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Real Women: Amanda Lloyd

Rachel Shenk — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:59:37 +0000

Amanda Lloyd sighs as she sits down in her pajamas on a futon in her dorm room, totally undisturbed by the tape recorder sitting on the table. She has just returned from an awards ceremony where she spoke to a room of 150 people about her experiences helping a local family. “I can’t really freak out after that,” Amanda says with a laugh, referring to her fear of public speaking.
A willingness to give.
“I would describe her as very compassionate,” says student and friend Joni Ritter, “everything she does has an amazing amount of passion and love.” You can tell when you meet Amanda that a commitment to helping others is one of her most apparent qualities. Emory & Henry (E&H), a small private liberal arts college in Southwest Virginia, has allowed Amanda to blossom in her desire to serve. In her four years of college, she has become a strong individual and active leader on campus. This ambitious young woman has come a long way from the shy girl who would hide behind her sister. When her parents divorced, 10-year-old Amanda’s childhood changed, and she grew into a strong advocate for human rights. She talks about when she came to E&H, “you have to allow yourself to be uncomfortable in the beginning,” she says, “so that you find your place.”
Amanda majors in Public Policy and Community Service (PPCS), has a focus area in church and community, and a minor in history. She goes off onto a tangent, bringing up the movie Two Weeks Notice, and describes actress Sandra Bullock, “she makes every issue her issue,” she says, “She’s constantly fighting 20 different injustices. I think it’s good to be aware of what’s going on around you but in order to make an impact you have to focus or your life is consumed in a really bad way.”
For her senior practicum, Amanda interned with the Crisis Center, a 24-hour crisis hotline in Bristol, VA. She volunteered over 240 hours working with director Laura Weaver on counseling practices, better ways of serving the callers and visitors, and working to better the Center’s goals and practices. Amanda worked with Laura again when she was student coordinator for the Take Back the Night event on campus as her senior project. The campaign aims to end all types of assault and violence. The event gathered students, faculty, and staff around campus and included an organized march, therapy meetings, and a “speak-out” where survivors could talk about their experiences in a safe environment, “It was awesome,” Amanda says as she bounces in excitement.
Amanda became a Bonner Scholar her junior year. The Bonner Program is a scholarship for 20 accepted students of every class that requires 120 hours of service of them every semester. Amanda did service before becoming a Bonner Scholar, working with children and serving as a leader in the Young Life program, a non-denominational Christian ministry aimed at middle and high school students. She spent two years in the Young Life program before joining Bonner. “Young Life exposed me to a lot of the issues in this community in a really personal way,” says Amanda, “I spent a lot of time with girls who didn’t have money to pay their heating bills in the winter, who didn’t have food to eat. It really taught me a lot about this area.”
Tal Stanley, Amanda’s faculty advisor and a professor, says she “uses words from her own experiences and struggles to create a gracious and welcoming space for others.” He continues, “That is a great attribute. She is really good with tough questions, she’s not afraid of them and she raises them in a non-threatening way, but ensures that we come away knowing that we’ve got to grapple with some large question.”
Amanda also loves to read, “Even in college when I know I have eight books sitting there for class,” she points to her desk where a tall stack of novels sits, “I still have three other books that I’m reading for pleasure.” A favorite of the now 21-year-old Amanda is Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina. The semi-autobiographical novel is about a girl dealing with sexual abuse and a mother who subjects her to a life in the abuser’s presence. The book affected Amanda in a large way, “it’s so much easier to blame an individual than to look at how we shape people in society,” she says.
Where she comes from.
A two-story wooden house with a wrap-around deck, situated on five acres of land, has been Amanda’s home since her birth in 1987. After her parents divorce she bounced between her mother and father’s houses for several years. When I asked about her worst childhood memories, she recollects this time, “I really have to rack my brain to think of good things because my childhood ended a lot sooner than most people’s.” Her family started struggling for money; both parents lost their jobs and one even filed for bankruptcy. “It was difficult,” Amanda recalls. She was forced to live in a one-bathroom house with her mother and some family friends.
