In times of crisis,

there comes a haunting specter,

an instinctive human attraction.

driven by an urge to control beyond what is our own

Born out of chaos,

nurtured by deception

sustained through fear and unfamiliarity.

What it lacks in morality

It makes up in uncertainty

A story as ancient as our own

One that has

Felled empires,

Corrupted principles,

and Befriended greed and irresponsibility.

Cunning and merciless,

it never reveals itself to its victims

Its existence all but certain

Yet surprisingly, intangible and subjective

Wavering, requiring constant attention

Useless when isolated.

But we believe in its irrationality

In our hearts, but not our minds.

Why Everyone Should Learn Calculus

Calculus as a branch of mathematics isn’t easy. Limits, derivatives, and integrals are all quite difficult concepts that many high school and college students struggle to understand when they first encounter them. New formulas and theorems appear abstract, and as a result, often beget the omnipresent complaint about calculus’s usefulness. How can a subject revolving around infinitesimal change be relevant to necessary real-world skills like writing a resume or the classic example of filing taxes?

After my experience as a high schooler taking Calculus BC and creating a project applying my calculus knowledge, I’ve realized…

And how they will affect our daily lives

When you first hear the word drone, you might think of them as mostly a toy fad, a fun hobby gadget that has come as a result of the increase in technology use in households. While there are drones that do indeed serve the recreational uses of amateur hobbyists, the rapid development of drone-related technology has also led to the diversification of drones to be used for a multitude of professional uses.

Ranging from deliveries to agriculture, a plethora of industries will be or are currently in the process of being revolutionized…

How we can use market factors to help solve difficult problems

Since its founding in 2011, Impossible Foods along with other companies like Beyond Meat have been pioneers in the process of perfecting plant-based meat. Their innovations have not only enticed the hungry stomachs of millions of Americans but also have attracted the interest of investors like Bill Gates, Google, and even Leonardo DiCaprio. With its average growth rate (CAGR) expected to be around 18% year on year over the forecast period from 2019 to 2025, let’s take a look at what makes this industry so successful.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Like many start-ups…

Societal narratives like the American Dream shape our reality and influence our actions. Yet they are incomplete and often distorted

Last Saturday was the Fourth of July, perhaps the most important holiday in terms of its significance to American identity, idealism, and its two and a half hundred years of history. Celebrated with fireworks, barbecues, and family get-togethers, it has become synonymous with patriotism and the love of all things American. …

Since the protests from the killing of George Floyd, the public has increased its scrutiny on apparent racial bias in police departments. Across the United States, “Defund the Police” has grown to become a rallying cry in an effort to combat systemic discriminatory practices within the police departments across the United States. Though the specific policy recommendations vary amongst different groups, an overarching theme has been to shift funding away from municipal police forces towards investment into black communities, whether it be in the form of education, infrastructure, or social welfare benefits.

Critics of the current system often point to…

This is the first part of a three-part series. See part two here, and part three here.

With this year’s Advanced Placement tests finally over, millions of high school students across America can finally breathe a sigh of relief. But while stress may be over, the indignation at the College Board’s handling of the online tests has grown in the past week as students express their dissatisfaction over a myriad of issues.

For one, some students believed that the 45-minute test was too brief to accurately evaluate a year’s worth of learning. At the same, issues over equity arose as…

Since the introduction of durable plastics, the prevalence of single-use plastic bags has grown to be a daily norm. Yet with increasing concern over the detrimental environmental impact of plastic bags, multiple states and municipalities have sought to curb the usage of non-biodegradable plastic bags. The solution appears to be rather straightforward; to implement a ban against plastic bags.

An example of a plastic bag ban can be seen in the one implemented in San Jose, California, one of the first municipalities to ban plastic bags and also one of the most successful municipalities in reducing plastic bag usage to…