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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.
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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.  Image c/o Suzette Leg Anthony/ Shutterstock By Edith Cuevas Visiting Opinion Columnist The commute from the East Bay to San Francisco is one no one enjoys. Idling in hours of traffic, paying for expensive gas every week, and on top of that an expensive toll. Thanks to Senate Bill 1, $5.4 billion of our tax dollars are invested in infrastructure projects such as road repair, bridges, reducing traffic delays (freeway expansions), freeway repairs each year. Expanding the freeways is not going to aid congestion at all if that was true I-680 and Highway 4 would be clear commutes. Only $350 million of the funding from Senate Bill 1 goes to additional funding for public transit fleet improvements.
Public transit then becomes the solution. Instead of investing in expansions, we should be investing in the purchase of more trains and in the funding of more staff across all BART stations. We should make it more accessible by building more stations. Expanding the freeways is something we have tried to do, but has not worked, so it is time to move onto a solution that will work. In cities such as London, the underground is accessible all throughout the city, is relatively cheap and very safe to use. There is no excuse as to why California can’t do the same. Being the 4th largest economy in the world, the Bay Area has the highest GDP output of the entire state. Our infrastructure should reflect that. A better public transit system would also ease the amount of emissions being emitted into our atmosphere. The typical person in the United States emits about 16,000 tons of emissions into the atmosphere per year. Riding in an electric train would cut this average significantly. Another issue that must be addressed to attract more riders is the issue of safety. BART has been implementing a new policy that would bring in community ambassadors and officers to BART trains, and they should keep implementing this policy so that it is widespread to all stations. Of course, that would require more funding, which would be possible if we revert some of the infrastructure budget directly to public transit. Contra Costa County has been a big advocate for commuting on BART. The county offers a program called 511 Contra Costa for students attending a school within county borders (St. Mary’s included), residents, and anyone who works in the county to receive a free $20 clipper card or a free $20 bikelink card. The county also offers a reimbursement on e-bikes for residents, ranging from $150-500, depending on the city of residence. So no, we don’t need any more freeway expansions, what we need is a better public transit system that is accessible to all and is efficient and enticing for riders. Convenience is important for Californians; our public transit system must be able to keep up with this need. How influencer culture is leading to overconsumption and becoming a major issue in the US.  Image c/o Your Stuff Made By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief First it was Hydro Flask, then it was Yeti, then it was Stanley, and now it is Owala. What is the point of reusable water bottles when society is going through them so quickly?
Personally, I am going to the grave with my emotional support Hydro Flask that I have had since 2020. One of my friends cycles through using a Hydro Flask, two Stanleys, and an Owala. That is roughly $173 worth of reusable water bottles. She is just another example of how people are being easily influenced to purchase items to keep up with trends. The problem with these trends is that they are quickly leading to overconsumption. Perhaps you have seen the TikToks of people showing off their collections of Stanley tumblers, Drunk Elephant skin care products, Amazon “finds,” and Shein “hauls.” The whole point of influencers is to convince audiences to spend money on things they don't really need. Brands pay these TikTokers and Instagrammers to influence followers to buy their products. Mega Corporations and brands which are notorious for profiting off this influencer culture and promotion of overconsumption are Amazon and Shein. Organization, home, and cooking influencers will promote Amazon “finds,” some random gadgets that have a niche use. An easily influenced person, will run to Amazon and purchase an item that will probably be used once and will take up space for a while before it eventually gets thrown out. Fashion influencers will show off their Shein “hauls,” showing off the dozens of cheaply and arguably unethically made products that they received. They convince followers to go purchase the same items off the site because they are so affordable, ignoring the impact that fast fashion has on our environment and the ethics surrounding the production of fast fashion. People who are against this trend of overconsumption and influencers are being called de-influencers. These people will stitch and duet the videos of influencers and give reasons as to why the watcher does not need the product. They will tell the audience that they do not need a special plastic egg container off Amazon for their fridge, since the cardboard carton from the store works just as well. Companies trying to convince consumers to buy products they do not need is not a new occurrence. Advertisements have been around for over 100 years and celebrity endorsements going all the way back to Victorian England when Queen Victoria herself endorsed Cadbury chocolate. What