Spin City: Grosse Pointe hires PR firm - Local History Archives

May 19, 2005
Grosse Pointe News
Grosse Pointe
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The members of Grosse Pointe North's student paper, North Pointe, have construed a page
to be published in the Grosse Pointe News. AH articles are written by North journalism students.
Energy Drinks: go inside the can
Kelly Szymborksi
Sports Co-Editor
Red Bull, Amp, Pimp Juice, Monster
and SoBe are all names that are a part
of the new craze of energy drinks.
Although energy drinks are a new
craze, they are not a new product.
Energy drinks have been around for
about seven years. They were first
introduced in fitness centers, then continued
onto night clubs as an added
stimulant with alcohol, and now these
drinks have hit the streets in every
convenience store in the United States,
making them available to anyone.
Energy drink manufactures claim to
increase performance, concentration,
reaction speed, vigilance, emotional
status and metabolism.
The problem is people are not naturally
tired. It's a stressful life style
that causes people to need a boost of
energy throughout the day.
Many experts believe that people are
exhausted due to lack of sleep, poor
diet choices, low food quality, stressful
lifestyles, negative emotions and lack
of exercise. People look to these drinks
as a way to get through everyday activities.
"I drink about a can a day of Riptide
by Faygo, to stay awake," said Eric
Jorgenson, sophomore at Grosse
Pointe North.
What people do not realize is there
are many health problems that can be
linked to these small drinks.
The major health risks are anxiety,
increased energy levels, increased
body temperature,
increased
heart rate, disturbed
sleeping
patterns,
increased urination,
cavities,
tolerance,
dependence and
withdrawal.
The authorities
on these
drinks advise
young children,
people with
heart disease,
pregnant
women and caffeine
sensitive
people to try to
avoid these
drinks.
In any case, no person should consume
more than two cans per day.
"1 wouldn't suggest more than one
can per day," said Jessie Dale, fitness
expert at Bally Total Fitness. "Energy
drinks have their good and bad, if you
are overweight and you suffer a hypertensive
problem then the drinks will
give you more of a problem then an
advantage."
What is really in that eight ounce
can? According to the websites the
products are just like any can of pop.
Most energy drinks include carbonated
water, high fructose corn syrup and/or
sugar, citric acid, many types of sodium,
gum Arabic and different color
additives.
In addition to
those ingredients,
energy
drinks have
guarana, mal- j
todextrin, panax i
ginseng and taurine
added to
give you energy, j
But after all
that do they really
give you energy?
The answer is
yes, just like in
any cup of coffee,
the sugars and
caffeine will give
you that boost,
but a can of these
drinks has about
three times as much caffeine as a standard
cup of coffee. This will result in
more energy, but a bigger crash later.
The effect of the caffeine will last
about 30-45 minutes then the crash
and cravings will occur. A craving may
result to keep the stimulant, but with
every can of slow dehydration will
result as well.
One major problem the United
States government is having with the
drinks is that anyone may buy them.
"When I see people drinking energy
drinks they are mostly 18-27 years
old," said Dale.
Currently, there is no legislation to
change the age limit on these drinks.
Do we
what we have?
Ryan Foster
Opinion Editor
Grosse Pointe and its
population are often associated
generally with a
wealth, selfishness and
spoiled children.
Everyone in Grosse
Pointe doesn't fit the
stereotype. Sure there are
those who are lost in their
own worlds and oblivious
to anything outside of
Grosse Pointe. Nice cars,
nice houses, and money
are great, but very often
people never really appreciate
these gifts have
unless they are confronted
with less.
Not everyone has the
things some Grosse
Pointers are accustomed
to. You wouldn't think it,
but just outside the Grosse
Pointe area there's
decreasing edification, and
are people who'd give a lot
to have what we often take
for granted.
I'm not saying that people
who live outside of the
area is discontent and that
16A
everyone here is content.
In some cases the happiest
people are those who have
learned to appreciate the
things that really matter.
