Friday, May 23, 2008

an embryo that is deaf

by Karrine Watts

In most families, the parents and children usually have similarities due to genetics and DNA. However, adopted children will not look the same or have the same resemblances as the adoptive parents.
In England there is a married couple. They are a happy couple with a young daughter. The whole family is deaf, even their daughter. Now in their early forties, the couple wants another baby. However, they can not get pregnant naturally. The family wants to use IFV to have a baby. They would select an embryo that is deaf in order to have a deaf child that will fit into their family.
This story is becoming very controversial. Many are saying that it is not fair to purposely have a child with a disability that will not make life easy for him or her. However, the parent’s fight back saying that the child should not be left out of the family and that being deaf is not a disability but a culture.
This couple just wants a baby to be similar to them. It would be difficult for a child to live in a family of deaf parents and sister. However, it is also not fair to the unborn baby to be born with deafness.

Senator Ted Kennedy

by Karrine Watts

On Saturday May 17, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts had a seizure. He was air lifted to Mass General for medical care and testing. Kennedy, 76 is the second longest running senator in Massachusetts. On May 20, doctors released the information that Kennedy has tumor in the left parietal lobe of his brain. Vomiting, seizures, and headaches can all be symptoms of brain tumors. There are two treatments for these tumors, radiation and chemotherapy. It has not yet been decided what treatment will be used for Kennedy, as more tests will be given. Although still in the hospital it has been reported that Kennedy has been in good spirits and full of energy. In the U.S. 20,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumors and more than half die within 18 months. Kennedy is the only living of his three brothers and hopefully can make it through this obstacle.

Text Messages to keep tabs on teen car traveling

by Lauren Hanley

“It’s ten o’clock do you know where you child is?” A question often played on Channel 5 News at Night to remind and test parents; it is a brief and thought provoking question. Good parents would be able to respond to this question accurately and others not so much. However, now with high-tech surveillance systems in teenager’s cars any parent can modify their teen's driving behavior every second of the day, from inside their car. It gives new meaning to the term “helicopter parents.”

“Data released Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that in 2006, 68 percent of drivers between the ages of 16 and 20 who were killed in car accidents at night were not wearing seat belts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is conducting a long-term study on the efficacy of tools to track teen driving and effect on accidents. “

GPS notification system alert parents when teenagers are driving over the speed limit or past curfew with a text message. Video and audio recorders are also available to capture footage of reckless driving or simply spy on the teenager.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, senior vice president for research Anne McCartt, as quoted by ABC News, said “Parents have had a mixed reply. Many teenagers feel as if it is an invasion of privacy.

What happened to trust within a family? Parent should trust their children to make the right decision and learn from their mistakes. Devices like this merely encourage parents to be imperious and snoop. If a driver has his/her license then they are capable of driving and following the rules of the road. If they did not possess this ability then they would not have passed the driving exam. After all, the driver has completed extensive driving time and classes, they deserve the privilege to drive without being stalked.

This notification system may also have a negative affect on a driver. The teenager may intensely worry about making a mistake in front of their parents causing the driver to dismiss their driving environment, resulting in an accident.

I highly doubt that the GPS system will have much decline affect on accidents; it will only tatter parent-child relationships. I get angry when my mom plays the 21 questions game before I leave the house. With her looking over my shoulder 24/7 as I am driving, I will go crazy. Teens are going to have a nervous breakdown and do even more scandalous actions to escape their parent authoritative eye.

Most importantly, this device is just plain creepy. What if someone other than a parent is watching the footage or getting the text messages as to where a driver’s location is. This really freaks me out.

Parents should just learn to trust their children and have faith that their teens are capable of driving; cameras and other nonsense are not necessary.

Utilize instant replay review!

by Patrick Ross

Football, basketball, soccer, hockey, tennis, lacrosse, and college sports all have one key thing that professional baseball just prefers to ignore; instant replay. For some reason baseball is the only major sport yet to utilize instant replay review. It is not that they don’t make mistakes, because they do quite frequently, they just put the whole idea to the side.
Yesterday, May 21, the Yankees and Orioles played at Yankee Stadium. Alex Rodriguez, coming off his recent quad injury, started the game and hit what should have been two homeruns, but turned out to be only one. His first homerun was an absolute shot to left field, deep into the stands. Then in another plate appearance in the bottom of the sixth, A-rod took a hold of another one towards right-center. He thought it was gone all the way, but noticed them playing it out so he ran to second incase. You could see him mouth the words “homerun, homerun,” on the television highlights. The umps got together and decided that it was only a double. It was not a huge deal because the Yankees had a large lead already, but when looking at the replay it was clearly a homerun. The ball traveled over the fence and hit a set of yellow stairs that were up higher than the fence, so as a result it bounced back into the field and the outfielder played it. It was not even close to being inside the park and everybody who covered the games highlights made that clear. Just a few games before, during the subway series between the Mets and Yanks, Carlos Delgado nailed a slicing ball to the left field foul pole. This time the umps called it a foul ball; once again the wrong call. The fan that caught the ball showed the camera man, along with everyone watching, the huge mark the ball left on the pole.
So why not just add instant replay? There is literally no possible way it could hurt. All it would do is help make more precise calls on homeruns, diving catches, and sliding plays at bases. So it doesn’t get used out of control they could do what the NFL does, and allow each coach two challenges per game. Even if they set limits to it, for example if it is only allowed on homeruns or plays at the plate or something; either way something has to be done before more important plays get blown. The homerun may not have been that important to the Yankees the other day, but if it’s during the game that decides whether or not they are making the playoffs, well I bet they would care then. Umps please, please go for this and say something to the league or you guys will get blamed for critical losses and plays. Instant replay is important to sports that use it, and exciting for fans to watch on and find out the call, so Bud (Selig) it’s time to face reality and make an addition to the league.

