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ASB’s Future Plans

MVHS Staff
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Natalie Freire

ASB starts off the year with new ideas to make this year great.

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Taken by Natalie Freire

   Our ASB board  has many exciting activities planned for us Diablos throughout this school year. The Welcome Dance is just one example of the fun that ASB will bring  and the kind of ideas that get diablos all pumped up for this school year.

    For now, their main focus is the Homecoming Dance. At Mission Viejo High School, the Homecoming Dance is on Saturday, October 6th. When asked Allie Casarietti, Commissioner of girls athletics,  about the planning of the dance Allie said,“We have lots of moving parts right now.”

    ASB is in charge of picking a theme for all of our dances which include Homecoming, Winter Formal, and of course, Prom. If you haven’t heard the theme of our Homecoming dance this year, it’s all around the world. With Homecoming just a few weeks away, ASB has been busy working on the decorations,  the Homecoming pep assembly, and spirit week.

     The Homecoming halftime show, which will be happening the day before the dance, is being practiced often. The upperclassmen are going in the MPR or Little Gym every Tuesday during tutorial to practice the routine that was put together by Reagen Kirby, one of Mission Viejo’s Pep Squad, Varsity Song Captains. While the under class men are going on in every Thursdays.

    This halftime dance will be performed on October 5th during the Homecoming game on Missions field.

    After asking if ASB is doing anything new or  different from last year, Allie replied with, “This year we are introducing something new for Homecoming week and are doing noon time activities.”

    Another activity that is being thought out at the moment is the Mission Armed Forces game and pep assembly. Homecoming week is to be thought of as an exciting week making everyone eager see ASB’s amazing ideas put out into action.

    Besides homecoming, our ASB has been trying to strengthen their class council program. ASB is trying to make that a bigger part of our school government so that they can have the student body’s feedback.

    After asking another one of our freshman members, Riley Cooke, about ASB she said, “ASB is super fun!” Riley also added that ASB is also in charge of planning pep rallies.

    Spirit days and football games are just some other responsibilities of ASB. When you’re at a football game, just think of all the hard work that ASB is putting in to make them so much fun.

    Our future spirit days are known to be exciting and fun. Going all out is important for supporting ASB with what they do.

    The posters that are put on the walls are always a  reminder of what’s going to happen soon. So in the future , if you ever want to be up to date with the upcoming events just look for the posters that are hung around our school campus.

    ASB is so much more than what has been mentioned, so diablos, give a huge thanks for all the hard work that they put into making our school a fun place to be.

 

Skripal Losing His Nerve

MVHS Staff
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Madison Burnam

The Recent Murder That Took Place of an Ex-Russian Double Agent

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http://truepublica.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-08-at-03.57.24.png

       On Sunday the Second of September a horrifying assassination attempt unraveled itself when Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a park bench and taken immediately to the hospital in which it was figured out there was a deadly nerve agent in their system.  

       This all started on what was supposed to be an uneventful day in Britain, where a daughter was to meet her father for a nice lunch.  This was not so when an attempt on both their lives came near successful.

       Sergei Skripal was targeted was for his part as a Russian Intelligence double agent for Britain, which was used a plausible reason for an attempted murder from the Russian government to go after the traitor.  

       This is also evident through the multiple veiled threats that Russia released at the same time of the incident on the public news channel a male anchor stated “Traitors, or those who simply hate their country in their free time. Don’t choose Britain as a place to live.Something is wrong there. Maybe, it’s the climate, but in recent years there have been too many strange incidents with grave outcomes there,”.

       This quote alludes to the previous mysterious deaths of past Russian traitors or double agents that were mysteriously killed in Britain under almost the same type of poisoning agent which is called Novicho.  The very same poison that is affiliated with Russia directly which only strengthens the suspicion directed towards Russia. Alike to a previous target Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 who was a former officer in Russia and not only accused but criticised Putin publicly.  He was also killed by poisoning.

