the bird on fire

Unpopular Opinion – Biden’s Got It Wrong Over Student Loan Debt

October 26, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

A Think Piece By Junior Luke Sonderman or Luke Says

I’m going to start off the article by saying that I do not believe that people should have to spend their whole lives paying off student loans with ridiculous amounts of interest. But, is President Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness program a good solution to the problem? Absolutely not. Let me explain.

Forgiving current student loans may relieve financial stress off of current student debt holders, but there are many negative effects to the plan.

Permanent Solution?

First of all, forgiving student loans is not a permanent solution. There are still millions of students taking on student loans in the United States every year. Instead of spending 400 billion on student-loan forgiveness, why doesn’t the government find ways to lower the cost of public college or spend the money on building new schools that will be more cost friendly? (forbes.com)

Inflation

In August, inflation was up 8.3% for 2022 (usinflationcalculator.com). The past two years have had record-breaking amounts of inflation in the U.S., especially due to government spending. Biden’s plan to circulate 400 billion more dollars into the US economy through student loan forgiveness will only increase inflation more (cnbc.com).

Fairness

By awarding loan forgiveness to those who still are burdened by student loan debt, the government is not honoring the Americans who went through the same burdens and struggles, but fully paid off their debt in the past. If forgiveness is given, it should be given across the board to everyone who has had to pay student loans, no matter their circumstance.

Free Education

At this point if student loan forgiveness is given to all people who carry or have carried student loans, then why not just make public post-secondary education free. Around 2% of taxes go to public schools (afterschoolalliance.org). Wouldn’t it make more sense to increase taxes and make college education free?

Maybe my mind lives in a little idealistic world far off in wonderland, but Biden’s Forgiveness Plan really just seems like a short-term money spender to make people happy. It isn’t the long-term solution that we need in America.

Picnic at the edge of time

October 25, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Something is in the air, and it’s not autumn. The annual Palm Valley School Poetry Recitation quickly approaches. I asked our bloggers to speak to, for, against, about poetry–or compose their own original verse. Levi and his soul ask “Why?”
Blog Advisor Zachik

On a large beach towel

Draped across humble grass

Ideas ferment

What is ascent?

Surrounded by reality and griffins

A lost soul gazes in an esoteric direction

It sees smoke arising from fiery grass

Missiles of infinite malice flying through space

Screams of regret

Of lost hope

The soul turns to a brilliant light sitting beside it

“Why?”

Experience is the essence of life

The light homogenizes back into the universe

Time is an arbitrary concept

It’s not too late to start over

Because the god of wisdom

Is you

Fünfundfünfzig Tage in Peking

October 25, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Remy Haring

In a series of stories told from multiple perspectives from all over the world– collectively known as the Kaiserreich Files (inspired by the titular mod for Hearts of Iron IV), blogger Remy Haring explores an alternate history, one in which the Central Powers win the First World War.

Hong Kong, German East Asia

June 23, 1936

First it was Black Monday, then Poland left the German Empire, next a civil war in the Qing Empire breaks out, after that a crazy guy seized power in Mongolia–Roman Von Ungern-Sternberg–while claiming to be the reincarnation of Genghis Khan, and now there’s a revolution in Indochina; ach, mein Gott! What is even happening?

I was on my routine patrol of the waterfront. The night was clear, no clouds, no birds, not even the sound of a foghorn; it was just the stars. It made me forget that there was a massive civil war going on just outside the walls of Hong Kong and that my family had to wait in bread lines back in Frankfurt. My nightly patrol revealed streets covered in sewage and trash, water a greenish-black color, and houses diminished to little more than ramshackle piles of brick and tarp. Rats and cats scuttled all over the dingy streets. Towering over this squalor was the battleship SMS Hohenzollern; with all the lights and whatnot it almost looked like a city skyline itself. My patrol that night was pretty uneventful. No one was out. The most action I got was humming 55 Tage in Peking while smoking a cigarette. Unfortunately, there was no way I was getting the smell of sewage and trash out of my uniform.

