Bundy Brothers Acquittal: Domestic Terrorism in OregonM'munga Songolo
Some news that has gotten some attention lately is that armed anti-government protesters led by the Bundy brothers have gotten acquitted, which means found not guilty. Those names might seem familiar, because they are! They were armed anti-government protesters who took over federal government land and took refuge in a barn. The court case had gone on for 1 month and the defendants never denied that they had occupied and held the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters for six weeks, yet they were consistently demanding that the federal government surrender the 188,000-acre property to local control. Their lawyers had argued that prosecutors did not prove that the group had engaged in an illegal conspiracy that kept federal workers -- employees of the Fish and Wildlife Service and The Bureau of Land Management -- from doing their job. Before this case, eleven people had already been found guilty. One person was even killed; his name was Lavoy Finicum. In a statement, Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, said she was disappointed. “The occupation of the Malheur Reserve did not reflect the Oregon way of respectfully working together to resolve differences,” the governor said. After asking each of the defendants to stand, Judge Anna J. Brown read off the string of not-guilty verdicts. “It has been a long road,” she told the jury afterward. Ammon Bundy’s lawyer, Mr. Mumford, then requested that the Bundy brothers be immediately released. Judge Brown denied the request and said that because of pending charges in Nevada, the brothers would remain in federal custody. Mr. Mumford continued, “As Mr. Mumford continued his protest, four court officers surrounded him, and in the ensuing scuffle, documents and other items on the defense table were knocked to the floor and Judge Brown ordered the courtroom cleared.” In closing arguments last week, the defense lawyers in the case, and Ryan Bundy, who represented himself, passionately argued that the government had not made its case. This shooting was deemed legally justified by authorities, but multiple investigations are still ongoing into FBI agents who were present and have been accused of firing shots and never reporting them. While the Bundy brothers were cleared for their role in the Oregon siege, it still remains possible that federal law enforcement officials could face discipline or legal action for the sole armed confrontation between police and the occupiers. Despite what any lawyer may try to attest, the Bundys are not innocent. Far from it—they are domestic terrorists. Federal prosecutors seized “more than 30 guns,” the Associated Press reported, and “An FBI agent testified that 16,636 live rounds and nearly 1,700 spent casings were found” during the trial. When they occupied the reserve, “federal Bureau of Land Management employees were forced to telework or were placed on administrative leave,” Laurel Raymond reported for ThinkProgress. This, “kill and be killed” cowboy mentality also resulted in the closing of local schools, which were only allowed to reopen upon employing “extra security and mental health counselors,” Raymond continued. “Local police forces worked overtime, and extra security was brought in. The occupation cost the federal and local governments millions.” If the textbook definition of terrorism is the use of violence to incite fear in order to achieve a particular political goal, then this sounds a lot like terrorism. They argued that the presence of paid government informants at the refuge during the occupation muddied the waters and created reasonable doubt about how the decisions of the defendants were made. On top of that, Robert L. Salisbury, Mr. Banta’s lawyer said,“The government was not here to find the truth. This case is about people wanting to be heard, and they’re just frustrated with our government.” |
2016 Plane Crashes: Causes and RemembranceBryan Soriano
The Plane Crash on November 28, 2016, killing 71 people including most of the Chapecoense soccer team from Brazil On November 28, 2016, a tragic incident occurred. The Chapecoense soccer team from Brazil were on a plane headed to the Copa Sudamericana finals in Medellin. 77 people were on the plane, including most of the soccer team. All seemed well for the soccer players going to the finals.s light flashed on and of until they turned off completely. On the way, the plane crashed near Rionegro, Colombia. It fell 11,000 feet towards the ground. The plane was completely destroyed and it was nearly impossible for anyone to survive the plane crash. 