       This is also sadly not the first time that Sergei Skirpal’s life was targeted or in danger.  Only a couple of years before this incident his brother and son had also died due to mysterious causes,to which Russia was suspected but the investigation eventually led nowhere.  

       There has still been some progress throughout this story, as the assassins identified as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov,who fled the scene when the crime had taken place.  They were seen at the airport taking a flight back to Moscow. Which leaves Russia to blame, both the Britain Government and People asked for their arrest but to no avail on the Russian side.  

       During this little incident, over twenty one people had to get treated for poisoning, two of which were innocent bystanders who happened across the vile the nerve agent was being held in.  One of the bystanders was in critical condition, but is slowly recovering and the other was pronounced dead in the hospital.

       This event has truly made not only Britain, but the world as a whole aware of the cruel and malicious actions of Russia which are soon to cause an uproar against this injustice.  Until then a punishment is still yet to come to the assailants.

 

Drax is Calling Hacks

MVHS Staff
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Madison Burnam

The Story Behind Dave Bautista’s outburst on Guardians of the Galaxy 3

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       We all know the lovable, huge, blue warrior from Guardians of the Galaxy, if not for his comedy but for his vital and thrilling role in the franchise.  Drax brang happiness and humor to the movies but not without his own deep and meaningful moments. The Guardians of the Galaxy without Drax is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the bread.  It’s all wrong and missing something crucial and enjoyable. Not only did Drax bring happiness and humor to the movies but deep and meaningful moments that truly touched the audience. We may have to adapt to this strange new thought soon for Dave Bautista has told the world about his impending deadline.  

       The tweets dating back to 2008-2011 when James Gunn the director and genius behind the ever growing Guardians of the Galaxy was discovered to have tweets that contained pedophilia and rape content.  Gunn has stated that they were just “offensive jokes.”

       Marvel’s strict authority has fired James Gunn from directing the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie and is considering abandoning the script he wrote all together.  

       Dave Bautista was quick to join the fray and defend Gunn with his own tweets stating, “Nobody’s defending his tweets, but this was a smear campaign on a good man.”Bautista also went as far as threatening to take himself out of the next Guardians of the Galaxy under the assumption that it will not use Gunn’s script and work.  He also stated, “I will do what I’m legally obligated to do but @Guardians without @JamesGunn is not what I signed up for. GOTG w/o @JamesGunn just isn’t GOTG. It’s also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis . That’s just how I feel.”

       Dave Bautista also discussed leaving the movie and contract if possible, due to the current strenuous circumstances.  He states “Where I’m at right now is that if [Marvel] don’t use that script, then I’m going to ask them to release me from my contract, cut me out or recast me.”

       Some fans are not only worrying about the impending loss of Drax in the future films but also the rest of the gang.  This happened to have also crossed Bautista’s mind to which he responded with a tweet of his own saying “I spoke to Chris Pratt the day after it happened and he’s a bit religious so he wanted time to pray and figure it out, but I was more like: f*ck this.”  

       As Dave Bautista continues to support and help James Gunn through this situation with continued statements like “I’d be doing James a disservice if I didn’t,” as well as, “ This is bullsh*t. James is one of the kindest, most decent people I’ve met.”It is now entirely likely that there will now be an absence in the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie which could only ever be filled by Drax in the hearts of the fans and other movie watchers.

 

Vaping: an Epidemic

MVHS Staff
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Jacob Schwarz

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Source: Reddit

Can I get a pod, bro?

    E-cigarettes, seemingly harmless and safe, were originally created as a tool for addicted smokers to use in order to put their harmful cigarette-using past behind them. However, the creation of these E-cigs(a.k.a vapes) has created unintended implications, especially in the teen age-range.

    E-cigs currently represent one of the largest global industries and they are projected to be worth 43 billion dollars by 2023(according to PR Newswire). Although, the industry hasn’t necessarily grown because of the recovering adults that this product was created for.

