September 2017

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W September 25, 2017 opinions 10 Harvey. Irma. Jose. Maria. The names of the hurricanes so far this season are a drum beat of relentless suffering within all of our minds. Although we ourselves may be physically encapsulated in the Midwest, far from the reach of tropical storms, the aftermath of these natural disasters is still felt by citizens from coast to coast. Even here at West, more than 40 percent of students personally know someone who has faced the direct onslaught of one of these rotating monstrosities in the past month, according to a Westerner survey. Hurricanes form when warm air rises over oceans and lowers the air pressure below. This lack of air pressure results in more air relocating to that area in order to fill the void. Combined with wind patterns, this entire system of moist air rotates, creating dangerous forces of wind as the storm expands. Throughout the past few decades, the temperatures of oceans have slowly been creeping upward due to climate change. These perilous storms feed off the warm air that rises due to evaporation. When the surface temperature of the water is higher, it strengthens the storm in terms of magnitude. Increasingly warm waters have impacted and will continue to impact hurricane strength around the globe, as shown in the 2014 National Climate Assessment. In the study, it was revealed that hurricanes in the North Atlantic have increased in terms of duration, frequency, and intensity since the 1980s. Consequently, as long as sea temperatures continue to rise, so will the force and frequency of hurricanes. Each of us lowering our greenhouse gas emissions could help bring sea temperatures back within an average range. Large amounts of food goes to waste every day which equates to energy being wasted during preparation and transportation. Being mindful of the amount we actually need, even within our own lunch room, could lower the amounts of methane and carbon dioxide within the atmosphere. As seen in the days following Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, the main problem wasn’t the hurricane itself, it was the vast quantity of rain that followed. Rising sea temperatures result in more water becoming part of the storm system, and all of that water has to go somewhere. In fact, the record-breaking rainfall associated with Harvey set a new national storm record, ARE YOU READY TO PAY THE COSTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE? ZAC ABERO with 52 inches of rain being dumped near Houston. According to Accuweather, a weather forecasting media group, the combined costs of Hurricane Harvey and Irma could exceed $290 billion, and billions of that will come from our federal tax dollars. Rebuilding from the destruction—that removed roofs from entire buildings, turned streets into rivers and lead to almost a hundred deaths recorded so far—will come at the cost of almost 1.5 percent of our country’s annual GDP. It took years and billions of dollars of funding following Hurricane Katrina to restore New Orleans to what it is today. Many parts of that city still have not recovered after more than a decade. Are we prepared to do the same for Houston, Tampa, Naples, Miami and Key West? How much are we going to have to pay each year for the increasing number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes that destroy almost everything in their path? These are the costs of our indifference to the climate change that we are creating—creating by the things are we doing and the products we are consuming this very day. Instead of pondering our responsibilities after the fact, we should take the initiative and start now. Hurricanes have variable and unpredictable paths. As Hurricane Irma built speed and power in the Caribbean, almost every city along the Atlantic was considered a potential target. The best offense in this situation is to prepare our defense while we still have time. While we continue to rebuild, we need to make sure mistakes are not repeated. In both Texas and Florida, many flooded areas were in areas that have seen extensive building and road development in the past 50 years in areas that used to be occupied by wetlands. Those pavedover wetlands would have been like sponges that would have soaked up and retained much of the water that overran neighborhoods and submerged concrete interstates. In addition to providing numerous benefits to the environment as a whole, wetlands also play an integral role in atmospheric maintenance. They help mitigate climate conditions and assist with flood protection, the main obstacle Houston faced with Harvey. Disney World was built on swamplands and while that might have been an ingenious decision in terms of real estate expansion, we need to be mindful of the environmental cost of our progress. We can’t go bulldozing theme parks in order to give the land back to the alligators, but we can look at ways we can decrease our footprint in destroying these essential wetlands through the rebuilding process happening right now. Although we cannot completely counter every blow hurricanes will hit us with, we can, and should, do everything within our power to prepare for the inevitable. BY CATHERINE BUCHANIEC opinions editor jumbo–a lot of it just makes sense when thought about logically. It is similar to the placebo effect. Placebos, substances or treatments with no therapeutic effect, are an important tool in medical research. The placebo effect is a psychological phenomenon in which the recipient of a placebo perceives an improvement in condition because of belief, rather than a treatment. Our minds are so powerful that way we think and what we believe has a huge impact in how our body works. Many of us think that in order to find happiness, we must have certain things to get there; we have to be successful and once our lives are great, then we will be happy. But the Law of Attraction states the opposite: once we are happy and content, then success and prosperity will come. We can stop searching for happiness and instead look right where we are and in our situations right this minute to find things that are sparks of happiness; instead of looking outwardly, we should focus on the positives and be grateful for where we are now. If we give any credence to the Law of Attraction, the main take away is that it is time to stop the lifestyle of complaining–or at least bring it to a minimum. Thinking happy and positive thoughts is almost always better than having a dismal attitude. Let’s go into that class we hate with the notion PERCENT OF STUDENTS WHO SAID THAT MAINTAINING A of turning POSITIVE OUTLOOK it into a class that isn’t so bad IS IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING LIFE EXPERIENCES after all. In a Westerner survey of 190 students 90%
