Category Archives: Opinion

To Eat or not to Eat?

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Reposted from sweetremedyfilm.blogspot.com

By Destiny Diggs,

Being overweight has become a growing epidemic. You hear about all the health concerns that come with being overweight: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes,etc. But is it as easy as it sounds to be and eat healthy?

Money wise its much cheaper to eat unhealthily. It is much cheaper to go to McDonalds and get dinner for four than to go to the grocery store and buy and prepare a healthy dinner. Going to fast food restaurants is faster to get than making breakfast.

The media contradicts themselves; they tell us to eat healthy but then they play an ad about two for one deals at Burger King or Wendy’s. We are being told that processed food isn’t good for us and we should look into more organic foods (which are the most expensive) but we send our kids to school where they are fed processed foods for lunch. When the food is delivered to the schools it is already made. The only thing the lunch ladies have to do is heat the food up and serve it.

Why are we feeding our children this type of food? We do it because it’s cheaper and less time-consuming. This is not to say that being healthy isn’t a good thing but we must look at the entire picture. If there is a family of six and they only have one income coming in, the cheapest way to eat is fast food or microwave food.

This is just something to think about but free ways to help prevent weight gain include drinking water, trying to exercise at least for thirty mins a day and watching our portions and eating in moderation.

Seniors, Get Ready!

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Seniors, you are approaching the finish line! Don’t stumble now!
(Photo reposted from http://gallowaymsp.wordpress.com/ )

By Destiny Diggs,

The new year is upon us. 2013 has come and gone. Students of cohort 2014 are preparing for upcoming events such as prom, Senior Farewell , senior interviews, and last but not least, graduation. As the clock is ticking, Seniors are making sure that all failed classes are being made up, H.S.A.s and Bridge Projects are done and community services hours are complete.

For most seniors I’m sure their goal for their last year in high school is to have one or two classes and to be able to leave early. Some seniors have that opportunity; others aren’t so lucky. They are stuck at school all day finding ways to make up classes in Twilight, which makes their day at school even longer. But what has really frustrated most seniors including myself is the Bridge projects.

Bridge projects are basically packets that seniors have to complete in place of passing the H.S.A. We take Bridge projects because we could not meet the H.S.A passing score. The most Bridge projects a student can get is seven. How many projects they have to do in that subject depends on their H.S.A. score. The closer their score is to the passing requirement, the less Bridge projects they have to do.

Although Bridge projects can be stressful, it really isn’t the work itself that stresses seniors out. It’s having to find out how many and making sure you go to work on them during the allotted times because most teachers aren’t going to come get the students to come do their Bridge projects. Also you have to make sure you keep up with the class you’re being pulled out of to do your Bridge project.

Bridge projects are one of the major academic concerns for seniors, but there are also many extracurricular and financial matters that demand students’ attention as well. Let’s not forget senior dues. The specific package you want determines how much money you have to put out. Some seniors are getting the entire package, including Prom, Farewell, and Graduation, some are only getting one to two things in their package so they will pay less money. If they’re late with their payment they will have pay a late fee.

Of course, with all this stress and hard work there are some events in a senior’s last year that make it all worth it. Prom is one of these. Even though it’s only for a few hours, people spend a couple hundred dollars on their dress or their suit. Some even spend a couple thousand on their ride there because the entrance is just a part of the prom. Then they pay to take some pictures. But being there makes the money worth it for many students.

Senior Farewell is just a chance for the school to say goodbye to the seniors and hello to the new cohort. Then the big day approaches: Graduation Day. The final step in a senior’s last year is the moment you walk out on that stage and receive your diploma.

It might not hit you then, but once you leave that building you will notice that you no longer are required by the state to go to school. You can now make your own decisions on what you want to do with your life. You can go to college, trade school, work, anything. It’s now up to you and what you want to do.

