Category: Special Report

By Jacob Harvey-

Genetically engineering mosquito’s to kill their offspring before adulthood sounds like science fiction.

On Sunday, however, just this happened when Oxitec showed recent signs of initial success after releasing their genetically modified mosquitos into the wild. With their success brings about doubts about if genetically modifying animals to die off is really “healthy” for the ecosystems they inhabit. These concerns are serious because once a genetically modified insect is released it is practically impossible to just catch them and take them back into the lab.

With this advancement, scientists hope to create an age where genetically modified insects can be used to help control agricultural pests and control or limit the amount of wild insects that carry harmful diseases.

Authorities in the South end of Florida plan to conduct a test on the genetically modified mosquito’s in the wild as early as December but are waiting for permission from the Agricultural Department.

“I think that it has potential to create a few situations where insects reproduce too fast and they end up with more insects with the modified gene than what is safe for their species,” said Erick Dutchess, a Penn Manor Biology teacher.

If these tests turn out a success, then it is believed that genetic engineering insects can be used to control other agricultural pests like the Mediterranean Fruit Fly and the Medfly.

In Yuma, Arizona, there was a release of millions of genetically altered Pink-Bollworms into the cotton fields to try and reduce the amount of Pink-Bollworms destroying the cotton fields.

However, Oxitec has been under fire for rushing their new genetically engineered insects out to field test without more lab tests. Oxitec made the Aedes aegypti mosquito’s which are the main carriers of the Dengu and Yellow Fever viruses. They released these mosquito’s into the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, Brazil, and Malaysia with known success in each environment.

“I think it is about time we started killing off mosquito’s they are just annoying to deal with and carry unwanted diseases,” said Logan White, a Penn Manor senior.

The effects that this will have on the ecosystem could be nothing, but it could be devastating but we won’t know for sure until more research is done along with more field tests. In the end time will tell if the genetic engineering of insects is harmful or helpful.

By Adam Rohrer –

The National Defense Authorization act is set to to be signed into law Thursday. The bill will allow for the removal of due process of American citizens who have been accused, without evidence, of being a suspected terrorist.

Not everyone at Penn Manor, or the country for that matter, has been following the issue but those that have, have strong opinions.

Penn Manor junior Haley Smith said “Every person deserves a fair trail, If you’re an American in America you should have your right to a fair trail.”

The National Defensive Authorization Act would give the U.S. military the ability to detain and arrest American citizens on U.S. soil indefinably without due process if someone is suspected of involvement in terrorism. The U.S. government believes that those deemed as “terrorists” are “special cases” and cannot be given due process which is why they were kept in Guantanamo bay. With this bill passed, nothing technically could stop the government from labeling  someone a terrorist, arresting that person and putting him or her before a military tribune.

In other words “guilty until proven innocent.”

Penn Manor Junior Ben Murphy said “If they’ve done nothing wrong they have nothing to be afraid of” in regard to the possibility that these new powers might be abused.

The part of the bill in question can be found in section 1031 where it defines the entirety of U.S. territory as a battleground. While the wording in this section is vague, near the end of the bill it comes back to the issue and confirms US citizens are included in the bill. In essence the bill states that any US citizen accused by the White House of being a suspected terrorist will be subjected to military law.

“Why would you accuse your own people of terrorism?” asked Penn Manor Junior Emily Stotoft.

The NDAA was a bill drafted in a private session not open to the public by several U.S. senators. It has already passed the Senate, 86-14 and in the House, 283-136.

Obama had previously promised to veto the bill but sources indicate that he is now going to sign it. A veto from the president would not be enough however as the Senate would be able to override the veto with such overwhelming bipartisan support.

“By signing this defense spending bill, President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in U.S. law,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “In the past, Obama has lauded the importance of being on the right side of history, but today he is definitely on the wrong side.”

Obama has taken heat from civil liberties groups for his support for the indefinite detention of Bradly Manning without trial or due process. Bradly Manning is known for leaking classified documents that provide evidence of war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to Wikileaks.