    The industry has instead grown due to the youth(teen and young adult) usage of this product. The adolescent population has most likely become hooked on these vapes because a friend or family member uses them, the availability of the fruity flavors is appealing, and the belief and advertisement that this is a much safer product than other forms of tobacco(ex: cigarettes).

    However, you may ask where and how the underage minors have gotten ahold of these addictive vapes. Well, it is much easier to do than one may think. These minors can purchase these reasonably inexpensive vapes by getting an older friend or family member to purchase it for them or they can easily buy it off another friend who already has one. Additionally, when you take into consideration that about 20% of all high schoolers have vaped(per PsychiatricNews.com), it is clear to see that it is not difficult to get ahold of one of these popular devices.

     The most popular E-cigs are JUULS. JUULS are by far the most popular vapes and these USB compatible devices can easily be charged, restocked with new pods, and used frequently. Although the restocking of pods can eventually make this product a very expensive investment, the addiction and vaping takeover have influenced the continual buying of these vape products.

    The vaping and JUULing epidemic has furthermore created national slang. The references “Why are there toilets in the JUUL room?” and “No length is too far to get a rip of the JUUL” are repeated daily on a nationwide scale. The phrase “Why are there toilets in the JUUL room?” is calling attention to the fact that most high school bathrooms are no longer used for going to the bathroom but have rather become “vape havens” for the fiends so addicted to the nic buzz that they feel the constant urge to use the bathrooms to vape.

    High school bathroom problems have officially shifted from immature boys seeing how far back they could stand without missing the miniscule 12 by 16 inch urinals(which is actually an extraordinary feat) to the new use of bathrooms as a “vape asylum.”

    In response to this “vaping epidemic” among mostly high school and college-aged kids, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(the FDA) has stated that they are “going to be taking some enforcement actions very soon to target companies that (they) think are marketing products in ways that they’re deliberately appealing to kids.”

    Although smart for the FDA to help out, how much can they really do in a society of vape hungry teens? To all you underage vape fiends out there, even though the FDA may be trying to crack down on you, don’t worry because the vapes most likely will be going nowhere soon- the FDA cannot do that much to stop the underage vaping.

    Even though it may look like these vapes are detrimental and ruinous to the kid users from an adult perspective, these vapes seem a perfect alternative to almost all teens. They so far have been proven safer, they are fun to use and cool tricks can be performed if you’re an experienced vapor(examples of some fun tricks:  https://vapingdaily.com/what-is-vaping/vape-tricks/ ), and they are a good alternative to worse and more dangerous drugs. In fact, opium and drinking usage by teens has been at all time lows in recent years- and almost definitely because of the rise in E-cigs.

    As long as these vapes are kept off campus so that you don’t walk into a “phat cloud” every time you enter a high school bathroom, they seem to be a perfect and fun device(when used in moderation).

 

Mission Viejo’s Funky Fresh Back to School Dance

MVHS Staff
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Sophia Haque

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From left to right: Skyla Davis and her friends Shelby Mills, Grace LaMarre, and Bella Maldonado at Mission’s 2018 Back to School Dance.

Students hopped back into the new school year at Mission’s 2018 Back to School Dance.

     Mission’s 2018 back to school dance was on Saturday, September 8th. Students were expected to wear their class colors; Freshman: black, Sophomores: white, Juniors: yellow, and Seniors: red.

    Tickets cost a whopping $20 and came with a class shirt. The night was very casual and fun-filled. Most students do not ask someone to be their date at the back to school dance.

    After interviewing multiple students about music, it was clear they believed that the DJ from the dance needed improvement.

    Senior Romina Dagher says, “I wish they would have played more dance music,” because of the lack of bops necessary for a good time. She believes that ‘Yeah!” by Usher, “Fireball” by Pitbull, and “Yeah3x” by Chris Brown are some popular classics.

