All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Science/Nature

Important resources that are depleting

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By Olivia Kendle

Some of our most vital, natural resources are starting to run low due to human capacity and destruction in the environment; destruction such as deforestation, pollution, etc. Here are some of those resources, and why they are so important to us and the creatures and environment around us.

One very big one is water. Only 2.7% of all water is freshwater, meaning that there won’t be enough water in the coming years. It is estimated that in 2025, some countries will go into severe dehydration with barely any supply of fresh and clean water.

Not only is drinking water being affected by water in oceans and lakes, where other animals and creatures live are slowly depleting and poisoned too; the Mediterranean Sea being one of the most polluted oceans in the world. According to ‘A Dive Into Junk’ blogs; “​The United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 650,000,000 tons of sewage, 129,000 tons of mineral oil, 60,000 tons of mercury, 3,800 tons of lead and 36,000 tons of phosphates are dumped into the Mediterranean each year.”

The next important resource is oil. In 2010, the S​tatistical Review of World Energy, in June​, concluded that there was 171.3 tons of oil worldwide, and that if industries and the economy kept using oil at the current rate it is now, there would be little to no oil on Earth in about 47 years from 2010. Oil is very important to the production and natural gas industry and has helped put around 10 million people in jobs. Oil has also been used to power transportation vehicles.

There are many other very important resources, but those are just a couple of the main ones.

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Editorials/Student Voice, Travel/Food

GMOs vs. organic

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By Nora Doyle

The debate on whether or not GMOs are good or bad has been going on for a while now and has become more of a commonly talked about issue as the organic foods movement has become more popular.

What are GMOs? GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. ​Forbes.com​ scribes GMOs as an organism whose genetic material or DNA has been changed in an unnatural way. ​’Forbes​’ also says GMOs are mostly designed to increase the nutritional value, and protect crops against pests.

As for organic food, ​’Forbes​’ describes it as food that doesn’t contain any pesticides or fertilizers, and is completely natural. Some people swear by organic foods and refuse to eat anything that has been genetically modified, and others don’t want to spend the extra money just for products that are fully natural.

The first topic of this argument has to do with this money opinion.

When you look at a package of organic blueberries at the grocery store, compared to blueberries that do not say organic, you will notice that the organic blueberries are significantly more expensive. Some people believe it’s worth the extra money, but some don’t.

There are a few reasons why organic food is more expensive according to ​OrganicAlberta, ​and one reason is that the demand is often greater than supply. Also, they say organic farming methods are more expensive than non organic farming methods, meaning they have to sell at higher prices.

Is organic food actually better for you?

According to ​Harvard Medical University, ​organic foods don’t appear to have nutritional advantages. USDA data shows that organic foods do have fewer pesticide residues, but both organic and non organic are the same level of safe for consumption.

However, Harvard studies do say that organic farming doesn’t feed their animals growth hormones. They are mostly naturally raised, so it may be arguable that organic is better for the animals.

Overall, it seems as though GMOs don’t really do much for us, but neither does organic food. Eat what you like how you like it!

Advice/How To

2021 resolutions

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By: Anna Hisle and Lizzy Woxland

New Year’s resolutions are a very good way to find some motivation to help better yourself. With 2021 beginning, here is a list of some uplifting New Year’s resolutions we think you should try and how they benefit you.

Why you should make a resolution?

Making New Year’s resolutions are sometimes looked at as a “waste of time” but we believe that New Year’s resolutions are a good way to find motivation to help better yourself and others.

It’s important that you set yourself a New Year’s resolution to help you become the person you know you can be. Setting a few resolutions helps you focus and reflect on what’s important to you and your life, help clear your mind, and focus on who you want to become.

Recently, with how things have changed, it’s really hard to find motivation to do anything, especially new challenges. We believe that setting some positive and uplifting resolutions will help gain motivation and help in these difficult times.

