By: Emma Hersh & Marina Stuart

Staff Writers

The Rocket Press 

This week's "Man on the Street" question was: What's your favorite food to eat in and around school? 

 Maxime Damis, 10th Grade

"That Stand; bacon, egg & cheese."

Dario Rainone, 12th Grade

"I usually eat lunch during class otherwise I'd  probably get it across the street."

Ms. Bowers, Librarian 

"TamPoPo; I the tuna bim bim bop."

 Ayanna Robinson, 10th Grade

 "Scoop De Ville, it has the best ice cream ever."

James Seward, 11th Grade

"The school store, I get noodles." 

 By: Thea Farah & Manna-Symone Middlebrooks

Staff Writers

The Rocket Press 

Not many high school seniors could likely spell “omnifarious”. Even fewer could probably define it. Cameron Harris, however, cites it as the first of three words he uses to describe himself—the other two, “silly” and “quiet”, both showing just how omnifarious—that is, varied or differing greatly—Cameron is. He’s quiet in school, he says, but once he gets out he’s the opposite. He’s also laid-back, citing “Hakuna matata” (meaning “don’t worry, be happy”) as one of his favorite quotes, and saying that he is inspired by “everyone”—like when he sees someone dancing in public, or doing something they don’t like.

His childhood, he says, was “fun” and “simple”. He talks about learning to appreciate the little things as a child, such as freedom. “My biggest fear…” he says, “I guess not—not being able to do what I want to do… not being free.” Sometimes he feels too exhausted to work toward his goals, but usually his desire to accomplish his goals in life is enough to keep him moving.

 By: Jennifer Wright

Staff Writer

The Rocket Press 

Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, are the names of just a fewprescription amphetamines to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  Cropping up is the abuse of these and many other medications used to treat a legitimate medical problem. These cause afeeling of ‘high,' suppression of appetite and providing alertness and concentration. High school students and college students alike are known for the abuse of these medications. Pills are taken orally, crushed into power to be snorted, or injected. These drugs are being sold illegally for up to $10 a pill.

            I believe that rules governing the prescribing of the medications and the precautions taken to stop abuse need to be tightened. The Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) classifies a household name, Ritalin, as being a Schedule II drug. This means that it has a high potential for abuse and is currently used to treat alegitimate medical issue within the U.S. On the downside, it also states that “Abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence” according to the DEA. The big problem we are facing is that it is relatively easy to attain the prescription because of the lack of testing to prove ADD or ADHD. The only way to diagnoseis comprehensive evaluation by doctors, which includes attention span tests andinterviews with parents and teachers, but there is not a yes or no answer.Another problem is whether to form an opinion saying, ‘Is this a medical orpsychological issue?’ Maybe they are the same thing.

             The abuse is especially dangerous because of the extreme addictiveness of Ritalin and Adderall. Because of this, the use of Ritalin and Adderall as a study aid is unsound. Focusing is not worth the long-term effects. Also, some use it as a weight-loss tool because of the suppression of appetite the meds cause. Common dosages are controlled from 5-60mg a day. The dangerous reality is when someone other than a doctor or pharmacis tprepares the drug for injection, dirt and dust enter the liquid making it extremely toxic when it enters directly into the bloodstream. Dangerous short-term effects of taking Ritalin are increased heart rate and blood pressure. Scarier though, are effects like hallucinations and psychosis reported when abused.

            All too often the diagnosis of ADD and ADHD is used as a cop-out to other non-related problems sometimes purposely and other times not. In our society it has become easy to blame issues on medical problems beyond one’s control. I believe there are people out there who have legitimate issues that need to be dealt with using medications and treatment, however; there are also people who take advantage of the system and technologies provided in our healthcare system. Iagree it is almost impossible to weed out the amount of people who do not havean actual need for these medications, but it is extremely important to find away because we are paving the way for the criteria of any medication to be widened to suit the needs of everyone.

            To sum itall up, help other than downing a few pills must be given to people who feel like they cannot concentrate or need to lose weight. Writing off problems with walking into a pharmacy with a piece of paper or worse buying a pill that you have no idea what is, is not a way to go about life. It is too dangerous a risk to be taking a drug that could seriously harm you. This is such a difficult topic because its hard to draw the line where what is correct and incorrect,and who has the authority to draw that line. The only fair ultimatum to me isif you need a study aid, wait until the FDA says that ‘this drug is safe to useas a study aid,’ or ‘this drug is safe to use as a weight loss aid.' If that day never comes, I think we have our answer. 

By: Thea Farah

Staff Writer

The Rocket Press 

Cognitive-enhancingdrugs (CEDs) are different things to different people.  For some, they may be a godsend; amuch-needed way to keep from constantly losing focus.  For others, they can be a painful medley ofside effects and health hazards; including addiction.  But for huge numbers of Americans, studentsin particular, they’re an abused substance, something gained illegally andtaken for convenience or a competitive edge rather than for medicalpurposes.  As the number of peopleprescribed CEDs—usually for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, thoughsometimes for other conditions such as depression—grows rapidly, so does thenumber of people who obtain CEDs illegally by buying them from friends.  What should be done about this?

