The 2022 World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world as millions tune in to support their teams. However, what did it take for Qatar and FIFA to organize this colossal event? When you dive deeper, you unravel deep, dark webs of corruption and ghastly human rights abuses. So, what is the truth behind the World Cup?

Qatar is an unlikely place to host such a sporting event, they have little football (soccer) infrastructure, and the climate is intensely dry with average temperatures reaching up to 143 degrees Fahrenheit. But what Qatar lacks in suitable weather, it compensates with its extreme wealth. It sits on top of one of the largest natural gas reserves on the planet. However, this money will eventually run out. So, to counter this threat, they spend their lavish wealth on funding big ventures to expand their influence. This practice is known as soft power. And what event could be bigger to host than the World Cup? Hosting this colossal event would certainly bring the eyes to Qatar. The FIFA World Cup is picked by a group of 22 individuals called the Executive Community. And over the years, choosing the location for the World Cup has become less about the place itself, and more about the money. The competition for the spot has been extremely fierce as countries try to outshine each other by building expensive facilities and staging publicity stunts to sway the vote in their favor. However, this route spirals down a dark turn as these committees result in bribing those FIFA executives. According to Insider, for the 2006 bid, it was revealed that Germany had bribed 4 FIFA executives to be able to host the Cup. And over the years, scandals arose of countries bribing their way into hosting the world cup. Qatar is no different, they are filled with money and almost certainly used that to their advantage in either direct bribes or indirectly influencing the members to vote for them. And, it worked, Qatar emerged victorious, winning a majority of votes in the fourth round, garnering 14 votes. However, corruption was not the only contributor to Qatar’s controversy…

In preparation for the World Cup, Qatar had to embark on massive infrastructure projects requiring lots of labor. For that, it turned to foreign workers. Qatar is no stranger when it comes to using expatriate labor, in fact only 15% of the population of Qatar are actual citizens with the majority being foreign expatriates. According to Vox, Qatar uses international recruitment agencies to look for low-income workers in South Asia and promise them more social mobility and high wages by taking a job in Qatar. However, these contracts lack any other protections, leaving the worker to pay for their medical expenses, passports, flights, and visas. The workers often have to incur debts while taking out loans. According to Vox, this traps the worker in a cycle of abuse. The conditions become even worse when they arrive in Qatar as their immigration status is now under the full guise of their employers. Called the kafala system, their employers can control every aspect of their lives from the jobs they work to the status of their work and residency permits. These workers are then subject to terrible living and working conditions, having to live in overcrowded and unsanitized housing units that are usually far from city centers. They work up to 14 hours a day in dangerously hot temperatures, risking their lives at these construction sites. Furthermore, they are subject to harassment from their superiors, wage theft, and hundreds have even died from suffering under these extreme conditions.

Furthermore, numerous other scandals have risen after the World Cup commenced, including Qatar’s treatment of LGBTQ+ and Jewish fans as well other controversies. 

While the World Cup is important in uniting millions around the globe in support of their teams and to express their love for football (soccer), it is also worth noting that the wins, losses, and highlights of these games should not cover up the World Cup’s dark undertones; the livelihoods uprooted and the nefarious bribes that made this possible.

Sources:

Vox:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-0CebFpF_s&t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlKVfJg4hHE&t

Insider:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ALeYFi_1hg&t

Jonny Harris:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHjbay54F4U&t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt_Q03HNbTk

Wikimedia Commons

Ian McClary sat down with the Principal of Amsterdam High School Mrs. Giles to get the facts and only the facts, these are the results. 

Mrs. Giles graduated from Amsterdam High School, quote, “A long, long, long time ago.” She then went on to acquire a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. She then got her Masters In Science from SUNY Albany. I learned that this year marks Mrs. Giles's 23rd year working at AHS so I just had to ask: Why stay at AHS all these years? Her response was simple: she loves it here. She loves the community, and the students and she always thinks: For Amsterdam, why not? I then asked if she thought the school was moving in a positive or negative direction she stated, “I think the school is moving in a positive direction, there was definitely a setback when it came to Covid.” I then moved on to the main question, I asked what her goals for school were in 2023. She stated, “Increase the graduation rate, a high school diploma is going to help every student get to where they want to be no matter what the case may be.” Another one of her goals for the school is “Getting students in their classes, it's hard to learn when you're not in your class so better attendance would definitely help.” Furthermore, another goal was, “Make it a little bit fun, I know we are here for education but we can do some fun things.” I'm certainly looking forward to that! She then went on to mention the pep rally and how it was a little bit different this year with some of the games that were played. She also went on to mention another goal, “I want to make connections with our students, I want students to know that I care. You will see me at the games, the events, the plays, and everything I can possibly fit into my schedule I will try to attend”. When asked if she wanted to say anything to the students she said, “Believe in yourself and be a part of something.”

