What's Happening
SCHOOL•LOCAL•NATIONAL•WORLD
Pollution Crisis
New Delhi, the capital of India has a population of 21.7 Million. It is a beautiful city with architecture like no other. However, New Delhi is currently facing one of the world’s worst instances of air pollution yet. Toxic brown smog has overtaken the city, making it difficult for those living to breathe, and in some instances, even open their eyes for a long period of time. The World Health Organization deems the level of 25 to be considered safe, and anything over 500 to be considered severe plus. However, some areas of Delhi are measuring over 900. Although the toxic smog is currently at its worst, air pollution has become a yearly problem Delhi has to overtake.
The toxic smog is primarily attributed to the yearly festival known as Diwali. Diwali is a Hindu festival symbolizing the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.” Many celebrate by lighting firecrackers and celebrating. But many have gone the extra mile and as well as lighting firecrackers are lighting crop stubble and burning crops. The smoke from these two as well as the temperature shifting locked in the smoke creating a toxic smog around New Delhi and Delhi.
With the amount of smog in the air, many flights around the world are being diverted to neighboring cities where the smog is less apparent. With New Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal declaring a public health emergency, many are wondering if they are doing enough. Many living in Delhi want stronger measures to stop crop burning, something that causes 44% of the pollution. Some state those in power are not doing anything to stop the crop burning and are using the issue to gain a political advantage among their rivals.
With each day becoming more and more unbearable, it is only a matter of time before drastic measures will be taken to make sure an incident this drastic will not happen again.
information nation news
“ALWAYS OPEN” Policy Today, information is electronically ubiquitous. InformationNation! provides a growing collection of digital resources that can be used anytime and anywhere internet service is available.
For a comprehensive list of digital resources, usernames and passwords, see this brochure.
InformationNation! Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. closed 5th period.
Admittance: During class time, students must posses a pass.
Print Circulation: 2 items for 2 weeks
E-book Circulation: Limitless
Fines & Fees: 5 cents per day per item not to exceed $1.00 per item. Responsible for replacement/damage costs.
See Ms. Ortiz for information.
Drama
Drama students will be heading to State Competition November 22nd.
Officers for this year are -Mariana Molinar
Kevin Martinez and Creighton Apodaca
See Mr. Hand for information on Drama.
ProStart
Deming High Pro Start students competed in the 1st Annual Green Chile Cookoff at the Carlsbad/Artesia Football Game also known as the Eddy County War. The students made a rocking green chile posole that was very popular among the crowd that attended the game.
Robotics
The DHS robotics team started their competition build season on Saturday, September 7, 2019.
Cross Country
Deming High School Cross Country will be holding their district race here in our hometown! Saturday, November 2nd at pit park.
Skills USA
Breanna Richmond has been promoted to SkillsUSA NM State Secretary / Reporter. The State Officers met in Cloudcroft Oct 17-28-29 for a retreat to plan the Fall Leadership conference. The officers worked on Leadership skills, workshop techniques, decision making skills, public speaking, and SkillsUSA Framework with the Statesman Award.
Trains Past
On October 20th, 2019, the largest steam locomotive, Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 made an hour stop in Deming. Big Boy made its entrance into Deming at around 10 AM, allowing many to look at the old train. While hundreds observed the train in awe, crew members were working on maintenance to prepare for their next stop. In order to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad, Union Pacific rebuilt both Big boy No. 4014 and The Living Legend No. 844. Both trains as of October 2019 are still touring around the United States. The history of both trains and the rails they ride on go far back in history. In 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed in Promontory, Utah. A golden spike was placed into the rail line that connected east to west. In 1881, the second transcontinental railroad met in Deming, New Mexico, where a silver spike was placed in the rail line to commemorate the achievement. Deming was also given a two-story railroad station which was later renovated to a one-floor station. The station is still standing next to Deming Starmax, near 217 N Country Club road. Deming High School Band also performed songs as the train arrived at the crossing. At around 11 AM, the train departed from Deming and continued its tour around the country for one last time. Having the opportunity to see a train from years past is something those lucky few will never forget, and as the trains reach the end of their tour, they will once again be decommissioned and sent to museums in order to preserve the historic trains.
This article is based on The Deming Headlight.
Demingheadlight.com. N. p., 2019. Web. 28 Oct. 2019.
Student Submissions
What is The Electoral College and what is its purpose?
