Blane # Psychiatry: Realizations and Consequences (On December 13, 2006, it was e quiet moming in Brockton, Massachusetts. At the sound of the alarm, a woman awoke groggily. The night before had been spent trying to send her ill litle four-year-old girl to sleep. She slowly pulled herself out of bed and looked down at her daughter, who spent the night on the floor, next to her bed. The mother bent down to awaken the dozing child, but there was no response. There was something wrong. Over and over the woman shook her baby girl, but still no movement occurred. The woman yelled for her husband to call 911 as she continued to try to sti the child, It was 6:30 a.m. (“Rebecea Riley”) Carolyn Riley told Katie Couric in an interview for 60 Minutes in 2009 that it was then at that moment when she realized her daughter, Rebecca Riley, was dead (CBS News). An overdose of psychiatric drugs stole Rebecca's life and robbed her parents and siblings from seeing her grow up. Her parents would never see their youngest child bring home art projects, graduate from high school, get married, or have children. The biggest question remaining was: How does a four-year-old die of an overdose of medication given to her to improve her quality of life? Itall started when Rebecca was just two years old. A psychiatrist examined her because Carolyn noticed sleep problems and hyperactivity. Barely at age three, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after eight months of sessions. A blood pressure medication, an anti-seizure «drug, an anti-psychotic, and children’s cold medicine were found in her tiny body during the ‘autopsy. Carolyn gave her daughter the cold medicine when Rebecca could not sleep because she ‘was sick. However, the other drugs in Rebecca’s system killed her. They were prescribed to het by a psychiatrist and given to Rebecca by her parents as directed (CBS News).Well into the treatment, Riley was taking over ten pills daily. When asked in the interview if Carolyn thought that was too many drugs for a preschooler she replied, “I trusted the doctor” (CBS News). The world is supposed to be able to place trust their physicians and ‘medical advisors because they have the knowledge that common individuals do not possess. However, in recent years, the field of psychiatry has attracted constant debate in numerous aspects. Psychiatry is the study of mental disorders. The practice has been around for centuries, but Johann C ian Reil, a German scientist, thought up the term in 1808. In the United States, psychiatry became a widely accepted medical field by the start of the 20" century. During the early 1900's the most common form of treatment for mental disorders was a lobotomy, which is ‘the surgical removal or destruction of the dysfunctional part ofthe brain. As time went on, institutionalization became more popular, and by 1950 a million U.S. citizens had undergone such treatment. Institutionalization was safe and humane in most hospitals and cities, but it was the few hospitals that conducted crude and rather savage experiments on their patients that gave the treatment a bad reputation (“Psychiatry”). After these reports, researchers scrambled for new ‘treatment methods. What is now known as modem psychiatry can be marked by the introduction of the antipsychotic drug Thorazine. It was designed to treat psychiatric disorders such as, schizophrenia and other personality changing disorders. With its release in 1954, users of the drug saw a decrease in auditory hallucinations and unpredictable mood swings. Thorazine served ‘88 2 gateway to the invention of other prescription medications in the psychiatric world. As more ‘and more pharmaceuticals were released to the public, lobotomies and institutionalizations saw arapid decrease and were deemed outdated and less effective by psychiatric professionals Psychiatry”). Psy inexact science are inevitable, they should not happen so easily. Psychiatrists are responsible for iatry has come a lonig way, but certainly not far enough. While mistakes in an their patents and their future health. That being said, the utmost care must be taken to make sure the patients reesive tha level of help. Rebecea Riley’s overdose should not have taken place. Her ease touches on the three main points of controversy in psychiatry today: overdiagnosis, ‘misdiagnosis, and the overprescription of psychiatric drugs. I is imperative that psychiatrists realize the current situations surrounding these three areas and work harder to acknowledge and prevent them. Rebecca Riley’s case began the minute she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She was a child, only three years old, when she was diagnosed (CBS News). Typically bipolar disorder is considered by society as a psychiatric condition that adults are diagnosed with. How litle three-year-old girl was diagnosed with this disorder that led to her