MEADOWDALE HIGH SCHOOL February 2017

Volume 3, Issue 6

IM NOT LION
EDITORS
...LET ME BE HONEST!
Mariah Benson

Andrew Caldwell JR
History of minimum wage
Anduryn Gallimore
By Andrew Caldwell JR
Cheyanne Hardy
Minimum wage is a problem that has always been an issue for the poor and the middle class. For
teens, this issue is affecting them the most; some receive below minimum wage, which doesnt help Savannah Harraway
them because they need money to provide and care for themselves. Heres some background on
how this whole situation began.

The very first minimum wage approved by the federal government was in 1938 during the term of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (during the Great Depression). It was initially about 25 cents per Journalists
hour and ever since then, its been changed 22 times by Congress. As of right now, 2.5 million work-
ers earn minimum wage or below. Mahogany Bankston
People wanting minimum wage to be raised believe that $7.25 per hour is too low for anyone to live Precious Brown
on and believe if it increases, it will create jobs and help grow the economy. They also believe this is
one of the main reasons why there is inequality between low and middle income workers, thus they Katelyn Conley
believe this is why most Americans support increasing the minimum wage.
Kaylah Crutcher
Opponents going against raising minimum wage say many businesses cant afford this kind of change
because they may not be able to pay workers and theyll be forced to close their businesses, lay-off Krichonna DeVance
workers, or stop hiring. In 1890 the salary of an average American was $380 annually, which was
well below the poverty line of $500 per year. As a result, a movement called Progressivism began Erick Dominguez
to improve American working conditions and wages.
Javon Ferguson
It succeeded and the nation introduced the first state minimum laws in 1912, starting with Massa-
chusetts. Eleven more states began to enforce these laws after sometime later, which covered wom- Noelle Freeman
en and children, but not men (1913-17).
Katelyn Givhan
While men, past and present earn a lot and rely on the protection of unions, women and minors
don't get the same. They couldn't get contracts and they had very low wages. Women even sold Unique Mattison
their body to earn money (earned minimum wage later on to live in an adequate standard that
Dawon Smith
doesn't need male workforce).

In 1913 Oregon had a minimum wage legislation that enforced a weekly wage of $8.25 for experi-
enced women, $6 for inexperienced women and girls 16-18. Some earned a higher rate if they
worked in Portland. The NIRA (National Industrial Recovery Act), signed by President Roosevelt, was
the actual first piece to attempt to establish a federal minimum wage. Then 14 states agreed to this
and went with the federal minimum wage.
The five states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee are the only ones
that don't have minimum wage legislation, but they are required to pay at least $7.25 an hour. As of
last year, 30 cities and counties have adopted to enforce a higher minimum wage than the expecta-
tion. Over last year, the highest minimum wage is $14.44 an hour in Emeryville, Calif., but now there
are laws that don't allow cities or counties to make their own minimum wages.

In 2009 the minimum wage was $7.25 per hour. Back then, there were multiple attempts to raise
the wage, but were unsuccessful. The two best efforts were the Harkin-Miller proposal that wanted
to raise the wage to $10.10 (supported by Obama) and the Living Wage Movement that wanted the
wage to be $15 (both were unsuccessful). (Continued on pg. 2)
 Minimum wage (continued from page 1):
The Living Wage Movement was established
in the 1990s and it stated that people who
work full-time earn enough to support them-
selves and their families without any help
from welfare or programs. According to a
2015 poll by CBS and The New York Times, 71
percent of people like the idea of $10.10 an
hour and 26 percent are opposed. Since 1994
people in favor of the increase in minimum
wage has been over 70 percent.
hour, according to the U.S. Department of
Labor in 2015-16; this includes full-time stu-
dents. In 2015, 55 percent of workers that
earn the average minimum wage or below
were 25 years old. 63 percent were women
(58 percent are working part time); 73 per-
cent of these minimum wage workers were
white; about 20 percent were African Ameri-
can; 18 percent were Hispanic or Latino, and 4
percent were Asian. Most teens/early 20s
made up the 50 percent of workers in food
preparation and serving occupations.

