Category Archives: News

The Butterfly Effect

Have you ever heard that the flap of a butterfly’s wing could make a hurricane if it flapped at the certain time? Well, some may say it’s not true, but this is the theory behind the butterfly effect.

The butterfly effect is when one small decision, or action, may lead to an unforeseen chain of events. The term came from Edward Lorenz when he was doing experiments with a weather machine, where a small change in the speed of the wind affected the damage brought by the wind. The butterfly effect is strongly tied in with chaos theory, which states that a small event can lead to a catastrophic chain of events.

The butterfly effect has inspired movie producers by the mysterious way it works. Screen writers and producers, Eric Bess and J. Mackye Gruber released the film, The Butterfly Effect which has several endings depending on which version you see. The movie stars Ashton Kutcher who plays a 20 year old college student who finds out he has the power to go back in time and go into his old body to relieve bad mistakes from the past but soon finds out each little change has a big impact for when he goes back to the present.

When people hear about the butterfly effect there is often controversy around the fact if it’s real or not. Since the effect is something that is triggered by a small change, there is no indication that a big event would have been caused by it often causing people to dismiss the effect. All in all, the butterfly effect is a powerful but yet mysterious thing in society.

Starbucks closes for racial-bias training

Two men who had entered a Starbucks in Philadelphia were arrested after trying to use the restroom in the establishment. An employee had refused to allow them to enter, or use the restroom, because they had not bought anything from Starbucks. Soon after sitting down, the employee told them to leave, before calling the police. Once the police officials had arrived they soon arrested the two men. At that time, another person, Andrew Yaffe, confronted the police officers and asked, “But what did they do? What did they do? Someone tell me what they did?”

From the narration of Rashon Nelson; he and his friend were at Starbucks to meet a business associate. He wanted to use the restroom but was refused, and was told it was for paying customers only. So, he and his friend sat back down and waited until the business associate came. They hadn’t ordered anything because they had bottled water, and this was when employees had dialed 911, and police officials showed up to the scene shortly after.

Many people after hearing/seeing the story, started to try and bring awareness towards the racism in society, especially towards Starbucks. Many people were happy to hear that Starbucks was taking action, but they hated how they’re only taking half a day to “learn” about racial bias. People believe that taking half a day would not address the problem of racism and how they caused the arrest of two men because of how they were African-American.

This event was a moment of racial bias, where the two African-American men were disrespected and not allowed to do normal things by a white man. Racial bias in the world is huge, not only does it affect the rest of the world, and countries, etc., it is also affecting people, families, children in the U.S. Children have been bullied for having different colored skin, for being “black,” or “Asian,” or foreign.

One way or another, people will always be racist, because people will always be judging others, in everyday life. No one will forget about it and will always use race, skin color, or ancestry as an excuse to hate/discriminate against people.

Starbucks had announced this incident as racial/implicit bias, but really it was just racism. Starbucks had then decided to close all Starbucks in the U.S. for a racial bias training. Believing that teaching their employee’s/staff about racial bias would stop them from enacting these events in the future.

“It’s not just a black people thing. This is a people thing. And that’s exactly what we want to see out of this, and that’s true change. … Put action into place” –  Rashon Nelson

Rashon was one of the two men arrested that day, and appeared on ABC’s, Good Morning America news to talk about the incident.

After the incident, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson had released a video explaing, what Starbucks would do to ensure that this incident would not happen again.

To view the video of Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson -https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2018/04/16/starbucks-ceo-meets-officials-after-philly-arrests/33906029/

Image taken from: https://countryclubplaza.com/merchant/starbucks/

The Trump’s administration’s first state dinner

The Trump administration held their first state dinner, in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron, on Tuesday, April 24. First Lady Melania Trump was the head organizer of the event, and it was a prime opportunity for her to prove herself. She chose not to bring in an outside event planner.

