The Medicated Child

More kids are being diagnosed bipolar. More than 1 million children are now being diagnosed with bipolar. One of the kids, Jacob, that is on this Frontline episode was believed to suffer from ADHD and his parents decided to put him on Ritalin and over the next 5 years he was put on one drug after another. His mood over the years improved on multiple medications but they left him with a severe tic which the doctors have trouble fully explaining. Another child on this show, DJ Koontz, was diagnosed with bipolar at age 4. He had temper tantrums and they became more frequent and explosive. He got prescribed a drug that was a powerful antipsychotic.

Inside the Teenage Brain

I recently watched a video on PBS Frontline news called Inside the Teenage Brain. This video does a really good job showing how teenagers think and how they develop over time, all this information is found by teenager specialist. Doctors do many different types of tests on different teenagers to find what and how their brain works and why is it different when you are a teenage. One of the tests doctors do is scan the teenage brain and compare it to an adult's brain. They would notice that it was not fully developed yet. Doctors say this is why teenagers don't always make the right decisions. On the otherhand, this is why adapting to new cultures and learning new languages is also easier for a teenagers than adults.
*The picture below shows a teenager who is getting his brain scanned.*

*The picture above shows all the different parts of the teenage brain.*

Doctors have also proven that the behaviors of teenagers change very often. They have said that it has to do with all the body changes they go through. Doctors have showed that the brain is finally done with teenage changes around the of the age 21, some take a little longer or even a little shorter. Studies have also shown that better sleep causes a huge difference in grades, attitudes and behavior. In school, teachers have noticed how many students have been falling asleep in class and not paying attention because of how tired they are. This is because when students should be sleeping at least 9 and a half hours and some are only sleeping 7 hours or less. Scientist have said that this problem of sleeping disorders is because of all the electronics teenagers have at their fingertips. They have also said that every year as electricity usage by teenagers gets bigger, they start sleeping even less. Even through teenagers are able to pick up on things right away, they need they're sleep to be able to remember them. Such as some teens are not able to remember as much as they would if they were getting more sleep.

Meth Epidemic.

While viewing FRONTLINE, the video Meth Epidemic stunned me. It's insane how much people use meth nowadays and how it is ruining peoples lives. "One dose of that suff and you're high for the whole day." Said Matt, one of the daily meth users. One thing that bothered me a lot was how parents were teaching young children ages 8-12 how to cook it. " My dad taught me how to cook it very well, he would make me taste it when it was done and I would feel very wosey" said 9 year old Amanda. 75% of children in orphanages in Washington are in there because their parents were meth users who got caught selling or using methamphetamine.

The biggest meth users in 1993 were in the far west of the country, but as the time passed, meth users started to spread towards the east.

1993 2000

Meth cooks used abandoned farms, ranches, and houses to cook meth. The process of cooking can be very dangerous and because of it many explosions and fires started to happen. They would make meth out of cold medicine, and they would melt it together with all the other substances. One batch of meth would give the people cooking it a profit of about 6 million dollars. Police forces and other authorities tried to put cold medicine behind the counter to avoid people buying to get high, but many pharmacies rejected that order, because they knew that if they placed all those

substances behind the counter the buying rates would fall and they would lose profit.

Side Effects:

Look how much two years of meth can ruin you. I was horrified when I saw the before and after pictures of meth users. In matter of two years their life and appearance was ruined. Some side effects with methamphetamine, while perhaps not as common, could indicate a serious problem.

These include but are not limited to:

• Suicidal thoughts
• Confusion
• Chest tightness
• Chest pain or heart palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• More outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal
• Strange behavior
• Hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not really there)
• Agitation or restlessness
• Uncontrolled movements of the head, neck, mouth, arms, or legs (known as tics)
• Signs of an allergic reaction, including:

• Unexplained rash
• Itching
• Hives
• Trouble breathing
• Unexplained swelling.

If I was to make a follow up film I would apply it to nowadays in 2010. The research was made in 1993 and in 2000, I'm sure that a lot has changed in 10 years. I would use todays statistics and compare tot he one in the past and see and try to figure out what changed during that period of time, and what may have caused the changes. I would probably try interviewing the people from the first film, (If they were still alive) and ask them how their life had changed.

I learned a lot with this video. All drugs destroy you in some ways, but this one is a little over the scale. With one use of meth you can get high, imagine how addictive that can be to people. Massachusetts has a low percentage of meth users, which is a great thing, so we don't really see users around that much. I definitely don't want to ever get involve with this or any other substance. I still have a long life ahead of me, filled with opportunities, why would I want to ruin my life like that.

