Squid Questions Our Future for Humanity
April 2022
By Lucas Varela
The aliens of the deep. These majestic creatures can change to multiple colors and travel through even the smallest of cracks. However, with a recent find of an ancient vampire squid in Montana, there is a theory that this could be an ancestor and missing link between squid and octopus. That got me thinking of the evolution of humans ourselves, and what do others think about this idea? I set out to try and find what people think about our own evolution.
Understanding the concept of evolution can be complicated, but does have an oversimplification, such as how the mating process happened, and what environmental challenges did our ancestors face to warrant such changes? With opposable thumbs and the ability to walk on our legs instead of all fours like most animals to to get where they need to go, clearly something had to happen to warrant such a change. A process called natural selection was brought up by a scientist in 1859 named Charles Darwin, stating that “Natural selection is the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change. Individuals in a population are naturally variable, meaning that they are all different in some ways. This variation means that some individuals have traits better suited to the environment than others.” To prove this, he studied a bird called the finch, and varying versions of it, to discover this. His results showed that changes in beak shape and size have allowed different species to utilize different food sources on the Galápagos, proving that it exists.
With the 300 million year old Vampire squid having 10 tentacles, compared to the present day eight tentacled octopus, and two tentacled squid, it has similar characteristics yet has different shaping. With predators, and the environment being different from the modern day, the natural selection and changes in the environment. “There is theoretically, however, a common ancestor that existed millions of years ago. This ancestral species does not constitute a “missing link” along a lineage but rather a node for divergence into separate lineages.” These are the words of Charles Darwin, the man who came up with the idea of the natural selection process
After doing the research, I went out to the school and questioned over 15 people to try and get the statistics of what our school believes about the possible future for Humanity. Admittedly, the answers were somewhat strange, but about 60% believed that it's possible that we evolved into the creatures we are. When questioned about the possible new evolution for human beings, all but 10% said that they were unsure if the future for humanity could be a downfall.
With the statistics, I wanted to continue the information, so I interviewed Jorge Sotelo personally on the subject. “I do think the human race will evolve," he stated, "It's inevitable, with the way many things are going.” Now when questioned on the matter if it was going to be a downfall, I asked him to elaborate. “I do think the human race will evolve. It's inevitable, with the way many things are going. The way it is going to evolve, is a completely different thing that we can never truly understand and foresee.”
Upon the completion of this investigation of trying to understand the process of evolution, and what our students comprehend about the subject is informative. With the students having some idea, but not fully understanding it, is completely considerable. Hopefully humanity may be able to find the answer to these questions. But for now, one piece at a time. It's remarkable how a literal fossil got me thinking about humanity, and the need for calamari.
April 2022
By Lucas Varela
The aliens of the deep. These majestic creatures can change to multiple colors and travel through even the smallest of cracks. However, with a recent find of an ancient vampire squid in Montana, there is a theory that this could be an ancestor and missing link between squid and octopus. That got me thinking of the evolution of humans ourselves, and what do others think about this idea? I set out to try and find what people think about our own evolution.
Understanding the concept of evolution can be complicated, but does have an oversimplification, such as how the mating process happened, and what environmental challenges did our ancestors face to warrant such changes? With opposable thumbs and the ability to walk on our legs instead of all fours like most animals to to get where they need to go, clearly something had to happen to warrant such a change. A process called natural selection was brought up by a scientist in 1859 named Charles Darwin, stating that “Natural selection is the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change. Individuals in a population are naturally variable, meaning that they are all different in some ways. This variation means that some individuals have traits better suited to the environment than others.” To prove this, he studied a bird called the finch, and varying versions of it, to discover this. His results showed that changes in beak shape and size have allowed different species to utilize different food sources on the Galápagos, proving that it exists.
With the 300 million year old Vampire squid having 10 tentacles, compared to the present day eight tentacled octopus, and two tentacled squid, it has similar characteristics yet has different shaping. With predators, and the environment being different from the modern day, the natural selection and changes in the environment. “There is theoretically, however, a common ancestor that existed millions of years ago. This ancestral species does not constitute a “missing link” along a lineage but rather a node for divergence into separate lineages.” These are the words of Charles Darwin, the man who came up with the idea of the natural selection process
After doing the research, I went out to the school and questioned over 15 people to try and get the statistics of what our school believes about the possible future for Humanity. Admittedly, the answers were somewhat strange, but about 60% believed that it's possible that we evolved into the creatures we are. When questioned about the possible new evolution for human beings, all but 10% said that they were unsure if the future for humanity could be a downfall.
With the statistics, I wanted to continue the information, so I interviewed Jorge Sotelo personally on the subject. “I do think the human race will evolve," he stated, "It's inevitable, with the way many things are going.” Now when questioned on the matter if it was going to be a downfall, I asked him to elaborate. “I do think the human race will evolve. It's inevitable, with the way many things are going. The way it is going to evolve, is a completely different thing that we can never truly understand and foresee.”
Upon the completion of this investigation of trying to understand the process of evolution, and what our students comprehend about the subject is informative. With the students having some idea, but not fully understanding it, is completely considerable. Hopefully humanity may be able to find the answer to these questions. But for now, one piece at a time. It's remarkable how a literal fossil got me thinking about humanity, and the need for calamari.
Life and the Pandemic
March 2022
By Angel Avitia
Do you feel you’ve changed as a person? Well many of us, including myself, have felt this over the last two years. However, change isn't always a bad thing; sometimes change is exactly what someone needs. We are taking a look into the minds of some of the teachers and students at Pecos high school. Many of your peers might have similar outlooks to yours.
One of the teachers at Pecos high school, Mr. Gabriel Pacheco, says “The pandemic has changed my behavior in public because I am constantly washing my hands. This is something that I would do before, just not every time I left a business or touched a door.”
The pandemic has changed many of us as people. Many people have suffered over the last two years. This has not only changed us mentally, but also physically, as many people have gained weight over the pandemic. This pandemic was not all negative, as on the contrary, many people like myself decided to lose weight over the pandemic or better themselves somehow. An example of someone that has gained something positive from the pandemic is Mr. Pacheco, who said “I have found that my trust in people has been strengthened because I have seen how they care for each other. It is more than they care enough to be careful with and for each other that makes me feel this way.”
Many of us chose to focus on the negative side of the pandemic because of all the losses we have suffered over the last two years. However, some people would say they gained something positive from the pandemic. In a survey I conducted, only 25% of the ten people surveyed said that the pandemic affected their life positively while the other 75% said that it did not affect their lives positively. However, whether the pandemic affected you positively or negatively, would you say you’ve changed over the last two years? Of the ten surveyed, 100% responded to this question by saying they had changed as a person over the pandemic. Many, if not all of us, have had our behaviors changed due to the pandemic. One of the many changes in our behavior that we needed to make to try and stop the spread of COVID was our hygiene. However, as with all things, not everyone will change; only 3 out of 5 people in the United States have a basic sense of hygiene. An example of this is washing your hands with soap after using the restroom. This is one of the many ways this pandemic has changed us as a population and society.
