Paradise Lost - The Damage Done by the Tourism Industry in Hawai'i
For decades, people from the mainland U.S. and abroad have seen Hawai’i as an island paradise of beautiful beaches, local generosity, and stunning vistas. This has led to a massive tourist industry across almost all of the Hawaiian Islands which sees millions of visitors every year flock to its shores to pour money into pursuing their island fantasies. However, this vision of Hawai’i has a dark undercurrent — decades of colonialism and resource extraction have resulted in economic, ecological, and cultural damage done to the people and land of Hawai’i. Despite claims of promoting the well-being and way of life of the Hawaiian people, the tourism industry largely functions to extract the value of the land and labor of the people.
“5 signs you have ADHD”: The danger of misinformation on TikTok
Social media have become one of the major sources of communication and information worldwide, with trillions of bytes of information being exchanged every second online. While trending topics on social media tend to change according to several factors, such as country or age, health-related content has recently been trending all over the world, across all ages on all major social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok).
A Seat at the Table
If someone were to walk up to you today and tell you that electric shocks are being used on the disabled, you would perhaps think you had accidentally teleported back to the 1500s. Yet that is the reality we are living in currently. The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) is a behavioral school for children and adults with severe disabilities. It has been under scrutiny for decades due to its questionable methods, namely for its blatant and severe abuse of its students. The rap sheet is a mile long, with some cases even resulting in death. There was a 12-year-old who had the skin on his feet completely removed, a 22-year-old who died from a seizure after having his head locked between the legs of a staff member and being forced to put on a white noise helmet, children who were strapped down and shocked repeatedly for ‘offenses’ like stimming, crying, not waking up fast enough – the list goes on.
Budgeting: How to be Successful at it
One of the most important things in life is learning to be organized when it comes to handling money. Having a budgeting plan is essential because it may help you prepare for emergencies, avoid being in debt, or be able to make important purchases. However, telling people to budget can be easier said than done. Budgeting can become difficult to achieve because it can be quite a challenge. Sometimes, people have no financial motivation, and this causes them to be irresponsible with their money. To be successful in budgeting, you need to think about ways you can prevent yourself from struggling financially.
Inflation as a Result of Inflation
Global inflation rates over the past year have been higher than they have been since 2012; similarly, inflation percentages in the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and the European Union (EU) since the start of the second quarter have been staggering. In the US, the UK, and the EU, the primary driver of the recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) elevation, in the US, and the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) in Europe, is the rising cost of energy and consumer commodities. The rising cost of consumer commodities, especially food, housing, and petroleum products has struck the world into a tumultuous spiral, causing the cost of living to rise to a level not seen since the 1980s, resulting in the global experience of all three types of inflation. Typically, only one form of inflation is seen; however, this reversion to a 1980s economy is the result of many factors and is relatively uncommon. This spiral has fueled riots and protests across Europe, causing protestors and legislators alike to demand monetary reform.
Printing Over Problems
In the United States, central banks and governments play a key role in the health of the nation. These institutions have been working in conjunction for many years to determine monetary and fiscal policy in an attempt to grow economies and mitigate inflation and unemployment. However, after the gold standard was abandoned in 1933, and the US moved to a floating currency, everything changed. Under the gold standard, the currency had to be tied to physical gold where it could be exchanged but now, countries like the US have a floating currency where the value of the dollar “floats” with its demand in the global currency markets. This has given banks and governments a lot more freedom with interest rates and policy and has made way for the longest-running bull market in history. However, this has allowed those entities to manipulate markets and push large underlying problems further down the road by embracing new macroeconomic theories, such as modern monetary theory. Unfortunately, since these new theories have never been battle-tested over a long period of time, the economic condition of countries that have embraced these new theories has yet to be fully seen.
The Supreme Court May Soon Overturn Affirmative Action
On October 31st, 2022, the Supreme Court heard arguments challenging the validity of race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Two lawyers represented Students for Fair Admissions (the plaintiffs), while three lawyers represented the two universities (the defendants). Depending on the outcome, the court’s decision could drastically change college admissions soon. So, what is race-conscious affirmative action? How has the Supreme Court ruled on similar cases in the past, and what makes Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina any different?
Can Democrats break the Historical Trend in the Midterms?
The trend shows that from the years 1934-2018, the President’s party has averaged a loss of 28 House seats and four Senate seats (Woolley, 2022). This average presents a considerable power shift and can make it more difficult for the ruling party to pass legislation in the second half of a four-year presidential term. The sitting President’s party has only gained seats in the House on three occasions and in the Senate on six (Woolley, 2022). This demonstrates the statistical unlikelihood of President Biden’s Democratic Party making gains or retaining the same number of seats it currently holds in the midterms. Biden will be hoping the Democratic Party can break the trend this year, but how are the midterms shaping up for the Democrats?
Neocolonialism in the Philippines
Popular media has characterized the relationship between the United States and the Philippines as a connection built on democracy, mutually beneficial trade, and shared cultural values. But this propagandized image conceals a violent colonial history and an exploitative socio-political-economic dynamic in the present day. For the purposes of this article, colonialism can be defined as one state engaging in direct political control of another society, while neocolonialism can be defined as the indirect political and economic influence of a state over another society without explicit control (Go, 2015). Though the Philippines is recognized as a sovereign state, the extensive military power and presence of the U.S., extractive economic practices, and socio-political disempowerment of the Filipino people in the Philippines itself speak to the survival of colonial features which perpetuate a neocolonial connection between the Philippines and the United States.