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(Butter)flying Through The Season

MVHS Staff
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By: Rachel Soo

Photo Credits to Mission Viejo Dispatch

Kicking off the season with MVHS Swim.

    When water is on your skin, you feel colder.

    Scientifically, this is because water is usually always colder than your overall body heat, and so you expend heat to try to warm it up. As a result, you lose body heat more quickly, and you’re colder when your wet than when you’re dry.

    Practically, however, it really just sucks for the MVHS swim team.

    But their resilience is impressive, and judging from the results of the first swim meet, the season looks promising.  

    On Tuesday, February 19th, the team had their first competition against Laguna Hills High. Results were pretty even, but overall, Mission came out on top.

    Starting with the girls team, the Varsity level came away with a big win, crushing Laguna with a score of 111 to 54.

    The Open level didn’t have the same luck, but it was a close race with only 25 points standing between them and victory.

    Although JV didn’t have an opposing team to compete against, they still raced, and they have plenty of time to get faster.

    These swimmers endure intense training – nearly 18 hours a week (and only because more than that is against regulation).  

    The girls are led by Coach Teresa Sorenson, or Coach T, whose passion for the sport exceeds almost anyone’s.

    With morning practices three days a week, and in the water training six days a week, these swimmers certainly have their hands full.

    The boys also competed in a heated battle for first at their first meet. The varsity team lost by only 12 points, a super small gap in terms of swim.

    Open boys didn’t take home a win either, but they still have time to improve their speed and technique.

    They’re led by head coach Andrew Garcia, who is also an oceanography & integrated science teacher at MVHS.

    They work very hard, practicing at least five days a week, with three morning weight sessions, and swim training every day that vary by level.

    The team spirit is also a huge aspect of Mission swim. Even though swimming is generally seen as an individual sport, at Mission, that is far from the case.

    Each race wins points that contribute to the overall score of the meet, so it’s important to swim well in order to help get our teams to number one.

    On meet days, teams host a team breakfast during tutorial, where swimmers can go and eat a healthy, carb-filled meal that helps to boost our energy during the meet later that day.

    But one of the most genuine aspects that demonstrate the unity within the team is the constant encouragement that makes its way around.

    After, and sometimes before, every meet, a stream of encouragement is sent through the girl’s group chat.  

    Sophomore Gaby Macias says “We did a great job guys! We are an amazing team and I’m so glad to call you guys my family” after a particularly hard race.

    It’s a difficult sport, but a fun one. The season has just begun, so look forward to some more great swims from the Mission Viejo swim team!

Lose An Hour Of Sleep, Gain An Hour Of Procrastination

MVHS Staff
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Photo Credits to The Washington Post

By: Farrah Morris

Daylight Savings is almost here. When? Who knows! But at this point, is it really necessary?

    Daylight Savings. It is dreaded in the spring and enjoyed in the fall.

    Practiced mainly in North America and Europe, it is the process of advancing clocks one hour in the summer and adjusting them back to standard time in autumn.

    However, Daylight Savings is unnecessary. Why?

    Firstly, Daylight Savings is not even used in the majority of the world’s countries. Equatorial countries do not use it because their sunrises do not vary enough to justify it. Generally, all of Asia and Africa do not observe or practice it either.

    Although some may have practiced it at some point, they have either abolished it or have permanently shifted their time to Daylight Savings, so it is constantly “summer hours”.

    Currently, the practice of Daylight Savings is mostly only in North America and Europe and a few small regions of South America such as Southern Brazil.

    If some countries want to permanently change it to Daylights Savings, go ahead and do so, having only summer times is fine. The problem is changing it twice a year, especially when most people do not even know when Daylight Savings occurs.

    Not only that, but it also occurs at two in the morning this year. Two. Because that is a perfect time to suddenly shift the time forward or backward depending on the season and throw everyone off course.

    Secondly, the reasoning behind Daylight Savings is ridiculous.

    George Hudson proposed it so that during the summer evening daylight lasts longer while giving up normal sunrises.

    Although this sounds good in theory, continually doing this throughout the year, especially when people are not aware of it, causes complications.