71 of the passengers on the plane died. There were six passengers who survived: three players, two crew members and one journalist. The survivors were unbelievably lucky to survive the plane crash. It is very sad. Most of these soccer players had families to take care of. After the crash, at the beginning of most soccer games the spectators and players would remember those who died in the plane crash on November 30th. One soccer player was a week away from being a father and having a family. How they are remembered On the 30th of November supporters would light flares, light their phones, and light candles during games to recognize the soccer club. Recently, on December 5th the international team of Brazil invited the international team of Colombia to a friendly match. The international team of Brazil and the international team of Colombia would play on January 22nd or the 25th. The game was a way to raise money for the families of the Chapecoense club victims. The Brazilian international soccer team stated that if Colombia international soccer team were not available on the dates, that the would still raise money but with a different team. The CBF has been generous in donating 1.1 million euros to the Chapecoense soccer club. Cause The plane crashed because of fuel problems. It could have happened because of a fuel leak, failure of the fuel pumps or gauges, internal icing, or crew error managing the engine's use of fuel. If the engine is not running, it can cause an electrical failure leaving the plane with only a short time in the air before crashing. Investigators are investigating on why the plane ran out of fuel if it was only 5 miles away from the airport when it crashed. There are people who say that the pilot left the airport too soon before they had refueled it. Erwin Tumiri Erwin Tumiri, a survivor soccer player of the Chapecoense soccer club, recently got out of the hospital after suffering damage on his body from the plane crash. Luckily, he had no fatal damage done to his body. Erwin Tumiri was one of the six people that survived the plane crash on November 28, 2016. Erwin Tumiri said things about the flights: “We were told it would be a normal landing” Erwin Tumiri said to a reporter reporting about the incident. "I was talking with the Chapecoense coach Caio Junior and he was teaching me some Portuguese. I told everybody to put on their seat-belts because we were about to land." (Erwin Tumiri explaining the beginning of the crash) "Everybody went back to their seats. The lights went out and then the plane began to shake. I thought that the vibration was part of a normal landing. But it wasn't. I just heard a 'vroom vroom' sound. I can't remember what happened after that. I woke up on the ground." (Erwin Tumiri says he heard a noise then passed out and luckily woke up) The Plane Crash on December 7th ,2016, Killing all the Passengers on the Plane Including Junaid Jamshed, a Pakistani Pop Star. Now, Junaid Jamshed, was getting fame around the 1980’s. Junaid Jamshed was known to be very religious. Sometimes he made religious songs and music. He was a pakistani pop star, and was known for being a very religious man because of this. Junaid Jamshed boarded a flight to Islamabad from Chitral. There were around 40 passengers. The planes crashed into mountains near Havelian. Many of his fans headed to twitter to remember him. The pilot made a mayday call saying he had lost control of one of the two engines causing it to crash. Everyone on the plane unfortunately died. Daily Mail.com Toronto Sun.com CNN.com |
Christmas: The Holiday of the LambGemma Tkel
Christmas. Just hearing the word gives you a fuzzy feeling, doesn’t it? The stockings, the candy canes, the chestnuts roasting on an open fire (see what I did there?), and the thing that all people love… PRESENTS!!! Now, although those may be the first things that comes to your head when hearing the word Christmas, that doesn’t mean that those are the only things about this special holiday. Behind all the bows and wrapping paper, there’s a much deeper and heartwarming meaning for Christmas. It’s not just about how many presents are under the Christmas tree or how full your stocking may be. Christmas is about giving more than receiving, spreading joy and laughter to all on this wonderful day, but most of all, it’s about the birth of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is the whole thing Christmas is about; without Jesus, there is no Christmas. Hence the reason it’s called Christmas, for Christ. There are many types of cultures and how they celebrate Christmas can all be different. Everybody has different ways of celebrating this season of jolly and joy. Some people may like going out singing Christmas carols door to door and playing in the snow, while others may enjoy staying inside by a warm and crackly fire and drinking eggnog and eating figgy pudding. There is so much difference in how people celebrate Christmas, way too many to count, but I still find it cool and interesting to see all the diversity put into one holiday. On Christmas, I usually wake up and get ready to go to church. The church and Jesus are the most important part of Christmas. Not only to me, but to all people in the world. During Christmas, and every other day in the year, we have the holy spirit in us, but on Christmas it becomes more special because of what the day signifies. This day reminds us of the reason why we are alive on this Earth at this very moment. Jesus is the reason we were born. The