Opinion Editorials

Opinion/Editorial Article(s):

Should Digital Test Taking Be The Future? 

By Tahmina Bakhtiyorova  

Digital test taking has grown massively across school and internationally over the past few years. Students have begun taking the digital SAT in the spring of 2023, which requires every student no matter what grade to take the PSAT or SAT digitally. This new update has led to mixed opinions as many dislike it but others seem to think it’s going to be effective. This rise of digital tests took place during the 2020-pandemic era. Since everyone was home, the birth of test taking online surfaced. College Board has seemed to slowly be incrementing digital test taking to all the AP tests they offer, so far it’s believed that digital test taking will be the future. Should digital exams replace the OG traditional paper exams?

As a student who will be taking AP Exams digitally, I am unsure whether this will be a good idea. From my experience of taking the PSAT, some students ran into technical problems in which many of the proctors were unable to solve. Digital test taking can come with glitches and challenges in technological adoption. When this occurs, it interrupts students from taking their tests. This can lead to problems involving their completion and scoring of the test. If you ask me, the most important thing is that countless students prefer to underline, highlight, annotate texts or questions to further understand what questions are asking. Speaking from my own experience, I need to underline and circle main things to even read the question. Without that ability it's difficult for not only me but many other students to perform well in the exams that our future depends on. This harms many students' grades as I also know many students who cross out answer choices to eliminate which are not possible to do on the computers.

Everything You Need to Know About Trump’s Hush Money Trials 

By Janis Tsang

Recently, the news has been inundated with reports surrounding Trump’s Hush Money Trials, and for a good reason too. The outcome of these trials has the ability to sway many citizens’ views on 2024 Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, and therefore, the upcoming presidential election.

Why is Trump on Trial?

     Former President Trump has been indicted for “falsifying business records in the first degree”, as stated by the Manhattan District Attorney’s indictment on Trump. In other words, Trump has been accused of altering money transfers between him and others. The claim focuses mainly on Trump falsifying three types of records: invoices from Michael D. Cohen, his former lawyer, to Trump’s Company, checks made to Cohen from Trump remuneration for hush money transactions, and accounting records surrounding the remuneration made to Cohen.

     The indictment also claims that Trump had, “intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission…” This statement not only adds to the claim that Trump falsified certain records, but also claims his motive for doing so was to obscure another crime committed. Although not stated in the indictment, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg claims that this second crime was contravening election laws right before the 2016 Election.

Wait, What Hush Money Transactions?

     The Hush Money Transactions, also known as the “Zombie Case”, focuses on three hush money transactions with three separate people: Stormy Daniels, adult film actress, Karen McDougal, former model for Playboy, and Dino Sajudin, a doorman for Trump Tower. The allegations made mainly cover the transaction between Trump and Daniels, while the other two stories will be used against Trump as evidence for him swaying the 2016 Presidential Election.

      Before the 2016 Presidential Election, Daniels decided to sell her story of a sexual affair she had had with Trump. Trump needed to act fast; a story like this could alter the election results and cost him the election. Cohen decided to pay Daniels 130,000 dollars to buy the story, causing Trump to later pay Cohen back. Prosecutors argue that Trump had disguised his reimbursement to Cohen, “as legal expenses, citing a retainer agreement. Yet no such expenses existed, prosecutors say, and the retainer agreement was fabricated.” 

     In 2016, prior to the presidential election, model McDougal had also planned to sell her story on her affair with Trump. Unsure about what he should do, Trump contacted the publisher of The National Enquirer, David Pecker. Pecker advised Trump to buy the story from McDougal and keep it under wraps, preventing the account from being publicized. This technique is known as, “catch and kill,” where one source will prevent certain information from being published. Although Trump claims that these affairs never happened, prosecutors have retrieved evidence from The National Enquirers parent company, American Media, that they had paid McDougal 150,000 dollars to protect Trump for the presidential election. Bragg declared that Trump had later ordered Cohen to pay back American Media.

     Sajudin, a doorman for Trump Tower, had also sold his information about an illegitimate child Trump had. American Media decided to pay Sajudin 30,000 dollars to grant them the rights over the rumor in perpetuity about Trump having a child with an employee who worked at Trump Tower.

