News & Politics
"In a subtle way, you can shake the world."
― Mohandas Ghandi
― Mohandas Ghandi
2018 Government Shut DownChristina Maldonado '19 A government shutdown is when parts of the government closes until the government decides on spending plans. Hundreds of thousands of government employees have to take a leave of absence, often without pay. National security, electricity generation, air traffic control and etc are considered as essential services, so they’ll continue to function when a shutdown takes place. The most recent shutdown lasted sixteen days in 2013. Republicans demanded the spending bill have provisions to impede or delay President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Congress ended a three-day government shutdown Monday, the twenty-second of January while Senate Democrats were under an intense pressure to select a short- term spending bill.This spending bill is to fund the government operation without addressing the fate of young undocumented children first. The House will fund the government through February eighth and extended funding for the popular children’s Health Insurance Program for six years. President Trump signed this bill Monday night. Senator Mitch Mcconnell pledged to allow the Kentucky Republican and the majority leader an immigration vote in the coming weeks. It sets the stage for a “battle over” the “Dreamers,” the young undocumented immigrants who were brought here, in the United States as illegal children. The Democrats and Republicans have not had to work together in fifth-teen years. The New Yorker says, “ If the past week’s shutdown fiasco made anything clear, it’s that Trump may no longer even be a serious participant in Congress’s halfhearted efforts to pass legislation on which both parties can agree.” Senator Chris Murphy says, “It’s remarkable how united we were throughout 2017. Even now, you don’t see any open internal warfare amongst Democrats in Congress. I understand that advocacy groups are upset, but you don’t see any Democrat-on-Democrat violence inside the Senate or the House, or very little of it.” Some people didn't know about this government shutdown, so I recommend you keep updated with the news, because you never know how it could affect you or someone you know. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/us/politics/congress-votes-to-end-government-shutdown.html https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-great-2018-kick-the-can-down-the-road-on-immigration-for-two-more-weeks-accord-daca-dreamers http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39698546 It’s Not the Tide Pod Challenge. It’s Poisoning Yourself. Jocelyn Sung '18 As seen on media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, viral challenges have become a trending aspect of modern society. Sometimes, these games are simple, harmless fun. The ice bucket challenge innocently raised both money and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Food challenges allow friends to share a laugh or two; however, a major problem with these games nowadays is the immediate danger that some choose to completely ignore. This brings us to the Tide Pod challenge. What is now dubbed as the “Tide Pod challenge” has escalated from the nonsense of a few to such a serious issue that companies such as Tide’s parent company, Procter and Gamble, and YouTube have had to step in to attempt to put a stop to this. In this challenge, a person is supposed to bite into a Tide Pod—those brightly colored laundry detergent packets—and spit out the soap. The issue with this? It’s not just soap. As confirmed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Tide Pods are a “highly concentrated, toxic detergent.” Just by inhaling the fumes or accidentally swallowing a bit of it can result in the following: a sudden change in blood pressure and heart rate, a loss of consciousness, and seizures. Petra Renck, spokeswoman for Procter and Gamble, said, “Laundry pacs are made to clean clothes. They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance, even if meant as a joke.” And it’s not a joke. It’s not funny, and it’s definitely not harmless. If you or someone you know has participated in this challenge and has been accidentally exposed to the laundry detergent, please contact the national poison hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or text POISON to 797979. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/01/13/teens-are-daring-each-other-to-eat-tide-pods-we-dont-need-to-tell-you-thats-a-bad-idea/?utm_term=.4e3e6c85c30e http://www.alsa.org/about-us/ice-bucket-challenge-faq.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/ Last Weeks Poll Results Last week we asked Ambush! Poll takers if they believed in ghosts. 50% said they did and the other 50% did not.