Family, individual success
and personal fulfillment
are the things that
aren't always appreciated
but mean the most.
At the end of the day,
when the material things
are forgotten and you're
alone with your thoughts,
it doesn't matter how
much money you have.
"Money can't buy you happiness,"
When people get caught
up in their own lives and
lose the impact of what's
happening around them,
they lose the ability to feel
for others and they find
themselves wrapped up in
their own problems. Being
self-centered can never get
anyone far.
Appreciation of the little
things is something that
should be emphasized arid
celebrated in our community
today.
J
Teensgambling away more than money
Stefan Cross
3o-Editor in Chief
Sweat starts to bead on
lis forehead as he stares
nto his opponent's eyes, tryng
to get a hint as to what
lis hand contains. After a
ong stare down, he reluc-
;antly pushes the rest of his
iliips into the middle of the
:able, calling his chalenger's
bet. They each flip
3ver their cards, and
nstantly disappointment
ills his face as his flush is
Dested by his opponent's full
louse.
While his opponent rakes
n his big win, he immediately
reaches into his back
Docket for his wallet.
However, as he opens the
lap to pull out another bill,
le finds his wallet complete-
.y empty. Sadly, he thinks
x) himself, "so much for last
week's pay check."
Similar situations occur
jvery weekend for gamblers
across America, including
;eenagers.
Poker has become a very
oopular way for teens to
jpend their Friday and
Saturday nights.
As teens get older they
don't wont to play games
just for pride anymore, they
want to play for something a
little more concrete; money.
"After a while playing for
fun gets a little boring,
when you play for money
the stakes are a lot higher,"
said a senior student at
Grosse Pointe North.
Students seem to be
drawn to the possibility of
making money and the rush
that they get when they put
it all on the line.
Shows such as The World
Series of Poker on ESPN
and Celebrity Poker on
Bravo also contribute to
teens' desire to gamble.
Many kids watch their
favorite poker players and
then try to mimic their
moves in their own games.
Others watch it because it
gets thern in the mood to
gamble.
"Shows have and impact
because those types of activities
are condoned and publicized.
There is excitement
and acceptance at work and
at home," said Paula
Koueiter, North psychologist.
Gambling consists of a lot
more than just poker. Kids
who are loose with their
money are willing" to bet on
anything from whose car
goes faster to who can eat
more slices of pizza.
However, one of the most
popular gambling occasions
would be sporting events.
"I will bet on anything, it
just makes life a little more
interesting," said a junior
student at North. "Plus it's a
great way to make money."
Sporting events gives people
a chance to combine
their knowledge of sports,
their loyalty to their team
and their love of gambling
all in one. There are certain
sporting events that draw
out a lot more wagers than
others. The World Series,
The Kentucky Derby and
the Super Bowl are all
examples of these types of
events.
However, for teens, the
master of all sports betting
is the NCAA Tournament or
March Madness as some call
it,
"I live for March
Madness," said a senior student.
"I wish I could hibernate
all year and wake up
just for the tournament:"
One bracket consisting of
the 65 best teams in college
basketball, waiting for the
common person to fill it out.
The goal is to pick as many
games right as possible and
whosever picks are the
closest to the
outcome of the tour
nament wins the
grand prize.
ESPN.com
even offers a mil
lion dollar prize
to any person
who can
guess every
single game
correctly out of
five tries.
Although they are
both illegal, teen gam
bling does not pose as big a
threat as teen drinking simply
because it may not seem
as dangerous. However,
there is a certain amount of
danger involved in gambling
if one is to get in too
deep.
"You don't want gambling
to control your life," said a
sophomore student at
North. "Just ask Pete Rose."
Pete Rose (Charlie
I,.. \ri
i *•->. -If
Hustle),' former ' Cincinnati' crimed ,v,|ofHr
Red second baseman, had
gambling a
problem in
h i s
"It is looked over both by
parents and students
because they don't
realize you can
get addicted
prime baseball
days. In late 2004
he admitted to betting
on baseball, which has
seriously threatened his
Hall of Fame status.
