Celebrating Black History Month
Black History Month and their Thoughts
By Zoey Hughes
In the US, the month of February is state to be the celebration of Black History. Many people in the country take this time to reflect and remember the brave and courageous heroes that thrived to make a change in this world; not just for African Americans but for all people.
I had the pleasure of interviewing two African-American seniors at Dreher High School. Elliana Pinkney and Amber Burton are African American females who are in many leadership roles. I asked them what Black History Month meant to them and their personal opinions on Black History being designated to one month…
Amber Burton;
(Regarding Black History and its one month)
“I strongly believe Black History Month should be discussed and taught all year long. Because Black history is American history, there should be no level of importance in regards to how we teach and commemorate the two”.
(What it means to you)
“Black History Month is a time to be intentional about celebrating blackness in every faucet of life. This includes remembering our history since we’ve arrived in the United States and shedding light on all the injustices that have occurred since. It also includes uplifting black voices who are continuing the work today. Black History Month is a time to cherish black music, art, love, and people a little harder and to celebrate the history and presence of our culture”.
Elliana Pinckeny;
(Regarding Black History is and its one month)
“ I love the fact that there is a month dedicated to African American people! Since the creation of this country, we've had restrictions and limitations in every way imaginable and it's nice that we can nationally take this month to recognize not only the struggles that black people have had to face but also acknowledge and celebrate the amazing things that people of color have been able to accomplish. As great as that is, we also have the shortest month of the year. Sometimes it's easy for people to spend February involved in activism, or to see teachers teach about the Civil Rights movement or assign books by black authors in "honor of black history month". But in my opinion, it isn't really doing much if you only spend 28/365 days of the year focusing on black history and telling black stories. So often, we wake up on March 1st and unless a tragedy happens, we stop the conversation completely until February of the next year. With that being said, even though we have the shortest month of the year, that "time constraint" should never limit the amount of time that we spend celebrating black people in this country!
(What it means to you)
“Black History to me is a lot of different things. It's remembering everything that our ancestors went through in the past to help mold us into the people we are today. It's about acknowledging how much our lives as Americans have been impacted by the presence of African Americans in this country. From the food we eat to music we listen to. Black history is about noticing our historical representation in America but also taking the time to appreciate and celebrate our culture and the things that make us special. Our music, our dancing, our hair, our melanin, all of it! It's everything from the past that makes us who we are today”.
Source:
IT’s BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!! Being that black history month is coming to an end there’s an artist in the city of Phoenix Gizette Knight who decided that she and a few others are going to paint murals of more than 80 black pioneers some the some of the people may be household names and some maybe people who many may not know but had an effect on black history.
The mural Project launched Feb 1. When talking about the project and the reason for wanting to do it Gizette Knight Said “I wanted to give recognition to those unsung heroes who paved the way in the black community because our history is very rich” She also said she wanted to give people recognition that may not get the same recognition as people like MLK, Rosa parks and Harriett Tubman.
The murals that will be painted will also include the Tuskegee Airman Black pilots who served in WWII and the woman of NASA. The murals will take every day of February to complete and when asked to speak some more about the murals Gizette Knight said “I need to help my community, I want to help my community”
Historical Figures and their Famous Lines
This is what it means to be an African American historical figure in Black History Month.
Martin Luther King Jr, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama are all important figures in American history and should be celebrated during Black History Month.
Even though there are MANY important African American people in the world that was great. I chose to write about four great people: Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama. The ones I chose made a great impact on many people and my own families’ life.
This man had a great way of changing the world. We all know Martin Luther king; he had an amazing back story and a large influence on the world, but other races did not always take his appearance as a welcome. Born January 15th, 1929, he became a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist who had a huge influence on racial relations in the U.S. Through activism and inspirational speeches, he played a huge role in ending the legal segregation of African American citizens. On Thursday, April 4th 1968, MLK was shot and passed away standing on his balcony outside the Lorraine Motel by James Earl Ray who confessed to his crime for a 99-year prison term.
