I Know Which Turkey I’m Roasting for Thanksgiving

“We are living in 1915- Today is April 24,”- Garo Paylan, HDP MP. His tweet: an implication that the modern-day arrests mimic the arrests and annihilation of Armenian elected parliamentarians and leaders in Turkey on April 24, 1915 during the start of the Armenian Genocide. On November 4, twelve MP’s of Turkey’s opposition Peoples Democratic …

Let’s Revisit What Actually Happened During the First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: a time to give thanks, eat a lot of food, and go Black Friday shopping. This is exactly what the first group of Pilgrims and Native Americans did right; sit peacefully around a large table and eat an abundance of food that they prepared in unison. Because that's what we're told in our history …

I’m Worth at LEAST 75 cents

One of my favorite quotes is from a book called You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen. The line goes, "Within reason, you can get whatever you want if you're aware of your options, if you test your assumptions, if you take shrewdly calculated risks based on solid information, and if you believe you have power" …

Less Money, Mo’ Problems

One of the most heartbreaking moments I witnessed this past year was during my lunch break at work. My co-worker and I drove to El Pollo Loco to grab food. As we pulled up to the drive-thru, we recognized the person who was taking our order. It was a senior from the high school we …

Aborting the Abortion Debate

Obviously my first sentence would start with Trump, because nowadays which sentence doesn't? Anyway, as we head into our second presidential debate, the American people should be conscious of the important topics that will be discussed. These include immigration reforms, stopping ISIS efforts, women's rights, and other topics that are the focal points of the concerns of …

Foreigners in their Own Home

In a time of international crisis, the world is wrestling with the term “separation of church and state.” Focusing on Muslim countries specifically, religion and nationality have overlapped with state affairs, excluding those who are unwilling to be inclusive of the national religious-affiliation of political conduct. This unwillingness raises questions in both citizenship and national …

A National Disaster

Ding ding ding, Round 2. I think more so than the first, the second Presidential debate was an even bigger disaster. From Trump's odd demeanor (que the weird creeping in back of Hillary when she spoke, and constantly leaning on his chair) to Hillary's carefully crafted lies, the debate tonight showed just how much this …

Taking a Gap Before Taking Off

Senior year of high school, and the living ain't easy. From late August to late November, the amount of stress, anxiety, and tears derived from filling out college applications can become a burden to most. Then comes the waiting; impatiently refreshing emails and checking the mailbox for news is another game of its own. Finally, …

FDA Making Our Lives Difficult, Again

By October 11, 2016, the public is supposed to let the FDA know how badly their new draft on Dietary Supplements are. The previous draft from July 2011 called on dietary supplement manufacturers or distributors to notify the FDA of any chemically altered ingredients in their products. The new draft, Docket Number FDA-2011-D-0376: "Dietary Supplements: New …

The New Tool to Reverse Psychology: Marijuana

The term "reverse psychology" is very popular in my household. My brother and I will often use it against each other, but in most cases, towards my mom. This term was crafted as a means of tricking someone into doing something, by convincing them that the choice you are giving them is much better than …