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December 11, 2022 0Comments 7910Views

Gun Ownership

“I feel mad. I feel mad because I had no idea that one guy with a gun could ruin my life so hard in six minutes. Ruin so many lives.”

This quote from the movie “The Fallout” exemplifies what harm could a gun do if it falls into the wrong hands, as it captures the pain and agony that survivors and families of victims feel. Over the years, mass shootings and gun violence has become deeply rooted in American culture. In fact, according to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), 321 people are shot a day in the USA, 111 of whom die. This has caused the everlasting debate between those who advocate for gun ownership and those who are against to rise. Both parties are concerned with individuals’ safety, which can only be fulfilled by implementing certain laws.

Proponents of gun ownership believe that it is their given right according to the second amendment, which guarantees the freedom to keep and bear arms. In addition, having a gun around gives them a sense of safety. Indeed, it could come in handy to intimidate or defend themselves against home invaders. Moreover, guns are as useful as kitchen knives to some provided that they use them to hunt.

Opponents, on the other hand, argue that banning ownership would lead to a decrease in gun-related crimes. In fact, studies show that the risk of accidents during spousal arguments increases by 500% with the presence of a gun. They also believe that streets would become safer; statistics stress that the occurrence of mass murders is much lower in countries where citizens are not allowed to own and carry weapons.

It appears that both parties disagree about gun ownership only to agree about ensuring the safety of individuals. Ways differ but the goal is one. To guarantee the achievement of this goal, guns should not be handed to deranged individuals. Therefore, psychological evaluation has to be compulsory for anyone who wants to own a gun. In addition, strict actions must be taken to prevent illegal firearm trafficking, such as mandatory reporting of gun thefts, banning assault-style weapons, and tracing the source of crime guns to eradicate them.

To sum up, the debate is persisting between proponents and opponents of gun ownership. Yet, both sides promote human safety which can be achieved by attacking the problem from its source: illegal firearm trafficking and mentally unstable people. Maybe it is high time to change the human-made amendments in order to prevent further heartbreaks and tragedies.

Wydad Madani

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida

November 27, 2022 0Comments 8094Views

Climate Change

Imagine traveling to the future and finding that some countries ceased to exist,
replaced by seawater, and forgotten, several animals went extinct, ecosystems
vanished, and our fellow humans are skinnier than normal.

That could be the case if climate change continues to be prevalent. Climate change has been subject to debate for many years, and it will remain for years to come. Although its consequences are becoming more and more tangible, some still consider it not to be a threat. However, the real case is that scientists have been sounding the alarm that climate change is still the number one threat to humans and all ecosystems.

Climate change is as old as human activity. Yet, we have only come to notice it over the last century. Scientists conducted their research and concluded that earth’s temperature is gradually rising due to the greenhouse effect. As a result, many summits were held in recognition of the issue.

Climate change is a threat based on several visible and plausible negative impacts. Lately, the world has been experiencing severe heatwaves that resulted in droughts and several deaths across the world, from January through August. The most notable heatwave in 2022 is that of China; with scorching temperatures exceeding 40 °C, at least 17 provinces were affected and suffered from water shortages and crop losses. Also, warmer weather is an ideal environment for mosquitos and ticks to breed; these insects being natural carriers of disease will increase the risk of transmitting various dangerous infectious diseases, such as Malaria and Dengue fever. Moreover, climate change is causing sea ice and glaciers to melt affecting wildlife and altering normal ocean circulation. In fact, scientists predict that two-thirds of the polar bear population will go extinct by the year 2050 due to climate change.

On the other hand, some do not label climate change as a threat. They argue that climate change is a normal phenomenon that occurred at certain points in history; the ice age, for example. And, that animals, plants, and eventually humans would adapt according to the natural selection theory. Although these claims have some truth to them, but whenever climate change happens, mass extinctions and serious environmental catastrophes also take place. Not only it endangers the environment but it has also been proven that it takes its toll on mental health. That and many more repercussions qualify climate change as a threat of utter significance.

To sum up, it is hard to deny that climate change is a pressing matter with regard to the events that we have witnessed in recent years; droughts, heatwaves, typhoons, hurricanes, etc. It is not a simple issue that we can turn a blind eye to. Thus, solutions must be put forward and implemented to prevent further consequences. As American physician-scientist, Kari C. Nadeau, said: “This is in our hands to do if we don’t do anything, that would be cataclysmic.”

Wydad Madani

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida

November 26, 2022 0Comments 8067Views

Should Universities Start Early in The Morning?

