WRIT 106 Blog 3:45pm

 By: Olivia Reina Crystals are popularly known as plain old stones, however, something that many people fail to realize is their healing powers they can bring about. Crystals fall into the category of “complementary and alternative medicine,” which also includes things such as yoga, acupuncture, and other very natural ways of medicine that are good for the soul. Crystals come from ancient forms of medicine from Hindu and Buddhism, though there is no real evidence to prove their powers. Each type of crystal has their own healing capabilities and are used for different things. For example, one of my favorite crystals is citrine, which is known for encouraging positivity and releasing traits of depression and negativity. I wear this one as a necklace around my neck for a constant reminder of happiness and positivity. Some of my favorite crystals and their healing powers include Rose Quartz which is the stone of love, Clear Quartz which is the stone on balance, Amethyst which is the st...

  By: Brianna Torres Serotonin is a chemical in your body that sends signals from nerve to nerve. Serotonin can impact every part of your body, but today we’re going to focus on what this neurotransmitter can do to your overall mood. Serotonin is a natural mood stabilizer that regulates our happiness and feelings of well being. Having normal levels of serotonin makes you happier, calmer, and more focused. Having low levels of serotonin can lead to depression and anxiety. Too much serotonin can result in serotonin syndrome and cause diarrhea+vomiting, sweating, muscle stiffness, etc. For me personally, I feel my serotonin being released the most when I’m in nature. A great view really does it for me. I can feel the instant mood shift to the point where I can’t stop myself from smiling. I regularly try to find a new place outside to visit to increase my serotonin. Here are some of the places I’ve been to recently(all in NJ). So now I ask you, what releases your serotonin? Is it a pla...

By: Kevin Paez In 2019, Covid-19 was first discovered, but it didn’t become that serious yet. Later, in 2020 its first outbreak was in China and then became a serious issue. Covid-19 spread all over the world killing millions of people and affecting the economy like jobs, money, businesses, etc. Covid-19 has multiple symptoms that are exposed to people like headaches, fever, loss of taste or smell, body aches, and many more. Moreover, older people or people who suffer from medical conditions like heart or lung diseases seem to be at a higher risk to be affected more.  Afterward, in late 2020 the first vaccine was developed by Kizzmekia Corbett. She is a scientist that is with the National Institutes of Health and she created the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. When the vaccine was confirmed that it was complete, they shipped the vaccine all over the world, so people would be able to be vaccinated. After, two other vaccines were developed called Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson. Scientists ...

By: Ikenna Onyegbule At some point in our lives, we all want to be financially stable and have a guaranteed source of income. The most important question is how will you keep your finances in good standing? Financial literacy is a topic that many people are not informed about and don’t know how important it is. Not being financially literate can lead you into credit card debt, bad credit score, etc. I believe that this should be taught in all high schools, right before the students graduate. Schools overall do a poor job of incorporating this into their curriculum but I was lucky enough to be taught it in 10th grade because my school required it. Schools should add more informative subjects like this in their curriculum rather than subjects that have no benefits in the future. Financial Literacy will teach you an array of things you literally need to know for the future such as writing a check/ reading a check, reading tax forms, how to maintain good credit, how to begin an emerg...

By: Jessica Mongare Most remember the reality TV show “America’s Next Top Model'' hosted by Tyra Banks. The show focused on a group of aspiring models and faced them with challenges to see who would win the competition and become America’s Next Top Model. Although the show was loved by many, so many problematic and controversial events took place on the show. For instance, for every season Tyra Banks forced the contestants to get makeovers and change their hair (cut or dye their hair). And in fear of being eliminated, these contestants had no choice but to do what was directed.  Another example of the scandals that took place was during Cycle 4. One of the challenges consisted of the models switching “races”. Ultimately, blackface had appeared in the episode and stirred so much controversy later on. Also, during Cycle 5, Tyra criticized a model for being openly gay and expressing her sexuality. Kim Stolz said to Tyra and other judges Jay Manuel and J. Alexander, “I want to be...

