The 2020 election was a very close and intense race whose outcome was hard to predict but we finally have the results.  Former U.S. Vice President and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party defeated President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence of the Republican Party.  Biden received over 78 million popular votes, which is approximately 51% of the total votes cast, as well as the highest number of votes a candidate has received in presidential history.  Trump received over 73 million popular votes, which is approximately 47% of the total votes cast, as well as the highest number of votes a losing candidate has received in presidential history.  To win the election, you must receive a minimum of 270 electoral votes.  Biden surpassed this amount by receiving 290 electoral votes while Trump received 232.  

This year, the highest number of Americans voted in over a century; over 60% of the eligible voting-age population in the U.S. cast their ballots.  As a matter of fact, many people participated in early voting, which began in October and varied among different states.  Surprisingly, several “swing states”, also known as “battleground states”, flipped from red to blue, such as Wisconsin and Arizona.  The differences between the votes in these “swing states” were very small; there were differences of as little as 0.3% of the total state’s votes, or in other words, differences of just thousands.  Independent candidates who participated in the race include Jo Jorgensen of the Libertarian Party and Howie Hawkins of the Green Party.  These candidates received few votes compared to the Democratic and Republican candidates, which was expected.  

TRUMP TAKES LEGAL ACTION

Although Biden has officially been elected as the 46th president of the U.S., current president Donald Trump has demanded a recount in some states.  He, his campaign, and his supporters as for every “legal vote” to be counted, implying that some illegal votes have been counted or that votes have been illegally counted, therefore changing the course of the election.  Trump, who claimed victory prior to the election’s results, is now challenging the country’s vote-counting process.  The Trump campaign and its legal team have pursued legal action in various states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, which were among the “swing states” that flipped from red to blue.  They have filed lawsuits against several states, including “alleging that Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar illegally extended a deadline for mail-in voters to supply any missing ID requirements from Nov. 9 to Nov. 12”.  In addition, on Nov. 4, they “filed a lawsuit in state court asking that vote counting stop until courts can enforce rules that permit campaign observers to watch the ballots being opened and counted” in the state court in Michigan.

SUPPORT BY GENDER, AGE GROUP, ETHNICITY, AND EDUCATION LEVEL

The number of men who voted for Biden and Trump is fairly equal.  On the other hand, more women voted for Biden than Trump.  Younger voters tended to vote for Biden while older voters tended to vote for Trump.  Most people of color voted for Biden; the white population voted for Trump more, although there is not a large difference. Those with a college degree tended to vote for Biden more than those without.  (Results are based on a sample size of 15,318 respondents). 

VOTERS’ OPINIONS

35% of voters said that the economy was the most important issue while 20% said racial inequality.  This was followed by 17% saying the coronavirus, 11% crime and safety, and 11% health care policy.  Trump voters tended to say that the economy was the most important issue while Biden voters tended to say racial inequality and the virus.  

As we know now, Joe Biden has been elected as president and Kamala Harris as vice president.  The country seems to be practically divided; both candidates and their parties have caused much controversy because of their contrasting policies.  Harris also made history as the first woman to become vice president, as well as the first black and Asian-American vice president.  However, the results of the election are being challenged.  Make sure to keep an eye on the news, 2020 has been full of surprises!

(Statistics are based on information as of November 15, 2020.) 

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Works Cited

“US election results 2020: Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump to win presidency”. The Guardian,

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2020/nov/12/us-election-results-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-presidential-electoral-college-votes.

Meredith Deliso, Catherine Thorbecke, Marc Nathanson. “Election 2020: A look at Trump campaign election lawsuits and where they stand”. abc NEWS, 13 Nov. 2020,

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/election-2020-trump-campaign-election-lawsuits-stand/story?id=74041748.

“US Election 2020: Results and exit poll in maps and charts”. BBC News, 13 Nov. 2020,

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54783016.

Around this intermission between fall and winter, where the turkeys depart and the evergreens enter, there’s a perpetually recurring sickness that takes this season’s center.  A plague so infectious, you can’t get it out of your body. An illness so proliferant, you practically can’t go a day without seeing or hearing about it.  It lurks in the halls, houses, and probably in your head. I’m not talking about COVID-19, but a mere tune played with merry.  I’m talking about an old little song made by Mariah Carey.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is one of the best-selling Christmas singles of all time.  Time and time again, every radio, store, and mall is playing this song, which sits on a green-paper throne above all the jolly and merry hits.  It’s a six-time platinum award winning, multi-million dollar generating, and number one migraine-inducing single.  Of all the white snow glistening and sleigh bells ringing, this is the song that trumps all the rest.  This song has practically become to Spotify what turkey is to Thanksgiving, and it reigns as probably one of, if not the most popular Christmas tune of the modern day. This begs the question: how did it get so popular?