In the 1930s there were two acts, The Public
Contracts Act (PCA) and The Fair Labor Stand-
ards Act (FLSA). The PCA covered workers
making goods under federal contracts
amounting to approximately $10,000. The
FLSA was established in 1938, setting a na-
tional wage of 25 cents per hour on a 44-45
workweek and prohibiting children from
working forcibly or harshly by owners.
By 1932 minimum wage laws in six states had
been rejected and deemed unfair. By mid-
1941 about 26 states all had minimum wage
laws. Technically, many people earn minimum
wage, but here are the statistics for who
really earns the federal minimum wage: 2.5
million workers over 16 and older earned at
or below the minimum wage of $7.25 per
The latest on minimum wage was in Mar.
2016; 45 states have their own laws on mini-
mum wage. More than half of these states
have a higher wage than $7.25 an hour, the
highest being in Washington D.C. at $10.50 an
hour. Minimum wage is still at $7.25, but
were still struggling. Some struggle to get
money from where they work and it only
makes it harder on them to keep up with
societys expectations, proving this is still in
the working stages.

Pregnancy knows & woes

By: Precious Brown

Many should know that most women who give birth to children with fetal alcohol syndrome live
within a social and cultural community that condones or is ineffective in dealing with problem
drinkers.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a birth defect which occurs when the mother drinks alcohol during her
pregnancy. The effects of FAS are developmental disabilities, physical appearance, and behavior-
al and learning problems.

Babies exposed to alcohol in the womb can develop fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
There is no specific amount of alcohol one should drink to avoid harming an unborn child. Wom-
en should just stay away from it during the pregnancy. It can cause issues such as difficulties with
learning, memory, attention, problem solving, mental health, and social interactivity.

A note of advice for women and men, but mostly women, please be aware and cautious of any-
thing that can be risky during pregnancy. Not only is alcohol unhealthy, but drugs and other non-
prescribed medications are as well.

If one has an addiction to alcohol or drugs, the unborn child is at high risk. Contact Children's
Services or a program that helps and specializes in addictions.

Be safe and keep the unborn child safe from all tragic events before and after birth.

2
Staying on track
By Erick Dominguez

One of the oldest sports of all time is horse racing. It is believed to have started in 4500 BC with
the nomadic tribesman of Central Asia. Since then it has grown into one of the most popular
sports.

In 1989 over 50 million Americans would attend 8,000 days of racing with the wagers being over
$9 billion. The sport is widely popular all around the world. The most popular type of racing is
with thoroughbred horses racing on flat surfaces with fields of various sizes.

The origin behind today's modern horse racing goes back to the 12th century when English
knights who traveled to the crusades brought back Arabian horses where they bred them and the
horses would become much faster and would have stronger endurance. During the reign of
Queen Anne, horse racing became a professional sport. That involved many types of horses that
were being bred. With the sport rapidly growing, it created a new central governing authority, but
in 1750, racing's elite met at the New Market to form the Jockey Club, who still, to this day, regu-
late horse racing.

In 1665 the first track in America was built in Long Island, New York, but the sport was organizing
racing until after the Civil War ended in 1868. Years would go by when the sport massively grew in
1890, with over 300 tracks open across America. In the Early 1900s the sport almost came to the
end. Betting had been banned and by 1908 only 25 tracks remained. In that same year the Ken-
tucky Derby introduced pari-mutuel betting, which caused the sport to have a turn around. Pari-
mutuel betting is a form of betting in which those backing the first three places divide the losers'
stakes (less the operator's commission). The sport would continue to grow and to this day has
survived many different scandals, but is still loved by many across the world who place their bets
and hope to win some money.

Malayan Gharial
By Javon Ferguson

If you are one who likes learning about different types of reptiles all over the world, well then
you came to the right place. Every month I will be giving you information on different types of
reptiles all around the world.

The first reptile I will be writing about is the Malayan Gharial. This crocodilian spends a lot of
time in the water, so this animal is built for swimming. Its body helps it cut through water, mak-
ing it easier to swim and its muscular tail helps it to navigate faster in the water. Their eyes and
nose sit on top of their head so they can hear things even when theyre mostly submerged. These
reptiles have special structures in their mouth and throat so they can breathe with their mouth
open, while being able to prevent water from entering its throat.

This creature can grow to 13 feet long, but it can also grow much larger. Like all crocodilians,
their body is covered with scaly, protective armor to have extra protection against predators.
This reptiles slender snout helps it to catch its prey easier. Even though fish is its favorite food, it
also likes to eat crustaceans, like crabs. since its snout helps it get through their protective shell,
but thats not all. These creatures are also known to eat mammals, such as the macaque monkey.
Once their jaws clamp down on something, there is no chance of escape because their jaws close
with tremendous force.

