What's happening in Israel?
By Kira Crockett
Everybody knows the hot topic lately has been the conflict between Israel and the terrorist Hamas group located in Gaza around the Palestine territories.. To understand exactly what exactly is going on here, you need to understand a few basic things. Israel is a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean Sea. It is regarded by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the biblical Holy Land. Its most sacred sites are located in Jerusalem. Hamas is an English Islamic Resistance Movement. Also known as a Militant Palestinian nationalist and Islamist movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that is dedicated to the establishment of an independent Islamic state in historical Palestine. Now that we have the basics of who exactly this conflict is involving, we can go more into the details.
On October 7, 2023 at approximately 6:30 a.m. air raid sirens in Israel began sounding. Hamas fired rockets, used a bulldozer to get through fences, and gunned down civilians and soldiers, all which was done to Israel. This was a surprise attack and the Israeli military had to scramble for a response. An estimated 2,200 rockets were fired towards southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem by the Hamas militants. Hamas also raided a music festival that was occurring at that time. Hamas gunmen rolled into as many as 22 different locations outside the Gaza strip. Armed Hamas militants, many on motorcycles, storm blockaded areas of the Gaza Strip, shooting at Jewish settlers and slaughtering people at kibbutzim and small towns. Video footage surfaces of Hamas militants taking Israeli citizens, including mothers, children and the elderly and carrying them across the Gaza border. Hamas killed up to 1,400 people that day according to Israeli forces. Hamas took several hostages, it is estimated to be around 222 individuals they took as hostages. Right now we believe most of those hostages are still alive. Recently a mother and daughter were both let go for the fact that the mother was in very poor health. However, we understand that some hostages have been killed or seriously injured.
Exactly why did Hamas do this? This was one of the big questions when the incident first happened. Why would Hamas do a surprise attack and cause so much tragedy? Hamas had their own reasoning for this and said the aim of attack was to free Palestinian prisoners, stop Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to break the siege on Gaza. Israel had Palestinian prisoners in their jails and Hamas was not happy about this. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the main congregational mosque or prayer hall in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem. The al-Aqsa compound has long been a flashpoint for deadly violence over matters of sovereignty and religion in Jerusalem. Under the longstanding "status quo" arrangement governing the area, which Israel says it maintains, non-Muslims can visit but only Muslims are allowed to worship in the mosque compound. Israeli restrictions on Muslim worshippers' access to the site have led to protests and outbreaks of violence.
How did Israel respond? In response to this attack Israel has been pummeling the Gaza strip with airstrikes. These airstrikes have decimated the Gaza strip, leaving more than 350,000 residents displaced. Israel dropped pamphlets via airplanes, warning more than 1 million Palestinians to move to a safer part of the territory in southern Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells his country, "Israel is at war." President Joe Biden tells Netanyahu in a phone call that the United States "condemns' ' Hamas' assault and has Israel's back. In a televised address from the White House, Biden says, "Israel has a right to defend itself and its people." Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant orders a "complete siege" of Gaza, cutting electricity to the region and blocking fuel and food from entering the territory from Israel. "People are being forced to drink brackish, untreated water because the price of bottled water has gone up beyond what most people can afford," Bashi says. "Food is short, there is no electricity. Even emergency generators that hospitals have are running low on fuel, and supplies are dwindling." These are the words of Sari Bashi, who is program director for human rights. Palestinians do not have running water or electricity, most of them are running off of generators, which are running low on gas. Biden says the atrocities committed by Hamas fighters included the "slaughter" of men, women and entire families, as well as "stomach-churning reports of babies being killed." At least 1,400 Israelis have been killed, the vast majority in the Hamas attacks. The death toll in Gaza has reached 5,087.
