Jordan District Suicide Prevention
By Jojo Bridge
It’s a hard subject to talk about, but it affects almost every one of us: suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers, according to dosomething.org. Suicide affects us at a period of time when most of us are in high school. With that in mind, what are our schools doing to help? It is a question one may ask themselves while hearing some student body presidents discussing suicide prevention programs instituted at their local schools, which is a situation one may find themselves in if they happen to be a student body representative. We all know the required assembly that happens once a year about cyberbullying and suicide prevention, but what about the rest of the school year between these assemblies? What are high schools doing to help the mental health of their students? Braden Earl, student body president of Copper Hills, and Tyler Beckman, student body president of Bingham High School, said their schools were doing quite a bit.
In the 2015-2016 school year, Copper Hills had four student suicides, and, unfortunately, had another student suicide during their 2016 winter break. Braden Earl took time to discuss ways the school was dealing with the problem. Copper Hills is making a valiant effort to decrease or eliminate their suicide rate, and in theory, it is a good plan. Braden mentioned having hotlines on every teacher’s boards, their anti-suicide clubs, homeroom lessons about identifying the warning signs of suicidal ideation, and even how he’s challenged his own SBOs to go out every week and make at least one genuine friend with someone who they feel needs a friend. Tyler Beckman, student body president of Bingham High School, was interviewed in the middle of Bingham’s Hope Week, an entire week of activities aimed towards helping anyone struggling with their mental health. The activities included a Just Dance activity after school, a hope walk (to raise awareness), and more. Tyler also discussed Bingham’s recently developed Golden Gate Club, which was inspired by the story of a young man in San Francisco who was struggling with his mental health, so he decided he was going to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, and if one person smiled at him, he wouldn’t jump. According to the story, along his entire walk, not one person smiled. Kevin Hines, the subject of the story, vaulted off the Golden Gate Bridge. Fortunately, he survived and has become a mental health advocate. Bingham decided to take that story and make a club that would ensure that that smile would be there for anyone who needs it.
In conclusion, while these programs have a long way to go, these schools and students are making an effort towards helping students who might be at risk for commiting suicide, which is admirable. While suicide rates may not drop to zero this school year or next, these school leaders are setting up a good foundation for the years to come.
In the 2015-2016 school year, Copper Hills had four student suicides, and, unfortunately, had another student suicide during their 2016 winter break. Braden Earl took time to discuss ways the school was dealing with the problem. Copper Hills is making a valiant effort to decrease or eliminate their suicide rate, and in theory, it is a good plan. Braden mentioned having hotlines on every teacher’s boards, their anti-suicide clubs, homeroom lessons about identifying the warning signs of suicidal ideation, and even how he’s challenged his own SBOs to go out every week and make at least one genuine friend with someone who they feel needs a friend. Tyler Beckman, student body president of Bingham High School, was interviewed in the middle of Bingham’s Hope Week, an entire week of activities aimed towards helping anyone struggling with their mental health. The activities included a Just Dance activity after school, a hope walk (to raise awareness), and more. Tyler also discussed Bingham’s recently developed Golden Gate Club, which was inspired by the story of a young man in San Francisco who was struggling with his mental health, so he decided he was going to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, and if one person smiled at him, he wouldn’t jump. According to the story, along his entire walk, not one person smiled. Kevin Hines, the subject of the story, vaulted off the Golden Gate Bridge. Fortunately, he survived and has become a mental health advocate. Bingham decided to take that story and make a club that would ensure that that smile would be there for anyone who needs it.
In conclusion, while these programs have a long way to go, these schools and students are making an effort towards helping students who might be at risk for commiting suicide, which is admirable. While suicide rates may not drop to zero this school year or next, these school leaders are setting up a good foundation for the years to come.
Valley's Attendance Policy
By Apollo Crabtree
It’s finally 2017, and, so far at least, this year has kicked off with a half-decent start. However, I can’t help but notice a trend that’s been persisting. Many classrooms are eerily deserted, and once or twice I have arrived at a class to find myself the only student there. Has a silent killer been claiming their lives? Or have our students simply stopped caring about coming to Valley?
This, of course, resulted in many students pleading not to get out of consequences stemming from Valley’s strict attendance policies. It is a miracle that some of us are still here. And that brings me to the big problem: the Valley Attendance Policy is said to be applied to the entire school, but the enforcement is left up to the respective teachers. No doubt some of us are here for attendance issues (*cough* I don’t know what you’re talking about *cough*) and having such division between the teachers may be sending some mixed messages to students and perhaps teachers.
This begs the question, do we truly need an attendance policy, especially one as harsh as Valley’s? Being an alternative school as we are, we’re not technically bound by some normal Jordan District rules. Perhaps it keeps the wilder souls in check, but it’s punishing to those who have transportation issues or those who have important things in their lives to tend to.
Don’t get me wrong: this topic is quite complex, and has more than a couple facets beyond my sight. No doubt the administration here at Valley have discussed this at great lengths. Zero-tolerance might be too harsh, and no one would bother coming were it too lax. The balance is quite hard to find. I asked Melinda Fatani to spare a bit of time for an interview. Her thoughts on the matter were quite clear. “It bothers me that if you were to to ask all of your teachers about the policy, they would all probably say something different,” she said. “I think it’s frustrating, especially to students who rely on clear expectations.” When I asked her what she would change about the policy, she stated that she would encourage something more performance-based. “My policy and expectations [in my classroom] are the same expectations to maintain a job, so basically, if you’re not doing the required work, you won’t keep the job.”
Terry Jensen also spared some time to talk with me on the matter. “Our students know (what the attendance policy is), and I’ve been discussing this with them, that it’s three absences and you get an NC. But that third absence is negotiable.” And indeed, most teachers here at Valley are willing to work with you if it’s really an emergency. “I’m not going to mark a student absent if they’re paralyzed in a hospital. I’m just not.” He continued, “Quarters are usually about 18 class periods, but then when you start figuring in holidays and tests I find the average is about 16 periods. So when I plan my lesson plans for a quarter, I usually plan for 16 lessons. In a traditional school, in one quarter, you’ve got to be in class for 40 hours to get your quarter credit. Here, it’s 16 hours to get your quarter credit. You’re allowed two absences, that brings it down to 14 hours in class, and suddenly you take 4 [absences] that brings it down to 12 hours as opposed to 40. So, I think there has to be a balance, and I don’t think students stop to think about that.”
I also sat down in one of Terry’s classes as they debated this subject, and they came to a fascinating conclusion. They near-unanimously agreed that our attendance policy was fair as it is. What they found to be harsh however, was our tardy policy. Not only does there not seem to be an actual policy written down, but there were accounts of teachers locking their doors on students if they arrived late.
In conclusion, there may be right answer. The current policy has been in place for quite a while, and though it’s had it’s fair share of problems, would another solution be any better? In the end, as students, the best we can do is to simply attend class; unroot the problem at it’s source. After all, a problem can only be solved if you’re there to solve it.
This, of course, resulted in many students pleading not to get out of consequences stemming from Valley’s strict attendance policies. It is a miracle that some of us are still here. And that brings me to the big problem: the Valley Attendance Policy is said to be applied to the entire school, but the enforcement is left up to the respective teachers. No doubt some of us are here for attendance issues (*cough* I don’t know what you’re talking about *cough*) and having such division between the teachers may be sending some mixed messages to students and perhaps teachers.
This begs the question, do we truly need an attendance policy, especially one as harsh as Valley’s? Being an alternative school as we are, we’re not technically bound by some normal Jordan District rules. Perhaps it keeps the wilder souls in check, but it’s punishing to those who have transportation issues or those who have important things in their lives to tend to.
Don’t get me wrong: this topic is quite complex, and has more than a couple facets beyond my sight. No doubt the administration here at Valley have discussed this at great lengths. Zero-tolerance might be too harsh, and no one would bother coming were it too lax. The balance is quite hard to find. I asked Melinda Fatani to spare a bit of time for an interview. Her thoughts on the matter were quite clear. “It bothers me that if you were to to ask all of your teachers about the policy, they would all probably say something different,” she said. “I think it’s frustrating, especially to students who rely on clear expectations.” When I asked her what she would change about the policy, she stated that she would encourage something more performance-based. “My policy and expectations [in my classroom] are the same expectations to maintain a job, so basically, if you’re not doing the required work, you won’t keep the job.”
Terry Jensen also spared some time to talk with me on the matter. “Our students know (what the attendance policy is), and I’ve been discussing this with them, that it’s three absences and you get an NC. But that third absence is negotiable.” And indeed, most teachers here at Valley are willing to work with you if it’s really an emergency. “I’m not going to mark a student absent if they’re paralyzed in a hospital. I’m just not.” He continued, “Quarters are usually about 18 class periods, but then when you start figuring in holidays and tests I find the average is about 16 periods. So when I plan my lesson plans for a quarter, I usually plan for 16 lessons. In a traditional school, in one quarter, you’ve got to be in class for 40 hours to get your quarter credit. Here, it’s 16 hours to get your quarter credit. You’re allowed two absences, that brings it down to 14 hours in class, and suddenly you take 4 [absences] that brings it down to 12 hours as opposed to 40. So, I think there has to be a balance, and I don’t think students stop to think about that.”
I also sat down in one of Terry’s classes as they debated this subject, and they came to a fascinating conclusion. They near-unanimously agreed that our attendance policy was fair as it is. What they found to be harsh however, was our tardy policy. Not only does there not seem to be an actual policy written down, but there were accounts of teachers locking their doors on students if they arrived late.
In conclusion, there may be right answer. The current policy has been in place for quite a while, and though it’s had it’s fair share of problems, would another solution be any better? In the end, as students, the best we can do is to simply attend class; unroot the problem at it’s source. After all, a problem can only be solved if you’re there to solve it.
Protect Your Body
By Ireland Lowe
Recently, there have been eight confirmed cases of the measles outbreak in schools located in Grant County, Utah, and the school district has done their best to keep the virus from spreading to more students.
With few ways to defend our bodies from infectious diseases, we look for ways to prevent the contraction of diseases altogether. Humans have been plagued with diseases and viruses since we bagan walking upright, and with the growth of civilization, and condensed living situations, we have to learn how to combat sicknesses. With the growth of technology and medicine, we worry about just what kind of role those technologies will play in our everyday lives, and what they are going to do to improve our lives.
Critics of our newly elected president, arguing that he is anti-science, wonder what kind of changes our new president intends to bring to the scientific world. For instance, some are concerned by President Trump’s view on global warming. In a tweet about global warming, he said, “A lot of it’s a hoax, it’s a hoax. I mean it’s a money making industry.” To which NASA responded with an attempt to prove to Trump that global warming is not a hoax by saying, “Earth’s 2016 surface temperatures were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880.” Those concerned about his views on the sciences believe that President Trump’s constant head butting with scientists is a little concerning, considering this is the man who will be making most of the country’s critical decisions for the next four, or perhaps eight years. His views on global warming are problematic, but he has also suggested that he believes vaccinations are dangerous as well. Are we far off from him getting rid of vaccinations altogether? Especially if he believes that vaccinations are doing more harm to children than they are at helping them.
During a presidential debate, then presidential-candidate Donald Trump claimed that there was a relationship between autism and vaccinations when he said, “Autism has become an epidemic. It has gotten totally out of control. I am totally in favor of vaccines, but I want smaller doses over a longer period of time. And I’ve seen it. We’ve had so many instances, people who work for me, a child went to have a vaccine and came back a week later with a tremendous fever, very very sick, now is autistic.” Many Americans share this wariness of vaccinations. But why, and where did this fear originate? The danger and subsequent fear of a child getting autism from vaccinations was initially a claim posited by Andrew Jeremy Wakefield, a gastroenterologist (a physician who specializes in diseases of the digestive system). Wakefield published a paper on the effectiveness of a vaccination. In the paper, Wakefield talked about how the vaccines would eventually cause autism and other problems, and said, “The mumps vaccine was introduced for commercial reasons not for children.” Physicians and scientists found that the claims made in this paper were false, and Wakefield had no substantive evidence to support his claims. In the end, the article only sparked controversy.
People argue that vaccinating your child can lead to the development of autism, but the chances of a child obtaining autism this way are...impossible, according the scientific community. Autism is a developmental disability, meaning it’s something you’re born with, not something you can catch.
In a recent survey provided by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) stated that one in forty-eight children have been diagnosed with autism. Among the actual causes of autism, vaccinations have never been listed as a cause.
A vaccination is supposed to aid the body in preventing viruses and help it fight viruses when the body is infected. There are some who are concerned that we don’t know what exactly is going into our bodies when we choose to take these kinds of precautions. Some vaccines contain a preservative called thimerosal, which keeps germs from growing inside of the vaccines. Without it, harmful bacteria would be able to get in and the results could be deadly. However, some believe that the preservative contains hints of mercury, which even in small doses can be poisonous. When taken in, mercury has harmful effects on the body’s nervous, digestive and immune system, lungs and kidneys. If that’s true, the risks outweigh the positives. However, there is nothing to suggest that this is happening. There is no evidence or correlation between vaccinations and autism.