Do you hope that the pandemic ends soon? The most likely answer would be yes, and I too share this view. However, I believe we can all learn from this pandemic, both mentally and physically. Many of us took the time to grow these last two years and gain skills we couldn’t have had before COVID. An example of this is our social skills; while yes, they could have been stunted, they could have also grown. Mr. Pacheco offered an example of this when he noted “I think it has changed me only a little, mainly because it has forced me to do more business online. I am old-fashioned and I like meeting in person so that I can truly know if someone understands me. This pandemic has made me learn to read into what people are saying in text rather than reading their faces.” In this case, Pacheco learned how to read into messages rather than read faces, and both are important social skills to have. However, this isn’t always the case, as many students and adults have lost social skills because of the quarantine.
We’ve all changed in one way or another. Many of our behaviors, good and bad habits, and peoples' physical and mental health have changed over the past two years because of the pandemic. We learned to trust different people and ideas while distrusting others.
Our views and ideas have changed over the last two years because we had the time to truly think of our views. As humans, we are constantly evolving creatures. Because of this, I want you to ask yourself one question throughout the rest of the year. Are you proud of who you are?
By Angel Avitia
Do you feel you’ve changed as a person? Well many of us, including myself, have felt this over the last two years. However, change isn't always a bad thing; sometimes change is exactly what someone needs. We are taking a look into the minds of some of the teachers and students at Pecos high school. Many of your peers might have similar outlooks to yours.
One of the teachers at Pecos high school, Mr. Gabriel Pacheco, says “The pandemic has changed my behavior in public because I am constantly washing my hands. This is something that I would do before, just not every time I left a business or touched a door.”
The pandemic has changed many of us as people. Many people have suffered over the last two years. This has not only changed us mentally, but also physically, as many people have gained weight over the pandemic. This pandemic was not all negative, as on the contrary, many people like myself decided to lose weight over the pandemic or better themselves somehow. An example of someone that has gained something positive from the pandemic is Mr. Pacheco, who said “I have found that my trust in people has been strengthened because I have seen how they care for each other. It is more than they care enough to be careful with and for each other that makes me feel this way.”
Many of us chose to focus on the negative side of the pandemic because of all the losses we have suffered over the last two years. However, some people would say they gained something positive from the pandemic. In a survey I conducted, only 25% of the ten people surveyed said that the pandemic affected their life positively while the other 75% said that it did not affect their lives positively. However, whether the pandemic affected you positively or negatively, would you say you’ve changed over the last two years? Of the ten surveyed, 100% responded to this question by saying they had changed as a person over the pandemic. Many, if not all of us, have had our behaviors changed due to the pandemic. One of the many changes in our behavior that we needed to make to try and stop the spread of COVID was our hygiene. However, as with all things, not everyone will change; only 3 out of 5 people in the United States have a basic sense of hygiene. An example of this is washing your hands with soap after using the restroom. This is one of the many ways this pandemic has changed us as a population and society.
Do you hope that the pandemic ends soon? The most likely answer would be yes, and I too share this view. However, I believe we can all learn from this pandemic, both mentally and physically. Many of us took the time to grow these last two years and gain skills we couldn’t have had before COVID. An example of this is our social skills; while yes, they could have been stunted, they could have also grown. Mr. Pacheco offered an example of this when he noted “I think it has changed me only a little, mainly because it has forced me to do more business online. I am old-fashioned and I like meeting in person so that I can truly know if someone understands me. This pandemic has made me learn to read into what people are saying in text rather than reading their faces.” In this case, Pacheco learned how to read into messages rather than read faces, and both are important social skills to have. However, this isn’t always the case, as many students and adults have lost social skills because of the quarantine.
We’ve all changed in one way or another. Many of our behaviors, good and bad habits, and peoples' physical and mental health have changed over the past two years because of the pandemic. We learned to trust different people and ideas while distrusting others.
Our views and ideas have changed over the last two years because we had the time to truly think of our views. As humans, we are constantly evolving creatures. Because of this, I want you to ask yourself one question throughout the rest of the year. Are you proud of who you are?
The Benefits of Paying It Forward
May 2021
By Lauren Vigil
You may have heard about paying it forward, or even read a book about it. Do you actually know how it benefits you, or other people? In this article, I am going to be explaining what paying it forward is and how it affects you. I will also share one person's story.
What is paying it forward? Well, simply put, just being a kind person and showing acts of kindness to other people. Another thing you may be asking yourself is how does this affect me? It affects you by others showing acts of kindness to you. It may be giving you a smile, holding the door open for you, or saying “thank you” and “you’re welcome." A trend was going around related to paying it forward; this trend was paying for the food in the car behind you at a drive through. A car in front would pay for their food and tell the cashier you want to pay for the person behind you too. In this article, I found that it tells about the man in Minnesota who started this act of kindness. The person behind this act started a really huge act of kindness. In just a few hours there were over 275 cars that paid it forward. The article (https://www.ksat.com/features/2020/12/11/more-than-900-drive-thru-customers-pay-it-forward-for-nearly-3-straight-days/) only talked about the three days they knew about but there were more days people started doing this kind thing.
I took a survey with the students of Pecos High School. I asked them many questions but one question that really caught my attention was when I asked them “Do you do acts of kindness for people you do not know?” Out of 7 people, 100% answered yes. That was really good to know because they can be getting their kind acts returned to them soon. Pecos high school student Aaliyah Ortiz was asked “What does paying it forward mean to you?” She responded “helping someone who has helped you or someone else.” I totally agree with her because it is always nice to help someone out.
Paying it forward doesn’t only occur in the U.S. In other countries, people pay it forward to spread positivity. In the survey with the Pecos high school students I asked “What were those acts of kindness you did for other people?” One anonymous answer that stood out to me was “I think those acts of kindness would be helping them when they want someone to talk to or need someone there for them. I'm also there to help them if they need some help with something like their school work.” This stood out to me because this person's answer isn’t just about doing something like opening the door, this person discussed truly helping people out when they are in need.
When you are out somewhere and you see someone having a bad day, a simple thing you can do is smile, open the door, and say “hello.” You never know what people are going through; therefore, the best thing to do is spread acts of kindness. If you are able to try the drive-through act of kindness, I encourage you to do so. One last thing is always hold the door open for someone, or if someone is holding the door open for you, say “Thank you!"
