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GameStop, Dogecoin and The Stock Market

Judd Karn
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GameStop, Dogecoin and The Stock Market

     January 26th the market closed and the already-raising GameStop spiked up from $145 to $371 the next day. How did the near-extinct GameStop become so vastly overvalued? Well at one point it was vastly undervalued as it had been shorted, so much so that it was short squeezed.

     Shorting a stock is when you borrow a stock from the bank, pay a security deposit, then give the stock back and get your security deposit back. This can be lucrative because if a stock is constantly declining as you would easily be able to make a profit. 

     Hedge funds have been shorting stocks to the ground for a while, then people began to catch onto it, this was known by many investors; the investors began to invest in it and it then spread by mouth to the subreddit Wall Street Bets. Wall Street Bets admits themselves to being very idiotic and makes fun of themselves for it, either way, they have made many bad bets (here are just a couple of examples). 

I have been in Wall Street Bets for about 4 years just to see what they are doing and I thought GameStop was just another meme like the rest of the subreddit and was going to make them lose money, but people just kept investing more and more. 

     Wall Street Bets was picking up steam as it was notable that GME (GameStop’s stock symbol) was raised on the Robinhood most bought leaderboard (Robinhood shows the 100 stocks their customers buy) and the entirety of the stock market, Robinhood is the most popular consumer brokerage as it allows for partial shares. 

     Redditors of Wall Street Bets began buying GameStop stocks on Robinhood, then people outside of the Reddit people joined in, not only buying GameStop but similar stocks like AMC, Blackberry, and Nokia. When everyone thought GameStop was going to go down it kept going up and up, becoming way overvalued in one of the most unprecedented overvalues after being undervalued for so long.

     According to cnet, the CEO of Robinhood was on the Good Time Show, a talk show on the audio call app Clubhouse, he stated that the order for GME and Robinhood as a whole had too large of an order request for them to fulfill without meeting requirements for the clearinghouse, which is what validates and finalizes stock transactions, so they had to cancel many orders. Many other brokerages closed or restricted trading of the volatile stocks, including Cash App and Webull (Webull later removed these restrictions).

     The people in WallStreetBets were enraged by these restrictions, causing many brokerages to get ridiculed and a lawsuit to be filed against Robinhood; Congress called for a hearing on this and the Government organization that regulate the stock market stated, “[we will] closely review actions taken by regulated entities that may disadvantage investors or otherwise unduly inhibit their ability to trade certain securities.” 

     These events caused the stocks that were surging to grow stagnant or drop heavily. What would have happened had Robinhood not limited the noted stocks? Who knows, the stock market is insane with or without unprecedented short squeezes, a monkey could predict it better than stock market analysts. 

     I am invested in stocks and cryptocurrency but was not affected much by this, my stocks dropped 5% but then went up 11% as of writing this. Dogecoin is just funny to me, if you do not know Dogecoin raised 700% then dropped and raised even more than that. 

     The reason my stocks were not affected much is that the only real thing that was apart of the stock craze was Bitcoin and went down slightly then backed up. Other than Bitcoin I mainly have blue-chip stocks (ex. Disney, AMD, Apple, Nvidia, etc.). 

     This event of short squeezing was one for the books but do not let it discourage you from investing, you can be risky and try to make lots of profit in a short amount of time or you could do what I do and plan to hold stocks for years to come.

A Comprehensive Guide on How to Have a Bad Year: 2020 In Review

Judd Karn
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A Comprehensive Guide on How to Have a Bad Year: 2020 In Review

In January:

     We start off the year with the assassination of Iranian Army General Qasem Soleimani (what felt like years ago). Due in part to the event that was stated previously an impeachment of President Donald J. Trump was held but subsequently failed. Meanwhile there was an extensive amount of bushfires in Australia threatening hundreds of species into extinction, and the death of former Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said. The end of January was rather eventful as well, with Brexit starting and the death of the beloved basketball star Kobe Bryant.