Republican Presidential candidate and long time Libertarian Ron Paul have been one of the only influential public figures to attack the bill for its violation of civil liberties.

“This is a giant step – this should be the biggest news going right now – literally legalizing martial law,” said Paul.

“This is big,” emphasized Paul, adding, “This step where they can literally arrest American citizens and put them away without trial….is arrogant and bold and dangerous.”

While many Americans and students at Penn Manor may think that this does not effect them, and that suspected “Terrorists” do not deserve a fair trial or human rights. These people may be interested in the fact the the U.S. Department of Defense lists “protests” as an activity that warrants suspicion of low-level terrorism.  With this law you can be arrested and indefinitely detained without due process or a fair trial for protesting in the United States of America.

Some fear the new law would correlate with events that led up to Nazism in Germany.

“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.” –  Martin Niemoller – Holocaust survivor on the silence of Germans during the rise of Nazi Germany

By Iris Santana –

The door opens, her hands are over her mouth, head bent down, blood everywhere.

It was a regular, boring Tuesday afternoon until the last two minutes of Streeter Stewart’s third block class in early June.

Danielle Brooks, a junior at Penn Manor, had just gotten her tonsils removed and during the ending of the class, Brooks felt nauseous. As she approached the bathroom, instead of actually throwing up, Brooks started to spit up blood. She rushed out into hallway, where she was pulled back into the classroom and the nurses were called.

When the nurses arrived, they knew right away it wasn’t something they could take care of. And 911 had to be called. Everyone without gloves was kicked out of the room while they tried to get Brooks laid out on her side on the floor until the ambulance came. When she arrived at the hospital, the doctors numbed her mouth and “sucked” all the blood out. She was released from the hospital the same day.

“They didn’t really say much about why that happened, just that the scab from my stitches opened up.” said Brooks.”But I was so nervous, I thought I was going to die.”

Although it is very rare, Brooks was lucky because some people don’t make it after a tragedy like that.

There was an incident in 2007 where an 18- year-old died eight days after having her tonsils removed. Another teen, Kayleigh Kennard, woke up from her sleep and threw up a pint and a half of blood. She was rushed to a nearby hospital. After removing a blood clot from her throat, a major hemorrhage from a ruptured artery was found. She suffered from extensive brain damage and died later that evening.

“The frequency of death after tonsillectomy is one in 40,000, so statistically it is very rare for this to happen,” said Anthony Morley, who carried out Kennard’s tonsillectomy.

For more on this story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-460097/Teenager-died-routine-tonsil-operation.html#ixzz1OEofTWyI

A tonsillectomy is when the tonsils are removed from either side of the throat.

Tonsils are lymph glands in the mouth that help to fight infection. Sometimes they can get infected in the process of fighting infection. This usually only occurs in children. In adults, tonsils are usually a problem only if they are too large and obstructing the airway/throat, causing sleep apnea.

There are four main reasons why someone will need to get a tonsillectomy.

1. Recurrent Tonsillitis- This is when inflammation of the tonsils keep occurring, due to infection.

Tonsillitis can easily be spread by close contact of an infected person.

According to WebMD, droplets of disease-causing agents pass through the air when an infected person breathe, coughs or sneezes.Infection can also occur if pathogens get on the skin and end up in contact with eyes, nose or mouth. Symptoms will then start to occur 2 to 5 days later.

2. Quinsy- A quinsy is when an abscess forms in the tissues next to the tonsil (following an attack of tonsillitis). Two or more quinsies need to occur before a tonsillectomy is performed.

3. Obstructive Sleep Apnea- This is when tissues in the upper airways come too close to each other while sleeping, temporarily blocking the inflow of air.

4. Malignancy- This is usually associated with tumors. A malignant tumor can easily spread. This can also become cancerous.

Everyone has three different types of tonsils located in different areas of their mouth.

1. Palatine Tonsils- These tonsils are located on both sides at the back of the throat.

These are the tonsils that are usually removed for infection or obstruction.

2. Lingual Tonsils- These tonsils are located at the base of the tongue.

3. Pharyngeal Tonsils (also known as Adenoids)- These tonsils are located high in the throat, behind the nose.

In 1959, 1.4 million tonsillectomies were performed in the United States.