Martin Luther King Jr: I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers…
Rosa Parks was also an African American activist in the civil rights movement born February 4th, 1913 played a big role in the Montgomery bus boycott. Anyone that has heard of Rosa Parks’ story knows she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery Alabama bus in 1955. Back then it was a law that white citizens had their seat in the front and black citizens sat in the back. Her refusal inspired the black community especially the leader Martin Luther King Jr to start the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted for more than a year. She went to jail December 1st, 1955 Rosa gathered a lot of hate after her refusal but she still stuck by her word no matter what others thought.
Rosa Parks: On December 1, 1955, I made a very important decision that changed my life and the lives of many others. …I got on a bus and took a seat. Black people were not allowed to sit in the front of the bus. They had to sit in the back... The bus began filling up. Soon there were no seats left. The bus driver told me and some others to give up our seat for white people. I was the only one who did not follow the bus drivers’ orders. He told me he would call the police. I said “Arrest me for sitting on a bus? You may do that.” I was then arrested and taken to jail.
These two were great people in the African American community but there are still two more great leaders to talk about.
Barack Obama was our president from 2009-2017 he was our first black president and changed the world around this time for the better. Serving as the 44th president Obama gave many inspiring speeches. He and his wife Michelle Obama volunteered to help the community no matter the race because it was never about color or being the first black president it was always about LEADERSHIP! I hope another day in our life time we have a second black president. Also Kamala Harris is now our first WOMEN black vice president. Barack and Michelle welcomed Biden and Kamala to the white house because till today they are still historical figures in our community to people all around.
Barack Obama: “My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.”
Last but not least I present Harriet Tubman I chose her as my last to talk about because she is personally my favorite African American leader. She was born into slavery escaped and made her biggest priority to learn and make a mission to rescue enslaved people. She used antislavery activists and safe houses also known as the Underground Railroad to help innocent Americans escape from the cruel times of slavery. Tubman escaped slavery she was twenty years old. She helped conduct the Underground Railroad for 11 years and she at least saved 70 slaved to escape and have their freedom. She is a great leader, Harriet worked on rescuing these slaves the right way and accomplished her task the best way she could. Harriet Tubman passed from pneumonia in 1913, her final word to the ones in the room around her “I go to prepare a place for you.” There aren’t many speeches said by her.
Every single last one of these people helped our community or made a change in the world in their own way. No matter what the consequences came behind it. One day I hope we can all step up and make a change in history. Everyone needed changes like this in our life, if it wasn’t for these people to step up and others change wouldn’t be in the life we live today.
Pandemic Coverage
Pandemic Impact on Jobs
As we know, COVID has been around since the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020.
Life has not been the same for anyone; we can no longer go into public without a mask or simply watch a football game with friends. Every little activity requires a mask and is starting to get old.
Many jobs have been taken away by the pandemic or have changed significantly.
I interviewed Byron Gipson for this piece. When asked “how has covid affected you," he said “Covid has taken away a lot of opportunities and has changed the way of how we do things around here especially in the court house where we can no longer hold court.”
Judging by what he said I can come to the conclusion that this has also had a huge toll on prisoners and people who cannot see a judge due to COVID. I also think that everyone’s daily life is most definitely not normal depending on what job you may work.
OPINION:
The Repetitiveness of Everyday Life
8:00, wake up and prepare for school. 8:15, attend my first out of 4 classes. 3:00-5:00, finish the homework that is due in the next day or day after. Until dinner, play videogames with friends. After dinner watch anime, snack, play more videogames, then sleep. This is every day during virtual school with very minor changes in between each day.
A direct quote from WIS News 10 really illuminates the point of repetitiveness: “Witherspoon said the district wants to keep things as consistent as possible for students.” What exactly is the meaning of consistency? To me it means the same thing without change which is exactly what school is right now. My whole life school has always been a burden and now I’m almost at the point to where it will truly benefit me and my future and now school has been turned completely upside down. In previous years we would do things such as group projects, class debates, and socializing with my friends. These things kept school interesting and exciting the anticipation of your next class seeing your friends and hearing what your teachers have to say just can’t be matched during virtual school.