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A Haunting Feelingby Sydney Teran '19 https://www.awwwards.com/sites/a-ghost-store Before the term ‘ghost’ was even created, the stories of them lived on and will continue to be passed down through tales, movies, books and other influences that keep them forever remembered. We grow up hearing about the dead who walk among the earth haunting people, places, and things. It never crosses your mind first, where did ‘ghost’ even come from? For some people, the thought of a ghost is terrifying and there’s many reasons for that. Maybe you’ve been in the mere presence of one, and you felt the chills running up your spine and hear your heart pounding in your ears. Or, maybe the thought of the dead just scares you. It’s different for every individual, and for every culture. More specifically, ancient cultures which have their own alternative of the afterlife. These ancient cultures vary from Mesopotamia, Roman, Egyptian and more. Irkalla the “land of no return” was a place the Mesopotamian people believed the dead would go to feed off dirt and spend their final days. The Sumerian poem The Descent of Inanna talks about no one, not even goddesses being able to leave. The only possible way was granted if souls had what we know as unfinished business. Another culture the Egyptian, strongly believed in Osiris, which translates to “God Of the Dead”. Osiris is a Egyptian Lord of the Underworld. A judge of the dead. He and 42 Judges after death, would place souls through a type of trial. Their heart would have to be lighter than the feather to move on to the afterlife, and if their heart wasn’t, the soul would be eaten by a monster. Once that happened the soul would no longer exist. Relative to the Mesopotamian belief it was possible for the dead to return to earth as a ghost, only if there was reason to do so. If ghosts are here for a reason, there’s an endless amount of possibilities. Cultures centuries ago believe the reasons had to be meaningful, what would a person want to fulfill back in those days? Going further back, in the King James Version of the Bible according to bibleinfo.com, link below, the word ‘ghost’ appears 108 times. Although it is used as spirits of those who have died. The “memory of them is forgotten” With their love, hatred and their envy perished (bibleinfo). Psalm 146:4, ESV says, when people die they return to the earth. Ghosts have a long history with different versions and beliefs explaining where they go and how they end up to be the ghosts we may see. A poll was taken last week with GHS students. 7% out of 900 students were asked if they believed in ghosts and also asked if they knew background information about ghosts. 73% said they believed and 26% answered that they did not. 49% knew background information. www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/ghosts http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman/articles/how-the-ancient-religions-viewed-the-afterlife/ www.ancient.eu https://www.ancient.eu/osiris/ https://www.ancient.eu/article/215/inannas-descent-a-sumerian-tale-of-injustice The 7 Year Superstitionby Christina Maldonado '19
One of the urban legends I believe people still fear is bringing themselves misfortune for seven years by breaking a mirror. Do you believe in this legend? If so, do you know the history? If you do not believe in this legend, you might change your mind after you read this story. The ancient Greek, Hebrews and Egyptians produced mirrors made out of silver, gold, brass or bronze, so they're unbreakable. Early mirrors were considered extremely valuable and possessed mystical attributes. An ancient Greek divination, Catotromacy, who used shallow bowls filled with water to tell a person’s future based on the reflection revealed. A mirror is seen as an object with magical powers. That power is to see into the future, so when you break a mirror, then you will misguide your future. When you look into a mirror and see a shiny metal object, you will see your reflections and these reflections were seen as a way to receive messages from the gods. The bad luck that surrounds oneself when a mirror is broken leads back to before glass and metal mirrors were created. The reflection in the mirror was told to be the person’s soul. If the reflection was distorted then one would expect disaster to come. The soul is seen in the mirror, so when the mirror is damaged, then the soul is damaged. The bad luck would last for seven years. The seven year period originates from the Romans. In Roman time, each person’s body undergoes a physical regeneration every seven years. I interviewed Sage Addington on why she believed in this Urban legend. Maldonado: How did you break your mirror and what was your first reaction? Addington: I had a hand mirror on my bedroom floor. My bedroom was messy, and I stepped on it. I heard it crack and I thought, “Oh f**k! Seven years huh?” Maldonado: What was the first incident that made you believe that the curse was on you? Addington: (Laughing) I was at a summer camp at Rehoboth; my friend Levi and I were chasing each other, and I managed to trip on a speed bump. I got a gnarly scar on my left knee. Maldonado: Could you list the incidents that happened to you after the broken mirror? Addington: I was at a laundromat, and I was playing with the claw machine. I had a stuffed animal, but the claw dropped my stuff animal. It was really tragic, man. I have a lot of bad luck with claw machines and a lot of bad luck with tripping. One time, I slipped over nothing and ran into the wall. I gave myself a black eye and a busted lip. These incidents don't sound pleasant to me, and I don't think anyone else would want to, so make sure you don't break any mirrors in the future. https://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/mirrors http://psychiclibrary.com/beyondBooks/broken-mirror-superstition/ http://psychiclibrary.com/beyondBooks/broken-mirror-superstition/ WEEKLY POLLLast Week's Poll Results!Last week we asked Ambush! Poll takers if they thought it was inappropriate for the president to call other countries "sh*tholes" and 66% said absolutely while 44% said nope.
