Volume II Issue VIII: February 10, 2017 |
OPINION |
Next Issue: February 24, 2017 |
Column: Just Speaking My TruthLove Like a Child By LAURYN BEST
On Oct.15, 2015, a woman had seemingly witnessed a black male breaking into a car and stealing it. She called 911 and proceeded to follow the man so he wouldn’t get away with the crime. This man was Lawrence Crosby, a PhD student at Northwestern University, and he was actually fixing a loose part of his car when the witness spotted him and proceeded to call the police. Evanston police arrived on the scene and when Crosby stepped out of the car, four police officers tackled the student to the ground beating him mercilessly. On the recording of the 911 call made that night, the witness can be heard frantically telling the operator these chilling words: “I didn’t mean to like racially profile”. Racial Profiling can be defined as “the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense.” Though these cases are mostly talked about in regards to African Americans they are not exclusive to them. A Syrian friend of mine’s endless stories of being “randomly selected” every time her family goes to the airport is testament to this. In actuality, since 9/11 there have only been 2 muslim terrorists on American planes. According to Bruce Schneier, a contributor for Forbs, this means the chance of a Muslim flyer committing a terrorist attack is “one in 80 million”*. In a study conducted by Mother Jones magazine, “64% of mass shootings committed since 1982 have been conducted by white males”**... |
Lunch Lines Cause ConflictBy VINCENT GALVAN
Ever since elementary school, there has always been a lunch line. At school, there are students that pay for their lunch and there are some that do not. Every student that wants lunch all have to get in line, and the first ones in line usually get the better food. I find it unfair that the students that pay for their lunch can end up with the least desired meal. There should be a system that lets students who pay for their lunch be able to get in the cafeteria more quickly to get their lunch like fast passes in amusement parks. For example, students who pay for their lunch could get a pass that would allow them to go to the cafeteria faster. Another example would be to allow students to have a sticker at the back of their student ID card that they can show to allow them to pass the line. To acquire a pass, the school could distribute their passes before the school year starts at process when students come in to pick up their schedule and textbooks. Lastly, during lunch, students can show the security guards their pass to allow them to enter the cafeteria to get their lunch During my freshmen year at REV, a security guard had to watch over my class while the teacher was out. For being good, he gave my entire class lunch passes which even permitted the pass holder to take one friend with them. It was so simple, one just had to show the security guard at front of the line their pass and they just walk in without waiting in line. From my personal observation, it did not cause an impediment in the lunch lines nor did anyone complain. There are less students who pay for their lunch that line up so, giving them passes would not cause a big problem. |
Yu-Gi-Oh: Dark Side of Dimensions Exceeds ExpectationsBy JAYLEN ALLAN
Yugioh is an old anime that has had many different but equally entertaining series through the years, but this movie tops all of them put together. It is a quality movie with plenty of dueling and action packed suspense. It starts with an excavation in Egypt for an item known as the millennium puzzle for a man named Seto Kaiba, so he can bring it back and duel a pharaoh known by the name of Atem. He must do this to earn his rightful title as “King of Games” which was taken from him 2 years prior by the pharaoh in the Battle City tournament. He wants to earn the title back, but a year before a young high schooler named Yugi Muto defeated the Pharaoh in a duel and sent the pharaoh to the spirit world where he belonged. Seto Kaiba finally found the puzzle and tries to assemble it, but a character named Aigami takes the last 2 pieces needed to complete it. Aigami gives one piece to his younger sister who gives it to Yugi for safe keeping. Kaiba then holds a tournament to get the pieces and battle the pharaoh, but as the the battle began Yugi revealed that the pharaoh was gone and wasn't coming back. Kaiba assumed he was lying and tried to end the duel. In my opinion on the movie was a 10/10 due to the fact that it had a great storyline and the likeness to the characters from years ago. All in all it was a great movie |
By CAMERON KROETZ
Fake News. These words have become the new buzzword in news and politics. People on both sides of the aisle, such as Governor John Kasich and former President Barack Obama, have spoken out against fake news calling it a detriment to democracy and freedom. Several fake news stories surfaced in 2016 and early 2017 that potentially altered the course of politics and American life. One particular story that came out of Florida on a conservative blog called WesternJournalism.com incorrectly reported that Democrats in the Florida State Senate unanimously passed a bill enforcing Sharia Law. This is a system of laws found in the Qur’an that advocates stoning adulterous women, requiring to women wear full burqua dresses and veils, and taking away voting rights for women. Almost immediately people began sharing the article and ranting about how Democrats were out to take away women’s rights, and the rights of Christians. The story, though proven false, convinced many people in Florida and around the country that Florida Democrats were trying to usurp American values; this quite possibly changed many votes and might have altered the outcome of the 2016 election. Another story that took off online and on social media was a tweet from a fake British sportscaster Simon Rowntree that claimed a crowd at a Trump Rally on election night in Manhattan was chanting : “we hate Muslims, we hate Blacks, we want our great country back!” This tweet caused outrage on Twitter with thousands of Twitter users quoting the tweet and putting in their opinion of this “news” without bothering to check if the story came from a reliable source. Stories like this give people the confirmation bias that they desire so many will retweet and share without checking their sources. This story, like the story about Sharia Law has the potential to change opinions and votes, giving fake news the power to alter the future of the American Democracy... |
Laughing at Death By SAVANNA PATINO
It seems to be a trend on social media, especially among teenagers and young “adults,” to jokingly make comments regarding death. I get it- the concept of one day leaving this Earth and going who-knows-where is scary and something everyone has to deal with. Death is a commonality between all people on Earth, regardless of sex, race, religion, or anything else, and the funniest jokes arise from concepts everyone can understand. But, how funny is death? It is true that there are a multitude of ways to cope with grief or deal with the unknown, one of these ways being humor. It is said that laughter is the best medicine, and whether you are dealing with the loss of a loved one or have never been that close to death, joking about the unknown may bring some peace. But, there is a line that must be drawn. The biggest trend is joking about suicide- specifically joking about someone killing themselves as a quick solution or as a casual statement in passing. For example, “We have school tomorrow; let me just go kill myself.” I am not sure when it happened or how it happened, but at some point it became okay, and even humorous, to post so casually about something so serious. Here are some statistics: “In the United States, the rate of suicide has continued to rise since the 1950s” (Brent). More people in the general population die from suicide than drunk driving in America. “There are over 30,000 suicides each year in the United States, or about 82 each day; and each day about 1,500 people attempt suicide” (Brent). According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. However, it is the second leading cause of death in adolescents (age 12-18)... |