-Written by Carlos Emilio Hultsch Martinez
Do you know how do the voters choose the president in the elections every four years? This process is called “The Electoral College.” According to the National Archives and Records Administration, “The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your state’s entitled allotment of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for your Senators. Each candidate running for President in your state has his or her own group of electors. The electors are generally chosen by the candidate’s political party, but state laws vary on how the electors are selected and what their responsibilities are. The presidential election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. You help choose your state’s electors when you vote for President because when you vote for your candidate you are actually voting for your candidate’s electors. Most states have a “winner-take-all” system that awards all electors to the winning presidential candidate. However, Maine and Nebraska each have a variation of “proportional representation.” After the presidential election, your governor prepares a “Certificate of Ascertainment” listing all of the candidates who ran for President in your state along with the names of their respective electors. The Certificate of Ascertainment also declares the winning presidential candidate in your state and shows which electors will
represent your state at the meeting of the electors in December of the election year. Your state’s Certificates of Ascertainments are sent to the Congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the presidential election. The meeting of the electors takes place on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December after the presidential election. The electors meet in their respective states, where they cast their votes for President and Vice President on separate ballots. Your state’s electors’ votes are recorded on a “Certificate of Vote,” which is prepared at the meeting by the electors. Your state’s Certificates of Votes are sent to the Congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the presidential election. Each state’s electoral votes are counted in a joint session of Congress on the 6th of January in the year following the meeting of the electors. Members of the House and Senate meet in the House chamber to conduct the official tally of electoral votes. The Vice President, as President of the Senate, presides over the count and announces the results of the vote. The President of the Senate then declares which persons, if any, have been elected President and Vice President of the United States. The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election.”
As you can see, the Electoral College process is complex, steady and controlled, with the intention to maintain a system of Checks and Balances in order to protect the nation. While the process has been used to elect the chief of the executive branch in America, recent presidential election outcomes has triggered a debate. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump had lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton, because Trump won the electoral college. Following this, many people were angry, arguing that votes do not matter if they are members of a base state and that the people don’t have the last voice in the decision because the number of electoral votes giving to state varies, making voting more important in some states than in other states. On
the contrary, many defended the process, making the claim that this process protects the nation from choosing a leader that is not capable, as many argue that following a pure majority vote system will lead America into a direction that other countries have chosen, like Italy and Brazil, who have voted for leaders based upon majority rule by that still were very controversial. While the Electoral College may have a few flaws, it is safe to say that it is a shield for the population, although that it may not be very considerable. As the Presidential Election of 2020 approaches, is important for citizens to participate, but also understand the means of the democracy we enjoy.
Picture by History.com
References
National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html.
Want to write for the broadcaster? Email us! broadcaster@demingps.org
The Burning of the Earth’s lungs
By Carlos Emilio Hultsch Martinez
According to the World Wildlife Fund, “The Amazon is a vast region that spans across eight rapidly developing countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, an overseas territory of France. The landscape contains: One in ten known species on Earth. 1.4 billion acres of dense forests, half of the planet's remaining tropical forests. 4,100 miles of winding rivers. 2.6 million square miles in the Amazon basin, about 40 percent of South America
There is a clear link between the health of the Amazon and the health of the planet. The rain forests, which contain 90-140 billion metric tons of carbon, help stabilize local and global climate. Deforestation may release significant amounts of this carbon, which could have catastrophic consequences around the world” (WWF).
Altogether, the Amazons accounts for the Earth’s ~20% of oxygen’s production. Additionally, the Amazon rain forest its home of numerous cultures, flora and fauna. In a nutshell, the Amazon rainforest is an anmazing region that is essential for the Earth’s welfare.
According to the National Institute for Space Research, there had been more than 75,000 fires so far this year, with more than half in the Amazon region (CNN). Although many environmentalists argue that fires in the area had existed for a long time, what’s alarming to them is that the fire is reaching a critical point. To get matters even worse, Brazil’s conservative president, Jair Bolsonaro has recently encouraged cattle ranchers and loggers to build on the land. This caused a humongous number of fires that quickly spread throughout the region.
Approximately, 15% of the Amazon has been deforested. The effects of the massive deforestation have showed repercussion on the environment and people of Brazil, Bolivia, and the other countries that the Amazon encompasses. If this continues, major negative consequences will show in the region and an environmental imbalance may occur in many places around the world. President Bolsonaro first claimed that the fires were nothing to be concerned about; but after attending the G-7 meeting; Bolsonaro claims that he won’t accept international help to contain the fire because he feels offended by the international community for their scapegoating on him and that the funds are not approved by the Brazilian government. While governments settle their disputes, the fact is that the Amazon is deforesting at a fast pace. If this continues, global repercussions will be major. Hopefully, the organizations in charge of controlling the fires can control the situation. This should be a lesson to humanity that we should care of mother nature no matter our political views.
Work Cited
“Amazon.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon.
“The Amazon Is on Fire. Here's Why You Should Care - CNN Video.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Aug. 2019, https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2019/08/24/amazon-rainforest-fires-orig-mg-lc-jk.cnn.