"Hamas wanted to see a change in Gaza, the reality is Gaza will make a 180. They will regret their actions," Gallant said. There have been a ton of people injured from both sides of this. Biden went to Israel to have a meeting with their minister, Biden said we are willing to send our troops to help and support Israel. What exactly is happening right now at this moment? Hospitals in Gaza have warned that they would need to shut down if they don't receive more fuel. Other supplies such as water, medicine, and food also continue to run low. The Israeli defense force insists that fuel is present in Gaza but that Hamas is monopolizing it. Israel is still preparing for a ground invasion in Gaza and it could happen any day now. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned overnight that the situation is growing more dire by the hour, in the Middle East and urged respect for civilian lives as the conflict unfolds. The U.S. has advised Israel to delay the ground attack they are planning on Gaza, hoping for the negotiations of more released hostages. Right now we are just waiting to see what unfolds and how it will affect our lives here in the United States.
Energy Drinks vs. Coffee:
Which do you prefer???
By: Alyson Gillenwater
We interviewed staff and students in the school to see if individuals preferred coffee, energy drinks, or neither. We came up with this idea to see if our school preferred coffee or energy drinks more, out of pure fun and curiosity. We interviewed staff and students and got some pretty good answers for both. We interviewed the staff first. The first 20% said that they would drink coffee because they couldn’t drink energy drinks or didn't like energy drinks. 84% said they would drink energy drinks because they don’t like coffee. 5% said they wouldn’t drink either coffee or energy drinks because they do not drink caffeine.
We then asked the students and we were quickly shocked by how this one turned out. 11% of 9th grade students said that they would drink coffee, 3% said energy drinks. The next grade we interviewed was 10th grade students. 8% of students said they would drink coffee, 7% said they would drink energy drinks. The next students we interviewed were 11th grade students 6% said they would drink coffee, 5% said they would drink energy drinks, 1% said neither, and 1% said both. The last grade we interviewed was 12th graders. 7% said they would drink coffee, 2% said they would drink energy drinks, and 1% said neither.
Overall we were all shocked by the results. We got good answers from most of the school. We weren't sure how this was going to end up, whether coffee or energy drinks would take the win at Auburn high. However, it looks like coffee is more preferred than energy drinks depending on the day, the grade, and preference.
Big Vape
By: Angelica Moore
The Big Vape” isn’t the name I was expecting to see when I opened my Netflix app. This series tracks Juul's journey from the honeymoon phase of its start-up to the divorce. Its rise was meteoric, popularizing vaping among the youth with its sleek design and flavored pods. However, it soon faced backlash as teen vaping rates skyrocketed, leading to lawsuits and regulations. The company's downfall was swift, marked by the headlines and the lawsuits from angry parents and guardians. Big Vape is showing the consequences when public health is compromised for profit. From the perspective of the creator this was supposed to “stop people from smoking cigarettes” and “be a safer alternative to cigarettes.” This wasn’t even for adults, this was to target teens and kids. With the colorful pods and the fruity flavors we can tell that it was made to target those specific age groups.
The only thought in James Monsees mind wasn’t the health of the population. His mind was so focused on money he couldn’t care who this product hurt or affected. When the lawsuits started flowing in he knew he was in deep water due to his lust for money. For two Stanford graduates who had a problem with smoking you’d think they’d make a safer alternative to cut the addiction. At the peak of their fame, Juul was worth a total of 40 billion dollars. In just April of this year Juul made a 462 million dollar settlement with a few states to resolve lawsuits. March 16, 2023, there were 5,969 Juul lawsuits from around the United States combined.
The Undeserved Treatment of Teachers
By: Maya Spero
Teachers receive a lot of undeserved treatment. Many are just doing their job and get screamed at by students. Perhaps I'm just overthinking it, I didn't grow up here. However, I find it morally wrong the way some students talk to their teachers. I understand being frustrated with a teacher, however, that doesn’t give you the right to make the teacher's job more difficult than it already is. Imagine having to deal with over a hundred students every single day, then having to deal with attitude and disrespect that you don’t deserve. School is stressful and teachers may add to it, I get that, but think about how you’d feel if you were in their shoes. I’ve seen some of the sweetest teachers get yelled at by a student just because they were trying to help their class. They don’t deserve that, especially when they’re always nice to you and everyone else.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes certain teachers deserve a little bit of attitude. We’ve all had that one teacher that everyone hated because of the way they behaved around students. I’ve talked back to teachers before, but only the ones that I knew and thought were truly horrid.
