The ocean absorbs large amounts of heat without a large increase in temperature. Given this property, the ocean has always played a central role in stabilizing Earth’s climate system, but in the past 100 years humans have created a climate that produces heat at an intensity that has overwhelmed the ocean. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the most telling sign of the overworked oceans is that over the past 100 years, the average global sea surface temperature has increased by approximately 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit each decade. This is significant because a large amount of heat needs to be absorbed by the ocean for water temperatures to rise even slightly.
According to NASA, 90% of global warming is occurring in the ocean. The ocean is not able to keep up as efficiently as it used to and is creating devastating consequences.
When the ocean temperatures begin to rise, this is an indicator of extreme levels of carbon and methane in the atmosphere that are trapping solar rays and damaging the ozone, thereby trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The levels of carbon dioxide dissolving from the atmosphere into the ocean have become so high that the water has become acidic.
Fisheries and fishing boats are reporting more frequent marine heat waves and whole fish community die-offs. At the very least, in response to the warming sea temperatures, many fish populations are migrating to colder waters. This has become so noticeable that many fishing businesses are being forced to change their fishing strategies and some are even considering calling it quits.
A perfect example is the seafood industry on the east coast. Boston NPR station, WBUR, reports that “The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than most of the world’s oceans. As a result, iconic New England species like cod and lobster have shifted north or moved deeper into the ocean in search of colder water.”
Without any interventions, it will only be a matter of time before the world’s fishing industry is turned on its head.
Season 1 of ‘Bridgerton’ is a romantic drama that takes place in London during the Regency era, The story is about rich families who go to parties and dances to find love and good marriages, and everything is super formal and full of rules. The main focus is on the Bridgerton family, especially the oldest daughter, Daphne Bridgerton.
Daphne is just starting her first “season,” which is when high society girls get introduced to people and hopefully find someone to marry. At first, everything seems perfect: she looked super amazing, acts politely, and gets attention. But things start to go wrong, and she realizes that finding true love isn’t as simple as it looks in fairy tales. That’s when she meets Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. He’s super rich, super charming and but cold, as he doesn’t want to marry anyone. But when he and Daphne come up with a plan to help each other out things start to get really interesting and even sad.
While all this drama is going on, there’s a mysterious gossip writer named “Lady Whistledown”. She sends out letters to everyone in town spilling secrets and talking about people’s personal lives. Nobody knows who she is, but everyone reads her papers. It makes things fun, but also a little dangerous for the characters who are trying to keep their secrets private.
One of the best parts of the show is the music. Even though the characters are wearing ball gowns and dancing in ballrooms, the songs are actually modern ones that we know but they are just played on violins and string instruments so they sound old-fashioned but cool. This makes the show feel unique, like it’s mixing the past with the present.
“Thank U, Next” by Ariana Grande, “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5, “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish, “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift, “In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes are some of the songs heard. Even though the show is about things that happened a long time ago, the modern songs help you connect with the characters and feel the drama in a way that’s more fun and relatable. It also makes scenes more memorable like you’ll hear the violin version of “Thank U, Next” and actually remember the party scene it went with.
I also feel like the diversity in the show definitely helps keep it a up to date show; there’s no timely realistic race structure which is good. There’s many black and just people of color playing so many roles!
Overall, ‘Bridgerton’ Season 1 is about more than just love. It’s about figuring out what you want in life, making your own choices, and dealing with family pressure. It’s also about friendships, gossip, and standing up for yourself. With amazing costumes, fun characters, a little mystery, and awesome music, it’s a really fun and dramatic show to watch. I would definitely give it a 4/5.
According to the Loco Gringo food blog, in the 19th century, there was a recipe floating around Mexico for a bread cake that was soaked in wine and topped with custard. This is thought to be a spin of the Italian tiramisu or the English trifle, both alcohol soaked sponge cakes with heavy cream, cheese and sugar! All recipes were a great way to reconstitute leftover, stale cookies, cake or bread into a great dessert.
There are several different styles of tres leches such as, coffee, chocolate, piña colada, strawberry, and coconut. But many people enjoy and prefer regular tres leches.
