettes costs about $8.00 and there are ten cigars in the box and they each smoke about one pack a day. That would be at least $56.00 a week saved if it was smoking was illegal.

Cigarettes should be illegal and not be sold in stores because they are harmful to the people who actually smoke and harmful to the people around them, the secondhand smokers. It has been said that smoking one cigarette in a house would take about 6 months to get rid off. Also if cigarettes are illegal it'll be so much easier to quit which would save a lot of money and lives. Cigarettes also cause pollution so they also hurt the environment. And lastly it gives a bad example to the next generation of children.

Some believe that smoking can cause less stress. This position is weak because smoking is not the only thing that can cause less stress there are many other things to even wipe out stress completely. Many are just using the stress as an excuse. They might believe that cigarettes cause less stress but is it really gonna cause less stress when their on their death beds. Stress is not even a good enough reason to be on your death bed 10 years earlier. (cancer.gov )

In conclusion cigarettes should be illegal because they are harmful to the consumer, the secondhand smoker, to the environment, and to the children. The cigarette don't necessarily help in any ways and they are very costly. Also most of the chemicals used in the cigarette are very disturbing to be in the body. Without cigarettes many families wouldn't be in need of money, most people wouldn't be sick and in need of medical attention. Cigarettes should be illegal so that it can be easier for most smokers to quit. And they should quit because who wants rocket fuel in their body? Also a result of smoking makes the consumer lose their sense of taste and smell, who would want to risk that for a cigarette.

Works cited page

1.“Harms of Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting.”(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cessation ) 10-27-2013

2.”What's in a Cigarette?” ( http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/facts-figures/whats-in-a-cigarette.html )10-27-2013

Animals In Captivity???

Dania Odeh

Shukairy

Honors Writing

11/03/13

Animals In Captivity

Can one imagine that a chimpanzee would rip off someone’s face? Well, when put in an unfamiliar habitat, this could happen. In most cases, when wild animals are contained in a smaller environment, it can cause unusual behavior and violent actions. Animals such as whales, chimpanzees, lions, tigers, or sharks should not be captured and put in captivity. If they are, then it can cause problems like sicknesses, mental problems, and uncontrolled behavior. Keeping animals in captivity is wrong because the animals could loose control and possibly injure someone, as well as the financial cost. 
To begin with, there are many cases where animals were put in captivity and ended up hurting someone. “Every year, captive exotic animals are involved in incidents in which humans are injured or even killed” (www.bornfreeusa.org). About four years ago, in Orlando, Florida there was an incident with Shamu, the killer whale, and his trainer, who has been with him for fifteen years. During one of the shows, Shamu leaped from the tank, pulled his trainer in, and dragged her around until she was decapitated. This happened in front of thousands of people. Even though Shamu had been with his trainer for many years, he still could not control instinctive behavior.  There was another situation with a chimpanzee named Travis, his owner, and a friend of the owner. One day, Travis was acting out; he would not go into his cage. The owner thought it was best to call her friend, who was experienced with animals, to come and help control Travis. Once she arrived, Travis immediately jumped onto the friend’s face; firmly planted his hands deep into her face, and ripped it off. Loud shrieks came from the owner and the neighbors who soon found out. When animal control arrived, they had no choice but to put him down. The friend is luckily alive, but she is blind, lost a hand, and a nose. Again, this is one of many stories that show the violence that can come from animals being put in captivity. 
Additionally, It takes a lot of time and effort to capture animals from the wild, get a cage/tank to keep them in, and to pay for the animal’s medication. The average amount of animals taken into Zoos and Aquariums is 751,931, with a variety of 500 species (statisticbrain.com). The Zoo, the Circus, and the Sea World people all spend billions of dollars on tanks or cages for the animals. Most of the time, the habitat for the animals is too small, because the animals are use to a limitless amount of space. Sometimes, the whales are put in dolphin tanks, which can affect how the whales acts and feels. To save money, most parks will get a satisfactory tank, which doesn’t always satisfy the animal. Also, it costs a lot for food and gadgets to capture the animals. Each animal needs a certain amount of food and some owners will try to cut down on food, which can cause sicknesses for the animals. When an animal gets sick, it might become serious and require a special doctor, which costs a lot of money. Altogether, to pay for all the expenses for all the animals it can cost millions of dollars. 
Likewise, a shark that was put in captivity attacked a friend of my family. The shark was taken from his home and put in a tank made for a dolphin. The shark was not use to environment, so he started to act out. My friend was with a group of people who where observing the trained shark. At one part of the tour, the group got in the tank with the shark. When my friend got in, she started to touch the shark and everything was fine. Then, after a while, the shark lost control and bit her arm. There was blood everywhere and everyone started to panic. Luckily they managed to get her out and they called the ambulance immediately. She is able to use her arm, but it is still very painful for her. The shark was trained for years not to hurt people, but a wild animal is still a wild animal. It is hard to change an animal from wild to tame.
Some believe that animals should be kept in captivity, because they can be protected from other dangerous animals, but this position is weak, because putting animals in captivity may protect them, but it can still hurt them severely. Some people say that it is helping the animals by taking them in and protecting them. This is a very good point, but sometimes it is hard to protect the animals if you do not know exactly what they need. Another good point is if animals are kept in captivity, then they can be well fed and taken care of. This position is weak, because most of the time people don’t know exactly how much to feed the animals, because they could over feed or not provide enough.  It may be difficult for others to completely be aware of the animals needs.
Animals that are put in captivity may miss their home and environment and can lead to devastating events. To capture animals and put them in captivity is not right, because it may cause some uncontrollable behavior and lead to injuries or even death. When the animals are contained in a small habitat, it can lead to outbursts of violence and bring harm to others. Unfamiliar places can also unleash bad behavior from the animals. It might be best to let wild animals express themselves in the wild, so no harm can come to others. 