   Oftentimes, Daylight Savings disrupts sleep patterns as people who tend to go to bed earlier now have evening sunlight that keeps them up later than they are used to, and it can be especially detrimental if they have to wake up early due to their jobs.

    It has also been cited that the switch in Daylight Savings during spring can actually cause sleep deprivation in some cases and can disrupt someone’s sleep cycle for weeks.

    Not only that, but Daylight Savings can also disrupt medical devices and even heavy equipment.

    For some machines that are set to do certain tasks at a certain time, the switch to Daylight Savings could end up causing a disaster or adverse effects when the synchronization is lost.

    In 1993, a case in Germany actually notes how the shift in Daylight Savings caused a machine to cool molten steel for an hour less than the required duration, causing molten steel to splatter everywhere.

    Daylight Savings, on paper, does not sound bad. Having more daylight to workout or enjoy daytime activities or just stay out later sounds great, especially in the summer when teenagers have plenty of free time!

    The problem lies in the fact that it complicates many things, with people having to manually change clocks around the house, losing sleep, even people missing events or flights because they forget about the time change.

    Overall, it would be much more beneficial if countries either abolished Daylight Savings entirely or switched the time to permanently be an hour ahead. This would give everyone the peace of mind around spring and fall and not worry about Daylight Savings.

State of Disunion

MVHS Staff
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By: Keemia Beizai

Photo Credits to Wikapedia

After a 35-day government shutdown, President Trump finally delivered his second State of the Union address to a divided Congress.

    With the eyes of millions of Americans on him, President Trump stood in front of Congress on Tuesday, February 5th, to begin his long-awaited State of the Union address. Various attendees and millions of Americans at home watched to see what his unpredictable speech would consist of.

    The division between the audience of the State of the Union became apparent from the moment President Trump entered the room, and continued throughout the 82-minute long speech.

    He was applauded and welcomed by the side of the room filled with Republican Congress members as he walked towards the podium. However, opposition could already be seen on the Democratic side of the room.

    A group of female Democrats stood out by wearing white to bring attention to women’s rights. White was chosen because it was the color of the women’s suffrage movement.

    Democratic New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been getting a lot of attention as the youngest woman to serve in Congress. She wore white and tweeted about it saying, “I wore all-white today to honor the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come. From suffragettes to Shirley Chisholm, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the mothers of the movement.”

    Whether the audience was in support of or against President Trump, members of both political parties were trying to make statements through what they wore, their reactions to certain topics, and guests that they brought with them.

    Differing reactions between the Democrats and Republicans towards topics such as the immigration, health care, abortion laws, and the economy showed the clear divide within Congress.

   While Republicans stood and cheered in response to Trump’s claims that he will build a wall, most Democrats sat in silence to show their disapproval. When Trump made the statement, “All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before,” the Democratic side of the room stood and applauded.

    However, the moment quickly became uncomfortable when Trump responded to their cheers by saying, “You weren’t supposed to do that.”

    He then added, “Don’t sit yet. You’re going to like this… exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than at any time.” With this statement, there was a roar of applause and chants of “U.S.A” from the group of Democratic women dressed in white.

    The difference between the two sides of the room was represented by the two politicians standing behind President Trump, with Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

    Breaking away from tradition, the Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, did not give an introductory speech for President Trump prior to his entrance. The reason for this seemingly disrespectful action may lie in the fact that she was forced to postpone the State of the Union address about a week later than the original date due to the government shutdown.

    Her frustrations were apparent throughout the speech, as she reacted to certain statements by rolling her eyes, pursing her lips, or reading papers to show that she was ignoring what the president was saying. One instance where she stood up and clapped in a seemingly sarcastic manner towards President Trump was recognized by many viewers and has gone viral.

    This passive-aggressive response was prompted by Trump telling Americans to, “reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution and [to] embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.”

    She reacted this way after spending a month dealing with the government shutdown caused by President Trump’s demand for funding for a wall along the Mexican border. During his speech, Trump referred to this government shutdown when saying that he had not given up on his fight for a wall.

    Trump boasted about the improvements in the economy and unemployment rates during this past year. He set goals to continue improvement in these categories, and to improve opportunities for all Americans.

