All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Getting To Know/History

Influential women in sports

Leave a comment

By: Isabelle Baidoo and Greta Johnson

Over the years, women in sports have been constantly underestimated. So, for women’s history month we wanted to talk about 2 influential women who were dominant in their respective sports. We chose Megan Rapinoe who plays soccer on the US Women’s National Team and Mikaela Shiffrin, who is a successful alpine racer.

Mikaela Shiffrin

At the age of 15, Mikaela started racing on the World Cup circuit. She was the youngest ski racer in American history to compete on the FIS circuit. This came after she had been skiing for most of her life, and had also attended Burke Mountain Academy, which is a ski racing academy in Vermont.

Just a few weeks after her 16th birthday, Mikeala won her first World Cup race. It was only her first season racing the circuit.

After 2 more seasons of competing in the World Cup she went to her first Olympics and ended up winning a gold medal in slalom making her the youngest slalom gold medal winner in American history.

After 13 seasons racing in the World Cup, Mikeala has 88 wins combined. That makes her the most decorated racer in the world at only 28. She’s been to 3 Olympics, has 3 Olympic medals, and is the most successful racer in American history.

Sadly, in February of 2020, Mikeala’s father Jeff unexpectedly passed. He suffered a severe head injury in the family’s home in Colorado. He was 65. This devastated the Shiffrin family.

“My family is heartbroken beyond comprehension about the unexpected passing of my kindhearted, loving, caring, patient, wonderful father. Our mountains, our ocean our sunrise, our heart, our soul, our everything. He taught us so many valuable lessons,” Shiffrin tweeted. “But above everything else, he taught us the golden rule: Be nice, think first. This is something I will carry with me forever. He was the firm foundation of our family and we miss him terribly.”

Soon after his death, Mikaela and her family started the Jeff Shiffren Athlete Resiliency Fund to help US Ski Team athletes through the COVID-19 pandemic, and honor Jeff Shiffren’s legacy of kindness.

After a couple hard seasons, and a very rough 2022 Olympic Games, Mikaela is back on top. This season she broke the record for the most ski racing wins ever which was previously held by Ingemar Stenmark for 34 years.

Mikaela is one of the most influential ski racers of our time; she broke barriers and overcame many setbacks and influenced a new generation of female skiers today.

Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe is a professional American soccer player. Since 2006, she has played winger and midfield for the United States Women’s National Team. Before she played nationally, she played for the Portland Pilots, during her college career, from 2005-2008. Rapinoe also currently plays for the OL Reign, a professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington.

Throughout her career she has numerous accomplishments in soccer. Rapinoe is a three time Olympic Champion. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games she won bronze, in the 2016 Rio games she took the team to 5th place, and finally, in 2012 of the London games she won gold.

Throughout her 197 national appearances, she has scored a total of 63 goals making her the 10th highest goal scorer on the Women’s National Team.

Rapinoe is also a strong activist for the LGBTQ community. She is the latest openly LGBTQ American to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July 2022.

She was among 17 others to receive this honor, she was the first soccer player to get this award, and was one of only six female athletes.

She is an advocate for many LGBTQ organizations such as the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally.

She’s received awards for her contributions to the LGBTQ community as well. For example, in 2013, she was awarded the Board of Directors Award from the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. Then in 2020 she was one of ‘Time Magazine’s’ 100 Most Influential People.

Women in sports are frequently overlooked and pushed aside. Whether it be that they are underpaid, get less TV footage than male athletes, or receive less sponsorships than their male counterparts. These women are idols to many young girls, and they are extremely crucial to the future of the sports. Representation is important in sports because it shows the next generation of athletes that their dreams are possible.

For more information, please visit:

World

Tensions rise in Georgia, Putin looks to China, and ICC puts arrest warrant on Putin

Leave a comment

By: Aeden Evenson-McDermott

The country of Georgia is finding itself caught up with its former Soviet Republic and the present state of the world. With an overwhelming majority of Georgians wanting to get EU membership, and become a more reformed democratic institution, there has been pushback by some on the far-right. There most recently has been a push by the right-wing and conservatives to change the constitution to allow the government to become more authoritarian in certain measures. Many are fed up with the measures being proposed by various officials and individuals that they see as wanting to lower the country. Corruption is still a prevalent issue, and with Russia’s influence growing in the former Soviet Republic this is allowing for the restrictive measures to gain traction in Georgia.

