Social Media: A Bittersweet Reality
Genetically Modified Generation Vanity, Bodies, and Potatoes. Oh My!
Spring Spring 2016
Table of Contents
Staff 1
Letter from the Editors 2
Vanity, Bodies, and Potatoes. Oh My!
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Social Media: A Bittersweet Reality
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Genetically Modified Generation
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Lily Stewart is a sophomore at Woodford County High School. She has played volleyball for 5 years and is the lacrosse offensive captain after playing for 2 years. Lily is a member of KEY Club, FCCLA, and Young Democrats. She enjoys dogs, shopping, and photogrpahy. Lily is unsure where she would like to attend college, but hopes to pursue a career in business, preferebly real estate.
Lily Stewart
Bekah Hall is a sophomore at Woodford County High School. She enjoys eating doughnuts and running cross country. Bekah is a member of National Spanish Honor Society, FCCLA, and Bike Club. Her favorite subject in school is math. She has not yet decided where she plans to attend college, but she hopes to pursue a future in Pharmacy.
Bekah Hall Hailing from the Horse Capital of the World, Turner is a sophomore at Woodford County High School. She participates in Cross Country, Track, and as an active member of Woodford County 4-H, FCCLA, Y-Club, and Bike Club. When she is not doing one of her many extracurriculars, Turner is singing, playing the piano, or the guitar. Although she is only fifteen years old, many see Turner as an old soul, which inspired her feature article; “Vanity, Bodies, and Potatoes. Oh My!�
Hello, and welcome to our magazine! Our inspiration for this magazine was from a mix of themes, put toogether. We hope to show you how parts of our everyday lives have changed through time, in order to best fullfill our needs today. From medicine, to social media, to style, what we have today, is all part of a long process. In the last decade many technolgies have changed around us substaintially. Whether for good, or for bad, these changes make us who we are today. We thank you for taking your time to read our magazine, thanks so much!
Letter From the Editors
Staff
Letters From the Editors
Turner Reynolds
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Vanity, Bodies, and Potatoes. Oh My! By Turner Reynolds If “how to” is typed into the Google search engine, the third search term that comes up is “how to lose weight fast.” There are many other ways to end this phrase, but because of the importance of body image and shape, this is how we end it. This shows a clear problem in today’s society and how we put too much value on our outward opinions and how others perceive them. Clearly, since the 1950s many things have changed; science, medicine, technology, but more specifically, body image and shape. As miniscule as it may seem, body image and shape affects health, sizing, and changes over time.
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Although it may not seem as important as science, changes in body image and shape
Photo courtesy of Tanvir Sajin
credits
Just as sizing changes and the world around us changes, so do accepted body shapes and sizes. The ideal woman, and man, changes with every decade, sometimes dramatically, sometimes unnoticeably. In 1910, corsets were the big thing; soft, round bodies were all the rage complete with teeny-tiny waists and sloped shoulders. With the 20s, everything changed. The flapper was all the rage. Short women with a flat-chested, skinny look were the roaring thing. The small waist came back with the 1930s, as did curves, although not as prominently as in 1910.
The 40s saw the end of softness, with ‘bullet’ bras and angular, broad shoulder. In the 50s the curves became prominent again with women using bust and butt padding to round their figures. Like the 20’s, the 60’s came in with a bang, narrow hips are in, curves are out, and women are flat-out twigs. 1970 came and went without much of a change, clothing not included.
A girl is pictured above measuring her waist. have a huge impact on society. They affect the way we eat, exercise, make clothes, and even the technology that evolves. In an age of social media and iPhones, body image is even more important now than it was fifty years ago. The Evolution of Body Shape In her prime, Marilyn Monroe wore a size 16, but by our standards today she would be anywhere from a size 00 to an 8. The changes in Monroe’s size are a clear testament to the way body image and shape are constantly evolving in America. Although, it may seem in this generation that body shape is important; a perfectly round butt and a flat stomach. Five words: body shape is not static.
