The Pacific Island Nations on the Front Lines of Climate Change
By Norah Luzadder
With devastating hurricanes and record-smashing temperatures continuing to surface across the globe, it is no secret that climate change is reaching a point of grave concern. Individuals of all backgrounds experience its effects, and a wide range of politicians and celebrities endorse campaigns to reduce some of the most prominent contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet some of the most disproportionately affected by changes to our Earth continue to go relatively unregarded outside of climate conferences and other diplomatic endeavors.
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The Economic and Social Impact of the 2024 Summer Olympics
By: Madeleine Burke
As Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky fly across our screen, it’s hard not to be watching the Olympics in some way this summer. However, from the extravagant opening ceremony on the Seine to the shiny medals, one can’t help but wonder how much all of this had to cost both economically and socially.
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Side Effects of the New Year
By Riya Dasgupta
2024 has been a crazy year, and we’ve only just begun. From the tens of worldwide conflicts in places like Yemen, Ethiopia, Gaza, and Myanmar, to the largest global warming threat to humanity today; little third-world problems in our lives such as Sephora havoc, consumption culture, and reliance on technology seem irrelevant. Nevertheless, the years continue to pass, and modern customs continue to evolve; yet not always for the better. Could the exaggerated use of technology and new overconsumption trends be pushing the development of society backward instead of forward?
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A Breakdown of the Escalated Violence in Congo
By: Mikal Yonas
In light of the recent elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo a little over a month ago, an escalation of deadly violence between two major militant groups has shaken the region. Clashes between militant groups and rebel groups
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Taylor Swift: Perfect Pop Star Icon or Climate Disaster?
By: Riya Dasgupta
Global warming is one of the largest threats to humankind today. Its presence is overbearing and it stays in the back of minds over some of the most important decisions made. In seemingly complete contrast, there is Taylor Swift, a fast-climbing pop artist and music record holder, whose songs are heard around the globe. Despite being completely different worlds, the two have more correlation than you would think.
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COVID-19: Never Truly Over
By: Riya Dasgupta
COVID-19: the globally known virus, also named the “Coronavirus disease,” that swept the world almost four years ago. Deaths were in the millions, and it was as easy to catch as the common cold. Wait; four years ago?
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Embracing Diversity: The Rich Tapestry of Agents in Valorant
By: MaxiMO Bangayna
Valorant, Riot Games' tactical first-person shooter, has taken the gaming world by storm, not only for its strategic gameplay but also for the diverse and unique cast of characters known as Agents. In the world of Valorant, players aren't just picking characters; they are assembling a team of individuals with distinct abilities, backgrounds, and cultures.
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The Deadliest Addiction
By: Parvati Gopakumar
In a world where most people are transferring their entire lives to be digital a new pandemic has arisen. It has discrete symptoms, and is usually unnoticed, yet it’s spreading rapidly. Unlike Covid-19 or SARS this pandemic is much worse because no one is attempting to ‘cure’ it.
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Shedding Light on the Ongoing Tigray Crisis
By: Mikal Yonas
November 2023 marks three years since the Ethiopian Government began its devastating military operations against the Northern Tigray Region in 2020. While western media coverage since 2020 on this matter has been minimal, the death, destruction, and horror certainly has not been.
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A.I. Is Altering What We Know
By: Gowri Gopakumar
The use of Artificial Intelligence (or A.I.) has grown to become an integral part of society. From self checkout lines to automated voice replies, A.I. continues to be all around us. However, where is the line drawn for A.I. involvement in our lives? That’s something even now as a society we all are trying to decide.
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The Media's Crucial Role Amidst the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
By: Abbie Ahn
In the tumultuous landscape of modern politics, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stands as a key example to the power of the media in a political issue. As the conflict rages on in the Levant, media continues to play a crucial role in how people perceive the conflict as well as sending aid to those directly in the midst of the ongoing crisis.
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Boko Haram and their Conflicts
By: Manthan Madan
Boko Haram, was established in 2002 in northeast Nigeria. Its founder was Mohommad Yusuf. However, when he died in 2009, the group had then started significant violence in the Nigerian area, and thus was able to cause the deaths of thousands and the displacement of over 2.5 million people.
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Canada Up in Flames
By: Margaret Chen
Since May 2023, Canada has been engulfed by a record-breaking season of wildfires. Over 70,000 square miles of land has been burned by 4,300 fires. To put this into perspective, this is roughly the size of Washington state, and the last season that was this severe clocked in at 30,000 square miles in 1989. Furthermore, although Canada is no stranger to wildfires, it typically experiences peak wildfire season in June. Yet, these fires are still burning with scorching intensity even though historically, the frequency of these fires should be declining. So what does this mean?
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Microplastics in Your Water: The Forgotten Chemicals of Everyday Life
By: Fatema Dinary
Plastic is an ongoing problem in our environment and has polluted countless ecosystems to date. The durable, reusable material has become popular over the years due to advancements in technology and mainstream platforms that advertise such materials.
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South Africa as the new BRICS Chair
Around early January, South Africa took over the BRICS chairmanship from China and will play host to the group’s annual summit this year. If you don’t know what BRICS is, it's an acronym for the five leading emerging economies among countries:
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The Turkey-Syria Earthquake and Its Devastating Effects
By: Elham Abdel Jalil
On February 6th, one of the deadliest earthquakes in a long time hit Turkey and Syria. As of February 8th, the death toll has risen to over 15,000 and thousands more injured.
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Woman, Life, Freedom: An Interview with an Iranian-American
By: Khadija Coats
As the number of protests in Iran has grown over time, many Iranian immigrants have voiced their opinions on the ongoing events, including the deadly protests and the unjust arrests in Iran and the experiences they’ve encountered growing up in the country.
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What’s Been Happening in Iran?
By: Elham Abdel Jalil
Most of us are probably somewhat aware of what’s been happening in Iran, but regardless if you are or not, this article will cover the basics of the events of the past weeks and months. Enjoy!
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Just Stop Oil: Is it Effective?
By: Maggie Reef
As you may or may not have heard, this past October two people threw tomato soup on Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting. The two people are members of a movement called “Just Stop Oil.” Their goal is to stop the development and production of fossil fuels, however, their acts of protest might be doing more harm to the cause.
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Tw*tter Censorsh*p
By: Margaret Chen
Right from his initial announcement that he intended to do so, Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter remains controversial. On October 28, 2022, Musk secured the $44 billion deal that allowed him ownership of the giant social media platform. He has since made a multitude publicly questioned decisions—including initiating mass layoffs and taking Twitter private.
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