Hopefully during your high school years you have gained some of the knowledge you need to survive in the real world. Hopefully you already have an idea of what you want to do with your life and know what you need to do to accomplish your goals. Although for most seniors it may be a stressful last year because you’re making sure all your ducks are in a row, once you receive that diploma and know you never have to come back it will all be worth it.

Moving Along (OPINION)

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By TyShawn Key

WORDS OF WISDOM
“Stay focused. Everything you do this year WILL affect you in the near future.”-Mia Bean (Senior)

 

 
“Keep up your grades. Aim for grades higher than 60.“ 

-Kiyoun Grisson

 
“Think ahead of time.” 

-Mia Bean (Senior)

 
“Enjoy your high school experience! Hopefully it will only come once!” 

-Kiyoun Grisson

 

The school year is finally on its way. The classes have started, schedules are comfortable, and the lunch is disgusting. It’s officially begun. Are you ready? Are you really ready? For most this is the year of regrets, the time someone does something to mess themselves up. Many have claimed this to be the product of innocent ignorance and pure misguidance. Every year there are some that struggle and some that excel; some that climb, and some that fall; some that rise to the occasion, and some that get lost on the way. You get my drift. Here is some advice from us here at the Patterson Press, and from various members of the Patterson “500” Family.

Freshmen:

Freshmen, this is your first year in high school; the year of GPAs, the year of HSAs,  the year of “if only I would have”, and the year of “damn, I should have”. This is a big step for you. It’s not the year of make or break, but it is most definitely the year of play or shape.

Now is your time to decide how you want the rest of your high school career to be. Many people use this time to capitalize on their academics. Some people use this time to play around and make new friends. Then there are few people who find the balance between the two and get the best of both worlds. Aim to be the elite of the three. Talk to your friends, test the waters, but get your work done. Get that GPA as high as you cans so it won’t be as much of a hassle in years to come. (If you’re shooting for a 60, then aim higher!) It’s easier to fall down a hill than it is to climb up one. Start off strong so you’ll have a little more leeway when you become upperclassmen.

Sophomores:

Sophomores, this is your time to kind of just swing in the wind, master the ropes, prep for next year. You guys are in what I like to call the neutral zone of high school: no obligations, no prom fees, no class dues. This is chill time. This is the year for you to try out the clubs, play different sports and connect with your counselors, while still getting your work done. This is your chill year–take advantage of it. Talk to your counselors to see if you qualify for any of the programs that are linked in with our school if they don’t get to you first, or haven’t gotten to you already. Also, don’t play games with your future. Patterson is a pathway school. That, means that if you know that you want to join the army you should schedule in ROTC. If you know that you want to be a teacher you should most definitely hit up Ms. Greene’s class. If you know you want to hoop, join the team. If you know you want to write, join the Press! It is never too late to start on your dreams. Use your school to help make it happen.

Juniors:

Juniors, you have one year left. Time to start thinking about colleges, looking for scholarships, perfecting your SAT scores and building your resumes. This is probably the most important year in high school. Colleges start mailing, your SAT scores starts to matter, GPA starts to take its toll (be it good or bad), scouts from all around start summoning your presence. Really quickly you’ll start to see how fond military recruiters are of you. Start enacting your plans now. If you want to go to college, start looking for scholarships. If you want to join the Army, start practicing for the ASVAP. If you are building your own business, start planning your budget and marketing. Start tying up the loose ends from last year. Start enacting your plans for the future.

Seniors:

Seniors, congratulations! We made it! No longer are we the first-time bus riders who had to follow our friend home the first week of school or ask directions to room number such and such. We are now the seniors of Patterson High. We now know all we need to know about our school, and exactly what to do to get what we need. Like the freshmen, this too is a big year for us. It’s time for college applications, job interviews for many, FAFSA, turning eighteen for some, and turning up for all. There’s not much time left for us; this is the last year. The only things we can do are finish strong and help those behind us. For those of us who have Twilight, it’s time to get it done. For those of us who owe dues, it’s time to get them paid. For those of us who play sports, it’s time to bring home those trophies. This is it. Time to go out with a bang. Make sure to take care of all your obligations so you can enjoy (hopefully) your last year in high school.

