Skittles A Rainbow of Colors or A Rainbow of Harm?

In an ideal world, parents would read these cautionary tales and rise up and take control of what their kids eat by changing their shopping habits and meal choices. Instead in reality, no wide action is taken to prevent the harms they are causing their kids by the foods they let them consume day after day. Perhaps we should start the trend in schools. In Massachusetts, a bill banning the sale of junk food and drinks at school raises issues about the school role in educating children and their parents and “foster a healthier learning environment for students.” (Support grows for limiting junk food in Mass. Schools) This bill “[gained] momentum in the Legislature” proving that others are seeing the need in school involvement and health choices. If we are asking schools to regulate junk food and soft drinks why not ask them to ban artificial dyes as well?
100 years ago parents didn’t realize the risk that cigarettes posed but when the evidence mounted they kept them away from their children. Until 50 years ago we never worried about car seats to protect our children in the automobile now not only are they standard but it is the law that parents protect their precious cargo with child safety restraints. Now that we are discovering the affect of these dyes what is keeping us from acting swiftly to ensure the health of our children? Parents, schools, and manufacturers should work together to give our children the best possible future. Sure they deserve a snack occasionally but do those snacks have to be laced with harmful substances? Give them their Skittles—just keep the chemicals.

Skittles A Rainbow of Colors or A Rainbow of Harm?

An article published on June 30, 2010 on newsinferno.com stated that in 2008, CSPI (The Center for Science in the Public Interest) pleaded with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to ban the artificial food dyes. Along with pleading the group also provided studies of the harms of these dyes based on experiments on various dyes with rats as the subjects. Although there’s no conclusive evidence there are plenty of questions about the dangers still unanswered. Shouldn’t we be safe rather than sorry?
In a recent article Artificial Food Dyes Linked to Dangerous Health Risks, it states that the “CSPI does acknowledge that the FDA has put regulations in place that mandate stricter standard of safety for color additives, saying that there must be ‘convincing evidence that establishes with reasonable certainty that no harm will result from the intended use of the color additive.’” They also state in this article “that studies conducted on food dyes have been of poor quality, and that more controlled studies need to be performed to ensure safety.” CSPI Executive Director and study co-author Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, agrees that this is true in Group Calls for Ban on Artificial Food Dyes. Jacobson also believes that that is hardly the problem. “The FDA has not looked at the safety of food dyes in 15 or 20 years…To accept widely used dyes that have these bound carcinogens is shameful.” states Jacobson later in the article. Like Jacobson, many of us believe that more should be done. A FDA spokesperson stated that “[They] appreciate the report from the CSPI and look forward to reviewing it. [They] take [their] commitment to protecting children seriously.” The FDA said this over three months ago, what has been done since? Doesn’t seem like anything to me.
To improve the health of everyone who eats these brightly colored foods there are fortunately many substitutes that manufacturers could and should use instead. Many natural colorings are available such as beet juice, beta-carotene, blueberry juice concentrate, carrot juice and many others and all “provide a vivid spectrum of colors” states CSPI Says Food Dyes Pose Rainbow of Risk. Since we obviously can’t rely on the manufacturers to take this step in making our country healthier we, citizens, parents, grandparents, can take our own steps to making ourselves and children healthier. Instead of soft drinks and fruit drinks a 100 percent fruit juice can be substituted. Cakes and cookies made from scratch can be used instead of box mixes because they contain red and yellow coloring. Cheerios and other naturally colored cereal s are better than Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms. Taking the responsibility to make changes in our foods and what we take into our body can lead to a healthier and longer life.

Skittles A Rainbow of Colors or A Rainbow of Harm?

When I was little foods and candies with bright colors enticed me because they were so pretty and they looked so yummy. Sour Neon Worms, Fruit Loops, and Push-Ups --I just couldn't get enough! Well now brightly colored foods do stick out to me but in a totally different way. When I look at them these days I'm not thinking, "Oh yummy, " Im thinking "DANGER DANGER DANGER!" As an 18 year old I am aware of teh many risks of teh food dyes used in these foods and canndies. It is ridiculous that the food industries are still able to use these dangerous colors in our food, especially the foods that are marketed to our children.
Artificial food dyes used in the manufacturing of colorful foods such as Skittles and Fruity Pebbles, pose extreme health risks and many groups are demanding that they be banned in the United States as they are in many countries all over the world such as Britain. James Huff, associate director for chemical carcinogens at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' National Toxicology Program, states that the dyes are "unnecessary to humans, especially young children." The Center for Science in the Public Interest states that the dyes "can cause allergic reactions, hyperactivity, and even cancer." Three widely used dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, adn Yellow 6 are all contaminated with known carcinogens. Red 3, a less commonly used dye, has been acknowledged for years by the FDA to be a carcinogen and "has clearly been shown to induce cancer, " yet 200,000 pounds of it is still used inour food supplyevery year.
Parents, schools, and even grandmas are killing the precious youth of America. Why? Because our government refuses to acknowledge the risk posed by the artificial dyes. Do we just not love our children as the British do? Why do we allow manufacturers to endanger our future for the sake of brighter and flashier food? Are we really that shallow?