Russia has used its influence as it has turned its attention to disrupting Georgia’s politics as a distraction from their invasion of Ukraine. It remains to be seen what comes of this, as thousands march for their rights to a hopeful future of EU membership and to stand against Russia.

As Eastern Europe finds itself in a world intertwined with the two most powerful autocrats (Putin and Xi JinPing), the West is grappling with defending democracy while not going too far to provoke our adversaries.

With the current standstill in the war on Ukraine, Russia is playing their cards towards a war of attrition. Ukrainian resilience is allowing for the further pushback of Russian forces which is leading to significant casualties, especially on the Russian side. Russia’s loss of manpower constantly has their efforts diminished and has Putin angered. He has persistently requested support from his few remaining allies and has especially sent requests for various military hardware to be delivered to his country. He has received kamikaze drones from Iran and has secretly, while somewhat silently, asked president Xi of China for military support and assistance.

The two autocrats would reconvene for their most recent summit for 2 and a half days with president Xi holding private meetings with Russian president Putin. The free world has been keeping a close watch on the moves that these two men would be making through their discussions from the 20th-22nd of March.

It really wasn’t a surprise that President Xi would travel to Moscow, especially with the tighter bond between the two countries’ alliances. Since Xi’s election in 2012 the two men have built a strong relationship and have held 40 one on one meetings.

When the somewhat crippling sanctions came in full force to Russia, back in February of 2022, China was a mainstay ally who refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine and took a pretty neutral stance on the whole issue.

Through the buying of natural gas and oil, to the economic stability, and modern tech being provided to Russia, China is allowing for the state of Russia to be refurbished. The two leaders agree on the common consensus of being against the United States while treading water to remain intact with the world in terms of trading.

The ongoing war in Ukraine that continues to be further pushing Russia away has made Putin turn to hosting Xi for a variety of reasons. The main reason was that Putin strongly considered asking for lethal aid which China has remained silent on but has never given a definite no to.

The 12 point peace plan proposed by Xi has been deemed as a non starter by Ukraine, the U.S. and Western Allies. It mainly is because it would be keeping Crimea as Russian controlled territory even though it is Ukrainian land, calling for a cease fire between Russia and Ukraine (which would most likely allow for Russia to regroup and buildup manpower for a new offensive), and a plan that favors Russia in ending the war but doesn’t give all Ukrainian land back to the Ukrainians.

Most notably, in recent weeks, the ICC (International Criminal Court) has issued an arrest warrant for President Putin of Russia and for the Commissioner of Children’s Rights Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. This comes at a time when Russia is continuing to lose and manpower is short. The arrest warrant is mainly for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russian controlled territory as well as many Ukrainians who were forced to be taken to Russia. Lvova-Belova, who is the Commissioner of Children’s Rights in Russia, has been in control of the handling of displaced children since the war started. She herself has “adopted” at least one kid from Ukraine and has been an advocate of having Russian families take in Ukrainian children.

Putin and Lvova-Belova have both been pro Russian and have the mindset of making the Ukrainian children lose their identity and therefore become Russian citizens. With the forced deportation and the illegal adoptions which have taken place, the ICC has issued arrest warrants for both of them under the Rome Statute. Although, in the near future, most likely nothing will happen for them to be arrested, it further isolates Russia and its leaders from traveling to much of the world, and especially to the West.

Travel/Food

Canjeero and shaax recipe

Leave a comment

By: Ajmal Abdirahman

Canjeero is a breakfast staple in Somalia. Both my mom and dad would eat it almost every morning when they lived in Somalia. It’s one of my favorites from Somali food. I grew up eating it almost everyday just like my parents. My mom would get up very early in the morning and make a big batch of Canjeero and alongside she would also make her signature Somali shaax!

