By Carina ChristoEgyptian archaeologists recently discovered the tomb of the ancient priest Wahyte at the Saqqara pyramid complex in Cairo.Wahtye served under King Neferirkare during Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty. As of December 16th, the site is being excavated further with the hopes of finding Wahyte’s sarcophagus. Archaeologists have already come across hieroglyphs and small sculptures.
Upon its discovery, the tomb appeared untouched and in good shape. Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, Mostafa Waziri, stated in an interview, “The color is almost intact even though the tomb is almost 4,400 years old.” The numerous wall paintings show wine and pottery making, musical performances, sailing, hunting, and funeral furniture. They also seem to illustrate Wahyte as having been very close with his mother, Merit Meen. Many literary texts from ancient Egypt are found to enforce the idea that children should recognize the sacrifices their mothers made for them. In an interview Waziri stated, “He mentions the name of his mother almost everywhere here.” He’s also seen with his wife, Weret Ptah, in other hieroglyphs. Also in the Saqqara pyramid complex in Cairo, seven other tombs were found back in November. The Antiques Ministry stated that these tombs included a mass cat cemetery and a collection of uncommon mummified scarab beetles, which symbolize the restoration of life in ancient Egyptian culture. Wahyte’s tomb is about 10 x 3 meters large and includes a basement as well as five burial shafts. These burial shafts have not yet been excavated but will be soon.
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By Carina Christo
The “Green New Deal” is Rep. -elect (Democrat-N.Y.) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal to create jobs while stopping climate change. Millennials’ protests appear to be effective as just this week, 12 more supporters joined the now 31 congressional Democrats. This support followed the protests on December 10th, when over 1,000 activists stormed Capitol Hill and staged sit-ins at the offices of Democratic House leaders. The protests were led by the Sunrise Movement, an organization aiming to promote policy action on climate change. While this movement secured approval from Nancy Pelosi, and gained more awareness on the subject for the common person, almost 150 were arrested by U.S. Capitol Police as a result. Most were high school and college aged, meaning some still aren’t even able to vote. Reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” during the Great Depression, The Green Party, another supporter of the proposal, states on their website, “Inspired by the New Deal programs that helped us out of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Green New Deal will provide similar relief and create an economy that makes our communities sustainable, healthy and just.” Specifically, it seeks to create these 25 million jobs in sustainable energy, mass transit, food systems and clean manufacturing, all of which would also be working on decreasing the use of fossil fuels. Within ten years we would have 100 percent clean energy and an intense effort towards, “Upgrading every residential and industrial building for state-of-the-art energy efficiency, comfort and safety.” Today, 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Green jobs often provide better benefits than your average minimum wage job and help the environment. The goals seem ambitious to some, as many Republicans have been focusing on the cost of it all. The exact costs aren’t final but it is estimated to need revenues of $700 billion to $1 trillion dollars annually. However, as a poll by NPR recently showed climate change to be the second-biggest priority to Democrats, it should also be taken into consideration the worth of this matter. When it comes to climate change, there's no time to waste. By Carina Christo When we think of poetry we usually think of English classes and small boring text- men who died centuries ago who the modern teenager usually has a tough time relating to. However, if you take a quick search on Youtube you’ll find this isn’t the case.
Slam poetry is alive and assertive. Olivia Gatwood is one of many, and one of the best, slam poets you can find online, with performances so raw that by watching them it’s most likely you will smile to yourself while hearing the parts of growing up she desribes through her work. “I started performing when I was 16. I wanted my poems to be read aloud and I wanted to control how people heard them. I wanted the poem to live in a different way,” says Olivia Gatwood, a full-time slam poet. Since her start as a teenager, Gatwood has gone on to make her passion a real career. She’s been featured by HBO, Huffington Post, MTV, VH1, and BBC among others. An unapolegtic believer in girlpower, her most popular works include “Ode to My Bitch Face” and “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”. The slam performances of the two each have over 3 million views collectively and can be found on the youtube channel Button Poetry. Button Poetry also published Gatwood’s first book, New American Best Friend which, according to her website, “reflects her experiences growing up in both New Mexico and Trinidad, and navigating girlhood, puberty, relationships, and period underwear.” Recently, Gatwood concluded her Alternate Universe Tour, touring music venues to perform her work across the country. With a second book just finished she’s “working on a tour around that” and added “Ideally I’ll be doing that as long as I can. Just writing and performing.” To young aspiring poets Gatwood says, “I always tell young people to read more than they write and listen more than they speak. For girls it’s more don’t try to win at the boys game. Cooperating with other girls is an empowering experience and can teach you a lot about the possibilities of being a self starter.” You can watch her performances on Youtube or read her book, New American Best Friend, sold on Amazon. by Jenna Monnin Scientology in Atlanta: The Legal BattleIn 2005, the Church of Scientology bought an old real estate building on the corner of Roswell Road and Glenridge Drive. The Church then requested that the building be rezoned as a place of worship in 2009. Part of the Church’s rezoning proposal included expanding the building into its parking lot. The City of Atlanta would not approve this expansion, so the Church of Scientology filed a freedom of religion lawsuit against the city and claimed that their first amendment rights had been violated. The Church of Scientology speculated that Georgia lawmakers did not want the church in the city of Atlanta because of the negativity surrounding Scientology. In 2012, after a rigorous legal battle, the City of Atlanta made a settlement with the Church and allowed the building to expand. This settlement was contingent on the Church being willing to share a parking lot with the adjacent building (a post office). The Church of Scientology in Atlanta officially opened its doors to the public on April 3, 2016. The Church of Scientology in Atlanta on its opening day The leader of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, giving a speech during