May 2021
By Lauren Vigil
You may have heard about paying it forward, or even read a book about it. Do you actually know how it benefits you, or other people? In this article, I am going to be explaining what paying it forward is and how it affects you. I will also share one person's story.
What is paying it forward? Well, simply put, just being a kind person and showing acts of kindness to other people. Another thing you may be asking yourself is how does this affect me? It affects you by others showing acts of kindness to you. It may be giving you a smile, holding the door open for you, or saying “thank you” and “you’re welcome." A trend was going around related to paying it forward; this trend was paying for the food in the car behind you at a drive through. A car in front would pay for their food and tell the cashier you want to pay for the person behind you too. In this article, I found that it tells about the man in Minnesota who started this act of kindness. The person behind this act started a really huge act of kindness. In just a few hours there were over 275 cars that paid it forward. The article (https://www.ksat.com/features/2020/12/11/more-than-900-drive-thru-customers-pay-it-forward-for-nearly-3-straight-days/) only talked about the three days they knew about but there were more days people started doing this kind thing.
I took a survey with the students of Pecos High School. I asked them many questions but one question that really caught my attention was when I asked them “Do you do acts of kindness for people you do not know?” Out of 7 people, 100% answered yes. That was really good to know because they can be getting their kind acts returned to them soon. Pecos high school student Aaliyah Ortiz was asked “What does paying it forward mean to you?” She responded “helping someone who has helped you or someone else.” I totally agree with her because it is always nice to help someone out.
Paying it forward doesn’t only occur in the U.S. In other countries, people pay it forward to spread positivity. In the survey with the Pecos high school students I asked “What were those acts of kindness you did for other people?” One anonymous answer that stood out to me was “I think those acts of kindness would be helping them when they want someone to talk to or need someone there for them. I'm also there to help them if they need some help with something like their school work.” This stood out to me because this person's answer isn’t just about doing something like opening the door, this person discussed truly helping people out when they are in need.
When you are out somewhere and you see someone having a bad day, a simple thing you can do is smile, open the door, and say “hello.” You never know what people are going through; therefore, the best thing to do is spread acts of kindness. If you are able to try the drive-through act of kindness, I encourage you to do so. One last thing is always hold the door open for someone, or if someone is holding the door open for you, say “Thank you!"
Protecting the health of animals and people
May 2021 By Kristina Ragland People have paid more attention to their pets' activities as a result of spending more time at home during the pandemic. That includes senior dogs, who are more likely to display behavioral problems for a variety of causes, the most common of which is their increased risk of developing multiple health problems. |
Having a pet has many health benefits. They will expand opportunities to workout, socialize, and get outdoors. Walking or playing with dogs on a regular basis will help lower blood pressure, and cholesterol. Companionship from pets will help us cope with isolation and depression. In the United States, about every household has at least one pet. People's bonds with their pets have been shown to improve health, reduce depression, and add pleasure to their owners.
Most people think of veterinarians as doctors who examine dogs and cats once a year and treat sick animals. Veterinary specialists, on the other hand, help owners understand what to expect and watch for when their pets reach the elderly level, so any unexpected shift of behavior requires a study of the pet's physical status. Some disorders are common in senior dogs, and they usually require lifelong care. However, the goal is to improve the quality of life and relationships with both owners and pets while preserving the human-animal relationship.
Veterinary doctors are the only professionals today who are trained to protect the welfare of both animals and humans. They work tirelessly to meet the wellbeing and safety needs of all animals. In addition to environmental protection, science, food safety, and public health, veterinarians play an important role in today's society. Veterinarians are vital members of the medical community. They are individuals who have obtained practical and academic experience and instruction in order to handle animals within the confines of a higher education institution.
When surveying my classmate I asked several questions such as, "Do you take care of your animal’s health?" 7 out of 7 classmates that answered said yes, which is a really good sign. Another question I asked was would you help an animal if it was badly injured? explain why or why not? One of my classmates said “Yes, I would help a badly injured animal because they are also living things and they don't deserve to go through pain, no person or living thing does." This response really stood out to me because it was a really heartwarming response most individuals would have just said yes or no but this person really explained and caught my attention as to why they would help an animal.
Most people think of veterinarians as doctors who examine dogs and cats once a year and treat sick animals. Veterinary specialists, on the other hand, help owners understand what to expect and watch for when their pets reach the elderly level, so any unexpected shift of behavior requires a study of the pet's physical status. Some disorders are common in senior dogs, and they usually require lifelong care. However, the goal is to improve the quality of life and relationships with both owners and pets while preserving the human-animal relationship.
Veterinary doctors are the only professionals today who are trained to protect the welfare of both animals and humans. They work tirelessly to meet the wellbeing and safety needs of all animals. In addition to environmental protection, science, food safety, and public health, veterinarians play an important role in today's society. Veterinarians are vital members of the medical community. They are individuals who have obtained practical and academic experience and instruction in order to handle animals within the confines of a higher education institution.
When surveying my classmate I asked several questions such as, "Do you take care of your animal’s health?" 7 out of 7 classmates that answered said yes, which is a really good sign. Another question I asked was would you help an animal if it was badly injured? explain why or why not? One of my classmates said “Yes, I would help a badly injured animal because they are also living things and they don't deserve to go through pain, no person or living thing does." This response really stood out to me because it was a really heartwarming response most individuals would have just said yes or no but this person really explained and caught my attention as to why they would help an animal.
How to be the best me...
April 2021
By Isaac Gonzales
Hi, to whomever is reading this! If you are wanting to be the best you, I recommend reading this. You are probably wondering, "why do I want to be the best me?" Well, there are tons of reasons to want to be the best you--find who you really are, or maybe try to become a better person. There are many pros to being the best you; it can help you be more outgoing, and be happier be you. I have been recommended by a friend some of these ways to be the best me, so here are some things that helped me become the best me.
Let go of limiting beliefs
Stop limiting yourself! As soon as you stop doing this, you will see a change. Don't say "I'm at my limit"; say "I'm at the beginning." There are many ways you can stop limiting yourself; like for one, consider your school work. Don't go for a 88 percent, go for a 99 percent. Don't let things like that limit you, and you will be surprised. I have a brother who weightlifts and he inspired me the other day. He said when he felt like he had reached his limit, he said "one more...one more...," and that one more became 10 more. He did not limit himself. That is how life is: if you limit yourself, you will never go anywhere. You have to be able to give it that one more push or, in my brother's words, "one more!"
Develop a growth mindset
This is another great thing to do to become the better you. Have a developed mindset--tell yourself there is only space for improvement. I'm not saying be perfect, but if you have a mindset like this, you will be better off. We all make mistakes--that is what makes us human. We have to have a mindset that is willing to grow though. So say "yes, I have fallen but I am going to get up and reach past the stars." There is not time to cry over my failures but to rejoice in my success!! This is a great mindset to have, and I promise you will become the best you in no time.