In February:  

    President Trump got acquitted, minor accidents like sewage leaks and the like, a mass shooting in a Milwaukee area brewery area involving five employees dead, and minor discord of a new disease called COVID-19.

In March:  

     The month started with an air strike in Turkey from Syria that killed 33 Turkish soldiers. On March 6, a suicide bombing incident occurred in Tunisia the same day 30 people were killed in Kabul. 

     A prison riot erupted in Columbia on March 22nd after rumors of Coronavirus, going from 90,907 cases to 939,581. Many countries began enacting quarantine policies throughout the entirety of the month. Meanwhile, in North Korea, they set off six different projectiles with little to no information about them.

In April:

     The aftermath of March: everyone was locked away, watching their favorite streaming services, and many schools were on a prolonged spring break. Tiger King also began picking up steam as 64 million households tuned in. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Israel and South Korea held elections and there were three attacks of different types reported.

In May:

     COVID-19 was as rampant as ever. There were protests for different reasons, including the BLM, in response to the death of George Floyd and many others, and Hong Kong protests, opposing a bill initially and now advocating for a democratic reform and continuous Hong Kong autonomy. Statements from the President recommended hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment, WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max releases in the US, the brief disappearance and return of Kim Jong Un after rumors of an alleged surgery that did not actually happen. Another large event this month were the rampant ‘murder hornets’ that appeared in North America, they threaten to kill off honeybees. 

     Near the end of May, a great tragedy happened: Breonna Taylor was shot eight times to death while she was asleep, followed by the filmed killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police, resulting in protests near the end of May. An unknown man shot a protester during all of the chaos.

In June:

     Black Lives Matter protests continued and grew exponentially, coronavirus got worse in the US with 2,700,000 cases at this time and shootings were still prevalent. Locusts began swarming India and destroying crops across the entire country. 

In July: 

     The protesting was still as apparent as ever. US representative and activist John Lewis passed, the mayor of Seoul died, two hostage situations occurred, and many other incidents. Oh yeah, and Kanye West endorsed himself as President of the United States.

In August:

     There was the Apple Fire that continually worsened in California, landslides in India, Hurricane Isaias was coming, along with Marco and Laura. In mid-August a man named Jacob S. Blake was shot in the back seven times while his sons were in the backseat. Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was announced as the Democratic candidate against President Trump. There was also an ammonium nitrate explosion in Lebanon killing 100 people and leaving 4,000 injured. Near the end of August, actor Chadwick Boseman died of cancer at age 43. Meanwhile, schools are trying to find a way to open up the school during this pandemic.

In September:

     Protests continued, the passing of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a fire tornado in California, shooting at an Amazon facility and the hard to watch presidential debate. Some good news is that a social deductive game called Among Us unexplainably rises to popularity. 

In October:

     President Trump and many of the administrators caught Coronavirus, Pope Francis backed the LGBTQ+ community and same-sex marriage. Also to add to the bizarreness, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and US Representative Ilhan Omar streamed Among Us to 440,000 people at its peak. BLM protests were still very evident in the states, the Epstein case came up again in the news, and the election had record-breaking early and mail-in votes.

In November:

     The presidential election started on November 3 and on November 6 Joe Biden was declared President-elect by the Associated Press after tension for what felt like weeks on who was going to win the election, Bolivia also elected a new president. The world remains confusing with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez streaming once again with famous streamers, fellow US Representative Ilhan Omar, and Canadian Member of Parliament Jagmeet Singh. Black Friday and Cyber Monday were mainly online due to the pandemic still being prevalent and having a second wave in the US.

In December:

     We are nearing the end of this dreaded year that seemingly has no end in sight. Former New York City mayor and personal lawyer to President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani contracted COVID-19, and US COVID-19 vaccinations are supposed to start soon. Let’s hope that the vaccine comes swiftly and all of this can end, this is not a good year and many would say, the model bad year. Knock on wood it can not get any worse than this.

Los Angeles Dodgers Win The World Series!

MVHS Staff
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Los Angeles Dodgers Win The World Series!

