Earth Day is coming!

       

By: Jessica Robertson

We are quickly approaching Earth Day, the annual holiday when our minds and goals are united to help promote change for the sake of our planet and our future. This year the holiday is April 22, a Tuesday. Most of us won’t get the day off work, celebrate around the table with a family dinner, or exchange gifts, but we can still find joy and importance in the special day!

            What will you do to make your Earth Day memorable for yourself and impactful for those around you? You have just a few more days to decide. Many cities plan festivals focused on community programs that benefit the environment, whether local or widespread. Attending a local event like this could inspire a new habit for your daily life in your community. You could write a letter to your local government leaders suggesting a change you find important, like creating a bike share or improving emissions laws. Be deliberate in making a difference on Earth Day; make memories by planting a tree, riding your bike to work, or taking a stroll around your neighbourhood to pick up litter.

            Whatever you choose to do on Earth Day, let it be an influence to your own soul and to those around you. It is good to serve those around you. Can you make your Earth Day activities an annual tradition? Can you repeat your Earth Day activities every week? Every day, even? Small changes can add up to big improvements. Let’s make a difference for our planet! 

They've stopped counting the dead

By: Daniela Silva


It hard to really catch on the current events, especially on Syria; thinking about it, I myself sat in confusion as to what really was going on. Syria is located in western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean sea. It is a giant melting pot of diverse ethnic and religious communities, including Arab Alawites, Arab Sunnis, Arab Christians, Armenians, Druze, Kurds and Turks. Arab Sunnis make up the majority of the Syrian population of 22.4 million people.

With this in mind, Syria had peaceful protests in which the people asked for democratic and economic reconstitution within the government and in return the government had overthrown this peaceful protest with military force on the people openly shooting children and women. The civil war then came into motion in March 2011, when fourteen to fifteen teenagers were arrested, six,allegedly tortured and two brutally killed for vandalizing school property with an anti government statement. Since then the people have taken a stand and have began a civil war-which goes on to this day.

Over 130,433 people have lost their lives; the UN has decided to refrain from counting anymore. Fathers, mothers and children have been brutally killed on a day to day basis, and the war has shown no signs of breaking. Shootings of people, snipers that prey on children and chemical warfare have been used against the people. The chemical inside the deployed rockets, is called the sarin nerve agent; twenty times more deadly than cyanide. The Syrian army is believed to have 1,000 tonnes of chemicals for use in warfare, including the sarin chemical; It is highly believed by the United states of america that the Syrian government is responsible for this attack.

This right here is unethical, inhuman and gruesome; a lot of people still have no idea as to why.

Syrians need a voice, the people need aid and care. Stand up and voice what is going on; we need to step in. Below, a child is treated after a bombing.

Come into existence

 The time has come to take charge. 

Are we just going to sit here and let life pass us by?

We must raise our voices and express ourselves, shed light into our essential vitality for all to see.

 We follow society, looking to fit the social norm. When will we truly come to acceptance of whom we are; who we all are? Whatever race you are, whatever style you wear, religion and sexual preference you have, you still have a voice.

Our prevalent goal in life is to be happy, to make a difference. Yet we have lost sight, and forgotten to take care of our earth, our people.

Speak up, we can make a difference. 

You can be history.