Cyber War

In my intro to media class ,we where asked to watch any video program on Frontline.

I chose the program Cyber War. It talks about how dangerous and vulnerable the United States is because cyber attacks come from nowhere and tracking them down is close to impossible.

For instance, in 2001 right after September 11,there was an attack that came from the middle east which

caused US dams/electric systems to almost crash.

Richard Clarke, a White House security adviser, wanted to find out the potential risk we are susceptible to from hackers. He was able to go through U.S. security located at the targeted power plant without many obstacles and at that point, he realized just how easy it was for a hacker to attack.

The White House security has to fight thousands of battles ever day against such attacks, which is not easy.

The Eligable Reciever and Moonlight Haze where both attempts made on White House security "that scared the hell out of the pentagon" and were harsh wake up calls that could potentially happen. There are people who are trying to fight these hackers but would like to remain secret so that their enemies do not find out about them. However, one of them warned that there is an attack coming very soon that " should not be taken lightly because doing so can be a fatal mistake."

I think this cyber war is happening everywhere and agree that it is close to impossible to fight, because a computer in Australia can be used to send an attack for example. Yet, that does not mean the attack originated from Australia, so the people fight in this war have a lot of work to do.

--By Elizabeth Biemba' 10

Obama's War

I decided to watch this video called Obama's War, on the website FRONTLINE. The film features a veteran correspondent named Martin Smith, that follows American troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He spends his time chasing them around and filming them (while dodging bullets), so people like us can have a better understanding of how the President is attempting "to combat terrorism at its roots."

Once a territory is conquered by the American army, the soldiers are sent in the towns to get to know its residents. They walk around saluting everyone, shaking hands with anyone they meet, and asking what can be done to help make their lives somewhat easier. The reason for this unusual tactic is to get rid of the Taliban influence in the country and to gain the trust of the these citizens.

I learned that the war requires both physical and mental efforts from United States soldiers in order to win victory in this crucial war. The soldiers are required to open fire on enemy troops, yet they are also compelled to lay down their weapons and walk through the town to acquire the faith of the citizens living in that territory.

If there were to be a follow-up film on this subject, I would expect it to be about winning the war, and the trust of the people. It would talk about how the Americans were capable of eliminating the Taliban army and neutralizing all terrorist threats that were once existent.

-Joe Markarian ' 12

The Wounded Platoon

The Frontline video, The Wounded Platoon, is about soldiers from Colorado Springs coming back from Iraq and Afganistan. But they come back with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and drug related problems. For some, their traumatic event was the loss of a close friend, Sgt. Sean Huey.

Huey was killed in a car bomb explosion while he and the squad were setting up a roadblock. Two soldiers were sent home and Jose Barco was sent to a special burn unit in Texas.

Ater the squad returned to the U.S, things got bad. Kevin Shields, a soldier from 3rd platoon, was killed. He was killed by Louis Bressler and Bruce Bastien--they had been drinking and loss judgement due to their PTSD. They both are now serving time for the murder and Kenny Eastridge is serving 10 years for being an accessory. Jose Barco was arrested for a drive by shooting after he was kicked out of a party for violent behavior. He's serving 52 years in jail. He'll eligable for parole in 2035.

Eastridge, Barco and Ryan Krebbs (the unit's medic) all went for psychiatric treatment but received none. During their time in the army they were given medication and sent back into the fighting.

In Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, the hospital psychiatric positions are understaffed. A quarter of these postions are still open--yet they haven't been filled. This was part of inability to help returning soldiers.

I learned that we should take better care of returning soldiers. I also think funding should be put in for psychologists, psychiatry, etc.

If I was going to make a follow up film I would find and interview every soldier in 3rd platoon, ask how their life is now, plans for the future, if they're going back to the army, and how they're taking care of their PTSD. --Chris Snyder ' 11

3rd platoon roster

Jose Barco

Eastridge, Bastien and Bressler

"The Released." A Frontline Presentation

Certain Content of this post, links to websites, and pictures may be disturbing. Caution before reading is strongly advised.

This disturbing story is the story of inmates who are released from asylum. They are put into the world without any real support, and then they usually end up back in prison, or the hospital. This Frontline presentation, called "The Released," explains why this is.