However, choosing not to have these vaccines can have extreme consequence on you and your children. You risk exposing yourself to even more harmful bacteria without the protection of a vaccine. Especially at school, where children are constantly interacting with others. When one child gets sick or comes in contact with an illness, you can bet that if they come to school, they’ll be spreading it to everyone. What starts as a minor flu, can be even more deadly to a child with a poor immune system, or someone with health issues.
Whether or not you choose to have the vaccination is one thing, but be aware of the possibilities when you don’t properly treat an illness. The human body is still a mysterious thing, and it doesn’t have all the cures for when it’s under attack and at it’s most vulnerable. Modern day medicine has provided us with the tools to combat harmful substances, especially diseases like the measles outbreak in Grant county. Why risk hurting your body or those around you when you have the opportunity to protect it and there is no scientific reason not to.
With few ways to defend our bodies from infectious diseases, we look for ways to prevent the contraction of diseases altogether. Humans have been plagued with diseases and viruses since we bagan walking upright, and with the growth of civilization, and condensed living situations, we have to learn how to combat sicknesses. With the growth of technology and medicine, we worry about just what kind of role those technologies will play in our everyday lives, and what they are going to do to improve our lives.
Critics of our newly elected president, arguing that he is anti-science, wonder what kind of changes our new president intends to bring to the scientific world. For instance, some are concerned by President Trump’s view on global warming. In a tweet about global warming, he said, “A lot of it’s a hoax, it’s a hoax. I mean it’s a money making industry.” To which NASA responded with an attempt to prove to Trump that global warming is not a hoax by saying, “Earth’s 2016 surface temperatures were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880.” Those concerned about his views on the sciences believe that President Trump’s constant head butting with scientists is a little concerning, considering this is the man who will be making most of the country’s critical decisions for the next four, or perhaps eight years. His views on global warming are problematic, but he has also suggested that he believes vaccinations are dangerous as well. Are we far off from him getting rid of vaccinations altogether? Especially if he believes that vaccinations are doing more harm to children than they are at helping them.
During a presidential debate, then presidential-candidate Donald Trump claimed that there was a relationship between autism and vaccinations when he said, “Autism has become an epidemic. It has gotten totally out of control. I am totally in favor of vaccines, but I want smaller doses over a longer period of time. And I’ve seen it. We’ve had so many instances, people who work for me, a child went to have a vaccine and came back a week later with a tremendous fever, very very sick, now is autistic.” Many Americans share this wariness of vaccinations. But why, and where did this fear originate? The danger and subsequent fear of a child getting autism from vaccinations was initially a claim posited by Andrew Jeremy Wakefield, a gastroenterologist (a physician who specializes in diseases of the digestive system). Wakefield published a paper on the effectiveness of a vaccination. In the paper, Wakefield talked about how the vaccines would eventually cause autism and other problems, and said, “The mumps vaccine was introduced for commercial reasons not for children.” Physicians and scientists found that the claims made in this paper were false, and Wakefield had no substantive evidence to support his claims. In the end, the article only sparked controversy.
People argue that vaccinating your child can lead to the development of autism, but the chances of a child obtaining autism this way are...impossible, according the scientific community. Autism is a developmental disability, meaning it’s something you’re born with, not something you can catch.
In a recent survey provided by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) stated that one in forty-eight children have been diagnosed with autism. Among the actual causes of autism, vaccinations have never been listed as a cause.
A vaccination is supposed to aid the body in preventing viruses and help it fight viruses when the body is infected. There are some who are concerned that we don’t know what exactly is going into our bodies when we choose to take these kinds of precautions. Some vaccines contain a preservative called thimerosal, which keeps germs from growing inside of the vaccines. Without it, harmful bacteria would be able to get in and the results could be deadly. However, some believe that the preservative contains hints of mercury, which even in small doses can be poisonous. When taken in, mercury has harmful effects on the body’s nervous, digestive and immune system, lungs and kidneys. If that’s true, the risks outweigh the positives. However, there is nothing to suggest that this is happening. There is no evidence or correlation between vaccinations and autism.
However, choosing not to have these vaccines can have extreme consequence on you and your children. You risk exposing yourself to even more harmful bacteria without the protection of a vaccine. Especially at school, where children are constantly interacting with others. When one child gets sick or comes in contact with an illness, you can bet that if they come to school, they’ll be spreading it to everyone. What starts as a minor flu, can be even more deadly to a child with a poor immune system, or someone with health issues.
Whether or not you choose to have the vaccination is one thing, but be aware of the possibilities when you don’t properly treat an illness. The human body is still a mysterious thing, and it doesn’t have all the cures for when it’s under attack and at it’s most vulnerable. Modern day medicine has provided us with the tools to combat harmful substances, especially diseases like the measles outbreak in Grant county. Why risk hurting your body or those around you when you have the opportunity to protect it and there is no scientific reason not to.
Your Pancreas, the Bubbly Meat Sack
By Bennett Schulze
The pancreas, a meaty bundle of mystery, an enigma. Shrouded in a lack of understanding hidden within all of us. This dual-tissue organ that’s 6-10 inches in length is located in the upper left segment of the abdomen and is pale yellow in color and is pear like in shape. Until relatively recently, it has been seen as similar to an angsty teenager, misunderstood and mildly worthless to the scientific community and the world in general. It wasn’t fully appreciated until the 1700’s when the realized it wasn’t just a little meat sack in your body.
The word Pancreas comes from Greek. It is a conjunction of the works “Pan” and “Kreas”, which respectively mean “all” and “meat”. At this point in time it was thought that the pancreas was a meaty cushion that dampened vertebral impacts. Now we understand the true function of the little meat sack.
The Pancreatic composition consists of 95% exocrine tissue and 5% endocrine tissue. The Exocrine tissue is responsible for the production of the hormones insulin and glucagon, both of which regulate the levels of sugar in your blood. These are vital to survival, but the endocrine are just slightly more important. Three enzymes are produced by the endocrine tissues or “Islets of Langerhans,” which looks like a cluster of small grapes. They are Trypsin and Chymotrypsin, which break down proteins in food for digestion, and Amylase, which breaks down carbs. These enzymes flow through a very small tube called the pancreatic duct into the Duodenum (upper part of the small intestines).
This is a really weird organ. When the cells are damaged, it can cause diabetes. It’s also surrounded by three major blood vessels. They are the Superior Mesentric vein and artery, and the Celiac Axis. If any of these were severed, you’d die in a matter of about an hour. It also secretes a fluid that contains Bicarbonate. Which is literally baking soda. Additionally, a healthy adult’s pancreas will produce about a liter of fluid a day. Although this is a highly complex organ, I firmly believe it should be called the Bubbly Meat Sack.
The word Pancreas comes from Greek. It is a conjunction of the works “Pan” and “Kreas”, which respectively mean “all” and “meat”. At this point in time it was thought that the pancreas was a meaty cushion that dampened vertebral impacts. Now we understand the true function of the little meat sack.
The Pancreatic composition consists of 95% exocrine tissue and 5% endocrine tissue. The Exocrine tissue is responsible for the production of the hormones insulin and glucagon, both of which regulate the levels of sugar in your blood. These are vital to survival, but the endocrine are just slightly more important. Three enzymes are produced by the endocrine tissues or “Islets of Langerhans,” which looks like a cluster of small grapes. They are Trypsin and Chymotrypsin, which break down proteins in food for digestion, and Amylase, which breaks down carbs. These enzymes flow through a very small tube called the pancreatic duct into the Duodenum (upper part of the small intestines).
This is a really weird organ. When the cells are damaged, it can cause diabetes. It’s also surrounded by three major blood vessels. They are the Superior Mesentric vein and artery, and the Celiac Axis. If any of these were severed, you’d die in a matter of about an hour. It also secretes a fluid that contains Bicarbonate. Which is literally baking soda. Additionally, a healthy adult’s pancreas will produce about a liter of fluid a day. Although this is a highly complex organ, I firmly believe it should be called the Bubbly Meat Sack.
Poetry Slam!
By Apollo Crabtree
|
The poetry slam returned last quarter, and though it has always been interesting in the past, this quarter it was a spectacle to behold. With the many performances that came up, there was a wide diversity in the tones, spirits, and voices on stage, providing an interesting blend of tragedy and comedy. With so much ground to cover, I’ve been left to pick only a few; rest assured, each work was fantastic in it’s own right.
One of the more refined performances, Julian performed John Cage’s 4’33”. His esoteric choice left the audience speechless, with any vocalizations sung with the voice of an angel that would move the souls of his spectators nearly to tears. The silence spoke measures beyond human comprehension, leaving us to contemplate the meanings of our miniscule existences. Rarely do we find such talent among our peers, and rarely can we witness such silent perfection. On a less sarcastic note, Corinne sang something more culturally rooted: Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” It came as a significant shock to hear someone sing. Though poetry has many mediums, few have the talent to perform it in song. And few would be as well-suited to do so; Corinne’s voice radiated through the auditorium and warmed our hearts and ears. Jordan dealt a severe blow to our heartstrings, with a potent piece on tragic loss. I daresay this was one of the highest points of this slam, and words can’t describe the experience she delivered. It takes courage to come up on stage and speak of something so personal. But pain kindles beauty, and I’m glad Jordan could share it with us. Lanny Sorenson, one of Valley’s many beloved teachers, managed to blow us away with a work like few others. Lanny doesn’t usually project such profoundness, yet he ushered in something powerful with eloquent phrasing. It truly felt like a genius in motion, and I’d be fascinated to hear more of his writing in the future. Of the poetry slams before, this one will likely linger in our memories for quite a while, at least until the next to come. It showcases the talent and creativity of our students here at Valley, something oft undervalued at other schools. It was a momentous occasion, and I feel sorry for anyone who missed this wonderful event. For your own sake, make sure not to miss the next one. |
|
Artificial Intelligence
By Julian Newland
What is the biggest advancement to human civilization you can think of? Flying cars? Time travel? Imagine a machine that could do thousands of years worth of research in any field within the course of a week. Now, imagine that same machine with emotions, similar to that of a human, and an ability for information processing far more complex and advanced than our own.
Artificial intelligence is being called the next big breakthrough, and its success would transform human life completely. “Success in creating A.I. would be the biggest event in human history,” says world famous physicist Stephen Hawking. Artificial intelligence could change the landscape of war, technology, jobs, space travel, etc. Despite limited use for the public, A.I. is closer to being utilized by the masses than you would think.
Mathematicians, and developers the world over have researched, and theorized such an incredible concept since as early as 1950. A.I., in a practical sense, can be traced to two landmark papers on computers playing chess, written by Claude E. Shannon (a mathematician considered to be a principal creator of information theory). Although the ability to play chess could seem trivial compared to more contemporary programs (for instance a Seattle-based A.I. that changed its name while in space, more on that later) Shannon’s theorized chess machine was a perfect fit for the technology of the time, according to a paper he published for Philosophical Magazine. “The chess machine is an ideal one to start with, since the problem is sharply defined both in allowed operations (the moves) and in the ultimate goal (checkmate)” he referred to chess in this paper as being in a sort of “goldilocks” zone. “...It is neither so simple as to be trivial nor too difficult for satisfactory solution.”
Since this initial bot, technology has advanced significantly. According to technology provocateur, Tim Urban for waitbutwhy.com, “When we imagine the progress of the next 30 years, we look back to the progress of the previous 30 as an indicator of how much will likely happen,” and from Urban’s point of view, this isn’t the correct line of thought. If I told you that you might live to be extremely old, or maybe never die, you would look at history and see that no one has ever not died, and that’s true, but before airplanes no human had ever achieved flight. We think in this way because as author Ray Kurzweil says “humans are linear in nature, and technology is exponential.” The phenomenon is what Kurzweil calls The Law of Accelerating Returns. Advances in this kind of technology are exponential, simply because they are already more advanced than in the past.
The logic is all very circular. In the same vein, some creative types have given us a glimpse into their vision of the future of A.I., which has in turn advanced (at the very least) the culture surrounding it.
Think of some of the greatest films of all time. Does Stanley Kubrick’s landmark film 2001: A Space Odyssey pop into your head? How about the great films of the last five years. Have you seen Ex Machina? Some extremely popular movies are about A.I. Metropolis, I Robot, Terminator, Blade Runner, etc. A.I. has infected mainstream film and television. 2001 especially raises the the troubling question, will artificial intelligence be completely out of our control once it reaches a point of, essentially, omnipotence?
Imagine a superhuman with the brain of a supercomputer completing duties for some sort of research facility or laboratory. Now, let’s add self-awareness and emotion, which give this machine its own prerogative, self-interests, etc, a sentience, if you will. Artificial intelligence has plenty of potential, which is why it has been talked about so often; there is so much promise here. “A benevolent superintelligence might analyze the human genetic code at great speed and unlock the secret to eternal youth,” says Paul Ford in an article for Technology Review. Benevolence truly is the key here, because let’s say that this machine that is so far deep into every facet of human advancement, and the sentient man-made entity becomes bored or unsatisfied. How long will it be for civilization completely crumbles? If you program a machine to protect the population, using the most advanced military technology, what’s to stop it from ending us all if it decides to?