Besides the repetitiveness of school the fact remains that there is not much to do in Columbia. Even the things that are open and available are vastly different due to covid restrictions. Take for example bowling. The last time I visited a bowling alley the restrictions made it to where my party was split into multiple lanes which weren’t allowed to be next to each other. This significantly reduced the experience however it is best for safety. With many places being like the bowling alley described why even bother waste money to experience a separated experience. This then confines me back to my everyday life.
How the Pandemic has Affected Students
The COVID-19 global pandemic has had a large impact on everyone. Stores, restaurants, businesses, etc. While many businesses and workplaces were forced to close down, schools continued to give classes and assignments to students. Many students have taken school less seriously since the start of quarantine. Time management, motivation, and turning in work on time has been a struggle for many students.
USAToday interviewed a 14 year old girl, Veronica, about how her remote learning was going; “it has made it exponentially harder for her to stay motivated and learn. Her online classes are lecture-heavy, repetitive, and devoid of student conversation. Her grades have dropped from A's and B's to D's and F's. She stays up too late. She sleeps a lot. She misses her friends,” (USAToday). High schools are currently seeing some of the highest failure rates in decades. So much is on the line for teens in high school. Additionally, many universities have announced that they would not consider students who were enrolled in schools that adapted the “Pass-Fail” grading scale during spring of the 2020 school year. This is extremely unfair to many students, being that it was not their decision but the decision of their district.
Many colleges, however, have been trying to adapt to the current circumstances and make things easier for students these upcoming years. Yet, - college students are still struggling drastically. Ephraim Davis, currently a junior at Clemson University, explained how his college experience was affected by the pandemic. He says, “It’s very different from what I’m used to. Having classes online really makes things harder for me. I am working a full-time job trying to pay for my apartment since my parents haven’t had as much work recently. Things are different. It’s easier to procrastinate and think ‘oh I can just finish my assignments when I get back’ and never actually finish them. And professors really don’t seem to care about the fact that we’re living in a pandemic and not everyone has the time to sit at their computer all day”.
The pandemic has affected students’ time management and grades, as well as their mental health. JMIR Publications conducted a survey involving 195 college students in an attempt to assess the mental affects of the pandemic on the students. “ Of the 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating (173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms,” (JMIR Productions).
Many students feel as if their voices are not being heard during this unfortunate time. As one of the most vulnerable groups, there has been very little done to improve conditions for students. Remote learning is currently the safest option. However, grades last semester only further prove that most students need in-person instruction. Nevertheless, we can only hope that school districts realize this for themselves and work on bettering conditions and lessening students’ workload.
Not Just Our Work: Teachers with E-learning Kids and Students with E-learning Siblings
By Saniya Tucker
As we all know we are currently still in a pandemic and currently doing e-learning we know how it effects regular students and teachers. I was wondering what about students who have younger siblings and teachers who are parents as well. That’s what I’m here to talk about today I asked few questions to some people and my own opinion and this is what I got.
For me having a younger brother is hard during e-learning I have to help him with his work and all. I have to wake my brother up in the morning but he likes to go back to sleep and it’s easy to forget to wake him up. I have to keep taking time out of my day to check on him and make sure that he’s on task and is doing his work or that he didn’t fall asleep during class. It’s hard because I have to worry about someone else and keep up with them. I have to keep up with my work and I have to worry about him it’s just hard to do.
I find that it’s hard and annoying when you have to worry about yourself and your sibling during e-learning. I asked another student who has to do the same thing as me for her thoughts on the matter. After sending her a message asking her the questions this is what she said.
To my friend having a sibling during e-learning can be hard you have to take time out of your work time just to keep them on track which cuts back on the time you have to work on your stuff. The hardest part about the whole thing is watching them while you’re in school you basically have to babysit them. After a while it becomes routine which makes it easier they get into the swing of things and know what to ad what not to do buts it’s still hard at times. Overall having a sibling during e-learning is annoying but in the end it’s nice to have someone to keep you company.