Eja Fromm
Sports Editor 

The Dodgers finally took home a World Series Championship for the first time since 1988! 

     This past baseball season, the LA Dodgers took home a World Series Championship after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays. All 6 games were played at Globe Life Field, in Arlington, Texas. This was the first time they only played at one field since 1944 because of the global pandemic. 

     The first game took place October 20th. The Dodgers took the victory that game with an 8-3 win over the Rays. This was a big confidence booster as they attended the 2017 and 2018 world series but didn’t win overall. 

     Their lead in game one was sparked by Cody Bellingers two home runs almost immediately. This was insane because just two days prior Bellinger had popped his shoulder out of its socket.

     In the fifth inning, the Dodgers got six runs against Rays pitcher Tyler Glaslow. 

     The second game occurred on October 21st, and the Rays took victory. The overall score for this one was 6-4.

     Blake Snell hit the first home run off of Dodgers pitcher Brandon Lowe, giving them their first lead for the series. Joey Wendle doubled in two runs during the fourth inning to extend the Rays lead to 3-0. 

     Corey Seager from the Dodgers hit a home run in the eighth inning and set the record for most home runs by a shortstop according to mlb.com.  

     During game three, held on October 23rd, the Dodgers conquered that game with the final score being 6-2. Justin Turner started off the game with the first home run, which resulted in him getting tied with Duke Snider (former LA Dodger) for the most postseason home runs in Dodger history which was 11 according to wikipedia.org.  

     Rays pitcher, Charlie Morton, was removed from the game after four innings because he allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk, which gave LA a big lead. 

     It’s understandable that these players are under a lot of pressure and don’t play to their full potential because of the stress and anxiety the Series brings. It definitely isn’t easy for the players having a huge crowd watching and judging their skills.

     Game four was given to Tampa after they pulled through with a one-point win, making the score 8-7. Justin Turner for LA hit the first home run in the first inning for the second game in a row. 

     This game was the first game to end because of an error for the first time since 1986. The error was Muncy (Dodgers) cutting off a throw from outfield, and his throw to Will Smith bounced off Smith’s glove, allowing Arozarena to dive safely into home base. 

     The Dodgers defeated Tampa in game five with the end result being 4-2. The Dodgers got the early head start in this game leaving Tampa to try to catch up. 

     Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, achieved the record for most postseason strikeouts. This was also Kershaws 6th World Series he has attended. 

     Finally, game six came around and the Los Angeles Dodgers were declared the World Series champions after beating Tampa Rays 3-1. 

     The Rays started off this game with the first solo home run by Randy Arozarena. In the sixth and eighth inning, the Dodgers bounced back by scoring two points from runs. In the eighth inning, Betts hit a home run making the Dodgers the final winners. 

     The MVP of the series was Corey Seager. Shortly after, it was released that Justin Turner tested positive for Covid 19, however, he still attended post championship parties despite his results. He is currently being investigated by the MLB. 

     Overall, it was a long awaited win for the Dodgers as they definitely deserved this victory. 

Stuff Your Face This Thanksgiving

MVHS Staff
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Stuff Your Face This Thanksgiving

Eja Fromm 
Sports Editor

Here are some yummy and easy recipes for the upcoming holiday seasons. 

     Thanksgiving: arguably the holiday with the best tasting food. It’s not always easy to choose what dishes to make, but if you’re looking for a quick and easy dish, then you’re in the right place. 

     A sweet classic dish that will satisfy almost everyone is a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top. You’ll begin with boiling the sweet potatoes in order to make the casserole have a thicker texture instead of a soupy texture. Next, you’ll mash the potatoes and mix them up with some melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a little bit of salt to enhance the sweetness. 

     Lastly, top the casserole with marshmallows and bake it for about 30 minutes in an oven that was set to 375 degrees. It’s for sure done when the marshmallows look golden brown. The whole process should take about an hour. 

     If you’re in a rush and need to bring food to something like a friendsgiving, then cranberry sauce is your best friend. It only takes 15 minutes to make and you only need 4 ingredients (orange juice, cranberries, sugar, and the cinnamon is optional).  