Oftentimes there are tres leches that have fillings like strawberry, pineapple, cookies and cream, or peanuts and another filling could be peaches.
The things you will need to make the cake will be listed below:
cake mix of choice (I use Betty Crocker’s or make your own)
sweetened condensed milk (I use la Lechera)
evaporated milk (Carnation)
regular milk (of choice)
heavy whipping cream
sugar
vanilla extract
measuring cups
The majority of time when I make tres leches I often use cake mix. I follow the instructions on the box then when I take out the cake I let it cool down for at least one hour.
Once it is cooled down I begin to poke holes all around the cake with a fork.
While it’s cooling down, you can make the milk mixture (tres leche) by pouring a can of condensed milk with a can of evaporated milk (both contain a cup and a half) and lastly you add one cup of regular milk (of your desire).
Once you have finished the milk mixture you may add it to the cake and let that sit in the fridge for one hour to a hour and a half.
Once the milk soaks into the cake you may start the whipping cream. You use a cup and a half of heavy whipping cream and one fourth of a cup of sugar and lastly a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Once all the ingredients are in a bowl you may begin to mix them into a thick consistency. After that, you may put it on the cake.
If you would like, you also can put cinnamon as a topping, or strawberries, then you will have a tres leches cake.
Image taken by Nicholas Lindell Reynolds via Wikimedia Commons
Whale sharks are commonly known for their size. They are the third largest creature in the ocean; capable of growing up to 12 meters long, and weighing more than 3 elephants combined. Whale sharks are very solitary creatures, and although they are a type of shark, they are extremely gentle and calm compared to other animals in the ocean.
A whale shark’s life typically begins in tropical warm waters, and they spend most of their life cruising around aimlessly feeding on plankton, small fish, and other organisms. They do this by using their teeth to strain through large amounts of water, where they separate their food from water. Generally, they spend up to 7-and-a-half hours feeding each day.
The average lifespan for a whale shark is up to 100 years, if not even older, some reaching 130 years. They grow very rapidly when they are young, but their rate of growth declines and becomes steady after a while, and by the time they are 30 years old, they have reached maturity.
When it comes to reproduction, whale sharks are able to give birth in a unique way. A single whale shark is able to produce eggs that are already formed inside of its body, and over a steady amount of time, it will birth around 300 young.
One thing that makes whale sharks very unique is their patterned skin. Every whale shark has their own individual pattern of white polka dots and stripes that go across their gray bodies. Their patterned skin is not only very pretty but it can be super useful for researchers to identify, or recognize a whale shark.
Whale sharks are in fact listed as an endangered species. This is because of vessel strikes, and being caught or hurt accidentally by commercial fishing services. While it is unfortunate, it is sadly often that those two factors are at fault for the population decrease of countless species in the ocean. Luckily though, there are plenty of organizations out there that are putting effort into protecting whale shark populations.
Mirror Mirror on the wall, must Disney remake them all?
Disney’s new live-action ‘Snow White’ movie has been raising a lot of debate and controversy. While some are excited to see a new take on the classic, others have some concerns about the casting choice, changes in the storyline, and overall direction the film is taking. This movie, which stars Rachel Zegler as Snow White, has sparked a vast range of opinions from critics and fans. Here’s a closer look into the major issues surrounding the movie.
The casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White has struck significant debate, mainly because of her being a Latina actress in a role traditionally associated with fair skin and black hair. In response to the backlash, Zegler has stood by the casting, expressing that the story of Snow White is not just about appearance, but about kindness and bravery. She also pointed out that people who look like her are rarely cast in such iconic roles. In a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair, she stated, “You don’t particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that,” highlighting the importance of representation in fairy-tale stories. Instead of focusing on the negative criticism, Zegler focused her attention on the significance that this role portrays for audience members who identify with her background.