Canjeero can be eaten in many different ways. Like with shaax (which is Somali tea), with sugar and sesame oil, with goat or camel liver (which is called “beer” in Somali), with oodkaac (which is a Somali dish of preserved jerky style beef cubes), or my favorite way, with honey!

Somali tea (Shaax), was first introduced to Somalia through ancient trade with the Indians and Arabs. It’s typical for Somalis to drink this throughout the day but mostly at breakfast or late at night. Tea is widely preferred in Somalia over coffee. If you add milk to your tea then it is called Shaax Bigaysi.

I asked my mother for her recipes; here they are!

Canjeero Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 cup of self rising flour
  • 1 cup of corn flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3-4 cups of water
  • 1 teaspoon of yeast
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar

Instructions on how to make Canjeero:

  1. First combine all the flours in one large bowl along with the salt, sugar, and yeast and whisk well
  2. Add the water slowly until you get the right consistency (thick and smooth)
  3. Then let the batter sit for an hour or overnight
  4. Enjoy!

Shaax Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Cold water (amount is how much tea you want to make)
  • 1⁄2 cup of sugar
  • Cardamom (add desired amount)
  • Cinnamon sticks (add desired amount)
  • Cloves (add desired amount)
  • Ginger (you can use powdered ginger but fresh is best, also add desired amount)
  • Black tea bags or black tea leaves (add desired amount)

Instructions on how to make Shaax:

  1. First grab a kettle and pour your cold water into it
  2. Either boil the water first or boil when all ingredients are added
  3. Add your sugar
  4. Then add all your spices, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and ginger, then let that all boil together
  5. When that all boils together nicely add your tea bags or tea leaves
  6. Boil for a couple of minutes until it gets to a dark brown color
  7. Strain the tea and pour it into your thermos or tea pot
  8. Enjoy!

For more information, please visit:

Travel/Food

Attractions to do in the Twin Cities

Leave a comment

By: Jessica Garcia Saligan

CanCan Wonderland

This attraction is an amusement built in a historical building.
CanCan Wonderland has many attractions for all ages. Kids and adults can play an 18 hole mini golf course made by 18 different artists. All 18 holes are different and provide different skills. CanCan also has a ping ball arcade and many other retro arcade games. They provide many necessities to have an amazing evening.

Here is a link to find CanCan Wonderland: https://goo.gl/maps/FMmT32SeT7U2

Mall Of America

The Mall Of America has many attractions to choose from! They have an escape room with 12 different room choices from prison escape to a mansion escape. This attraction involves a lot of critical thinking so if you’re good at, that I suggest that you try it out!

The mall also has an indoor theme park with many coasters for all ages from thrill rides like the rock bottom plunge, to zip lining and many kid coasters for the little ones. I recommend the park to younger kids because the thrill rides aren’t as thrilling compared to other places, but overall, it’s a great place to spend an evening out.

If you ever get hungry while shopping, the 3rd and 4th floor have so many restaurants and fast food places and so many varieties of food you can choose from.

One thing that MOA is known for, is the biggest Sea Life in Minnesota; it has more than 10,000 underwater creatures plus the 11 breathtaking exhibits that are filled with 1.3 million gallons of water.

The Mall of America is located at: 60 E Broadway, Bloomington, MN 55425

WhirlyBall

WhirlyBall is a fun place to go out with family and friends! There are so many activities to do such as WhirlyBall, a lot of people don’t know what it is or never heard of it. WhirlyBall is a team sport that is up to 2-4 people per team. You have a bumper car and a scoop with a ball. What you have to do is make sure the ball doesn’t hit the floor and score on the opposite team’s goal.

Some other activities they have are laser tag, arcades, bowling, escape rooms, and if you really enjoy WhirlyBall you can join a Whirly League. You get a lot of benefits if you’re on the team such as exclusive food and drinks, 50% off walk-in Whirly anytime all season. It’s $5 per person for 3 games per night, which will be $75 per week. You need to have 5 players on each team and must be 18 years old to play. They are also known for how many good food options they have.

