Month: November 2015

On September 16th 2015 the national Republican Debate started, with discussion topics ranging from immigration, gay rights, women’s rights, gun control and reform policy. One main issue the Republicans had was a serious argument about the issue of defunding Planned Parenthood.
While the Republicans take it upon themselves to politicize women’s health, Planned Parenthood has had major backlash. Republicans across the nation and some in the running for president, have decided to appoint a national committee to investigate Planned Parenthood. While this committee ceases to find any evidence countering the company of anything unlawful or anything “gross” with legal terms, a congressional hearing brought the matter into different legal bindings. Women’s health is a big issue in this nation, and while some women don’t know where to turn to for help, the Republicans are making it nearly impossible for a women to feel good about caring for herself.
Republicans and some religious organizations have adopted an “abortion alternative” house. It is a religious based establishment that tries to “change” the minds of women that want an abortion. The big issue is that, by law, they are required to provide sufficient information on where the women can actually get abortions. Some of these houses are not following that law optimally and women are getting victimized by it. This is not fair, if a women has to even go to the pro-life establishment to know about abortions, then it is probably her only option and secluding her from the only effective place of where she can receive what she wants is completely insane.
Cecile Richards, the President of Planned Parenthood was present in a congressional hearing because of videos that supposedly showed the company harvesting body parts of aborted bodies (which was deemed inadequate and highly edited). The hearing lasted a lengthy five hours and Ms. Richards was constantly being blamed for the tapes and her salary. The Government Reform Committee had continued to spit offensive comments towards Richards which had become very irrelevant and quite rude. At one point, they actually compared her to a criminal that has hidden things from the press. This comment was completely off base and immature.
After one comment over the next, a comment that really stood out to me was one of the Committee, a committee member had said, “There is no war on women.”, said Jason Chaffetz. I found this quite ironic actually. If there were no war on women they would not be having that conversation. The very fact that they are fighting and having a heated argument about the rights of women makes it a war. As a woman, I have to be knowledgeable of what I can and cannot do compared to a man, and that right there is another war.

The student parking lot is full of different types of cars. There are Toyotas, Chevrolets, and Hondas. However, diesel fueled Volkswagens are something to look out for. These ‘fuel-efficient’ cars have become a hot topic for the recent scandal its makers have been involved in.
Volkswagen, well known for its “clean” diesel fueled vehicles, has admitted to cheating on emission tests meant to regulate the amount of air pollution in vehicles in the United States. According to CNBC, Volkswagen installed “defeat devices” in the electronic control module of diesel vehicles, which can sense when emission tests were in progress, and initiate a “test mode,” in which the car appears to meet the standards needed for the assessment. Once the emission test ends, the car will revert to its original function and release 10 to 40 times the federal standard of nitrogen oxide, according to the EPA.
Volkswagen CEO, Matthias Muller spoke at a works meeting in October, making no excuses to the employees. “We can and will overcome this crisis, because Volkswagen is a group with a strong foundation,” Muller promised, according to the Volkswagen website. However, things are not looking to good for the Volkswagen company, which has already withdrawn its application for the sale of diesel fueled vehicles in America for the 2016 model year. According to Volkswagen chief executive Michael Horn, these “defeat devices” were not endorsed by the company as a whole. “This was a couple of software engineers who put this in for whatever reason. To my understanding this was not a corporate decision. This was something individuals did,” he claimed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Volkswagen has set aside about $7.3 billion to cover the costs of the scandal and the subsequent damage it has caused. Muller promised that all affected cars in Germany would be fixed by the end of 2016, but no clear deadline has been made for cars affected in the United States, reported by CNN.
Muller reassures diesel Volkswagen owners, as expressed on the Volkswagen website, that, “At no time was the safety of our customers compromised.” While diesel vehicles did cheat on the emissions test, the “defeat devices” did not affect any other major function of the vehicle. Even though some reassurance is offered from Volkswagen, the company remains in controversy.

On September 20, 2015, the Sacramento community lost a dear friend to suicide. Her name was Janna Shimizu. She was 16 years old, and went to John F. Kennedy High School her freshman year, before she switched to independent studies for her education. Growing up, she played soccer and basketball and she absolutely loved to sing. Her voice was beautiful and she was always singing, whether it be in a talent show or just in front of her friends. Janna was loved deeply by many.

Her death affected many people within the Sacramento community, all of whom were hit with a different emotion. Whether it was guilt, anger or sadness, those close to her and those not, were all affected by the situation. She brought the community even closer, evoking a shared sense of grief for her loss, and shedding some light on the topic of suicide and depression. SHe will be missed by the McClatchy students who knew her.

Caitlin Tov, a junior at CKM, met Janna through church and basketball when they were in kindergarten. She said, “I didn’t know that she was sad. She just made me realize that some people do have problems and that we should always be there to help.” Like others in the Sacramento community, Caitlin has become more aware of suicide and depression because of Janna. She stated, “It’s just sad that she thought the only way out was that [suicide]. Nobody should have to feel like that.”

Another student who was close to Janna was Haley Cogburn, a junior at CKM. Haley grew up with Janna, went to elementary school with her, and was involved in the same Girl Scouts troop. Haley stated, “Janna taught me how to enjoy life and the happy moments within it. Despite the hard times in her life, she was always able to make others smile and laugh.” Again, we see the profound effect that Janna had on the lives of her friends, as she taught them how to laugh and smile, even when life is hard. In addition, Haley stated, “I know this was a really hard situation to deal with, but it brought me and my Girl Scout troop closer together. It showed us how valuable people are in our lives and it’s sad that we don’t realize it until they’re gone.”

Along with many other students, I was also friends with Janna. We grew up together and knew each other through church and other various activities throughout our elementary years. Not only has she given me more knowledge and awareness, but also she has gifted me with a better appreciation for life and for the people in it. Her death showed me how life can be cut short and to be thankful for the people who surround me.

Because of the issues raised by Janna’s death, students from CKM, Kennedy and various other schools in the Sacramento district have banded together to create a walk for suicide awareness. Held on October 3rd, the event showed how her death impacted the community, as the people of Sacramento joined as one with the goal of raising more awareness. Though many are still grieving for her loss, everybody wants to help spread consciousness about this sensitive subject and give Janna the representation she didn’t have before.