This new version’s depiction of the Seven Dwarfs has also sparked debates among audiences. Peter Dinklage who advocates for dwarfism rights disagrees with Disney’s choice to feature CGI dwarves in their remake by labeling it a “backwards story”. Dinklage disagrees with this decision, and believes they should use real actors with dwarfism to play the dwarfs. The selection of a Latina actress by Disney prompted his worries about the continued existence of old stereotypes. They planned to replace them with “magical creatures” and consult the dwarfism community to prevent negative stereotypes. This decision has prompted further discussion. Some worry about losing the dwarfs’ charm and humor, while others believe it’s important to address how disabilities are represented today.
Another significant change involves Snow White’s character development. In the original animated version, Snow White is passive, waiting for her prince. In the new version she is more active and independent. Some argue that showing women in movies as self-reliant, and strong is essential, while others feel it moves further away from the original plot of the fairy-tale.
After watching the new remake of Snow White, I’m not sure how I feel. I grew up watching all of the original Disney princess movies, and even though Snow White was not my favorite, I still found her story interesting. The movie looks good, and the costumes have a nice touch, but it doesn’t feel the same. There are no dwarfs like in the original, only magical creatures, which deviates from the old storyline. Snow White doesn’t sing “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and we don’t get to see much of the prince either. She acts more serious and tough, unlike in the original where she is kind and gentle. It feels like a completely different story with the same name. Although I liked a few parts, I missed the songs, the animals, and the magical feeling from the original. I wish they had kept more of the Disney charm that made me love the old movies.
The controversy around the new ‘Snow White’ movie highlights the challenges Disney faces when remaking classic fairy-tales. While some appreciate the effort to make this franchise more diverse and more empowering towards women, others fear the changes could alienate fans of the traditional stories. This could include cultural aspects like ethnic representation, or sensitive portrayal in disabilities. Right now it’s unclear if this new movie will live up to the original, but its impact on bigger conversations is certain.
One person I talked to, Evelyn Lundy, summed up her thoughts about the new movie: ”The movie was revolutionary and it brought a different perspective to the story of Snow White.”
On May 1st, Highland Park Senior High School for one day only, became a courthouse.
This wonderful opportunity was brought to us thanks to The Minnesota Supreme Court, the SPPS school district and staff here at Highland Park. We got a front row seat to the inner workings of the Minnesota Supreme Court. This was such fun.
This is a great opportunity for many students who might be interested in law or were just curious about how the Minnesota Supreme Court works. This was such a unique opportunity and there are very few schools that are picked.
Overall, we learned so much about how law works in our local government and about our Supreme Court judges. We got to see firsthand the fun parts of being a Supreme Court judge but also some of the stressful and difficult parts that come with this job. We heard from the judges that having a very good work life balance is hard. We heard about how much discipline the judges must have to make these important decisions for our community. We learned that judges must be impartial to themselves, and have to choose whether or not to take a case based on if they have an opposing opinion about it or not.
There were many interesting parts of this but one of the more interesting parts was when the hearing was done and the judges came out and sat for questions from students (including the authors of this article). This seemed fun for the judges too, as they probably enjoy a break from the courthouse.
We got to sit down with Justice Gaïtias as she was making a classroom visit after the court case. She is the newest judge on the Minnesota Supreme Court and she was appointed in August 2024. She talked about how the transition in the case load from the court of appeals to the Supreme Court was something she didn’t expect. Although the Supreme Court does not see nearly as many cases as the court of appeals, the court of appeals sees nearly 2,000 cases a year and the Supreme Court only sees 80-90 cases. She said that the cases are a lot more intense and unlike the court of appeals there isn’t anyone else to fall back on if they can’t come to a decision.
She talked to us about important characteristics of a good judge and she talked about how judges need to know how to be fair, kind and humble. She also says that they need to have a love of public service because that’s the main point of the job is serving the public.
A student asked a question about if she thinks being on the Supreme Court has changed her as a person. Justice Gaïtias says she doesn’t think it has changed her personally but she did talk about how she feels the weight of the job more now than ever.
Justice Gaïtias emphasized that a big part of the job is understanding how to cope with the harder parts of her job. The Minnesota Supreme Court hears a variety of cases, some of them harder than others. She talked about how all judges need to know how to compartmentalize and find their coping strategies and how they need to be healthy.
