Healing:

The first thing to bring up is how fictional characters can become a source of inspiration. Some characters are portrayed as brave, kind, and always able to see the good in others. We aspire to be like these characters and in a way, it’s sort of healing. A newer example of this is a show called ‘Bluey’. Many of you already know what this show is, it’s a preschool show about the daily life of young Bluey and her friends & family. But while this show is aimed at little kids, many older viewers have also enjoyed the show too. As a result, this has made many people see ‘Bluey’ as a comfort show as there’s references to older audiences who understand better, and this show can get quite serious at times which have older audiences care about these talking dogs. Now, some of you may have no idea about ‘Bluey’, so let me mention a show that you are more likely to be familiar with. That show in particular would be  ‘Arthur’. Again, it’s aimed for a younger demographic, but older audiences have found themselves enjoying this show too for the same reasons. Not only that, but these same reasons help remind us (the viewer) of our own experiences and struggles through day to day life. So even if stories with talking animals or are like ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ and ‘The Owl House’ that have fictional humans fighting off people (either on Earth or The Boiling Isles) with magic and weapons, they’re all grounded in reality with the lessons learned and the characters going through them with in it’s unique ways of storytelling.

Representation (Part 1):

Second reasoning to this topic has to do with representation playing a major part. As there are multiple smaller sections in regards, this will be divided up with sentences. Starting with how teens are portrayed. On especially Netflix shows, teens are shown to barely attend class, speak slang words every so often, look way older, and commit heinous crimes on a regular basis. Examples like these already make viewers alienated and not care about the show as they ditch it and find something else. Not to mention that these “teen stereotypes” are written by older people who have clearly never met and interacted with a teen. That’s why people would praise a show about teenagers for actually acting like teenagers. It once again makes everything feel grounded as viewers can relate to the stress and drama that can happen to them, and not feel like aliens of some sort living in some ‘Fahrenheit 451’ dystopian scenario. This is the end of one smaller section, and now it’s time to shine a light onto another form of representation. Earlier I had mentioned stress. Stress can be the aftermath and/or cause of mental disorders. Already, having one at minimum can negatively affect daily life as things like OCD for example can take over your life, making it a hellish cycle to face constantly. Now, imagine you’re trying to find something to watch, and what you end up finding is…insulting. Characters with these “mental disorders” are seen as crackhead quirky people who excuse it all the time and the disorder overall is treated as one big joke. That’s how we get cases like Sia’s autism movie ‘Music’ and another movie ‘Split’ that terribly depicts a person having DID as psychopathic. These depictions are especially harmful as someone who doesn’t have a disorder sees media like this and thinks it’s okay to pin down an autistic person as a way to help with their meltdown. But, when done right,  it is forever appreciated by viewers and it helps make everyone feel seen. One example of good representation is in the movie ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’. There’s a scene where Puss is at his lowest point. He’s having an anxiety attack after witnessing the Wolf in the distance, reminding him that death is coming and his time is almost up. He’s sitting below a tree, away from everybody so he could be alone. What happens after? His friend Perrito finds him frantically breathing. And what does he do? Does he slap him and tell him to “snap out of it”? No. He lays right next to him so Puss can pet him in order to calm down. This works and they are able to talk to each other about what had happened prior. He’s a brave character. The one that everyone admires. And yet…he has a panic attack, and that’s okay. This “humanizes” him in that aspect and it helps viewers feel seen as many have gone through something similar. It’s considered one of the best showcases in media as it shows a proper way to help someone with a panic attack. It comes from a movie about a Spanish cat with only 1 life left traveling to find a wish-making map so he can get his 9 lives back. Oh, and along with friends and enemies trying to get the map too. Even so, this matters especially in children’s media, where kids are able to see and identify themselves to these characters more than ever. This can also help viewers figure out more about themselves as it could be their first time seeing characters with the same struggles and routines as them. It can overall help people feel more like they matter and have a place in this world.