   Possibly “DJ Griff” recommended Gabriel Malik.

    Although, Sarell Ming, MVHS’s art commissioner, said the music was “great” and found it “awesome how hard ASB worked to make this event super fun!” Sarelle also added that by the time they got there, the food had run out, so there was only water.

    Anna Parks also suggested that there should be “more things to do if you didn’t want to dance.” Booths and food could give off fun carnival vibes and provide as an alternative to dancing. These booths could also raise money for programs at our school.

    Janae Sperling believed that “freshman seemed overwhelmed while us seniors had fun.” On the other hand, freshman Skyla Davis said, “The dance was very entertaining! I loved how it was 3 hours instead of 2 like middle school.”

    Sophomore Abbie Gardner describes the night as “fun, loud, sweaty, and memorable.”

    After interviewing Tanner Spree, a senior who was injured at the dance, I was given the complete opposite answers. “Not many people went, the music was not good,” and “I did a backflip, and someone hit me mid-flip, and I landed on my face,” says Tanner.

     Possibly why there is a “no moshing” rule at our school dances now.

    Mr. Zides decided to add the saying, “Keep it classy, never trashy!”, to our school days because of the many supposedly dressed code girls.

     Tanner ultimately does not recommend doing “backflips in the middle of a mosh pit cause you never know if you’ll get hit.”

   These school dances are amazing to attend because there is a good energy and you can hang out with friends and make long-lasting memories.

 

All Aboard: Paul McCartney releases Egypt Station

MVHS Staff
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All Aboard: Paul McCartney releases Egypt Station

Keira Deer

Egypt Station” album cover, via Paul McCartney’s Instagram page

Paul McCartney releases his first new album in five years, already making it to the Top 200 Billboard Charts.

    Listening to the first track of Paul McCartney’s newest album, Egypt Station, my mind was brought to Las Vegas, watching Cirque Du Soleil’s LOVE – a show entirely based around the music and story of the Beatles in America. I was eleven years old then, craning my neck to see every second and every movement on the stage that I possibly could.

    Fast forward about four years, I found myself hearing the sounds of the bustling train station and the voices of the choir that fill the empty spaces on the opening track, “Opening Station,” that made me feel like I was back in the theater, hearing the Beatles’ “Gnik Nus” for the first time. I had been a hardcore Beatles fan back then; now, even moreso.

    Egypt Station, released on September 7, 2018, is an accumulation of 16 songs, featuring “Come On To Me” and “Happy With You.” Not only is this McCartney’s first album in five years, but also his 18th solo album with Capitol Records.

    Along with the album itself, McCartney produced a short YouTube series called Words Between the Tracks, in which he gave fans an insight into what each song was written about. “Egypt Station starts off at the station on the first song,” McCartney says, explaining the sequence and concept of the album, “then each song is a different station.”

    After leaving the station, listeners are shown a wide variety of different songs – some acoustic, some rock, and some with an ever-present pop influence.

    “People Want Peace” takes a look back into McCartney’s time with the Beatles, exploring the theme of world peace, freedom, and the power of the people. Former Beatles, George Harrison and John Lennon, were both outspoken in similar world issues (Harrison with “Give Me Love: Peace on Earth” and Lennon with songs like “Give Peace a Chance” and “Power to the People”), as well as Ringo Starr with his latest album Give More Love (2017) and his personal mantra “Peace and Love.”

     From station to station, McCartney brings the audience to different times in our lives as well as different places in the world with songs like “Caesar Rock” (a seemingly Spanish inspired song) and “Back in Brazil” (a jazzy, Steely Dan like song).

    McCartney even implemented a pause in “Back in Brazil” for voices to shout “Ichiban!” meaning “number 1” in Japanese. Listeners took this quite literally – Egypt Station is McCartney’s first album to make the Billboard Top 200 in 36 years.