Reference List

USA, Born Free. “Animals in Captivity.” bornfreeusa.org. 11/03/13.

Harden, Seth. “Captive Animals.” statisticbrain.com. 11/03/13.

Siestas

Siestas

            Coffee. 54% of Americans drink three cups of this beverage to get through an average work day. (statisticbrain.com)What if there was a better way to focus and energize without the addictive drink? Taking a siesta is a healthy way to focus and energize without side-effects. Siestas should be institutionalized on a governmental level as a part of American life because they have many benefits.

Siesta literally means “fifteen to thirty minute nap” in Spanish and usually takes place from 2:00 to 5:00. The siesta has origins that are found in Islamic law and is written in the Quran, the holy book of Muslims. (siestsawareness.org). “And of His Signs is your sleep by night, and by day, your seeking of His bounty. In that, surely, are Signs for a people who would listen."(Quran 30:23).Spain is renowned for their two hour long siestas which became a necessity when farmers slept during those hours to avoid having to work when the sun was at its strongest (donquijote.org).

Nowadays with air-conditioned homes and offices siestas are not needed to escape the heat, but they grant many other benefits. Taking an afternoon nap improves alertness by a 100% which reduces accidents at work and on the road. This is very important since 85% of Americans are sleep-deprived (CDC.gov). According to the CDC, sleep deprivation is a public health epidemic. Not getting enough sleep can prove to be fatal when factory workers fall asleep on the job and fail to operate machinery correctly. Or when one is driving home and falls asleep at the wheel. By taking a short nap these accidents can be avoided. Along with improved alertness, productivity increases by 30% which is better for work places. An employee can return to work feeling rested and motivated (siestaawareness.org).

People who take midday naps also have more energy, are happier, and less stressed. Being happy and less stressed can prevent heart problems by 34%. A short nap provides energy for the day letting people be productive outside of work as well as at work. Recent studies have shown that humans have a biological need for afternoon naps. Human beings feel drowsy and tired during early or mid- afternoon. This tiredness is not as prominent during the daytime as it is during the night, but it still is effective enough to reduce our performance (siestaawareness.org).

 As a child I had never liked taking naps. In pre-school nap-time was horrible. I never slept during that time and my teachers knew that as well. I did not appreciate naps until I got older. I had piles of homework and started feeling tired during the school day. Most of my friends felt similarly. However, I remembered when I was younger my dad used to take short naps sometimes when he came home. He would instruct us to wake him up after thirty minutes. I thought it was foolish to take a nap during the day. Did it really help? My belief was if you had enough sleep at night there was no need to sleep during the day. Even though I didn’t believe in siestas I soon began to notice something; he always seemed refreshed and ready-to-go.

