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With a collection of 11 novels, children’s books, and essays, Toni Morrison is a well- known name within the field of African American literature. Along with her many renowned novels, she is the first African American writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Through her writing, she has inspired many and has built a way for African Americans to explore their experiences and background through literature.  

Morrison was born on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. Although she lived in a semi-integrated area, racial discrimination was a constant presence in her life. She later became a dedicated reader and turned her attention toward her studies. She attended Howard University, majored in English, and went on to get her Masters of Arts from Cornell University. She later came back to Howard University and taught as a professor. 

Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye (1970), features a Black girl who is victimized by white standards of beauty and longs to have blue eyes in the 1940s. This novel highlights the most important aspects of society during that time period, including social inequalities such as racism, discrimination, and sexism. The Bluest Eye was inspired by a conversation that Morrison had in elementary school with a little girl who longed for blue eyes. It was the first of many novels that would expose the civil rights issues present within society. Three years later, Morrison published her second novel called Sula, which was nominated for the National Book Award. By her third novel in 1977, Morrison became a luminary name within the field of literature. With the success of her novels, she quit teaching and became a full-time writer. In the year 1987, she published her most famous novel, Beloved which is based on the true story of an African-American enslaved woman who kills her young daughter to spare her from the life of slavery. This book was one of Morrison’s best sellers and won many awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. 

To honor her memory, Princeton University is hosting an exhibition called Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory in February, 2023. In addition to a rich collection of works, Morrison left behind over 400 boxes of unpublished material that will be presented at the exhibition. Including manuscript drafts, speeches, writing plans, and correspondence, the exhibition promises to offer a new understanding of Morrison’s perspective when it comes to literature. 

Morrison, who once said, “The function of freedom is to free someone else,” has freed the minds of many young writers through her own writing which breaks the boundaries of societal standards. Morrison has never failed to amaze her audience by bringing awareness to issues such as racial injustice and unjust beauty standards. Her writing explores the importance of embodying one’s race and culture. She truly illustrates that one’s ethnicity and status within society do not serve as a limitation but as a way for people to be unique and offer their perspectives. Unfortunately, Morrison passed away in August 2019, however, she left some literary gems that are an endless source of inspiration and continue to offer insight into the racial hierarchies that were once too common in this country. 

Through her writing, Morrison became a voice for the unheard. She shed light on the many injustices and hardships that were faced by the American American community and diversified the field of literature. She demonstrated that one’s background does not inhibit their success but serves as a driving force; that one’s identity is not defined by the labels forced upon them by society. She will always be remembered for using her voice to inspire others to break societal norms and follow their dreams. 

When we think of the holidays, we think of over-the-top light displays, carefully wrapped gifts, and escapes to snowy “winter wonderlands.” However, there is a dark side to these cheerful holiday traditions as our global climate continues to change. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve see a 25% increase in waste products due to our favorite traditions. Between increased food waste, over 2 million pounds in wrapping paper, and thousands of feet in ribbons, the season’s generosity comes at a cost. Not only is waste a concern, but the changing weather patterns of our global climate make winter weather around the country unpredictable, disappointing, and sometimes even dangerous. While you shouldn’t let these changes undermine the joy of your holidays, it is becoming increasingly important to adopt more sustainable traditions that will allow us to continue seeing snow on the ground and presents under the tree.

The unfortunate reality lying behind the shiny wrapping papers is an unsustainable and non-recyclable accumulation of trash during the holidays. Don’t worry just yet, though; if you’ve picked out the perfect present for mom and don’t want to end up throwing away all the wrapping paper, there are many alternatives. Recyclable and reusable options include newspapers, cloth, and fabric wrap like those used traditionally in Japan are a fantastic way to make your gift a little more special and a little more sustainable. On top of this, don’t be afraid to reuse gift bags, ribbons, wrappers, and other crafty materials when the holidays roll around. If everyone consciously decided to be a little more thoughtful about their gift wrapping, the world could see a lot less wrapping paper end up in the landfill.