Jerry Tharp was in a previous Frontline program called "The New Asylums," which was about an asylum in Ohio that was having trouble taking care of its inmates. In The Released the reporters go deeper into the lives of some of the most disturbed inmates. Jerry Tharp goes into detail about his paranoid schizophrenia. He would cut himself, hurt himself, and often ingest harmful things, things you wouldn't BELIEVE! He recounts a time that he took a handheld radio, and broke it to pieces, and began to ingest it little by little shoving he pieces down his throat until it was completely gone. He more often ingested Razor blades, an other sharp objects.

Michael Grissett is a man who was put in jail for 21 years for murder. He has also been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He talked openly about the voices in his head, and how they often talk to him. When asked about what the voices will say when the reports leave, Michael said "they say 'Mr. Michael Grissett we know you're the father of G-d'." Michael responds to the voices "Get the F*** outta here,-- That's what I tell the voices. The devil. The voices." Michael was LUCKY to get into a re-entry program.

I think that it is ridiculous that he was lucky. He should have been required to be put into one, because of his conditions and because it is some form of support that may help the ex-patient to become more stable. I think that if these Re-entry programs become mandatory it will lower the statistical number of patients that end up coming back.

A woman, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner, recollects of a time when there was a man tying to break into a woman's house. He was screaming "Osama Bin Laden," and throwing bricks, and bottles, and desperately trying to get in. When police arrived the man was arrested, and released the same day. The next night he was at it again, and he was arrested after a separate 911 call.

Lynn Moore was sentenced to eight months. According to records he has been arrested and released over twenty times, with this time being his FOURTH time in prison. In his support groups he claims to not be seeing Osama anymore, and agrees that his medication taking is KEY for staying out of prison. He served his full sentence, and was released without any support or supervision. On his

first day of freedom he headed towards the shelter where he lived before.

Homelessness is really a big part of ending up back at the hospital, or prison. People in the shelter are given a breathalyzer before entry, and are also drug tested. People who fail these tests are dismissed for thirty days. If you live in this shelter you are required to shape up, and required to get better.

Some people consider this cycle of "being admitted, being released, and repeating the offense," a revolving prison door. Bennie Anthony is a patient in an Orient Ohio hospital, and he is heavily medicated. Even when heavily medicated, he is constantly scared, thinking people are trying to kill him, and begs to be put in Protective Custody (PC). A year after Frontline reporters met Bennie he was released, because he was good under supervision.

Shortly after he moved to Pittsburgh, he stopped taking his medication, and quickly became homeless. Bennie has been arrested ten times in the past two years. Trespassing, loitering, breaking and entering, harassment, and exposing himself in public, are a few of the many things that he has been arrested for. When he was again arrested, and put in jail, he was very sick.

He was arrested for assault this time. His probation officer Jennifer Howison of Allegheny County had this to say "they were all related directly to his mental illness." While this may be true, Bennie had no supervision when his condition clearly showed that he needed it at all times.

Frontline talks about "Mental Health Court." Mental Health Court is a courtroom that believes in the offender being treated, and not punished. Bennie was doing great in the Court, and was "closer, and closer to Graduating from the court." In Wilkinsburg, Bennie found a group home. This group, according to Alan Holland owner of Gibbs Residential home, residents have changed over time. It was first for seniors, then they were gone and replaced with mentally ill people--of all variety. These people were then shortly taken over by mentally ill minority men, and they are the majority of the residents to this day. Alan talks about how the staff tries to enforce the taking of medications, but he also says that if the patients refuse them there is nothing he can do about it.

William Stokes was released from prison, and stopped taking his medication. He was quickly admitted back. He has threatened and assaulted officers, and refused medication on many occasions. With these things in mind he is often ordered to restraints. He claims to have these psychotic episodes when taking his medication. This is something very sad, and something very unavoidable in my opinion. He takes anti-psychotic medication, and he says that it's a miracle. He claims that it helps him be calm.

After serving another sentence, this time twenty-one months, he is released. With the help of the jail he is put into a group home in Ohio that provides mental health accommodations. He was classified as a "Cutter, Spitter, Bitter, and a Self-Mutilator," by Sheri Sullivan. He has had over a hundred emergency-room visits. He wants to do good, and not fail, but he has a very

serious case. He is very excited about going to this group home. With case managers and nurses, and other staff, Bridgeview Manor is a great place for William. As a matter of fact Bridgeview is the only place of its kind in the state of Ohio! Sheri tries to meet the needs of housing, and accommodate them to the best she, and her staff can. Every morning there is a meeting in a room with all of the residents, and they are all required to say something positive about themselves, and life.