the church’s opening ceremony in Atlanta. Scientology in Atlanta: Having Scientologists in Your BackyardLindsey Reina, a junior at Marist, lives across the street from the church, so she gets to observe the daily practices of the Scientologists. Lindsey says, “Living so close to the church has not really impacted me until recently. Now, whenever I walk by on the sidewalk in front of the building, they try to invite me in.” The Church of Scientology in Atlanta will often put two or three of its members out on the sidewalk to act as representatives. These representatives will typically invite pedestrians into the center to participate in the frequent open houses or to take a personality test. Lindsey says, “No Scientologists have moved into my neighborhood yet, but I have a few neighbors who are actually very worried about that.” Scientologists are often viewed in a negative light because of their unconventional and, to some, cult-like practices such as the dress code for the church staff/ministers. People are also wary of Scientology because of the stories ex-Scientologists have told. Many of these stories reveal a darker side of Scientology through practices such as separating families, forcing abortions, and making it extremely difficult to leave the church. So, how popular is the Church of Scientology in Atlanta? On any given day, when passing the church, it is typical to see a few members of the church milling about. However, Lindsey observed that, “On certain mornings, there are tons of people there. The parking lots are completely full and, from what I can see, a lot of kids are there.” “No Scientologists have moved into my neighborhood yet, but I have a few neighbors who are actually very worried about that.” The Church of Scientology: The Unorthodox BeliefsScientology’s greatest influence, L. Ron Hubbard, wrote many science fiction books and promoted the therapy known as Dianetics. Dianetics’ goal is to eradicate psychosomatic illnesses. According to the Church of Scientology’s website, “L. Ron Hubbard discovered the single source of nightmares, unreasonable fears, upsets, insecurities and psychosomatic illness—the reactive mind.” The goal of this therapy is to clear the reactive mind through Dianetics. Many members of the Church of Scientology rely heavily on L Ron Hubbard’s book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health to guide them to a better state of mind. Some Scientologists who habitually practice Dianetics claim to be able to recall aspects of their past lives. Scientologists also believe in the theory of exteriorization which states that the internal spirit can be separated from the mind. The Church of Scientology calls this internal spirit the “thetan.” The church says, “The thetan is immortal and has lived—and will continue to live—through countless lifetimes. The thetan animates the body and uses the mind.” L. Ron Hubbard’s book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health published in 1950. According to the Church of Scientology, there are eight dynamics that encompass the urges and impulses of mankind. These dynamics are fundamentally important to the church. Some of these dynamics include: the Animal dynamic-”the urge toward existence in the animal kingdom”, the Spiritual dynamic-”the urge toward existence as or of spirits”, and the Infinity or God dynamic-“the urge toward existence as infinity.” These eight dynamics are represented in the cross of Scientology, which looks very similar to the Christian cross. The cross of Scientology has eight prongs to represent the dynamics. The large horizontal bar of the cross symbolizes the material universe, and the vertical bar symbolizes the spirit. The Scientology Cross A depiction of the 8 achievable dynamics proposed by the church Interview with a Scientologist: A Scientologist's PerspectiveI was able to get in touch with a Scientologist and ask her some questions about her experience with the religion. My questions and her answers are below. Q: What makes people want to join Scientology? A: Typically, the first step for someone interested in Scientology would be to read a book. This allows them to get familiar with the philosophy and beliefs and if it resonates with them / matches up with their own views about life, they normally want to continue learning more. Q: Is there a dress code for Scientologists? A: There is no dress code for lay Scientologists, just those who are working at Church as staff / ministers. Q: If someone joins the church, how easy is it for them to leave? A: Church policy is that people taking courses or receiving Scientology pastoral counseling would do this fully on their own volition. So if they did not want to take further courses, they would simply stop. Q: Why does the church emphasize self betterment? A: Part of the doctrine is that if there is an unwanted condition or negative situation in your life (or with yourself), something can be done to improve it. Scientology provides tools and procedures for this. Q: What is the best thing about Scientology? A: My personal experience in Scientology has been one where I have come to understand myself and others thoroughly, and in that way, have been able to live a better life myself and have been able to help others to live better and happier lives as well. The Real Consequences of Scientology: An ex-Scientologist's PerspectiveMany ex-Scientologists have come forward to share their experiences with Scientology. Ex-Scientologist and actress Leah Remini has had a much different encounter with Scientology than my interviewee. Leah became a member of the church when she was nine and left when she was in her early forties. She was an active defender of the church until she started questioning some aspects of the life of leader David Miscavige. Then, in an effort to maintain its hold on the influential actress, the church put Leah through countless ‘interrogations’ and ‘thought modifications.’ Leah Remini left the church in 2013 and is now an outspoken critic of the church’s policy of disconnection (the process of a Scientologist cutting all ties with anyone who does not support Scientology). She also speaks openly about the bizarre secrecy that permeates all levels of the church. Leah Remini has a show on A&E that details her separation from the church and how it has impacted her life. Many ex-Scientologists have come forward to share their experiences with Scientology. Ex-Scientologist and actress Leah Remini has had a much different encounter with Scientology than my interviewee. Leah became a member of the church when she was nine and left when she was in her early forties. She was an active defender of the church until she started questioning some aspects of the life of leader David Miscavige. Then, in an effort to maintain its hold on the influential actress, the church put Leah through countless ‘interrogations’ and ‘thought modifications.’ Leah Remini left the church in 2013 and is now an outspoken critic of the church’s policy of disconnection (the process of a Scientologist cutting all ties with anyone who does not support Scientology). She also speaks openly about the bizarre secrecy that permeates all levels of the church.
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