How Experiences Shape You as a Person
Cassandra Barretto, Content Editor
Look around the room. Think to yourself for a second, is everybody the same? Do they have the same mindset or outlook on life as you? In a way, no one truly does. The way a person is, and the way one thinks, solely depends on the experiences they have been through, whether it was traumatic, beneficial, or if the two go hand-in-hand. People tend to undermine how big of an impact each experience has on oneself, but they are what make you, you. From childhood, to even now, life is full of experiences that constantly change you. There are many people who have been told they are "really mature for their age," and people who evolve at the same rate as their age. The one thing that makes all the di�ference between the people in these categories is their experiences.
The type of household or environment a person lives in and grows up in plays a huge role in how they act in the future. For example, let's say someone was forced to step up into the role of a parent; as they grow up, they will have a hard time letting others take care of them, or they could end up being very independent. Though there is another possibility of how they may end up turning out, which is codependent or even seen as immature. The reason behind this is due to the way that they view the experience and choose to react and grow from it. This factor also contributes to how you grow di�ferently from other people, your perception of the memory, and how you let it dictate your life and yourself.
Have you ever seen a villain in a movie turn good and thought, Why are they the way they are, or do the things they do? Why the change of heart? Well, there are various reasons that can cause this, but a common one boils down to how they grew up or were treated. Typically, if they
were mistreated as a child, they end up growing to resent others and wanting to in�lict that same pain that they felt onto others. Then, there is always a di�ferent scenario, where they take those memories that hurt them and refuse to ever let anyone else feel even remotely close to how they felt. This is what actually di�ferentiates person from person, not just the experience, but the way they let it a�fect them as well. So that change of heart that they usually end up having, is the protagonist or hero, giving them a di�ferent perspective of what they went through, and how they could be acting on it instead.
The act of having a “change of heart,” isn’t just strictly for movies, but can happen in real life as well. Everything we go through, memorable or insignificant, becomes a part of us. Though, we have the choice of whether or not we’re going to let the negative experiences dictate, and change the type of person we want to be for the better or the worst. Essentially, experiences are what makes up our life, but the way one perceives and acts based on these said
The History of Gaza: Zionism and Palestine
Christopher Jenkins, Content Editor
We’ve seen a consistent �low of violence and death coming out of Gaza for almost 2 years now and there seems to be no end in sight. When you hear about this con�lict almost everyday on the news, it presents itself as a recent phenomenon. Like this con�lict started Oct. 7 2023 and will be ended when the bombs stop dropping. In reality, that could not be further from the truth. This will be a more brief look at the history of just Gaza and the state of Israel to provide more context to the situation as it pertains to the people of Gaza.
To begin this summary we have to make it clear what Gaza was like before Israel was a state. From 1917-1947, Gaza and the entirety of modern day Israel and Palestine were owned by the UK and under the “palestinian mandate”. This wasn’t a country of their own, but a territory of the UK with the promise to the League of Nations to promote Zionism in the area while respecting the Palestinian natives. The support for zionism sponsored migration of European Jews to Palestine.
Tensions grew until they exploded in 1936 with the Palestinian Revolution. Palestinian citizens had become a marginalized group in a country where they once were dominant as the native population. Jews, who once were a 10% minority in 1922, grew to a 17% minority in 1931 and a 32% minority in 1947, all because of the British sponsoring of Zionism. Violence between Jews and Arabs had already been a problem, and Palestinian farmers were going landless due to the British support for Zionism, favoring jewish home buyers over arab home buyers. Gaza was one of the many places where this Revolution was active. The aim was to create an independent state for
Photo by Khalid Kwaik on Unsplash Shelters in Gaza that were bombed and destroyed as a result of the ongoing Israeli war are o�ten centers a�filiated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)
Palestinians to govern themselves and end the British colonial rule. The revolution started with disorganized protests throughout Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem before the Arab Higher Committee helped organize it. A�ter the British enacted Marshal law in 1937, a series of peasant revolts started, targeting the British military and police. During this revolt, the Jewish quarter in Gaza was destroyed. The British violently suppressed and intimidated the Palestinians, killing around 1,200 rebels, peaceful or not. Following the uprising, the British House of Commons introduced the White Paper of 1939. The paper doubles down on the British support for Zionism, but limited Jewish migration to some extent. Then World War II happened.