While one associates the season with a snowy winter wonderland, that experience may look different in the coming decades as our climate shifts and unpredictable weather patterns change what we can expect. Not only can this mean a decrease in snowy winters, but it can also mean an increase. This might seem counterintuitive to the idea of global warming, however, it is essential to make the distinction between long-term climate change and short-term weather patterns when recognizing changes. In the last decade, for example, the US has seen polar vortexes, “snowmaggedons,” and winter freezes. These events are not limited to the typically cold areas and have occurred in places as far south as Texas. There are two factors that scientists at NOAA and other weather organizations around the country believe may contribute to these massive snowstorms. The first is climate change’s effect on the jet stream, a large air current that moves storms and weather throughout the country that has recently dipped much farther south (think Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas), thus bringing more snow and freezing temperatures to these states. The other factor would be the opposite: a lack of weather pattern movement, were areas still cold enough for snow receive extremely severe and dangerous blizzards because the snowstorms remain stationary for too long. 

In the end, there are a multitude of environmentally unfriendly aspects to the holidays. As our Earth continues to change, we will continue to see differences in the seasons we are accustomed to. Regardless of this, there is a glimmer of hope as NOAA’s recent 2020 data set has shown that North Carolina is more likely to have a white Christmas than in past decades. No matter what happens, we must become conscious of these changes not only during the holidays but all the time. As we look forward to the new year, consider making a resolution to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable but most importantly, enjoy the holidays and whatever weather gets thrown our way!

Charlotte is breaking barriers when it comes to sustainability with the Innovation Barn! Located at 932 Seigle Ave, the Innovation Barn is a former horse barn transformed into a functional building adorned with art made from repurposed trash. Inside, there are shelves filled with plants alongside a giant fish tank, a closed room filled with black soldier flies, and vertical herb gardens. The Innovation Barn is a Charlotte government initiative for a circular economy. This model utilizes reuse, local consumption/production, and recycling to keep materials and products in circulation for as long as possible, thereby minimizing excessive manufacturing and the waste associated with it. The ultimate goal of a circular economy is to not use new materials; instead, preexisting materials are constantly recycled, terminating the need for the production of new items and creating a zero-waste city. 

So what is the Innovation Barn, and how does it strive to implement this model in Charlotte? Envision Charlotte, which is the non-profit organization that established the Innovation Barn, says on its website that the Innovation Barn is “a combination of entrepreneurial businesses, zero-waste initiatives, and a space to convene groups in order to learn more about and implement circular projects.” They currently have many of these projects running. 

For one, they have an aquaponics lab. Aquaponics is a great example of circular production; it involves raising fish in a closed environment—using flies as food and producing nutrient-rich water—and the growing of plants. The nutrient-rich water is used to water the plants, causing faster germination. Further, the food grown from this aquaponics lab is then used in their kitchen—where they hold lessons on meal planning and how to cook sustainably—and their cafe—which is zero waste and uses locally sourced ingredients. 

The flies used to feed the fish are part of another project at the barn— an experiment that uses black soldier flies to compost. This experiment intends to repurpose local food waste and uses any remaining food scraps from their kitchen in the process. The Innovation Barn raises the fly larvae, which break down the compost. These flies are also used to feed the fish, providing them with nutrients and continuing the process of a circular economy. The carbon dioxide generated by the flies is also used by the plants to stimulate growth. 

The Innovation Barn also recycles many types of plastic that are not accepted by Charlotte recycling. They accept plastic donations in bins outside of their building. The plastics are grinded down and upcycled, contributing to local recycling efforts and efficiency. 

Beyond these exciting projects, the Innovation Barn is home to several local sustainability businesses. One such business is called Urban Lumber, which uses trees from the Charlotte biodiversity to create furniture. Their slogan is “reducing waste by repurposing local Carolina trees to their upcycled prime,” and they have diverted 7,785,000 pounds of wood from landfills according to their website. They have a showroom at the Innovation Barn, where they can promote their products to local environmentalists and consumers. 