Before graduating from her top-ranked public high school, Amanda wasn’t very interested in college life. “High school was more of a social la-la-la time,” Amanda says, waving her arms around, “when I came to college I didn’t know how to study, I didn’t know what was expected of me, I didn’t have high expectations of myself.” Emory & Henry sent a letter offering Amanda the chance to play tennis, something she did throughout high school; she laughs, “I’d never heard of them and I threw it away.” While her father was pushing her to go to community college for two years for financial reasons, Amanda mentioned E&H to her Young Life leader. “Her whole face lit up and she said ‘I went there!’” says Amanda. She visited later and decided to attend.
It’s important to have people.
“I think the people who have inspired me the most have been people I’ve actually known. I know that they’re for real, and that they’re tangible,” Amanda says, thinking hard, “I’d seen them in all their glory and being awesome, and all of their ‘oh gosh, I suck.’ I think you need to see both.” Amanda looks up to Laura Weaver, her supervisor at the Crisis Center and a former E&H student. “Love, love, love…love!” chirps Amanda, throwing her hands over her heart after dropping the name. Amanda’s first encounter with Laura was at an educational information session during orientation, “I never would have dreamed I’d be working with her.”
Other role models include Dr. Julie Wilson, the Sociology Department chair at E&H and a professor of women’s studies. Amanda claims her original plans for college were to meet a husband and settle down. Wilson had other plans, however, “she shook my world upside down and made me think about things differently,” says Amanda. Dr. Wilson’s classes were active in teaching Amanda some of the biggest lessons she learned in college. She said: “I learned to be okay with being myself, or not necessarily having to have a different Amanda for every person, but just being one person and being content with that one person, even if everyone else doesn’t like that person – that’s not a lesson that was instant. All the people in my life over the last four years taught me it was really okay just to be me.”
Christian Miller is the Coordinator of the Bonner Program. “Christian has been my sounding board,” says Amanda, “he always understands and doesn’t lead me to any conclusions, ever.” Christian remembers his first encounters with Amanda, “immediately I realized she had enormous potential, and that her capacity for leadership and her brutal honesty were really desirable qualities,” he says, “it’s pretty impressive how honest she is with herself and others.” Amanda has known Christian since her sophomore year, “he just listens and validates, then asks me other questions,” she comments, “a lot of the time when you’re struggling with questions and issues by yourself you just go in circles.” Amanda exhibits the same listening skills, as friend Hannah Rhodes shares, “she has helped me realize lots of things about myself just by listening and asking me things; she’s a miracle worker.”
What happens next?
“In ten years I see Amanda changing the world,” says peer and friend Sarah Trotter. “Amanda would make a fantastic social worker or counselor,” continues Trotter, “her best qualities are her openness to the struggles of others, insight, and an incredible capacity to see past the surface of personalities.” Many agreed with Trotter, including Allison Waugh, another friend, “she loves to listen to people’s stories and get to know individuals,” says Waugh, “she makes everyone really feel welcome and loved, no matter the situation.” Ritter comments “She has an amazing ability to make relationships with people she doesn’t even know.”
“She’d do great at whatever she wanted to do,” says Stanley, “she’s an excellent writer, she has a profoundly empathetic understanding of people and situations, and can articulate to people moments in their lives in meaningful ways.” Ritter agrees, “she always seems to have somebody under her wing, always seems to be caring for somebody or for a bunch of people.”
Amanda’s to-do list for the next 10 years includes falling madly in love with a man who she might not marry, traveling, writing a book about her life, and continuing to have relationships and connections with people everywhere. “I love living in a community with professors. I know I can go talk to them about papers or personal issues. I love people,” she sighs and smiles, “relationships – that’s what has defined who I am and who I want to be.”
“I think college makes you believe that you have to have everything structured, you have to know what you’re doing. That’s just not life,” says Amanda, reflecting on her time at E&H, “there’s not clear doors, there’s just lots of windy little paths and you say ‘ehhh this one,’” she says, making a motion with her hands.
Last words.
Stanley finishes, “if I could describe Amanda in one word it would be grace. Grace means gift, it means unmerited and unwarranted and undeserved. I think that’s how she understands herself and the life she has. That’s the kind of thing she offers people, even though we fall short of being worthy of each other’s acceptance, even though we do things that are mean-spirited and narrow-minded and bigoted, even though we do things to hurt ourselves and each other, somehow Amanda extends forgiveness and says ‘ok its time to move on and go to the next thing.’”
Amanda has obviously made impressions on many people. Even after interviewing many of her friends, professors, and coworkers, I realized there were 20 other people I should have interviewed in addition. “Shew!” Amanda sighs when we finally finish, “that made my brain hurt!”