Be willing to shed your old identity
Don't be afraid to let go of your old self; yes, it may seem hard and scary at the moment, but sometimes the best thing is to shed your old self. That way, you can become the best you...the part of you that shines. It may seem hard, but what I mean by shedding your old identity is letting go of the self which is doubtful and has the fear of never going anywhere. That part of you is the part you've gotta' let go of and move on in your life!
Have compassion for yourself
one of the biggest parts of becoming the best you is loving yourself, which I have heard from many people can be the hardest part. It can be, but many of the times the key to becoming the best you is to just love yourself. Often people can't become the best them cause they don't feel like they are worth it or worth people's time. That is why this is one of the most important steps: just care for yourself, and love you! If you do that you will see a huge change in your life.
Stay positive
One thing we need in order to become the best version of ourselves is to be positive. Especially right know we need to stay positive, because how do you expect to become the best you if you are negative? This ties into having compassion for yourself. I have family who has said what comes out of your mouth determines how your day will go. If you wake up saying "I'm going to have a bad day," then don't be surprised when you do have a bad day. Wake up saying "I'm going to have an awesome day," and you will have an awesome day. Speak a sentence of life, not death!
Thank you for taking the time to read this article to consider some steps to becoming the best you. There are many ways to become the best you, and these are just some ways. I interviewed some friends and adults, and many say these things actually work. But like anything, you have to be willing to put in the hard work. I am not telling you forget your old self, or that the you right now is not good enough, but if you do some of these things, you will notice a difference. Half of life is just showing up, and how you show up is where you will end up!
Wait, this isn’t High School Musical...
March, 2021
By: Kai Martinez
Can you believe it’s already March?! Just to think that I, and hopefully a few others, will be juniors next year gives me raging anxiety but, for the most part, I think we’re fine! I mean, a few of us feel drained and exhausted (rest in peace to our fallen brain cells) but ‘tis but a scratch. This year, along with last year definitely, have been one of the most chaotic and life-changing events any of us will ever experience in our lifetimes. Many Americans have faced the harsh reality of life with a huge slap across the face of depression and grief, but how has it specifically targeted those we are around (or were around) for months, even years to come? That’s what I am here to tell you! Before I get into my article though, please note I am only focusing on Pecos High and not the middle school or elementary school, because I have not gone to either, and I have more experience with the staff and students at the high school.
With a virus originating from China, the planet itself has been impacted since the pandemic has started. For starters, because of the pandemic, social and economic activities have been postponed. With this having taken place, the air pollution has significantly improved. The use of fossil fuels has also slowed down and the water quality has also gotten better, as seen in this chart below from NCBI. These are all great things but as the chart shows, there are also some harmful things this COVID pandemic has caused, such as people working from home, parents struggling to take care of their kids, everyone struggling for money, and many other things that I’m sure a handful of us have experienced. Right now, America is doing just amazingly handling this pandemic!...With about 28.4 million cases. But within our community, how have students and teachers been impacted?
March, 2021
By: Kai Martinez
Can you believe it’s already March?! Just to think that I, and hopefully a few others, will be juniors next year gives me raging anxiety but, for the most part, I think we’re fine! I mean, a few of us feel drained and exhausted (rest in peace to our fallen brain cells) but ‘tis but a scratch. This year, along with last year definitely, have been one of the most chaotic and life-changing events any of us will ever experience in our lifetimes. Many Americans have faced the harsh reality of life with a huge slap across the face of depression and grief, but how has it specifically targeted those we are around (or were around) for months, even years to come? That’s what I am here to tell you! Before I get into my article though, please note I am only focusing on Pecos High and not the middle school or elementary school, because I have not gone to either, and I have more experience with the staff and students at the high school.
With a virus originating from China, the planet itself has been impacted since the pandemic has started. For starters, because of the pandemic, social and economic activities have been postponed. With this having taken place, the air pollution has significantly improved. The use of fossil fuels has also slowed down and the water quality has also gotten better, as seen in this chart below from NCBI. These are all great things but as the chart shows, there are also some harmful things this COVID pandemic has caused, such as people working from home, parents struggling to take care of their kids, everyone struggling for money, and many other things that I’m sure a handful of us have experienced. Right now, America is doing just amazingly handling this pandemic!...With about 28.4 million cases. But within our community, how have students and teachers been impacted?
,I will be talking about first-hand experiences with the pandemic and how it has affected my family and me before I get into the staff and pupils. I can recall everything like it was a traumatizing memory that would never leave me alone, and it is bound to keep me up at night. When the pandemic first started, I had just gotten over being sick and it was right before we had to go back from spring break. I remember in history class before the school closed down, we were talking about the virus in history and what everyone would do if it ever came to New Mexico and we had to shut down. The first time I went out to shop since lockdown was a blur, but I remember the amount of people that were shopping that day. It was the Walmart Supercenter on Herrera Drive in Santa Fe. The shelves for various toiletries and supplies such as hand sanitizer were bare. My mom asked an employee if there was any more because they were nearly out, and the employee, shocked, said they just finished stocking everything 15 minutes prior. The world was going into a spiral. The last 3 months of my freshman year were quite...interesting, to say the least. Luckily I had P.E. last year, so that was an easy pass, and my algebra class was also fairly easy since it was on Khan Academy. I thought the work was easy until this year started.
This year has been one of the easiest, yet stressful times in the 16 years I have been living on this planet. One of the positives is that my grades are at an all time high and I am passing all of my classes with A’s (minus my geometry grade which is a B, but I kind of slack off in that class, so shhhhh! (Snitches get stitches.). I’m used to doing work on the Chromebooks because in middle school we used them a lot, so I had a huge advantage on the whole transition from in-person learning to remote learning. Regardless, I still had struggles with the new norms being set into place. First things first is the meetings. I do not like being in the meets because I am an antisocial person who dislikes having contact with the human race and, when we have to turn on cameras, I hate seeing how I look because I am insecure. The work can also be very overbearing and stressful, especially things like interviews or surveys, because I don’t really know a lot of people. I’m scared of going to my junior year--but at least from the looks of it, I will be graduating. Maybe. Hopefully. Haha. If you’re one of my teachers, please don’t fail me.