Gone With the Wind (OPINION)

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(Image: Seattle Public Schools)

By Anthony Ward

If you are a senior, you are one of two types of people right now. Either you are the one planning ahead for your next chapter once out of high school or you are the one gazing back on unfixable mistakes with blissful nostalgia trying to find some sort of closure with high school and being a child all over.

Why? Maybe because being entitled as a high school senior is like being an old woman or man being diagnosed with one week to live. Plus, with the constant reminders that the senior year will go “like that” (said by the Principal, Vance Benton) you’ll begin to cling to what is familiar, including teachers (the ones you have known for more than two years); friends (those who have actually been there till the end), and office staff who can tell you have come so far from being a rowdy ninth grader by the number of times in and out of their office.

But there are also perks as well (and no, not the senior discount at IHOP or Denny’s). Because everything is oozing finality it can push a student to open up and possibly participate in as many events as possible. These events include joining the band with Mr. Gagne in the singing club, throwing on some gloves with Ms. Diehl in the Cooking Club, or even getting political with Ms. Brett in the SGA. Like the end of 1999, it’s the end of an era. But whether you were the bad-turned-good-student or the perfect-at-being-bad student you can take this short school year in and embrace it as if it were your last, because we will all soon be gone with he wind.

A Government Meltdown (OPINION)

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(Cartoon by Shane Braden, Patterson Press)

By Destiny Diggs

The United States Federal Government entered a broad government shut-down on October 1, 2013 after Congress failed to agree on a spending bill that would keep the Government running. 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal workers are going without pay. Workers that are considered essential will continue to receive their paychecks, such as federal law enforcement agents, safety personnel, the military and even members of Congress.

Many Americans are wondering why the same Congressmen and Congresswomen who are responsible for the government shut-down are still receiving pay-checks, while so many ordinary workers are being forced to survive without any income. To make matters worse, low-income women and children are not guaranteed to receive government assistance because the federal funds that go into the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children ( WIC ) that provides food vouchers and health care services are not being disbursed due to the shut-down and the states may not have enough money to provide such things.

This temporary shut-down is not only affecting federal workers. It also affects countless other features of the United States, including national parks and the Coast Guard. The government has shut down three satellites that the Coast Guard needs to receive information on their computers to see what is going on in the ocean. Meanwhile, the closure of our country’s national parks has forced Americans to cancel family vacations. Searches were sent out for missing hikers and committees are losing millions of dollars in tourism money every day.  America is even more unprepared for natural disasters than usual. Of particular concern is Tropical Storm Karen, which is getting bigger in the Gulf of Mexico. With the government out of commission, who will keep our communities safe from this potentially deadly storm?

If the government shut-down is causing so many serious problems, why is it happening? Some people blame both the Republicans and the Democrats for refusing to come to an agreement. However, I believe it is mostly the Republicans’ fault. Republicans in Congress created this situation by refusing to vote for a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government running unless that CR removed all funding for the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare–a law that already passed Congress years ago), President Obama’s healthcare plan that was set to be implemented more fully on October 1st, the same day that the government shut-down began. This was a conscious strategy by anti-Obamacare Republicans such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Their goal was to pressure Democrats into voting for a spending bill that defunds Obamacare so they could keep the government open. When Democrats refused to go along with this, Congress entered a deadlock with both parties refusing to budge, even if it meant that the rest of the country would suffer. The people that will suffer the most are the people that rely on the government aid such as welfare and food stamps.

One of the most essential services in the United States, Amber Alert, was shut down due to lack of funding. Amber Alert is is an emergency program that helps track down missing children. Children are abducted and go missing every single day and many of them are not being found. Because the government could not make a decision about what they want to do, Amber Alert stopped functioning for a week. If a child went missing, the Amber Alert could not send out alerts to notify parents and citizens. However, after a week of being shut down the Amber Alert has finally been restored and continues to help find missing and exploited children.