Marriages in the Mix

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:11:00 +0000

By Joshua Brown

It was 41 years ago, with a couple named the Lovings, that America experienced a drastic change in the way marriage and life had been perceived for centuries. Interracial marriages and their impact on not only our nation but also the world are continuously gaining acceptance amongst all.

When people think of the term interracial, it is automatically assumed that the couple consists of an African American and a white person. This is not always the case. Interracial can also consist of every other culture, ethic group, etc.

In the 1970’s, there were approximately 310,000 mixed marriages, which was only .7 perfect of all marriages. In 1980, there were 651,000 (3.1 percent) and in 1992, there were 1,161,000 (2.2 percent) marriages of mixed races according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Interracial marriages have touched every single social class in America. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, civil rights leader Julian Bond, Defense Secretary William Coheen and actor Robert DeNiro are all married to a person of another race. Celebrities like President-Elect Barack Obama, New York Yankee Derek Jeter and Pro golfer Tiger Woods are all children of interracial marriages.

It has not been easy for the interracial couples to live a normal married life. Statistically, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that interracial couples break up 41 percent of the time with in 10 years, compared to same race couples who are only 31 percent likely to break up. Kim Cox, who married an African American man, said, “Your life is going to be harder because of the road you’ve chosen-it’s going to be harder for your kids.”

Older people are less likely to accept mixed relationships, due to their upbringing and the way things were when they were growing up. Some people still believe that the Bible states it’s a sin to marry another race. Most of our parents went to elementary school or middle school when segregation was still in place. Opinion polls have shown that younger people are more supportive when it comes to interracial dating.

Over the past 50 years, the acceptance of interracial marriages has grown steadily. In 2001, the New York Times did a study that came up with the following: In 1972, 29 percent approved of interracial marriages and 60 percent disapproved, in 1991, 48 percent approved and 42 percent disapproved, and in 2001, 65 percent approved and 26 percent still disapproved. Through these numbers it was also shown that African Americans are more accepting than whites of interracial marriages.

South Africa, Australia, Canada and the U.S. have all, at some point, banned mixed race marriages. However, time has been on couples’ sides as people from around the world have become more accepting to this phenomenon that was unfamiliar to them growing up. Hopefully now people can realize that it is not about race, but rather it is about happiness.

Epidemic: Obesity

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:06:00 +0000

By Jess Burks

Obesity among America’s teen population is becoming a rising epidemic. What is the country doing to its children? Why are the parents not involved enough in their children’s lives to educate them, even a little, on healthy eating? Being healthy is habit forming and should be instilled at a young age.

According to www.life123.com/, 17 percent of teens between the ages of 12 and 17 are obese. This number is shocking. This is unacceptable for parents to allow their children to suffer and unknowingly harm themselves.

This damage is incredibly obvious. First, there are numerous health problems that are more likely to develop in obese people. A long list of health problems is listed. This list on www.life123.com/ includes high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, bone disease, joint problems, gallstones, gastrointestinal diseases, and heart disease, just to name a few. This list of health problems is directly related to obesity; however, there’s another long list of health problems that can develop due to obesity.

Psychologically, teens are very dependent on what their friends think about them. Teens bully others and are very judgmental. This pressure and ridicule from teens, especially friends, can be very difficult for an obese teen to endure on top of his or her low self-esteem. According to ezinearticles.com/, teens may become even more obese because of these pressures. Signs of psychological unhealthiness can include having few friends, eating more than usual or not enough, sleeping a lot or not enough, a reluctance to go to school, etc. These psychological problems can be just as harmful as medical problems to a teen.

These lists of health problems can be very discouraging, however. Parents as role models to children should become active in educating their teens and helping him or her transition into a healthier lifestyle. This doesn’t mean to go on diets or use diet pills, which can harm your child more than help them and can make him or her even more obese. According to obesity.ygoy.com/obesity-teens/, there are three main reasons why teens are obese: They watch too much TV, they eat too much and they do not exercise enough. They can be condensed to two main reasons: Your teen is eating too much unhealthy food for his or her activity.