            Having attention deficit disorder myself—I was diagnosed in third grade—I understandall too well how necessary CEDs can be to simply function like a normalperson.  I have taken the drug Adderallnearly every school day for six years now, and it makes all the difference betweena productive day at school (or even a Saturday spend doing homework) and a dayof twirling my hair, daydreaming, and claiming to “not have heard” the questionwhen I get called on by an observant teacher. Another aspect of ADD I’m familiar with is being tested—both theoriginal testing and occasional “check-ups” I still get from time to time—andsomething that always strikes me is how inaccurate and easy to manipulate thetests are.  Though parents and teacherscan testify to a student’s attention problems if need be, much of the testingis really just the honor system.

            The factthat these tests are so inaccurate means that it is all too easy for someonewho wants legal access to CEDs to lie and get them.  However, once that someone has them, becausethey do not actually need them, they are vulnerable to addiction.

            Using CEDsfor non-medical purposes (that is, using them for something other than treatinga condition) is considered abuse.  Manypeople without such conditions, college students in particular, get or buy CEDsfrom others and use them when writing a long paper, taking an important exam,or even on a daily basis.  Most CEDs arehighly addictive, leading many people to argue for tighter regulations onthem.  A better way to combat CED abuse andaddiction may be through education and medical care rather than legalrestrictions and punishments.  Tighter rules or not, people the world overwill still find a way to illegally obtain and abuse CEDs.  A better option, then, may be to make CEDsmore easily—and legally—available for those who do not have a diagnosis.  If someone wants the help of CEDs, it is farbetter for them to be able to go to a doctor who can provide them withimportant information—such as safe doses and health problems that may maketaking CEDs dangerous—as well as control and limits to prevent addiction, andhelp for the patient should they become addicted.  As well as addiction, CEDs can cause majorcomplications and even death for patients with certain health conditions, andit is important that anyone who tries to obtain CEDs knows such crucialinformation.  They will be much morelikely to get this information if we as a society can get past our overlyparanoid fear of drugs and make laws and restrictions that are balanced andreasonable.

For my interview section of my project, I interviewed Mr. Chase on his voting experience and some thoughts on how things went. Overall he was pleased with how his voting experience went, though it was his first time waiting in a line to vote, he explained that it didn't bother him as much because it was good that so many people were out voting, even though it was so early and cold that morning. He thought that the city handled it rather well, his only complaint was the fact that his polling location only had two voting booths and he felt 3 would have allowed things to run a little bit smoother.

Saturday, April 5th.

Horas de Sueño por Noche:
Anoche, dormí 10 horas.

El Desayuno:
Comí gravilla y bacon. Tomé te.

El Almuerzo:
Comí un comida de china. Tomé sprite.

La Cena:
Comí pollo frito y salada. Tomé te.

Las Meriendas:
Comí un palomitas.

Ejercicio:
Ejercicio exagerando.

Friday, April 3nd.

Horas de Sueño por Noche:
Anoche, dormí 6.5 horas.

El Desayuno:
Comí nada. Tomé leche.

El Almuerzo:
Comí un sandwich. Tomé Te.

La Cena:
Comí hamburguesa. Tomé sprite.

Las Meriendas:
Comí un pastita y patatas fritas.

Ejercicio:
Ejercicio nada.

Thursday, April 2nd.

Horas de Sueño por Noche:
Anoche, dormí 6.5 horas.

El Desayuno:
Comí nada. Tomé leche.

El Almuerzo:
Comí un sandwich. Tomé Te.

La Cena:
Comí hamburguesa. Tomé 7up.

Las Meriendas:
Comí un pastita y patatas fritas.

Ejercicio:
Ejercicio nada.

When I read this article, I was really surprised to find out that last year, the crime rate in Philadelphia had actually dropped. According to a police report, they had reported 392 homicides in Philadelphia, that is 14 fewer than the year before. Nationally, ciolence crime had fell 1.8 percent and property crime by a little over 2.5 percent. 

The FBI statistics say that: 

* Violent crime rose 1.1 percent in nonmetropolitan counties and in cities with populations between 10,000 and 24,999.

* Murder rates jumped 4.9 percent in metropolitan counties, 3.2 percent in cities with 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants and 1.3 percent in nonmetropolitan counties.

* Burglary increased 3.5 percent in cities with 1 million or more residents.

Police also say that according to their year-end statistics, the number of overall shootings had declined 13.47 percent to a number of 1, 734 shootings, compare that with 2006's total of 2,004. Also, former Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson says that six major police divisions reported 9 percent drops in two of the toughest Southwest and East divisions. 