has changed in recent years is the accessibility of consumers to companies. Instead of relying on people watching TV ads or reading the newspaper, the internet gives companies the opportunity to have advertisements in the consumer’s hand. With TikTok, you may follow someone because they make cute videos of their golden retriever. Next thing you know, all their videos are no longer centered around the lovable dog but are trying to convince you to spend your money on some expensive kind of dog food. Nowadays it seems as though every other video on my for you page contains some kind of ad or sponsorship. It's virtually impossible to go on TikTok or even the internet in general without someone trying to sell you a product. This is a dangerous trend as it has been made obvious that some people cannot help but be influenced. No one needs a $10 Touchland hand sanitizer, but people buy them because they see so many of their favorite influencers using it online. It is clear that the only way to prevent overconsumption is to stop being so influenced. Take some advice from de-influencers. Think before you buy, do you really need that? Will you actually use that? Is it worth the cost? Is it actually a good product or are influencers just talking about it because they are being paid? Don’t be an easily influenced consumer, make smart decisions, and don’t let strangers on the internet convince you how to spend your money. A personal take on the fate of The Office spinoff.  Image c/o Rotten Tomatoes By Lillian La Salle Associate Editor For the whole month of October, fans of The Office were left in limbo as creator Greg Daniels and other cast members hinted at a possible reboot of the beloved show. Luckily, these speculations were cleared up at the beginning of November by multiple sources such as USA Today, ScreenRant, and The Wrap which jumped at the chance to clear up any confusion amongst the die-hard fan base. Personally, I am so thankful these speculations were not true. At least not in the way I was thinking. Greg Daniels is apparently seeking to spin off the show instead of rebooting it with the original cast, “I can't imagine wanting to make it with any other cast. I've said before that if there was to be anything, it would probably be more like what "The Mandalorian" is to "Star Wars," rather than trying to get Princess Leia with a new actor” (USA Today). And thank god he couldn't imagine this new version because The Office had a good run.
Even his consideration of a spinoff is giving this sitcom a little too much importance in the grand scheme of new TV, with new concepts still on the back burner while other mediocre shows have been given the spotlight for far too long. Don't get me wrong, I loved The Office, but to give background, I would choose Parks and Recreation and Leslie Knope's shenanigans over a show that made me physically cringe from discomfort any day. Greg Daniels explained to ScreenRant the methodology of creating the new show, having it “exist in the same overall universe [allowing] for potential guest appearances from original characters” once the new cast members have gotten their foot in the door of the TV Show universe. This sounds like they are trying to live in the Marvel Meta-verse with all these new characters and trying to figure out how to make the same kind of show, without having it fall prey to the failure that is most reboots. It's just The Office, it's not that deep, and it’s had its time in the spotlight. Maybe another office sitcom could be funny, but with constant comparison to what once was, it will be a challenge to make it as successful as its many 2000s counterparts. While I have your attention, I am going to be controversial and say The Office was great, not fantastic, but great. It had good references that audiences could repeat to each other to form a community, but ultimately it is very overhyped, and I blame Jim and Pam. Jim and Pam are idolized for the best love story, but Jim routinely makes decisions without Pam, they lack proper communication skills, and it is evident towards the end when the other cameraman comes in that it is really taking a toll on their relationship. Maybe this is what makes them so appealing to others who see it as an achievable love story, but I would rather not have the airtime wasted on their will they want only to see that they did and had pretty lackluster lives. When people say they want a relationship like Jim and Pam’s, I'm taken aback. I need that Michael and Holly, Dwight and Angela energy. They would go to bat for each other no matter the situation, be it a that’s what she said joke or a new lease for a beet farm, these two couples are the standouts of the show. I now realize that was my biggest beef with The Office spinoff, seeing the audience get entranced by a vanilla, non-communicative couple who seem like they've settled in all areas of their life. Anyway, I will get off my soapbox, but a spinoff of a great show is not the way to go, especially for one as monumental as The Office.  Image c/o MANGO; ZARA; EVERLANE; ELOQUII; MACY'S; OLGA SIDELNIKOVA/GETTY IMAGES By Isabella Wynn Visiting Opinion Columnist Humans are running out of original, creative ideas. We see this in creative fields such as fashion, makeup, or movies. There have been a multitude of remakes or live actions rather than fresh film ideas. A third Willy Wonka movie is to be released soon following the Little Mermaid live action. Makeup was bold, sharp, and dark in the late 2010s and nowadays subtle pops of color and a clean, glossy look is in, reflecting trends from the 80s and iconic Marilyn Monroe looks.
