Fiction: We're in America by Isabella Wisenburn

We’re in America

Twenty or so years ago, our old fire station was converted into a diner. Twenty or so years ago, they replaced towering red trucks for booths with sticky seats that cling onto every piece, every wrinkle, every fold of your clothes. The lighting is dim —not for decoration— but because they have yet to replace the fixtures from twenty or so years ago. Most bulbs —if they aren’t dead— flicker over and over. As if they aren’t ready to die, but aren’t strong enough to go on. Over and over. Over and over.

I take a seat with my Abuelita. It’s the first time she’s been out in months —other than iglesia and her knitting group. She’s traded her chancletas for bulky, black slip-on flats; the only comfortable and acceptable shoes —in her opinion. 

The cushions have been ripped, patched with duct tape, ripped again, and patched with more duct tape. Ripped and patched. Ripped and patched. Even with two to three layers of duct tape, a vast amount of stuffing managed to escape. It lays there untouched, unbothered, but mostly, unwanted. 

The waitress comes decked up in a fresh new coat of hairspray and a navy blue blouse with one too many buttons undone. She’s chewing —well popping— the gum from one side of her mouth to the other. One side to the other. Sinking her teeth in the now insipid cherry gum from one side of her mouth to the other. 

“Abuelita”, I say. “Qué quieres comer?
“Excuse me?”

I look over. The waitress, Britani, is glaring at us as if I insulted her. As if I told her that hairspray isn’t perfume. As if I told her that my blood boils every time she chews —well, pops— the cherry gum from one side of her mouth to the other. 

Her face is contorted and twisted. Her eyebrows are shriveled inward and she looks like she accidentally took a bite of a lemon —a giant bite of a lemon. Her lips are pursed and her nose scrunched like she finally smelled that disgusting perfume —I mean hairspray. 

“You are making me, and I assume all the other guests, uncomfortable. I suggest you stop speaking whatever language that is and behave like the rest of us.”

Now it’s my turn to say, “Excuse me?”

“I said, speak English, we’re in America.”

And with that, she turns around and leaves, but the stench of her hairspray remains. 

The walls squeeze me into a corner. The leather-covered seats somehow get stickier. The couple next to me are inhaling their fries, but I can barely breathe.

Should I yell? Should I scream? Should I shout that there is no official language for the United States of America? Or should I walk away? Is it cowardice if I walk away?

Should I tell her that my Abuela, born and raised in Argentina, crossed the US-Mexican border while pregnant with my Mamá? Should I tell her that my Abuela, full of hopes and dreams for the so-called “promised land”, suffered tragedies no human being could imagine, could endure, could bear? Should I tell her that the day she crossed the border with my Mamá and my Abuelo, the coyote leading them gunned them down, stole their money, and left them there to die? Should I tell her that only my Abuela and my Mamá survived? Should I tell her that my Abuela, still mourning her dead husband, gave birth to the second-strongest woman in the world? And that that woman gave birth to the third-strongest?

Should I yell? Should I scream? Should I shout that my Abuela was born in the Americas, only the wrong America? Or should I just say nothing at all?

The trouble is not that we can’t speak English. It is not that we are ignorant or unpatriotic. The trouble is that we are expected to speak a foreign language, expected to conform, expected to be like everybody else in their two-story suburban house with a golden retriever and two beautiful, athletic children. The trouble is that we are not like everybody else, but we are smart, are patriotic, and are foreign-speaking immigrants. You can speak English, but we will not.

Britani trudges over like sand has filled her shoes, her pockets, and every crevice of her navy blue blouse. Her eyebrows are still shriveled. Her lips are still pursed. Her nose is still scrunched. She presses the bill face down on the table. And with that, she turns around and leaves, but the stench of her hairspray remains.

