Contributed by Patagonia Union High School Journalism Class
Amazon: An Etymology
By Gianna Martin
What do you think of when you hear the word Amazon? The rainforest, the world’s largest river, or the Internet? I bet your first thought wasn’t breastless woman. As odd as it sounds that is one of the earliest origins or etymologies of “Amazon.”
Amazon in ancient Greek times referred to the fable of the fierce Amazonian woman warriors who cut off their right breast so as not to have it interfere with their use of a bow and arrow.
You might wonder how this word turned from having such a fierce meaning to the title of an online shopping site with more than 244 million customers? When Amazon.com first launched as an online bookstore it was almost called Cadabra.com, but when someone mistook it for “cadaver” (a corpse), Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, decided that he wanted his online store name to be changed and also come up earlier in the alphabetical listing on the Internet’s search engine. He came up with “Amazon” because it’s the biggest river and he wanted the world’s largest bookstore.
Isn’t it weird how the meaning of a word can change so drastically over time? From the mythological race of fierce women warriors to the world’s longest river, and today’s largest American online shopping site, the word Amazon is synonymous with force.
Martin Luther King: History of an Arizona Holiday
By Garrett Fish
On the third Monday of January, America comes together to promote equal rights for everyone, regardless of their background, on Martin Luther King Day. MLK Day is a federal holiday, first celebrated in 1986, that honors the life of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. Something that thousands of Arizonans don’t know is the tumultuous background and history of this day becoming a legal holiday in Arizona.
In 1986, Ronald Reagan was the first to recognize Reverend King with a national holiday, and in the same year, Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt decided the same for Arizona. When Evan Mecham succeeded Babbitt in 1987, he rejected Babbitt’s decision, saying that Babbitt didn’t have the authority to declare a paid state holiday strictly by himself. This sparked a campaign among local civil rights advocates for voter enactment of a paid state holiday. For supporters of the holiday, the struggle was about ideology and symbolism, a day to celebrate a man who lived and died for equality and justice. The Arizona House and Senate couldn’t decide on the matter, so the debate was left to Arizona voters. In 1990, voters went to the polls and considered two ballot propositions that would have produced a paid state holiday; the votes were close, but the holiday was not approved. Boycotts by organizations planning conventions in Arizona followed.
The National Football League cautioned that it would consider relocating the 1993 Super Bowl to Pasadena, California to avoid racial anxiety. The NFL followed through. Eventually, after much effort, voters approved a state MLK holiday in November of 1992, making Arizona the only state that put the holiday to a vote of the people and saw it pass.
My Cruisin’ Rocket Whip
By Yasmin Quiroga
Christopher Quiroga, 16, a junior at PUHS, on his 1998 white Saturn, as told to Yasmin Quiroga:
I got my Saturn halfway through my sophomore year. My mom needed a car that had more gas mileage. She bought the Saturn from Sabina Peterson for $600. The car didn’t need any maintenance except an oil change and was pretty much ready to hit the road. The name of my car is The Cruisin’ Rocket Whip. The acronym is TCRW. Danny Miranda came up with the name and it just kinda stuck.
The four brothers—Danny, Chris, Victor, and myself treat the car as if it was all of ours. The car holds our possessions; from basketball shoes to clothes—anything really. If it needs to be put in for safekeeping, TCRW is there.
What’s Your Workout?
By Audrianna Paz
Working out is good for anybody and everybody. You want to make sure you stay fit for a good healthy life. Victor Barajas, freshman at PUHS, is 6’2” and 155 pounds. He is the tallest boy in his class and has a heart pounding workout routine to share with everybody.
The Workout:
Victor usually works out six times a week for an hour every week — as long as he is not too sore from playing on the PUHS basketball team. The type of workouts he does are usually lifting weights at the school or at home. PUHS’s weightlifting class, which meets daily, is the usual spot where he works out from 2:20 to 3:15. He loves working out with his “brothers” Danny Miranda, Chris Quiroga, and Chris Miranda. Victor can dead lift 275 pounds, bench press 170 pounds, hang clean 155 pounds, and squat 225 pounds.
The Diet:
Victor says, “I don’t really have a diet, I pretty much eat whatever I want and then work it off later.”
Clothing:
Victor usually wears basketball shorts, tank tops and his basketball shoes or his Vans while working out.
The Playlist:
Victor doesn’t listen to music while working out at the school since it is a class. But, when he is at home he listens to whatever makes him happy.
As you can tell Victor loves working out and tells us why: “I choose to live this lifestyle because I want to be fit and active and don’t want to live a non-healthy life.”
Be Aware of Cyberstalking
By Gaudalupe “Gaby” Bueras
The technological innovations being made in this century are staggering. But along with them come negative aspects such as cyberstalking. Cyberstalking usually targets an individual, and employs technology to empty bank accounts, ruin credit scores, harass family, friends and employers of the targeted victim.
According to womensissues.com, an estimated one million women and 400,000 men are stalked annually in the United States. Today’s technology allows stalkers to find their victims by simply looking at the location where a photo or status update was placed on any social media website.
January is Stalking Awareness Month. If you think you’re being stalked online, tell others about it–they may be able to help. Contact the stalker and tell them to leave you alone. If necessary, contact the local police. Eighty five percent of stalkers are someone known by the victim. Remember to be safe online–don’t post anything you might later regret–because everything stays on the internet.