The 80’s looked more like today’s body shape with legs, legs, and more legs. Being active and healthy also came into play along with the sports bra. The 90’s again saw the return of the twig, now called “the waif.” In the new generation, being active became a big thing again, a small, toned girl was all the rage. Finally, 2010 ushers in the ideals that we are used to. The skinny, booty-ful girl is in, at least for the time being. In the 1950’s, men’s physique was a symbol of success, the heftier you are, the better you are.
This ideal only subtly changed throughout the years, but if the 50’s and 2000’s are compared side-by-side the difference is very noticeable. The 2000 body shape is tall and lean, healthy and maintained; the swimmer’s physique. This physique is much easier to get and controllable than the past. Like most things, ideal body shapes change. Just like technology and science, body shapes are variable. They are not something people should cling to because they are constantly changing. If we attach to these impossible images we will never be satisfied, because they are always changing and can never be met. The Evolution of Diets Because body shapes change, dieting fads change. With different medicines and scientific breakthroughs, not to mention body shapes, diets are bound to change. In the 1950s there was the grapefruit diet; grapefruit before every meal, that encouraged less calorie intake. The big diet fad from the 60’s is still common today: vegetarianism. The 70’s and 80’s are also still relatively popular diets; low calorie and low fat; respectively. The diet of the 90’s, enforced by Jennifer Anniston, was a high protein, low carb diet. For the Millennials, diets come and go even quicker due to social media and the variety of beauty icons. However, the current thing is All Natural. These diets were believed to further the body shapes loved by specific generations; however, many of them have been proven to not work and even be detrimental to health. The changes in diet are very similar to the changes in body shape and so are their negative effects. Dieting can negatively impact fatigue and mood. People who participate in extreme diets may begin to feel very, very tired and even cause severe mood swings. When calories, carbs, and fat are cut from diets, this does not allow as much energy to be made. Cutting calories can also cause a deficit, which may lead to a slowed metabolism. Changes in diet may also cause changes in digestion. This is not to say that dieting is bad, because it is not. Extreme, irrational dieting
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is bad. It can cause health issues and hurt self-esteem even more, especially if they do not work. Impacts of Body Image on Health As changes in the world occur, so do changes in body image and shape. Technology affects body image. Medications, such as steroids, can affect body image. New health breakthroughs affect body image. Every little change in society affects body image. When these changes occur, it affects our mental and physical health. “I’m a potato,” many teenagers flippantly say today. What exactly does looking like a potato constitute? As Urban Dictionary puts it, “saying
in almost all cases of these there is a direct correlation to negative body image. Although the body images of this generation negatively impact mental health, they have a relatively neutral impact on physical health. Negative body image does cause eating disorders, which can affect physical health. Aside from these negatives, the body image projected by society can also cause healthy physical changes. When seeing in-shape celebrities and the workout regiments they do, it often times encourages Americans to start these as well. The Effect of Body Image on Sizing As changes in body image occur, so do changes in sizing. This is called “vanity
to say that their body shapes are completely similar, because they are not, but the weight is a testament to the changes in body shape. The Role of Social Media on Body Image It is clear that society has a huge role on body image and the way we perceive it. In the 1900s, this was not as central in society as it is today. This is largely due to the influence of social media and the internet. Although the internet is a wonderful invention that has managed to advance this generation in countless ways, it has also set us back. The internet allows us to further the idea that everyone must look the same and conform to the ‘popular’ body shape.
The Impact of a New Generation Many of us unintentionally carry on unrealistic size visions; however, that can all be changed. As a new generation, the Millennials have the opportunity to make a change and build a strong, positive body image. We can do this only by being proud of who we are. Every single shape and size is good and perfect; no matter what anyone says because body shape is not static.