Since being in the real world Lynn Moore failed a breathalyzer. After the thirty days of dismissal was over, Lynn was nowhere to be found. One day the police got a report of a man throwing rocks. He was arrested, and taken to prison this was exactly three months to the day that he was released. He has severely digressed, and is now sure that these voices are NOT fake. He spent thirty days in jail, and was then released. A week later he was arrested again.

Seven months since William was put into Bridgeview he was still doing great, and making progress.

Michael Grissett was hoping to finish his parole, but on January, 16th, 2009, Michael was shot to death in a robbery of his group home.

Two weeks before his court review Bennie stopped taking his medication, and packed up his things. He disappeared. He is currently back in Allegheny county jail.

This film really did move me. I experienced sadness, happiness, anger, and disappointment. I wanted all of these men to do well, some did some didn't, and that upset me. Michael Grissett had potential to do great after his parole, but he was shot. Bennie could have stayed and kept the motivation to take his medication, but he is back in jail now.

If there were to be a follow-up film on this subject I wouldn't know what to expect. I would like to hope that they are all out of jail and in group homes, or assisted living homes, or working in offices, stores, houses anywhere. But really you never know, and that is very disappointing.

--Damon Michael Torell Weiser - 2012

More about mental illness in the state of Ohio

• Number of residents with serious mental illness - 461,232
• Hate crimes>Disability related - 6

Readmission Rates: U.S. Rates

State Hospital Readmissions: 30 Days - 13,771 10.7% 9.3% 48

State Hospital Readmissions: 180 Days - 31,720 23.0% 21.3% 49

State Hospital Readmissions: 30 Days: Adults - 12,519 10.7% 9.4% 47

State Hospital Readmissions: 180 Days: Adults - 29,096 23.0% 21.8% 47

State Hospital Readmissions: 30 Days: Children - 1,228 - 8.2% 38

State Hospital Readmissions: 180 Days: Children- 2,568 - 17.1% 43

Male mental patients - 52%

Female mental patients - 48%

Mid Term Assesment --May 24, 2010

As part of your mid-term assessment I will be taking these factors into  account for your grade:
-Attendance
-Participation
-Project Development
-Blog Assessment

The blog assessment will be do on Monday, May 24.
The assignment will be a blog post summarizing a film from Frontline World.
You can pick any film you like (no doubles):
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=topnav&utm_source=topnav

From there you will
1) Watch the film (completely)
2) Summarize the film in a blog.

Some questions"
What is the film about?
What did you learn about the film?
How can what you learn be applied in your life? 
What would a follow-up film be like if you were to make one?

3) You will be doing a presentation on your video and blog so make sure you have a clear understanding of the material.
4) Make sure to include links and pictures.

* Depending on the BEST blog/presentation we will potentially watch that video in class.

Real Sex Education Video & Video Response

This video was made by Victoria Chao '10, Harvard Graduate School of Education as part of a project for her class T-530, Design & Production of Educational Media. She"work-shopped" an early cut with my 3rd period media students and conducted a survey of their opinions. A month later (or so) she produced the final version which is seen below.
From there my students produced a video commenting on her final product. Enjoy!
Great job Victoria!

 The Final Video:


Our Responses:

Watertown Bombers?

A house on Waverley Avenue in Watertown is under search right now from FBI agents. This is under investigation, because the people living there are supposedly connected to the car bombing in Times Square that happened on May 1st. Residents of Watertown may look at this white house and seem surprised because of the location. In the background you can see the local middle school. A man, looking 25-40 years of age, was taken from the house today (May 13th). Two others were arrested for immigration violations. Here is a direct quote from the Boston globe article, VBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz emphasized that "there's no known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States." Vincent Lacerra lives across the street from the house under suspicion, and was disturbed from his TV watching at 6AM by the sight of F.B.I. agents in uniform surrounding the house holding up guns. Certain spots in Watertown are still under suspicion, but nothing further has been done up to this second. This is Breaking news from Watertown!

By: Damon Michael Torell Weiser.

Teenage Insults, Scrawled on Web, Not on Walls

What are your thoughts regarding the NY Time article:
Teenage Insults, Scrawled on Web, Not on Walls

Do you think Formspring.me is "dangerous" for teenagers, why or why not?
Please give personal experience if you have some!

Gulf Oil Spill and It Affects by Elizabeth Biemba

In the past few days there has been talk about the oil spill at the Gulf of Mexico. An oil leak began last Saturday day after an oil rig that a pipe had been connected to exploded and sank into the Gulf about fifty miles southeast of Venice, LA. It is estimated that 210,000 gallons of oil are entering the ocean every day.



