"Women are 'better' than men at running marathons." Well that's great news. This does not mean that they are faster, this means that they are better at keeping a steady pace. I believe that this is because women tend to underestimate themselves while men over estimate themselves during a race.
Women start out their races slow, because they underestimate how fit they actually are. On the flip side, men start out at a quick pace, believing that they are in better shape than they actually are. There is a term that I learned in my AP Psychology class that comes to mind. Over-confidence. It's pretty straight forward, it is when you believe you can do more than you actually can. In a race, because women start out slower, it is less likely that they will "hit a wall" and feel the need to slow down. Men however, sometime during the race will realize that they are moving too fast and slow down.
It has been studied over the course of 6 years, using millions of people and a wide variety of different races, so I want to believe that the statistics are true, however I am still not so sure. During cross country, I find that in both the women's and men's races, there are some runners that take it too slow at the beginning and some that take it too fast. I never thought that it had to do with gender because I saw a pretty even mix across all of the races. I was always one to start out too slowly and have too much energy at the end, however most of my friends struggled with the opposite problem. Because of that, I really believe that it doesn't matter, men or women, I believe that it depends on the person. However, the studies have been done, so I should trust them.
Overall, it is always important when racing to know your strength. At the start of the race, when the gun goes off, it's okay to try to get out of there fast, but also try to settle into a rhythm. After about 400 meters you should lock in your pace for the race. It is always better to start out slower than what feels comfortable, because later in the race you will be glad that you did. Happy racing!
Word Count: 392
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Execution of a Veteran with PSTD
Should you be exempt from capital punishment if you have a mental illness? What if you have post-traumatic stress disorder from defending our country? According to a recent article, a Georgia veteran with PTSD has now been the first person executed in the US in 2015. I never think that capital punishment is okay, never have and probably never will. But especially, to someone who suffered from a mental illness acquired from serving our country.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a horrible mental disorder, and those who suffer from is experience terrifying and often unwanted flashbacks and dreams from their time in war. Veterans that serve our country already put their lives on the line to protect our rights, and then they often don't return the same as when they left, losing limbs, skin, and mental sanity. The things that they see and experience are worse than any of us could ever imagine. That is when they get PSTD. I could never handle what they do, or do what they do.
I believe that they should get more respect. People just don't give them the same respect that they used to. It is something that is really upsetting to me. I am related to many people that have served, including my father, and I look up to him and respect him more than anyone else in the world. He worked with intelligence so fortunately, he came back unharmed, most aren't that lucky. I just have a strong believe that we should have a strong respect to ANYONE who serves our country. Men or women, black or white, young or old. Everyone.
This means that even though the man in the article, Andrew Brannan, killed a police officer, I don't believe that capital punishment was in order. That is not to say that he should be let off the hook because he is a vet with a mental health disorder. I think that he should have gotten at least 50 years to life in jail. Or, depending on how severe his disorder was, mental health therapy. I do not know much about his condition, all I know is that in my opinion, anyone willing to serve and protect our country should be exempt from execution. I believe execution is wrong in all cases. I believe in life in jail. But when we execute someone who fought for our country and was mentally ill because of it, what is that saying? It is taking away all respect for our Veterans. I believe that capital punishment is a big deal and it should be looked at and examined extremely closely before decisions are made. And I believe that each case should be looked at individually. Overall, I just believe that it was wrong to execute someone who served for our country.
Word Count: 467
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a horrible mental disorder, and those who suffer from is experience terrifying and often unwanted flashbacks and dreams from their time in war. Veterans that serve our country already put their lives on the line to protect our rights, and then they often don't return the same as when they left, losing limbs, skin, and mental sanity. The things that they see and experience are worse than any of us could ever imagine. That is when they get PSTD. I could never handle what they do, or do what they do.
I believe that they should get more respect. People just don't give them the same respect that they used to. It is something that is really upsetting to me. I am related to many people that have served, including my father, and I look up to him and respect him more than anyone else in the world. He worked with intelligence so fortunately, he came back unharmed, most aren't that lucky. I just have a strong believe that we should have a strong respect to ANYONE who serves our country. Men or women, black or white, young or old. Everyone.