     First, you’ll heat the orange juice and sugar together until the sugars are dissolved and it begins boiling. Next, you’ll stir in the cranberries until it boils again. Then turn the heat from high to low and cook for about 10 minutes until the cranberries have bursted.

     Finally, remove it from the stove and mash it all together while adding a pinch of cinnamon. After all that hard work, you’ve completed making your 15 minute sauce for everyone to enjoy. 

     Another simple option would be cornbread muffins. The ingredients are ¾ cup of cornmeal, 1 and ¼ cup of flour, ⅓ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¾ cup of milk, ¾ cup canned corn, ½ cup of melted butter, 2 eggs, and 2 tablespoons of honey. For all those ingredients, it only takes 30 minutes to make. 

     First preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 12 cup muffin tray with nonstick. Then, combine all the dry ingredients which is the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl and mix to combine. 

     Next, whisk together the wet ingredients and eventually combine them with the dry ingredients and continue mixing. Fill the muffin tray ¾ full and bake for 20 minutes. Let it cool for a bit and then it’s ready to serve plain or with warm butter on top. 

     One final classic recipe is baked macaroni and cheese. This dish consists of 1/2 pound elbow macaroni, 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon powdered mustard, 3 cups milk, 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 large egg, 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh black pepper. 

     Begin with preheating the oven to 350 degrees. In a large boiling pot, boil the pasta. As the pasta is cooking, whisk the flour and butter for about 5 minutes, then stir in the onion, milk, bay leaf, and paprika. Let it simmer for 10 minutes before removing the bay leaf. 

     Next, put the egg in and still in ¾ of the cheese. Season it with salt and pepper, then fold the macaroni into the mix and pour it into the casserole dish. Don’t forget to top it off with the remaining cheese. 

     Finally, top it all off with bread crumbs and bake for 30 mins. This dish is sure to be a hit. 

     All in all, these are only a few delicious recipes for easy dishes among many. Make this Thanksgiving special and treat yourself and others with an enticing homemade dish. 

A Farewell to the Greats

MVHS Staff
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A Farewell to the Greats

Keira Deer
Co Editor-in-Chief

What is loss? The world learns the true meaning of loss with the recent passings of cinematic icon, Sean Connery, and long-time Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek.

     In the worldy climate that we live in at present, it is hard to take such hard hits as we have experienced recently, with the passings of such influential figures in just the past year: Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Eddie van Halen, Regis Philbin, Little Richard — the list extends far longer than we’d ever wish.

     Recently falling upon that list are actor Sean Connery and TV host Alex Trebek. The two have been missed greatly by friends, family, and fans since their passings.

     Sean Connery, legend of the screen in the latter half of the 20th century, died on the eve of November at the age of 90. The actor was on the island of Nassau in the Bahamas when he passed away in his sleep. According to his wife of 45 years, Micheline Roquebrune, the late actor dealt with dementia in his old age.

     Connery was the first actor to portray Agent 007, James Bond, in film, appearing in seven movies in the franchise from 1962 (Dr. No) to 1983 (Never Say Never Again).

     The role of James Bond was succeeded after Connery’s retirement of the character in 1983 by multiple actors, including Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and most recently, Daniel Craig. In a statement on Connery’s death, Craig deemed the original Bond actor to be “one of the true greats of cinema,” full of “wit and charm.”

     Indeed, Connery was known for his performances in the Bond movies as a suave and charismatic secret agent. The impact he has had on the world of cinema is everlasting, as is his famous one-liner and light of the cigarette: “Bond, James Bond.”

     The Scottish actor appeared in a multitude of other films, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Name of the Rose, and The Untouchables, the last of which earned him an Oscar in the category Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988. Among this and many other award nominations and wins, Connery was also presented with the American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award in 2006.

     Iconic TV personality, Alex Trebek, passed away on November 8, after battling stage four pancreatic cancer for over a year and a half. The Canadian born Jeopardy! host was 80 years old, and is survived by his wife of 30 years Jean, and two children, Emily and Matthew.