Following the Holocaust, the State of Israel was created in 1948, immediately sparking war between the new state of Israel heavily backed by the UN and the UK, and the Arab states. Once it is over, Egypt is given control of what then becomes known as the Gaza strip. Gaza has a large amount of Palestinian refugees from the Arab-Israel War, and with this in�lux Egypt needs a more local governing body. Egypt forms the All-Palestine Government, made up of Gaza natives and headquartered in Gaza. At this time, there were no other parts of the old Palestine colony that was independently run by Palestinians. It all belonged to Israel, some uno�ficially belonging to Trans-Jordan. UNRWA helped financially support Gazan citizens while the All-Palestine Government doesn’t do much and can’t seem to control its territory. The government dissolved in 1959 for this reason, but the new president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, doesn’t plan to give up on Gaza.
While Gazans couldn’t vote, Nasser put in place the Arab National Union
Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash
Gaza - Palestine A huge explosion in a building as a result of a bombing by Israeli warplanes
to elevate the voices of the Palestinian citizens. They greatly expanded welfare programs and standard of living in Gaza. A�ter the Palestinian Liberation Organization was created in 1964, Nasser informally put them in control of the Gaza strip. Egypt continued to hold military control over Gaza until 1967.
A�ter the Six Days War in 1967, Israel took Gaza and immediately started to create settlements in the area. Resistance forces in Gaza became active between 1969-1971 before the IDF crushed them. A�ter an incident involving the murder of a Jewish family in Gaza, the IDF mobilized. They demolished multiple homes and assassinated suspects without due process. Additionally, Israel set up detention camps, locking up untried suspects, families, and even some youths in Gaza, not particularly accused of anything at all. Israel was all but gentle on the citizens of Gaza, nationalists or not. The red cross visited these camps and described the treatment of these citizens as “merciless,” brutalizing innocents. Israel continued this violence by partially destroying the Al-Shati refugee camp, sparking the first Intifada in Gaza.
A�ter the Intifada, the Oslo Accords gave self governance to Gaza and Jericho in 1993. The newly created Palestinian Authority was headed by Yasser Arafat. Arafat founds the Fatah party. Fatah, along with Arafat, supports a two state solution that rejects violence and supports coexistence. A healthy relationship seemed close on the horizon with this new leadership. Things were relatively calm until the Second Intifada started in 2000 in reaction to the failure of the Camp David Summit. The Second Intifada was noticeably more violent than the first. Gaza, again, was the epicenter of this con�lict. Due to this aggression, the IDF pulled out of Gaza in 2005. The state of Palestine eventually split a�ter Hamas, a Sunni-nationalist party, won the election in Gaza. They break out into a civil war, giving Hamas control over Gaza and the PA control over the West Bank.
In reaction to this, Israel blockades Gaza, severely lowering living standards in the city. Hamas launches rockets at Israel to try and stop the blockade, but to no avail. In 2008, Israel invaded Gaza in an e�fort to destroy Hamas tunnels underneath the city. They heavily bomb the city, killing over a thousand Gazan citizens. At this time, Gaza was home to 1.5 million people. Israel didn’t rest with that, however. They invaded Gaza again in 2014, multiplying the previous death toll with civilian casualties continuing to be heavy.
All of this takes us to today. The city of Gaza has always been a key point of interest for both Palestine and Israel. The city and its citizens have been either caught in the crossfire between Hamas and the IDF, or directly targeted by the IDF. Looking at all of this history, it becomes increasingly clear how old this con�lict really is. It’s incredibly important to recognize that the families locked up in Israeli detention centers could’ve been yours. Your mother could’ve been killed in the second Intifada, and you could be in Gaza right now, starving to death. The legacy of violence in Gaza isn’t just happening now, it’s been happening for over a hundred years.
Photo by Emad El Byed on Unsplash
Scenes of the destruction that befell the besieged city of Gaza a�ter it was bombed by the State of Israel in its war since October 7, 2023.
Supernatural Show Review
Ulysses Barrios, Sta�f
Supernatural first began in 2005, it has spanned 15 seasons and 327 episodes. The show began with following the two main characters, Sam and Dean Winchester. Two brothers hunted supernatural creatures across America. Over the course of the show, it developed into them involving angels, demons, gods and an apocalypse. It maintains an emotional bond between the two brothers, destined to fight against all these supernatural creatures and beings.
