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Carter Castillo/Prowler

Candy

A popular treat we all love to enjoy is candy. Nestle owns a very sizeable share of the candy market, owning iconic candy companies such as Crunch bar, KitKat, Nesquik, 100 Grand, Sweet Tarts, and many other delectable confections that people of all ages love to snack on.

Hot pockets

Many teenagers use Gillette’s products to shave. To take ownership of this most popular brand for razors and shaving creams, P&G had to make a $57 billion deal.

Febreze

Febreeze is in most people’s homes and or cars. This scented spray and car freshener is currently a 1 billion dollar brand that brings much of P&G’s income.

Dawn/tide/bounce

Often, Dawn, Tide, and Bounce are used for the washing of clothes. All of these are owned by P&G. These brands hold several of the essentials that students and adults use whether it be to soften their clothes, to have a fresher scent, or to get rid of the dirt on their clothing.

Gillette

“The companies and their monopoly likely make it more difficult for new products to enter and grow in the market because the sheer number of brands make it so that it is much more difficult for smaller or newer businesses to compete with larger companies.” -Robert Ramirez, senior

Carter Castillo Opinion Editor

Abby Gorman Staff Writer

Prasheetha Karthikeyan Features Editor

Sarena Kabir News Editor

Clarissa Shin/Prowler

Player Opinion 4:

How do these 10 major companies and their monopolies affect their competitors and us?

Player Opinion 3:

“ If we dislike the way a company runs their business we should be able to protest it by not supporting it, but if we have to support because we have no other option, then the company will never change. Companies only change to make more money and the threat of losing money is the only power consumers have against giant corporations. Monopolies take away that power.” - Benito Canepa, sophomore

Hot Pockets are a very common after school snack. Their ease of use and easy storage allows for those in a rush as well as those who want a quick snack to enjoy a fast meal. Yet once again these treats are owned by a massive multinational corporation, Nestle.

Listerine

Clean breath is a fundamental pillar in good hygiene. Almost every dentist will tell you that mouthwash needs to be included in your brushing routine and fresh breath is never a bad thing. Listerine is a popular brand with multiple flavors to choose from.

Clean & clear

It’s no secret, teenagers are plagued with acne, but Clean and Clear provides some relief. Nobody wants to be covered with acne, so products such as Clean and Clear are a necessity for all teens.

Player Opinion 1:

What are your initial reactions to this information?

“It actually makes sense, all these companies market in some of the same way or appear in the same chains, so it does make sense that they’d all be connected. It actually makes sense, all these companies market in some of the same way or appear in the same chains, so it does make sense that they’d all be connected.” - Malia Proudfit, senior

Dreyers and Haagen daz

You may think these ice cream companies are competing against one another and that they have distinct brands, but in reality they are both owned by nestle. This contributes to the illusion of choice, because ultimately no matter which tub of ice cream you choose, your money goes to the same people.

Lean cuisine

Want to escape the unhealthy habits of the typical frozen meal yet still want to enjoy its convenience, well Lean Cuisine is just for you. Yet the owners of Lean Cuisine are also the owners of dubious frozen food such as Hot Pockets.

Every supermarket replicates a similar sight. Dozens of near identical products are strategically placed on the shelves, each with messages insisting that they are the best of the best. Whether overwhelming or practical, there is undoubtedly no lack of variety in the US market. Moral values often impact people’s product choices: whether it be animal testing or fair trade, consumers make descisions based off of ethical and environmental concerns as well as quality of life issues. This leads you to believe that you have full control over what products you choose and what companies you support.

However, this notion that nothing more than an illusion. All of the various brands of the products you see are owned by essentially the same major companies. The global market is currently dominated by only 10 corporations: Pepsico, General Mills, Coca-Cola, Nestle, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, Kelloggs, Mars, Unilever, and Mondelez.

These companies have shown multifarious instances of unethical behavior, such as causing harm to the environment and to those living in countries with little government protection for labor, but they still prevail. Unless they are held accountable, they will not make any changes and continue to prosper. In a society where corporations band together to create an oligopoly, it can be near impossible for people to boycott essential products for daily life, especially for those of a lower economic status.

