All-nighterszz
Many students are staying up all night to keep up with assignments and midterms. But burning the midnight oil is a good way to get burned.
Story by R. Adam Ward
trying to finish up final papers and studying for final exams or midterms can lead to health disasters.
Kisa Wheaton knows. She tried to do it last semester.
The Manhattan junior said she had been taking 18 hours of classes, including some at the graduate level. She also was working from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. several nights a week at Kaspar's Bar and Grill, 3115 W. Sixth St. She was taking pictures for University Relations a few days each week, too.
She said that her schedule usually was to go to work study for a few hours and then go out for a drink around midnight. Then she would get a few hours sleep and start again.
"I know it wasn't very smart, but I just needed something to relax me," she said.
After one week of studying for finals, Wheaton had a 105-degree fever and couldn't keep down my food. She went to Watkins Memorial Health Center to find out what was wrong with her, she said.
"The doctor told me to take a deep breath, and I started dry heaving," she said. "It was nightmarish."
The doctors put her in a wheelchair and as they were wheeling her down the hall, she couldn't hold her head up straight or focus on anything without feeling nauseous, she said.
They took her to a darkened room where another patient was dry heaving in the other bed.
Wheaton said the sound of it had made her feel even sicker.
When she got to the room the doctors jabbed her arm repeatedly, trying to find a vein for an I.V. he said. But it was extremely difficult for them to find a vein because Wheaton was so dehydrated.
Because she lives by herself, she lost all concept of time while she was sick, but she estimated it had been 12 hours since she last had drank a glass of water, she said.
Wheaton stayed at Watkins from 8:30 a.m. until around 5 p.m. when a friend picked her up.
She didn't know how many bags of
fluid the doctors at Watkins administered intravenously to her, but they did make her finish a Gatorade drink box before she left. Wheaton said. She could barely keep the drink down, but she forced herself to do it so she could leave.
Many people have had bad experiences after staying up all night to study for a midterm or final exam, said Richard Beamon, physician at Lawrence Occupational Health and Prompt Care, 3500 Clinton Parkway.
People who use stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine to stay awake increase their risk of health problems he said. These two substances cause the stomach to produce excess amount of acid. If someone repeats this behavior enough times, it could lead to stomach problems such as gastritis and ulcers. Beamon said that one of the most serious problems with sleep deprivation
This behavior also often is self-defeating. Beamon said.
If you stay up all night before an exam, you tend not to be as alert during the
test. This is especially tr later in the day.
However, many University trac cause for studi finish projects.
Gaylord Richardson, sor of architecture, said he thought of the reason that architecture students have a reputation for pulling all-nighters might be because of the type of people who are interested in architecture.
Richardson had read studies that found that architecture attracted students who sought open-ended rather than closed problems he said. One
But many architecture students find it impossible to manage their time well enough to avoid all-nighters.
old, St. Louis, senior and student, said there had three years ago when he had three days in a new for school
was almost delirious," Dornfeld said. "I was walking home with a friend, and I would answer questions with something completely different than what we were talking about."
10 stay awake, Dornfield usually uses caffeine and listens to music, he said.
It also is easier to stay awake when you are surrounded by an entire studio full of people,he said.
Beamon said students were lucky because they were young enough that their systems recovered quickly from sleep deprivation.
But he said there was no safe way to stay awake all night, unless you slept during the day.
He recommends taking a nap the day before going a long period without sleep. He also advises at least two to
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March 4,1996
Muppets manhandle multimedia markets
Corporate pirate Kermit the Frog turning up everywhere. Fozzie Bear says, "Wakka, Wakka!"
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — There's a moment in Muppet Treasure Island when Kermit and Fozzie Bear are surrounded by pirates, and despite impressive swordplay, things look grim, especially when a huge, beast-like pirate almost kills them.
But as anyone who grew up watching The Muppet Show knows, Sweetums has a heart of gold.
"Hey, you're supposed to be on the other side!" Kermit protests.
With a swipe of his paw, he knocks out the entire pirate front line.
Jim Henson Productions has been getting similar reactions lately from the biggest sharks in show business, which are financing joint ventures after years of trying to swallow the Muppet-maker. Now the company has projects with major television networks and has more money than it has had in its 40 years.
"Are you kidding? I love you guys!" Sweet-ness says.
"We've become a very attractive partner," said Brian Henson, who took charge as president after his father, Jim Henson, died in May 1980.
The business was bad a few years ago. A
"We really didn't want to sell. I think that confused the industry at a time when companies such as ours were jumping at the opportunity of selling." he said.
"Huge entertainment conglomerates were trying to purchase us," Henson said. Wearing a ponytail and a bright orange shirt, Henson, 32, looks nothing like the corporate chieftains with whom he was battling.
$150 million buyout Jim Henson had negotiated with the Walt Disney Co. fell through after his death, and finding television and film outlets became difficult.
"We enjoy being a family held company. We benefit from the wonderful culture within our corporation that's very different from publicly held companies," Henson said.
Henson Productions is not a typical entertainment company. Owned by the five Henson children, it has only about 200 employees, doesn't release financial data and is immune from short-term pressures.
Cheryl is a Henson vice president. Lisa is president of Sony's Columbia Pictures subsidiary and an active Henson board member. John does puppeteering, including Sweetums.
Heather, the youngest, is building puppets
for a new show on ABC, Muppets Tonight!
Charles Rivknd is the co-president and handles the business side. Frank Oz is a member of the board and performs Miss Piggy and other characters. Steve Whitmire performs Kermit.
"For us it's all about making sure we're enjoying our lives," Brian said.
Henson Productions gives Capital Cities/ABC half the profits in exchange for providing financing and handling syndication. Henson Productions keeps the rights to its characters and licensing and is free to pitch the shows to other networks and cable companies.
"ABC gets first look, but we can place our programs anywhere," Henson said.
Now the Muppets seem to be everywhere.
show the Muppets seem to be everywhere. *Muppet Treasure Island* is in theaters, and stores are selling Kermits, books and even a CD-ROM game based on the movie. Starting Friday, prime-time will be Henson time on ABC, with Muppets Tonight!, a show like The Muppet Show of 15 years ago, and Aliens in the Family, a sitcom.
Other ventures this year include Gulliver's Travels on NBC, a Dr. Seuss show on Nickelodeon this summer and a live-action film version of Into the Woods, the musical
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by Stephen Sondheim. Of course, Jim Henson's Creature Shop in London and the Muppet Workshop in New York City also provide Muppets for the Children's Television Workshop, including CTW's latest venture, a Russian version of *Sesame Street*.
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People now wonder what happened to family values, and the need for Muppets is greater, Henson said.
"Because that's what the Muppets do. They're always pointing to the heart of the situation. The Muppets are about bringing eccentric characters together, who have different needs and different goals and watching them crash, but watching them sort it out in an absurd but
"I would say the '60s were not Muppet-friendly," Henson says. "It was about being cool and competitive, and there was little soul."
"We're plugged into computers, and we've stopped talking to each other." Henson said. "People are taking a step back and saying, 'Wait a second, what happened to our souls?' That's when the Muppets are in their element.
loving way, where they learn to love and respect each other for their differences and not for their similarities."
Muppets don't try to undermine each other, or seek revenge, Henson said.