At the core of the show, Supernatural is about family, loss of others, and a sense of duty. The show begins with the loss of their mother who is killed by this demon called the yellow eyed demon. They are then raised by their father to become hunters. The few first seasons were about the brothers hunting down urban legends and combining that with mythology. With new monsters and creatures being hunted nearly every episode at the beginning of the show. Sometimes what they are hunting is just something they find on the way to their main mission and not connecting at all to the story. It was still interesting to see all these things we may have heard when we were growing up being hunted. Being able to connect to the show is something that most shows back then you weren't really able to do. Also the show used soundtracks that were popular and iconic at a time where pop hits were used instead. Dean owned an Impala and that itself became a staple in the show
The appeal that most people see in the show are in the characters, the younger brother Sam played by Jared Padalecki and the elder brother Dean played by Jensen Ackles. The roles they played made the Winchester brothers seem complex, �lawed, and somewhat relatable. Then we had the introduction of Castiel played by Misha Collins and Crowley played by Mark Sheppard. Castiel was an angel that became an ally to the brothers and expanded the show greatly, he had the wisdom and philosophical side of the show. On the other hand, Crowley was a demon who eventually ended up being the King of Hell, he added his dark humor which added a comedy aspect which kept the show lively. The characters all played a role in the development of the show, and they each had their part of keeping the show alive. With each person contributing to the popularity of the show and them having their own fandoms.
Supernatural began with the theme of horror and fantasy, with comedy being used. They would hunt the supernatural creature with a dark sense of humor. But as the show progressed we see sacrifice and fate being implemented into the show. The brothers would have to sacrifice the people they loved to uphold their fate and for the greater good. Sam being destined to become the vessel for the devil and Dean being destined to become the vessel for Michael the archangel. But, even though they were told it was their fate, they went against what they were told. The brothers had a tendency to break rules and that's what contributed to people liking the show, and the themes they used was also why the show was able to go on for so long, airing for 15 seasons, and keeping the audience entertained. Even though sometimes the show felt repetitive because of the use of resurrection, bringing back characters and villains multiple times. This brought some fans to dislike the show for keeping the same people alive instead of fan favorites that everyone wanted to come back and make a reappearance. The revival of characters gave the audience a bad taste from their perspective since the death of characters no longer held value.
Supernatural wasn’t just a show about hunting monsters. They would break the typical genre of tv at the time. Having collabs with other shows and series, bringing di�ferent time periods into play, and my personal favorite was when they aired an episode (season 6 episode 15), the characters Sam and Dean met the real life actors of the show and themselves. Supernatural was di�ferent from the shows at the time because it was something that most tv shows dared to do. This shows how they were able to add a spin to the show and not keep it just about hunting. For early watchers you would see the development of the writing and how tight it is. For fans that go all the way and enjoy the show, the long 15 seasons are like a treasure.
Compound V Epidemic
Belen Gutierrez, Sta�f
Most people have thought about what it would be like to have superheroes in this world with powers who save the day. This is due to comics and movies like Marvel and DC that portray these heroes as gods who can do no wrong. Superman, Captain America, and many others all live to protect and care for the people of their cities. However, in reality, superheroes would not always have our best interest at heart. In 2019, the popular show, “The Boys” portrays a world where superheroes do exist, but they are more like celebrities than heroes and they’re not the saints they appear to be.
Copyright: Amazon Studios
Since the second World War, superheroes have emerged into this world and now are 9% of the national population. A small, but powerful minority. During World War II, a German scientist named Frederick Vought switched sides to help the Americans. He is the original founder of Vought International. It grew to be the international powerhouse it is today. Bringing to light heroes like Soldier and the first superhero team, Payback. All the way to the current team, The Seven. Vought has risen for several decades and has pushed their propaganda, claiming all supes are “chosen by god” and it's all by chance that certain individuals are born with powers. However in recent years, they have been exposed as frauds. The supes are not given their powers by coincidence, their powers are given to them as babies through a serum that Frederick Vought created called Compound V. Compound V is apparently what gives a supe their powers. Parents sign their newborns up to get injected with the blue Compound V serum, take the hush money, and lie to their children and inject them with a drug. Many believe there’s nothing wrong with that as many parents believe they are setting their children up for success. Many of these children do go on to be famous heroes, and the best of the best ended up in the Seven. However, not every power is a gi�t. Supes with abilities that are deemed unmarketable, are tossed to the side with most ending up in a correctional facility. The world is grateful for all the good superheroes have done to protect this country, but as
new evidence comes out every day, it’s starting to be clear that all of their “saves” were just strategic P.R. Putting the possible unfortunate abilities and their publicity stunts aside, people should not have this kind of power. As seen in recent times, many supes do not have the interest of the people at heart.
