Nine schools from around the LA Unified School District assembled at City Hall to celebrate the first annual Youth for Human Rights Day in the City of Los Angeles.

Declared "Youth for Human Rights Day International" by Mayor James Hahn, the event was attended by more than 600 youth.

Lynsey Bartilson of WB's Grounded for Life emceed the event, which was sponsored by Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI), an outreach project of the International Foundation of Human Rights and Tolerance in partnership with the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles.

Councilman Martin Ludlow addressed the students, giving an inspirational story on his own experiences facing discrimination, and why it is important for youth to understand and insist on human rights for themselves and others.

Each school held an essay writing contest on "Why Human Rights are Important" with the winner having the chance to read their essay at City Hall. In her prize-winning essay, Yanet of Kittridge Elementary School wrote: "Maybe one person can make a difference. If I am responsible, others will also be, and we can make our world a better place."

When Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wolfertz participated in his Marine Corps unit’s attack on the Iraqis in Kuwait two days before the official start of the Desert Storm ground offensive, he achieved his objective of clearing the way for the 1st Marine Division’s mechanized armor assault.

He appeared to be unscathed. However, long after the shooting stopped he experienced unexplained and intermittent lower-back pain and a foot rash.

Over the following months, his list of complaints grew to include multiple muscle, joint and tendon pains, fatigue, headaches, short-term memory loss and sleeping problems. It was an extreme turn of events for someone who had been in excellent health six months earlier and who had not been hit by a single round of enemy fire.

LOS ANGELES - The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health watchdog, supports Senator John Ensign's (R-NV) introduction of federal legislation on July 10th, requiring states to establish policies that prohibit school personnel from insisting a child to take psychotropic medication as a condition of attending school.

LOS ANGELES - A Superior Court jury in Santa Clara County, California found psychiatrist Cecil Bradley civilly liable for failing to prevent a patient's violent crime.

For five years Dr. Bradley treated Bryan Christopher Vaca, who had a history of psychiatric troubles, substance abuse and an obsession with hurting and/or killing others with his vehicle. State regulations require doctors and mental health professionals to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles if their patients are incapable of driving safely, which Dr. Bradley failed to do.

One of my twins is what you might call "the active type." He'd rather run than walk. He'd rather talk or sing than be quiet. The only time he sits still is when he's sleeping, and even then, he's restless.

One of my greatest fears has been that Alex's high-wired personality would be misinterpreted. And that someday, the word "Ritalin" would emerge during a parent-teacher conference.

"It is widely over-prescribed," said Jim Whittenburg, a self-described troublemaker who retired as a Portland pharmacist in 2000. "I wanted to tell patients the drug was unwise and dangerous. I couldn't counsel them the way I thought they should be counseled."

But now, a growing lobby of parents is waking up to the alarming studies. It's estimated that as many as 8 million of our children are on psychotropic drugs. Yet, Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine -- all treatments for hyperactivity -- produce effects that are nearly identical to cocaine, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Plus, there is little research on the stimulants' long-term effects.