June 24, 1936

The next day I was patrolling the urban part of the city. There were sightings of a skirmish between the Qing Dynasty and the socialist Left Kuomintang (KMT) not far from the city, so now the military high command was on high alert. The urban center was crowded with street vendors hawking. The streets were filled with pedestrians, donkeys, bikes, etc. The patrol here was a significant step up from the waterfront, but even here there was still tons of poverty. There were beggars on street corners and bread lines stretching blocks. The Black Monday crash has not been kind to this city.

While patrolling a market square, a little kid, clutching her mom’s dress, pointed at me and said, “Fritz!” I had some food rations in a bag. I kneeled and handed the child a biscuit and the mother some preserved meat. Tears gathered in the eyes of the mother, and she gave me a hug. She said in broken German, “d-danke schön,” and the child had the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. The two left the line and went back toward the houses. My lunch was some fried noodles I got from a street vendor. I sat down at the curb and began eating. I’m telling you, it was so much better than the stale biscuits and meat drowning in preserves that made up my diet for the past year or so. All seemed peaceful, until my commanding officer Heinrich approached me. I stood.

“Sir?” I asked.

“The Chinese Civil war has spilled over here. Left KMT positions are shelling us. Your job is to evacuate the civilians to shelters. Go now!” Heinrich barked.

And, then, I began hearing it: the pack pack of rifles and the distant concussive blast of artillery. The marketplace devolved into chaos. I began directing crowds into the bomb shelters. Everyone in the street was panicking and running around like mad. I had to get up on a box to move everyone to a little shelter in the basement of a shop. It was a tiny, metal room with shelves filled with canned goods–that were soon picked clean by the refugees. Overhead I heard the whistling and subsequent explosion of a shell and the sounds of gunfire. At least I managed to get some people out of harm’s way.

*55 Days at Peking

Dino Diet

October 20, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Luke Sonderman

As our final health post, we return again to the issue of diet. Luke . . . has some concerns regarding an all-meat diet.

Hate to break it to all the vegans, but humans are supposed to eat meat. Now, if you want to hear my opinion on veganism you can read my blog article I wrote last year (“The Most Unhealthy Diet That Is Spreading Fast“). I’m here now to talk about the polar opposite of veganism: Carnivorism.

What is a carnivore diet?

A carnivore diet is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It is a diet that consists of only animal products and excludes all vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and all other non-animal foods (health.clevelandclinic.org). To someone who loves meat, this diet may sound like heaven. But, there are lots of downsides to this diet (just like there are downsides to the vegan diet).

Upsides to the carnivore diet

This diet consists of lots of protein and fat, but near zero carbs.

Low carb diets are actually very popular when it comes to weight loss, but to be honest low-carb diets are just diets for people too lazy to hit the gym, jump on a Peloton, or just knock out some push ups every morning. The body transforms carbs into glucose (sugars) which can be used as energy. The thing is if you don’t use that energy (go to that spin class, do that hot yoga, hit the gym, go for a run)… then that glucose becomes fat.

The reason all of that doesn’t apply to this diet is because with the massive protein and fat diet, you can get ridiculously shredded from the amount of protein you are consuming while having energy from the fats. With no carbs, when you work out, the theory is you will keep a low body fat percentage and increase muscle mass.

Downsides to the carnivore diet

To keep things plain and simple, this diet is considerably as deadly as Trump’s McDonald’s diet which consists of McDonald’s Egg McMuffins for breakfast, meatloaf sandwiches for lunch, and a McDonald’s order of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches for dinner (theculturetrip.com). But seriously, the amount of saturated fat in this diet is absolutely ridiculous. Lots of saturated fat equals a high cholesterol which will lead to heart disease. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Eating too much protein can also cause kidney issues, which is yet another reason why this diet can KILL YOU.

