opinion.arcadiaquill@gmail.com
APRIL 2022
OPINION
07
Save Our Bees By AINSLEY NAJAFZADEH Staff Writer Spring has finally sprung, flowers are blooming and fruits are ripening; however, it appears that people have forgotten who is responsible for our vibrant spring season: bees. Our furry pollinators’ work is underappreciated and they don’t get the praise they deserve; in fact, our lack of care for our bees is gradually causing them to become extinct, making bees an endangered species. From sunflowers to apples, bees are essential to the growth of our produce and ecosystem. Bees accentuate the beauty of mother nature by pollinating flowers that provide vibrancy to our environment. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Bees
pollinate 80% of the world’s flowers, as well as more than 130 different fruits and vegetables, including kiwis, strawberries, watermelons, and squash. Bees not only improve the environment but also support the economy by bringing billions of dollars into the United States through agriculture. Bees play a significant role in our world’s food supply, as 1 out of every 3 bites of food eaten relies on the ongoing activity of bees. In a lifetime, the typical worker bee produces 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey, which isn’t even close to the quantity of honey we put in a cup of tea. Despite the fact that bees contribute so much to our planet, their population has been rapidly declining, with billions of bees being killed each year throughout North America.
According to the USDA, this can be credited to various factors–parasites and pests, pathogens, poor nutrition, and sublethal exposure to pesticides. Pesticides are not even targeted toward the killing of bees, but unfortunately, bees are one of the species the pesticides affect most. The United States Environmental Protection Agency stated that the Insecticide Sulfoxaflor, a systemic insecticide, is “highly toxic to bees and other pollinating insects.” The loss of bees is directly taking a toll on the ecosystem and economy, and it’s important that we do something about it before it is too late. Organizations such as The Bee Conservancy are trying to spread awareness and teach people how they can help with the declining bee population. Some ways they suggest include: planting a bee garden, avoiding treating
your garden with synthetics, providing trees for bees, creating a bee bath, building homes for native bees, hosting a fundraiser, supporting local beekeepers, and any other way that will be effective in saving bees. Bees serve an important part in our everyday lives, from the food we eat to our ecosystem, it’s only fair that we give bees recognition and prevent their extinction. Next time you see a bee in the wild, give the bee a little thank you for the hard work it does for you and the Earth.
anajafzadeh@arcadiaquill.com Graphics courtesy of PINCLIPART.COM
Which Batman is the Best Batman? By KIRA CAMACHO Staff Writer The iconic superhero, Batman, has been an incredibly well-known figure for 83 years. His first debut was in May of 1939, in Detective Comics No. 27 (DC). Due to Batman’s immediate success, the Bat quickly gained his own comic series. Batman #1 was released in the spring of 1940. Since then, Batman has become one of the most famous superheroes in the world. Batman’s first onscreen appearance was in 1966, when Batman aired on ABC. In this instant hit, Adam West played a latex-covered, silly Batman—a stark contrast from The Batman. Since then, a number of actors have played their own version of Batman. In this article, I’ll be comparing my top three—Micheal Keaton, Christian Bale, and Robert Pattinson. In 1989, Batman was released, starring Micheal Keaton as Bruce Wayne, Jack Nicholson as the Joker, and Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face. Tim Burton directed this dark tale, which went on to win many academy awards. Just about any movie with Tim Burton involved will earn my stamp of approval, but
this one is particularly great. Keaton plays an iconic Batman in this film, and I have to give him kudos for being the first in this era of Batmen. To me, he seems to be a mix of Bale and Pattinson’s Batmen. He’s smooth like Bale but is still obviously suffering from his past like Pattinson. Unlike the other two Batmen, he’s awkward and funny at times. It makes him appear much more approachable and “normal.” Overall, this is an excellent movie and Keaton is an outstanding Batman. From 2005 to 2012, Christian Bale played Batman in the Dark Knight trilogy. These movies also star Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Tom Hardy, and Anne Hathaway. Bale is often crowned the title of best Batman, and this trilogy had a long reign as the best Batman movie. Bale’s Batman is the perfect mix of brooding and snarky, always throwing in a one-liner be-
fore fighting a villain. But in my opinion, Bale is a better Bruce Wayne than Batman. He plays a perfectly suave, rich heir to the Wayne fortune, but his Batman feels unnatural. His voice is incredibly forced and seems to be drowning in his huge suit. The Dark Knight series is fantastic, but I think the overall movie is better than Bale’s specific Batman. Lastly, Robert Pattinson in 2022’s The Batman. This movie was absolutely astounding— I saw it twice in movie theaters and am so excited to stream it on HBO Max. Not only is the cinematography breathtaking, but the plot is captivating, and Pattinson is the perfect Batman. Pattinson’s Batman is a detective, and we get to see him working closely with Commissioner Gordon. Even though he’s the big, bad, Batman in his authoritative Bat-suit, he’s still very human out of it. This Batman is still dealing with the trauma
of his parents’ death, and actively working to make sense of the past. Though it’s nice to see a humorous Batman with plenty of oneliners, that’s not really who Batman is. Batman is traumatized and is constantly re-living the death of his parents. He’s not light, funny, and covered with spandex—his goal is to be feared by criminals, not make them laugh. Pattinson also takes in Batman’s aversion to killing. The other Batmen haven’t exactly ignored this, but it’s more of a clear character decision from Pattinson. The Batman is fantastic, and Pattinson is even more so. It’s hard to come to a conclusion on my favorite Batman; each actor has left their unique mark on the character. It’s a close call, but I think the best Batman is Robert Pattinson. He’s an incredible actor with great range, and the best Batman yet. P.S: a VERY honorable mention to Will Arnett as Lego Batman. If he was in the running for best Batman in this article, he would’ve easily won.
kcamacho@arcadiaquill.com Graphics courtesy of CLIPARTMAX.COM and POLYGON.COM