Reflection: Running Into A Life Lesson by Erin Lipkus

     Click, clack goes my shoes on the treadmill, my muscles are burning, my breathing is erratic. I see the distance on the screen go up,  not fast enough though, I am almost done with my workout. Just when all’s going good, I feel a sharp pain in my left side of my chest and it feels like there is a hammer hitting the areas near my heart and collar bone. I shaked it off as just muscle soreness because I was working harder than ever to train for cross country. Little did I know that the excruciating pain was not muscle soreness, but a muscle pull near my heart that turned into a pectoral muscle strain. Now four months later, I am still trying to heal from my pectoral pull and other complications. My cross country season that I was training so hard for was over before it started. But in all of this, I learned a major life lesson.

 In distance running, there are times when one’s muscles are very sore, since distance runners like myself are used to the muscle soreness, we sometimes mistake serious injuries for soreness. When my shoulder/chest first started hurting, I figured that it was just muscle soreness. But as cross country season was coming up and my pain kept on getting worse, I decided to go to a doctor about it. When I went to the doctor,  I realized that this was bigger than I originally thought. My doctor then sent me to a chiropractor after diagnosing me with a muscle pull near my heart.

   I was very nervous to go a chiropractor because the sound of bones popping and cracking makes my skin crawl. Weeks leading up to my chiropractor visit, my sister, Kristin, would make jokes constantly about how my bones will “snap,crackle,pop” and  this freaked me out immensely. When I got to the chiropractor appointment, I was so nervous that my legs were shaking, but the chiropractor was very nice and professional and that calmed me down. He immediately noticed that my chest was messed up and that the pulled muscle was pretty huge and painful. He did some corrections and stated that I can begin to run again but to take it easy and not push myself too far for no return.  

When I took a few months from my injury, I had to do some rehabilitation concepts. I had to ice every hour when I woke up until I went to bed. I also had to do stretches that stretched out my chest muscles daily. I had to build up my chest muscles so that I can prevent another injury in that area.

    So I then started running again. At first, it did not hurt as much but almost a week after my chiropractor appointment, I noticed that the pulled muscle in my chest was causing my breathing patterns to be thrown off because of the tightness in my chest. As an individual with asthma, having a clear airway is very important. I went back to my doctor again and was given steroids.

      After a week on being on the steroids, my asthma was still causing me troubles along with my pulled muscle when I ran. After another discussion with my doctor, I was told to take a few days off of running due to my issues involving my asthma and the pulled muscle.          

Being told to take even more days off killed me because cross country season was starting in less than a month and I needed to build up the endurance I had already lost due to not being able to run my fastest nor my furthest. After a few days, I started running again. It hurt a lot, but I just ignored the pain since I had to train for cross country.

Looking back now, I wished that I listened to my pain and stopped running and take a few days off to rest. A few days off is much better than the whole season that I had to take off due to pushing myself over the edge. But overall I learned a valuable lesson from the mistake of not listening to my body when it is in pain, and I now take extra precautions.

Opinion: The Value of Music Education in Schools by Joseph Rama

At some point in life, almost everyone has been affected by music. Whether it was a song on the radio that they really connected to or a piece of classical music that someone thought was beautiful, music is everywhere and changes people every day. Music education is extremely important to the lives of students and should always be kept in the minds of lawmakers and school officials. It not only helps improve students overall education but also provides an emotional outlet and a way for students to make long lasting connections.

Modern studies are beginning to show that providing musical education to students as young as seven years old creates brain connections that will allow for improved cognitive ability later in life. This includes the ability to play an instrument or sing and ability in other subjects. In a study conducted in order to see the physical effects on the brain, “the researchers found that early-trained musicians had greater connectivity across the corpus callosum,” meaning that it was easier for the brain to send nerve impulses throughout the nervous system(“Musical…”). They concluded that at a young age, learning an instrument is much easier and has greater effects on development. The researchers stated that “training before the age of 7 years results in changes in white-matter connectivity that may serve as a solid scaffolding upon which ongoing experience can maintain a well-connected brain infrastructure into adulthood”(“Musical…”). The ability to play an instrument may result in better connections between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, resulting in a better foundation for other learning to build off of. Musical training can also provide a solid foundation for math skills that may not have been created through another stimulus.