In order to help remedy these problems, the parents are going to have to get involved with helping their child. According to www.webmd.com/, studies have shown that parents who feed their children balanced breakfasts can help them obesity. This study says that children who eat a balanced breakfast are more active throughout the day and eat less at lunch and dinner and less of a tendency to snack. Also, parents should get their child to participate in a recreational sport. He or she can make new friends and play around while participating in activity.

Keep children away from the TV. The TV can be a very entertaining device, but it causes lethargy and distracts teens from their activities. If it is a nice day outside, get the child to help a parent in the garden, or get him or her to rake leaves. There are many chores around a house that require physical activity. The parent should make sure when the child sits down to eat, the TV, computer, radio, etc. are off. This can distract from the teen realizing that he or she is full and overeats. Serve the teen smaller portions; the stomach is very expandable, and the teen may be slightly hungry for the next few days, but his or her stomach will adjust. Finally, keep unhealthy foods out of the house. This way the child will not be tempted to sneak a few snacks while the parents are not looking.

These changes in lifestyle will not only be for teens, but will also require that a parent be a role model in eating well and being active with their child. As the child sees the parent do this more and more, he or she will begin to form healthy habits and soon lose weight and feel healthier.

BCS Part of President-Elect Barack Obama’s “Change”

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:06:00 +0000

By Evin O’Sullivan

President-Elect Barack Obama’s decision to fix the Bowl Championship Series system in America’s football is a welcome decision for many sports fans.

The NCAA currently has a BCS system that calculates the top 25 teams in the country. This is decided based on the winning percentage, strength of schedule and performance. In theory it would always pick the best teams. The problem is that when a team with a weak conference is forced to play weaker teams and goes undefeated, they are told they can’t participate in the national championship. Not only is this unfair, but the whole reason the BCS was created was to allow all teams to have an equal chance and to keep the one hundred year tradition of bowl games in college football and satisfy the fans.

According to about.com the BCS was created in 1998 and modified in 2004. Since the current system is not satisfying the fans, coaches or the players, Obama feels that a change needs to be made.

“Change” was the slogan for Obama’s campaign, and that is what he plans to do in the U.S. as well as the college football system. According to examiner.com, Obama stated “I think it’s about time we had playoffs in college football. I’m fed up with these computer rankings and this that and the other. Get eight teams — the top eight teams right at the end. You got a playoff. Decide on a national champion.”

He has a point; eight teams playing for the national championship is the only way to truly prove who is the best in college football. Obama also stated on 60 Minutes that he doesn’t know a single person who watches college football and doesn’t want a playoff system. He also explains how he is going to use his newly found power as President-Elect to make it happen. Unfortunately, the presidents of the universities, who are gaining from the current system, may have a problem.

According to espn.com, a member of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee explained how the decision of keeping the BCS system is best for the players the fans and anyone else affected by the BCS.

The members of this committee are correct that some people will be negatively affected by the BCS, such as the president of the college collecting all the bowl money. The projected payout for the 2008 Tostitos Bowl is $17.5 million. A pay raise is usually passed down to the coaches to help keep them satisfied with the system. This does not always work as many coaches continue to show their disgust for the system, including Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville.

Tuberville stated when talking to an espn.com reporter that “Presidents take the money and go spend it, but they don’t worry about the business of making it better.” There is an issue here and it needs to be addressed. When players, coaches and fans are not satisfied with the system, something needs to be done. March Madness has no problem gaining money; I am sure a college football playoff system with each round sponsored by a company and similar payouts for that round will compensate for everyone.

Think Before You Abort

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:04:00 +0000

By Jaimie Van Antwerp

Roe v. Wade and abortion demographics shed light on both sides of the spectrum when examining women’s abortion rights. Abortion demographics statistics also demonstrate social reasons for the majority of abortions.

At close examination, Roe v. Wade states that “abortion be legal up until the point of birth if any one physician willing to perform an abortion decides it is necessary to preserve a mother’s health.” This supports the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform statistics, where 6 percent of abortions occur because of potential health problems to the mother or child, and only 1 percent occurs because of rape or incest. That means that 93 percent of abortions are performed because the pregnancy was unwanted or inconvenient.

These statistics demonstrate that we need more responsibility in our system and not just a thought or whim. Abortion should not be about social reasons; it should be about psychological stability and overall health. Abortion should not be about social ramifications.