You can find WhirlyBall at: 2405 East Old Shakopee  Road,
Bloomington MN 55425

Editorials/Student Voice, Events

Women’s History Month

Leave a comment

By: Lauren Kottke & Ella Sutherland

Women’s history month is the month of March that is dedicated to women. It’s to honor the women that have been mistreated, pushed down, and suffered throughout history. It’s well known about the struggles that women have faced for hundreds of years. Up until the women’s suffrage movement, they couldn’t even vote. And before that, it wasn’t normalized for women to have a job or to be unmarried. Though much has changed, the world is still unsafe for women.

Women’s history month started in 1978. At first it was only a week-long celebration and was called “Women’s History Week’. It started in Santa Rosa California by the Education Task Force of Sonoma County Commission and the Status of Women. Women’s History Week was led by a teacher named Molly Murphy McGregor. During that week, Santa Rosa had presentations on women’s contributions to history, society and culture. After the Santa Rosa Women’s Week, it spread across the country. More and more states started to follow and celebrate Women’s Week.

Someone who helped start celebrating women was Gerda Lerner. She organized and chaired a 15-day conference on women’s history. Her conference had many different sponsors for the event. Women’s Action Alliance and the Smithsonian Institution were two of the many sponsors. This conference made more people push towards Women’s Month.

“Women’s history is a women’s right—an essential, indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and long-range vision.”— Gerda Lerner

It wasn’t until 1980 that Women’s Week became a national celebration. In February of 1980, president Jimmy Carter declared March 2-8 as National Women’s History Week. After it was declared by the president, more issues started to be passed by the president. On August 4, 1981, president Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation that Women’s History Week would be celebrated with ceremonies and activities. People wanted there to be speakers, presentations, and parades.

Then, in 1987, congress passed a petition which made Women’s Week, Women’s Month. The petition was made by the National Women’s History Project. And after 1987 it became an annual celebration.

Now Women’s History Month is celebrated by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Other countries celebrate but at different times. For example, Canada celebrates Women’s Month during October. There is also International Women’s Day on March 8th.

Since Women’s History Month started, there have been things that have improved and some things that haven’t.

One of the things that have improved for women is the amount of women working in the government. This may not seem like a huge deal but it is. Women now have a say in laws that get passed, and are more likely to recognize women’s struggles.

Another way that things have improved for women is now many more countries are instigating laws to support the fight for gender equality. In the last 10 years, 131 countries have passed over 274 legal reforms in order to create more equality between genders. This is important for the futures of young girls and women.

One more way that things have improved for women is the percentage of young women and girls, that are attending school, has gone up hugely. As of today there are over 79 million more girls that are in school learning than there were in 1998.

There are still many issues that women face today like pay gaps, job security, gender based violence, and reproductive rights being taken away. We still have a long way to go before women can feel fully comfortable in the world we live in today, but from what we can tell we are making slow progress.

For more information, please visit:

Events

Ramadan

Leave a comment

By: Yumna Abajebel

I’m sure we’re all wondering what the holiday Ramadan really is about. In the religion of Islam Muslim, Ramadan marks the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

When the crescent moon is sighted in Saudi Arabia, it starts the long awaited month of fasting. Ramadan isn’t only about fasting, it’s a month about giving zakat (charity), making prayers, and forgiveness for the sake of Allah (God).

The real reason why we fast is to be grateful for what we have, and see what it’s like for people who are less fortunate. Usually, we don’t have food or drinks from sunrise to sunset. Before the sun rises we have to have a filling meal. Then towards sunset, you have to start preparing for dinner, which is called Iftar, and is at an exact time. You can eat anything you want, but have to stop right before sunrise.

Fasting is mandatory in Islam once you hit the age of puberty, exceptions being extend for people who are either ill, diabetic, traveling, pregnant, or women in their menstrual period.

Towards the end of the month, Laylat al-Qadr starts; it’s one of five odd-numbered nights which fall during the last 10 days. Those last days are the most spirited days of the month which is spent praying all you can and asking for forgiveness of all your past sins.

