Whittier Holiday 2016

The

THEME: SOCIAL JUSTICE

Whittier Miscellany

Evie Kortanek ’18

SINCE 1884 • WILMINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER • WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

“A World of Opinions at WFS in response to the 2016 Election,” the QYLC’s new display reads. Students in grades 9-12 wrote down their hopes and worries after the election.

Women’s Rights at the Western Wall The Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel, is regarded as the holiest place in Judaism, as it is believed that God’s divine presence is more prominent there than in any other location in the world. The first temple was built, according to scripture, in 957 BCE, and destroyed 371 years later by the Babylonians. The second temple was built, according to archeological evidence, in 349 BCE, and then destroyed by the Romans 420 years later in 70 C.E. Between 70 C.E. and 2016, the Jewish people’s ability to pray at the Western Wall (Kotel), the last remaining outer wall of the second Holy Temple, has not been easy as a result of different countries, cultures, and religions restricting Jewish presence there. However, ever since the Jews recaptured the area of East Jerusalem, which included the Western Wall, from the Jordanians in the 1967 War, the Jewish people have had full access and ability to pray at the Western Wall.

According to Jewish tradition, men and women have different roles; both gender’s roles and responsibilities are viewed as equally valuable and important, each being unique to the specific gender. However, with the rise of the Conservative and Reform movements beginning in the 1800s, these roles have blended and have become less significant to many modern day Jews. In 2016, many common practices among the Jewish people with regards to men and women that have taken place for thousands of years have changed.

The majority of these changes have occurred without much conflict, as they have not directly affected Orthodox Jews who wish to continue carrying out traditional practices within their own synagogues and their own lives. One of these traditional practices is that of men and women praying separately, both in services and at the Western Wall. It is said that this tradition is in place not only to avoid distraction in prayer services, but also because men and women are very different beings, and therefore they can connect more with God and themselves when physically sep-

arated from each other. Another of these traditions is that women cannot lead prayer services or read directly from the Torah. These traditions sit uncomfortably with many women today, who strongly believe that they have a right to perform these rituals just as men have done throughout history.

These core differences in beliefs between Orthodox Jews and non-Orthodox Jews have caused conflict at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Progressive women’s groups, the most prominent one being “Women of the Wall,” have dedicated their lives to fighting for equal prayer rights at the Wall. Until January 31st, 2016 at the Western Wall, women had not been allowed to

ready been established back in January. After the protest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused these women of causing “unnecessary friction” and of “the unilateral violation of the status quo at the Western Wall,” according to the New York Times. The protestors claimed that they had engaged in “an act of spiritual disobedience.”

Wilmington Friends Students had varying opinions when asked whether or not they thought that women should gain the rights that they are fighting for at the Western Wall. Owen Ganse ’17 explained: “If you change the rules at the Western Wall, then you will have to change a lot of other stuff as well. There are other things that separate men and woman in a lot of religions, so if you change that then you are opening up negotiations to change everything. It would not be a bad idea, but people surely would not like it.” Ganse is not the first person to present concerns about this new rule being a ‘door opener’ for other drastic changes. The idea of even more gender ‘barriers’ being broken down is disconcerting for more traditional Jews, while non-orthodox Jews welcome this notion with open arms. Myla Brilliant ’17 commented on finding a good balance that pleases everyone: “It’s tough because there has to be a balance between understanding sacred tradition and adapting it to fit more modern ideals. Tradition is really deeply rooted in Judaism, but that doesn’t Hundreds of people gather at the Western Wall to pray; mean that it can never be changed. I absomen and women must pray seperately. lutely believe that women should have the wrap themselves in prayer shawls, read from a Torah right to pray and lead services at the Wall. It’s a holy scroll, read aloud, or pray alongside men. On January place for everyone and many branches of Judaism 31st, these restrictions were abolished, and a portion recognize women as rabbis and cantors who have the of the wall was dedicated where women could per- right to lead services.” form these rituals and pray with men. So, all solved It will be interesting to see how and if plans to then, right? Not quite. The Israeli government has yet dedicate a portion of the Western Wall for woman to to take action to implement any legislation with re- practice rituals of their pleasing will carry out in the gards to this decision, and people are becoming impa- coming weeks and months. Finding a balance that tient. At the beginning of November, a liberal group pleases both religious and secular Jews in a country of American women rabbis protested at the Western established on religion is evidently a difficult task that Wall holding up fourteen Torah scrolls, demanding will take willingness to compromise and empathize on that they receive the rights that they thought had al- both sides.

Wikimedia Commons

Zack Horowitz ’17 News Writer

COMMUNITY

NO. 1 lesson Learned from this election: Words matter so unequivocally bad. fundamental right to express them, but the promise of Not bad because of governing policies or busi- our humanity lies in our respect for their impact. ness experience - in my opinion as a first-time voter, A candidate, Cabinet pick, or voter who spews In Proud family folklore, my great-grandmother Rose Donald Trump was bad because his archaic notions hate-filled rhetoric has every right to do so. But, I serves as the Mark Twain of pithy saying attribution. of women, as well as racial and ethnic minorities, run would argue, we may just as freely reject the assertion One particular Rose-ism gained enormous dinner- directly counter to what I believe to be the promise that those words don’t matter. time traction in the weeks leading up to the 2016 elec- of our Constitution. His biting insults, vulgar attitude, In the days following, both Senator Chris Coons tion, “Don’t judge the vote of a hungry person if your and violent rhetoric, at least and Governor-elect John belly is full.” for me, obliterated the luxury Carney issued firm renunciMost frequently invoked in discussions of privi- of voting on policy. ations of Trump’s selection lege or intersectionality, this year’s reference stemmed But people voted, and of Steve Bannon to his White from a deep desire to bridge the seemingly unbridge- Trump won. It remains to be House Staff. By doing so, our able chasm among our family’s voters. One side raged seen how much of his appeal Delaware leaders have stood about Washington insiders - waste, corruption, inef- was because of his hate-filled up on our behalf and held ficiency; the other, equally righteous, expressed hor- diatribes and how much deTrump and Bannon to their ror at the kraken of hate, misogyny, and xenophobia spite them. words. From Senator Coons: released in the name of reclaiming greatness.

President-elect Trump “Mr. Bannon personally Amid the turmoil, I remembered the first time my began with a tone of reconhas made despicable comgreat-grandmother let me sit with her as she filled out ciliation, assuring millions ments about women, the Trump: the most divisive candidate her ballot. She described how, as a schoolgirl in Italy, that it was time “to bind the mentally ill, the LGBT comof our generation. she’d been chosen to present flowers and shake hands wounds of division.” My fammunity, and people of faith. with Benito Mussolini during his tour of her island ily watched 60 Minutes toAt Breitbart, Mr. Bannon created an outlet built upon town. “But he was the bad guy,” I scolded, to which she gether and prayed collectively for healing. And then stoking racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semireplied, “We were hungry and scared, and he prom- he picked Steve Bannon. tism. These are not the values that have made America ised us food and safety.”

As publisher of Breitbart, Bannon is an unapologet- great. . . . The President-elect must make it clear that As debates raged over the past few months, I tried ic propagandist of White Supremacy, anti-Semitism, the toxic blend of hate and bigotry that Mr. Bannon to keep that in mind by seeking good reasons that and hate. Within hours, supporters were whipping up has made a living propagating has no place in a Trump friends and family could support a candidate I felt was distractions like military service and his Ivy League administration.” degree. In reply, Alexandra Petri of Their tone struck the balance I’ve sought over the the Washington Post asked, who are past few months. Yes, let us respect each other’s views we to judge him by “his words and on taxation, healthcare, abortion, government spendactions, the voices that he has given a ing, term limits, and national security. Our democplatform to, and the ugly philosophy racy thrives in times of vigorous debate and engaged he has allowed to spread?” Petri’s sa- citizenry. But we must work as hard to preserve our tirical query placed me in the core of nation as we do our government. A nation of people my discontent, both during the elec- brought together by choice and circumstance — peotion and since: ple who every few years rally behind notions of hope, Words matter. greatness, or being stronger together. Those ideals are Language serves as the currency of not guaranteed by our government; in fact, they may human interaction. Nice to meet you. only be achieved by citizens committed to thoughtful Sarah Gooderham ’17 & Sadie Proud ’17 I love you. I’m sorry. listening and careful words. For this issue of Whittier, NEWS EDITORS: Leah Johnson ’18 & Katrina Skibiki ’17 We the People. I have a dream. we asked our writers and editors to think about what SPORTS EDITORS: Alice Irwin ’18 & Matt Tornek ’17 Grab ’em by the pu$#y. it means to a community when we think less about ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS: Mike Coons ’17 & Abby Klemen ’18 The promise of our democracy lies what we have the right to say and more about what we in the free exchange of ideas and our choose to. We invite you to join us in our exploration.

FEATURES EDITOR: Lindsay Weber ’17 PHOTO EDITOR: Evie Kortanek ’18 COPY EDITORS: Meggie Flanagan ’17 & Evie Kortanek ’18 WEB EDITOR: Evelyn Wakeley ’17 Sarah Gooderham ’17 cent history, the American public chose the businessFACULTY ADVISOR: Daniel Scott Editor-in-chief man, reality TV star, and now politician to be their next president. It seems fitting to examine how the ENTERTAINMENT STAFF Ashley Brooks ’18 I identify as being very liberal, and, if views, policies, and controversy surrounding the PresNEWS Matt Byer ’18 given the opportunity to vote, I would ident-Elect align with the values at the core of QuakAnna Fahey ’20 Allie Fulginiti ’17 Zack Horowitz ’17 not have cast a ballot for Donald erism.