White House state dinners are a historical tradition. They are usually held in the State Dining Room (though larger ones, such as those held by Barack Obama, are held outside under tents) and are an opportunity for the President to meet with, and honor one or more foreign heads of state. According to the White House Historical Association, the first state dinner was held in 1874 by President Ulysses S. Grant to honor King David Kalakaua of the Kingdom of Hawaii. President Barack Obama held 13 state dinners during his tenure.

The Trump dinner was attended by around 150 people, none of whom were journalists or Congressional Democrats. It was decorated in a gold and cream color scheme. The menu for the dinner was in an American style, inspired by French cuisine. The first course featured goat cheese gateau, tomato jam, buttermilk biscuit crumbles, and young variegated lettuces. The main course featured rack of spring lamb, burnt cipollini soubise, and Carolina gold rice jambalaya. For dessert, they ate nectarine tart and crème fraîche ice cream. Fox News reported that for entertainment, Mrs. Trump opted for the Washington National Opera over popstars, as was done for most of the Obama administration’s state dinners.

Following a less formal dinner with the Macrons, at Mount Vernon (the home of George Washington), on Monday night, the First Lady greeted the Macrons on Tuesday morning dressed in a white Michael Kors skirt and blazer, and a Hervé Pierre hat. For the dinner, she wore a Chanel Haute Couture dress, which received great praise from many media outlets, including CNN, for its elegance.

ABC News reported that the President used the toast as an opportunity to thank his wife, saying “To America’s absolutely incredible first lady, thank you for making this an evening we will always cherish and remember. Thank you, Melania.”

But, though it was elegant, the Trumps’ first state dinner was not without argument. Trump lambasted the Iran deal, which he is against and Macron is for. The Iran deal is an agreement reached in 2015 between Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, Germany, and the totality of the European Union, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for limiting their nuclear program until 2025. Trump opposes it because he believes it is inadequate; having no control over Iran’s development of ballistic missiles and other non-nuclear weapons and their behavior in the Middle East (i.e., supporting Islamist terrorist organizations), and for its temporary time frame. He blasted the deal, calling it “insane” and “ridiculous.” However, as CNN reported, Trump seemed more amenable in a news conference afterwards, saying “We can be flexible. You know, in life you have to be flexible, and as leaders of countries, you have to show flexibility.” After the dinner, it is unclear what the fate of the Iran deal will be.

In one particularly memorable moment of the dinner, according to The Hill, President Trump brushed a piece of “dandruff” off of Emmanuel Macron’s shoulder, saying “They’re all saying what a great relationship we have, and they’re actually correct. We do have a very special relationship. In fact, I’ll get that little piece of dandruff off — we have to make him perfect. He is perfect.” The President of France laughed.

The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal and the testimony of Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook, the world’s largest social media platform, has been under fire recently for a scandal involving data immorally obtained from its servers by the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. In 2014, Cambridge Analytica began collecting identifiable personal information from an alleged 87 million users, 70 million of which are Americans (according to Facebook). According to the BBC, though Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed in a recent testimony, before the U.S. Congress, that the data collected included only mundane things such as “public profile, page likes, birthday and current city,” the scandal, exposed by former Cambridge Analytica employee Christopher Wylie, has been enough to incite a nationwide conversation about privacy on the internet and consumers’ rights.

The Guardian has reported that Cambridge Analytica collected data in a dishonest method. The firm sent out a survey for allegedly “academic purposes” only, to which several hundreds of thousands of Facebook users consented. However, the survey collected information not only from the consenting users, but also from others in their social network. But, what is even more controversial is that this data was then sold to political groups, including the 2015 presidential campaign of Ted Cruz and politicians involved in the Brexit vote of 2016. Also, according to The New York Times, the data was detailed enough to develop psychographical profiles of its subjects, which could yield useful information to politicians on how to deliver their message to voters in different constituencies.

In the aftermath of the scandal, Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg have been very apologetic, calling it an “issue,” a “mistake” and a “breach of trust”; Cambridge Analytica have been less so. They maintain that the collected data amounts to that of only 30 million users, not 87.

