By Lorien Kauffman In a speech last October, former president Barack Obama said, “I do get a sense sometimes now among certain young people…that the way of me making change is to be as judgmental as possible about other people and that’s enough.” Obama questioned the idea of being politically “woke”, referencing call-out or “cancel” culture, saying, “The world is messy, there are ambiguities.” Obama claimed to cancel or “throw stones” at someone “…is not activism, that is not bringing about change” (Guardian News, 2019). The top definition of “canceled” in Urban Dictionary is “to dismiss something/somebody. To reject and individual or an idea” (Flossy333, 2018). In modern times, to…

By Jonathan Martin Abstract This essay serves as both a review of contemporary justification for war, as well as an analysis of said theories and their application in today’s society. When reviewing theories of war examples of recent armed conflict involving the United States Military are utilized to illustrate the times when wars were and weren’t considered to be justified. After identifying the theories of war and their implications the essay transitions to the analysis portion. This section deals with relativity of theories of war and their implications into present day perspectives on war. Specifically, the analysis is aimed at explaining which theories of war are most accurate and/or most…

by Grace Schultz Every year millions of people participate in eco-tourism. This occurs in thousands of different ways: backpacking, packrafting, flying, swimming, drives, cruises etc. People go to experience nature in the raw. But then, often, they come back from their vacation to a concrete city and urbanized place: void of all natural qualities and filled with fast paced technologies. The warm sand and cool water become a distant memory. Away from that raw nature we easily hold connotations for the natural world as these far away fantasies where one can only visit. However, a natural world surrounds us if we open our eyes. This world could be more attainable…

by Max Brown Plastic is undoubtedly the most widely used material on the planet, finding its way into practically every consumer product. In tandem with this global use is global pollution, and the problems of plastic pollution have risen to the forefront of issues facing humanity. Plastics are durable products, with an estimated lifespan of hundreds of thousands of years, translating into a worldwide issue of massive waste that poses an incomprehensible threat to the environment (Xanthos & Walker, 2017). It is estimated that by 2025, there will be one ton of ocean plastic for every three tons of fish (Forrest, Giacovazzi, Dunlop, Reisser, & Tickler, 2019). Additionally, the plastic…

By Renee Endicott Dieting is not healthy, unless it results in a balanced nutritious healthy eating lifestyle. It has many negative physical and psychological impacts. I have personal experience with on and off again dieting before I made the decision to make a life change. Of course, you cannot do a strict diet and then go back to eating the way you were without gaining back all the weight and sometimes more. Not only is dieting unhealthy, but it’s also a $61 billion dollar a year industry, yet people continue to struggle with weight loss and weight gain, never being able to maintain a healthy weight (SkyterraWellness). It has become…

by Grace Schultz DISCLAIMER: I, in no way, believe every man is like this, nor do I believe that all men were raised like this. I simply want to highlight the way our modern society promotes the ideals that fall under the toxic masculinity category. A six-year-old boy is riding his bike and falls off. He scrapes up his knees, they are bleeding a lot, and there are little pieces of gravel in them from the trail he was riding with his family. His mom and dad clean it out and while doing so he begins to cry. “Buck up kiddo, you’re fine. Boys don’t cry,” his dad tells him.…

by Zoe Kaplan   The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word American as “Relating to or characteristic of the United States or its inhabitants.” That definition is by no means wrong, but I believe that there is so much more to being American. Being American is being able to define that for yourself. The core value of freedom of opinion allows us to make that decision and not necessarily agree with any other person. In 2014, New York Times writers Damien Cave and Todd Heisle drove up Interstate 35, starting in Texas and ending in Minnesota. Along the way, they asked 35 people what it means to be American. Their…

by Sean Clapp   Video games are one of humanity’s most incredible inventions.  With the introduction of virtual reality headsets, and more powerful gaming hardware and software, games such as Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and Fallout have become more sophisticated than ever.   It wasn’t long ago when the most popular video games were two-dimensional and only as interactive as a joystick would allow.  With these advancements, should come cautionary steps to prevent harmful addictions. Games, video or not, provide an escape from reality, and hopefully, are fun.  Which is, of course, why so many people play them.  A scientific perspective on what makes games “fun” can explain more…

by Madeline Sadler   Organic; “yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides” (Webster). The Organic Food Production Act was created in 1990 as a start to the National Organic Program. Since then, organic promises high standards when it comes to no chemical use, but they aren’t always as concerned with other things that come along with it. In the magazine Mother Earth Living (2018) it states “however, neither of the terms guarantee that the farmer is concerned with animal welfare, employee rights, soil health, or land…

by Madeline Sadler   Coral are a series of tiny polyps that one night a year are “releasing all the eggs they’ve made that year into the water column, packaged into bundles with sperm cells” (Marhaver, 2015). These tiny bundles keep dividing as they grow older and when they are a mere two days old decide where they want to develop for the rest of their life. From there they grow to form into the beings they are today. Since the global warming crisis, things for the coral haven’t been easy. The ocean is changing, and the corals are dying. With warming and rising waters, the corals are not safe…