The Good: My generation, the generation who went to kindergarten without computers and now can’t be separated from them, was constantly exposed to the anti-smoking message. We heard the “Just Say No”, the D.A.R.E. program chased us all through middle and elementary school, and the Lung Mobile showed some of us the glory of a smoker’s lung.

That being said, it makes me happy to say that something is working. A new study shows that teens who live in towns with smoking bans in bars, restaurants, or workplaces are less likely to smoke. The study was conducted over the course of four years in Massachusetts, a state that had only city-based smoking laws at the time. The study regularly contacted almost 3,000 teens aged 12 to 17 over the four years to see who became a smoker, characterized as smoking 100 or more cigarettes. The study showed that when teens were less exposed to cigarettes and saw community disapproval for cigarettes (via the ban) they were less likely to smoke. This just goes to show that it does take a village to raise a child.

The Bad: Postpartum depression is depression with feelings of emptiness after the birth of a baby. Postpartum depression is typically attributed to women, but a study has now shown that men do experience postpartum depression. It seems that 10% of new fathers have some sort of depression following the birth of their child. Many fathers try to hide their depression, in order to put the mother and baby first, but experts say this is a major problem. Fathers who have this depression are less likely to interact and read with their children, and this can negatively impact the child’s vocabulary and language skills. Signs to look for? Any changes beyond normal fatigue after the child’s birth could be possible warning signs. Do not be afraid to ask for help if you feel increased sadness, aggression, or have suicidal thoughts.

The Good: The call for accountability on social websites has been heard since the site’s origination. Finally now there will be a marked difference in security measures on Facebook. Facebook’s plan, which has been approved by every state but Texas, would call for increased identity verification measures. It would then be made harder for older users to contact those under 18. In addition to these rules, sex offenders would be banned from the site, comments and images that allude to incest, pedophilia, or any type of bullying would be removed. Alcohol and tobacco ads would not be shown to younger users, and would alert parents when a child is trying to contact an adult on Facebook.

The Bad: The worries of a food shortage in the world have be circling as of late. To combat this, scientists have designed better seeds that can produce more in less than ideal environments. While this will help to feed the world, the planting of these super seeds are destroying soil exponentially quicker than before. Scientists are now able to grow up to 9,000 pounds of corn in an acre, but because of declining soil conditions the world over, only about 1/18 of this amount can be produced. So dear people, seeds are not the answer, fertilizer is. If we can enhance the soil worldwide, our food production will in turn enhance.

The Good: The past few days, INTERPOL has posted photos of Wayne Nelson Corliss, a globetrotting American, on its website. Photos of Corliss from 2001 were found on a computer seized by Norwegian authorities. The photos, over a hundred in number, showed Corliss sexually abusing three boys, all under the age of 11. The photos were taken while Corliss was Southeast Asia, and 700 other photos of Corliss and the boys were found.

The photos of Corliss’ face were posted on the site on Monday, and since then, tips have been pouring in from concerned citizens. The tips led to INTERPOL authorities finding Corliss in his home in New Jersey this Wednesday. I for one am glad to see this man arrested. If you are going to abuse children, and especially if you are unintelligent enough to take photos of it, you deserve to be caught and punished to the highest extent of the law.

The Bad: For every child abuser we put away it seems like another one comes to our attention. In Idaho, a ten year old girl has given birth to a baby girl. The girl was brought into the hospital by 37-year-old Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez. When he and the girl came in the police were called and Gutierrez-Juarez was arrested. It is believed that the young girl was raped by Gutierrez-Juarez, hence the resulting pregnancy.

There is no word yet what will happen to the girl or her daughter. Living in an urban area, it doesn’t surprise me to see young teens with babies, but this story is heartbreaking. To know that this child was not given the option of not having this child is horrible. Having a child drastically changes your life and your body, it is not fair that this has happened to her.

 

INTERPOL Image of Corliss