Olivia Ivins ’20 Hareena Houston ’18 Emma Landis ’19 Trump. However, I have tried to do A common thread during Trump’s campaign was Olivia O’Donnell ’18 my best to stick to facts and make this the use of buzzwords, and frequent use of sweeping, SPORTS Annika Siddal ’19 Carlin Beskrone ’19 Nick Urick ’20 article as balanced and unbiased as non-specific, often unfounded claims to get his supJohn Blackwell ’18 possible. Any inherent bias in the ar- porters excited. When speaking of climate change, FEATURES Connor Miller ’19 Tess Beardell ’17 ticle can be attributed to my personal Trump said, “The hottest day ever was in 1890-someBella Stuccio ’19 Isabel Crowther ’17 political views. thing, 98.” As explained by FactCheck.org, his claim COLUMNISTS Lucy Knudsen ’19 Cecilia Ergueta ’18 was false, and his statement was “cherry-picking one Addie Trudel ’19 Marley Morton ’18 Krystal Xu ’19 The Religious Society of Friends has day.” Many would say that the President-Elect tends been around since before the first to make inaccurate claims with the goal of sparking The Whittier Miscellany is published six times during the school year American president, and over the a fire in the hearts of voters and rally attendees. This by the upper school journalism staff of Wilmington Friends School, centuries, there has been little to no tendency indicates a number of things, including 101 School Road, Wilmington, DE 19803. To access the Whittier change with the religion’s core values his lack of integrity, and that he enjoys the feeling of Miscellany online, go to www.wfswhittier.com. known today as the SPICES: Sim- speaking to a crowd. He loves the feeling of making plicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, statements that excite people, often with the goal of Check Whittier Miscellaney online for Weekly Updates!

Equality, and Stewardship. unifying the crowd around a certain idea, which is an On November 8th, 2016, Ameri- excellent method of building a community of support.

The Whittier Miscellany welcomes respones in the form of letters to ca elected Donald J. Trump to be the However, the ideals around which many in this the articles, editorials, and features of this paper.

President of the United States. After community have gathered are those of exclusion and Contact: wfswhittiermiscellany@gmail.com his 511 day campaign that some ar- inequality. During his campaign, Trump showed him ‘Like’ Whittier on Facebook at ‘WFS Whittier’! gue was one of the most hateful in re(Continued on Page 12) Flickr

Sadie Proud ’17 Editor-in-chief

The

Whittier

Miscellany EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Special report: trump & quakerism

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Holiday ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

NEWS

Helping A GREAT Reef AT RISK WFS STudents Olivia O’Donnell ’18 News Writer

The Great Barrier Reef is not dead. However, the stark white of the dying corals says it all: the reef needs help—and it needs it now.

A major environmental catastrophe overwhelms the 1,400-mile network of reefs located off of the coast of Queensland, Australia, according to The Guardian.

The ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies concludes that the mass bleaching event damaged 93% of the coral reefs, thus contributing to the death of more than 20% of the reef overall. Despite claims that global warming is a nonexistent threat, this ecosystem serves as a clear example of the devastation that lies in the wake of climate change.

According to Jonathan Pearlman, coral bleaching is a result of a prolonged increase in oceanic temperature. Corals expel symbiotic algae from their tissues which culminates in a blanched skeleton. The recovery process requires stable conditions, which ultimately proves difficult with the long-term warming and acidification of the oceans. Suffering from environemtal effects are the flora and fauna of these ecosystems, such as coral, tropical fish, birds, and reptiles that inhabit the regions. Divers assessing the coral damage reported a stench emanating from the lifeless bodies of millions of animals, as stated by The Guardian.

Biology teacher Caitlin Norton provided some insight on the issue: “Coral reefs are aquatic ecosystems that support an incredible amount of biodiversity.

They are similar to tropical rain forests in that they provide habitat for so many different species. They have suffered due to climate change in a few ways.

Warmer water temperatures can bleach corals and increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere

can dissolve in the ocean and result in ocean acidification. The pH of the ocean water decreases and causes the calcium carbonate shells of aquatic organisms to break down.” Therefore, the deteriorating reef is at risk of losing its once abundant sources of life and vivid beauty.

According to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, overfishing and global warming are the main contributors to the declining health of the reef. Additionally, coral bleaching, the burning of fossil fuels, and intake of animal products hinder its ability to recover. In an effort to combat coral bleaching and reverse the reef ’s path to extinction, it is encouraged to maintain habits that aid in counteracting the negative effects of global warming, such as powering homes with renewable energy, using energy-efficient appliances, and reducing operation of vehicles.

Norton agrees that change is necessary for the survival of the reef: “One of the biggest things that people can do to help protect aquatic ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef is to support the reduction of carbon pollution. This means working to transition from using fossil fuels to using renewable forms of energy.”

By altering bad habits, people everywhere have the opportunity to save the Great Barrier Reef and the 850 million people dependent on it for sustenance, as reported by Think Progress.

Additionally, Maddie Malone ’18 emphasized awareness as the key reform in Barrier Reef preservation: “I believe that if people become more aware of the situation our earth is in, then there are more possibilities for positive change [for the Barrier Reef].”

The fate of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest living entity in the world, is ultimately in the hands of the people. In order to alter the reef ’s path, one must alter his or her own.

France: Calais jungle dismantled Anna Fahey ’20 News WRiter On Monday, October 26, France started to clear the sordid migrant camp in Calais, dubbed ‘the Jungle’.

True to its moniker, the Jungle was a grimy refugee camp where, according to the New York Times, around 6,000 to 8,000 undocumented immigrants once resided, most of them young men hailing from Africa or Afghanistan. For years, French citizens were disappointed in the lack of effort that their government seemed to be putting into clearing the camp.

While some feel that the clearing was a beneficial, much-anticipated move for the country, others argue that unless the refugees are guaranteed a place to live, it was an unwise decision. Some refugees, wary of what their future holds for them in France, tried to escape to England, but faced harsh repercussions.

The camp has seen many locations over time, as refugees were forced to move around from one makeshift refuge to the next. And on October 26, the camp shut down for good. Hundreds of journalists watched as men trudged along the road, heading anywhere but back towards the Jungle. There were many groups of men traveling with knapsacks, but some even walked out of the camp empty handed. All were prepared to build their lives back from the ground up. Unsurprisingly, there was uproar about where they should go.

While some refugees were being transferred to temporary living spaces throughout France, the majority of immigrants were left defenseless. Consequently, many men tried to covertly enter Britain through the Channel Tunnel, by sneaking onto cargo trucks, or simply walking through. Their hopes swiftly vanished

as the sheer density of people caused agonizing traffic and offered no place to hide. “Even though I don’t know much about the situation, it doesn’t seem right.

Refugees have a right a place to live, and have entrance and acceptance when they go there,” responded Trey May ’20.

A frustrated Britian responded by increasing security and building large fences around their neighboring borders near the Jungle. As very few men achieved success in making it past the border, the refugees realized that France was their only option.

Luckily, in the days following the movement, few problems were reported by the police. The French government was ready to steady itself around the refugees and appears to be trying its best to help them.

However, some citizens disagree. Many citizens of France feel threatened and fear for the future of their country. They do not feel safe around the refugees, and claim they are imposing themselves unjustly on French land. Some, however, want what is best for the refugees and are willing to put themselves at the disposal of the government to help.

“It’s devastating that nationalism is becoming more prevalent in Europe and the US and citizens feel like they are in danger when in reality the immigrants are in the most trouble, trying to find a place to go where they will not be persecuted,” Nick Gauthier ’17 commented on the refugee crisis. Although this is not an unforeseen change, it is an important one. While some try to determine whether this decision to clear the camp was wise, the government and refugees are working together to determine their futures based on the decisions already made.

HOLIDay ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

THank Obama Hareena Houston ’18 News WRiter All presidents are historic, but only a few have come into the presidency with a nation in chaos.

Despite this, Barack Obama could be one of the most memorable presidents in United State’s history. Obama was elected in 2008 and has served a term of 8 years. He made history when he was elected as the US’s first black president, and he continued to make history through his terms as POTUS. Obama’s election and term have been filled with changes in the mindsets of American people.

“He was a role model for so many young African Americans,” said Maya Powell ’18. The fact that he is the first black president will be a large part of the historical narrative. Many predict that a lasting change will be the idea of a non-white First Family. He set a standard on how the American citizens will view people of color in the White House and in the U.S. An anonymous student commented, “He set a precedent for all presidents who come after him. I’m incredibly proud to have had him as my president and I feel as if we have only gained from this eight year experience.”

While Obama may have been the first black president the US has seen, he also has made history in other accomplishments. He pulled out troops from Iraq from 2007-2011. He also created and passed the ObamaCare bill, a controversial bill that allows citizens access to health care who normally could not afford it.

Though Obama had many amazing feats and made history during his presidency, he also made some less-than-amazing choices. Will Bodycot ’17 spoke on the Affordable Care Act that was passed in March 2010: “Obama’s original proposal sounded great for all Americans, promising a decrease on average of $2,000 in health care premiums. The issue was that there were so many people in need of subsidized health care, and not enough people who didn’t need subsidies to offset the loss of money on the part of the insurance companies.

Due to that issue, American’s health insurance premiums actually increased quite a bit. The problem is that the health care law doesn’t work for everyone.” While many people do support the passing of this bill, many others say that it will soon fail and it must be replaced with something else that is stronger and less expensive for taxpayers.

Many call Obama’s presidency a restorative term, rather than transformative. “He spent most him time trying to fix a broken system,” explained an anonymous student. This was his disadvantage going into his presidency in 2008, and that he was affected by the choices made and the consequences of his predecessor. “He worked with what he had and he did an amazing job at it. He will forever be my role model and he gives me hope that one day everyone will be treated with unconditional respect,” an anonymous student added. Obama campaigned on hope, and the actions of his administration reflected that. It is a tragedy that he faced a country fiercely divided against itself.

Obama strived for peace and justice and set precedents for our future presidents. Obama has made mistakes during his presidency, but this is a reflection of his humanity. He has not been perfect, nor has received the love of all Americans; however, he has made history in his eight years as President, and that will not be forgotten.

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FEATURES

diversity orientation shows quaker values kRYSTAL XU ‘19 Features Writer What are WFS students’ attitudes towards race, religion and sexual identity? Questions about diversity in WFS were pondered at the Diversity Orientation, an event held for newcomers to WFS high school. This event is relatively new at Wilmington Friends school; this was its second year. All freshmen and students new to the upper school participated: the event aimed to educate people about privilege and the value of diversity in our community.