Setting goals/resolutions can also improve your mental health greatly. By doing something and sticking to it, it creates routine. A routine in your life will let you be more positive knowing that you have something you enjoy doing or something you want to do.

Your resolution will also improve your mental health when you complete milestones within the resolution. You will feel more positive as you see more progress.

Ways to stick to your goals

One thing that has help us with sticking to goals is consistency. Being consistent with your goals is one of the hardest yet most important tricks in sticking with your goals.

Be consistent even when you dont feel motivated. If you only work on your goals when you feel motivated you won’t get much progress if any. But, if you work on your goals even on the days where you don’t want to do anything, that’s when you see progress and change.

Another way to stick with your goals is to write them down. When you write down your goals, you are way more likely to stick to them. Writing down your goals will create  a vision in your head of what you want to work towards.

When you visualize your goals and write them down it helps create a change in the way we act and gives us more direction.

Taking breaks also helps you stick to goals. Occasionally you have to step back and take a break. Growth happens over time, and if you’re too obsessive about one thing, it can lead to unhealthy habits.

Even just taking a one day break can be great for your mental health and goals. When you step away, you can come back and have a refreshed mindset.

Ideas for healthy goals for the new year:

-Make more time for the things you love

During times like these it’s super easy to get caught up in feeling like everyday is the same. When you take time each day (could be just 10 minutes) to do something that makes you happy, it will raise your mood and can make you excited for new things.

An example of this could be skateboarding, drawing, journaling, running, ect. Setting time aside for yourself each day is something that everyone should try and do.

-Try going out of your comfort zone:

This is something that is very important. Right now nothing feels comfortable so now more than ever, it’s time to learn how to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. This could be as small as taking cold showers or going on runs. Both of those things push you out of your comfort zone. Doing those consistently will lead to growth in your mental strength.

-Less screen time/social media

During quarantine, it might’ve been hard to not be on an electronic or be productive. Now, in the new year, it might be time to explore more things not on your screen. Going on walks, studying, or even just spending time with friends or family is a great way to not be on electronics.

Being more productive without electronics not only will improve your mental health but it will also let you feel less stressed now that you don’t have social media around you all the time.

-Exercise more

As the new year begins, one of the most common goals is to lose weight/workout. While this goal is one of the most common ones, it is also one of the ones that is least followed through.

Instead of working out to look good for someone else, workout to look good for you!

Exercising relieves stress as well as increases dopamine, endorphins, and adrenaline which will make you happier.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Social Network’: A smart movie

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By: Hayden Fitzsimons

In the conversation of the greatest films ever, The Social Network regularly crops up. David Fincher’s 2010 film has been seen as an incredibly perfect film with little to no mistakes within its creative elements. The screenplay, provided by world-renowned Aaron Sorkin, is often seen as the greatest screenplay, or at the very least one of the best to ever grace the earth. With a director such as Fincher, and a writer of Sorkin’s calibre, it seems as if the potential of the film was too good to be true, however, in my opinion, the expectations were sufficiently met.

While I personally don’t see The Social Network to be the best ever, it is without a doubt a masterpiece of some of the highest quality. Fincher is a personal favorite of mine, and his ability to get the best out of his actors once again is exhibited in The Social Network.

Fincher has also always been a director with a very specific visual style, and this style is seen once again in this film. The pairing of a visual director with Sorkin, who is a very dialogue-heavy writer, seems odd on paper, yet when it comes to its fruition the pairing worked wonders. Sorkin’s skills lie within his unparalleled ability to write realistic and attention-grabbing dialogue. So, it’s unsurprising that The Social Network has been praised mostly for it’s dialogue, which is of a quality rarely seen in film.

Comparing The Social Network to many of the other dialogue driven films I’ve seen, I find myself at a loss to fins other films which can rival the quality of Sorkin’s work in this film. The Social Network relies heavily on this supreme dialogue as it is the main selling point, however this isn’t to say the other elements of the film are lacking. It’s quite the opposite; every element of The Social Network rivals the quality of Sorkin’s writing.

