Monthly Archives: March 2022

Baseball

Everything you need to know about the MLB lockout (aside from the fact it’s over)

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By: Abby Altman

What is a lockout?

There are basically 2 kinds of labor stoppages. A lockout and a strike. A strike is a stoppage initiated by the Union side; in this case, the player’s union. A strike would revolve around the player’s union refusing to work.

A lockout is when the stoppage is initiated by the management; in this case, the team owners. Basically, the MLB owners were refusing to allow work to be done, or games to be played. 

In a baseball sense, a lockout means that games and practices can’t be held, trades can’t be made, and free agency is put on hold. 

The lockout already put a halt to spring training, and regular season games have been canceled through April 7th by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. This is the first time the league has lost games due to a work stoppage since the 1994-95 players’ strike.

The MLB Players Association (MLBPA) had its main focus set on getting more money for younger players. They were asking to increase the minimum wage pool, and install a pre-arbitration bonus pool. They were also attempting to curb anti-competitive strategies. 

On the other side of the lockout, the league and team owners were looking to expand the postseason, to either 12 or 14 teams. The 2 sides remained in disagreement over tax balance thresholds, the increase in minimum salary, and the size of the pre-arbitration bonus pool. 

Early in negotiations, 3 major changes were made to the league. 

The first change, and perhaps the smallest of the 3, is an increase in base size. The league has agreed to change the base sizes from 15 square inches to 18 square inches. The increase in size will likely reduce injuries, as the larger the base is, the more room runners have to slide around the fielder, avoiding more collisions. The MLB is also hoping this will lead to an increase in stolen bases. 

The 2nd confirmed change is the installation of a pitch clock. One thing fans and non fans can agree on is that baseball is not a quick moving game. The addition of a pitch clock is an attempt to speed up the game, estimating it can bring the game from an average of 3 hours, all the way down to 2:40. MLB’s plan includes a 14 second timer between pitches with empty bases, and a 19 second timer with runners on. 

By far the most significant and most protested change is the banning of shifts. The MLBPA and the MLB have agreed to ban defensive shifts. Shifts are one of the most analytical parts of the game, making it possible for a hard hit ball between first and second base to result in a routine ground out. 

Left handed batters are by far the most shifted on batters, with big names such as José Ramírez, Joey Gallo, and Max Kepler facing the shift over 90% of their at bats. While banning the shift will allow for more hits on offense, it is a large part of the defensive game, and will change the way defense is played for many. 

Edit** following the writing of this article, the 2 sides reached an agreement, and baseball is scheduled to resume on April 7th. 

The MLBPA and the MLB have agreed on several more changes to the game of baseball. This includes a 12 team expanded postseason and a universal designated hitter. This means that pitchers will no longer bat in the National League, and all 30 teams will hold a designated hitter position in their lineup.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Hawkeye review

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By: Eva Olson

In the new Marvel TV show, ‘Hawkeye’, a new character is introduced into the MCU, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. She and Hawkeye must team up to defeat a villain trying to kill Kate because she was forced to wear the Ronin suit from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to stop an attack.

I loved how sarcastic and witty Kate was with Clint and other characters. Kate and Clint had a really funny dynamic. Her backstory was very interesting and I liked how it was tied back to previous movies.

It was interesting how a character from the Marvel TV show, ‘Daredevil’, was incorporated into the show. I liked all the plot twists and unexpected turns in this show. It really kept you intrigued because you couldn’t binge watch it when it came out considering its episodes were only released once a week on Wednesdays.

To watch this show you do need to have watched some Marvel movies, especially ‘Black Widow’, ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and ‘The Avengers’. A character from ‘Black Widow’ makes an appearance and this show finishes off the cliffhanger in the ‘Black Widow’ post credit scene. There are also many references to these movies.

I would also recommend watching this sometime around Christmas, because Christmas is integral to the storyline. They did a good job of making it festive but not completely revolving around Christmas.

This show did a great job of showing how Clint is doing after Natasha’s death. It gave Clint and his family more screen time which was fun to watch.

