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Wilmington Friends School's Community Newspaper
Syrian Refugee Crisis Persists Leah Johnson '18 News Writer
One consequence of conflict is human displacement. When a nation goes to war with another country or with itself, people seek refuge from the fighting. Revolutions and wars have been fought in the name of peace and freedom, but like any other conflict, there are people who do not want to fight. These people are often forced to choose a side or flee. These refugees try to escape the fighting around them and are forced to leave their homes. Syria’s civil war between ISIS, a religious extremist group, and the government has created millions of refugees. In Syria, thousands of people everyday try to flee their country because they feel that their living situation has gotten too unsafe for them and their families. Forced out by violence, the displaced Syrians run to surrounding countries hoping for aid and a chance at a better life. However, leaving the country can be just as dangerous as staying in it. Refugees sometimes walk for hundreds of miles. They hide during the day and flee at night, hoping to avoid getting shot by snipers or forced to fight for one side. When asked about the living conditions of Syrian reefugees Upper School History teacher Javier Ergueta said, “The living conditions of the Syrian refugees can be compared to the Irish during the Irish Famine, when one third [of the population] had to leave the country. They stowed in log ships to get to the USA, meaning that they took the place of logs on the ships.” The Syrians’ have had to survive inhumane conditions very similar to the Irish. The Syrian refugees have run to Jordan and Lebanon in an attempt to escape, but there are too many refugees for just Jordan and Lebanon to help. Syrians have also fled to Iraq and Turkey, but like Jordan and Lebanon, there are too many refugees for Turkey and Iraq to meet all of the displaced Syrians’ needs. Some refugees are living in camps set up by the surrounding nations to meet the Syrians’ basic needs. One of the biggest refugee camps is Za’atari in Jordan. According to Mercy Corps, a refugee aid corporation, there are more than 80,000 displaced Syrians living in
Za’atari, making it Jordan’s fourth largest city. To call this huge collection of tents a city may be a stretch. The camp is located on a formerly barren desert and is made of acres of tents. There are makeshift shops that line a “main street” and some schools for children. Za’atari has provided a safe haven for many refugees, but it is not a permanent solution. Despite the language barrier, many refugees move to urban areas in search of jobs and shelter. According to Mercy Corps, there are about four million refugees registered with the UN awaiting assistance. Already over crowded cities in Syria’s neighboring countries cannot support an influx of millions of Syrian refugees. Some Syrians have found shelter in old, abandoned buildings, where they endure harsh living conditions and little aid. One anonymous student commented on the refugees living conditions, “People should open their homes to them.” The refugees can not continue living without aid to help provide for their basic human needs. However, for many Syrians still living in conflict zones and without aid, conditions are much worse. Lowincome families struggle to meet basic requirements such as food and water and often live in places without running water or heating. Some Syrians have moved into abandoned storage sheds and chicken coops in search for shelter. The places they live have little to no sanitation, and diseases spread easily amongst the crowded Syrians. The world has responded to this crisis, and now actions are being taken to combat the tragic situation in Syria. Organizations like the UN and Mercy Corps are working to provide aid and shelter to the displaced Syrians. Syria’s neighboring countries are constructing better camps designed to make refugees feel more comfortable and at home. The United States has increased the limit on refugees allowed to enter the country in order to accommodate the growing number of displaced Syrians. When asked about how she thinks everyday people can help the Syrian refugees, anonymous replied, “If everyone helps one refugee there wouldn’t be a problem.” Each day more and more refugees are created by Syrian civil war, and those refugees need the help of others if their basic needs and rights are going to be met on a day to day basis.
