Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a U.S representative, activist, educator, and role model for many Americans. This past summer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was insulted by Ted Yoho in the steps of the capital.

Ted Yoho is a U.S representative and has served his position for about 8 years now. As a “mature” man and experienced congressman he should know better than to go and try to intimidate someone who does not share his ideas. Unfortunately, this past summer Yoho went up to Ocasio-Cortez and insulted her and then called her the b-word in front of a reporter.

According to the website npr.org, Ocasio-Cortez got an hour to present the incident in congress. “I was minding my own business walking up the steps. And Rep. Yoho put his finger in my face. He called me out of my mind. And he called me dangerous.” Ocasio-Cortez stated that Yoho was accompanied by Roger Williams who at first didn’t get involved but then started to insult her as well.

The Hills wrote that the dispute seemed to be over her outspoken advocacy of liberal policies. Yoho didn’t call her the b-word during the confrontation, instead, he did it after each one took their different ways and a reporter heard him. Whatever the case may be, he should’ve kept his thoughts to himself.

After being called out Yoho apologized using his wife and daughters as a shield, an apology that was also called out by Ocasio-Cortez. Although she didn’t need to explain herself, Ocasio-Cortez explained that she had to call out Yoho’s behavior because she couldn’t give other women the example of letting harassment or insults go without consequence.

“But then yesterday, representative Yoho decided to come to the floor. Of the house of representatives, and make excuses for his behavior. And that, I could not let go. I could not allow my nieces, I could not allow the little girls that I go home to. I could not allow victims of verbal abuse, and worse, to see that, to see that excuse. And to see our congress accept it as legitimate.”

Uni student, Gricelda, says Alexandria was in all her rights to call out Yoho’s behavior. “All congress people should respect the diverse views between their colleagues," she said, adding it is unacceptable we have grown men in congress going up to a woman who is two years younger than his daughter.”

All in all, Yoho’s behavior was unacceptable, and no argument can change the fact that as a representative he should do better.

“Having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man.”

- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

The US spends more than any other country on healthcare and still, we have the lowest life expectancy. The reason behind the country's short life expectancy is because of what we eat, which later leads to health issues. Fast food restaurants are everywhere and serve as a major cause of these health problems. People tend to eat out more instead of cooking at home because of how easy it is to get the food anywhere they look. Some might think because they're skinny that they're healthy, but in reality, your organs are slowly being affected. Fast food is meant to last long and be cooked fast, but the ingredients used to make it last are not good.

In a Los Angeles Times article, researchers explained that, “Those with a body mass index, or BMI, above 40 are robbed of at least six and half years, on average, of expected life span, a study has found. And the toll in years lost rises with the degree of obesity, reaching nearly 14 years for the most obese -- those with a BMI above 55." Compared with their normal-weight peers, the extremely obese are more likely to succumb early to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. For men with “class III obesity,” the rate of death attributable to heart disease and diabetes is especially elevated compared with normal-weight males. For women in the same obesity category, cancer deaths dramatically outstripped those among normal-weight women.

Jessel Sanchez from University high school agrees that the food system is the main reason people’s life expectancy is shorter than in other countries. Even in school kids are surrounded by vending machines with chips and cookies as well as the student store, which has almost everything. I feel like it’s hard to not eat all these bad things because some students don’t like the lunch from school. Because of this, students go buy junk food.

Overall, it is the food that you put in your body that results in a shorter life expectancy because of all the health problems it comes with. The government should do better and provide better food services as well as make a law for fast food restaurants to only serve a small amount of everything. Compared to other countries, the United States pays the most on healthcare expenses with a total of $6,347 and yet obtains the lowest life expectancy. Whereas, Japan only spends about $2,474 on healthcare expenses and they have the highest life expectancy. Such a disparity is an eye-opener and makes one recognize the hidden dangers of the different foods we consume.

Nowadays with the advancing technology surrounding our society, we tend to forget the beauties of nature that lie beyond what is captured on our phone screens. Among these beauties overshadowed by technology is our state’s Sequoia National Park, only a four hour drive away from Los Angeles.

Founded on September 25, 1890, Sequoia National Park is the United States’ second national park and it neighbors Kings Canyon National Park founded in 1940. One of the most evident attractions of the national park are the various types of trees, notably the Sequoia trees.