ultimate sacrifice he made just for us, giving up his right to live so that we may be able to walk on the ground he had created and so that we may follow in his footsteps to become one with him. We were all created in God’s image and without God there would be no Jesus, and without Jesus there would be no us. Some countries that celebrate Christmas include Mexico, Vietnam, and the Philippines. These are the ways that they celebrate Christmas and how they can get closer to Jesus on this oh-so-special holiday. Mexico: In Mexico, people actually celebrate Christmas way longer than people in America do. In Mexico, they celebrate Christmas from December 12 to January 6. Between December 16 and Christmas Eve, children would usually perform the posadas, which is Spanish for Inn or Lodging. There are nine posadas. They represent the time in which Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay on the night Jesus was born. People decorate the outsides of their houses with moss, evergreens, and paper lanterns. Vietnam: In Vietnam, Christmas Eve is actually more important than the actual day of Christmas because Christmas isn’t an official public holiday and many people believe it’s a holiday for Christians. On Christmas Eve, people like to go to In Ho Chi Minh (biggest city in Vietnam) and go to the city center, where a Catholic cathedral is located, and celebrate the eve of Christmas. People are also prohibited from driving their cars in the city center on Christmas Eve. People usually celebrate by throwing confetti, taking pictures, and admiring the decorations set up for the precious holiday. All churches will usually have a creche (nativity crib scene). They will normally have a huge scene with almost life size statues of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the shepherds and animals. Happy Christmas in Vietnamese is “Chuc Mung Giang Sinh.” The Philippines: In the Philippines, people like to celebrate Christmas for as long as they can. Christmas carols in shops and markets begin in September (for all y’all Christmas freaks)! Celebrations of the actual holiday start on December 16, when people usually go to the first of nine early morning masses. The last of the nine masses is on Christmas day. The celebrations continue into the first Sunday of January, which is when they would celebrate the epiphany. The epiphany is also commonly celebrated in Mexico. To learn more about how different cultures, or the cultures listed above, celebrate Christmas, go to Whychristmas.com. Remember to get turnt while it’s still lit, but not too turnt. Don’t forget that it’s a holiday for Jesus. Thank you for reading my article. I hope you have a safe and happy Christmas! |
Our Lady of Guadalupe: Patron Saint of MexicoMarelynn de Jesus
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patron Saint of Mexico. Her feast day is December 12. There’s a legend about a man named Juan Diego and his encounter with Our Lady of Guadalupe. One day, he went to cut some firewood and heard a strange noise and walked towards it. Then he saw an image of a women, she said “Juan Diego, I want you to tell the bishop to build a church right in this same spot”.So he ran as fast as he could. When he got to the church they told him to wait. He waited and told the bishop everything that she told him. However, the bishop did not believe him. The next day he told the image that they didn’t believe him and she told Juan Diego to tell the bishop again and he did. However, they made him wait longer than usual. The bishop told Juan Diego the only way he was going to believe him was if he showed him proof. Juan Diego then went to his house and saw that his uncle was very sick so he ran to find a doctor. He decided to go a different route so the image did not take his time because he was in a hurry. Suddenly the image appeared and he told her that he was sorry but the bishop told him he wanted proof. However, he couldn’t go because his uncle was very sick. She told Juan Diego that his uncle was now out of danger. Then told him to go to a place where nothing grew and cut some flowers and take them to her to send the bishop the proof he wanted. So Juan Diego cut the flowers and brought them to her. Once she looked at them she touched them and told him to not show them to anybody but the bishop. Then, when everybody wanted to know what was in there, he didn’t show them to anybody until he was in front of the bishop. When he let the flowers, everybody saw with amazement the image of the Lady of Guadalupe. Up to this day you can see the image in a church in Mexico City. |
Faith in Our Every Day, Modern LifeJosie Washburn