An Ick I’ve Had

October 20, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

Alyna’s True Feelings for the Traditional PVS Poetry Recitation

At Palm Valley school, it is mandatory for grades 3rd to 12th to participate in the Poetry Recitation once a year. Basically what students have to do is memorize a poem, recite it in front of their classmates and judges–who determine which students go on to the next round. The number of lines is different for each grade, but when you’re in high school, you most likely memorize at least 13-14 lines. This is usually the time of year where I want to disappear as I hate having to speak in front of people.

Why do I hate the Poetry Recitation so much?

It’s not about having to memorize lines as a grade, or about projecting my voice for once. It’s about reciting my poem in front of the class. I hate speaking in front of the class, whether it is a presentation or even just a few words added to a discussion. I tend to stutter or stammer over my words when I have to speak for a period of time to a group of people. I am okay with speaking in front of very few people, but with a huge group of people? No thanks. Other people have other opinions about the Poetry Recitation. They say that they hate the judging, or that they don’t like memorizing 14 lines, or that they dislike making eye contact with an audience. Some even say they like the Poetry Recitation and the opportunity to advance to the nationwide Poetry Out Loud competition (looking at you, Indy Behr).

For me, I hate being in front of the class. The class is usually silent when I recite, and I feel all eyes on me. I hate that. I feel like all the eyes are just studying me.

Another solution?

I’m not saying that we should just not do the Poetry Recitation as I think it is a good way to have people practice enunciating words and expressing emotion. But, I feel that there can be one way we can switch it a little.

I’m fine with talking to judges, so talking to JUST judges would be nice. I remember seeing this in 9th grade when there would only be the student, the teacher, and the judges. That way, other students can focus on their poems–outside the competition room–without having to hear the person speaking.

I think that the Poetry Recitation is a nice way to get other students to practice speaking, but there is always going to be this tiny grudge in my chest that would always make me resent it. There should be options as to how to deliver a well-phrased poem.

An Opinion Penned by Junior Alyna Rei

Save me

October 20, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

I challenged the blog staff to write a short story. Luke was especially happy about that. Penny took up the challenge with her own fish tale.
Blog Advisor Zachik

A Short Story by Middle-Schooler Penny Andreas

“Welcome! Welcome Ladies and Gentleman to the ‘Great World Circus!’” Thomas W. Ratgrape stood in front of the crowd, feeding off of their applause. His great big smile on his face stood out in the spotlight, and his brightly colored red suit shone in the circus ring.

“Thank you. Thank you, everyone. No, really, I mean it. Now, first up, we have your one, and only, ‘Dancing Monkey!’”

The brass music boomed over the speaker. Thomas rushed behind the curtain, his support-staff followers running after him.

“Sir, you go back on after the monkey.”

“Sir, sir, your suit is unbuttoning!”

“Sir Your father wants to–”

“JUST SHUT UP!” Thomas yelled. “I DO NOT CARE! JUST GET ME THAT FISH!”

Everyone looked at each other, wondering who should move first.

“WELL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THE FISH ISN’T GOING TO COME BY ITSELF!”

They all started running again, worried that their master, Thomas, would yell and fire them. Soon enough, the monkey was done dancing, and the crowd was becoming bored. Thomas quickly looked around, desperately looking to see if the fish was there.

“Gertrude! Gertrude, where is the fish?” Thomas frantically said to Gertrude, who was the janitor of the circus.

“I dunno,” she said.

Thomas sighed and quickly started to pace across the maroon carpet.

“I’ve got it! I’ve got the fish coming throoooooough!”

“Lacey? You were the last person I thought would get the fish. Is it well? Eh, no matter, we have to get it on!”

Thomas ran out of the curtains and quickly took his spotlight. The music stopped, and a loud drum roll burst out of the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the amazing, magnificent ‘Talking Fish!’”

Gertrude placed the giant fish tank onto the scooter, and rolled it out into the circus ring. The fish, Margarine, tried to swim, but her tank was too small. She couldn’t even move.