JV/Varsity Girls: 

December 3, 2022, vs Mohonasen - JV  V  

December 7, 2022, vs Schalmont - JV 50-26 W  V 44-39 W 

December 12, 2022, vs Johnstown - JV 66-12 W  V 66-12 W 

December 15, 2022, vs Gloversville - JV 59-6 W V 46-26 W 

JV/Varsity Boys: 

December 8, 2022, vs Albany Academy- 66-69 L JV 

December 10, 2022, vs - V 85-72 W

December 13, 2022, vs Johnstown - JV 82-26 W V 90-57 W

Track: 

December 3rd @ Union College

December 10th @ Union College 

December 18th @ Union College 

The Amsterdam Lady Rams are hosting a Holiday Showcase over Christmas Break!

 Dates: December 27th and 28th 

It’s a two-day event and over 50 college coaches will be in attendance! 18 teams from across the Northeast will be participating. All games will be played at Amsterdam High School. Games will be going on all day. Here are the times of your varsity girls! 

December 27th - 9:00 am vs Utica Notre Dame 

December 28th - 10:30 am vs Proctor

Please come and support your Lady Rams! 

The Boys and Varsity are also participating in a Holiday Showcase at the Impact Athletic Center in Clifton Park, NY! 

It’s a two-day tournament with a two game guarantee. A great opportunity to play different teams in front of high school and college coaches! 

Dates: December 28th and 29th

JV plays at 12:30 pm and Varsity plays at 8 pm 

Don’t be afraid to make the drive to support your Rams! 

The last indoor track meet of the year is approaching! 

Date: December 30, 2022

Start time: 8 am 

Located at Union College, it’s a great way to wrap up the 2022 year! 

The symbolism and role of Native American-themed mascots have proved a contentious battle between those in support of removing them and those in favor of keeping them. This issue has brought on a lot of steam as teams have pledged to retire their Native American mascots. Most recently, the Washington Redskins rebranded into the Washington Commanders. Now, this issue has been brought to the New York State Education Department. After a strenuous review, the state has ordered the removal of all Native American-related symbolism from school districts. Districts that don’t comply will face heavy consequences including the withholding of state aid and the removal of school officers. This will prove to be difficult for the 52 districts and 110 schools affected by this clause as they attempt to rebrand their schools’ image. As we begin to move forward into the future and attempt to clean up the spoils of our dark past, is the Native American mascot a racist stereotype or the symbol of a prideful community?

We asked the student body about their opinions on this controversial issue with the following prompt:

On November 17, 2022, James N. Baldwin, Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy issued a notice to all school districts in New York State, requiring them to remove and replace all Native American imagery (mascots, team names, etc.) from their schools or face heavy consequences; threatening to withhold state aid and remove school officers. This comes in light of the Cambridge School District’s persistence in retaining the use of their mascot, the “Indians”. Do you agree with the Commissioner's decision and why?

Respondents will remain anonymous.

How can someone willingly take something that they know is killing them? Vaping is slowly killing the American youth. Despite the clear red flags teenagers can’t seem to realize that they are slowly suffocating themselves. Over the last decade, e-cigarettes have become the most commonly used tobacco product, even outweighing cigarettes. It is also found that e-cigarettes are severely more damaging and addicting than other tobacco products, and why is that? 

What Makes Vaping Addicting? 

It is always hard to give something up that you’ve had or done for a long time, but what exactly makes e-cigarettes specifically so addicting to teens? In any tobacco product, nicotine is a key ingredient. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that can have a severe impact on a person’s well-being. Taking nicotine makes the user crave the smoke; if a person tries to avoid taking nicotine it puts them in withdrawal, making them crave more nicotine, and in turn making the addiction worse. It can also be assumed that the flavoring of e-cigarettes makes them more desirable than the generic cigarette, especially to teenagers. Ranging from bubblegum to cherry flavor. 

Lasting Effects

There are many permanent effects of vaping as a teenager. The human brain isn’t fully developed until around age twenty-five, and vaping can cause a change in the forming of synapses. Synapses are very important to the brain because they are part of the change that connects the sensory organs to the nervous system in the brain. When this change is having trouble forming it can result in learning and attention struggles. Vaping can also harm a person’s respiratory health, scarring the lungs and increasing the risk of lung cancer. Not only can vaping harm the smoker, but it can also harm those around the smoker. The exhaled aerosols from the e-cigarette can spread around the air and in turn be inhaled by those near the vapor. This can be incredibly dangerous especially for someone constantly near a smoker. 

Prevention

The best thing that teenagers can do to avoid vaping is to stay away from places or people that may increase the urge to vape. Peer pressure is one of the many reasons the American youth feels compelled to vape because it’s “cool”. This is one of the many faults in our society, that vaping, destroying lungs is “cool”. As long as students avoid vaping they have a greater chance of having a longer and healthier future. 

