While folks in the United States may lament the fact that schools seem to be getting ever more dangerous, getting an education south of the border is far more perilous. Schools across Mexico are now teaching students what to do should a shootout between drug gangs erupt on campus. This is no idle worry. At least nine such shootouts have erupted in school zones since last fall, including three in the last month. On June 15, a gang battled with government soldiers for more than an hour just 60 feet from a preschool. Now, with school just out in the country, several Mexican states plan to teach their students to dive to the floor and cover their heads should a gun battle erupt nearby. “We’re in a situation like nothing we’ve ever lived through before, and we need to make sure the children are safe” says Juan Gallardo, director of school safety in the northern state of Tamaulipas. (USA Today)
Birds, Skip the Worm: Get More Sleep
With all due respect to Ben Franklin and his “early to bed, early to rise” spiel, scientists have discovered that a little extra shuteye in the morning can do the average teen a world of good. Researchers at St. George’s boarding school in Middleton, R.I., found that starting classes just a half-hour later can make a big difference in how well teens learn and pay attention. This is because teens tend to get their best shuteye right around dawn—in part, most likely, because these same teens don’t get to sleep until around 11 p.m. (New York Daily News)
Too Many Games Sap Attention Sp—Hey, a Bird!
Video games may lower players’ attention spans just as much as television can, according to a new study from Iowa State University. According to researchers there, the two entertainment media are roughly equal in their apparent effect, with folks who play games for about two hours a day being about 67 percent more likely to have difficulty paying attention to their less game-prone peers. Scientists accumulated their stats by tracking about 1,300 children in third, fourth and fifth grade for more than a year, asking them and their parents to keep track of their time spent with television and gaming devices. Experts warn that the study didn’t show a solid cause-and-effect relationship between attention problems and video games: Researchers can’t say for sure whether the games caused the problems or if children who had more difficulty paying attention were simply more likely to play a lot of games. (CNN)
Cyberbullies, Victims Share Health Issues
A new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that cyberbullying victims are more likely to suffer headaches, concentration problems, insomnia and emotional distress than their non-bullied peers. The study also found that cyberbullies themselves can suffer from many of these same health issues and see an increased risk of having behavioral problems, hyperactivity and substance abuse. (AOLNews.com)
Top 10 Most Popular Celebs on Facebook
1. Michael Jackson
2. Lady Gaga
3. Vin Diesel
4. Barack Obama
5. Megan Fox
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
7. Lil Wayne
8. Justin Bieber
9. Taylor Swift
10. Will Smith
Source: ABC News
