Pros of Lowering the Voting Ages

Image taken from: http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/07/technology/election-polls-tech-tools/index.html

Voting Ages across the World-

The common minimum voting age in countries around the world is eighteen years old, there are some who allow citizens younger than eighteen. Some countries that allow seventeen years old to vote are East Timor, Indonesia, North Korea, South Sudan and Sudan. Some countries that allow sixteen-year-olds to vote are Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. In the United States, there are nineteen states that allow seventeen-year-olds to vote these states are Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington.

Pros-

It will help increase voter turnout-

Voting is a persistent act; people who decided to vote in an election are more probable to vote in other ones. Decreasing the voting age will create new voters who are more likely to be staying in the place they are and not going off to college or leaving their families. People under 18 tend to have stronger roots in their community, often having lived in the same area for many years and established connections to their school, family and friends, and other community groups. This gives them an awareness and appreciation of local issues.

 

Young people have adult responsibilities, but are denied the same rights-

People under the age of 18 are contributing and active members of society. Many being volunteers in their community and being employed.

 

Young people are expected to follow the law, but don’t have a choice in making them-

Minors are expected to follow laws but if they don’t abide by them they may receive adult consequences. In every state, there is a possibility that a case can be moved from a juvenile court to an adult criminal court. In some states, any crime committed by a sixteen and/or seventeen years old is automatically switched.

 

For more information:

http://www.youthrights.org/issues/voting-age/top-ten-reasons-to-lower-the-voting-age/

https://connectusfund.org/5-prominent-pros-and-cons-of-lowering-the-voting-age

Ethiopian Wildlife

 

Types of animals:

Image taken from: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1492633

The Ethiopian wolf, Walia ibex, the mountain nyala, Somali wild donkey, black lion, Swayne’s hartebeest, Menelik bushbucks, the bale mountain vervet and gelada baboons, are animals that can only be found in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian wolf is one of Earth’s rarest canid species, and Africa’s most endangered carnivore. Other canid predators have large and varied diets, but the Ethiopian Wolf hunts small rodents in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia.

Only 500 Walia Ibex still exist in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia because of poaching and habitat loss.

The Mountain Nyala is on Ethiopia’s ten cent coin, marking its importance in Ethiopian culture. They live in Ethiopia’s Bale mountain park, with most of them living within 200 square kilometers. Despite once living in Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, the Somali Wild Donkey is believed to only live in Ethiopia now, mostly in the Afar plains. Although their numbers are small in the wild, there are a lot of  captive populations around the world to make sure they can someday regain their previous numbers.

The Bale Mountain Vervet is one of Africa’s least studied primates. They make their homes in the thick bamboo forests of the park.

Menilik bushbucks are part of a sub-species found only in the Ethiopian highlands, and they are very shy around humans. They are similar to the Mountain Nyala, except they are much smaller.

Gelada baboons can be found in huge numbers throughout the Simien Mountains. They are also called the “Bleeding Heart Monkey” because of the unique red skin patch each baboon has on their chests. They are very social animals, and will typically be spotted in huge family groups.

Swayne’s hartebeest is a large Antelope and are native to Ethiopia. They have been the target of large sanctuary projects to help save them from their current extinction danger.

The Ethiopian black lion is genetically distinct from all other lions in Africa. They are typically found in the Bale mountain park and have a distinctive black mane which they are named after.

Preservation and foundation: 

Image taken from: http://www.bornfree.org.uk/about-us/born-free-ethiopia/

Ethiopia started preserving wildlife in the 1960s. The wildlife and forest areas of Ethiopia are very important to the people.

85% of Ethiopia’s population is dependant on the natural resources. The growing population is wearing down the environment, illegal animal trade, poaching, and wildlife are dwindling resources, so it puts more pressure on the government to prevent further damage.

Then came the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority or the EWCA. They started using tourism as a way to earn more money for the EWCA, and for farmers, so they could make money on their land over and over again.

Then came another organization 2 decades later, called Born Free. They rescue, rehabilitate and release animals back into the wild.

For more information, please visit:

http://hayo.co/10-animals-youll-find-ethiopia/

https://www.oliberte.com/pages/10-animals-only-found-in-ethiopia/

Negative Effects of Caffeine

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Effect on adrenaline:

Adrenaline can be released by drinking caffeine. The source of “fight or flight” I’d adrenaline. The fight of flight mechanism stops your from rationally thing and picks the faster response. Someone’s emotion can inundate their behavior when caffeine puts their brain and body into this hyper-aroused state.

The negative effects of a caffeine-generated adrenaline surge are not just behavioral. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that large doses of caffeine raise blood pressure, stimulate the heart, and produce rapid shallow breathing.

Effects on sleep:

When a human doesn’t get enough or the right amount of sleep their self-control, focus, memory and the speed of processing information are all reduced. The brain becomes capricious when it comes to sleep. Your brain needs to move through an elaborate series of cycles for you to wake up feeling rested. You can help this process along and improve the quality of your sleep by reducing your caffeine intake.

Caffeine has a six-hour half-life, which means it takes a full twenty-four hours to work its way out of your system. If you have a cup of coffee at eight a.m., you will still have 25% of the caffeine in your body at eight p.m. Anything you drink after noon will still be at 50% strength at bedtime. Any caffeine in your bloodstream makes it harder to fall asleep.

When you do finally fall asleep caffeine impedies the quality of your sleep by reducing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the deep sleep when your body recuperates. When caffeine disturbs your sleep, you wake up tired the next day. You will naturally go to grab a cup of coffee or an energy drink to try to make yourself feel better. The caffeine will produce surges of adrenaline. Caffeine withdrawal and lack of sleep leave you feeling tired in the afternoon, so you drink more caffeine, which leaves even more of it in your bloodstream at bedtime. Caffeine very quickly creates a cycle.

 

https://www.wpclipart.com/medical/medical_problems/drugs/caffeine/Caffeine_overdose_symptoms.png.html

Withdrawal:

Caffeine is physiologically and psychologically addictive. If you choose to lower your caffeine intake, you should do so slowly under the guidance of a qualified medical professional. The researchers at Johns Hopkins found that caffeine withdrawal causes headache, fatigue, sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people report feeling flu-like symptoms, depression, and anxiety after reducing intake by as little as one cup a day. Slowly reducing your caffeine intake each day can greatly reduce these withdrawal symptoms.