The Workshop was held on October 26, and began with a speech from Head of Upper School Rebecca Zug. She explained that the purpose of the Diversity Orientation is to build a community with inclusivity and diversity. She introduced student leaders from the high school who helped to facilitate the activities. After Zug’s speech, the freshmen were split into advisory groups to share their thoughts and feelings about diversity.

In order to make the sharing as honest and open as possible, the student leaders asked the freshmen to make certain ground rules for this small group session and to further discuss why each rule is important. After the small group discussion an activity called the “privilege walk.” In it, the leader will read out statements that pertain to privilege (i.e. ‘I have never felt uncomfortable expressing my gender identity’, ‘I can afford to go to college’) and those who find the statement to be true stepped forward, while those for whom the statement is false step back. It was designed to identify both obstacles and benefits experienced in our lives. Students then gathered in the Library to watch a short clip from the film Cracking the Codes; specifically, the story of racial inequality a black woman experienced at her neighborhood grocery store. This film was debriefedd in advisory groups. The third activity let students to illustrate the different views, values, and ideas pertaining to diversity. The leader of that group read off a series of statements. After each statement, students placed themselves in the room depending on whether they agree or disagreem. The final activity was the Human Knot; this game gained a lot of positive feedback from the freshmen, who said it is fun to play and really links with the main purpose of the orientation.

According to Gustavo Silveira ’17, one of the student leaders of this event, “Everyone involved in the workshop put in time and energy to make it work; a broad spectrum of identities were represented by the volunteer student facilitators, and a number of teachers who were not directly involved in the activities gave their time and their rooms to help make the workshop successful.”

The Diversity Orientation was liked by many freshmen. Lilia Machado ’20 remarked, “I liked the Diversity Workshop because it reflects who we are as a school and brings out student’s openness about religion, sex and a lot other good things.”

It emphasises the value of diversity at WFS and gives students an standard expectation for their speaking and behavior at this school. All in all, the 2016 Diversity Orientation was a success for everyone involved.

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the community is Stressed!

Tess Beardell ‘17 Features Writer Jayna Jones ’17 and Alicia Thompson ’17, creators of the school’s “Uniquely Weekly” poll, recently provided the community with a graphic display of student stress levels during the year. Based on the admittedly few responses given to the survey, it was clear that results were greatly skewed by an underrepresentation of underclassmen and overrepresentation of senior experiences. Upon breaking it down by the numbers, the poll received 76 responses total. Of this, 2% of responses offered the freshman perspective, 9% offered the sophomore perspective, 34% offered the junior perspective, and 53% offered the senior perspective.

The underrepresentation of underclassmen leads to a massive nonresponse bias. This is based on the convenience-sampling nature of a survey. However, it does not account for the massive peak in stress levels that juniors and seniors experience. When asked to identify her stress, Elena Kirifides ’17 noted: “My stress comes from applying to college and having an unusual schedule. I take two science and two math classes, which isn’t very common, so the blocks don’t really line up well.” The stress that comes with doubling-up in a subject was expanded upon by another student. This student recognized that, for some, doubling in history may be less stressful than doubling in math or science—particularly if one takes Scott Clothier’s ‘History of the Cold War’ in conjunction with Javier Ergueta’s ‘History of the 20th Century.’ Some suggested that by studying for their Cold War class, a student may also be gaining insight for their History of the 20th Century class as the two topics run together fairly seamlessly. This comes in great contrast to the stress one may experience when taking, for example, Erica Childs’ ‘AP Statistics’ course and John Roskovensky’s ‘AP Calculus’ course.

Returning to Kirifides’ previous statement, she finished her list of stressors by extending her scope outside of strictly Friends School affairs: “College appli-

cations have grown to feel like an extra obligation on top of everything else I already have to do for school.

It oftentimes feels like everything sort of adds up to become a huge to-do list that needs to be tackled immediately.” What may be comforting to Kirifides, but concerning to others, is that she is not the only one that feels this way. When asked about the same matter, Katie Bodycot ’17 indicated: “My stress comes from the presence of an overwhelming to-do list that needs to be completed as well as trying to balance the tasks on this list, while still having time to participate in the sports and other extra curriculars that many colleges look for.” This discussion of what brings stress on brought to light the, perhaps, more significant discussion of what one can do in order to relieve stress.

While many people are familiar with the basics of destressing—exercise, a good diet, and plenty of sleep—Bodycot has also found that, “The best way for me to cope is taking 15 minutes for myself to whatever I like to do and then going to back to my work.”

Furthermore, Chemisty teacher Sarah O’Brien shared her wisdom on destressing tactics by emphasizing the great benefits exercise can have. O’Brien recognized, “It can be difficult to make yourself find time to workout when you already have a full schedule, but it is rewarding and beneficial.” Beneficial is right. In fact, scientists have proven countless times that increased physical activity stimulates new brain cell growth. The increase in brain cell growth will directly enhance a student’s ability to focus on their work which will, in turn, increase productivity.

Overall, it seems the overarching message, which transcended across all comments on stress, is that stress can be managed by taking time for oneself. Numerous community members have indicated that taking time for oneself, let that be 15 minutes of alone time or 45 minutes of exercise, leads to feeling refreshed and can renew a sense of focus. So, the next time you find yourself struggling with a long to-do list, take a few steps back and allow time for yourself.

Then, get back to the grind!

Thompson ’17 Wins NSA’s Raise award

Isabel crowther ‘17 Features Writer

Every 40 seconds on average, someone in the United States suffers a stroke. A stroke is when blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off, causing brain cells to die and parts of the brain to lose function, and is the 5th leading cause of death globally. One person within our community who suffered from a stroke in 2015, but luckily survived and has since recovered, is Dan Thompson, father of Alicia Thompson ’17. To honor her father and inform others about the dangers of strokes, she organized Dan’s Dash, a stroke awareness fundraiser that occurred on May 14th 2016; it included a race and other activities to raise awareness and funds for the National Stroke Association. “I was grateful that my dad had recovered from his aneurysm and stroke, and I wanted to give back and help other people. I felt so lucky, so I wanted to help other people who had been impacted by strokes and also raise awareness,” said Thompson of what led her to take action. Some more uplifting statistics unclude: up to 80% of strokes can be prevented, there are treatments available, and there are many warning signs for strokes.

“A lot people don’t realize how common strokes actually are, so just the idea of Dan’s Dash helped raise awareness,” Thompson explained. Hopefully, with the awareness and funds raised by Dan’s Dash and the National Stroke Association, the devastating effects of strokes can become a thing of the past.

The fundraiser included a 2 mile walk, 3 mile run, 1 mile run, and various fun mini-activities including a bean bag toss and water balloons, as well as a bake sale. The entire event was organized and promoted by WFS students in the Dan’s Dash club, run

by Thompson and faculty sponsor Mark Schmittle.

Word of the event was spread through WFS using flyers created by the committee, creating a Facebook event and information page, and by word of mouth throughout the Friends community. The event spread stroke awareness through posters showing stroke facts displayed around the track where the event was held, pamphlets containing stroke information from the National Stroke Association, and a website. “We also just went around and asked people to come in person.

We sent out emails to various adults. I also think that some committee members put up flyers in a few coffee shops,” Thompson recalls. More than just students attended, however; a community of parents, siblings, teachers, and friends, all came together to show their support at the event.

The event ended up raising nearly $6000 for the National Stroke Association, and the Association honored Thompson with the 2016 RAISE Award for the Most Impactful Community Fundraising Effort. “It was a collaborative effort with great help from everyone on the Dan’s Dash committee: Mr. Schmittle as our advisor, Mrs. Tornek who created the Dan’s Dash logo, Mrs. Gatti, and Mr. O’Kane who helped with the (Continued on Page 5)

Holiday ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

Club Spotlight: Amnesty Int. AT WFS aDDIE TRUDEL ’19 features writer With a quick glance at the Quaker Matters board, it is easy to tell that the students at Wilmington Friends are deeply invested in social justice issues. There are multiple clubs to discuss these topics, although most clubs center on a specific theme or group. One such club is Amnesty International; clerked by Hannah Kushner ’17 and Lindsay Weber ’17, Amnesty discusses all types of people and issues. The club focuses on raising awareness about little known events and human rights violations worldwide that the community will care about. This club is an important element in our community because it promotes social justice, opens up difficult dialogues and represents our fundamental Quaker values.

Gustavo Silveira ’17, who has been involved in Amnesty for three years, said, “The club goes in two directions: advocacy and activism.” As far as advocacy goes, the club puts out ‘ABCD’s (Atrocities Behind Closed Doors), which are one page write-ups focusing on different human rights issues. Additionally, Amnesty is currently partnering with other clubs such as Charity Water & Ecolgy and Half the Sky to on projects like ‘Toilet Twinning,’ an organization that builds toilets in poor countries. The clubs are hoping to get the school involved! As for the activism part, the club organises different activities a workshop on MLK day in January, and a “Write for Rights” project to send letters to people whose human rights are being attacked.

Kushner, one of the club’s clerks, remarked, “Our ABCDs and club meetings offer a louder voice for students concerned about social justice issues. I think these conversations can often be challenging for us, since they force us to confront our own privilege and biases, and realize just how many people in the world are lacking basic human rights in one form or another.” These difficult conversations are important because they help us to be more aware of where we stand as highly privileged people, and open our minds to different points of view.

Kathleen Martin, the school’s College Guidance counselor, oversees Amnesty and provides guidance as well as insight to the members. She stated of the club: “Amnesty has done an exceptional job of raising awareness of human rights atrocities throughout Friends School. By coordinating letter writing campaigns, Atrocities Behind Closed Doors, and a (highly effective) activity on gun control laws, Amnesty has encouraged our community to think about human rights and how we can make the world a better place.

To me, Amnesty International clearly represents (and acts on) Quaker values.” The members of Amnesty use their voices to speak out about issues that matter to them. This is an example of multiple of the Quaker spices, but most predominantly, the testimony of Stewardship, because the students are protecting and taking responsibility for making a small part of the world a better place.”