Iceland’s New Law For Equal Payby Christina Maldonado '19 In many other countries, including the US, they have an enforcement law for payment gap which means that men and women should be paid the same amount for doing the same job, but they do not act upon this law. They find loopholes; they see this law as a voluntary law. Iceland's new law requires employers with twenty-five workers, or more to provide proof that the men and women are being paid a parallel amount for the same job. Iceland seems to be taking their country in a different direction than the rest of the word is. Iceland has created this new law that was put into place on Monday, January 9th, 2018. Since 1961, Iceland has had an equal pay law in effect, and the Icelandic Parliament banned pay discrimination in the workplace. When a company notices a pay gap, they simply correct their issues. The company will raise the wages of those who were not paid fairly. In most cases, it is the women who are not being paid fairly, but the raises do not always go to them, it goes to the men. The women who work in U.S. is averagely paid about 80 cents for every dollar a man earns, but the catch is that they have the same job. They should be paid the same amount if they have the same credentials, right? Im the United States, they give their employees different titles, separate them from the other people who have experience on the job, and that’s how they decide their pay rate. There are audits that demonstrate that a company is built upon a workplace that provides equal pay among their employees. These audits can be expensive, so Iceland is starting out with the larger companies because they consist of more resources. If you want to start a business in Iceland, than you have to be willing to pay your employees an equal amount. https://www.npr.org/2018/01/05/576082449/new-law-in-iceland-aims-at-reducing-countrys-gender-pay-gap Do you Believe?by Sydney Teran '18 The Ambush! reporters recently questioned numerous GHS students on whether or not they believed in the Urban Legends we were assigned. 7% percent of students were asked if they did or did not believe in ghosts/spirits. 73% believed in ghosts and 26% said they did not. These students were given a follow up question, "Do you know any background information or how ghosts originated?" 49% of students answered yes. Christina Maldonado asked 4% of students "Do you believe that breaking a mirror brings you 7 years of bad luck?" 70% of students did not believe in this legend. 30% did believe, but did not know the origin. Op-Ed: President Trump on Sh*thole Countriesby Sage Addington '18
On January 12th the president denied in a tweet ever using derogatory language. The tweet reads, “Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said “take them out.” Made up by the Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!” In another tweet the president said, “The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made - a big setback for DACA!” Despite Trump denying the accusations, many people are still angered and a little caught in disbelief. Senator Richard J. Durbin told reporters, “I cannot believe that in the history of the White House, in that Oval Office, any president has ever spoken the words that I personally heard our president speak yesterday.” Rupert Colville, United Nations human rights spokesperson, said, “There is no other word one can use but ‘racist.’ You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as ‘sh*tholes,’ whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome.” Comedian Trevor Noah joked on the Daily Show, “Personally as someone from South Sh*thole, I’m offended, Mr. President.” Noah then went on to joke, “I know that everyone's focusing on him calling countries sh*tholes and whatever, I'm like, you can say whatever you want, but... You know what part really put it over the line for me is Norway. When he said where he wanted immigrants to come from, he didn't just name a white country, he named the whitest country. He didn't even go with a more subtle country that might leave it up in the air, you know? Like we need to let in more people from Portugal, like hmmm, what does that mean?” President Trump had met with the prime minister of Norway on Wednesday, January 10th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQkfDJ2zVNo https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951813216291708928https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951793123985973248https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-acknowledges-tough-language-but-appears-to-deny-shithole-remark/2018/01/12/c7131dae-f796-11e7-beb6-c8d48830c54d_story.html?utm_term=.73c0795b2a08 WEEKLY POLLLast Week's Poll Results!Last week we asked Ambush! poll takers if you have ever been cyber-bullied. 66.7% said yes and 33.3% said no.
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