It is said that the early bird catches the worm; but does that apply to university students?

As we all know, schools and universities all over the world start generally between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. Throughout our academic journey, all of us had to wake up and get ready at least an hour before 8:30AM for our classes. However, as we get older, our sleeping schedule becomes irregular which results in many complaints coming from university students stating that late classes are far more convenient and beneficial than early morning classes.

A study conducted in 1998 by Dr. Wolfson and Dr. Carskadon says that university students who reported poor grades claimed to be getting 25 fewer minutes of sleep than the students who reported getting higher grades. Another study from the University of Minnesota confirmed that later school start times can have a positive effect on academic performance. Investigators studied two school districts that changed their start times to 8:30AM and 8:40AM. When compared with students attending schools with earlier start times, the students reported getting higher grades. They also had fewer depressing feelings, got more sleep on school nights and had less daytime sleepiness. In addition, a recent study from RAND Europe shows that delaying school start times is cost-effective. Results suggest that starting school later could have a positive impact on the country’s economy.

All of the above mentioned studies confirm the link between later school start times and better grades, higher test scores, improved focus among university students, as well as a positive impact on the country’s economy. That’s especially important because discipline problems may lead to suspension, which is associated with a wide range of negative health and economic outcomes and is a major cause of educational inequity.

However, with all of these advantages that are definitely valid, some drawbacks cannot be ignored. For example, transportation challenges. Later start times will likely mean more buses on the road later in the day, this could create more traffic and increase travel delays. Furthermore, students who have part-time jobs may have scheduling conflicts as a result of this, which can lead to poor attendance and therefore poor grades.

Overall, later start times for universities can be a double edge sword since it improves students’ academic performance but it can create some transportation and work schedule conflicts as well. However, these problems can likely be solved with flexibility and thoughtful planning.

Khaoula Jraif

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida

November 25, 2022 0Comments 8083Views

Life Beyond Earth

For centuries, in various parts of the world, it has been reported throughout recorded history that people have been experiencing the sightings of UFOs – unidentified flying object- which raised questions about the existence of other creatures in the universe. These creatures were given the name of aliens. However, there is more to know about the term “alien”, about its origin as well as what this word implicates.

The word “alien” refers to creatures arriving from another world, living extraterrestrial life that may occur outside Earth. It has never been confirmed that these creatures actually exist, still it is a major subject of interest. The term “alien” is derived from the Latin alienus; meaning a slave; it stems from an extinct Indo-European language called Oscan, then later on, in c.1300 the word came to mean “strange or foreign”.

The idea of “aliens” goes back to philosophers in ancient Greece , and  ever since then, there were many debates  among Western philosophers and scientists, questioning the existence  of these creatures  and whether they have ever visited Earth .1947 marks the year during which the first UFO sighting occurred , Kenneth Arnold; a businessman; claimed to see a group of nine high-speed objects  shaped as crescents in Washington while flying his small plane, he described their  extremely fast movements as “saucers skipping on water” , hence the term flying saucer appeared .

However, the word alien is not only restricted to extraterrestrial creatures; it can also mean a person belonging to another place or thing. In informal usage we can say “I feel like an alien” (out of this world), to express your feeling of “not belonging” in a certain group or feeling alienated. In English law, an “alien” is a person born outside of the monarch’s dominions and who did not owe allegiance to the monarch; these people were not permitted to own land and were subjects to different taxes. We also say “undocumented alien” to describe any person who is liable to deportation because of his illegal presence in a nation and is violating the immigration laws.

Understanding the origins of a word and learning its meaning on more profound levels enables us to improve our lateral thinking.  A term does not only have one singular meaning you can always find more. With the word “alien” we understood that it has more to it other than the association with fictional creatures.

Nour Jabrane

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University – El Jadida

 

November 18, 2022 0Comments 8054Views

Should Smoking Be Illegal ?

Smoking should be illegal because tobacco products can be very damaging to health, they can induce various health problems, including cancer, heart attacks, and obesity.

In 2000, 4,83 million deaths were attributed to cigarette smoking globally. In people over age 30, smoking accounts for one in every five deaths among men and one in every 20 deaths among women globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately 5.4 million people died worldwide from tobacco-related illnesses in 2006 and says that “unless urgent action is taken, tobacco’s annual death toll will rise to more than eight million by the year 2030”.

Smoking also causes many dangerous illnesses and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Additionally, smoking increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases; and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis. In U.S.A, for every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness.