Faith-the belief of something bigger than yourself-is universal. The belief that there is something big up there in the sky or deep down under the ground. For Christians, it’s God. For Hindus, it’s Brahman. Whatever you believe in, faith is reassuring. It’s like a warm blanket. Something to hold on to when nights get rough and things get scary. Faith is often applied to everyday life. Hail Mary passes save games. The Ramayana -an Indian religious epic-still gets rated on television. However, some holidays like Christmas have been commercialized to the point that they are unrecognisable. Halloween started as All-Hallows-Eve, a celebration for the dearly departed. Now there is nothing but comerciales. That is all that's left of a once noble and pious holiday. In literature, particularly that of the 17th and 18th centuries, religion is well represented, either in a philosophical or allegorical manner. In art, for the past 1000 years, pictures of the Crucifixion, the Nativity scene, and thousands of other religious scenes have been extremely common. It is the focus of some of the finest works of art in the last thousand years. Hymns were composed and sung to Mary, Jesus, and anyone else in the Bible they could find. No offense intended. In comics, godly avengers swoop down on criminals, such as the Spectre, who makes sure that no wrongdoer gets away with his crime. (He has been known to be way over zealous) Or the Phantom Stranger, who is believed to be one of God’s angels cursed to walk the earth. Another guy makes use of a cursed suit of armor. In the Golden Age of comics, when Captain America, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman came on the stage, they were regularly pitted against witches, believed to be opposers of the Christian faith. Even today, Wonder Woman, despite being of a different faith, goes up against a witch named Circe, who is definitely on God’s naughty list, if God had one. In short, God and faith is still important in everyday life. We still believe in faith, even when we pretend not to. This is a modern age. This age, whether we like it or not, is powerful in many ways. For the religious, there is always faith. |
Team Sports vs Individual SportsSavannah Bashaw
I personally have played many seasons of sports. I’ve played soccer, volleyball, been on a swim team and will be on the new Holy Cross girls’ basketball team. While soccer, volleyball and basketball are team sports, swimming is an individual sport. Many people ask me about the difference between an individual sport and a team sport. Well, let me drop some knowledge on you. First of all, most individual sports are still associated with a team regardless of whether or not you play as a team. Swimming is an individual sport. While yes, you are on a team, you play as an individual. All of your individual events -- such as the 50 breaststroke or 100 IM (individual medley) -- count towards your team’s score. If you have a bad time in an event it will decrease the score of your team. There are also relays, in which you will be in a group of 4 people and race for the fastest time. I personally like relays the best because even if you go slow your teammates will back you up and improve the time. Volleyball, basketball, and soccer are team sports. Most times you’ll have a group of people on the court or field, and a group of subs on the bench. In sports, when you are younger, the coaches are required to give each player equal time on the field or court. As you get older however, the coaches are no longer required to put you in the game. I feel that it is important for children to play sports when they are younger because it’ll give them more of a chance to be on a sports team and be able to play when they get older. In sports like these, I feel that it is a lot easier to play with the team than play one on one. With the team to have your back, together you are much stronger and have a better chance of victory. When people ask me whether I prefer individual sports or team sports, I often times can’t answer. I really enjoy both types of sports for different reasons. I really like individual sports because it gives you a sense of importance to know that your times can improve the outcome of the meet for your team. It’s also nice to glance up out of the water and see your teammates gathered around the end of your lane cheering you on. Individual sports really just make you feel loved by your team and make you feel important. I also really enjoy team sports because you get to spend time with your friends while playing sports. I also really enjoy them because, while it still gives you a sense of importance, it also teaches you teamwork and good communication skills. While playing team sports, it’s cool to look to the bench during a close time in a game and see the players and coaches on the bench just as nervous as you are. Even though they’re just as anxious about the outcome as you are, they still cheer you on loud and proud. I haven’t played a sport where I either don’t like the sport or my team isn’t supportive, so I don’t know what it’s like to be on one of those teams, but I do know that it’s way better to be on a supportive team rather than a non-supportive team. All of the teams that I’ve been on have been very supportive. If you’ve missed a goal or hit the ball the wrong way, it’s okay they’ll still keep their hopes up and move on. I don’t know if I’d be able to play a sport without a team. Even though I do play an individual sport, there’s still a big strong team to have your back. The teams are probably what keeps me coming back to sports. I’ll play a season and make friends, and then come back to play with them again. I love all of the teams I’ve been on and love most of my teammates. Another reason I love being on a team is having friends from other places than just school. I love all of my school friends, but it’s nice to have other friends to talk to. Overall, I really enjoy both individual sports and team sports. I think that it depends on the type of person that you are to like one type more than the other. I still can’t choose between them, but I really like both. I hope now you understand the difference between individual sports and team sports! |
