The March 2014
iscellany
Wilmington Friends School's Community Newspaper
Wilmington, DE Bevyn Mannke
Since 1884
WM
hittier
Emma Hilder, Mitchell Juers, Rachel MacKelcan, Julia Rhodes, Kenji Endo, Thomas Connelly, Greg Szumel, and Ellie McGinnis, our 2013-2014 graduating Whittier seniors.
Thai Gov. Given New Emergency Authority CVS Execs Choose to Jodi Lessner '16 the country to replace the current government, which they call corrupt, until Thailand’s political system is changed. The government’s decision to continue with the election A sixty-day state of emergency decree was given on angered protesters and inflamed tension in Bangkok, where January 15, 2014 by the Thai government for Bangkok demonstrators were in their third week of an occupation and the surrounding provinces. This decree was given to of several main intersections of the city. cope with the unrest induced by large anti-government Since November 2013, at least ten people have died, protests around the capital that aim to force Prime Minister and over 600 have been injured due to politically motivated Yingluck Shinawatra to resign. The protesters accuse the violent protests, according to the Erawan Medical Centre, government of being run by the former prime minister, which monitors Bangkok hospitals. In Lak Si, a district Thaksin Shinawatra, brother to the current prime minister. in northern Bangkok of mixed pro and anti-government This state of emergency gives the government wide- supporters, gunfire and violence occurred between masked ranging authority to deal with the disorder. These new men after government supporters marched on a polling powers include the power to censor the media, ban public station occupied by anti-government groups. At least eight gatherings, and detain suspects without charge. It also people were wounded. Both sides fired their weapons, allows for curfews and for parts of Bangkok to be declared and it is still not clear whether those wounded were the off-limits. “The cabinet decided to invoke the emergency government’s supporters or its opponents. decree to take care of the situation and to enforce the law,” The leader of the anti-government protests, Suthep said Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul. Thaugsuban, wants to distance the movement from The protests have been going on since November the rising violence. He believes very strongly in due to frustration with the government after a mishandled peaceful protests and tells his supporters to not resort to attempt by Prime violence. “We need to Minister Yingluck to keep our principles. We pass an amnesty bill that fight in peace, with no would have opened the weapons and violence door for Thaksin’s return … We have the right to to Thailand. Thaksin was a peaceful protest,” said ousted in a military coup Suthep. There were an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 in 2006 and remains demonstrators on the city in self-exile in Dubai streets in late January to avoid corruption 2014. charges that he claims are Due to the protests “politically motivated.” and the state of emergency, If he were to return, he the Thai stock market has would risk a two-year fallen ten percent since prison sentence on a Some protests in Thailand have turned violent. A man throws a tear gas canister back at the police. November due to the lack corruption conviction. of companies willing to The protesters claim that Prime Minister Yingluck is a pawn of Thaksin, a man be located in Bangkok, meaning that infrastructure projects who allegedly built his support on “populist policies that will also be delayed. There are also concerns that growing pleased residents of the North and Northeast.” Yingluck tourism will fall. Sutthawe Jitjingjai, also known as Par, a Thai has repeatedly denied these assertions. Prime Minister Yingluck has refused to resign and university student from Bangkok, spent the 2010-2011 instead called an election on February 2 in an effort to quell school year as an AFS student at Wilmington Friends the rising protests and protesters. The state of emergency School. Her opinions match those of the protesters, but carried through the date of the general election. Yingluck’s she is not part of the movement. “I personally support the party won easily because of the opposition party’s refusal protesters, and I think that the majority of Thai people to participate. Only 45.8 percent of voters participated do. The protesters do not mainly cause the violence, but in this election according to the Election Commission of outsiders instead cause it. For me, the protest has caused Thailand, a far lower turnout than the 75 percent in the 2011 bad transportation and has made some universities to election that placed Yingluck in power. Prime Minister close temporarily for safety. I believe that the protest will Yingluck’s support comes mainly from regions north absolutely settle down when there is a reform for a new and east of the capital. These regions are less affluent but government.” The Thai government has been ordered not to use have a larger populace. The anti-government movement receives its support from southern Thailand, Bangkok’s force against protesters because of clashes between antigovernment protesters and riot police that left many dead middle class, and the established elites. The protesters were calling for reforms before and many more injured. If both sides are truly willing to voting took place, demanding that an unelected caretaker use a peaceful approach, then peaceful compromises in administration, or a “people’s council,” takes control of Thailand are likely to be expedited. america.aljazeera.com
News Writer
Stop Selling Cigarettes
Sadie Proud '17 News Writer On February 5, 2014, CVS announced their decision to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products. “We have about 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners helping patients manage chronic problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease, all of which are linked to smoking. We came to the decision that cigarettes and providing health care just don’t go together in the same setting,” declared Larry J. Merlo, president and chief executive of CVS. All tobacco products will be removed from CVS’s 7,600 pharmacies by October 1, 2014. CVS estimates that they will lose approximately $2 billion from their annual revenue. However, this is only a small fraction of the $123 billion yearly revenue recorded in 2012. The company also climbed five places to number thirteen on the Fortune 500 in the past year. In addition, company stocks have risen approximately 5.21 percent from the original announcement made on February 14, 2014. CVS looks forward to increasing success in the new year. Executive Vice President Helena Foulkes explained, "We are seeing this tobacco decision as an opportunity to connect even more with consumers as an expert in health and beauty and to build our loyalty with them." CVS executives are also hopeful for a “ripple effect” to spread over the pharmaceutical community. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, believes CVS’s decision is “an unprecedented step in the retail industry” and predicts it will have “considerable impact.” Major competitors of CVS, such as Walgreens and Rite-Aid, released statements following the announcement. Walgreens claims that it has been assessing its tobacco sale for “some time now,” and that it has still not reached a final decision. Rite-Aid presented a more ambiguous response, saying that it is continually evaluating whether it is meeting “the needs and interests of customers." As of now, Walgreens interprets “interest” to mean customers are more concerned with purchasing cigarettes than with prioritizing their health. Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that over 293 million cigarettes were sold in 2011. Kathleen Selebius goes on to explain that, because of these statistics, 5.6 million children alive today will die prematurely because of smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer and diabetes.
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