    He also addressed the problems that our country is still facing, such as national security, infrastructure, the high cost of prescription drugs, and illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and childhood cancer. As with any State of the Union address, the president also brought up many controversial topics, including border security, war in Afghanistan, relationships with important countries such as North Korea and Iran, and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

    During multiple instances, President Trump mentioned the importance of bipartisanship within the government during this time. Even Trump, who many blame as the root of the major divide between the two political parties, realizes this issue of disunion.

    As the next presidential election of 2020 approaches, Americans will have to decide whether they want to move towards bipartisanship or to continue increasing the divide between Democrats and Republicans.

Oscar’s Recap

MVHS Staff
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Photo Credits to Oscars

By: Eja Fromm

A lot happened during the 2019 Oscars. Here’s a recap of Hollywood’s biggest night.

    To start off, many celebrities shined on the red carpet February 24th. From Lady Gaga’s poofy gown to Glenn Close’s gown inspired by an oscar, there were many eye-catching outfits.

   To open up the show, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” was performed in honor of the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” which has many nominations this year. The performers were Adam Lambert and Queen.

    The show began with Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Maya Rudolph making jokes about the host-less show. They announced the award for best supporting actress.

    The first oscar to be awarded went to Regina King for her role in “If Beale Street could Talk.” She was predicted to win this Oscar.

    For best documentary it was awarded to National Geographics “Free Solo.” It followed the story of a free solo climber, who conquered El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any ropes or protection.

    Black Panther got its first Oscar for best costume design. Melissa Mccarthy and Brian Tyree Henry awarded it to Ruth Carter while they wore some loud outfits which included stuffed animals all over it.

    Alfonso Caron was awarded an oscar for the category cinematography. The movie was “Roma.”

    Bohemian Rhapsody won for best sound editing. It went to John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone.

    For best foreign film the Oscar went to “Roma.” It was the ninth movie from Mexico to be nominated and the first to win.

    Jennifer Hudson performed her song “I’ll Fight” from the CNN film “RBG.” She did a great job performing the song.

    For film editing the oscar went to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The film is a big hit this night, receiving many Oscars.       

    Daniel Craig and Charlize Theron announced the nominees for best supporting actor. It went to Mahershala Ali for his role in “Green Book.” He was predicted to win this award according to Forbes.

    The Academy Museum of Motion Picture was announced publicly as a sneak peek of it was shown. It is expected to open in Los Angeles as of late 2019.

    For best animation “Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse” won the Oscar. “Incredibles 2” was the predicted winner for this category.

    Mike Myers and Dana Carvey introduced “Bohemian Rhapsody” after playing the iconic clip from “Wayne’s World,” of them listening to the song in their car.

    Next, for best visual effects Paul Rudd joked the special effects are why people believe he can act. Alongside him was Sarah Paulson, as they gave the oscar to the team who worked on visual effects in “First Man.”

    After, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper had a stunning performance of their original song “Shallow” from “A Star is Born.”  

    Spike Lee was beyond excited to receive his Oscar for best adapted screenplay. The movie he was featured for was “Blackkklansman.”

    Chadwick Baldwin and Constance Wu gave the Oscar for best song to Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson for the song “Shallow,” which was in “A Star is Born.”

    The academy, next, honored Hollywood’s elite who have passed this year.

    Barbra Streisand made an appearance to introduce “Blackkklansman.” She got a standing ovation as she honored Spike Lee’s film.

    The next award was for best actor in a lead role. Rami Malek received the award for his role in “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

    He was extremely thankful to Queen and the cast. He expressed his gratitude to play an immigrant and gay man who was part of such a big legacy.  He was predicted to win this Oscar.

    Next, the nominations for best actress in a leading role was shown. The Oscar went to Olivia Colman for her role as the Queen in “The Favourite.” She was the predicted winner and beyond surprised to win this award.   

    Alfonso Cuaron received the Oscar for best director. He directed the film “Roma,” which tells the story of two Spanish women who learned to support each other without their husbands.

    Julia Roberts introduced the movies for best picture. The winner was “Green Book.” The film is about an African American pianist who forms a friendship with Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer. It is set in the deep South during the 60’s.