I think ever since we’ve all been in self isolation and quarantine, our tolerance for each other has gradually gotten worse. I'm going to be straightforward with you: I do not like people. Believe me, when we were forced to quarantine ourselves, it was frickin' BLISS. A lot of people at school already annoyed me, but somehow ever since I haven’t heard from them in months, they are now even more annoying. It’s like everything and anything; some people do annoy the heck out of me, and I do not know why, because my anger issues are not usually this bad. Not to mention, everyone’s been “fighting” in chat a lot more than usual. We are all animalistic high-schoolers with an insane urge to kill one another because we have grown tired of each other’s nonsense. Not to mention, I think we can agree we have all seen at least one person show their true colors. Many friendships may have been lost or broken, many bonds are not as strong as they once were.
I would say this pandemic has changed everyone’s personality in some shape or form because of how different everyone is acting.
How do students feel? I cannot say I know how everyone’s situation is; although, I can give you one opinion from the amazing Felicia Pacheco. When it comes to how school has been, she says exactly this: “School has been...well school. Of course before it has always been tiring and it's always been stressing but since the pandemic started, it's gotten worse. Personally, I think it's a smart idea to stay at home in a global pandemic but there's no denying that it has taken a toll. For me, I have always been on top of my work and getting it done, but lately I have just lost my will to actually do my work. I still do it, of course, but I now think 'what's the point?' In the beginning I was kind of happy, but later I just realized and I felt like the teachers are expecting more from us and giving us more work, and we can only handle so much. I'm not saying it's the teachers fault because of course they've been affected too, but I feel like for us it's different. While some of us (me too) are fine with not seeing our friends but I think it's affecting their mental health, because we used to go to school and see each other almost everyday; that is one main difference. But I feel like school has just gotten harder yet easier at the same time. The work went down a bit but they still want us to have it perfect and right away since they think it's easier for us to do work since we're at home all day, but that's not the case.” I do not think I need to make an additional comment. I’m just going to leave that response up for interpretation.
Now, we have the student’s POV. But...What about our educators? Spencer Faunt, my English and Journalism teacher, says this about the transition from interactive to remote learning: “The transition happened so quickly at first, that it was hard to think anything about it. Once we continued the remote learning in the fall, we really had to lock in to this mode of teaching, and it caused us to have to learn quite a bit about technology and online resources. The transition overall has been quite challenging, because in public school, this was not a choice for students or teachers. Therefore, there have been a lot of hurdles to make sure we can reach all students and still provide the best education we can in a remote environment.”. When asked about the challenges of adulthood, he says it’s “Always been challenging, though it’s more difficult with self isolation," which I think many of us students can agree on with the “self isolation” part. Teachers had problems with going to online classes, and I think that’s because of new modern technology. I'm not going to point out any teacher specifically, but I personally think there are still some teachers who need to work on making better lesson plans and know how to properly teach them.
I was able to survey 8 students in total from both classes of 2023 (aka the superior class) and 2024 (freshmen). About 36.7% of students said they have known all kinds of people who have been affected by Corona (pardon me for forgetting to add an “all of the above" option). This should come as no shock--the globe has had some turmoil due to the virus. I was surprised with one specific response that came from among the 8 people I surveyed. A common theme between the students whom were struggling with work is the lack of social skills and difficulty learning. Natalie Anglada mentions she thinks it’s affecting students' mental health, which I heavily agree on. A lot of students, including myself, have a decrease in their mental health status. We’re tired and we're stressed. We even feel depressed. You cannot expect a human being to survive on 1% willpower. Viktoriano ‘Vik’ Quintana advises to take things slow, but not to a point where you will fall behind.
This year has been a very huge roller coaster for everyone living in the modern today. One with many loops, sharp turns, and MANYYYY ups and downs. But for the most part we have all survived, minus the fact that when we actually return to school, it’s going to be very awkward. Most of our teenage-hoods may be ripped away from us because of this pandemic, but hopefully we all get our senior year together as a proper “Goodbye” and transition to the new adult life. I am sure we all anxiously await for the years that are to come, but we cannot control what happens in the future. Much rather, we can control the possible outcomes. Pecos High Students: We will survive. Maybe with a broken soul and exhausted brain cells, but I am sure we will all make it out alive. Keep this in mind: we are not weak. As the lovely Kaylee Herrera says, “Be appreciative for what we as a generation have gone through. We have proven to be much stronger, mentally and physically, then we'd like to give ourselves credit for.”
This year has been one of the easiest, yet stressful times in the 16 years I have been living on this planet. One of the positives is that my grades are at an all time high and I am passing all of my classes with A’s (minus my geometry grade which is a B, but I kind of slack off in that class, so shhhhh! (Snitches get stitches.). I’m used to doing work on the Chromebooks because in middle school we used them a lot, so I had a huge advantage on the whole transition from in-person learning to remote learning. Regardless, I still had struggles with the new norms being set into place. First things first is the meetings. I do not like being in the meets because I am an antisocial person who dislikes having contact with the human race and, when we have to turn on cameras, I hate seeing how I look because I am insecure. The work can also be very overbearing and stressful, especially things like interviews or surveys, because I don’t really know a lot of people. I’m scared of going to my junior year--but at least from the looks of it, I will be graduating. Maybe. Hopefully. Haha. If you’re one of my teachers, please don’t fail me.
I think ever since we’ve all been in self isolation and quarantine, our tolerance for each other has gradually gotten worse. I'm going to be straightforward with you: I do not like people. Believe me, when we were forced to quarantine ourselves, it was frickin' BLISS. A lot of people at school already annoyed me, but somehow ever since I haven’t heard from them in months, they are now even more annoying. It’s like everything and anything; some people do annoy the heck out of me, and I do not know why, because my anger issues are not usually this bad. Not to mention, everyone’s been “fighting” in chat a lot more than usual. We are all animalistic high-schoolers with an insane urge to kill one another because we have grown tired of each other’s nonsense. Not to mention, I think we can agree we have all seen at least one person show their true colors. Many friendships may have been lost or broken, many bonds are not as strong as they once were.
I would say this pandemic has changed everyone’s personality in some shape or form because of how different everyone is acting.
How do students feel? I cannot say I know how everyone’s situation is; although, I can give you one opinion from the amazing Felicia Pacheco. When it comes to how school has been, she says exactly this: “School has been...well school. Of course before it has always been tiring and it's always been stressing but since the pandemic started, it's gotten worse. Personally, I think it's a smart idea to stay at home in a global pandemic but there's no denying that it has taken a toll. For me, I have always been on top of my work and getting it done, but lately I have just lost my will to actually do my work. I still do it, of course, but I now think 'what's the point?' In the beginning I was kind of happy, but later I just realized and I felt like the teachers are expecting more from us and giving us more work, and we can only handle so much. I'm not saying it's the teachers fault because of course they've been affected too, but I feel like for us it's different. While some of us (me too) are fine with not seeing our friends but I think it's affecting their mental health, because we used to go to school and see each other almost everyday; that is one main difference. But I feel like school has just gotten harder yet easier at the same time. The work went down a bit but they still want us to have it perfect and right away since they think it's easier for us to do work since we're at home all day, but that's not the case.” I do not think I need to make an additional comment. I’m just going to leave that response up for interpretation.
