Author: EMMERT
WAITING TO EXHALE by Amber Poer and Jeremy Hess
Cigarette/cigar smoke, like dust or allergens, acts as an irritant to the inner lining of the nose. The brain gets the signal to sneeze, and voila.
There are two types of secondhand smoke: side-stream smoke comes from the lighted end of a cigarette or pipe or cigar. It’s the legit stuff. Mainstream smoke is exhaled from the smoker.
Secondhand smoke has adverse effects on the heart, can cause other serious issues like bronchitis, damage to blood vessels, increased risk of a heart attack, and can trigger serious asthma attacks. It contains just as many cancer-causing chemicals as “firsthand” smoke.
PETS: A REASON FOR THE SNEEZIN’ by Cody Calhoon and Jeremy Hess
To some, the cute and cuddly face of a puppy dog cures any sour day. To others, it’s just a reason for sneezin’.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, “Allergies to pets with fur or feathers are common, especially among people who have other allergies or asthma. 15 percent to 30 percent of people with allergies have allergic reactions to cats and dogs.” 6 out of 10 people come in contact with cats and dogs, and on average there are 4 pets for every 10 people, so there’s little escape from these cute and cuddly sneeze-breeders. Cat allergies are more common than dog allergies, (as if there needs to be any more reason for dogs to be better than cats).
An allergy is a hypersensitivity of the immune system, to where it reacts negatively to normally harmless substances, like pet dander. A common reaction to allergens is sneezing. The pet dander in the air sticks to the inner lining of the nose, and the body reads it as an irritant—and lets the sneeze ring true.
PHOTON TORPEDOS by Amber Poer and Jeremy Hess
Ever felt like sneezing when you looked up at the sky, lying on your back, or looked at a bright light and just had to let an achoo rip? This phenomenon has stumped a lot of great minds, like Aristotle and Francis Bacon. Modern science has dubbed this bright-light-inspired mucus “The Photic Sneeze Reflex”. We put HHS’ Keaton Lindner under the bright lights to find out.
Scientists still aren’t completely sure why light triggers this effect in certain people. The current theory is that the optic nerve, responsible for dilating and constricting the pupils crosses signals with a nerve, which controls facial movements and sneezing. The trigeminal nerve reads the misfire as an irritant in the nose, and lets a sneeze rip as a response. It looks to be genetic, with a 50% chance of parents passing the fluke on to their kids depending on their genetic makeup.
SENIORITIS by Julia Garcia
We start out three feet tall in elementary school. We gain a few feet in middle school, puberty leads us into high school. Before we know it, we’re putting on our caps and gowns at graduation.
It’s the end of the year; graduation is only months away, and all the seniors are in a rush to make sure they graduate on time. The last thought in anyone’s mind would be about the juniors and lower classmen. While the seniors get ready for life after high school, they get ready to move up the food chain in high school. But what if they’ve already contracted senioritis? Now it seems skipping has become the new trend. Read more
HOMOSAPIENS by Cody Calhoon
Zoo
It’s the monkey that got everyone’s attention. The gloomy look on his face and the crossed arms were pathetic as he sat there and observed us from the other side of the glass.
Today is a different day. All of our friends are sitting at school, thinking of what they wish they were doing instead of spending six hours on the usual routine. Today is field trip day!
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OUTSTANDING IMAGES
From the last month of Photo 1 & 2!
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The RANT ::: HELMET HEAD
All others by Jessi Proulx
The RANT ::: HELMET HEAD
Written by Nadya Simakov and Julia Garcia
Nadya: Transportation says a lot about a person—and four wheels are so old school.
Not only are they bold and exciting, motorcycles are pretty practical.
Generally, motorcycles cost less in terms of repairs and parts. Motorcycle insurance is also cheaper, and less expensive than insuring an entire car. The average cost of motorcycle insurance is nearly ¼ the price of auto insurance. They have better gas mileage, which saves time and money. In terms of road tax, the motorcyclist also pays lesser road tax because the motorcycle occupies lesser road space. Also they take up less space and it’s easier to find a parking spot.
“Motorcycles turn a wimp into a man,” says HHS senior, Lika Zinchenko. They possess that bold appeal no matter how cheap—cheap cars can’t avoid looking like the clunkers they are. And come on, the Nissan Cube?
You can also do a lot of tricks on a motorcycle, since it’s easier to maneuver. Because of this, they are more evadable and have an easier time dodging accidents—less metal to move. Motorcycle riders are safer; they don’t text on their phones while riding. Motorcyclists are required by law to wear a helmet—not the case in a car.
Sure, motorcyclists can die in a car accident, but many people ignore the fact that lots of people who drive cars also die. When we go behind the wheel we’re taking a risk no matter what kind of vehicle we are in, have it be a motorcycle or a car. According to census statistics, there are 6x more deaths in a car than in a motorcycle.
Not just anybody can drive a bike—the tests for motorcycle license are significantly more difficult. The motorcycle written test is more demanding than that for a driver’s license. For the performance part, the examiners follow the rider in a car, making certain they obey every rule.
Bikes get thrills, bikes get attention, and bikes get practical.
Julia: When I was younger, I went with my daycare to the nickel arcade. A man on a motorcycle hit the cement divider and he flew head forward over his bike—he wasn’t wearing a helmet and ended up going to the hospital in an ambulance. Since that day, I’ve been scared to ride a motorcycle and haven’t since.
In 2010 the government estimated that the number of deaths on a motorcycle was about 30 times the number of deaths in cars.
Not only do they have great potential for being dangerous, but motorcycles are just plain impractical.
Motorcycle wheels don’t get great traction in the rain. We live in the Rain State which rains on average about 150 days of the year leading to dangerous lack of traction—the ride would just be unpleasant and dripping. And then there’s the lack of space for people and stuff—why ride a motorcycle with only two seats if you can have a car with five? There’s more room in a car for friends and shopping bags, not to mention shelter year-round and air conditioning.
The appeal of a motorbike doesn’t define the appearance of the person riding it—you could look perfectly fine, if not better, in something else less accident prone; after all, it’s not always about looking good. Safety first.
If you want a cool breeze running through your hair, roll down the window. It’s in June, July, and August that highest percentages of motorcycle deaths occur and I don’t plan to be one of them. I want to spend my last summer having fun and being safe, not in a hospital room or worse.