By Ollie Campbell 

You probably heard of the infamous Squishmallow plush toys. They are round, fluffy, and soft as a baby’s skin. They have hundreds of characters and designs you can collect. They are a nation-wide must-have. From children to adults, it’s very likely you know at least one person who owns or collects them. Despite the social craze surrounding the Squishmallow brand, there is a lesser known company that makes even better plushies. 

Peepy is a collector’s item produced by the revenged based company ItemLabel, which is located in Maryland. Peepy plushies are in a shape resembling a peanut. They have ears, a tail, four little nubs as their legs, eyes and a beak. They come in a variety of colors and patterns. They also have squeakers, and are probably mistaken as dog toys at first because of that. Usually the designs are based after certain animals, foods, gaming references, etc. I, myself, own a Peepy. My Peepy is the Axolotl-py (designed after the animal, the axolotl).  Each Peepy design is given a backstory for you to read before purchasing. There are also limited edition Peepy plushies for extreme fans out there. The Peepy plush usually sells for $20. Prices can vary depending on the design.  Continue reading Yippee for Peepy!: The Hype Surrounding a Small Plushie →

By Joe Mendoza

Considered one of the most influential and iconic concerts in history, Woodstock took place on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York, basically in the middle of a field. It was a hippie concert, filled with artists like Santana, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Janis Joplin, and had a lot of great music. Around a half a million people showed up, making it huge already, and many of the audience members slept in tents, or more commonly sleeping bags, since the original attendance was exceeded by a lot. 

Whether you like the music or you don’t, you need to recognize the amount of influence this concert had. To begin with, the “hippie” movement, who at the time embraced the anti-war message against Vietnam, was legitimized, and their actions were strengthened. The culture that fought against the “system” became more powerful, and single-handedly changed the general population’s ideas at the time, or at least in a substantial way. In 1969, when the concert took place, America was right in the middle of the Vietnam War, and opposition against the public officials who supported the war was dismissed for the most part, even though the movement already had steam behind it. It was extremely polarized in America at the time, and you either had people devoted to their country, or people opposed the war. With Woodstock, young individuals were encouraged to express themselves, whether that’s through the use of psychedelics, like LSD, or through their speaking out against the government. Continue reading Woodstock’s Effect on Modern Society →

By Josiah Finkler

Apple has recently brought out the second kind of airpods called the airpod pros which come with a lot of new cool features. The new airpods have a brand new look as well as a whole new case design for them as well. People are loving the new airpods and their new features and they are looking like a really good purchase.

For example, the new airpods have two brand new features: transparent mode, and noise-cancellation mode. Both of these modes on your new airpods allow you a lot of control when you listen to music or podcasts or other things. You can either block out everything and have a great time vibing to what you are listening to, or be able to hear the people around you as well as listening to your music. These cool new features are some of the main features that have made these airpods so popular and have become a bestseller. Continue reading Airpod Pros →

By Ian Valdez

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, Charles III is the new crowned King of England.  Now formally known as King Charles III, he was proclaimed King on September 8th, 2022, in front of the ascension council, with 200 people in attendance, the same number as the 1952 proclamation. The King now bears new responsibilities and goals in front of him, he has many plans as King and wants to be a good representation of how Royalty should be looked at. Charles is officially the oldest member of royalty to ever be crowned in the history of the British hierarchy. 

Charles III declared to uphold tradition set from the government since the 18th century and to preserve the Church of Scotland. Although Charles was proclaimed the King in front of the Ascension, he will be formally crowned king in roughly a year’s time.   Continue reading Hail to the King →

By Reese Mattner

On September 18th, 2022, Hurricane Fiona made her first hit on Puerto Rico. Turks and Caicos was hit on Tuesday with wind speeds that were way higher. After that, Hurricane Fiona was declared a category three storm. Mudslides and flooding continued in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Fiona became stronger as she headed to Bermuda. She is predicted to hit there on Friday morning as a category four storm.

Hurricane Maria occurred five years ago, as a category four storm. Puerto Rico was hit very hard in 2017. More than 3,000 people were killed. It caused billions of damage, towards stores, buildings, restaurants, and homes.  Continue reading Hurricane Fiona →

by Jacob Puhr

“Keep a-pluggin’ away.

Perseverance still is king;

Time its sure reward will bring;

Work and wait unwearying,—

Keep a-pluggin’ away.”

The poem above is titled Keep A-Pluggin’ Away and was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar.  During the time of the poem’s publication, schools were segregated by race, leaving many predominantly black schools underfunded.  Among these schools was Dunbar High School, named after the poet previously mentioned.  Stanzas from Keep A-Pluggin’ Away were written on the walls of a poor, overcrowded school that at many points held over 40 students in just one classroom and lacked a lunchroom large enough to encompass the nearly 1,400 students.  The neighborhood Dunbar was centered in could be categorized as a ghetto; the city itself, Washington D.C., was segregated which resulted in a school system controlled by whites who starved Dunbar for funds it was in dire need of.  Every factor was against Dunbar prevailing, yet against every odd imaginable, Dunbar became a success story…until it wasn’t.   Continue reading Dunbar High School →

by Lillian Liebke

Everyone knows the saying “look good, feel good,” but is this actually true? Does the cleanliness of our appearance and environment affect our mental health? 

The connection between cleanliness and mental health is actually shocking, and is actually one of the major struggles of our society today. A dirty environment can lead to depression, anxiety, and motivation issues. For example, “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin” did a study that found women whose homes were more cluttered or full of unfinished projects were more likely to feel fatigued and depressed. The same study also showed that women with cluttered homes had higher levels of cortisol, causing higher anxiety. Clutter and mess is also known to cause confusion, tension and irritability.  Continue reading Mental Health Effects of Cleaning   →

By Ollie Campbell 

You most likely have seen a few stray cats roaming the streets of your neighborhood. We typically don’t think much of it, but have you ever considered how to help them? The feral cat population has had many complications over the years, which is providing them a substandard lifestyle. But first, what is a “feral” cat? Feral cats are usually found outside, possibly being once domesticated. They become lost, abandoned, etc. Feral cats can also be born into the feral lifestyle. They have very little to no human interaction outside of their colonies. The number of outdoor cats has grown rapidly, which is establishing other health concerns, but why is this happening?

Thousands of feral cats give birth at high rates, especially when they are still young. Some mothers have up to three litters during their lifetime. This is damaging not only to the mother, but also to the kittens. It results in poor care for both parties, and can make the quality of life diminish. Another factor in high rates is cat colonies. Cats are natural hunters and hunt persistently, even when they have enough to eat. The colonies dominate other animals and stay on top. Feral cats can also carry harmful diseases, spreading them to other cats in the pack. Parasitic worms, FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus), and ringworm are amongst the many transmittable diseases.  Continue reading Controlling the Feral Cat Population →