Some more personal facts are that she didn’t originally want to be a judge. She wanted to be an actor, but her parents said she wouldn’t make it, so she decided to go into law. She said it was one of her biggest regrets. She went to an international school in Greece growing up. She loves Greek mythology and her pets and kids are named after famous figures.
‘Adolescence’ is a limited series on Netflix, directed by Philip Barantini. This show is not like many other TV shows on Netflix because each episode was filmed in one shot. This means that from the beginning to end of each episode, there is not a single cut in the camera.
This show is a coming of age drama that touches on subjects that many children go through during their teenage years. It is set in a school in the UK, with young teens that are being exposed to the toxic environments that social media provides.
Each character faces their own troubles and are all unique in their own way. Some struggles that were shown in the show were gender identity, depression, substance use, bullying, and academic pressure.
The actors were able to display raw emotions that made everything feel real to the viewer. The main character, Jamie Miller, was played by Owen Cooper. This show was Owen’s first acting role. I think that he did amazing at playing this character and taking on such a difficult job for his first time.
Jamie Miller, is a young boy who was bullied online and he eventually committed a crime that could not be undone. The first episode shows Jamie being arrested as a suspect for a murder, but by the end of the show, you can see the impacts that his decisions had on his family and the other people around him.
As each episode goes on, you can clearly see Jamie’s mental state start to disintegrate. The show was never a “who did it” murder mystery, it was clear by the first episode who committed the crime. The point of the show was to figure out why he did it and what led him to that point.
During an interview with GQ, Philip Barantini stated that the purpose of the show was to spark conversations about the dangers of cyberbullying and toxic masculinity. He wanted to encourage parents to engage in more deep conversations with their children about their online experiences. I really enjoyed watching this show because it was amazing to see everything filmed in one continuous shot. All of the actors that were in this show have amazing talent and were able to deliver amazing scenes for us to watch.
Often considered fashion’s biggest night, the Met Gala, also known as the Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual charity fundraiser held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It is held on the first Monday of May each year. Guests show up in extravagant outfits that resonate with that year’s dress code, which is inspired by the exhibit’s theme.
In honor of the annual Met Gala on May 5, I will be ranking the past themes from recent years (2014 – 2024).
2014:
Theme – Charles James: Beyond Fashion
Dress code – White tie and decoration
★★★☆☆
The exhibit paid tribute to the American Fashion designer, Charles James who inspired the dress code. He was known for his structural ball gowns. The guests were expected to wear full evening gowns, tailcoats, waistcoats, and bow ties. The most notable look for me was Karen Elson, a model, and singer-songwriter, who wore a dress designed by Zac Posen, and Blake Lively, an actress who wore a Gucci gown.
While this theme was beautiful, it was forgettable and safe. There was little room for uniqueness and innovation since everyone was expected to wear ball gowns, making it feel like just another red carpet event rather than the Met Gala, which is why I give it 3/5 stars.
2015:
Theme – China: Through the Looking Glass
Dress code – China: Through the Looking Glass (guests were expected to interpret the theme)
★★★★★
The theme was a way of celebrating the Chinese impact on Western fashion over the centuries. I give this theme a 5/5 because each attendee had a unique outfit on how they interpreted the theme. The theme was visually pleasing and there were a lot of cultural references.
My favorite look from that year was Rihanna’s. Her look was designed by Guo Pei, a Chinese fashion designer. The look featured a canary yellow coat dress with a large fur trim train, which took 2 years to complete, and it was worth it because Rihanna stole the whole night.
2016:
Theme – Manus x Machina: Fashion in an age of technology
Dresscode – Tech white tie
★★★★☆
Manus relates to creating with your hand while Machina means to use machines to create, the theme highlights how technology influences the creation of fashion, and the increasing impact it has on design and production. The dress code was inspired by the theme, which is meant to celebrate technical innovations.