Turner Reynolds
The Evolution of Accepted Body Type this refers to the fact that someone is ugly, strange, and/ or fat.” If potatoes have such bad connotation, then why on earth would teens compare themselves to the vegetable? This all has to do with the accepted body images thrown upon all ages, especially this generation. Although this may be used sarcastically, body image does impact mental health, especially the young impressionable minds of today’s teens. Many studies have connected negative body image to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. In most cases, the subjects were not even overweight. The real problem is the body image the world places upon them, not the people themselves. Lifespan found that
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said to be totally attainable with a special diet or harsh workout regiment. Because the media is everywhere and in everything, it makes it nearly impossible to escape so that these visions are all around us.
sizing.” Forbes Magazine describes vanity sizing as, “the labeling of clothes with sizes smaller than the actual cut of the items.” This gives a perfect explanation for Monroe’s astonishing changes in size and the changes in body image.
At a glance, this may seem harmless, but it has a real power to tear people down. And as loved as it is, social media has a huge part in this. This is why body shape and image is even more important now than it was years ago because social media has such a big affect on it.
Human beings always feel the need to be the best, the smallest, the fittest. Clothing companies realize this and take advantage of our selfish needs. As time has gone on, especially with this new generation, sizes have slowly gotten bigger and bigger. So much that in Monroe’s case, what once was an 16 is now an 8.
Body image is internal and external. It’s a personal and societal problem. Social media projects strong views on how we look. It allows us to see every move, every body change, and every time someone is called perfect. We see things we like and think are perfect in others and then try to find them in ourselves, when we do not, that is when self-esteem decreases.
Monroe actually weighed close to 115-120 pounds, which is very close to supermodel Kendall Jenner’s 115 pound frame. This is not
Magazines, television, and social media all project an unrealistic vision of things that are
Our generation can start this movement. To stop comparing ourselves to these impossible visions, to stop trying to change our body shape, to stop emphasizing numbers, and to stop questioning our beauty. We can only rid the world of some of these upsettingly unrealistic images when we accept ourselves and our beauty. Because it has always been so important, although more so now, the world will never be fully rid of the strangling effects of body image. Shapes will change, diets will change; because that is what the world is, mobile and always moving. The world is not perfect, how can we expect to be? But we cannot expect that of ourselves, because we, too, are not perfect.
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Picture Social Media: A Bittersweet Reality By: Lily Stewart
Most popular social media sites in the past 13 years.
Over 75% of all internet users use social media today. Eleven years ago, only 7% of American adults used social media sites. Social media is a type of online communication used to create, share, or exchange information available to anyone.Today, social media affects our lives in many ways; sometimes without us knowing. Social media sites affect education, society, relationships, advertising, job professions, etc. However, it’s not always for the best. What’s the Point? Social media is used in many different ways. It was initially used for communication between people in different locations. How-
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ever, it can be used in many other ways. Today, social media is used in relationships, sharing news, advertising, and jobs. Social media has a huge part in advertising. Almost all of advertising involves social media. Sponsorships are used on sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Everything from beauty to food to sports is advertised. 50 years ago, online dating would’ve been considered strange and out of the ordinary. In today’s society, online dating has become quite common. Sites such as Tinder and OkCupid aid users in attempts to match singles up by similar interests and hobbies. Social media is also used to
simply catch up on what’s going on in the world. Topics such as politics, technology advances, etc are shared to keep Americans up to date with the rest of the world. In today’s society, social media can be considered job occupation. YouTube, a video-sharing website, pays its users who post videos based on the amount of views they receive. Also, companies ask YouTubers to mention their products in a video in order to create publicity for that brand. In return, the brands will pay them for their services. If someone is successful enough, YouTube’s contribution and sponsorships can be enough to make a living. Evolution of Social Media: Social media has come a long way from connecting real world friends. Everyday social media continues to add more users. Social media didn’t get started until the early 2000’s. Some call it the modern era of social media. At that time, over 100 million people had access to the Internet. The first social media site was Friendster, a social gaming site released in 2002. Many other sites were created after that such as LinkedIn, MySpace, and Facebook, which is still popular today. It wasn’t until 2006 when social media took off. Facebook had gained 12 million active users. Facebook is a social networking website that is still one of the most used sites today. As of early 2015, Facebook had accumulated 1.44 billion users. It allows people to create profiles, upload photos and video, and send messages. This lets people keep in touch with family and friends.