Hero or Accomplice? 14 year-old charged on total of 44 counts.

Bullying. Everyone has been bullied by another, whether it be physical or verbal, while others have been the bully. There have also been others on both sides of that fence. For the past year, a 14-year-old teen girl has been struggling with getting prepared for a trial for bringing a gun on the school bus. In the article by a WAPT reporter, "Athlete Disarms Girl on School Bus" it gives us a brief overview of this teen's story. If you would also view the video to get a more vivid image of what happened, Caught On Tape: Girl Pulls Gun On Bus.
As stated in the article and video, she is being charged with 22 counts of kidnapping and 22 counts of aggravated assault. Should she be tried as an adult? I strongly disagree that she should for the simple fact that she is fourteen and that she acted out of fear. In no way do I condone any kind of violence, but I do not believe she should be tried in this way. To my knowledge as well as witnesses on the bus and other school officials, she had reported to the bus drivers that several students had been picking on her, but the cries went ignored. The main bully in this case is the "hero" Kaleb, the football star that tackled the young woman. Kaleb was allegedly verbally abusing the young lady, while his younger sisters attributed to more physical bullying. Being that I am from Yazoo City, I have family members that attend that school and ride that same bus (the little girl jumping over the seat is a relative of mine). So should Mr. Kaleb be considered a true hero? Or an accessory to the crime?
My opinion is very biased on the entire case. I am eternally grateful that he was able to risk his life to save those of others, however, he was also the "mastermind" behind the entire plot. If he know he is guilty of such bullying accusations, he should not have accepted all the glory he had been given. He should have come clean. But he knew better. A senior football star bullying a fourteen year old girl, looks great on a college transcript eh? If you knew you were the main contributor to such a crime, would that not eat away at your conscience? It would definitely eat away at mine knowing that I put 22 people in danger, 23 if you include the young girl with the gun. Some kids have a low tolerance to being picked on and if complaints went ignored, something drastic was bound to happen one way or another.
As a criminal justice major, I am very intact with the law and fair punishment. I do believe she should receive a harsh punishment, yet not the same as an adult. If you listen closely in the video she says she's tired of being picked on and that she doesn't give a damn anymore. All she wanted was to be left alone. She went about it the right way at first and when that didn't work, she chose a more elusive scapegoat which eventually caused her her freedom.
If parents are not even letting their children testify on their behalf, not letting them make statements, or having anything to do with that day, should the young lady be charged with ALL 22 counts of aggravated assault and ALL 22 counts of kidnapping? If more parents truly gave a damn about the situation then they would have their children saying and doing things to make sure she is not released from jail because she is a threat to society. If it is true she was being bullied, in which I strongly believed she was, Kaleb and his sisters should deal with the guilt that they are the driving causes of the madness.
The young lady on trial happens to be a relative of mine. Kaleb happens to be a former playmate of mine. In no way am I taking sides because I was not on the bus, and the fact that I know both parties personally does not shape my opinion in any way. If I were just reading the article for the first time about two completely different teens, I can guarantee my opinion will be the same.
It is situations like these that drive kids to kill and cause harm to others. In this case, this is no regular hate crime. They weren't picking on her because she's gay or her parent's are gay. Hell her parent's aren't even involved in her life. They weren't picking on her because of where she is from. They weren't picking on her because she is black or because of her religion. They all lived lived along the same dirt road. They all went to the same school. They all wore uniforms to school. So what was the purpose in all of this? There isn't one. Just senseless mistakes and wrongdoing towards many.

During an interview with a mother that heard the chaos due to a call made to her by her 10-year-old daughter, the mother tells the interviewer that her children witnessed Kaleb and his sisters picking on the young girl on multiple occasions. It has been a year since this incident happened, and to date this woman is the only parent that allowed her children to stand up for the fearful young lady. The only mother that agreed to tell her kid's side of the story. In no way did she jeopardize her kid's lives. She simply took matters into her own hands to give statements for the simple fact that what she believes in and her morals in that right is right and wrong is wrong. You don't pick on someone because you never know how far you will push them. The 14-year-old could have committed suicide in front of all 22 of her "victims", scarring them for life. Leaving on their conscience that they could have prevented it in any kind of way, directly or indirectly.

So in conclusion, I do not feel the young lady should be charged as an adult, but she shall be punished severely. Weapons nor violence is ever the answer to anything. Kaleb is not to be considered an actual hero, but the guy that saved the day. There's a difference. A hero doesn't provoke situations and then take credit for saving the day. Kaleb, in my opinion, just happened to be there at the right place and time. He too acted out of fear. He knew the gun was for him and his sisters and he had no choice but to protect them. Fear makes people do crazy things. She should not be tried on all 22 counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping, in my opinion. She could be looking at a minimum of 36 years in prison if tried as an adult. Knowing the Mississippi justice system, she will be given the maximum sentence. The Mississippi system has a habit of giving unjust punishments, such as the the trial of the Scott Sister's back in 1993. Punished? Yes. As an adult? No.