Representation (Part 2):

Notice how newer shows have black and hispanic main characters? Well, this brings in the other side of representation that wasn’t mentioned earlier. This is referring to people of color being represented more and more as time goes on. Which is great! In a way, it’s similar to how nowadays, there seems to be more left-handed people in the world. Why? Well, because the world slowly stopped caring about fitting people into a box and forcing them onto other ideologies. Sure it may seem overdone as shows try to shove representations down viewer’s throats with stereotypes (like the sassy black friend) as they check off boxes to make sure it’s blatantly obvious (aka DC Comics). But when done right, as in the writer's care, it makes everything worthwhile. Another trope improving over the years that relates to this is how black hair is considered “messy”. Unfortunately shows like ‘Winx Club’ have shown a black girl crying over her hair being ruined as it’s styled in an afro. (It even shows another girl flicking it while a bouncing sound effect plays while she looks at it weirdly.) Examples like this are harmful as it’s basically saying that black hair being styled in anything but straight is ugly. That’s a terrible message to tell viewers, especially younger generations who will believe this and see non-straight hair as ugly when that isn’t the truth. Thankfully newer shows like ‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ have portrayed black hair as beautiful and something to be proud of embracing. Current viewers are able to appreciate something at the moment while newer generations can appreciate it also and can grow up with it. In a way, representation ties in with “healing” as it helps current viewers who are older heal their inner child with something that wasn’t shown as much back then. But as much as progress that was made to show minorities more often in the media, there’s still one major problem that lurks within. For some weird reason, casting directors haven’t been doing the best job with finding the right people for their role. An example of this is when casting choices about the supposed ‘Daria’ spinoff (titled ‘Jodie’) had come out. In that list, they show Jodie’s voice actor, and…she’s half-black while Jodie isn’t. She’s a black character, and yet…they didn’t cast a black voice actor? Cases like this tend to happen often nowadays as casting directors will label anyone who is half-black as black and call it a day. This fiasco doesn’t only apply to race. Remember earlier I brought up Sia’s autism movie? Well, one of the biggest issues with ‘Music’ was that they casted someone who isn’t autistic…to portray an autistic character. You think that it would make more sense to hire an autistic actress for an autistic character? But this dumpster fire of a movie went with the latter. (Although they did originally have an autistic person on set, but was fired after Sia said something about her being “too difficult to deal with”. Hence why the recasting.) The point is that unfortunately as much progress has been made to show positive portrayals of representation, there’s still so much that needs to be done in order to fully achieve showcasing positive representation in the media. But these are the stepping stones to understanding the importance and healing process of it all.

Overall, this concludes on how people tend to connect well to fictional characters. With so many others relating, it helps being able to also connect with other people, whether online and/or in real life. We are able to see just how much of an impact any types of fictional media have created to those many people of color and/or mental health warriors, and even earn a voice within a world that would often disagree. In a way, it’s like we get to ”dig a bit deeper”, like a two way mirror. One side reflects back, while the other side offers a lot more that you wouldn’t have seen before.

35 Cooke Ave was an auto repair shop acquired by the Dashmesh Dunbar Gudwara in 2000. The Dashmesh Dunbar Gudwara is a local religious organization that originally intended to use the area to build a 20,000-square-foot temple. Carteret’s previous administration approved the project even though it lacked the 160 parking spaces required by code. The property remained a health and safety concern to local planning officials after the construction was stalled in 2001. There was an attempt to revitalize the property, but it failed in 2003. Then, in 2005 and 2006, New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection issued “No Further Action” letters for the removal of the underground storage tanks from the property. Since then, Mayor Reiman and the Borough’s Redevelopment Agency have acquired the property to address a few minor environmental concerns discovered as part of the Borough’s due diligence assessment prior to acquisition, none of which will affect the expected end use of the property. 

Earlier in the summer, the Agency received 10 bids for the demolition of the property. The Agency also announced that it would be accepting bids for the purchase and private development of the property for residential use, proposing 30 two-bedroom condominiums. Mayor Daniel J. Reiman announced that the unfinished structure would now be demolished after being stalled for years. The news brought great relief to local residents whose cityscape had been “blighted by the skeletal girder framework since 2001.”

Hope you enjoyed getting to know some of Carteret’s local history!

Now that spring is here, you might be wondering what you can do to get out of the house after being stuck inside all winter. There are many things you can enjoy by yourself or with friends and family in Carteret, from local spots to area favorites. 

Local Favorites:

Some local favorites include Carteret Waterfront Park, Carteret Park, and Joseph Medwick Park. These parks offer refreshing strolls and beautiful scenery, and you can even plan a picnic to relax.

Entertainment:

If you’re looking for entertainment, you might want to visit the Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center. It features live music, comedy, Broadway-style shows, and concerts.