treatment, and subsequent death, at age four? Rebecca Riley was a potential victim of an overdiagnosis. Just thirty to forty years ago, « bipolar diagnosis in a child was extremely rare and practically unheard of in a doctor’s office. Nowadays, it isnot so uncommon. At least one million children are told they are living with this big “adult” disease (CBS News). Issues and Controversies isan online database that provides a non-bias viewpoint to the arguments presented in psychiatry. One article describes a study that was published in an official collection from the American Medical Association called the Archives of General Psychiatry. ‘The study displayed the inerease of bipolar diagnosises by 40-fold from the years of 1994 through 2003. Psychiatrists alone made ninety percent of the determinations in 2003, Not onlyBangle *2 ‘Shook Up: The Dangers of Soft Drinks and Why America Should Tax Them Catherine Gregorozyk is the first to admit that she is an addict. However, Catherine's addiction is not one that is associated with drugs or even gambling—although it can be equally dangerous. Catherine is addicted to soda, and she cannot stop drinking it. "It's hard going out with friends who are more health-conscious than I am and who drink water all the time when all ever want is @ Coke," Catherine claims about her need for sod in 2 feature article by WebMD (aid. in “Help for Soda Lovers”). Although Catherine constantly feels « necessary dependence to drink soda, she is not clinically addicted, according to Elisabetta Politi, nutrition manager for Duke University Diet and Fimess Center (“Help for Soda Lovers”). Health expert Liz Marr agrees, stating that people develop habits and cravings from foods consumed frequently (“Help for Soda Lovers”). Although the soda-drinking habit is not a true addiction, sometimes giving up ‘the sugery drink is about as hard as breaking a serious addiction, and this craving plagues millions of Americans across the nation. The reason so many find this habit so hard to rid is because when the human body tastes something sugary and sweet, the brain releases chemicals called opioids that make the body want more of what it just had, claims Politi (“Help for Soda Lovers”). So what is the problem in drinking e satisfying soda and feeling good? According to numerous sources, there are major health problems related, and they are haunting America. Around the world, more and more humans have begun living unhealthy lifestyles, and this growing problem has become the worst in America. The United States of America is the country with the highest percentage of obese residents, with 30.6% of its inhabitants overweight according to NationMaster, a website composed of a compilation of global statistics that ‘graphically compares nations of the world. With nearly one third of all Americans being obese, ‘there is much concern and many questions about what has happened. Over the past decade,America has succumbed to a fast-paced society that demands people eat quickly and satisfyingly. By eating on the go, people are forced to sacrifice healthiness and food quality for time. This has led to the rising consumption of greasy fast food, unhealthy snacks, and sugar-filled candy. Out of all the detrimental foods that Americans consume, one has proven to be a leader in overall unhealthiness: soda. Soft drinks, such as soda and other sugary beverages, are more popular than ever. According to an article on the hard facts of soda written by Sally Squires for Health & Beyond, soda accounts for more than one fourth of all beverages consumed in the United States. As soft drinks’ popularity has grown, there has been more criticism and speculation about how these drinks affect America’s health. Soda pop is a beverage that is almost completely nutritionally worthless, containing little to no essential vitamins or minerals that the human body needs to survive. According to “Soda Taxes” at the Issues and Controversies website, these drinks have also undergone many tests and studies, all of them producing results| that correlate these soft drinks directly with serious health hazards, such as obesity and heart disease. Because the overall health of America is very poor and soda is a main contributor to millions of unbealthy lifestyles, the federal government has been contemplating implementing a sin tax—an additional tax on legal substances that are detrimental to a person's health—on sugary drinks all over the country. There is no better time than now to put this tax into motion. It is imperative that the United States federal government implements a national sin tax on sugary beverages such as soda and other nutritionally useless soft drinks, This soda tax shall be enough to discourage national consumption and encourage consumers to purchase a healthier alternative, Because of several direct correlations found between soda and numerous