Fashion trends have been consistently making comebacks. From the return of 80s fashion to Y2K red carpet looks, we appear to be running low on new, decent trends. In taking a look at this Fall's fashion trends, I came across the return of some old trends as well as some potentially new trends that I believe should not be trending in the first place. Olive Green Bomber Jacket: Flop This trend is unfortunately a flop for me. I adore the color green, especially an olive, however this style of jacket looks like something I could pick up at Forever 21. Forever 21 has its hits, but this is not one of them. I think a bomber jacket gives millennial fashion. It's not my thing. Gold Tube Hoop Earrings: Favorite I am honestly a little indifferent to this trend solely because I am on team silver jewelry. I feel as if gold jewelry looks tacky on me but it looks sexy and expensive on others. I do however love the chunky jewelry trend. I find myself in love with chunky rings and fun statement necklaces. Denim maxi skirts: Favorite Now my take on this may be a little controversial. I have heard a lot of talk about how ugly denim maxi skirts are but I have to disagree on this one. I am personally a fan of almost anything denim. If mom jeans could make such an influential comeback, denim skirts can make their own comeback. I think when styled right they can look so awesome. The denim blazer: Favorite Remember when I said I am a fan of almost anything denim? Enough said. Metallic: Flop Major flop here. Metallic clothing, shoes, and accessories, for everyday? No way. Halloween and EDM made a baby and this trend is what popped out. Metallic clothing often looks cheap and I am reminded of a Forever 21 metallic skater skirt I swear I've seen before. I may rock some metallic for a costume or a festival but I do not want to see metallic pants at the grocery store. Leather: Flop Now, let me explain: leather is awesome; but this specific trend with leather? Not so awesome. This trend consists of street style leather such as adidas maxi skirts or t-shirts. I cannot get behind casual leather, I hate it. Mary Janes: Favorite These shoes may have traumatized me as a kid going to Friday masses at my Catholic K-8th school, but I love the look of them nowadays. I think they are so adorable and can really elevate an outfit. Mary Janes have been forgiven. Red: Favorite This trend is boring to me but red will always be a classy, wearable color. Slingback, kickstand, and kitten heels: Favorite These dainty heels are a favorite of mine even though I hate how they look on me. I think people who have a fragile look to them can rock these. I think they are so sleek, I love them. Lace: Favorite The idea of this trend is also a bit boring to me but I do adore lace. It can be styled in a cute, frilly way or in a sexy way and I love that versatility. Lace will never go out of style. Fancy flats: Flop I am an avid flats hater. I personally don't think they look good on anyone. They remind me of millennial fashion and middle school before my mom let me wear heels. Perhaps they're comfortable but unfortunately I am an advocate of style over comfort. I would rather walk barefoot over legos than wear flats out. Denim on denim: Favorite I have been rocking and loving a denim on denim look for some time now. I am a huge fan of a Canadian Tuxedo and, like I've said before, a fan of denim in general. I think this trend is awesome. This fall, fashion trends seem to be all over the place. A lot of these trends, and more that I came across, do not make me think of fall. I never really know what is actually "trending" and it was fun to see what trends are resurfacing. Fashion is unique to everyone; it is fun to play with different styles and pieces. Wear what makes you happy and have a fun, fashionable fall St. Mary’s. Which Morticia was the best, from newspaper comics to Netflix series  Morticia Addams in "The Addams Family." (Image c/o Paramount) By Val Hill Visiting Opinion Columnist Over the years, there have been many versions of The Addams Family. Along with that brings different versions of Morticia Addams, who is considered to be one of the “mothers of goth.” So which Morticia is the best, and what separates her from any of the other versions?
But first we need to look at the many different variants of The Addams Family from over the years. The idea first started as a comic in 1938 by Charles Addams on page nine of The New Yorker. It was just a simple black and white single-panel that depicted a salesman trying to sell a vacuum cleaner to the spooky family. That panel was the spark that was needed to light the fire for the 1964 TV show, starring Carolyn Jones as Morticia and John Astin as Gomez. The TV show was only the tip of the iceberg, making room for cartoon shows, movies and a Netflix series. And with all these different Morticia’s, which actress did the best job at bringing her out of the coffin and onto our screens? I believe that the best portrayal of Morticia came from The Addams Family Values, made in 1991, starring Anjelica Huston. Her performance and added depth of the character made the movie so much better. The almost corpse-like color of her face and the way she moves in her long and slender black dress making her look as if she was floating across the set made her the best choice. The on scene chemistry between Huston and Raul Julia, the actor for Gomez, was immaculate. It was as if the two were an actual couple in real life, and the embodiment of the dynamic between Morticia and Gomez. Huston’s dedication to the role of Morticia was amazing, bringing the whole franchise to new heights. The Maui Fires, Ukraine, and the Biden Administration’s Response to Disaster.  (Image c/o Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP, File) By Jules Miles Opinion Columnist Recently, the Biden Administration has come under scrutiny for sending significantly more aid to Ukraine than to those suffering in the wake of the Maui fires. According to NPR, “The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve $40 billion in emergency funding, including $24 billion for Ukraine as part of security, economic and humanitarian assistance for the country as it defends its borders against a Russian invasion.” In contrast, merely $12 million has been sent out to aid Maui, as described in “FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration’s Latest Actions to Support Communities Impacted by Maui Wildfires,” published by the White House in order to record the aid Maui has received on behalf of the federal government and associated organizations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, had also “made available more than 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets and shelter supplies to the county government for distribution,” and provided funding to the Hawai’i Fire Relief Housing program, which in turn was established by the American Red Cross.