     Trebek appeared on a number of game shows through the decades, most popularly in the 70s and 80s, during which he sported his famous Chevron mustache and curly hair. In 1984, he took on his most well-respected responsibility of hosting Jeopardy! which he would continue to head for 37 years until his death.

     Confronted with the instability and health risk of the Covid-19 crisis, Trebek succumbed to the public’s curiosity and wrote his first autobiographical book, entitled “The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life.” The memoir revolves around different aspects of life, including marriage, success, and parenting, and was released just before his birthday in July.

     In his more recent interviews, Trebek stated clearly that he wanted the world to see who he genuinely was — a true, kind-hearted man. After releasing his diagnosis to the public in March 2019, he became outspoken with his struggle and fashioned himself as a public advocate for pancreatic cancer research.

     The three greatest champions of Jeopardy! are Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, and James Holzhauer, who gave their kind words and wishes after Trebek’s death. On Twitter, Jennings deemed the late host to be a “lovely and deeply decent man,” with Holzhauer calling him “a legend of American television.” Rutter stated “There will never be another.”

     For generations to come, we will remember both Sean Connery and Alex Trebek as modern luminaries of the screen.

An Overview of Ariana Grande’s Latest Album: “Positions”

MVHS Staff
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Brooklyn Baggett

Entertainment Editor

Released on October 30th, Ari’s sixth studio album has been long awaited by fans and is breaking records in both her career and the music industry.

     Following the success of her last two albums “Sweetener” (2018) and “Thank U, Next” (2019), Grande’s new album stays authentic to her body of music while incorporating more of an R&B feel and incredible vocals, as well as a romantic and contemplative theme.                                                                                 

     Fans are especially thrilled over her hit single “positions” after anxiously waiting for months ever since it was reported in April that Grande was working on new music. While she announced in May during an interview with Zane Lowe on his Apple Music Beats 1 Show that she had recorded a song with Doja Cat, she also stated that she would not release an album during the COVID-19 lockdown.

     Nonetheless, she shared on social media on October 14th that her music would actually come out later that month. Grande then released her hit single “positions” on October 23rd, and the complete “positions” album of fourteen tracks a week later, on October 30th.

     The studio effort made No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making Grande the fastest female artist to collect three number one studio albums in a single decade. The title track “positions” debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her fifth number one single in the U.S. and expanding her record of being the first artist to have five number one debut singles on the chart. 

     Doja Cat, the Weeknd, and Ty Dolla Sign all make guest appearances in this album.

     The opening track, “shut up”, in which Grande tells off people who are too concerned with how she spends her time, is similar to the intros of her other albums. It is one of the catchiest songs on the album and carries an upbeat energy, similar to “just like magic”.

      In the second song, “34+35”, Grande uses more suggestive lyrics, breaking barriers and singing openly about intimacy, an often taboo topic. “nasty” also embraces the same sense of transparency about mature themes. 

     “Motive”, featuring Doja Cat, is a dance-pop song inspired by the struggle of figuring out someone’s intentions with you. This is her first ever collaboration with Doja Cat, which fans of the two were very excited about.

     According to PopBuzz, fans suspect that the ballad “Off the Table” is about the singer’s late boyfriend, Mac Miller, though the artist has not confirmed this. Grande wonders if she will “ever love the same way again”, and the Weeknd sings as someone who is willing to wait for her. Some believe that the Weeknd’s perspective in the track is based on her current boyfriend, Dalton Gomez.

     “positions” and “pov” make references to some of her past work, while simultaneously playing a role in the storyline of both personal and professional growth displayed in the album. The “positions” official music video was released on October 23rd and showcases Grande as the President, topically set in her version of the White House.

     Critics and fans alike say that Ty Dolla Sign fits perfectly into “safety net”, a contemplative slow jam, only complaining that it doesn’t last longer.

