Opinion

NEW LAW BRINGS FEAR INTO THE “CAR COMMUNITY”

By: Justin Wong

Car enthusiast modifies car’s exhaust to sound and look different from other vehicles with the factory exhaust system.

 

 

  On Jan. 1, 2019, a new law named AB 1824 went into effect changing the way California police can pull you over for exhaust noise violations and people in the car community seems to be freaking out about this. The new law was intended for preventing takeovers that can stop traffic on the freeway and sideshows in the intersections of busy streets, which are illegal, and the new law affects anyone with a “loud” car. Before 2019, California police could pull people over for having a loud exhaust but they would write a “fix-it ticket.” That means if the owner of the vehicle goes back to them with a reinstalled stock exhaust within a certain amount of time, you would be free and clear. Police are no longer allowed to do that, and now will just give the driver a violation which costs around $1000.

  For someone that has an interest in cars, I find this law unfair because people who are passionate for cars are now being limited on how creative they can be. Sometime in the future I would like to build a car that can be suitable for a race track, but also stay within the legal limits to be considered street legal. Many car enthusiasts modify their cars in ways, such as: suspension or tires, or even adding a turbocharger or supercharger. As long as these modifications stay within the legal limits I believe it’s perfectly fine. Some people may easily get carried away, and the car may become too modified to the point where the car isn’t suitable for the street driving and should be only driven on a race track whether it's a drag strip or race track .

  Cars from the factory are limited to what its capabilities and are identical to others due to rules and regulations. Having a car that stands out from others in appearance, sound, and performance makes that specific vehicle special because when building a car is personalized to the owner or driver. There's some sport/super cars that come loud with a stock exhaust system and when shifting gears you may hear some pops and crackles from the exhaust, which sounds amazing to car enthusiasts. For the cars that don’t have nice sounding exhaust systems, there's aftermarket exhaust systems that make that car sound better and I personally think it sounds even better if the car has a manual transmission, which many cars don’t come with that option anymore.

  Being part of car shows is like going back to kindergarten, but these car shows are the exact same as time show and tell. Almost every car at a car show will have some sort of a modified exhaust, and police are targeting these meetings, and everybody may get a fine. The only way to avoid this fine is that if the car is under 95 decibels or has a stock exhaust.

  People build their cars because they have a passion for it, and they bring it to a car meet or show and everybody there can look around all the cars and appreciate each others builds. Now this event is ruined, since attending a car show may result in a $1000 fine. There are some exhaust systems that are pass smog, which still makes them legal in California.

  As a car enthusiast, I wonder what can be modified to cars since the new law has taken effect. Having this new law puts a limit on a car enthusiast’s creations. Car enthusiasts shouldn’t be limited on creativity and should be able to modify their car.

PROPOSITION E IS NOT THE SOLUTION TO TEEN SMOKING AND VAPING

By: Urban Tedeski

https://sfelections.sfgov.org/june-5-2018-election-results-summary

 

 

  On June 5th, 2018, San Francisco citizens were lining up to vote on new local policies. There were many issues and proposals to vote on, including two separate measures to tax commercial rents in the city. Although one particular measure, Proposition E, makes the city look like it’s taking a step backwards. Proposition E is a local measure that would ban the sales of flavored tobacco products in the city, which includes flavored cigars, vapes and vape juice, along with any other product with nicotine and flavoring in the same package. If banning the sale and distribution of substances sounds familiar, that’s because it is. In the 21st century, San Francisco is introducing a measure that is comparable to the prohibition era of the early 20th century.

  Now, this doesn’t mean there is no reasoning behind the ban. Vaping is a growing problem amongst teenagers. Vapes companies have been accused of making products with flashy and cartoony packaging that appeals to underaged children. The FDA has labeled teen vaping as an “epidemic” in our country.  Not to mention that teenagers like to roll “blunts”, which is when you empty a cigars tobacco and replace it with marijuana. All of these reasons are very real and valid issues in our city, and it makes sense as to why everyone wanted this bill to pass.

  But it’s hard to look at this law and say : “This will prevent teens from smoking or vaping.” I say this because our federal government tried this exact approach to substance abuse before, and it did not end well. In January of 1920, the Federal Government made the production and distribution of alcohol illegal. As we all know, it did not stop people from drinking, and caused far more problems than any “drunk idiot” compared to what they were trying to stop with this law.

  To start, alcohol back then  became a black market item. Several mobs and gangs formed around the distribution of alcohol. It also allowed for unsafe levels of ethanol and other toxins in these then illegal drinks, since everything had to be made behind closed doors.

  Since this ban only applies in San Francisco, we will probably not see any counterfeit vape juice or tobacco products. But that still opens up the opportunity for it to be sold on the streets to anybody who does not have the means of getting their flavored tobacco products on their own. Somebody could just go to Daly City and buy out a smoke shop and come back to San Francisco to sell it. Which brings me to my last point.

  Since the ban is exclusive to San Francisco, you can just go to any store or smoke shop outside of the city to get these products. In fact, you can take the 14, a bus that is paid for by the city, to Daly City and come back on that same bus with all the flavored tobacco products you want.