Holy Cross Winter BasketballOsweldo Arriola
This season, Holy Cross has seven basketball teams. The seventh and eighth grade boys are being coached by Mr. G and Mr. Davis. Gary Kaiel will be coaching the fifth and sixth grade boys. The seventh and eighth grade girls are being coached by Mr. T and the fifth grade girls by Suzanne McLean and Shawn Mitchell. Holy Cross also has two Hot Shot teams. The first one is being coached by Mrs. Brant and Mr. Walsh and the second team by Mr. Walter ChurchBridges. Practice has begun and games will start after the Christmas break. We wish all of the players and coaches a positive season. |
Teacher Highlight of the MonthAnna Nguyen
Hello Holy Cross community! This month’s teacher of the month is Mr. Tagorda! Mr. Tagorda, also known as Mr. T and Tagorgeous by his students, is Holy Cross’s technology teacher for pre-k through eighth. Mr. T had started an extra class called “Eighth Grade Seminar” this year for our eighth grade class. This class preps eighth graders for high school and teaches us how to be “eighth grade superstars,” as he calls us. He leads several extracurriculars after school including Chess Club for elementary and middle school students, Creative Writing Club for middle school students, and will soon be leading girls’ basketball! As you can already tell, Mr. T is super dedicated to helping and educating our students at Holy Cross so much. We’ve decided that he should be appreciated in this lovely Portland December. First off, let’s get to know a little bit more about Mr. T’s background. Mr. Tagorda is from New Orleans, Louisiana and his favorite things about his hometown is its amazing food and culture. He graduated from Tulane University and got his Masters of Art in Teaching with the Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education (PACE) program provided at the University at Portland. Speaking of education, Mr. T has been teaching at Holy Cross for four years! That’s as old as some of our students in pre-k! His favorite thing about being a teacher is the kids. “The kids,” Mr. T answered instantly. “They make me laugh. And any job that makes you laugh or smile everyday is a great job.” Next, let’s learn some fast facts about Mr. Tagorda! His favorite color is green because according to Mr. T, “It’s been proven to be the best color by scientists….. that I did not make up.” His favorite food is lots of dumplings, his favorite dessert is pecan pie, and if he could only eat one thing for the rest of his life, it would be… more dumplings! To summarize it all up, Mr. T UNCONDITIONALLY loves dumplings. His favorite thing to do outside of school, he said, is, “Chess and fantasy football. Just put ALL THE GAMES!!” If Mr. T were to be put in a Hogwarts House, he would be put in Ravenclaw (WOOO! GO RAVENCLAWS!). One thing that he can absolutely not live without is his laptop. For example, he said if he left it at home, he would have no idea what to teach. This next section will include actual conversations between Mr. T and I when I had interviewed him. Ms. Fraser, soon to be Mrs. Vandercouvering (at least I think that’s how it’s spelled…), also joined in on the fun! We created a “Guess the Answer” game in which contains the interviewee’s friend replying as the person being interviewed. In this case, Ms. Fraser was the friend and Mr. T was the interviewee! Let’s get started! Q: What’s a “normal” outfit for you? Ms. Fraser (MF): ...Fan of polos, UP shirt, and rubberband bracelets. Mr. T (MT): Yep, yep. Q: When’s your birthday? MF: March 18, 19…. 1990. Wait, wait, wait… March 17, 1990. MT: Yup. Q: Who embodies you in female form? MF: My sister Lauren, but she has better hair. MT: Yeah. Wait…. Q: What’s the best day of your life or one of your best days? MF: Graduating from PACE. MT: Yeah. Q: What are some funny private jokes that you guys have that wouldn’t senses to others? MF: How TALL are you? Or there it is! Q:What’s the first thing you do in the morning? MF: I lay here for awhile. Pray. Hit the snooze button a billion times, then I finally wake up. I go to the West Coast Fitness, go home and sing in the shower, get to school late. And that concludes his morning routine! MT: Yeah, so the first thing I do in the morning is pray. Q: What is something that most people don’t know about you or a secret about yourself? MF: I majored in Latin… and this is