The James Logan Courier

By Sohabe Mojaddidy, Courier Staff Writer
The affinity between religious tradition and the educational sector in the United States, for the most part, has been determined by the teachings of Judea Christian philosophy. For years, and even in our contemporary age, religious ideology has played a significant role in constructing our national teaching agenda. When this agenda has been threatened, perverse consequences have surfaced. For instance in 1844, massive protests were staged throughout the nation centering on a growing level of anti catholic sentiment.

As thousands of Irish Catholics emmigrated to the united states due to the potato famine, Protestant Americans feared the catholic bible would replace the traditional bible in the public schools. As a result not only was the stability of our country threatened but hundreds of people were killed over such matters. Clearly, history has shown us the profound effect religion has played in shaping the social fabric of the United States. Through much of the Midwest, the bible along with creationism, which asserts all humans as being created by a God, is still consistently taught. Students are led to believe human existence is a product of divine creation. Thus, physics and the natural laws of science are not being taught as rigorously to a considerable amount of American school children. But in an age where one third of Americans under the air of 30 do not associate themselves with a particular brand of faith, the role of religion is being reexamined.

San Jose Mercury News (MCT)

Programs encouraging teenagers to develop healthy eating habits have popped up all over the country in recent years: "Project EAT (Eating Among Teens"), "Eat, Think and Be Active!" and "The Power of Choice: Helping Youth Make Healthy Eating and Fitness Decisions," to name a few.

They don't seem to be helping. A five-year study by the University of Oklahoma's School of Public Health shows 80 percent of U.S. teens are eating their way to heart disease. Looking at more than 5,000 teens, the study found less than 1 percent of those surveyed ate a diet considered ideal for preventing cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association, which published the study, called the results "unacceptably high."

No kidding.

By Derrick Daly, Courier Staff Writer

James Logan High School has always been known for it's diversity, and now within recent years it has even opened up to the gay community.

Out of all groups of people at James Logan, or in almost any setting for that matter, homosexuals are typically the group that feels the most compelled to hide their identities. However, in recent years more and more people have decided to show that they aren't afraid to be who they are, and the amount of people who are accepting of them have followed suit.

One homosexual student, who has asked to remain anonymous, commenting on the increasing pro-gay attitude that students are starting to develop.

"I had never met anyone else who was openly gay before I went to high school, but when I started going to Logan, I started meeting people who were proud of their sexuality immediately."

When asked about whether it's apparent that people are becoming more open to the gay community, he expressed his opinion.

"Things have definitely cleared up a little, but there are still insensitive people. Every now and then I'll hear people just throw around the word 'gay' or 'fag'. I don't think they know it or mean anything by it, but it's still offensive."

By Paul Tran, Courier Editor-in-Chief

Christmas is a holiday described by the religious as a celebration of the birth of their savior Jesus Christ. In reality, however, like many other religious holidays, most aspects of this modern tradition have very little to do with the actual birth of Christ.

The date of Christmas, December 25th, has no actual relevance to it’s supposed background(Jesus’ real birthday is thought by historians to be on April 17, 6 BC), but was placed on the Pagan feast day of Sol and Victus, or the open unconquered sun. As Christianity was beginning, it was thought that the best way to win converts was to liken Jesus the Messiah to Pagan sun idols, taking aspects from the Roman god Attis, Greek god Dionysus, the Egyptian god Osiris, and most notably stealing the birthday of Mithra, a Persian god worshipped by Romans. This obviously led to the Christian adoption of many heathen traditions.

By Fariba Nawa, Courier Correspondent

Logan Alumnus Fariba Nawa is an internationally renowned journalist and former Courier editor. Her latest book, Opium Nation, centers on her return to her homeland of Afghanistan and the corrosive drug trade she found there. Visit her blog.

From New York to Los Angeles, Seattle to Phoenix, to the nation’s capital, I stood before Americans for the last year and told the story of Afghanistan’s drug trade, the story of its women, its drug lords, its heroes and criminals. I told my own story of an exile returning to my homeland, traveling in the region for seven years and finally, bidding farewell to Afghanistan. But my spirit’s still there.