     “my hair” is different from other tracks on the album in that it features a part of Grande’s personal style: her hair; many know that she is recognized for her iconic high ponytail. She sings the lyrics that reassure someone that it is okay to touch her hair with extreme vocal range. The last repetition of the chorus is sung entirely in whistle notes.

     Overall, listeners are enchanted by “positions”, charmed by the emotional story line throughout the tracks, Grande’s vocal ability, and authenticity to the artist’s specific sound as well as incorporation of other genres. The release is huge for the music industry, and it is exciting to see what Ariana Grande and other artists will come up with next.

The Movie that is Monstrously Taking Over and Impossibly Hard to Love (Caution Spoilers Ahead)

MVHS Staff
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Madison Burnam

Co Editor-in-Chief

A review and breakdown of the newest apocalyptic adventure movie, Love and Monsters

     “An imaginative post-apocalyptic coming of age film…” according to the New York Times and “A happy go lucky adventure through an apocalyptic danger zone” as dubbed from the Hollywood Reporter.  Love and Monsters is the newest apocalyptic movie to take the silver screen with absolute banging ratings like a 91% (tomatometer) on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7/10 stars coming from IMDb.  

     Love and Monsters is a creative spin on the apocalypse, where mutant insects and amphibians take over the world, which leads us to our hero Dylan O’Brien, playing Joel, who must travel 80 miles with a cast of fun side characters (played by Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt) all to see his girlfriend Aimee (Jessica Henwick).  

     One of the best-selling points of the movie is how original it is— the movie wasn’t based on a comic, book series, or any other type of media, which is frankly missed in today’s box offices that are usually bombarded by live action remakes and movie adaptations. This makes Love and Monsters so refreshing.  

     The main character, Joel, is also a sight for sore eyes to the audience as he is an apocalyptic protagonist that is the complete opposite of a ‘macho man’ as seen in other films like I am Legend and Terminator.  Joel’s character fights this stigma of masculinity with unique traits such as his ‘freezing up’ when confronted by monsters and even crying out of distress, which is a great way to communicate to the audience that it is okay to have emotions and that not every protagonist needs to be a stone cold bad*ss.  

     On the other hand, I felt that Minnow’s infatuation with Joel was forced to be stronger than it needed to be, as it seems she clung onto a total stranger after knowing him for barely a day.  This should have either been explained with more detail or shouldn’t have been blown up to such an attachment.  

     A petty qualm I have about another character in the movie, the best character arguably, is Boy…the dog.  Boy is the most unoriginal and uninspired name for a dog there is, what is this Birdbox?  Peanut would have been a more original name than Boy.  

     The theme of the movie was very uplifting as it promoted unity and friendship, as cheesy as it sounds.  It is one of the first apocalyptic movies that has a strong feeling of people helping others instead of people being the real monsters, a theme which is often seen in apocalyptic media like The Walking Dead.  This movie is exactly what the people needed, especially considering quarantine and how isolated everyone feels.  

     However, the movie did flop on the meaning of their message “Don’t Settle,”  because yes the movie ended with survivors packing shop and heading to a chance of a brighter future but Joel still settled for Aimee, even after she admitted she has changed and wanted to keep things in the past and that she had actually moved on.  The movie could have made a much deeper message that would contribute even more to the meaning of doing better for yourself.  

     The movie is altogether a fun film for the family that is very colourful, jovial, and promotes unity and kindness.  That is a refreshing new look at the apocalyptic genre and a must see.  

Drive-ins: Nostalgia of the past comes back due to the coronavirus

Judd Karn
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Drive-ins: Nostalgia of the past comes back due to the coronavirus

You may have seen them in classic movies such as ‘Back to the Future Part III’ or brand new films like Adam Sandler’s ‘Hubie Halloween’. Drive-in theaters are making a comeback around the country as people realize how well they are suited for social distancing. People are catching on to how well adapted drive-ins are naturally, politicians are using them to advocate their stance, and bands are performing using the same exact method.

