the antlerette // january 2017

THE ANTLERETTE

Issue 5

the antlerette

january 2017 IN THIS ISSUE

Plane Controversy

by Katie Goldman, Staff

Adam Saleh is a 23- year old YouTube star who posted a video of himself being escorted off a Delta Airlines flight after complaints were made about him speaking a different language. He shares that the woman in front of him heard him speaking Arabic to a friend that was sitting next to him and she told him he needed to speak English because she felt uncomfortable.

There is controversy about how this truly went down because Adam Saleh is a famous YouTube prankster and he has made untrue claims before. However in the video he posted, you can see both someone defending the two men and someone in the background flipping them off. Others kept saying bye because they were happy to see them escorted off the plane.

It is unfortunate that his conversation with his friend made her feel uncomfortable, but in reality they have a right to speak in whatever language they want and their conversation is none of her business. After she came forward about her discomfort, multiple people began to act with hostility towards the two men; they said they wanted them off the plane because they felt uncomfortable that they were speaking Arabic. The woman that lashed out against Adam then stated that if Adam and his friend were not escorted off the plane, she would leave. Unfortunately, they were escorted off in order to please the multiple white Americans that couldn't accept the way they spoke. After being escorted off, Adam and his friend had to get tickets for a different airline in order to get to New York.

This is not the way that we should treat other Americans. It should be amazing that they have the ability to speak two languages. Instead of rewarding them for their intelligence, we are punishing them for being different.

This is becoming a huge issue.

There have been nearly a dozen reports of Muslim passengers being pulled off planes and questioned or permanently escorted off due to other passengers feeling uncomfortable around them. Hopefully Adam’s video will bring attention to this issue and it will become less common.

4 Years Rewarded With 30 Characters.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exuperys This quote that has been shown above would be perfect to put into the Elk Grove High School Yearbook as a senior quote.

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Empty The Tanks We all thought marine parks were fun as a child. The spectacle of watching these ginormous whales and dolphins fly into the air and splash the crowd was excitement every kid felt when visiting their favorite theme parks such as Six Flags and Sea World.

Considering recent events, there’s an issue that is now rising to the surface.

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4 Years Rewarded With 30 Characters

by Shelley Gouveia, Staff

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exuperys

quote, we have to come up with simple and basic quotes.

This quote that has been shown above would be perfect to put into the Elk Grove High School Yearbook as a senior quote. It discusses the importance of making a plan for yourself after high school, which is good for those who are going to college or even going straight into the work field after graduating. Sadly, this quote cannot be published as a senior quote. Why?

In the past years of Elk Grove High School, our senior classes have come up with genius quotes about their future, past, struggles, and achievements. With the 30 characters we are given, the only thing you can really say is “I made it.”, and that's not really that interesting. In my opinion, there shouldn’t be a limit to how many words your quote has.

This quote contains of 37 characters. We as seniors are being limited to 30 characters. These 30 characters are our last “hoorah” as seniors. These are our last words that everyone will remember and read. We as seniors have worked tremendously hard for four years, staying up until 3 in the morning and only getting 4 hours of sleep just to be rewarded with 30 characters. For some people, that wouldn't even spell out their entire name. Instead of putting in a well thought out and intelligent

I believe that people should be able to choose how to leave their mark in our yearbook without making it a paragraph long. I don't think people would mind if the

Donald Trump’s Election and the People Against Him

by Zach Madsen, Staff

Since Trump’s election, there has been an increase in racism. For example, California saw Anti-Semitic graffiti, including a swastika with the words “Heil Trump.” The Detroit Free Press reported that a man threatened a Muslim student at the University of Michigan, demanding she remove her hijab or be set on fire with a lighter. A separate incident showed high school students at lunch chanting “Build that wall”, a statement made famous by Trump who said he would build a wall to stop illegal immigration from Mexico.

Multiple musical artists have spoken out against Trump including YG, Nipsey Hussle, G-Eazy, and Macklemore who all came together to write a song speaking out against Trump. It’s not just young rap artists against Trump, (so it can’t be blamed on the younger population). Neil Young, Cher, Bono, and Madonna represent the

older generation of artists who have openly spoken against Trump.

Some famous actors have also spoken out against Trump; George Clooney has been on record saying, “He’s a fascist.”

