Feb. 26, 2013 Hi-Line

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Tiger HI-LINE

Tuseday, Feb. 26, 2013

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Volume 53 Edition 20

New club explores options for service

In a recent meeting of the new Armed Forces Club, Army representatives shared some of the options for Meals Ready to Eat (MRE). Some after-school activities develop students’ football skills or musical finesse; one teaches them to become soldiers. Senior Jacob Pence and junior Michael Moon founded the Armed Forces Club to serve as a learning opportunity for military-bound students. “We don’t have any military involvement in the school because we couldn’t get a JROTC program school. This program gets students closer to military involvement by introducing them to military personnel and what they do,” Pence said. “I want to specifically go to West Point military academy. My family has a large military background, and it’s a great way to jumpstart a future career

and schooling.” The club meets in room 146 after school every Tuesday and Thursday. “On Tuesdays we practice form cadences and do physical workouts while on Thursdays we meet with military personnel and participate in activities specific to a branch,” Pence said. The Armed Forces Club is currently planning a variety of events. “We want to progress throughout the year, fix our cadences and, in the future, an activity is to take a C130 cargo plane ride,” Pence said. The club is also planning on having a National Guard weapons simulator at the Armory at 3:30 today, a National Guard base tour at noon on March 16,

a National Guard tactical paintball maneuver on May 11 and an Army boot camp obstacle course. The club is supervised by teachers with military experience: history teacher Kevin Stewart and math teachers Rich Strike and Ron Hoofnagle. “I think any experience a student who is considering military service can get before entering the military is beneficial. It gives them an opportunity to make a betterinformed decision because the club will introduce career opportunities and some of the knowledge and discipline topics involved in every military job,” Hoofnagle said. “Well, right now I’m enlisted in the Marine Corps, so I felt like if I’m part of

the armed forces I should be involved in Armed Forces Club as well,” senior Gwen Davies said. Another event that the club is working on is one that the school was also involved with last year. “In memory of Travis Vaughn, there will be a collection of personal toiletry items to help deployed service members be more comfortable while deployed in tough parts of the world. A memorial will also be dedicated at the high school in the next couple months, and the AF Club plans to provide an honor guard for that ceremony,” Hoofnagle said. By News Editor Katherine

In March 2013, the law that will ban sodas in restaurants in New York takes effect. It will ban the sale of sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces. This hard restriction is due to the high rates of obesity in the city; 58 percent of the adults are considered overweight, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. This action was a step not only to reduce obesity, but also to encourage a healthier lifestyle. There is a lot of controversy around the whole subject. The NAACP and the Hispanic Federation claim that it will be very harmful to small businesses. They won’t be allowed to sell the beverages, but large competitors will still carry the banned sugary pops in places other than New York. There is also a discussion about the

government getting involved in the citizens’ personal choices. “I think that if people want to make unhealthy decisions, it should be their own choice. The government shouldn’t ban things that don’t harm anyone besides that person,” senior Anna Love said. Even though there’s a strong negative view over this new approach, Bloomberg said it is worth it. He said that obesity is a big problem in the entire country, and his intention is to make New York a healthier place. He said the law will help to decrease diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Another motivation to this is that the city spends around $4 billion each year on medical care for overweight people. It is no news that soft drinks are extremely unhealthy. Very often new

research points new discoveries about more damages soft drinks can cause in the body. According to the American Heart Association, men shouldn’t have more than nine teaspoons of sugar a day, and women, six. On average, people have from 18 to 23 teaspoons of added sugars a day. Those who consume pop regularly can get even more than the recommended amount of sugar. A regular 20-ounce of the beverage carries about 16 teaspoons of high-fructose corn syrup. Critics also say that there is no sense banning only pop. A diet that causes obesity includes much more than only pop. They say that New York, in this case, needs a more flexible alternative. Senior Josh Thompson agreed. “The government should not interfere

with individuals’ diets, but instead the government should interfere with the companies that are making drinks that could be potentially unhealthy and set tighter regulations on ingredients,” he said. The Food and Drug Administration and the Center of Science in the Public Interest suggest the same. They filed a petition intending to identify a safe level of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages so safe levels can be applied to the products. Like it or not, the initiative in New York may reverberate in the entire country as everyone continues the quest to find alternative solutions to decrease the high rates of obesity and diabetes.

Mayhew

New York soda ban creates controversy

By Staff Writer Ana

Cunha


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Feb. 26, 2013 Hi-Line by CFHS journalism - Issuu