So how do drive-ins work? Here’s a quick synopsis; you pay, drive to a spot, and usually a person comes up with a megaphone or something similar to tell you to switch your radio channel to the one that has the appropriate audio. If you are going to see a band then you would buy the tickets online then show the ticket and go to your spot and put in the correct station. Political rallies go through the same process, parking and putting and the station, except they ask for a donation. These drive-in rallies are free otherwise.
There is, however, a big problem with drive-in theatres: the weather. Rain and snow make drive-ins tenfold harder to operate. In Many states, snow poses a particularly difficult problem during the winter, seeing as how all the snow needs to be plowed, and sometimes it is near possible to plow all of the snow and handle the weather. Luckily, Mission Viejo is located in Orange County, where it barely ever rains, and if it ever snows it is an extreme oddity (like in 1949) so we are able to run drive-ins year-round.

Big companies are also teamed up to make drive-in experiences, for example, Walmart has teamed up with Tribeca to have pop up free drive-ins in their parking lots that show movies such as ‘Black Panther’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Space Jam’. This event lasted from August 14 to October 21 but was said to turn out really well in all 160 of its parking lots that they converted. 

Drive-ins have seen a minor decline since theaters started opening up more and more but they are still much more popular than they were last year at the moment, it could be a fad but that is for the future to tell. 

This presented option generally seems to be up in the air after the pandemic is finished as the big thing keeping drive-ins alive is the effectiveness it has at adhering to social distance. Of course nostalgia plays a big factor in it but not big enough to allure normal movie theaters viewers to go to drive-ins for a better experience.

If you want any of these drive-in experiences you would be in luck, if you want drive-in concert tickets vivid seats is a great site to order them. If you are interested in finding a drive-in theater there are a couple around 40 minutes away, these are Van Buren theater, Paramount Drive-in Theatres, Mission Tiki Drive in Theatre and swap meet, and Vineland Drive-in. Political rallies are no longer visiting cities due to the 2020 election campaign ending so this is not applicable for any of them.

I am glad to see that at least some businesses are being helped to stay afloat with this medium of entertainment during these troubling times. It is very enjoyable to see in this world, recently full of heartbreak after heartbreak, this idea that nine months ago seemed to be a thing going the way of the dinosaurs, surviving only from nostalgia, has had another chance.

Girls Making Way in the STEM World

MVHS Staff
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Girls Making Way in the STEM World

Leila Alarcon 
Opinion Editor

Interested in a career involving STEM? Stop by Girls4Stem!

Currently, careers involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, otherwise known as STEM, are dominated by men. While there’s definitely been an improvement in more recent years, the gap is still noticeably wide, but women across the world are working to close it. 

     Sophia Sunkin, the president of the Girls4Stem club, is one of many women working to close the gender gap in the STEM world. She notes, “I noticed the disparity between the number of girls and boys in STEM camps and classes, especially having to do with computer science.  This actually made me initially shy away from furthering my STEM interests as a kid, since I often felt intimidated and out of place. Later on, I found out this disparity isn’t limited to classes and camps but is common in STEM fields as well.”

      The issue struck a chord with Ms. Sunkin as she continued, “Though this has been improving, especially in recent years, I still wanted to play my part in addressing this issue by founding Girls for STEM to encourage girls to pursue their interests in STEM.  Furthermore, I wanted to give all students, regardless of gender, the opportunity to explore and learn about various STEM careers from professionals.” Thus, the Girls4Stem club was created. 

     Every Friday after school a meeting is held where the club members work on planning speaker days and advertisements of those days.  Sophia Sunkin encourages students to stop by at one of their meetings, “If you’re interested in STEM and/or just want to explore different careers, this is the place for you!  You’ll be able to learn firsthand what it’s like to work in STEM fields and make friends with like-minded people.  Even if you don’t think you’d be interested in STEM as of now, it doesn’t hurt to explore!” 

     On days when a speaker is present, members are able to talk with women working in one of the fields of STEM. These presentation days are especially valuable to club members because they can ask questions and further their knowledge of multiple careers that fall under the STEM category. 