Another goal of the Innovation Barn is to serve as an educational center. Tours are easily accessible and are offered twice a week (Tuesdays at 1:30 P.M. and Fridays at 10:30 A.M.). They also offer group tours to schools and corporate groups. Every Saturday from 1-4 P.M., they host a special event: the Market at the Innovation Barn, which partners with the Uptown Farmers Market to bring fresh, local produce to Charlotte environmentalists. The goal is to “allow vendors at Uptown Market more time to sell their products should they have excess”, according to their website, the ultimate aim being to reduce food wastage. 

Between the projects and businesses available, the Innovation Barn is a must-see for all sustainability lovers in Charlotte, and a commendable first step towards a zero-waste city!

As people shift their shopping and other habits online, AccessiBe was a technology company created to make websites more accessible, specifically for the visually impaired. However, according to NBC News, people with blindness have said the product is actually making it harder for them to navigate the web. Recently, people with blindness and disability advocates have voiced their opinions on social media and sued companies that use AccessiBe. They explain that the application that is supposed to make websites more compatible with screen readers has prevented them from undergoing many online activities such as paying rent, buying clothes, etc. According to Lucy Greco, a blind individual and the head of Web Accessibility at the University of California Berkeley, AccessiBe is the largest automated accessibility company on the market. The problem has grown in severity. In the past two months, 400 signatures from people, visually impaired, were on an open letter calling out companies that use automated services, like AccessiBe, and urging other companies with similar products to stop,” says NBC News.

AccessiBe markets itself on its website as an application that prices $49 a month to help companies protect themselves from not complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act, which guarantees equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, government services, etc., by adding a single line of code to the backends of websites. They pride themselves on the fact that over 132,000 websites use its product, some of the more well-known ones being Pillsbury, Benadryl, Playmobil, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

While the company celebrates its growth and funding, many individuals with blindness and disability advocates have voiced that they are experiencing problems when utilizing websites that have installed AccessiBe, saying that when they visit, it can prevent screen readers from reading the pages correctly and has rendered some unnavigable. After Steve Clower’s, a blind software developer specializing in accessibility, apartment’s rent payment website adopted AccessiBe, he said the compatibility with his screen reader was so thrown off that he had to get his friend to help him with the rent for that month. The experience was so frustrating that he published a guide to block AccessiBe that he named “AccessiBe Gone.”

Rebutting, Shir Ekerling, the CEO of the company, in an email, wrote, “Almost no one gives any specifics to actual websites that really don’t work for them. This is because they don’t really test us, nor have really used us. At most, they went on a website out of anger and didn’t even try to understand.”

AccessiBe isn’t the only application that claims to provide a quick, automated solution to make websites compliant with accessibility standards. Greco has said other companies with similar products have had many of the same issues that AccessiBe has encountered. However, NBC News says it is AccessiBe that has stood out the most because of its rapid growth, heavy marketing, and defensive style of engaging with blind people who arise with claims of problems.

Recently, AccessiBe has been cited in at least two lawsuits by people who claim the websites don’t comply with the ADA. The company’s framework that it provides web accessibility to help avoid lawsuits does not help its relationship with those visually impaired. The problems between the company and its user only seem to be growing more controversial, as blind users say they can’t escape its presence in the visually impaired community. Haben Girma, a civil rights lawyer and an author who is deaf and blind said, “They have spent an alarming amount of money on advertising. Encountering these ads online feels like a personal attack on my humanity.” The significant fear that the visually impaired community share is that members of the blind public new to screen readers will be kept from accessing parts of the internet. 

Charlotte is set to lose another movie theater as Philips Place closes its doors. The Phillips Place theater first opened its doors on November 15, 1996, under Charlotte-based Consolidated Theatres; however, in 2005, Regal Cinemas purchased it. Its luxurious nature has drawn in many customers. Though unfortunate, this is not the first theater that has closed and certainly will not be the last. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated many businesses, including movie theaters. As people try to avoid getting sick and stay home to watch their favorite movies, theaters pay the price. The impacts of COVID-19 have been devastating on Regal Cinemas, an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. The pandemic left the company near bankruptcy. As the spread of COVID- 19 worsened, the theaters were left empty. Despite their efforts, the company has not been able to gain economic stability leading them to shut down more than just the Philips Place location.

