OPINION

Is Being Vegan Good for the Environment?

By Philip Lee

There are many claims regarding the meat industry that meat has a negative impact. Many articles claim that animals take up much more land than plants, consume food products that humans could eat, drink water that could be used for human consumption, and that cows produce tons of methane. Do you know if these claims are valid? Do die-hard vegans propagate them? One thing is for sure, though: it will be complicated.

First, we have the issue of land. A significant complaint is that the land cows graze on could be used for plant growth, which is much more efficient. However, this claim does not consider that the cows live on non-farmable land. Ourworldindata.org, which is adamant about reducing livestock, even agrees that “Of course, the type of land used to raise cows or sheep is not the same as cropland for cereals, potatoes or beans. Livestock can be raised on pasture grasslands or on steep hills where it is impossible to grow crops”. This is a simple matter of cherry-picking information. If anyone uses this point in a debate, feel free to laugh them out of the room. 

On the second point, we have food products. Do animals eat food products that humans can eat? No. Dr. Frank Mitloehner says this: “In the world, take this, in the world 84 percent of all livestock feed across all species, 84% is non-human edible”. Let us crunch some numbers. Cows eat 100 pounds of food per day. There are around, just shy of 94 million cows in the USA alone. That equates to around 9,400,000,000 pounds of food cows consume in the USA. 16% of that is human edible, so around 1,504,000,000 pounds of food per day could be used to feed humans. That is a lot. Like, a lot.

Nevertheless, that is only one side of the coin. On the other hand, 7,896,000,000 pounds of food is non-human edible. That is a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. It is easy to look at these numbers and gawk and point and tell about how much food cows waste, but the actual figure to consider is the 84% - 16% figure since the human mind is not fit to contemplate the billions. So, yes, cows eat human-edible food, but it is disingenuous to say that all the food they eat could be used for human consumption. 

Another significant point is water consumption. Especially in California, water is a massive issue since water is scarce and should be used sparingly. The massive amount of water cows need is a considerable argument in favor of veganism. Again, however, the figures are disingenuous. 94% of all water consumption is “green water .”Green water refers to water from food, rain, and the environment. To say cows are a vast freshwater sink is the truth, just a partial truth that has been twisted into a manipulative factoid. A Netflix documentary says, “Just one-quarter pounder takes 1,650 liters of water to produce”. Let us crunch some numbers again. Of those 1650 liters, 1551 is green water, and 99 is fresh water. Someone, with these numbers, could conclude that cows do waste water. Dr. Mitloehner says to think about this, “94.5% of California Almond's water usage is not green water. That is 1094 liters per quarter pound - almost ten times more than beef”. That almond milk does not seem so innocent now. All this shows is people lying facts to push an agenda. It is pretty sad for the same people who claim to be saving the world.

Finally, methane. For the uninitiated, methane is a greenhouse gas partially responsible for climate change. Many claim that cows are responsible for a large part of climate change because they produce methane. Yes, cows produce methane, but the effect that cows have on climate change is shockingly overstated. Videos, articles, what have you will say that cows contribute to 15% of methane emissions. The figure these people are pulling from is the global average. Why is using the global average tricky? Well, most countries in the world are developing, as opposed to developed. The USA, for example, is a developed country and produces more methane and greenhouse gases than developing countries. The real difference is this: rich (developed) countries produce methane mostly from fossil fuels, while poor (developing) countries produce it mainly from livestock. So, a poor country might have 100% of emissions from livestock and release minimal methane, while a rich country might have 1% of methane produced by livestock and release tons of it. In this scenario, the average comes to around 50% of emissions from cows, which needs to be more accurate. 

For a moment, let us entertain the notion that cows contribute to 15% of all methane emissions. It is not the global average, but just a flat 15% of all emissions. These emissions are outstanding, if not beneficial. The emissions cows release come from the natural environment, like the grass and whatnot. The methane cows produce is part of the natural life cycle and does not change the climate. If this is true, one might wonder why it is not the same true of fossil fuels. Well, that is, since said fossil fuels come from beneath the surface of the Earth and are not part of the natural cycle up here. They do not recycle but add.

If someone watched What I Have Learned’s YouTube video, the source of many of these points, you might wonder what this article adds to the mix. Hopefully, this article is a more digestible source of information than the video. Hopefully, the article stands on its own merits as an additional resource. 

Sources 

https://www.youtube.com, 

https://www.statista.com

Hamas and Israel War-Horrors of Hamas Coming to Life

By Siena Goldman

There has been a recent discovery by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that definitively confirms the horrors of Hamas. Inhumane footage has previously been released by this terrorist organization, including videos of people being slaughtered, babies being burned, and women being sexually assaulted. These are all crimes against humanity that should never be justified, and now there is clear evidence of what these people are doing to the hostages of Israel, but underground. 