Soon I hope that the count will be a lot fewer than last year's end-of-the-year total, but the way that it seems now, it may take a while. Maybe the new mayor can do something about all of this crime, I mean I look at, New York, a city with far more people than Philadelphia and no near as many murders and homicides as us, so what  makes us so different?

'07 crime shows drop in cities

By Gloria Campisi & Christine Olley

Philadelphia Daily News

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080109_07_crime_shows_drop_in_cities.html

Being a teenager and living in Philadelphia, I can tell you that this isn't one of the safest cities, depending on where you go.

According to Andre, a 17-year-old living in Philadelphia, if you have a good-looking girlfriend, then you're going to get shot for her because someone wants her. "If you're getting a little money, you're going to get shot -- someone wants that. Any way you look at it, it's a bad situation."

As I read this article, I thought about all of the times people, people who never engaged in any type of street violence, theft, robbery or murder in their entire lives, have been killed over as little as $3. It seems as though all these people want is what everyone else has, not realizing that once they have it, it they're just like the person that was killed.

"It makes you feel stronger, powerful, a bigger man..." explains Andre about having a gun."

For that shouldn't everyone just become a police officer? I'm sure that the police feel that way everyday when they put their lives on the line. Also, CNN reports that over the last couple of years, our cities murder rate has reached levels not seens since the 1980's.

It only looks like it is going to get worse. There were 315 more people killed around October of last year, reports the Philadelphia Police Department, that is even worse than larger cities like New York and even Los Angeles. One of the most gang popular cities in the entire United States, and most of it by teenagers. So imagine if gang activity started to rise in this city, no one would be safe and then everyone would feel as though they needed to have a weapon. Which makes me think, maybe this is all because of safety. A city that doesn't feel safe because of everything that is happening, so they want to protect themselves because they think that no one else will. They don't realize that by carrying weapons and robbing, killing and doing things like that is why they don't feel safe in the first place. Soon, that will be all teens know how to do is do whatever it takes to survive, neighborhoods will influence the teenagers and younger generations into street soldiers, surviving just to kill themselves.

"Shooting, stabbing, killing, whatever it is - - whatever you gotta do to survive," Andre says to CNN."

US News
Philadelphia's new nickname "Killadelphia," teen killers rampant.
By Karyn Chenoweth Oct 15, 2007, 13:46 GMT
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/usa/news/article_1365431.php/Philadel...

I found this post really interesting actually, I didn't know that Florida was that strict when it came to teenagers. There were a lot of teens who have been put away because of the law passed there, even if you are a teenager you can still be tried as an adult, which i thought was a little surprised. Even though it may sound harsh, the numbers have shown that the percentages in teen crime and violence have dropped since the law was passed five years ago. It seems to be a sort of unfair thing for us teens, but maybe it is something that will help them later in the long run.

Teen Violence: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=9710313498&site=ehost-live 

Teen Violence: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=9710313498&site=ehost-live 

Jacksonville, Fla. 10/24/97 

Florida, the home of sunny skies, warm weather, and last but definitely not least, Disneyworld. But, though all those things sound well and good, you may want to be careful if you are a teenager and like to live on the wildside, such as going joyriding in cars. Get caught doing that in Duval County, Jacsonvillie, Florida, and you may find yourself singing the county blues. No more being let of with a warning or slap on the wrist, you'll be tried and charges as an adult. For five years in Duval County, there have been 137 teenagers that have been charges as an adult and sent away to the state prison. Florida State Attorney, Harry Shorstein says that too many cases in the juvenile court system has let violent teen criminals with just a "slap on the wrist." Since the law has been passed five years ago, 137 teens have been charges as adults and sent to state prison...
Every state now has this law.

So far I've learned that researching for this project isn't as easy as I thought. I like my topic which is Teen Violence, but i don't like that it has to be local because sometimes you can't find as much as you would if you have a wider range. Like, when I did my first blog I didn't really find that much information that strictliy was Philadelphia, but instead I got Philadelphia and other cities. I'd rather it be Teen Violence in America because I would be open to much more information.

Violence in our youth today is an ever growing problem in our country today. But, cities across the U.S. are working together to hopefully bring an end or at least slow down the horrible acts of violence with our teens.

The Stopping the Violence Foundation wants to host the first ever annual Million Teenage March in Atlanta, Georgia for youth. But, 10 major cities, including our own Philadelphia, will be given centers to be known as safe havens for young children and teens. These cities were chosen to be the locations for safe havens not because of our hospitality, but because we have some of the worst crime numbers in America. 24 hour a day staff will be given to each location to help support youth with problems and issues they may be facing. Also, instructing youth on the values of a good education, conflict resolution without violence, and other things that go on through out each city will be talked about too. The registration for these places will begin November 2007 thru April 11th, 2008