serious health issues, decreasing the overall consumption of soft drinks in America should, in general, be enough to jumpstart Americans into living healthier, improved lives. A tax on beverage products withnegative consequences such as soda will also generate much-needed dollars for a government in dire need of money to rebuild beneficial federal programs. Overall, a minute tax on a product that is a main culprit in many cases of serious health issues will make e significant beneficial difference in the lives ofall those who it affects. The negative effects of soda have gotten worse over the years as products have become increasingly unhealthy as they progress. Technically, when soda began, it was no more harmful than a glass of water. ‘The sensation cf soda pop began centuries ago when in 1767 Joseph Priestley, a scientist from Britain, discovered a way to infuse water with carbonation, creating the first sparkling water. According to the Issues and Controversies database, Priestley the published his findings on the bubbly beverage in his book Jmpregnating Water With Fixed Air, and it was soon sold ‘throughout Britain as “soda water." Soda water reached America in the 1800's and people soon ‘began 2. favor ‘the tasteless beverage with fruit syrups and other concoctions. Pharmacist John Pemberton then revolutionized the soda flavoring. Pemberton created new syrup to be mixed with the soda water that was unlike any other. This syrup was derived from a mixture of the caffeinated kola nut extract and coca leaves, the South American plant that is used to stem cocaine. Because Pemberton’s syrup was bitter and tart, he used large amounts of sugar to ‘sweeten the concoction. So Pemberton began selling his product under the name Coca-Cola, ‘emphasizing its two main components. Coca-Cola hit the market, and thus began the birth of the unhealthy soda (“Soda Taxes”). Before dying, Pemberton consulted local pharmacist Asa Candler and sold him the rights ‘to Coca-Cola. Candler used wise matketing skills and began selling Coca-Cola nationally as a _refteshing beverage for Americans, rather then a medicinal product like Pemberton promoted. Coca-Cola began to gain great popularity and summoned up competition from others, mostBou #5 ; Photo Manipulation, A Blurry Line If no one had noticed a pair of missing legs, Allan Detrich would still be going on assignments and building his reputation at The Toledo Blade (Ricchiardi). Detrich, a rising star in photojournalism, was highly recognized as a Pulitzer Prize finalist and four-time winner of the Ohio News Photographer of the Year. However, during April 2007, Detrich was immediately suspended for what appeared to be a serious breach of ethics. Co-workers were baffled on why Detrich, a talented photographer and hard worker would ever feel the need to cheat. Unknowingly Detrich ignited a scandal that brought light to the modern misuse of photo editing to the photojournalism community and to the public. When The Toledo Blade's editors questioned Detrich about the manipulation of the photograph, he told them that his photograph that had been published in the paper, had been sent by mistake. Detrich claimed that that the image was meant only for his personal use and not for publication. Detrich was suspended while the newspaper investigated. The next day as the newspaper started to look at his files, Detrich resigned (Estrin). After Detrich left The Blade an investigation was launched. The Blade's director of photography uncovered that since January 2007, Detrich had submitted 947 photographs for publishing. Out of the photographs, 79 had been manipulated digitally. With the rate technology improves, manipulating photographs has never been more easy, faster, or harder to pinpoint. Detrich, an employee of The Blade since 1989, manipulated the majority of his photographs alone in his truck. Detrich used a cell phone or WiFi for transmitting pictures to the newspaper. There was little reason for Detrich to manipulate his photos in the newsroom.‘The backlash to Detrich’s scandal was much larger than anyone could have predicted, Detrich admitted that for a brief moment, he felt as if he was painted as the most “[eriticized] journalist in the country” (Ricchiardi). Photojournalists and the public alike sent letters to The Blade, some even sent emails to Detrich himself. In response to questions about the scandal Detrich said, "I wasn’t the first to tamper with news photos and, unfortunately, I probably won't be the last. I screwed up. I got caught" (Ricchiardi). Detrich continued to say he was enticed by software that made digitally manipulating photos, so simple that “anyone can do it" (Estrin), Detrich and other photojournalists downfall highlights an underlying truth. Image editing tools are relatively inexpensive. Photoshop for example, costs around $650 (Estrin). Along with tons of imaging