Tylenol

Tylenol is an easily accessible medicine for headaches among people of all ages. Tylenol is just one example of a painkiller/over the counter medicine that Johnson and Johnson offers. Johnson and Johnson has recently faced controversy over its promotion of its opioid products.

Player Opinion 2:

Because these companies are so connected, boycotting proves difficult due to the `inability to avoid contributing to these monopolizing corporations. What do you think about the lack of ability to protest?

“Wanting to stand up for a cause you believe in shouldn’t make you feel limited in other areas of your everyday life. I wish that it was easier to be able to support your personal beliefs without feeling pressured to change what you buy.” - Casey O’Brien, sophomore

Bandaid

Band-aid is a staple household product that many people use, especially those who have a young, rambunctious child at home.

Clarissa Shin/Prowler

ABC

The Disney franchise has ownership of this major news network that produces several well-loved television shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Marvel

The Walt Disney Company gained ownership of Marvel Entertainment for 4.24 million dollars in 2009. Three out of ten of the highest grossing films of all time are Marvel movies.

Nat Geo (73%)

The National Geographic television network is jointly owned between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic society. It is known for its documentaries and NatGeo Kids program, which creates informational children’s books.

Panther Prowler • Jan. 24, 2020

Backpackers hit the trail

Jacob Malone Back Cover Editor

When people think of camping, most picture driving in a car to a destination before setting up camp, However, a select group of students defy this stereotype, opting instead to backpack to their destinations.

Backpacking is an outdoor activity that is essentially hiking fused together with backcountry camping. One must carry everything they need for the week on his or her back, including food, water and shelter, as they hike from camp to camp.

Alex Adamson, junior, has been backpacking for several years, starting when he joined the Boy Scouts at age 10. “One of the fi rst trips I went on in Scouting was a backpacking trip, and I liked it,” Adamson said. “I stuck with it and liked it even more when I was backpacking with my friends.”

Th rough backpacking, Adamson has traveled to diff erent places around the United States. “Over the summer, I traveled down to Philmont, which is a huge reserve in New Mexico, and just over winter break we went up to a place in Minnesota to go snow backpacking,” Adamson said.

Jenny Forca and Rachel Morales, both seniors, have been on many backpacking trips together over the past few years. “It was freshman year when we fi rst went,” Morales said. “My mom just kind of suggested that we go out and go backpacking, so here we are.”

Although Forca and Morales had been on several backpacking trips, they both agreed that their trip to Mammoth was their most enjoyable trip. “Mammoth was my favorite place that I have backpacked,” Forca said. “Yeah, It was hot, but there was snow on the mountains that we were on,” Morales continued.

As with most activities that take place outdoors, weather plays a huge role in the experience one has on the trail. “You can never properly plan for weather; it’s always crazy,” Morales said. “It’s either blazing hot or freezing cold.”

Weather heavily impacted Forca and Morales’ trip up to Mammoth. “It rained for like 3 hours,” Morales said. “ I slept in a sleeping bag but I was entirely submerged in water so I was freezing the entire night.”

Adamson refl ected on his own experiences with the weather as well. “Th ere was this one time, down when we were backpacking in New Mexico, where we were on top of this mountain and a huge thunderstorm started,” Adamson said. “Th ere was lightning striking and hail falling and we were just like, ‘We need to get down!’ ”

While the weather can be crazy, backpacking off ers an escape from daily life that other outdoor activities cannot emulate. “My favorite part is probably just the disconnection from the rest of the world. You don’t have to deal with anybody else other than yourselves for the time you spend on the trail,” Forca said.

Even though the experience off ered by backpacking is one of a kind, backpacking is relatively easy to get into. “You just really need to have a backpack, a sleeping bag and the desire to adventure out into the unknown,” Adamson said. “I’d highly recommend backpacking to those that really crave adventure and want to do things that other people don’t do very oft en.”

Matty Thomas sings to success

chillin’- Alex Adamson, junior, sits down with his backpack still on to rest for a short moment before resuming his trek to the next campsite. “It’s really nice to take a break every once in a while to catch my breath. They also let everyone catch up,” Adamson said.