A gambling addiction can
be a very serious problem.
According to CBC News, a
gambling problem can
range anywhere from an
occasional missed bill to a
life-threatening affiliation
with bookies and organized
prob-
lem," said
Koueiter.
All a teen
needs is their parents'
credit card num-
. ber to waste their family's
life savings in no time at all.
There are plenty of online
gambling sites that would
be more than happy to feed
a young gambler's addiction.
It's important for
teenagers to realize that
there is a limit to their fun.
When it comes to the point
of stealing money from their
parents, writing IOU's or
taking money from their college
fund, its more than just
a game.
Drugs make their way into the life of high-schoolers
Liz Constantino
Staff Writer
Drugs. There is nothing
wrong with it, right? Wrong.
Drugs in today's society
have gone from a pastime to
a problem. The words "It's
not going to hurt me," or "III
stop when I get into college,"
seem to be the most
common phrases uttered
from high school student's
lips as they go out on the
weekends to 'just have fun'.
The definition of fun
varies from person to person
but when it comes to
high school students, the
common ground for that
topic is substance abuse.
Whether it is alcohol or
marijuana, some students
think the only way to have
fun is to abuse substances.
According to the Bureau
of Justice's statistics drug
and crime facts website, the
percentage of high school
students that used marijuana
daily was 4.7 percent.
The number does not seem
that high but if you were to
find the percentage of students
that use marijuana
often and not necessarily
daily, the percentage would
skyrocket.
In 2004, Michigan
schools were surveyed and
the results were quite obvious.
85,5 percent of students
said that they could
obtain marijuana easily in
their school. 55.4 percent
said amphetamines, 47.8
percent cocaine, and the list
goes on.
School districts nation
wide deal with drug related
problems on numerous
occasions. The problem does
not deal so much with the
administration, it lies in the
students. Some teenagers
are more worried about
their reputation than in
enhancing the school. The
most prevalent reason
would be that they are
afraid of being judged.
Wouldn't someone prefer be
judged for doing good rather
than supporting the bad?
When a student first
walks through the high
school doore, they think that
this is going to last forever.
Four years seems like an
eternity. Most, if not all,
students want to find their
circle of friends that will
last for the 'four best years
of their lives' as some would
put it. But how is it supposed
to be good if the
school is a playground of
drug deals, fights, and gang
related problems?
How are you supposed to
feel safe when you know if
you tell on a student, than
you will have to deal with
them and their friends?
When recently talking to
a Grosse Pointe North student
about the use of marijuana,
he stated, "There is
nothing wrong with it, I
mean how many deaths
have happened becaixse of
alcohol and how many have
happened because of marijuana?"
He continued by
stating facts that had nothing
to do with the effects of
the drug. "Well, a weed
plant can live where no
other plant can live." Well
that's just great.
High school students like
this one have lost sight of
what is really at stake here.
He spoke from a biased
point of view, seeing everything
through clouded eyes.
Students rant and rave
about menial facts but
when it comes down to it,
the fact of the matter is,
marijuana is illegal.
Drinking underage is also
illegal. How many high
school students are 21?
Problems with drugs are
not necessarily confined in
the high school atmosphere.
Drug problems affect the
home front as well. Growth
Works, a therapy and rchabilatation
center located at
Cottage Hospital is a place
that is meant to help families
deal with teenage drug
use. They offer counseling
and required meetings with
local AA branches.
If students were told one
thing about this issue it
would have to be that it
doesn't matter what your
friends think. It doesn't
matter what the football
team, cheerleaders or the
'popular' clique thinks.
High school is only four
years. If you look at it on a
scale of life in general, that
is not long. So if you know
something is going on that
shouldn't be, say something.
If you see something
that you think just isn't
right, say something. In
the end it will make the
school and the people better.
Do you want your children
to grow up in a school
that is run down because of
your bad decisions?
Probably not.