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Texas mom furious after daughter's teacher gives her 'most likely to become a terrorist award'
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Villanuevas teacher gave her the award for Most likely to become a terrorist." sparking outrage from parents and school officials. - photo by Herb Scribner
Lizeth Villanueva won an award in school this week, but it didn't feel like a victory.

As KPRC-TV in Houston reported, Villanuevas teacher gave her the award for Most likely to become a terrorist, sparking outrage from parents and school officials in Channelview, Texas.

"I was shocked," Lizeth told KPRC. "[The teacher] said, 'Most likely to become a terrorist,' and she said my name, and she gave me this."

The award included her teachers signature. Channelview Independent School District official Mark Kramer told KPRC that the teacher handed out mock awards to the seventh-grade class.

Villanueva said she received the award in her AVID class, which is an advanced learning classroom for those who are headed to college.

She said the teacher warned students that the awards may hurt their feelings, but they were meant to be funny, HuffPost reported.

"It was not a joke," Lizeth said, according to KPRC. "I do not feel comfortable with this I do not feel comfortable being in the same classroom with (the teacher)."

Her mother, Ena Hernandez, said she was furious when she saw the award. She also said her daughter was visibly upset when she came home with the award.

"We're really upset about it coming from a teacher," Hernandez said. "That program is supposed to be for advanced kids. It is kind of hard to believe that she's doing that. Being a teacher giving this to a 13-year-old. How is she going to feel when she grows up later on?"

School Principal Eric Lathan released an apology on Twitter, saying the awards were insensitive.

Hernandez said she wants to see the teacher fired at the very least, KHOU in Houston reported.

It doesnt look good at all, especially coming from a teacher, a grown-up woman, Hernandez said. It doesnt look good because everything thats going on right now.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.