media. Today, over 75% of all internet users are apart of a social media site. Not only has social media changed in its audience, it has also technologically advanced greatly over the years. At first, one could only send messages back and forth. Today, people are able to post pictures, videos, gifs, audio recordings, and more. It is safe to say social media has advanced for the better. A Closer Look: Some of the most popular social media sites used today are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Facebook allows users to send privates messages, post status updates, and like/dislike other’s posts. One can share photos, links, videos, and more. Twitter is primarily used to post short, concise messages or “tweets.” Users are able to discover news and favorite/retweet posts, and send private messages. Instagram was originally used to share photos. Advances have allowed videos to also be shared. Photos and videos can be edited with filters and custom settings such as adjusting the brightness, saturation, highlights, shadows, exposure, and cast. Media can be captioned and shared. Lastly, Snapchat is a fun messaging app. Users can take photos and videos, and then add a caption with a doodle or filter. lens graphic over top. These pictures/videos can only last up to 10 seconds and then disappear. These can be privately sent to one another or can be posted to one’s “story” which allows all of one’s friends to view it for 24 hours. Advances such a snap streaks count the days two users have consecutively messaged each other.
More recent social media sites include, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, and Vine. Twitter, the second most used social Not all Fun and Games: media site, allows users to post short 140-charThere are both negative and positive acter messages called “tweets.’ In 2005 only effects of social media. It is a great way for 8% of the American population used social people to contact others. Communication
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used. Social media can help spread messages for communities, life-threatening diseases, disasters, and more. Social media can help spread awareness and keep people aware. Down to the Facts: In a survey conducted at Woodford County High School results showed that 95% of students and faculty members had a social media account. 22% of them were adults while the remaining 78% of them were students. 33.6% of them reported to use their social media accounts 1-2 hours a day while 20.8% of them said they spent 3-4 hours on
Infographic
seem as if social media would get in the way of their education. 30% said it had a negative effect while 24% said it had no effect. When asked how social media affected today’s society, 37% said it was neutral and 38% said it was negative. While social media can bring positive attention to things, it tends to do more harm than good. A lot has changed over time; especially technology and the tolls it has on our everyday lives. Social media is a link of communication that connects countries, communities, religions, and so much more. Without social
Key:
Cyberbullying is constantly happening. Social media has made it easier for people to bully others because it’s through the Internet. It seems like a less direct approach to harm someone. The individuals are not face to face, therefore, it’s easier for people to harass others. Cyberbullying can lead to suicide, depression, self-harm, and more. The reality is is that cyberbullying isn’t any less harmful, if not more, than bullying in person. Social media has also lead to decreased activity. Education is also negatively affected by social media, Students are having a harder time communicating with others. They are
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more used to spending more time talking behind a screen. Because online communication is not proper, attention to details, pronunciation and grammar has drastically decreased. Social media is also a major distraction to students. People are interested in knowing what’s going on with their friends or family. It is human nature to want to be involved in other people’s business. This has caused student’s overall performance to decline. Social media sets unrealistic realities for people. This is best seen in the fashion industry. Magazines, large name brands, bill-
Photo Courtesy of Twitter
Photo Courtesy of Snapchat
wouldn’t be possible between people who have never met or are in different locations. It is also a great way for people who live far apart to communicate with each other easily and effectively. Businesses are able to connect with a wide variety of customers. You have the whole world at your fingertips. However, along with this comes privacy issues and cyberbullying. When one makes a profile, information about this individual is available to anyone. Information such as age, gender, location, likes/dislikes, etc. are shared. This puts anyone on the Internet at risk of possible identity theft, and predators.