According to the Visalia Times Delta article, “Sequoia National Park reopens Thursday as fire pushes deeper into wilderness,” the park had a second closure on September 15 due to nearby raging wildfires and reopened on October 1st. Having visited the national park, I vividly recall driving by The General Highway and witnessing the damage that could not go unnoticed.

The trees in the park such as the White Firs, Sugar Pines, Incense Cedar, and Ponderosa could not withstand the fires. Numerous trees were destroyed and you could only see the black ash patches on the brown soil and the bare branches sticking out the enormous trees. Apart from that, the park has an extreme elevation ranging from 1,360 to 14, 494 feet, causing the air quality to be normally moderate or unhealthy. There were warnings of the air quality and other dangers such as bears and possible ongoing wildfires.

Despite those downsides, the true wonders come with the Sequoia trees. Unlike the other trees, the Sequoia trees have an advantage and can survive the blazing wildfires. Sequoia trees date back to almost 3,000 years. In the Orange County Register article, “130th anniversary: A look at the sequoia trees in the nation’s second National Park,” it stated that Sequoia trees “can protect themselves against natural threats, allowing them to survive for thousand of years … [among those protections,] their bark [that] is so thick it protects them against fire and harmful insects.” Additionally, as the trees age, their trunks thicken increasing their mass and adding a bonus protection.

Living proof of these facts is The General Sherman Tree, being the biggest tree on earth standing at 275 feet from its base, and the Tough Twins. Jennifer, a senior at Uni said, “The fact that there are 3,000 year old trees still living in our reality is crazy.”

I personally was astounded looking at how high above The General Sherman reached. The fire scars on some of the Sequoia trees also hold truth to their immense strength against threats. Although wildfires cause damage, they have a reputation of playing a major role in a Sequoias' life cycle and creating ideal conditions for their seedlings germination and reproduction, allowing for the growth of more Sequoias.

In the end, our phone screens could never compare to witnessing the views of these great earth wonders in person. “The existence of national parks like the Sequoia National Park remind us of how healthy and beautiful nature can be without humans destroying it,” said Jennifer. “A lot of wildlife depends on it and we can’t be so selfish to take every single area away.”

The driving test can be intimidating. However, there are a few important tips that can help set people on the right track to pass the test with a perfect score.

First, it is important to know that in order to take the driving test, you need to get a permit. According to dmv.ca.gov, once you get your permit you are good to practice with a licensed person who is 25 years old or older.

If you are a minor, the DMV will ask for 50 hours of practice, and 10 out of the 50 hours have to be night driving.

According to the website, free DMV practice test, two license plates are required, with valid insurance, a license from a parent or guardian, and your ID or document that identifies you.

Before taking the test the car must be in good conditions, in other words, the car's headlights, tail lights, windshield wipers, horn, breaks, and any other part needs to be working accordingly. You also need to check if the car has enough gasoline and a stable temperature. Failure in any of the pre-drive checklist requirements can cause the test to be postponed.

Make sure to be familiar with the car, so there is no trouble finding things like the emergency lights or windshields during the test because that can take points away.

Driving-test.org, recommends paying attention to your speed. Remember, check for signs that tell you the required speed limit or any other traffic laws.

You can only go five miles below the speed limit. Going 10 miles above or below the speed limit is not acceptable. Another important thing to do is to check your rear mirrors every five seconds to be alert of your surroundings. This can help you see any cars behind you before stopping or slowing down. Additionally, it allows people to see if they have a car to their sides before changing lanes.

Checking the rear mirrors is not enough when making turns; you have to check your blind spots. Driving-test.org recommends doing so by turning over your shoulder, and when you do, you have to turn your head to look, not only your eyes. If the instructor does not see the full head motion they will deduct points.

Above all, look for pedestrians even with a green light. Pedestrians have the right of way, even if they don’t cross in a designated area.

It is also a good idea to practice in areas near the DMV because instructors sometimes will try to take you to confusing roads to test your driving abilities, which can either cost you points or result in a critical error that automatically fails you.

The last tip is to believe in yourself, just like Karina Arciniegas, a senior at Uni who already passed her driving exam. “I felt very nervous when I was going to take the exam,’’ said Karina “I’m a casual nervous wreck, but I just relaxed and told myself I would pass, and I did.”

Remember that you can always take the test again and it won’t be the end of the world if you fail the first time, as long as you keep trying.

“Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” - Roy T. Bennett