Then, on the 30th night, the new crescent moon has to be sighted for the completion of the thirty days of fasting. After the moon is sighted, it marks the beginning of Shawwal, the next lunar month.

Then sparks up the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is the celebration after Ramadan that lasts for 3 days. It’s spent wearing the best clothes you have, being with family, and eating all the food you can. Muslim people all around the world are the happiest during this time. They spend all year preparing and waiting for this holy month. We don’t have that many holidays in our religion, but Ramadan and Eid will forever make up for that.

Travel/Food

Malawax recipe

Leave a comment

By: Mushtaq Yonis

Malawax is a Somali traditional dish that’s regularly eaten for breakfast across the country and its diaspora. Malawax is a sweet pancake similar to a crepe. Some eat it with honey and drink shaax with it which is a Somali tea.

Malawax is one of the easiest foods to make in Somali culture, which is why it’s great to make before breakfast if you’re in a rush. Just make sure you have this mixture ready in-hand before you start.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons of melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
  • 1 1⁄2 cup plain flour
  • 2 egg
  • 2 cups milk

If you don’t have time in the morning to make this mixture, make sure you make it by blending the ingredients the night before and refrigerate it so it doesn’t go bad.

Instructions on how to make malawax:

  1. Brush a nonstick pan with butter or oil over medium heat
  2. Pour a little batter into the pan and swirl it around to cover it thinly
  3. Cook the malawax till they’re golden underneath, about a minute or two
  4. Make sure the malawax doesn’t stick to the pan by spreading a little oil or butter
  5. Flip the the malawax over and repeat

Then you are ready to enjoy the malawax! It’s best eaten when warm so make sure you eat it before it gets too cold. You can add honey or butter if you want extra taste!

Fashion/Make-Up

History of corsets

Leave a comment

By: Isabelle Baidoo & Greta Johnson

The corset is a tightly fastened bodysuit; designed to push up or flatten a woman’s breasts, or to hug her waist until her figure resembles an hourglass shape.

Corsets are dated all the way back to 1600 BCE, but did not gain prominence until the Middle Ages and Renaissance era. They were worn by European royalty and were a sign of wealth and power.

“At least 60% [of American women above the age of 15] are overweight or grievously lack symmetry in the vicinity of bosom, waist, or hips […] they must — assuming they are vain enough and rich enough to care — wear some sort of corset regardless of what the prevailing mode may be.”

-The Corset

Although these tight fitting garments were appealing to the eye, they had major side effects. Over time corsets cause core muscles to weaken which leads to back pain, poor posture, poor digestion, and overall physical weakness. When the waist is heavily compressed it reduces lung capacity and presses the intestines down.

In the Renaissance Era, women would often have broken ribs from how tightly strung their corsets were tied. The lack of oxygen to the lungs is what caused women in corsets to often faint due to low oxygen.

Corsets lost their popularity in the 50s when women began to be more athletic and welcomed into the workforce. The tight fitted corsets were slowly being dropped, and girdles, and more form fitting garments, were more popular.

“If women will continue this destructive habit, the race must inevitably deteriorate.”

-Benjamin Orange Flower, 1892

Even though the traditional corset went out of style a long time ago, variations of the piece have recently become popular in today’s fashion. With TV shows like ‘Bridgerton’ being well known, people started wearing corsets again; pairing them with jeans and short skirts for a more modern look.

Waist trainers are also a popular trend right now, with celebrities like Kim K promoting unrealistic body standards making women feel the need to wear a waist trainer to achieve the “hourglass” figure. The waist trainer has similar negative effects as the traditional corset did, restricting airflow and damaging the rib cage. It’s basically a modern day corset; meant for fashion and aesthetics but not function, health, and safety.

The corset has been a staple of fashion for centuries. Variations and different trends have gone in and out of style since the 1800s. modernizing for the 21st century, and coming back into style in different ways throughout the years.

For more information, please visit:

Travel/Food

Cocadas recipe

Leave a comment

By: Pablo Contreras-Galeana

This recipe is the easiest one that I have ever made, it’s very simple and it doesn’t require a whole bunch of steps like the other recipes that I have written about.