The disaster of the Maui fires is unprecedented; the massive loss of human life that said fires incurred is a national tragedy—and yet, the people of Maui have an entire nation of people to help them, to take action to prevent such a disaster from ever occurring again, and to aid the people whose lives have been devastated by the fires. In contrast, the very nation of Ukraine is under attack. They have nowhere else to turn but to the rest of the world—and so it is imperative that the global community rally behind them. Like Maui, Ukraine, too, has been devastated by disaster—one that cannot be understood by anyone who has not had their lives destroyed by war. According to the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine to the date of July 30th of this year, there have been 26,015 recorded civilian casualties in Ukraine: “9,369 killed and 16,646 injured.” The Maui fires and the Russia-Ukraine war are both humanitarian tragedies, crises that must be addressed through the support of those who are able to provide it—and yet, they are tragedies that vary immensely in scale, with the former having claimed 114 lives, and the latter having claimed thousands. Additionally, while the destruction in Maui has passed enough so that residents have been able to return home to Lahaina (as of September 25th, as reported by the New York Times), the war in Ukraine goes on, with no end or hope in sight. As Seung Min Kim writes of Maui for the PBS News Hour, “It will take years to rebuild Lahaina, where just about every building was obliterated”—and the very same is true for Ukraine. In the face of this humanitarian crisis, and of the scale of the destruction waged against the people of Ukraine, two things are blatant: Ukraine needs outside aid, and it needs more aid than those recovering from the Maui fires. It doesn’t matter “who” any humanitarian disaster belongs to—only that it is tended to with the gravity and aid it deserves by right, and that the people whose lives have been destroyed by said disasters receive the dignity and relief they so need. The world, as it exists today, is incredibly globalized; no nation lives in isolation from the rest of the world. As such, humanitarian disaster anywhere is a matter that concerns the entire world—not only from the transactional standpoint of what allies stand to gain from each other through providing aid to each other in times of crisis, but from a standpoint of basic human kindness and protecting human rights by fulfilling human need. Victims of destruction and disaster (no matter the cause) deserve aid—because, quite simply, it’s the only right and human thing to do. Sources: The White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/08/23/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administrations-latest-actions-to-support-communities-impacted-by-maui-wildfires3/#:~:text=Last%20week%2C%20President%20Biden%20made,protective%20measures%20for%20Hawai%CA%BBi%20County. TIME Magazine: https://time.com/6307022/biden-maui-wildfires-missing-dead-federal-response/ The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/article/maui-wildfires-hawaii.html PBS News Hour: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-biden-says-government-will-help-maui-for-as-long-as-it-takes-in-fire-recovery United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2023/07/ukraine-civilian-casualty-update-31-july-2023 BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682 NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/10/1193303180/biden-ukraine-aid How old is too old to be making decisions for the United States?  Image c/o The Washington Post By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief The oldest member of the United States’ Congress is 90 years old. California Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein has been in congress since 1992, has been in politics since 1969, and is still responsible for passing laws. Another senator, Republican Charles Grassley is 89 and has been in the Senate for 42 years. There are 20 members of congress who are over the age of 80. That is 15 years past the US’s average retirement age of 65. The past two presidents have been over the age of 70 when they first took office. That’s five years after they would have retired if they were in any other line of work. So why are we still allowing these elderly grandparents to hold the most important and influential roles in our government?