Some may argue that siestas are a waste of time because it prevents people from doing something more productive. This position is weak because siestas improve many cognitive functions (siestaawareness.org). A short nap provides energy and motivation to get through the rest of the day. Siestas provide a solution to the lazy, tired part of the afternoon.

As it can be seen, siestas should be institutionalized on a governmental level as a part of American life because it provides many assets that can improve an average American workday. Siestas leave people more energized, alert, productive, and healthier. While others may argue siestas are a waste of time, the benefits that come with this fifteen to thirty minute nap outweigh those opposing this view. Siestas are a healthy way to combat the unproductive part of the afternoon without side effects. Rather than grabbing another cup of coffee, replace it with a better alternative, a siesta.

 

Gambling should be Illegal

Yasmeen Lowe

Shukairy

Writing

November 4, 2013

Gambling Should Be Illegal

            Which is more important, money or family? Gambling is a game of chance, risk, and luck; it can be as serious as an addiction to alcohol, drugs or tobacco. Jim Morrison once said “Drinking is like gambling somehow. You go out for a night of drinking and you don’t know where you’re going to end up the next day. It could be disastrous. It’s like a throw of dice.” Gambling should be illegal because it can have devastating effects on one’s life and family.

            To start, gambling is popular in the United States. Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in the U.S. players loses $6 billion a year at Las Vegas Casino. This shows that gambling is very addictive, and that when people gamble they won’t stop until they have used up all their money. Gambling also generates more money than movies, spectator sports, theme parks, cruise ships, and recorded music combined. This says that gambling is a moneymaker, and that it is very popular (pbs.org).

            On top of that, Gambling can cause an individual to make decisions he/she never thought they would make. Katherine Natt overdosed on Panadol and Nurofen the same day as losing $4000 on a 29-minutes poker machine. This woman committed suicide after losing $4000 to a poker machine; she had two kids, but she couldn’t cope with her addiction so she thought taking her life was the best thing. This woman went from a “responsible person with her money” to "a person who thought taking her life was the only way out"(adelaidenow.com.au).In just 18 months. Her mother stated that gambling machines are "cash cows designed to strip money away from the people that need it the most"(adelaidenow.com.au). Some people think they would never commit suicide over things such as money, but when a person believe that the only out of this situation is suicide. They may do things they would never dream about.

            Finally, gambling can also have a devastating effect on not only the individual but the families too. It can cause financial problems such as debt which can lead to foreclosure. A mother of 3, who always handled the family finances, but she hadn’t paid the mortgage in a year, instead she gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars playing slot machines” (articles.chicagotribute.com). This is talking about how a man’s wife used the money to instead of pay the mortgage, she used it for gambling. Their house went into foreclosure but eventually the husband was able to get out of his bankruptcy, and pay it, the couple later got a divorce, the wife,  piled with debt, and unable to pay child support committed suicide.

            Some believe that gambling should be legal because not only do people have a chance at losing their money, they also have a chance at winning a lot of money. This position is weak because even though if they win, they may want to try again so they can win more money. Eventually they will lose, and their money will be gone, because they have spent it all on casinos, and gambling. They would want to go back and try again, and then over time it will slowly evolve into an addiction.

            In conclusion, gambling is a game that can put his/her life at risk. Gambling can cause people to do things they would never dream of doing, and it can cause your family to suffer. If someone is about to gamble they should ask themselves this “Is it really good for me? Even if it’s fun, is it worth my time? What are the risks?”

Works Cited

"Gambling Facts & Stats." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.

Rhodes, Dawn. "Woman Paid Ultimate Price for Addiction, Ex-husband Says." Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.

Wills, Daniel. "Mother Who Lost Daughter to Pokies Begs Julia Gillard Not to Give up on Gambling Reform." Adelaidenow. N.p., 21 Jan. 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.

essay

A Problem With The American Government

Well, the American government is giving money and support to Israel some many times. This money is what Israel uses to kill Palestinians and take over the land Palestine. Therefore, American government should not fund Israel. If America wants to be kind or befriend with a group of people, the American government could use the money to give to poor people, educating Americans, or even save the money to pay the United States of America’s debt.