Individuals can argue that there is less psychological impact upon a mother by receiving an abortion than childbirth, but numerous arguments don’t support it. Whether complaining of nervous disorders or sleep disturbances, 31 percent of women reported regretting their decision and some were prescribed psychotropic drugs from their family doctor. The psychological effects can be very significant and lifelong as compared to the psychological state before the abortion.

Suicide risks also increase after abortion. “The suicide rate after an abortion was three times the general suicide rate and six times that associated with birth.” When dealing with my life, I would rather not be harming my personal psychological health by receiving an abortion. There can be psychological effects of anything, but counseling before deciding on an abortion would be best.

Numerous effects also linked to abortion like future children. If the mother already has children and how they are affected by the abortion, and that’s not counting the health risks if the abortion goes wrong or performed inadequately.

Reasons for abortion are personal, but 93 percent of abortions are performed for social reasons. Abortion should only be legal in cases of documented health risks to the mother or child, and cases where rape or incest can be proved; all other reasons for abortion should be outlawed.

The New Prohibition

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:03:00 +0000

By Jonathan Schmidt

Any good general knows when losing a war it is better to cut your losses and pull out then take any more losses; in this case, the general is the United States government and the war is the “War on Drugs.”

The War on Drugs has been going on for over 20 years, it’s time it ended. The government started this prohibition thinking it was going to save lives; in the end it only made matters worse. Mary Ruwart, an avid member of the Libertarian party, wrote a book entitled Healing Our World. In this book is a chapter on the status of the War on Drugs.

Ruwart states in 1987 the federal prison population was made up of 36 percent drug offenders. This is scary, instead of our federal law enforcement arresting the murderers, the rapists, and the thieves it’s arresting the peaceful drug user. This makes our streets really safe at night. Ha! And the government continues to put federal funding into arresting the peaceful drug users and possessors.

The government does not realize this is a second prohibition. In the early 1900s the government put a prohibition an alcoholic beverages. Everyone knows people still drank; they made home-brews that made people sick some even caused fatalities.

The War on Drugs is also fatal. Because drugs are illegal, no one is watching over the production of these drugs, they could be impure, they could kill. Yet, if drugs were legal, the government could oversee the production of dugs, maintain how much is sold, and bring the death rates down considerably.

Needles are another cause of casualties in the War on Drugs. In Ruwart’s book, she talks about how people die from AIDS acquired from dirty and shared needles. Why do people share needles? Because the government does not regulate the sale because drugs are illegal! Ruwart says 3,500 drug users die from AIDS contracted from dirty needles every year. This could be stopped if the government sold needles, like Hong Kong where one can obtain a needle without a prescription and their drug users do not contract AIDS from dirty needles.

The government is worried about drug related deaths. Ruwart says 7,000 people die from drug overdose from illegal substances while 100,000 to 200,000 die from alcohol related deaths and 320,000 to 390,000 die from tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco are legal and the government is worried about the death rate from illegal substances?

More deaths are caused in black market turf wars. Because drugs are illegal and hard to come by, black market dealers steal from other dealers in order to keep a supply up. If drugs were legal, these deaths would go down considerably.

Robbery is a problem not only with black market dealers, but also with the everyday drug addict. Ruwart says because drugs are illegal, they are expensive. Addicts steal money in order to buy drugs. Now why aren’t people stealing in order to buy alcohol and cigarettes when people are addicted to those? Because they are legal! They are legal, therefore the government can regulate their manufacture and the prices go down, and stealing for liquor money just is not common since the prohibition ended.

These crimes and deaths mentioned before are just a fraction of what really happens, deaths related to medicinal marijuana being unavailable or taken away are frighteningly common as well. If the government made at least medicinal marijuana legal, death rates would go down considerably.As mentioned before, all of these accounts are less then half of everything that occurs. The casualty rates are high, general, don’t you think it’s time you pulled out of this war?

Small Business and the $700 Billion Bailout

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:00:00 +0000

By Laura Jane Hudson

In September 2008, the Bush Administration laid out a radical bail out plan to compensate for over half-trillion dollars in worthless mortgages and bad debt. The government already has pledged more than $600 billion in the past year to help bail out some of the biggest names in American finance, leaving small business to fin for themselves.