Artificial intelligence is being called the next big breakthrough, and its success would transform human life completely. “Success in creating A.I. would be the biggest event in human history,” says world famous physicist Stephen Hawking. Artificial intelligence could change the landscape of war, technology, jobs, space travel, etc. Despite limited use for the public, A.I. is closer to being utilized by the masses than you would think.
Mathematicians, and developers the world over have researched, and theorized such an incredible concept since as early as 1950. A.I., in a practical sense, can be traced to two landmark papers on computers playing chess, written by Claude E. Shannon (a mathematician considered to be a principal creator of information theory). Although the ability to play chess could seem trivial compared to more contemporary programs (for instance a Seattle-based A.I. that changed its name while in space, more on that later) Shannon’s theorized chess machine was a perfect fit for the technology of the time, according to a paper he published for Philosophical Magazine. “The chess machine is an ideal one to start with, since the problem is sharply defined both in allowed operations (the moves) and in the ultimate goal (checkmate)” he referred to chess in this paper as being in a sort of “goldilocks” zone. “...It is neither so simple as to be trivial nor too difficult for satisfactory solution.”
Since this initial bot, technology has advanced significantly. According to technology provocateur, Tim Urban for waitbutwhy.com, “When we imagine the progress of the next 30 years, we look back to the progress of the previous 30 as an indicator of how much will likely happen,” and from Urban’s point of view, this isn’t the correct line of thought. If I told you that you might live to be extremely old, or maybe never die, you would look at history and see that no one has ever not died, and that’s true, but before airplanes no human had ever achieved flight. We think in this way because as author Ray Kurzweil says “humans are linear in nature, and technology is exponential.” The phenomenon is what Kurzweil calls The Law of Accelerating Returns. Advances in this kind of technology are exponential, simply because they are already more advanced than in the past.
The logic is all very circular. In the same vein, some creative types have given us a glimpse into their vision of the future of A.I., which has in turn advanced (at the very least) the culture surrounding it.
Think of some of the greatest films of all time. Does Stanley Kubrick’s landmark film 2001: A Space Odyssey pop into your head? How about the great films of the last five years. Have you seen Ex Machina? Some extremely popular movies are about A.I. Metropolis, I Robot, Terminator, Blade Runner, etc. A.I. has infected mainstream film and television. 2001 especially raises the the troubling question, will artificial intelligence be completely out of our control once it reaches a point of, essentially, omnipotence?
Imagine a superhuman with the brain of a supercomputer completing duties for some sort of research facility or laboratory. Now, let’s add self-awareness and emotion, which give this machine its own prerogative, self-interests, etc, a sentience, if you will. Artificial intelligence has plenty of potential, which is why it has been talked about so often; there is so much promise here. “A benevolent superintelligence might analyze the human genetic code at great speed and unlock the secret to eternal youth,” says Paul Ford in an article for Technology Review. Benevolence truly is the key here, because let’s say that this machine that is so far deep into every facet of human advancement, and the sentient man-made entity becomes bored or unsatisfied. How long will it be for civilization completely crumbles? If you program a machine to protect the population, using the most advanced military technology, what’s to stop it from ending us all if it decides to?
Humans on Mars in the Next 5 to 10 Years
Artwork and article by Bennett Shulze
It is 2016, and we have been dreaming of colonizing Mars since the 40’s. Now SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, may be making that dream into a reality. Musk and a group of ambitious scientists are hoping to launch their first mars mission in the next five years.
The space shuttles that have been built for the Mars mission thus far will surpass any previous spacecraft in history in both efficiency and stature. There are three ships that will carry humans and objects to Mars: the Falcon 9, the Falcon Heavy, and the Dragon. Their mission is to advance space travel and ultimately allow humans to colonize other worlds.
The Falcon is a massive, two stage rocket. Its job is to carry its payload into space and then return safely to earth in one piece, being fully reusable. All current attempts to launch and return have been widely publicized. In December of 2015, the rocket was launched and landed successfully and in April of 2016, the Falcon completed its first drone platform landing. The rocket operates on nine Merlin engines, which would allow it to complete a mission even with two rocket failures. The new engine technology used is unlike an airplane engine, which loses power with altitude. The Merlin engines actually gain power with altitude. This is crucial for completing prolonged missions. At sea level, the nine engines produce 1.7 million pounds of thrust. For comparison, one million pounds of thrust is equal to 847 Bugatti’s all at top speed, pushing a single object. In the vacuum of space, the thrust increases to 1.8 million pounds.
The Falcon Heavy is a variation of the regular Falcon designed to carry massive payloads in addition to transporting the Dragon. It generates an incredible 15.13 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and 15.54 pounds of thrust in the vacuum of space. In addition, it can carry 119,930 pounds, or the equivalent of a 737 jetliners complete with fuel, luggage, and human passengers into space.
The Dragon is a small spacecraft designed to deliver humans and cargo to orbiting destinations. In 2012, it was the first commercial spacecraft to be used to send supplies to the International Space Station. Soon it will carry us to the Mars colony for as low as $500,000 a person.
The colony that Elon Musk plans on establishing on planet Mars would eventually be made up of around 80,000 people and include universities, industrial companies, and entertainment that could be broadcast home to Earth. Our whole earthly infrastructure would almost be replicated. Our industry, our sports, our governments, our businesses, and our sciences. Once our presence is strong, the plan is to begin terraforming the extreme conditions over the course of about 1000 years.
Terraforming is currently something we lack the technology and understanding to do. Almost all of our attempts on Earth have failed. The problems associated with terraforming Mars are mildly terrifying. The atmosphere could leak Co2 and Oxygen into space, making the work almost pointless. The microbes could react with the outside structures and destroy the pressure and atmosphere. Any negative microbes from Earth could contaminate the soil and make it uninhabitable. The ecosystem of Mars is very delicate and everything we know is theoretical. We aren’t ready as a species to begin terraforming yet, but we’ll just take one thing at a time. Mars first, terraforming later.
The space shuttles that have been built for the Mars mission thus far will surpass any previous spacecraft in history in both efficiency and stature. There are three ships that will carry humans and objects to Mars: the Falcon 9, the Falcon Heavy, and the Dragon. Their mission is to advance space travel and ultimately allow humans to colonize other worlds.
The Falcon is a massive, two stage rocket. Its job is to carry its payload into space and then return safely to earth in one piece, being fully reusable. All current attempts to launch and return have been widely publicized. In December of 2015, the rocket was launched and landed successfully and in April of 2016, the Falcon completed its first drone platform landing. The rocket operates on nine Merlin engines, which would allow it to complete a mission even with two rocket failures. The new engine technology used is unlike an airplane engine, which loses power with altitude. The Merlin engines actually gain power with altitude. This is crucial for completing prolonged missions. At sea level, the nine engines produce 1.7 million pounds of thrust. For comparison, one million pounds of thrust is equal to 847 Bugatti’s all at top speed, pushing a single object. In the vacuum of space, the thrust increases to 1.8 million pounds.
The Falcon Heavy is a variation of the regular Falcon designed to carry massive payloads in addition to transporting the Dragon. It generates an incredible 15.13 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and 15.54 pounds of thrust in the vacuum of space. In addition, it can carry 119,930 pounds, or the equivalent of a 737 jetliners complete with fuel, luggage, and human passengers into space.
The Dragon is a small spacecraft designed to deliver humans and cargo to orbiting destinations. In 2012, it was the first commercial spacecraft to be used to send supplies to the International Space Station. Soon it will carry us to the Mars colony for as low as $500,000 a person.
The colony that Elon Musk plans on establishing on planet Mars would eventually be made up of around 80,000 people and include universities, industrial companies, and entertainment that could be broadcast home to Earth. Our whole earthly infrastructure would almost be replicated. Our industry, our sports, our governments, our businesses, and our sciences. Once our presence is strong, the plan is to begin terraforming the extreme conditions over the course of about 1000 years.
Terraforming is currently something we lack the technology and understanding to do. Almost all of our attempts on Earth have failed. The problems associated with terraforming Mars are mildly terrifying. The atmosphere could leak Co2 and Oxygen into space, making the work almost pointless. The microbes could react with the outside structures and destroy the pressure and atmosphere. Any negative microbes from Earth could contaminate the soil and make it uninhabitable. The ecosystem of Mars is very delicate and everything we know is theoretical. We aren’t ready as a species to begin terraforming yet, but we’ll just take one thing at a time. Mars first, terraforming later.
Marijuana Mayhem, The Legislation of Marijuana Could be Changing Across the Country
Artwork and article by Treven Jaymz
Public opinion about marijuana has shifted over the last half decade. For example, the majority of Americans who say medicinal cannabis should be legalized is a little over half, 53 percent, of the U.S. population, according to the Pew Research Center. In 1969, twelve percent of the American population supported the legalization of medical marijuana, but between 2010 and 2013 support has risen eleven percent. Ten years ago, only 30% of Americans supported the medical use of marijuana.
These changed views are even reflected in Utah’s conservative populations. According to a Dan Jones survey published last year 66% of Utahns support the legalization of medical marijuana use as long as it is prescribed by a licensed doctor.
The first five states to legalize medicinal cannabis were California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Maine. California in 1996, passed proposition 215, allowing people to medically use marijuana if prescribed by their doctor. Since then, 27 other states have enacted in similar laws along with Canada. In Utah, the first bill to legalize medicinal marijuana failed to pass by one vote. Salt Lake County District Attorney, Sim Gill, urged lawmakers to come up with a medical marijuana program. Gill represented Enedina Stanger, a Utah mother, who was booked into jail for smoking cannabis to fight nerve pain from advanced Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. She was later faced with charges of third degree endangerment of a child, but worked out a deal with prosecutors and offered a plea guilty; She was sentenced to six months probation and parenting classes. Sim Gill says “The last thing I want to do is prosecute these families and these individuals because they have a medical condition.”
Despite the growing support for the legaliztion of marjiuana, there may be a problem for the states that have enacted laws that legalize the drug, which is still considered a schedule one class drug. This means that the states that have legalized the drug are, to some degree, defying federal laws. The future of legal marijuana could be just a memory due to newly elected President Trump’s nomination of Jeff Sessions, a staunchly anti-marijuana lawmaker, for Attorney general; Barack Obama turned a blind eye to the marijuana industry, allowing voters in eight states to relax their marijuana laws without federal intervention, but that may change under a new President, Trump. 29 states now permit medical use of marijuana. Eight of these states permit recreational use of marijuana with recreational laws on the books. However, it’s still federally outlawed.
Because of the differences in state and federal law, there are strange quirks in the industry as well. Because marijuana is federally outlawed, access to banking services are severely restricted leaving the industry to do all transactions in cash.
Opponents to the relaxed attitudes of marijuana note the many health problems associated with the drug. Though no one has died from overdoses, the Surgeon General’s warning on marijuana include short term memory impairment and slowness of learning, impaired lung function, impaired immune response, or possible adverse effects on the heart. Some studies even show increases in mood disorders among excessive users.
Sally Vander Veer, president of one of the state’s largest dispensaries and cultivation operations, along with Colorado police, say the biggest danger of cannabis is candy edibles. Younger children are unable to tell the difference between an actual candy and an edible.
Supproters for the legalization of the drug note that there are possible benefits. Medicinal cannabis, on the other hand, mitigates problems related to disorders and illnesses like AIDs, arthritis, cancer, epilepsy, migraines, muscle spasms, and general physical pain. Medical marijuana may also help depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, and other mood disorders. There is even the possibility that this could reduce the rate of suicide. Despite what critics believed would happen, the state of Colorado has had a rapid drop in crime rate and opioid use since marijuana was legalized.
Colorado has seen 135 million dollars in tax and fee’s from medicinal and recreational marijuana and therefore has began putting money into youth education and law enforcement for regulation of the drug.
These changed views are even reflected in Utah’s conservative populations. According to a Dan Jones survey published last year 66% of Utahns support the legalization of medical marijuana use as long as it is prescribed by a licensed doctor.
The first five states to legalize medicinal cannabis were California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Maine. California in 1996, passed proposition 215, allowing people to medically use marijuana if prescribed by their doctor. Since then, 27 other states have enacted in similar laws along with Canada. In Utah, the first bill to legalize medicinal marijuana failed to pass by one vote. Salt Lake County District Attorney, Sim Gill, urged lawmakers to come up with a medical marijuana program. Gill represented Enedina Stanger, a Utah mother, who was booked into jail for smoking cannabis to fight nerve pain from advanced Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. She was later faced with charges of third degree endangerment of a child, but worked out a deal with prosecutors and offered a plea guilty; She was sentenced to six months probation and parenting classes. Sim Gill says “The last thing I want to do is prosecute these families and these individuals because they have a medical condition.”
Despite the growing support for the legaliztion of marjiuana, there may be a problem for the states that have enacted laws that legalize the drug, which is still considered a schedule one class drug. This means that the states that have legalized the drug are, to some degree, defying federal laws. The future of legal marijuana could be just a memory due to newly elected President Trump’s nomination of Jeff Sessions, a staunchly anti-marijuana lawmaker, for Attorney general; Barack Obama turned a blind eye to the marijuana industry, allowing voters in eight states to relax their marijuana laws without federal intervention, but that may change under a new President, Trump. 29 states now permit medical use of marijuana. Eight of these states permit recreational use of marijuana with recreational laws on the books. However, it’s still federally outlawed.