Gray- None Blue- Less than 1 hr. Purple- 1-2 hours Pink- 3-4 hours Green-5-6 hours Maroon- 6+ hours Black- No social media
boards, etc. share media that portrays the “perfect” image of women and men. Today, many people associate being beautiful with being very thin, blonde, blue eyes, and a perfect complexion. This is not realistic for everyone.We have social media to thank for these impractical standards. When people see this, they immediately think they have to alter themselves to fit society’s idea of being desirable. This is not beneficial to the mentality of people. However, it all depends on how it’s used. Social media has a great influence on people’s everyday lives; regardless of how it’s
it daily. However 16% claimed to use their social media for 5-6+ hours a day. Surprisingly 24.8% of Research found that Instagram is the most used social media site in the school with 78.4% of responders with an account. Snapchat is the second most used with 67.2% of people with an account. When asked why people had social media accounts, some of the most frequent responses were for entertainment and to keep up with friends and family. Surprisingly, 2 out of 5 people said social media does not have a negative effect on their education. While today’s generation is consumed in all things technology, it would
media the world would not be what it today. Just like anything else in today’s society, there’s two sides to it; a negative and positive side. Social media is used both ways. It’s safe to say social media will continue to evolve and greatly impact the lives of future generations.
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tions, also contribute to today’s scientific research. An example of this is the improved technology of radiation, has given us better knowledge. Medical advances would be nowhere near where it is today without the help of contributing factors, such as war, educated leaders, and technological advancement.
Genetically Modified Generation By: Bekah Hall There’s one thing in your life that has been with you since birth. It is challenging, harming, helpful, and a necessity. Although it can kill you, you can’t live without it. This is medical knowledge. Because the speed of science is progressively slow, each milestone in medical advances is substantial. Over the past decade, medicine has made great leaps and bounds. From bionic limbs, to stem cell research, medicine has definitely changed the lives of society for the better. Through research studies and newly discovered illnesses, we have greatly improved the life of mankind and the aspirations of our fu-
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Hippocrates stated, “war is the only proper school for a surgeon.” Hippocrates was a greek physician and considered one of the most significant figures in the history of medicine. The quote still applies today, because without these medical breakthroughs, we wouldn’t be nearly where we are today. Between A syringe is pictured above. Invented in 1844, by Irish physician, Francis psychological distress Rynd, the hollow needle. to severed limbs, war ture generations. New discoveries are growing has greatly influenced today’s scientific knowlexponentially, as found knowledge opens new edge. doors. These medical advances would not be Contrary to popular belief, more soldiers possible without medical influences, new medidied of disease than injury. War pushes medicine today, and mistakes made in medicine. cal innovation forward, or refocuses research Medical Influences As new scientific research is discovered, the medical world is opened to many more branches of knowledge. Obviously, medicine or scientific research wouldn’t be where is is today without new found illnesses, such as influenza or newly discovered cancers. Better diagnoses of previously discovered diseases, including radiation and immuniza-
into specific conditions. War also greatly increased the demand for medical providers, such as nurses, surgeons, and physicians, which opened the medical field to new minded perspectives. As more people are introduced to the medical field, new ideas are brought to the table. War creates more of an immediate treatment plan, leading to fewer deaths. War generated a new understanding of medicine, that helped
the medical field improve its diagnoses and treatments. A second contribution to medical knowledge today, is educated leaders. Cures, vaccinations, diagnoses, medications, surgery, and research could not have been possible today without knowledgeable people. While there so many people who have contributed to today’s medical knowledge, a select few changed the medical field permanently. Many of these leaders include: Alois Alzheimer, responsible for the diagnosis of dementia/ Alzheimer’s; Charles Drew, know for finding methods of storing blood plasma for blood transfusions; and Peter Agre, known for discovery of protein aquaporin, later leading to significant medical breakthroughs. These are only a few of so many medical leaders that have contributed to today’s medical knowledge. Another large contribution to today’s medical knowledge is the huge improvements of today’s technology. One of these technological advancements is 3-D printers. Physicians can use these devices to print life-size tumors, body parts, and organs, along with so many other uses. These printers are used by programming objects on a computer and then printed out with specific measurements. Another improved technology is robotic check-ups, that allow patients to be treated consistently and in a shorter amount of time. Lastly, wearable technology, such as Google Glass, allows physicians to further research patients conditions, in hopes of changing the shape of science. Google glass is basically all technology needed, but in a pair of glasses. This is influential, because physicians can be linked into the outer world, with just a small device during surgeries. These small advancements are a gateway to new treatments and greater diagnoses. These contributions have all influenced medicine in magnificent ways, and open the gateway for many other, future medical advancements.