Bush announced that this would be largest government intervention since the Great Depression. If this problem was created by excessive debt and credit, creating more is not going to help. The government bailout plan is creating money out of thin air and has inevitably caused the American dollar to fall against gold, the euro, and petroleum.

Such results of the bailout plan could seriously hurt small business and harm middle class firms as well. MerchantCircle Founder, Ben T. Smith, IV thinks that Washington is not directing their concern to Main Street America. Close to 50 percent of small business owners don’t think the bailout plan is going to help. The focus needs to be on Main Street America and the government is seemingly only worried about Wall Street.

As Proof of the Bush Administration’s lack of concern for the small business owner, The American Small Business League notes that President Bush has cut the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) budget in half, and cut funding and oversight for every program assisting small businesses, including women, minority and veteran-owned firms.

Changes within the bailout plan will probably not be resolved until Obama officially takes office – he, along with elected officials, will be responsible for fixing the plan that Bush put into place.

In his goal to help our economy, Obama is committed to swiftly enacting tax cuts for middle-class Americans. Some of his plans may even pay for themselves – such as an alternative energy. Also, approving universal health insurance and spending more on education would help the economy in the long run. Small business is responsible for more than two-thirds of new job creation, Obama’s new Small Business Rescue Plan is another vital move to turn our economy around. It’s long overdue that the federal government stepped forward with a plan to support small businesses and owners, after all the billions given to bailout the largest U.S. corporations. If we are going to reestablish our economy we need to do it from the ground up, starting with our foundation – small business.

Obesity Blows Up In America

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:58:00 +0000

By James Hairston

In an age where food is a major part of people’s lives, it is not a shock that the American people are on the path to an obesity epidemic. Food is everywhere, from advertisements on television, billboards on the road, to those small vending machines down the hall in the workplace. It is hard for one to resist the temptation of a Thickburger from Hardees or a Big Mac from McDonalds. These temptations are also the reason why America is one the unhealthiest country in the nation today.

A major cause of obesity in America is simply the improper lifestyle that many people are living. Today’s society makes it difficult for people to make healthy food decisions. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity in adults has increased over 50% within the past twenty years and has tripled in our youth in the past thirty. Instead of eating foods that are rich in nutrients along with wholesale foods that come from the land, many Americans choose to eat processed, packaged and refined foods.

Over the past thirty years, fast food restaurants have become mainstream to people by providing them with the luxury of quick services, great-tasting food along with cheap prices. With all of those advantages it is hard for some to avoid the temptation of going to a fast food place after a long day of work or a quick snack that is needed before of after one’s activities. Convenient as these fast food meals may be, they do not contain any type of nutrients.

The fast food industry spends billion of dollars yearly promoting their foods to the nation. The average child views over 10,000 food advertisements on TV every year and more than half are for unhealthy foods. Along with promoting these foods to adults, fast food chains are also signing contracts with schools, making it impossible for the youth of today to eat healthier.

Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado’s Health Sciences James Hill, Ph.D states, “We are in an environment that encourages us to be inactive. While technology is good, it has made us more sedentary. We have even built our cars to hold our food.”

Behind tobacco, obesity has become one of the leading causes of death in America. Along with factors such as poor dieting and lack of physical activity, genetics and even certain medical disorders cause obesity. With hard work, determination and accountability, one can conquer obesity, but it is the American society that needs to recognize the problem and attempt to solve it. Put the remote down, get off the couch and go for a nice, brisk jog!

Warning: Elderly Driver Ahead

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:56:00 +0000

By Lacey May

Most people are aware that teenagers who drive with freshly made licenses are prone to cause accidents that injure and kill many people per year. However, some may not be aware that the grandparents of those teens are responsible for almost the same amount of accidents.

The cause for this? Elderly drivers simply do not have the capabilities to drive a motor vehicle safely. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed in 2006 that there are nearly 30 million elderly drivers on the roads of America; furthermore, the study revealed that 6,017 elderly people were killed that year in a road accident.

As time moves on, elderly people will continue to build a larger part of the population, creating a hazard for both themselves and for others. It is projected that, by 2030, the elderly will comprise almost 25 percent of total people driving and will also be involved in nearly 25 percent of fatal vehicular accidents.