software available to the everyday public, there are a multitude of available teaching tools to learn from. The amount of editing software available does little to urge the public to believe in photojournalism when they know photojournalists have access to these programs. The code of ethics in journalism has been adjusted vastly in the modern age. What was once film has transferred to digital, as a result the art of manipulating photos has taken a giant leap into the digital age. What once was darkroom editing has become software, thus the rules have changed accordingly. Though many publishers argue on the exact code of ethics they can all agree on one, photojournalists must never add or subtract elements from a photo. This includes taking out ugly power lines or adding a ball in a sports game. Photojournalists should always follow the guidelines provided by publishers so they can hold up ethical practices. However, if photojournalists do not follow the code of ethies provided, they lie and mislead both their publisher and viewers of the photo. Once a photo has beenmajorly altered the viewer no longer has a clear view of the message and the public's view is skewed. When it is discovered that a photojournalists has lied and manipulated the viewer, the reputation of every photojournalist is tarnished. This is why following a publisher's code of ethics protects photojournalists from spreading false information. =~ Journalistic media has to be careful as not to skew the viewer's opinion. Many additions have been made modern journalism, one important change are magazines. Magazines, with their brightly colored pages and glossy covers attract attention in different ways than a newspaper might. Using new tactics to draw the public in, because of this, magazines have drastically changed how the news works (Case). Tony Case is currently a writer for Adweek, an American trade publication. Case writes that the dramatization of the news not only hurts the reputation of individual media organizations but journalism as a whole (Case). Magazines have also vastly changed how the public views the news. During the extremely controversial O. J, Simpson trial, Time magazine printed a darkened mug shot of O. J Simpson on their cover (Case). Though the manipulation of this photo may not seem like a transgression, the darkening of the photo was seen to some as racist. The overall composition of the photo made Simpson appear to be more sinister. The manipulated photo had the power to influence members of the public. With the rise magazine’s competing, some think that Time tried to outdo their competition NewsWeek (Case). This fact gave way to more criticism from the photojournalist community. In response to the Time's dramatization of Simpson’s mug shot, Charles Cooper, the National Press Photographer Association’s executive director, argued that “readers don’t pay much attention to the minuscule caveats appearing at the bottom of retouched and stagedBjemdo #4 ‘Throwing Out a Spoiled System: Education Reform ‘Any public school veteran could conjure up this memory: sitting at a desk, surrounded by classmates with a pencil in hand, filling in bubbles frenziedly as a teacher keeps time. These alumni probably remember the nerves they felt when the teacher wrote ‘10 minutes left’ on the board, and the relief they felt when they finally laid the pencil down on the desk--done. Many of these former public school students would be able to describe what it was like to stay up late cramming for a test, memorizing vocabulary words and dates of historical events. Old pupils and those students currently enrolled in these schools would both complain to anyone who would listen about all the rules and regulations that exist or existed in his/her school, rules that seem to have nothing to do with learning and growing, which, afterall, is the purpose of going to school. Every person has had that class where they wondered every day--Why am I being forced to take this? Iwill never need the Pythagorean Theorem in real life! Why is it that there are so many unpleasant memories associated with the public school experience? Why are there so many testimonies of students cramming information into their brains to spill back all over a test page, then never using that knowledge again? Why does it seem like there are so many American children not getting the educations they deserve and the educations they need to survive outside of the classroom? Has the United States” education system gone stale? Before the 1800s, children were lirgely homeschooled. Parents were charged with teaching their own children, and only wealthy families could afford private tutors. Stephanie ‘Watson, a contributor to How Stuff Works with a degree in mass communications from Boston University and author of over two dozen books spanning subjects from nutrition to genetics and the environment, writes