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New Medicine Today As new technologies and illnesses appear, new research and cures are found. So many medical breakthroughs have taken place in just the last decade. As new names come through the medical field, along with new found research, treatments improve, to best cure these diseases. Obviously, none of these improvements could be made without the initial contributions to medicine. Each discovery leads to many more doors. One of these newly discovered breakthroughs is the Human Genome Project. In April of 2003, a complete draft of all genes
Although, some may overlook it, the smoke free laws, were put in place to ban smoking inside public areas. In 2003, 75 cities in the U.S. prohibited smoking in workplaces/public. Now, 28 states ban indoor smoking, to better improve air quality and prevent against related health problems, including lung and heart disease. This changed the acceptability of smoking in the U.S. Lastly, bionic limbs have been discovered to improve bodily movement for those that don’t have limbs for a particular reason. In 2013, the bionic hand was first drafted. These limbs can be positioned and controlled by devices that are compatible to Bluetooth software. These advancements have changed the life of so
research is found. Although these illnesses are cured, many new illnesses have come. In some circumstances, cures have actually created deadly illnesses. For instance, antibiotics, drugs used to fight infections and infectious diseases caused by bacteria, made from living organisms, can sometimes, if not consumed properly, create an immunity to these antibodies or create bacterias in people. One disadvantage of newly discovered medicine, is the increase in prices. Obviously, general prices have reached record highs, as there is a higher demand. Medicine is arguably one of the most demanded necessities, mak-
Google Glass is used by doctors to better understand patients and
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which defeats the purpose of a doctor. As new physicians are trained, they aren’t taught some of the basics, and rely on computers, rather than common sense. An example of this, is Google Glass. Surgeons may rely on what a robot is telling them, rather than what they have been taught. Exposure dangers from radiation therapy and CT scans is another disadvantage of medical advances. Life-saving radiation therapy, can lead to devastating consequences, if not careful. An example of this is simple X-Rays. Physicians use X-Rays, to better comprehend conditions in patients. Eventually, the radiation from these X-Rays can place too much radia-
Most everyday technology is used in medical centers, including iPads. These are frequently used by nurses, as easy filing devices.
that make up the human DNA was found. This helped further research for genes containing disease, leading to cures. Looking into the future, this will lead to a Human Microbiome project, to help better understand bacteria on organisms.
many people with disorders and injuries. This advacement has changed the future of medical disorders and injuries in magnificant measures, giving the hopeless a bright future. Disadvantages of Medical Advancement
ing its prices rise substantially. With the higher need for medicine, there comes a price. This is the reason for cancer, and other medical donation organizations. Without medicine, we wouldn’t have life; Therefore, huge measures go into funding medicine.
Another substantial leap in the medical field includes Stem Cell Research. Stem cells can be programmed to be any type of cell in the body. This helps cure disease and repair tissue, such as skin cells, that can repair burn victims.
Technology provides benefits to patients, but also brings significant risks to patients. With so many health technologies being used, it can be difficult for hospitals to prioritize their safety efforts.
Another disadvantage to new medical knowledge, is an over-dependency on technology. As new physicians are trained in up-to-date medical schools, they tend to rely too much on these new technologies.
In 2006, the first human papillomavirus, a HPV vaccine, was approved by the FDA, to help prevent HPV. The vaccine was prescripted to 3 injections, in 6 months.
As you know, you can only succeed by learning from mistakes. If you know medicine, many mistakes take place. As generations pass, many illnesses become easier to cure, as new
Living the 21st century, it isn’t uncommon to experience technical errors. When majority of new physicians can’t work successfully, without computers, they won’t be able to treat patients,
tion in your body, leading to cancer. This is why it is prudent to only use these machines when you absolutely have to. In conclusion, while medicine positively influences society today, it can also become extremely fatal if not used properly. When it comes to medicine, it is literally life or death. This is why physicians must be trained intently to a certain specialty.
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