Because of the differences in state and federal law, there are strange quirks in the industry as well. Because marijuana is federally outlawed, access to banking services are severely restricted leaving the industry to do all transactions in cash.
Opponents to the relaxed attitudes of marijuana note the many health problems associated with the drug. Though no one has died from overdoses, the Surgeon General’s warning on marijuana include short term memory impairment and slowness of learning, impaired lung function, impaired immune response, or possible adverse effects on the heart. Some studies even show increases in mood disorders among excessive users.
Sally Vander Veer, president of one of the state’s largest dispensaries and cultivation operations, along with Colorado police, say the biggest danger of cannabis is candy edibles. Younger children are unable to tell the difference between an actual candy and an edible.
Supproters for the legalization of the drug note that there are possible benefits. Medicinal cannabis, on the other hand, mitigates problems related to disorders and illnesses like AIDs, arthritis, cancer, epilepsy, migraines, muscle spasms, and general physical pain. Medical marijuana may also help depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, and other mood disorders. There is even the possibility that this could reduce the rate of suicide. Despite what critics believed would happen, the state of Colorado has had a rapid drop in crime rate and opioid use since marijuana was legalized.
Colorado has seen 135 million dollars in tax and fee’s from medicinal and recreational marijuana and therefore has began putting money into youth education and law enforcement for regulation of the drug.
Career Politicians
Are they beneficial to society?
By Julian Newland
Theodore Roosevelt said, “I do not believe that any man should ever attempt to make politics his only career. It is a dreadful misfortune for a man to grow to feel that his whole livelihood and whole happiness depends on his staying in office. Such a feeling prevents him from being of real service to people while in office.” The quote raises a controversial question. Are career politicians good or bad for the United States? Career politician is a very loose term used to define a politician who serves a large portion of his or her career in a political office (House of Representatives, Senate, or the Presidency for example). “There are 36 senators who have been in elected office for more than 30 years,” according to PerdueSenate.com.
Some people completely oppose the idea of politicians having extended runs in one single office. A whopping 74% of Americans under 30 and over 65 believe in term limits for Congress. Perhaps some of the opposition is due to congressional pay. A member of Congress makes $174,000 annually, according to House Press. That is over three times more than the base average for annual wages in 2015, $48,098, when looking at the Social Security Administration’s National Wage Index.
Those numbers do not include sponsorship and funding from the finance world, lawyers, lobbyists, etc. There are many politicians who manage to garner significant amounts of money for their parties and future elections. Mother Jones reports that New York senator Chuck Schumer, for example, raised $62.2 million for his campaign in his 9th-term run in the House of Representatives.
The 2016 general election saw the nominees raising $1.6 billion, and spending $1.2 billion of it on their respective campaigns. There was a distinct lopsidedness in comparing Trump, and Clinton’s campaign money, though. Clinton spent about twice as much on her campaign as Trump and received over four times as much from super PACs, according to Bloomberg. Trump turned this funding discrepancy into a political tool, arguing that his opponent was a shady politician who was pandering to corporate funders. Donald Trump argued that he would “drain the swamp” of people like her in politics. Despite his controversial words, stances, and personal stories (not to mention his supposed $9 billion fortune), Trump won the election. He painted himself as an opposition to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who, Trump argued, represented a grossly over influenced political entity glutted on the wealth offered by corporate interests.
Think about the stark contrast between a George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and then Donald Trump. Politics have been almost completely reactionary in the scope of four and eight year terms. In turn, our well-oiled machine of a country is stripped down to an unsatisfied majority, changing everything because one single characteristic didn’t live up to expectations, and so The Donald™ is favored by the “downtrodden” because he is less like Obama than Hillary.
For some voters Clinton’s worst fault is her having more experience than Trump. “I think he [Trump] is an understandable outcome in a period in which we have had an enormous amount of transformation in America” says acclaimed writer Malcolm Gladwell in a recent Fortune magazine interview. “...We’ve turned everything upside down in 100 different ways in the last 20 years.”
Here in Utah, the controversy of the career politician is becoming more and more important because of one key figure. The SCF, or Senate Conservative Fund, conducted a poll asking how people feel about Senator Orrin Hatch serving for any longer. Hatch has served in office for 39 years. 74% of the people who responded to SCF’s poll thought that Hatch should retire.
Maureen Morris, of the Arts Department, is somewhat critical of career politicians, and believes that the idea is inherently bad. “On a scale of 50/50, I would say, that they’re leaning towards bad. Experience is important. However, the longer they’re in office, the more entrenched they become.” She also is in favor of term limits “...Certain offices should hold term limits. Four years is a reasonable amount of time. I think we have a problem when it gets to 16, 20 years.” While her argument may have merit, some believe experience should never be a warning sign. Would you let someone who has never driven a car take you around town in your car at your expense?
Some people completely oppose the idea of politicians having extended runs in one single office. A whopping 74% of Americans under 30 and over 65 believe in term limits for Congress. Perhaps some of the opposition is due to congressional pay. A member of Congress makes $174,000 annually, according to House Press. That is over three times more than the base average for annual wages in 2015, $48,098, when looking at the Social Security Administration’s National Wage Index.
Those numbers do not include sponsorship and funding from the finance world, lawyers, lobbyists, etc. There are many politicians who manage to garner significant amounts of money for their parties and future elections. Mother Jones reports that New York senator Chuck Schumer, for example, raised $62.2 million for his campaign in his 9th-term run in the House of Representatives.
The 2016 general election saw the nominees raising $1.6 billion, and spending $1.2 billion of it on their respective campaigns. There was a distinct lopsidedness in comparing Trump, and Clinton’s campaign money, though. Clinton spent about twice as much on her campaign as Trump and received over four times as much from super PACs, according to Bloomberg. Trump turned this funding discrepancy into a political tool, arguing that his opponent was a shady politician who was pandering to corporate funders. Donald Trump argued that he would “drain the swamp” of people like her in politics. Despite his controversial words, stances, and personal stories (not to mention his supposed $9 billion fortune), Trump won the election. He painted himself as an opposition to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who, Trump argued, represented a grossly over influenced political entity glutted on the wealth offered by corporate interests.
Think about the stark contrast between a George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and then Donald Trump. Politics have been almost completely reactionary in the scope of four and eight year terms. In turn, our well-oiled machine of a country is stripped down to an unsatisfied majority, changing everything because one single characteristic didn’t live up to expectations, and so The Donald™ is favored by the “downtrodden” because he is less like Obama than Hillary.
For some voters Clinton’s worst fault is her having more experience than Trump. “I think he [Trump] is an understandable outcome in a period in which we have had an enormous amount of transformation in America” says acclaimed writer Malcolm Gladwell in a recent Fortune magazine interview. “...We’ve turned everything upside down in 100 different ways in the last 20 years.”
Here in Utah, the controversy of the career politician is becoming more and more important because of one key figure. The SCF, or Senate Conservative Fund, conducted a poll asking how people feel about Senator Orrin Hatch serving for any longer. Hatch has served in office for 39 years. 74% of the people who responded to SCF’s poll thought that Hatch should retire.
Maureen Morris, of the Arts Department, is somewhat critical of career politicians, and believes that the idea is inherently bad. “On a scale of 50/50, I would say, that they’re leaning towards bad. Experience is important. However, the longer they’re in office, the more entrenched they become.” She also is in favor of term limits “...Certain offices should hold term limits. Four years is a reasonable amount of time. I think we have a problem when it gets to 16, 20 years.” While her argument may have merit, some believe experience should never be a warning sign. Would you let someone who has never driven a car take you around town in your car at your expense?
Virtualities
Virtual Reality Gaming Made Accessible
By Corinne VonStorch
If you’re looking for something to do that is unlike anything you’ve imagined, try Virtualities, a virtual reality arcade located downtown in Salt Lake City. Virtual Reality is a computer generated 3-D environment in which you can interact in a seemingly real or physical way by using different electronic equipment such as Samsung virtual reality goggles or the more high tech HTC Vive.
Myself and some of the other Valley High newspaper staff were able to try out the HTC Vive recently, and it did not disappoint. The experience was totally immersive and out of this world. “It’s like entering a new place for the first time. It’s so real that you forget there’s a world outside of the game,” said Valley student Elliot Emery. A few game options to try include, a haunted house walk-through, strolling through dark, abandoned houses shooting down zombies, firing arrows at knights while they attempt to break down your medieval castle, extreme mini golf, futuristic neon pong where you can play against friends, and a sharp shooter game based in space. Each of the games are extremely realistic and intense.
Once you try this out, you will have a hard time not signing up for a membership to this place. Pricing varies, but you can score yourself a discount if you come in with a group. Memberships are $49.50/month, or it costs $13 for 15 minutes to use the $1000 virtual reality headgear, HTC Vive, and it’s not guaranteed, but you may be able to stay on longer than that if you come at a slow time during the day (between 12-4 Monday through Friday).
Anyone who has the opportunity to try this arcade out will be completely blown away. The pricing is awesome, and it is unlike anything else you’ll ever experience, and the employees are extremely helpful and laid back. If you’re looking for something new and exciting for date night, or even looking for something to do out of pure boredom, check out Virtualities in The Gateway Mall.
Myself and some of the other Valley High newspaper staff were able to try out the HTC Vive recently, and it did not disappoint. The experience was totally immersive and out of this world. “It’s like entering a new place for the first time. It’s so real that you forget there’s a world outside of the game,” said Valley student Elliot Emery. A few game options to try include, a haunted house walk-through, strolling through dark, abandoned houses shooting down zombies, firing arrows at knights while they attempt to break down your medieval castle, extreme mini golf, futuristic neon pong where you can play against friends, and a sharp shooter game based in space. Each of the games are extremely realistic and intense.
Once you try this out, you will have a hard time not signing up for a membership to this place. Pricing varies, but you can score yourself a discount if you come in with a group. Memberships are $49.50/month, or it costs $13 for 15 minutes to use the $1000 virtual reality headgear, HTC Vive, and it’s not guaranteed, but you may be able to stay on longer than that if you come at a slow time during the day (between 12-4 Monday through Friday).
Anyone who has the opportunity to try this arcade out will be completely blown away. The pricing is awesome, and it is unlike anything else you’ll ever experience, and the employees are extremely helpful and laid back. If you’re looking for something new and exciting for date night, or even looking for something to do out of pure boredom, check out Virtualities in The Gateway Mall.
Grasping The Future
A brief glimpse into cybernetic augmentation
Artwork and article by Apollo Crabtree
It’s something you see quite often in science-fiction: human augmentation. The process of replacing a part of an individual with a quicker, stronger, smarter, and generally superior machine, metal legs that can trump olympic runner Usain Bolt’s speed, dexterous arms that can catch a moving bullet, brain augmentations that exponentially increase a person’s thinking or pull that person directly into a virtual world. It seems as though this may be a far-off thought for the current day, but the world may be shockingly close to a cybernetic revolution.
One of the forefronts of this initiative is the federally funded DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Back in 2015, DARPA managed to produce a robotic hand that, rather than connect to the severed nerves within a test subject’s arm, was wirelessly and directly controlled from the subject’s brain. With this, the subject was not only able to control the arm, but also feel the sensation of touch through it. Alongside this, DARPA has developed a prototype device called a “Stentrode,” a mesh tube that wraps around a blood vessel inside the brain, which could eventually become a direct neural connection to future cybernetic augmentations.
Another potential power player in this augmentation is the prosthetics industry, hardly coming as a shock as they’ve been manufacturing replacement limbs for years. Two figureheads of the modern day are BeBionic and Touch Bionics, both using myoelectric tech to simulate real hands. Though not capable of feeling, these hands are quite agile and versatile and can even be used to pick up small objects like needles and keys.
There are other groups playing with these augmentation technologies as well. A recent movement, called “Biohackers” (though they prefer the term “Grinders”) have taken augmentation into their own hands. Using parts that are cheap and readily available, these individuals experiment with installing earphones within the ears, magnetic sensors in hands, one man has even gone as far as hooking up his wife’s hand to mimic his movements. On some sites, there are even do-it-yourself documents that you can use- assuming you have the skill, and are fine with the likely chance of failure.
Of course, all of this is irrelevant if you don’t know what this technology can do for you. Just how would this change your day-to-day life? Some of the possible applications are bionic eyes that let us see the more than nine billion colors the human eye can’t process, and could put all of your smartphone’s functions right into a virtual display. Brain implants could record all of your memories and may allow you to immerse yourself inside a virtual world. An augmented heart would never stop. Robotic limbs have far more possibilities than can be listed, from mounting tools within the hand to reducing injury throughout the body.
So what is the bottom line? What will this kind of thing cost you? Besides the obvious cost of an arm and a leg, near-future costs for even a single hand is far beyond your average person’s wallet. But technology becomes cheaper and more efficient. Futurist Richard Worzel estimates that human augmentation will be fully integrated by 2034, and by then it will near assuredly be available to the common man.
And yet, in a world where technology is evolving so quickly, we rarely see the aftereffects of it on our day-to-day lives. It is possible, 10-20 years down the line, that this technology may hurt the common man more than it may help. Perhaps employers will push forward to having augmented employees, even discriminating against and turning away those who refuse to accept these augmentations. Governments may push for tracking devices in all implants, a severe penalty in a world where anonymity is already so scarce. And what will the use of interactions between mankind be when we can simulate emotions and friends? What will define “human” when we are more metal than flesh?