Homelander, once the symbol of hope in America, has been the center of the controversy in the media. It started with his a�filiation with the now deceased supe, Stormfront, for her racist views. The controversy continues as he tries to rebuild his image at his birthday celebration. He gives a speech in which he states, “I’m stronger. I’m smarter. I’m better…I’m better.” Then, a video filmed by a civilian, a man is seen throwing a plastic cup intended for Homelander, yet accidentally hits his son. In the video a�ter the cup is thrown, Homelander is seen killing the man with his laser eyes. Vought has been covering for his behavior for several years now, and it has only recently come to light thanks to Starlight. In another video of the infamous Flight 431, Queen Maeve is seen begging Homelander to help save the passengers and he continuously refuses, even going as far as threatening to kill the civilians. Then he takes Maeve and �lies away, leaving everyone on that plane to crash, resulting in no survivors. Homelander is not the only one Vought has covered for. Recent documentation shows that not too long ago, A-Train, another member of The Seven who has mysteriously gone radio silent, ran into a woman so fast, she exploded. Vought o�fered the deceased’s partner, Hughie Campell, hush money, which he refused. All members of The Seven have caused collateral damage during their “saves” on multiple occasions. It has gotten increasingly worse with the surprising return of Soldier Boy. Only he was not the Soldier Boy we remember, he blew up a building and is the one who blew up Vought Tower, but the people in the building were heroically saved by Queen Maeve’s sacrifice. What has caused all these violent outbreaks amongst the superhero population? Would they still have the aggressive tendencies if they weren’t superheroes? At the end of the day, what is the root of the problem? It’s the Compound V in their veins.
There is a common misconception that Vought International is a superhero company. It’s easy to think that because they produce the stars we know and love.
Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios
However, the former C.E.O of Vought, Stan Edgar, himself has admitted that is not the case. In an audio file released by a former Vought employee, security footage shows Stan Edgar telling Homelander himself, “We are not a superhero company. We are a pharmaceutical company. You are simply just a product, profitable, marketable.” Vought’s goal isn’t to create superheroes to save us, it's to shove their superhero propaganda down everyone’s throats and sell more Compound V in secret. Frederick Vought’s first successful test subject of V was his wife, who would later be known as Liberty, and in the present day, Stormfront. Calling Compound V a serum, takes away from what it really is, a drug. Just like any drug it gives you a little kick, it’s comparable to the e�fects of cocaine or ecstasy. Taking it over and over again will eventually cause addiction and cause a danger to the body and those around you just like any strong drug. The di�ference is that Compound V is not just any drug, it is stronger than any drug because it doesn’t just alter brain chemistry, but a person’s DNA to be able to give an individual powers. Just one injection of the V can automatically alter your brain chemical. It also has a psychological aspect to it as well. The more power an individual has, the more that individual believes they are superior and can get away with more. This is what provokes the violence in most supes. Even people who claim to be above Vought have proved that at some point the drug in them will win. Starlight’s recent attack on Firecracker proves just that. Firecracker may have been slandering Starlight, but Starlight did herself no favors by letting her emotions take over and assaulting Firecracker.