  By: Natalie Munoz It’s been a year and almost a month since we were all placed in quarantine. Within those months, everyone has been trying to entertain themselves. Some people have picked up hobbies, watched new movies, made music, painted pictures, focused more on school or started creating new businesses to gain money. Others have used this chance of isolation to reflect on their lives. But I do believe that at one point, everyone has learned something. It could be good or bad. You could’ve learned that your family means so much more to you than you ever thought before or that the next time you are forced into quarantine, you are going to move out as quickly as possible. You might have had friends or family members that you assumed had your back but ended up betraying you or have shown their true colors that they have been hiding. Maybe you realized that you aren’t happy with your life and wanted to start a new one. Or perhaps you didn’t learn anything at all. That’s completel...

By: Tara Mckearnin I am a firm believer that everyone should have at least one plant in their room, which scientists actually recommend. Now me? I currently have 24 plants in my room so I would consider myself a plant lover. There are so many reasons as to why we should all have a plant.  To start off, houseplants are the best air purifiers you can buy! They have the ability to cleanse the air from toxic chemicals such, as formaldehyde and benzene, which are usually found in paint, cigarettes, vinyl and solvents. You also won’t need to buy an air humidifier because plants do that too! Certain plants release moisture into the air through water vapor. This can protect us from getting respiratory problems, dry coughs and sore throat. Not to mention the obvious reason, plants release oxygen into the air making the air in your room very fresh and easy to breathe.  There have been numerous studies that demonstrate how plants can significantly reduce your stress levels. Some studies ...

By: Julia Konopka For the past three years I have been finding my way back to reading and it has been a slow and long process. I never enjoyed reading because it was always forced on me through schoolwork and I felt no personal joy from reading. I started reading again through Tumblr and I did not expect that to happen and too last so long. I spent about a year reading on and off fanfics online and through Tumblr; I focused on one fandom, Harry Potter. After 4 months of quarantine and spending all of my day laying in bed and reading I decided to gift myself a graduation present, the full set of the Harry Potter books. I’ve seen the movies over winter break so I know what happens but that didn’t disinterest me.  From June 2020 to now, April 2021, I have read 6 books which were: the first three books of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer, Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman, and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.    I ...

By: Franco Jimenez For decades, movie theaters have been the most popular way to watch upcoming movies, and it’s no surprise why. The anticipation of waiting in the ticket and popcorn lines, finding a good seat in the theater, watching the movie with this gigantic screen in front of you. Since the creation of streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, new upcoming movies are also starting to appear on the services as well to watch in the comfort of your own home. Especially in the past year. With the increased popularity of streaming services, I begin to wonder, what will happen to movie theaters in the future. As millions and millions of people across the world are using streaming services, will theaters become a thing of the past and die off just like Blockbuster did?  Personally, the movie theater experience is something that I think streaming services can’t replace. The convenience of streaming movies and TV shows whenever and wherever you want is definitely a milestone I ...

  By: Rameek Blake Last semester, I took this photo roughly around finals and at that time it was very stressful. Studying, quizzes, and also balancing my job schedule caused me to have a very hectic schedule. One thing I did to help deal with this was go outside and explore while skateboarding and taking photos with friends. Whenever you’re stressed or feeling like everything is out of your control, what do you do to relax and calm yourself down?     If I can’t go outside or skate, I also spend roughly around 10-15 minutes just playing guitar as a short break away from school and work.

By: Berkay Bektas This photo may look like some astronaut took a photo of this nebula from outer space or by some satellite that was flying by, but this photo was actually taken from earth. Miguel Claro a Portuguese astro photographer takes all his photos from the ground. These photos take a long time to set up and Miguel has to go through great lengths to be able to get a shot like even waiting five hours for the exposure for one photo. But in the end the results are worth it to be able to see these beautiful pictures that we usually wouldn't be able to see.   As you can imagine Miguel's work is often featured in NASA, and regularly wins picture of the day. I think being an astro photographer would be an interesting job. I've always been interested in space and always wondered what's out there, it's fascinating to actually be able to see what's in space.   If you had the chance to go outer space would you, why?