Clooney says he is referring to Trump as “a xenophobic fascist.” J.K Rowling, who is famous for writing the Harry Potter series, says Trump is worse than Voldemort (the book’s main villain constantly trying to take over the wizarding world and kill Harry Potter). Stephen King called Trump a “thin skinned racist,” saying he “encourages aggression

yearbook was a little bigger. I know the senior class of 2017 would appreciate it if they’re allowed to put in a quote they really wanted.

Some people had their quote picked since the beginning of the year and it exceeds the character limit. To the seniors of 2017, I wish you all good luck with finding your senior quote.

among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women.”

A large number of celebrities have openly spoken out against Trump. All the statements have factual evidence behind it.

All you have to do is watch maybe a 20 minute clip on CNN against Trump that states fact after fact exposing the racist and sexist attitude displayed by Donald Trump.

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2016: Was It Really A Nightmare?

by Chelsea Planesi, Staff

Last year was a year like no other.

Many people view it as a disastrous year because of all the legends we lost, for example Carrie Fisher, Alan Rickman, and Prince. However, there are some, like me, who would argue it was not that bad after all.

Yes, these icons will be missed dearly and we will forever treasure everything they have done to improve this world, but losing them does not make this entire year a “real-life horror movie,” as some would call it. This year was a milestone for sports, the environment, science, and many other fields.

Last year was a major one for sports. The Chicago Cubs was one of the baseball teams with the longest World Series title droughts, but not anymore! They were not expected to become the champions of the 2016 World Series, yet somehow they managed to win for the first time since 1908.

The Cubs were not the only sports team to unexpectedly win a title; the football (soccer) club of Leicester City won the Premier League, the men’s football league in England. The odds were against them, 5,000 to 1, but they still managed to snatch the title as champions. Their win resulted in the largest payout in British sporting history, racking up a total of €25 million (roughly $260,125,000) in winnings.

2016 was also the year of the Rio Summer Olympics. Simone Biles, a 19 year old gymnast, was a major part of the gold medal-winning team, the “Final Five.” After winning four gold medals in Rio, she set the American record for most gold medals in women’s gymnastics at a single Olympic Game. Michael Phelps also continued his record for winning the most Olympic medals; he now stands with a total of 25 medals.

The environment improved greatly during this year. The Giant Panda is no longer considered endangered, thanks to the Chinese government’s efforts to protect them. World hunger dropped to its lowest rate in 25 years. In India, almost 50 million trees were planted in one day, breaking Pakistan’s record of 847,000 trees planted in 24 hours. Sea World agreed to quit breeding captive killer whales. Probably the greatest news of them all is that Liberia is malaria free, ending disease in West Africa.

On the entertainment side of things, positives were all over 2016.

Leonardo DiCaprio received his first Oscar for his role in The Revenant. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar went home with five trophies, including Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly. Taylor Swift became the first female artist to win Album of the Year twice as a main credited artist for her 2008 album Fearless as well as her 2014 album 1989. The wondrous world of Harry Potter was expanded with the release of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The Star Wars franchise was also expanded with the release of the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

If you overlook the negatives, 2016 was not a terrible year. Olympians made history in Rio de Janeiro and sports teams, such as Leicester City and Chicago Cubs, accomplished the impossible.

With the help of nations all over the world, our environment is improving and we are saving not only human lives, but animal lives as well. Multiple beloved franchises are expanding and musical artists set new records at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

So, in reality, 2016 was not that bad of a year after all.

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Empty the Tanks

by Olivia Ali, Business Manager

We all thought marine parks were fun as a child. The spectacle of watching these ginormous whales and dolphins fly into the air and splash the crowd was an excitement every kid felt when visiting their favorite theme parks such as Six Flags and Sea World. Considering recent events, there’s an issue that is now rising to the surface. While the issue is not new, people are finally realizing that orcas were never meant to live in captivity or to be used for entertainment purposes. Their fate in these pools has only proved to hold harmful effects and devastating consequences.

The whales used in these shows are captured for show purposes only, and get absolutely no choice in their fate. After being held captive and used for nothing besides entertainment and money, an orca’s life will consist of extremely shallow pools, many reaching less than 40 feet deep. These cramped, shallow pools force them to share close proximities with other whales, sometimes causing conflicts between them.