The pandemic has greatly impacted not only the regal movie theaters but also the AMC movie theaters. Despite being the largest chain of movie theaters in the United States, it is said that AMC theaters founded in 1920 reported a net loss of $4.6 billion in 2020. The following spring, the company had to close nearly 1000 movie theaters to stay somewhat stable. Despite this economic instability, the company is hopeful as they open its doors again. According to a statement from Variety, the CEO of AMC, Adam Aron, said, “As we sit here today, we see that vaccinations are occurring in the United States at a brisk clip, our theaters in New York City have finally opened with theaters in Los Angeles likely opening shortly as well, blockbuster movie titles are currently scheduled to be released in significant quantity in the coming few months, and we have more than $1 billion of cash on hand. Taking these facts together, we have reason to be optimistic about AMC’s ability to get to the other side of this pandemic”. This demonstrates that despite taking a significant  fall, the company was able to rise again as it plans to open its doors. 

When discussing the fall of movie theaters, we must also talk about the rise of online movie streaming apps and websites. Platforms such as Netflix and HBO Max have made it easy for individuals to enjoy the latest movies and TV shows in the safety of their homes. These platforms are also more cost-efficient as you can get a monthly subscription rather than having to pay for each movie. With new media such as Amazon Videos that allow people to purchase the latest movies, people no longer have the desire nor the excitement to visit a movie theater to watch the latest film that is released. Along with the COVID-19 pandemic, these platforms have played a massive role in decreasing the popularity of movie theaters and ultimately leading many locations to shut down. 

Even before the spread of this deadly pandemic, movie theaters were becoming less and less popular. Many platforms such as Hulu now offer the option to watch live sports, something that is not offered in movie theaters. This shows that not only have online streaming networks become cost-efficient and convenient, but they have also allowed viewers to have more options. Online streaming networks are also a way for busy individuals to enjoy movies. Going to movie theaters can often take much more time than is available. It is much easier just to play a movie on your phone and pause it wherever you would like. The fall of movie theaters is a contribution of COVID-19 and the rise of online streaming networks. 

Picture this: It’s 5pm, you go outside to see a pitch black atmosphere.You’re starting to miss those summer and early fall nights when the sun would beam in the sky until 7 or 8pm. 

This strange phenomenon, daylight savings time, is a biannual occurrence. In the United States since 2007, on Sunday November 6th at 2am, clocks are set back an hour, causing it to get darker earlier, and on Sunday March 12th at 2am, they are set forward an hour, causing it to remain lighter for longer. The cycle of the sun doesn’t change, time does, and humans adapt.

There’s a lot of questioning and controversy surrounding daylight savings time and why it was even put into practice. Most people prefer following the post-March 12th cycle where it’s darker in the mornings so they can adjust to waking up with sunlight extending later in the day, allowing more time for activities outdoors.

Daylight savings originated a couple centuries ago so working class individuals could be more productive during the morning in the wintertime and have more time for post-work hobbies and studies in the spring. After being utilized during wartimes as a measure to conserve energy, the United States adopted daylight savings time in March 1918 and have used it ever since.

With this practice comes effects. The change in daylight impacts public transportation, such as buses, trains, and ferries because there are set schedules for certain departures. It’s a hassle for transportation directors to have to go back and change the schedules and get their employees and passengers acclimated to the change. If not adapted to properly, darkness causes more car accidents as well due to inhibited vision. Daylight savings time messes up humans’ natural circadian rhythm for sleep, and the body is not designed to adapt to this time change. Additionally, In 2020, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine petitioned to abolish it due to the decrease in good-quality sleep they observed. 

The most common side effect of daylight savings time, especially during the November time change, is seasonal depression, which is medically defined as Seasonal Affective Disorder. When it gets dark earlier, people get tired quicker, are more inclined to stay inside, and are less motivated and productive. To most, dark skies indicate night time or bedtime, and there’s an overall mood decrease when this occurs. According to the Nutritional Light Technology company Solshine,“we designate light as NUTRITION –our bodies literally need to be exposed to it to drive certain activities, including metabolizing nutrients we get from food or supplements.Without full-spectrum light, our bodies will struggle nutritionally, driving a cascade of physical and mental or emotional health problems.” 