Now, we have the student’s POV. But...What about our educators? Spencer Faunt, my English and Journalism teacher, says this about the transition from interactive to remote learning: “The transition happened so quickly at first, that it was hard to think anything about it. Once we continued the remote learning in the fall, we really had to lock in to this mode of teaching, and it caused us to have to learn quite a bit about technology and online resources. The transition overall has been quite challenging, because in public school, this was not a choice for students or teachers. Therefore, there have been a lot of hurdles to make sure we can reach all students and still provide the best education we can in a remote environment.”. When asked about the challenges of adulthood, he says it’s “Always been challenging, though it’s more difficult with self isolation," which I think many of us students can agree on with the “self isolation” part. Teachers had problems with going to online classes, and I think that’s because of new modern technology. I'm not going to point out any teacher specifically, but I personally think there are still some teachers who need to work on making better lesson plans and know how to properly teach them.
I was able to survey 8 students in total from both classes of 2023 (aka the superior class) and 2024 (freshmen). About 36.7% of students said they have known all kinds of people who have been affected by Corona (pardon me for forgetting to add an “all of the above" option). This should come as no shock--the globe has had some turmoil due to the virus. I was surprised with one specific response that came from among the 8 people I surveyed. A common theme between the students whom were struggling with work is the lack of social skills and difficulty learning. Natalie Anglada mentions she thinks it’s affecting students' mental health, which I heavily agree on. A lot of students, including myself, have a decrease in their mental health status. We’re tired and we're stressed. We even feel depressed. You cannot expect a human being to survive on 1% willpower. Viktoriano ‘Vik’ Quintana advises to take things slow, but not to a point where you will fall behind.
This year has been a very huge roller coaster for everyone living in the modern today. One with many loops, sharp turns, and MANYYYY ups and downs. But for the most part we have all survived, minus the fact that when we actually return to school, it’s going to be very awkward. Most of our teenage-hoods may be ripped away from us because of this pandemic, but hopefully we all get our senior year together as a proper “Goodbye” and transition to the new adult life. I am sure we all anxiously await for the years that are to come, but we cannot control what happens in the future. Much rather, we can control the possible outcomes. Pecos High Students: We will survive. Maybe with a broken soul and exhausted brain cells, but I am sure we will all make it out alive. Keep this in mind: we are not weak. As the lovely Kaylee Herrera says, “Be appreciative for what we as a generation have gone through. We have proven to be much stronger, mentally and physically, then we'd like to give ourselves credit for.”
Different Worlds
March, 2021
By Felicia Pacheco
What would you think about a different world, not even this reality? Many people have and know of different kinds of worlds. Specifically a world of your choosing--maybe to your own making. You may be asking, what are you talking about? Well let me get one thing straight: this article is about reading, and how many people find it an escape to a different world. I know what you’re thinking, “Well this is going to be boring,” I solemnly swear, this is going to be something you may have never heard of, or maybe you have. Either way, I hope this is interesting.
This is going to be a different type of article than usual, about the different realities in which people live? For me, I have been reading since I was small but it wasn’t till the fifth grade that I actually understood everything written. I understood the events that were happening and how they were affecting every single character in that world, and my mind went on to create that world with those events happening. My mind created a reality which is not real, but warped around what I specifically thought about how everything in the book was described. It was unbelievable! This reality helped, because it took me to a world which was not only my own but away from real life, away from everything. I know, sounds weird right, but it’s not. Until a couple of years ago I thought it was just something my brain would do but it turns out, everyone reading to get away from their life, made their own little realities. When they read everything around them became a different reality, something to their imagination that helped them not only process the book but to process their everyday life.
Thinking about it, seems kind of weird, doesn’t it? Well let me try and get you to understand a different way. For some it may not even be reading that helps you think of another reality, like maybe watching a movie or tv show, watching an anime, maybe even playing video games. Those each have their own reality, just like reading. Yes it is different because you are physically seeing something but it’s really not. Reading is basically a form of comprehension, your brain can understand what’s happening and when it does, it is really just indescribable. Millions of people know that feeling, the feeling of when you’re reading something and the author describes the main character’s facial features, you make that person in your mind and well, that’s how they are to you.
Not many people can relate to this subject if you are not a person who reads. While I couldn’t find a person to interview who does love to read and thoroughly enjoys it, I did find one person to interview and gave me some pretty good answers. One question that was asked was, Do you think you have a good imagination? The participants answered with, “Yes. I've always had a creative imagination. I still do. Mr. Faunt in particular, points out the imagination I have when it comes to things such as writing. I'm also pretty good at visualizing things and any outcomes. I have an imaginative mind, I just don't use it often.” I really like this answer because while this person stated that they do have imagination but don’t use it is okay. To create the basic sense of imagination isn’t easy but just trying while reading a book describing really helps.
While I know most may not understand, I hope one day you will. These types of experiences never get old, nor do they ever run out. While sometimes it feels like it can be unimaginable, the feeling is there, the feeling of content, it is different for everyone, no matter what you think. Reading is such a great reality escaper, especially from your real reality. I can’t convince you to read and I won’t but I just want you to think about it, think about the different possibilities. Everyone’s world is different, so why not make your own.