Amnesty is an essential part of our school because the club works tirelessly to spread awareness about

(Continued from Page 4) planning and fundraising ideas, and the help of lots of other people like committee members’ parents, the grounds staff, building services staff, Mr. Ransom, and Devon Adams,” added Thompson, of how the WFS community came together to make her vision of the event a reality. “I’m thankful for all the great help and all the generous donors who helped to make Dan’s Dash such a success.”

The committee is meeting again regularly, and hopes that Dan’s Dash’s second year will be as big, or even bigger, of a success as last year. Thompson is hoping this year to gear the event more towards the WFS student community, and to get them as involved as possible. “The committee is still working out the details of this year. We are going to try to orient it more towards students,” she explains.

With last year’s Dan’s Dash being so successful, and as much fun as it was, word of mouth will surely spread throughout the WFS community and make the next Dan’s Dash an even bigger success. human rights issues, provide a space for challenging conversations about global topics, and stand for our the Quaker testimonies that are so important to this community. This club is unique because it gives a voice to all types of people instead of one particular interest group. It opens our minds, educates us, and makes us thankful and aware of our own privilege.

Next day five, be sure to stop by the College Guidance room and give Amnesty a visit. You will learn something, guaranteed!

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR wfs WINTER CONCERTS

Lucy Knudsen ’19 Features Writer

The holiday season is a special time at Wilmington Friends. There are many holiday traditions at the school, but one that resonates with everyone are the Upper School Winter concerts. The different concerts are put on by the Upper School Chorale and Band.

Chorale and Band are some of the most popular extracurricular programs at the school. The holiday concert has been a long-standing tradition at Friends. Every year, the concerts are a wonderful way for students to showcase their talent and hard-working practice.

The Upper School holiday Chorale concert is directed by Margaret Anne Butterfield. This year the concert’s overarching theme is peace. “It was decided this past summer. It seemed appropriate; peace is one of our ‘Spices’ at Friends,” explained Butterfield. The Upper School Chorale program contains of two different choirs: The Chamber Singers, a selective group of sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are dedicated to singing and wish to excel in performing arts, and the Chorale, including any student who wishes to be in choir. The different choirs will be singing pieces relating to the holiday season. This year they will sing

arrangements of traditional Christmas carols such as “Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer” and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” as well as songs from other cultures, which promote the Quaker value of equality. This holiday season, they will be working with songs in traditional Hebrew and Swahili. Each winter concert at Friends incorporates compositions from a variety of holiday celebrations so each culture can be equally represented.

The other concert taking place this season is the winter Band concert. Involving the Upper School Jazz and Symphonic bands, the concert will be jam-packed with excitement. The Jazz Band, much like the Chamber Singers, are a group of students who are passionate about playing music and who already exceed expectations in the band room. Christopher Verry, who has taught at the school for fourteen years, has been working diligently with the two bands. The Jazz Band has been intensely practicing their songs. “They are very challenging. I enjoy the class a lot, though,” expressed Connor Nisbet ’19. This year, the Symphonic Band will be playing a rendition of “Happy X-Mas (War is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, along with other ‘familiar’ holiday songs. Verry believes that the bands should not only play holiday themed songs for

the concert. That being said, he is also having the jazz band play the song ‘Africa’ by Toto.

The performing arts program at Friends is unique.

There is an annual winter choral concert for all of the students in the Lower School that is mandatory to participate in. The option to be in a separate choir or band program is first offered in the fourth grade. With all of the different band and choir groups, the two that stand out are the Upper School Jazz Band and Chamber singers, both being groups that have defined performing arts at Friends. Both bands have been practicing vigorously on their difficult songs. “They’re interesting, thought-provoking, and fun,” said Chamber Singer Miranda Peak ’19 when asked about her opinion on the songs that the chamber singers will be singing.

Winter is an exceptional time at Friends. The bands and choirs have been working hard so that they can succeed in performing well. The ensembles will have nothing but success this year due to Verry and Butterfield’s tremendous amount of work in preparing their students for this year’s concert. The Band concert will take place on December 6th at 7:00 pm and the Chorale concert will be on December 7th at 7:30 pm. With an eclectic choice of numbers, these holiday concerts will be for the books.

Holiday wordsearch!

HOLIDAY ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

PAGE 5

Sports

Cubs Victorious In World Series after 108 years

Sports by the Stat Alice Irwin ‘18 Sports Editor

303 5

Number of career titles Football Coach, Bob Tattersall, has earned; with certainly more to come!

Number of touchdowns Andrew Jaworski ’17 had in one game against Tower Hill.

16:26.57

4

Connor Nisbet’s time to win the DIAA Delaware State Championship in Cross Country.

This was the fastest time for both DII and DI.

Number of Varsity Fall sports teams that finished their seasons with winning records.

32 PAGE 6

Number of years since WFS Football has made the DIAA State Championship Final (the last time was in 1984). This year the team competed against Woodbridge for the title.

and even camping out for a chance to meet the team.

As aforementioned, the Cubs have been in the World Series eleven times, but they have not won since 1908. John Roskovensky declared, “I think it’s awesome. It’s great for the city, it’s great for the fans and it’s still sort of unbelievable. It’s hard to believe it actually happened.” An anonymous student added, “This is the year I decided to jump on the Cubs bandwagon and it was a great year to do so.”

It was an emotional last game for fans of each team. Roskovensky stated, “it was very nerve-wracking. It made me very nervous because I didn’t agree with the way the game was matched, I could see the effect of the game happening the way I feared it would happen and I thought that the Cubs were going to lose while I was watching.” Roskovensky has never seen a win like this from the Cubs, and he has been a fan for most of his life. He illustrated, “Since I grew up in Chicago when I was young, I didn’t like the Cubs because I’m a White Socks fan. When I went to college is really when I became a fan.”

Chicago celebrates its win as the year winds down, and fans of the Chicago Cubs hope that their favorite team is able to win again next year.

The Cubs celebrate winning the World Series. visit the White House before President Obama leaves.

Fans on the other hand are going crazy while celebrating their team, like getting commemoratory tattoos

‘Tis The Season, or ‘Tis PerkSZN? team needs to make better decisions and trust one another in game situations.” It is clear that the mentality the Quakers take into the season will be important, Winter is upon us, bringing with it snow, the holidays, especially in their more challenging games.

One of the toughest teams Friends will face this and the highly anticipated 2016-17 Men’s Quaker Basketball season. With the season fast approaching, year is Mount Pleasant. Despite Mount’s loss of eight the players are feeling the excitement and nerves that seniors, four of whom started, they remain a force to come with the start of the season. This year, Men’s be reckoned with in Delaware basketball. Jordan PerBasketball is fighting to top their 10-10 season from kins ’17 considered strategy for the Mount game: “We last year, hoping that will put them in contention for a should be very familiar with their style of play since we played them numerous times during the off seastate tournament position.

Since the team has not made the state tournament son, whether it be in summer league or fall league. I believe if we play hard, since 2013, many play together, and play believe that they are to win, we will have a due for a postseastrong chance of beatson run. Last seaing them this year.” son was the QuakPerkins believes that er’s best attempt with the team’s comat clinching a spot bined knowledge of in the tournament how Mount Pleasant since their successplays and how they ful run in 2013. themselves play, they Lead by captain should have a good Quinn Kirkpatrick chance of beating the ’16, their 10-10 reQuaker Men’s Basketball 2015-2016 Green Knights. cord put them right Despite the difficult road ahead, the team enters the on the doorstep of the playoffs. In order to improve on the season from last year, head coach Chris Loeffler season with high hopes. Ethan Moser ’17 commented: has one thing in particular he would like the team to “At the end of last season, I was slightly discouraged focus on: “I think the biggest improvement we need to about how this season would go because of the seniors make is mental, knowing that we can play with any- we were losing, but once I saw our play in summer one. I think we realized that through the year, but we league my opinion started to change. . . The youngshould go into the season knowing that. We went into er players, especially the big men, have made a lot of the season with questions last year, and we answered a strides, and I’m confident that they can make up for few of them, but the biggest improvement we need to the height we have lost. We have a really good group make is going into the games with the confidence that and I’m looking forward to having a great final season we are going to win them.” Loeffler stressed that the at Friends.” With the season well under way, the promteam needs to improve their mental game just as much ise this team has is becoming clear. Armed with with as any other aspect of their play. Along those lines, a the promising combination of a lot of height and a few players echo Loeffler’s sentiment for mental im- deep bench, Quaker Basketball seems ready to end the provement. Ryan Chompre ’18 commented, “Our three year postseason drought and make a playoff run.

Carlin Beskrone ’19 Sports Writer

www.quakerssports.com

2016 is a good year to be a fan of the Chicago Cubs!

On November 2, the Chicago Cubs won the biggest event in baseball for the first time in one hundred and eight years: the World Series. This was their eleventh time in the series. Fans were surprised when their team managed to pull off a win in the final game.

The World Series started in 1903 and is played every fall. The format of the series is the best team in the National League goes against the best team in the American League. This year Chicago was the representing team of the National League and Cleveland was the representing team of the American League. The amount of games in the series varies each year. A team wins when they win four games, so the most games there can be in a series is seven. This year the World Series went to the maximum amount. The Chicago Cubs went against the team from Cleveland, Ohio, and defeated them eight to seven.

Cleveland’s team competed for the sixth time being in the World Series.

In the beginning, the odds were not looking good

for the Cubs, seeing as they lost three out of the first four games. Before the exciting ultimate game, the two teams were tied, for they each had won three games.

After the concluding game the Cubs gathered on Wrigley Field in their home city of Chicago to celebrate.

According to the New York Times, the Cubs may even

www.flickr.com

Bella Stuccio ’19 Sports Writer

HOLIDAY ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

Sports

Lindsey Vonn: Injuries and a Hopeful Return Not many people fully appreciate the sport of ski racing, and those who do know that there is no one better than Lindsey Vonn. Over the years, Vonn has become the face of ski racing, while thriving on the slopes and being a hot topic in the media as well. Last March, Vonn suffered a hairline fracture in her left knee in Andorra. She was worried that this injury could be the end of her ski racing career, as she would need very serious surgery. This would be Vonn’s third out of the past four seasons where an injury ended her season early. As assumed, Vonn was out for the remainder of the 2015-2016 season.

Interestingly enough, Vonn was back out on the slopes the day after she sustained her hairline fracture. She wanted to finish her race in Andorra.