“How incredibly rude. What do they even want me to do?” Margarine asked. She looked beyond her dirty, small glass like aquarium, and saw the crowd. Her eyes were blinded by the lights. She refused to look at the crowd and tried to turn her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thomas and his mean, stink-eye glare. He slowly walked over to her.

“Fish, if you don’t start talking, I will make your life worse than it is.”

He walked away squinting at her. Margarine floated there, speechless. What am I supposed to do? She pushed on the glass, daring to break it, daring an escape. The glass was strong, yet Margarine was stronger. That glass popped out and shattered on the hard cement ground. Water spilled out, creating a tidal wave that carried Margarine across the ground. She frantically tried to swim, hoping she could make it to the clear water pond just outside the door of the tent. She was almost there when Thomas stepped in front of her and picked her up. He apologized to the bored audience and quickly walked backstage. As soon as he was behind the curtain, he threw the fish against the wall into a water tank.

“HOW DARE YOU EMBARRASS ME IN FRONT OF MY PEOPLE?! MY AUDIENCE?! YOU ARE A DISGRACE! YOU SHOULD BE SORRY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!”

He stormed out of the room, leaving Margarine alone in the dark. She swam to the bottom of the tank, and belly flopped onto the gravel. She longed for her sweet, clean, clear pond that they polluted in order to capture her. She missed her poor family, swimming alone in the river to which they were transferred. She missed them so dearly. But at that moment, *click*.

The custodian Gertrude walked through the door and turned on the lights. She took out her mop and bucket of water and started to clean the floor.

“Hello, Gertrude,” said Margarine.

“AHHHHHHHHH!” Gertrude yelled, dropping her mop.

“Well, don’t be frightened for goodness sake. I was only being polite.

”Gertrude stared at her in awe. How could the fish be speaking? Was she dreaming? Was she even alive?

“You really speak? How?”

Margarine laughed.

“I don’t really know. I just started to talk one day. But when the world found out, they captured me, and pulled me into this…this horrible place.”

“Well, I guess we are similar in that way. I wanted to go to college, but I got fired from my job and lost all my money and had to work at this dump.”

“Perhaps we could someday escape, though that day would be far far away due to the situation here,” Margarine sighed.

That’s when Gertrude had an idea. They could escape. They could get out of this miserable, terrible, horrible place.

Gerturde jumped up into the air. “I know how we can escape!”

Margarine was delighted. “How might we do that?”

“Tomorrow night, when you perform for the last time, you can tell the audience how bad Thomas is treating you, and then they will have to all leave, and right then we could leave, too!”

Margarine was thrilled. She was so happy with the thought that she could see her loving family and pond again. That night, she slept for the first time.

The next day, Margarine woke up with joy, but suddenly it diminished like water on fire. She awoke to everyone running around, yelling, and frantically waving their arms. Thomas was not around surprisingly. At the corner of her eye, she noticed Gertrude standing with her mop. Gertrude met eyes with Margarine, and broke a small smile.

“WHAT IS ALL THE CHAOS?!” Thomas suddenly walked into the main room. Everybody froze and immediately turned to Lacey. Thomas started to slowly walk across the room.

“What…is going….on?” snarled Thomas.

Lacey’s eyes were wide open, and her legs were trembling. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“I-I–I…I LOST THE MONKEY!” Lacey started to cry. She went down on her knees. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Thomas looked down at her like a hawk watching its prey from above. He walked silently to the back of the room.

“Find it. Or else,” Thomas said. He walked out of the room, smoke metaphorically fuming out of his ears. Gertrude rushed over to Margarine.

“Don’t worry,” whispered Gertrude, “I stole the dancing monkey, and I’m going to replace it with a normal foolish monkey.”

Margarine sighed, worried that the plan wouldn’t work. She swam to the top of the tank and said, “He will have to put me on instead, and then we can escape?”