Their habitat consists of various vegetation and the females can lay up to 20 to 60 eggs. They
hatch in a little over three months, but the Malayan Gharial are in danger of extinction. One cool
fact about the Malayan Gharial is that its name means sharp mouth in Greek.

3
Fight for no pipes

By Savannah Harraway

The Dakota Pipeline has been a source of controversy over the past year. The pipeline runs through a Native American burial ground
and the Standing Rock Tribes major water supply.

The controversy stems over the concern, outrage, and fear that the pipeline could contaminate the communitys water, endangering
the lives of thousands.

On the other side of the issue, President Trump signed executive orders to advance both the Keystone and Dakota Pipelines on January
24. Almost a month later, on February 8, the Army Corps of Engineers granted permission to finish the Dakota Pipeline. This sparked
protests against the continuation of construction. The Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes filed a lawsuit in their attempt to
stop the pipeline once and for all. After many months of grueling protests and chaos, can these Native American tribes protect their
sacred land?

On Thursday, February 23, the main Standing Rock protest camp was cleared for construction. A total of 46 protesters were arrested.
Lieutenant Tom Iverson, North Dakota Highway Patrol spokesman said, We knew this day was going to come. He mentioned that the
group of protestors who refused to leave were given two additional hours to leave the camp before they were arrested.

The pipeline will now resume its schedule, stretching through four states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. The pipeline is
expected to move 470,000 barrels of oil a day across the Midwest area.
Space...
By Mariah Benson

Approximately 11 years ago, Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet, but the tables may turn once again.

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) stated that the definition of planet was that it only includes objects
that orbit the sun, have a nearly-round shape, and have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. However, now they want
to redefine what constitutes a planet. They proposed that the definition would label any round objects in space that are
smaller than stars as planets. If approved, the definition would have major consequences for how we classify things in our
solar system, such as moons and brown dwarfs. Changes to the definition are being led by Alan Stern, the principal investi-
gator of NASAs New Horizons mission to Pluto. The team said they would work out the difficulties in the future.

After the historic flyby of 2015, Stern told Business Insider, We were just dumbfounded by what a wonderland it is scientifi-
cally. They couldnt see anything wrong with Pluto. He added that Pluto qualifies in every respect for planetary status and
that the current definition is completely bogus. After the definition change, it wont just right the wrong perceiving Pluto, but
it would also qualify up to as many as 110 other objects to a planetary status. Meaning, anything round and smaller than a
star would be a planet, extending as far out as the Kuiper Belt.

Scientists argue that a planets orbit should be free of foreign bodies, so an object as far out as Pluto cannot qualify to be a
planet because small bodies are constantly injected into planet-crossing orbits. In other words, if Earth were to exist as far
out as Pluto, it would disqualify as a planet because of this rule, due to the larger zone it would need to clear any and all
foreign objects constantly passing through the orbital path. Whether we keep to eight or expand to 110 will be up for debate
when the next General Assembly of the IAU meets in August 2018, in Vienna, Austria.

During the Decadal Surveys, which is where the astronomy community periodically gets together to help NASA set priorities
for future missions, many good ideas arise, some too good to fit the budget. Pluto missions had been brought up five times
without being approved, simply because it was so costly. The only views of Pluto NASA had were a single shot from the
Hubble Telescope. The image was only about a dozen pixels and was greeted by laughter from the audience it was present-
ed to. Nonetheless, those few pixels contained real data for the researchers. You may laugh again, Stern said. We wrote
numerous papers based on this image.

They discovered that Plutos surface was highly complex. It contained carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen, and all
three of the elements could switch between gas and solid forms, depending on the conditions of certain areas on the surface.
It was confirmed that Pluto must have an atmosphere, but it was lower and denser than expected. On the surface, nitrogen is
mostly common in the mid-latitudes and methane at the poles. Stern said that this could be explained by their volatility at the
local temperatures.

A lot of this gave scientists high hopes for the mission of sending hardware to the distant body. It soon became a high priority
in the Decadal Surveys. By the time New Horizons was finally approved, there was a major problem standing in their way;
there was only one window in the next decade where Jupiter would be positioned well enough to provide a gravity assist to
Pluto. The New Horizons team would only have four years to design and build New Horizons to meet NASAs science re-
quirements.