Math can be found almost everywhere in music, such as in the relationship between notes and their frequencies and scales (“Mathematics…”). Numerous studies show “that kids who play a musical instrument can perform more complex arithmetical operations than those who do not play an instrument”(Gupta). No specific elements of musical experience were cited for having an effect on mathematical ability, but as a whole, being able to play an instrument valuable.  Studies also showed that “the slow work of practice, the attention to detail and the discipline it takes to learn an instrument are also excellent preparation for the practice involved in building strong math skills”(Gupta). Although playing an instrument does not guarantee excelling in math, it certainly can help. It isn’t something that can be learned and implemented overnight, but having some form of music education as a foundation can help in learning math.

Aside from the benefits music has on education and cognitive ability, music also has a profound effect on the lives of students. In a survey conducted by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association in 2015, every response in more than 1,400 stated that the availability of music education positively affected the respondent (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association 3). Responses how each student was effected, ranging from simply loving music to as big as a way to express their feelings to others in a way that was easier to them than words. “Music has helped me gain in confidence and has opened many more opportunities for me,” claimed Allison Kane, a former student at Abington Heights. Another said, “Music has always been an essential aspect from my life, but music education has allowed me to take my

passion and turn it into skill. Simply put, music education has unlocked my potential and developed my talents” (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association 221-222). Music opens the door for many different types of people to be themselves, and without it they would not have turned out the way they did.

Music education is extremely important to many people and should always be on the minds of people who make the decisions about our education. Aside from the numerous benefits and effects it has on people’s live, many people genuinely love being able to have their passions fostered by school teachers that will encourage them. Music is part of almost everyone’s life and should never be taken for granted.

Report: The Menstrual Movement By Isabella Wisenburn

Every day, thousands of women are on their period. According to the U.S. Census Bureau,  at their individual time of the month, each one of these women cling to their chosen feminine product. But what happens to those without that privilege? The menstrual needs of women in prison, women with low-incomes, women who are homeless, and women in the military are completely neglected. We need to erase the stigma that menstruation is obscene and confront the problem. We need a movement: a menstrual movement.

Women in prison are completely overshadowed when it comes to menstruation. In the Arizona prison system, female prisoners are only allocated twelve pads per period (Drewett). This is nowhere near enough considering “the average woman uses approximately 20 pads/tampons per cycle” (Parillo and Feller). Incarcerated women are allowed to ask one of the male employees for extra pads. However, they often are unable to afford this considering they only earn fifteen cents per hour (Drewett). According to a former prisoner, “bloodstained pants, bartering and begging for pads was a regular occurrence… You’ve got to really think if you want to sink your whole month’s income into pads” (Drewett). Prisons in the United States are getting away with abandoning uncontrollable biological needs of their inmates.

In addition, women with low-incomes or homeless women are not always able to afford these items. “Almost all states consider female sanitary products to be luxury items,” meaning they are particularly more expensive due to taxing (Parillo and Feller). Some notable exceptions to this standard are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, who are setting the precedent that feminine sanitary products are necessary to all. Homeless women are forced to use toilet paper, paper towels, plastic bags, towels, and cotton balls as substitutes for typical period products. Homeless shelters only provide two pads per period, merely enough to last about one day (Parillo and Feller). In addition to the lack of feminine products being used, the inattentiveness towards hygiene and respect is absurd. Homeless women have no other options other than using public restrooms or any available source of water to remove stains. The condition and privacy of public restrooms are disrespectful to menstruating women. The only way to avoid this for many of these people is to live in a pool of their own blood for an entire week or to use inadequate and therefore unsanitary replacement products.