  On the one hand, it has been proven that banning sales of a substance is not an effective method to curbing substance abuse, and it causes more problems than solving. But on the other hand, flavored products do appeal to young and underaged children. It has become a serious problem. Some serious action needs to be taken by the government and the companies behind these products. Precautions have been taken, such as requiring big bold warning labels, but more needs to be done. Packaging should be heavily regulated so nothing containing nicotine looks like candy. The levels of nicotine in these products needs to also be regulated, because there are ridiculous amounts of nicotine in some of these products. Constant exposure to such high amount of nicotine can negatively affect people’s brains, especially if underaged.

  This industry most definitely needs to be regulated, but outright banning the sale of an entire category of products is not the answer. But until the government and these corporations cooperate, this will be San Francisco’s way of handling the epidemic.

EXTRA CREDIT SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR NECESSARY REASONS

By: Tiffany Hu

Teacher provides extra credit problems on the test for students to gain a little grade boost.

 

 

  The proposal of extra credit has become a prevalent discussion. Some teachers do not offer extra credit for students because they think students' demands of a grade boost are gradually influencing the classroom rules. On the other hand, some teachers do. However, is this fair for other students or is this just a way to gain yourself an easy A without trying hard in your, or even a way to just dwindle and not to do your work at the right time?

  From my point of view, teachers should give students the opportunity to gain extra credit. For instance, receiving additional school work or achieving the top three of a class game, in order to earn relative credits that would promote their grades. Similarly, Huanbin Chen, a Lincoln sophomore stated, " I do think teachers should give out extra credit to students because maybe sometimes students are absent for class appointment, sickness, etc. And it might affect their exertion during tests; therefore, teachers should offer extra credits to make up their grades."

  In my opinion, offering extra credit is fair to everyone because teachers give credit to whoever won the activities, finished the bonus problems correctly, completed more work, in which all students have an equal opportunity to earn the bonus, but only if you put in work. Furthermore, it can be one of the few motivating options for students that push them to study.

  Correspondingly, I provided a teacher's thought to support my idea. “Sometimes extra credit might motivate some students to put an extra effort in an assignment or activity. I do believe that if the teacher offers extra credit, the students should work hard to win it,” says Ms. Sulen, a World History teacher in Lincoln.

  To conclude, I think having extra credit for students as a resort to raise their grades is an accessible idea, and it is also an good pusher to evoke their passions to work harder and pursuing for better grades.

TEACHERS SHOULD CHANGE SEATS FOR STUDENTS PERIODICALLY

By: Huanbin Chen

First person who email the answer gets a free ad as a price!!!   Email: lincolnlog@gmail.com

 

 

  Seats setting is an issue that sometimes conflicts between teachers and students. Students are usually assigned seats by the seating chart, that is created by the teachers. I think this is reasonable for teachers to do because they want an organized class, and to create a great study vibe. However, keeping the seats stationary and never changing for a semester or even a school year, could be potentially harmful for students.

  First of all, being in the same seat will not help students socialize with each other because they do not get an opportunity to talk and know other people. Students should have flexible seat setting; therefore, it helps them to know and collaborate with more people in class which increases the efficiency for education.

  Changing seats periodically can also refresh the students interest. They may feel anxious or tedious during lessons because of staying in the same spot which causes a bigger problem on students grades. Another thing that will cause a positive influence is to have mixed ability students in a group so they can learn from each other which ultimately helps the students to achieve their full potential.

   Some teachers assign seats to intentionally separate students who usually talk a lot and distract other people. These ideas are fine, but teachers can be more rational on assigning seats which students are happy with.

  Seat changing also helps to improve students visions. A research shows that students who are changing seats periodically have better vision that those who do not. This is because eyes are absorbing lights from different directions instead of one stationary position. In such a technological developed era, students are always on their electrical devices which become a major cause of being near-sighted. Changing seats may help us alleviate this problem indirectly as well.

  Despite some teachers and students having opposed opinions, changing seats will be helpful for students. As we step into the classroom, it should be an educational, interactive, and most importantly, healthy place for us.

HAVING A JOB IS A GOOD EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS

By: Maria Martinezdiaz

  Me being employed with a part-time job, I think that there is nothing wrong with having one while still being a student. I honestly think that it is a great idea for students to have a part-time job before they graduate from high school if they have the time. There are multiple reasons why having a job is good.

  Students with a part-time job learn excellent first-hand experience that cannot be learned in the classroom. Also, students with a part-time job will learn great work ethic, as well as how to balance their time with school and work.

  “I always do my homework no matter what time I get home from work, I feel like it is a good experience because all of it just makes me more responsible”, said Rocio Perez-Ajpop

  This is good for when students get involved in other activities because they will know time management and how to balance their energy between activities.  Time management is a skill that is extremely important to students and people in today's world because everything is so fast and compressed there is a lot to do in the average day of a student!     

  Many people would argue and say that they don't get a part-time job because they don't want one or they don't have any time and it's just irrelevant.

  “Our time and energy are limited, so we should spend our time on the most important things. When we are at school, studying is the most important thing for us. I have seen some students skip their classes because they have to go to work. When their work conflicts with studying, they choose to work,” said Sofia Sanchez.

  But over time kids gain confidence in telling their boss when they can not work because school comes first.

  “I call my boss all the time when I can't come in. Before I used to be scared to even tell her and I would just stay up all night finishing the work, now I don't care and just text her when I can't come in”,  said Cristian Ruiz

  Overall I do feel like having a part-time job is fun and you can gain a lot from having one.