One of the forefronts of this initiative is the federally funded DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Back in 2015, DARPA managed to produce a robotic hand that, rather than connect to the severed nerves within a test subject’s arm, was wirelessly and directly controlled from the subject’s brain. With this, the subject was not only able to control the arm, but also feel the sensation of touch through it. Alongside this, DARPA has developed a prototype device called a “Stentrode,” a mesh tube that wraps around a blood vessel inside the brain, which could eventually become a direct neural connection to future cybernetic augmentations.
Another potential power player in this augmentation is the prosthetics industry, hardly coming as a shock as they’ve been manufacturing replacement limbs for years. Two figureheads of the modern day are BeBionic and Touch Bionics, both using myoelectric tech to simulate real hands. Though not capable of feeling, these hands are quite agile and versatile and can even be used to pick up small objects like needles and keys.
There are other groups playing with these augmentation technologies as well. A recent movement, called “Biohackers” (though they prefer the term “Grinders”) have taken augmentation into their own hands. Using parts that are cheap and readily available, these individuals experiment with installing earphones within the ears, magnetic sensors in hands, one man has even gone as far as hooking up his wife’s hand to mimic his movements. On some sites, there are even do-it-yourself documents that you can use- assuming you have the skill, and are fine with the likely chance of failure.
Of course, all of this is irrelevant if you don’t know what this technology can do for you. Just how would this change your day-to-day life? Some of the possible applications are bionic eyes that let us see the more than nine billion colors the human eye can’t process, and could put all of your smartphone’s functions right into a virtual display. Brain implants could record all of your memories and may allow you to immerse yourself inside a virtual world. An augmented heart would never stop. Robotic limbs have far more possibilities than can be listed, from mounting tools within the hand to reducing injury throughout the body.
So what is the bottom line? What will this kind of thing cost you? Besides the obvious cost of an arm and a leg, near-future costs for even a single hand is far beyond your average person’s wallet. But technology becomes cheaper and more efficient. Futurist Richard Worzel estimates that human augmentation will be fully integrated by 2034, and by then it will near assuredly be available to the common man.
And yet, in a world where technology is evolving so quickly, we rarely see the aftereffects of it on our day-to-day lives. It is possible, 10-20 years down the line, that this technology may hurt the common man more than it may help. Perhaps employers will push forward to having augmented employees, even discriminating against and turning away those who refuse to accept these augmentations. Governments may push for tracking devices in all implants, a severe penalty in a world where anonymity is already so scarce. And what will the use of interactions between mankind be when we can simulate emotions and friends? What will define “human” when we are more metal than flesh?
The Bees are STILL Dying
Artwork and article by Kayla Rask
What exactly do bees do to have coined the saying, “busy as a bee”? That is right, they make honey! We humans love to consume their sweet sticky pollen-spit in varieties of waxes, creams, candles, sweeteners, and even raw. But that’s not all that those little abominations to aerodynamics are responsible for. According to the USDA CCD Action Plan, bees are relied on to pollinate fifteen million dollars worth of crop value in America. That’s a lot of food and a lot of livestock feed that would be extremely risky to our population to lose. Some of the crops that they are relied on to pollinate are sunflowers, avocadoes, strawberries, almonds, and 103 other kinds of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and flowers.
+In 2006, when Dave Hackenberg, long time owner of a very successful apiary (honey farm), discovered the disappearance of more than 60% of his colonies, it raised many questions. When many other critical apiaries were affected by this mysterious epidemic, losing up to 90% of their colonies, scientists went berzerk looking for answers. They named this epidemic Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Since then, 30% of our hives have died off every year.
To combat this growing problem, the United States Department of Agriculture published the CCD Action Plan in 2007, explaining the series of experiments that had to be conducted on bees and their colonies in the years to follow the release of this document. In May 2015, the Obama Administration strategically requested that 7 million acres of land and water be restored. This is the first time any president has ordered specific action on an insect epidemic, bringing the matter to the attention of the public.
What makes the threat of bee extinction so critical? Well no one wants to drink a cup of tea without a bit of honey. But more importantly, the disappearance of the bee populations could be detrimental to humanity. If the bee populations continue to shrink, there will not enough colonies in America to pollinate all those species of fruits, nuts, and vegetables, and our livestock will run out of food. If our livestock goes extinct, citizens are going to have a hard time finding nourishment.
What we know about the causes of CCD are not concrete. However, there is extensive evidence that suggests that pesticides, new or re-emerging pathogens, pests that attack bees, and environmental, nutritional, and migratory stresses all contribute to this growing epidemic.
Dave Hackenberg, owner of Hackenberg Apiaries, experienced one of the first cases of CCD back in 2006. Hackenberg, a beekeeper since he was 15, had seen every kind of death for bees, starvation and exposure to lethal temperatures in the winter, nasty bacterial infections that require the colonies to be burned to stop the spread of the infection, lost hives to bear thieves, and parasitic infestations of wax moths, small hive beetles, Varroa mites, and tracheal mites, pests that are not native to North America. When he found out that twenty million of his bees had simply vanished, a lot of questions were raised. There is a difference between natural death of bees that apiaries all over the world deal with regularly and the mysterious threat of CCD that left the beekeepers and the rest of the world puzzled and afraid.
Many people are convinced that pesticides are the main contributing factor to CCD. Although this has not been proven, there is evidence that one of the compounds in neonicotinoids class, a common crop and forest pesticide, called imidacloprid, is toxic to bees and causes short term memory loss in sub-lethal doses. Short term memory is critical in foraging flights for the bees to be able to remember where their hive is located. Neonicotinoids were actually banned in France due to high losses of bees. Studies are being conducted to determine if there is a connection can be made linking CCD to neonicotinoid pesticides.
Although the CCD epidemic poses an immediate threat, it will take scientists some time before they can create technologies that will isolate threats. After these technologies are made available, scientists will use them in to create additional technologies that will monitor colony threats and strengthen the overall immunity of bee colonies. Before any of this can be done, extensive studies and experiments must be conducted on isolated bees. Some of these studies include testing antibiotics, pesticides, management practices, and pathogens to narrow the potential causes of CCD. The discovery of the honey bee genome sequence in 2007 has provided a massive advantage to the studies, providing extensive genetic background on the species. This information is necessary when experimenting on bees to improve their immunity.
Sadly, until enough information has been collected to develop the necessary management strategies, it iss up to the rest of the population to take accountability and realize how our actions could be potentially promoting this threat.
The Bureau of Land Management is working with several wildlife and land protection agencies to re-flourish public and private lands with high-pollen producing plants and flowers. Research suggests high concentrations of Ozone during winter storage protects the population of hives, which is groundbreaking. However, there is not enough known about what possible consequences the experiment could bring, seeing as artificial Ozone generation has proven to be harmful to our environment, which could also trace back to affecting the bees in a harmful way.
When it comes down to it, all we can do as a people for now is hope that science hurries up with those tedious studies, and we should try our best to raise awareness and plant as many pollen-producing flora as we are able to in the hope that this act will help populations of honey bees flourish once again. There are volunteer programs that work specifically to restore appropriate pollen and nectar source amounts, by dedicating time and labor to enriching meadows and public lands with pollen-rich plants. If you’re concerned about the bees, or concerned for your own life and home on earth, I highly suggest planting a pretty aster plant or a thistle bush in your front yard and a large picket sign that reads, “BEES THIS WAY →”.
+In 2006, when Dave Hackenberg, long time owner of a very successful apiary (honey farm), discovered the disappearance of more than 60% of his colonies, it raised many questions. When many other critical apiaries were affected by this mysterious epidemic, losing up to 90% of their colonies, scientists went berzerk looking for answers. They named this epidemic Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Since then, 30% of our hives have died off every year.
To combat this growing problem, the United States Department of Agriculture published the CCD Action Plan in 2007, explaining the series of experiments that had to be conducted on bees and their colonies in the years to follow the release of this document. In May 2015, the Obama Administration strategically requested that 7 million acres of land and water be restored. This is the first time any president has ordered specific action on an insect epidemic, bringing the matter to the attention of the public.
What makes the threat of bee extinction so critical? Well no one wants to drink a cup of tea without a bit of honey. But more importantly, the disappearance of the bee populations could be detrimental to humanity. If the bee populations continue to shrink, there will not enough colonies in America to pollinate all those species of fruits, nuts, and vegetables, and our livestock will run out of food. If our livestock goes extinct, citizens are going to have a hard time finding nourishment.
What we know about the causes of CCD are not concrete. However, there is extensive evidence that suggests that pesticides, new or re-emerging pathogens, pests that attack bees, and environmental, nutritional, and migratory stresses all contribute to this growing epidemic.
Dave Hackenberg, owner of Hackenberg Apiaries, experienced one of the first cases of CCD back in 2006. Hackenberg, a beekeeper since he was 15, had seen every kind of death for bees, starvation and exposure to lethal temperatures in the winter, nasty bacterial infections that require the colonies to be burned to stop the spread of the infection, lost hives to bear thieves, and parasitic infestations of wax moths, small hive beetles, Varroa mites, and tracheal mites, pests that are not native to North America. When he found out that twenty million of his bees had simply vanished, a lot of questions were raised. There is a difference between natural death of bees that apiaries all over the world deal with regularly and the mysterious threat of CCD that left the beekeepers and the rest of the world puzzled and afraid.
Many people are convinced that pesticides are the main contributing factor to CCD. Although this has not been proven, there is evidence that one of the compounds in neonicotinoids class, a common crop and forest pesticide, called imidacloprid, is toxic to bees and causes short term memory loss in sub-lethal doses. Short term memory is critical in foraging flights for the bees to be able to remember where their hive is located. Neonicotinoids were actually banned in France due to high losses of bees. Studies are being conducted to determine if there is a connection can be made linking CCD to neonicotinoid pesticides.
Although the CCD epidemic poses an immediate threat, it will take scientists some time before they can create technologies that will isolate threats. After these technologies are made available, scientists will use them in to create additional technologies that will monitor colony threats and strengthen the overall immunity of bee colonies. Before any of this can be done, extensive studies and experiments must be conducted on isolated bees. Some of these studies include testing antibiotics, pesticides, management practices, and pathogens to narrow the potential causes of CCD. The discovery of the honey bee genome sequence in 2007 has provided a massive advantage to the studies, providing extensive genetic background on the species. This information is necessary when experimenting on bees to improve their immunity.
Sadly, until enough information has been collected to develop the necessary management strategies, it iss up to the rest of the population to take accountability and realize how our actions could be potentially promoting this threat.
The Bureau of Land Management is working with several wildlife and land protection agencies to re-flourish public and private lands with high-pollen producing plants and flowers. Research suggests high concentrations of Ozone during winter storage protects the population of hives, which is groundbreaking. However, there is not enough known about what possible consequences the experiment could bring, seeing as artificial Ozone generation has proven to be harmful to our environment, which could also trace back to affecting the bees in a harmful way.
When it comes down to it, all we can do as a people for now is hope that science hurries up with those tedious studies, and we should try our best to raise awareness and plant as many pollen-producing flora as we are able to in the hope that this act will help populations of honey bees flourish once again. There are volunteer programs that work specifically to restore appropriate pollen and nectar source amounts, by dedicating time and labor to enriching meadows and public lands with pollen-rich plants. If you’re concerned about the bees, or concerned for your own life and home on earth, I highly suggest planting a pretty aster plant or a thistle bush in your front yard and a large picket sign that reads, “BEES THIS WAY →”.
Utah's Air Pollution
By Elliot Emery
Air pollution is a serious problem in our state. There is a video game about it called “Bad Air Day” and the objective is “to make critical decisions about air pollution policies in Utah.” Air pollution in Utah is not just a game. Winter weather is here, and because of the cold air pushing pollutants into the valley, it is important to be informed about the dangers of air pollution.
There are some serious health problems that can be caused by exposure to air pollutants. For instance, short term effects from pollution include headache, sore throat, redness and irritation of eyes. This pollution can trigger long term health problems like asthma, emphysema, chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys as well. Pollution is also very harmful for growing children and teens because lungs continue to develop until people reach the age of 18. This means that children and teens are more susceptible to lung disease because their lungs are still developing.
The reason pollution in the Salt Lake Valley is so bad is because of the deep valley we live in. The cold winter air sinks down into the deep valley that acts like saran wrap over a bowl, trapping in the pollutants. Because pollution in utah so harmful it’s a good idea to escape the pollution try taking a trip up the canyon to get out of the valley, give your lungs a break.
Red air days in Utah are on the rise, according to the American Lung Association. A Red air day is when the PM2.5 reading is between 55.5-150.4 ug/m3. This means that there is any 55.5-150.4 Particulate matter in our air molecules. These particles can range from droplets of water to hazardous chemicals.
Red air days are dangerous. According to a study conducted by Berkeley Earth, the average American takes in as many toxins as they would if they smoked 0.4 cigarettes everyday regardless if you smoke cigarettes or not because you are breathing in the same toxins and chemicals found in cigarettes. Between 1999 and 2000, Utah had 10 mandatory red air days and 15 voluntary red air days. Within the last two years (2015-2016), the state has had 30 mandatory red air days, which means we have tripled the mandatory number of red air days.