In ski racing, the racer takes two runs, and they use the best time of the two. Vonn nearly broke a record for her first run that day. She sustained the injury in her second run. She finished 13th in her race, but was in first for her first run the previous day.

Vonn posted on her twitter, “No one can ever call me a wimp.”

In the United States, ski racing is not as popular as other common sports such as football or baseball.

Many people, like Henry Gise ’17, do not know much

about Vonn or ski racing. Gise explained the extent of his knowledge of Vonn: “All I know is that she’s a skier.” Though Vonn is one of the more popular racers, she is still rather unknown to the American community, compared to figures like Richard Sherman or Tom Brady.

In 2014, Vonn tore her ACL in another race, end-

gram, Facebook, and Twitter. As a big fan of Lindsey Vonn, Spanish teacher Chamby Zepeda felt it was truly inspirational to watch. He commented, “She is a very influential and super resilient athlete that has overcome obstacles that a normal Olympian would not encounter.”

The media and fans have rallied around Vonn as she recovered from her injuries. Jack Hanson ‘18 added, “I hope she doesn’t get injured again because I want to see her in the world championship.”

Recently, Vonn broke her arm in training. This should prove to be only be a minor setback for Vonn, although she did need surgery. She said that her surgery went successfully as stated in one of her latest tweets: “While I am beyond frustrated by this latest setback, at least my knees are OK and I will return to the slopes as soon as possible, as I always do! Thank you for the continued love and support, it means so much to me.”

Vonn continues to prevail through injury after injury and upholds the title for “Winningest Woman Ski Racer.” Lillia Machado ’20 said, “Good for her, power to her! I feel bad that she keeps getting hurt and I hope she gets better for the season.” The ski community hopes that this bad luck streak ends soon for Vonn. We wish her a speedy recovery so she can continue to do what she loves. She’s one tough cookie!

Wikimedia Commons

John Blackwell ’18 Sports Writer

Lindsey Vonn has won the most ski racing titles of any woman in the world. ing her season. However, this time, there would be no miraculous comeback. The ACL is a main muscle/ligament in the knee that holds the joint intact and when torn, it is one of the most painful injuries there is to have. Vonn was devastated that her season was over early, but she did not let the injury bring her spirits down. She posted updates on her recovery on Insta-

WHat we learned from the fall sports season This year in fall sports, all of our teams had winning seasons. They performed to achieve amazing accomplishments. In cross country, Connor Nisbet won the New Castle County Race. The volleyball team shut down Tower Hill in the regular season game and made it to the DIAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The football team will most made the state tournament. Field Hockey reached the quarter-final round of the state tournament.

The soccer team finished 15th in the state and had a winning season. Read on to find out what makes all of these teams work so well together and what their strongest traits are.

The volleyball team had a fantastic season and ended up with an outstanding 10-4 record.

Senior captain Alyssa Nathan ’17 commented on the reason for success: “Our teamwork and mentality. It sounds cliché, but it truly was. Everyday whether it was a practice or a game, everyone came in ready to give their all and work their hardest. The hard work showed in the really tough games. Everyone on the team got along very well which made it easy to act as a united front. I think our biggest asset was our drive. We always wanted to win and work our hardest.

We didn't always win, but we never gave up.” Clearly, the team is very connected and has lots of passion towards the sport.

At the time this article is written, the football team has a 11-3 record and competed in the State Championship Division Two final after beating Saint Georges 20-6. Senior and captain Andrew Jaworski ’17 noted, “We definitely have everyone contributing to our team's success. From the freshmen up to the seniors,

everyone has helped us get to where we are. The years of experience the starters have also helped us this year.

To answer the second question, our line has helped us tremendously this year. That goes along with the experience that our team has. We have mostly returners on the line this year and they have helped us dominate both offensively and defensively.” The team had

The field hockey team also had a successful season ending in the state quarterfinal round with an impressive of 11-2-2. Captain and senior Simone Veale ’17 stated, “The main factor that contributed to our success was the fact that we have raw talent. Everyone on our team is athletic and talented on their own, so when you combine that with all of the hours of hard work we put into practicing, the result was a solid team. Our strongest asset this year was our field sense. This was easily the smartest team I've played on in the sense that we made smart decisions and smart passes.” Passing is a key aspect in most sports, especially field hockey, and it was clear they excelled.

The soccer season ended with an 8-7 record, which means that this is the second year in a row they ended with a winning season. Captain Max Pickles ’18 shared, “This season, we had four or five starting freshmen. Their ability to move on and off the ball and their passing ability allowed the team to play real soccer. Next year, the freshmen will be older, more experienced, and more skilled. It will be a very strong year, and we are making a big playoff push. Our strongest asset is probably our team chemistry. We all love each other on and off the field and that really helps our playing ability.” Inevitably, with such a young team that performs so well, the team will be even stronger next year.

All teams concurred that teamwork is what makes them win, whether on or off the field. Richard Kittle, the WFS Athletic Director, added, “One important aspect is the relationship of the players on the team and their willingness to work towards a common goal.

Once you have unity within a group it makes them more coachable and easier to obtain success. Relationship between players is a strong start.” In order to maintain the success in the coming winter season, we must keep strong relationships between the players to ensure teamwork. Go Quakers!

Larry Kuhn Photography

Conner Miller ’19 Sports Writer

WFS Field Hockey celebrates after a goal. an excellent ending to their season, and though they did not win their final game, they surely had a season to be proud of.

Cross Country had a very successful year where Connor Nisbet ’19, won every race he competed in, including the county and state race. Nisbet mentioned, “I think Andrew Slomski ’17 and I performed extremely well during the second half of the season because of how well we worked together in training and persevered to win.” This training showed in how well both runners performed throughout the season.

Nisbet added, “Next year, I think we have a really strong chance of winning the state run as a team and be able to bring home a trophy for the school.” Hopefully, the team will achieve their high hopes. Good luck, Connor!

Holiday ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

PAGE 7

Entertainment

The Starbucks Cup Controversy holiday music: when is it too early?

Ashley Brooks ‘18 Entertainment writer

Olivia ivins ‘20 entertainment writer Autumn decorations are being taken down and stored for Halloweens and Thanksgivings to come. Many look forward to Halloween for weeks and prepare our costumes, but when that weekend finally comes to a close what is next?

Thanksgiving follows close behind and the holidays officially begin, but when is the right time to begin listening to holiday music? Some refuse to listen to holiday music anytime before December. Ryan Evans ’20 commented, “Anytime during December, but not before then.” He feels very strongly about the correct time to listen.

Others use the day after Halloween to mark the time to begin spreading the holiday cheer.

The well-known song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey was released on November 1, 1994. At its release, this classic Christmas song was enjoyed for two months before Christmas, marking the start of the holiday season well before December. However, social media plays a part in this controversy and presents many different claims for the appropriate time to start listening. For example, many memes have been made about people beginning to listen to their Christmas playlists just as they finish Thanksgiving dinner or just as they put away their Halloween costume. However, similar to Mariah Carey, there are many other artists who released their music just as Halloween wrapped up.

Michael Bublé released his album “Christmas” on October 14th. On the contrary, Ariana Grande released her Christmas album “Christmas And Chill” only one week before Christmas last year. Alonia Needs ’19 pointed out that there is no Thanksgiving music. She explained, “Before Halloween is too early, but as soon as Halloween ends you can start listening to your music to get into the holiday spirit!” Needs also notes how wearing fuzzy socks and lighting holiday themed candles is the perfect way to listen to your favorite playlist. Jenks Wittenberg, Upper School Computer Science Teacher, explicitly stated, “Two weeks maximum for holiday music. Anytime after December 10th, but that is it.” Some have very strict opinions on this controversy. Sam Gise ’20 commented, “You should be able to play the music you want!” Some get into the holiday spirit and listen to their music months earlier than the actual holiday. Others listen to their music the eve of the holiday they celebrate. It all depends on the person. Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé released their holiday albums months before the holidays, promoting a longer period of holiday anticipation, while Ariana Grande released her album one week before the holidays, supporting a shortened span of celebration. Holiday music can be enjoyed at any time depending on a person’s preference.

People celebrate a wide variety of holidays, and festive music is a great way to celebrate during the holiday season. While people have different opinions on when it is appropriate to listen to holiday music, it is important to remember that music brings people together in a special way.

PAGE 8

Many people love starting off their day with a hot cup of coffee. It is that time of the year again when Starbucks introduces their holiday cup for the winter season. The popular worldwide coffee chain has been serving their holiday beverages in a unique cup for the past decade. The release of the new cup design informs customers that the holiday season is near. Every year the cup captures the joy of the holiday season with festive illustrations around the outside.

Last year, Starbucks produced a plain red ombre design to be inclusive towards all religions and celebrations during the holiday season. In years prior, Starbucks mainly focused on Christmas in its design.

So in 2015, the company composed a more versatile design to be non-exclusive. However, this resulted in dissatisfaction as well, as Christian customers argued that because there were no specific designs pertaining to the Christmas holiday, Starbucks was “waging a war on Christianity” when they removed illustrations of reindeer, snowflakes, and ornaments.

In 2015, the fight over the Starbucks cup began with a man named Joshua Feuerstein. It all started when he claimed, in a video that soon became viral, that Starbucks could not celebrate Christmas anymore. He stated that every year Christians are persecuted by companies. Therefore, the non-specific design caused some consumers to complain. After the video was released, Starbucks defended themselves by explaining that the cup imitated a canvas that welcomes everyone’s stories, and not just one religion.

Some people believed the cup with no designs was against Christianity, while others were not bothered by the change at all. Coffee-lover Emma Davis ’18 shared her thoughts that she does not think “Starbucks should not make the cup specific to a certain holiday, but it can have a snowflake or some type of design to make it for everyone.” Davis believes that the color red of the cup still represents Christmas colors. Davis points out that Starbucks could make the cup a different color, one that is not directly associated with Christmas. She makes a clear point on how the cup shouldn’t necessarily be a blank canvas like Starbucks had originally in 2015. Davis instead wants to see a design that relates to everyone, which this year, Starbucks has not failed to produce.