    McCartney closes the album with “Station II,” a return to the first track, that leads into the introductory guitar riff of the final song – a 6 minute, 23 second three parter – “Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link.” This last track is absolutely Beatles era McCartney.

    In “Hunt You Down,” the steady cowbell backbeat and trumpets make for a perfect Beatles song, even bringing to mind McCartney’s solo song “Junior’s Farm.” This first third of the song comes to a close and leads into the second piano based part called “Naked,” and then on into “C-Link” – a guitar solo reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s guitar intros and slow beats, like “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”

    Although 76 years old, McCartney has continued on as a relevant and legendary musician of the past, present, and future. With a lifetime of experience, he connects with people young and old, teaching us all a valuable lesson: to live life confidently, together, hand in hand.

 

My My, Just How Much I Missed You!

MVHS Staff
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My My, Just How Much I Missed You!

Nicole Burns

Credit: Tyneside Cinema

Mamma Mia is back a decade later with the same charm as the first, but twice the fun! *SPOILERS AHEAD*

     Ah, yes, everyone knows it. Everyone hears it getting closer in the night, peeking in the corner of everyone’s eyes: the dreaded sequel. Now, rarely have there been remakes, reboots, and sequels that have been on par with or daresay, better than the original film, but Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again might be the exception.

    Now, no one thought the 2008 classic, jukebox-musical, Mamma Mia would be getting a sequel. Especially not a decade later and yet, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again hit theaters on July 20th, 2018, only ten years and two days after the first movie.

   The trailer made some wary as it contained Cher and… no Meryl Streep! Well, the trailer included the iconic Donna Sheridan in the form of flashbacks and being referenced in the third person. Everyone’s worst fears came true: Donna Sheridan was dead.

   The movie, unfortunately, was lazy in this aspect and never truly explained her death, only the fact that she had been dead for a year. However, the characters are seen grieving in ways very akin to their personalities.

    Even without Donna in the form of Meryl Streep, she is still present in the form of her younger self (played by Lily James).

    The film captures the younger Donna’s adventures traveling the world and meeting the three potential fathers of Sophie. Now, in the first film, it is never shown who Sophie’s real father is and much to the audience’s dismay… neither does the sequel.

    Yup, that’s right. Ten years and two films later, the identity of Sophie Sheridan’s father is still unknown. Despite that, the sequel is still an amazing film.

    Here We Go Again carries the same charm from the first film, bringing back classics like Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, The Name of the Game and more, while it also throws in some new Abba songs like Waterloo, When I Kissed The Teacher, Why Did it Have to be Me?, and more.

    Lily James expertly captured the same wild, and reckless energy of Donna Sheridan and made for an excellent performance. She brought a vibe to the film that was simultaneously new and fresh while still familiar.

     Of course, the matured Sophie Sheridan still had the same recklessness and passion about things, especially when it came to remodeling the falling-apart hotel from the first film in her mother’s name.

    It is also discovered that her boyfriend, Sky, is off in New York learning how to manage hotels and the two face problems, leading to a tear-jerking duet of Knowing Me, Knowing You.

    However, like any film filled with bright colorful sets and Abba songs, there is a happy ending. The hotel’s grand opening goes smoothly, Sky surprises Sophie (a scene serenaded by the classic Dancing Queen), and surprise! Sophie’s pregnant!

    The film comes to a close with a heartfelt epilogue in the form of a duet between Sophie and the image of her mother at her son’s christening. It’s pretty certain everybody in the theater was sobbing by then.

    Overall, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is a heartwarming, tear-jerking, feel-good film that is just as iconic as the first film.

 

The Most Fire Student Section in the OC

MVHS Staff
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Sydney Wilks

 Formerly known as BSA, MVHS Inferno is an organization run by mostly seniors who are trying to boost school spirit at MVHS.

    Their main goal is to give our student section a second coming of sorts, and promote the love we all have for our school. Along with that, they’ve been continuously encouraging the idea that they’ll be the voice of the student body outside of ASB, if nobody else will.