11 opinions EDITORIAL POLICY The student-produced newspaper of Maine West High School, the Westerner, is dedicated to maintaining the values of truth, integrity, and courage in reporting. The Westerner provides an open public forum for free and responsible expression of student opinion, as well as balanced coverage of issues of student interest. The staff encourages discussion and free expression between all members of the school and community and maintains its responsibility to inform and educate the student body. Unsigned editorials represent the majority viewpoint of the editorial board. Letters to the editor, which are subject to editing for length and clarity, must be signed by name and may be published upon approval from the editorial board. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the Westerner, nor should any opinion expressed in the Westerner be construed as the opinion or policy of the adviser, the Westerner staff as a whole, the school staff, the school administration, or District 207 school board. EDITORIAL BOARD: Editor-in-Chief: Catherine Buchaniec, Bhagirath Mehta Associate Editor-in-Chief: Matthew Montanile News Editors: Chris Rios. Ashley Dwy Features Editor: Linette Sanchez In-Depth Editor: Matthew Montanile Sports Editors: Amaan Siddiqui, Dominik Bronakowski Opinions Editor: Catherine Buchaniec Entertainment Editor: Kara Dempsey Photo Editor: Danny Fowler Art Editor Zac Abero Assistant Editors: Danny Daod, Natalia Wolny, Abigail Milovancevic, Maraya Adams, Suzy Linek, Nina Palmer STAFF MEMBERS Sarah Smail, Masooma Sultan, Malaika Zaidi, Ivonne Sanchez, Arline Vargas, Corinne Bellot, Jenna Robbins, Destiny Onyeise, Nana Agyarko, Jelena Pejovic, Monroe Torkelson, Vincent Parcelli, Sarah Lane, Alexandra Malewicz, Greta Sorenson, Xiao Lin He, Paul Lowes ADVISER:Laurie McGowan September 25, 2017 W LEVELS OF IMMIGRATION AMONG MAINE WEST STUDENTS CONTROLLING THE POSITIVE BY MONROE TORKELSON columnist VIEW FROM THE BOARD OF STUDENT EDITORS DREAMing of a future path TEENS NATIONWIDE — AND AT WEST — FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN THE UNITED STATES “dream. Imagine living in a place for almost all your life. Having friends and family, receiving an education and getting a job, but now being told that this is not your home anymore, that you no longer belong. For 800,000 Americans, this was the message delivered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in early September. Sessions, representing the Trump administration, announced the repeal of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which granted legal protections for immigrants who were brought into the country illegally while they were under the age of 16. Under this initiative, recipients were able to avoid immediate deportation and, instead, register with the federal government, enroll in college, obtain permits such as a driver’s license and pay income taxes. Deferring their deportation allowed these young people to become our neighbors and classmates, our bosses and co-workers; however, DACA did not provide a path to citizenship. Following the announcement, President Trump requested that Congress pass legislation that would alleviate that issue and help protect these former DACA recipients. A bipartisan committee, spearheaded by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, is now working on passing the DREAM Act, an act that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Members from both parties similarly agree that funding for Trump’s proposed Mexican- American border wall should remain separate from the DREAM Act even though both topics were initially linked in Trump’s plan for immigration. Nonetheless, select Republican representatives do not support the DREAM Act and pledge to discontinue support for President Trump if he follows through on his promise to support the act. Everyone in the United States was an immigrant at one point. Alexander Hamilton, Einstein, Van Halen—all were immigrants to the US. The average immigrant now a days just wants to start a new life; it’s the American -- an anonymous Maine West student, responding in a Westerner survey of 190 students What these select members fail to realize is that America was built on immigrants, both legal and undocumented from across the globe. Right now, according to the Pew Research Center, the American workforce contains 8 million undocumented immigrants from a It’s easy to look at our lives and focus on the negative. Throughout a school day, people openly voice their complaints. Comments along the lines of “I hate this teacher”, “I hate school” and “I hate my schedule” can be heard on a regular basis. We all know that one person who lets every little thing bother him or her, even sour the whole day, instead of trying to make the best of it. The variety of countries, not just Mexico. They are not stealing our jobs or committing crimes; they are doing difficult jobs the majority of American citizens aren’t interested in doing, including keeping us fed. Among America’s farms -- where the produce we eat every day is picked and packaged -- 24 percent of all workers are undocumented immigrants. Imagine what would happen to the price of food and the options on your plate if widespread deportations begin. Whether one is a Maine West student or the President of the United States himself, almost all can trace their heritage back to ancestors from foreign countries. At Maine West, we would be wise to remember our own humble family origins in light of the fact that undocumented classmates among us might currently be fearing for their futures and the futures of their families. The Earth did not create borders, we did. The majority of young, undocumented im- ” migrants know no home but the United States and have no one and no place to “go back” to. They did not have a say in where they were raised for they were but children at the time they were brought here. In some situations the language and culture of the country of origin is unknown to them. The DREAM Act would only give a label to what they already are: Americans. thing is, we often forget that at some point we all are that person. Everyone has allowed little pet peeves they can’t control get the best of them. This kind of pessimism should end, and not just for the sake of cutting out negativity in our lives. No, we should end this because it can actually make an impact on how our future lives go and can help determine the degree of our success. This Who is the most recent person in your family to immigrate to the United States? 7% Me (I’m a first generation immigrant) 35% A parent 19% A grandparent 14% A greatgrandparent 25% My family has been in this country for more than four generations Data from a Westerner survey of 190 students concept is commonly know as the Law of Attraction. Mainly, it is the idea that we are able to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. In theory, focusing on positive thoughts will bring positive experiences into one’s life, and vice versa. Although a lot of this thinking is related to spiritual energy and is not a scientific fact–and that even reading this may have some of us thinking it’s all mumbo
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September 2017

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