 Image c/o Getty Images By Isabella Wynn Visiting Columnist In adjusting to losing an hour of sleep on March 10th, we may be enjoying more daylight, but our internal clocks are not having as good of a time. Daylight savings time (DST) has become something most people in the U.S. have grown accustomed to. With the exception of Arizona and Hawaii, the U.S. is a part of the 70 countries that observe DST. Most Californians may be aware that absolving daylight savings has been on the ballots for years. I am personally on the side that believes we should join Arizona and Hawaii in not participating in daylight savings, and I’ll tell you why.
You may be familiar with the term “Circadian Rhythm.” Our circadian rhythms become wildly affected when DST begins or ends. The National Institute of General Medicinal Sciences (NIGMS) states that “circadian rhythms are the physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle.” While our circadian rhythms can be affected by things like food intake, social environments, and temperature, light and dark have the biggest influence. Light and dark does not only refer to the daylight or lackthereof outside, our circadian rhythms can also be affected by things like the light from our technological devices or the use of blackout curtains. I’m no woman in STEM, but I generally understand our circadian rhythms and how important it is to try to keep them regularly controlled. With so many aspects of our daily lives that could disrupt our rhythm, adding DST into the mix can cause not only short term risks but long term risks. Our social jet lag and sleep deprivation caused by DST can “result in a continued misalignment in your body's internal clock” (Business Insider) which is linked to causing serious problems. Short-term problems such as an increase in car accidents and workplace injuries are accompanied by “24% more people [having] heart attacks than on other Mondays throughout the year” (Business Insider) when DST begins. DST is also linked to an increase in poor mental health and suicide. In terms of long-term risks, we already have a society that has become addicted to our technology and microplastics in our food and water; if we have the opportunity to eliminate something that causes problems, we should take it. The NIGMS stresses that “long-term sleep loss and continually shifting circadian rhythms can increase the risks of obesity, diabetes, mood disorders, heart and blood pressure problems, and cancer, and can also worsen existing health issues.” DST was first temporarily implemented during World War I in efforts to save energy. Nowadays, DST does the opposite. It has been found that DST causes us to consume more energy than we conserve. DST also increases the “demand for heat and air conditioning.” And perhaps part of the reason the government hasn’t put an emphasis on the importance of abolishing DST is that we are more likely to spend more money after work in the spring and summer due to extra daylight. Don’t get me wrong, I love the switch when daylight savings ends and we get more sunlight later in the day. However, I do not love the process of resetting my internal clock. In wanting to get up early and have a productive start to my day, I find myself hitting snooze for an hour. I used to think Arizona and Hawaii were strange for not joining the rest of the states in observing DST. However, in learning about these major risks and acknowledging how I am personally affected by it, I found myself on the side of agreeing with the abolishing of daylight savings. Hopefully in reading this, you may reconsider how you feel about DST. Even if it means I’ll be spending more money later in the day, I’d love to have more sunlight later in the day year round. And, more importantly, I’d love for my circadian rhythm to not be extra affected twice a year.
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Telling you which books are worth the read and which books aren’t.  Image c/o Tali Arbel/AP Photo By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief Like most avid book readers now-a-days, I get the majority of my book recommendations from BookTok. For those of you who are unaware of what BookTok is, it's a subcommunity of TikTok creators who make content based on books they recommend their followers read. This list was constructed based off of some articles describing BookTok as well as books advertised as BookTok picks by booksellers. I have read my share of BookTok recommendations so here are my yay or nays on some of the most popular ones. I also give my ratings for each book. I do not rate books lightly, and I am not afraid to give a one star rating to a bad book. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything.
1. If He Had Been with Me and If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin Yay, a thousand times yay. It is extremely rare that I drop whatever I am doing to go buy a sequel from Barnes and Nobles, but I just had to get my hands on If Only I Had Told Her. Both books were absolutely amazing and gripping, I could not put them down. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs a good cry or just wants a good read. I do have to warn you, however, both books will crush your heart, and you will be reading them with tears running down your face. I gave If He Had Been with Me a 4.8/5 and If Only I Had Told Her a 4.6/5. 2. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Yay, such a yay that I am already counting down the days until the next book. I sped through this series and already have the 5th one pre ordered. I recommend The Inheritance Games to anyone who will listen to me. A great book filled with twists and turns that you will never see coming. I cannot emphasize enough how good of a book The Inheritance Games is and how you will be running to Barnes and Noble to buy The Hawthorne Legacy as soon as you finish reading the first book. I gave The Inheritance Games a rating of 4.9/5. 3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Yay, a great intro to fantasy for those who are new to the genre. Fantasy can be difficult to read as the reader has to learn of a whole new world and magic rules. The Cruel Prince is a great book to ease non-fantasy readers into the genre. A classic enemies-to-lovers storyline helps to make this a fun read. If you are interested in trying out the fantasy genre or are a fantasy lover who just wants another magic-filled adventure, then I recommend giving this book a chance. I gave The Cruel Prince a rating of 4/5. 4. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter Yay, as a fan of rom coms it is hard to dislike a book in which the entire premise is a giant mix of rom com references. While this isn’t a life changing I have a new opinion on love kind of book, it was cute and I very much enjoyed the read. It has a very low spice level but a lot of flirting which can sometimes be even better than spicy scenes. I recommend this book for fans of movies like Pride and Prejudice, 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, and The Princess Bride. I gave Better Than the Movies a rating of 4/5. 