Recently, the IDF created nine special military units made specially for the rescuing of kidnapped innocents. They are called Yaltam, Sayeret Matkal, Shayetet 13, Shaldag, Duvdevan Commando, Egoz, Magellan, Oketz, and Unit 669. Each one is just as crucial to the primary mission of retrieving the over two hundred hostages being kept in various tunnels under the Gaza Strip, being tortured beyond belief daily. One of the units, Yaltam, has already raided a building in Gaza, specifically the Rantisi Children’s Hospital. Their findings were shocking and unfathomable. Nearly twenty feet underneath Gaza City, a tunnel leads down to the basement of Rantisi Hospital. There, the soldiers found so many things indicating that hostages and weapons were being held in that network of rooms. 

Hamas certainly did not care that they were hoarding weapons with unbelievable power underneath a children’s hospital, that is for sure. There were RPGs, bullets, a motorcycle that showed signs of being used to capture hostages, guns, grenades, and so much more. There were signs that hostages also used to be living there temporarily, and the living conditions were unimaginable. Draped against many discarded chairs were women’s dirty clothing and packs of diapers were scattered along the floors of the small, dark room. There was a very shoddy job of ventilation systems and makeshift showers in different tiny cubicles. Worse yet, blood was smeared against many walls and furniture. Abandoned baby bottles and other things meant for babies were also uncovered. 

The thing that confirmed all of Hamas's use was a paper hanging on the wall. Written in Arabic were the names of many terrorists, all either highlighted or crossed out. It was a sign-in and sign-out sheet, meaning they were keeping guard of each hostage in that room. Keeping in mind that this was a hospital, one for children no less, is just monstrous. How there are still Hamas supporters out there is unknown, and with this evidence just found, it hopefully gives these people factual information about who and what they are supporting.  

In conclusion, the war is still going on, and things are still horrible in Israel. The IDF is doing everything it can to rescue the hostages, help Israel’s civilians, and, most importantly of all, stop Hamas once and for all. Not only so that Israel can be in peace but so that Gazans can live in peace. The world needs to stand on the side against terrorism no matter what, and if that is achieved, Hamas stands no chance. 

Putting the Pieces Together

By Jian Jung

Lego is so awesome. It is highly rated, and I love it. One of the unique features of Lego is that you can take it apart and make other things with those pieces. Lego is great for many different reasons. The first reason is that Lego is creative. Lego can help expand a kid's imagination and helps expand their imagination. Although Lego is getting unnecessarily expensive due to inflation, it is still much loved by people. 

Lego is also fun and has many play options and themes. They have extensive play themes such as Lego Ninjago, Lego Minecraft, Lego Friends, etc. Lego is very highly rated in general. Also, if you do not have a Lego piece for a set, you will get a replacement for that piece you lost or never had. 

Lego is the most reputable company, according to Lego.com. Lego has been ranked the most highly regarded company in the world in the Global RepTrak (Federally registered) 100 survey released by the RepTrak company. According to the Global RepTrak survey, as mentioned earlier, Lego is the most reputable company. It is very highly rated, and it is very much loved.

According to Lego.com, Niel B. Christiansen, the chief executive of the Lego Group, said, "I am very honored that the LEGO Group has been named the World's Most Reputable Company in 2023. This reflects our colleagues' unwavering passion and commitment to help keep our promises during a year shaped by significant challenges. Children are our role models and inspire us to make choices that make their future world better. This means not only innovating LEGO® play but also constantly striving to impact the environment and society positively."

In conclusion, Lego is a highly awesome toy. I like how you can do so many things with Lego, and I love the fact that there are endless possibilities when it comes to Lego. All in all, Lego is very fun, posable, and fun to use. 

BVMS Cafeteria Food - To Eat or Not to Eat? That is the Question

By Eli Yaghoubi

BVMS has many options for lunch. We have the usual pizza and burger cards, including many unique choices. More recently, we even added kosher food for those who need it. The traditional cafeteria food is also still there. There is a website that has a list of all the food choices per day. For those needing to become more familiar with the website, it is bhusdfoodservices.org. Here are some foods served at lunch and my vote to eat or not to eat.

Fish and Fries. This is a must eat. Unfortunately, this item is hardly ever on the menu, but on the rare occasion it is on the menu, it is an all-time favorite. The fish comes in a sandwich with cheese and french fries. 

Nachos. This is also an eat. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, this is for anyone who likes crunchy and salty foods. Sometimes, it also gets soggy, but it still tastes great. Unfortunately, the line gets long these days, so if you are not quick, you may have to wait at least 15 minutes. 

Tuna. This is a do not eat. This item is not on the menu very often, but when it is, it is not one of my favorites. It smells very fishy, not in a good way, and this is a pass unless you love the smell of fish. 

Pizza. This is an EAT. You can always go right with pizza. It is so popular that there is lots of it. They always have pizza at BVMS. Its line is located next to the disabled and handicapped entrance.

Lasagna. This is an EAT. If only they had lasagna on the menu more often. This is one of my favorite lunch options. It is delicious and filling, and you can go right. 

