U.S. — The Catalyst Project

By: Holly Ji

March 16, plastered all over the news and social media is a traumatizing reminder of what it is to be both a girl and Asian in America.

The CatalystMarch 29, 2021Asian, Women, anti-Asian violence, shooting, AtlantaComment

Spa Shootings

By: Bobin Park

To the surprise of absolutely no one, being Asian in America is different from being Asian in Asia. As someone with the experience of being Asian for a span of fifteen years, I can attest to that. And, as someone who is a fifteen-year-old girl with Asian heritages, it stirred up strong emotions inside me when I got a post from my school counselor about the spa shootings in Atlanta.

The CatalystMarch 22, 2021shooting, racism, anti-Asian violence, United States, US, Atlanta, hate crimeComment

Two States, Two Approaches

By: Sarah Son

Unsurprisingly, the two most populous states in America - California and Texas - have the most cases of the coronavirus. However, these two states, home to one-fifth of all Americans, have handled the pandemic in a noticeably contrasting manner.

The CatalystMarch 17, 2021america, states, california, texas, policy, public health, covid, covid-19, pandemic, comparisons Comment

“Kertwang”: A Look Into Descriptive Tools

By: Herbie Waters

Through reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, the tone, setting, and descriptions of the lives of characters such as Hal Incandenza are extremely clear. Wallace uses a myriad of literary devices to accomplish this, from lots of spoken, unfiltered dialogue to words that do not exist in the English dictionary lexicon. One particular example of these words is “kertwang”, first uttered by two of Hal’s peers in a locker room of the tennis academy they attend.

The CatalystMarch 17, 2021essay, english, linguistics, literary devices, words, dictionary, kertwangComment

Cuomo Resignation

By: Emily Qian

The CatalystMarch 16, 2021meme, memes, cuomo, resignation, allegations, humorComment

Catastrophe or Karma?

By: Katie Harbaugh

For anyone who hasn’t watched the news lately, Texas experienced its first legitimate snowfall in years. Not only that, but record-low temperatures met with ill-equipped infrastructure caused dozens of deaths and even more cold-related injuries. As a midwesterner, it can be easy to make jokes about the south “not being used to the cold,” until you realize that people have died because of it.

The CatalystMarch 1, 2021op-ed, america, texas, snowstorm, crisis, political, humanity, unity, moralityComment

The Texas Power Crisis

By: Emma Ramon

Winter Storm Uri swept the South on February 13th, bringing “one of the most costly natural disasters of the year” according to the director of seasonal forecasting at Atmospheric and Environmental Research. Along with snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, the storm brought extensive power outages to Texas.

The CatalystMarch 1, 2021texas, power outages, shortage, climate, extreme weather, energy, infrastructureComment

House Hunting: Cleveland Edition

By: Dakota Taufeeq

I love looking at houses! To be quite frank I think that I have developed an addiction to Zillow. Whenever I am on Zillow I like to set the craziest parameters to see what I can find. I used to get discouraged that I lived in the midwest, I always thought that there was nothing interesting for sale in Ohio. However I was very wrong! I am going to post some of my more unique and downright cool finds of 2021.

The CatalystFebruary 22, 2021houses, homes, housing, cleveland, house hunting, photos, reviews, rating, architecture, history Comment

Ending the Cycle of Drug Use

By: Hannah Yoo

The first use of drugs and alcohol can spiral into an unending cycle of addiction. Addiction is the regular usage of drugs and alcohol. 40 million Americans suffer from addiction, 74% of those being adults and 26% of those being kids from the ages 12-18. The issue of substance abuse has been a clear issue in America, costing society $740 billion a year in healthcare expenses, crime related costs, and lost workplace productivity.

The CatalystFebruary 22, 2021drugs, drug abuse, addiction, students, supportComment

A Case of Environmental Injustice

By: Yewon Lee

One prominent case of negative environmental impacts disproportionately affecting communities of color, especially predominantly black communities, is Cancer Alley in Louisiana. Following the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, there is a strip of land in which industrial factories and chemical plants fill the area. The river allows easier transportation on ship and the Louisiana area has little regulation to prevent companies from producing harmful substances

The CatalystFebruary 22, 2021environment, pollution, racial, factories, cancer alleyComment

America's Outdated Infrastructure

By: Caroline Jung

The CatalystFebruary 22, 2021visual, drawing, energy, infrastructure, modernization, texas, blackout, crisisComment

Elon Musk's Tax Returns

By: Jessica Chang

Elon, recently named “the world’s richest person,” and man enthused about having just discovered opposable thumbs, is in possession of a net worth of $185 billion and a loyal cult (hey! this is a no-judgement space) whose members include Steve, your white-boy-who-tried-to-mansplain-bitcoin-to-you-but-secretly-has-a-bit-of-an-inferiority-complex™ neighbor.

The CatalystFebruary 21, 2021elon musk, tax returns, capitalism, economy, musk, transparency, humorComment

Inspiration from our First Ladies

By: Rhea Mahajan

Too often people focus solely on the president and his actions, yet we should not forget that the first ladies too are impressive in their own right. They are in charge of the nation’s social and political outreach plus because of their personal & professional accomplishments, they are a great source of inspiration. So here’s a quote from the 20 most recent first ladies to start your week off right:

The CatalystFebruary 20, 2021presidents, presidential, first lady, quotes, list, inspirationComment

The State of America

By: Sophy Gao

The CatalystFebruary 9, 2021america, united states, government, symbolism, capitol riot, political cartoonComment

A Recap of Joe Biden's Victory In The 2020 Election

By Phillip Seo

On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020, arguably the most consequential presidential election in modern American history was officially on its way. This election had set a precedent as there had never been an election in modern American history that had taken place during a global pandemic ever since the election of 1918.

The CatalystFebruary 9, 2021election, biden, harris, 2020, united states, america, presidencyComment

The Failings of Populism

Brady Condon

On January 6, 2021, thousands of insurrectionists terrorized our nation’s capital. A police officer was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher, dozens more were injured, and millions of Americans felt unsafe. As the mob set its sight on the capitol, the very heart of our democracy was struck.

The CatalystFebruary 9, 2021capitol riot, capitol, trump, populism, ideology, historyComment

Farewell To the Legend: Larry King

By: Phillip Seo

On January 23, 2021, we lost a legend of the entertainment and media industry. Larry King was an iconic American television and talk show host that unlike many other journalists was not confrontational with his questions, and spoke in a respectful and friendly banter tone. In addition, he would converse with a variety of people from presidents and politicians all the way to authors, actors, and celebrities. King has forever impacted the media industry and has left a lasting legacy that will be remembered for generations to come.

The CatalystFebruary 8, 2021Larry King, americans, america, television, media, legend, legacy, covid, covid-19Comment

Vaccines

By: Nicole Lavelle

2021 has already been a groundbreaking year in terms of vaccinations. Currently, there are two available and recommended by the CDC in the United States. These are the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. However, there are an additional three, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax, in phase three trials which means that more people may be vaccinated soon.

The CatalystFebruary 7, 2021vaccines, covid, covid-19, coronavirus, corona, united states, americaComment

Plane

By: Bobin Park

No plane has ever crashed from turbulence / That hit a little too close to home // I knew we had seat belts for a reason / That we had binding words to keep peace in air / But how did we rest when the one to trust at the helm / Knew as little about flying a plane as we do?