Teachers don’t get enough credit for what they do, and most importantly, they don’t get enough credit for all the crap they have to deal with on a daily basis. Teachers like Miss Bowling or Miss Sparks, ect, don’t deserve to have to deal with your crap. Back where I was from, if you even raised your voice at a teacher slightly, you would get hit. And guess what? No one liked those teachers. I’m so grateful to have such kind, sensible, and loving teachers, and I think you should too. However, that’s just my prerogative.
Outing people without their consent is not okay
By: Maya Spero
It has come to my attention that people have been getting outed lately, and I don't think it’s okay.
I don’t think it’s ever okay to out a person who is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community unless they are choosing to come out themselves. People in that community deal with enough hatred and abuse as is, why would you make it easier for people to do that? Why would you tell a secret that wasn’t yours to tell? Why and how could you do such a despicable thing to someone just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
First of all, according to the ACLU “It’s against the law for school officials to disclose a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity to parents or other school staff, even if the student is open about their sexual orientation or gender identity with friends at school. School officials may think they’re doing the right thing, but revealing a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity to their parents not only violates the student’s privacy rights, but can open an LGBT child to hostility, rejection, and even violence from their parents.”. The American Civil Liberties Union agrees that outing is wrong.
According to federal legislation on hate crimes, including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which allows for the prosecution of crimes against people based on their sexual orientation. Although protection in each state is different, all states uphold the right to be free from discrimination and when people do this, it could cause detrimental consequences.
At this very moment in fact, there are people at this school who have been outed without their consent. Having interviewed them, and heard of the groundings and arguments that they received when their parents found out that they were non-conforminng to their gender/sexuality. That was when I knew I had to get to the heart of the problem. That’s when I knew I had to speak out. It’s not just these small experiences like arguments with your parents because they don’t agree with your lifestyle or classmates. It’s much bigger than that.
I know we might not all agree on what rights people of nontraditional sexual orientations deserve but I know that they deserve equality, the same as all of us want. Every single day, someone dies because of their sexuality. Every single day, a gay or trans person tries to end their life because of all that they face. Not to mention, people who identify as trans gender have significantly higher suicide and suicide attempts than the rest of the population. It is truly heartbreaking what people must go through all because of who they love and what they identify as.
Outing someone can strain relationships both at school and at home. Friends can sometimes be slow to come around, additionally without warning, family dynamics can be thrown into chaos. People should be able to come out on their own time. In summary, please don’t out someone. You could ruin their life and possibly be the cause of a death.
We are better than this, and we know it.
Auburn Host #1Team in Division A1
By Lauren Garnand
The game started out with a BANG, your Eagles Scored the first touchdown, but lost momentum going into the second quarter. In saying that Grayson is Standing at now number two but 1 one as of last Friday in the 1A Division in Virginia. Considering all the injuries in the last couple of weeks we are lucky we even put a team on the field so, I say we cheer and be Proud of our home team. I watched the game and i don’t know about you, but I saw some unsportsmanlike conduct coming from Grayson. Speaking in regard to my own opinion, kicking an already down player is not the best way to play football. Alright, back to the game at hand, major shout outs to Jude Miear with several tackle assists, Issac Wayne with multiple returns, and Austin Stump scoring the first touchdown of the game. We are always Proud of our hardworking players win or lose.
Upcoming Basketball Season
By Kaylan Phillips
Everyone at Auburn is excited and ready for the new basketball season. There are a variety of opinions on the upcoming basketball season and lots of hopes and plans for the boys team to redeem themselves and go back to states this year. Many people have said that the girls basketball team has the potential to go to states this year as well. It has also been said that there are some talented new players on both the girl and boys teams. Overall, everyone is very excited for this season and can't wait for the student section to be just as big and as proud as last year.
