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Polluted by vaping
Among today’s novelty-seeking youth, there is another rising fad – vaping. According to a 2017 National Institutes of Drug Abuse, more than one in four high school seniors reported vaping in the previous year. Searching online, you can also effortlessly find many cool-looking guys teaching how to blow out bizarre shapes of smoke rings to stunt your peers. Same as poppies, vaping looks charming and gorgeous, but addictive and toxic in essence. It is not an innocent healthier substitution to real cigarettes as it acclaims. Indeed, the nicotine it contains is no less lethal. What’s more, the most...
Current Events, Climate Change and Your Health
With the two climate strikes that happened in September, important conversations are happening about what needs to be done to improve the planet for future generations. Surrounding the dates of the United Nations Climate Action Summit, strikers across the world demanded climate justice for everyone. The demands included an end to the age of fossil fuels, as well as an energy revolution with climate justice and equity as its driving factor. The climate strikes — which have involved everyone from school-aged children to senior citizens — show that climate change is no longer an issue that can be...
Why Body Positivity on Social Media is More Important Than You Think
For a long time, the socially accepted beauty standard looked like this: blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and legs with a noticeable gap in between them. Victoria Secret angels, runway models, and TV ads plastered this image of perfection to the American public for decades. With the rise of social media, it seems that these images are nonetheless inescapable. Lately, however, it seems that women are starting to push back on this type of marketing. While certainly not the only culprit, this type of unrealistic beauty standard that is largely still being advertised adds to feelings of self pity...
From Where I Stand
Which College Will Divest Next?
Signs and protestors proclaiming “Injustice is not an investment,” “Climate change is not a game,” and “We’re still here”... The heated adrenaline is almost palpable if you step onto college campuses today. The kids are asking for divestment. According to Fossil Free, universities have divested around $14 trillion to date. Divesting means that they will actively sell shares in companies that spark environmental or social concerns. In the words of 350.org, this implies “a fast and just transition to 100% renewable energy for all,” “no new fossil fuel projects anywhere,” and “not a penny more...
The Lesson in Listening
Vaping: A Youth Epidemic
Electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, e-cigs, vapes, JUULs—no matter what you call them, these devices are popping up everywhere, and their explosion in popularity has created a huge public health threat for teens and young adults. A modern update to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes deliver a heated liquid, often containing nicotine, in the form of a vapor that the user then inhales. With major companies like JUUL offering youth-friendly vapor flavors (such as fruit, candy, soda, pastry, and mint) and creating sleek, discrete devices that boast a trendy look, it’s not surprising that these...
Civil Disobedience
There is a strenuous debate over whether civil disobedience is an effective way of bringing about change or not. The general assumption is that civil disobedience effectively brings change to the society. However, it is my point of view that civil disobedience is not an effective way. To exemplify this, climate change is one of the most urgent, difficult, and side-lined issue in modern U.S. history. Government is our leader who needs to balance the economic growth and the climate change. For all the events that news can accommodate, unfortunately, climate change has been side-lined. When the...
Opioid Crisis: How Youth Can Look at Pain Relief
If you’ve been keeping up with current events, chances are you are well aware of the dire reports of the United States' immense and worsening opioid crisis, which claimed as many as 130 lives every single day in the nation by 2017, the latest year data was collected. Yet amid the flurry of warnings and lamentations, one thing you likely haven’t heard is the enormous toll the crisis of addiction is taking on young people not only in America but also around the globe. For far too long, youth have been largely excluded from conversations surrounding the opioid crisis, not to mention today’s...
This Poem is For the Love
This poem is for the children whose schools have closed, the children who rely on whatever their pocket change can buy them in the cafeteria to get them through the day. This poem is for the people who lived through a lifetime of war and are as afraid of going outside on this still spring night as they were back then. This poem is for every family from my city to your city, to every city neither of us have ever been to or heard of. This poem is for the mother who lost her job and has to feed 3 kids. This poem is for the boy who searches for smiley faces in the rain drops sticking to his...