This means that even though the man in the article, Andrew Brannan, killed a police officer, I don't believe that capital punishment was in order. That is not to say that he should be let off the hook because he is a vet with a mental health disorder. I think that he should have gotten at least 50 years to life in jail. Or, depending on how severe his disorder was, mental health therapy. I do not know much about his condition, all I know is that in my opinion, anyone willing to serve and protect our country should be exempt from execution. I believe execution is wrong in all cases. I believe in life in jail. But when we execute someone who fought for our country and was mentally ill because of it, what is that saying? It is taking away all respect for our Veterans. I believe that capital punishment is a big deal and it should be looked at and examined extremely closely before decisions are made. And I believe that each case should be looked at individually. Overall, I just believe that it was wrong to execute someone who served for our country.
Word Count: 467
Sleeping Away Your Alcohol Abusing Odds
In a recent study, it was proven that teens who achieve less sleep a night are more likely to abuse alcohol. I find this interesting because so many kids, with all of their busy schedules, are often getting reduced sleep, especially during the school year.
As a high school student, I know that parties and alcohol happen. I myself have never had experience with it but I know plenty of people who have. It seems like the norm nowadays. I was actually surprised however to see that it was linked to lower amounts of sleep. However, when I think about it, it seems right. Most students who are at high risk to drink and party are the same ones that stay out late on the weekends and are maybe "too cool" to go to bed at 10pm during the school week. That may be a contributor to the problem.
Honestly, I think that the whole thing is sad. If it true that students getting less sleep are more likely to drink and get drunk, then we are all in trouble. Many of my peers are getting less and less sleep as we go through high school. With sports and homework and work and other extracurriculars and family and friends, where does sleep come in? It is hard to balance a school life and a social life and also get a solid 8 hours of sleep every night. This means that we are all increasing our odds to abuse alcohol.
I think that a lot of the responsibility however, falls on the parents. Parents are really busy with their lives and full time jobs and are sometimes worn out when they come home at night. So tired that when their child wants to go out, they let them, no questions asked. Because of this, kids get themselves into bad situations, they abuse alcohol, and often they drive drunk. Parents need to make sure their kids are home at a decent time, and that they are being careful when they are out. They should set guidelines and their kids should expect consequences if they don't follow through with them. They should be aware of the short term and long term consequences of alcohol abuse, and their parents should be monitoring them, to make sure they aren't abusing it.
Low amounts of sleep are such a common thing in high school, parents are more important than ever. Because reduced sleep increases the odds of alcohol abuse, parents should decrease it. Parents need to take responsibility for their children and make sure that they are being safe.
Word Count: 433
As a high school student, I know that parties and alcohol happen. I myself have never had experience with it but I know plenty of people who have. It seems like the norm nowadays. I was actually surprised however to see that it was linked to lower amounts of sleep. However, when I think about it, it seems right. Most students who are at high risk to drink and party are the same ones that stay out late on the weekends and are maybe "too cool" to go to bed at 10pm during the school week. That may be a contributor to the problem.
Honestly, I think that the whole thing is sad. If it true that students getting less sleep are more likely to drink and get drunk, then we are all in trouble. Many of my peers are getting less and less sleep as we go through high school. With sports and homework and work and other extracurriculars and family and friends, where does sleep come in? It is hard to balance a school life and a social life and also get a solid 8 hours of sleep every night. This means that we are all increasing our odds to abuse alcohol.
I think that a lot of the responsibility however, falls on the parents. Parents are really busy with their lives and full time jobs and are sometimes worn out when they come home at night. So tired that when their child wants to go out, they let them, no questions asked. Because of this, kids get themselves into bad situations, they abuse alcohol, and often they drive drunk. Parents need to make sure their kids are home at a decent time, and that they are being careful when they are out. They should set guidelines and their kids should expect consequences if they don't follow through with them. They should be aware of the short term and long term consequences of alcohol abuse, and their parents should be monitoring them, to make sure they aren't abusing it.
Low amounts of sleep are such a common thing in high school, parents are more important than ever. Because reduced sleep increases the odds of alcohol abuse, parents should decrease it. Parents need to take responsibility for their children and make sure that they are being safe.
Word Count: 433
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