Overall, I really liked this show and would recommend it to Marvel fans. It was really entertaining and I loved all the new characters. I would give it a 9.5/10 rating. You can watch this show on Disney+

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Doctor Strange – Multiverse of Madness’ trailer

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By: Salman Said

The official trailer of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ has arrived, and fans are excited. The trailer was the number one trending video on YouTube. The movie is directed by Sam Rami and is set to release on May 6th, 2022.

It takes place chronologically after ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’. *If you haven’t watched the new Spider-Man movie, spoiler alerts are in place*. The movie’s main-conflict revolves around the collapsing multiverse after Dr. Strange fails to make everyone forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man (in order to save the multiverse from collapsing he made everyone forget who Peter Parker was altogether).

In the trailer, we see that his actions had detrimental after-effects, and now many different characters are entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe like America Chavez. Her powers allow her to enter different multiverses and it looks like she’ll be playing a big role in the movie. We’ve already seen both previous Spider-Men and their respective villains, but now it looks like they aren’t the only ones arriving.

The movie trailer opens with Doctor Strange waking up from a nightmare; interestingly, the villain of the film was speculated to be Nightmare, but after COVID pushbacks and a change of directors, it appears that the initial storyline line and antagonist might’ve changed. Nightmare was Doctor Strange’s original enemy, and his powers include manipulating the dreams and nightmares of those he haunts (like Freddy Krueger). He also has complete control over the nightmare world he creates, as well as conscious control over the bodies of those he possesses. However, a shift of setting in the trailer reveals another plot line altogether without him.

During the trailer, we see Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), played by Elizabeth Olsen, who we haven’t seen since ‘WandaVision’, the hit Disney+ series. She’s become a scorned mother on a mission to find her children again, potentially in the multiverse itself after losing them. The last time we’d seen her she was mastering chaos magic and had fully embraced her sinister side. In the trailer we heard an unsettling and ominous comment made by her to Doctor Strange, “You break the rules, you become the hero. I do it, I become the enemy.” The statement appears to be a set-up for the heartbroken mother to do whatever it takes to find her children, even if it means destroying the multiverse itself.

The Fox-Disney merger was a big topic back in 2019 and something all Marvel fans were excited about. Finally the MCU got its prized characters back including the X-Men, Fantastic 4, and the popular red anti-hero Deadpool. This adds to the excitement that fans already had when we saw Deadpool interacting with MCU’s Korg during a trailer for Ryan Reynolds’s new movie, ‘Free Guy’. It’s been almost 4 years since the merger and fans are wondering when we’ll get to see these characters team up with our favorite MCU characters.

The wait might not be as long as we think, because during the trailer we hear the voice of Patrick Stewart, also known as Professor X, the leader of the X-Men. This has many people wondering if the multiverse opening has allowed these characters to arrive in the MCU just like it had with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Macguire’s Spider-Men.

Though it’s all speculation, many fans are excited to see characters like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier, or another Iron Man played by Tom Cruise.

Nonetheless, many moviegoers are thrilled about this film. It has the potential to pull in enormous numbers at the box office, as we witnessed the latest film ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ hit the $1 billion mark in global sales, making it the first movie to do so since the pandemic began two years ago.

Marvel has had a significant influence on the film industry, and it’s clear that many fans are delighted to see their favorite actors and actresses perform their iconic characters on the big screen.

Fashion/Make-Up

Spring fashion trends 2022

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By: Ella Tabor

Let’s take a look at some of the trends we might be seeing this spring.

With the rise and popularity still ongoing, this spring we’ll see nods to our favorite y2k moments. In spring ’22 we’ll see more modernized versions of some of our beloved 2000s trends. Think mini skirts, sequins, pink, denim, colorful sunglasses, flared and low-rise pants, graphic baby tees, and more.

Bright colors will be making their way into our spring ’22 wardrobes. With the increased popularity of vibrant colors on the runway, it’s no surprise that bold colors are coming out this spring. Techniques like color blocking (pairing colors that are opposites on the color wheel) are a great way to achieve this look.