I found that we had a lot of the same opinions but that got me wondering some parents also have jobs as teachers and they have to work with their students and their kids how is that effecting them. My mom is a teacher so I decided to ask her a few questions to better understand what she was going through.
“It’s hard because I have to constantly check behind one of my kids especially since he has a IEP I have to come home from work to more work and I have to try and balance it all” she said. Its difficult teaching little kids online their attention span has lessened. Somedays it’s so quiet you can hear a pen drop and other days it’s so loud it sounds like a party. To sum everything up she said “like forest Gump said “life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re gonna get””. Everything is just stressful and tiring and because of that a lot of things slide at home. Her over all thoughts were Virtual forces parents to be a part of their kid’s education and gives them a better understanding of what it’s like being a teacher. Hopefully they have a better understanding of what teachers go through. E-learning works for some students but it doesn’t for others and I’m scared some students will fall behind since virtual is so lenient with work. I understand teachers are overwhelmed and tired this is new for everyone people making decisions not really sure how to handle this I’m basically in the middle some things implemented work and some things need to go back to the drawing board but hey we’re trying.
To sum up everything that has been stated so far e-learning effects everyone differently but it’s hard for everyone. Everyone is just trying to get through it and do the best they can. We’re all getting used to it and it isn’t always bad.
Who, When, and Where: COVID Vaccine.
By Jackson Robinson
We are almost rounding a year being in this pandemic. COVID 19 has slowed down our lives and we have had to adapt and adjust. Scientists have come up with a 2-part vaccine that will be distributed to the public. This vaccine is not 100% effective and it will not work if you only get one shot you need both doses. From what the South Carolina department of health and environmental control (DHEC) has released there have been around 813,788 doses given in South Carolina.
Catharine Warner works at DHEC in public health communications she said, “you are currently eligible to receive the COVID 19 vaccine if you are a front line medical worker, a long term care facility resident, or if you are over the age of 65”.
This is called phase 1A; this is when the people who need it the most get the vaccine. The second phase is 1B that is when frontline essential workers get it and that will be around early spring. Then comes 1C and that is when if you are 16-64 years old with an underlying health condition you can receive the vaccine and that is estimated to be around late spring. Last is phase 2 and that is when most high school students will be getting It, anyone who hasn’t gotten the vaccine will receive it in phase 2 you must be 16 years or older.
If you fall into one of those categories, “the best place to go to schedule your appointment and see where you might be able to receive your vaccine is the DHEC website, you can call a number if having trouble with the website and would like to speak with a person at 1(866)365-8110”.
Our columbia
New Business Coming to Millwood
Coming soon to the area near Dreher, is a new Starbucks and fitness gym. The stores will be opening up by March 2021. Will this be a struggle for people in the in the area and students to get used to? With more, new activity in the area that has been empty and vacant, there is no telling how the residents in the area will react. There is also a huge competitor to Starbucks, right down the road. Dunkin Donuts. Many students that attend Dreher like to go to Dunkin Donuts before or after school to get a quick snack to start or end their school day. The number of students that go may decrease due to the Starbucks.
Along with a new Starbucks, is a Basecamp Fitness coming soon. This workout place is new to South Carolina and could see tons of business because of it. These new shops could get tons of business in the recent months to come which is going to increase traffic down in the area by Dreher. Many people at Dreher including Mr. Hasinger are “happy to see the area grow but I am concerned about the amount of traffic that these establishments will bring about.
We will have to find out for ourselves what these businesses do to our surrounding area around the school. Hopefully these businesses will have a positive effect on the area and not a negative one.
Sex trafficking is defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.” It involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to make an adult engage in commercial sex.
Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, including sexual slavery, which is considered a form of modern slavery. There are many ways to prevent getting trafficked; Always tell a family member or trusted friend where you are going and when you will return. Set up safety words with loved ones that you can use on a phone call or in a text to indicate an emergency. Never let a partner or employer take possession of your passport, identification, other important documents. Memorize the phone number of a trusted family member or friend and etc.