The City of Provo set records in February 2016 for having 124 ug/m3 which is almost triple of their average of a PM2.5 reading of 54 ug/m3.
The state has made some efforts to combat the pollution problem. Utah legislature made funds available to The University of Utah in the amount of 1.3 million dollars to find carbon storage sites on December 4th 2016 to help capture and lower pollutants in the Salt Lake Valley. Carbon Capture and Storage is a way of gathering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it underground.
There are some serious health problems that can be caused by exposure to air pollutants. For instance, short term effects from pollution include headache, sore throat, redness and irritation of eyes. This pollution can trigger long term health problems like asthma, emphysema, chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys as well. Pollution is also very harmful for growing children and teens because lungs continue to develop until people reach the age of 18. This means that children and teens are more susceptible to lung disease because their lungs are still developing.
The reason pollution in the Salt Lake Valley is so bad is because of the deep valley we live in. The cold winter air sinks down into the deep valley that acts like saran wrap over a bowl, trapping in the pollutants. Because pollution in utah so harmful it’s a good idea to escape the pollution try taking a trip up the canyon to get out of the valley, give your lungs a break.
Red air days in Utah are on the rise, according to the American Lung Association. A Red air day is when the PM2.5 reading is between 55.5-150.4 ug/m3. This means that there is any 55.5-150.4 Particulate matter in our air molecules. These particles can range from droplets of water to hazardous chemicals.
Red air days are dangerous. According to a study conducted by Berkeley Earth, the average American takes in as many toxins as they would if they smoked 0.4 cigarettes everyday regardless if you smoke cigarettes or not because you are breathing in the same toxins and chemicals found in cigarettes. Between 1999 and 2000, Utah had 10 mandatory red air days and 15 voluntary red air days. Within the last two years (2015-2016), the state has had 30 mandatory red air days, which means we have tripled the mandatory number of red air days.
The City of Provo set records in February 2016 for having 124 ug/m3 which is almost triple of their average of a PM2.5 reading of 54 ug/m3.
The state has made some efforts to combat the pollution problem. Utah legislature made funds available to The University of Utah in the amount of 1.3 million dollars to find carbon storage sites on December 4th 2016 to help capture and lower pollutants in the Salt Lake Valley. Carbon Capture and Storage is a way of gathering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it underground.
Fake the News!
By Sam Kelly
According to Pew research, 62% of adults in the United States use social media as a primary source of news. However, the news we’re receiving in social media isn’t always credible. What has led to this large increase of misinformation? Over the last ten years our society has developed around advancements in technology. We’ve seen the launch of social media and the advancements of the cell phones we have in our pockets. With all this change come good things and bad things. For instance the democratization of information. It used to be complicated to publish and distribute information to the masses, but with the birth of social media and the ease of publication, there have been a series of problems and rewards. Anyone can write and publish with few restrictions.
The danger is that because this technology is new and complicated and there are so many people and interested parties writing and publishing, it can be hard to sort fact from fiction. The internet can be a great resource for information and give you access to many things that are going on around the world. As years have passed and technology has progressed so have the dangers of misuse.
Predators out there can easily take credible news articles and spin the article into something that misrepresents the author’s original intent by changing the title to exaggerate the topic and providing a fake content to sway people’s opinions. The more people that share the post, the more people have fallen prey to the false information.
Two of President-elect Donald Trump’s advisors, Michael T. Flynn and his son Michael G. Flynn, have been criticized for sharing fake news on social media platforms. Michael T. Flynn was let go from the Trump transition team because of fake news posts he shared. If influential and informed people are sharing news items that are easily discredited, what does that tell us? People are neglecting their responsibility to do a quick fact check to make sure what they are reading is actually true, and what is even scarier is the social media platforms are doing little to filter out all the misinformation being thrown about. Even after the fake news is debunked, it doesn’t get nearly the coverage that the fake news receives. It seems people only see what they want to see not what is necessarily true.
During the recent presidential election, we saw a dramatic increase in the amount of fake news popping up and produced due to the unseemly and undisciplined nature of the presidential election. Wild stories have been circulated from different sources, many of which aren’t even from the United States, and who knows what the motives might in creating the flase news and influencing the election. These sensationalized stories snag many readers, and many of us have probably even seen our immediate family members share these stories. Readers should be concerned when seeing flashy titles and bizarre allegations slandering whomever will get the publishers the most clicks.
A recent fake news incident occurred at a business, Comet Ping Pong, in Washington D.C. where many allegations were made stating that this business was enslaving children to use as sex slaves. The articles claimed this sex-trafficking was led by Hillary Clinton. The man who owns Comet Ping Pong, James Alefantis, noticed a considerable increase in his Instagram followers. Shortly after, he started to receive death threats against him and threats against his business. He was told “I’ll personally kill you” and “We’re onto you” on his Instagram. The allegations continued to grow resulting in the frightening actions taken by a man named Edgar Welch, who saw the fake news articles and decided to do something about it. He drove six hours to Comet Ping Pong and fired shots inside the building in an attempt to save the children who had reportedly been enslaved. After he couldn’t find any evidence of the child sex slave ring, he surrendered to police authorities.
Major news institutions such as the New York Times and Washington Post debunked the conspiracy theories regarding Comet Ping Pong. This sparked a raging fire in the fake news community. The creators of the false news stories began to spread the misinformation to vulnerable consumers of the false news stories that the big mainstream news institutions were the ones peddling the fake news. Some said that Edgar Welch was a paid actor hired to turn people’s attention away from Comet Ping Pong’s child sex slave ring. No evidence has been supported these wild claims, but there are people who still believe them.
Other rumors have been circulating that the neighboring businesses are all connected to the child sex slave ring. A French restaurant across the street from Comet Ping Pong owned by Sabrina Ousmaal has experienced people calling and threatening the restaurant, and some individuals have posted on business’s Facebook page with bizarre and unfounded allegations like, “Why did you remove a symbol related to the pedophillia ring off your website.” The perpetuation of the false news continues to negatively affect the businesses and law enforcement and other interested parties are struggling with ways to manage these incidents.
How can social media moderate fake news, and when does fake news get to the point that it needs to be moderated. Where does this form of speech cross the line? According to statistics gathered by BuzzFeed using a facebook monitoring tool, fake news had more viewers and people posting their content than mainstream news on these social media platforms. The most popular fake news article was “Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President, Releases Statement.” which was interacted with around 960,000 times after being shared by a page called Ending the Fed.
The platforms like Facebook are struggling with how to regulate this problem, but we should be better about consuming information.
The danger is that because this technology is new and complicated and there are so many people and interested parties writing and publishing, it can be hard to sort fact from fiction. The internet can be a great resource for information and give you access to many things that are going on around the world. As years have passed and technology has progressed so have the dangers of misuse.
Predators out there can easily take credible news articles and spin the article into something that misrepresents the author’s original intent by changing the title to exaggerate the topic and providing a fake content to sway people’s opinions. The more people that share the post, the more people have fallen prey to the false information.
Two of President-elect Donald Trump’s advisors, Michael T. Flynn and his son Michael G. Flynn, have been criticized for sharing fake news on social media platforms. Michael T. Flynn was let go from the Trump transition team because of fake news posts he shared. If influential and informed people are sharing news items that are easily discredited, what does that tell us? People are neglecting their responsibility to do a quick fact check to make sure what they are reading is actually true, and what is even scarier is the social media platforms are doing little to filter out all the misinformation being thrown about. Even after the fake news is debunked, it doesn’t get nearly the coverage that the fake news receives. It seems people only see what they want to see not what is necessarily true.
During the recent presidential election, we saw a dramatic increase in the amount of fake news popping up and produced due to the unseemly and undisciplined nature of the presidential election. Wild stories have been circulated from different sources, many of which aren’t even from the United States, and who knows what the motives might in creating the flase news and influencing the election. These sensationalized stories snag many readers, and many of us have probably even seen our immediate family members share these stories. Readers should be concerned when seeing flashy titles and bizarre allegations slandering whomever will get the publishers the most clicks.
A recent fake news incident occurred at a business, Comet Ping Pong, in Washington D.C. where many allegations were made stating that this business was enslaving children to use as sex slaves. The articles claimed this sex-trafficking was led by Hillary Clinton. The man who owns Comet Ping Pong, James Alefantis, noticed a considerable increase in his Instagram followers. Shortly after, he started to receive death threats against him and threats against his business. He was told “I’ll personally kill you” and “We’re onto you” on his Instagram. The allegations continued to grow resulting in the frightening actions taken by a man named Edgar Welch, who saw the fake news articles and decided to do something about it. He drove six hours to Comet Ping Pong and fired shots inside the building in an attempt to save the children who had reportedly been enslaved. After he couldn’t find any evidence of the child sex slave ring, he surrendered to police authorities.
Major news institutions such as the New York Times and Washington Post debunked the conspiracy theories regarding Comet Ping Pong. This sparked a raging fire in the fake news community. The creators of the false news stories began to spread the misinformation to vulnerable consumers of the false news stories that the big mainstream news institutions were the ones peddling the fake news. Some said that Edgar Welch was a paid actor hired to turn people’s attention away from Comet Ping Pong’s child sex slave ring. No evidence has been supported these wild claims, but there are people who still believe them.
Other rumors have been circulating that the neighboring businesses are all connected to the child sex slave ring. A French restaurant across the street from Comet Ping Pong owned by Sabrina Ousmaal has experienced people calling and threatening the restaurant, and some individuals have posted on business’s Facebook page with bizarre and unfounded allegations like, “Why did you remove a symbol related to the pedophillia ring off your website.” The perpetuation of the false news continues to negatively affect the businesses and law enforcement and other interested parties are struggling with ways to manage these incidents.
How can social media moderate fake news, and when does fake news get to the point that it needs to be moderated. Where does this form of speech cross the line? According to statistics gathered by BuzzFeed using a facebook monitoring tool, fake news had more viewers and people posting their content than mainstream news on these social media platforms. The most popular fake news article was “Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President, Releases Statement.” which was interacted with around 960,000 times after being shared by a page called Ending the Fed.
The platforms like Facebook are struggling with how to regulate this problem, but we should be better about consuming information.
Deadly Cyanobacteria Infesting Utah Bodies of Water
More than 20 waterways deemed unsafe
By Bennett Shulze
Oscillatoria, just one of the various strains of toxic cyanobacteria, can be as dense as human skin. When cyanobacteria grows exponentially, it can coagulate and thicken to form structures called blooms which are generally blue-green in hue and are visible on the water’s surface. It can resemble green carpet along the banks. These bacteria reproduce by fragmentation. One filament breaks off to form a hormogonia which grows into a new cell and the process continues.
Effects on the human body are adverse. On October 14th, 2014, Jimmy Davis was wakeboarding in Utah Lake and inhaled water. He later collapsed and died. Cyanobacterias release various toxins such as Hepatoxins, Nephrotoxins, and Neurotoxins. Hepatoxins and Nephrotoxins target the liver and cause jaundice and nausea. Neurotoxins are the most severe of the three. Symptoms include muscle spasms and asphyxiation. They are deadly and untreatable. The latter killed Jimmy.
Not only is the human body affected, but the environment drastically deteriorated by the rapid oxygen consumption. This reduces the available oxygen needed by fish as well as other aquatic lifeforms. In addition, many animals are killed from ingesting the contaminated water. Fish wash ashore and attract carnivores and disease. As an added bonus to the stench, communities’ water supplies diminish profoundly.
There are local scientists who believe our ecological negligence has put us on a collision course that will just perpetuate this phenomenon and make it the norm. Utahns have high disregard for our “dirty” and “unsanitary” canals and rivers. Up until 1967 we were still dumping raw sewage into our waterways. Now our sewers are emptied directly after treatment. In order to actually impart change in this valley, we need to understand that we can't keep overlooking the fact that abusive treatment of our waterways DOES IN FACT HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Utah’s pollution is some of the worst in America. According to the American Lung Association, the Salt Lake metro area is ranked sixth worst in the nation.
Effects on the human body are adverse. On October 14th, 2014, Jimmy Davis was wakeboarding in Utah Lake and inhaled water. He later collapsed and died. Cyanobacterias release various toxins such as Hepatoxins, Nephrotoxins, and Neurotoxins. Hepatoxins and Nephrotoxins target the liver and cause jaundice and nausea. Neurotoxins are the most severe of the three. Symptoms include muscle spasms and asphyxiation. They are deadly and untreatable. The latter killed Jimmy.
Not only is the human body affected, but the environment drastically deteriorated by the rapid oxygen consumption. This reduces the available oxygen needed by fish as well as other aquatic lifeforms. In addition, many animals are killed from ingesting the contaminated water. Fish wash ashore and attract carnivores and disease. As an added bonus to the stench, communities’ water supplies diminish profoundly.