Northeastern University student from Connecticut was found dead

by Nicholas Papadopolous


A 22-year-old Northeastern University student from Connecticut was found dead in her Mission Hill apartment yesterday. Rebecca Payne was a senior and she was President of the Athletic Training Club. Her body was found later by fellow classmates as her door was ajar.
School shootings are becoming so common that they almost seem not newsworthy. Columbine and Virginia Tech are just some of the more publicized school shootings in recent memory.
As these shootings become more common, I am beginning to change my opinion on a very serious issue. If anybody had asked me at the beginning of this year whether or not video game violence is an issue, I would have laughed. Now, I am beginning to believe that the ever expanding violence that the youth cause may be related to an increase in video game violence.
With new HD televisions and games such as “Grand Theft Auto 4” and “Gears of War” with disgustingly real graphics, I think children have trouble deciphering what’s real and what’s fake.
Salesman will argue that the “mature” rating is there to keep the game out of kid’s hands. However, I personally have bought a game meant for 17 year olds when I was 15.
So, either salesmen should reprehended harder for selling mature games to underage kids or game producers shouldn’t sell the games to unlawful sellers

More athletes in trouble

by Chris Holland

“Akron basketball player Rydell Brooks was arrested early Sunday after shooting at police officers during a foot chase following a traffic stop, (AOL.com news).
What a surprise huh? Another athlete thinking that they are larger then life and getting themselves in trouble. According to AOL.com news, the 20-year-old Akron basketball sophomore got out of his car and shot at police while they were chasing him down. He now faces charges of attempted murder and felonious charges.
O.J anybody? O.J. Simpson, as everyone knows by now, allegedly murdered two people and got away with it because he was a big time athlete. Now I am not saying that Brooks is going to get without any charges, chances are he won’t, but as an athlete, you have to think that there’s a shot that the jury is going to let him off of the hook.
As previously stated before with the O.J. case, it wouldn’t be the first time that an athlete escaped the grasp of the law. Athletes such as Mike Tyson, Ray Lewis, and Michael Irvin along with O.J have gotten off of charges because of their status.
However, there is hope that someday athletes will be treated the same with Michael Vick being sentenced to prison. Also, it would set a precedent for future proceedings with athletes if Barry Bonds is correctly convicted of perjury. Hopefully, he won’t be another athlete who got off because of his high status as an athlete in the United States.

Cancer; just an obstacle, not a roadblock

by Kim Pham

Jon Lester knew everything. The second he let go of the 96-mph fastball, Lester knew. As it flew past the Royals' Alberto Callaspo to strike him out, Boston catcher Jason Varitek knew. And when the Sox dugout stormed the mound to congratulate the 24-year-old lefty, all of Red Sox Nation knew; Jon Lester had just pitched an incredible no-hitter.

Just months ago, Lester's future was shrouded in questions. During the off season, no one was even sure where he would be going; the Sox were practically offering him to Minnesota for Johan Santana. And before that, Lester wasn't even sure if he would live to see another day. The diagnosis of cancer almost eliminated Lester's life, let alone a career of pitching for the major leagues. He had been diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, forcing him to miss the end of the 2006 season. After months of treatment and aggressive chemotherapy, he was declared cancer-free, but many doubted Lester could regain his strength and prowess on the mound.

His emotional Major League comeback last July marked the return of Jon Lester, the bright prospect of the Red Sox. And despite a roller coaster year of inconsistent performances, he pitched the World Series clincher against Colorado for the Sox last fall, earning them their 2007 Championship. And on that fateful Monday night of May 19, Lester shut down Kansas City 7-0 for the first no-hitter in the majors this season.

No one saw it coming. For the thousands of fans who tuned in or showed up at Fenway, it seemed like just another game. In the midst of famous franchise names and less understated pitchers, Lester has remained under the radar for the most part of this season. But as soon as seventh inning hit, Sox supporters were already on their feet cheering for Lester's amazing pitching. The celebration at the ballpark was worlds away from the somber scene almost two years ago, when Lester had first been diagnosed with cancer. Instead of fading into obscurity as the pitcher who “would have” been great, he earned his title as the first Red Sox lefty to have pitched a no-hitter. In a truly inspirational fashion, Lester bounced back, much to the delight of Boston and much to the chagrin of Kansas City.

For someone his age, Lester has accomplished some amazing feats. He has played for a major league baseball team (and not just any, the Boston Red Sox!), battled cancer successfully, regained his strength and pitching skills, won a World Series Championship, and pitched a no-hitter; he's only 24. It's really heartwarming for fans nationwide to see such a talented and deserving guy smash records out on the mound, especially after just surviving cancer. Here's to the inspiration that is Jon Lester; let’s hope he stays around Boston for a very long time.