Another element we’ll see is the preppy style. Cable knits, polos, pleated skirts, gingham, blazers, and collared blouses. The Designer brand Miu Miu has been credited with the rise of this trend with the popularity of their spring ’22 lines which featured cut-off sweater tops and mini skirts.

Extreme layering is coming back. I know, at first, I was skeptical. However, this trend may be one of my favorites. Thinking back to the 2000s when jeans were paired with mini skirts. This trend is all about layering tops, pants, skirts, and accessories in a seemingly chaotic fashion.

Draped and wet-looking pieces are becoming increasingly popular amongst designers and personal styles. These techniques are influenced by Grecian silhouettes. “Wet” pieces are designed to cling to the body and take on a water-drenched look.

Fashion reminiscent of the 60s has also spiked interest in many. A few emerging trends are small silk scarves, bandana headscarves, skirt suits, knee-high boots, and wide-leg pants.

With that rundown of some trends to keep an eye out for, go out and have fun with fashion.

Science/Nature

Are zoos threatening or protecting our endangered species?

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By: Ashley Harris

There are over forty thousand endangered species around the globe; some of which hold crucial necessities to not only keep the food chain alive but also life as we know it alive.

According to the ‘IUCN Red List’ which is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species; 41% of all amphibians are at an extreme risk of going extinct. Amphibians play essential roles, both as predators and prey, in their ecosystems. Amphibians tend to eat pest insects such as flies, mealworms, crickets, and all sorts of beetles; all of which are known to cause problems such as carrying disease, damaging crops, and much more.

With all the risks included in losing some of earth’s critical species, scientists around the world have been trying to come up with a solution for centuries. Finally, after years of debate, The Phoenix Zoo in Arizona sparked a chain of what is now known as captive breeding. Captive breeding is the process in which a zoo takes in at least two endangered animals from the same species and drives them to reproduce until finally reintroducing them into the wild.

Sounds like the perfect solution right? Well, although this might seem like a great idea there have been many speculations in the past few years; as well as accusations towards certain risk factors that the zoos were covering up. Some of these risk factors include minor things such as the animals refusing to reproduce, but mostly include major factors such as the spread of disease, loss of genetic diversity, depression and/or anxiety in the animals, and unsustainable conditions for the animals to live in due to insufficient funds.

Although this list seems vast these are only the risk factors that take place in the zoo itself; many more risks come with the reintroduction of animals back into the wild. Animals are crucial to life on earth, but should we turn to zoos as the answer?

Science/Nature

Current animals at risk for extinction

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By: Liv Miller

The earth is filled with millions of different beautiful species of animals. No matter where you are in the world, you are exposed to many different unique and amazing animals. There is one huge problem facing these animals today, extinction.

First let’s talk about extinction itself, what it is and how it happens. Extinction is the dying out, or extermination of a single species of animal. There can be many reasons or causes of this happening. Extinction can occur when species are negatively affected due to environmental forces. Some examples of these environmental forces are natural disasters, global change, or overexploitation of species for human use.

Another cause of extinction can be due to evolutionary changes, this includes poor reproduction, genetic inbreeding, or decline in population numbers.

No matter how or where it happens, extinction is a growing issue putting many different beloved species at risk.

The first species I found that was at risk of extinction was the loggerhead sea turtle. The reason why many species who mainly live near, or in water, like the loggerhead turtles are in danger, is because according to Biologicaldiversity.org a huge percentage of the world’s population live within at least 150 miles of the coast. This puts a lot of pressure on species trying to find space to live and reproduce among all of the people and crowds. This causes more problems that are contributing to the extinction of this animal. For example; destruction of their nesting habitat, harassment while nesting, over harvesting of its eggs, ect.

Another species I want to talk about is the Florida panther. A great population of this animal used to live across all of the southeastern parts of the United States, but now is confined to just a small area in Florida. The reason this animal is facing extinction is because of the destruction of their habitat. Urban expansion is a huge threat to wildlife, and is causing not just the Florida panther, but many other species to become extinct. According to Biologicaldiversity.org, large numbers of panthers died due to the growing network of roads connecting Florida’s growing human population spread throughout the state. As of 2011, there were only 100-120 panthers left.