The performances from Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garlfield, and Armie Hammer (who played two characters, often at the same time) amongst others are all incredible to the point where the viewer may likely forget the names behind the faces and be fully enveloped in their performances. The eclectic editing aids the equally dramatic story to a perfection, all thanks to Fincher’s understanding of camerawork and pacing.

To put it simply, if you haven’t yet seen The Social Network, you should, and you shouldn’t worry about having high expectations as they likely will be met.

Advice/How To

The importance of chasing a career you love; the chances of having your dream job

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By: Olivia Miller

As a kid, our teachers always asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up, and many of us kids, being oblivious, responded unrealistically: Astronaut! Movie star! Pop star! NBA player!

Most of us wanted jobs that we thought were fun; we are going to be doing them for the rest of our lives so why wouldn’t we want to do something we enjoy?

Turns out, as we got older, we realized how likely those dreams actually were. The sad truth is Hollywood never needs a new movie star as much as Joann Fabrics needs a new cashier.

But how many of those little kids grew up and actually got to pursue the career they had always dreamed of having?

According to a study done by Surveymonkey.com, a surprising 22% of adults say that they currently have their dream job. Now, this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t dare to ever switch careers because their current work place is just that perfect, but it means that they are happy where they are currently working and don’t dread getting up in the morning to go to work.

Let’s talk about the other 78%. Are these people unhappy? Did they give up on finding a career they love or are they still working toward their dream? According to Staffsquared.com, many people who don’t enjoy their job don’t have the courage to leave because of the fear that it may take awhile to actually find a job they love, and they don’t have time, or money, to be unemployed long enough to do so.

So, how do I secure my dream job?

There are many ways to help push you towards your goal of loving what you do and getting paid while doing it. According to Glassdoor.com, here are some steps you can take to help you with that goal:

  1. Start a hobby that relates to your dream, incorporating your dream job into your daily life may help you transfer into actually doing it full time.
  2. Talk to someone who actually has that job. Talking to someone who is living your dream can help you understand how to get to where you want to be.

Having a job you actually enjoy can improve your life in so many ways and can make you happier overall. Just because you don’t have it now doesn’t mean you can’t start trying to get your dream job.

COVID-19

Mental health and the pandemic

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By: Grace Blumer-Lamotte

Mental health is classified as our emotional, physiological, and social well-being.

The first report of COVID-19 was in Wuhan, China, on December 31st, 2019. The first reported cases in the United States of America were sometime in January, 2020.

The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health. Whether it was beneficial or harmful.

To some people, the pandemic was beneficial to their mental health. I asked 4 people between the age range of 14-46 years old: “How has the pandemic impacted your mental health for the better?”

The 14-year-old answered that the pandemic has been beneficial to their mental health by being away from school and “toxic friends.”

The 16-year-old answered that the pandemic has not been beneficial to their mental health.

The 43-year-old answered that the pandemic impacted their mental health by having “More face time/contact with my immediate family and my kids.”

3 words they used to describe it being beneficial is “less-busy, family-time, and remote-work.”

The 46-year-old also answered that the pandemic impacted their mental health as the “flu-rate has dropped.” 

To other people, the pandemic was harmful to their mental health. The same 4 people answered how the pandemic impacted their mental health for the worse.

The 14-year-old said, “It is difficult not having social interaction.”

The 16-year-old said, “My girlfriend broke up with me. I lost multiple friends. My mental health went downhill.”

The 43-year-old said that the negatives about the pandemic are “Stress and worry about the safety and well-being of my family. Dealing with the unknown is exhausting.”

3 words they used to describe their mental health during the pandemic is that they feel: “isolated, stressed, and unknown.”

According to ‘The Philadelphia Inquirer,’ their crisis line has spiked and hasn’t come down since the pandemic started.