It is also believed, by many on the left, that Cambridge Analytica played a crucial role in the election of President Donald Trump. Secret footage filmed by BBC’s Channel 4 News revealed bosses of the firm bragging about their role in his presidential campaign. Furthermore, a link has been drawn between Cambridge Analytica and the alleged efforts of the Kremlin in Trump’s campaign. Hillary Clinton has said, in Business Insider, “So you’ve got Cambridge Analytica, you’ve got the Republican National Committee — which, of course, had always done data collection and analysis — and you’ve got the Russians. And the real question is how did the Russians know how to target their messages so precisely to undecided voters in Wisconsin or Michigan or Pennsylvania; that is really the nub of the question. So if they were getting advice from, let’s say, Cambridge Analytica or someone else about ‘OK, here are the 12 voters in this town in Wisconsin — that’s whose Facebook pages you need to be on to send these messages,’ that indeed would be very disturbing.”

Clinton’s remarks about the dishonesty and creepiness of Cambridge Analytica and Facebook’s actions represent those of many Americans on either side of the political spectrum. According to CBS News, speaking on a recent poll about the scandal, “Eight in ten Americans who took the poll said they weren’t surprised to discover outside companies got hold of their data, and 63 percent believe their Facebook data is currently unsafe.”

According to The New York Times, in response to allegations of dishonesty, poor regulation, and monopoly, Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress on April 10 and 11. Though he stated that Russia and Cambridge Analytica are corporations that “seek to harm us and hack our democracy,” and, “Do we have a responsibility for the content people share on Facebook? I think the answer to that question is yes,” Zuckerberg offered evidence of no actual solutions for the crisis being implemented, and was hesitant to answer any significant proposals of reform with a yes or no answer. This is especially important seeing as the Cambridge Analytica data scandal is not the first political scandal Facebook has been involved in in recent years; there were also the “fake news” and hate speech controversies. Zuckerberg’s testimony was perhaps more entertaining than informative, with internet commentators and meme creators teasing “Zucc” for his use of a booster seat and his alleged “reptilian” appearance mannerisms, especially on the social media network Reddit.

Vox reports that a civil rights movement is building against Facebook and it is uncertain how much the company is willing to give. Many protesters claim that Facebook’s virtual monopoly on social media (owning the three largest networks in the company, with Instagram and Facebook Messenger) justifies government intervention. Many individual Americans have sued Facebook in their county for infringements relating to the scandal. But, something even bigger is on the horizon: on Thursday, as reported by The Guardian, a joint US/UK class-action lawsuit was filed against Facebook, Cambridge Analytics and two other companies for using individuals’ private information for “political propaganda campaigns.” Even after the repealing of net neutrality laws last December, the future of consumer rights online may not be so bleak.

The Liberian immigration

On Wednesday March 28, 2018, the Liberian community had a walkout to the state capital. This walkout was based on the new law that the president passed on Liberian immigration status. The law says that all Liberian immigrants, with no documents, will have to relocate back to Liberia, by March of next year, 2019.

During this walkout, we had some people talk about how the new law had affected them in different ways, and people also talked about how it may cause problems for their families.

The walk was from Brooklyn Park to the capital, and it was almost twenty miles. The estimated number of people was about three hundred. I talked to some of the people that were involved in the walkout, and had some people share their thoughts about how they felt.

According to one of the people, whose name is, Mary Johnson,“I came here during the civil war and my kids been here all their lives and currently I have a sixteen-year-old daughter to take care of. I am also a single mother that has to take care of six children, and my husband died after the last kid was born so if this laws take place it is going to affect me and my family, and I don’t want that” she cried.

There was also a lady named Joyce Mulbah, who also said, “I came during the Ebola crisis in 2014 and I been working, and the only person that provided for my sick mom who just stays home and does nothing. So I hope that the president have mercy on us and let us stay here.”