These are just two of the close to a million species in which their population is declining and facing extinction. Many causes of this issue are unavoidable, but I do believe that there can be something done to save at least some of these beautiful animals.

Getting To Know/History

Spies in World War ll

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By: Ella Sutherland & Lauren Kottke

WWII was a brutal war that lasted 6 years, between the years 1939-1945. It was the largest and deadliest war. It was a global war with over 60 million people killed, and this includes many civilians.

Adolf Hitler was the man who started World War II. He was elected as Chancellor of Germany. It started when Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France then ended up declaring war on Germany. Germany didn’t like that, so Germany attacked Denmark and Norway, and soon after attacked Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Germany won pretty fast.

The countries that were fighting alongside Hitler, were Japan and Italy, and on the other side of that was Great Britain and France as well as many others.

On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe, and on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, and World War II ended.

Obviously, many people were involved in the war. Have you ever wondered what spies did in World War II? We did, and we learned that spies influenced World War II in so many different ways. Some went undercover, some worked for both sides, and some even helped protect secret documents. These are three spies from World War ll that helped influence the war.

Spy #1 Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was born and raised in St Louis. She left America when she was 19 in search of a greater life. In America she suffered the effects of the Jim Crow laws, which is a big reason why she left. At the time, Paris was a city full of people with big dreams, and Josephine was one of them.

After she landed a few small acting jobs in Paris, her career took off. People immediately fell in love with her charms and she was a hit.

What brought her into the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) was her fame. They recruited her because her fame was the perfect cover to be a spy. She could go to parties with important people and not be questioned. She specifically attended Italian and Japanese diplomatic parties in order to gather information on others joining the war.

Something she was known for was when she smuggled documents to general Charles de Gaulle and the French government with information about German troop movements. Over the years she made many impacts and helped the cause of the war.

Spy #2 Noon Inayat Khan

Noor Inayat Khan was born into royalty in India, but when the first war hit, she left Moscow for London and later on landed in Britain. From a young age she was passionate about doing courageous acts for other people’s good.

She joined the women’s auxiliary Air Force and immediately had a talent for operating the radios. She was later recruited by SOE (Special Operations Executive) and did training. After her training she went on to help maintain communications between London and France.

Spy #3 Virginia Hall

Virginia Hall was born into a wealthy family in Baltimore. But although she was rich, her life wasn’t easy. When she was younger she got into a hunting accident which resulted in her leg being amputated.

\As she grew up and the war became more apparent, Virginia’s ambitions to be a spy grew. She tried numerous times to become a spy, but was denied, until she had an encounter with an SOE agent. He ended up recruiting her and she was put as an undercover reporter.

She quickly began making connections and helped recruit more women spies into the field. Hall’s work is remembered as she helped bring liberation to parts of France.

As you can see, spies had a big impact on the war and had important roles. Many people overlooked women in the war before they learned that women made very good spies. We only named a few of the amazing spies that changed the course of the war. If you take anything away from this article, take away that spies saved so many lives and had such an important role in the war.

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Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Nappily Ever After’

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By: Samera Adams

‘Nappily Ever After’ is a Netflix movie. The movie consists of different sections. Each section identifies a part of the main character’s hair journey.

The movie starts with the main character, Violet, as a child playing by a pool. She is the only kid that’s not allowed in by her parents. Then one of the little boys in the pool asks her to jump in. Without hesitation she goes in for the dive, not knowing what would happen to her hair.

Her hair fizzed up. She was now getting teased by all of the other kids in the pool. Her mom then grabs her and shoves her in the car and never looks back.

Fast forward to the first section called “Straightened”. Violet is grown now. Her mother came over early in the morning because Violet found a ring box in her boyfriend’s pocket. They then proceed to do her hair to get ready for her “surprise” proposal.

On Violet’s way to work, right before her dinner, she gets sprayed with water by children playing. She then freaks out and runs to a nearby salon.

While getting her hair rinsed, instantly her hair falls out. They then figure out that the little girl who helps out gave her a relaxer instead of shampoo.

She was angry and they proceeded to put a weave in.