“Precisely,” smiled Gertrude. She then walked away and went back to her mopping.

Two hours later, Thomas prepared for the show, for he was on in 5 minutes.

“Are we prepared? Is everything ready? Where is the monkey?”

Gertrude pretended to be rushed and threw herself onto the ground, the fake monkey in her hand. “I’ve found it!”

Thomas looked down at her. “Thank you,” he said, and he snatched the monkey out of her hand and walked off.

Gertrude was thrilled as she got up off of the ground. She was ready to get out of this dump.

The music started to grow out of the big bass speakers, and the spotlights circled around the circus ring.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once again to the circus!”

The loud brass music played, which was heard from backstage, where Gertrude and Margarine were desperately waiting to see the magnificent fail of Thomas.

“First up, I will joyfully present to you, the one, the only…Dancing Monkey!”

The spotlight appeared suddenly on a miniature stage, with the fake monkey on it. The monkey blocked the light with his hands, and ran off the tiny stage to the door and ran out. Thomas stood there speechless, surprised that he had just lost the monkey. His mind quickly turned to the crowd though, and he rushed to take the spotlight.

“Well, that was unexpected! To keep your interest, I want to show you the magnificent, amazing “Talking Fish!” Thomas said nervously.

Gertrude pushed Margarine to the center of the dusty stage. Margarine looked out to the crowd, hoping this would work.

“Hi. My name is Margarine. I am a talking fish. And although many people stare at me in awe when I speak, some people treat me wrong for it. They give me small fish tanks, which smell and are unclean. They also force me to talk and punish me if I don’t. I don’t like the disrespect at all. I find it quite rude. And these people, they are horrible. And I know one person who is like this. Thomas W. Ratgrape.”

The audience gasped when they heard this, and immediately refused to stay in the circus tent any longer. People demanded their money back, and some climbed out of the seats. Soon enough, people were carrying Margarine’s fish tank outside, and placing her in a beautiful pond outside of the circus. Gertrude followed, cheering for her and Margarine’s freedom.

And they all lived happily ever after. Except Thomas W. Ratgrape.

A Clam Thanksgiving

October 20, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

A Traditional Re-Telling, by Renowned Clamologist Levi Kassinove

Platitudinous as it was, the clams rested year-round on the sandy ocean floor. After all, do clams migrate? Do they flap their little halves and swim around twice a year? It doesn’t matter. A clam is what a clam is. A lowly, pathetic filter-feeder. Humans have them for dinner all the time with pasta. They are NOTHING to the animal kingdom. They are but a meager source of protein and tedious work for us. It is truly a pain for animals to bust open their shells, only to find a lackluster gob of flesh on the inside. Despite this rather insensitive banter about clams, which is obviously discussed among all other animals on a constant basis, clams are thankful.

A clam has its own little clam family, just like you and me. It is thankful for the bacteria that wafts in its direction, possibly providing sustenance. I don’t know what a filter feeder eats. Maybe it’s algae…. Nevermind, it’s plankton (bioexplorer.net). The fact of the matter is, even if one suffers from clampression, or is currently going through a clamcession, or is even in the midst of a global clamdemic, clams will stand (rest?) strong because of their hard outer shell.

Clams have a marvelous ability to stand vis-à-vis with an octopus and not move a muscle. One clam is cornered. Our cornered clam senses he isn’t skilled or strong enough to avoid octopus calamity. It’s inevitable that this clam is gonna die. He’s gonna get crushed. All the other clams escaped from the octopus confrontation. They called upon their octopus-evasion skills; he wanted to be like them. But deep down, the clam knew he wasn’t as talented as the other clams. All he’s left to ask is…why isn’t he enough? To him, it seemed that everyone else was naturally better at life than him. Sure, he held his own in most aspects of life, but escaping an octopus? Clearly he did not have the talent. He was effectively worthless–not because of the octopus, but because of the other clams. See, if they had all died, he would feel totally content with his failure. He would happily accept death by octopus. But the fact of the matter was that he was the runt of the litter. He had to accept that. His misery sunk him so low that he actually started physically sinking into the sand. He disappeared under a blanket of wallow and self-loathing and small oceanic granules. The octopus scoffed and swam away.