Everyone around the world struggles with something in their life. Whether it’s a mental illness(es), family issues, or abuse of substances. But since the Coronavirus has started, Federal Surveys showed that 40% of Americans are struggling with a mental illness and/or drug-related problem, and 75% of young adults are struggling.

Editorials/Student Voice, Music/Concerts

Why K-Pop is good

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By: Kayla Madison

So, I’m not really sure how to explain why K-Pop is good. It just is.

So, I’ll just kinda explain why I like it, because I didn’t before this year, 2020.

Fortunately, I don’t like BTS. Their fans are literally crazy and they’ll like, eat me. I listen to NCT and all their subunits: Ateez, TXT, Got7, Monsta X, SuperM, Red Velvet, Twice and, Stray Kids.

Here’s what I’ll say, no matter what – there’s always someone hot in a K-Pop group. It’s unethical to stan for that reason, but it’s a reason nonetheless. I won’t lie. I can’t lie.

I may not know Korean, but I know whatever they’re singing or rapping about…is facts. It’s so catchy. All the songs I’ve listened to are so catchy. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, it’s always in the back of my mind.

With stanning comes the secret shipping, making it known that you have a ship in a group of guys isn’t good for them, it hurts the group and it also hurts the company. If the company is SM, do everything in your power to hurt them, and not the group. SM sucks so much. Ask anyone into K-Pop. They’re terrible. So are the MAMA awards, but going into that would take me hours.

How I got into K-Pop is pretty simple actually. I’m not sure what I was watching, but “God’s Menu,” by Stray Kids, popped up and I was like “that’s funny.” I gave it a listen and my jaw dropped all the way into the asthenosphere. It was so good. The boys looked heavenly. The vocals *chefs kiss*, FELIX’S PART, holy who knew a voice could go so deep *tear starts rolling down*.

My bias for that group…yes, I have a bias for every group I’ve ever listened to, well it’s more than 1 haha. Lee Know, Seungmin, Han, Hyunjin…I’m naming everyone. Apparently I don’t have a bias; I love them all.

Anyways, ever since I’ve listened to “God’s Menu” I’ve sunk deeper into the fascinating world that is K-Pop. Don’t knock it before you try it. Give it a listen.

Science/Nature

Lack of diversity in psychology 

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By: Joxery Mezen Camacho

Do you ever wonder how the mind works and why humans do things that they do? Well, that’s what psychology is for.

According to the American Psychological Association, psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Thousands of studies have been done over the years in order to learn more about the human mind, but to what extent are all of these studies able to be considered worldwide? 

According to ‘The Conversation’, many of the studies, data, and knowledge, that we know of human psychology is focused on college members, those of the middle class, those who live near universities, and citizens of affluent, developed and democratic nations who are highly educated. Many scholars now use the acronym WEIRD in order to more easily describe the focuses; it stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. 

It was discovered that there are rare influential psychological publications that emphasize race, and when race is discussed, it is often written, and just about exclusively edited by, white scholars. 

Steven O. Roberts, an assistant professor of psychology a the School of Humanities and Sciences decided to do an experiment that would look at the race of academic journal editors, which get to manage the journal’s editorial board, recruit other scholars to look over submissions, and oversee the publication of the academic journals. 

There were 60 editors-in-chief who Roberts, and his research team (Carmelle Bareket-Shavit, Forrest A. Dollins, Peter D. Goldie and Elizabeth Mortenson), looked at in between the years 1974 and 2018. Of those 60, 83% of the editors-in-chief were white, 5% were people of color, and 12% were unidentifiable for one reason or another. 

These results show a lack of diversity in the field of psychology. In both the researchers and those being studied. This makes it seem as though the data brought from psychological studies aren’t as worldwide as many people think. 

However, racism is indeed a worldwide problem. Steven O. Roberts says, “Psychologists are supposed to know about racial bias and how to prevent it from stratifying the world, but if we, the so-called experts, have a problem, then society really has a problem.” 