For the United States Presidential Election, Star-

bucks produced a green cup that was released the same day as the holiday drinks. This resulted in confusion and even rage from avid Starbucks consumers.

Customers believed that the green cups were the new holiday cups, and this furthered the belief for some that Starbucks aimed to persecute Christians. The new green cups display sketches of people and lack holiday designs. This design was meant to be a signal of unity for the country. An anonymous student from Wilmington Friends shared, “Personally, I’m offended. I arrive at Starbucks after a rough day expecting a hot mocha latte in a nice red holiday cup to cheer me up for Christmas. Instead, I receive a cup that urges me to be united with America.” This student is frustrated by the current spotlight on politics, and just wants to enjoy a nice cup of coffee to prepare for the holidays. However, Starbucks soon clarified that this was not their holiday cup for 2016. The cups that Starbucks made for the 2016 indeed returned to the Christmas look.

The 2016 design was created by people all over the world. Starbucks received submissions by advertising a contest through Instagram. As a result, Starbucks has over 13 different cup designs for the holidays that they are using in stores now. Some of the cups have designs with birds, holly, trees, and ornaments promoting the Christmas spirit. Instead of a plain cup like last year, they decided to go all out and make several designs. A few people believe the designs are favoring Christmas, and always have been. Keisha Clark, a barista at the Java Nook coffee shop at Friends, expressed her feelings on the subject: “I don’t think it matters what kind of cup I drink out of. As long as it has coffee in it, I’m happy. Maybe a little design on it to make it look pretty, but besides that it doesn’t really bother me.” This is a view from someone who is around coffee every day. All that matters to her at the end of the day is that she can enjoy the content inside.

The new holiday cup for 2016 arrived in stores November 10th for the season. One of the ideas Starbucks had this holiday season was to celebrate the return of the red holiday cups by allowing customers who purchase one holiday beverage to get another one free, from November 10 to 14. The beverages included in this holiday deal were the Chestnut Praline Latte, Peppermint Mocha and Skinny Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulee Latte, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, Teavana Joy Brewed Tea, and Spiced Sweet Cream Narino 70 Cold Brew. What better way to start the holiday season than with a free drink?

Celebrity look-alikes

(Back by popular demand!)

Abby Kleman ’18 mike coons ’18 Entertainment editors

Sarah Gooderham ’17 and Anne Hathaway Will Gatti ’17 and Matthew Mcconaughy

Grace Para ’18 and Angelina Jolie

Brendan Haubert ’18 and Shaggy Rogers

holiday ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

Entertainment

An Overview of holiday Shows Winter

Maggie martelli-raben ’18 entertainment writer

Every holiday season, people look forward to seeing their favorite holiday shows live. Likewise, families look forward to watching their favorite holiday specials and movies. Many famous holiday shows have been turned into musical productions. Some shows only live productions, such as the infamous Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, that run from November to January in New York City. Tickets to that show, and other unique holiday shows, can be extremely expensive. For most families, seeing a holiday musical is somewhat of an infrequency, and could be a pleasant surprise for many kids throughout the holiday season. The shows portrayed as musicals offer a different way to view classics, especially for those interested in music. “A Christmas Carol” is an example of a holiday show that has been rendered into both a musical (featured on broadway), and as a movie. Holiday shows offer viewers diverse ways of seeing their favorite shows.

Starting in November, theatres everywhere begin to feature holiday shows. While New York is the first city that might come to mind when thinking of attending one of these, most major theatres in various cities around the U.S will feature holiday shows around the fall and winter months. For the Wilmington community, the Wilmington Ballet Academy of dance puts on their variation of “The Nutcracker” on December 3rd and 4th, at the Playhouse (formerly the Dupont Theatre). This is a highly valued tradition for the dance community in Delaware as this will be the 50th anniversary of this performance. Jake Nolen ’17 said, “I think live productions are a cool experience because you feel like you are part of the celebration. They are very engaging, and they are fun to sing along.” Holiday shows come in many different forms and the Nutcracker is a prime example of this because it is a ballet and does not feature any singing, and has

minimal talking. The show is appropriate for children of any age. Mary Agne ’18 has taken part in this show for a number of years. In edition, the Playhouse will feature “Broadway Christmas Wonderland,” a Christmas show displaying singing, dancing and acting.

Although holiday shows are an innovative way for people to experience the holidays, not everyone has the opportunity, time, or interest in seeing a show. Jack Hanson ’18 said, “I prefer holiday movies, because it is so much easier to just be on the couch with your family, and much more comfortable too.” The network formally known as ABC Family, now called Freeform, offers 25 days of christmas classics, ranging from the old animations, such as “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph,” to more modern movies like Tim Burton’s, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, and “Elf ” starring Will Ferrell. While these movies offer unique perspectives on Christmas, “25 Days of Christmas” does not feature shows and movies from any other holiday.

While there is definitely a lack of shows for those that celebrate the Jewish holidays, there are a few, including “8 Crazy Nights” and “A Rugrats Chanukah.”

Comparing holiday musicals with shows and movies is comparing two completely different things. It is always fun to dress up and go see a show, but it’s also nice to hang out at home. Both include the same holiday spirit, but in totally different ways. For those people that do not feel like spending the money, but still wish to get out of the house, a trip to the movie theater is a viable option as well. Every year production companies release new holiday themed movies that are shown in movie theaters in the months of November, December, and often January as well. Seeing one of these movies can be an activity for a rainy (or snowy) day, and can get people out of the house, as well as put them in the holiday spirit. Whether it is taking a trip to the theatre, or to the couch this season, enjoying a holiday show, movie, musical, or even ballet is a great way to get into the holiday spirit.

Favorite holiday activities Allie Fulginiti ’17 Entertainment writer As the holiday season approaches once again, excitement arises for everyone’s favorite holiday activities.

While it appears as though watching holiday movies and listening to holiday songs trumps the WFS student body’s favorite holiday activities, there was still relatively strong support for exchanging gifts and

shopping. With Black Friday on the horizon at the time of the survey, with the best deals of the season approaching, it is natural to want to utilize those deals and get ahead on holiday shopping. In third place was “enjoying festive foods” and not far behind was building snowmen and decorating your house.

Whether you are jamming to Mariah Carey in your car or shopping for your family these next few weeks, have a great holiday season, WFS!

Cookies: WFS RECIPE BOOK Emma landis ‘19 Entertainment writer Holiday cheer is in the air! To help get in the holiday spirit, there are tons of things to do; whether decorating your house, shopping for gifts, cooking delicious holiday recipes, or doing all of the above, most everyone is excited for the upcoming season.

Alonia Needs ’19 commented, “My favorite part of the holiday season is getting to make Christmas cookies with my grandmother, and then having a big holiday cookie swap with my family.” If you have a Christmas cookie swap like Needs, these cookies are guaranteed to blow away your friends and family! No matter what holidays you celebrate, these recipes will be perfect for the season!

Blue Ribbon Sugar Cookies These cookies are simple and delicious! Ready in an hour to decorate with symbols of your favorite holiday, whether that be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or them all!

Ingredients 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup white sugar for decoration DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil, confectioners’ sugar and white sugar until well blended. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until well blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls.

Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Flatten cookies to 1/8 inch thickness using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Colored sugar may be used if you do not plan to frost cookies later.

Bake for 9 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Your family and friends will love this easy and fun recipe! It is delicious by itself and will go great with any of your favorite holiday meals. Ross Clark ’19 said, “My favorite holiday meals are turkey, birthday cake, and some nice thanksgiving stuffing. I like to try new recipes during the holiday season.”

This recipe will go great with Clak’s favorites, and yours too! If you’re looking for a little extra holiday spirit, you’ll love this recipe. This dish will bring an extra bit of cheer to any holiday table! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24464/blue-ribbon-sugar-cookies/?internalSource=rotd&referringId=841&referringContentType=recipe%20 hub&clickId=cardslot%201

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News

Migrants: in search of a place to call home Nick Urick ’20 News Writer

Recently, thousands of migrants have been unsuccessful during an intense journey across the Mediterranean Sea in an attempt to escape the now-violence filled country of Libya. So why are thousands of people trying to leave Libya? What is their motivation to leave the place they once called home? Over the past few weeks, Libya has become the latest hotspot in the European migration crisis. In fact, migration from Libya to Europe has drastically increased since 2013.

After groups of rebel fighters assassinated Libyan dictator, Muammar Qaddafi, two rival groups have been brawling to seize the country’s power. Now, the people of Libya seem to be losing hope in the direction their home country is going, and what they are going to do about it. The popular notion seems to be to flee to Europe in order to find a better life.

The most recent instance of shortfall, however, occurred during the week of November 3, 2016.

Huge groups of people struggled to fit into makeshift boats and travel across the Mediterranean in hope of reaching Italy and finding sanctuary. It is well known that the journey has not been safe lately. In fact, the journeys across the sea have been the worst since last April. Despite the dangerous, even fatal journey, thousands continue to embark in hopes of refuge. In the first week of November, two groups of one hundred split into two boats, and attempted the hard journey.

Mid-journey, the two ships experienced a devastating shipwreck, leaving two hundred desperate Libyans to drown in the cold water. According to BBC, these two hundred are part of the already four thousand dead or missing, and perhaps just the start of hundreds more.

Katrina Winfield ’20 commented, “I find it so crazy that people are so desperate to get out of their living situation. We are so lucky that we do not have to deal with that. It’s so sad to hear that that many people have died in an attempt to get a better life. It’s unfortunate that people lose their families and children and it’s upsetting that they have such a lack of resources for their boats, and are forced to squish hundreds of people into one.” Winfield contrasted the fortunate lives of many Americans with those of many Libyans struggling for their basic needs. During an interview with an online news source Think Progress, an individual commented that it seemed unimaginable for an American to do something like this, and it upsets them as well that people are losing their families and being left with no hope.

