Books and Banter
The Internet Newspaper for Mr. Lang's Students
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
NYS Test Scores Released
Friday, March 25, 2011
Book Wish List
Friday, March 18, 2011
A Scary Scenario
What is cyberbullying? According to stopcyberbullying.org, cyberbullying is when a child, preteen, or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed, or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen, or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, or mobile phones. It is among the most common forms of bullying.
There are many horrors associated with cyberbullying. An article from how-to-stop-bullying.com recently stated that school bullying statistics and cyberbullying statistics are increasingly viewed as an important contributor to youth violence, including homicide and suicide. Case studies of the shooting at Columbine High School and other U.S schools have suggested that bullying was a factor in many of the incidents. Bullying is getting to the point where people are committing suicide and bringing guns to school, taking other people’s lives in the process. This is going too far. Furthermore, how-to-stop-bullying.com reports that one hundred and sixty thousand students miss school each day because of the fear of being bullied.
How can cyberbullying be stopped? For starters if you can’t say something nice about someone in an email, IM, chatroom, or anyone else on the Internet, then don’t say anything at all and bullying won’t be a problem. Also, safeteens.com urges teens not to retaliate. Getting back at the bully turns you into one, and reinforces the bully’s behavior.
The bottom line is that cyberbullying is a problem around the world and it has to be stopped. You can take action by confronting the bully and telling him/her to stop or by notifying an adult. Don’t be afraid to inform someone because the bullying will get worse. Tell someone before it goes to far.
-Sadie Thompson
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Stop School Tragedies
What causes these horrible tragedies? An article form bullyingstatistics.org states that bullying is a major reason for school-related deaths. There are many types of bullying that can cause this. Emotional bullying is the most common, which is name calling or teasing. Physical bullying is pushing, punching, etc. According to the National Center for Education, statistics show that nearly a third of all students 12-18 have been bullied at school. Most kids are picked on because of their race, religion, disability, or sexual preference.
There are many different ways school shootings can be stopped. School uniforms could be used to stop kids from picking on each other’s clothing. A guidance counselor, teacher, or helpful adult could be a great person to talk to if someone was bothering or teasing someone in any way.
School is a place to learn, develop, make friends, and have fun. Kids getting killed at school is unacceptable. School shootings can be stopped; it is just a matter of who is willing to step up and stop it.
-Brody Rocque
Friday, March 11, 2011
How Safe Are Pet Foods?
There are a lot of harmful ingredients in pet foods. According to Born Free USA, one such ingredient is dubbed “poultry meal,” which is mainly leftover scraps: “In the case of poultry, bones are allowed, so ‘chicken’ consists mainly of backs and frames or known as the spine and ribs, minus their expensive breast meat. The small amount of meat left on the bones is the meat in pet food.”
Often, the meats used are not fresh, since sick or dead animals can be processed as pet foods; thus, the drug or medicine that was used to treat them can sometimes be in store-bought pet food. Some companies even use the so-called “4Ds” in their products as well--dead, dying, diseased, and disabled animals, which can include euthanized dogs and cats. The fat in pet foods is preserved with either synthetic or “natural preservatives” to give it a long shelf life. According to Born Free USA, “synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic verison of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin.” Four out of five of those synthetic preservatives, BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, and propylene glycol, are on the top three death-causing toxic chemicals list. BHA and BHT cause liver and kidney dysfunction. Ethoxyquin is a potenial cancer-causing agent. Last is propylene glycol, which is found in many semi-moist dog foods and causes red blood cell destruction.
There are some pet foods and companies that offer good alternatives. Sometimes the more expensive brand is better for your pet. Here is a list of safer dog and cat foods: Nature’s Recipe, Innova, Life’s Abundance, Azmira, and Newman’s Own Organic. When looking for safe pet food, make sure you read labels clearly.
The bottom line is that some pet food companies put nasty substances and harsh chemicals in our pets’ food. Read your labels with careful eyes. Meat should be the number one ingredient. Learn the research about certain companies. Your pet’s life could be at risk.
-Brittany Bruce
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Poaching Problems
You are driving home and through the dark of the night you see a light shining through a field. It settles on a spot and you hear a gunshot. The vehicle turns off the road. The poachers grab their kill and leave. You may not know it, but you likely just witnessed a crime that occurs too much in New York state.
Deer poaching is the illegal harvest of deer by the use of artificial light during the night. The crime involves shining a light on the deer, thus freezing it just long enough to shoot it, killing the animal at its most vulnerable state. The Cooperstown Crier claims that this horrible wildlife crime usually happens in rural areas late at night. Due to these late hours and unpopulated areas, there are few, if any, witnesses to the crime. During just a seven week period, Environmental Conservation Offices were assigned to saturation patrol in targeted rural areas. In that short time, 137 individuals were arrested for more than 250 offenses.
There are many reasons why people poach deer. An article from the Cooperstown Crier also recently stated that the number one reason people poach deer is because they have either had a rough year, or few years, in terms of harvesting deer. Another big reason why people poach deer is because they are just too lazy to spend time in the woods. They just want to get the easy kill, take the meat, and leave. Furthermore, The New York Post reports that some people poach just for the thrill of the hunt. They like the excitement of shooting a deer.
Fortunately, the poaching penalty is getting more firm. About ten years ago, when you got caught poaching a deer, you were looking at a hunting ban in one state for a year or two and a small fine. Now, in 2011, the penalties are getting more severe. A man in California recently a lifetime hunting ban in thirty-one states for illegally killing a bull elk to Oregon. Also, The New York Post claims that an Ohio man is facing six months in prison and a three year hunting ban for killing deer at night while using a spotlight. New York State poaching penalties are not as strict, but if we want to stop this problem our laws need to improve.
The next time you are driving home on a dark night and you see a car stop, followed by a light settling on a spot in a field, what will you do?
-Ryan Trudeau
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Deer Jacking a Problem in New York State
Note: The next few weeks will feature a series of student essays on various topics. Students chose their own issues to investigate.
Deer poaching is an illegal way to harvest deer. Poachers use a spotlight to stop deer in their tracks, and they shoot them down like target practice. Many criminals pay no attention to a deer size or whether it has antlers.
Jacking continues to plague New York state. Recently, six hunters were injured in poaching incidents. There were 107 arrests in Catskills and the Adirondacks alone in 2010.
Deer poaching is not only unsportsmanlike, it can also hurt the deer population. Fewer deer make it harder for predators to survive. It turns everything around in the ecosystem. If there are no predators, rodents will overrun the area, then all the vegetation will be gone and the deer may never come back to that area.
So the next time you see a bright light shining through a field at night and hear gun shots, report it to the DEC. This is the only way we can stop the poachers.
-Chase Dixon