Some people think that smoking does not have bad effects on health and claim that it has benefits such as reducing stress, helping people relax and concentrate. They also think that genetic predisposition is more impactful in causing problems for one’s health. However, the former mentioned studies totally contradict this opinions and show that the damaging effects of smoking on health is beyond these opinions.

Being addicted to drugs, after knowing all the dangers of smoking, and through my own experience, I would do anything to quit and I think that smoking should be illegal because most of smokers especially in Morocco start smoking at an early age and they don’t know its serious effects.

Mohamed Ilyas Ettaqi

Semester3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University -El Jadida

November 15, 2022 0Comments 8232Views

Traditional Libraries vs. Digital Libraries

Neil Gaiman, one of the greatest fiction authors, said:” Google can bring you back 100 000 answers, a library can bring you back the right one “.

As online learning becomes more common and more resources are converted to digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut down; instead, everyone should use e-readers. While others disagree and claim that libraries are fundamental and should not be closed.

Both the internet and the library are considered to be a big depository of information. A library can be defined as a collection or group of collections of books and other print or non-print materials organized and maintained for use. While the internet is defined as an electronic network providing access to millions of resources worldwide. Both of them seem to serve the same purpose but as the world moves to new inventions and directions, the question whether the internet/e-reading is going to replace libraries arises.

Generally, replacing libraries with tablets would be a serious mistake. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning than print resources. A study done on tablet vs. book reading found that people read 20-30% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at a screen has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision, dizziness, dry eyes, headaches and eyestrain, at much higher instances than reading print does. People who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of more health issues as shoulders and back pain, and muscle strain. We should not add to these problems by giving people, especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.

Proponents of the idea that libraries should be shut down, state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book, they can simply click on what they want and read it from wherever they are. They could also access more materials because libraries won’t have to buy physical copies of books, they can simply rent out as many digital copies as they need. However, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits including providing jobs, keeping the community connected and so on…

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

Khaoula Jraif

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida

November 15, 2022 0Comments 8228Views

Almost Drowned!

 

There are moments when you feel that a few seconds pass like minutes or even hours. It was a hot summer day when I was 18 or 19 years old. I went to a public swimming pool and I almost drowned. Although I survived that day, I went through a terrifying experience.

I do not remember exactly when that happened, yet I still vividly recall that it was a Sunday and it was hot, like setting inside the hottest room in a “Hammam: public bath”. My friends and I decided to go to a public swimming pool to enjoy the refreshing water there. After we arrived and started swimming and playing in the water, I spotted a beautiful girl jumping in the water. I moved like a shark that smelled the blood to be next to her when she popped her head out of water. What a huge mistake! I did not pay attention that she jumped in the pool’s deep side, and I didn’t know how to swim in a deep pool.

When I tried to stand up on the bottom of the pool, I found no bottom there. I panicked. My heart started beating like when being chased by a dog. Uselessly, I waved my hand in the water. I extended my right hand, trying to hold anything, but the journey of sinking had already started. Suddenly, I did not know what had happened exactly. I did not feel panic anymore. Everything became calm and peaceful. My eyes were wide open. The water was clear. I saw sunrays shining through the water. Then, the vision became fuzzy. All I could see at that moment was a bluish brightness.

From nowhere, or just because I was shocked or drowned, I saw a hand emerged from the water and grabbed mine. I felt myself floating up. Suddenly, a deep sniffle came from me. Then, I started breathing fast, and I tried to hold in anything near me. My hand touched a hard object, which I realized later that it was the poolside. I clung to the poolside tightly, and turned my head left and right to see who saved me. I found that girl looking at me and confusedly said, “I am sorry. I thought you were pretending to be drowning”.

After I thanked her deeply and chatting a bit, I knew from her that the whole drowning experience had happened in less than 10 seconds. Although for me, it was like forever. What is important is that I survived and this quite frightening experience made me think twice before jumping into the unknown.

Salah Eddine Benchabiba

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University , El Jadida

November 15, 2022 0Comments 8198Views

Is WikiLeaks a Threat to National Security?

For years, government transactions and contracts have been kept from public who may wish to review where their taxes go and how their elected officials act in their behalf. Arguments from supporters and opposition of WikiLeaks have grown throughout the years, posing a question as to whether or not WikiLeaks is beneficial or detrimental to the public. Although some may see WikiLeaks as a threat to national security due to the nature of its disclosures, WikiLeaks highlights the necessity of transparency and policy reform.