Conclusion

In summary, vaping doesn’t benefit people’s health, it diminishes it. But, it all comes down to the choice of the person. Everyone has the opportunity to quit or choose to not vape, it all depends on what choice the person decides to make. And although quitting vaping is a very challenging journey it is possible to overcome. 

Sources

https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/results-annual-national-youth-tobacco-survey

https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/knowtherisks.html#:~:text=These%20risks%20include%20nicotine%20addiction,that%20control%20attention%20and%20learning.

Have you ever asked yourself: How did we become the Rams? When did we become the Rams? What does it even symbolize? Mascots throughout time have revolutionized the way people promote products and reflect communities and organizations. The question is: Why, out of all the possibilities in the massive world of mascots, did we choose a ram as ours?

Well, for that information we will have to go way back- all the way to February 7, 1932, to be exact. This is the birth of one of the most influential people in the history of Amsterdam. His name was Umberto DeRose. Mr. Derose, being an Amsterdam native, was always committed to his academic career and his school, which at the time the high was Lynch Literacy Academy, formerly known as Wilburt H. Lynch High School. He was in the graduating class of 1949. After graduation, he found a way to return to his community by accepting an English and Social Studies position at the Greater Amsterdam School District in 1956.

He adjusted very well because in his first nine years of teaching in the school he became the adviser for the student council. As the advisor, he made an impact on our school that positively affects us to this very day. One of those things is the tradition of homecoming and the birth of our mascot.

During that time 2 major wars were happening which were the Vietnam War and the Korean War. Many young men from Amsterdam left to fight in these wars. Fourteen alumni were killed after serving in these wars; it was a time for grieving in our community. And as a way to memorialize those people, Mr.DeRose chose the rams as our mascot; the rams represent optimism, hope, buoyancy and so much more. Another reason he chose the rams had to do with our original mascot, the Hilltoppers. He once said in an interview with The Recorder, “I wanted the kids to be proud of the school they went to and I wanted the community to share in that,” DeRose said, “We used to just be known as the Hilltoppers, so I said let’s pick a real mascot. I figured Amsterdam is built on hills, so what about a ram?”

Since that decision 65 years ago, we have been together through the good and the bad, and the high and the lows. The Ram emerged from one of the hardest times for our community and serves as a representation of our endurance and grit. So the next time you feel like everything is going bad, just remember: Once a Ram, Always a Ram.

Something that gets pushed to the side a lot during the holiday season is heartbreak and struggles with mental and emotional health. Everyone seems to be happiest this time of year because of the “magic” that comes with the spirit of the holidays, as though there’s a specific aura that only occurs in December. 

Honestly, I don’t mean to be a pessimist, it’s not my intention, but I believe this subject deserves some thinking about. To be straightforward with my exigence to share my inner monologue, I’ve been struggling to keep afloat recently. I’m battling a bit of a broken heart, it’s obviously not the worst pain in the universe but I’d argue that it still sucks quite a bit. When your mind can only focus on that one thing every day, then it gets hard to acknowledge the beauty of everything else. 

Is there a point to writing this? Yes, I think so. In the spirit of getting to the point, I say that sometimes things suck. They get better, everything heals with time and patience but, things are still allowed to be unpleasant at the moment. Unpleasant things can pass, or perhaps we even grow around them and that’s the beauty of it. Or, maybe they even get better, who really knows except time. Whatever you might be struggling with, from one ached heart to another, I’m sorry, I know it sucks. All feelings are valid, no matter what they are or what time of year it is. 

My advice to you: Self-care. 

• Watch something that helps to distract you from the feelings 

• Yoga, I do it and sometimes it helps to just breathe

• Eat some really good food (I read somewhere that spicy food helps with angry emotions, carbs are for loneliness and sugary or sweet foods are for boredom, or eat whatever makes your heart happy because it’s your healing process)

• Enjoy the beauty of the season, enjoy the snow, the lights, the music, and the people around you

• Don’t be alone if you don’t have to be

Sometimes friends or families aren’t always there for you, the way you may need them to be. Sometimes romantic partners grow apart and we don’t know why, we just know that we miss them. Sometimes you lose your job, or you feel like you just aren’t where you want to be, or who you want to be. 

           All of what I just mentioned is okay and healable. The sun will rise again, the snow will fall again, and we get to do each day over again. The important thing to remember is that something will always come to lift your spirits and help you through the hard times. 

Alright well I don’t want to take up too much of your time, I know you got stuff to do and you gotta get back out there. If a voice in your life ever tells you you can’t, allow the mysterious writing voice to tell you you can. Happy Holidays, I’ll be back when you need me. 

Truly, your friend, Anon.