There are local scientists who believe our ecological negligence has put us on a collision course that will just perpetuate this phenomenon and make it the norm. Utahns have high disregard for our “dirty” and “unsanitary” canals and rivers. Up until 1967 we were still dumping raw sewage into our waterways. Now our sewers are emptied directly after treatment. In order to actually impart change in this valley, we need to understand that we can't keep overlooking the fact that abusive treatment of our waterways DOES IN FACT HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Utah’s pollution is some of the worst in America. According to the American Lung Association, the Salt Lake metro area is ranked sixth worst in the nation.
Those with More to Love?
The problem with obesity and fast food
By Treven Jaymz
America is struggling with a major obesity issue. Though we are a country where physical activity is very limited and few people exercise enough, eating healthy also seems to be a big problem. Along with our unhealthy eating habits, many people have begun to blame the fast food industry for this obesity epidemic. Could it really be the food that we know is unhealthy for us, or is it our unhealthy eating habits that is causing this epidemic?
Some of America’s biggest fast food companies consist of; Subway, at number one with 24,722 different locations, Mcdonald’s with 14,098 locations, and Starbucks with 10,821 locations just in the US. Other companies such as Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, and Wendy’s have all grown substantially in the last few years. The United States has over a hundred million people that are obese, but yet one of four Americans walk into a fast food restaurant everyday. In fact, adults ages twenty and older take up one third of the of America’s adult population is considered obese.
Our obesity problem is a crisis, affecting more than 35.7% percent of the US’s adult population twenty or over. 31.8% of people between the ages of two and nineteen are obese. Obesity is quickly climbing to the second leading cause of preventable death in the US next to smoking. The states with the highest obesity rates in the country, according to stateofobesity.org, include Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi. Colorado has the lowest obesity rate, averaging around 20%.
Some overall health risks that come with not eating healthy and being obese consist of many things. A handful of the things from being obese include; Type two diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Type two diabetes is an overall health problem in which the body cannot break down carbohydrates due to no insulin in the body. High blood can overload your heart and other arteries, speeding up the process of clogging the arteries. Unhealthy eating, particularly fast food, and lack of physical exercise increase chances of insulin resistance, shortness of breath, depression, and can be hard on the human heart.
America has become the most obese country in the world and the number 9 most obese nation in the world.The difference between the two is the U.S. country is the most obese in the world, and the ninth most obese nation; meaning small groups of people involved in the same culture. The question people should really ask is, should we be blaming other things in the world such as the fast food industry, for our obesity, or is it time for us to make change? Eating healthy is a few easy steps away for example buying better produce and cooking with healthy materials is a good start. Stay away from fast food, work out, and eat healthy. We were given nice kitchens for a reason.
Some of America’s biggest fast food companies consist of; Subway, at number one with 24,722 different locations, Mcdonald’s with 14,098 locations, and Starbucks with 10,821 locations just in the US. Other companies such as Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, and Wendy’s have all grown substantially in the last few years. The United States has over a hundred million people that are obese, but yet one of four Americans walk into a fast food restaurant everyday. In fact, adults ages twenty and older take up one third of the of America’s adult population is considered obese.
Our obesity problem is a crisis, affecting more than 35.7% percent of the US’s adult population twenty or over. 31.8% of people between the ages of two and nineteen are obese. Obesity is quickly climbing to the second leading cause of preventable death in the US next to smoking. The states with the highest obesity rates in the country, according to stateofobesity.org, include Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi. Colorado has the lowest obesity rate, averaging around 20%.
Some overall health risks that come with not eating healthy and being obese consist of many things. A handful of the things from being obese include; Type two diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Type two diabetes is an overall health problem in which the body cannot break down carbohydrates due to no insulin in the body. High blood can overload your heart and other arteries, speeding up the process of clogging the arteries. Unhealthy eating, particularly fast food, and lack of physical exercise increase chances of insulin resistance, shortness of breath, depression, and can be hard on the human heart.
America has become the most obese country in the world and the number 9 most obese nation in the world.The difference between the two is the U.S. country is the most obese in the world, and the ninth most obese nation; meaning small groups of people involved in the same culture. The question people should really ask is, should we be blaming other things in the world such as the fast food industry, for our obesity, or is it time for us to make change? Eating healthy is a few easy steps away for example buying better produce and cooking with healthy materials is a good start. Stay away from fast food, work out, and eat healthy. We were given nice kitchens for a reason.
Earth's Twin
By Jazmynn Meaux
Not long ago, in a solar system far, far away-- NASA Kepler Space Telescope discovered the first earth-sized planet in a habitable zone. Kepler 186f is considered “Earth’s Twin” by astronomers all over the world. I had the opportunity to converse with Dr. Ben Bromley, chair and professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Utah, who said, “This planet is a milestone for astronomy because we have only searched hundreds of thousands of stars and found only a few Earth like ones. There are hundreds of billions of stars in our own galaxy, so millions of Earth like planets in the habitable zone. And there are millions++ of galaxies in our universe…”
Although other planets in habitable zones have been discovered, they’ve all been at least 40% bigger than Earth, and understanding their makeup is a very challenging task. Kepler 186f is much more like Earth, and although it’s size is known, its mass and composition are not. Previous research, however, suggests that it would be a rocky planet. Whether it contains pooling water on its surface or not is unknown. At this point, scientists are still trying to piece together the mystery of the alien planet. “I think there may be water on 186f because water is quite plentiful in planetary systems like our own. Some moons around Jupiter and Saturn’s rings have lots of water, although in ice form,” Dr. Bromley said, “If water resides on 186f, it might be liquid. At least where it’s summer on the planet and only if there’s a green house effect.”
Kepler 186f is about 500 light years away. That measures around 2,939,312,686,591,803 miles! With today’s current technology, it would take us around 40 million years to travel there. It orbits its Sun every 130 days and receives only ⅓ of the energy Earth receives from our Sun, placing it on the outer edge of the habitable zone. It is also a part of the Kepler 186 system near the Constellation Cygnus. This system is believed to be home to five planets, including Kepler 186f, which orbit a star about half the size and mass of our star.
How did this planet form? Well, we’re not exactly sure how our own planet even formed. With enough information, however, we can begin to solve this puzzle. Kepler 186f may contain a vast amount of information on the formation of our world and many others. Even though there are many major differences between our own solar system and the Kepler 186 system, Bromley went on to say, “The existence of 186f along with its sibling planets, can tell us something about how the Earth itself formed. We can refine our theories of planet formation with the Kepler 186f system.” This is one of the many reasons Kepler 186f is such a huge milestone for many astronomers across the globe. This foreign system can give us more information we need to verify many theories, even theories based on the idea that we humans are alone in this universe. Dr. Bromley went on to say, “I think the discovery of 186f validates experiments like Kepler and will help NASA justify its next steps towards finding alien life.”
The other four planets in the Kepler 186 system orbit their sun every 4, 7, 13, and 22 days making them too hot to be considered habitable. When asked what conditions would lead to a habitable planet, Bromley answered “We guess that if the planet is a lot like Earth-- water and minerals on the surface, an atmosphere, the right distance from a host star to keep water (sometimes) in liquid form, yet never too hot- the conditions are favorable. Kepler 186f I think is likely colder than Earth, so maybe life wouldn’t be like us, but we don’t really know the variety in the kinds of life that can arise.” While lacking substantiation to the many different types of life that can arise, we can only speculate at this point what life could exist on such a planet as this. The next step to looking for distant life is to search for true Earth twins with sizes similar to Earth orbiting a star like our Sun, and measuring their chemical composition.
The discovery of this planet has opened the eyes of many to the possibility of life beyond the known creatures that are a part of planet Earth, which has sparked more interest among people that gaze at the stars with wonder, only to discover others could be gazing back. As Bromley says, “It is cool that kids who dream of space can dream of other homes beside our own.”
Although other planets in habitable zones have been discovered, they’ve all been at least 40% bigger than Earth, and understanding their makeup is a very challenging task. Kepler 186f is much more like Earth, and although it’s size is known, its mass and composition are not. Previous research, however, suggests that it would be a rocky planet. Whether it contains pooling water on its surface or not is unknown. At this point, scientists are still trying to piece together the mystery of the alien planet. “I think there may be water on 186f because water is quite plentiful in planetary systems like our own. Some moons around Jupiter and Saturn’s rings have lots of water, although in ice form,” Dr. Bromley said, “If water resides on 186f, it might be liquid. At least where it’s summer on the planet and only if there’s a green house effect.”
Kepler 186f is about 500 light years away. That measures around 2,939,312,686,591,803 miles! With today’s current technology, it would take us around 40 million years to travel there. It orbits its Sun every 130 days and receives only ⅓ of the energy Earth receives from our Sun, placing it on the outer edge of the habitable zone. It is also a part of the Kepler 186 system near the Constellation Cygnus. This system is believed to be home to five planets, including Kepler 186f, which orbit a star about half the size and mass of our star.
How did this planet form? Well, we’re not exactly sure how our own planet even formed. With enough information, however, we can begin to solve this puzzle. Kepler 186f may contain a vast amount of information on the formation of our world and many others. Even though there are many major differences between our own solar system and the Kepler 186 system, Bromley went on to say, “The existence of 186f along with its sibling planets, can tell us something about how the Earth itself formed. We can refine our theories of planet formation with the Kepler 186f system.” This is one of the many reasons Kepler 186f is such a huge milestone for many astronomers across the globe. This foreign system can give us more information we need to verify many theories, even theories based on the idea that we humans are alone in this universe. Dr. Bromley went on to say, “I think the discovery of 186f validates experiments like Kepler and will help NASA justify its next steps towards finding alien life.”
The other four planets in the Kepler 186 system orbit their sun every 4, 7, 13, and 22 days making them too hot to be considered habitable. When asked what conditions would lead to a habitable planet, Bromley answered “We guess that if the planet is a lot like Earth-- water and minerals on the surface, an atmosphere, the right distance from a host star to keep water (sometimes) in liquid form, yet never too hot- the conditions are favorable. Kepler 186f I think is likely colder than Earth, so maybe life wouldn’t be like us, but we don’t really know the variety in the kinds of life that can arise.” While lacking substantiation to the many different types of life that can arise, we can only speculate at this point what life could exist on such a planet as this. The next step to looking for distant life is to search for true Earth twins with sizes similar to Earth orbiting a star like our Sun, and measuring their chemical composition.
The discovery of this planet has opened the eyes of many to the possibility of life beyond the known creatures that are a part of planet Earth, which has sparked more interest among people that gaze at the stars with wonder, only to discover others could be gazing back. As Bromley says, “It is cool that kids who dream of space can dream of other homes beside our own.”
Mental Health Crisis
By Sam Kelly
Chicago, which has a population of just over 2.7 million people, is a bustling city in the state of Illinois, is at war with itself. People are being killed every day. In fact, just over Labor Day weekend the city reached over 500 homicides for this year alone.
Chicago has seen a recent increase in gang activity. A poll conducted by The New York Times shows that many African-American and Hispanic communities are “poverty stricken” and more likely to have young people gang affiliated. In which seems to have a direct correlation with the increased gang related crimes. In the late 1990s gang violence started decreasing in Chicago, but that improvement halted in 2004 and gang violence has now risen to the highest it has been in two decades. There has been a 62% increase in homicides and a 60% increase in shootings. The Chicago Police Department is struggling to manage the increase in crime.
The department appears able to handle major problems but leaves the citizens responsible for handling their own security. Chicago residents are carrying firearms for their protection so many others feel like they need to carry them as well. That may result in people taking matters into their own hands, which in turn increases crime.
Why is crime so widespread and out of control? According to an article by Phil Kadner from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago has closed quite a few medical centers. Two inpatient facilities, one of which was Tinley Park Mental Health Center. The Tinsley Park Mental Health Center had a large role in helping people with mental illness in a long term setting. Six additional mental health clinics and community mental health agencies were also closed. These are medical centers that could provide help for people with severe mental illnesses, but instead these people are out on the streets fending for themselves. There has also been $113,000,000 budget cut in mental health services recently. Following the closing of these medical clinics and centers and cuts in mental health services, the city of Chicago had a 19% increase in emergency room visits resulting from psychiatric distress.
Is it possible that the criminal activity has a correlation with the mental health crisis? In 2012, Cook County Jail admitted approximately 76,400 people, and 45,000 of those were people with severe mental illnesses. To add to that, Governor Runners has proposed budget cuts that will further strain the lack of mental health care, a 1.5 billion dollar cut to medicaid.
The consequences have been clear. Many people struggling don’t have a place to turn to. The NAMI-Chicago (National Alliance on Mental Illness) report estimates that of the 5 million adults in Illinois, around 2.1 million have mental illnesses and a quarter of them are severe.
Toxic stresses could be the culprit of a lot of crime and mental illnesses. What is toxic stress? It can be the traumatic events that people experience that causes repetitive extreme stress as a child, which leads to damage to the neural connections. The more “Aces” (Adverse Childhood Experiences) or points on the Toxic Stress test makes you more likely to have a mental illness, suffer from drug and alcohol abuse, and struggle with health problems leading to early death. Some believe that the ACEs are related to or caused by poverty, which is why ACEs could be related to the problems in Chicago.
What causes someone to walk into a movie theatre and unload a firearm on a crowd of people? They’re not in good mental health. People who are in good mental health don’t wake up in the morning and decide they’re going to go harm others. Maybe we should stop cutting funding for mental health and put in place a reliable mental health system to better understand, deal with, and prevent these tragedies.