Most people said that they are going to continue to march until the president or the house or senators do something. I hope that the president will do something about the problem before next year’s deadline, and help them too.

Flint, Michigan water

April 25th, 2018, will mark the fourth year of the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Imagine coming up on four years of unclean, unhealthy, lead water that has killed about 15 civilians. Flint has had to deal with this long history of unclean water caused by “insufficient” funds. Researchers have discovered traces of lead in many children, and recently called for a state of emergency after all this time. This is a great issue, that hasn’t been urgently handled, that’s impacting many civilians.

How did this start? This tragedy began in 2011 when the city announced a new pipeline would be built. They turned to the Flint River as their source, instead Lake Huron, when they attempted to cut city costs. Flint is known as a poverty city. Even though this was supposed to be a temporary deal, this transition lasted to April 2014. The lawmakers did their best to hide the fact they were providing a toxic resource. In May 2014, residents began to notice this ill-tasting, smelly water in their homes.

After about a year, reports leak about the lead levels in the Flint homes. Lead consumption can affect the lungs, heart, kidneys, and nerves. Lead affects newborns, children, and adults in different ways. Being born prematurely, weight loss, and difficulties with memory or concentration are just a few symptoms.

Ever since 2014, lead levels have continued to rise for these Flint citizens.

After about two years, lead levels began to get better. The city sent bottled water, and filters, to schools and homes to provide them secure water.

This disaster left over 100,000 residents exposed to lead in their water. It continues to leave these residents exposed to lead.

With this information, what can we do? Aside from providing filtered water, like the government, there’s nothing we can do. Filtered water and filter systems are the only way for Flint residents to live a healthy lifestyle. Donating to projects that are funding their cause is another way to support the cause of the Flint water crisis

For more information, please visit:

Eileen Viveros-Vargas: A loved one lost too soon

On March 9th, police arrived at a home in Hayden Heights to discover the body of 18-year-old Eileen Viveros-Vargas. Officers had found Viveros-Vargas shot in the head and her unborn child had died with her as well. Viveros-Vargas was apparently five months pregnant at the time of her death.

Eileen’s boyfriend, Luis Isaac Chacon-Villeda, was arrested on suspicion of murder, as well as a charge of fifth-degree drug possession. Police had found several bags of marijuana, a handgun, as well as 2,000 dollars in cash in the bedroom that Eileen Vargas was found.

The family confirmed that the couple had been together for two years.

Luis Isaac Chacon-Villeda, with no previous criminal record, made his first court appearance on the drug charges. Chacon-Villeda had confessed to owning the marijuana, and .22 caliber handgun, that was found at the scene. He also admitted to dealing marijuana in his neighborhood.

Chacon-Villeda is being held at Ramsey County jail as police are further investigating the death of Viveros-Vargas, with another court hearing scheduled on March 27th.

Eileen Viveros-Vargas was a student at Highland Middle school, and was a former associate of many of our students.

“I met Eileen when we were in middle school; it was 7th or 8th grade. I remember her as an outgoing and caring person; she was nice to everyone,” said Aricela Rueda, a current senior. Although she did not keep in contact with Eileen after their transition to high school, she explained how shocked she was to hear about the tragedy of Eileen’s death, saying, “I couldn’t believe it, she was gone. What shocked me the most was finding out that her boyfriend could be responsible for it.”

The emotional and difficult response received from Aricela was not the only one. Many students took to social media to express their shock, over the death of Eileen Viveros-Vargas, over the last couple of days.

In an interview, Karla Alarcon, a current junior, and cousin to Eileen, in response to the news of Eileen’s death said, “I was very shocked, and I felt like it was a dream I would wake up from and it would be over, but soon realized it was not and it was like I had been stabbed in the heart.”

Gun control in the United States

In the United States, gun control is a topic that is always being talked about. Some people want more freedom with guns, and others feel that gun laws should be more restrictive. Every time a school shooting, or tragedy having to do with guns, happens more laws are passed, but they do little to prevent the next event that is inevitable.