    Much of the student body only knows Inferno from their undefined, unclear message of change from the year previous, but there’s much more to this movement than meets the eye.

   Diego Monico was a junior when this all started and was an avid supporter of his senior friends initiating the transformation. Now a senior himself, he’s become the one who’s spearheading this movement, altering the previous and not-so lovely opinions on what Inferno stands for.

    To put it simply, Inferno wants to promote a positive change in the student body, enhance fellow classmates’ experience at football games and school events and help students know that it’s acceptable to share your concerns out loud.

     MVHS has always been known for our exceptional football team, and that may be the school’s downfall because the majority of students think “Our football team is the best, so what’s the point of having spirit?”. This mindset is exactly what Inferno wants to change.

    Inferno wants MVHS to be widely known as not only having the best football team in OC, but the “hypest” student section as well. Their goal is to be exactly as lively as Carlsbad High School’s student section, or something as similar as possible to that.

     They (the organization) have had several meetings with ASB over the summer discussing ideas and laying out all their concerns on the table. They agreed on allowing Inferno members to lead the fight songs and cheers within the student section.

     However, this did not go all to plan. During the Santa Margarita home game, the Inferno kids were cussed at, had water bottles thrown at them and threatened to be kicked out by security. They were painted as the villian for wanting to lead some simple student cheers and have a good time.

     Inferno members felt defeated and upset, having been promised they were allowed to do their best to bring a little bit of life to the student section. Many of them felt unsafe and like outcasts in their own school.

     Since then, they’ve requested meetings with administration and Mrs. Ryan, along with a lengthy email sent as well. While a response was being waited on, Inferno promoted the student body to wear all black to the Upland High School game.

     Inferno wanted to support the team’s new full black jerseys and helmets. In tandem with that, they refused to lead the school cheers, contributing to songs only be led by the cheerleaders.

    The conflicting information confused students and the majority wore white, only leaving about ten to twenty people actually in all black.

     However, this small setback won’t stop Inferno, as they have the bigger picture in mind. One football game that could be considered a bust doesn’t mean anything to them in the scheme of things.

     Whether you agree with MVHS Inferno’s actions and what they stand for or not, it’s safe to say this organization is so much more than purple-wearing upperclassmen trying to spark drama for what seemed like no reason.

 

The Rise of Avocado Prices

MVHS Staff
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Breanna Huynh

How avocados are steadily increasing, both in cost and the world.

    With the trending rise of avocados, it should come to no surprise that the price of avocados has been steadily increasing. In one week, the price of an avocado went from $1.01 to $1.14 in California.

    Ironically, on the same week, the average price of buying organic avocados decreased by one cent. That saying, the price of avocados are not as expensive as they were in 2017.

    Ranging from around $1.25 per one avocado in the summer of last year, the price did decrease but is still at a price where it could increase as time goes on. The vice president of sales and marketing at Mission Produce, Brent L. Scattini, says, “Now that we have transitioned into the Mexican flor loca crop, the California crop winding down at a rapid pace…it is likely that we will see high prices for at least the next 9 to 12 weeks, and maybe longer.”

    Climate changes, seasons, the trade, and the rise of supply and demand are all factors affecting the cost of avocados in California. The flora loca is part of the bloom where avocados grow in Mexico and is where California usually gets its avocados.

    The bloom is hard to predict but the harvest is usually in August which is why avocados are usually in season for the summer and late fall. California mainly gets its produce from Mexico and its farms, so trade markets are a major influence.

    With more demand for avocados and less supply of it, or supply and demand, this concept is why it might be hard for avocados to ship in the United States. Interferences in the negotiations between two countries can limit how much avocados are being shipped to the United States.

    Not only that, but weather is another huge influencer in whether or not avocados will be expensive this year. Due to California’s droughts and heavy fires, there’s a likely chance that avocado prices will go up because of the decreasing surplus.  