The death of migrants travelling by sea are predicted to be the worst in 2016. According to BBC News, a dinghy - which is defined as a small, inflatable, rubber boat - was carrying 140 people, including six children and twenty women, a handful of them pregnant. These women were travelling in attempt to give birth to their children in a European country for their child to acquire citizenship. The boat capsized, twenty-five miles off of the coast of Libya. Out of all those people, only twelve bodies were recovered. According to a BBC report, a member of the UN said that smugglers who organise these dangerous journeys pack flimsy boats well above their capacity, and send the boats off in bad weather. One might ask, are any migrants successful in their journey? Well, Italy reluctantly accepted an increase of migrants ever since an EU-Turkey agreement to halt migrants travelling to the Greek Islands came into use in March.

While discussing the issue earlier in the week, Ruth

Hazzard ’19 stated her remorseful reaction to the recent crisis: “I can’t believe an event like this happened, it’s such an awful thing. The fact that there are people in the United States that have five boats to their name, and these people could not gather up the resources to make a sustainable way to travel and achieve a better life. It’s sad that they had to flee their country.” To many, it seems impossible to leave the place you call home, especially at such high risk.

With some reasoning, one could be confused on the decisions the immigrants have been making. The people of Libya face great personal risk when in their country. Libya has an expansive 1,100 mile coastline, one of the largest in North Africa. The coastline has been left without border control because the country has lacked a centralized government since 2014. When Libyan Coast Guard members catch migrants and refugees attempting to flee by boat, these individuals are forced into overcrowded detention centers with terrible conditions. Migrants in these detention centers are subject to horrible atrocities and even torture, leaving them in even worse situations. Nick Gauthier ’17 commented on Europe’s standing in this. “This goes to show that the West has to be more willing to accept refugees. These are just innocent people that are trying to find a suitable place to live in peace.” In this quote, Nick discusses his belief that more countries should recognize the struggle the Libyan migrants are going through and be more accepting of refugees.

The migrant crisis off the coast of Libya is va very difficult, relevant issue with many underlying controversies. It seems that Libyan refugees and migrants are already in tough situations, and that they have no escape but to risk their lives in a tragic journey towards a better home.

Protecting the Sacred: #nodalp News for Dummies for the ETP to voluntarily stop the construction under the lake. Although the government requested for them to wait, Energy Transfer Partners ignored them Energy Transfer Partners, the company responsible and pressed their project towards the Missouri river, for the Dakota Access Pipeline, was preparing to build arguing that they had received all the permits and apa tunnel under Lake Oahe. The residents who live near provals they needed from the Army Corps. the lake protested its construction, and on December On November 2, the protests surrounding the 4, their prayers were answerd when the Army Corps pipeline’s construction erupted into violence when the of Engineers revoked ETP’s permit, forcing them to police arrested 16 people and pepper sprayed the proreroute the pipeline away from Standing Rock. testers. The police reportedly used beanbag guns, and According to The Guardian, ETP had recently an- in the live stream on Cempoalli Twenny’s Facebook nounced that the drilling underneath the lake will page, protesters can be heard calling for a medic. The begin promptly despite the government’s request for authority has defended their removal of the protesters them to wait. The pipeline was expected to be done by by saying that they were trespassing private property the end of 2016. near Highway 1806. The sheriff posted on Facebook The protesters, which include the Standing Rock that they have a Long Range Acoustic Device to conSioux Tribe, have fought against this 3.7 billion dol- trol the crowd, which essentially damages your ears lar pipeline since the project began this April. The from its high-pitched speaker. protesters say that the The Standing Rock Sioux crude oil that is being Tribe has been extremely devotsent from North Dakota ed to stopping the construction to a refinery in Illinois of the Dakota Access Pipeline could pollute the lake’s because it goes through the water water and destroy culsource for their reservation, as turally significant land. well as sites with cultural signifBefore the permit was reicance. The tribe sued the Army voked, Alonia Needs ’19 Corps of Engineers for not havexpressed, “I don’t think ing been consulted on the route, they should put the pipes which caused the construction to Protests against DAPL have happened all over there. There’s already so temporarily halt in September. the country in recent weeks. many issues in America “I would try and find a comwith us taking the Indian’s land and it’s not a good idea mon ground. I’d just try my best to find a happy meto build the pipelines through this important area for dium,” commented Sloan Maas ’18 before the news them when we have already done so much to them broke on the 5th. However, with the recent change in the past. They should find another route for these in plans for the pipeline to be rerouted, the Standing pipelines.” In September, the US Justice of Interior Rock Sioux Tribe can take comfort knowing their Departments and the Army Corps of Engineer asked voices were heard and their sacred land preserved. flickr.jpg

Annika siddall ’20 News Writer

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Leah Johnson ’20 News Writer

Busy school life? Not enough time to read long articles? News For Dummies provides short, easyto-read reports on news all around the world.

French Presidential Election Heats Up As the US presidential begins to come to a close, the French election, which takes place in 2017, begins to heat up. One candidate, François Fillon, who is socially conservative and rightwing, has recently debated Alain Juppé, the more moderate centrist, and won. Fillon has stated, as reported by the Guardian, that “France is not a multicultural nation,” and that France’s national identity must be protected.

Venezuelans Flee From Economic Collapse Venezuela’s economic collapse began when President Hugo Chávez promised to redistribute wealth to the poor. Since then, there has been a strain on food supplies, and, according to the Guardian, over 150,000 people have fled the country in search of stability and food.

Distinguish Species of Mosquitoes With a Cellphone According to the New York Times, a research group from Stanford University has found that simple cell phones can be used to distinguish different types of mosquitoes by their hums. This technology has many practical uses, particularly in areas where mosquito-born diseases, like West Nile virus and Zika, are most prevalent. The students at Stanford believe the technology should be explored for its potential use.

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Community

Hillary Clinton and the women, POC, and LGBT+ Vote

tually largely drove the gender gap against Trump.

The majority of non-college educated white women at 64 percent voted for Trump, while 35 perThe race is over. Donald J. Trump will become the cent backed Clinton. This figure is far higher than 45th President of the United States of America. Part non-college educated black women, of which only of America is asking how; meanwhile, celebration 3 percent voted for Trump, and non-college educatis underway for the other part. If not for her losses ed Hispanic women, of which 25 percent voted for in big states such as Pennsylvania, Trump. Black, Hispanic and other non-white Wisconsin, and Michigan, Hillary women backed Clinton in far greater numbers.

Clinton would have made history Trump’s sexist rhetoric has been well-docas the first female President in the umented throughout the election: When he history of the USA. dismissed a female moderator by suggested To try and offset Trump’s margin she must have had “blood coming out of her among white voters, Clinton needwherever,” called for women who have abored extremely strong support from tions to be punished (then backtracked), African-American voters. Demobragged about grabbing women “by the pussy”, graphic exit poll data shows that and was dogged by allegations of sexual assault Clinton did worse than anticipatthroughout the campaign. Despite all of this, ed in Hispanic voters and African 45% of college-educated white women voted Americans. For an easier view, her for Trump. performance has been compared to As for the LGBT+ community, activists are Obama in 2012 showing her failure gearing up for tough battles in the upcoming to appeal to a number of key voter Hillary Clinton speaks in front of a crowd of Filipinos, Asian American,s years. The GOP will be in full control of both groups; groups that she was preand Pacific Islaners who supported her. the executive and the legislature for the first dicted to have more support from. time since 2005 when Donald Trump takes Large proportion of minority ethnic groups backed Latino voter turnout nationwide days before the day office. The Republican Platform passed earlier this Obama for his presidency in 2008 and 2012 because of the election. The national exit poll suggests that year contained some of the most anti-LGBT proof the obvious attraction of voting for the first black Latinos did make up a larger share of voters in 2016 visions in decades — attacking same-sex adoption president in America. than previously -- 11% this year, up from 10% in 2012 and parenting and opposing a ban on ‘gay cure’ This time around, polling figures showed that and 9% in 2008. Turnout aside, a record 27.3 million therapy, while lawmakers have drawn up bills afethnic minorities still looked to support the Dem- of Latinos were eligible to vote in 2016, up 4 million firming ‘religious freedom’ exemptions from anocrat candidate -- showing that just 17 per cent of from four years ago – the largest increase of any ra- ti-discrimination laws.

Hispanics and three per cent of African Americans cial or ethnic group. And the Latino electorate grew Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, has consupported Trump. Clinton did win 88 percent of the in many states since 2012, including the battlegrounds firmed a plan to dismantle Barack Obama’s problack vote to Trump’s measly 8 percent. However, of Arizona, Florida and Nevada. Despite the outcome, tections for LGBT people, as part of an ‘immedithis was significantly lower than the 93 percent of polling experts believe a larger Hispanic margin for ate’ review of executive orders issued by President black voters President Obama won four years ago. Clinton wouldn’t have been able to swing the election. Obama. President-Elect Trump has also pledged The falloff in her share of the black vote was due to Daniel Smith, a political science professor at the Uni- to sign the Republican-backed First Amendment black men. Clinton won among black women by a versity of Florida, said Hispanics couldn’t have offset Defence Act, a law that would permit forms of an93 percent to 4 percent margin. Among black men the massive gains Trump made with white voters from ti-LGBT discrimination on the grounds of religion. she won by 80 percent to 13 percent.

Florida to North Carolina to Pennsylvania.

It’s his white following that most benefited Given the history between Trump and Latinos, According to Edison national election poll, wom- Trump. His most enthusiastic supporters were one of the biggest surprises on Election Night was en did vote overwhelmingly to elect Clinton, but it white men across the board, with 54% of college that so many Latinos ended up voting for their tor- was white women who helped Trump win the title of educated white men and 72% non-college educatmentor. According to CNN’s exit polls, about 27 President-Elect. Overall, 54 percent of women voted ed white men backing him. These white men and percent of Latinos voted for Trump; The New York for Clinton — much higher than the 42 percent of women voted like a minority group, according to Times polls indicated 29 percent. Although Clinton women who voted for Trump. But when the women’s one electoral analyst, coalescing on a mission to put won 65 percent of Latino voters — a level of Demo- vote is divided by race, it’s clear that black women ac- him in the White House.

cratic support similar to 2008, when 67% of Hispanics backed Barack Obama — her share of the Latino vote was lower than in 2012, when 71% of Latinos voted to reelect Obama. Trump won 29% of the Latino vote, a similar share to 2012, when Mitt Romney won 27%, and to 2008, when John McCain won 31%.