Many people, perhaps even President Obama, believed the Republicans were bluffing about shutting the government down. Some even believe that both the Democrats and the Republicans are acting very childish.  The people that are not affected by the government shut-down do not seem to be phased by it.  President ” Obama” says he will negotiate with the Republican on financial issues if they open the government up again and raise the debt limit with no strings attached.

Many citizens have shared their opinions about the shut-down. Baltimore resident Gene Jackson stated,” I feel that Congressional leaders no longer represent the people who voted for them. This is why they’re so easily manipulated and play with peoples livelihoods”. A Florida resident who wishes to remain anonymous said the following:”Well, going into the second week of the government shut-down, I think if they stopped paying Congress that they could come to an agreement. It’s unfair that the workers are having to pay for the fact that our leaders are acting like five-year-old children.” A local Baltimore parent stated,” The people that need the money the most are the ones who don’t have it–middle class people. How do I feel about the shut-down? It’s selfish. It’s for greed. It’s for the wrong reasons and people who don’t have nothing in the bank won’t ever have nothing in the bank. The refrigerators are bare, the gas tank is empty and your only hope is to feed your children what you can and pray to get to work and make a little bit more.”  Out of state resident Tangie Baxter said she can’t stand the government. She stated,” The government is filled with corrupt people and for them to shut down the government just shows how much they care about its people.  They shut down the government knowing that Congress will still get paid. What they need is to help the middle class and stop helping the rich get richer and stop making the poor get poorer and help people progress in this country. America is a big paradox. People want to come here from other countries but they don’t realize how biased America is to its own people. The President is trying his best to make it fair for all people and the Republicans make damn sure that it’s impossible to do so. And it’s just sad what kind of country we live in and its even sadder that countries that are doing far worse try to be like ours”.  Local Virginia resident John Ross said he thinks the shut is terrible. He went on to say,” It’s ridiculous how the Republicans are holding the American people hostage”.

The government has so many things wrong with its system and it will not surprise anyone that once the shut-down is over, Congress will come up with a way to make the tax payers suffer from money America has lost because of the shut-down. The Republican candidate for the next Presidential election will surely receive many questions and criticism about the shut-down two years from now and we will see what excuse they come up with to explain this mess and how much chaos they have caused.

A Smokey Decision (OPINION)

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Illustration by Shane Braden, Patterson Press

By Destiny Diggs

Each year both men and women are arrested for possession of cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed. Are these arrests really worth it for society? Cannabis is the least harmful of all drugs. It can be used to help numb the pain of medical conditions such as many cancers and bone disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The majority of drug dealers today sell cannabis. It is reported that someone is arrested every forty two seconds for marijuana possession: that’s over 750,000 arrests for marijuana and one drug arrest every 21 seconds in the United States.

If cannabis is this common and relatively harmless, why are tax payers paying for prison cell for people possessing this substance?  As money-hungry as America is, you would think they would see this as an opportunity for profit; it would benefit both the government and cannabis users. America could legalize cannabis, give it an age limit and sell it. This would make the drug rate go down, drug dealers would have one less drug to sell and there would be fewer senseless arrests. A Native American doctor apologized for saying no to pot. He claimed that medicinal marijuana helped one of his patients with her nonstop seizures. He says that since she’s started smoking cannabis it has calmed her from having 300 seizures to having only two to three seizures a month.

Just as people abuse opiates, which have medicinal uses, people may abuse medicinal marijuana. But will the use of cannabis ruin your life?  HBO talk show host Bill Maher commented on president Obama smoking during his teen years. He stated, “If anyone can say smoking pot won’t ruin your life, it’s the guy who smoked bales of it and then became the leader of the free world.”