Files have also come out, showing a new variation of Compound V, dubbed Temp V. A form of the drug that gives a person powers temporarily. It has been found through security footage of a Russian lab and Vought T ower, that two civilians took this drug and were successfully given powers. These individuals have been identified as Hughie Campell and William Butcher, former fugitives, now turned employees for the late Victoria Neuman. Recently, it was discovered that Soldier Boy didn’t die in Nicaragua and instead was trapped and experimented on in a Russian Lab. “The Boys” as they call themselves, broke him out of the lab and found footage showing that Hughie Campell teleported Billy Butcher out of danger. There is no
Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios
record of Mr. Campell being a supe, therefore, he had been taking the untested formula of Temp V. William Butcher has also been shown to have been taking the Temp V as he was seen fighting Homelander and Soldier Boy at Vought Tower. An anonymous member of “The Boys” has come out to say that Mr. Campell was never a violent person, he was their “tech guy” and they all tried their best to keep him out of danger, however taking the V started to change him. One little taste of the power and he became increasingly violent. The young man who threw up at the sight of blood, was now willing to kill himself. William Butcher, on the other hand, was always a violent man. Giving him temporary powers, not only makes him a hypocrite as he has a severe disdain for all supes, but it also creates another nuclear bomb. Same as Soldier Boy. Same as Homelander. Frederick Vought’s work and the people continuing his work cause more harm to American citizens than the supposed “bad guys” do. Vought has to be stopped. Compound V has to stop. At any point one of these supes, whether it be Homelander, or Firecracker, or even some unknown from Godolkein University, any of them could destroy the world with one fatal snap of their fingers. They have too much power, because Vought gives them that power and it's infecting innocent people and turning them into monsters that are too powerful for the general population to stop them or protect themselves.
That’s how an article criticising Vought would sound like if this was in the universe of “The Boys.” Critics of Vought in the current timeline of events would probably be hunted down and silenced by one of the B lister supes. Then it would be broadcasted on VNN for the nation to see. This is because much of “The Boys” is a gross re�lection of what is happening in the real world and meant to seem like an exaggeration of American politics and the media, when in reality the only thing that di�ferentiates our world from theirs is the superheroes.
Marvel’s Downfall
Aidan Muzzo, Sta�f
A�ter the huge success of Marvel’s 2019 film Avengers: Endgame, more and more movies are pumped out each year to appease the superhero viewership. Marvel is a studio that has gained massive respect, housing IPs like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and even Spider-Man in their roster. But, a lot of fans, and general audiences, have been open in saying that they are a bit disappointed by the quality of the newest films. Movies are not performing quite like they used to, more negative reviews, and overall disinterest in the universe. What are the reasons for this sudden turn on a once beloved movie series?
Endgame is the best performing superhero movie in terms of box o�fice, grossing around 2.8 billion worldwide, just above movies like Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water, and just .1 billion below Avatar, the current highest grossing movie in the world. When this movie came out, it was the talk of the town. If you were alive in April of 2019, it was almost impossible to avoid it; constant videos popping up on your Youtube page reviewing or ranting about the film, TikTok’s spoiling nearly the entire movie due to excitement, as well the obvious widespread merchandising that comes from a big blockbuster film like this. It acted as a nice bow to wrap up this wonderful gi�t that was the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). It's the a�termath that really grinded people's gears.
The following year, COVID-19 hit the globe, causing the pandemic. This was not ideal for Marvel as they were forced to push back their next film Black (Although prior they were able to release one other movie a�ter Endgame, , which actually performed pretty well; Granted, was an IP that already drew in a wide audience before his inclusion in the MCU). The film was pushed to summer of 2021, being released in theatres, but also to Disney+ through premium access. This movie performed the worst out of any o�ficial MCU films
at the time of its debut, only grossing $379 million. These numbers were nearly matched with their next two movies that same year. What is the reason for this big number drop? Multiple factors have contributed to this. One obvious answer is that a�ter Endgame, people grew less interested in the series. The big threat that lingered over the series was vanquished, what more was there to look for? Better yet, why would the audience be interested in these “secondary” superheroes being introduced when the primary hero group has already cultivated its own large fanbase?