Similar to women in prison, women in the army have limited access to feminine products and limited times to properly tend to them. Limited accessibility in other countries is commonplace, and menstruation is a difficult event to perfectly track (Pitotti). Moreover, the availability of a restroom is difficult to come by, according to actively serving Kris (Lunapads). “Latrines are hard to come by on missions in Iraq or other third world countries,” meaning changing sanitary items and disposing of them is challenging (Lunapads). Also, period products are designed for typical civilian women. Women in the army exercise, move around and do strenuous tasks daily. Being in the military can also cause periods to “intensify… [and cause] accidents, leaks, and hassles” beyond the guarantee of normal menstrual products (Pitotti). A typical pad or tampon is unable to work properly with the sweat, dirt, and stress involved. In a country that values military achievement and service above all else, how is it acceptable that female troops are subjected to this kind of discomfort?

Menstruation, in general, is a taboo topic among many, including women. However, it is difficult not to draw attention to this issue considering the thousands of women covered in their own blood due to the limited accessibility to hygiene products. The United States needs to be able to supply women in prison, in low-income families, in homeless shelters or on the streets, and women in the military with suitable feminine items. A person’s status in society should not determine if they are able to be hygienic or not. Being sanitary is not a privilege; it is a right.

Poetry: What Is Greatness? by Richie Padula

What is Greatness?

I hear those around me striving for greatness,

But what does it mean to be great?

In order to be great, must you be good at a sport?

Do you have to stand out like the sun?

Do you need to be the next shining star?

Short answer is no.

Greatness is a term with a vague definition

Greatness is the Galaxy.

Not a single human knows all that it encoumpases.

I would like to be great at everything I do,

But greatness by my view is to do everything with pride.

The outcome doesn’t need to be astonishing to the world.

The outcome must be astonishing to you,

Once you achieve that, you will obtain real greatness.

Report: Our Neighbors by Mary O'Brien

We see it on our televisions. We see it on our phones. We see it in the newspapers. But what do we do? Some Westerners either say “That’s too bad” or “That’s not our problem.” 68.5 million persons out of the global population are forcibly displaced (5). Wars have ravaged entire villages and countries. Gangs have brutally killed innocent civilians. Yet people who are not in such horrid situations sometimes believe that it is not as horrible as the media makes it out to be or it is not the Western countries’ responsibilities to hold out a hand to crippling and violence-ridden communities. A current, hot topic of today relates to refugees. The United States of America should increase the refugee quota and welcome migrants into the land of the free. Migrants contribute to society and desire to seek safety; therefore, the moral action to take is to welcome them.  

Out of the 25.4 million refugees around the globe, the United States has only resettled 33,000 in 2017, and this quota is currently decreasing. 33,000 resettled in the US is the lowest number of refugees resettled for almost twenty years (3). In 2016, Germany had accepted 1.1 million refugees and half of the 282,726 asylum applications (4). The size of Germany is 137,122 square miles, which is even smaller than Montana. If Germany can welcome over a million refugees, then the United States can too.

Despite what the Trump administration claims, the United States has the financial capability to accept more refugees and benefits from doing so. According to the budget President Trump released, “Under the refugee program, the federal government brings tens of thousands of entrants into the United States, on top of existing legal immigration flows, who are instantly eligible for time-limited cash benefits and numerous noncash federal benefits, including food assistance through SNAP, medical care and education, as well as a host of state and local benefits.” However, recent research from the Department of Health and Human Services suggests that refugees brought in $63 million more dollars than it costs to have them on U.S. soil (2). In regards to an individual refugee, a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research revealed the approximate amount of money of which he/she contributed financially. Within twenty years of an adult refugee’s arrival, he/she will pay $21,000 more in taxes than he/she ever collected in benefits (1). The claim that refugees are a financial burden on the United States is a misconception.

Refugees have significant social impact on their host countries’ communities as well. Unique personalities and backgrounds belong to all individuals—refugee or not. A refugee is defined by having fled his/her homeland due to war, persecution, or natural disaster, but this not does mean he/she does not come from a diverse culture. Refugees help otherwise isolated communities see the beautiful cultures and people around them. Some Americans are blind when it comes to those who appear to be different than them. Refugees create a more culturally tolerant environment. This will help decrease ignorance prevalent in various communities.