Wikileaks is a non-profit organisation that started in 2006 by Julian Assange, an Australian editor and activist. WikiLeaks got attention in 2010 when it published a series of leaks about the operations of US army in Afghanistan. Since its website started in 2015, it published over 10 million of documents that revealed serious violations of human rights. Also, diplomatic phone calls and messages between governments’ leaders, which exposed many hidden personal agenda that governments kept hidden from the public. Wikileaks main purpose can be described as James Ball, an ex-WikiLeaks staffer, said: “Same as the CIA or [Britain’s] GCHQ find secrets for their governments, the idea was WikiLeaks would get them for everyone.”

Wikileaks benefits ranged from exposing non-ethical military actions to governments corruption. In 2010, Wikileaks leaked many documents which reveal that hundreds of people were held for years in Guantanamo without any charges and ill-treated. For example, many of those detainees, documents revealed, were isolated for more than two weeks in solitary confinement in preparation for interrogation. This led to change U.S. image internationally from a country that leads liberties to an oppressive and unjust one. Wikileaks was involved in the 2008 Peru oil scandal by leaking audio tape of a conversation between a government official and a lobbyist agreeing to let a specific company to win contracts. This scandal ended by the prime minster at then to resign from his position. Therefore, Wikileaks plays an important role in changing toward a more transparent world.

Although Wikileaks benefits are undeniable, it has some drawbacks. People who are against Wikileaks says that it exposes sensitive information that could put countries security at risk. For example, Wikileaks revealed ways that a state-of-the art television could serve as a listening device even when it was turned off. Larry Pfeiffer, the former CIA chief of staff, said “these kinds of breaches informs the potential enemies of a technique we use, that they can now develop countermeasures against”. Also, “WikiLeaks published stolen documents obtained from computer hacking or otherwise obtained illegally”, James Lewis QC, a representer of US Government said. That mean it infringes privacy plus security. However, these claims are not solid enough because revealing how US government may spy on its citizens is not security threat it is the opposite, and most of leaks that Wikileaks expose were sent by citizens or government officials that fed-up with their non-ethical behaviours of their government.

While Wikileaks disclosures may have some downsides such as threatening countries security, its benefits are more important in order to push government to change its policies of transparency as the latter is for the common good of people, which is the first priorities to achieve by any government.

Salah Eddine Benchabiba

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University of El Jadida

 

 

November 14, 2022 0Comments 8222Views

Privacy Vs. Transparency

They say ” lack of transparency results in distrust and deep sense of insecurity”.

But they also say “Privacy is power, what people don’t know cannot be ruined”. Since the creation of the internet, classified government information is slowly leaking to the public and sites, such as WikiLeaks, reveal a darker image of governmental decisions. With that being said, some people support WikiLeaks highlighting the necessity of government transparency. While others oppose it stating that it will threaten military operations and diplomatic relations. Both sides turn out to reveal some kind of concern towards the safety of citizens, and this can be attained by creating some limits and regulations regarding the leaks of this site.

Many civil right organizations have so far openly supported WikiLeaks. The reasoning behind their support is based on the fair rules and justified functionality of democracy and civil society. If secrecy of administrative documents is used to cover the government misbehavior, there must be legal grounds to overcome formal boarders of secrecy. However, several governmental officials state that WikiLeaks harmed diplomatic relations and put the lives of staff in sensitive positions at risk, it could even threaten military operations and that may put the country in jeopardy. For example, the biggest leak WikiLeaks has ever released were some US military documents from the Afghan and Iraq war.

While the goal of those who support WikiLeaks is to achieve transparency, democracy, a civil society and also to reveal the dark truth of governmental misbehavior. On the contrary, the other side’s purpose is to protect the secrecy of governments in order not to harm the diplomatic relations. It seems that both sides are concerned about the safety of citizens as they express the need of maintaining a good relationship between the government and the public. Therefore, these two opposing views wish the best for the country but in two different approaches.

Since both perspectives care about the interest of citizens, the best solution that will satisfy them is to establish some regulations and rules concerning the leaks of WikiLeaks. For instance, it would be credible if the website created a policy regarding rumors; all information should be examined in advance. Furthermore, the leaked information should be both important for citizens still not threatening to the government. This way, the public will not be fed up with false news and the government will be safe from any crises.

Overall, as one side advocates for the government to be transparent and the other for its secrecy, one thing both have in common is the desire for a safe civil country. The way to solve that, as it was mentioned, is to create rules and regulations governing the leaks of the website WikiLeaks, which is in my opinion the best way to achieve public security and peace.

Khaoula Jraif

Semester 3, Department of English Studies

Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida

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