Volleyball Post Season Wrap-Up
By: Morgan Vest, Hunter Greene, and Meadow Wayne
The Auburn Eagles volleyball team has been on a roll this season. With all wins they have been very close to going to regionals. Some of the winning games including Auburn vs. George Wythe (25-23), Auburn vs. Grayson County (25-21), and Auburn vs. Bland (25-17). All of the girls have been doing wonderful putting in all of their hard work and dedication into this season. We all have a feeling that they will get to go to regionals and win. These girls have done amazing this season and will definitely have a big chance in ending the season on a good note.
Top 10 Horror Films at AHS
By Ashlyn Bibb-Johnson
10: Sick
9: We can't all die first
8: Totally Killer
7: Brooklyn
6: Influencer
5: M3GAN
4: Talk to me
3: Attachment
2: Huesera: The bone woman
1: When Evil Lurks
Bad Bunny Album Review
By Rylee Lyons
Bad Bunny, the winner of 3 Grammys, 4 Latin Grammys, 8 Billboard Music awards, was named the biggest artist worldwide in 2022 by Billboard after his most popular album Un Verano Sin Ti charted for 13 consecutive weeks. He fluctuates between pop, rap, and even trap music, and though his last few projects have been more pop-rap focused, his most recent album, nadie sabe lo que va pasar mañana (translation: no one knows what’s gonna happen tomorrow), was almost completely trap-focused. With two lead singles and little advertising, the album still broke the Spotify record for most streamed album in one day. However, it's arguable that this project is evidence that Bad Bunny may desire less attention and fame, and more recognition of the real meaning behind his music. The album’s main theme is how unpredictable life is for celebrities, always living under the spotlight, and overcoming constant rumors, lies, and assumptions. Bad Bunny also seems to have made this record with more attention to “real fans,” because the album goes back to genres he did in the past, which could push away some people that only knew him from his pop records. This is especially relevant after announcing his newest tour to be “only for real fans,” and only playing arenas, when he is clearly capable of filling stadiums. While it would be hard to top the performance of his previous record, nadie sabe lo que va pasar manana showed that even when he isn’t pop centered, Bad Bunny is capable of making quality records that combine genres through the advancement of his fame and career.
Highlights: MONACO, CYBERTRUCK, MR. OCTOBER
Lowlights: NO ME QUIERO CASAR, THUNDER Y LIGHTNING
Most Popular: MONACO
One More Time...
By: Blink-182 Album Review
By: Lauren Garnand
Blink-182 has been a band since August 1992. If you're a fan of older punk-ish rock, blink-182 is your band. They just came out with the One More Time… album and it lives up to every expectation you may have for their music. It is an accent example of what the “Stoner” in the 1990’s would listen to the Pumpin’ Bass while riding their skateboard down the hallway. All of their songs have purpose and meaning, it’s not just a bunch of mobo jumbo. Now here’s the warning, there is a fair amount of language but we are young adults here so, if you can’t handle it or just not into that kind of music that's fine just don’t listen to it.
Most Popular: CUT ME OFF
Best Writing: TURPENTINE
Best Music: CHILDHOOD
My Favorite: OTHER SIDE
Talk to Me Review
By: Jaxon Mundy
“Talk to Me” is a horror movie that came out in July of this year, and the ratings were through the roof with a bunch of 5 star reviews. Most of the 5 star ratings said “Talk to me was incredible” and “It was one of the best horror movies that have come out in a while” but there were also a lot of 1 and 2 star reviews talking about how “The movie was a let down” and “A lot of people hyped it up too much”. I was excited to see the movie and see if the ratings were right and in my honest opinion, it was not as scary as people said it was but it was still scary. There were not a lot of jumpscares or scary moments but at times, there was a lot of gore. Near the end of the movie when they were trying to talk to spirits, the little brother was able to talk to his friend's dead mother. I thought that was a crucial point in the movie because after that happened, the main character “Mia” also known as Sophie Wilde, only cared about talking to her mother again so she talked to herself and brought spirits to their world. My favorite part of the movie was when Riley, the younger brother, talked to Mia's mother and the spirit switched and a psychotic spirit took over. Overall, I thought the movie was decent but definitely not a 5 star movie.