A refugee does not choose to flee unless his/her home is the mouth of a shark. Is that really a choice when one is staring down the barrel of a gun or the point of a machete? Despite anti-immigrant sentiments, facts and personal stories will continue to prove the economic and cultural benefits of welcoming refugees. Nonetheless, it being the right action to take. The next time you vote for our state and national leaders do not turn a blind eye to those who belittle and ignore refugees. Remember that all types of migrants are the backbone of this country. That they are our neighbors. Our friends. And our family.

Opinion: Not Again by Morgan Langan

Take your action.

A printed paper, a news story, an alert on a cell phone all screaming the same headline, “Another School Shooting in…” But it’s not just another school shooting; it's another life lost, another heart break, another fearful neighbor, another terrified student, another reason we need it to end. We can not let this continue. School shootings can be prevented by the government, the schools, and the students themselves.

Government Action

Back in the spring, heartbreaking pictures were shown all over the news of kids, teenagers, and even adults marching the streets in Washington D.C. praying for a change. Young girls were carrying signs that are beginning our government for action. The fact of the matter is the government has the power to change the gun laws, making these tragedies much harder to complete. So many people argue that changing the law won't change a person’s mind to do the killing. Yet, at the end of the day it is the bullet that kills someone. A fact stated by Gebelhoff, “ Research on gun violence is notoriously underfunded, but the data we do have shows that lawakers can act to save lives from gun violence” (Gebelhoff). If we could make these weapons much harder to get our hands on, the likelihood would dramatically decrease. Assault weapons were actually banned from 1995-2004. “And in fact, mass shooting casualties dipped during the ban” (Gebelhoff). This statistic proves that banning guns, does help out this revolving issue.

School Action

Schools have the biggest role in the avoidance of this situation. Every single action that is taken needs to be one hundred percent in the thought of the students safety. It’s so easy to sit back and think that we live in a safe neighborhood, and that these mass shootings would never occur here in Clarks Summit. However, that is false. These shooting trends are unfortuntionalty becoming more and more common everyday. If big changes aren't made soon, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before one happens here. Therefore, it would be extremely beneficial if the schools were prepared with what to do in that horrific situation. Firstly, the schools need to be enforcing the drills. The schools should make it an often ritual of completing lockdown and evacuation drills. Also, the schools should be talking about this topic often with the students to answer questions, and to figure out what is the best plan according to the different school layouts. Some argue that this creates a fearful environment, yet we should be fearful. This is one way that actually could lessen the fear of students, knowing they have a plan that has been practiced in case of the emergency. Practice makes perfect. Another action schools should be taking is adding metal detectors to the entrances of each door in the school, and locking the ones without the detectors. Quoted from an article, “"When we decided to make airports safe from armed terrorists, we installed metal detectors and dramatically increased safety," she said. "It's time we did the same thing for our schools"” (Tinsley). The metal detectors are a huge step in the right direction of the safety of our students. It’s an easy action to justify safety just like in the airport. You walk through, get the bag checked, and your on your way. This small action goes a long way and stops weapons from coming into the schools.

Student Action

Lastly, the students can impact the outcome of school shootings. There is one sentence the students need to follow and they are golden. The one sentence is, If you hear/see something say something. More often than not, the shooters themselves have given off hints and clues that were flags of suspicion. If the students take action on those suspicious words or actions they hear or see, they can be saving so many of their classmate’s lives. It’s as simple as going to your guidance department, a trusted teacher, or even asking a friend to go with you to the principal. It’s better to tell the adults in our lives about the concerns we hear and see, than blow it off and run the risk of it backfiring.

In conclusion, there is a solution to this giant problem. Everyone that can make a difference needs to including the US government, the schools, and the students. Everyone needs to do the best they can to prevent this issue, in hopes of it never ever occurring in our small, comfortable town.