I read a article about a girl name Luiza Karimova, she got trafficked and was held hostage in a apartment with one of her friends. They got their passports and identification cards taken in order to get new one which where fake. They soon became sex slaves and had to do whatever the clients wanted. They often had to go to night clubs and basically prostitute to earn at least at least 10,000 USD by the end of the month, says Karimova. “For 18 months, her life was consumed by the nightclub work.” She spent a year in jail. When she got released she went back to the sex industry until she was approached by Podruga, an organization that assists women subjected to sex and drug trafficking. They soon ffered her work and now she works to prevent the exact situation in which she found herself.
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current events
Russian Opposition
By Jacob Merrill
After being poisoned 5 months ago and almost dying, Alexander Navalny and the massive Russian opposition continue to be a nuisance to the Russian government while raising international concerns.
It’s no secret that the Russian political system is full of corruption, particularly a sort of cronyism that gives Russian billionaires great political power. It is this that Vladimir Putin’s power relies on; Putin helps these billionaires in the political scene in exchange for their endorsement, keeping him in power.
Alexei Navalny is the greatest critic to this rampant corruption; amassing over 1.1 Billion total views on his many YouTube documentaries, including one where he exposes Putin’s secret but magnificent 180,000 sq. ft. palace. He has been around for a while, and is a pretty popular figure. He is not popular though for his own political stance—he is a member of the social-liberal Yabloko party—but rather for his steadfast opposition to the Russian establishment.
On an ordinary plane ride, Navalny became very sick, leading to an emergency landing. Upon landing and immediately after, his blood tests came back perfectly fine but he was clearly poisoned. Authorities continued to refuse his poisoning, failing to release any detailed information and delaying Navalny’s departure to Berlin, Germany to be treated.
The delay was an “attempt on his life” carried out by “doctors and deceitful authorities who authorized it,” according to Navalny’s spokesperson. “The struggle for Alexei’s life and health is just beginning, and there is still a lot to go through, but now at least the first step has been taken,” she said.
Upon arrival in Berlin, Navalny’s blood was tested again revealing the presence of a Soviet-developed nerve agent, Novichok, in his bloodstream. Russian authorities held him up hoping that the poison in his bloodstream would dissipate before he could make it to Berlin. The doctor that treated died 3 weeks ago at 55.
While recovering in Berlin, Navalny posed as a leader in the Russian FSB security force and got an FSB agent to unknowingly admit to poisoning him in a fake ‘debrief’ phone call. “Well, yes, if he was in the air for longer, and they did not land in such an abrupt way, possibly, things would have not gone the way they did. Meaning, if the medics did not aid him, if there was no ambulance at the airport, and so on,” said the FSB agent baited by Navalny.
Later Navalny asked, “What item of clothing was the emphasis on? What is the most risky piece of clothing?" the agent replied, “Underpants.”
Navalny now knew with certainty that the Russian authorities had poisoned them, they had even tried to cover it up. Yet the Kremlin continues to deny poisoning Nevalny, citing that there is zero evidence for a poisoning.
Almost immediately after his recovery—which included relearning how to walk, Navalny returned to Moscow “because we don’t want the main character…(Putin)to think that I am afraid of him and that I will only tell his worst secrets while abroad.”
Upon his arrival in Moscow, Navalny was detained. The charge raised against him by Russian authorities being “parole violation” committed while he was in Germany recovering from the nerve poison; he was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison for this violation.
Navalny though, and many international authorities, has accused this charge as fabricated. “I have deeply offended him simply by surviving the assassination attempt that he ordered,” said Navalny. “The aim of this hearing is to scare a great number of people,” Navalny added. “You can’t jail the entire country.”
When the verdict was announced, huge crowds of protesters converged in Moscow and St. Petersburg. As a result, equally as huge crowds of helmeted riot police showed their presence, attacking protesters seemingly unprovoked.
Over 11,000 were arrested at protests over 2 separate weekends, and raids carried out on apartments and offices of Navalny and opposition associates citing investigations on covid regulation violations.
“I dreamed of becoming a superhero as a child because they inspired me to fight for justice. I grew up and simply waited, hoping that justice would prevail on its own. Well, now I’m tired. And now we have to fight, if not for ourselves, then for our children who will live in this country,” said Danila Poperechny, a stand-up comedian at one of the more popular Moscow protests with around 50,000 attendees.