On Jan. 19, 2006, NASA launched its New Horizons probe to make the first-ever flyby of Pluto, and finally reached its desti-
nation on July 14, 2015. It took nine years, five months, and 25 days to complete its voyage. Stern showed an image of what
appeared to be a mountain surrounded by a frozen lake. While Pluto is too cold for liquid nitrogen at the moment, it does
have warmer phases and since its axis has a much greater tilt than Earths, it is certainly possible to have liquid nitrogen
existing on the surface.
Looney and Merrie
By Andrew Caldwell JR

Looney Tunes have been around a long time, longer than many of us today have been alive. Let's break it down from the beginning.

There were actually two storylines, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. They both came from Warner Brothers. Looney Tunes was in
black and white and Merrie Melodies was in color. Around 1943, Looney Tunes came out in color and some found it hard to tell the
difference between them. The only way to actually tell the difference was the opening music and titles: for Looney Tunes, The Merry-
Go-Round Broke Down, and for Merrie Melodies, Merrily We Roll Along.

Their rival, Disney, was stealing the show with Mickey Mouse shorts so Warner Brothers decided to create their own shorts to promote
their music. They got ownership with Brunswick Records with four other music publishers for $28 million. Warner Brothers made a deal
with Leo Schlesinger to make cartoons; he hired help from others such as Rudolf Ising and Hugh Harman to make the official first series
of cartoons. The very first Looney Tunes short was, Sinkin in the Bathtub.

Harman and Ising then left because of a budget with Schlesinger. They took all the rights of the characters and series of cartoons they
created. During this time, a character named Buddy became a star for a couple of years in the Looney Tunes series. In 1935, Porky Pig
made his debut, along with Beans the Cat. Porky Pig was technically the one that got more fame and became the very first Looney
Tunes star. As a result, Bean's was phased out, but was then followed by our modern Looney Tunes such as Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny.
Bugs was initially in Merrie Melodies, but then joined Looney Tunes. The very last black and white Looney Tunes short was, Puss n
Booty by Frank Tashlin in 1943.

After some time, Schlesinger gave his cartoon studio to the Warner Brothers Studio and went into retirement. He died five years later.
The Looney Tunes series went from 1930-1969.

Looney Tunes went through some trouble with their cartoons. They had to remove scenes of violence like suicides or stunts that some
might imitate. Discrimination was displayed with portrayals of Blacks, Mexicans, Jews, Indians, Asians, and Germans/Nazis. There were
also scenes of abusive drinking, smoking cigarettes and taking pills.

In 1987, new shorts were created to appeal to the new generation of people. Television specials starting showing cartoons that mostly
focused on Bugs and Daffy. In 1988, there were some Looney Tunes cameos in the following films: Touchstone, Disney, and Who
Framed Roger Rabbit. These films usually had Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Tweety, Sylvester, and Yosemite Sam. These were the only times they
were able to share screen time with their rivals at Disney.

In 1988, Nickelodeon started showing unaired cartoons on a show called, Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon, until 11 years later, which is
still the longest airing animated series. In 1996, Space Jam appeared with Bugs Bunny and NBA legend, Michael Jordan. This film
topped the film box with $100 million in the United States and for two years it was the highest non-Disney film to achieve this accom-
plishment.

In 1997 Bugs Bunny was featured on the U.S. 32 cent postage stamp, which showed that Looney Tunes was at its highest peak. Looney
Tunes also made success in television shows such as, Taz-Mania or The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. In 2000, Warner Brothers
made Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies exclusively for Cartoon Network. Prior to this, Looney Tunes shorts started being aired on
Nickelodeon and ABC. Later on, Looney Tunes was taken off the channels by Warner Brothers.

In 2003, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, was released in an attempt to recapture the spirit of the original Looney Tunes. It wasnt as
successful as Warner Brothers hoped it would be financially. It did, however, have positive reviews from many viewers and critics, say-
ing that it was the best original feature appearance for cartoon characters.

In 2009, the Looney Tunes Show announced its release. It finally premiered on May 3, 2011. It starred all the favorite characters like
Bugs, Daffy, Granny, Tweety, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, and others, with some musical shorts with other Looney Tunes and shorts along
with Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

On September 19, 2012, it was announced there would be a Looney Tunes reboot film that will be in progress starring Steve Carell.
Lastly, the final make of Looney Tunes as we know it right now is the Cartoon Network and Boomerang show, Wabbit (2015), starring
Bugs Bunny, as he goes through his life issues with appearances from other Looney Tunes characters.
Young fears

By Noelle Freeman

Has there ever been a child more excited to see a horror movie than an adult?