    Overall, this years Oscars were successful, even without a host. There were many memorable moments from the award show. This year definitely honored those who worked hard in the film industry.  

March Favorites

MVHS Staff
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By: Giselle Hernandez

Photo Credits to Ashbam

Students share their favorite items, products, music, places etc. for the month of March!

    With these interviews from the students at Mission Viejo High School, you are bound to be intrigued by one of these favorites!

    Elias Wright, a senior at MVHS shared a couple of his suggestions for the month, saying, “I’ve been listening to JUICE WRLD often because I can resonate with the lyrics in his music, and it coincides with the weather at the moment”.

    Despite the gloomy weather, he has still been enjoying the rain, and eating candies such as chocolate kisses, which is a must  have while snacking, watching a show and burrowing away for the winter.

    Vanessa Basurto, senior, had a long list of things she has been loving this March! Having a thick and full set of hair can be a hassle at times.

    “Hawaiian leave-in conditioning mist by Alba Botanica and leave in conditioning cream by Palmers Manuka Flower Honey, Has really helped me tame the frizz and it keeps it moisturized”.

    Skincare is also important, especially due to the cold causing dry and cracking skin its essential to keep it moisturized and healthy.

    She says, “Trader Joe’s Rose water Facial Toner and their Nourish Oil-free antioxidant facial moisturizer have done my skin blessings! And For the clothing aspect, I’ve been really liking my navy blue disney sweater, yellow silk headband, and my white high top converse!”

    These are a few of the music favorites Vanessa has been listening to, brandy by looking glass, southern nights by Glen Campbell, Sister Golden Hair by- America, Brown Eyed Women by The Grateful dead, banana pancakes by Jack Johnson, bloo by Zack Villere, and Some by Steve Lacy.

    Jada Gutierrez, senior, says, “I love my new Champion hat, Fanny Packs, and Chipotle is my new fave!”. Despite the rain, she also loves drives to the beach!

    Emerson francisco, junior, when asked about her favorite food chain she replied,  “Philz coffee this month and Acai bowl CO. I forgot how much I loved Acai and the place by our school is fantastic”.

    As for Music, “Music is always fun. I’ve recently started listening to the ramones and they’re perfect, my teddy bear jacket has also saved me this month, the rain is nuts”.

    Nathan Burgess, also a senior, had quite a list to go off of, when it came to his favorite places to be, it was at the beach, Holy Jim, and His house. And his favorite clothing items are hoodies, vans, black jeans, and T-shirts, a comfy combination.

    He also add by saying, “my truck is my favorite item and I’ve been listening to classic rock frequently, “some of the artists I like are, Mr Blue Sky, Detroit Rock City, Can’t stop, and  free bird”.

    Lastly, Heather Marie from the senior class has been enjoying certain products that environmentally friendly, she says, “I purchased a glass and stainless steel straw from Mothers not too long ago, also my reusable bag, because it makes me feel good to know that I can make small changes that can help the earth! Also I love snacking on apples and celery with peanut butter!”.

    Each month has new things in store for you! Catch a suggestion from one of the students at Mission Viejo High and give it a go!

Getting Ready for College Application Decisions: Looking Back at the Stressful Process

MVHS Staff
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Photo Credits to The Hawk

By: Kobe Vergara

As the month of March quickly approaches, students who applied regular decision will be finding out their decisions and reflect back on the whole process of applications.

   Towards the end of high school, students begin to really consider what they want to do in their future. For a good majority of seniors, their next step in life is attending a college in order to further their education.

         During the early months of every new year, high school seniors get ready to either be accepted, or rejected to the colleges they have applied to.

    Before students can figure out what a college has decided, they must endure the process of submitting applications. Seniors who have already completed their applications get to reflect back on the whole process, and give advice to juniors.  

   One of the most important parts of getting ready is to understand that the process itself starts at the end of junior year, when students have time over summer to study for that last-minute SAT or ACT test in August or October, get a head start on writing essays, and pick what colleges they want to apply to.

    Some students have already known since freshman year where they want to go, while others are unsure where they fit in best.