Some of the gun laws that the U.S. has right now include: you have to be at least 18 to buy a gun, and fugitives, people who are deemed a danger to society, people involuntarily admitted into mental institutions, and people with felony convictions are restricted from buying guns and owning them.

Most states require permits to own a handgun. They also run a background check on you before you can buy the gun, although sometimes the background checks are not thorough enough to keep guns out of the hands of people planning to do harm with them. In the South, gun laws tend to be more loose, and in the North, they tend to be more restrictive.

In the past 10-20 years school shootings, and attempted school shootings, have become a big issue. The first school shooting was on April 20, 1999, when two boys named Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot up Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They killed 13 people and injured 20.

The school shooting of Sandy Hook Elementary, I think, sent the most shockwaves across the nation.

The last school shooting to happen, was at Parkland High School in Florida. 17 lost their lives, and their classmates are taking a stand because they feel that gun control laws need to be passed so more innocent lives can be saved. There have been laws/policies passed to make it harder to obtain guns including: in some stores the age to buy guns has been raised to 21, background checks are getting more thorough, and bump stocks are being banned in some states. Only time will tell if these laws are going to be effective.

For more information please visit:
https://gun-control.procon.org/
http://time.com/5169210/us-gun-control-laws-history-timeline/

National children’s dentist month

February in every year is National Children’s Dental Health Month. According to Lakeville Orthodontics, each February the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. NCDHM messages and materials have reach millions of people in communities across the country. NCDHM began as a one day event in Cleveland, Ohio on February 3, 1941.

Later, in 1955, it became a one week event, and then became a world wide event. This was all good, and was set-up, but the ADA, to develop good habits at an early age. Scheduling regular dental visits helps children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums, which is something the ADA strongly encourages.

The ADA also gives good outlets for information which include: a daily and weekly newspaper supplement, newsprint shopping guides, a health club newsletter, library bulletin boards, church and schools bulletin etc. The ADA also has about 161,000 member and representatives, from all 50 states, who work on raising awareness in kids.

During NCDHM the ADA also asks for donations of toothbrushes in order to help the homeless, foster children, and also the less fortunate kids. This helps make them happy, and makes them feel welcome, and that we are all one.

The ADA has free online resources that can help with oral health presentations and also fun activity sheets for kids (like crosswords, coloring pages, connect dots, etc.).

Teaching kids how to brush their teeth is one of the best things that parents can do, so I encourage everyone to get to a dentist at least once a year.

Ramadan

By: Mariam Warsamee Ilham Ali

Ramadan begins at the start of the ninth month, of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon; there are actual moon-watching committees all around the world to make sure there aren’t any confusion on when the correct date is. Once the crescent moon is seen, the announcement of Ramadan is shared with all Muslims around the world through the news and radio.

Ramadan this year will be on May 17th.

Ramadan is the month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown. Ramadan is a holy month to Muslims; instead of going out to eat it is recommended that you eat at home with your family. Muslims are required to fast because it is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims must fast if they are mature and healthy for the full day. Muslims fast as an act to worship God, and as a chance to get closer to God. They also fast and to show sympathy to those in need, and they are required to give zakat (charity) to those who need it, if they are able.

The reason why Muslims fast is to achieve Taqwa. Taqwa is an Islamic term for being conscious and cognizant of Allah, of truth, of the rational reality, “piety, fear of God.” It is often found in the Holy Quran.

During Ramadan, Muslims try to achieve the highest degree of obedience by abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations while fasting from sunrise to sundown. This discipline is a spiritual and moral improvement. According to beliefnet.com, “ It is also by means of fasting that those who never have to hunger or thirst are (to some extent) made personally aware of the plight of the underprivileged, which thus evokes a degree of social consciousness.”

It is through fasting that people become aware of how much they have, and become conscious that not everyone in this world gets three meals a day. They learn to appreciate all that God gave them.