writing
A R T I C L E S
Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival showcases Japanese cultural pride in bloom
3 May 2024
The beat of taiko drums and the aroma of traditional Japanese foods greeted festivalgoers at the 57th annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. Despite the rainy weather and overcast skies on the festival’s opening day, thousands of people still attended, excited for the day ahead...
Humanitarian crisis deepens in Gaza
13 November 2023
The lights are out in the Gaza Strip.
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On Oct. 11, 2023, Gaza’s sole remaining power station ran out of fuel, sentencing the lives of Gaza citizens to darkness. Israel’s siege on Gaza and the Israel-Hamas war has created a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, creating a severe shortage of water, food, fuel, and medical supplies...
Ozempic shortage unearths American obesity issue
19 April 2023
With over 799.2 million views on TikTok and 58,000 posts on Instagram, the hashtag #Ozempic has been trending across social media platforms as a miracle weight loss hack, contributing to the months-long drug shortage and bringing attention to the American obesity issue...
Sweethearts get their ever after this Valentine season
27 February 2023
Be Mine. You Rock. I’m Yours.
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These timeless phrases are sure to make a sweet gift for that special someone every Valentine’s Day. The conversation heart candies adorned with the words are making a comeback after a rough couple of years...
'Ear-resistible' Year of the Rabbit celebrations promote diversity
22 January 2023
With the Year of the Rabbit only a hop, skip, and a jump away, families and council members are preparing to celebrate, whether that means making dumplings with loved ones or planning city-wide events for entire communities.
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Lunar New Year, also called Chinese New Year, is a seven-day-long holiday beginning on Jan. 22 and is the most important holiday in Chinese culture...
Rising inflation worsens the Bay Area hunger crisis
21 December 2022
Food banks and charities are having a difficult time keeping up with the increasing demands as prices soar.
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Rising inflation has caused basic necessities, such as food, to become harder to afford. Food banks such as the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank are struggling to accommodate all the people in need as the demand outweighs the supply...
Redwood City temporarily bans gun shops
20 November 2022
The Redwood City Council has temporarily banned gun shops following the application of two gun stores, giving time for staff to research potential local regulations.
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On Monday, Oct. 24, the Redwood City Council reached a unanimous decision to temporarily ban firearm dealers for a period of 45 days...
Newly emerging 'rainbow fentanyl' targets adolescents
20 October 2022
Drug dealers are selling colorful pills laced with fentanyl, dubbed “rainbow fentanyl,” as a marketing ploy to drive addiction among kids and young adults.
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First discovered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in August 2022, drug cartels designed rainbow fentanyl to appeal to younger consumers, contributing to the recent rise in fentanyl-related deaths...
F E A T U R E S
Seeing the life in death
31 May 2024
From fictional objects like the Fountain of Youth to technologies like cryogenic freezing, humanity’s determination to find the cure to death has been unwavering.
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Yet, death is something that almost all living organisms must experience; it is the one guarantee in life, but many people see it as taboo...
From humble origins to Nobel acclaim: Kati Karikó’s ascent to scientific stardom
9 January 2024
There once was a small, curious girl who lived in the little village of Kisújszállás, Hungary. What would appear to be a mundane pattern of nature to any passerby was the most captivating thing in the world to this girl. Today, that little girl has grown up to overcome countless hardships, eventually becoming a decorated scientist whose contributions have saved millions of lives...
Reviving the colors of the ocean
16 March 2023
Schools of fish weave through rock-like structures, and a clownfish peeks out from an anemone to observe. A sea turtle swims around looking for food, while a stingray buries itself in the sand to hide from predators. These creatures make up a scene from a typical coral reef before mass coral bleaching started to plague these marine ecosystems...
Tacking America's football fetish
10 February 2023
When most people in the world think football, they think of the familiar black-and-white ball, the cleats on the grass, the white net of the goal.
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But not Americans. For Americans, football is the brown leather ball with the white stitching, the jostling of helmets and heavy shoulder pads, and the bright yellow goalpost at each end zone...
E D I T O R I A L S
Editorial: Defending the right to die with dignity
30 November 2023
“It’s murder.”
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“They’re just giving up.”
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“Doctors are helping them commit suicide.”
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Euthanasia, the practice of ending a patient’s life to limit their suffering, is a widely debated ethical issue. From individual comments on euthanasia to the many varying laws surrounding the practice, differing opinions on the issue are evident...
O P I N I O N S
Opinion: Urbanization’s hidden costs create a need for green spaces
29 May 2023
"Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.”
Gone are the days when young children could whisper these words to themselves as they stared out their windows into an endless starry night sky. Instead, today’s evening skyscapes are illuminated by blinking airplanes and harsh fluorescent lights radiating from the bulbs within buildings and street lamps...