The theme wasn’t bad itself, it’s just that everybody showed up in some sort of silver futuristic gown, my favorite being Kim Kardashian, who wore a metallic silver Balmain gown with a side slit on the dress that went up to her thigh. For my favorite more unique look, it was Emma Watson, who wore a custom Calvin Klein outfit, made out of a recycled plastic bottle which ties into the theme.
I give this theme an overall rating of 4-stars because there was some unique spin to the theme, such as Clare Danes wearing a light-up Zac Posen gown.
2017:
Theme: Rei Kawakubo/comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between
Dress code: Avant-Garde
★★★☆☆
The theme for 2017 was honoring Rei Kawakubo, a Japanese fashion designer who is known for designing outfits that defy gender, form, and traditional beauty. The avant-garde definition is “new and unusual or experimental ideas, especially in the arts, or the people introducing them.”
My favorite look was by Rihanna, who wore an actual Rei Kawakubo design from her 2016 fall collection. The dress was an asymmetrical 3-D sculptural floral dress. This theme had a lot of potential, but most chose to play it safe by completely disregarding the theme which is why I give it 3 stars.
2018:
Theme – Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination
Dress code – Sunday best
★★★★★
The themed exhibit was inspired by Catholicism, showing an intertwining of Religion and fashion, showing Pope garments, biblical artifacts, and religious symbolism. The outfits were stunning, everyone delivered which is why I gave it a 5 star mark. My favorite was Chadwick Boseman, who wore a custom Atelier Versace; he wore an all-white blazer and cape with gold crosses and a red tassel, the look went with the theme. My other favorites included Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Zendaya, and Blake Lively.
2019:
Theme – Camp: Notes on Fashion
Dress code – An expression of everything artificial
★☆☆☆☆
Camp is defined as “an aesthetic that is exaggerated, theatrical, and often intentionally ‘bad’ or ‘over the top’ in a way that is still enjoyable and playful.”
To be honest, I didn’t like the theme, it wasn’t good, which in a way makes sense. If I had to choose my favorite look, it would be Janelle Monae, who wore a custom Christian Soriano dress. The dress was a split design dress that included pink, and black, white, and red colors, the dress also included cutout designs and very “campy” details.
2021:
Theme – In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
Dress code – American Independence
★☆☆☆☆
When I think of the dress code, I imagine wearing designs popularized by American designers to honor the influence America has on fashion worldwide. The theme offered a very diverse styling since America is not a monolith, it’s a very diverse country.
Even though there is a vast majority of style influences that the guest could’ve chosen from, most still chose to dress in a more ’50s, ‘60’s old Hollywood fashion style, and if they didn’t dress up in old Hollywood, they just didn’t match the theme at all. The red carpet was all over the place, so with that being said, none of the looks from the ‘21 Met Gala really stuck out to me, so I rate this Met a 1 star.
2022:
Theme – In America: An Anthology of Fashion
Dress code – Gilded Glamour White Tie
★★☆☆☆
The theme and dress code was inspired by the Gilded Age era which ran from 1865 to 1902. When you look up gilded period outfits, you see skirts with a bustle, ribbons, hats, and corsets.
With the dress code being very specific, you would assume people would have an easier time following, but that was proven wrong; the majority of the outfits that guests wore didn’t follow the theme at all. With that being said, one look that did stick out to me was Billie Ellishe’s outfit, which fits the theme. She wore a Gucci gown that had a corset bodice. The gown also featured green and purple flower designs on the sleeve as well as on the bodice.
I rate the ‘22 Met Gala 2 stars, just because it didn’t live up to my standards of what I was expecting.
2023:
Theme – Karl Lagerfeld: A line of Beauty
Dress code – In honor of Karl
★★★☆☆
The theme honors Karl Lagerfeld, a German fashion designer who served in the fashion industry for 6 decades. He was best known for his work with Chanel, Fendi, Balmain, and Chloé as well as his own brand. His design characteristics were very structural, and black and white with sharp tailoring.
Pretty much everyone was on theme, Karl was a very influential designer that the majority of the guests had worked with in recent years, so I think that’s why they were easily able to interpret the theme in their own way. My favorite look being Anitta, she wore a Marc Jacobs gown that featured a long train, white opera gloves, and platform heels.
