News Roundup 09/03/2019
Socially Anxious People Are Taking MDMA and Other Psychedelics to Cope
Social anxiety, a mental illness triggered by social interaction, is something that affects around 15 million Americans every day. People who have been diagnosed with social anxiety are typically prescribed specific medications that assist with reducing the issue for a short amount of time, but recently, many individuals have taken their treatment into their own hands with the consumption of various psychedelics.
MDMA, more commonly known as ecstasy, is said to have helped those with social anxiousness interact with others around them in a new, uplifting way. MDMA has a long history of being used to treat a patient’s mental health. Despite the possible positive effects that psychedelics may have on a person’s social anxiety, they are still highly illegal. That has not stopped people from obtaining psychedelics though, despite the risks of doing so.
California's Game-Changing Plan to Get Student Athletes Paid
College sports is a well-funded industry, but some feel the players are not getting the recognition they deserve. State senators Nancy Skinner (D-CA) and Steven Bradford (D-CA) are working towards a bill to ensure college athletes are getting paid. This is something the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) currently prohibits. The issue recently gained attention when Katelyn Ohashi, a gymnast for UCLA, was threatened with removal from the NCAA if she monetized the video of her incredible routine.
Nancy Skinner wants to give college athletes the right to their name, image and likeness. If SB 206, the Fair Pay To Play Act passes, Californian college athletes will be able to sign marketing deals with popular sporting brands as well as sell jerseys with their names on them without facing any sort of consequence. If sens. Skinner and Bradford manage to get this act passed, all universities in the state of California will not be allowed to reduce a student athlete’s scholarship if they start to make money off of their sport.
Researchers Turn Plastic Water Bottles into Prosthetic Limbs
Recently, an engineer from De Montfort University has found a way to create prosthetic limbs for amputees out of plastic water bottles! Not only is this product more cost efficient for people in developing countries, it is also reducing pollution that wasted plastic has managed to cause.
This clinical breakthrough could finally address the very large gap between high-performance prosthetics that are unaffordable and affordable prosthetics that lack good quality and durability. The production of these prosthetics only cost about $12, which is almost $5,000 less than what larger industries are paying to produce prosthetic limbs. When prototypes of the environmentally friendly prosthetics were tested on two patients, they both worked successfully.
It was discovered that someone could grind the plastic bottles down and use whatever fragments are left to spin polyester yarn, which could then be heated to form a solid, but also very lightweight, material that can finally be molded into working prosthetic limbs.
Being able to offer affordable prosthetics to those who need them as well as finding ways to upcycle easily reusable products are two important issues that need to be taken care of soon.
Source:Tech Xplore
Former NFL Player: There Are Gay, Bisexual Players On Every Pro Football Team
Ever since Ryan O’Callaghan, a former player for the New England Patriots, came out as gay, many other closeted athletes have turned to him for advice on how to handle their situation. The former offensive tackle spent so many years in the closet, but now encourages other athletes who identify with the LGBTQ+ community to follow their dreams.
O’Callaghan had struggled with his identity for years and used football as a way to hide the fact that he was gay. The main reason he kept his sexual orientation a secret for so long was due to the fear he would not be accepted by his family. This fear led him to think suicide could be his escape.
Source: Huffington Post
Hurricane Dorian Evacuations: 'The only people on this block who left have the money to do it'
Hurricane Dorian could hit Florida at any moment, which have led people to finally evacuate. But there are a handful of residents in Florida’s evacuation zones that are left frustrated due to the financial dent abandoning their homes would make in their lives. Hurricane Dorian has also caused a number of businesses to close, which is costing employees weeks of wages.
With evacuating being so expensive, these employees are finding it impossible to evacuate their homes that are located in areas that could possibly be hit by Hurricane Dorian. The only people who seemed to have been able to leave so easily are dentists and doctors. Hair dressers are forced to stay behind, and machinists too. Before the storm, so much money was spent on preparing for it, and leaving would mean having to pay more for more food as well as a new form of shelter.
Source: NBC News