How Can I Follow the Trial?

     Although predicted to end before the 2024 Presidential election, the end date for the trial is not set in stone. However, many news stations are covering the trial, making them great places to learn about any future updates. So if you’re interested, make sure to keep your eyes out on the news!

Women’s Suffrage

By Bing Lei

 With the change of society, women’s rights have continually developed after 1920. However, before 1920, women were always treated unequally to that of men in society. They could not speak in public, receive the same education as men, and were treated with double sex standards, which encouraged a lot of women to start fighting for their rights. On the other hand, anti-suffragists believed that women did not need many rights because their roles in society were to only be wives and mothers. Therefore, the anti-suffragists conflicted over whether women need suffrage and more power. This led to women only gaining their rights after spending 72 years of overcoming obstacles, such as racial inequality, ethnic discrimination, and discouragement.

     During the American Revolutionary War, there was a high demand for women to make homespun cloth, produce goods and perform services to help the army, and even work as spies. Women's status in society has gradually improved, which further stimulated women's desire for greater equality. But it was not until July 1848, when the first woman's rights convention occurred, known as the Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. It was when women started to seriously fight for their rights. Stanton and Mott were the first two people who stood up for women and advocated equal rights for women. They coined that, “all laws which . . . place her in a position inferior to that of man are contrary to the great precept of nature and therefore of no force or authority”. Stanton was the one who officially started the women's rights movement. After the female awakening to power, more and more women realized that if they don’t have voting rights, they have no political power.

Before women gained their suffrage rights, they received different education, treatment in the society, and salaries. In order to gain voting and political rights, women decided to use nonviolent methods, such as lecturing, writing, marching, and practicing civil disobedience. However, numerous oppositions appeared in late early 1860 and 1870, in which anti-suffragists tried to limit the roles of women because it was the simplest way to control them. Moreover, they have also created many arguments against women's suffrage, such as the ideas that the ballot would degrade women by mingling them in the “dirty'' corrupt world of politics, that women don’t need the right to vote because their husbands would, and also claimed that women don’t know how to vote. Even in present day society, there are still a lot of people who think that women should stay at home and take care of their children and parents because of so-called “tradition.” Therefore, there are still a lot of issues concerning equality that women have yet to address.

In women marched in Washington the day before President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration to push for the right to vote, which brought new national attention to the suffrage movement. About four years later, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress. Therefore, Jeannette Rankin has become an icon for many people, and her success also paved the way for later women leaders. After she became the first female leader in the United States, more and more women are taking the roles of leaders, according to the continually increasing rate of women leaders. In 2021, about 28.2% of 535 seats for women serving in Congress and 25% of 100 seats for women serving in the Senate were affected by the 72 years of the efforts of all women. The battle continued after 1917 and eventually ended in 1920; when the 19th amendment was published, which prohibits the denial of the right to vote “on account of sex”. This helped women gain equal treatment, such as opportunities for jobs, salaries, and education, raising the status of women. Women's suffrage made the United States realize that the country has to be more democratic, tolerant, and social just. There are still many problems to be addressed because the law cannot apply to every person and every case but can be improved.

Therefore, women's consciousness awakening has created a new definition of the word "female" through their own efforts: not only can they be mothers and wives, but also leaders, workers, bosses, etc. 

Throughout United States history, women used nonviolent methods against the unequal treatment they received in society. This made the United States government realize that men and women should be equal, hence leading to the establishment of the 19th amendment, which states that women should have voting rights. This event is significant in gaining women equal treatment in society, helping society become more democratic and letting more people have the courage to fight for their rights. Take same-sex marriage, which many people have discriminated against, as a model.

  Even though same-sex couples are just different from the others and have done no wrong, they still get a lot of hostility and hate. However, through their efforts, they fixed these issues, and the United States government even passed the same-sex marriage law. Therefore, women's awareness of equal rights affects women today because if women are discriminated against solely because of their gender, it will motivate them to protect their rights. It also affected people who are different from others and receive different treatment as it encourages them to fight for themselves. 

