A Better REGION 8

Swine Flu

In the past 72 hours, we have all been inundated with stories about a possible swine flu epidemic. Now, it is easy to watch all these stories and wonder if the media is overreacting. I have wondered that myself. But I got to thinking,, the world is getting smaller. Air travel has made it easier to travel from country to country and state to state. In the past month I have shaken hands with over a dozen people that I know have been on airplanes recently. Last week at the Business Expo, I shook the hands of probably a hundred more folks. Every time we shake someone’s hand, we exchange germs. Every time we touch a foreign surface, a door knob or a grocery cart, we exchange germs. And we probably don’t even think about it. So, whether your concerned with the swine flu or not, here are a few precautions:

The simplest thing to do is to Wash your hands, wash them often , in warm soapy water.

Secondly, Get enough sleep.  Obviously this means slightly different things to different people, but getting a good night’s sleep will keep your immune system in better shape.

Next, Keep hydrated try to drink  8  8-oz. glasses of water each day to flush toxins from your system.

Finally, Be vigilant of surfaces. Be aware of what public surfaces you touch, when you've shaken hands with someone, or when you're using something like a pen that others have recently used--and don't touch your face until you've had a chance to wash your hands.

Any doctor will confirm that these simple precautions can help you maintain your health. And, even if we don’t see a single case of swine flu here, taking precautions to live a healthier life will make this a Better Region 8.

A Better Region 8 - Healthy Precautions

A Better Prom Night

It has been 23 years since I attended my senior prom. The world has changed a lot in that amount of time , and you know what?  our young people are more worldly now than we were back then. But still, the High school Prom remains a rite of passage for Region 8 teens. If you have a teenager attending a prom this year, you should take some things into consideration .

·         Make sure your child has a plan for the evening and that you know it.

·         Know who is driving -- if it's a limo, check their policy on allowing alcohol in the vehicle.

·         Discuss the school's prom rules with your child and the consequences of violating them.

·         Do not rent hotel rooms for prom-goers.

·         Communicate with other parents and school officials

And finally, be available — Make sure your teen knows where to reach you throughout the evening. Give your children the unconditional option of calling you at any time for help or advice. That includes picking them up at any time of day or night, with a promise not to shame or humiliate them in front of others. Let them know that you always welcome being part of their making smart and safe decisions. A prom is a wonderful event in your teen’s life and a great time to share memories together. Talking can lead to interesting discussions and discoveries. Your teen is growing up—enjoy this quality time together. It will make this a better Region 8.

A Better Region 8 - Staying Safe on Prom Night

No Tolerance on CyberBullying

Back in October of ‘06, a teenage girl just outside of St. Louis committed suicide because she was bullied on the internet. The public was outraged. Many states, including Arkansas and Missouri reacted by drafting cyberbullying statutes to prevent this from happening again. These laws are now in place but it is still  far too easy to bully people online. The easiest, it seems,  is a website called topix.com. Topix claims to be a leading news community online. They boast that they “aggregate news from thousands of sources,” and “create thousands of topically driven news web pages”. This may have been the grand plan when the site was started, but it has taken a nosedive in some communities and has become nothing more than the bathroom wall of Region 8. You can hide alone and scrawl vulgar, malicious, hateful and hurtful words with measured anonymity. And on topix, like in that bathroom stall, nobody knows you are a coward.

I had hoped that sooner or later, people would grow tired of the hatefulness. But I received a phone call from a local school last week that prompted me to do this editorial. You see, the muck that fills the forums on topix is overflowing into our classrooms. Online bullies are posting vulgar and potentially libelous statements  and the school has had many fights break out between students. Because of topix I’m told it has been almost impossible to hold classes on some days. Folks, we’re talking about the sanity and safety of our children here. Teaching kids today is an unbelievable challenge and we need to get to work to make it tough on those who are doing the bullying.  I know the task is not easy but we must insist on NO TOLERANCE of any bullying whether it is face to face or using internet technology. Talk to your kids about what they do online and about what they see and do on topix. Standing up to bullies will give our students a better chance to learn and will make this a Better Region 8. 

A Better Region 8 - Stop online bullying

Back to the Mailbag

We’re going back to the mailbag this week to share some opinions other than mine. In reference to the editorial I shared about the PETA demonstration at KFC J. Caruthers wrote in to say:

PETA needs to stay out of Northeast Arkansas. Grandstanding is a nice term for what they are doing. They are as much a circus act as the ones they protest. Surely they don't think stirring up trouble and looking like idiots will make us not eat KFC. The owner of KFC does great and wonderful things for Northeast Arkansas. This was totally unfair and uncalled for. PETA gives animal people a bad name. They just do more harm than good.
Thanks for taking this stand KAIT.

Sticking with animals, but in a different light, Calvin Hart offered this:

I have noticed a trend over the last few years of "Top News Stories" being about animals, abuse or otherwise. I agree that animal abuse is a serious subject, and we have a responsibility to maintain and protect our pets and wildlife. But when humans take second seat to animals, I have to say that is wrong. I have to wonder where our society is going when we put humans lower than the animals.

 

J and Calvin, thank you both for sharing your opinions and folks, feel free to share yours. Write to me at abetterregion8@kait8.com