Any gen z or millennial knows the struggle of having to teach their grandparent how to use an iPhone, now imagine someone the same age as that grandparent in charge of making legislation surrounding technology. Right now, technology is advancing rapidly and our laws need to be able to keep up with it. There is very little, if any, government regulation on the use of AI and other advanced forms of technology. However, we are living in a world where those kinds of regulations are necessary. Yet those who are responsible for passing these regulations are decades behind the rest of the country when it comes to understanding this technology. Back when the founding fathers were forming the government and writing the Constitution, they couldn’t have imagined that there would be people in their 80s still responsible for the government. Since the 1990s, the average age of members of congress has increased dramatically. There has been less turnover in elections, with congress members like Feinstein and California representative Nancy Pelosi who have been running for re-election and winning for decades. In an ideal world, these politicians would recognize that they are too old to serve and they would stop running for re-election and make way for a younger generation of politicians. Sadly, this is not the case for American politicians. The solution seems simple enough: since there is an age minimum for congress, make an age maximum. That is easier said than done. The people who would need to make this age limit are the same people who would be harmed by the implementation of an age maximum. Until our politicians become more self aware and start caring more about what is best for the United States and not their own agenda, then maybe age limits can be passed. That, however, is extremely unlikely, so it is now up to us as the voters to vote these antiquated grandmas and grandpas out of congress and bring about a new, younger generation of congressmen and women. Sources:https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/08/us/politics/oldest-members-of-congress.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/congress-age-demographics-house-senate/ https://www.newsweek.com/average-age-congress-senate-older-ever-before-1823840 https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/biography Image: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/06/02/senate-age-term-limits/ Disney’s live-action remakes need to stop.  By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief Disney’s persistence in making sub-par live action remakes of beloved classic animated films has become tiresome. Cinderella was good, Beauty and the Beast was okay, Mulan was dreadful and so on and so forth. Disney hasn’t exactly been hitting it out of the park doing live-action versions. Most audiences are tired of these remakes, sighing every time the next one is announced rather than being excited.
When Disney first announced that they were in production of a live-action version of the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, most people’s first reaction was not excitement but rather worry. Worried that Disney was going to butcher a much loved classic, just like they did to Mulan. The live-action Mulan came out in 2020, and due to the pandemic, most viewers watched the movie on Disney+ where there was an added fee to see the movie. Fans of the 1998 animated film were quick to dislike the live-action version for a variety of reasons. The lack of the beloved mini-dragon, Mushu, was a huge disappointment for fans. The character, originally played by Eddie Murphy, is arguably one of the best parts of the original film, providing the majority of the comedic relief to a film that centers around war. This along with the decision to not make the movie a musical left fans devastated. Donny Osmond’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is one of the most iconic songs to come out of a Disney film, not to mention the incredible montage that plays in the film during the song. When making the live-action version of Mulan, Disney removed everything from the movie that made it a fun, loveable family film. The latest classic that Disney has chosen to go after is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a movie that is a significant part of Disney’s history as well as the history of cinema. The 1937 film was the first ever full length animated feature film, and the first major success for the Walt Disney company. The film was an incredible show of innovation in the world of animation and was even the first movie to have an official soundtrack. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave one full sized honorary Academy Award and seven miniature awards to Walt Disney in 1938. The Walt Disney family museum, where all of the Oscars won by Walt Disney studios are held, explains in an article on their website, “The Academy honored Snow White as ‘a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon.’” Now the Walt Disney company has decided to remake the iconic film, and it is being surrounded by controversy. While the movie is supposed to be Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the new 2024 live-action will not include the Dwarfs, and once again Disney is drastically altering the story to fit a current narrative. At this point, they should just come up with a new story. If Disney thinks that they need to alter the original stories of Mulan, Little Mermaid, and Snow White to make them suitable for a modern audience in a live-action format, then maybe those should not be made into live-action at all. Why does Disney keep doing live-action remakes anyway? They have almost all been box office failures, with Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Wendy, and Dumbo receiving no notable success. Does Disney not have any new, original ideas? They keep making live-action flop after flop, not understanding that their audience does not want another remake; they want a new, original story. It is completely acceptable to use those classic stories as a jumping off point for new ones, but just remaking and changing these movies for the worse is not the way to go. Some examples of using classics to make a new, great story are Maleficent and Cruella. Both films received much better reviews and audience ratings than the other Disney live-actions. They were based on classic Disney films (Sleeping Beauty for Maleficent and 101 Dalmatians for Cruella) but took a new approach. Audiences enjoyed seeing another side to the infamous villain, Maleficent, bringing a whole new angle to the character. Getting the intricate back story to Cruella DeVille was a great example of using another film as inspiration but still creating something new and interesting. Disney was once the epitome of filmmaking, but they are now releasing flop after flop. They need to regroup, be original, and stop copying their own work from decades ago. Bring back old Disney. Bring back the Disney that had people, young and old, flocking to theaters with friends and family. Bring back the Disney that would make Walt proud. Sources: Imdb.com https://www.filmsite.org/snow.html https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/snow-white-and-seven-dwarfs-honorary-academy-awardr https://www.insider.com/disney-snow-white-2024-cast-release-date-controversy-2023-8#zegler-has-also-likened-the-prince-in-the-film-to-a-stalker-and-hinted-that-his-part-of-the-story-is-going-to-be-changed-significantly-7 |
STAFFAndrew Martinez Cabrera '26, Archives
November 2024
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