Is Soda "So Yesterday?" Cecilia Ergueta '18 News Writer Over the last few decades, consumption of soda has plummeted as Americans have become aware of the impacts of intaking these sugared beverages. Coca-Cola’s response to these developments have often proved to be questionable, raising the issue of the American consumer’s freedom to honest business practices. Sales of soda in the United States have decreased by more than 25% in the last 20 years as sugar in sodas continue to be labelled as dangerous and linked to health problems. Mary Agne ’18 stated, “I generally didn’t drink that much soda to begin with, but once I discovered the negative health effects I was extra careful to stay away because of the excessive amounts of sugar and caffeine.” Numerous workplaces, government offices and school cafeterias have prohibited the sale of soda; as a result, from 2004 to 2012, American children on average consumed 79 fewer sugar-sweetened beverage calories a day. Coca-Cola has started more morally dubious endeavors. In late September, the company released a list of nearly $120 million in grants given to health and community organizations since 2010. Coke’s generous donations may serve a dual purpose; studies show that beverage studies funded by Coca-Cola and its competitors were five times more likely to find no link between sugary drinks and weight gain than studies whose authors reported no financial conflicts. Results from a large Coke-funded study performed by the Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center determined that the major lifestyle
factors for childhood obesity around the world were a lack of exercise, not enough sleep and too much television. Behind the scenes, L.S.U. is the single largest recipient of Coke money, with more than $7.5 million from Coke in the past 5 years. In another telling case, Dr. Steve Blair received more than $3.5 million in funding from Coke for research projects since 2008. The outcome was articles arguing that physical inactivity is largely overlooked as a cause of obesity, and proposing to raise awareness “about both sides of the energy balance equation.” Serena Gutsche ’18 observes, “Health organizations are doing the opposite of what they’re supposed to. They’re doing something that will eventually harm the people.” Along the same lines, Chicago’s City Council proposed a soda tax in 2012 to help address the city’s obesity problem. After Coca-Cola donated $3 million to establish fitness programs in more than 60 of the city’s community centers, the tax was dropped. Coca Cola’s attempts to prop up Coke sales through hidden manipulations are revealing of how much it fears the shift in how consumers are responding to sugary beverages. Coke’s actions also bring attention to the issue of the freedom the American consumer should arguably have to be receiving information uninfluenced by powerful corporations like Coca-Cola. Katie Zucca ’16 states, “I think that their manipulation in public health information isn’t right… it makes me wonder how many other companies have done that.” Scientists and economists are in agreement: health and wellness is a major enduring trend in the USA, and soda brands will have to learn how to compete in this changed environment if they wish to succeed.
The Freedom Issue Wilmington, DE
Islamaphobia in America Intensifies Zack Horowitz '17 News Writer What exactly is a phobia? According to the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary, a phobia is “an e xtreme fear of a particular thing or s ituation, especially one that does not have a r easonable explanation.” Although phobias are legitimate feelings, the reason behind phobias are not always justifiable. For example, a common fear among Americans is being bitten by a shark. This fear may seem rational, but in reality, the odds of being killed by a shark are 1 in 3,748,067. Likewise, the fear of Muslims (Islamophobia) is an increasingly prevalent fear, but in reality, 98% of Muslims are not extremists. Let’s take Ahmed Mohamed, for example. Mohamed is a student in Texas who enjoys science. In September of 2015, Mohamed put together a clock, brought it to school, and in no time he was reported and arrested for bringing a “hoax bomb” to school. Whether or not this same accusation would have been made against a white student is impossible to know, but it is logical to assume that the outcome would have been very different. Another example of Islamophobia is a statement made by Ben Carson, Republican presidential candidate, during a Meet the Press interview: “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.” As a presidential candidate and neurosurgeon, Carson is highly respected among his fellow Americans as both a surgeon and a presidential candidate; however his negative comments about Muslims in America have stirred much controversy. Greg Smith ’17 says, “This demonstrates how racist our nation really is. It is unbelievable that even someone among the highest authority is so racially biased against Muslims.” Is it a coincidence that Carson has received a dramatic increase in financial support ever since he made this controversial statement? He said that “a recent controversy over whether he would support a Muslim for president has energized his money game,” saying that, “it’s hard to even keep up with it.” Hence, it is evident that many Americans agree with Carson’s Islamophobic statement. The rise of Islamic extremism in the Middle East has caused an uproar of hate against Muslims. With every hate crime and stereotypical comment, it becomes more apparent that Americans are unable to see the difference between Islamic extremists and peaceful everyday Muslims. Upper School History teacher, Javier Ergueta, who has taught the history of Europe and the Middle East class for years, says, “it is unhistorical to cast all Muslims as inclined to violent extremism. The Muslim Ottomans ruled most of the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa for hundreds of years as the most multi-cultural, multi-lingual, poly-ethnic empire in history.” It is also interesting to note that Americans typically only focus on crimes committed by Muslims; millions of people have died in the name of Christianity, beginning as early as the fourth century. When Christianity became legal, Pagans were slain by the thousands. Christians have murdered millions throughout history. The difference is, however, that no one holds it against Christianity, or blames their Christian peers for it today. Seung-Hui Cho, a student from Virginia Tech who shot and murdered thirty two fellow students, was raised Christian. After the shooting, there was no backlash against Christianity, only the shooter. On the other hand, after the Boston marathon bombings, committed by two Muslims, hate crimes against Muslims increased drastically, similar to the increase of anti-Muslim hate crimes after the 9/11 attacks. The fact of the matter is, Muslims are held to a higher standard than those of other faiths.