Blog #2: Breaking Point

This week I read an article in the September issue of Teen Vogue called Breaking Point. In the article they discussed an issue that many over-achieving teens face; stress. Teens not only feel pressure at school with their grades, homework and social status, they usually have to also worry about extracurricular activities like sports, musical instruments, work, etc. If you add friends and family issues it is obvious why so many young adults endure stress frequently.
The article goes on to talk about the difference in levels of stress that women and men have. Studies show that girls actually fell stressed more frequently than boys. There are unique aspects of being female that can make life particularly stressful. For example girls generally are under more pressure to be perceived as fashionable or attractive by others. They also get stressed by relationships within their groups of friends while guys usually don’t care.
This article made me wonder if this pressure to excel is helping teens or hurting them. In the long run, stress can lead to many health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disorder and depression. So are the long hours of homework combined with the extensive athletic practice worth it? I think many teens feel that the stress is just one thing they have to endure to help make a better future for themselves. The work we do in middle school and high school sets us up for college and life after that. The harder we work the better off we are.

Blog #1: A Span of Emotions

You have probably been hearing a lot about the opening of the new 35W bridge in the news lately. I read an article in the StarTribune called, A Span of Emotions by Pam Louwage, which expressed the mixed emotions that people may feel about the opening of the bridge. The article gave readers a few perspectives on the opening of the 10 lane bridge, ranging from acceptance to terror. It expressed the mixed feelings a survivor, like Andy Gannon might feel. Whether it be a feeling of closure or a feeling of total fear, it is obvious the bridge collapse had a big impact on Andy. "You just can't live in fear. It'll consume you," Gannon said, "You have to understand that these structures are safe and to live your life you have to use them, unless you want to hide in you house."
Although the collapse had the greatest affect on the people who survived, it also had an impact on normal-day commuters and how they get around town. Many people are tired of the bridge being closed and are ready to be able to cross the newly built 'safe' bridge. "I am confident that its a very safe bridge," she [Jean Forster] said, "I haven't had any trouble going acoss any other bridges, and this is undobtedly safer." Although the remains of the broken bridge are long gone and in their space is a newly built bridge it is obvious that that terrifying day in August 2005 will never leave Minnesotan's minds.



Louwage, Pam A span of emotions. (2008, September 18). StarTribune, p. A16