Even though everyone was on theme, the theme was a little boring, nothing special, so I rate it a 3 star.
2024:
Theme – Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
Dress code – Garden of Time
★★★★★
The exhibit featured fragile, historically significant garments hence the theme “Sleeping Beauties.” This was honestly the best Met Gala they have had in recent years, and my ultimate favorite. My favorite looks included Harris Reed wearing his own design , Alia Bhatt wearing Sabyasachi, and Nicki Minaj wearing Marni.
Before we start with the story, let’s talk about the author— Dr. Chee Vang.
Dr. Chee Vang is not only an author, but a family practicing physician in the Hmong community. He graduated from Highland Park Senior High, soon pursuing his career in medicine.
He made history as the first to write a bilingual children’s book in both Hmong and English about health for children. This helps reflect his passion and commitment to medicine and preserving the Hmong language.
Through the book, Dr. Chee Vang offers medical guidance, as well as bridging cultures and generations.
He serves his community by providing both medical care and helping young Hmong children/teens reconnect with the language that’s beginning to get lost.
This book is more than the first Hmong/English bilingual children’s book, but also a meaningful way to contribute to health education and preservation of culture.
At the beginning of the book we’re introduced to Chaly, a young boy who expresses his nervous feeling about visiting the Doctor for a checkup.
It’s a relatable opening that helps capture the reader’s attention, especially children who have similar experiences when going to the doctor’s.
As the story progresses, we follow Chaly through all the different steps of his medical examination.
He’s first introduced to the nurse who takes his vital signs, and that includes multiple steps like taking his temperature and blood pressure.
The nurse makes sure to explain each step carefully to give Chaly and the reader a sense of understanding.
Eventually, Chaly meets Dr. Chee Vang who performs a physical examination. Through the examination, Dr. Chee Vang takes time to answer Chaly’s questions and builds both trust and communication.
He uses models and diagrams as an easy-to-understand method to help Chaly learn how the body works. This is not only helpful to Chaly, but it also can provide a way for young readers to follow along.
At the end, Chaly realizes his outlook on visiting the doctor’s has changed completely. His fear from the beginning ended with confidence and he understands that it doesn’t have to be scary because the doctors are supporting them, not hurting them.
Chaly’s journey educates and prepares the readers for what to expect during a medical visit, breaking down each step and introducing medical roles in a memorable way.
This also teaches young people to advocate for themselves and communicate openly with their healthcare professional. These lessons are important for children, especially those with language barriers or cultural differences.
Although this book was designed for readers between the ages of 5 and 18, its education goes beyond the age range.
It includes Hmong translations on each page, becoming a language learning tool for everyone as well. This is important for Hmong families because younger generations begin to lose their fluency in the language they speak.
As a Hmong teenager, I (Aalovley) continue to struggle with losing touch within the language I grew up speaking. Reading this book had an unexpected impact on my vocabulary when speaking Hmong. The words helped me reconnect with my culture, and more importantly, I was able to share this book with my younger siblings. I taught them what I learned, and that helped reinforce the vocabulary/language in all of us.
We highly recommend this book for Hmong families who are seeking help with their language/further education on health knowledge because these aren’t everyday things we learn.
‘Chaly Goes to See the Doctor’ is more than just a children’s book, but also a tool for learning and reconnection. It builds relationships between doctors/patients, between cultural generations, and for kids or teenagers like us. It gives us a path back to parts of our culture we may have lost along the way.
If you or someone you know might be interested in the book, here are resources where you can find it and support Dr. Chee Vang:
Libraries in Minnesota:
Hennepin Public Library System
Saint Paul Public Library system
Washington County Public Library system
Libraries in Wisconsin:
Marathon County Public Library of Wausau
Appleton Public Library of Appleton
It also can be purchased on Amazon: (includes paperback, hardback, and ebook)
The Official Online Newspaper, Literary Magazine, and Video News of the Highland Park Scots
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 