To address the issue, The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 was created in hopes of abolishing daylight savings time and was approved by the Senate. However, it awaits approval by President Biden and the House of Representatives before it can be officially put into practice. 

There are many ways humans can navigate daylight savings time and look after their health. Sun lamps are available, which mimic solar energy and can psychologically improve mood. To stay active, people can exercise in indoor gyms, tracks, pools, or dance studios, even starting before the November shift so they can maintain a normal routine when daylight savings time hits. Creating balanced schedules every day can decrease fatigue and increase productivity, helping to resist the urge of laying in bed as soon as the sun goes down. A lot of people also recommend taking advantage of the first day of daylight savings time to get up early or at the same time as before the time change. That first early start goes hand in hand with healthy habits moving forward throughout the year. 

Hopefully these tips and information will help you better understand and adapt to the daylight changes in the future!

Cash is and forever will be a classic form of completing daily transactions. As the rise of digital payment forms continues, however, it’s no wonder that people have begun to place cash in the back seat of their wallets. Whether it be the convenience of virtual payments or the sheer ease of pulling out your phone and placing it above the contactless payment register, it’s never been easier to forget about the use of cash in completing a purchase. 

Moving toward a “cashless society,” it’s no question that people have begun to prefer their credit or debit cards and digital applications on their phones over handing somebody physical cash. Plastic and digital payments now dominate the payment industry, as some businesses and large corporations have even begun limiting the use of cash as a component of their business model. 

“…in a typical week, 29% of Americans make absolutely zero purchases using cash,” Ramsey Solutions, a wealth development and budgeting guidance company, says. “…a lot of people choose to make their everyday purchases using PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, debit and even…credit.” 

Beyond sticks of gum and outdated reward cards, the thought of carrying cash has become far less common in the grand scheme of payment methods, especially in the last couple of years. As wallets become full of anything except cash, space left over to carry a couple of dollar bills and some twenties is becoming smaller by the day. In a world where cash was once used exclusively, events like COVID-19 have escalated the recent downfall in cash usage.  

“…after COVID-19 came on the scene, people didn’t want to touch anything that someone else touched,” Ramsay Solutions says. “It didn’t take long for businesses to decide they didn’t want their cashiers handling cash from every random consumer coming in off the street. So they started pushing for cashless payments with only cards to cut back on the spread of germs.” 

As stores across the country began putting up signs that indicated restricting the use of cash as a form of accepted transaction, efforts to limit the spread of germs built a nationwide distaste towards carrying and using cash. While cash was never clean, even before COVID-19, moving away from cash usage left daily consumers and business owners with more confidence in their sanitation methods. Gradually growing away from the classic idea that “cash is king,” some individuals have also said that wealth and household income has a role to play in cash usage. 

“Adults with an annual income of over $75,000 were more than twice as likely as those making less than $30,000 to say they do not make any purchases using cash in a typical week,” contributing writer and personal finance coverist for CNBC, Jessica Dickler says. “…lower income adults were about four times as likely to say they make all or almost all of their purchases with cash.” 

As factors like annual household income and sanitation continue to influence overall usage, cash is still a prominent payment method throughout the country. Dominating any form of electronic payment, cash still plays a vital role in the economy, especially when it comes to low-income consumers and those who have no choice but to utilize cash on a recurring basis. When it comes to corporate America, however, some mainstream companies have hinted at becoming cashless organizations. 

“…more businesses, including Starbucks and Shake Shack, experiment with becoming completely cashless establishments,” Dickler says. “(Lawmakers working to pass bills that would require retailers to accept cash allege the growing cashless trend discriminates against low-income customers).”

Regardless of how society chooses to go about it, it doesn’t seem as if cash will be disappearing as a payment method anytime soon. Considering its significant roles in the economy, companies experimenting with a cashless business model will confront difficulties associated with lower-income consumers, revealing how necessary dollar bills really are, especially in today’s economy. 

