HOW MY FRIENDS AND I FACED SUDDEN LOSS Disclaimer: If you or a loved one are facing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is available 24 hours a day: 1-800-273-8255 Near the halfway point of my senior year in high school, one of my friends killed himself. He locked himself up…
THE LACK OF SENSITIVITY TOWARD SCHOOL VIOLENCE Disclaimer: This story contains descriptions of violence and trauma. If you have post traumatic stress stemming from an act of violence, proceed with caution. Two weeks ago, a gunman opened fire at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, killing two students and injuring four. Last week, a pair…
KOMO DOCUMENTARY SPARKS DEBATE This past March, KOMO broadcasted an hour-long film titled “Seattle is Dying.” The film, which can be found on YouTube, documented the homeless problem in Seattle, the frustrated response from the citizenry and local law enforcement and highlighted a possible solution in the form of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). This…
MAKING MOBILE COMMUNICATION THE NORM When thinking of communicating in the present, one might see a drastic change in how we have come to engage in social interaction. Gone are days when people carefully planned who they wanted to dial. Mobile phones are the new age of communication. Those wishing to avoid direct communication, or…
WASHINGTON’S NEW TOBACCO LAW IS A GOOD THING The easiest way to stop an addiction? Never let it start. Washington is now the ninth state to formally sign into law legislation that prevents people under the age of 21 from purchasing cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Increasing the smoking age…
NEW LAW LEAVES YOUNG SMOKERS IN LIMBO Come Jan. 1, 2020, I will no longer be permitted to purchase, and in effect, smoke cigarettes under a new Washington state law. The age for purchasing tobacco products will be raised from 18 to 21, and I will be 20, one of the few generations worth of…
HEATING UP THE RACE FOR PRESIDENCY Governor Jay Inslee has joined the crowded Democratic field running for president in 2020. Despite the odds, his choice to run on a platform of fighting climate change may make him the most important candidate. Who’s Jay Inslee? In a group of 14 viable candidates, the first hurdle seems…
THE FOUNDATION OF A FABRICATED NATIONAL EMERGENCY Disclaimer: This article contains descriptions of graphic content. There is a fence outside my parent’s house that has “Fuck Mexicans” spray painted on it. They live in Mountlake Terrace. I’ve never seen anything like this before President Donald Trump started villainizing immigrants. The president doesn’t hate Mexicans, he…
A MALE PERSPECTIVE ON UNDERREPRESENTATION My childhood was marked by two things: my father’s abandonment, and the presence of powerful women who replaced him. As I grew up, I noticed that men exerted power over many. They were my doctors, my politicians, my scientists, my sports idols. But more importantly, society gave them more importance…
GILLETTE AD CHALLENGES MASCULINE IDEALS Outrage has a way of drowning nuance from debates. You’d have thought the line between all men being sexual harassers and all men being saints was razor thin if you listened to the controversy over the Gillette commercial that premiered last month. If you haven’t seen the commercial, I’ll distill…