"Overlooked Brain Cells"

"Overlooked Brain Cells May Have Leading Role"
11-24-13
BY: Geoffrey Mohan

A brain cell that was once thought of as the neuron's sidekick is now being brought up to having a very important role in brain function and development. It is said that these important cells called "astrocytes" have a lead role in the pruning of extra and weak synapses that are links between neurons. During development excess synapses are produce and then pruned back. But neuroscientists explained how some synapses remain but most of them are removed, but they had no explanation for how those excess synapses were being removed. The process of brain trimming has become more clear and most questions are beginning to be answered. It was confirmed in 2001 that without astrocytes neurons are not able to make healthy surviving synapses which are very important links between neurons. If neuroscientists study astrocytes and learn how to control and increase them in critical circumstances then they will be able to prevent certain diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. This could be a way to cure and prevent and other psychiatric diseases that ruin lives of diagnosed people and their families. Neuroscientists are now trying to figure out how to control these astrocytes and make sure that they keep removing weak and useless synapses and stay away from important, useful, and healthy ones. If these cells begin to remove synapses that the adult brain needs then it could be the reason for some unexplained diseases or symptoms.

"Puritans in the 1600s"

http://www.history.com/topics/puritanism

The Puritans were a religious group of people who believed the Anglican church, the church of England was incorrectly reformed and they did not agree with the ways that they were practicing religion or the way they were requiring religion to be practiced. This religious group fled to practice their own religion the way they wanted to. The Puritans migrated to The New World where they could pray and preach their own way of religion freely. Most Puritans favored a presbyterian type of religion or church. Puritans lived by their religion and did everything based off of what their religion allowed. The Puritan migration was mostly consisted of families unlike other migrations to early America which were composed of young men. Puritanism had many different types of believers. This branch of religion spread out into different types of religions, different beliefs were being created. As generations went by Puritanism was slowly declining. The different branches that were slowly being created were also becoming more popular by each generation and slowly taking out the group that started most of them. The Puritans were mostly notable for migrating to The New World and even teaching Native Americans the Puritan religion. These Native Americans spread the religion also. Puritans could have been the start of segregation in religions. 

"Drunk Without Alcohol"

Huffington Post
11/13/13
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/drunk-without-alcohol-drug-hangover_n_4260369.html?utm_hp_ref=science


Most people like to go down to their local bar or small restaurant on the weekends to have a couple drinks to relax. Imagine being able to get that relaxing buzzed feel that people describe from some type of drug. This drug is said to give an individual the feeling of a buzz that is acquired from an alcoholic beverage. Dr. David Nutt says there might be an alcohol free buzz feel coming soon from a drug. Dr. Nutt says since this substance is a drug and works directly on a receptor it is possible to reverse the effects with a "sober pill". It is said that the effects of this drug and the reversible drug do not cause a hangover or any hangover like symptoms. The plan to create this "drunk without alcohol" drug dates back to 2009 but Dr. Nutt has just recently thought of the different compounds that could mimic the effects of alcohol. He explains that the drug could be consumed by dropping it in a beverage that way people could enjoy a beverage and acquire the relaxing feeling from the drug. This new thought and process of creating this drug is very interesting and seems as if it will be very difficult to make sure it does its job perfectly. Most experts do not trust the report as of now.

"SOAPST Aspect"

The speaker of the piece of literature from "Education" is Ralph Waldo Emerson, "one of America's most influential thinkers and writers." The occasion or the period where he found himself unsatisfied with the educational system was from the 1820's to the 1830's. Emerson's audience for this piece of literature is anyone who reads it. He has not written it to a specific audience. The purpose of his work is to teach, and inform. Emerson wanted students to learn about different things that he thought should be taught and wanted them to understand that all learning did not only come from inside the classroom. The subject of this piece of literature is that education has been provided and taught incorrectly and that students deserve more respect or a different kind of respect. The author believed that the student should not be forced into absorbing material or be parented. Emerson thought that students should be persuaded into being interested in the subject that was being taught to them. Emerson's tone throughout the passage was very confident, trustworthy, and powerful. Just by reading the piece you could tell that he wanted to make a difference in the way students were learning.

"Colorado Is Asking Taxpayers for $1 Billion to Help Schools"

New York Times
By: Jack Healy
Published: November 3, 2013

The educational conditions in Denver are inadequate. Students are living and learning in terrible conditions while teachers are being cut off from the staff. Many schools have been going through tough conditions trying to keep up with their wealthier neighboring schools and even trying to keep the school open. On Tuesday, Colorado will be asking with one of the most ambitious and risk-full grants in the country. They will be asking for a one billion dollar tax increase. This enormous increase will benefit many schools in Denver that are trying to keep their heads above water. The decision to increase taxes by one billion dollars for school funding will be very hard to make. It will be very difficult for politicians to convince voters to agree to raising taxes. A citizen who does not have any children or is sending their children to a school where funding is satisfactory will not want to increase their tax payments. Denver will end up having to give forty three percent of its budget to school funding. Trying to increase tax payments by any amount will never be easy.

"Syria Meets Chemical Weapons Deadline"

LA Times
By: Patrick J. McDonnell
Ocotber 27, 2013

The Syrian government has officially agreed to demolish all the chemical weapons that have been terrorizing the Syrian civilians. After three years of a terrible civil war the government has agreed to publish a declaration agreeing to destroy all toxic chemical weapons. Syria has agreed to stop the inhumane chemical warfare causing the ongoing civil war, they have created and published a deadline for a declaration that will completely demolish all chemical arsenal. This declaration concludes that the US and Russian governments will not have to go along with strict and forceful measures to end the civil war in Syria. The declaration to destroy all the weapons had a set deadline for Sunday, October 27 to the OPCW or Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Syrian government met its deadline and turned in the declaration to the OPCW this Sunday, making the organization very proud. All chemical weapon creation facilities have promised and are following along with their declaration to demolish all toxic weapons. Syria has officially and formally become the 190^th nation to join the Chemical Weapons Convention, a treaty banning members from using any type of chemical weapons or creating any type of chemical weapons. This agreement has killed the threats from any air force strikes that were set out by the US. 

"2nd LAX Worker Arrested"

LA Times
By: Richard Winton
October 18, 2013

Another LAX worker was arrested on Friday. Miguel Iniguez was said to have connections with the dry ice explosions. He was arrested and being held with a $500,000 bail. He was suspected of possessing a destructive device linked to the dry ice bomb incidents. Iniguez was working in the same department as Dicarlo Bennett, the man who was first arrested, he was actually Bennett's supervisor. Bennett was arrested earlier in the week being accused of creating two ice bombs that exploded in the LAX airport. Both explosions went off in the employees bathroom. Bennett has pleaded not guilty and his attorney said that he removed the dry ice from a cargo bay to protect a dog that was being transported. Apparently he was scared the fumes would harm the dog. Police reported that both explosions were not intended to be a type or terrorism but only for Bennett's amusement. After both incidents a third dry ice bomb was found but it had not been detonated. This whole incident caused a lot of traffic for the air port since the bomb squad was called in two days in a row and many flights were delayed.