Levi says, “The inner mind of animals are all alike in their inherent struggles”
(Photo Source: ktla.com).

Then, suddenly, a giant evolved-monkey appeared in the water. At least, that was what it looked like to the clam. It grabbed the clam along with his family, which was like 15 other clams. The diver put the clams in a bag and threw them onto a boat. And, it was then, riding in a boat to their inevitable deaths by some chef at an Italian restaurant, that the clams celebrated Thanksgiving. Every clam knows that they are about to die. And yet, they celebrate the lives that they have lived. Our protagonist clam must forgive himself. Was it his life that he should be thankful for? Or rather, should he be thankful that HE has to carry the burden of being a worthless piece of shellfish? At least, the clam proposes to himself, he is punished with this terrible burden, rather than another clam. The clam would rather he suffer than another. He may not have forgiven himself, but he has forgiven The Almighty Clam. And that is why he is thankful. For he is…a clam.

Beat the Heat

October 19, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Indy Behr

In our quest to keep Firebirds healthy, we at thebirdonfire.org have discussed diet, eye care, and sleep habits. As the hottest months in the desert fade, we still experience 90-degree days. Indy has some tips for keeping cool.

It’s October, so it is measurably cooler. Most mornings now, I walk outside, and I am surprised by the cooler temperatures and the subtle breezes. “Is fall actually here?” I think to myself. But then, by noon, it ends up being 90 degrees. I tend to prefer cooler temperatures because if you’re cold, all you need is a sweater, some mittens, and perhaps some longer socks to get comfortable. However, when it’s hot, it is much harder to beat the heat. There are some ways to avoid overheating, however. Here are a few!

Stay Hydrated

Junior Audrey Guess keeps water close even when testing in English.

As some of you may know, sweating is designed to cool your body. If you are dehydrated, you will not sweat as much, and as a result, you will have trouble cooling down. Drink up. Room temperature or chilled–the objective is to keep water in your body. This is one of the best ways to cool down during excessive heat.

Sunscreen

When we are experiencing extreme heat, we are at a higher risk of sun damage, so sunscreen is a must. The added benefit of applying and reapplying spray sunscreens is a short-term cooling effect that is very nice when it’s very hot out.

Spend Your Mornings Outdoors

Though the afternoons are still very hot, the mornings have started to become mild and pleasant. As a result of this, I have been trying to spend more time outdoors in the morning to take advantage of these few hours of cooler temperatures. It has been hovering around the mid 70s in the mornings lately, and this is pretty much the only time to catch good temperatures while the sun is up. I already am somewhat of a morning person, so this is personally my favorite pick for beating the heat. This is definitely my favorite time to enjoy a cup of coffee in my backyard before heading to school.

So, now you know a few ways to stay cool in the afternoon until fall really kicks in. Stay hydrated; wear sunscreen; and take a walk in the morning while we’re still in these last few weeks of heat!

America Needs High-Speed Rail

October 19, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

An Indy Think Piece

*A digital rendering of California’s proposed high-speed rail system.* Source: hsr.ca.gov.

When we think of high-speed rail in America, we tend to think of Japan’s well-known bullet trains. Despite this, high-speed rail is actually increasingly common throughout the world, with multiple lines being found in Europe, Eastern and Central Asia, the Middle-East, and several other regions. Though high-speed rail does exist in America, it is much more sparse than it should be considering our country’s high GDP and infrastructure.

The environmental impact of public transit, including trains, is a major reason why I think creating a better rail system should be one of our top priorities when it comes to improving our country’s infrastructure. The scientific consensus is that carbon dioxide emissions harm the environment, and research shows that while cars emit 371 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, trains emit only 177. This is less than half the carbon dioxide!