This oil spill affects thousands of lives of that region who depend on the fishing industry in which President Obama called the "heartbeat of the region's economic lives." 

My question is if this gets worse, God forbid, how are they going to survive? I think the government should start thinking about that problem right now before the situation gets worse and people should start demanding action for their job loss.

My other problem, which is closer to my heart, are the millions of plant and animal species that are affected/going to be affected by this. These are defenseless creatures that are going to die or starve to death because of this pollution.



Measures have been implemented to try and stop the oil from spreading by crowding these animals together and protecting the shore line. This is the worst time of year for a spill of this magnitude, when over 400 species come to breed and migrate.The biggest species are the whales, if any oil gets into their filtering structure within their mouth it could cause death.

Unfortunately, this problem is far from over, all anyone can hope for now is that the oil spill is contained before more damage is done to all these creatures and those  in danger of growing extinct.

Car Bomb in Times Square New York! By: Damon Michael Torell Weiser

Found in the Pathfinder

IN THE CARGO AREA
A 55-by-32-inch “gun locker” with a pot of M-88 firecrackers and eight bags of a nonexplosive grade of fertilizer.

IN THE CARGO AREAThree propane tanks weighing 15 to 17 pounds each. One had M-88s attached to its side, some of which detonated.

ON THE BACK SEATTwo full, five-gallon red plastic gasoline containers and a 16-ounce can filled with wires and 20 to 30 M-88 devices.

BACK-SEAT FLOORTwo clocks connected to the gun locker with wires.

Get ready for some CSI stuff! On May 2nd, a normal Sunday morning with the rush of New Yorkers and commuters, a car full of explosives objects was found abandoned on west 45th street next to the Marriott Marquis. At first people walked by the car not noticing anything strange.  Although one vendor, working and doing his normal thing, noticed that the car was there for awhile. As he went up to the car he saw that it had the keys in it, and it was running. Before he could get any closer he was stopped by police, and asked if it was his car. When he replied no they inspected the car using flashlights. Later the Bomb Squad made it to the scene, after evacuating the area. 

Some people since then have reported seeing a man walking away from the scene with a dark shirt on that he then removed, and placed into a plastic bag. Some people think that this was a terrorist attempt while others think that this could have been anyone. 

Top left are some items found in the Nissan Pathfinder on the scene. The FBI, getting involved, tracked the license plate to a junkyard owned by Wayne LeBlanc. Wayne LeBlanc is a seemingly nice person. At the time of the incident he was watching "Old Yeller" with his grandkids. Wayne has nine grandkids, and had this to say when the FBI came knocking at his door at 3-am "I was sleeping, who wouldn't be? They said it was an urgent matter." The Nissan Pathfinder was sent to a forensics lab in Jamaica, Queens where it was searched for any evidence of who may have done it. Although no hairs, fibers or fingerprints were found, the lab argues that they are just beggining to analyze.

Since May 3rd there has been an update, and there has been a suspect arrested late Monday. He is a U.S citizen who had just come back from a trip to Pakistan where he was visiting his wife. Faisal Shahzad was on an airplane that was about to lift off headed towards Dubai, when FBI agents stormed the scene like a movie. They made the arrest at Kennedy Airport, New York.

Failed Car Bomb by Joseph Markarian

Faisal Shahzad live in this house with his two kids and wife in Shelton Conneticut until June 2009

On Saturday, May 1st, 6:30 pm in the heart of Times Square, an "amateurish" car bomb was attempted by a 'Hispanic or Middle Eastern' man. This is a video of the suspect for the NYPD, who say that "surveillance footage that showed a white man who appeared to be in his 40's walking away from the area as he looked over his shoulder and removed a layer of clothing." 

Officials say that if an explosion had actually taken place, many people would have died, and many more injured. Also glass would have shattered, but none of the buildings would have collapsed. "For New Yorkers who bore the brunt of the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda militants in 2001, the scare was a reminder that their city of 8 million people is under constant threat."

On Monday, two days later, a Connecticut man from Pakistan, Faisal Shahzad, age 30, was taken into custody just before midnight at Kennedy Airport. His flight was going to Dubai, but fortunantly, he was arrested before the plane took off. Two other men were also interviewed by authorities but were released, Shahzad confessed and said that he worked alone.

More information can be found in these websites:

1. New York Times
2. Boston Globe
3. Reuters