5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Yay, but no surprise there. I was hesitant to label The Hunger Games as a BookTok book, but it appeared on all the lists I found online so I included it on this one. I was a huge fan of the Hunger Games books when they were at the height of their popularity circa 2013/2014. After rereading the trilogy recently in preparation for the new film, I found that there was so much that I missed when I first read the books in middle school. There is so much depth and meaning in The Hunger Games that I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a modern American classic. I highly recommend that anyone who has not read the books or hasn’t read them since 2013 to read The Hunger Games. I can promise that it will really make you think and ponder the realities of our world. I gave The Hunger Games a rating of 4.9/5. 6. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover Nay, please don’t believe people when they say this is a great book. I cannot emphasize this enough, but It Ends with Us is not a romance novel. Although advertised as one, this is a story about domestic violence and abuse. I went into reading it thinking that it was a romance novel. Instead of a happily ever after, I was left emotionally traumatized and threw the book against the wall. If this was not advertised as a romance novel and more as contemporary fiction then I probably would have gone in with a different mindset and different expectations. I went in with the romance mindset of a love story, happily ever after. If I had known it was not a romance novel then I would have entered the book with a more critical mindset and would probably have enjoyed it more. As a result of its incorrect marketing as a romance I gave It Ends With Us a rating of 2/5. 7. A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas Ehhh, while the books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series get better as they go on, they are not nearly as good as other fantasy books that are viral on BookTok. While I mildly enjoyed the books, I do not think that they live up to all the hype that people are giving them. I find the main character annoying, and it is difficult to read 5 several hundred page books on a heroine that I sometimes wish I could slap and shout at her “stop being so dramatic!” Sure I enjoyed the books but I have still yet to read the most recent book (A Court of Silver Flames) even though it has been sitting on my shelf for the past 8 months. I gave the A Court of Thorns and Roses series a rating of 3.8/5. 8. Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros Yay, I have to admit, it really does live up to the hype. I went into Fourth Wing skeptical after my high hopes for A Court of Thorns and Roses was misplaced. The main character of Fourth Wing is actually quite relatable and this is a great example of a well executed enemies-to-lovers trope. The second novel, Iron Flame, was even better than the first. I stayed awake until 1 am trying to finish Iron Flame and ended up screaming when I read the final pages of the book. I simply cannot wait for the next book to come out, you will find me waiting in line at Barnes and Noble the day it is released. I gave Fourth Wing a rating of 4/5 and Iron Flame a rating of 4.6/5. 9. Beach Read by Emily Henry Yay, so much a yay that I would classify Beach Read as one of my favorite books of all time. Very rarely has one book caused me to immediately buy any book released by a specific author, but now anytime I see a book by Emily Henry, I buy it. I am super picky and critical when it comes to romance novels, and I was not disappointed by Beach Read. If there is any book that can make a pessimist like me believe in love then it is this book. Instead of the stereotypical insta-love seen in a lot of the romance genre, Beach Read follows the slow evolution of two people from classmates to strangers to friends to lovers. You will put down this book knowing that the two main characters will truly live happily ever after. I gave Beach Read a rating of 4.5/5. 10. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace Nay, I honestly just don’t get the hype surrounding this book. This book felt as though it was written by someone who has no idea: a. what it is like to be a college athlete, b. what it is like to be a college student, and c. anything about hockey. As a college athlete who is a big fan of hockey, I spent the majority of the book cringing and rolling my eyes. If all you care about when reading a romance novel is the spice level then you will love this book. If you want a book with some substance and plot, then I would suggest looking elsewhere. I gave Icebreaker a rating of 2.6/5. On Taylor Swift’s growing cult-like following.  Image c/o Terence Rushin/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief Does anyone else feel like the topic of Taylor Swift is being shoved down their throat? TikTok, instagram, snapchat, even the local news, no matter where I look it's all about Taylor Swift. Everywhere I turn it's Taylor this, Taylor that. What is the deal?
Look, I am all for a person making the most of their success, but I am sick and tired of seeing Taylor Swift’s face and name everywhere. It's not as though I hate her music, I am just sick and tired of hearing about her. Who cares who her current boyfriend of the month is or what she is wearing to different events? What we should care about is how she has 14 times the carbon emissions as the average American as a result of her frequent private jetting around. Her fans don’t seem to care as in their eyes, “mother” can do no wrong. Even when her Eras tour tickets cost fans thousands of dollars per ticket, Taylor was innocent in everything. The 2023 Time Person of the year is reported to be worth around $1 billion and this is thanks to her almost cult-like following. A new album is released? Those so-called “swifties” go running to buy it on vinyl records, CD, and downloads. Anytime new merchandise is released “swifties” will spend hundreds of dollars on sweatshirts and other items that might not be worth their steep price tag. Recently, fans have reported that their $45 t-shirts (that they purchased from the official Era’s tour merchandise booths and sellers) were Look, I have nothing against Taylor Swift personally, but can we all agree that she is just a person. These swifties need to stop treating her like she is a goddess walking among us. Yes she is a talented singer/songwriter, but that doesn’t mean they need to worship her. Not everything she does is incredible and wonderful. Swifties, stop looking at her through the rose colored glasses and accept the fact that she is just a person, not really any different from you or me. |
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May 2024
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