Trains also take up significantly less space in cities throughout America and reduce traffic and street congestion. The traffic seen in many large cities not only has an environmental impact that affects our biosphere, it also affects peoples’ health. Children in places with higher amounts of traffic face higher rates of asthma, lung issues, and cardiovascular diseases due to the pollution caused by traffic. Additionally, more cars on the road means more car-related deaths. Pedestrian deaths are an often overlooked result of car congestion, but in 2020 over 6,000 pedestrians were killed by cars.

The reason that high-speed rail in particular is so needed is that many people will not use trains because of the inherent inconvenience of the current slow trains we primarily see in America. There are some high-speed lines in America, with Chicago being the main hub, but many states have no high-speed rail running through them whatsoever. For the states that do, they almost exclusively are seen in big cities. Though people in cities have limited access to high-speed rail, people in rural areas are completely and entirely neglected. I cannot blame people for choosing to fly as opposed to riding trains when our current system is so terrible. A nonstop flight from Los Angeles to New York is around five hours, but it takes three days to do the same by train, and you still need to change trains in Chicago and Texas.

Many people who oppose high-speed rail in our country argue that the cost is far too much, but I think it is more than worth it. The current estimate for California’s high-speed rail plan is 105 billion dollars, but I prefer that over our planet collapsing due to the effects of climate change while children experience asthma attacks due to horrific traffic clogging their cities. The initial investment is high, but it will pay for itself when it protects the people of our country’s safety, and the fees people pay for public transit also help cover these costs.

I hope you can see why I think that America is in such desperate need of high-speed rail and better public transit in general.

By Junior Indiana Behr

Why you need more sleep than you think

October 18, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Levi Kassinove

In our focus on health and healthy living this month, we’ve blogged about good eye health and good diet. Levi reminds us you need a good night’s sleep as well.

Most people in school take sleep for granted. People think that they can just blow off sleep and not face any consequences, justifying it with their school workload. They say it is “because of school” that they stay up so late, to quote Alyna Llapitan, who says she gets “around five hours of sleep” per night. Time management is clearly the real problem. Do we not have time to eat? Do we not have time to drink? The reason why we do it is because we make time for it. We cut time out of our days for food, water, video games, AND SCHOOL. People play on their phones like a bunch of mindless robots rather than going to sleep. You cannot tell me that you stay up every single night doing homework. I’m taking four AP classes, and I still (have the ability to) go to bed by 10 p.m. I’ll admit that I’m also a mindless robot sometimes who stays up until 11 p.m. or even 12 a.m., but that’s still within the range of the recommended daily amount of sleep for teenagers, which is 8-10 hours (cdc.gov). If you go to sleep at 10 p.m., you will get 10 hours of sleep if you wake up for school at 8 a.m.

Want more on sleep? See Levi’s previous post on astral projection. See it in “Has Levi Been to Area 51?” Photo source: livescience.com

The fact of the matter is people should be making more time for sleep. When we disregard our sleep, we get sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation is AWFUL. The world record for longest time spent awake is 11 days and 25 minutes! The man’s name is Randy Gardner, and he “reported experiencing severe insomnia decades after his sleep experiment” (whatasleep.com). I’m sure many of you pull all nighters for no particular reason. (Scarefest, anyone?) I do it, too, but it can lead to severe health problems. The MINIMUM daily hours sleep to live on is four hours (ojp.gov). Lower quality of sleep is also linked to depression, as people with insomnia have been shown to have a “tenfold higher risk of developing depression than people who get a good night’s sleep” (hopkinsmedicine.com). This might be the cause of your low grades, as depression has a strong causal link to poor academic performance (sprc.org).

The moral of the story is this: sleep is not optional, nor is it quirky no-consequence fun to pull all-nighters. Get sleep. Do your homework when you get home or during Firebird Time. Nobody has THAT much homework.