One contributing factor to the song’s popularity is its age, as the song was first published in 1994, over two decades ago.  Theoretically, it seems only logical that the older a song is, the larger the audience it would have, as demonstrated by timeless classics such as “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells”.  Yet, compared to many other hit Christmas songs, Mariah’s single is actually quite young.  The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) made a complete list of the top 30 most performed Christmas songs of all time, and lo and behold, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the youngest song on the list and the only song from the 1990s.  However, the most perplexing attribute of this single is that the song is actually increasing in popularity.  In fact, it earned a whopping $60 million from royalties alone in 2017 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 just last year (such a simpler time).  Thus, age cannot be the sole determining factor in the song’s popularity and so we must look further.

Without all the superficial aesthetics of the holiday spirit, Mariah Carey’s song in it of itself, is simply a love song, and as a love song, it uses a lot of direct personal pronouns.  The lyrics are blatantly in the title: “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.  The predominant focus on the first and second person pronouns “I” and “you” conveys not only a sense of personal connection, but also insidiously develops the song’s addictive sound.  Mariah repeats the word “I” over 30 times, such as in the phrases “I don’t want”, “I don’t care”, “I won’t ask”, “I won’t make”, “I just want”, and of course, “All I want”.  The incessant repetition of the word “I” makes the lyrics much more memorable to the listener, and also gives the hit single its signature infectious quality.  This repetitive property is also mirrored in several other popular songs, such as the masterpieces “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Gucci Gang” by the maestros Rick Astley and Lil Pump respectively.  Hence, the popularity of the song may be derived not so much from its novelty, but rather from its alluring familiarity. Moreover, there is one last major factor to the song’s popularity.

On November 11th, our nation recognizes the service of soldiers that have served in the armed forces. This federal holiday dates back to the end of World War I, originally being called “Armistice Day.” The initial thought behind the name “Armistice Day” was because of the thought that WWI was going to be the final war that would end any more wars. As WWII and the Korean War emerged, it was deemed necessary to change the name to “Veterans Day” 

Black Friday has been slowly overtaking Thanksgiving in popularity for years.  Stores seem to be opening earlier and earlier, encroaching more and more on its employees’ holidays.  It seemed nothing could stop the force of Black Friday, nothing except the internet at least.  Data from Statista shows that for the past two years, only 36% of people surveyed have said they would actually shop in person on Black Friday.  The main reason listed for this was that people felt the stores were too busy.  A fair argument considering the numerous tales of tramplings and fights that have broken out over deals.  Cyber Monday, the online alternative to the tumultuous Black Friday, proved to be the solution for those shoppers who wanted to avoid the chaos of in-person shopping.  Only Cyber Monday worked too well, as the majority of Black Friday shoppers expressed interest in this alternative.  Now with a nation still plagued by Covid-19 months after its initial shutdown, Cyber Monday is looking better than ever.  It is projected that online sales are expected to grow by 30%, according to Salesforce, and numbers like that might just spell the end of in person shopping on Black Friday.  Stores seem ultimately unbothered by this and have adapted accordingly.

Stores have primarily focused on crowd control by spreading out deals over a longer period of time.  Businesses such as Bath & Body Works, Macy’s, and Nordstrom spread out deals over the week of Thanksgiving break, both in-store and online.  Others that plan to be closed on  Thanksgiving day instead decided to have deals available throughout the month of November.  This method was used by corporate giants such as Target, Walmart, and Costco.  A couple stores like J.C. Penney and Bed Bath & Beyond went one step further by having deals that started even before Halloween.  However, not every business chose to extend the length of time for deals.  Home Depot and Kohl’s decided that deals in-store and online would be enough to limit the amount of customers to a Covid-19 safe number.  Big Lots also neglected more spread out deals and instead just modified its hours for Thanksgiving day.  Will any of these precautions be enough?

