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Video: Santa Fe High School student says she expected shooting to happen here too
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In the video, a local reporter for ABC-13 in Texas asks the young girl, Paige Curry, about her reaction to the incident. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: May 20, 2018, 1:29 PM
A students reaction to Fridays fatal shooting at a Texas high school went viral on Friday.

In the video, a local reporter for ABC-13 in Texas asks the girl, Santa Fe High School student Paige Curry, about her reaction to the incident.

I was very, very scared, Curry said. I had to have someone keep me calm. I managed to keep calm through it all. There was another girl who was just freaking out. They were struggling really hard to keep her calm.

The reporter asked, "Was there a part of you that was like, 'This isn't real, this would not happen in my school?'"

Curry, on the verge of tears, responded, "No ... it's been happening everywhere; I always kind of felt like eventually it was going to happen here too."

See the heart-wrenching video here.

Ten people died in Fridays shooting, most of whom are believed to be students. A male student was taken into custody, according to The New York Times.

As Vox reported, Curry has a point about not being surprised about the shooting. Recent research has indicated that both the frequency and number of fatalities of school shootings have been on the rise.

But theres a more fundamental point here that goes deeper than these numbers. Imagine being Paige Curry. Imagine coming out of a shooting at your high school, a place that is supposed to be a safe place for learning, and feeling terrified but somehow unsurprised, Voxs Zack Beauchamp wrote. Imagine how normal, how routine, the threat of a school shooting has to have become for you to have that reaction after such an ordeal. I dont know about you. But for me, a nation whose kids see themselves as targets as well as students is a nation that is doing something profoundly wrong.
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
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
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.