Family is hope By Isaac Gonzales Hello, my reader! As I was writing this, I thought about the many people right now who don't feel happy or feel depressed. How can we get our family to make us feel hope? Well, as I have considered this question many times, it is easy to realize how we can do this. Go on those little adventures with them; sometimes even the little things are the things that make the biggest difference. Quality time with family can make us feel better, and since COVID-19 started, I have noticed many people have lost their way, or have lost hope. During these challenging times, people may not have felt as inspired. Well, how about just spending time with family? How can my family make me feel better? This is a very good question! Maybe by baking with your family, dancing, or playing games! It is a significant fact that family can often make us feel better by just being there for us. Sometimes, even just taking time to sit down with your family and letting them know how you are feeling on a personal level like this could be one of the little things that make us feel a lot better. As I was interviewing a friend, it was awesome to see how much fun they had since COVID-19 started with the simple things like baking. He also learned how to paint with his dad and has learned new recipes, which have been in his family for generations, from his mom. As I interviewed him, I felt his excitement through the phone as I listened to him explain the joy he is experiencing with his family right now. Whether drawing, eating baking, there are just so many possibilities for activities you could enjoy with your family-- the list is endless! As much as COVID-19 has taken away from us, it has also given us so much! We should appreciate the time now, that we were not able to spend with our families prior to COVID-19 . Yes, right now our families may be getting on are nerves and making us feel irritated at times. Sometimes it may feel like we can't go on anymore, but remember, if you are struggling, think about your younger siblings or family members. They are probably having a much harder time at their young age. We did not have to go through this at such a young age, so we also must be very understanding. This is also a great time to spend time younger family members as a role model. I know that my parents are very busy and COVID-19 has given me the opportunity to be able to spend more time with them. This is allowing us to continue growing a greater bond. This is a time not to be sad, but to be strong and build relationships with our friends and families. We are not quitters--we are strong! *********************************************************** Unusual jobs around the world There are many unusual jobs in the world that are interesting and pay well. If you want to earn a good living and do it in a very interesting way, below are some jobs that might catch your eye. If you are unsatisfied with your office job, in need of a side job, or even a hobby to keep you busy, maybe one of these jobs will interest you. Should you quit your current job? Absolutely not--remember to keep your ideas realistic. These are unusual jobs for a reason; however, perhaps you have just the sill set for one of these interesting occupations! 1. Dog Food tester Take dog walking to the next level just like companies hire people to taste test their product there selling for humans to buy. Most pet food testers simply spit the food out before swallowing. To taste, pet food testers also take notes regarding the nutritional content. The average pay for a pet food tester is about $40K per year. (https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-money/side-gigs/get-paid-to-eat-dog-food/) 2. Netflix show tester Have you ever wanted a job that requires you to watch TV? Well Netflix actually hires people to watch TV shows; they are called “Taggers”. This job is for part time employees, and they get paid to watch Netflix, and they help recommend shows and movies to people who are Netflix members. 3. Fortune cookie writer Every wonder if people or a machine were writing the fortune in your fortune cookie? Te writers of the fortunes need to be very creative, inspiring and philosophical. They also need to write concisely to convey a message in just a few short words on a small piece of paper inside of a cookie. They get paid 75,060 a year (https://careertrend.com/how-5695405-become-research-writer.html) 4. Waterslide tester There are actually people that get paid to test out water slides If there is a new water park or hotel that just opened, the companies have people test out the water slides so make sure everything is safe, and how fast a slider will reach the bottom.. Waterslide testers earn around $34,000 annually. (https://www.trade-schools.net/articles/unique) |
The “Different Roles” of Clothing By Felicia Pacheco Clothes are just pieces of cloth, correct? So technically it doesn’t really matter who wears that cloth, right? Well to most of today's society, it does. Personally, I couldn’t care less about what you wear, if that’s what you want and what makes you feel comfortable, go for it! For some sort of reason a girl HAS to wear women’s clothes, and a boy HAS to wear men’s, why? A boy would absolutely rock a skirt, and they do, and girls definitely wear suits better. It’s exactly the way pink is designated to girls and blue to boys, and the gender neutral is what, purple? The colors are assigned and the type of style the clothing is assigned. If that person feels like wearing what they want in what color they want, why should they be judged about that? Well, we’re going to talk about that. Ages and ancestors before us have raised the next generation, and every generation is different. Nevertheless, one thing that stayed the same was the stereotypes ingrained in everybody’s life. Those stereotypes really need to change, since the world should not function like this. This is really harmful to our society because of the thoughts that you are only allowed these specific clothing is mentally degrading, especially to younger generations. The stereotypical thought is that women and girls need to wear a skirt or a dress because those clothes are considered “womanly” clothing. One quick question though: why? Typically a shirt is made of the same material, such as cotton, polyester, satin, etc., they would make for a dress or even a jacket, maybe even a suit, so why does it specifically have to be worn by that certain stereotypical gender. Slowly but surely these stereotypes are changing and I am really glad they are. Women have been oppressed far too long to be victimized by what we wear, the same thing goes for men. Men should not be judged on what they wear, why does society get to decide what is masculine or not? That’s where the phrase toxic masculinity comes into play. Toxic masculinity is a phrase many, many people choose to ignore. Here is a textbook definition of this term: "The concept of toxic masculinity is used in academic and media discussions of masculinity to refer to certain cultural norms that are associated with harm to society and to men themselves," which I hope makes sense in some people’s minds. Toxic masculinity has been ingrained in boys and men for generations, while most are now defying that social norm, it is consistently there. Masculine can be used in very different ways and for it to now be based solely on what type of clothes you are wearing is, utterly ridiculous. Clothes are clothes, no matter the color or the way it looks, judging people for what they feel comfortable in is so sad and insecure. It is the same way people who have neopronouns (are any set of singular third-person pronouns, with the intent of being a gender neutral pronoun set) are described in certain ways when they simply should not be because they are now comfortable enough to be who they are, that is ingrained toxic masculinity, but that is a conversation for another time. Different points of views were taken into account when writing this article. Multiple interviews were taken and a couple of people answered a survey about this subject. The survey that was created had one question that had actual surprising results from it. The question asked, Do you think the stereotype will ever change?, with the result answer of, Maybe. While it was initially surprising, the more you think about it, it’s not. For generations the stereotypical behavior has been engraved into the brain of society, while the times are changing and those stereotypes are slowly falling apart, it is going to take some time and hard work for it to finally change. For this article, two people were interviewed, and the question, "Do you think people should be judged on what they wear?," was asked. One amazing answer to this question was, “I don't think people should be judged on what they wear because clothes simply do not have a gender. Sure, society thinks there's only two genders ("the blue one" and "the pink one"), but that's not simply the case because sex and gender are different. Gender is a social construct. Personally, I believe all clothes are gender neutral and nothing should be labeled as "Male" or "Female", instead there should be a dressing section labeled "Human." This answer really embodies the whole point of this article: clothes should not even have a label on it, it is extremely useless and misleading to the future of our society. A second question was asked to a different interviewee: "Do you think it’s in human nature to judge others on what they wear based on their gender or what they identify as?" The phenomenal response was, When I think of the phrase "human nature" I think of the physical world, instinctive traits (NOT learned) that we as homosapiens possess. Knowing that animals, plants, babies--the purest of living things--don't judge based on what they wear as what they identify as, it is literally against human nature. Judgement and discrimination are learned traits. Whether it is from family, social media, or friends, it is unnaturally embedded in our brain. Which again, is absolutely the point I am trying to make here. It is embedded into our brains because of these “social norms” and those “norms” are outdated, by centuries. I hope to have not necessarily changed your mind, but have opened up your mind to the different possibilities. The fact that people are either objectified or judged by what they wear should not be something anymore. Whether someone is gender fluid, a boy, a girl, or "they," they should not be judged on what they decide to wear. Clothes do not have a gender, and colors do not have a gender. So let’s not assign different clothes to different genders. |
The ocean is not a trash can!