Dinner rolls around. Clint, her boyfriend, pulls out the box that they found earlier. She opens it. It is not a ring. It’s a dog chain. He got her a dog, not a ring.

They break out into an argument. Violet then realizes that he isn’t going to marry her because she doesn’t get out of her comfort zone. She’s “too perfect”.

Out of all the stress she shaves her hair.

She realizes that her straightened hair was society’s reflection on beauty.
The movie then goes on to Violet trying new things to her hair, appearance, attitude, etc.

This movie was meant to be a confidence booster. I didn’t reveal too much information about the movie, just in case, y’all would like to watch it.

It gets a 5-star rating because it shows that you are enough.

Travel/Food

The misconception surrounding saturated fats

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By: Yussuf Omar

Saturated fats are often portrayed as this evil we must all avoid, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The main thought is that saturated fats are bad for heart health, clogging arteries, and causing heart disease. This misconception stems from a study released in the 1970s called “The Seven Countries Study.” Unfortunately, this study is viewed like a gospel on fat and that’s where the issue stems from.

Important factors like sugar consumption, exercise levels, drug rates, stress, and diet weren’t taken into account at all; nations with data that contradicted the conclusion were also conveniently left out. The study had access to the data of 22 countries but didn’t include any of the populations that consumed loads of saturated fats with minimal cases of heart disease.

Governments decided to run with this study and shortly afterwards the hate campaign towards saturated fat started. Saturated fats were replaced with added sugar and salt, which when over consumed are much worse than anything saturated fats could do to you.

But lately studies showing the positive effects of saturated fats have come to light, highlighting how the brain is composed of 60% fat and how cells need lipids (fats) to build their cell walls. However, these crucial functions in our body can only continue to work with saturated fat, therefore the avoidance of it will only negatively affect your health.

But, like all things in life, it’s only good in moderation. Of course the overconsumption of it won’t be good for your health, but any food item over consumed isn’t good for your health.

The bad rap that saturated fats get is rooted in ignorance, and the only way we move forward from these archaic beliefs is to seek out knowledge and critically think for ourselves. You aren’t required to go out of your way to seek saturated fats, but the best thing to do is to quit demonizing the few you see around and work on moderation.

Science/Nature

Diabetes, What is it?

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By: Ava Bleifuss

Diabetes is a long lasting health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. How does your body turn food into energy? The food that you eat is broken down into glucose/sugar and released into your bloodstream for your body to use. When your blood sugar gets too high, there is a signal that goes to your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is a lot like a key and in this case it lets the blood sugar into the body’s cells to use as energy. When someone has diabetes, this process does not work.

There are two types of diabetes that a person can have; the first kind is type 1 diabetes. Studies have shown that type 1 diabetes occurs by an autoimmune reaction, which is when the body attacks itself by mistake. That autoimmune reaction stops your pancreas from producing insulin. Without insulin blood sugar is not able to get into cells and it can cause many buildups in the bloodstream.

Type 1 diabetes can also be passed on from parents. If a parent has diabetes then it is possible the child also has the gene, and is more likely to develop it. Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 and is often diagnosed in the younger years of a person’s life. 

The second type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. Type 2 and type 1 diabetes often get mixed up because type 2 is just where your body doesn’t use insulin properly. People with type 2 diabetes, their bodies can not control the blood sugar enough to keep it at a normal level. This long term condition causes too much sugar circulating in a person’s bloodstream, and the cells do not respond normally to insulin.

Most people who have diabetes have type 2, and it develops over many years. Normally, it is diagnosed during adulthood, but children and teens are able to get type 2 diabetes. There is no said cure for this type, but it can be managed and controlled by losing weight, eating well, exercising, and drinking plenty of water. 

Managing diabetes can be difficult. People with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes have to take insulin shots or can use an insulin pump to manage their blood sugar levels. They have to check their blood sugar regularly to make sure it is in the appropriate range. If it is too low, people with diabetes will have to take in more glucose, and if it is too high, they will have to take in more insulin. Having a lot of stress can cause managing diabetes to be more challenging, but doing regular physical activity, getting enough sleep, and having relaxation exercises can help. 

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