Noms:

If you’re looking for a quick bite, Carteret offers many dining options, including Mongolian & Sushi, Roosevelt Bagel Factory, and El Salto del Fraile. Roosevelt Bagel Factory provides a variety of breakfast foods and sandwiches, along with sweet treats. Mongolian & Sushi offers all-you-can-eat Mongolian cuisine and sushi. El Salto del Fraile is a Peruvian restaurant that serves a variety of authentic dishes. 

Whether you’re looking to take a scenic stroll, plan a picnic, watch a show, or grab some good food, Carteret offers more than you may think. Get outside this spring and enjoy all that Carteret has to offer.

M- Stranger things season 5 - After nearly a decade, the Duffer brothers finally wrapped up their fifth and final season of the Stranger things franchise. While it was definitely exciting to watch, the overall results were just okay. Volume 1, though somewhat predictable, was engaging and genuinely enjoyable, doing an awesome job setting the stage and building tension for what should have been a great end to the series. Sadly, Volume 2 felt like an entirely different show. For a series built around interdimensional monsters and psychic powers, The finale in particular was so underwhelming and anticlimactic. While there were still great moments, it was hard to ignore how safe the season played things. There was no risk and if there was, it was down played or revealed to be a fake-out more often than not.

J- Stranger things season 5 - Stranger Things is a popular series that premiered in 2016 and recently concluded this past New Year’s. In my opinion, the show was stretched out longer than it needed to be, and many viewers understandably expected more from the finale than what was delivered. The season opened strong with its first few episodes, but the rest felt slow and drawn out. I was satisfied with the final episode overall, especially seeing how much each character has grown and matured on their own. Still, it felt like the ending played it a little too safe by giving every main character a happy resolution.

Final review - After nearly a decade, the Duffer brothers finally wrapped up their fifth and final season of the Stranger things franchise, a popular series that premiered in 2016 and recently concluded the past New Year’s. While it was definitely exciting to watch, the overall results were just okay, in our opinion the show stretched out longer than it needed to be, and many viewers understandably expected more from the finale than what was delivered. Volume 1 was engaging and genuinely enjoyable, doing an awesome job setting the stage and building tension for what should have been a great end to the series, and the season opened strong with its first few episodes, but the rest felt slow and drawn out. Sadly, Volume 2 felt like an entirely different show, and the finale in particular was so underwhelming and anticlimactic. I was satisfied with the final episode overall, especially seeing how much each character has grown and matured on their own, but it was hard to ignore how safe the season played things, giving every main character a happy resolution. Overall, a 3/5 rating.

Since the dawn of time, fashion has been a vital way for people to express themselves, from clothing and hairstyles to intricate nail art and deliberate makeup looks. Many of these looks are influenced by the content we consume daily. In the media, characters do more than just entertain viewers; they can influence our everyday lives in subtle ways. Whether through styles inspired by a show's overall aesthetic or entire outfits curated based on a character's infectious personality, fashion is one of the most creative and accessible ways to express love for a character we connect with. 

Cosplaying is one of the most expressive examples of this, where someone uses props, costumes, and makeup to portray characters from the media they love. Whether it's from TV shows, books, or movies, and regardless of whether they dress exactly like the character they’re portraying or if they decide to add their own creative twist, their efforts are nothing short of impressive.

However, cosplaying is not the only way to express dedication. Instead of wearing full costumes, a plethora of creatives on social media have found ways to incorporate their favorite characters into everyday outfits and styles. This can be executed through unique color pallets that translate easily into daily wear, signature (yet subtle) accessories inspired by a character, layering, or even a replicated signature hairstyle. Dressing like a character can help one feel connected to the traits they love most about the character. It might not always be about copying, it's about expressing yourself in ways that you love!

 For example, many people across social media platforms have created bright, bold, and eccentric outfits inspired by characters who may not fit societal norms, taking inspiration from Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. Her unconventional teaching methods and outlandish outfits have inspired many to step out of their comfort zones, encouraging others to experiment with their identity and how they present themselves in ways they love and ways that might inspire others. But, if you're not feeling as bold as wearing a neon colored dress or taking a field trip through space, a pair of fun frog earrings should do the trick!

Whether you take inspiration from an outfit simply because you like it, or because you want to feel brave like the character who wears it, fashion inspired by characters can bring a little extra whimsy everyone needs in their life. It has become a universal way for people to express themselves and share the characters they admire, while also building connections through the looks they wear.