that the Puritans were the first group in America to suggest a public education system for the United States. They wanted these schools to teach the basics of math,2 English, writing, etc, but they also wanted children to learn core Puritan values. After Americans gained independence from England, Thomas Jefferson spoke out in support of a public education. system that would be funded by tax dollars, but his suggestions were ignored. The idea of public education in America was put aside for almost 100 years (Watson). By the mid-nineteenth century, public schools were cropping up in small numbers, but it is important to note here that the education system was not then, as it is not now, a monolith. As pointed out by Julie Mack, a graduate from Michigan State University and K-12 education reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette, the degree of availability and quality of the schools at this time varied significantly. In New England states, especially Massachusetts, Puritans had created “publicly funded common schools to ensure a literate citizenry” (Mack). For the elementary grade levels, at least, schools were widespread and accessible. In the south, however, it was still «a fact that only wealthy families had tutors for their children, and the majority of people went uneducated. Rates of literacy at this time show that there was a higher chance of a white woman in the south being illiterate than any freed black person in the north (Mack). The first compulsory school law was passed by Massachusetts in 1852 (Watson). By 1918, all American children were required by law to attend elementary school at the very least. ‘The American education system has since seen a great deal of improvement; smaller changes, such as the development of a National School Bus System, and momentous changes, such as the law passed in 1954 allowing all children, regardless of race, to attend any public school, making segregation illegal (Watson). Public schooling also saw many other significant events that changed the way children were taught in a relatively short amount of time. A timeline of the history of American education created by ‘The Today Show’ shows that when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite into space in 1957, a rivalry between the Soviets end Americans‘began and public schools received more than $1 billion to place more emphasis on math and science programs. In 1962, the Supreme Court forbade organized prayer and reading of the Bible in public schools and by 1970, standardized test scores had begun being reported to the government ("Moments That Changed Public Education"). In 1972, discrimination based on gender became illegal, and the amendment to do this (called Title IX) became most well known for granting equal treatment and opportunity to girls in schoo! athletics; by 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that students with limited English proficiency should have the same opportunities and educations as fluent English speakers ("Moments That Changed Public Education"), In 2001, George W. Bush and his administration passed the No Child Left Behi (NCLB) Act, which ushered in “standard based reform” ("Moments That Changed Public Education”), In 2009, Barack Obama and his administration passed the Raced to the Top (RTTT) Act, which created a “wave of education reforms as states compete for federal grants in the midst ofa recession” ("Moments That Changed Public Education"). The education system in America has seen many changes, but has it lost its true purpose? According to “What Is the Purpose of Public Education?”, an article on PBS, the purpose of a public education should be readying students to be citizens of the United States, preparing each generation to go out into the workforce with the skills they need, helping children fear cultural literacy, preparing them for higher education, and giving them the tools to become critical thinkers. (“What Is the Purpose of Public Education?”). Some of these goals are being fulfilled today, such as children learning cultural literacy and being relatively well prepared for college education, but many are not; the era of standardization has resulted in an educational system where students are not becoming critical thinkers, and thus these children are not prepared to be fully functioning citizens of the United States and members of the workforce.