Clarissa Shin Graphic Designer his own music. Aft er high school, Th omas he sings because he loves it, not because he

Singing, songwriting and music is in the air. knows he will continue to sing, and currently, wants the fame. Matty Th omas, sophomore, is passionate about he has made various connections throughout “He really just genuinely loves what he does. each one of these activities and hopes to have a the music industry, working his way to receive He’s not in it for the social media fame the successful career in the music industry. Th omas opportunities to perform. image that’s created with what he does. He really has been singing for as long as he can remember “Honestly, we’ll just see where it takes just genuinely loves singing and songwriting and and his inspiration for starting music is the wellme because right now I’m getting a lot of playing music and bringing happiness to people” known pop song artist, Justin Beiber. opportunities. If that ends up blowing up Pero said.

“When I was 10, my mom took me to his I’m going to keep performing, but if not, I’m Kevin Lopez, sophomore, is another one of concert and I was like, ‘I want to do that.’ Pretty defi nitely going to college for music” Th omas Th omas’s friends and is inspired by his music. much, my eyes lit up and that’s what I wanted to said. Lopez is one of Th omas’ many supporters Sing- Matty Thomas, sophomore, performs at an Open Mic Night at a library. Matty’s music career has blossomed ever since he created his account, @mattythomasmusic on instagram. “It’s all who you meet. I do,” Th omas said.

Th omas has a large following of over nine thousand people on Instagram where he posts covers of popular music and his main genre of focus is Pop R&B. He recently started a

Lexi Pero, sophomore, has been friends with Th omas for almost a year and as a close friend, gets to witness his dedication to his music. “He dedicates a couple of hours every day and he really just loves doing it” Pero said. and acknowledges Th omas’ work ethic and dedication.

“He really sticks to what he does and he doesn’t let any other people bring him down. He has a lot of support and good friends and got lucky and I’ve met a lot of people who YouTube channel and aspires to soon release Pero has also taken notice of Th omas’ true practices everyday,” Lopez said. have helped me and are pretty deep in the passion for singing and performing and knows industry,” said Thomas. Ed-aid program exposes students to teaching

Manas Khatore Entertainment Editor

Although teenagers know what it is like being a student, most do not know what it is like being a teacher. Th e Ed-aid program at NPHS accomplishes just that. By enrolling in the class, high school students are given the opportunity to teach and gain hands-on experience working with younger kids.

Kelly Welch, assistant principal, states that the Ed-aid program has been around for over 15 years. “Th e program has been around as long as I’ve been here… and I know it’s been around longer than that,” Welch said. Students that are enrolled in the class earn elective credits by going to local elementary schools and helping the teachers with instruction. “Students that choose to be an Ed-aid are doing it because they’re interested in maybe going into the teaching route,” Welch said.

Maeve Allen, senior, has been an Ed-aid for two years and joined because she was interested in working with children. “I want to be a child psychologist, (so I thought) it’d be a great way to learn more about how they think,” Allen said. Allen goes to Walnut Elementary School regularly and helps kindergarten students. Along with teaching them spelling and assisting with arts and craft s, she helps students that are dealing with separation anxiety. “Th ey can write a sweet little note to their parents about it to make them feel better… I have a nice communication line with parents to help them,” Allen said.

Nick Guerin, career education coordinator, is in charge of the NPHS Career Majors Program. He says that students who participate in the Ed-aid program can earn credit for the program. “If a student wants to be a teacher and they’re doing the Ed-aid program, then absolutely it’s a connection for the Career Majors program,” Guerin said. He recommends the Ed-aid class for those who are interested in pursuing a career that involves working with children.

“Teaching is teaching… even if someone wanted to teach, you know, IB philosophy or IB biochem… being able to interact with elementary age students would be a good experience,” Guerin said.

Aft er two years of experience, Allen believes that being an Edaid has motivated her to pursue her dream career. “I feel like I am making a diff erence and I can continue to do that even aft er high school,” Allen said.