Image retrieved from Jetset Times https://jetsettimes.com/countries/brazil/what-can-we-do-about-the-burning-of-amazon-rainforest/
Amid numerous recent protests throughout the region, there are several doubts regarding the context of these outbreaks. First, each protest in each country is different, as each one has different context and resolution.
Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, boomed from 2000 to 2014 before growth dropped off. The average Chilean still earns roughly $560 to $700 a month, income that makes it hard for many to pay their bills. Then, an independent panel implemented a 4-cent subway fare increase that the Chilean government initially said was needed to cope with rising oil prices and a weaker local currency. For thousands of Chileans, it was a final indignity after years of struggling as the country prospered (Weissenstein).
Although president Sebastian Piñera publicly said that his government made the wrong decision and promised to fix the transportation raise, Chileans are still furious with the government, protesting over the right for pensions, social services etc. As the number of deaths and injured piles, it will take very strategic moves from Piñera’s government to alleviate the people’s fury.
Oil-rich Ecuador saw a steep rise in GDP as oil topped $100 a barrel and President Rafael Correa built multi-lane highways, airports and universities. Then oil slumped, leaving Ecuador with billions in debt and a steep annual budget shortfall. Correa’s successor, Lenín Moreno, took out a three-year $4.2 billion IMF credit line and this month announced a $1.3 billion austerity package that included the elimination of fuel subsidies and a resulting sharp rise in gasoline and diesel prices. That sent Ecuadorians to the streets, led by the country’s well-organized, mostly rural indigenous peoples, many of whom are subsistence farmers who saw little to no benefit from the
boom years… Moreno ended the protests by agreeing to restore the subsidies, a solution that analysts said left him weakened and facing the same economic troubles that loomed before nearly two weeks of often-violent protests (Weissenstein).
Haiti was worse off than any other country in the region at the start of the new century but saw an infusion of billions of dollars in highly subsidized oil from Venezuela starting in 2009, plus the flood of international aid after the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake. When oil slumped and Venezuela’s economy collapsed, the subsidized fuel ended, and the already-impoverished island suffered regular gasoline shortages. Investigations by Haiti’s Senate and a federal auditor alleged that government officials had embezzled and misappropriated billions in proceeds from the Venezuelan program known as Petrocaribe. Fueled partly by a group of internet-savvy young Haitians known as the Petrocaribe Challengers, street protests erupted that organizers say won’t stop until President Jovenel Moise leaves office.
In Bolivia, President Evo Morales has had 14 years of low inflation and strong GDP growth of 4% a year on average, thanks largely to earnings during the commodities-boom years. In recent years, the country’s income from natural gas sales has been dropping due to falling prices, drops in reserves and less demand from Brazil and Argentina. Experts say the economy is looking increasingly fragile. Against that backdrop, the popularity he won for his economic management and infrastructure investment has been weakened by corruption scandals in his administration and his insistence on seeking re-election despite losing a referendum on the issue. After allegations of fraud in the Sunday election, protests multiplied across Bolivia outside vote-counting centers this week. Rioting was reported in at least six of Bolivia’s nine regions and in the national capital of La Paz, police used tear gas in attempts to quell fighting between
supporters of Morales and opponent Carlos Mesa outside a vote-counting center. Protesters threw firecrackers and stones.
Morales’ opponents burned election offices and ballots in several cities and called for a strike on Wednesday, Morales said his opponents are trying to stage a coup protests (Weissenstein).
It is uncanny how 4 counties in the same region are having major protest movements at the same time with each movement having a different reason. Although each protest has its own context, there are a few patterns in these 4 issues; initial temporal prosperity, depth, controversial reason by the government to alleviate depth, ineffective government, and organized, discontent population. Hopefully, peace can return to the region and the overall situation will serve as a caution for the remainder of Latin American countries.
References
Weissenstein, Michael. “Is Boom, Then Slump, behind Fiery Latin American Protests?” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 23 Oct. 2019, https://www.apnews.com/957b27f2ca9441bda64e60a441517a5a
What are the reasons behind the multiple protests in Latin America?