Despite the best efforts from stores, it is inevitable that any in person shopping on Black Friday will come with a massive risk of contracting COVID-19.  Despite statistics showing that the amount of people willing to go shopping that day is decreasing year by year, there is still a large number of people willing to risk it for a good bargain.  It is best to take advantage of the extra days of deals stores are offering, and even better to stick to online shopping this year.  In fact, this year could be an opportunity to shy away from big corporations and instead go to small independent businesses for gifts.  Many are suffering due to the current pandemic, and it would help them out a lot to get business during the holidays.  

No matter the business you decide to turn to for deals and holiday shopping, it is important to remember that the safety of you and your loved ones is worth more than any amount of savings.

Sources Used:

• https://blackfriday.com/news/retailer-black-friday-2020-plans

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/247010/americans-shopping-on-black-friday/

• https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/02/black-friday-is-over-heres-why-retailers-are-touting-weeks-of-deals.html

You’ve probably seen them before: anime avatar girls singing songs or playing video games in your YouTube recommendations. Maybe you watched one video in curiosity, then woke up the next morning to find them filling your feed. Whether Japanese, American, or British, these Virtual YouTubers have exploded in popularity in the past few months, overshadowing typical streamers with bizarre drawings and dance covers. But, er, you might be thinking, “Just who are these anime avatar characters… and, er, why should I care about them?” Great question!

Virtual YouTubers, or VTubers, are simply online streamers and entertainers who mostly do what normal YouTubers do: unbox gifts, live stream music, upholding gaming VODs, etc. However, as the name suggests, VTubers utilize computer graphics-generated avatars in place of real-life faces. These avatars can range from the face of a normal anime boy to a half-dragon orange-haired girl to a strange hoodie-wearing shark. The appeal of these characters is that they are unconstrained by real-world physical limitations or identity issues (gender, sex… creatures and biology, etc.). According to the BBC, they are unique in that they are "not constrained by personal or identity issues," and the popularity of VTubers worldwide is due to their "large customer base outside of Japan who love Japanese culture and anime".

Why are they suddenly popular now? Well in late 2016, Kizuna AI made her debut on YouTube and was the first to coin and use the term "virtual YouTuber". Before her, there had been a few YouTubers who utilized anime avatars in their videos- visual novel maker Nitroplus, UK-based Japanese vlogger Ami Yamato, singing voice synthesizer Vocaloid’s Hatsune Miku, and even virtual band from Gorillaz starting in 1998- but Kizuna AI was the first to gain massive traction in the YouTube scene, gaining over two million subscribers within ten months. She would later become a cultural ambassador of the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Following her sudden success, a VTuber trend formed to follow her footsteps. In 2018, the number of active VTubers doubled from 2,000 to 4,000, with VTuber agencies and independent streamers alike spreading to China, South Korea, Indonesia, India, and the United States. At the start of this year, 2020, there were over 10,000 VTubers, with more still debuting at this moment. Large VTuber companies such as Hololive have gained booming success with their own streamers such as Kiryu Coco and the Hololive EN branch star Gawr Gura.

**also note that almost all of these films a) contain the word Christmas and b) present strong colors of red and/or green

These films all have the same central point of making you feel sentimental of holiday tradition, or, maybe, a sense of hope that someday this will happen to you. As most of us are bleary-eyed from staring at our computer screens and obsessively refreshing the PowerSchool app, I implore you to set a day during break to watch one of these cheesy films for sheer enjoyment (the Netflix original Holidate isn’t constricted to just Christmas, for those of you who don’t celebrate). With only two weeks left in the semester, a good laugh is most likely needed. Whether it be from genuine enjoyment or satirical nature, these movies can be an escape from reality; sucked into the world of sentimental Christmastime, that, just for an hour or two, lets us momentarily forget about our problems.

The Mandalorian, a Star Wars show released in 2019, is an Emmy-winning show. It is the first Disney + show to ever be nominated for and win an Emmy. The show is centered around a bounty hunter who travels the galaxy while avoiding both Imperial and Rebel soldiers. While it may seem like just another Star Wars show, there is more to it than meets the eye.  

When we were first introduced to The Mandalorian in season 1, he just seemed like another bounty hunter. As the show progressed, we got a glimpse of his personality and saw he was not all bad. 

To review The Mandalorian, I will briefly summarize and then rate each category listed below:

• THE SCRIPT

• THE ACTING