Sunshine
Rays of light shine upon me, brightening the world amidst the darkest of days. Even though the shadows may steal our happiness today, the sun shall bring new light upon this world. Do not fear for the troubles that have been bestowed upon you today but set your eyes on the joy that lies tomorrow for although the rain may pour, sunshine awaits.
Tik Tok is Harming the Earth
I am ashamed to say, but being in quarantine I can say I spend majority of my day scrolling through tiktok. TikTok has played a major role in the entertainment of Gen Z and actually has good impact such as educating in politics and raising awareness of topics that don't get much coverage. On the other hand, TikTok is harming the earth without even knowing. Fashion is a major niche of the platform and many creators promote their favorite affordable clothing stores such as Aliexpress, Shein, and Zara. The issue with these affordable brands are the ethics and sustainability. Many of these brands...
Gene Editing: The Cure of the Future
Brian Madeux had Hunter’s syndrome, an inherited, rare genetic disorder caused by a missing or malfunctioning enzyme (“MPS II”). As a result, Madeux underwent more than two dozen operations (Marchione, 2017). A treatment that consisted of weekly doses of the missing enzyme was available, but it would cost more than 100,000 dollars per year and could potentially lead to brain damage. So, in November 2017, Madeux decided to undergo gene therapy, making him the first person in the United States to have a gene edited inside of his body. When considering whether gene editing can result in cures or...
Why don't we humans care about the thing that cares about us the most?
Climate change is real. Temperatures are rising, and in a few years, if we still continue our ignorant and malevolent actions, the peaceful and green environment will not exist and trust me it wont be mendable. Fossil fuels: petrol, diesel, oil, etc. Non-renewable sources. The wreckers of the pleasant atmosphere. Burning of fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide which heats up the globe. The same globe that we live on, the same globe that takes care of us. It is taking care of you right now as you are reading this. It serves you with food, oxygen and so many things you don't know that exist but...
What the future holds after this pandemic
With a spike in new COVID-19 cases all around the world, our future has become pretty uncertain. Most of the younger population were super excited to graduate and start working this summer, not realizing the major twist that has brought the whole world into a standstill. The youth are the future and their future shouldn't be left in the dark but would this phase impact them in a good or a bad way? Some say that using this time and focusing on yourself, your interests and learning new things online could be one way to deal with this. But what about the youth who lost their jobs during this...
The Child of Racism
As a child of two immigrants from India, I am a mix between the vibrant and traditional culture of India and the extroverted culture of America. To me, India and America were worlds apart, often making me drift between the two whenever I visit India or return to America. I could not find any similarities between India and America, because to me (or at least to my parents), India was a mystical place filled with culture that I often took for granted. Now that I'm older and have access to more information than the generations before me, I started to realize that Indian culture and Western...
The Perfect Harmony!
The Perfect Harmony~ Where the sky is sparkly blue, Where the sun is bright shine, Where the birds are chirping melodiously, Where the cold breeze touches your face, Where you feel loved and protected, Where you feel nurtured and rejuvenated is in the lap of Mother Nature. As far as I can see beauty lies all around me, The lush greenery the beautiful creek, The water running over the pebbles, Their lies serenity, The perfect harmony.
When Will We Realize? - a poem
I Remember I remember oceans trembling and spilling gently with water. I remember dew drops glistening on pinecones, roses and buttercups reflecting the colours of spice blush and butter Barefoot and silent, I remember cupping mouthfuls of fresh river water picking up dried up petals . I remember those beautiful days. Those beautiful days when the sun glowed just right. Those beautiful days when the wind swooped gently soothing the harsh sunlight. Once, this entire ground filled crimson and coffee barks and peeping through the bushels of leaves I saw red flecked cardinals sitting there...
World: Dismantling
Hang onto the morning at its smallest just before the sky cracks to let in the morning’s rays. Remember the passing seasons and the gait of wisteria often buried under raucous life The cold summer sun resting quietly between satin curtains. Hold both the silence and the noise in the same hand because this world is burning too fast to hold it all. As you listen for the horizon noise of trains going, people rushing ask if you reach for the bits of this world before they become buried, returning to ash returning to the Earth for eternity, for infinity I plea, listen to the woods glowing in...