Many are concerned with the treatment of protesters and prisoners in Russia, and many more are concerned with the release of Navalny from prison.
“We reiterate our call for the Russian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Navalny, as well as the hundreds of other Russian citizens wrongfully detained in recent weeks for exercising their rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the situation.
On February 17, the European Court of Human Rights also declared that Navalny should be released citing a threat to his life. Once again Russian authorities dismiss this call citing a lack of evidence, “baseless and unlawful” they called the ECHR’s decision.
The European Union and United Kingdom have already sanctioned many Putin associates in an effort to punish the Russian aristocracy’s involvement in the mass corruption in Russia. Now, a letter from a Russian anti-corruption group calls on the US, “Existing sanctions don’t reach enough of the right people. The West must sanction the decisions makers who have made it national policy to rig elections, steal from the budget, and poison.”
In a private phone call with President Putin, President Biden even called for the release of Navalny and initiated an investigation by the US intelligence community. According to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, President Biden, “did not hold back in conveying his concern about the treatment of Alexei Navalny and [Putin’s] treatment of protesters.”
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Work Cited
Opinion: Are we Alone in the Galaxy?
I have a strong feeling that we are not alone in this universe. Half of the stars in our galaxy that are similar to the sun could be home to an Earth like planet capable of supporting life. Based on the size of the universe, there are at least 100 billion stars in our home galaxy alone and maybe even 100 billion galaxies the same size scattered throughout deep space. There are not many scientists that believe Earth is the only home of life. The Galileo spacecraft has found a liquid salty ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. And Mars most likely once had liquid water flowing on its surface. Scientists now believe that much of it is still there, locked beneath the surface. Some theorists even think that life originated first in a cometary environment then reached Earth. In 2017 an unusual object was seen travelling through the solar system. They named it Oumuamua. It was small and sphere like. It traveled at a speed fast enough to escape the Sun’s gravity and move into interstellar space. It is an asteroid or comet like object that has left another star and travelled through space. We witnessed it as it flew by us. Not everyone agrees that it is an asteroid or comet. Avi Loeb, a Harvard who is a professor of astronomy, suggested in a recent book that it is an alien spaceship. Most scientists disagree with the claim. While it seems very unlikely, I feel like anything is possible but am not sure how I feel about it. And I found that there are thin sections of sedimentary rocks on earth between 2.7 and 3.5 billion years old. There are also no rocks on the earth or the moon that are more than four billion years old.
Interview-
I’m interviewing my dad.
Me- Do you think we’re alone in this universe?
Him-“I think that the universe Is way too big, and infinite. It’s so large that there has to be some other lifeform elsewhere in the universe. If it’s not close to us then it may be so far away that we would never interact with them. But in my opinion there has to be”
welcome to wall street
Class division has always lived within the stock market, especially with the new developments between the subreddit r/wallstreetbets, hedge funders, and the company GameStop. One side has nothing to lose, the other has the money, and the last is a seemingly dying company.
Reddit has been responsible for GameStop’s recent explosive stock growth. In simple terms, a stock is a thing you spend money or invest in, in the hopes that it increases in value. When it goes down too much, you sell. In theory, whether the value goes up or down depends on news surrounding the stock, whether people panic sell or buy usually has to do with the company. The assumption is that as the market goes up, with a diverse enough set of stocks, a profit is made. Media plays a huge part in what stocks people buy, for example, an important person could have a statement about a company and directly lead to the increase or decrease in value of the stock. When a purpose makes that kind of statement directly, with the purpose of increasing or decreasing the value, they are participating in “market manipulation.”
Jordan Knight, an economics teacher at Dreher Highschool describes market manipulation as “the act of doing anything that interferes with the stock market to raise or lower the price of a stock in order to benefit from the price change. For the most part, it is illegal but still happens since it is hard to prove in some cases. In the case of Gamestop, people on Reddit manipulated the market by telling the buyer to buy the stock and then sell it at increasingly higher prices.”
