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Creepy Clowns in Cleveland
One of the most common fears children experience is called coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. A study conducted by the University of Sheffield determined that from the 250 hospital patients aged between four and sixteen, all 250 claimed that they disliked clowns. These children aren’t alone. Some studies show that up to 12% of adults in the United States also experience some degree of coulrophobia.
The fear of clowns has drastically increased in the past year due to the creepy clown epidemic. In at least 10 states, men and women dressed as clowns have been sighted. These clowns have mainly tried to lure children and women into the woods, and in some cases they have gone as far as chasing people with axes and knives. They have also been spotted in cemeteries and on desolate roads. Fortunately, no one has been seriously hurt at this point in time.
Outside of Cincinnati, OH, a woman reported being grabbed around the neck by a clown while smoking on her porch. She reported that the clown said, “I should just kill you now,” and, “Students and teachers will wish they were never born at the junior and senior high school today.” In response to the threats, the Reading Community City School District decided to close for the day. Their homecoming events continued as normal, but they ensured that extra police were present.
Some companies such as Target and Home Depot are pulling some of their clown decorations off of the shelves and from online stores.
“Given the current environment, we have made the decision to remove a variety of clown masks from our assortment, both in stores and online,” Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman, said. Target is still selling some clown costumes through stores like Spirit Halloween and HalloweenCostumes.com. Similarly, Home Depot is also removing some of their products from the shelves. Last month, they chose to do away with the Scary Peeper Creeper, a Halloween decoration, in their Canadian stores due to consumer complaints. Hopefully this creepy trend will soon come to an end.
To the left Photo courtesy of Google Images
BY CATHERINE DURKIN
In Memoriam: New 9/11 Art Museum Paints a Heartfelt Picture
Fifteen years ago, a horrific tragedy occurred that would change American lives forever as well as everyone around the world. September 11, 2001 cast a shadow of sadness and grief upon the United States, leaving behind a trail of shattered glass, debris, and sorrow. The event shocked American citizens to the core, and many people were appalled that anything of this magnitude could ever happen to the United States.
Opened on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, the National September 11th Memorial & Museum showed that Americans were united and wouldn’t let this horrific event stand in their way. The two large pools created at Ground Zero include the names of everyone who was killed in the attacks. Hundreds of people travel to New York City every year to see this memorial and pay their respects.
Fifteen years after the tragedy, the 2,996 lives lost during the attacks are still being remembered–this time, in the form of something new. On Monday, September 12, 2016, the art museum, entitled Rendering the Unthinkable, opened to the public, showcasing the works of thirteen New York City artists who were deeply affected by 9/11. One of the main features is “Gesture” by Manju Shandler, which is a heart-wrenching display consisting of one painting for each victim of the attacks.
Other artists in the exhibit include Eric Fischl, the sculptor of “Tumbling Woman,” Todd Stone, artist of “Witness,” and Monica Bravo, a videographer of “September 10, 2001, Uno Nunca Muere La Víspera,” which loosely translates to English as “You die on the day you are supposed to die.” Each artist has some connection to the attacks, whether they were strongly affected by a loss as a result or witnessed them firsthand.
“[The attack], for anybody who was here that day, is forever part of our consciousness. And you can’t undo history. You can only work through it,” painter and witness Todd Stone said. His three-part painting “Witness” shows the attacks through the eyes of a bystander and gives the audience a new and interesting—yet heart wrenching—perspective.
Manju Shandler, a New-York-based artist who created the piece “Gesture,” explains that when she began the painting shortly after 9/11, she did not even know how many people had died. As she worked through the piece, she added more paintings until she eventually had painted almost 3,000.
Rendering the Unthinkable is another addition that will provide a sanctuary for anyone who was affected by the attacks. Following the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero, the art museum is a symbol of moving forward and making a masterpiece from tragedy.
To the right “Witness” by Todd Stone, is showcased in the new art museum
BY MADDY SMITH
Ready...Set...Win!
After their victory in the 2012 London Olympics, US athletes returned to the Olympics this past summer to once again show their worth. With its most recent win, the US brought many new faces into view this past summer that have gone far from unnoticed, one being the gravity-defying, Simone Biles. While Biles has only competed in the most recent Olympic games, fans are saying she could be the new sports superstar. She was even compared to other greats of the Olympics, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.
“I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles,” Biles said. Biles showed her pride alongside returning champ, Gabby Douglas, and the other three new faces to the “Final Five.”
While Biles has become the new face of American sports, we also say farewell to twenty-eight time medalist, Michael Phelps. Phelps has competed in the past five Olympics and announced his retirement after his most recent victory. Although Phelps decided to end his Olympic career, he ends with a continuous love for the sport and complete support and respect from his fans. After a sixteen-year commitment to swimming, Phelps spent his first day of retirement in the pool with his son, Boomer.
Another new face who’s no stranger to water is Katie Ledecky. Ledecky took home a total of five medal this past summer, while also earning the new world record in a total of three events.
When Ledecky was fifteen, she raced in her first Olympics in London where she won her first gold medal and proved to viewers that she was a fierce competitor. Her return to the Olympics this past summer proved once again that a new swimming champion was on the U.S.’s hands.
While Ledecky takes over for Phelps, we say goodbye to another famous face: Usain Bolt. Bolt has competed in the Olympics since 2004 and continued to shock the world until he called for retirement this past summer in Rio. While fans are sad to say goodbye to the Jamaican sprinter, he leaves on a high note and with the title of “world’s fastest man.”
The Olympics has given American athletes opportunities to prove to the world what the U.S. is truly capable of, and that with every face that leaves, there’s another one around the corner.
Sadly, we’ll have to wait another four years before we can watch the next summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, but if it’s anything like Rio, it’s likely to be worth the wait.