Another factor that is considerable is the fact that there has been a considerably larger output of Marvel content. From the 15 movies released and added on the 12 TV shows in this small time frame, people have been kind of locked out of the idea of catching up with these films to understand the full overarching story that leads up to the next big entry. Especially when you consider how the storyline has introduced the Multiverse, which has been somewhat of a safeguard for the franchise as they are able to tell stories from other “universes” that may not be fully
All in all, the downfall of Marvel stems from problems of over-saturation, a decline in audience engagement, and the challenge of following a massive success such as Endgame. When the story that brought so many fans together finally reached its “conclusion”, the emotional disappeared. If Marvel wants to regain its former quantity, and rebuild that sense of excitement that once
Nevio Renzullo
Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival
Travis Scott’s “Astroworld” leaving many shocked a�ter the terrible tragedies that occurred during the event. He is an artist known around the world for his rap music and as well as him being well known as a person that helps his community and represents where he is from Houston, TX. Being born and raised in Houston, he grew up knowing he wanted to do music with �lashes of musical talents at a young age. Fast forward to 2018, Travis Scott is working on releasing a new album called Astroworld. When he was a kid his favorite place to visit was the theme park called Astroworld but when it shut down Travis was devastated. This album was one of the most hyped up albums of his career, gathering traction before it was even released. On Aug. 3rd 2018, the album dropped and was heard around the world and is living up to it’s hype. Bringing out features of artists big at the time and lots more with some upbeat rap and hype songs. Being a community man and a man of Houston, he came up with an idea of his very own music festival called “Astroworld”. Taking place in Houston, this was a 2 day long festival of artists that come and perform on stage with the theme of the old “Astroworld” theme park that closed down when Travis was a kid. It was an actual theme park with functioning rides and food with the ambiance of live music being performed by upcoming and popular artists. The first festival went smoothly in 2018 with good reviews and overall people had a great time as well as the next year in 2019. The 2020 year got canceled due to covid, so Travis being upset the following year he decided to make this the biggest music festival of all time taking place on November 5th 2021. The people who sponsored the event were live nations and they were in charge of the whole thing with the big responsibility of knowing how many people the venue can fit. The venue was only supposed to fit around 35,000 but there were 20,000 more people that bought tickets so the venue was over�lowing with people, but live nation didn't care. The Net�lix show called “Trainwreck” covering the incident showed the evidence and it was a 3D video of the stage showing that it could not hold that many people. Travis Scott being the main performer had is own stage so when it was his time to perform people started to �lood over through one entrance
and the way the stage was built people started to rush on only the le�t side of the stage and with 20,000 extra people, people were getting crammed on the le�t side of the stage and when the music started it was really hard to hear what was wrong in the crowd. The people of live nation were warned but they never cared to tell him to stop performing so people were getting trapped under feet,causing the death of multiple people. Live Nation never stopped the show due to an unknown reason but there were multiple red �lags that were skipped when the festival was getting approved. The original blame was pinned on Travis Scott but a�ter further review of the evidence and text messages it showed that this event crossed so many safety guidelines that were not his fault at all. Text messages show that people working the show had full knowledge that people were in danger stating,”Keep the show going we can’t stop this people need to get what they paid for,”(Net�lix Series Trainwreck). Live Nation was then shut down a�ter a few years of all the evidence pointing at them.
People today still blame Travis Scott for the incident claiming demonic intentions on his part although this is false having made many Christian songs and having video evidence of him praying to god. So overall the incident was not Travis’s fault and he was just trying to give a good experience to his fans.
Cell phone policy
Robert Salinas, Sta�f
Research indicates that without cell phones, students typically perform better on exams/quizzes, with one study showing a performance gap of about 20%. The cell phone policy was established in 2024-2025. Since then a lot of states have either prohibited, limiting, encouraging, or adopting the policy into their schools. States like California are starting to limit their students' cell phone usage, while other states Tennessee and North Carolina have prohibited cell phone use in schools. Some schools have a di�ferent way of keeping students from using their cellular devices like keeping them in like a pouch or
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done with the essay. This can easily lead to dishonesty with your peers if you submit a ChatGPT generated essay. Phones can promote a lot more disadvantages like, negative impacts on mental health, impacts on academic performances, and discourages critical thinking, recent studies have shown that 57% of Americans are addicted to their phone. Also, 62% of users that use their phone get poor sleep. Another study has shown that 27% of high school students have been harassed or cyberbullied on the internet. The biggest issue of all the disadvantages is the distraction, “72% of teachers have said that students are too distracted about their phones and it is a major problem in their classroom” (72% of U.S high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom, article by Hatfield, Jenn).
