The Oriole
Opinions
March 2018
3
Safety in schools is as important as the curriculum provided Lindsay Baugher Reporter
In light of the shooting in Parkland, Florida, the safety of schools has been weighing heavy on my mind. This shooting takes me back to sixth grade when the Sandy Hook massacre happened. This was the first time my brain comprehended that something was wrong in the world. I remember being scared of being in the same situation as those little kids, but it did not have as much of an impact on me as Parkland. Situations like this happening are more real to me now because the students at Parkland were the same age as the students here. I have so many plans for my future that I want to fulfill. I do not want anything to happen that could jeopardize my plans. I also want to raise a family here one day, and I do not want my children to feel unsafe at school. I also do not want to have to worry about the safety of my children at school. Since this is where we spend the majority of our time we should feel as safe in this building as we do in our own homes. Students and faculty
are both responsible for making this building as safe as possible. The the first set of front doors are easy to get in and out of. If a student leaves the building via one of the doors all they have to do is put a rock in the door and it will not
close all the way. The doors can also be propped open on their own, and they get left open. Anyone could walk in when these doors are open and someone is not there to regulate who comes in if they are suppose to be there or not. Students should
Illustration By Lindsay Baugher
only be allowed to go in and out of the front door and not the side doors just because going all the way around to the front door is inconvient. Out of the the six schools in Augusta, the high school is the only one that does not have to be buzzed into after the school day has started. I think all the buildings should have the feature because it adds another line of defense. It is easy to tell when our resource officer is here and when he is not because he drives a police car and sometimes parks in the front line of the student parking lot. If someone wanted to come into the school and harm others, they would not come when the officers car is parked out front. A resource officer should be at the school at all times during the school day; also, an hour before school starts and an hour after school ends. I am happy the administration did have a crisis/lockdown drill; however, I do think there should be more of them so that teachers and students get practice in what they need to do if there were to be a shooter in the building. The safety of students should be as important as their education.
Cellphones do not match Battle royale games flourish carcinogen levels of tobacco Lindsay Baugher Reporter In 1965, Congress required tobacco companies to put health warning labels on their products. Many people propose the idea of having similar labels on cell phone because there is the belief that they increase the chance of brain and salivary gland cancers. Phone companies should not have to post health warnings on their products because according to the research I found, radiation from phones does not cause cancer. Also, a warning label would look dumb on the back of my phone. Two different types of electromagnetic radiation exist. Ionizing radiation is the radiation used in x-rays, which can increase the chance of developing cancer. Non-ionizing means there is a low frequency of radiation being emitted. Cellphone emit non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. According to Mayo Clinic Oncologist Timothy J. Moynihan, there is little evidence that the radiation from cellphones is a cancer causing agent. In 2009 The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper reported that Lebron James had a salivary gland tumor which turned out to be non cancerous. Many people linked it to the use of his cell phone. This idea is far fetched. According to the Ben Greenfield Fitness website, these tumors are happening to many politicians, basketball players and musicians for many reasons. They travel frequently which exposes them to radiation. Celebrities are all over social media, and in today’s world, most social media usage is done on a cellphone. Some celebrities or politicians take many phone calls throughout the day that can last for
hours. Because no one has conducted a study on long-term use, people should still avoid holding their phones right up to their heads. So, hold the cellphone away from the head and turn the volume up or just use the speakerphone feature. The Department of Oncology in Sweden conducted a study on the matter. The results showed the short-term use of cellphone did not lead to an increased risk in salivary gland tumors. Short-term use is defined as 20-30 minutes total on one or many phone calls per day while long-term use is defined as six to eight hours total on one or many phone calls per day. Another study by the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the University of Utah found no increased risk for brain tumors after short-term use of cellphone. As of right now no studies have been conducted to show that longterm use of cellphone cause any cancers. I think there is a chance cancer could develop from the use of cellphone, but the probability is very slim. The development of salivary gland tumors could have nothing to do with the use of cellphones. Everything in the world is a carcinogen. I am interested to see if there will be a study over the long-term use and if there is a chance cellphone can be linked to increased cancer risks. Not only are many people exposed to the radiation emitted from cellphones, they are also exposed to secondhand smoke almost anytime they go outside. Since it is still unsure people should take precautionary measures. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Noah Coldwell Reporter
In the past year, two games have been released to the public and stirred up a lot of commotion over which is superior. “PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds” (PUBG) was released on Steam, the online distribution platform, for early access in March 2017. The full version of the game was released in December for $29.99. It uses a battle royale format, where a large group of players battle it out until only one team is left. September 2017, Epic Games released a game to replicate the early success of PUBG. They developed “Fortnite” years prior to “PUBG” intending to make the game completely based on surviving the zombie apocalypse. After the early success of “PUBG” in beta trials, Epic Games made the decision to add a similar “Battle Royale” mode to the game. This decision is what made “Fortnite” better than “PUBG,” and what made the battle royal style of game so popular. “The quality of ‘Fortnite’ is 110 percent better than ‘PUBG.’ You
can build which makes the game more fun and forces you to have better skill,” Zac Burton (11) said. Far more people activly play “Fortnite” compared to “PUBG”, but some of that can be traced back to fortnite being free compared to the cost of “PUBG.” “Fortnite” also has a more lighthearted “I think ‘Fortnite’ is a lot more fun of a game to play because anyone can just hop in and play and it will be fun if you lose or win. In ‘PUBG’, It’s a lot more serious of a game and you have to try a lot harder than Fortnite,” Tallon Martin (10) said. The majority of gamers prefer “Fortnite” over “PUBG”, and the same goes for most people throughout the country. It’s just easier to get on and play with anybody, especially considering you don’t need to subscribe to “Playstation Plus” to play online. Personally, I think “Fortnite” is a much better than “PUBG” because of fortnites better graphics and the fact thats it’s free to play. Fortnite is also coming out to cell phones soon, something “PUBG” does not yet plan to do.