To the right The Olympics occur every two years, while alternating between Summer and Winter Olympics every two years. The next Olympics will be the 2018 Winter Olympics. Photo courtesy www.olympic.org
BY KRISTIN BERCHAK
UK Brexits the EU
Earlier this summer, Great Britain left the European Union. Brexit is a combination of Britain and the word exit. Britain consists of the nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The vote to leave the EU was split, with the final vote being 51.9% voting to leave and 48.1% voting to stay. The nations of Northern Ireland and Scotland wanted to stay in the EU, while England and Wales wanted to leave. In terms of the British economy, the Pound, which is the currency of Britain, was at a low and rose 11%, however the opinions of the long term effects are divided.
Brexit has also affected other countries due to its leaving. The United States had its stock market prices take a 3% dip shortly after Britain’s Brexit, and Germany’s main bank went down 14% immediately. Ireland and Italy’s top banks were down 20%, while stock shares from Greece’s top banks went down 30%.
The exit process could stretch over a span of two years due to EU laws and regulations. It’s possible that other countries could follow Britain in leaving the EU. France is thinking about leaving (Frexit) Italy is considering leaving (Italeave) as well as Austria (Oustria) and the Czech Republic (Czech-out). Scotland had a vote whether they were going to leave Britain in 2014, but ultimately voted to stay. Leaving the EU means slower economic growth for a country, and the country could be better off economically in the long run.
Britain may be joining the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA promotes free trade through the EU. Many of the countries that may leave are thinking of having a referendum about leaving the EU, but it may not happen for some time.
To the right showing Great Britain on a map of all of Europe with all the nations that are in the EU. Photo Courtesy of wikipedia.org/Brexit
BY TEAGAN SMITH
Brock Turner Case Sparks Outrage
In Jan. 2015, Stanford University student, Brock Turner, was reported raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. Due to recent events in the case, legislators and various U.S. politicians have begun to reevaluate the current criminal justice system.
In March, Turner was convicted of three accounts of sexual assault: penetration of an intoxicated person, penetration of an unconscious person and intent to rape an intoxicated/unconscious person. Although prosecutors requested a six year jail sentence, and Turner was up for 14 years, Judge Aaron Persky, who presided over the case, sentenced Turner to six months in prison with probation.
“His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life,” said Turner’s father, Dan Turner, in a letter to Judge Persky. His comments incited a sense of rage within the community and caused series of protests to line up outside of the court house.
Surprising to many, Turner was released after a sole three months behind bars after receiving good behavior reports.
“[R]ight now, you do not get to shrug your shoulders and be confused anymore. You have been convicted of violating me intentionally, forcibly, sexually, with malicious intent, three felonies and you have only admitted to drinking alcohol," said Turner’s nameless victim.
Along with the victim, many are outraged with Turner’s early release and are demanding the removal of Judge Persky. Protests and petitions to oust Persky have climbed their way up the political ladder, influencing efforts to spread awareness about sexual assault in U.S. legislature.
Protests were successful, and as of June, Persky was removed from an unrelated sexual assault case. In a statement made to NBC News, Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen stated that he was no longer confident in Persky’s ability to reside upon cases dealing with sexual assault. Although Perksy’s removal from this case is seen as progress by many protestors, thousands are still advocating for complete eradication of Persky from his job.
The Turner case has brought to light many truths about the country’s justice system, and potential reforms are bound to happen in the future.
To the right Protestors to Perksy’s ruling gather on the street to bring attention to Turner’s early release from prison. Photo courtesy of cnn.com
BY MAEVE WALSH
A College Crisis
As senior year comes to a close, many young women are excited to attend college. They have worked all their lives for this moment. Once the fall comes along, they wave goodbye to their parents and move into their dorms. They make friends, have fun, study hard and begin adulthood.
It is hard being a woman in college. One in five women will be sexually assaulted while they are in college, yet most universities do nothing to the perpetrators. The movie “The Hunting Ground” has finally exposed the underlying problem with many elite schools.
From Harvard University to The University of North Carolina, campus rape is an ignored issue. Buried deep into the depths of many universities, this chronic issue cripples many young women.
For example, current quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jameis Winston, allegedly raped Erica Kinsman while they were attending Florida State University. When she reported the rape to the police, they strongly discouraged her to press charges. After a year-long battle, charges were never pressed, and Winston was never charged. The DNA from the rape kit and Winston’s DNA were a match, yet there was still no justice for Kinsman.
After an incredible amount of hatred towards Kinsman, she was forced to drop out of FSU. The bombardment of hatred towards a victim often perpetuates rape culture in America. Kinsman did get a $950,000 settlement from the whole ordeal.
Additionally, man fraternities have freshmen initiation centered around sexual escapades. At Stanford University, Sigma Alpha Epsilon was suspended for two years due to claims of sexual harassment. Some women on Stanford’s campus refer to SAE as ‘Sexual Assault Expected.’ Although the fraternity is currently suspended, its presence is still felt around campus. This can lead women to feel unsafe at their college.
A new product that many college age women are now taking with them to school is the Tigerlady. The product is worn as a wristlet, and when you feel unsafe, you squeeze the ‘paw’ that releases blades in between your fingers. Its main purpose is to collect DNA in case of an attacker. Even though these new self-protection products are available, they alone can not fix the problem.
And it is not just women who are faced with this fear; one in sixteen men will be sexually assaulted while in college. Although the rate for men is much lower than women, the statistics do show that both genders are at risk. This epidemic in American culture must be stopped, and hopefully with more awareness drawn to the subject because of movies like “The Hunting Ground,” it can finally be eradicated.
To the right Erica Kinsman proudly poses after learning that she was accepted into the school of her dreams, Florida State University. Photo courtesy of Coed.com
BY KAT MARTIN