You can kind of guess what cocadas are because it’s sort of just in the name, but if some of you guys don’t know what cocadas are, here’s a very short and simple explanation on what they are:

Cocadas are just shredded coconut that has been made into a ball.

It’s really just that, it isn’t that special. It’s just balled coconut.

Even though this recipe was the easiest to make, I never really liked coconut before, I don’t know why, but the flavor of it just made me sick and disgusted, but now that I am older I actually like coconut slightly more. So, this recipe sort of helped me realize that I started to like coconut a little more.

Just to let you all know, this recipe is not mine, it’s by ‘Mi Cocina Rápida – Karen’, you can look her up on YouTube, or use the link that I will put at the end of the article.

Now let’s get into the recipe:

Cocadas

First, here is what you are going to need:

  1. 3 cups of shredded coconut
  2. 4 egg whites
  3. Half cup of sugar

Now that you have all of your ingredients, here are the instructions:

  1. First, you are going to separate the egg yolk form the egg whites
  1. Next, In a big bowl, you are going to place the egg whites and beat them for a couple of seconds
  1. Now, you are going to add the sugar and you are going to beat just enough until the sugar dissolves and the beat it until it’s a foamy texture
  1. Next, you are going to add the shredded coconut and you are going to mix everything perfectly until the coconut is completely covered with the egg white mixture
  1. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the coconut into balls and put them on a tray with a baking sheet
  1. Lastly, you are going to bake them for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and until you see that the cocadas are golden brown

Once they are done, just enjoy 🙂

To learn more about this recipe, and to find the original recipe, go to this link, but beware that the video is not in English, it’s in Spanish.

‘Mi Cocina Rápida- Karen’

Music/Concerts

Iayze (Jace!) – ‘Reverence’

Leave a comment

By: Charlie Boone

Iayze (or Jace!) is a rapper from Fort Worth, Texas that first gained prominence on Soundcloud in the burgeoning underground plugg scene. His sound uniquely blends orchestral samples and ambient soundscapes with hard-hitting 808s and glitchy percussion, creating a trance-like energy that feels more purposeful and well-realized than many of his contemporaries.

On his debut full length album, ‘Reverence’, released on March 7, 2023, it really feels like Iayze is trying to prove himself as a versatile artist. Expanding his sound into spacey R&B on songs like “Bed Side” and “Call on Me”, showing off his ability to sing and penchant for deep, entrancing atmospheres. He melds the atmospheric soundscapes with more aggressive rapping perfectly on the song “Laylow”, produced by another popular rapper from the same scene, DevStacks.

‘Reverence’ is a total of 29 tracks, and an hour long, which is usually the sign of a bloated project, but even though there are points that I wasn’t as engaged, Iayze shows a level of quality control while bouncing around styles that makes even moments that don’t personally appeal to the listener feel fresh and interesting nonetheless. While this makes it easier for different types of listeners to find something they enjoy, this does unfortunately affect both the replayability and cohesion of the project.

Iayze’s previous mixtapes have touched on lyrical themes of mental health, isolation, and heartbreak before, and for the most part, ‘Reverence’ sits in that familiar territory, with most songs feeling lyrically like small vignettes of an idea, juxtaposed with how fully realized and deep the production feels.

‘Reverence’ features a wide variety of producers that bring unique touches to Iayze’s sound, his long-time producer Cullen appears on a variety of tracks that do a great example of showcasing what was great about his previous projects, at a higher level of production value and performances. Songs like “Dee in a Cutlass” and “The Hills” both produced by Biinx, are great examples of what is trendy and happening right now in the underground SoundCloud scene.

In closing, while ‘Reverence’ isn’t as consistent (thematically or stylistically) as his previous work, it is by far Iayze’s most ambitious project, and to be able to make a 29 track album that doesn’t feel boring and stale by the end is truly a feat; especially as an underground artist without a large amount of industry backing.

If you’re looking for an exciting and diverse rap project, and you favor deep, atmospheric production, I highly recommend ‘Reverence’.