Paying off student federal loans has been an ongoing issue for many Americans. However, on August 24, 2022, the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Department of Education announced a plan to help lower and middle class students. The plan includes 3 parts and focuses on both forgiving loans and making federal loans more manageable for future borrowers. This announcement has been long awaited ever since President Biden promised to reduce federal loans and provide aid for students who need it during his presidential campaign. 

The first part of Biden’s plan addresses the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy by granting students/individuals time off from paying their loans. This provides an extension for students who may need extra time to get their finances together after the pandemic. There has been a pause on loans and no one has had to pay any of their federal debts ever since Biden took office. This pause will continue until the end of 2022 and payments will resume in 2023.

The second installment of Biden’s plan focuses on providing debt relief to low and middle income families. The U.S. Department of Education has decided to provide up to $20,000 in debt relief for pell grant recipients and up to $10,000 for non-pell grant recipients. Pell grants are typically awarded to recipients who may require extra financial help to attend college. Additionally, the new relief plan supports those who come from lower income backgrounds. Aid is provided to federal loan borrowers who make less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 for households. This was established to help over 43 million borrowers who make less than the required income to be considered for financial assistance. 

The third pillar of the plan includes making student loans more manageable for students through legislation. According to CNBC, college tuition has increased by a staggering 169% since 1980. The Biden administration aims to combat this increase by designing a plan that focuses on the annual income of the borrower and will reduce future monthly payments for low and middle income borrowers. This will grant more opportunities to underprivileged students and allow them to receive an education without the continuous burden of federal loans. A few examples of the rules created by the Biden administration include forgiving federal loans after 10 years of payment instead of 20 with borrowers with $12,000 or less loan balances and covering the borrowers monthly interest to reduce loan growth. The plan would cap borrowers monthly payments to just 5 percent of their discretionary income, which is a decrease from the current 10 percent cap. 

The Biden-Harris Loan Relief Plan will not only help current borrowers, but also future borrowers. According to FSA, nearly 8 million borrowers may be able to receive debt forgiveness automatically because of the Department of Education’s ability to access their income information. The Biden administration will launch an application in the upcoming weeks for borrowers to provide their income and financial information to see if they are eligible for loan forgiveness. An individual who fills out the application can expect to receive loan relief in 4 to 6 weeks. On August 24, 2022, Biden tweeted, “In keeping my campaign promise, my administration is announcing a plan to give working and middle class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023”. Biden’s loan relief plan demonstrates a fulfillment of his presidential campaign promises and an executive focus on prevalent issues facing Americans today. To be notified when the application is open, borrowers can sign up at studentaid.gov.

“Houston, We are ready for take-off” is what we should have heard on August 29. Instead, we heard, “The Artemis 1 launch was scrubbed Monday after encountering an issue getting one of the four RS-25 engines on the bottom of the rocket’s core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff,” from NASA’s press release on the matter. Artemis 1 will be the first spacecraft to enter the Moon’s orbit in nearly half a century. After countless delays, repairs, challenges, and more, NASA is planning to launch Artemis 1 on Tuesday, September 27, with a backup date of October 2.

The Artemis missions plan to eventually get humans back on the Moon in 2025 and set up a sustainable living environment for humans. The plan has three missions in total, ending with Artemis 3, which will send humans to the Moon. The goal for Artemis 1 consists of only an unmanned round trip to the Moon without landing on the surface. Artemis 1 is a test flight for Artemis 2, which will make contact with the Moon’s surface, then end with Artemis 3, which will have humans onboard and land on the Moon.

But what is the spacecraft? The spacecraft has two parts: the rocket and the space module. The rocket used for this mission is called the “Space Launch System.” This rocket is the most powerful in the world and is designed to be evolvable. The missile can be changed to suit future missions, which could be to Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn. The rocket has two big boosters and four engines, which are being reused for Artemis 1. The space module is called “Orion” and is made to accommodate 4 people for deep space travel. The future astronauts on Artemis 3 will live together on Orion, so it has to be evolvable and reusable for future missions. Orion is attached to the top of the SLS, which is how it will travel to space and back. 