After dozens of talks at bookstores, libraries, universities, on TV shows and radio programs, I spoke to whoever listened, reminded them that even though American troops will be leaving Afghanistan, Americans still should care. Why? Because it’s too easy to forget, and too deadly. The two countries are intertwined now, should be a part of each others’ conscience. Eleven years so far, 2000 US troops dead, thousands of Afghans slaughtered and an Afghanistan still in chaos. How can you forget?

By Priscilla Wu, Courier Staff Writer

As the due dates of college applications draw near, many college hopefuls are on tight deadlines to put down what is so special about us, what makes us unique, within 500 words. The colleges and universities reassure us with the well-worn advice to ‘be ourselves’, and that ‘whichever college is right for you will admit you!’

But if we take a minute to think about who we are, we might find that we really do not know. Haven’t most of our goals during our high school careers consisted of trying to get into college? What we do now is for our future–the sports we play, the art we make, the classes we take, the volunteering we do–all of it in hopes of looking like a more ‘well-rounded’ student in the eyes of the universities.

By James Sarmiento, Courier Sports Editor

Recently , James Logan had its annual Homecoming Dance in order to celebrate the varsity football team,which defeated the Newark Memorial Cougars 56-6. As in past dances, Logan students are still very unhappy about the dance's turnout.

In recent dances, Logan's activities director has hired the same DJ that keeps disappointing students. Logan students repeatedly have asked for a new DJ every time a dance is planned, yet the activities director, Monique Walton, still hires this horrible DJ.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT)
The following editorial appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Friday, Oct. 19:

Some polls indicate that voter enthusiasm, especially among young and minority voters is ebbing — a marked change from 2008. Whomever you support for president this year, it's a concern if fewer people decide to exercise their right to have a say in the political process.

Anyone who is eligible should vote.

Voting is the one way you can have your concerns heard. As the saying goes: If you don't vote, don't complain.

Click here to register to vote.

By Sean Stewart, Courier Technology Editor

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have a bone to pick with Game Freak and Nintendo, creators of the beloved Pokemon games. The newest smear campaign PETA has come up with is "Pokemon Black and and Blue" which poorly parodies the newest title in the line of Pokemon games, "Black and White 2" .PETA just doesn't know where to draw the line, for this isn't the first time they have done this. They have smeared games such as Super MeatBoy, Super Mario Land 3D, and Cooking Mama.

By Priscilla Wu, Courier Staff Writer

To be an American woman is quite simple–she has every opportunity out there for her, right within her grasp. So she can do anything and everything. We have women in college, women in business, women in science, women in charge, women everywhere. No woman will be relegated to being ‘barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen’ any longer; we have worked hard to make up for the slighting of our better halves.

American women are not oppressed to the extent of their counterparts in other parts of the world, like in Saudi Arabia. They can drive, walk around unaccompanied, wear what they want, attend school, run businesses, and are even sponsored to do these things through grants, scholarships, and government incentives to start companies. They can vote, and can therefore effect change for themselves.

By Sohabe Mojaddidy, Courier Staff Writer

Seventeenth century French enlightenment writer, philosopher, and historian Voltaire described the intricacies of extremism by eloquently stating “What can you say to a man who tells you he prefers obeying God rather than men, and that as a result he's certain he'll go to heaven if he cuts your throat?” Although this quote was documented nearly 300 years ago it still holds profound relevance today. To most Americans, extremism may appear a foreign concept. The word “extremism” seems to always come in tandem with issues pertaining to the Middle East. But extremism is pervasively inherent within our very own geographical borders here in the United States. Nevertheless, nowhere is extremism more impactful than in the daily lives of Muslims in the Arab world. Extremism is a societal ill that can only be vaccinated through difficult measures.

But to really understand how to cure the ills and mitigate the repercussion of extremism it’s crucially imperative to establish a sophisticated framework on what causes such a dangerous ideology to develop.