There was evidence of a possible historic surge in

asianamericanjournal.com

Marley Morton ’18 Columnist

Facebook’s Fake News, Political Discourse, and the 2016 Election Cecilia Ergueta ’18 Columnist What happens when millions of Americans get their news from a single, private, social media company with no accountability for the truth of its content?

Facebook’s unprecedented power in our country’s news consumption endangers the balanced and credible sharing of ideas and information in the USA, directly affecting the political division evident in our country, and influencing the results of the 2016 election.

Today, an informed person who keeps up with the news means something very different than it did even ten years ago; a recent Pew study determined that 44% of Americans read or watch news on Facebook. While network television and other news gathering agencies (including newspapers) have fallen well below 50% of all news traffic, Facebook has developed into a platform not only for connecting with friends, but for reading up on the news, centralizing online news consumption under the control of a private company

that answers only to stockholders. Last year, Republicans were rightly scandalized by Facebook’s admittance that its “trending topics” list was in fact curated by a team of journalists, one of whom conceded that they were biased against conservative perspectives.

“Considering that over 40% of people get their news from Facebook, I definitely understand why people would be upset about this; if you want to be a news source, you have a responsibility to represent both sides equally,” stated Izze Rios ’18. Due to its lack of transparency, we can only guess what else goes on in Facebook company meetings–and is finding its way into its algorithms! When we convince ourselves that Facebook is an open, unbiased platform, we delude ourselves, and dangerously so; Facebook’s announced goals as a company are money and power, yet our society gives them the controls to the system by which Americans inform themselves and base their beliefs.

One phenomenon facilitated by Facebook in particular greatly endangers our public discourse: the rise of fake news sites. As traditional news platforms such as newspapers decline, political “news” and advocacy

Holiday ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY

pages have sprung up on Facebook, created by often obscure individuals and groups to capitalize on Facebook’s algorithms by serving up “click-bait” that appeals to users’ emotions and prejudices, and which is then “liked” and shared in a snowballing fashion. Some of these pages produce nothing other than outrageous memes catering to the prejudices of political groups, particularly right-wing groups, feeding them outright lies as facts to arouse attention and engagement with their followers. For example, an investigation by Buzzfeed examined three major right-wing websites, determining that 38% of their posts were either false or a mixture of truth and falsehood. Even more worrying, they found that the least accurate pages generated some of the highest numbers of shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook. “The rise of fake news sites speaks to people’s need for instant gratification- rather than doing the digging themselves, people let someone else tell them their version of reality” stated Jake Rashkind, English teacher. Such “services” have accumulated “follower” lists numbering in the millions of (Continued on Page 12)

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Continued from Page 11: people, overshadowing major news companies such as the New York Times or CNN, and dominating political discourse, without the structure or ethical accountability of major news companies. “Fake news create a mindset for people based on falsehoods, changing the way they think about politics- that’s a huge problem!” stated Donovan Aldridge ’18. The people behind fake “news” pages’ vary; while some are partisan propagandists eager to influence public opinion, others are simply greedy entrepreneurs seeking to make money from high-traffic advertising, regardless of the consequences. But, as Rios pointed out, “News pages are what the public relies on; when you see people like this just out to make a quick buck, it makes you think, ‘how can we trust what we see on our newsfeeds?’”

At this point, it is hard to believe that fake “news” pages on Facebook did not affect the results of the recent election. Frank Bruni of the New York Times cited pre-election fake news articles, illustrating the absurdities their loyal fan bases avidly consumed and passed on to others: “You may not realize that our Kenyan-born Muslim president was plotting to serve a third term as our illegitimate president, by allowing Hillary Clinton to win and then indicting her; or that Pope Francis’ endorsement of Donald Trump helped avert election-rigging. You perhaps didn’t know that Clinton is a Satan worshiper at the center of an international child enslavement and sex ring.” Why this likely swayed the election is that

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ica as a nation, thereby creating a stronger economy and a greater sense of community within this country.

A deeply concerning turn of events since the election has been the increase of hateful, destructive, and violent acts. In the days and weeks following the election, mostly peaceful anti-Trump protests occurred across the country in various cities, often using the phrases ‘not my president’ and ‘love trumps hate’ to express themselves. However, some of these marches turned to riots as enraged people took out their anger from the election on private property. The Washington Post and many other news sources reported flag

was reportedly confronted by four white males who came up to her at a gas station and began threatening her with statements such as, “I should just kill you right now; you’re a waste of air; you’re lucky there are witnesses or else I’d shoot you right here.”

Data collected by the SPLC indicated that 23 out of 867 reports of hate incidents, only 2%, were driven by anti-Trump sentiments. The rest were largely motivated by hatred towards minority groups, including black people, immigrants, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+.

The SPLC argues that the alarming rise in outwardly expressed hatred towards minorities will not be halted by Trump saying, “Stop it!” into a camera, as he did during his post-election 60 Minutes interview. Instead, they assert that he must acknowledge that “his own words have opened ‘wounds of division’ in our country” and “speak out forcefully and repeatedly against all forms of bigotry and reach out to the communities his words have injured.”

While Trump and his campaign did try and deter extremists, SPLC’s view is that much more should have been done. Failure to definitively distance Trump from racial extremists would seem to be wrong from the Quaker viewpoint. The data indicates that Trump has caused not peace, but hatred and violence to come out in pockets across the nation.

There is much evidence that Donald Trump as a private citizen was not a proponent of Quaker values.

He used $20,000 from his own charity to purchase a portrait of himself which now hangs in a golf club in Scotland. But how will Donald Trump the President act? Will his policies and views observe Quaker philosophy. His campaign indicates that his presidency could be lacking peace, integrity, stewardship, equality, and simplicity, but if his 100-day and updated firstday plan are any indication, he will be upholding to the Quaker value of community and the American value of patriotism by doing his best to oversee, as he puts it, “a government of, by and for the people.”

The President-Elect, soon to be the 45th President of the United States. burnings, many outside of Trump properties, and oregonlive.com noted that riots in Portland, OR resulted in $1 million of damage to property.

On the other hand, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reported that, “In the ten days following the election, there were almost 900 reports of harassment and intimidation from across the nation. Many harassers invoked Trump’s name during assaults, making it clear that the outbreak of hate stemmed in large part from his electoral success.” People have been assaulted verbally and through the use of graffiti, and in rare cases, physical altercations have occurred.

In Dover, just days after the election, a black woman

this shameless political demonizing overwhelmingly discourse, and the company’s lack of transparency favored the radical political right; though some entre- or accountability. Zuckerberg probably knows too preneurs also tried to develop an audience on the rad- well the danger Facebook could face if scrutinized ical left, Bernie Sanders supporters did not respond thoroughly. One hundred years ago, Rockefeller’s in large numbers. “The media had a vested interest Standard Oil Co. had monopolized the oil indusin making this election as close as possible; they gave try, growing so powerful that the government was one candidate free publicity, while holding the other forced to take action and break it up it. Mark Zuckto a very high standard” stated Rashkind. “The sensa- erberg may know enough about US history to start tionalist news not only kept people in their own silos, casting a protective eye on his own company and but dumbed down the diaits blooming monopoly logue, eliciting gut reactions.” power.

Throughout the election Clearly, something season, millions of Amerineeds to be done. Nevcans consumed preposterous er before has a private claims such as these on a daicompany wielded so ly basis; how can we believe much influence over these “news” pages did not the public discourse. help elect Donald Trump?

But what to do? Is is Following the election, possible that Facebook Facebook has come under could somehow solve Facebook’s fake news problem influenced intense scrutiny over its fathis problem on its own, the 2016 election. cilitating “fake news”, and by abolishing false news Mark Zuckerberg has scrambled to protect Facebook pages, as it recently announced? If not, what would from blame. His defenses have ranged from denying it make sense for the government to do? Could it that Facebook is a news/ media company, to question- take over a moderated version of the “Newsfeed”? ing the effectiveness of fake news, to claiming that all Could Facebook be broken up without killing it?

Facebook users engage in confirmation bias anyway. Dealing with Facebook’s monopoly power in news While all these claims seem to make sense at first, they distribution is a highly complex issue that cannot are simply not backed up by current evidence, and be handled the same way as past monopolies, but is serve to obscure the longer-term problem of Face- nonetheless a crucial issue for us to start considerbook’s enormous influence over American political ing if we wish to preserve a healthy democracy.

www.bitmag.com.br

Continued from Page 2: self to be a tremendously divisive candidate, and while he built a strong community of supporters, enough to win him the election, those who were not part of this community often felt blatantly excluded by the generally hateful and negative rhetoric, one that did not promote equality.

On October 22nd of this year, Trump’s campaign appeared to be struggling as Hillary Clinton, his opponent, surged in the polls. That day, he gave a speech at Gettysburg that outlined what he called his Contract with the American Voter, his “100-day action plan to Make America Great Again. It is a contract between myself and the American voter – and begins with restoring honesty, accountability and change to Washington.” (This excerpt was taken from a PBS writeup of Trump’s Contract.) Within this contract was outlined six measures, five executive actions, and ten broader legislative measures that he insists are the best way to “restore prosperity to our economy, security to our communities, and honesty to our government.” These actions included promises to renegotiate and possibly withdraw from trade deals such as NAFTA and the TPP, and proposed repeals of anti-fossil fuel tariffs, which would increase the production and use of fossil fuels and therefore aggravate the current climate crisis. Trump believes climate change is non-existent, although 97% of scientists have reached consensus on the fact that human activity is primarily responsible for global warming, according to FactCheck.org.

Since he was elected, Trump has indicated the specific actions he wants to complete on his first day in office: Withdraw from the TPP, stop ‘job-killing’ restrictions on jobs in shale energy and clean coal, and impose a measure ensuring that for every new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated.

These pointed goals indicate that the initial emphasis of Trump’s presidency will be on cutting red tape in an attempt to stimulate the United States economy.

Though some question the feasibility of these acts and whether the benefits outweigh the risks, Trump’s big-picture objective seems to be to strengthen Amer-

takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com

COMMUNITY

Holiday ISSUE 2016 THE WHITTIER MISCELLANEY