The Fox Lane Times

In accordance with its motto, "The Student Newspaper of Fox Lane High School," The Fox Lane Times seeks to

honor and provide a platform for our school's diverse voices. In these efforts, The Fox Lane Times offers all students the

opportunity to write and publish opinion articles. The revision process for opinion articles is careful and scrutinizing, as we

seek to publish students' perspectives on current events instead of retellings that deviate from factual evidence. The

perspectives presented in the opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of members of The Fox Lane Times, Fox

Lane High School, or the Bedford Central School District.

Opinion: Myanmar Conflict

Written by Tyler Stermasi

Ask any American what their country stands for, and the chances are their answer will, in some form or another, reference democracy. The belief that all the people of a nation should have substantial and equal say in that country's governance is something that we all share despite our partisan differences. Unlike many other countries, America was founded on this idea rather than a specific cultural, ethnic, racial, or religious identity. Despite this, there have been times we have struggled to detach these identities from our execution of that guiding principle. Yet even in the face of these mistakes, we have progressed to the point where we now live in one of the most egalitarian societies in history, one that is far from perfect and obviously plagued by its own issues. Nevertheless, it is one that gives people of all faiths and ethnicities a say in how their home is run.

Our generation was born into these circumstances, born into democracy and a relatively uncontested one at that. Therefore, we run the risk of creating a bubble, of taking our democracy for granted, forgetting that the world over there are people who have to fight and die for the right to have their voices heard. In light of this oversight, the brutal civil war being fought in jungles half a world away suddenly doesn’t seem so distant. In light of our privilege here in the U.S, the stories of the Myanmar Civil war are necessary reminders of what we have and need to protect.

The main reason Myanmar (formerly Burma) is currently mired in a civil war is due to the military coup that overthrew its government on Feb 1, 2021. In it, a democratically elected civilian government was overthrown by the Tatmadaw, the country’s military. The military was already extremely powerful before this uprising, as they own large portions of the nation’s businesses, control key government ministries such as the Defense and Border ministries, and even support their own puppet party, the USDP (Union Solidarity and Development Party). Still, they were officially subservient to the civilian government, not directly in power as they had been for much of the state’s history. In the six years preceding this coup, the people of Myanmar (at least the ethnic majority Bamar) had a say in their government’s institutions, a say in how their futures were determined.

This all changed when the commander of the armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing forcefully took power and reinstated direct military control. What followed has been one of the longest running active conflicts in the world. The military has committed war crimes against civilians, everything from air raids against populated areas to the targeted sniping of civilians during protests.

Map of Myanmar (Photo Credit: Britannica)

They have brutally repressed the Bamar ethnic majority that represented the base of the former civilian government’s support. They have also stepped up their campaigns against the ethnic militias they have been fighting for decades. These groups have been the target of discrimination and repression ever since the beginning of the state of Myanmar since they are the collective minority. This has ranged from simple discrimination to outright genocide. The most notable example being the genocide of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in the Buddhist majority country, in 2017. Even though these militias aren’t moral monoliths themselves, some resorted to drug smuggling and black market trading to maintain their war-effort against the successive governments of Myanmar, they represented the only force opposing the Tatmadaw at the onset of the war.

This crackdown by the military has had the effect of galvanizing the Bamar majority into fighting back against the Tatmadaw. College students have left their studies en masse to join the ethnic militias, learning guerilla warfare skills they have then used to create their own PDFs (Personal Defence Forces). These students are fighting to overthrow the current government and replace it with The National Unity Government, the democratic government in exile. They have expressed support for the creation of a federal system if they reinstate control of the country, giving unprecedented representation to the ethnic minorities of the country. However, there’s still a long way to go, and many more lives to be lost, before this becomes a reality on the ground. The Burmese people, unlike us, will have to fight and die for the democratic representation we enjoy here in the States. And if that doesn’t inspire the slightest bit of drive to participate in, if not protect and maintain, our own democracy, then we truly are doomed as a country.

Opinion: It's Time to Switch Your Hair Products to Shea Moisture

Written by Bradley Heredia Gomez

This is your sign to switch to Shea Moisture NOW! Many shampoos nowadays such as Head and Shoulders, Old Spice, and many two-in-ones can contain harmful ingredients like silicone, sulfates, parabens, phthalates and mineral oil. Many of these ingredients can cause dryness, itchiness, and dandruff in your hair and can be bad for your skin. Something worth mentioning is that many of these shampoos are not cruelty free and are tested on animals.

Shea Moisture, however, does not contain any of these harmful ingredients. It is cruelty free and is safe for color treated hair! Shea Moisture products have really nice ingredients like organic certified coconut oil and shea butter. However, they have so many products to choose from, so it can be difficult and confusing to decide. In the following list, we will focus only on shampoo and conditioner.

History/Origin:

Shea Moisture started in 1912 when mother of four, Sofi Tucker, started selling shea nuts. Then, at age 19, she started to sell shea butter, African Black Soap, and her homemade beauty and hair preparations in Sierra Leone.

Type 1 (Straight) / All Hair Types:

A great shampoo and conditioner for all hair types is the Shea Moisture Daily Hydration Set. It has great ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, coconut milk, and it is sulfate free! It can help soften, hydrate, and reduce frizz in your hair.