Various university studies from March 29,1999 show that short-term effects of watching programs in childhood may linger into adult-
hood. University of Massachusetts researcher, Kristen Harrison, and colleague, Joanne Cantor, of the University of Wisconsin, found
that 90 percent of the student participants reported media reaction from childhood or adolescence. However, approximately 26 per-
cent still experience a residual anxiety today.

A physician, Dr. Lawrence Ross, believes that some things that parents can do to reduce negative effects of horror movies are as fol-
lows:

Monitor what children are watching

Make sure what they are watching is developmentally appropriate. Younger children are frightened much more easily than ado-
lescents.

Utilize parental controls on televisions and computers.

Be available to talk with your children about their fears.

Dont be afraid to set limits if your child wants something that you feel they are not yet able to handle.

More than one- fourth of the study participants still experience such aftermath. The duration of the effects, both past and present,
range from less than a week, ( about 33 percent of the sample) to more than a year (about 36 percent).

According to the study, a wide range of symptoms were reported, including crying or screaming (27 percent of participants), trembling
or shaking (24 percent), nausea or stomach pain (20 percent), clinging to a companion (18 percent), and increased heart rate. Overall,
there are many things that may be seen in the child from childhood into adulthood. For those who have a feeling that their child is
suffering from these long- term effects, please monitor the childs actions and behaviors.
 High hopes
By Katie Conley the help he didn't have as a child.

This article is about our exercise and training
teacher, Adrian Warfield. He's one of the
nicest teachers in the building. He's a great
listener as well. One can go to him about
anything. Any student can see him, even if he
doesnt know you.
When asked why he doesn't have any chil-
dren, he said he would like to travel the world
first. He is recently married and his married
life is the same as when he and his wife were
dating.
Warfields first impressions of Meadowdale
were that the kids were much better than he
thought they would be and now he's seen kids
go through things that are unimaginable. He
thinks its amazing that the kids are still happy
and healthy. The most exciting thing he's seen
at Meadowdale is the student vs. facul-
ty basketball game.

Warfield has been a teacher for two years. He

became a teacher because he likes helping
kids. He wants to help them so they are suc-
cessful in life. He wants the students to have

They were planning to be on strike for four to five weeks.

Citizens mad about bus strike

By Mahogany Bankston

The Greater Dayton RTA bus drivers began their strike Monday January, 10, 2017. Their first
strike began in 1961 and they have never been on strike until January 2017.

About 60 ATU members were physically involved in the strike. They stood outside the Wright
Stop Plaza Transit Center Monday morning. They were planning to be on strike for four to five
weeks. The strike only lasted for four days. The bus drivers and mechanics went on strike be-
cause they were unhappy with their pay rate, and havent received a raise in years.

Many people were upset with the buses going on strike because they use the buses to get to
their destinations. With the strike they could not get there without the buses. Dayton citizens
rely on the buses to get to work, the grocery store, and to their doctor appointments. Students
could barely get to school or to work, because they rely on the buses too. Meadowdale High
School, in particular, had many students who did not come to school because they are depend-
ent on the buses to bring them to school, and take them home.

Kim, a woman who lives in downtown Dayton, relies on bus service to go grocery shopping and
to get to doctor appointments. With the buses on strike, she could not get anywhere.

8
Death of legend of funk
By Unique Mattison

Walter Junie Morrison was an American musician, recorder, and producer. He was a former member of the Ohio Players in the early
1970s, and later become the musical director of P-Funk. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1954, and died on January 21, 2017, at age 62.

He had one baby girl, named Akasha Morrison. Morrison was a keyboardist, vocalist, writer, and producer and funk legend, for the
Ohio Players in the early 1970s. Morrison was involved in the major hit albums Pain, Pleasure and Ecstasy before he left the band in
1974 to release three solo albums on the Westbound record label.

Morrison produced other artists hits throughout the 90s and continued to contribute to P-Funk albums, most recently in 1996. He also
released his most recent solo album, When the City, on his own label, Juniefunk, in 2014.

When Morrison passed away, he was believed to have been in London. His death was reported the following month to the public, but
the details remain private to the public.

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