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…