my life. You’re also allergic to pets and you wear girl socks! MT: I… yeah. I wear girl socks and I thought I would teach in college. Now I am teaching the complete opposite. Q: Favorite song at the moment? MF: Uhhhhh… That one song we listened to earlier? MT: No. Finish Line by Chance the Rapper. Q: Go to drink at Starbucks? MF: Easy. Grande tall black brew. MT: ...like my soul. Because I interviewed Mr. T right after lunch, I didn’t have my schedule with me, I asked Mr. T and Ms. Fraser if they knew what time recess was over as a joke question and they replied: MT: To be honest, I don’t. MF: Yeah, we still haven’t memorized our schedule yet. We just see if there are kids and then we teach them. MT: Yeah, that’s basically it. Q: So if my class just walked into the computer lab, you would just start teaching us? MT: Pretty much. And that concludes my interview with Mr. T featuring Ms. Fraser! Thank you so much to you for reading this and a special thanks for Mr. Tagorda and Ms. Fraser for taking time out of their day to let me interview them! |
The Best of 2017Joseph McIntosh
Top 10 Video Games
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Teacher Highlight of the MonthBryan Velasquez-Flores
This month, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Ms. Schneider. Over the summer, Holy Cross had lots of changes here and there.There were some teachers who left and some who filled in for them. Ms. Schneider was originally hired as our Physical Education teacher but then, when we learned that Mrs. Hedges--our current 4th grade teacher--had made a very hard decision. Mrs. Hedges, our 4th grade teacher, accepted a position at St. Rose. Though Mrs. Hedges came to love our school community, St. Rose is her parish and is much closer to her home. This is why Mrs. Hedges accepted a position at St. Rose and had to leave our community. Ms. Schneider, who was going to be our PE teacher, was asked to be the 4th grade teacher and she gladly accepted the offer. She is a graduate of Carroll College in Helena, Montana. From 2013-2015, she taught fifth grade at a Catholic school in Fairbanks, Alaska through the University of Portland's P.A.C.E. program. This past year, Ms. Schneider was teaching English to elementary and middle school students in northern Japan. She says that Catholic education has been a large part of her life for over twenty years and she is eager to continue her vocation here at Holy Cross Catholic School. I decided to interview her this month because she is a fairly new teacher at our school and not many people know her very well. Ms. Schneider is currently 27 years old. If I did my math correctly, this means that she was born in 1989. She is the youngest of all her siblings. She has two older sisters which can be good or bad depending on who you are. Ms. Schneider did not grow up very far from here. She grew up in Yakima, Washington which is only about 184 miles from Portland. At the average speed, it would take you around 3 hours and 15 minutes to drive there. An interesting thing about her that you probably don’t know is that she was named after her grandmother. Her favorite color is green (Ducks maybe…). An award that she received and is very proud of is that she was the most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse! An apocalypse is when a major destruction happens. In this case, Ms. Schneider is the most likely to survive a major destruction caused by zombies! Her favorite thing to eat for dessert is cookie dough ice cream, YUM YUM. Furthermore, her favorite thing to eat for breakfast is eggs. She did not specify what kind of eggs she likes, but I guess that she doesn’t think too much about it: She just loves eggs. When she was younger, she had always dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player, so I don’t think it’s a surprise that she was really into sports when she was in school. Other than basketball, she participated in track and soccer. Also, she told me that her dream car is a Subaru Impreza Crosstrek. Again, this is probably not a surprise because it is, too, a sports car. By now, you should be able to conclude that she is an athletic person that enjoys exercising. After Ms. Schneider graduated from high school, she attended Carroll College in Helena, Montana for undergrad and then attended the University of Portland for grad school. She says that she wanted to become a teacher because she wanted the opportunity to travel and meet a lot of people. If she could visit any place in the world, she would go to Iceland. She knows how to speak Spanish because she took eight years of it while she was in school. And finally, her favorite sports team is the Seattle Seahawks and she is leaning onto the side of liking the Portland Trail Blazers (Wooo!). Thank you Ms. Schneider for letting me interview you for this month’s newsletter. I learned so much more about you and I hope our readers did too. Thanks for coming to Holy Cross and I hope you love it here. Next time you see her, show how much you appreciate her being at our school by waving and saying hi to her. |