Type 2 (Wavy):

An amazing shampoo and conditioner that I use is the Shea Moisture Hydrate and Repair Set. It's great for wavy, dry, brittle hair as it helps cleanse, hydrate, and restore your hair! It is made with manuka honey, yogurt extract, and mafura oil.

Type 3 (Curly):

The Shea Moisture Curl & Shine Shampoo and Conditioner Set is amazing for thick, curly hair. It contains coconut oil and hibiscus flowers to help deliver shine to your hair while also reducing breakage, knots on your hair.

Type 4 (Coily):

The Shea Moisture Deep Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner works well with coily and curly hair It has amazing ingredients like sea kelp, argan oil, and raw shea butter. The shampoo contains over 3 times more moisture than other non-conditioning shampoos! These products deliver shine, moisture, softening, and will help if you're transitioning from chemically treated hair to your natural hair.

Shea Moisture Logo (Image Credit: Tukuz.com)

Type 2/3 :

The Miracle Multi-Benefit Shampoo and Conditioner is great for both wavy and curly hair! It has fantastic ingredients like sugarcane, meadowfoam seed, marshmallow root, and proteins. It's great for damage control, cleansing, detangling, conditioning, and moisturizing! However, if you need something better for dry hair, then try looking at the Shea Moisture Curl Glam Shampoo and Conditioner, as they work great for dry wavy and curly hair.

Other products to try out!:

Shea Moisture has multiple products that have been widely used that you should use too! They sell many soaps with shea butter that smell great and soften your skin. A popular product you may have seen on social media is the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. It can be used as both a leave-in or styling product. It works spectacularly with damp, thick curly hair. However, if you need something lighter for your hair, you can use the Curl and Style Milk. There is also the Hydrate and Repair Multi-Action Leave-In which works great if your hair is extremely dry.

More info (Where to find Shea Moisture)

Many creators have talked about Shea Moisture. For more information, visit sheamoisture.com or search up @lancebkr on TikTok to see certain routines that work well with your hair type. These products can be found on amazon.com and in stores like Target, Walgreens, CVS, and Kohl’s.

Opinion: We Don't Need "Thought Police"

Written by Allen Long

For four years, the Bedford Teachers; Association (BTA) has organized a reading event called “Fox Read” in which members of the BCSD community come together to discuss one or many books. Recently, however, Fox Read has fallen under attack. Some people took issue with one of the books and managed to stop the district from endorsing Fox Read online, including on all social media accounts, through emails, and on the district’s website.

When I first learned about this, that was all I knew. So I decided to go to a Board of Education (BOE) meeting, thinking that people would probably speak up about it.

I could have never anticipated just how much I would learn.

Before I get into my opinion, let’s set the facts straight:

Contrary to what the name suggests, Fox Read is actually open to all of the BCSD schools, not just Fox Lane.
The book people took issue with is The poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. The coming of age, young adult novel-in-verse is about a fifteen-year-old, Xiomara, aka “X” who works through the tension and conflict in her life through poetry. Themes of religion and sexuality are explored through her journal-writing. It is also worth noting the book won many awards, including the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Carnegie Medal, the Pura Belpre’ Award, Michael L. Prinz, and the Walter Dean Myers Award.

It was not the BOE’s decision to stop the promotion; Dr. Glass reviewed communications from individuals who had taken issue with the book over a weekend and made the decision out of an abundance of caution. Those are the only concrete facts, though. Some BOE members claimed they never endorsed ANY “third-party” event they supported but neither of these are true!

This whole thing gets worse when you ask yourself why they were complaining. Fox Read is an optional program, no one’s child must read the book: Also, the award-winning book is read in many classes across the country for its literary merit.

Despite all this, Fox Read does not seem to be in any serious danger. According to Mr. Albano, one of the first members and co-founders of the Fox Read committee, “there is no danger of being shut down” and that “it is still a viable and important program for the teachers to connect to the community.”

I support Fox Read and believe that the BTA still deserves our support on this. At that meeting I went to, even though it should’ve been a simple decision on the BOE;s part to just prompte Fox Read and reject censorship, there was instead a large debate with some of the Board members clearly having an agenda. In other words, even if our books aren’t in danger yet, this whole thing is a huge warning sign for what’s to come regarding the Board’s decision.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (Image Credit: Amazon)

Opinion: School Should Incorporate More Project-Based Learning

Written by Bradley Heredia Gomez

If you ask a student what their least favorite thing from school is, they will most likely say homework. Why is this the case? Why do students hate homework? The answer is simple: homework is repetitive and boring. Whenever teachers assign homework, most students groan, especially if the homework is assigned to do over the weekend. Most students don’t like homework as it's basically just classwork. The school needs to realize that homework is stale and that students aren't robots that will do the same thing over and over again. School should incorporate less homework and more projects. Why? They can make it more unique and involved in what students are learning. One example is English where instead of writing a boring essay, students can collaborate and make a video essay on the book they are learning about. Projects are less repetitive and can be more interesting for students. Having students do projects can also help them retain the information and be more collaborative. Projects can also help students develop social skills and be able to share their creativity. Since projects take less time, students will be able to stress less and be able to manage their time better. Having less homework will also help teachers since they will have less to grade. Schools have to remember that the students are still in their youth and want to do more than just the same old boring paperwork that students did in the 1900s.

Triboard Project (Photo Credit: Pinterest)

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