‘The education system in the United States has lost sight of its goals. American children are not being taught skills that will help them adapt to theit changing lives or the changing world around them, and instead are being taught a fixed set of material in order to score higher on standardized tests, Furthermore, testing every student by the same set of standards is illogical-- every student does not leam the same way and every student does not come from the same ‘background--because of this, standardized tests are often criticized for being biased. Subjects that are not measured by these tests such as history, art, foreign language, and social studies are no onger as emphasized. This has resulted in less well rounded learning. Government programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have only strengthened the tyrannical grip standardized testing has on America’s education system, and must not be allowed to continue. Students are not being taught in a way that allows them to apply what they are learning to life outside of school--to correct this, Project Based Learning must be integrated into all schools. Following these guidelines will ensure that a brighter, more prepared generation of students will face the world and make it better. ~~ Standardized testing, a subject of great debate in education reform circles, is an insufficient way to measure a student's true knowledge and proficiency in the subjects these tests tend to measure: English, writing, reading, math, and science. These tests have been shown to be biased, take up valuable class time with test preparation, and edge out subjects that are mostly untested (foreign languages, the arts, history, etc.). Standardized testing opponent Noliwe Rooks, author of three books and associate professor of Africana Studies and Feminist, Gender and ‘Sexuality Studies at Cornell University, attacks standardized testing for being biased in an article for Time Magazine Online, In New York City, black and Hispanic students are largely excluded from the most selective high schools because of a single-test admittance policy Rooks says is,Exangle #5 Growing Pains: Urban Sprawl and Its Harmful Consequences Imagine Ilinois. It isa state of contrasts. The seemingly endless miles of com and soybean fields scramble across the plains. Farther south, the hills and forests hide bountiful ‘treasures amidst their gnarled landscape. ‘To the west there is the constant reminder of the power of the mighty Mississippi every time it floods. In the north, the shining skyscrapers of Chicago pierce the changeable skies. Here, like so many other states, urban and rural ways of life are competing in a duel of conflicting ideals. Here, perhaps two young girls are experiencing this clash firsthand. A girl growing up in the Sawgrass Subdivision on the west side of Champaign, Ilinois, ‘studies her neighbors in mystification. Day after day they pile into the van or mow the grass or have a barbecue, and the girl never knows their names. The boy might be in her grade; she is not sure. His sister takes ballet like she does. What else might they have in common? Real neighborhoods, or so she understands, are like the one in which this girl"s mother was raised. ‘The school and the grocery store were within walking distance, and all the kids on the street met at the park to play. ‘The girl’s grandfather and grandmother took the bus to their jobs and were home by five o’clock, regardless of the amount of traffic on the interstate. The girl scoffs at her ‘mother’s upbringing as the product of a bygone era, but she realizes that she longs for the same opportunities. Here in Sawgrass, she is alone. ‘A girl in rural Champaign County suffers the opposite problem. She and her family have isolated themselves by choice, and now the world is coming after them. Each year, her aging ‘neighbors give up, sell their fields, and move to town. The woods along the ‘river are the next target; they are prime real estate for the millionaires and those simply living beyond their means. ‘The girl resents her new neighbors. She can no longer see the stars because of the glow from‘their nighttime pool lighting. Large herds of deer are becoming a rare sight, and coyotes are becoming more common. The mouming doves which used to awaken the girl on wet summer ‘mornings coo less frequently. The stray cats, abandoned by the house next door, have taken care of them, The birds’ comforting sound is replaced with the gunning engine of the neighbor's rusty Pontiac. The girl sees the sprawl but can do nothing to stop it. Money is tight, and she sees her father’s graying temples and clenched jaw as he considers the developer's offer. She decides to take a walk along the river. This particular tiver begins somewhere to the northwest and flows south through the other girl's city, collecting detergents and oil from inadequate storm drains. The drenching spring rains overwhelm the gutters and tise to the foundations of Sawgrass houses. The girl looks out the window and groans. Wet means mold and mold means another irritant to her allergies. The smog alone is bad enough in the summer. She had to quit soccer last year. Her mother looks up from the stack of bills she is paying and her eyes fall on the bottle of ADHD ‘medication labeled with her daughter's name. Maybe the doctors are mistaken. Maybe she just needs more