According to The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery also known as AAO-HNS, the number of tonsillectomies has decreased in the United States since the 1970’s.

Thirty years ago, nearly 90 percent of all tonsillectomies performed on children were because of recurrent infection. Today nearly 20 percent are for infection and 80 percent are for obstructive sleep apnea.

By Abby Talbot –

Eye brows are raised and judgments are made when people see self mutilation for what it really is.

Dr. Kathleen Young, a psychologist in Chicago is often asked about self-mutilation. For instance why people do it and why it happens.

“Broadly speaking self injury is the act of attempting to alter a mood state by causing physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to your body,” saidYoung

Young also said, “Self mutilation happens for multiple reasons and there is no cure that will work 100 percent, truthfully therapy and depression medications are the best solutions if someone you knew started developing symptoms and revealed self injury.

Young also stated that that there is a difference between attention-getting (behaviors) and true self harm. She said there were a few reasons that a person who does not fit the category of self harm, such as a person who causes injury for sexual pleasure, body decoration, spiritual enlightenment or ritual, and fitting in or being cool.

True self-harming behavior, according to Young, is seen in teens who also suffer from depression and mental illness.

Teens Health website published a story this year addressing teens addiction to cutting and why they do it.

“Some people do it for attention, others do it to hide behind their emotional pain with physical,” said Gabby Myers a senior at Penn Manor.

There are many reason why teens and adults participate in self mutilation. Most people who cut are girls according to the teen health website, but guys as well may self mutilate.

The major reason why people cut is because of emotional stress, relationship problems, problems at home and emotional pain that the people who cut would rather feel in physical pain, said psychologists. They want emotional relief.

For some, cutting is a way of feeling in control. When it in fact it is exactly the opposite.

PubMedHealth, another website aimed at helping people with self-harm issues and mental illnesses published an article in 2010 stating that cutting is more then a bad way of dealing with stress, sometimes it is accompanied by mental illness.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)  is a disease in which people go through long-term patterns of unhealthy, uncontrollable, overly powerful  emotions and can be accompanied by self-harming behaviors.

Abandonment at an early age of life, sexual abuse, poor communication between family members and any other issues dealing with family are the most common factors of this disorder.

BPD is more common in women just like cutting is, men as well are just as capable of acquiring the disease. The symptoms of BPD which are also experienced before a person gets addicted to cutting are very similar. The person starts to feeling abandoned, extremely impulsive and gets mad quickly, according to PubMedHealth.

Maddi Eckenrode junior at Penn Manor has heard about BPD and found it interesting.

“I feel like the people that cut don’t realize that it could be more serious then just a bad day or week, most of those people probably have BPD and should get help for themselves,” said Eckenrode.

UPMC Life Changing Medicine, is a website recommend by Young for teens who want more information about self injury.

UMPC published an article about self harm and the sometimes genetic reasons behind it. Self-mutilation is often associated with psychiatric disorders that may be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

UMPC stated that self-mutilation can be hard to diagnose because usually in most cases of self harm the person hides the self inflictions because it is not social acceptable and because they feel guilty and ashamed.

By Morgan Fletcher –

“Oh, you only got in there because you’re Black.”

Under the surface, a number of people find themselves bitter about the principles of affirmative action.

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “affirmative action” means “positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.”

America’s history is reflective of the struggles minorities and women have had over time.  To reduce the discrimination, certain amendments and rights have been implemented in attempts to provide equal opportunities for all, regardless of race or gender.

The phrase “affirmative action” was first introduced in President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Executive Order 10925.  Kennedy required federal contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”  In 1967, Lyndon Johnson expanded the Executive Order to include women under the affirmative action requirements.

One of the most controversial aspects of affirmative action is the role it plays in college admissions.

In attempts to increase their minority representation, colleges have employed affirmative action to help match representation quotas.

This practice took form in the 1970s.  One of the earliest incidents in which it caused controversy was the case of Allan Bakke.