    This makes summer of junior year the best time to figure out where to apply based on interests, costs, and planning everything out.

   Johnny Ku, a senior at Mission Viejo High School states that it is important to, “start as early as possible, getting ready and coordinating everything you have to do so you do not have to feel stressed about application deadlines, such as figuring out that if you do want to go to college, what kind, major, travels, and future occupations work for you.”

    Many seniors agree that it is important that future applicants are aware of deadlines in order to prevent missed submissions and cramming. Most college applications such as the Common Application and UC application open in the summer, which gives plenty of time for students to take a look at the application.

    Even if a student does not complete their application in the summer, it is a good idea to understand how much time is needed to finish it, especially the supplemental essays.

    Bill Le, another senior at MVHS, states that, “the most stressful part was definitely the essays. I lacked ideas for the four essays I had to write for the UC’s. Procrastination was a really big problem since I always felt that I had enough time to do all of the essays. In the end I feel my essays were pretty good.”

    Like Bill stated, essays are a vital part of a college application if they are required. It is important to make them as genuine and as original as possible in order to stand out to the admission officers even if it takes a few days or weeks to write.

    Besides writing the essays, one of the worst feelings is submitting an application with missing or incorrect information. It is important to make sure that each part of the application is correct, especially since it is a tedious process with many parts. Look over every part of the application more than once to prevent any hopeful last minute calls to admissions offices in hopes of fixing an error.

   After submitting applications, the stress isn’t over for many. Senior Matthew Guerra states that, “the most stressful part is actually waiting for the school’s response.” Johnny Ku also stated that, “spending a lot of money not knowing if it is going to amount to anything” is another worry of his.

    While this year’s seniors and years before have had similar worries and stresses, they hope that the junior class of 2020 will understand the seriousness of college applications and  follow this advice to prevent any unnecessary stress and confusion before the waiting game.

Effects of the Tax Cut and How It Affects You

MVHS Staff
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Photo Credits to the Tax Foundation

By: Breanna Huynh

Effects of the tax cut, affecting the economy, businesses, and you.

 On December 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Even though it is now 2019, many businesses and households in America are still affected.

    This act cuts individual’s tax rate, doubles the standard deduction, eliminates personal exemptions and cuts corporate tax rates. Essentially it will double your taxable income, a downside for large families who will have to pay higher taxes.

   Additionally, health insurance companies will lose money with the repeal of the Obamacare tax for those without health care insurance this year. The healthcare cost will rise, and fewer people will want to get preventative care, such as check ups, because of the increased price.

    The Tax Act benefits people with a higher income though, those that make at least $100,000 per year. The Tax Foundation states that, ¨Those who earn more than 95% of the population would receive 2.2 percent increase in after tax income.”

    On the other hand, Tax Policy Center responds, ¨Those in bottom 20 percent would only receive a 0.4 percent increase.”

    Cutting taxes for the middle class has its benefits, with the likelihood that it will create more jobs than cutting taxes of people with higher incomes. For example, people in the middle class would want to spend every dollar they receive, motivating demand, unlike those who already have enough money.

    Businesses are the ones that benefit most from the Tax Act. Unlike our tax cuts, which will expire in 2025, this will become permanent for businesses.      

    Some businesses, such as corporations, are taking advantage of this opportunity, such as corporations. In March 2018, they bought back much of their own stocks, spending a total of $305 billion.

    Not only will this affect people and businesses, but the economy. As well, this will increase government debt to a deficit of one trillion dollars over the span of ten years.

    U.S. income tax will progressively get worse as these tax cuts continue to occur, including the fact that the rates will be lowered for everyone, not excluding high income taxpayers. The one bright side is that this may create at least 339,000 jobs and add a percentage of 1.5 to wages.

    According to the U.S. treasury, they assume that the tax cut will bring in 1.8 trillion dollars of new revenue. It would also increase sovereign debt, limiting economic growth and increasing the debt for future generations.

    Guy Berkebile, the owner of Guy Chemical Company, responds, “I was paying nearly 50 percent of my income, my profits back to the government in the form of taxes and having more money in my pocket has enabled me to invest heavily.”

