It’s been said time and time again, but there really is nothing like New Jersey. Living here for 16 years, I’ve had the perks of experiencing things that people who aren’t around here find out-of-the ordinary, especially living in North Jersey. Here, we get the best of both worlds, the city and the beaches. Take a quick train ride to New York City? No problem. An hour drive to the shore? Easy. I always think to myself, “What would life be like if I didn’t live in New Jersey?” and I would, 100%, be a totally different person if I wasn’t from this beautiful state. 

In 2008, a comic book superhero found its way onto movie screens across the world as Marvel Studios released Iron Man. Now, 11 years and 22 movies later, Marvel Studios released Avengers Endgame, which quickly became the second highest grossing movie of all time, the highest being James Cameron’s Avatar in 2009. However, its rating shows it's not even the second best movie of all time. I never understood why people were going crazy for the movie that objectively wasn’t the best. Going into the movie, I expected to be let down.

“High School- It’s the best of times. It’s the worst of times. It’s the time that tries a man’s soul,” Wiz Khalifa said it best with these words. Now, let’s talk about high school.

Each year, an estimated eight million metric tons of plastic are polluting the ocean each year.  Most plastics that are produced are designed to be single-use products, which harm the environment, organisms, and humans.  As plastic is tossed around in the ocean, much of it breaks down into tiny pieces called micro-plastic. These smaller pieces are ingested by smaller organisms including bacteria, plankton, and small fish.  The larger predators of the food chain hunt the smaller organisms.

Healthcare is one of the most controversial topics in the United States. It has consumed American politics for years and continues to divide opinion. Too much talk ends at the economic factors: how much does health care cost? How can it be more profitable? How would we get the money for a proposed universal system? The conversation needs to look past money and concentrate on the key issue of America’s healthcare problem: the people.

This spring, expect to see an abundance of pastels, some questionable choices in footwear, and even more questionable choices in bags. From asymmetrical necklines to embellished straps to simple white tank tops, everyone will surely find something they love in this spring’s newest trends.

Your teacher starts a discussion about current events and a recent issue regarding governmental affairs. When questioned, you shrug and say, “I don’t know, I’m just not really interested in all that politics stuff.”

You join a conversation with some friends about a recent social issue. While they all express their concerns, you excuse yourself. “I just don’t really care about politics. It’s too confusing.”

Over the past few weeks, several reports have been issued regarding the state of our environment, which all have said basically the same thing: climate change is real, and it is more dire than we realize. With doom seeming inevitable sooner or later, many look to find ways to reverse, or at least postpone, its effects. However, the biggest roadblock in enacting positive change is the greed of multimillion dollar corporations.