     “The purpose of this club is to encourage girls to explore their interests in STEM and to give opportunities for Mission’s students to learn about STEM fields. Our ultimate goal is to create a community of support for everyone interested in STEM,” Sophia Sunkin states. Thankfully, Girls4Stem has been able to function fairly normally as a club even though their meetings are all held online. In fact, online meetings have proven to be more beneficial than harmful to the club. 

     “Rather than holding in-person events, we’re holding all our events over Zoom. This has actually made things more accessible, especially for the speakers,” Sophia Sunkin happily explains, noting that “boys are more than welcome to join the club to learn as well as support our community!” 

     The last meeting was held on Friday 20, 2020, and had six guest speakers from the University of California Irvine. Their next speaker has yet to be confirmed, but to find information about their meetings, past, present, and future, you can check their website for more details: girls4stem.club. 

     You can also join their Remind by texting @girls4stem to 81010 or adding the class on the Remind app. Girls4Stem hopes to see you at their next meeting regardless of your gender. 

Website: https://girls4stem.club/

The Fires That Burned Through Orange County

MVHS Staff
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Breanna Huynh 

Staff Writer

How the Silverado and Blue Ridge Fires affected locals. 

     Late October saw fires sweeping their way across Southern California, particularly the Silverado and Blue Ridge fires that resulted in residents evacuating their homes in Irvine, Lake Forest, and Yorba Linda. 

     The fire in Silverado started around 6:47 a.m. on Monday, October 26th and burned through 12,466 acres. It was reported from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials that nine structures were damaged, five structures destroyed, and thousands of homes were threatened. 

     In Yorba Linda, the Blue Ridge fire began at 2:32 pm and burned 13,694 acres, damaging 10 structures and destroying one. 

     As the fires grew worse throughout the day, 70,000 people in Irvine were mandated to evacuate, either staying at evacuation centers, finding a hotel, or staying at their relative’s house. 

     Ryann Genal, a junior at Mission Viejo High School, recalled the sky having a “dark brown, orange color” with “the clouds covering the sun making it a bright red color” feeling intimidated. On that day, she evacuated at around 3pm. 

     “I was nervous because I had never had to evacuate before, but I adjusted and packed quickly,” says Genal when asked about her initial response. 

     Instead of going to an evacuation center, Genal and her family went to an airbnb in Los Angeles, close to the middle of West Hollywood. Since this was her first time experiencing an evacuation, her family believed it was best to leave the area as soon as possible. 

     During this time, Genal missed a day of Zoom classes because the airbnb she stayed at had terrible wifi. Luckily, after three days, they were able to return home. 

     In addition to Irvine, 6,000 Lake Forest residents were also issued to evacuate. One of them was Lucy Lamadrid, a freshman at Trabuco Hills High School. She left her home in Foothill Ranch at around 5pm and stayed at a friend’s house. 

     Lamadrid says, “I felt really anxious, and I was mainly worried about where I was going to stay. I had a stomach ache for a while because I was just feeling overwhelmed, but fortunately once I found out my friend’s family was letting my family stay at their home, I felt a little more relieved.” 

     When asked if this event has changed her in any way, Lamadrid responded by saying how it “made me more aware of how fortunate I am to have so many things (a house, food, clothing, etc.) that others may not have access to. I truly am blessed and so that everything was safe and in good condition by the time I returned home.” 

     Unfortunately, these haven’t been the first fires to occur this year. For instance, there was the August Complex fire, a massive wildfire that is now California’s largest fire in history. The complex consisted of 38 separate fires throughout Northern California that were ignited by lightning strikes.  

     While lightning strikes can play a role in causing wildfires, there are many ways these fires can start. Weather, climate change, and human interaction are all major factors in why California is having unprecedented wildfires. 

     For the Silverado and Blue Ridge fires, the Southern California Edison Company may have caused it, reporting that, “it appeared a cable lashed to a telecommunications wire came into contact with a power line.” 

     Even though the cause still remains unknown, there are many ways people can prevent wildfires. Some things everyone can do is to not burn anything unusual, extinguish campfires when done, and to not set off fireworks.

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