In fact, Palestine is badly affected when the United States trade with Israel and gives them money, because they are befriending with them. And there are also might be Jews that work with the American government so all these facts effect that the American government will not agree on the contrairy, that the government should not fund Israel or give them help. Also then, Americans do not understand in Islam and that what they are doing leads to a bad situation or even a war because Israel may be planning a war to take over Palestine, and then Israel will kill Palestinians.

Thus, Israel has many companies in America and in all over the world that sells their products like GAP that sells clothes, they make. In brief, what Israel makes is also from the money given to them from the American government. In this way, when any one buys from them they get the money to persecute Palestinians, support the Israel army, troops and more other things, but people who buy do not know the point. Although, the materials Israel uses to make their product are from Palestine. While Palestinians can't manage things like companies, factories and making things that will get famous to sell.

The American government should not support Israel because Israel uses the money and support to buy guns that kill Palestinians, and use the money for other things that are bad. So America is not helping, it is actually destroying, the opposite. Although, America will not agree on this opinion because some are Jewish and they want to do it for their culture and America wants to remain friends with Israel. In some peoples opinion, America has to give money to Israel, because Arab will murder the Jews. While other think that this statement is not true, because Israel is killing Arab, and Arab could have a reason to kill them, if they could, because Israel is taking a land from its family and the people who lived there from a long time.

In conclusion, the American government should divest from Israel, because Israel uses the money to persecute Palestinians. And this is bad to many people. Allot of people hope that America stops giving money to Israel and also hope that Palestine becomes a free land.

Down Syndrome

Yara Star 

Mrs. Shukairy

Writing 1

10-30-13

Down Syndrome

            If you were diagnosed with Down Syndrome, would they want to be in a classroom full of special aid teachers and students or would they want to be in a normal class and treated equally? I’m sure people would want to be in a normal class. People want to be treated equally and not feel that they are different because of their disability. People don’t want their looks or actions to tell who they are. They want to be independent like the other students and work on their social skills for their future. Most people think that if they are in a mainstream classroom, it would help them build their future. Kids with Down syndrome should be integrate in regular classrooms because most students would benefit from such interaction.

            Parents hope that by placing a child with a disability into a classroom with normal kids, they would get a better education and become more independent in society. If they go into mainstream classroom parents hope they would have a bigger group of friends, better social lives, and they could improve their speech, language, and behavior. Many parents choose to overlook the negatives in hopes that their child will get a well-rounded education.

            This topic affects me because I have a little brother and his name is Zaid. He was born with Down syndrome. My family and I didn't know that he was going to be born with a disability and neither did the doctors. When he was born my family and I knew that we had a big responsibility coming our way. We got therapy for him and he went through a lot. He is five years old now and he is still in special education class. He doesn't speak properly so that’s why my mom doesn't want to put him in a mainstream classroom. She thought it over and she asked for my opinion. I told her that it would be best for him if he would have classes with the regular kids because he would benefit from them in so many ways and also that teachers are going to help him till the end.

            Some believe that students with a disability should not be permitted into mainstream classrooms. They believe that the student will cause a distraction by not being at the same level with the class. Another reason is that they might be harmful to others and themselves. The student with the disability might hit other students and that might result in bullying when it was not meant and was supposed to be an accident. This position is weak because everyone should be equal in their way and they should not be judged by what they look like, but how they really are on the inside. Regular kids will benefit from the kid with Down syndrome. They will benefit because they might have a family member who has a disability and they will learn to handle and treat them right. They will have experience from their classmate and they will get along just fine without and harm or mistreatment.

            All in all, everyone was born to be somebody and kids with Down syndrome or any other disability such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, blindness or deafness, etc. everyone was created with a brain and it is there for a reason. It means that you can think and you have feelings. You are just at a slower pace than other students. Kids with Down syndrome should come together in mainstream classrooms or regular classrooms because all students would benefit from such communication. In our English classroom, we are reading a book called “ Petey” and it is about a boy who was born with Cerebral Palsy and he was misdiagnosed as an idiot by the way he looks. After that we watched a documentary about a boy named Peter with Down syndrome and how he was put in a mainstream classroom and how he developed through his life till he graduated from high school.