    Now, there are 29 new jobs there out of the 160 employees. Berkebile expresses his opinion on how the new tax cuts benefits himself and other families, saying it keeps them more financially stable.

    A middle class teacher and mother Tatum Tirado insists asks, “How do I provide for my family or feel confident I am climbing the ladder to live the middle class lifestyle when everything gets more expensive but my salary doesn’t go up.”

    These concerns are what some middle class families feel about the tax cut. These two stories will be a huge factor in considering whether the taxes will be made permanent. As for now, some families and businesses benefit from this, but could eventually harm the economy in future years.

New Netflix Releases

MVHS Staff
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By: Sophia Haque

These new shows and movies will surely satisfy your never-ending want to be entertained.

    As Netflix increasingly becomes more popular, better content is being released. Whether it be an old television series that has recently made its way on to Netflix or a Netflix Original. Netflix has been rapidly putting out hit shows and films recently. For instance, “Stranger Things”, “Bird Box”, and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” are all examples of some of Netflix’s popular successes. As Netflix gradually becomes a part of our everyday lives, it is important to keep updated with new releases. Below is a list of some of Netflix’s newest, highest rated and recommended content.

  • Comedy/Drama – Russian Doll: “Russian Doll” is a TV series revolving around main character Natasha Lyonne, and being trapped in a time loop on her 36th birthday. Similar to the movie “Happy Death Day,” however the show emphasizes her journey towards gaining a better morality. “The story really highlights the importance of companionship, the finale seeming to state that cycles of self-destruction can only be broken with the help of a companion,” says Forbes magazine. This state of supernatural portrayed through the time loop will allow for plenty of theories to surface, really causing your brain to question reality’s deeper meaning.
  • Drama – High Flying Sport: “High Flying Sport” is a film where “A sports agent pitches a controversial business opportunity to a rookie basketball player during a lockout.” It is fast paced, engaging and very real. It emphasizes the business aspect of professional basketball. This film is more like a documentary and most likely won’t appeal to most expecting mainstream media.
  • Reality – Dating Around: “Dating Around” is a reality TV show that encaptures blind dates and online dating, as well as the uncertainty surrounding them. A contestant on the show will go on five random blind dates. After the dates, the contestant will sit down, discuss the pro and cons of each date, and then choose a winner. The winner and the contestant will then go on a second (not blind) date and discover whether or not they want to keep dating.  Junior Jessie Kearn says, “This wouldn’t pick this as my first choice, but it’s a good show to watch while doing homework!”
  • Thriller – You: “You” is a tv series revolving around stalking. The show starts off with a manager of a bookstore and an aspiring artist who meet unexpectedly. What seems to start out as a innocent crush quickly turns into something more “sinister.” The manager quickly becomes obsessed with the aspiring writer and learns everything about her through social media. Going as far as removing “any obstacle –including people.” This show highlights how revealing social media can be. Sophomore Sarah Hobson says, “
  • Action/Adventure – The Umbrella Academy: “The Umbrella Academy” is an action-filled TV show having been that it is very unpredictable and full of excitement. “43 infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before.” A specific several are adopted by billionaire industrialist Sir Reginald Hargreeves who eventually creates the Umbrella Academy where he prepares the kids to protect and save the world. Junior Ethan Haque says, “The Umbrella Academy is a great show, as well as being really well developed and unexpecting.”

    It is always comforting to go home, watch a movie, and wrap up in a warm blanket, whether you are hanging with friends and snacking or just having a relaxing night alone. These new Netflix shows and films will surely satisfy your want to be entertained.

The Ban On Straws

MVHS Staff
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Photo credits to The Pitt News

By: Jennalee Stack

Due to recent concerns on the state of the environment, banning straws has been put into place to encourage people to understand the global plastic pollution problem.

To those who currently reside in California, your days of sipping from a straw are coming to an end. California Governor, Jerry Brown, signed a bill to reduce ocean waste and the use of plastic straws in the state. This law started going into effect in January of 2019. Although California is the first state to pass a bill on the ban of straws, Seattle was the first city to diminish the usage of plastic straws and utensils in July of 2018.

