Opinion October 12, 20176

The Earth is dying. It’s our fault, kind

of. Unless you have been living under a rock your entire life, you have probably heard of global warming and climate change. Global warming is the gradual temperature rise on Earth, and climate change is the overall term for all the changes that are happening around our planet. This year has shown us devastating wildfires that engulfed much of the northwest, including California and Montana, and unusually strong hurricanes that gain their strength in the Atlantic Ocean before wreaking absolute havoc on the United States. You’re probably thinking, “Okay, cool, but we live in Nebraska.” Yeah, you’re right, but the effects of climate change are slowly creeping towards us, and most of us don’t even realize it. Most of us were born right at the turn of the century, and all we have ever known is climate change, believe it or not. The Earth’s temperature just keeps rising. The past 16 years have been the warmest on record globally. In fact, 2016 was the warmest year since 1884, according to NASA. You don’t have to listen to me, though. Take it from meteorologist Chris Buttler. Buttler has studied weather and climate for 19 years. “I’m a believer in climate change. The debate, however, lies within whether it’s a natural cycle or human induced, and how do we mitigate that?” Buttler said. The problem is that many economies thrive on industry which tends to involve burning fossil

fuels. Scientists measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the air every year, and the level has steadily increased in the past few decades. Man has played a role in the rising carbon dioxide levels. Why should you care about this? Carbon dioxide gets trapped on Earth because it is heavier than air and can’t escape into space, so it remains in the atmosphere and acts as a blanket, trapping the Earth’s heat.That’s the local effect, but for the people across our nation, it’s a bit of a bigger issue. Remember those hurricanes I mentioned earlier? Though the storms were not directly caused by climate change, most scientists agree that they were a lot stronger than normal, because the ocean is warmer. The warmer ocean water gave the storms more strength, which made its effects far more devastating upon landfall. On top of that, freshwater ice caps are melting slowly but surely, raising the sea level. When you combine the strong hurricanes with the rising sea level, it’s a cause for concern, especially when you consider that most people don’t live in the middle of our country, but along the coasts. Personally, I believe in climate change. I mean, how could I not? I trust the people over

at NASA. But, even if NASA didn’t have so much proof on their website, I would still believe in it. You can tell the Earth is changing without the opinion of a scientist. How? Well, our winters don’t seem to be quite as cold as they once were, and our summers seem to get hotter every year. Many people, including students at NPHS, believe

in climate change, but they don’t think it’s as bad as it’s made out to be. Buttler disagrees. He thinks it’s going to take a lot of big events to get people thinking again. “Typically, the United States is a reactionary country. We wait until something happens and then we overkill it,” he said. Climate change has been happening forever. It’s

a part of the Earth’s life cycle. It’s the reason we’ve had multiple ice ages. And, even though humans have amplified its effects in recent times, Buttler does not believe it is too late to fix the damage we’ve caused. I don’t think it’s too late either. I think that we are the generation of change, and if we want to leave behind a habitable planet for our children and their children, then we need to act sooner rather than later.

Ainsley NicholsPeople Editor

After Hurricane Irma passed over Florida, this abandoned ship full of mannequins, named Cuki, washed ashore on Melbourne Beach. It is believed it came from the Florida Keys and made its way up the east coast. Photo by Steen Nichols.

Hi! I enjoy reading The Bulldogger, you all do a great job! I am writing about the current issue, Sept. 15th. The Baylee Steele article on page 9, the first year for girls golf was [actually] in 1974, not 1977. I remember it well as I was a member of the team in ‘74 and ‘75. Keep up the good work kids!

JoEllen McIntoshFacebook Comment

Letter to the Editor

Sports12 January 26, 2018

The cold never bothered them anywayWho are the Winter Warriors?

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Avery MunsonPhotography Editor Winter is

upon us and

almost everyone is complaining about the weather. The Winter Warriors

on the other hand, don’t have time to complain about the

elements. They just bundle up

more and go on with their

workouts. Who are

the Winter Warriors?