By Jasmine Quintana
There are approximately 14 billion pounds of trash in the Pacific Ocean, most of which is plastic. In some areas of the ocean, 80 percent of the ocean is trash. The trash that is in the ocean comes from all directions: the streets, landfills and sometimes, directly dumping.
Trash in the ocean is one of the biggest pollution issues the world faces. Over one million marine creatures die each year from their habitats being polluted with trash. The marine life often get caught up in the plastic or mistake it for food and eat it.
You may ask: “Why don't we just go and clean this mess up?” Well, it's not as easy as picking the trash out of the water. The ocean's currents are constantly moving so the trash gets pulled back and forth.
Many people are trying to solve this problem with projects that clean the beach, but there are a number of ways that you can help out. Try to recycle and use less plastic. We may not live by the ocean, but this is our world too--please do your part to take care of it!!
By Jasmine Quintana
There are approximately 14 billion pounds of trash in the Pacific Ocean, most of which is plastic. In some areas of the ocean, 80 percent of the ocean is trash. The trash that is in the ocean comes from all directions: the streets, landfills and sometimes, directly dumping.
Trash in the ocean is one of the biggest pollution issues the world faces. Over one million marine creatures die each year from their habitats being polluted with trash. The marine life often get caught up in the plastic or mistake it for food and eat it.
You may ask: “Why don't we just go and clean this mess up?” Well, it's not as easy as picking the trash out of the water. The ocean's currents are constantly moving so the trash gets pulled back and forth.
Many people are trying to solve this problem with projects that clean the beach, but there are a number of ways that you can help out. Try to recycle and use less plastic. We may not live by the ocean, but this is our world too--please do your part to take care of it!!
Inspire More Do you need some positive stories to inspire your day? Morning smile was created by Inspire More, the leader in good news and positive media. Morning Smile was created to bring individuals inspirational articles to start each day with a smile. Since 2014, over 300 million people around the world have read their stories of hope and inspiration. Sign up today for free! Inspiremore.com Contributed by Fallon Big Lake |
Racism In Society
By Kaylee Herrera
Though the thought of racism is sworn to be something of the past, it very much is still alive. Whether it be in the workplace, the field, the store, a school, or even a household you feel comfortable in, racism is wrapped into society. Though it is not acceptable, it is still present today. Statistically, African American men are 2.5 times more likely to have fatal encounters with police than Anglo-Americans, and African American women are 1.5 times more likely to get killed by police than whites.
One example is the famous Central Park Five. Fortunately, this case of racism was served with justice. Five teenagers by the names of Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise were wrongly convicted of an attempted murder and rape in 1990. The boys only aged from 14 to 16, were beaten, starved, and interrogated for over 24 hours by police. Four of the five boys were African American, while one was Hispanic. The trial was long, but society had already decided on a verdict. The boys were each sentenced to 6-15 years until they were found innocent when a different man confessed to the crime. This is one example of racism in society.
Take some daily stories into consideration. These people open up about their racist experiences in their everyday life:
- "Exiting a Home Depot with my daughter, my daughter exited a minute or two before me and women yelled, ‘Get the f--- out of the way, you f'n n-----. When I came out I saw an expression that I have never seen. When I asked why she was so upset, and she wept uncontrollably, she began telling stories about school. A math teacher told her she needed to get more sleep and stop eating fried foods because black people die early eating fried foods. The classmates sing songs using the N-word. She expressed how much it bothers her. The principal told me he didn't mean anything, I just have to know him. She was the only black female on the swim team of 40 and only two boys spoke to her, one black and one white. The alienation made her quit." -Linda Collins
- "Throughout my years, I've experienced everyday racism and microaggressions. However, the one instance that stood out to me out of all them was when I was in the Farmer's Market with my brother and we were followed, accused of stealing and asked to reveal the contents of our pockets whilst other market goers were not. It's sad that in the eyes of many, blackness is equated to negativity and are not given the benefit of the doubt. Thankfully this situation did not escalate or turn into something more trying, but for many, it does and can be deadly." -Tony Clark
- "My son, when he was in high school, was taken to and held at the police station even after the witness who was robbed told the police on site that it wasn’t him." -Tina Smith-Brown
As you can see, racism still exists in society, even though people may want to believe it does not. It is important for everyone in the world to be aware of the issue, and to individually contribute by being accepting of all human beings, regardless of our differences.
What is really in the air we breathe?
By Victoria Macias
There are many kinds of pollution. The two that have the most impact on us are air and water pollution. Pollution is harmful to our natural surroundings and, because of pollution, there are permanent negative impacts on our ecosystem.
Air pollution also affects peoples’ health. When we burn fossil fuels, we release harmful substances into the air every day. We need clean air to breathe, and the lack of clean air has a direct impact on your health. Breathing polluted air gives human beings higher chances of asthma and respiratory diseases.
The climate changes occurring around the world are increasing the likelihood of wildfires. Wildfires are now polluting just as much as cars do. Most wildfire deaths are not caused by fire consumption; they are caused by smoke inhalation.
These are not the only repercussions related to our globally changing environment. It is important to educate yourself, in order to better understand how you can help to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our planet.
Unusual Pets
There are many animals that are surprising that you can legally own as pets in the U.S. Having an unusual pet takes a lot of responsibility and most of these pets live longer than a person can. So it is a big commitment to take on, and you have to ask yourself if your ready to take on that responsibility. Here are some pets that you may find interesting:
- Wild foxes: For some time now foxes have been bred to live like dogs and cats. As of recently, it is legal to own a pet fox in 15 states. But there are some rules that come with having a pet fox, like what type of breed you want.The most common breed to have is a Fennec Fox. Although it may be legal to have a fox as a pet, it is still a not fully a domesticated animal.
- Alligator: Having a pet alligator is a huge commitment. A lot of people who get alligators as pets fall in love with them when they are babies. A baby alligator is less than a foot in length, but adult alligators can grow to be more than 11 feet long and live up to 50 years.
- Tarantulas: This has to be the most common pet to have out of the unusual pets. Tarantulas like to be in a dark place to hide out in. A typical meal for your pet Tarantula is crickets, meal worms, or roaches.
- Porcupine: Having a pet porcupine can be difficult. There are a lot of safety precautions to take. If there are other pets around, you have to be careful because dogs are sometimes very curious and have been attacked from the quills.
If you are interested in learning more about other pets that you can have in the U.S., check out this website:
https://www.businessinsider.com/animals-legal-pets-us-surprising-2019-10
Contributed by Victoria Macias
Film Cameras
Below are three types of traditional film cameras. Each segment shows visual images of the camera type, and specific features unique to that type of camera.