What Has Been Going On Between Israel and Iran?

By Janis Tsang

     For many years Israel and Iran have been tied up in a shadow war, filling up a timeline full of clandestine operations. The shadow war is not considered an official war yet, as no side has declared war on the other, however, their entanglement has added to their list of disputes. Israel is currently in conflict on multiple fronts including their cross-border attacks with Hezbollah, their war with Palestine, and Houthi drone attacks from Yemen. Recently, the Shadow War has been flooding the news with stories, but although the Shadow War between Israel and Iran may seem relatively new in the news, the two countries have been longtime rivals. Here are the recent events in the shadow war between Israel and Iran.

     In January, 2020, Qassim Suleimani, a Iranian military official, was killed through an American drone attack in Baghdad. This left Israel satisfied, much to Iran’s discontent, prompting Iran to strike back: Iran launched two missile attacks on a military base stationed in Iraq that held American soldiers. About one-hundred soldiers were injured. This matter is important when soldiers from the United State’s military have been injured by foreign attacks at a station overseas. Once a soldier from the United States has died from a foreign attack in a foreign territory, oftentimes, the United States is dragged into that conflict. The fact that one-hundred soldiers from the United States military were injured, shows that the United States may have to get involved in the overseas issue.

     Following Suleimani’s death, multiple smaller sized attacks were carried out between the two regions. In July of 2021, Iran responded to a previous Israeli strike in Syria by attacking an oil tanker. Two workers died as a result. In November of 2021, Israel assassinated Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, one of Iran’s top nuclear scientists. Prior to the assassination, Iran had suspected that Israel was planning to kill Fakhrizadeh, as Fakhrizadeh was likely close to producing one of Iran’s first nuclear weapons. Knowing this, they warned Fakhrizadeh of Israel’s possible scheme, however, Fakhrizadeh ignored the rumors, causing his death. 

     The multitude of conflicts Israel is facing occasionally affect each other. On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian military and political movement that governs the Gaza Strip, followed through with an attack on Israel. Hamas had a plan to infiltrate Israeli territory; their plan had killed over 1,160 people through the use of rockets, automated machine guns, and more. Israel fought back against Hamas, which Iran saw as a green light to fight back against Israel harder than before.

  In January, 2024, Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri and two commanders were killed in an explosion in Lebanon. Although no group has publicly confirmed their involvement, officials from Lebanon, the United States, and Hamas attribute the attack to Israel.

     In March, 2024, Israel launched a drone that struck a car, killing at least one person. Later that day, an airstrike, most likely done by Israel, killed 44 people in Northern Syria.

On April 1, 2024, there was an attack on an Iranian Embassy building in Damascus killing seven people, a mix of Iranian military generals and commanders. Although Israel has not claimed this attack to be their doing, Iran announced that 

they would later strike back. Later that April, Iran conducted a large-scale attack on Israel: a launching of upwards of 300 missiles and drones from Tehran, the capital of Iran. Israel responded by shooting down the majority of the barrage. Israel retaliated later that week by striking an Iranian military air base near Isfahan, Iran. 

Different Types of Engineering Fields 

By Jaylynn Perez

What if I’m not good at math but love science?

Although chemical engineering involves a lot of mathematics and science classes, pursuing a major in chemical engineering offers endless opportunities. As long as you’re dedicated, disciplined, and passionate about science, you can succeed in this field. Chemical engineering is more than just equations; it requires teamwork, creativity, innovation, and critical thinking. As Isaac Newton once said, 

"Live your life as an Exclamation rather than an Explanation! "

What is Electrical Engineering?

Electrical engineering deals with the fundamentals of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It forms the building blocks of how electricity works. Electrical engineers design, create, and develop circuits to ensure the stable flow of electricity. Their contributions are found in smartphones, computers, automobiles, and various other electric devices.

"The engineer has been, and is, a maker of history "

What is Biomedical engineering? 

Biomedical engineering involves the application of math, physics, biology, and chemistry to improve healthcare and enhance the quality of life. This field has various branches, allowing biomedical engineers to utilize computers and information technologies to analyze biological systems or work with biomaterials, overlapping with materials engineering.