They are a group of long distance runners that meet everyday after school to go for runs that vary in length and time. This is the group’s 18th year as an organization. Boys track head coach Mike McGuire runs the program and started it the year he took the track coaching job 18 years ago. “We never use the excuse that it’s too cold to run, you just bundle up more and work harder,” McGuire said. Senior Camron Sheets recalls running in “winds so fierce you were horizontal to the ground with sleet, sand, and grit blowing all around, but you just have to go faster to stay warm.” McGuire believes that if you can train in this weather and get used it, you will become a much better runner. Their workouts typically consists of running a few miles on some trails and then going into the weight room to strengthen their core and

legs. They do however stay inside some days and run stairs, but only if the weather is considered to be unsafe. “We don’t use cold as an excuse, but if it is flat out not safe, I’m not gonna let them risk injury for it,” McGuire said. That doesn’t mean this group of guys don’t end up with cuts and scrapes while having some fun on the run. “My worst experience on a run is when I fell in an icy river or driving my knee into some rocks and ice with full running force going into it,” sophomore Tayler Kleinow said. Despite all the cold and the bruises, the runners love every second of it. “I used to run because it was a feeling of bliss, but then I became family with everyone,” Sheets said. Sheets loves being out in any weather, any place, at anytime running, as long as he has his team is around him to make some memories along the way.

Freshman Aaron Franz while running with his fellow Winter Warrior runners in the deep snow drifts.

Opinion November 17, 20176

Sane or ScroogeAre you a Scrooge if you don’t want to listen to Christmas music yet?

To start off, I’m just going to say I love Christmas

and the whole holiday season,but it is starting way too soon. I went with my mom to get something from Shopko for my sister’s Halloween costume and there was double the Christmas decor than Halloween. I remember going to Wal-Mart around the first of October and they had the majority of the lawn and garden area filled with Christmas decor. In my opinion, that was bizarre. Christmas was still 2 ½ months away. What really got me though was when Nov. 1 came around and, thanks to a certain someone in charge of the morning announcements, I was humming “All I Want For Christmas” by Mariah Carey in my head all day. In my opinion, that is the most annoying song in the known universe to have lodged in your brain on repeat. Then I was tortured by the singing of a jumble of the most famous lines in all the Christmas carols. Christmas was 54 days away with a very important holiday right in the middle. The first week of November should just be dedicated to fall and getting a nice break from the rush of Halloween. Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is probably my favorite. No one is wanting, expecting, or pleading for anything, unless it’s grandma’s famous pumpkin pie or some killer mashed potatoes. Everyone is together just to enjoy the company of others and the great things we have been blessed with. Oh, and the best part of Thanksgiving is eating all the food you can eat

until you pass out on the couch with a fork in your hand, hopefully watching the Packers lose. But what is with this Black Friday, or should I say, “Black Thursday” business? Black Friday celebrates the opposite holiday than the previous day, and now, it’s encroaching into Thanksgiving. If we need a Black Friday, it should start at noon, so all the people who are having to work on Black Friday can stay home and enjoy family, get some rest, and sleep off that food-coma. Then they can get ready for the craziness. Thanks to the good ol’ 21st century, we now have

Cyber Monday, which is amazing. All the struggle of Black Friday consists of refreshing a webpage for an hour waiting for the sale to start and a few weeks later getting phat stacks of boxes set on your doorstep. Once all that is over then, please, throw up the tree and blast your favorite carols on repeat. I’d still like a couple weeks to give time to all the other worries of life. But, who doesn’t love listening to the great artists sing you a merry tune on your way to school? I can’t wait for those nights gathered with the family near the fire, after a long day of playing in the snow, with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate watching “Christmas Vacation” and enjoying the best memories of life. I feel like we should start separating out our holidays more. We are all in such a rush to get things done anymore that we aren’t living in the moment and enjoying the small things life has to offer.

Avery MunsonSocial Media Editor

In the midst of all their Christmas decorations, there is a Thanksgiving turkey inflatable, even though Thanksgiving is before Christmas.