Ways to Give Back This Holiday

The holidays are right around the corner! While this holiday may be celebrated differently than years past, it is still a time of year to appreciate what you have, and to give back to your community.

Now more than ever the community you know could be in danger of change because of COVID-19. Since the quarantine, small businesses have had difficulty getting back on their feet, and some have had to go out of business. Many local thrift stores, coffee shops and sporting goods stores are going out of business because they were deemed nonessential places of work during the quarantine period and now do not have the funds to remain open.

While there are a few local stores that have been fortunate enough to stay open, many local business and restaurant owners fear for the upcoming winter and the possibility of a second quarantine in the new year.

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Locking Down and Vaccinating

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, famously said, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Today in the United States, this quote is unfortunately very relevant as winter approaches and COVID-19 cases spike and safety restrictions are being renewed. When I watch these governor news briefings and see police officers bully small businesses that do not comply with the “rules,” I wonder does anyone else think we are living in 1984 during these uncertain times?

If you have not read it, 1984 is a dystopian political fiction novel by British author George Orwell in 1949. In summary, it is about a totalitarian society in the near future where there is no freedom, censorship is everywhere, and the truth is negotiated to the citizens as alternative realities... sound familiar? One quote in the book is strikingly familiar, it says, “Everything other than working was forbidden: walking in the streets, having fun, singing, dancing, getting together....”

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Goodbye College, Hello Reality

I have been the Opinion Editor for about a year now and it has been the best decision I have made throughout my time here at Monmouth. However, sadly, my time here is drawing to an end and I have to pass on the baton. It does not even seem real; I feel like I just moved into Mullaney Hall and walked into Plangere for my first journalism course.

Graduating is super scary. I have been going to school for basically my entire life; I had a set schedule every weekday and now that is coming to an end. I am excited about this newfound freedom but I am more scared about the anxiety of not knowing what to do with myself each day. I hope that the job market is kind to me.

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Self-Care Tips for Students

The transition from high school to college can be a very stressful and nerve-wracking experience. Students go from being in school for eight hours a day following a strict schedule to living on their own, having to manage an extreme amount of work due in a short period of time.

College can often be so overwhelming at times that you have so much work to do that you do not know where to begin or how you are going to finish all these assignments.

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Harry Styles is Wearing A Dress: What's the Big Deal?

Fashion and pop music icon Harry Styles is Vogue magazine’s December issue cover star. Styles rose to fame being a member of the widely popular boy band One Direction from 2010 until the group split in 2015; he has gone on to a solo career producing chart-topping records like “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You.”

Styles is known for making fashion statements every chance he gets, and his Vogue cover is no exception. The cover features Styles in a periwinkle blue gown paired with a black tuxedo jacket all designed by Gucci. After the release of the iconic cover, Styles received major backlash from prominent conservatives.

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The Voting Age

Aside from the highly anticipated presidential election, one of the most interesting issues voted on in the 2020 election was San Francisco’s proposition to lower the voting age in local elections to 16. This idea is gaining momentum around the world in order to bolster voter turnout. A slim majority of 51 percent of voters in San Francisco agreed with this proposition, but it did not get enough votes to be passed.

While often thought of as long standing and deep-rooted, the 18-year-old voting age is actually a relatively new concept in America—the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, was only ratified by President Nixon in 1971. The 26th Amendment was passed after a youth movement gained steam as a reaction to the Vietnam War draft where many young men did not even have the right to vote for the politicians who sent them to fight.

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What To Be Thankful For

When someone asks me “what I am grateful for?” I stop and think to myself about all the people around me, and that usually answers the question. My answer is simple, my family and friends are what I am most grateful for. Without them in my life, I do not know what I would be grateful for.

However, I am also grateful for the life that I live and the opportunities that I am granted. During this crazy time that we all are living in, it makes you realize how much you really should be grateful for. Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I think we all have many things to be grateful for.

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Traveling For Turkey

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. For one, I love to eat and there is nothing better than a fried turkey, mashed potatoes and pecan pie. However, the real reason I love celebrating Thanksgiving is that it is not as stressful as Christmas.

I do not have to buy gifts for weeks in preparation for this one day and I do not have to go to numerous celebrations. My parents are divorced and my dad is remarried so I end up having about six different Christmases.

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Is It Safe To Travel Again?

During these unprecedented times, many people are still traveling and risking their own safety and the safety of others. Traveling during this pandemic is something I would not do and would not recommend others to do.

Right now, I think traveling during a pandemic is a tough decision to make. I think many people are trying to figure out if they should be traveling or not. There really is not a correct answer; it is a personal choice.

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Should New Jersey Legalize Marijuana?

Yesterday, New Jersey residents voted “Yes” or “No” to decide if recreational cannabis should become legal. Over the years, there have been challenges getting legalization passed through the state legislature; because of these issues, they have decided to cast a referendum and declare a constitutional amendment if passed. As a lifelong New Jersey resident, I am confident there will be more benefits to our state if it passes. As a conservative, I never thought my views on marijuana would have changed, but now this is an issue where I disagree with some Republicans on. Let me explain.

I am not a supporter of drug use, but I do believe in the idea of adults having personal freedom. We claim we live in the land of the free, but are we staying true to that statement? These drug prohibitions have allowed the government to dictate our lives instead of being accountable to the constitution. Although I think drug prohibition in the past was written with good intentions, I think it has caused more harm than good.

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