What can be taken away from these events would be to encourage younger people to learn about stocks, to be knowledgeable about how the system works, and how they can use that system to benefit them. Younger generations can use this to slowly close that gap between the classes, to end that class division of the poor and the rich.
Mr. Knight agrees with this and claims that: “the big part of younger buyers is that the generation is riskier with money, able to better access technology, and open to new ideas- like app trading. Older traders are more traditional and less likely to want change. As the new tech generation gets more into the market, the stock market will have to change to adapt. The best benefit of learning about stocks is that you can get rich quickly and easily if you make smart investments.”
Near the end of January, Keith Gill, known to many as Roaring Kitty, started a movement on the r/WallStreetBets (WSB) subreddit to over inflate the stock value of GameStop (GME). This movement caused GME shares to go from $6/share about four months ago to $347.51/share at its peak on January 27th. The movement became so widespread that popular investing app Robinhood actually halted the trading of GME and other small company shares popularized on the internet.
Everything wasn’t all fun and games, though. Big hedge fund corporations were panicking when they saw the share prices rising, which comes from the way hedge funds work. The stock market is, essentially, a giant casino where people place bets on the success of a company, and are rewarded based on how well that company is doing.
Hedge funds play the same game, but with a twist. Instead of betting on a company’s success like the rest of us, hedge funds bet on the failure of a company. They do this by using a market technique called shorting. Shorting is when you “borrow” a stock from a company promising to return the share and the market value of that share on a set expiration date. For example, you buy a share of GME when it is $10/share. You are placing money on your belief that when you go to sell that share, it will be worth more than $10 so that you can make a profit. But if you were to try and short that share of GME, you would be given the market value of that share, $10, with an agreement to pay them back whatever that share is worth at the end of your term.
When big hedge fund managers saw that the price of GME was going up, they started to panic. They were losing BILLIONS of dollars because the price; when they started the short, it was close to $6, and now it was over $300. GME prices got so high, these companies were forced to buy back their shares early, making them loose billions of dollars a day. Hedge funds were increasingly in trouble because of the way buying back their shares works. When you buy a share of stock, the price for that stock goes up because there are less stocks on the market, so when you buy back a shorted stock, the price for that company goes up. That being said, when the hedge funds bought back their stocks early, they forced up the price making them buy back even more of their stocks and so on and so on.
On February 18th, the United States House committee for Financial Services held a hearing to determine whether or not there should be a change in policy regarding short selling stocks, whether or not Roaring Kitty should be punished for “market manipulation”, and whether or not Robinhood should be punished for blocking the trading of stocks that were popularized on the internet. Witnesses included Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and Steve Huffman, CEO and Co-Founder of Reddit. The CEO’s of Citadel LLC and Melvin Capital Management LP, Kenneth C. Griffin and Gabriel Plotkin respectively, as well as Cato Institute’s Director of Financial Regulation Studies and Roaring Kitty himself, Kieth Gill. You can find the information on the hearing on the House’s Financial Services committee’s website financialservices.house.gov and searching for “Game Stopped? Who Wins and Loses When Short Sellers, Social Media, and Retail Investors Collide”
Sources:
Game Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZEOHY9FWBw
United States House subcommittee on Financial Services: https://financialservices.house.gov
The price of stock for GameStop rose drastically due to mass sudden investment, causing hedge funds who had bet against the company to pay millions.
“So they bought for dirt cheap, manipulated the market to get the price higher, and then sold to the hedge fund. The hedge fund had to buy it.” Mr. Knight said in an interview.
Hedge funds on Wall Street regularly do this thing called “shorting a stock”, where they bet against a company that either is failing, or is doomed to fail in the near future. If they are correct in their bet and the price of stock goes down, they make money. If they are incorrect however and the price of stock goes up, they must buy that stock.
“Since they are trading in borrowed shares, they HAVE to rebuy, no matter what. So if the price is $400 a share for gamestock, THEY HAVE TO BUY IT- you are guaranteed a buyer”, said Mr. Knight in an interview.