exercise. Maybe the family should drive to the park tomorrow ifitis sunny. The ‘water drains through the overtaxed soil of the subdivision and trickles into the water table. Downstream, the country git! is angrily throwing rocks in the river behind her house. A frog scampers up the bank and into the adjoining drainage ditch, ‘The girl shrieks a the sight of the frog’s exira leg until she remembers the recent newspaper exposé about mutations caused by lawn care chemicals. No surprises here. She turns to leave, running without considering the cocktail of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone she is gulping into her burning lungs. ‘She reaches the road and must remind herself to look both ways before sitting on the tarry surface. A few years ago, there would have been no traffic on a damp Saturday moming like this‘one, Now, SUVs whiz by several times an hour on their way to the new houses up north, The girl plucks a few weeds from the ditch and sweeps them idly across the road. The familiar vibrations of an approaching car reach her body, and she slowly picks herself up, dusts off her jeans, and slinks back into the trees. The woman in the speeding van does not even pause to wave. Back in Sawgrass, the suburb-girl’s father watches the news. He remarks to his wife at the state of crime in the inner city. He believes he did a good thing for their daughter, relocating to a safe area. He does not consider the danger from the boy in 304 Crabgrass Lane, yelling in ‘frustration at his computer as he loses anothér shootout in his videogame, He does not consider the peril caused by the sex offender living a cul-de-sac to the east who watches his daughter with hhungry eyes. Most of all, the father is not aware of the impending heart attack which could claim him during his next road-rage-filled, hour-long commute to his desk job. He flips through his eighty channels in search of something worth doing this weekend. Both girls are hurting. Their lives are really not so dissimilar. The cause of their families’ misery is urban sprawl, whether they are aware of it or not. The irresponsible growth of cities wreaks havoc with the natural world and human health. Soon, neither of these girls will have the opportunity to choose an urban of a rural lifestyle because the two will have been degraded into the mediocre imitation that is the suburb. It lacks the community, self-sufficiency, and culture of the city. It lacks the green space, solitude, and variety of the country. ‘The basic problem is that people are spreading into territory in which they do not belong. Ina constant search for a better, cleaner, more peaceful lif, they migrate out of the inner cities and flock to suburbs. An endless cycle of new construction and abandonment occurs as the rings of city flourish and decline, and the population shifts towards the countryside. In order torectify the situation, developers must cease building low-density mazes of houses and instead focus on revitalizing the inner cities with a multitude of businesses, apartments, mansions, and community buildings all mixed together in the same block. Zoning laws must be revised and ‘mass transit improved, relieving people of the burden of driving over an hour to reach a job mere miles away. ‘The developers, in designing sprawling types of cities, do not consider the way they affect everyone else’s environment—the Barth herself. What the suburb-dwellers leave in their ‘wake is polluted water, smog-filled air, endangered species, and unhealthy children. Itis a mistake to assume that Americans only want a split-level ranch and a detached garage to be happy. Urban spravi is not the only way for cities to grow; it is harmful to all humans, plants, animals, and natural resources, and must be stopped. —= Unfortunately, solutions are tough to come by when something as seemingly simple as the exact definition of urban sprawl is unclear. As Brookings Institution researcher Anthony ‘Downs explains, “Sprawl is not any form of suburban growth, but a particular form of it” (Rybozynski). The hallmarks of this “particular form,” according to many sources, tend to be the combination of low-density, single-use zones accessed by wide, high-traffic feeder roads which branch into many curving cul-de-sacs. The cities which suffer most from sprawl are those which are experiencing rapid growth like Phoenix, Arizona. From 1950 to 1970, the population of that southwestern city increased by 300 percent, but the actual land area Phoenix occupies ‘grew by 630 percent (Girling 2). Nationwide, the trend is clear. By the year 2000, the United States’ population had doubled its 1940 level, but housing construction had tripled (Girling 1). Fewer people live in these houses too. During that same time petiod, average houschold size decreased from 3.68 to 2.59 people (Gitling 1). Though “only about five percent of the United