According to NASA, the launch is supposed to be “no earlier than 11:37 AM eastern time”. Space travel is an exact science, so everything matters. How heavy the payload is, wind speeds at that time, and how the Earth and other moons and planets orbit and rotate. Mars has a larger orbit around the sun than the Earth, so every 26 months, a small window of time when the Earth and Mars orbits end up parallel allows us to have a straightforward path to Mars. For now, we have to worry about the Moon’s orbit and revolutions aligning with the Earth’s, which happens once every 24 hours. This trip will be the farthest a vehicle designed for astronauts has ever traveled into outer space. 

Initially, the Artemis 1 launch was going to be on August 29, but it got postponed to September 3. On the second go-round, they found a hydrogen leak in Orion, leading to the next launch date being delayed to the 27th. The spacecraft will launch from the Kennedy Space Center on a little island in Florida called Merritt Island. 

Most of us remember reading “The Martian” by Andy Weir, which highlights all of the difficulties and setbacks that the main character and side characters go through to get this man home while he is stranded on Mars. This novel gives the reader some behind-the-scenes understanding of how NASA works and how much of a challenge calculating and detail goes into facing mankind’s final frontier. 

The Artemis mission statement is “All that we build, all that we study, all that we do, prepare is to go,” and hopefully, on September 27, 2022, the launch is set and ready to go.

This November, an election is approaching: the midterms. The midterm election is always held: in the middle of the presidential election. One can vote on candidates for the US Senate, House of Representatives, State Officers, and Judges in their state. The House represents district citizens and has the ability to impeach laws, and the US Senators represent state citizens and have the ability to accept treaties.. The Senate also approves presidential appointments with Supreme Court Justices. When doing midterm elections, one can find out which political party will hold value in nominating candidates and law-making. Due to the fact that many high school students will be able to vote soon, or in a couple of years, it is essential to know information about the candidates, how to register, and why voting is so important. 

First things first,one has to know who they yare going to vote for. On ballotpedia.org, one can look up their state and see who they are voting for. Then, they click on one of the candidate options, and the list of people comes up with a summary of each candidate. This allows one to ensure they’re picking the right person to represent their state. Candidates can easily trick voters into thinking that they’re the right person, so research is a necessity!  

 Now, how does one register to vote in North Carolina?  On ncsbe.gov, the deadline is given for voter registration on the front page. There are many ways to register. One can register by mail, complete an application online or through the DMV, and they can register at early voting sites. This website also allows individuals to update their registration and find out if they’re even eligible to register. One thing that is always good to remember while doing the registration process is the closing date to register in North Carolina is twenty-five days before the  election date. According to spectrumlocalnews.com, this year’s midterm election will be the largest election since 2020. Ted Budd will be representing the Republican party for the US Senate ,and Cheri Beasley will be representing the Democratic party. Spectrum News predicts that Republicans will be able to win the US House and Senate, but it is still debatable. 

Lastly, it’s time to talk about why it is so important to vote, and why young individuals should vote. According to nationalgeographic.org, most people think that their vote won’t make a difference, or won’t matter, but there have been cases where a couple hundred more votes could have changed the presidential election. In 2000, when Al Gore was running against George W. Bush, the election came down to Florida. After they counted, Bush ended up winning by 537 votes. State elections are just as important because voters are voting on the people that represent their state ,and they can often have more of an impact on the state’s population than the president. John Colbert is a social studies teacher here at Myers Park. He discussed the importance of voting, answering the question, “Why is it so important for younger generations to vote?”  

“Because if you don’t vote, I will, and guess who gets to make the rules?” The older generation tends to vote more than the younger. That has to change because then they will get all the power on their generation’s opinions.  Colbert thinks that voting is vital in order to uphold democracy. “We have to have civic participation, everybody’s got to have a voice,and so if you don’t,then just a few people will control things. That’s not the way a democracy works.” Colbert displays that voting is imperative to giving the people in this country a voice and a choice to who they want in the government. Without voting, America would lack the freedom everyone all deserves.