Written by Carlos Emilio
Hultsch Martinez
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The E-Cigarettes crisis that strikes American Teenagers
By Carlos Emilio Hultsch Martinez
The Forbes Magazine states that “According to new preliminary data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, over one in four high schoolers (27.5% according to the American Lung Association) are current e-cigarettes users (defined as having used e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days). That's a significant jump from the one in five (20.8%) in 2018.” This is an alarming statistic, considering that teenagers have become an important group of addicts to E-Cigarettes. Many American adolescents consume these products in order to alleviate anxiety from consuming Nicotine. However, specialists seem to disclaim this belief. According to the New York Post “Dr. Elisa Tong, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California-Davis, said those who vape should not return to cigarettes as they navigate a way to quit using nicotine altogether — and warned that e-cigarette users may be putting much more of the drug into their bodies than they realize.” The number of victims also seems to grow worse. As Yale News adds “According to a CDC announcement on Sept. 11, the number of possible cases ballooned to roughly 400, including at least one from Connecticut. Six deaths were reported, but none were in the state.” The cases seem to appear in all the country, for this reason the problem is expected to be targeted by Health authority on a major campaign. However, some seem to opt for a more ambitious proposal. This proposal seems to be taken form by the Trump administration as the speaker of Trump administration stated that “We intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities,” according to NBC news. Also does the state of Michigan recently became the first state to prohibit the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes. Along with Michigan other states such as California and Montana try to make similar approaches. These states have decided to prohibit the sale of most flavored cigarettes that are linked to the counterproductive effects on teens’ health. Many health
organizations that are against smoking not are only fighting normal cigarettes but now are starting to target e-cigarettes in a major campaign. Major e-cigarettes companies like “Juul” said the device (e-cigarette) is not intended as a way for people to kick their addiction to nicotine but can help “adult smokers switch from combustible cigarettes to an alternative nicotine delivery system,” according to a statement to California Healthline. Based upon these statements, it seems that these companies are trying to get justified from the negative effects of their products. While the legal contest continues, the reality is that many American teenagers are falling addicts of e-cigarettes and having health repercussions, however, it might be said that American teenagers face many addiction situations. Hopefully, does the American government takes actions and regulations against e-cigarettes and other products to protect teenagers.
Picture by https://tobaccofreeca.com/e-cigarettes/busting-myths/
References
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Miller, Joshua Rhett. “Some Vapers Return to Cigarettes amid Growing e-Cig Health Crisis.” New York Post, New York Post, 16 Sept. 2019, https://nypost.com/2019/09/16/some-vapers-return-to-cigarettes-amid-growing-e-cig-health-crisis/.
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Lee, Bruce Y. “Teen Vaping Crisis: Here Is The Latest From Bloomberg And The FDA.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 Sept. 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2019/09/13/teen-vaping-crisis-here-is-the-latest-from-bloomberg-and-the-fda/#7d22aea860b3.
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Jackson, Hallie, et al. “Trump Administration Plans to Ban Sale of Flavored Electronic Cigarettes.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 12 Sept. 2019, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-administration-meeting-address-vaping-crisis-n1052396.
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Kristoffersen, Matt, and Matt Kristoffersen. “In Light of Vaping Health Crisis, Yale Scientists Recommend against e-Cigs.” Yale Daily News In Light of Vaping Health Crisis Yale Scientists Recommend against Ecigs Comments, https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2019/09/16/in-light-of-vaping-health-crisis-yale-scientists-recommend-against-e-cigs/.
Free College
By: Rodolfo Saldivar
The title of the article is “New Mexico Announces Plan for Free College for State Residents” By Simon Romero and Dana Goldstein. This article is from The New York Times. The article is about a plan the state is proposing to make college tuition free to all New Mexico residents. This includes families that can afford to pay for college. Goner Michelle Lujan Grisham this new scholarship program “will combine with existing state and federal scholarships and grants to cover 100 percent of tuition and fees in New Mexico institutions” (Romero 11). This plan will affect over 55,000 students in New Mexico. They will get the money from the climbing revenue of oil production in the state. This proposal still must have legislative approval and we still don’t know if they will approve it.
Some education experts, presidential candidates and policymakers consider universal free college to be a squandering of scarce public dollars, which might be better spent offering more support to the neediest students. Although, others say college has become overwhelming and free tuition would be a good thing. Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are promising to make all public colleges and universities free. Govender Lujan Grisham said, “This program is an absolute game changer for New Mexico” (Romero 23). Most the democrat presidential candidates are supporting her proposal. Carmen Lopez-Wilson,
the deputy secretary of New Mexico’s Higher Education Department, said, “This is the best way to begin rebuilding the infrastructure of higher education in New Mexico” (Romero 33). A lot of residents, especially students are pushing for this proposal to be accepted.
Personally, this proposal sounds great. However, it is concerning how they will maintain the huge amount of money they will need to pay the colleges every year. The cost of the proposal will be, “annual cost of $25 million to $35 million.” (Romero 38). The governor wants this plan to be affected by the fall 2020 semester. That is in about one year from now and the big question is will this proposal be approved by legislative? From past experiences, free tuition has been very successful like “The University of California, the City University of New York” ( Zaloom 47) according to Professor Zaloom, of N.Y.U. Now we all wait to see how this all plays out and if it will be successful.
Romero, Simon. (2019, September 20th). New Mexico Announces Plan for Free College for State Residents. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/us/new-mexico-free-college-tuition.html