Dear Karen Pence, Being Homophobic Isn’t A Personality Trait
Karen Pence, the Second Lady of the United States, has come under harsh criticism this week after she began working at a private Christian school that bans gay and trans students and mandates its employees refrain from supporting or engaging in any form of an LGBTQ+ lifestyle. The school is in Northern Virginia, a diverse and predominantly left-leaning area, which was credited for turning VA for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 elections. Former second lady
Here’s How Renderforest Is Helping Me Raise Awareness About Mental Health
There would hardly be anyone with a slight interest in psychology who wouldn’t have internally cringed at people misusing the names of mental illnesses to describe things that were anything but mental illnesses. In case you need an example, the other day I was scrolling through my Instagram and came across the Instagram stories of this slightly famous blogger, where she said that the disarray in her feed was giving her an OCD. Having experienced
The Longest Government Shutdown In History Could Become Dangerous
Twenty-five days. That’s how long the U.S. government has been shut down over President Trump’s unmet demand that Congress supply $5.7 billion to be spent on a Southern border wall. These funds were expected by December 21, 2018 in order for the new federal spending legislation to be passed and for business to go on as usual. However, since Democrats, Republicans and Trump could not agree to any compromises concerning “The Wall” or its budget before this date, Trump
China Has Successfully Sprouted Cotton On The Moon
There is officially life on the moon. A cotton seed has sprouted just two weeks after China’s Chang’e-4 mission landed successfully on the moon. Inside the mini biosphere, there is now growth. Though there have been many instances of plant growth in space, this is the first to take place in such an extreme environment. Though previous plant growth took place inside of Earth’s orbit, none took place on any other surface than Earth. It is officially
#SaveRahaf: Saudi Teen Granted Asylum in Canada
On Jan. 12, Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, an eighteen year old girl from Saudi Arabia, was granted asylum in Canada after a momentous Twitter campaign in her name. #SaveRahaf went viral earlier this week after Rahaf fled her family in Saudi Arabia and barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Thailand, where she no longer was safe due to demands from the Saudi Embassy in Thailand. There, Rahaf began tweeting about her experience, hoping to gain
America’s Newsrooms Still Lack Representation
If the role of media is to communicate to its people, why then are only certain people allowed to speak up? The media is meant to provide the public with unbiased accounts of the stories that matter most. Whether if be the latest update on White House matters, or food writing during the holidays, these pieces should represent the general beliefs of the public inform them in an unbiased manner. According to the Census Bureau,
An Interview With Navraj Singh: A Member of the Women’s March Youth Cohort
Navraj Singh is a change-maker from Virginia who, since February 2018, has been working both by himself and with the young people around him to create visible change on a national level, starting with commonsense gun reform. In his community, he cofounded the Mobilizing Youth Project and has since organized a #DEFUNDHATE Rally. Although he is only in high school, Navraj interned under Abigail Spanberger and is a part of the Women’s March Youth Cohort. Besides
The Cyntoia Brown Story Brings Awareness of Domestic Violence
Cyntoia Brown was granted parole after serving over 10 years in prison for murdering a man who bought her for sex as a 16-year-old. This means that Brown will be released in August for parole supervision, and reducing the initial 51 year wait for parole. The Tennessee governor’s office granted her clemency, but it also brought a fresh perspective on a case that affects millions of Americans and people around the world. Every 9 seconds
Slacktivism: A Cause of Concern
Donald Trump’s election was a catalyst for advocating change in all fields. As more and more people start to get involved with contemporary issues in the world, you would think that more impactful change is being made across the board. However, as more people take the time and effort to learn about present-day issues, a form of activism has risen to popularity: slacktivism. Slacktivism is essentially “supporting” a cause through ineffectual and low-cost efforts, and
Doodling Can Actually Help Improve Your Focus
Throughout school, we’re constantly told to pay attention to our teachers, meaning we must sit up straight, eyes forward, without doing anything else except taking notes. Sleeping, talking and doodling are all actions that could garner a strict reprimand. While sleeping and talking are sure signs of not paying attention, and likely failure, doodling is something that may actually be more beneficial than we think. Personally, from middle school until now, I have always doodled
The Real Life “Perfect” Memory: Hyperthymesia
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to remember all that you’ve ever experienced, in almost perfect detail? Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to remember everything your teacher went over during class, or what it was like being an infant? This is the astonishing reality for those living with hyperthymesia, but it’s not always as “bright and sunny” as it may seem. What is hyperthymesia? Hyperthymesia, also known as Highly Superior
5 Reasons to Use Birth Control (Other Than Birth Control)
Studies show that nearly 66% of women of reproductive age use some form of birth control, whether it be condoms, the pill, patches, IUDs, or other methods. Hormonal forms of birth control act upon the endocrine system by releasing synthetic hormones that mimic the naturally-produced hormones estrogen and progesterone. While the primary reason for taking hormonal birth control is actual birth control, up to 14% of women who take it do so for other purposes.
Post-Bolsonaro Brazil and How It Is Not Working Out
Brazil’s election had a rough but expected outcome, Jair Bolsonaro was elected for president. He hasn’t begun his presidential term yet, but even from behind the political scene of Brazil he has already managed to cause trouble. His campaigns, now and before the elections always circled around corruption, about how he and his family are “decent and honest” people and that he was unlike any other politician in the Brazilian scenery. That speech conquered a great
An Interview With Navraj Singh: A Member of the Women’s March Youth Cohort
Navraj Singh is a change-maker from Virginia who, since February 2018, has been working both by himself and with the young people around him to create visible change on a national level, starting with commonsense gun reform. In his community, he cofounded the Mobilizing Youth Project and has since organized a #DEFUNDHATE Rally. Although he is only in high school, Navraj interned under Abigail Spanberger and is a part of the Women’s March Youth Cohort. Besides
How to Survive Waiting to Hear Back From Colleges
January means a New Year, but for high school seniors, it also means that the due dates for regular decision college applications are coming up. As an early action applicant for this year, I feel the need to give some advice to those of you who may spend the next couple of weeks (or months) stressing over if you’ll get in or not. Personally, I spent the time between sending in applications and hearing back
The Cyntoia Brown Story Brings Awareness of Domestic Violence
Cyntoia Brown was granted parole after serving over 10 years in prison for murdering a man who bought her for sex as a 16-year-old. This means that Brown will be released in August for parole supervision, and reducing the initial 51 year wait for parole. The Tennessee governor’s office granted her clemency, but it also brought a fresh perspective on a case that affects millions of Americans and people around the world. Every 9 seconds
New Study Suggests Sauna Bathing May Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease Fatality
Heart disease is the the number 1 killer in the United States, responsible for approximately 1 in 4 deaths. Because of this, there has been a plethora of recent research dedicated towards finding ways to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. A new study from BMC Medicine suggests that there may be a new way to reduce the risk of death from heart disease — sauna bathing. Sauna bathing is a form of passive heat therapy,
Politics
LGBT+
Mental Health
Here’s How Renderforest Is Helping Me Raise Awareness About Mental Health
There would hardly be anyone with a slight interest in psychology who wouldn’t have internally cringed at people misusing the names of mental illnesses to describe things that were anything but mental illnesses. In case you need an example,...