Bakke, a white applicant, applied to the Medical School at the University of California at Davis, which reserved 16  of its 100 slots for the entering class each year to minority students.

Bakke applied to the school in 1973 and 1974, and both times was denied admission even though his test scores and grades were better than most accepted applicants.

Bakke sued, and his 1977 case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, is famous because of the decision the Supreme Court reached.

Four members of the court were in favor of Bakke’s argument, and four others were against it.  It came down to Justice Powell, who was persuaded by members in favor of Bakke’s case.  Thus, Bakke won his case and a door was opened that revealed the nation’s stake in the matter.

May 4th is a historic date in our nation’s history.  The passengers known as the “Freedom Riders” just celebrated the 50th anniversary of their journey to the deep South.  Their goal was to bring attention to race relations in the racially divided southern states.  Instead, they were greeted by a lot of violence and hostility.

The courageous efforts of the riders showcased to the world the horrors of the racial segregation that embodied the South.  Whites and Blacks were able to come together in a time when unity meant everything and differences in appearance could be set aside.

It is evident that divisions amongst the races are still present in our nation, however, as there has been a lot of opposition to policies like affirmative action, which are set in place to help eliminate segregation and unify everyone.

President Bill Clinton presented a speech about affirmative action on July 19, 1995.  Based on his assertions in the speech, he is an advocate for affirmative action.

“The purpose of affirmative action is to give our nation a way to finally address the systemic exclusion of individuals of talent on the basis of their gender or race from opportunities to develop, perform, achieve and contribute,” Clinton stated.  “Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to open the doors of education, employment and business development opportunities to qualified individuals who happen to be members of groups that have experienced longstanding and persistent discrimination.”

Clinton cites the fact that at times, affirmative action is used too liberally and unjustly.  He also cites the changes that have and are being made to help eliminate these problems.

”When affirmative action is done right, it is flexible, it is fair, and it works,” he stated.

Penn Manor history teacher Todd Mealy sides with Clinton’s notion that affirmative action is effective as it is a policy set in place to benefit individuals who have been excluded from certain opportunities over time.  He also cites the fact that it never hurts to reform certain policies.

“Affirmative action is decades old.  Most policies that are 40 or 50 years old need change,” Mealy said.  “Affirmative action should still be a policy but should be shifted.”

Mealy asserts that affirmative action should focus more on socio-economics and levels of education, with a concentration on working class people.

His move to Penn Manor from the diverse School District of Lancaster was quite surprising, he remembers.  In his first faculty meeting at Penn Manor, he remembers looking around and not seeing any variety among the faces.

He believes this should be changed.

“[Penn Manor’s] student body is changing, but the teaching staff is not,” said Mealy.  “I think it would be a good idea for the district to start recruiting minority applicants.”

Mealy believes that beneficial connections can be made between faculty and students that look like them.  He believes that affirmative action is not in place simply to fill the quota.

Hiram Martinez, Interim Assistant to the President for Social Equity and Diversity at Millersville University, could not agree with Mealy more.  Martinez does not believe Millersville University focuses on affirmative action.

“I think the admissions office [at Millersville University] in general works very hard in making sure every freshman class engages with folks of underrepresented groups,” he said.

Martinez believes that rather than practicing affirmative action, the university effectively works to engage its students in activities with others who are not like them.

Rich Brenton, another history teacher at Penn Manor, is not a proponent of affirmative action.

“I understand it in principle, but I’m opposed to how it plays out,” Brenton said.

Brenton believes that our nation should never have gotten in the state of inequality that it has throughout history.  He believes that everyone should have the same institutional opportunities and that academic rewards should be given based on merit.

“It’s really, really difficult to legislate equality,” he said.  “All men should be created equal, but aren’t.”

Brenton believes that head start programs are better alternatives to affirmative action.  He sees it to be more beneficial to find at-risk youth at a very early age and provide them with resources that enable them to be more accomplished and qualified later in life.  He cites the fact that this idea will probably never happen, though, as change takes a lot of time to happen.

“We don’t want to commit to it,” said Brenton.  “We’d rather put on Band-Aids at the end.”