The price of stock rose so rapidly due to Reddit users finding out that hedge funds were betting against GameStop, and raising the price of stock by investing en masse. As a consequence of the price of stock rising so dramatically, and because there were so many buyers, hedge funds had to pay millions of dollars.
“People don't think it’s fair that companies can get rich off other's failures, like GameStop going bankrupt, so they tried to reverse that” said Mr. Knight.
As a result of large hedge funds having to pay so much money due to the market being manipulated, those on Wall Street, including hedge funds have called for more regulation of the stock market to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future.
“Hedge funds have been manipulating the market for decades, and nobody cares- now the little man does it and people are calling for reform. The difference is before it was done in quiet backrooms and offices, today it is done on the internet for millions of people” said Mr. Knight “ It’s been proven that anyone can manipulate the markets now, not just the "insiders"” He said “That scares them”.
Article source: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-55841719
Sports
Cheating in sports, which is altering the game in some way to give yourself a competitive advantage, is extremely common, and is impossible to entirely get rid of, but some changes could be made that at least reduce it. There are many methods of cheating,
“The most prevalent kind of cheating is the use of performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids.”
PEDs are very common, and are actually in many medications, so often players can take them without even knowing, as Texans receiver Will Fuller did this season. Although this is the main form of cheating, there are many others as well, such as equipment modification, videoing practices/stealing playbooks, and paying off officials.
One of the most well known cheating scandals in recent history was Tom Brady’s deflategate, which was when the footballs the New England patriots were using were under legal PSI. However, no evidence could be found that proved Brady was guilty.
“When it was reviewed on the facts, it was basically completely unsupported. The court of appeals did not review or reverse those findings. It simply said because it was arbitration, the courts couldn't get involved.”
The other two main forms of cheating also have both had Patriots scandals attached to them, as Bill Belichick was accused of filming the Bengals playbook and sideline, and Brady has been accused of paying off referees to make calls in his favor for years.
However, this leads us into why all of this is wrong, other than the obvious reason. If another team attempts to gain a competitive advantage over another, it is extremely unfair, as it not only gives one team an undeserving win, but it cheats another out of a victory, as well as all of the players on that team. As Matthew said during our interview:
“Players have spent their lives working and preparing for moments like these. To the rest of us, it is just a game, but to them, it’s their life’s work going to waste because someone wanted an easier win.”
Also, there is the money aspect of cheating. Certain victories, like a SB win or a winning record, can grant players bonuses, and players may be inclined to cheat to meet these marks. This creates a whole new motivation to cheat, as players will actually receive some form of financial gain.
Although we know that we cannot entirely get rid of cheating in sports, there are some ways to prevent it. Experts have suggested that teams create more complicated play calls, and even change them up some from game to game to make them harder to copy. Also, some experts believe that the main method would be to threaten a players career.
“But I think the best deterrent of all is punishment, threatening every participant's place in the game.”
If a player/coach’s career is at risk, they are much less likely to sacrifice something that they had worked that hard on, especially for just a few wins. Other methods that could be used are harsher penalties, or investigating all officials involved if a game has a plethora of calls that were wrong or favored one team.
Page Break
On October 22, 2020, the basketball superstar Michel Jordan announced that he was going to start his own nascar racing team with bubba Wallace and along with him Denny Hamlin. The new 23xi racing team made history is the first and only black owned racing team in nascar. One thing that not many people know how knowledgeable Jordan is on the nascar world in fact he is a longtime fan The racing team should start off well because they have a technical reliance with Joe Gibbs racing. With Joe Gibbs racing being a top tier racing team in the series and bubba being a high level driver in the series 23xi has the potential to do well. Jordan has high expectations for the team, he said in an interview with cbs “My main goal for 23XI Racing is to be competitive for a championship as soon as possible“. Also Wallace showed some speed finishing 4th in the qualifying for the Daytona 500 and he showed some speed in practice last week. Bubba Wallace finished 17th and as well has Denny Hamlin finishing 5th. That shows that the team is very capable of pulling off what could be at least 2 wins this season. Overall it was a solid performance and it ended like it does for many teams.