Some people may say that the benefits of their phones outweigh the disadvantages. One argument made for this claim is that phones are essential for students in case of emergencies. For example, you can be in a lockdown drill and if you can’t take your phone out of 1 the pouch, your parents have no idea that you're okay. Another argument to make is that it can allow access to multiple educational resources for learning, research, and facilitating, the phones can help you instantly access information and resource tools that can help the classroom. Also, communication and social reasons are limited during this time, you are not able to contact your parents, friends, or family during school hours. This rule can make students worse in the real world too, without having your phone, this can make students less familiar with the technology advancing around them. For students that rely on public transportation or who have complex family situations, their cell phones can be a vital tool for navigating their day and staying connected with their family. In conclusion, states should absolutely enforce this into their schools to create a better environment. This creates a positive environment by minimizing distractions, improving students focus in academic activities, reducing cyberbullying, and minimizing social interaction, promoting more of a face-face communication. For the students' well being, enforcing this rule in
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schools across the nation is absolutely necessary. Putting your phone in this pouch will benefit you in every way possible, like better grades and it also gives your brain a social break for reducing the constant in�lux of digital information. By avoiding your phone throughout the day, you will see that you will make more real life connections than you would if you would stare at a screen for most of the day. People like Governor Newsom are urging these rules to be implemented in schools across the nation, which just shows how important this rule is to people and schools nationwide.
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Laughter or Hauntings?
Brianna Vang, Sta�f
In the first couple of days August 2025 shocking news shook the citizens of the US as articles and pictures came out about comedian Matt Rife, well known for his stand up comedy shows but also for being very controversial, was now leasing the Occult Museum alongside the artifacts inside which included the infamous Annabelle doll. If you died and le�t a legacy behind, would you want that legacy to be in the hands of a very controversial comedian? In this case this would apply to the ghost hunters or in other words, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. From the mid to late 1900s, Ed and Lorraine were prominent in society for not only controversial but other reasons. From claims of being able to sense and exorcise ghosts the 2 became well known throughout the United States for their presence in the supernatural. While comedian Matt Rife has become one of the most talked-about figures in modern comedy, well known for his sharp wit, viral clips all over social media , and the growing popularity among younger audiences mainly for his looks. But imagine if Rife stepped away from the stand-up stage and into something far darker leading an occult museum housing the infamous Annabelle doll, one of the most notorious artifacts in paranormal lore in the history of the US. While this might sound like the plot of a Net�lix special, it raises real concerns about the ethics of mixing celebrity, entertainment, and occult culture. At the cross of comedy and the supernatural, this situation forces us to ask: where is the line between harmless entertainment and exploitation of fear and is this even safe?
"Night with Lorraine Warren" by
The Occult museum of the Warrens’ have long fascinated the public from the moment it’s doors were opened. From sideshows in the early 20th century to the Warrens’ Occult Museum in Connecticut, audiences are drawn to artifacts with spooky reputations and even some speculations. Populist amongst the other artifacts is none other than the infamous Annabelle doll, the supposedly possessed doll that inspired The Conjuring film franchise racking in believers, Annabelle is not just a toy, it is a vessel of demonic energy, sealed behind glass for protection and living proof that the supernatural exists. But to skeptics, she’s nothing more than a prop used to drag in outside eyes and money. Either way, her fame ensures that any celebrity attached to her story would immediately draw headlines.
For Matt Rife, leading such a museum might seem like an exciting opportunity to merge comedy with the paranormal. He could bring crowds, sell tickets, and generate viral content. But the blending of humor with deeply unsettling objects risks trivializing subjects that many people take very seriously: spirituality, religious beliefs, and fears of evil, not to mention how fragile the antiques in the museum are.
Critics would argue that placing a comedian at the helm of such a museum reduces it to little more than a theme park attraction. Visitors might walk away entertained, but also misinformed which is what the Warrens’ original owners wouldn’t want. The occult has always attracted vulnerable individuals searching for meaning, and when handled irresponsibly, it risks exploiting their fears for profit. When someone of Rife’s in�luence is involved, the stakes are even higher.
"826 PARANORMAL JAMES MYERS LOOKING AT THE WARREN'S OCCULT MUSEUM(ANNABELL THE DEMON DOLL" by 826 PARANORMAL is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
There is a long history of entertainers using fear to make money with even the Warrens’ being accused of using these artifacts for money and fame. Haunted houses, horror films, and ghost tours all play into people’s fascination with the macabre. The problem arises when those experiences claim to be authentic rather than theatrical. A museum led by a comedian like Rife would likely blur this distinction, selling tickets on the credibility of Annabelle’s legend while simultaneously laughing at it.