Chicago has seen a recent increase in gang activity. A poll conducted by The New York Times shows that many African-American and Hispanic communities are “poverty stricken” and more likely to have young people gang affiliated. In which seems to have a direct correlation with the increased gang related crimes. In the late 1990s gang violence started decreasing in Chicago, but that improvement halted in 2004 and gang violence has now risen to the highest it has been in two decades. There has been a 62% increase in homicides and a 60% increase in shootings. The Chicago Police Department is struggling to manage the increase in crime.
The department appears able to handle major problems but leaves the citizens responsible for handling their own security. Chicago residents are carrying firearms for their protection so many others feel like they need to carry them as well. That may result in people taking matters into their own hands, which in turn increases crime.
Why is crime so widespread and out of control? According to an article by Phil Kadner from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago has closed quite a few medical centers. Two inpatient facilities, one of which was Tinley Park Mental Health Center. The Tinsley Park Mental Health Center had a large role in helping people with mental illness in a long term setting. Six additional mental health clinics and community mental health agencies were also closed. These are medical centers that could provide help for people with severe mental illnesses, but instead these people are out on the streets fending for themselves. There has also been $113,000,000 budget cut in mental health services recently. Following the closing of these medical clinics and centers and cuts in mental health services, the city of Chicago had a 19% increase in emergency room visits resulting from psychiatric distress.
Is it possible that the criminal activity has a correlation with the mental health crisis? In 2012, Cook County Jail admitted approximately 76,400 people, and 45,000 of those were people with severe mental illnesses. To add to that, Governor Runners has proposed budget cuts that will further strain the lack of mental health care, a 1.5 billion dollar cut to medicaid.
The consequences have been clear. Many people struggling don’t have a place to turn to. The NAMI-Chicago (National Alliance on Mental Illness) report estimates that of the 5 million adults in Illinois, around 2.1 million have mental illnesses and a quarter of them are severe.
Toxic stresses could be the culprit of a lot of crime and mental illnesses. What is toxic stress? It can be the traumatic events that people experience that causes repetitive extreme stress as a child, which leads to damage to the neural connections. The more “Aces” (Adverse Childhood Experiences) or points on the Toxic Stress test makes you more likely to have a mental illness, suffer from drug and alcohol abuse, and struggle with health problems leading to early death. Some believe that the ACEs are related to or caused by poverty, which is why ACEs could be related to the problems in Chicago.
What causes someone to walk into a movie theatre and unload a firearm on a crowd of people? They’re not in good mental health. People who are in good mental health don’t wake up in the morning and decide they’re going to go harm others. Maybe we should stop cutting funding for mental health and put in place a reliable mental health system to better understand, deal with, and prevent these tragedies.
Rising Suicide Rates in Utah
By Corinne Vonstorch
As of July 2016, the leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10-17 is suicide. Since 2007, the suicide rate in Utah has nearly tripled. This is increasing at an alarming rate unmatched anywhere else in the country, which can only lead us to ask why. Why do these troubled youths seem to feel that the only answer to their clouded minds is to take their own lives? Why is the suicide rate increasing so dramatically as the years go by? Do these individuals realize that taking such drastic measures will not improve their lives because those lives will no longer be there?
A study conducted by health officials in 2014 says Utah’s suicide rate at the time was 8.5 suicides for every 100,000 people, this is the most recent study conducted. Health officials, suicide prevention advocates and educators have been working to curb rising suicide rate, but officials don’t know why Utah’s child suicide rate is more than double the national rate and climbing. Some studies show that residents in Utah move more frequently, which could leave these youths with fewer social connections and support. Some health officials have theories that state that lower oxygen levels at higher altitudes can contribute to higher suicide rates, and a western, rugged mentality of self-reliance may keep some from seeking help for depression.
Utah and other rocky mountain states also have a very high rate of gun ownership, about 43.5 percent of citizens in Utah own a household gun. Now, gun ownership rates don’t necessarily correlate with suicide rates, but is shown in plenty of different studies that people who do commit suicide are more likely to do it using a firearm. That includes plenty of youth, nearly half of the youth who have died from suicide in recent years have used a firearm.
All of this information can’t help but raise many questions like, is the celebritization surrounding these suicide victims causing more youth to commit suicide? Is increasing suicide rate related to the culture and strong religious basis in Utah? Or could the rising rates be related to the altitude and oxygen levels? An article made by The Daily Universe titled, “Suicide Prevention Day; Utah ranked 5th among teens” believes that suicide is a “major preventable cause of premature death, and is is influenced by psycho-social, cultural, and environmental risk factors.” Wendy Williams Mongomery, an LGBT advocate, believes that the LDS church’s discrimination against LGBT youth may be influencing the rising suicide rates in Utah. Wendy states that hospitals in Utah treat 2-3 suicide attempts per day, but that it is hard to tell if these are all LGBT-related.
So what is Utah doing to curb these rising suicide rates? While the latest numbers aren’t yet available, “the numbers appear to be leveling off,” said Doug Thomas, director of Utah’s Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. He believes the successes are due to increased awareness, and continued saying, “More people are talking about suicide.” Doug Thomas says that since the 2013 plan was implemented to develop prevention and intervention activities throughout the state, as well as educate state officials, clergy, health care workers, military personnel and others on how to better deal with the situation if it arises. Thomas said efforts are paying off.
A study conducted by health officials in 2014 says Utah’s suicide rate at the time was 8.5 suicides for every 100,000 people, this is the most recent study conducted. Health officials, suicide prevention advocates and educators have been working to curb rising suicide rate, but officials don’t know why Utah’s child suicide rate is more than double the national rate and climbing. Some studies show that residents in Utah move more frequently, which could leave these youths with fewer social connections and support. Some health officials have theories that state that lower oxygen levels at higher altitudes can contribute to higher suicide rates, and a western, rugged mentality of self-reliance may keep some from seeking help for depression.
Utah and other rocky mountain states also have a very high rate of gun ownership, about 43.5 percent of citizens in Utah own a household gun. Now, gun ownership rates don’t necessarily correlate with suicide rates, but is shown in plenty of different studies that people who do commit suicide are more likely to do it using a firearm. That includes plenty of youth, nearly half of the youth who have died from suicide in recent years have used a firearm.
All of this information can’t help but raise many questions like, is the celebritization surrounding these suicide victims causing more youth to commit suicide? Is increasing suicide rate related to the culture and strong religious basis in Utah? Or could the rising rates be related to the altitude and oxygen levels? An article made by The Daily Universe titled, “Suicide Prevention Day; Utah ranked 5th among teens” believes that suicide is a “major preventable cause of premature death, and is is influenced by psycho-social, cultural, and environmental risk factors.” Wendy Williams Mongomery, an LGBT advocate, believes that the LDS church’s discrimination against LGBT youth may be influencing the rising suicide rates in Utah. Wendy states that hospitals in Utah treat 2-3 suicide attempts per day, but that it is hard to tell if these are all LGBT-related.
So what is Utah doing to curb these rising suicide rates? While the latest numbers aren’t yet available, “the numbers appear to be leveling off,” said Doug Thomas, director of Utah’s Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. He believes the successes are due to increased awareness, and continued saying, “More people are talking about suicide.” Doug Thomas says that since the 2013 plan was implemented to develop prevention and intervention activities throughout the state, as well as educate state officials, clergy, health care workers, military personnel and others on how to better deal with the situation if it arises. Thomas said efforts are paying off.
DEMONitization
Youtube stops paying creators over new rules
By Jojo Bridge
Youtube has been around for over a decade now, the place where anyone can be famous by doing anything. From the O.G. creators to the viners converting, everyone is welcome to create as long as what they post is not illegal...until recently.
Popular and long time entertainment news channel, Philip DeFranco received an email saying that his videos are no longer eligible to be monetized (monetization is the advertisements that play before videos that pay the creator for their content. Each ad pays different depending on the length and the company’s budget. Usually the pay is a fraction of a cent per view). Being a widespread form of infotainment, Philip sat down in his studio and talked about it, presenting screenshots of the emails showing the changes in the site’s Terms and Conditions as well as the Community Guidelines.
The email shows that Youtube is no longer allowing swearing, innuendos, any drug references, “violence including pictures of serious injury and events related to violence or violent extremism [...] controversial or sensitive subjects and events”. Basically, you can’t talk about violence, drugs, “war, political conflicts, natural disasters, and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown” if it does not comply with the guidelines.
To be clear, you can still make videos like this but you can no longer take advantage of Google ads put in front of videos and Youtube will no longer pay you for your content. Your channel will not get taken away, you will not gain strikes from Youtube, and you will not get in any legal trouble. You just cannot get paid for time and effort put into your content
Looking at this list, one may think Youtube is just trying to protect the younger generation from hearing about bad things happening in the world, but others will argue that in our world, there are terrorist attacks and drugs and swearing and sex, and no matter how much you sugarcoat it to your kids, they will be exposed eventually.
To play devil’s advocate for a minute, recently there was a boy in the news who attempted to recreate a prank he saw on RiceMan’s channel. The video was about RiceMan pretending to hang himself in front of his mom. Anyone could see all the places this attempt to re-create this prank could have gone wrong. While RiceMan did put a warning, telling viewers not to try this at home, and that he knew what he was doing, a young boy decided to try it anyway, and ended up dying.
Tragedies such as these put into perspective just how much the next generation has access to, thanks to the internet. There seems to be a disconnect where people know that crazy stunts and pranks on television are fake, but no one, until recently, seemed to realize that you could fake those things on Youtube. People freaked out about Sam Pepper when he made controversial pranks sexually assaulting women. He later stated that he had faked this prank and that all the women were hired actresses. While many people think this is still wrong, he claims the prank was a social experiment.
No one quite knows as of right now how this change in Youtubes Terms and Conditions will affect the site, but it has already split the entirety of Youtube into two halves. Twitter fights have broken out between the creators who these changes will affect and those creators who will continue along with their channels and their income without having to either censor themselves or find new sources of funding.
So what does this mean for viewers? That depends on the creator whose content you want to watch. Some Youtubers have already thrown up a middle finger to the rules and stated that they will continue using their First Amendment rights. Other creators have started inserting bleeps and avoiding cursing at all costs.
From the outrage this change has already caused Youtube, one may question whether or not the Terms and Conditions will actually change. We’ll see over the following months if and how this affects the Youtube community, both the consumers and creators. For now, enjoy fangirling or hating the iPhone 7.
Popular and long time entertainment news channel, Philip DeFranco received an email saying that his videos are no longer eligible to be monetized (monetization is the advertisements that play before videos that pay the creator for their content. Each ad pays different depending on the length and the company’s budget. Usually the pay is a fraction of a cent per view). Being a widespread form of infotainment, Philip sat down in his studio and talked about it, presenting screenshots of the emails showing the changes in the site’s Terms and Conditions as well as the Community Guidelines.
The email shows that Youtube is no longer allowing swearing, innuendos, any drug references, “violence including pictures of serious injury and events related to violence or violent extremism [...] controversial or sensitive subjects and events”. Basically, you can’t talk about violence, drugs, “war, political conflicts, natural disasters, and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown” if it does not comply with the guidelines.
To be clear, you can still make videos like this but you can no longer take advantage of Google ads put in front of videos and Youtube will no longer pay you for your content. Your channel will not get taken away, you will not gain strikes from Youtube, and you will not get in any legal trouble. You just cannot get paid for time and effort put into your content
Looking at this list, one may think Youtube is just trying to protect the younger generation from hearing about bad things happening in the world, but others will argue that in our world, there are terrorist attacks and drugs and swearing and sex, and no matter how much you sugarcoat it to your kids, they will be exposed eventually.
To play devil’s advocate for a minute, recently there was a boy in the news who attempted to recreate a prank he saw on RiceMan’s channel. The video was about RiceMan pretending to hang himself in front of his mom. Anyone could see all the places this attempt to re-create this prank could have gone wrong. While RiceMan did put a warning, telling viewers not to try this at home, and that he knew what he was doing, a young boy decided to try it anyway, and ended up dying.
Tragedies such as these put into perspective just how much the next generation has access to, thanks to the internet. There seems to be a disconnect where people know that crazy stunts and pranks on television are fake, but no one, until recently, seemed to realize that you could fake those things on Youtube. People freaked out about Sam Pepper when he made controversial pranks sexually assaulting women. He later stated that he had faked this prank and that all the women were hired actresses. While many people think this is still wrong, he claims the prank was a social experiment.
No one quite knows as of right now how this change in Youtubes Terms and Conditions will affect the site, but it has already split the entirety of Youtube into two halves. Twitter fights have broken out between the creators who these changes will affect and those creators who will continue along with their channels and their income without having to either censor themselves or find new sources of funding.
So what does this mean for viewers? That depends on the creator whose content you want to watch. Some Youtubers have already thrown up a middle finger to the rules and stated that they will continue using their First Amendment rights. Other creators have started inserting bleeps and avoiding cursing at all costs.
From the outrage this change has already caused Youtube, one may question whether or not the Terms and Conditions will actually change. We’ll see over the following months if and how this affects the Youtube community, both the consumers and creators. For now, enjoy fangirling or hating the iPhone 7.