    So far, the average consumption of avocados per week in the U.S. is around 47.63 million pounds. With that many people consuming avocados, the climate changes and weather could drastically reduce the supply of avocados.

    With the increase in prices, avocados have been trending throughout the world. New Zealand is currently having an avocado shortage which is the reason for the rise in avocado related crime sprees.

    In one case, two robbers stole $4,300 worth of avocados from an orchard. In another case, it was reported that 70% of a farmer’s avocados were stolen, ultimately causing him to $66k worth of produce. Besides the shortage of avocados, the average cost per avocado in New Zealand is $3.30.

    California’s average price is exceptionally lower, but with the trend of avocados, nobody knows if the price may go up.

    Avocado burger buns, toasts, fries, popsicles, and seeds are all of the different food trends that have been going around California since 2017. Luckily, there should be greater volumes of avocados coming into California this year with Mexico, Peru and Californian farms producing large crops.

    The executive director of the Hass Avocado Board predicts, “There will definitely be more fruit than last year” and that the total volume will reach up to 2.4 billion pounds.” With the increase of avocados coming into California, if you haven’t tried any of the avocado trends, then you’re in luck.

Burn, Nike, Burn!

MVHS Staff
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Lydia Curry

It’s the first amendment to the Constitution, but the moment it goes against conservative beliefs, it’s disrespectful.

Colin Kaepernick was one of the National Football League’s best quarterbacks and was loved by fans and sports enthusiasts alike for his amazing talent. His story goes to show just how much race divides our country whether we admit it or not.

In September of 2018, Nike announced that Kaepernick would be the face of its 30th anniversary of the“Just Do It”campaign, with the words “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything”, which brings attention back to the issues of why Kaepernick kneeled in the first place.

The former 49ers quarterback’s choice to kneel was not to disrespect our troops, but to bring light towards the systematic oppression and police brutality evident in our country.

The way the NFL handled Kaepernick was not okay nor was the way the President attacked him for his peaceful protest. Now, things have seemed to spiral more out of control and more away from the point that Kaepernick risked his career for.

People who believed that what Kaepernick did during the anthem was wrong began to burn their Nike shoes and cut holes in their socks where the Nike swoosh is.

All of this burning and smoke in the air is reminiscent of another group that enjoys burning things to prove a point.

More recently, conservative and somewhat backward views have been taken from the home to the workplace. The Texas Farm Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, two major agencies, have banned their employees from wearing Nike.

None of their employees actually wore Nike on the job, but this was done to supposedly keep their views in line with all of the other conservatives. As if they believed that now standing up to oppression was a personal belief and should be expressed at home.

What right do these departments have to tell their employees that they can’t wear a brand because it has different views than theirs? It only seems to prove Kaepernick’s point of why he knelt.

It goes to show that an oppressed/black person can trust that Nike is looking out for them and sees what’s happening in this country, but an actual department of the federal government does not agree that we should bring attention to the fact that people are shot down in the streets everyday.

It gives the belief that freedom of speech is not a right that black people and people against this horror are granted, but it’s only one to those who have views in line with the government.

It’s been proven time and time again that any publicity is good publicity, and Nike’s sales have actually increased since the campaign (contrary to what the President may want you to believe). Whether it’s from people wanting to buy to burn, or buy to support the protest.

Truthfully, there is absolutely no harm being done (except to people experiencing police brutality and oppression) to kneeling during a song.

Never did Kaepernick say that he hates America, but that instead he wants to better the country for everybody. At the end of the day that’s what everybody wants, right? To make the world a better place?

Ignorance, something that the United States thrives on, is what seems to make these “protestors” to the protestors forget about why he did what he did.

Some will come out and ask: Why did he have to choose the National Anthem, something America bonds over? Honestly, no one thought much of the anthem before this. More importantly, how can someone love a country that constantly shows that it will do nothing to protect them?

 

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