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Editorials/Student Voice, Sports

How the sports world reacted to the capitol protests

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By: Caden Ligman

With Congress in session to count the electoral votes that would confirm Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States, hundreds of Pro-Trump organizers stormed the capital building in Washington DC. Protesters broke through barriers and were soon marching around the offices of our elected officials. Something so disrespectful and violent has not happened at the Capital since the British stormed the capital in 1814.

Many people blame President Donald Trump for inciting these protesters after making baseless claims about voter fraud. This isn’t the beginning however, of Trump’s “conspiracy” theories about the presidential election. Months before the election took place last November, Trump repeatedly preached to his supporters that the only way he could lose the presidential race was if it was rigged.

The NBA recently has been seen as a very left-wing organization, with many of its members speaking out against our President, and many of his policies and actions. This time was no different. While this historic event was playing out, current and former NBA players spoke in interviews and took to Twitter to address the subject.

One of the sport’s biggest stars, Stephen Curry, responded to one of Trump’s tweets saying, “​There is literally a tweet for everything. Cat got your tongue today huh?” referring to Trump’s inaction to stop his supporters from storming the capital.

Similarly, former NBA star Dwane Wade tweeted out, “Black people get pulled over and don’t make it out alive. We can’t sleep in our own beds without being killed. We can’t jog without being killed. We can’t walk down the street with our hoodies up without being killed but they can do this???”

Coaches of NBA teams also spoke out in recent interviews. Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said this, in an interview Wednesday night, “I will say it, because I don’t think a lot of people want to. Can you imagine today, if those were all black people storming the Capitol, and what would have happened? That, to me, is a picture that’s worth a thousand words for all of us to see.”

Seeing this historic event play out has opened many people’s eyes to the reality of what it is like to live in America today. What is happening at the capital not only exposes the discrimination of black people in America but also exposed the true values of our president and what his real motives are. No one knows how all of this will play out, but in the words of 76ers coach Doc Rivers, “Democracy will prevail, it always does.”

Science/Nature

Mass extinctions

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By: Mohamed Ahmed

According to Amnh.org, to qualify to be a mass extinction, at least half of all species die out in a relatively short period of time. In this article we will be looking at the top 5 largest mass extinctions, the: Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic-Jurassic, and Cretaceous extinctions. 

The Ordovician-Silurian extinction was the second worst mass extinction, according to Study.com. This extinction wasn’t even that far behind the worst mass extinction, which we will later look at. Jawless fish were the most advanced life forms during this time, and the majority of all beings lived in the ocean. The global temperature cooled and sea levels fell. Most species were adapted to shallow, warm water, and that was the reason why 85 percent of all organisms on earth became extinct. It was one of many extinctions that happened in a short period of time. 

The Devonian extinction happened 375-360 million years ago. According to Britannica.com, the cause of the Devonian extinction was never actually solved definitively. There are many theories about this, varying from global warming, to meteors, or even a lack of oxygen. No matter the cause, the marine animals where the ones that made up the majority of the casualties. 

The Permian extinction happened 252 million years ago. This was the worst mass extinction in the history of the world and is known as “The Great Dying”. Over ninety-six percent of all marine life, and 70 percent of land species. No direct cause was found, but according to an article on MIT.edu, it is speculated that a volcano in Russia was the main cause of the extinction. 

According to ‘History of Life’, the Triassic-Jurassic extinction has a lot of debate about the specific percent of the death. The speculated causes are: large impacts, prolonged volcanic activity, climate change, volcanic gases rising, and rain becoming toxic other theories.

Only 66 million years ago, the most well known extinction happened. Why was it the most well known? Dinosaurs! They went extinct with some plant and marine life.  Around seventy-five percent of the population of earth was wiped out. The main cause is speculated to be an asteroid and a virus. The mixing of two is what made mammals the new dominators of the earth. 

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