The conflicts can cause them to “rake” each other with their teeth, which is essentially scratching to the point where marks are left and blood is drawn. The shallow depth also leaves them with sunburns. Captivity is also unsafe because of not only the poor conditions of the pools themselves, but also the trainers working with them. SeaWorld outlines on their websites that while it is recommended, they don’t require trainers to hold a college degree. Many former trainers have come forward and stated that all it took for them to land the job was a good personality and ability to put on a better show. This means that “trainers” can come into close proximities with these animals and parade them around the tanks without even knowing much about the whales themselves.

While many of these side effects hurt the orcas during their time in the tanks, it is what happens after that has the greatest downfalls of all. In captivity, orcas are dying up to ten times faster than in the wild. In the wild, females are living up to 80-100 years and males up to 60-70. In captivity, lifespans don’t even come close with a median lifespan of only 9 years old.

One of the longest living whales in the wild, known was Granny, who died on January 3, 2017 was 105 years old. Her long and full life is an example of what great potential was available if wild orcas are left alone. On the other side of things, Tilikum also recently passed away. Except in this case, it was in captivity. Tilikum was notorious for his displays of psychotic behavior due to captivity, seen in his responsibility for 3 separate deaths. Tilikum died on January 6th, 2017, at 36 years old.

SeaWorld commented on his death and claims he lived a “long and enriching life”.

Compared to the 70 years he could have seen in the wild, I do not call 36 years long or enriching.

60-100 Years Average life span of Orca whales living in the wild.

Many studies and articles have emerged proving that captivity was never a favorable fate for these massive creatures. It is a mystery where the people that run these massive parks got the idea that capturing killer whales for use in shows was of any benefit to anything but the owner’s wallets.

Fortunately, SeaWorld San Diego has finally decided to put an end to their orca shows for once and for all due to all the recent controversy…and maybe some morals.

Hopefully, this becomes a precedent for the rest of the parks still participating in these activities.

13 Years Average life span of Orca whales living in captivity.

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Refugees Rushed Into Poverty

by Landon Parkinson, Editor

The land of promise; the land of the free; the land of plenty. These are some commonly used sayings which describe The United States of America. And yet, refugees fleeing into the so-called “land of plenty” soon return from exhausting shifts to empty cupboards. Former lawyers and doctors coming to “the land of promise” are only promised a paycheck after taking a cheap job at a fast-food restaurant. And the “American Dream” of success promised in return for hard work? This dream is drowned out in the starved cries of the child whose frail single mother was forced to take a minimum wage job to feed her children.

Stories of hard-working refugees like these are commonplace in America, and they begin with the United States’ government.

Refugees often come to the country with little knowledge of English so you can imagine the difficulty of getting a job. The federal government has created agencies to give refugees English training and help them attain self-sufficiency. The problem is the government

significantly underfunds these agencies and they don’t have the means to provide for the refugees for more than a couple weeks. They rush refugees into self-sufficiency without giving them sufficient education in English so they don’t have to pay for them anymore.

Due to a lack of training in English, refugees are forced to take low-paying jobs, nonreflective of their skills or education to provide for their families.

And this doesn’t just affect their own families; it affects all Americans as well.

It is impossible to provide for a family on a minimum wage job so many refugees are forced to use government welfare. Many

highly skilled refugees who could be paying taxes are taking tax-payers dollars because they don’t have the English education to get a high-paying job reflective of their abilities.

The government wants to save money on refugees, so they cut their funds and tell them to get a job and take care of themselves. Then, these same refugees come back to the government for benefits and welfare after being forced into a lowincome job with little to no chance of increasing their wages. Giving refugees the opportunity to become financially selfsufficient in a job reflective of their abilities will decrease the amount of refugees who turn to welfare and will save the government thousands of dollars.

We should give refugees a chance for the American Dream: the chance to turn hard work into success. This can only be done by giving them the funds to learn English and by finding them a job suitable to their experience. Make this the land of promise, of the free, and of plenty not only for Americans, but for those escaping to America as well.

Calling all EGHS writers!

Are you looking for journalism experience to make you stand out on college applications? Are you tired of writing essays? Do you want to write about your interests? The Antlerette is looking for motivated writers to staff our 2017-2018 newspaper.

Pick up an interest form from A3 or your English class. The deadline for interest forms is Tuesday, February 21st, 2017.

Questions? Email us at theantlerette@gmail.com or come to A3.