In summary, most of the lunch options at BVMS are voted as EAT in my book, but there are a couple of NOT-TO-EAT items out there. If you have yet to try the Food in the Cafeteria, I encourage you to try it. 

The Biased Mock Trial Competition

By Jian Jung

The BVMS mock trial team recently attended a competition. It was well-argued and well-fought, and the team did a fantastic job. We were incredibly excited because we won our last competition. Little did we know that we would be set up for disaster. 

Anyway, we entered the courthouse. Nevertheless, that is when things went downhill. The kids looked very well prepared and did all kinds of fancy things to show the judges they were better. Unbiased, we would have done better. So, first of all, the judge was not a real judge. She had never been a judge before, and it was her first time. So she took the other team's side. The jury did, too, and it was unfair. 

We quizzed them, and they quizzed us. Our attorney, Sophia Bakshian, was killing it. She and Jion Jung, the other attorney, were bringing on objections. However, the girl (the other attorney), Ella, always said the same thing. He praised Ella for "blending into the environment for some weird and unfair reason." Sophia deserved the compliment. 

Also, the judge overruled half of the objections, but according to Mr. Lishman, our attorney coach, 75% of the objections should have gone through. Since they ran out of time, they could not review their witness, Emari Sunshine, but they used evidence from Emari, but the judge overruled it. Also, the jury only complimented one of our witnesses, which was very brief, while he showered praise to all of the attorneys on the other team.

We "lost" because we lost the verdict, but we should have won. In the end, we tied, and no one moved on. All in all, we deserved to win.

Israel is the Victim: Know the Facts

By Siena Goldman

By now, most people have heard about the attack on Israel on October 7th and the war that is occurring there right now. Hamas, a terrorist organization based in the Gaza Strip, fired around three thousand rocket missiles into southern Israel with the intent of one goal: to kill the Jews. They will stop at nothing to get what they want, for the Jewish people to be gone from the face of the earth, and some people are siding with this. People are picking sides in this war and fighting online, and none of the misinformation or lies is helping in any way, so this article will tell you what you need to know. 

First of all, one of the biggest lies I have heard these past few weeks of the war is that Hamas is an organization of freedom fighters. That is entirely false, and it devastates me that people believe this. While Palestine and Hamas are two completely different things, Palestine believes that Hamas is bringing justice to their “country (Palestine was never a country, but they claim it was). The thing that strikes me odd about that statement is that there is no denying to the general public that Hamas is pure evil. Videos are all over social media, awful videos of the terrorists beheading innocent babies, beating children, and assaulting women, and those are all horrible crimes. If Hamas are freedom fighters, then Palestinians should be asked this: Would freedom fighters be committing crimes against humanity? Whether you are Jewish or not, the terrorists are targeting LGTBQ people, disabled people, and Jewish sympathizers, otherwise known as innocent. The so-called “freedom” that Hamas claims they are gaining does not exist, and they are looking for an excuse to slaughter innocent people. 

Second, a lie that I have heard is that Israelis are colonists. The people who claim this do not know the word's definition, and here is why. The dictionary definition of colonist says, “a country exploiting another land or country economically and taking it over for its financial gain.” What should be asked of them is this: Who made Palestine a colony? It certainly was not the Israelis. Before this happened, Britain owned all of the land now called Israel and Jordan, and Palestine was a colony there. They claim that current-day Israel has always belonged to them, that we are the colonists for owning our own country, but in reality, Britain was the colonists. When Israel gained its independent state after the Holocaust in 1948, Britain legally gave them access to the country. Palestine was never forced out; they just left, seeking a place where Jews who “colonized them” could not be found. 

The final thing that is astounding to me is that Gaza civilians are happy under Hamas’s rule. Gazans are, in reality, terrified under their dictatorship, and they want nothing more than to leave. The only problem is that no country will take them in because they are considered just as evil as the terrorists that control them. It is heartbreaking as well to know that at a young age, Gazan children are indoctrinated to believe that Israel and the Jewish people should be killed and hated. They become trained murderers and highly skilled fighters, but not for the right reasons. It is sad and harsh, yet accurate, and these people need justice. Israel has done what it can to help, sending electricity and supplies, but Hamas uses it for their gain of terrorism and wastes it all. The Gazan people are not the enemy; it is their government. People should know the difference, and it should be brought to light that Israel has done nothing but try to help them. 

Given these points, I sincerely hope that readers will take this to heart and know the truth of what is going on in Israel and Gaza right now. Israel has been and probably always will be blamed for what is happening in this unfair war, but if we band together enough people who know the truth, then the possibilities of the Jews are endless. All I ask of people who have hate in their hearts for the people of Israel is that they consider the lives that were lost in this war: the babies, the children, the women, the men. The soldiers bravely fight for their country and get killed/kidnapped in the process. Think of them, innocent civilians, and then know you can make a difference.