Over the past few years, most have become painfully familiar with the spread and proliferation of viruses. By infecting a single initial source, a disease like COVID-19 can quickly grow out of control and spread far beyond its point of inception. Considering the high levels of interconnectivity present in the globalized world of the 2020s, there’s no telling what … Read More
by Aspen Weinberg ’25 For the past few years, many children, often aged eight to eleven years, have started to use skincare, health, and beauty products that are mainly aimed towards people decades older than them. Such products can be seen to decay the skin’s barrier against the sun’s ultra-violet rays and pollutants in the air. They have also proved … Read More
by Cliff Vacin ’25 Gone are the days of simple terms like “grunge,” “preppy,” and “goth,” and many styles now are full of buzzwords to bring fresh new titles to styles that in reality aren’t distinctive from past trends. Styles introduced through and made popular on social media, such as the “clean girl aesthetic,” “coastal grandma aesthetic,” “mob wife aesthetic,” … Read More
by Jordan Costolo ’25 As polarization between political and social ideas online becomes more of an issue, influencers who peddle their views within their respective spheres have risen in popularity. These influencers spread their opinions through posts on multiple different platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. These influencers’ online presence often spreads quickly, with their content moving across multiple … Read More
Biden Has Hope for Second Term by Dylan Sondike ‘24 President Joe Biden’s worrisome approval rating and general election polling cannot be ignored; however, they should be taken with a grain of salt this far out from the November election. Biden’s current age of 81 has raised significant concerns among many voters. Despite being just four years younger, Former President … Read More
by Randy Wang ‘24 Virginia lawmakers are considering legalizing physician-assisted deaths. Modern medicine, surgeries, and therapies can only delay illnesses such as terminal cancers and complex lung/heart or nervous diseases. Patients with these afflictions often end up in hospice care to ease their pain until they die from the disease. In these difficult and agonizing situations, these patients should have … Read More
by Cliff Vacin ‘25 In the past couple of years, the relationship between celebrities and their fans has taken a huge shift. Obsessed fans of celebrities tend to have “parasocial” relationships, where a fan obsesses over a celebrity or online figure who doesn’t know they exist. The targets of these obsessions are typically media personalities, such as famous musicians, TV … Read More
by Marceline Meador ‘24 Several recent major developments in open-source AI technology have opened the floodgates for opportunities and innovations in this new field. However, as is the case with all open-source software, this technology can be misused. While text-based AI software such as ChatGPT, Davinci, and Bingchat have their own potential exploits, image-based software such as Midjourney, DALL-E, and … Read More
by Ziv Golan ’26 On October 7 the terrorist group Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel that resulted in the death of over 1,200 Israelis along with the kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli civilians, including children. Sadly, whenever something happens in Israel, criticism often is not just aimed at the Israeli government but at the Jewish people as a … Read More
by Briana Sisler ‘24 Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) was removed from MCPS libraries on October 11, the continuation of a disheartening trend throughout the country. Many LGBTQ+ books have been requested to be removed from schools, and in MCPS parents have requested the ability to opt their children out of reading these books. There are several common reasons … Read More