I asked some Maryland residents about their thoughts on whether marijuana should be legalized or not. A concerned parent thinks it should stay illegal. They stated the following: “It’s just a snowball down a slippery slope. Legalizing marijuana will just lead to other dangerous drugs which in turn will lead to more crimes, robberies, and drug use.” Another Maryland resident named Derrick thinks differently, stating “I think it should be legalized; it’s the only recreational drug that calms you down and in some cases it’s healthier.” A Maryland grandparent thinks it should be illegal. This grandparent stated “it should stay illegal: marijuana causes memory loss, flash backs, weight gain–it’s also toxic to the lungs–and death.” An online interviewee stated, “My own thoughts are unclear because of the validity of the arguments on both sides of this question. Personally having spent time in a mental institution where I have met young people mentally affected…by the use of marijuana, it makes me personally err on the side of caution and therefore I do not wish to see marijuana legalized, because a small number of people will be further mentally affected…Thinking about alcohol a similar effect is seen and that some people become alcoholics in need of help. But alcohol is legalized despite this being the case…”  A Maryland resident named Annie thinks it should be legalized. She stated, “Marijuana should be legalized so it can be controlled. In the earlier days marijuana was natural without chemicals. Now so many chemicals are added to marijuana it can hurt individuals. If it is legalized perhaps chemicals will not be added.” These are some of the opinions of Maryland residents.

The United States has tried to make things equal for of its citizens. They regulate this with amendments to the U.S. Constitution. A part of the First Amendment is freedom of religion, meaning that in the United States a person is free to worship according to the beliefs of his or her religion. If this is the case, why aren’t Rastafarians a part of this concept?  Rastafari is a religion that was generated from Jamaica and popularized by Bob Marley, Snoop Dog (Snoop Lion) and Lauren Hill. It has become more popular in the U.S.  but it is not a recognized religion here. Followers of this religion believe that smoking cannabis or “Ganja” will make you closer to God. If this is a part of a person’s religion, should the police have the right to arrest them because they are smoking?  This would contradict what the First Amendment says about freedom of religion.

Cannabis has been proven to help patients with pain and also to relax people. Making it legal will help the crime rate go down and help more people become relaxed.  No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose. If it were legal, the F.D.A. would make sure lists of ingredients are placed on every bag of cannabis sold as well as labels stating the dangers of smoking weed and the effects it may cause.  If weed was legal the government could make money, people wouldn’t get it illegally from drug dealers, and it wouldn’t be laced with so many toxic chemicals. If more people saw how senseless keeping it illegal was and realized how much calmer society would be if it was legalized, there would be less hostility to legalization in the United States.

Remembering Women’s History

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By Qu’Chae Madison

Editor’s Note: This article was written in recognition of Women’s History Month, which takes place every March.

Women have made many important strides in history. Madam C.J. Walker invented the first perm. Rosa Parks wouldn’t give up her seat. These are just a couple women who helped to pave the way for women today. Women have made their mark in history–women like these ones, strong and brave. These women looked in the eye of adversity and said, “I’m going to make a change”. Every day, these women faced hostility and violence, sometimes even murder. Women were always treated as inferior, because they were seen as weak in the eyes of a man. Men back then thought women were “property’ and that they “owned” them.

But now women are strong, beautiful, independent and confident. Women like Oprah Winfrey are changing the game. Oprah is one of the richest women in the world. Women like these follow their dreams, regardless of what people say. For example, if Oprah never had people saying, “You’ll never make it”, she might not have been inspired to reach her dreams. I guess that saying, “let your haters be your motivators”  is true. Now Oprah has her OWN television network named after her, and plenty of money. She could spend it on whatever she wants but she chooses to donate a large part of it to charity, even helping to build schools for underprivileged girls. Women everywhere are following their dreams, reaching new heights and achieving goals everyday. They are able to do this because of the courage and sacrifice of women from generations past.

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