Opinion: The Devil Wears Green by Olivia Albright

According to the ancient Greeks, “Happiness is the joy that we feel when we’re striving after our potential" (Khoddam). Aristotle thought that happiness is “a state of activity” (Khoddam). Modern day Psychologist and author Dr. Shefali Tsabary believes we feel happy “when we fill our own need and feel satiated from within” (Khoddam). Everyone has their own definition of happiness and how one reaches it. However, the underlying themes behind these meanings are the ideas of loving who you are and what you are doing. Today, in a society that is all about money and fame, people seem to have lost their true meaning of happiness and rely on wealth as their primary source of satisfaction or fulfillment. Money seems to bring people joy. However, there are many misconceptions when it comes to the correlation between the number of zeros in a bank account and joy. Money can not always buy happiness.

What is Happiness?

The first step in understanding why money can not be a person’s sole source of happiness is to understand where happiness comes from. We feel happiness when our bodies release certain feel-good hormones, like serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin (Buckner). These hormones get released when we perform activities such as working out, eating, or helping others. Different people release these hormones on other occasions too, based on what they enjoy (Buckner). Therefore, happiness might not be a single emotion, but rather a collection of experiences and feelings that we go through that affect us positively. A “happy person” is not someone who always feels happy, but someone who has a large amount of continuous positive and joyous experiences.

Money and Misconceptions

However, in a culture today where everything moves at one hundred miles per minute and we value our position on the economic totem pole more than anything else, our idea of happiness has shifted. Essentially, we believe that the more monetary wealth we own, the happier we will be. For example, we associate money with material items. We believe that having the newest iPhone or coolest fashion is going to make us feel better. Possessions give us a temporary positive attitude, until we begin to hate our old phone and despise the ugly clothes in our closet. The objects that give us some happiness for a short amount of time become a burden in the long run. Therefore, materials are not a good source of happiness.

Advantages of the Wealthy

Still, there is the idea that more money leads to the ability to have a safer life with better opportunities. Those with more money can afford to go on amazing memorable vacations and can feel satisfaction from writing a fat check for a children’s charity. Some might argue that since money gives people these experiences in which they can feel happy, money is buying their happiness. Even though money does give people opportunities for things like this, it is the events making them happy, not the money itself, even if it is a factor. Money brings the opportunities, not the emotions.

A Miserable America

Even for those who argue that their money makes them happy, there are many statistics going against that. We earn money by working, but when we feel miserable with the work we are doing, is it really worth it? Over 70% of Americans are unsatisfied with their careers (O’Donnell). This statistic might sound mind boggling, but it makes sense considering that today people are picking careers based on the paycheck rather than the interest. So if we feel happy for the moment that we get our paychecks at the end of every other week, but feel miserable at our jobs for forty hours a week, I’d say it is not a fair balance.

The World’s Happiest Man

Matthieu Ricard, a French academic turned Tibetan Buddhist monk, has been tagged the title “The world’s happiest man” (Shontell). He is a humble, selfless, benevolent, and modest man who lives a simple life. This man lives such a happy and content life that scientists and doctors do brain studies on him— including a huge twelve year clinical study with neuroscience Richard Davidson from the University of Wisconsin (Shontell). According to Riccard, “‘Our life can be greatly transformed by even a minimal change in how we manage our thoughts and perceive and interpret the world. Happiness is a skill. It requires effort and time’” (Barnes). Never has he mentioned the role money has played in his journey toward becoming happy. Matthieu Ricard represents how to truly feel felicity.

Stop Looking

I could go on forever about how we need to find our passions and live life to the fullest in order to be happy. It all sounds cheesy, I know. Happiness ultimately comes down to the individual. There is no model or process for how to “find” it because humans are not perfect. Perhaps this is because if we try to find happiness, we become consumed with searching and miss some of life’s greatest joys. However, happiness can be formed by the individual by practicing simple positive habits and doing things we truly love, not focusing on money. Those who create their own happiness are the richest in the end.