While the age limit for elderly drivers may not be certain, the health issues effecting their driving skills are. Some people over the age of 70 suffer from hearing loss, vision problems such as glaucoma and cataracts, and mild forms of dementia. These are just a small number of the issues affecting the performance of elderly drivers. The impaired vision, diminished hearing, and mental capacity poses a major threat to other pedestrians and drivers.

As if these issues weren’t enough to spur governments into legislative action to enforce an elderly driving test or law, take into account a tragic incident that occurred in California. Brandi Mitock, 15, was crossing the road when an elderly gentleman ran her down and caused her death. The man, Bryan Cox, was 96 years old and hadn’t taken a road test since he got his driver’s license in 1918. Mitock’s father believed that had the elderly gentleman been made to take some kind of driving test at a certain age that his daughter’s death could have been prevented.

Another example includes an elderly man with Alzheimer’s who forgot where he was and caused an accident by traveling down a one-way street. Another young girl was killed when she was hit by a woman in her early seventies who claimed not to see the girl and that she was traveling at the speed limit. The investigation following the accident found she was speeding and that she was also suffering from dementia and a seizure disorder.

Stories like the ones mentioned should be satisfactory to those who question the fairness of testing elderly drivers on their driving ability. Enough laws and restrictions are placed on teens that are 15 and 16, but nothing is mentioned about those whose abilities to function are slowly deteriorating and whose reflexes are nowhere near what they once were.

Some legislators are taking action, but it is not occurring fast enough. Massachusetts Senator Brian Joyce filed a bill that drivers over the age of 85 should have to pass a road and vision test every five years. Obviously, this test would come far too late. Pennsylvania offers a non-discriminating approach that requires physicians to inform the Registry of Motor Vehicles about any patient 16 years old and above whose medical condition presents a serious danger on the road. Often they are elderly.

It is apparent that more action needs to be taken about the dangers elderly drivers impose on others and themselves, and it needs to be taken quickly.

The Many Downsides of YouTube

Rachel Shenk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:53:00 +0000

By Matthew Clayton

Ever since its inception in late 2005, the video site Youtube.com has exploded into a worldwide juggernaut for user-posted videos. At Youtube, anyone can become a celebrity with just a personal computer, video camera or cell phone. But with the windows of opportunity it opens, inevitably unwarranted factors creep in.

The biggest snag is copyright violation. Some users post up video clips from movies and TV shows without the consent of the copyright holder, which can lead to some nasty disputes. Last year, Viacom filed a copyright lawsuit against the Google-owned company for aiding Internet users that post up clips of Viacom’s copyrighted TV shows and movies. Some movie companies like Lionsgate and MGM circumvent that with agreements with Youtube to officially host video clips and even full-length movies and TV shows on the site. The Weinstein Company got into the act by posting up the movie “I’m Not There” to generate possible Oscar buzz for its lead actress Cate Blanchett. Like other Youtube videos, the company-posted videos will be free but feature advertising, which the studios receive ad revenue.

Another big hurdle is tastefulness and potentially harmful the videos can be to the user posting them or someone the user knows. One man in Australia was fired and had his forklift license revoked when a video of himself surfaced on Youtube popping wheelies and performing other stunts on a work forklift. In Toledo, Ohio, three men face criminal charges after posting videos of themselves impersonating police officers and playing pranks on unsuspecting civilians.

Constitutional freedoms also surface whenever comments are posted about videos, and if a line is involved with free speech and potentially damaging speech. One particular incident occurred in New Hampshire, where inflammatory remarks were posted about two town councilors when clips of a town meeting were posted on Youtube, which could lead to possible criminal charges brought against the user who posted the “extremely hateful” remarks. Some companies manage to circumvent the problems.

The U.S. military put a ban on Youtube and other video-sharing sites for a year until they came up with their own video site, TroopTube with Delve Networks. The site enables military members, their family members, supporters, and civilian Defense Department employees to register as users. TroopTube is structured similarly to Youtube where users can upload videos from anywhere with internet access, but the catch is that a Pentagon employee screens each video for taste, possible copyright violation and national security issues before the video is allowed on the site.

With a site like Youtube, its uses are like a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can prove incredibly useful and fun if used right. However, if used improperly, it can lead to all sorts of trouble. So if you’re thinking about posting up a video of yourself that could get you fired (or worse), or think about posting up a music video using copyrighted material, think again. It could cost you your job or even more.