This means that restaurants will not offer plastic straws to their customers, but customers may ask for one if they absolutely believe it is necessary. This applies to full-service dining institutions, but excludes fast-food restaurants.

California is the first state in America to curb the use of plastic straws in restaurants. Several cities in California, such as Malibu, have completely banned the use of plastic straws and plastic utensils in their restaurants.

Restaurants that violate these laws could be fined $25 a day or even $300 annually. There are many straw alternatives that accomodate to those who have a strong fixation on straws. Many restaurants offer paper straws as well as metal, reusable straws. These can be found almost everywhere in stores and online if you want to use these substitutes at home rather than plastic items.

Straws may be seemingly small and harmless, however they build up in the oceans where they become a major threat to important marine life. Millions of marine animals are killed annually due to plastic waste in the ocean. Recently, a dead whale washed up on the shores of Thailand. There were about 80 plastic bags found in its stomach.

On average, Americans use 500 million straws a day. This equates to filling about 125 school buses with straws every day.

Because of their tiny sizes, consumers often forget to recycle straws and even forget they are plastic. When straws are not recycled, they tend to fail to make it through the mechanical recycling sorter due to their small size. They then contaminate recycling loads or get disposed of as garbage.

Essentially, the straw ban is described as a gateway plastic to help environmentalists and scientists report the overall misusage on plastic and its negative effect on the environment.

It is a small step that will hopefully eliminate the complete usage of single-use plastic products.

Speciality Valentines Day Pie

MVHS Staff
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Photo credits to Averie Cooks

By: Ethan Haque

The season of love is upon us! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner this would make a perfect gift for anyone who is wanting to surprise their loved ones with a delicious and heartfelt morsel that takes after the symbol of love a rose.

Valentine’s Day is a celebracion of those we love and what better way to make your loved ones feel like they’re loved than cooking something from the heart.

The traditional flavors associated with late winter and early spring is more of a upbeat taste that can be considered refreshing and light. Not to overwhelm the taste buds, but be a symphony that has simple, robust flavors that work together to form a wonderful taste.

A fun, yet simple recipe is to bake a pie in the shape of a rosebud with a thick powerful caramel that is only needed in soupcon quantities for its powerful taste.

The ingredients to make the this are as follows: 5 granny smith apples, but any apples may be substituted for a slightly altered flavor, 1 lemon, 1⁄2 cup of granulated sugar, 1⁄2 cup of brown sugar or dark brown sugar for a much stronger taste, 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1⁄4 teaspoon allspice, 1⁄4 cup heavy cream, and 1 premade pie dough.

Have a large bowl of water handy to squeeze the lemon to stop the oxidation of the cut apples so they retain the crispness and color. Peel the apples and place in the bowl of water, then working one by one, start cutting the four sides off and discarding the core. Cut each of the apple moons into thin slices this is important to create the rosebud shape later. Continue to do this with all apples and make sure that they are submerged in the lemon solution.

At this point in a separate bowl combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix thoroughly until all dry ingredients are well incorporated together. Then take the sliced apples and place them in a new dry bowl add in the dry ingredients and mix through, making sure to coat all apples evenly. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Now, take the pie dough and place it into the pie tin or even better a cast-iron pan that holds heat quite evenly. Prick with a fork through the bottom of the pie dough and refrigerate until extremely solid. This should take about 25 to 40 minutes.

Move quickly for this step remove the apples and squeeze with hands to remove excess moisture. Place in separate large bowl and save the liquid because that will become the delicious caramel. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

Start taking the thinly cut apple slices and layer them going from the outside and working your way in. Like a spiral almost and once at the center take a slice of apple and fold it into a circle and place in the center to give the entire pie the look of a rosebud. Cover the top of the baking apparatus with foil and cook for 30 minutes and then remove the foil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes resulting in a beautiful looking pie.

In a saucepan using the liquid, saved from earlier, we can bring that to a boil and reduce it by quite a large sum resulting in a thick sauce and that should take no more than 10-15 minutes and then add the heavy whipping cream to get a strong yet delightful topping.

Now pour the caramel over the pie and you’re ready to serve. Best served with extremely cold ice cream and whipped cream to finish off the entire pie.

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